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// Handing over the crook 
// Story: Short stories about ponies and whatnot 
// by shutaro 
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	Celestia, Luna, Cadence and Twilight Sparkle walked down the twirling corridor of light. Following her ascension Twilight had visited this plane many times but even after more than ninety years as a princess she still never tired of looking at the swirls and stars around her. Celestia noted the smile that played around her former student’s face and though she hated the thought of wiping that smile away, she had to speak up. "Twilight, please focus. This meeting is incredibly important and not without its dangers. I trust you have cast all sigils and placed all the runes in your regalia as Luna and I have instructed?" 

"Of course, I ha-" Twilight was interrupted as a series of Luna’s black magical bolts struck from above but were deflected into the ground around her hoofs. Then sharp crystals sprung up around her but shattered in a glowing bubble and as a last attack a stream of blinding light smashed into Twilight, the point of impact turned into a bright mirror instantly and reflected the beam back to Celestia.

Luna and Cadence bowed their heads.
"We beg your forgiveness, Princess Twilight Sparkle. We had to test your defenses."
Celestia meanwhile had not yet recovered from her deflected attack and blinked a few tears away. Luna strode up to her sister, poked her in the shoulder and smirked. "Testing her runes all high and mighty without all your own shields up? Tia, Tia, how the mighty have fallen." Twilight however was almost in tears alongside her former mentor. "I'm so sorry Celestia! I changed the third shield spell into a reflecting shield spell. I'm so sorry!". A handkerchief appeared in her magic and started dabbing at Celestia's tears. Celestia seemed more embarrassed than hurt and even a small smile played around her face.
"So many years and you still amaze me, Twilight Sparkle. But I have to apologize too. I attacked you and I am deeply sorry. But, like my sister pointed out, your defenses have to be at their best today. Cadence, would you please explain Twilight who we are going to meet today while I cast my shields?"

Princess Cadence had been rather silent throughout the whole time, the whole day even, she looked up as if disturbed from deep thoughts.

"Oh, of course Celestia. Well, Twily, at the end of this corridor lies the meeting to appoint a new shepherd of souls. This guardian's mission is to protect and guide the souls of the dead and those to be born  in the void between the realm of the living and the eternal well of souls." Twilight nodded and beckoned the princess of love to continue. "We will meet in a council with other ... forces to appoint this duty to a new guard."

Twilight looked up, "Who else will be there? On this council?"

To this Luna answered, "Besides us, I presume Discord will be there, although one can never be certain with him. On the others... Grogar, the Necromancer will not be there, but his shadow will be present. Don't listen to him Twilight and don't look into his eyes, you hear! All other seats will be vacant as far as we know. If any other show up, you and Cadence will leave and let Tia and me handle this. There are horrors you are not yet ready for."

Cadence and Twilight shared a look of uncertainty, then nodded. For all the monsters they had faced and overcome together both knew that the elder princesses had fought a hundred times more battles and commanded a vast knowledge about their enemies. If they said an adversary was too strong, it was time to run.

"Why does the present guardian want to leave, isn't this a great responsibility?" Twilight wondered.

By now Celestia had completed her spells and joined the other princesses, "I do not know, you would have to ask her yourself. But we don't appoint this responsibility, we only nominate candidates. If the guard takes up this duty is entirely up to him or her. And they can leave at any time they like. You see, only souls of the recently deceased or those soon to leave are eligible and the soul needs a reason to linger first, a duty not yet complete, a loved one left behind. If their left duty is completed or if the loved one leaves for the well the guardian usually leaves as well. This one lasted almost a hundred years so whatever her attachments to the plane of the living were, they are most certainly gone and now she wants to rest as well."

Celestia got up and the others followed, then started walking down the corridor again. But Twilight's curiosity was not sated yet. "What happens if no new guide steps forward?"

"Then the souls will have to find their own way. Some will linger in the world of the living and turn into ghosts or monsters. A danger to themself and others." Luna's voice turned into a whisper. "Some souls will be lost on the way from the well, stillborn foals. We will not let that happen!"

They stopped before a shimmering forcefield. Celestia's horn began to glow, "Place your wings upon my back. I will close this passage behind us so no one can get in without our permission." The other alicorns did as ordered and the corridor behind them closed until only a smooth wall remained. When they separated again a new door rose from the ground. Twilight immediately recognized the magic. 

"That's just like the doorway King Sombra had in the old Crystal Palace."

"Not quite, Twilight”, Luna directed a stream of magic into the door frame, “This one does actually lead everywhere. Sombra was only a pupil after all." The door swung open. "He was the master."

