The Necromancer's Duty

by Fresnor

Chapter 2

The ponies of Ponyville had gone through many disasters, yet none had come close to what had happened most recently. Yet never before had their been any deaths, while the recent attack had the chance of causing one to one of the ponies that helped protect the town. So the mood of the town was rather low as they constantly sent looks towards the local hospital and sent their prayers to the ponies therein. So it was no surprise that Angelic Chorus' arrival into to town didn't go unnoticed as the other ponies kept a wary eye on her cloaked form. Even though her size denoted her as a young foal, the fact she was wearing a cloak and was unfamiliar was enough to make them wary of her.

“Odd, normally I don't get stares like this until after I finish my work and right before they chase me out of town. Well, I guess that thing was around rather recently and in broad daylight. Odd how it acted so openly like that, usually they stick to the shadows. Huh?” As she was talking to herself she failed to notice a white unicorn mare walking up to her until she was right in front of the smaller pony. Looking up the filly noticed the mare's electric blue, two-toned mane and shades before she scented something off about her.

Vinyl Scratch stared down at the filly for a moment, contemplating her next move. Suddenly she jerked her head over towards a nearby alley before walking into it. Angelic Chorus watched her for a moment, before she shrugged and followed along. When she got to the end of the darkened alley, she looked around and found that the mare had disappeared on her. Suddenly a loud hissing sound rang out behind her and she turned to find the mare she had followed, crouching and glaring at her with glowing red eyes and bared fangs. The filly just cocked her head to the side in interest before a look of realization came over her on what she had been sensing before.

“Huh? A vampire. After all these years I always thought that he was lying about them.” Vinyl Scratch froze in confusion as she tilted her head at the filly's words. Seeing the confusion, Angelic Chorus remembered the other thing she had been told.

“Oh, right. That. Now how did that go.” She paused for a moment before taking a deep breath and concentrated.

“May we endure together peacefully.
May we enjoy each lifetime as it comes.
May we benefit each other as we better ourselves,
And may we always find one another,
In every time and in every place,
To share this companionship and to celebrate this bond”

When she finished, the filly was seated with her forehooves spread wide and head bowed down. The adult mare's jaw dropped when she heard this, and the filly was about to worry that she had gotten something wrong when the vampiric unicorn fell to the ground rolling around. It took her a moment, but she eventually realized that the hissing sound coming from the mare was laughter, causing her to shoot her a deadpan look. The mare soon recovered enough for her to light up her horn, causing glowing writing, looking like floating glow-sticks, to appear before her.

“That was the corniest thing I've ever seen! Who the buck taught you to do something like that in front of a vampony?!” Angelic Chorus blinked at her for a moment before she threw her head back and let out a yell of frustration.

“Oh, that bucking..!” From that point the filly started going through enough curses that they could fill a small book. Vinyl was rather impressed at what she was hearing, especially since many of them had not been in use for decades now, if not centuries. The tirade could not last forever though, and was brought to a halt by the arrival of a new figure.

“Vinyl Scratch! I should have expected that all that racket had something to do with you! What do you think you are doing back here looking like that!? And with a filly no less! How could you be so reckless!?” The two turned to see the owner of the posh voice, a gray earth pony mare, entering the alley, which makes the older unicorn visibly nervous as she starts waving her hooves. The approaching earth pony tilts her head to the side and shoots her a suspicious glare.

“What do you mean it's not what it looks like? Do you take me for a fool? I can plainly see you with your fangs out from here!” The vampiric unicorn brought a hoof up to her mouth and found that she was right and she quickly corrected that oversight by retracting them and putting her shades back on. Once again looking like a normal pony, the alabaster mare began moving her hooves around before tossing her head towards the filly. Octavia turned her attention to the cloaked mare for a moment, raised an eyebrow, then went back to glaring at her friend.

“What?! You really expect me to believe that this foal is some dangerous necromancer? That is what you are going with this time? Sometimes I don't know why I even put up with you.” The filly watched this one-sided conversation with interest until the vampire's name finally registered with her, causing her to facehoof, knocking her hood off.

“Oh, great. Vinyl Scratch? One of the oldest vampires still alive? The most irresponsible, lazy, good-for-nothing slacker that is a complete waste of a pony that has ever been given the gift of a long life? Of course the first vampire I meet would have to be the only one that he specifically warned me about that is the worst example of a vampire ever.” The two mares jumped slightly as they had forgotten the filly with how focused they were on each other. As the words registered with her, Vinyl shot her an indignant look as she wrote out “Hey!” in the air while Octavia just nodded knowingly.

“Yes, yes. All true.” The alabaster mare's head snapped around to look at her friend with a hissing whine as she made a pouting face at her which was ignored.

“Of course the question is, how does a young filly know all of that? There is no way you could be one of those awful creatures she is accusing you of as you look too young for it and Vinyl told me all about how the power corrupts their body and ages it in unnatural ways. Yet you still have that youthful look of a foal.” The filly's eyes hardened as she shot a look at the vampire which caused the two to flinch before Angelic Chorus sighed and shook her head.

