//------------------------------//
// After Death 
// Story: I'm a Lich and I know it! 
// by Dream Seeker 
//------------------------------//

	Winter blinked her eyes open sleepily, before they shot open as she realized. Wait- I'm dead, right?

A chittering laughter echoed around her, seeming to have heard her thought.

Welcome, Winter Aurora, to the Astral Plane, or as we call it, the Graveyard of Immortals.

Astral Plane? Graveyard of Immortals? I don't understand. Who are you?

I am Starswirl the Bearded, and I am 6,429 years, 7 months, and 23 days old. This place, the 'Astral Plane', is where immortals stay for all of eternity after they die. Look around.

Winter obediently payed more attention to her surroundings, and gasped in awe. Everything, from the ground to the sky, was made up of millions of stars of various colors and sizes.

Each star you see once was an immortal.

Winter's breath caught in her throat.

So... I'm dead now? That's it? I can't go back?

Starswirl chuckled. Of course you can go back. Your Phylactery is intact. Mine, on the other hoof, is irreparably destroyed. The protection wards on it were removed, the entire piece was pulverized by an enchanted warhammer, and the remains were dropped into an active volcano during an eruption.

Woah... Isn't that overkill?

You know what they say, there's no kill like overkill. Besides, I'm not sure anything short of that actually would have killed me. It wasn't so close to overkill as you might think. The point is, though, that your body is regenerating right now.

Really? How soon can I go back?

It's not quite as simple as that. You have options. You could return in a year, once your skeletal system has regrown, or wait a full five for your entire body to recover to the point of just after your original death.

Dismay filled Winter's body. I can't fix myself completely?

No, and for that I am sorry. However, even now little is known of the full capacities of a Lich, and the specific origins of your Lichhood makes me wonder if what you are capable of is even limited at all, if you learn how to use your power. I'm certainly happy somepony is using my staff for good.

Winter's eyes widened. That's right! That staff is yours! Can you tell me how it works, so I can use it better?

Unfortunately, the staff doesn't work like it was supposed to. I named it Averum Aquaestinitum in a fit of frustration, when it failed all testing I threw at it over a course of a week. Its abilities were supposed to be much easier to control. In addition, with its power source being the Sun, due to its longevity it has now absorbed such a high level of magical energy that I wouldn't be surprised if it could do anything. It has all the power of roughly five and a half thousand years of solar energy. You've had more success with its elevated power level than I did with my testing. I likely miscalculated its activation energy.

I noticed something: How do you know everything I've done in my life?

I created a spell that works across the barrier of the Astral Plane to allow us to watch the real world. In addition, the ward I put on my staff alerts me when a creature picks it up. We have watched you since you first got the staff.

We?

Oh, how could I forget? Everypony, say hello to our favorite Lich!

HELLO WINTER! a large chorus of voices yelled. WE'RE  ROOTING FOR YOU!

Starswirl chuckled at Winter's dropped jaw. Every immortal likes watching the real world in their endless free time. Quite a few of them choose to watch new immortals struggle in their daily life. Twilight Sparkle, too, has a fan club. Even now, your fan club members and hers are discussing what they think you two are going to do next, covering every single possibility with great excitement. You're quite the sensation here.

Winter struggled to speak. There were so many ponies who wanted her to succeed! How could she not be inspired by the sheer amount of her fans?

Now, Sombra is going to bring you back early. Before you go, I must give you this.

A strange sensation passed through Winter's body as she realized that she knew how to view the normal world from the Astral Plane.

You should be able to watch the mortal realm now. However, you have a difficult choice to make: You will come back five times faster if you choose to leave when only your skeletal system has repaired itself. Do you want to wait until your entire body has repaired itself, or leave now?

I want to go back as soon as possible! Winter replied mentally.

Then so be it. When you return, tell Twilight I'm very proud of what she has accomplished with my spell.

Winter's eyes closed as she blacked out once more.