The room inside was quite an ordinary affair, it would not have looked out of place as any of the meeting rooms in Canterlot Castle. Except that no room in Canterlot would have a doorway adored with bones and skulls which was exactly opposite to the door the princesses had used.

--- TIME ---

"How nice to be so fondly remembered, Luna. But you were always my favorite student."

 The voice sounded like shale oil dripping over stone in Twilight's ears, sticky, black and gooey. Compared to it Discord's voice was an almost welcome sound. 

"Tia, finally! You have no idea how I missed you. Grumpy Grogar almost complained my ears of!" At this Discord's antler shriveled and dropped to the ground. "He is but a shadow of his old self."

Even as she only watched him out of the corner of her eyes Twilight shuddered at the sight. The shadow of a giant ram was next to Discord's shadow on the floor but there was nothing to actually cast it. Where the eyes should be two magic flames danced like those she had seen years back on Sombra.

"This time it's four of you!?" the disembodied voice rasped. "What are you, alicorns or rabbits?"

Twilight hid behind Celestia, she felt that Sombra had been but a far cry from his master. Luna and Celestia had taken the younger alicorns into their midst and while Twilight and Cadence averted their gazes Luna confronted the shadow.

"Cease, Grogar. We will share our gift as we see fit. Now let's start this before I change my mind and cast you out, back into the shadow you crawled from!"

"Princess of the Night," a new voice sounded through the room. "This is my farewell, I have finally found my peace with the world, so please don't make this harder than it has to be." An earthpony stepped from the thin air, like it had always been there, just in the background, out of the eye.

Luna bowed her head, "My apologies," Celestia smiled at the new arrival, "Guardian," Twilight and Cadence just nodded a silent greeting.

Discord was more enthusiastic: He picked the pony up and twirled through the room with her. A few chairs jumped out of the way not to be crushed. The little pony was unimpressed. "Thank you for not demolishing my furnishings, master Discord. Please put me down now." The draconequus hugged the pony but then set her down on the floor patting her on the head.

"A good day to you too," the mare addressed the shadow, all it got was a vague grunt.

Celestia spoke up, "We all have a lot to do," that got a bark of dry laughter from the shadow, "So on to business. The shepherd of souls wishes to step down from her duty. Does anyone present have a claim against this?” she looked around, “No? Then your desire shall be granted."

In a matter of seconds the form of the earthpony became translucent, first like thin paper, then like glass and finally it vanished altogether. All that was left was a little glowing ball of light.

Celestia spoke again, softer this time. "We thank you for your service and hope you will find the way to the well one last time."

Just as the glowing sphere was about to rise a black tendril snaked towards it, but a well placed swing of Discord's tail dispersed the shadow. "Grogar, you are such party pooper!" the draconequus chided which only got him a hiss from the bodiless ram. The princesses were speechless at the display so the whispered "Thank you." from the soul could actually be heard. Celestia nodded at Discord who didn't pay attention once more and just waved goodbye to the soul as it rose through the ceiling and out of sight.

Now Luna took over as speaker, "So we need a new guardian. Does anyone have nominations?"

"I nominate Sombra of the Crystal Kingdom," the shadow hissed.

Luna rolled her eyes and sighed, "Sombra has been dead for a thousand years and what you left of it wouldn't recognize the word duty if we nailed it to his horn. Just give it up, old goat."

For just a second a ripple ran through the shadow, it hissed "Then find another one, I wash my hoofs of this," and faded into nothing. All left was a little onyx gemstone.

"Oh, how boring. He's getting soft in his old age," Discord got up, "I have noone to nominate, girls. So if little Cadence could just get it over with, I'd be delighted."

Every head turned to the pink princess, she lowered her head and spoke in a small voice, "I'm sorry Twilight, he passed away two days ago,"  From the a gem set in her collar a soul rose, glowing a clear white with a light blue halo. "I nominate Shining Armor, my husband, for the duty of shepherd of the souls."

Luna looked around, "Does anyone object to this?"
She looked at Twilight, but the youngest alicorn just stood there, unable to process the concurrent loss and chance to see her brother again. Discord shrugged and Celestia just smiled and slowly shook her head in disbelieve.
From the black gem the shadow had left behind, from Discord's claws and from each of the princesses horns a bit of energy flowed into the soul and Shining Armor stood among them, not a day older than the day he had married Cadence.
As the reunited couple embraced, Celestia looked at Luna, "We should write this ceremony down, sister. I have a feeling we won't repeat it for a very long time."