Is it the Forbidden that Represses Me?
Twilight made a mental note to try and either see a doctor about her recent fainting problem, or at least seek some sort of professional help in dealing with it. It was becoming a recurring habit, one that she hoped to kick sooner rather than later.
She groaned slightly, the sound coming out more of a whimper than anything. Her legs felt far too weak to even attempt standing up again.
A gentle warmth wrapped around her. Twilight gave a small ‘eep!’ as she was lifted upwards slightly, before being set down on what felt like pillows.
She did not want to get up right now.
“Twilight,” Celestia’s voice said, warm and gentle as always, “You have to get up.”
With another groan, she forced her eyes open and took in her surroundings. At least they had moved her somewhere more secluded: one of the side rooms to the main audience chamber.
Spike was leaning against a corner, arms crossed as he looked around moodily. His expression immediately lightened the moment he saw Twilight was awake. “Twilight!” he said, almost leaping across the room. “You need to stop doing that!”
“I know…” she replied.
“Are you seeing someone about it?”
Twilight shot him a glare, before sighing and relaxing her shoulders. “No, but I’ve already made a note to do that.” She pushed herself off of the pillows, wavering for a moment before standing up.
Her ears flattened slightly at the sight of the burly unicorn mare adorned in royal guard armour, keeping a steady eye on both Spike and the young alicorn. So that’s why Spike was acting so grumpy.
Celestia turned to the guard, holding her head high with a slight, authoritative frown on her face. “Captain, I will require you to take an oath of silence.”
The guardspony snapped a salute. “Yes, ma’am.”
It took Twilight a few moments before she realised, but when she did her eyes went wide in surprise and a barely suppressed fear. Celestia’s horn lit up. A tiny spark of magic hovered between the two before it zipped into the tip of the guard’s horn and disappeared.
It was a magically-induced oath. The guard would never be able to speak of what happened in this room, ever.
Princess Celestia turned back to Twilight. For some reason she looked… older, as if the ages of the millennia wasere finally starting to wear on her. “Twilight, we need to talk.”
The younger alicorn wilted at her mentor’s words. Her ears splayed back as she bit her lower lip, not even realising the uneasy step she had taken backwards.
“A lot has happened these past few days, more so than you may be aware of,” Celestia continued. “Shortly before young Spike’s return, I was contacted by Al’Gorath regarding his abilities, nature and safety.”
“Safety…?” Twilight asked. Safety from what? Or... whom?
Said dragon let out a frustrated groan, getting up from his corner. “How about we just address the elephant in the room, already?”
Celestia leveled an even look at Spike for a few seconds, before finally hanging her head and sighing. “Twilight, what do you know about necromancy?”
Twilight’s brain was fast approaching a critical mass of fear at the mention of the word of ‘necromancy’. She swallowed, the sensation all too painful, as her chest started going numb. “I…” she managed as a small whimper. “It - it’s… I…”
Princess Celestia placed a hoof gently on her shoulder, giving a soft and reassuring smile. “Twilight, you are not in trouble.”
The lavender alicorn nodded meekly, swallowing again in hopes of wetting her suddenly very dry mouth. “I know… that it is the highest form of treason and forbidden by all schools of magic - and that… all known texts have been destroyed.”
Celestia maintained an even look at Twilight, but made no motion to say or do anything. In response, Twilight spluttered meekly a few times as she took a defensive step away from her.
“Twilight, you are not in trouble or danger in any way,” Celestia said. Her tone reminded Twilight so much of an old mother trying to coax who had stolen from the cookie-jar - warm and reassuring.
“...except for one.”
It came out as a hushed whisper. Almost immediately she clasped her hooves over her mouth, eyes wide and terrified of the words she had just uttered.
“Except for one.” Spike moved into view, an unreadable look on his face.
“I - I was just a filly!” Twilight burst out, now backing herself rapidly into the corner. “I didn’t even know what I was reading!” Breaths were coming in and out rapid-fire. The lack of proper air-supply only sent Twilight’s panicked brain further into a wild spin.
“Twilight, calm down!” Celestia’s voice cracked sharply; a whip focusing Twilight’s thoughts. Her breathing paused for a few very long seconds, before the purple alicorn slumped down against the corner she was leaning against.
“I’m… I’m sorry, Princess…”
“Please, Twilight,” Celestia said, her voice gentle again. “I cannot stress enough that you are not in trouble or danger in any form.”
Twilight looked up at Celestia, so desperately wanting to believe her. But… Necromancy was bad.
Of all the sins one could commit with magic, bringing back the dead was the highest above all. She didn’t even want to think about the sort of punishments she could face just knowing a piece of the old texts even exist. She might be stripped of her princesshood, or banished to the far reaches of Tartarus.
There existed no worse crime in the laws of magic than that of necromancy.
Twilight could only let out a pathetic whimper.
Celestia shuffled her wings slightly before letting out the tiniest of sighs. It was purposeful, letting her composure slip ever so slightly. “What you did during Spike’s hatching was not necromancy.”
While it didn’t alleviate her panic, the surprise and shock did allow Twilight to catch her breath and tone down her hyperventilating.
