"Concentrate on the flow..." Xhergis softly whispered into Pipsqueak's ear. "Let it flow. ...Breath in, and out." Pipsqueak's expression relaxed and his eyes closed. Slowly, the small rock before him started to lift. "Now... open your eyes."
The young foal opened his eyes, the little rock almost falling to the floor again as he did but catching itself after another second.
"Good!" Xhergis whispered with joy, happy at the progress Pipsqueak was showing. He had a hard time at first, but under her guiding words his efforts soon showed results.
"I'm doing it! I'm actually making it float!" A huge grin spread over his features as he made the stone ascend a bit more. "This is so cool!" The stone started to tremble.
"Concentrate! Don't get too excited!" Xhergis warned him and Pipsqueak instantly calmed himself. "Now, just like Aergad said; try giving it a little push."
"How do I give it a push?" Pipsqueak asked in wonder.
Xhergis was quiet for a moment as she thought about the question. "Just... imagine you're pushing it with your hoof."
Pipsqueak concentrated, his eyes narrowing as he imagined pushing the small object with his hoof. The rock trembled for an instant, and then it flew through the air in a small arc; coming to rest on the floor again a few feet away from the foal.
"Wow..." Pipsqueak whispered as he watched the now still rock.
"Not bad." Both Xhergis and Pipsqueak looked up to see one of the imps sitting above them on a small perch, idly chewing on a sandwich filled with something that was clearly moving. He swallowed the last of his meal before jumping down from his perch and in front of the two. "I'm number ten. Nice to meet you, kid."
"I'm Pipsqueak," he pointed to the top of his head, "and this is Xhergis."
The imp gave the miniature changeling a short look. "Fancy that, I thought her name was Buttercup." Ten shook his head with a small shrug of his little shoulders and walked towards the small pebble on the floor. "Want some advice?"
"Sure." Pipsqueak nodded with a smile before a worried expression found itself onto his face. "But master Aergad said I shouldn't disturb you."
Ten merely shook his head with a small chuckle. "Call him boss, kid. He doesn't like 'master' very much." He looked down at the stone. "Besides, he told me to check on you."
"He did?"
The imp only shook his head with a laugh. "Course he did. But he also said you'd have to accept help if it was offered, which you did." Ten picked up the pebble with a smile and started to walk. "Come on, I want to show you something."
Aergad had walked to the hospital. Not because he had to, but because he wanted to. He had paid the ponies around him no heed, not even responding to the occasional greeting they passed him. To anyone passing he had appeared to be lost in thought, mumbling to himself as he walked seemingly aimlessly. In truth though, he had constantly been praying that he would find a way to avoid the inevitable by the time he reached the hospital. ...But he already knew far too well that nothing could be changed about it.
When Applejack finally stepped out of Granny Smith's room and closed the door quietly, he was already sitting on a chair in the hallway; opposite of the door, head held low and averting her gaze. He thanked the stars that her brother was currently looking after the little one. Applejack's friends would probably arrive soon, and Aergad hoped he would be able to tell her what he wanted to say before they did.
"Hello, Applejack." Aergad quietly greeted her without looking up. He didn't need too. He was sure she had been crying.
"Aergad?" Applejack gave him a blank and confused stare before somewhere in her head, realization dawned. He looked up for a brief moment, and he saw countless emotions run over her face before tears started to well up in her eyes. "No... No, you can't! I won't allow it!"
"Applejack, I-" Aergad started to reply with a heavy voice.
More tears started to gather in her eyes as she shouted at him. "I won't let you! You hear me! I will never let you! You can't take her away from me too!"
"Do you think I enjoy this?" His voice was quiet as he raised his face again, but what Applejack saw there made her stop dead in her tracks.
The necromancer, was crying. Nothing was left of the cheerful expression he usually wore, only a deep sadness that seemed to fill his whole being and made him look older than she could have ever imagined possible.
"Do you think I enjoy taking children from their parents? Do you think I enjoy separating loved ones?" He asked with a pleading voice. "I hate this job, Applejack... this thing that I've become. I reject it with every fiber of my being and yet I can't stop it. I make changes where I can, whisper words and betray fate whenever I can. ...But I can't change it. Even the kid will one day-" His voice cut off in a choke and Aergad let his head drop in dismay while Applejack could only stare at him in silence. "I can't change what I have become... and I never wanted it to be like this. I'm sorry." He held his face in his hands. "I'm so terribly sorry, ...for every, single one of them... I'm sorry."
