//------------------------------// // Chapter 6: A helping hand // Story: Souls Apart // by GnollReader //------------------------------// "This is ridiculous..." he muttered as he looked outside the train window. "Cheer up, it could be worse." she replied from her seat opposite of him. He sneered at her, "Really? I'm stuck in magical pony land for eternity and under your supervision at that. Tell me, dear paladin, how could things be worse?" "You're not inside a dungeon for one thing, and you're alive... though I'm still surprised how you're still walking after that blast." He shrugged, "Pfff... magical pony princess inside a magical castle. There's so much magic in that place she could have blasted me all day..." "I'll remind her of that the next time we see her." "Don't you dare." There was another moment of silence as the scenery passed on outside. Except for the two of them, there was not a soul in the train at this time of night. "So..." he started, "How is this going to go?" She checked the letter princess Celestia had given her, "Well... according to this, we're going to be picked up at Ponyville station by one of her students. A unicorn named Twilight Sparkle..." He gave a laugh, "Ponyville? Twilight Sparkle? Seriously, what the hell is it with these names? How do they expect anyone to take them serious like that?" "Their world, their traditions. Just run along." she replied with a sigh. "And you're not at all disturbed by this?" "I could be, but my training has taught me to be reasonable and calm in every thinkable situation." she said with pride. His eyes narrowed, "I remember you screaming profanities in my tower like a drunken wench in a pub." She glared at him, "It was your fault! How did you even come up with flying and shitting asses? It took me weeks to get that smell out of my armor!" A smile flashed across his lips, "Those were glorious, mind you. One of my finest creations! Do you know how much magic it takes to create shit without a stomach to process food?" She made a face, "I don't even want to know." He gave a sigh, "I miss Tobie..." she shuddered, "Did you really have to put a sword through his eye? He was so adorable!" "He was a giant, stinking pile of meat..." "With lots of cocks!" he cackled in glee, "I still remember the flapping sounds he would make whenever he would slump through the corridors..." "It was disgusting." "It was ingenious." he smiled at her. She raised an eyebrow, "Sometimes, I don't even know if you're playing with me or if you're just plain mad." A spark could be seen passing behind his eyes, "How much longer till we're in Ponyville?" The paladin gave him an uncertain look, "Another hour, I guess. Why? You're not going to jump out of the window, are you?" He clapped his hands, "Far from it. If I have some time on my hands, I might as well do some work." "What in the world are you talking..." she stopped as he pulled something out from his robes, "Is that a hand?" "It is." he said with joy as he held it up, "Got it from a corpse just before we came here. Isn't it lovely?" "I think I can see maggots..." she replied in disgust before giving him a distrustful look, "Must I remind you that you are still under my supervision?" "Don't get all fussy..." he laughed, "It's not like you haven't seen worse." "I'm more worried about what you plan on doing with that." "Don't worry, I'm just making myself an assistant." he said with a small smile as he began to chant softly. Calindria watched him with both concern and interest. She had never actually seen him perform this kind of magic, but at the same time she was worried what he was planning. She was about to protest, but her interest turned into wonder as she saw the dried and shriveled hand start to regenerate. "There..." he said between chants, "Good as new. Now... for the finishing touch..." Before the paladin's startled eyes, the hand suddenly came to life. Twitching for a moment before standing on its fingers like a bug. It turned to the necromancer and wiggled its wrist in joy, like a dog greeting its master. "Who's daddy's favorite little hand?" he cooed as he petted the hand. It shivered in joy, "Yes you are! Yes you are!" he cackled maniacally. "I don't believe it..." she said, "You really are crazy..." the hand showed her a finger. "Don't you listen to her, you're perfect!" he continued to pet it. "That's how easy it is? You just chant a few words and it gets alive?" she asked baffled, "I thought you'd have to do some kind of crazy and bloody ritual?" "It's not that easy, mind you. It takes years of practice and learning to do something as complicated as this, and it's much more than a simple raising I've done." he replied with a proud voice as he tickled the hand's palm, "Only amateurs need rituals, and the blood is mainly for show. Now..." Before she could even react he simply pulled down the window and tossed the hand into the night, "Out you go! Have fun!" he waved after it before closing the window again with a happy smile. For a moment, she just sat there, not able to comprehend what he had just done. The next moment, she was at his throat, "What did you do?!" "I've sent my assistant on a messenger run." he replied calmly, "I'm guessing he will be in Canterlot within an hour." "So help me the light, if you don't tell me what you're up too I'll gut you right here!" she snarled at him, "What are you planning, black tongue?!" she held him by them hem of his robes. His face became hard, and a mischievous smile crept across his face, "I don't like the tone of your voice, young lady... Let's find you something... more fitting." his hands