The white alicorn continued, a hint of hope noticeable in her voice. “Twilight, what you did during Spike’s hatching was something I haven’t seen for several thousand years. Something I had thought so sadly extinct.”
Twilight blinked a few times.
“Wh - what…?” Twilight managed to ask.
Celestia opened her mouth, about to say something, when Spike stepped forward. “Twilight. How old is Princess Celestia?”
Twilight had a slight indignant look on her face as she turned to Spike. “How does that have anything to do with this?” Twilight asked.
Undeterred, the teenaged dragon continued. “How much of history do you think Princess Celestia has seen?”
Twilight opened her mouth to answer, but snapped it closed again quickly as a fresh memory resurfaced. He had brought up this exact same point back in her library. She elected to make a quiet “Oh…” instead.
Finally, Princess Celestia intervened as she held a wing out to cut off Spike. “I had made you my personal student for your ability to create new magic, Twilight. Like the type that had hatched Spike.”
Twilight wasn’t really sure what to feel anymore. The entire day had been a massive rollercoaster of emotions, but at least some level of relief spread through her at realising she wasn’t in trouble.
“The purity and sheer life radiating from that magic is something I haven’t seen for so many eons. You had renewed my hope of such holy magic seeing the light of day - to rediscover ancient laws of magic so long forgotten, my dear Twilight, “Celestia continued. The warmth in her voice held a definite tone of pride as well. “So please… calm down. Spike is the most unique being in existence right now.”
Twilight took a few moments to finally get her breath back under control. “H - how?” she managed to ask.
“I can’t use dragon magic, Twilight,” he answered. “Not properly, at least. I told you already -” he flashed a cheeky grin “- I use a hybrid between the two; and it’s thanks to you that I’m as awesome as I am.”
“This…” Twilight gulped, before taking a deep breath. “This is a lot to take in at once.” She allowed herself to shiver slightly. Briefly, a wave of relief started to flow through her.
“I just have one request, Twilight,” Celestia said, causing the young alicorn to lock up again in sudden apprehension. Seriously? More? After receiving no reply, Celestia continued. “I would like for you and Spike to study this phenomenon. Now that I have truly seen the results of your entrance exam all those years ago, I cannot think of a pair better equipped to research and possibly revive a magic that has been dead for thousands of years.”
Twilight made a small ‘meep’ sound as she looked up at Celestia with wide eyes. A small flicker of… something, went off in her chest. Princess Celestia was asking her to be a student again? The prospect of immersing herself in research again was tantalising to say the least, however she didn’t want to abandon her duties as the Princess of Friendship, in addition to her friends.
But… it did provide the chance to make up all that lost time with Spike. She glanced over at the drake to see him look back with a neutral expression. How much had she last in the past year? How much of her little baby brother was still there?
“Do you accept, Twilight?” Princess Celestia asked. She had a gentle smile on her face again.
Swallowing hard, Twilight nodded.
***** *****
It had been a long while since Spike last had access to the Canterlot Archives - although the last time was when Twilight was freaking out about trying to find a time travel spell.
The only result of that expedition was a severe case of paranoia, a tummy ache for a day, and a bad mane day for Twilight. So, all-in-all, about average for living with her.
Of course, it was a little different now. Now they actually had a reason - a valid one - to be here.
Watching Twilight work with books always brought a smile - even if an internal one - to Spike’s face. As a filly, she never had the chance or time to properly peruse the pool of knowledge the Canterlot Archives offered.
Books floated around the mare, re-organising them into a better reading order. Normally, Spike would have wanted to be the one doing this research, but with Celestia having made the request personally Twilight was at near fanatical levels of enthusiasm.
He couldn’t help but feel some of that energy rub off on him as well.
Twilight had commandeered the entire left wing of the Archives, even going as far as to move the shelves aside to make more room for studying. Spike silently chuckled to himself as he pulled up a chair and sat next to her.
He would have liked to help, but in a situation like this he doubted there was much he could contribute. Twilight had a plan and trying to deviate from that plan would only result in intense world-ending migraines.
“Gah!” Twilight grumbled loudly. Very suddenly, her magic flared up as several books flew into the air. She brought each one in front of her before setting it aside, examining each title with enough scrutiny to balance the royal budget.
Without saying a word, Spike stood up and went to one of the bookshelves. He slid out a thin hardcover book, the label reading ‘Magicka Myriada, The Extensive History of Magic in Equestria,’ before bringing it over and holding it in front of Twilight’s vision.
“I figured you’d be missing the eighth volume,” he said. “It’s very easy to miss seeing how small it is.”
Twilight blinked a few times, before her magic grasped the book. “Th - thank you Spike,” she said. She had a slight bashful look as she opened the book, starting to skim through the pages.
Spike wanted to be hopeful that the Archives would yield something, but a cynical little nag at the back of his mind reminded him to keep his expectations realistic. They were researching a long-dead magic, after all. They’d be lucky if they could find even a brief mention or reference, let alone any useful information.
“I found something!” Twilight squealed. Internally, Spike face-clawed as he leaned over to the now beaming alicorn. Of course she would find something so quickly.
