Because I Could not Stop for Death

by ShinigamiDad

Probe

Reaper rubbed his muzzle: “So he’s not sure if there’s a way out?”

Twilight shook her head wearily: “As he put it, he’s unsure precisely how the thing inside--whatever that is--is connected to the exterior, visible part I interacted with.”

Celestia furrowed her brow: “Do you think he’s lying?”

Twilight sighed: “No, I just think he’s dragging this out as long as he can. He wants to ask me a ton of questions, so he’s going to keep dishing out information a few morsels at a time.”

Reaper nodded: “And the dead can’t lie. They can dissemble and elude and go silent, but they can’t lie.”

Celestia raised an eyebrow skeptically: “Not even somepony as versed in death and hiding from it as Grey Thorn?”

“No, not even him. Now, that’s not to say he’s going to be open and forthcoming--not at all! But it does mean that when pushed, he can’t tell an out-and-out falsehood.”

Twilight took a drink of tea and swirled the cup: “I know he’s not lying, but he’s stalling, and that’s almost as bad.”

Celestia put her cup down: “Why? Is he hoping to take so long that Zecora dies? Some sort of revenge thing?”

Twilight shook her head: “I honestly don’t think he cares about Zecora one way or the other, he just wants company, an audience, a sparring partner.”

She finished off the last of her tea and turned toward Luna: “Think about it: he’s been essentially alone for centuries, constantly in the company of that thing of his, obsessing over you from a distance, Luna.”

Luna furrowed her brow: “Not me, strictly speaking--he lusted after Nightmare Moon.”

Reaper nodded: “Right, and with her out of the picture, we’re just going to have to redouble our efforts to make contact inside the Void, and let Twilight chip away at Grey Thorn best as she can.”

Celestia tapped her chin: “Speaking of--what are your thoughts regarding penetrating that thing?”

Luna took a deep breath: “Reaper and I have been mulling that over for some time, and we believe he may be able to make a connection through the Void that I can utilize to reach Zecora’s mind.”

“Won’t she have to be asleep for that?”

Reaper shrugged: “Don’t know. Also don’t know if there’s going to be any two-way communication, or if Luna’s just going to be talking into the silent dark.”

Luna nodded: “We can but try and see what can be achieved.”

Celestia gestured toward Twilight: “Grey Thorn indicated it could be opened, yes?”

“Yes, but he didn’t say how.”

Reaper leaned forward: “And I’ve been through just such an opening once, of course, so I have a sense of what it feels like to pass through that boundary.”

Celestia furrowed her brow: “Isn’t there a danger you could get pulled in, too?”

Reaper shook his head: “No, because I’m not going to try to actually get in in a literal sense. Also, Twilight did a first-rate job sealing and binding the Void. It can’t swallow me, or anypony else, unless Twilight relaxes the restraints and controls it.”

“Which I won’t even attempt until I get a lot more information out of Grey Thorn.”

Celestia turned toward Noble Steel: “And how are you holding up, Lieutenant?”

Steel emptied his mug of cider: “About as well as can be expected, Your Highness. I’ve been through some pretty rough stuff recently, but down there, right up against the Pit--I don’t know. It’s just so draining and disorienting.”

Twilight smiled: “He’s doing fine! It’s disorienting and frightening for me, too, but it helps to have another pony nearby to keep me anchored.”

Celestia nodded: “And Grey Thorn doesn’t mind having him there?”

Twilight shrugged: “I don’t think he really cares, as long as it’s not Reaper or Luna, and he kind of stays in the background.”

Steel chuckled: “Fine by me! He’s a real piece of work, and I’d just as soon not interact with him if I don’t have to.”

Celestia furrowed her brow: “That’s my concern as well. We know next-to-nothing about Grey Thorn, and even I only recall seeing ‘Bramble’ a few times, centuries ago. I’m worried about anypony spending time around him.”

Twilight took a sip of tea and nodded: “I don’t like it either, but as I pointed out to Noble, he’s using me and I’m using him. As long as I can get useful information out of him, it’s worth the risk. Besides, it’s not like he has any real power anymore, right?”