flared up with magic. --- Luna and Celestia sat inside the dining room in utter silence, Luna still trying to calm down and Celestia trying to remain calm. "Do you wish to talk about it?" Celestia offered. Luna huffed as a flush spread over her cheeks, "I don't even want to think about that insufferable necromancer and the things he said to me!" "Was it that bad?" She held her head up in defiance, "I don't want to talk about it." Out of their view, something crawled inside through one of the windows. Celestia gave a sigh, "Please keep in mind, this situation is stressful for the two of them. I'm sure he did not mean to insult you, maybe it's even customary in their..." she was interrupted by a clatter as something hopped onto the table. The two alicorns watched in surprise and fascination as a hand started to walk over the table towards them on fingertips. "What in the world is this?" Luna muttered with big eyes, "Is this another one of the necromancer's attempts to mock us?" "It carries his magic..." Celestia said as she mustered it carefully, "I am curious to see what this is." The hand stopped on the table in front of them. For a moment, it just sat there but then, it started to hover. The alicorns watched in wonder as a quill and a peace of parchment appeared from the air in front of it with a puff, and the hand started to write on it frantically while being suspended in mid air. When it was done, it handed the parchment to Luna before setting on the table again. Luna started to read out loud, "To the dear alicorn sisters. This little hand is a token of my gratitude for your hospitality and will keep you entertained during your so strenuous chores. It will entertain you with riddles unlike any other you have seen before. With kind regards, the necromancer." Luna raised an eyebrow, "I knew it... he is trying to mock me again! But I will not lose my temper again, let us see the riddles he thinks I cannot solve!" she read the last line, "What sound does a single hand make when it claps?" the hand started to twitch. She turned to Celestia, "That really isn't a riddle at all, is it?" "Careful, sister. There may be more to this riddle than meets the eyes." Celestia replied with care. She eyed the hand with worry, it looked like it was about to jump... Luna bent down to the hand, "A single hand cannot clap since it has no other to hit. Therefore, it makes no sound." she said with pride in her voice. The hand however, shook a finger in a way that showed that the answer was wrong. "I am wrong? Well then, since you are a single hand do show me what sound a single hand would make when it..." She was interrupted in her words as the hand simply sprang into the air and slapped her across her face, a loud smack sounding through the dining room as flesh struck flesh. When the hand landed, it took off in wild a sprint, fingers rushing over the floor like a mad spider as Luna gave chase with a shout of rage. Celestia gave a sigh as she watched her chase after the hand, she hoped that the paladin was faring better than her sister at containing her temper. She had to give the necromancer credit though, in all the time she had known her sister, no one had ever been able to make her lose her temper so quickly. --- Twilight Sparkle watched the train enter the station with high expectations. Even though it was the middle of the night, the princess' letter had gotten her wide awake. Two members of a new species had appeared in Equestria, one of them even a magic user, a skilled one at that if Celestia's words were correct. On top, Celestia had written her that he used a magic unheard of in Equestria. Twilight already wondered what new secrets she could learn. The unicorns of Ponyville rarely practiced advanced magic, so it would be more than welcome to converse with someone on her level for once. The things they could discuss... she wondered what his thoughts on Star Swirl's theory on magical flux confluence would be. The train came to a halt, and Twilight could hear voices come from inside one of the carts. "I think it suits you perfectly, really! Totally captures your inner beinOUCH! Don't use the gauntlet! ARGH!" "BAAAAHH!" Twilight took a step back, was there a goat inside the cart? "I'm telling you, it'll go back in a few minutes! Just walk it off!" "BAAAAHH!" there was that sound again. "Ouch! I get it, I get it! No more magic for today! Alright, already! Stop it with the beating! I just couldn't help myself!" the voice chuckled between yelps of pain. For a moment, there was silence. Then, one of the cart doors started to open. Twilight took a step forward to greet the newcomers with a big smile, "Welcome to Ponyville! I'm..." the rest of her words never made it out as she saw a strange creature step out of the cart. It wasn't the armor, not even the sword or the fingers that unnerved her, minotaurs had fingers too, after all. No, what really startled her was that under strands of blond hair, the creature had the face of a goat. For a moment, the two simply stared at one another. The creature opened its mouth, "BAAAAHH!" Twilight flinched and took a step back. This wasn't what she had been expecting. The letter had clearly said they could talk. Another figure stepped out of the train behind the goat-faced creature, a big smile on a very differently shaped face, "I never get tired of that lovely sound." the other one passed him an angry glare, but he ignored it and addressed Twilight instead, "What do you say? I think it suits her rather well, don't you think?" He was rewarded with another slap from the paladin's gauntlet to the back of his head.