"Okay, is everyone comfortable? I will only explain this once..." Kel'Thuzad said, his form taking up most of the bedroom. Shining and Cadence laid in bed, side-by-side. The girls were either crammed into the large loveseat in the corner, or resting by the fire. Marrowfrost was at his master's immediate right, and the Helm of Domination floated in a small arcane energy shield, to the lich's left.
"Yes, we're ready, Kel'Thuzad. Please, finish your story." Shining said, smiling gently as he cuddled with his wife. The lich nodded, and began his tale.
"As you all know, I am not exactly... alive." Kel'Thuzad chuckled. The room was filled with giggles and nervous laughter, and a straight up laugh from Rainbow. The lich sighed, and spoke once more. "I am a lich. An incredibly powerful undead being, created for the sole purpose of serving my king." the lich turned to Twilight, and gestured to Shining as he did. "Your brother, Twilight." The unicorn nodded, desperately trying to hold back the flood of questions and observations that were battering against the inside of her teeth.
"What exactly is a lich, darling?" Rarity asked, still enthralled with the ruined remains of Kel'Thuzad's old robes, which he had been kind enough to give her, seeing as he could not wear them anymore. Befitting her generous nature, she had taken it upon herself to make something for him, much to the lich's bemusement. She was currently working on an upper robe portion for the lich, who was quite grateful, and interested to see the outcome.
"A lich is an incredibly powerful undead creature, once a mortal who... wished to live forever." Kel'Thuzad spoke, his voice getting softer as each word exited his mouth. "Using vast arcane and necromantic energies, I was bound by Shining Armor's predecessor to a phylactery, an essential part of lichdom."
Several red lights and alarms went off in Twilight's head as the Archlich discussed his magically constructed body, particularly when he revealed that his major benefactor was necromancy.
Necromancy was illegal.
VERY illegal.
Princess Celestia had had the last known major necromancer executed nearly thirty years ago...
Without trial.
She HAD to know more!
"You never told me he was a necromancer, Shiny!" Twilight exclaimed, her voice betraying her giddiness, her form leaping up to excitedly hop around. The prince chuckled nervously, and spoke.
"To be honest, I thought it would be better if you hadn't known until now..."
"Are you insane?! Any form of magic is fascinating to learn about! Even the darker ones!" Twilight exclaimed, her body practically shaking with excitement. The lich raised a nonexistent eyebrow at that statement, his metaphorical heart swelling with joy.
Maybe I’ll finally have someone to talk to about... my craft. Maybe even... teach again. That would be interesting...
"I am pleased to see that you do not view my... art, as a necessarily evil magic, as so many others do." The lich chuckled, gazing at the lavender unicorn. "I would be more than happy to teach you a few tricks. After all, you're my master's sister..." The unicorn literally squealed with joy, jumping back unto the love seat, hugging her... suspicious friends.
"Wait a minute, sugarskull, ah thought necromancy was all evil stuff, like raisin' the dead, and corruptin' the livin'..." Applejack inquired, her eyes narrowing at the Archlich, who laughed a bit in return.
Another superstitious one...
"On the contrary, Miss Applejack. Necromancy is the magical manipulation of souls, blood and flesh." the lich said, matter-of-factly crossing his arms over his chest. He scryed over bodies and souls of the mares for a moment, searching for any form of illness or disease. He smiled, turning to Applejack once more. "For example. In approximately three days, you will fall victim to a cold, courtesy of the winter storm currently raging outside." The mares looked to eachother, and then chuckled at Applejack, who's face lit up red under her fur.
"You... I..." Applejack began, but was cut off by a raising of the lich's right claw.
"I may 'remove' the illness, if you wish." He offered, smiling smugly at the farmpony, who's jaw dropped, her form trembling under the lich's gaze. A nudge from Rainbow removed her gaze from Kel'Thuzad, and Rainbow spoke up.
"C'mon, Jackie. Your not chicken, are you?" She leered, a smirk of challenge present on her face. The lich chuckled lightly, and spoke up.
"I wouldn't joke, Miss Dash, you're next. You seem to like your alcohol a LOT more than it likes you... You have early stage kidney disease."
Silence.
The room erupted in laughter, even the guards on either side of the door chuckling lightly at the undead mage's observation.
"I... I... Heh..." Rainbow hid behind her wing, nestling further into the couch.
"Fear not, I may fix it. Quite easily, I might add." Kel'Thuzad said, his gaze returning to the pegasus, who nodded eagerly. The lich nodded, and one of his many soul chains reached out, grasping an unaware Rainbow Dash around the stomach, hoisting her up to his level. "Now, hold still... you may feel a slight feeling of nausea. Open your mouth please, as wide as you can.”
