//------------------------------// // But Falling to Death // Story: Snuggle Me, for I am Not a Wraith! // by Michael Hudson //------------------------------// Twilight bounced with each step, her hooves clattering against the hard stone. Finally, she was going to do what almost every member of her family had done before. She would meet Celestia, and begin the tutelage to become an archmage. First though, her mother had suggested she give her a tour of the castle, bottom to top. Which meant beginning in the catacombs. “Boo!” Ghastly’s hair stood on edge as she stepped away from her daughter, her breath catching as Twilight giggled. She had been hiding around the bend, waiting for her mom to finally catch up. “What’s keeping you, slowpoke?” A shaking breath entered the gray mare as she forced a smile onto her muzzle. If not for the darkness down in the depth, Twilight could have seen her mother sweating for no apparent reason, but instead could only see her trembling. “I… I know you’re all excited to be out and about again, b-but you need to remember why we stayed inside.” Twilight looked to the ground with a soft sigh, before stepping forward and wrapping a hoof around her mother’s neck and holding her close. After her father died, her mother’s paranoia had indeed increased. There were more days started with her screaming, more times during lessons when she would need to end it early, and another lock added to their door. Twilight couldn’t say she loved it. In fact, she had hated it, the image of that weird, pink filly welcoming her almost taunting her. Every night she had tried to rebel though, she always found herself needing to come back and help her mother. Now was their chance though. Twilight extended a hoof and put it on her mother’s shoulder. “I know. We live in a big, scary world, but we’re in Canterlot Castle mom! Nopony would even dream of attacking this place, not in a million years. We’re safe, I promise.” Ghastly blinked a few times, before slowly nodded. “Y-you’re right. I need to trust in what I know, in what I’ve learned and discovered.” Twilight beamed at the small smile she received, before charging forward. “Now come on! I know you haven’t been here in a while, so I bet we can find something new to excite you with.” The older mare watched as her mare gallopped away as her smile grew. Twilight was right. She would be safe, because her and Clover wouldn’t let her be harmed. In fact, if everything went according to plan, Twilight would never be able to be harmed again. She only hoped her mother, even in her wilting age, had been able to create the runes right. “Mom, come over here. I found a little rest area for the two of us. It even has some books!” Ghastly smiled as she began walking again. “Oh really? Somepony must be using this place as their little getaway than.” “I bet Grandma made it up. I mean, who else do you know who would want such a nice little alcove?” The gray mare rounded the corner and saw the little rest stop, complete with a few chairs, lamps, and a nice, orange rug. More importantly though, was the fact that she could see a white line that stuck out from under the rug. “Yes… Yes I suppose that does make sense.” Twilight began rummaging through the drawers, humming to herself as she looked to see what might be in the little desks that had been put together down here. “Do you think she might have…” She stopped as she felt something inside her tingle. “Mom, do you feel weird at all?” Ghastly came to the edge of the rug and hoped Twilight couldn’t hear her swallow hard. She knew she needed to do this, but how did you tell your daughter about such an experiment? No, this was how it needed to be done. “No, but if you’re not feeling well, maybe you should lie down.” Twilight shook her head in an attempt to get rid of the odd feeling. “M-mayb-Ah!” Her knees buckled as she felt like a hook had been put straight into her being. “Wh-what’s happening?” Ghastly’s mouth dried up as she looked into Twilight’s purple eyes, and watched as they turned green for just a moment. She turned away, telling herself that this was right. She wasn’t doing this for research like Clover, but to protect Twilight, and allow her filly to always be safe. “Just.. just bear it for a bit longer, h-honey.” Twilight let out a howl of pain as she collapsed to the ground. Something was being dragged out of her, something very important, and she didn’t want it to go. Her hooves twitched as she commanded them to get her up, but that was all they could do. Her horn glowed for a moment, before it felt like another hook stabbed itself into the bone. “Mom, help me, please!” Ghastly stared into her filly’s eyes, and felt her will break. She needed to stop this, stop this madness. “Don’t worry Twilight, I-I can stop this!” She focused on her magic, and tried to cut it off, before feeling something come over her. Another layer of magic, a safety lock made by her mother to make sure Ghastly didn’t back out. So, there she stood, powerless as gray and purple magic drifted off of the mare’s body, and pooled into darkness above the rug. ======+++++====== Twilight slowly opened her eyes. Her head felt like it had just been hit by a sledgehammer, and she put her hoof to it. It was only while moving that part of herself that she realized just how much of her hurt. In fact, it felt like every inch of her. That… that doesn’t make sense. She tried thinking about what may have happened to cause this, but it was fuzzy. Her ear formed and twitched, allowing her to catch the sound of somepony crying. No, it wasn’t just sompony. It was a pain she had heard many times before, and turned to her mother, who was… below her? “Mom, what’s wrong?” Ghastly looked up at her, and the two merely stared at each other. Twilight moved in closer to give her a hug, but soon found herself staring at the corridor past her Turning around, she saw the gray mare was coated in frost, but still right there. “Mom, what’s going on?” Ghastly and her went back to the silence that permeated the underground. It wasn’t just a regular stillness though. She had only ever felt this once, and looking past her mom, she saw something she should have never seen, not in a million years. “M-mom, please, tell me I’m okay. Please tell me that I’m just seeing things.” The gray mare slowly stepped forward, her horn glowing so as to be able to embrace her little mare as she forced back her tears. She finally had a reason to be strong. If she wasn’t her filly would tear herself apart in her undeath, and she would be the cause for an eternity of torment. She couldn’t let that happen. “Y-you’re okay now, Twilight. You’re just moving to a new chapter of your life, and while it may be scary, may be weird, I promise I will do whatever I can to keep you happy, because I know you’re destined to be great, and that despite how many of your kind have fallen, I know you can be good, because you are my little filly.” Twilight squeezed her mom tighter, her essence obeying her overwhelming desire to feel her mother’s warmth. “Mom… what am I?” Ghastly pushed Twilight away so they could look into each other’s eyes. A tear fell down her face as she looked into the glowing green eye, but she still managed a smile. “You’re still Twilight Sparkle, but now, you are a wraith.”