Reaper chewed his lip: “Well, not the way you mean, no, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t still dangerous.”

“I understand, and I don’t plan to go back down for a bit in any event. Noble and I both need a breather, and I don’t think Grey Thorn would talk right now anyway.”

Reaper nodded: “Good, because Luna and I need about an hour of your time in the creation chamber. We want your assistance in our first attempt to make contact inside the Void.”

Twilight stood: “Good idea. I’ve been itching to do something--anything--that feels like it’ll directly help Zecora. I’m sure this’ll just be a small step, but it’s something.”

She turned towards Noble: “You should come, too.”

Celestia nodded: “You three go ahead--I’d like to speak to the Lieutenant for a minute.”

Luna and Reaper stood as well and vanished from the room along with Twilight, leaving the young unicorn standing with a confused look on his face.

“How can I help, Your Highness?”

Celestia smiled: “Please just call me Princess; ‘Highness’ is so stuffy. May I call you Noble?”

Noble nodded: “Yes, ma’am, that or Steel.”

“Thank you, Noble, and thank you for being there for Twilight. She’s had a very rough few months, and I’m glad she has someone to accompany her, closer to her age.”

“Ma’am?”

Celestia steepled her hooves: “Luna, Reaper and I are all ancient, and have very different perspectives on things from normal ponies.”

“But Twilight’s a Princess, too.”

“True, but she’s still quite young and uncertain of her place in the world. It makes me feel better knowing she has someone more like her to lend her a hoof. She has centuries to fully grow into her power and immortality; I’d like her to just be Twilight as long as she can.”

“I’m glad to help in any way I can.” He chewed his lip for a moment: “It’s just odd to think of her as immortal, as young as she is.”

Celestia nodded and swirled the tea in her cup: “She is young, and she will remain young in many ways for far longer than you or her peers.”

She gazed up at the ceiling: “I recall feeling that young, long, long ago. Even a thousand years ago it still hadn’t entirely sunk in.”

“Do you clearly remember those days?”

Celestia took a deep breath: “Yes and no. I recall what it felt like, and I remember many specific undertakings and acts, but so many day-to-day things have faded. It takes an effort to pull them into focus.”

She took a sip of tea: “This thing with Bramble, for instance. I can only really recall seeing him with Starswirl a few times. I knew he was the old wizard’s ward of sorts, and I was distracted with bigger things, so I never gave it much thought.”

“‘Bigger things’--Luna?”

“Yes. Her slide into darkness was becoming apparent, and I was growing more and more distant from Starswirl, as well. So a little thing like a an orphan colt following Starswirl around just didn’t register.”

“What do you remember, ma’am?”

“He always seemed eager to help, eager to ask questions, never strayed far from his mentor. He seemed tinged with sadness. I never looked into it; I wish I had, now.”

Celestia fell silent and stared down into her cup, probing at the lees with her magic.

Noble shifted uncomfortably for a few moments: “Well, I suppose I should join the others in case there’s any way I can help. With your leave, ma’am?”

Celestia looked up with a smile: “By all means, Noble--thank you for staying to talk for a few minutes.”

Noble nodded as his horn brightened: “Anytime, Princess!”

Celestia stared out the window at the lengthening afternoon shadows as Noble’s flash faded.

---

Luna, Twilight and Reaper stood before a large, featureless, matte-black ball, wrapped in magenta and glossy black bands, sitting in a shallow, magenta basin.

Twilight scratched her chin: “Now what? I don’t mean to brag, but I did a damn fine job containing this thing!”

Reaper grinned: “True, but I can phase into it all the same.”

“Okay, but to what end? Won’t you just end up trapped like Zecora?”

“No--at least I don’t think so. Do you recall when we were in Starswirl’s secret library and I stuck my head through the back wall?”

Twilight nodded.

“That’s the intent here as well. I’m just going to push a bit into the outer bounds of that thing to see if I can penetrate to the space beyond.”

