The Reaper

by Blade Trail

Chapter 10: Back From The Grave

Reaper woke up to the feeling of being licked in the face. Even having lived a life as long and eventful as he had, it was not a sensation he was all that familiar with, so it took him a moment to realize what was going on. When he did, he sat up immediately and pushed the face responsible for the licking away. To his surprise, it turned out to be the Groenendael.

“You’re awake!” Fluttershy exclaimed. “Everyone, Reaper’s awake!”

Reaper was in Fluttershy’s cottage, sitting on her couch. The Groenendael was sitting in front of him, looking over him protectively. Twilight, Starlight, Spike, and Fluttershy all rushed in to hug them both. The Groenendael whimpered a bit, but didn’t attack. Reaper was still too shell shocked to react.

When the group hug ended, Reaper found his voice. “What...happened?”

“You mean you don’t remember?” Twilight asked.

Reaper shook his head.

“Dude, you were AWESOME!” Spike exclaimed. “You went up to the dog, and I thought you were a goner, but then you started spewing this black smoke, and then you were all LIVE! LIVE! LIVE! And your thingies went all BANG! BANG! BANG! I thought you were hurting it, but the next thing we know, you were knocked out on the ground, and the dog was okay! See, look!”

Reaper stood up and examined the Groenendael. The dog’s injuries weren’t just healed, it’s body had been completely restored. The fur had grown back and the old scars were nowhere to be seen.

“I...did that?” Reaper asked in disbelief.

The Groenendael barked and licked him again.

“Yes,” Starlight said, chuckling. “You did that.”

“You succeeded where we couldn’t, Reaper,” Twilight added with a smile. “Congratulations! And thank you.”

“Oh, I was so worried about you! Both of you!” Fluttershy exclaimed. “Especially when you just collapsed like that, Reaper! You were full of holes, and, oh, it was dreadful! But somehow...you got better.”

“Bigger, too!” Spike added. He climbed up onto the couch stood next to Reaper. “See?”

Reaper compared himself to Spike and noticed that the dragon was no longer taller than him. Before, he had only come up to Spike’s shoulder, but now, they were both the same size.

We’ll probably end up back in our old form eventually, Reyes’ voice said. Then the hunger’s screams will return in force. Not to be a downer, but what we’ve conquered is a whisper in comparison. Be prepared for that day.

The sound of Reyes’ voice reminded Reaper of what had transpired - of what he had done. For a brief moment, he had beaten the hunger and bent its power to his will. But it had taken all that he had to do so. If Reyes’ voice was right, and that was merely a whisper…

Reaper shook his head to dispel those thoughts. He focused instead on the smiling faces all around him. Whatever the cost, he would protect those smiles. They may not know who he really was, but they cared. They were his friends. And he did not want to lose them. Even if that meant that he had to make them lose him.

That’s how this has to end, isn’t it? Reyes voice said. With us leaving them behind. It’s...the only way to be sure. The only way to keep them safe.

“So...um…” Fluttershy began.

“Yes?” Reaper asked.

“What will you name him?” Fluttershy asked, pointing to the Groenendael.

“What?” Reaper asked.

“Well...he seems to have grown attached to you, so I figured you could...take care of him, maybe?” Fluttershy explained, twiddling her hooves nervously.

“I...don’t think I should,” Reaper said. He turned to Twilight. “Since I won’t be staying forever.”

That damped the mood of everyone in the room.

“Right...I kinda forgot about that,” Spike said.

“Well, I don’t think that should stop you!” Starlight said, stamping her hoof. She smiled brightly at everyone in an attempt to lift their spirits. “You could always bring him with you when you go! A living reminder of your time here with us. And besides, even if you can’t bring him, you could always leave him with me. I don't have a pet, and I'd love to care of him...He'll help us remember our time with you.”

“Starlight’s right,” Twilight said. “I think you should definitely do this!”

Looking around at his friends’ eager expressions, Reaper couldn’t bring himself to say no. “Alright, then I’ll keep him.”

Fluttershy squealed in delight, and the Groenendael let out a happy bark.

Spike looked the dog up and down. “So...big, intimidating black dog. Tough enough to outfight a timberwolf. So fierce that it almost killed you. Also...incredibly fluffy. Any names in mind?”

Reaper paused and tapped his chin in thought. “Yes, the perfect one,” he said after a time.

The others leaned closer, eager to hear it.

“The King of Explosion Murder,” Reaper declared.

The declaration was not met with the enthusiasm he expected. Instead, there was awkward silence.

“I...don’t think that’s quite right,” Fluttershy said. “Maybe try something...shorter?”

“You’ve got a point,” Reaper conceded. “How about Blasty McSplode?”

“Um...no,” Fluttershy said.

“Black Death?” Reaper suggested.

“How about we try keeping it to one word?” Twilight suggested.

“Alright...Nightfang,” Reaper said. “No, wait, that still sounds like two words. Darkness? Terror? Oh, ‘Dark Terror’ sounds nice, even if it is two words.”

Way to sharpen that edge, milord, Reyes’ voice quipped.

“How about Fluffy? He does have beautiful fur!” Fluttershy suggested.

“Nah,” Spike said. “A name like that would never work for a dog that tough. How about Doompaw?”

“No,” Reaper snapped. “No ‘Doom’ anything.”

“Floofer?” Fluttershy asked meekly.

Twilight chuckled. “I think that’s a great name, Fluttershy, but I doubt that’s what Reaper’s going for. Seems like he wants something tough. Maybe military-ish? How about ‘Soldier’?”

“Absolutely not,” Reaper said. “No ‘Soldier’, no ‘Commander’, and definitely no ‘Jack’.”

Starlight rolled her eyes. “You know, at this rate, we might as well just call him ‘Dog’.”

“I’d be alright with that, I guess,” Fluttershy said. “I still think we should name him ‘Floofer’, though...”

“No! C’mon, guys, we can do better than that!” Spike said. “How about ‘Rocket’? Or ‘Hunter’?”

“How about ‘Obsidian’ or maybe ‘Cassiterite’?” Twilight suggested. “Those are black stones...that’s tough, right?”

“Oh, I know some of those too!” Spike exclaimed. “Go with ‘Jet’ or ‘Onyx’!”

“Those are some pretty good names...” Reaper said. “We should write these down.”

Spike pulled out a quill and a scroll. “On it!”

We’re gonna be here a while...Reyes’ voice said, exasperated.