Chapter 4. The past comes to haunt or heal us all
////////////////Starlight Glimmer///////////////////
We had all packed our things and met at Ponyville's train station by 10. We arrived at Canterlot after a quick train ride, and by noon we made it to the palace. We even made bets during the ride as to what the problem could be about. As we were escorted to our rooms, we spoke with some of the guards and confirmed our initial suspicions. What slammed into Canterlot was, in fact, a living being. What really startled us was its physical description. It didn't sound like anything any of us had ever heard of. Before we could get more out of him, we reached the throne room. The doors were opened by guards who then stood at attention waiting for us to go in. The princesses were on their thrones. Luna smiled at us in her relaxed and caring manner; but despite her warm smile, Celestia seemed tired. This worried me a bit.
"Thank you for coming girls."
Celestia spoke in her distinctive maternal tone. She rose from her throne along with Luna and came down to greet us. I was the only one that really bowed out of respect for the diarchs, and since nopony paid any mind, I stood back on my hooves and simply let Twilight deal with the situation. Celestia had received Twilight with a warm hug using their wings. Once they parted, their exchange began.
"Princess Celestia, did you read my letter?"
Twilight asked, there was worry in her voice, but not enough to warrant panic. Celestia gave her a weary smile before answering her question.
"I did Twilight. And... I think I know what your friendship problem is..."
As she spoke, she looked down and away from us with guilt in her voice. Luna, who had been silently listening in to the conversation decided to speak up. She explained everything that had happened earlier that and the night prior. I have to admit, I was shocked to learn the creature had gone through so much in so little time and welcomed Luna's kindness willingly. and that's not even taking into account the fact that he is a necromancer. However, all of that paled in comparison to what happened earlier this morning. It seemed absurd that a monster that practices the dark arts of magic would handle the situation so calmly. The girls were tearing up at Luna's account of the creature and Celestia's discussion, but what made the dam of self-control keeping Celestia together was shattered when Luna spoke his last words to them.
"...after that, he left the castle without incident. We figured that trying to make him stay would worsen the situation. We've had the guards monitor his every move and keep a distance to not provoke him. Everypony in Canterlot has been ordered to stay indoors until we can be certain he won't do anything."
Luna finished as she stroked her older sister's back with her forehoof, who had calmed down enough to stop crying. The girls had were all reeling from the information they had just been given. Applejack, Rarity, and Twilight were all silently mauling through their minds trying to find the appropriate response. Fluttershy was still wiping her tears and sniffling every now and again from the sad story Luna told. Pinkie Pie was looking thoughtful, but if Rainbowdash has taught me anything is that one does not question Pinkie and not think too hard. Speaking of which, Rainbowdash looked livid.
"When I see him. I'm gonna buck his butt all the way to Phillydelfia."
She said through gritted teeth. The girls were all pulled from their respective trances and locked eyes with Rainbow.
"WHAT!?"
Twilight nearly shouted, horror visible on her face.
"Who does he think he is!? Talking to the princesses like that, hm? It doesn't matter what he says he's been through! Nopony talks to the princess like that! Much less make her cry!"
Rainbowdash valiantly expressed her indignation. Before Twilight could counter, Celestia raised a hoof to silence them and spoke up.
"Girls, please. I... I need your help. I've made a terrible mistake. I've been burying my pain for so long, that seeing someone like him made me push away a potential friend away. Not only that, but I've forgotten what the elements of Harmony and this kingdom stand for..."
Celestia stated dejectedly, tears beginning to well up in her eyes again. At this point, we had all moved closer to Celestia and the girls have her reassuring smiles. I just stood there in silence, watching every subtle movement the princesses and the girls made, taking mental notes of everything they did.
"I know what I have to do but... I don't know if I have the strength to do it..."
She confessed.
"Princess, you won't do it alone. We will always stand with you when you need us. Elements or not, we will always be willing to help you. Just as you helped me find my friends and guided me to do what's right."
Twilight reassured her with a hug. The girls all did the same, understanding what the princess needed. Her words filled me with a warmth I haven't felt in a long, long while. Seeing others you care about taking steps to better themselves. If this is what Twilight felt like when she helped me, I am going to really enjoy being her student, more than I already do, mind you.
"Eeeyup!"
Applejack chided.
"Indeed!"
Rarity chimed in. Pinkie and Fluttershy nodded, Pinkie doing so with greater intensity while giggling happily.
"Group hugs are the best!!!"
Pinkie gleefully added. Rainbowdash wore a determined look on her face and nodded in agreement.
"We'll always stand by the princesses and for our friends!"
She Proclaimed. To this Princess Celestia's grimace turned into a smile of pure joy. She guffawed a genuine laugh as she wrapped her wings around the girls and gave into their affection. Wiping the last of her tears, she chuckled a bit before letting us go.
"Thank you girls, I'm really thankful for all of yo-"
The tenderness of the moment was cut short as the doors to the throne room opened and an earth pony guard with a grey coat and a mint green mane came in with a hurried gallop. When he reached us, he bowed and awaited for acknowledgment from the princesses.
"Ah, Lieutenant Trust. What are the whereabouts of our most recent guest?"
Luna asked the guard.
"The creature is currently making a slow beeline for Canterlot's mausoleum, just as you predicted. The skeletons that travel with him have not caused any damage, though they have caused the civilians in their homes to become distressed, your majesty."
He answered her with the reverence and firmness of a loyal soldier. I hadn't really seen the royal guard up until I went to the Crystal Empire with the girls to see Sunburst, but the ones in Canterlot seemed a lot more... rigid than the ones in the Crystal Empire. Must have something to do with the different chain of command.
"Good. Keep an eye on him and do not provoke him."
She told the guard as he saluted and left us alone once again. Then I realized the implications of what that guard had just said.
"A mausoleum!? You don't suppose he's going to raise an army of skeletons to attack Canterlot, is he!?"
I pleaded, hoping for all that was good that she'd say no. To everypony's surprise, Luna laughed at my inquiry, and once she calmed down answered my question.
"No, dear Starlight. Though I do think we should all go to see what he'll do. I don't believe I could give an explanation that gives a satisfactory description as to what he's capable of."