“But won’t it try to suck you in?”

“I’m not really affected in that way. The closest it’s come to affecting me like that was right at the end of our battle with Grey Thorn, after you two had been killed.”

Twilight shifted uncomfortably.

Reaper furrowed his brow: “Sorry. Anyway, even at its fullest power, the Void could just tug at me. I don’t really exist in a physical sense, and my essence is very potent. This thing is clearly not at the peak of its power right now, so I don’t see a lot of risk.”

Twilight nodded: “So let’s say you manage to wedge your way in a little--then what?”

Luna stepped forward: “Then I will make contact with Reaper in my dream form and see if I can project my thoughts or voice or anything inside the Void.”

“Dream form?”

“Yes--it was your notes that gave me the idea. Clearly Grey Thorn studied the dreamscape extensively in order to be able to hide in it with his creation. I believe I may be able to act upon it as I do my own dream realm--at least a little.”

Twilight chewed her lip: “And there’s no danger to you, either?”

“No. My astral form is considerably more formidable than any pony’s dream essence. I should be able to probe and project, using Reaper as an entry point.”

Reaper shrugged: “Assuming there’s anything to probe…”

Twilight nodded: “I believe there is. I could sense Zecora alive and beyond the boundary of that thing. She went somewhere, I’m just not sure where.”

Luna smiled: “We believe you, which is why we will make a first attempt now, with you in attendance.”

The three turned as Noble appeared nearby in a crimson flash.

Reaper stepped aside and gestured for the unicorn to join Twilight: “You, too, Lieutenant. Step on up and see the show!”

Luna turned back to the Void and took a tentative step toward it. Reaper moved beside and slightly in front of her: “That’s probably close enough.”

Twilight tipped her head slightly: “Is there anything I can do to help?”

Reaper glanced over his shoulder: “Other than moral support? I guess you can keep an eye out in case things go sideways. You’re the only one who’s had any control over the Void recently, so if things go bad, you’ll probably have to pull us back.”

Twilight nodded: “Will do!”

Reaper stepped up to the Void and began to phase. He leaned forward and planted his front hooves as his horn made contact with the featureless black sphere. A ripple ran across his body, briefly distorting him as though he was made of molten glass.

His face followed his horn and pressed slowly into the Void’s surface. He stopped as the backs of his ears disappeared from view. His tail switched twice then hung still.

Luna nodded: “That is our signal that he has penetrated as far as he is able at this time.”

She sank to her knees, folding her legs beneath her, closing her eyes and sending out a thin, bright-silver ribbon from her horn. It snaked its way along Reaper’s back and nestled beneath the back of his mane.

She took a deep shuddering breath and opened her eyes. Her vision swam and she squinted in an attempt to clear her vision. She coughed and found her voice: “Reaper? Can you hear me?”

A voice drifted in from the distance: “Yes, though just. I can feel you here with me, but can’t see anything. Can you see?”

“A bit. It is like being in heavy fog--I can discern shapes and brightness, but little else.”

Luna spread her wings and let her astral form take flight, banking through the blurry clouds and streaks of darkness, searching for any kind of landmark or feature.

“Are you able to see anything, Reaper?”

“No. As far as I can tell I just have my face stuck in a wall. It kind of reminds me of the barrier on the lowest level of Tartarus.”

Luna smiled grimly: “Grey Thorn appears to have cribbed from a variety of sources.”

She angled toward an apparent break in the gloom and caught sight of a cluster of huts and shacks below her. They glowed against the dim background, as though made of some sort of faintly-phosphorescent material.

“I see what appear to be structures of some sort--sheds or huts, perhaps.”

“That’s--weird. Can you get a sense of the implied space in there?”

Luna banked left and stroked her wings: “I cannot tell with any precision, but it is clearly much larger on the inside than it appears from the exterior.”

“Again, like the dreamscape; its boundaries stretch far beyond what seems rational.”

