Derpy Hooves's ear perked up. There was somepony knocking at her door.
"Oh, hello Mara", she said as she opened it, "what brings you here? I was just leaving..."
The earth pony nodded. "Can I walk with you?"
"Sure, why not. Dinky wouldn't mind seeing you again. Since she hasn't gotten to join the Cutie Mark Crusaders yet she is feeling a bit down."
Mara blushed. "I see."
"So", said Derpy, "what do you want to talk about? Is everything okay?"
"I'm all right. But I just got a request from Princess Luna. I'm supposed to find somep- somebody but so far I've had no luck..."
The pegasus smiled and hummed thoughtfully. "I could check the address list in the office..."
"That would be great", said Mara, "I'm not allowed to do that yet. Have there been any deliveries lately that had strange names on them?"
"Huh, you're right! That's exactly what happened today!" Derpy beamed. "I brought a box to the library that didn't have Twilight's name on it but another one instead. The stamp was from the Canterlot Post Office."
"Finally some luck", breathed Mara. "Can you remember the name, too?"
Derpy's ears pinned back. "No, sorry, Mara. But hey", she cheered up again, "why don't you go the library and ask Twilight?"
"Right." Mara facehooved. "I could have done that in the first place. Twilight is a princess so she would know about something like that..."
They walked silently for a while, enjoying each other's company.
Derpy cleared her throat. "So, have you had any success with your-"
"Nope", said Mara, nodding at her own flank. "See? Still nothing."
"I'm sorry", said Derpy with a sad smile.
Mara shook her head and looked ahead. "That's just the way it is. I'm not really trying anymore."
"But everypony has a special talent!", insisted Derpy. "How can you ignore that?"
"It's not as if I ignored it", corrected Mara. "It's just... I can't chase after something about which I'm not even sure if it's gonna show up anyway. For a while it was okay but when you reach a certain age you just start living day by day, you know?"
The pegasus nodded slowly. "I guess..."
They were approaching the schoolhouse. Derpy waved at her daughter who came running across the schoolyard to hug her.
The beautiful scene made Mara forget her worries for a moment... then she frowned. Wasn't there something--?
Oh right, the princess!
- - -
"I see", said Twilight, scribbling enthusiastically on her parchment. They were sitting in the library, surrounded by towers of books and notes on the floor and any furniture available. "So you are actually twenty-nine years old?"
Priest nodded. "Yep."
"And you really don't age anymore since you-"
He held up a hand. "Well, er, I don't technically age but if you count decomposing, that's... an issue."
They could hear Spike making gagging sounds as if he were trying to persuade his lunch to stay down.
Twilight turned around and sighed. "Sorry about that", she mumbled. "Spike, please get me that box with extra parchment from the basement."
The dragon nodded, his face pale, and hurried downstairs.
Priest rolled his eyes. "Shoudn't he have gotten by now that I'm dead? This is starting to piss me off."
Twilight chuckled. "I guess he hasn't. Look, I'm sor-"
"Yeah, yeah, you said that already", Priest cut her off. "Anyway, I don't know how the whole undead thing really works. I just try to stay as... complete... as possible and deal with it."
The alicorn nodded with a sad smile. "I see. Well, I don't know what to do about it either. Necromancy is unknown in Equestria and I think you'll understand that the Princesses don't want any of it here."
Priest nodded and drew circles on his parchment. There was no ink in his quill, he just wanted to do something to occupy his hands. "Right."
He looked up. "Wait, why didn't they keep me in Canterlot then? Wouldn't that have been the safer thing to do?"
Twilight frowned and tapped her chin. "I think as long as you don't perform any dark magic yourself they are okay with you being in Ponyville. And so am I. Which reminds me! How was your morning?"
"Meh. Applejack was okay but the other ponies just gawked at us or evaded us entirely. Well, me. Don't worry", he added quickly as Twilight's ears pinned back. "I'm used to it."
Priest shrugged but Twilight set down her hoof on the table, a determined look on her face. "I don't believe you."
"Huh?"
"Remember your reaction earlier when Spike ran out? It bothers you-"
"Psh", said Priest. "Well, crap... Guess I'm a bad liar."
"Which is a good thing", smiled Twilight. "But if somepony in town bothers you, please tell me. I won't let anypony mistreat my friends."
He nodded, feeling a strange lump in his throat.
- - -
Mara cantered to the library, her saddlebags on her back, containing parchment, a quill, ink and a single cupcake.
"Here we go", she mumbled as she raised a hoof to knock at the door.
She started when the door swung open, missing her by inches.
"What-"
"See you later, Priest", she heard Twilight Sparkle's voice from inside.
"Whoa!", said somepony. A ragged wall of cloth blocked Mara's line of sight. She raised her head.
"Eek!", she squeaked.
It was the human. He was way taller than she had expected, almost twice her height. Now she understood why everypony had talked about him in such a hushed voice. She shook her head, trying to focus, when the human opened his mouth - half of which was hidden behind a dirty cloth wrapped around his head.
"Um", he said. "Hello...?"
Mara laughed nervously. "He-... h-", she stammered. Where the hay had her voice suddenly gone? She cleared her throat and tried again.
"Hello, I'm Mara Dust. I've been sent here to help you with adjusting to life in Ponyville."
Priest frowned. "Thanks, but no thanks. I'm fine. Bye."
He walked past her, heading for Carousel Boutique.