She said with a giddy smile. To this, Celestia was taken aback, and that had us all somewhat concerned. With that, we made our way to Canterlot's "cemetery". Twilight explained that since Canterlot is the place where all the rich ponies of Equestria live, they don't bury their deceased in graves, instead, they are laid to rest in a beautiful mausoleum. When we got there, I was sure I would've marveled at the structure's beautiful architecture were it not for the ghastly sight of several not so dead skeletons of well-dressed ponies alongside bipedal skeletons of creatures I didn't recognize standing near the entrance. We stood just a few yards away from the main archway into the building's small front garden, simply watching the skeletons walk about and interact with each other as if they were still alive. What caught me off guard was that the bipedal ones were TALKING and some we're even SINGING with the pony ones in a melody I didn't recognize. It was as unnatural as it was bewitching to look at, and try as I might, I couldn't pry my eyes off the reanimated corpses. When I finally snapped out of my trance, I found Luna looking at the skeletons, as if assessing the situation with a fascinated gaze. Celestia looked uncomfortable and nervous, but I don't think it was the skeletons that were making her feel that way. The girls all had different reactions. Twilight was staring at them with morbid curiosity. She was also writing furiously on a sheet of parchment she must've carried in her saddlebags. Applejack was visibly disturbed, but she stood her ground. Fluttershy was shaking like a leaf behind Rainbowdash. Rainbowdash looked like she was about ready to obey her fight or flight instinct, she was on the ground in a fighting stance using her wings to further protect her friends. Pinkie Pie was giving me the impression that she wanted to run-up to the skeletons and give them a welcoming party or something of that nature. It took me a bit to find Rarity among the group, considering she had fainted at the sight of the walking dead and laid on the floor with a hoof dramatically over her eyes. When I turned my gaze back to the mausoleum, I froze at the sight of the thirty-ish skeletons looking right at us. The crimson spheres of fire that acted as pupils let us know what they were looking at. There was a silence that filled the air, even Twilight's quill writing against the parchment had stopped. It was then cut off by footsteps, powerful and heavy. I saw it walk out the mausoleum with another bipedal skeleton that was much smaller than the others that were already outside by its claw. The creature I had heard about only moments ago. It stood on its long hind dragon-like legs that had an old and worn out jet black robe, which held on to its waist with a metallic belt and many small, objects I couldn't make out due to our distance dangled from its waist along with what seemed to be a strange brown bag. It had a long red tail with a spear like Barb that vaguely reminded of Spike's tail. If you didn't count the anatomical mess that was its wings, it was easily a few hooves taller than Celestia. It's muscular arms and legs were covered in thick red scales. Its claws had five long digits that looked like they could tear through stone like it was nothing with brute force alone. The scales that covered the arms and legs ended just shy of its broad shoulders. Its torso was a pale creamy color with no discernable fur. It had scars all across its chiseled chest. My eyes moved to inspect its face, and I was perplexed with its features. Its face was flat, save for its small, pointy nose. It had no fur just like the rest of his body, save for the long and thick mane of dark brown hair it had that draped over its shoulders and down to its chest. It's two dark rad horns jutted upwards from it's forehead and curved back behind it's head to, only rise once more and add to it's impressive height. Its eyes... its eyes were a black so dark that seemed to drain all light that came near them. It had glowing red irises that cut through the black and slit reptilian pupils. Its face had a neutral expression as it walked out of the mausoleum with only a few steps and it began to look in our direction. At first, it seemed confused, but then it's eyes locked with Princess Celestia's and they narrowed. It looked at us with the gaze of a predator sizing up its prey. The skeletons that were on their haunches looking at us rose to their hooves and marched near the creature as if to defend it by forming a semicircular wall. I turned to look at the girls, and they were all as taken aback as they were scared. To say that I wasn't afraid would be an absolute lie. I turned in the other direction to see Luna walking towards the creature. I wanted to stop her, but my fear of the undead horde she was walking towards was keeping me rooted to my spot. She stopped just under the archway and began to speak.
"Azazel, we mean you no harm. Please, tell the undead to stand down."
She asked. The creature stayed quiet for a bit, its eyes darting onto all of us for a brief moment before answering in a voice that was deep and distinctly masculine.
"I̷ ̸p̸r̵e̷s̵u̸m̵e̶ ̷t̴h̴e̸y̴ ̸a̷r̸e̴ ̷t̶h̸e̴ ̶E̸l̷e̵m̸e̵n̸t̶s̸ ̶o̶f̶ ̶H̵a̶r̵m̷o̵n̴y̵.̶ ̶T̸h̸e̶ ̶p̸r̸o̶t̶e̶c̶t̶o̸r̷s̴ ̵a̵n̶d̸ ̴h̴e̸r̵o̸e̸s̵ ̸o̸f̴ ̴t̷h̶i̶s̴ ̴l̶a̵n̸d̴.̸ ̵C̶o̴r̵r̵e̸c̴t̵?̴"
(I presume they are the Elements of Harmony. The protectors and heroes of this land. Correct?)
Its voice was... off somehow. Its tone was firm, with distrust in it's voice.
"Yes, but they are not here to harm you. And neither are we."
Luna said as she took several steps closer. The wall of undead reacted and huddled closer together, letting us know that Luna was not allowed to get any closer.