Winter awoke to the strange sensation of being unable to breath. She panicked for a moment, then a moment longer as she realized she couldn't breathe deeply to calm herself, before finally managing to think. After attempting to blink, Winter found even that simple action was no longer possible. She waved a hoof in front of her face, just to prove to herself that she still had some control over her body, before getting up and looking around.

"Sombra?" Winter spoke, her voice different than she remembered it. "I feel weird."

"That's because you chose to come back before we repaired your organs, muscles, and skin. As a result, your voice is magically synthesized, you can't breathe, and, well... Just look at yourself."

Winter gazed into the mirror Sombra held, before trying to gasp in shock, which promptly failed due to her lack of lungs. Her body was just bones, held together by arcane lightning, and she shivered as she stared at her own skull. Her body seemed emotionless and grim, with only hollow sockets where her eyes should have been.

"I'm never coming back as a skeleton again," Winter muttered.

"You may change that decision later," Sombra spoke again. "It has its advantages. However, we aren't currently in the middle of a crisis, so it is true that a skeletal body is unnecessary at the moment."

"This is certainly an interesting way to observe how bones are meant to move in a pony. Would you mind coming in for a demonstration in my Pony Anatomy 101 class, and maybe an advanced Pegasus Anatomy class?"

"Uh, sure, I guess? Who are you?" Winter asked, noticing the new unicorn nearby.

"Oh, I'm one of Sombra's friends. I'm Doctor Doktor Doctor," the unicorn smiled, extending a hoof. "I came here because I was illegally dissecting and experimenting with dead bodies. Nopony understands that there's no better way to learn than hooves-on experience."

"Remember, Doktor, no testing on Winter without her permission," Sombra reminded him. "Clear permission, too, this time. We don't want a repeat of the Reaper Incident..."

"Of course, of course! You know, that never would have happened if he hadn't resisted the anesthetics," Doktor muttered.

Sombra raised an eyebrow. "What did you say?"

"Nothing," Doktor replied hurriedly. "It was completely my fault, as you say."

"You know," Twilight put in from Winter's side, "Starswirl the Bearded used to dissect corpses illegally. It's actually how ponykind gained most of the medical knowledge we possess today."

"I met Starswirl," Winter spoke again, causing a gasp from Twilight.

"The Starswirl the Bearded? But how? He's been dead for thousands of years!"

"He was a Lich. He's still watching us from the Astral Plane."

Twilight's eyes widened further. "He's in the Astral Plane? I was there when I became an Alicorn!"

"I went there when I died. He told me to tell you that he's very proud of what you accomplished with his spell."

Twilight blushed. "Thank you, Starswirl! If you're watching, that is."

"Oh, I also met my immortal fan club. Apparently you have one, too."

Twilight's blush deepened. "I have an immortal fan club?"

"Twilight, we have a response!" Rainbow spoke from behind Twilight, saving her. "Come see- Woah, is that Winter? Cool!"

Winter tried to frown, but her bone jaw didn't change shape. She didn't think her new body was nearly as cool as Rainbow said.

"A response? To what?" Winter asked.

"Twilight send a letter to Princess Celestia using an emergency spell, because she left Spike at the Crystal Empire when she left, so she couldn't use Spike's fire."

"Who's Spike?" Winter's confusion was evident.

"Oh, I guess we never told you. Twilight had a baby Dragon named Spike for an assistant. He has magical fire breath he can use to send objects to select important ponies, including the Princesses."

Winter's eyes widened. Or, rather, they didn't, because she didn't have eyes. Winter shuddered once more at the unfamiliarity of her body. "She sent a letter? What did she say?"

"Well, she basically explained to her about your situation, what happened to Sombra, and the whole thing with Calypsion. In Princess Celestia's reply, she said that she would come for a peaceful visit to discuss matters with the leaders of Calypsion! This could solve the entire problem with the Crystal Empire!" Rainbow said excitedly.

"She's coming?" Twilight's eyes were wide. "when?"

"She'll be here tomorrow."

Winter tried to gulp in fear. Judgement from Princess Celestia, Embodiment of the Sun, would be coming tomorrow. If anypony had the power to destroy her and all she held dear, it would be Princess Celestia.