"But-! Wait, please!", cried Mara, trying to catch up with Priest. "I got sent here by Pr-"
The undead turned around, an annoyed expression on his strange face. "Look", he said. "No offense, but I don't really care who sent you. And I'm fine. And busy, by the way, so why don't you go and help someone else, hm?"
Mara blinked, unable to respond.
Priest shook his head and went away, leaving the confused pony behind again.
She hung her head. This was not what she had expected at all. How was she supposed to help him if he wouldn't even talk to her?
Mara huffed indignantly. "Just you wait", she said, stomping back to the library. "I won't give up like that."
- - -
It didn't take Priest long to find Rarity's boutique. Twilight's description had been more than accurate - as expected - and Priest found himself slightly amused by the house's appearance. These ponies sure knew how to take things literally.
He opened the door. A bell jingled above his head as Priest entered, looking around with curiousity. You could call this place almost comfy but for his taste it had way too many ribbons and decoration.
On the other hand, the gems on the dresses were damn impressive. The amount alone made him wonder what kept the seamstress in Ponyville.
A girl's voice interrupted his train of thought.
"Hello, I'm gonna get my sister right away - eek!"
A little white unicorn with a curled pink and purple mane had approached Priest and was now staring at him with her mouth agape. Her green eyes fixating him, she seemed to be frozen on the spot.
Priest frowned.
"Okay", he said.
That made the filly snap out of it. She managed to open her mouth and squeak almost as loudly as before, "R-Rarity, there's somepony here! Um-"
"Thanks", smirked Priest.
"S-sorry", stuttered the little unicorn, now evading his gaze. "I'm Sweetie Belle, Rarity is m-my big sister. She asked me t-to watch the shop while she got some material from upstairs..."
"Ah."
An awkward silence stretched out between them. Sweetie Belle dug at the ground with her hind leg, trying to keep herself from retreating.
Priest sighed. The he realized what she was waiting for. "I'm Priest. I'm currently staying at Twilight's place. Rarity said she'd make some clothes for me so here I am."
Sweetie Belle's eyes widened. "Oh, I see. Sorry for freaking out..." She blushed, still trembling a little, but also deeply embarrassed.
"Nevermind", said Priest. He crouched to get at least closer to the same eye level. "You probably haven't seen a human before, have you?"
"N-no", said the unicorn. "You're the first one. Are you from the Everfree Forest?"
In that moment Rarity entered the room, carrying a paperbox the size of her sister in her magic. She smiled at the undead. "Hello, Priest, and welcome to Carousel Boutique!", she said, putting down the box on the floor. "I see you have already met my sister Sweetie Belle?"
"Hi", said Priest. The he shot a glance at Sweetie who was still waiting for an answer.
Rarity noticed that and tilted her head. "Can I tell her?", she asked Priest.
He shrugged. "Sure, why not."
Rarity put a hoof on her sister's shoulder. Sweetie Belle twitched, then looked at her expectantaly.
"You see, Sweetie", said Rarity, "Priest is actually from another world entirely. So you can imagine I was very curious when Twilight asked me to come and visit."
Swetie Belle's eyes widened again. "You're from another world?! Whoa! I can't wait to tell my friends! This is so awesome! It's gonna make Scootaloo so jealous!" She giggled with excitement.
"Sweetie, don't be rude, please", scolded Rarity.
"Sorry", said the filly, now grinning. All her fear seemed to have been evaporated somehow. "Anyway, can I go to the Acres now?"
"Go ahead", replied Rarity. "Have fun!"
"I will!", beamed Sweetie Belle, dashing to the door. "Bye, Rarity! Bye, Priest!"
She was outside before he could reply. The bell jingled wildly as the door slammed shut in a very un-ladylike manner.
Rarity smiled generously. "Fillies... But I do love my sister."
The undead smiled for the first time since entering the shop and rose again. "I can see that."
The pretty unicorn nodded, then cleared her throat. "Well, I presume you are here for the ensemble, are you not? I think I managed to make it dashing yet practical - Would you like to see it now?"
Priest's smile grew wider.
- - -
Twilight put away the last book, leaving her table tidy and clean once again. She had been writing down the new discoveries she had made on portal magic. With a content smile, she went to the kitchen to make some tea.
"I wonder what's keeping Spike", she mumbled when she heard shuffling and grunting from the staircase that led to the basement.
"Are you alright, Spike?", she shouted in the direction from where the noise came.
"Al-most there", huffed the dragon, carrying two large boxes up the stairs. He set them down next to the table in the main room and collapsed on top of the bigger box.
"Oof!", he panted. "What in Equestria is in that box?!"
Twilight had a curious look inside the first box. It contained the parchment she had asked for.
The second box was covered with lots of tape.
"What's that?", she asked Spike. "I haven't seen this one before."
Spike, still panting, stood up and stretched. "It's the box that... got here... earlier... by mail. I just forgot until... you asked me to get the parchment."
"Why did you carry it to the basement?", wondered Twilight.
Spike facepalmed. "I guess it was... really stupid after all to store it before... checking the name above the adress."
He pointed at the writing at the side of the package.
It said, 'To Jonathan Baker, Golden Oaks Library, Ponyville'. A royal mail stamp from Canterlot covered half of the writing, making Priest's first name hard to read.
"A package from Canterlot?", mumbled Twilight. "Is that the help Princess Celestia promised? Why didn't she send it via dragon breath?"
Spike shrugged. "Dunno. The only difference is that other ponies know now that he lives here..."
"Huh." Twilight examined the box, then shrugged. "I'm pretty sure it's from Celestia. Just leave it here until Priest gets back."
"Thanks." Spike let out a sigh of relief.