"P̷r̷i̵n̷c̴e̷s̵s̸,̴ ̴I̷ ̵h̴a̶v̷e̷ ̵s̵e̵e̷n̴ ̴y̴o̴u̸r̶ ̴s̷o̴u̴l̶ ̶l̴a̸i̶d̴ ̵b̸a̸r̸e̷ ̵a̸n̵d̶ ̵y̶o̵u̸'̶v̷e̵ ̸p̴r̶o̸v̷e̵n̷ ̴t̴o̶ ̷b̵a̵r̷e̴ ̷m̶e̶ ̵n̵o̶ ̸i̸l̶l̸ ̵w̷i̸l̶l̵.̴ ̷I̵ ̵t̶r̴u̸s̶t̵ ̶y̴o̶u̶ ̴w̶i̵t̸h̶ ̴m̵y̴ ̸t̶h̸o̷u̵g̷h̸t̵s̶ ̶a̵n̶d̷ ̴m̶e̶m̸o̸r̵i̷e̴s̵.̶ ̵Y̸o̸u̴'̴v̷e̴ ̵s̵h̸o̵w̸n̵ ̵m̵e̶ ̸k̴i̵n̴d̵n̴e̵s̸s̵ ̵t̶h̷a̵t̸ ̸I̵ ̷h̷a̸v̶e̷ ̶n̸o̷ ̸w̵a̶y̴ ̸t̴o̵ ̷r̴e̴p̴a̴y̵,̷ ̵a̶n̷d̷ ̶f̶o̸r̵ ̵t̶h̷a̷t̶,̵ ̷I̸'̶m̷ ̶g̶r̴a̷t̸e̶f̶u̵l̵ ̵b̸e̷y̴o̶n̴d̴ ̷w̸h̷a̶t̶ ̸I̴'̶m̴ ̸c̴a̷p̴a̶b̵l̵e̵ ̵o̵f̶ ̵p̸u̵t̴t̴i̶n̸g̵ ̷i̴n̷t̷o̸ ̶w̷o̸r̵d̴s̶.̵ ̶B̶u̵t̷ ̶a̸f̵t̵e̷r̵ ̵w̶h̷a̴t̵ ̸h̴a̷p̷p̷e̸n̵e̶d̵ ̷t̴h̶i̵s̵ ̵m̴o̸r̷n̶i̴n̸g̸ ̸a̵n̵d̵ ̷t̴h̵e̷s̵e̸ ̸l̴a̵s̵t̸ ̵t̸w̶o̶ ̶d̵a̴y̵s̵ ̷I̸ ̵d̶o̶n̴'̶t̶ ̴t̵h̴i̶n̴k̸ ̵I̶ ̶c̶a̸n̶ ̴t̷r̷u̵s̸t̷ ̴y̷o̴u̷r̴ ̴s̶i̸s̸t̴e̸r̴ ̷o̶r̴ ̶t̵h̷o̵s̵e̷ ̴t̴h̶a̵t̶ ̷s̶e̴r̸v̶e̶ ̶u̸n̵d̴e̷r̸ ̷h̴e̴r̵.̴"
(Princess, I have seen your soul laid bare and you've proven to bare me no ill will. I trust you with my thoughts and memories. You've shown me kindness that I have no way to repay, and for that, I'm grateful beyond what I'm capable of putting into words. But after what happened this morning and these last two days I don't think I can trust your sister or those that serve under her.)
He said, picking up the smaller skeleton next to him, which proceeded to nuzzle its skull under his chin. It would've been endearing in its own creepy... undead way, were it not for the circumstances we were in. Celestia had been steeling herself while all of this was happening and after the creature's last comment, she walked beside her sister with a determined look on her face. The creature visibly tensed at this, baring its sharp dagger-like teeth wrapping its claws in a defensive manner around the little skeleton in its arms and spreading it's strange, inverted, draconic wings to make itself look bigger. It's small skeletal army stomped their feet in unison as they prepared for what they expected was a battle. Celestia noticed this and took a small step back in apprehension. Luna looked at her sister with a look that said: "You've got this!" The Solar Diarch took a deep breath before speaking.
"Azazel, I was wrong. I was wrong for comparing you to the monsters of our world. I made the mistake of hurting you out of misplaced fear and ignorance. I didn't take the chance to befriend you and instead have driven you away because I've been too self-absorbed to see that I still have flaws I need to fix. In the millennia I've lived, I've learned much; yet I still have much to learn. And right now, I want to make up for my mistakes. I wish to start again with you. To show you the power of friendship and the wonders it has done for my little ponies. And hopefully, I wish to heal alongside you the wounds that others have inflicted on us."
Celestia's small speech had made all fear within me vanish as I was filled with a mixture of excitement, energy, and joy. I was finally going to see the result of my first friendship mission unfold before me! Unfortunately, my excitement was snuffed out as another obscenely long moment of silence passed. Then the army of skeletons parted and made a path between it and Celestia. It set the little skeleton down on the ground and pointed at one of the bipedal ones with it's claw, one who I had just noticed had little flowers drawn onto its bones, and the little undead walked over to the flower-themed one and was picked up by it. The creature walked up to Celestia, never taking it's black and red eyes off of her as his unyielding focus. It got close enough to hunch down to her eye level. It then spoke in a whisper that I almost didn't catch, were it not for its ghastly voice.