Applejack stared at him in silence, lost in shock and her own sadness as she remembered those that she had already lost. For a moment she hesitated, but then she slowly took a seat next to him. "I'm sorry." He didn't respond. "I shouldn't have shouted at you. It's just, I..." she was quiet for another moment. "She's always been there for me. And now..." Applejack almost choked on the words before leaning back with a quiet sob. "What do I tell Apple Bloom?"
The two sat there for a short while, each of them lost in their own grief and both of them hoping to find an answer other than the unavoidable truth.
After what seemed like an eternity spent in silence, Applejack finally spoke up again. "How long?"
The necromancer placed his hands on his knees, still not looking up. "Tomorrow."
Applejack closed her eyes as another wave of grief washed over her. "I still had so much to tell her," she hung head in silent defeat. "But the doctors say she won't wake up anymore." Her voice started to break again.
"Tomorrow morning," Aergad quietly spoke up and raised himself from the chair with a slow and tired motion. "Bring your family. You will have your chance to say your farewells."
Appejack stared up at him in shock. "But the doctors said-"
"What the hell do I care about what the bloody doctors say?" He replied with a grim voice before his features softened again. "Don't worry, she won't be in any pain. I know it's not much, but it's the only thing I can still do for you... and for her. I will see to it that she finds her way safely." He bowed his head as another tear escaped Applejack's eyes. "I'm sorry... for everything."
The necromancer disappeared without another word or sound, leaving behind Applejack as she searched her feelings for what words she needed to say. Aergad knew her friends would give her comfort, and he couldn't bring himself to look into their faces anymore.
"Let's see now." Ten scratched his head as he continued to walk through the tower while counting the doors. "Room of the belchers, room with the toads," he chuckled. "Nasty one..."
Ten stopped at a corner as he spotted another imp. "Oy! Three-fourteen! Where did we put Crocker?"
Pipsqueak watched the imp in question rub his chin in thought for a moment. "Crocker... Crocker... Should be three doors further. You know, the old room that used to have the-" he spotted Pipsqueak. "The you-know-what."
Ten gave the other imp a blank look. "The you-know-what?" He raised an eyebrow before remembering that the foal was accompanying him. "Oh! Oh, yeah! The you-know-what! Thanks!" He turned to Pipsqueak. "Come one then, Crocker loves meeting new members of the family!"
Pipsqueak followed the imp as he started walking again, all the time wondering what the you-know-what was supposed to be. Up on his head, Xhergis was pretty sure it was something intended for adults and she prayed that the you-know-what wasn't in the room anymore.
Ten reached the door and held up a hand to motion the young foal to stop. "Hold on a second, let me check first." The imp opened the door a crack and peeked inside, a small smile finding its way onto his lips and exposing a set of tiny, sharp teeth. "Alright, this is it! Step right in!"
Pipsqueak followed the imp through the door and just like with the other doors he had entered before, he found himself lost in wonder on the other side.
Behind the door was an actual forest clearing. As if Aergad had simply taken part of the forest and placed it inside the tower. There was a sky, there was a sun and the opening was surrounded by trees as far as Pipsqueak could see. He looked behind him and spotted the door they had come through was set inside one of the trees.
"Aye, Aye, Aye." Ten walked into the clearing; a patch of grass covered with several rocks, boulders and a small pond fed by a little river. "Let's see now. Crocker's probably sleeping at this time of day."
Ten walked among the different rocks, giving each of them a judging look before passing to the next. The imp suddenly stopped in front of one of them; barely taller than Pipsqueak and covered with a topping of green moss and a little flower. With a smirk on his face, Ten gave the rock a series of knocks. "Come on, Crocker. Wake up! You've got company! The boss wants the kid here to understand rocks!"
Pipsqueak was about to question what the imp was doing, but then two small eyes appeared on the surface of the rock, followed by two stubby little arms, two short little legs... and a huge mouth that smiled at the world.
Up on Pipsqueak's head, Xhergis was staring first in surprise, then in amusement as Crocker started to move.