“Yes. It looks like a world in miniature that lenses-in rapidly as I approach, then shrinks back as I move away. It is quite disorienting.”

“Do you see any, well, denizens? Is there any movement?”

Luna gained some altitude and made for a large, blurry hill-like structure in the distance: “I see something moving along or atop some sort of pinnacle or maybe giant tree? I cannot really tell…”

She dipped and angled downward in an attempt to close in on the mysterious formation, when a black tendril suddenly lashed out at her, entangling a wing and stunning her with a wave of intense cold.

Luna let out a gasp and a choked cry as she tore free of the tendril: “It-it attacked me!”

“What did?”

“The pinnacle or whatever that is! Or perhaps something on it…”

“Are you okay?”

“Y-yes, though a lesser pony likely would have been pulled in. I am going to call out for Zecora then withdraw. I feel lightheaded and would rather not chance another encounter at this time.”

“Agreed!”

Luna retreated from the dark mass and let out a shout in her loudest voice: “Zecora! This is Luna! If you can hear me in your mind or your dreams, know we are making every attempt to free you! Hang on as best as you can!”

She glanced to her left and saw another black ribbon slashing toward her; she closed her eyes and allowed her astral form to dissolve away moments before contact.

Reaper pulled his face free from the Void, gave his head a vigorous shake, and stumbled backwards. He knelt down beside Luna and tapped her on the shoulder: “Hey--Luna! Wake up! Are you okay?”

Luna’s eyes fluttered open as Twilight dashed to her side with a look of concern: “What happened?”

“I was attempting to discern the nature of a structure, when some sort of black ribbon or band lashed out from it and tried to pull me down.”

Twilight stepped back in alarm and cast an image above her head: “Did it look like this?”

Luna furrowed her brow as she gazed at an image of black tendrils reaching for Twilight’s bleeding wrists: “Yes, that was it.”

Twilight bit her lip: “This must be connected to that entity, creature, whatever it is that Grey Thorn mentioned. I can’t see any other explanation.”

Luna nodded and stood unsteadily: “I will have to be more wary next time I venture in. I do not relish the thought of another encounter. I cannot imagine anypony lasting for long in that thing’s clutches.”

Twilight frowned: “No--I’m sure they don’t. Were you able to contact Zecora?”

Luna took a sip of cider from a flask Noble had pulled from his shoulder bag: “I do not know. I broadcast a brief message as loudly as I could just before I withdrew. I hope to do better next time.”

Twilight nodded and turned toward Noble: “Speaking of next time, you and I need to get a little rest, then head right back down to see Grey Thorn. I definitely have a few new questions for him, now!”

The unicorn took back his flask and dropped it in his bag: “Agreed. I’ll head back to my temporary quarters with the Royal Guard and join you in, say, three hours?”

Twilight nodded and disappeared in whitish-violet flash, followed by Noble’s red flash.

Luna turned toward Reaper who was studying the restraining bands lashed across the Void: “Do you know what the touch of that thing reminded me of?”

“No, what?”

“When you had me look into your eyes, then pulled me through to the Waiting Room. I was overcome with a wave of intense cold and a sense of endless, unfillable emptiness.”

“That makes sense. Clearly, within its own, closed domain, that thing is Death.”

Luna shuddered: “What a horrible fate!”

“Yeah, and I suspect it’s probably even worse than we think! I hope Twilight can come up with some answers soon.”

“Agreed. I fear Zecora has little time, if she is even still alive.”

Reaper nodded: “We can but hope, and do our part. Ready for another go?”

Luna shook her head: “I, too, need a bit of rest in order to prepare for another attempt.”

“I understand. Well, the kids are taking three hours before their next date, should we do the same?”

Luna rolled her eyes: “Some date! I can think of few places less-suited to a date than Tartarus!”

Reaper tipped his head toward the Void.

Luna smiled grimly: “Point taken. I will join you here again in three hours.”

She teleported away in a blue flash as Reaper faded out, leaving the chamber silent and empty, save for the ominous presence of the Void.