"I̵̛̘ ̶̾ͅw̵͖̐i̶͠ͅl̷͚̈l̵͙̈́ ̷̬̓g̸̢̑i̴̛͍v̵͔̾e̶̥͐ ̴̤͝ỵ̶͂o̸̳͗ṵ̴̐ ̷͖̚t̴̜͝ȟ̷̟è̷̺ ̵̼̊c̷̝̏h̷̗͊a̶̛̮n̴̡̈c̴͕̓ȅ̸͎ ̶̧͆t̵̰͛o̵͓̓ ̴̪̽p̸̧͗r̶̰̚ő̸̥v̶̦̽e̵̙̋ ̸̫̆ť̶̬h̷͇̎a̷̮͝t̴͇͝ ̶̘̌ÿ̸̥́o̴̟̕ù̴͔r̶̟͊ ̶̭͝f̸̤̐ŗ̴̏i̷̦̅ẽ̸͜ṋ̶̀ḍ̸́s̵̺̈h̸̯̀ị̵̇p̶͈̐ ̶̠̄i̶̻͂s̴̎͜ ̶̠̾w̸͍͐ò̵̧r̸͕̀t̸̨͐h̸̯͐ ̴̡̽t̵͈̃h̵͎͋ě̷̘ ̵̥̂r̴̛̫ȉ̸͔s̷͓͋k̴͖̈ŝ̷͓ ̷̟̈́İ̸ͅ'̸̓͜m̴͇̈́ ̵̢̄t̴̖͠a̷̺͝k̸͈̀i̸͒ͅn̸̢͊g̸͇̕,̷̫̆ ̸̻̒ạ̶̏g̷̺̅à̸̖ǐ̸̡n̴̙̈s̸̗̀t̶̢̓ ̵͔̅m̶̢̆y̷̔ͅ ̷̰͋b̷̹̾ė̸̻ṭ̶͠t̴͎͌ë̵͙r̸͙̽ ̷͓̈́j̵̩͠ů̸͚d̷̤͑g̸͙̃m̶̲͑ę̵̔n̷͉͆t̸̹̋ ̵͉̔a̵̡̓n̶̹͑ḓ̶̄ ̸̼͌m̵̮̚y̷̛̹ ̸̧̛f̴͎̔a̷̜̓ţ̴̄h̵͕̚e̷̟̎r̶̰̋'̷͉̓s̵͖̒ ̴̫͗w̶̭̃i̵̛̲s̴̰̃ĥ̸ͅe̴͈͑ş̵͘.̸̹̈́ ̴̪̕D̴̲͊ơ̷̱ṋ̵͝'̷̺͠t̷͍̽ ̷͕͝ȇ̵͔v̶̘͑e̵̝͑r̷̝̂ ̵̗͝m̴͌ͅa̵͚͘k̶̬͗e̷̗͗ ̶͙̓m̷̞̈́ě̸͙ ̸̝̀r̵̭͆e̶̩̎g̵͕̓r̸̡͠e̸̻͐t̴̳͗ ̷̡̀t̶̜͑h̴̑ͅí̷͔ṣ̸̀ ̸̡̄d̶̙͒e̴̬͒c̴͈̉i̴͚̎s̴͉̅i̶̺̓o̷̠͌n̵͕͋,̷͙͑ ̷̱͝C̵̖̆e̵̖̋l̸̤̏ȩ̵̓ś̷̤t̷̫̐ĭ̶͇a̸̖͠.̶̞̾ ̶̠͋B̵͖̀ḛ̴̄c̵̫͂a̸͈̅u̵̹͆s̴͚͂e̸͙͌ ̸̞͊i̷̲͠f̷̫͝ ̶̼͝t̵͇͐h̸̰̋i̶̹̅s̵͖͌ ̵̫͊i̴͈͗s̷̫̽ ̶͎̎s̸̛͎o̴͔͗m̶̟͗e̸̹̚ ̴̙̓t̶̰́r̶̰͒i̷͚̇c̵̟̀k̶͔̏ ̸̯́f̸̟͠ŏ̶͕r̸̘̾ ̶̬̔y̴̧͛o̴̜̓ü̶̞ ̵͖͠t̴͖̓ô̸͍ ̶̥͌l̸̛͖ă̵̗ṱ̴̍e̶̤͛ṙ̴͍ ̴̳̉k̵̪̃ḭ̴͘ľ̶̩l̸̡̓ ̷͍̓m̷͎̌ê̸̱ ̷͕̀á̴̜n̸͈͘d̶̦̍ ̵̛̬I̷̢͠ ̵̠̄s̷̛͎ǘ̴̫r̵̩̈́v̷̰̑í̶̠v̴̼̄e̴̼͆,̶͍̉ ̸͈̉ṅ̶̮o̴̺̾t̸̘͗ ̵̬͘é̶̬v̸̞̀e̴̚ͅn̶̳̍ ̷̱̾ȳ̷̨o̵̧̊u̴̠̾r̷̳͑ ̸͓̋ṡ̶̝i̶͍̋ś̷̱t̵͗ͅé̶̘r̷̳̄ ̷̧̇w̷̙̆i̴̯̅l̸̲͝l̴̠̑ ̷̧̆b̷͕͑e̴̞̓ ̵̳̕ș̸͒p̵̛ͅa̸̻̍r̸̳̒e̵̙͝d̸͕̍ ̶͇́f̵̝̈r̵͙̒ọ̷̀m̸̲͆ ̶̞̊m̸͎̊y̷̖͌ ̷̻͂w̶͉͊ṛ̴̾a̵͔̅t̶̮̆h̵̳́,̷͓̈́ ̶͓̇a̷̧̐n̸̝̅d̶͚͘ ̸̺͂ÿ̴̱́ō̷̩u̶̞͝ ̸̬̉w̸͓̒i̵̞̒l̸͆͜l̷͓̂ ̴͕̑ș̴̈́ṷ̶̕f̵̖̔f̵̮͠ȅ̴̢r̸̰̍ ̷̨̚m̸̳̾ȍ̶̮r̸̜̆ē̶̲ ̵̲̈́ț̸̄h̷̗̉a̴̲͌ñ̴̟ ̴̖̍a̴̧̐ṇ̴͐y̴̦͒o̴͛ͅṋ̸̈ē̷̲.̸͍͘ ̶͚͒Ị̸̓ ̵͔̅w̴͙͋ĭ̴̩l̵̡̉l̵͚̑ ̴̯͝r̶̼̀e̵͈̚d̴̪͋ų̴̂c̵̾͜e̵̬̓ ̶̝̈́ŷ̶̹ǫ̵̍u̶̲̎r̴̬̐ ̸̪̍ṋ̶̄a̵̱͐t̷̳̒ȉ̴̝o̴̧̅n̷̜̿ ̴̗̈t̴̪͌o̴̭̒ ̶̠͠a̸̙͒s̴̕ͅh̵͍͂,̴̳͛ ̶̜͊å̸͉ņ̴̅d̷̪͐ ̸̺̒k̷̥͝ȅ̷̥e̸͉̅p̷̛͍ ̷͙̃y̴̭͘o̶͖̕u̶̡̾ ̵̨̾a̴̫̐l̴̹͆ị̵̏v̴̭̓e̷̩͆ ̶̪̂l̴̮̀o̵̯͌n̴̺̍ǵ̵͇ ̵͔̕ḙ̵̐n̸̩̍o̵̗̐u̸͚͑g̶̝͂h̸̙̾ ̵̡̌t̶̙̿o̷̗̒ ̵̤̂h̷͇̏ë̶̟́a̷͔̔r̷̹̈́ ̶̙̅t̷͕̚h̵̥̐e̴̪͘ ̵̯̒c̸̭̒r̵̘̔į̸͗ȇ̴͉s̷͔̎ ̶͖͘ọ̶̓f̴̺̀ ̸̬̊y̶̰̕ǫ̷̒u̷̯̍r̶͉͂ ̵̝̆s̷̤͗ú̸͖b̴̫͒j̴̝̎ĕ̸̘č̸̮t̴̝͂s̶̥͝ ̷̘͋f̵̯̈́ō̵͜ṙ̴̝ ̵̥͑h̸̳̿e̶̫̓l̵̨̾p̶͉͘ ̸̹́b̵̭̊ȅ̴̪ ̶̳̑h̴̬̊e̷̗̾à̷͜r̷͙͐d̴̤͑ ̶͙̆b̶̘̊ỳ̸͓ ̶̤̍a̵̰̒l̴͖̋ľ̵̤ ̴̤̃a̷̲͗n̷̹̒d̶̻̐ ̷͙̋s̵̢͆a̴̟̿v̵̪͛e̵̲̅ḏ̵̅ ̸͔̊b̶͇̈́y̴̩̿ ̸̯̿n̴̪̍ŏ̷͓ ̸̧̛o̸͓͐n̴̨̈e̸̹͋.̴͙̈́"
(I will give you the chance to prove that your friendship is worth the risks I'm taking, against my better judgment and my father's wishes. Don't ever make me regret this decision, Celestia. Because if this is some trick for you to later kill me and I survive, not even your sister will be spared from my wrath. You will suffer more than anyone. I will reduce your nation to ash, and keep you alive long enough to hear the cries of your subjects for help be heard by all and saved by no one.)