The pegasus carefully opened her muzzle, and to the dismay of her friends, the lich's claws started to glow.
"Are... are ya sure about this, mister Kel'Thuzad?" Applejack inquired, her stomach turning a bit as her friend's form floated in the air before the Archlich.
"Of course I am, Applejack. I wouldn't volunteer if I couldn't do it..." he chuckled. He turned to the rest of the room, who was looking at the pegasus and necromage with great interest and curiosity. "Those of you with weak stomachs may want to turn away. This can get... messy." The lich turned to the trembling Rainbow Dash, who's eyes were darting around for her friend's help. "Now... I cannot stress enough how important it is for you to hold still. It will not hurt. You have my word." the lich assured, his claw glowing brighter as he prepared to scoop the gunk out of her kidneys. She nodded, and shut her eyes tight.
She felt... a rubbing sensation in her belly, quickly rising up through her throat. She gagged, but otherwise remained still, the chain coiling tighter, but not too tight around her midsection as the mage worked. Her friends gasped, and Rarity gasped dramatically as she felt something come free of her throat. She opened her watering eyes to see...
"Ew... THAT was inside me?!" She exclaimed, the soul chain gently putting her down in front of the fire. The lich chuckled, and moved the dark black mass of bile, blood and infection over to the fire, were he incinerated it with a blast of arcane fire. The lich turned back to the room with a nod, and took note of everyone's disgusted or horrified faces. Except Twilight, who was busy jotting something down on a bit of parchment.
Good... she is not afraid to get her hands... hooves, dirty. She may have what it takes...
"Sorry that you had to see that. It is not exactly... safe, to destroy it inside of her." the lich looked down to Rainbow, who looked up at him. "Your kidneys are as clean as the day you were birthed. Please try to lay off the cider." he jested, smirking as he moved back to his central location in the room, the mares and stallion chuckling lightly at the pegasus' stunned expression.
"Now, may I continue?" Kel'Thuzad requested. The room nodded, eager to learn more. "Good. Now, Shining Armor is my lord, a powerful being known as the Lich King." he told them, looking to Twilight, who had her hood raised in the air. He rolled his eyes. "Yes, Twilight?"
"Does that mean that he is a... lich, too?" She inquired. The lich nodded, but spoke up to prevent the waterworks before they happened.
"However, he is not exactly... a common lich. Being the first lich that I know of to have two phylacteries likely has something to do with that." He explained.
"What exactly is a phylactery?" Twilight asked, her quill ready.
"A phylactery is what makes a lich near-unkillable, as their corporal form will regenerate if it is not destroyed. It is what effectively makes him or her immortal, in a sense." the unicorn nodded, not looking up from her notes. While she scribbled, he turned a hand to the chest that resided on the floor near Marrowfrost, and withdrew his phylactery from it, carefully levitating it in the air before the group.
"This is my phylactery. The burial urn of King Terenas Menethil II, last true regent lord of the Kingdom of Lordaeron." The mare's jaws dripped, and his gaze moved towards his ruler's, who nodded. He had the okay to restrain them for this part.
If he needed to...
"I was originally an agent of darkness, bound to the rule of the original Lich King, Ner'Zhul. He was a madman and master necromancer that wanted to destroy ALL life on Azeroth, my homeworld. I had heard his summons from my home of Dalaran, and wanted to... learn. About necromancy, about dark magic. About POWER. This is what I got..." He said, raising his boney hands before the mares, who's worried and sympathetic looks told him that he was still scot-free of judgment.
Not for long...
"I was pressed into service, but his foul magics made me believe that I wished it. That I wanted this... horror." He sighed, and looked to his king. "I was to spread the plague, a deadly bio-hazardous necromantic disease that ate away flesh, and REANIMATED after death." Lordaeron was eventually snuffed out by me and my comrades, the soldiers that had fought to defend their people, now our mindless servants."
With a flash, Kel'Thuzad opened a portal into his mind.
"Come if you wish, but remember that this is all memories. No harm will come to you here."
Shining helped Cadence up, and then hoisted her unto his back. Twilight sprang up from her seat. Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Applejack and Rainbow Dash stayed put. Fluttershy was too busy cowering in Rarity's hooves to notice the lich. The lich nodded, and the four disappeared into the portal, the dull chiming sound of the hole in the fabric of reality the only sound left in the room.
They have no idea what I did... I... I hope I do not lose their respect...