“Well, what is it?” he asked. Even if he maintained a ‘cool-guy’ calmness, he was also very curious to know exactly what secrets there were to unlock. Al’Gorath only could only teach him so much after they had discovered how sheer volume of arcane mana had infused Spike’s soul.
On the page was a single small symbol with a caption underneath it. Spike recognised the specific stylisation of the symbol, the nature of the curves and slants. It was very similar to the one he had labeled ‘Home’ back at Twilight’s tree-castle, with only one slight extra mark underneath one of the curves.
“The Library of the Lost,” Twilight began reading out. “Often thought of as a mystical place and a mere legend, it is said that the Library of the Lost is the place where all knowledge goes to die. Very few records exist depicting the exact nature of this place, but there are some ancient religious texts mentioning its existence and that revere it in an almost god-like capacity.”
She remained silent for a few moments as she stared at the words. Spike frowned as he leaned closer to the symbol, examining it carefully.
“Hey, Spike,” Twilight said, snapping the drake out of his concentration. “Doesn’t this look like the mark you left on my table?” she asked, turning to him. Her brow was raised slightly, the curiosity evident in her voice.
“Yeah, I was just puzzling that out now,” he said. Grabbing a quill and paper, he hastily scribbled out the symbol he knew, holding the two next to each other. “Al’Gorath told me this translates to ‘Home’ - but if it’s even the same word, what would it be home to?” he asked.
Twilight turned back to the book and Spike’s drawing. “It’s slightly different, maybe it means something else?”
Spike remained silent. Another mystery, another path that needed exploring. But, at least they had a path to explore now. “We need to find out what this Library of the Lost is,” he said.
“And maybe find it, too,” Twilight continued. “I’m sure we’ll find the answers we’re looking for there.”
The purple dragon could only nod in agreement. But even then, the similarities bothered him. The symbol left an itch in the back of his brain, a craving to find its real meaning. He needed to know.
Turning away from the study desk, he strode deeper into the Royal Archives. They had a lot of reading left to do.
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Okay I'm lost Hybrid of what!?
orig02.deviantart.net/a30d/f/2017/055/2/7/fashionably_resting_by_hillbe-db0abdt.jpg
I love this story, glad it's back.
YES ITS BACK
i wonder if there are any small groups of non evil Necromancers in small areas?
not using their power for evil, just to let the departed talk to their family again, or letting them have the chance to defend their family?
Getting back into a new chapter, I have only one thought:
What happened before this again? It's been a while.
8006760 I'm pretty sure that Speak with Dead isn't a Necromancy school spell.
EDIT: I was mistaken. http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/speakWithDead.htm
8006803
It has been one year later since Twilight left a dying Spike with an elder dragon. Spike survives and returns as a 'teen' dragon, and sporting some new magic. They go to Celestia to tell her the news (Spike lives!) and get some answers. Celestia says "Spike is unique and you essentially brought him back from the dead".
And now you are here.
8006760
http://static.tumblr.com/0da9449fc23b488111fe72c1ee7f21e4/gxnobi2/JkZmr7qpw/tumblr_static_tumblr_static_river_.jpg
8006844
thats only the DnD version of the spell.
others let yu speak with the soul in question.
and even if the Soul gave consent, even if its not permanantly summoned, bringing the soul of the dead back to the realm of the living is necromancy.
there are plenty of uses for necromancy that arent evil...you just have to think of them
8006872
Here is a question: Now that the fic has moved away from Slice of Life, about how many chapters will it be before we get another Flashback?
8006893 I never said that Necromancy is inherently evil. I just mistakenly thought that Speak with Dead wasn't a Necromancy school spell.
My current 3.5 character uses Blade of Blood fairly regularly. (Combined with the Duskblade's Arcane Channeling feature to further buff the hit with 5d6 of Electricity damage from Shocking Grasp it can deal a quite large amount of damage in a single hit despite only being ECL 4 {I took the Spellgifted Trait for the Evocation school})
Next chapter name
Is it the unknown that drives me?
10 bucks please
I love Dresden Files's take on Necromancy. Super-powered Zombie T-Rex through downtown Chicago for the win! In-Verse, the older the better when it comes to undead, and ain't no human older than a T-Rex.
8007024
Here you go.
http://www.theibns.org/joomla/images/stories/bnoy2008/Zimbabwe_10_front.jpg
Hmm
Say I have a Necromancy question
Say you kill a chicken, reanimated it, and then cook it to serve
Could a necromancer Coneroli the dead meat after you consumed it?
Great chapter
8007059 Gee thanks for the toilet paper
Improbable hypothesis: "Home" and "Library of the Lost" are somewhat literal, if distorted, and refer to Golden Oaks Library. It was home for a time, and it was lost when it was destroyed.
Twilight may not have done Necromancy but the author sure did. Good to see this back.
Home can also mean final resting place
So...I have questions...problem is that I recognize all of them probably pertain to the as-yet unposted chapters-to-be of this story, so asking them feels like asking you to spoil the end of the story before we actually get to it.
Looking forward to more...hopefully after not quite so long a gap of time this time. I had to backtrack a chapter to refresh my memory of where we were at.
Will this ever be continued?
Hope this gets continued.