Celestia's resolve didn't falter, but this creature's threat was making me shake like a leaf in fear as he seemed more than willing to make good on his word. When it finished talking, Celestia nodded. Luna then placed a hoof on Celestia's shoulder before speaking up.
"She won't fail, my sister is more than capable of atoning for her mistakes."
She gave him a friendly smile. To this, he looked at Celestia, then at us.
"For her sake... I hope you're right."
He said, pressing his longest digit against his shortest and then applying enough force to cause them to slide off each other; the latter hitting his palm with a snapping sound. The miniature army of undead regrouped and marched forward, stopping just behind him.
"I believe introductions are in order."
It said to Luna, pointing at us with his claw. She gave him a kind smile and walked over to us with him in tow.
//////////////Azazel///////////////
I can't say that meeting the heroes of this colorful world was totally unpleasant, though I do wish that pink menace would keep her distance from me. Her soul is a blinding well of raw emotional energy that makes my head hurt. Levels of joy should not exist at such an extreme. There's something odd about all of them, each having some distinct trait in their souls. I couldn't put my finger on it, but for now, those are questions I could dig into later; considering I was being offered my old stead back if I cooperated. I'll have to find some way of repaying the princess of the moon. After I was introduced to them, we began our trek back to the palace of the of the princesses. Celestia didn't speak to me the entirety of the way, and honestly, I think it was for the best. I wasn't feeling very talkative with her anyway. The lavender pony, the alleged princess of friendship surprised me with her curiosity. Most of her questions had to do with my magical skills. I lied to her and told her that the army I had raised was the extent of my power, though I have raised an entire town's worth of dead before. It was mostly to provide me and dad an escape from an angry mob of lizardfolk. A story I was in no mood to talk about.
"So... where are you from?"
She asked.
"I do not come from this world. I use to live in the Ursan forest, West of Moonshine city in the Solarian Empire. With my mother and father..."
I replied, always looking forward. Fortunately, she picked up on my discomfort of the topic and stayed quiet. I noticed out of the corner of my eye that the sky blue pegasus mare with the rainbow mane was... apprehensive to say the least. She was clearly upset at something, and judging by the way her soul burned with mild anger I knew she didn't like me. I really didn't care then, nor do I now what she thought of me. So long as she kept to herself, I would not bother her. The pink one had tried to get Anvari's attention for about twenty minutes, and had only succeeded in overwhelming her instead.
"Is your little skeleton afraid of me? Does it have a name? Does it like balloons? What about cupcakes? Can it eat them without a stomach?"
Those were only some of the questions I could make out from it's rapid-fire barrage of questions, all while completely oblivious to my increasing annoyance.
"Anvari, much like the rest of my creations, are manifestations of my emotions, given sentience. She's easily startled. Try being quiet and let her come to you."
I said in hopes of making her obnoxiously loud and cheerful voice be silent, if only for a few moments. I gently set Anvari down on the ground and made her walk between me and the pink pony. Anvari was mortified at first,but after a bit of walking and the pink pony being a little less overwhelming, she mustered the strength to give her a hug, and rode on the pink equine for the remainder of the trip. Seeing as the pink one spoke to Anvari in a much quieter to r to not scare her, I let out a sigh in relief and kept walking. The orange one with a farmer's hat broke the beautiful silence that all to little.
"Ah must say, yer not at all what I was expecting."
She said, sounding like the farmer she claimed to be. This bothered me a bit, but instead of throwing a fit like a child, I decided to use my words.
"And what exactly you were expecting? Applejack, was it?"
I asked with that tinge of discomfort I felt earlier as I slowed my pace to walk beside her.
"Ah don't mean to be rude, Azah-zel. Ah was half expecting you to be cranky and unreasonable with what had happened between you and the princess this mornin'. Ah'm mighty sorry for bein' so judgy."
Her words weren't the only thing that surprised me. For starters, my name sounded strange to me with her accent. Second, she spoke with a bit of guilt and an oddly, friendly tone, she also held a small smile as she spoke to me. What really caught me off guard was her soul energy. When I first saw her, I was confused as to why her soul was obscured by foreign soul energy, and now I realized that it's source was her hat. There was something surrounding her form like a shield. It was only then that I realized, I had stopped dead in my tracks as I was fixated on her hat. As I pried my eyes off her, I saw everyone had stopped and were now looking at me. We had finally reached the castle, and the guards standing watch at the main entrance were giving me those looks of forced resolve and fear I was getting accustomed to seeing.
"Apology accepted. Remind me to ask you something later... When there are less eyes staring at us."
