I'm a Lich and I know it!

by Dream Seeker

Lava Show

Sombra led Winter, Snowflake and Ice Storm to a building that appeared to be an artificial cave in an artificial mountain. Inside, several giant torches were lit with fire from every color of the rainbow. A bright red dragon stood before them, holding a stack of menus. His scales appeared to flicker, almost like the fire they reflected.

"Ah, hello Sombra!" he announced, his grin exposing a mouth full of sharpened teeth. "I knew you'd take the visitors here, so I've already prepared your menus."

Sombra just chuckled. "You know me too well, Kratargon. I assume you have a table for the four of us, right next to the... 'show'?"

Kratargon laughed a long, boisterous laugh. "You also know me too well! I trust that life has been good to you?"

"Of course. Same to you?"

"My restaurant has been doing better than ever! We even had a lovely Windigo couple the other day."

Sombra raised an eyebrow. "A Windigo couple, you say? In your restaurant? Impressive."

"But enough about me. You came here for the food and the show!" Kratargon smirked. "I'm sure your friends will love it."

"What's the show?" Winter asked curiously.

"Oh, you'll love it," Kratargon winked. "Come right this way, the show starts in a few minutes!"

The group followed Kratargon to a table near a stage made of rock, specifically pumice. Several strange rock formations, also of pumice, lay about the room. A few streams of lava provided lighting, as well as adding to the aesthetics of the room. They all sat down and picked up their menus, looking over the various meal options, as Kratargon waited to take their orders. After everypony ordered their food, the streams of lava seemed to glow slightly brighter. Bubbles formed on the surface, growing and popping in an orderly fashion. Suddenly, a burst of magma sprayed out of one of the pumice rock formations, launching a stream of molten rock towards another formation. Everypony looked on in awe as streams of lava flew across the room, always falling perfectly back into pumice. All too soon it was over, and the bubbling magma streams slowly ceased to bubble. Immediately, a round of applause filled the room, and Kratargon re-entered the room.

"Next show in an hour!" he roared to the still cheering crowd.

When the cheering finally stopped, Kratargon had already served everypony and was cooking up the next set of customers' meals. Sombra and Winter sat on one side of the table, with Snowflake and Ice Storm on the other.

"Quite a show." Ice Storm proclaimed, "I do wonder how they do it."

Sombra smirked, "A true magician never reveals his secrets. Let's just say that me and Kratargon worked something out together a few years ago..."

"I thought it was amazing!" Winter beamed.

"I liked it too." Snowflake added quietly.

"Though, I can see why Windigos might not appreciate it as much," Winter conceded.

"Indeed," Sombra replied. "So, I know you two and Winter have some history together, but I would like to know what exactly happened."

"Well, I was dared to go into the graveyard where the infamous and evil Lich was supposed to be. I couldn't back down, so I went to the graveyard and met Winter!" Snowflake said happily.

"Infamous?" Sombra questioned.

Ice Storm looked embarrassed. "Well, we all knew there was a Lich in our graveyard. She came about half a year prior, I believe. We petitioned for the Royal Guard to come in and remove her, but they didn't believe us and were going to send an officer to check out our situation, but it kept being put off. In the meantime, adventurous children who wandered into the graveyard came back clearly spooked by whatever they had witnessed. Our 'local Lich' had a budding reputation for scaring children, especially in the school. In reality, I guess it was all just a bunch of nothing..."

Winter looked at her sheepishly. "Well, to be fair, I did give most foals quite a fright. I had zombie ponies wandering around the place to scare off intruders, and the mere sight of me often made them run screaming off..."

"But how do you cast the spells to animate the dead without a horn?"

"My staff, but my phylactery also allows me to do a few, specific spells as well."

"That probably has to do with your specific bond with the staff, and the staff's bond to the phylactery." Sombra conceded. "I may be able to help you learn a few other phylactery-based spells that you could use if you were ever incapable of using your staff."

"Thanks!" Winter grinned.

"I must say, I've barely been here a few hours and I can already see what a nice place this is," Ice Storm said, sounding slightly disturbed. "Now, I'm beginning to wonder if all the ponies, or other beings, that we ostracize for being different are actually just like us as well."

Sombra chuckled. "If only we could convince the Princesses of that."

"I may be able to help with that, actually," Ice Storm replied. "I know a pony who plays Oubliettes and Ogres with Prince-Consort Shining Armor. They're great friends, and they've fought their way through many impossible and dangerous situations together. At least, their characters have."

Sombra laughed at that. "Speaking from experience, even just fighting through fictional dangers tends to bring ponies closer together."

"He lives in the Crystal Empire. Do you want to come?" Ice Storm offered.

Sombra raised an eyebrow. "The Crystal Tyrant, visiting somepony in the Empire on a friendly occasion?"

"You'd have to be disguised, of course," Ice Storm huffed.

"I kid, of course I would be disguised. Would Winter come as well?" Sombra asked.

"If you can teach her at least a simple spell to keep her injuries from showing."

"I will do so tomorrow. I'm sure she can handle it," Sombra replied, glancing towards Winter. "Do you want to come?"

"Yes, please! I've always wanted to go to the Crystal Empire!" Winter smiled.

"Then it's settled. I'll get you a place to stay tonight, and tomorrow we head out to the Crystal Empire."

Author's Note:

Kratargon was a dragon from a story I was going to write a few years ago. I've always wanted a chance to use him! His personality has been altered to fit his place in this story though, so if I ever do end up publishing that story, don't expect this Kratargon to act like that one...

I don't play D&D myself, but I'd like to. Yes, I'm going with O&O as the pony version of it.

Comments

[Brony God]

This should be interesting for Sombra to visit the Crystal Empire

[Perteks]

Shining armor rpg session huh hmm

img0.derpicdn.net/img/view/2013/9/2/417534__safe_queen+chrysalis_shining+armor_warhammer+40k_miniature_tabletop+game_imperial+guard_artist-colon-zoomboomerz_tyranids_carnifex.jpeg

[light snow]

A wild chapter appears!

[Dream Seeker]

5466925 If I ever learn enough about D&D, I'll definitely have to make a chapter here in which Sombra and Shining play D&D together. They'll probably end up arguing over obscure rules half the time, with Sombra's knowledge of the game being a thousand years outdated...

[Perteks]

5582423
Erm you know D&D its one of type system where is practically everything written like how much population have small city etc. Just think about idea and you will find everything for this. But there is a lot of other interesting system for example I played few times ghostbuster parody system and it was great :D

[Aerin Silverfeather]

-a barbarian dwarf watch a full size two story catapult tied to his waist runs in with a +23 battle axe of draining-

I hard there be dragons

[The oracle]

6334550 Yes, bot not smaug. He already left for the dwarven kingdom.