“Right, almost forgot the slacker part or else she would have gotten the letters that HE sent out letting his few remaining subjects know about me. Let's just say that I am much older than I look and not because of my own choice and leave it at that. Of course there IS a message that he asked me to pass along just in case I ever did run into you.” A menacing look came over the filly that made Vinyl very uncomfortable as she looked between the two larger ponies and she became even more-so as she realized just who the filly was talking about.

“Wait, you don't mean...!? Oh, buck he's going to kill me when he finds out where I am after what happened!” As she started pacing in a tight circle, Octavia frowned at her.

“Now Vinyl, I am sure that you are just overreacting. Who is this supposed 'he' that you two are talking about?” She paused as she appeared to listen to something while Vinyl tossed her head about as if she was speaking. Suddenly the earth pony started giggling at her as she shook her head.

“Really? You mean this little filly is somehow linked with your 'big boss' that you refuse to talk to me about? Oh this is just too much. The Loud and Obnoxious DJ-Pon3 is scared of a little filly because she knows about her boss.” Angelic Chorus was getting a tad annoyed at being brushed off as a foal, though she had to admit is was better than being chased off, especially before she finished her work. Looking between the two she decided to drop a little tidbit she noticed and see where it went.

“Oh I've known him for a while now, and I bet he'd be really interested to know about your upcoming marriage. Of course he'll have some words about not being told about the engagement.” The two stop with their private conversation and turn to stare at the filly, Vinyl with a look of horror as she shook her head and Octavia with a deep red blush.

“What?! W-wedding?! What makes you think that I would marry her of all ponies?!” The gray mare looked over at her friend who was trying to quiet the filly down with her air writing in a pleading manner. The cloaked unicorn just tilted her head in askance at the question.

“What? You mean she hasn't told you? I would have thought that you would know as it is obvious that you have been given some of her blood since you can speak with her mentally. For vampires, the sharing of blood like that is an old engagement ritual when done to those that are not one of them. During the wedding they are even given the rare opportunity of joining them in their long life which is the only time that they are supposed to be allowed to do so.” Octavia's eyes narrow at Vinyl who kept her head averted from her. The earth pony thought back on the years she had been with her friend, and the incident that lead to her life being saved by the reckless unicorn as she gave her some of her blood. To hear just what it meant, especially coming from one who she thought couldn't take anything seriously yet never once joked about it, told her a lot. Drawing in a deep breath she reached out with her hooves to grab the alabaster unicorn's head and removed her shades to look her right in the eyes.

“Well if that is the case, then I accept you silly mare.” If the words didn't shock the vampire, then the deep kiss that followed did as she completely froze up as she was snogged by her friend. Even when the kiss ended she stayed frozen, eyes glazed over, as Octavia turned her head back to the filly.

“Now as for you. I do not know if you are one of those horrid creatures or not, but if you know the one that is in charge of her and are still alive then there must be something more to you. All I want to know is if you have any ill intentions to this town or not.” The filly shivered as the harsh gaze bored into her causing her to lift up her right hoof.

“I have no intention of using an ability like what was used here recently. My only concern is to clean up the mess as well as find whoever it is behind it all. I just hope that I don't run into any more cases like that mare outside of town. Fixing things like that because some moron decides to play amateur doctor and tries to heal a blighted injury is not my idea of fun.” Octavia starts to nod before she freezes up.

“Wait, 'that mare outside of town?' You mean Fluttershy? You actually were able to fix her eyes!?” At the filly's nod the mare's face turns calculative as she looks at her friend, now betrothed.

“Can you fix other things as well? Vinyl once told me that vamponies, though I guess you were calling her vampire, could not have foals. Is there any way that...” She blushed at the thought while Angelic Chorus just rolled her eyes.

“Is that what she told you? She probably just didn't pay attention or forgot about it. All they need is enough blood to get the parts working as well as keep a fresh supply for the eleven months and they can easily sire or bear foals. Of course there is also that one spell that is nearly guaranteed to work if you don't mind not having a colt.” Octavia looks thoughtfully before she grimaces at Vinyl who had passed out after she forgot to breath. With a sigh she brought her head down and lifted her onto her back and started heading towards the alley exit before looking back at the foal one last time.

“Well as long as you do not cause any problems then I shall let you go do what you must. But know that if you are a danger then...” She glances back at the mare on her back with a sigh. “Well if you know so much about her then you know just how dangerous she truly can be. Speaking of her, I shall be heading home where we are going to have a nice long talk about everything she has kept hidden from me and where we go now, so farewell.” The filly watched as the two left her behind and, once they were out of sight, slowly dropped flat onto her belly as her nerves finally broke. Taking a few minutes to quietly regain her composure after meeting something that she would likely not have been able to escape from, she eventually rose back onto her hooves once more and pulled her hood back up before heading out into the town again, searching for the hospital so she could do her duty.

Author's Note:

I planned on doing a bit at the hospital, yet I felt it was better to stop here for now. Of course I did drop some important information here, good luck finding it though. So the train is steadily on it's way now, but expect it to derail pretty quickly when a certain pony shows up. Now off to decide where to write next.

Comments

[Jacktank10]

I love this ty so much for writing a good necromancer story.

[nightmaster0]

AWESOME chapter, really great to see this story is still alive.

[AppleTank]

You actually were able to fix here eyes
her

[Asolem2]

Looks interesting so far

[LostArchivist]

That was unexpected. :D