I stated, walking past the bewildered mare and around the princesses. The guards were too terrified to open the twin doors for me and my army of the undead, so I got on one knee and opened my bag. I searched inside for a bit and pulled a brown jar with my sigil on it. I opened it to find it was pitch black inside and got an idea. I whistled a comand for my army to get inside, and surely enough my troops obeyed. The skeletons were engulfed in black and red flames before collecting as a massive swirling vortex of fire that was promptly sucked into the jar. The only ones I left outside were Anvari, Trephor, Avalon, and Mia; half of which walked over to me and stood as my bodyguards. Anvari remained on Pinkie's back, and Mia stood besides Luna. When my display of magic ended, I absent-mindedly close the jar, put it back into my bag, opened the large doors myself and began retracing my steps back to my quarters; leaving a pair of princesses and seven mares wide eyed and dumbfounded behind me. As I entered the room I gazed through Mia's eyes to see what was the status of the mares that didn't immediately follow me.
"Wh-... What... just happened?"
A confused alabaster unicorn with a pristine purple mane asked at her friends. As I made my way through the halls, I sense Mia turn to the shocked mares and speak in her gentle, feminine voice.
"A desintigration spell on the skeletons to move and fit them into a soul jar, clever. Wouldn't you agree?"
She finished. Luna looked at her in milder confusion than before, though the same could not be said for the rest. Mia looked at the ponies staring at her and shrugged.
"Just me then? Alright, let's go inside. Azazel must already be waiting for us at his room, should you still wish to speak with him."
And with that, Mia began her casual stroll back into the castle and following my steps back to the room I had slept in the night before. Pinkie Pie, with Anvari riding her like a knight charging into battle, raced after Mia and the "Mane 6", as Twilight called her group of friends followed my skeletal friend. Upon reaching my room, The girls found me sitting on my bed, arms resting on my thighs, fingers intertwining my hands looking at the floor. I had been preparing responses for whatever else they wanted to ask of me, though I was hoping they would just leave me be for the evening. I heard a knock on my door and I motion Avalon to open. He walked to the door and opened it slightly to find Anvari on Pinki Pie's Applejack and the rainbow maned pony who's name I can't remember standing at the door. Avalon opened up the door completely and let the bouncing pink menace in with Anvari giggling happily. Anvari was the quietest of my skeletons. She rarely spoke or made any form of noise, and hearing her be happy like that made me reconsider how I viewed the pink personification of euphoric innocence. She set Anvari down in front of me with a gentle hug.
"If you ever come to Ponyville, I'll throw you a party with all the balloons you want! Ok Vari?"
She asked my small friend. Anvari simply nodded excitedly and wrapped her boney arms around Pinkie in another hug. Upon letting go, she smiled at me with an infectious grin. I'll be damned, she truly is the element of laughter. As this happened, Applejack entered the room and waited patiently with her cranky companion sitting impatiently as Pinkie gave her thanks and left in the same joyful leaps and bounds with which she came in. Before The farmer could speak, the cyan one bolted and stopped right in my face. Her huge magenta eyes and her warm breath were the only thing she was letting me take in as she began her threat.
"Ok, listen up buster! I don't know who you are, much less do I care what you say you've been through, but I'm going to make this crystal clear for you! I don't like the way you talked to the princess! And if you even think of laying a hoof on the princess or on my friends, You're gonna be in for a world of hurt! Ya got that?!"
She was borderline screaming at my face, and it took every last ounce of willpower to tear her apart right then and there. The thing that really angered me, was Anvari's fear. When this blue imbecile began her pathetic rambling, she startled Anvari so much that she was whimpering in my arms and shaking like a leaf. I could ignore her staring daggers at me, I could even handle her threat without incident. But scaring the undeath out of my father's most precious gift to me... No, for this... She would know the true meaning of fear. I stared back at her, letting her know I was not afraid. I let Anvari go and she promptly ran to Trephor, who had been sitting behind me in silence.
"I̷'̷l̸l̷ ̷p̴r̶e̴t̷e̵n̷d̸ ̶y̶o̶u̸ ̷d̵i̷d̴n̵'̸t̶ ̶j̶u̵s̶t̸ ̷t̷h̸r̶e̴a̶t̶e̸n̷ ̶m̵e̷ ̵a̷n̷d̵ ̷g̸i̶v̸e̴ ̶a̵ ̶w̶a̴r̷n̵i̷n̵g̶ ̶o̸f̸ ̸m̷y̸ ̸o̴w̴n̵."
(I'll pretend you didn't just threaten me and give a warning of my own.)
I stood up, flared my wings, and grabbed her by her neck. I stared into her with all the hatred I had buried whithin me. The hate for Deus Vult, the hate for Solaris, the hate for her. Without even thinking about it consciously, I cast formidinis aura, a fear spell to make it as clear as possible that I was not going to take anyone's bullshit. Now now.
"Į̵͊ ̵͓͝ŵ̴͓i̷̞͗l̷̫̊ḽ̷̍ ̸͉̍e̴̢̓x̵̢͘c̶͍̔ṷ̴̈́s̴̝̓ẻ̴̝ ̴̩̊y̵̔͜ö̵̬́ǔ̴̩ ̸̜̚t̴̯̂h̶͈͆i̴̺̕ṡ̶͕ ̵͜͝o̴̩͛n̷̙͂c̶̻̋e̶̥͆ ̸̣̌f̸̮͊o̵̥̊r̷͇͗ ̶̹̚ṯ̴̽h̵̥̔e̷̬̿ ̷̙̉s̸̈͜á̷̻k̸̦͝e̷̯͛ ̸͕̽ȏ̷ͅf̵̳̏ ̶̲̀m̵̝͐ḁ̵͂i̸͍͂n̷̪̎t̶̜͝a̸̪͗i̷͍̒n̷̲̏i̷̝͋n̶̞͘g̷̥̈́ ̴͙͐m̸̛͚y̵͇̕ ̷͍͘f̶̖͐r̵͖͌i̶͚̕e̵̪̓n̸̩͝d̴͈̈́s̴͎͋ȟ̴̤i̸̪̽p̵̡̈ ̸̲̎w̸̫̋ì̵̜ṯ̸̃ḧ̵́͜ ̷̬̐t̷͚̐h̴͈̆e̴̗̅ ̷̯́p̸̱̍r̴̗̋i̴͉͛n̶̲̓c̵̢̎e̸̪̐s̸͙͝s̵͉̊è̴̻s̵̳͂.̸̹̈́.̴̦̎.̵̣͛ ̷̞̏B̵̭̾u̷͍̿t̴͔̽ ̶̞̂m̸̢̓a̷̻͐r̸̜͠k̴̼̿ ̸̧̎m̶͉̉y̶̆ͅ ̸̡͝ẃ̸̖ö̶͍́r̷̖͛d̴͉͑ŝ̴͎ ̵̫̀y̸̰̅o̴̺͒u̴̪̓ ̵̹̈P̵̻͊A̴͙̋T̵͇̒H̴͉̎Ė̷̡T̸͚̈I̸̝̅C̴͎̎ ̸̻́è̴̼x̸̙͋c̸̹̈ṵ̶͋s̶̘̄e̵̦͠ ̴͎͂f̵͖͐o̸͇͛ṙ̷̟ ̵̬͒à̷̹ ̴̫̚p̴̩̏ē̴͕g̶͉̎a̸̮͗s̵̘͒ų̸͝s̵̢͘.̵̠͝.̷̤̄.̷̠͘ ̴͈̿T̶̞̒h̴̞͠ṙ̵̬ë̵͖́a̶̠͠t̸͙͗e̷̓ͅn̸̠͠ ̶̭͠m̴͉̊ě̸̝ ̵̞̑ą̸͝g̸̪̐a̵̬̍i̵͕͗n̸͈̕,̴̖͑ ̶͍̽ä̷̢́n̸̼̑d̵̗͝ ̴̠̔Ì̷͎ ̴̣̅s̶͙͝ẁ̷͈e̷̪͊a̶̖̾r̴͇͘ ̶͇̆ṱ̷͝o̴̲̾ ̴̣̽ỷ̸͈o̵̥͒ù̶͈ ̷̪̅o̷̠͆n̴͕͛ ̶̗́m̴̥͋y̷͉̿ ̷̦̏m̵͆ͅo̴͉͠t̵̬̿h̸͓́ė̵ͅr̸͙̾ ̶̭̓a̸̤͘ṋ̶̈́d̸͕̎ ̴̜̒F̵͕̃ä̷̯́t̸̨̊h̸͍̎e̶̜͂r̶̻̋'̴̲̚s̸̭̉ ̶̟̅l̷̡̕i̸̹͒v̶͖̈́e̸̺͘s̷͖̉ T̸̤̗̾̑͋Ḩ̶̰̖͍̋̏Ǎ̸̘͚̃̈́T̷̬̠͂̊̎̄ ̵̬͍͙̈I̴̧͚̹̲͊̉͛͝ ̵̐̒̑͜W̶̢̞͌͛͂͝ͅI̴̛̼̓L̶̅ͅL̷͚͂́̌̀ ̸̠͍̳̇͝R̴͖͖͉͇̒̅̑Ó̸̢̦̼B̶̛͓̓̓ ̷̯̳̩͛̑͐̕͜Y̵̨̤̥͙͌O̴̬̼̠̒͛́Ṷ̴̟͒̃͊̀ ̸̡̌̀̈́̍ͅǏ̷̤F̵̮͋̇̀ ̷̯͍͆E̷̬̳̓V̸͇̌̽̊͝E̶̺͒̾͘̚ͅR̷͉̲̯̭̀Y̷̛̺̹͘T̵͍͆̅̎H̷̡̹͌I̴̱͌̒̋͝N̸̯͓̯̂̽̕G̴̮͑͘ ̸͎̤͍͇̾Y̷̧̽̚͜O̶̱͆͝U̷̩̹̗̿͋͝͝ ̴̟̝͌͗͜͠L̶̡̛̺̃͗͜͝O̷͖̦͊͠V̷̥̲̻͒͜͝Ȩ̸̙̙͈̈́̂́͘ ̵̯̙̕A̵͇̲͆̽̌ͅN̶̮̹͖͊͗̉̓Ḏ̸̯̈ ̸̠̯̗̍͒̎͛M̴̖̀̋A̸͍̓͆̕͝K̴̛̠͙͠Ẹ̴̭͋ ̸̼̱͇̭̓̐̍Y̴͇͆O̷͈̓̇̀̌͜Ǔ̷̗̋̃ ̷̢̗̙̼͒B̸͈́̀̿̀E̵̛̘͍͔͇Ĝ̴̯ ̵̛̠̜̦͝F̷̬̗͗̈́̕Ờ̴̢̹̓R̴̰͙̒̀͠ ̴̖͓̉̎D̶̰̳̱̾̊͋̋E̵̪͗A̸̢̿̚T̷̹̝́̔̚Ḧ̵̠̟̽ͅ!̴̙̠̌!̶͙͓͌!̸̨̪̰̀̂͂"
(I will excuse you this once for the sake of maintaining my friendship with the princesses... But mark my words you PATHETIC excuse for a pegasus... Threaten me again, and I swear to you on my mother and father's graves THAT I WILL ROB YOU OF EVERYTHING YOU LOVE AND MAKE YOU BEG FOR DEATH!!!)
I was struggling to keep myself from crushing her neck. When I finished, I finally calmed down enough to notice that she was crying from the lack of oxygen and absolute terror. I let her go the moment I noticed this and simply stared daggers at her shivering form. If this is what dad had to deal with when he went out alone, it's no wonder he only took me out when the number of people we would interact with would be close to nothing. Dealing with ignorant creatures sucks to no end, especially when you can't just kill those that infuriate you. Applejack, who had been scared half to death for her friend, gently pulled her away from me by biting down on the multicoloured tail of her catatonic friend after I let her shivering body fall on the floor.
"Rainbow, can ya give me a minute with... uh..."
She looked at me with a look that took me a bit to register. She was confused as to what my name was, but was scared of making me angrier than what I already was.
"Ȃ̷̫z̴̡̏å̷̙z̵͔̽è̸̲l̸̼͝"
(Azazel.)
I finished for her, albeit with the anger that I was trying suppress.
"R-right, Uh-zay-zel..."
She pronounced my name funny, but I wasn't about to correct her when she was being so compliant and helpful in removing the source of my hate fueled anger from the room. Avalon had opened the door and had dragged the object of my ire clear of the entrance before closing the door a little too hard.
"Ya wanted to talk to me Azazel?..."
She spoke in a nervous tone. I assumed it was the fact that her friend had been removed from the room in the manner that she had been. This land and it's culture revolved solely around friendship and harmony, so individual creatures must feel vulnerable and defenseless when presented with something threatening such as myself. I took a moment to take deep breaths and calm myself toa more agreeable level before replying. I looked at her with the most relaxed look I could manage to counteract my hostile appearance.
"Applejack... I know we've only known each other for about an hour, but I wish to ask you a few things before the you head back to your friends."
I explained, my voice finally returning to normal.
"Well, ah don't see why not. Ah am a little curious as to why you'd want to talk to meh privately."
She replied, her nerves lessened slightly as Avalon walked back into view. I silently ordered him to lie down on the bed behind me while I picked up Anvari and sat her down on my lap. It took me a bit to answer her, mainly because I had to reassure myself that she wasn't a threat.
"I was a little skeptical when I was introduced to you and your friends. I don't have a pleasant history with the heroes of my land and I still have my doubts now with you and your princess of the sun. However that may be, that is not why I asked for you to speak with me in private."
I stopped for a moment to think of how to best explain it to her. The "dark" arts aren't welcome in this land if Celestia's outburst this morning was anything to go by. I sighed and decided to voice my theory as it was, along with a question.
"Are you familiar with soul magic? Or necromancy for that matter?"
I asked her. To this she shook her head with a resounding:
"Nnnope."
I nodded in understanding, and began my little lecture.
"In short, Soul magic is an extension of Necromancy. The school of magic that blurs the line between life and death, and bends the souls of the living and dead alike to the whims of the caster. I have studied this art under my father's guidance for as long as I can remember. I can sense the life force of beings and manipulate it accordingly. Through necromancy, I am skilled in staving off death as I am bringing it upon others. Soul magic is the specialized manipulation of said souls. As for why any of this matters, I must ask you something. However, because of the nature of my question you may feel free to simply not answer."
As I spoke, Applejack sat on her haunches looking at me with her head tilted slightly to the side in confusion, her fear now gone completely. It was almost as if my tantrum from before had never happened.
"Alright? What exactly is it that y'all want to know."
She asked.
"Where did you get that hat?"
I bluntly asked. She took her hat off and eyed it for a moment before speaking.
"This here hat was my dad's. He gave it to meh some time before he and mom..."
She couldn't finish her sentence. Pain that had been long since buried was starting to resurface. I look down, knowing that the attention on her was not helping.
"They're... dead. aren't they?"
I hesitantly finished her sentence. I heard a slight sniffle, and when I looked up, I found Applejack teary eyed and looking mournful. Hopefully, my suspicions would be correct. Meaning that I could maybe give her some closure.
"Applejack. I'm sorry... for your loss. I don't wish to be intrusive, but I must ask, may I hold your hat for a moment?"
I asked, extending an arm and placing my hand on her shoulder. Her sad eyes shifted between me and the hat, her grief being replaced with a mild confusion as she moved my hand off her and put the hat on my hand. I decided to get to work so I could give her her heirloom back. The first thing I noticed when I picked up the hat was that it vaguely resembled a soul tether. Soul tethers are, in essence, a downgraded phylactery. It keeps the soul of any creature you desire anchored to a desired object, but couldn't bring you back to life like a phylactery. Speaking of which, I had to make my own. I had thought about it before, but now the necessity for one was becoming less and less. Still, wouldn't hurt to have a plan B. I closed my eyes and focused on a divination spell I vaguely remember my mother teaching me.
"Revelio..."
I whispered to myself and my hand was wreathed in a ghastly greens mist that danced around the hat and spiraled down my shoulder, around my arm and down to the hat. I sensed not one, but two souls tethered to the hat. What I found to be incredibly interesting was that the souls weren't tethered to the hat with any spell I was familiar with. They were being sustained by what I could only describe as... love... A pure bond of love connected the souls that resided in the hat protected Applejack, but I wanted to know just how good was this protection. When the spell was complete, I handed her back her hat. She placed it on her head and looked at me with a longing look. She wanted answers, I would give them to her. Though not with words. I focused another spell into my hand. One that would cause damage, but not kill her.
"Tactus Dolorem..."
My hand became wreathed in a familiar black and red smog. Applejack was looking at me with fear, but I think it was the look of curiosity in my face that stopped her from bolting out the door. I extended my hand and tried to touch her with one of my fingers, but the moment my hand got close I felt my finger press again what I knew was a magical barrier. It had remained invisible to the naked eye, but the moment I made contact it began to strain and crackle as it unravelled the spell on my hand before my finger touched her. Applejack's concern shifted into curious awe as my hand enveloped by darkness poked her chest gently and the darkness surrounding it would vanish when it got close. When I had felt I had seen enough, I pulled away and dispelled the Tactus Mortem spell from my hand.
"Hmm..."
It was all I could mutter as I looked at her with fascination and a warmth in my heart that felt... right, somehow.
"What is it?"
She asked, finally snapping out of her confused trance. I gave her a gentle smile before answering her question.
"It would seem that your father gave you something very special. Something I've never seen before, and I don't think your parents knew about it until their... passing as well."
I stated, albeit a little reluctantly.
"W-what do you mean?"
She asked, her eyes scanning me over in disbelief and her soul was glowing with hope at the sight of my mind racing with ideas. My father, in one of his many lessons, had taught me how to briefly bring the souls of the dead to the living plane to speak to the living. I had never performed the ritual, but I knew it could be done. The tome in my bag didn't have any labels, but the way it was structured gave me the impression that dad left it there for me to relearn things he either already taught me or, and I was really hoping was the case, contained new spells and other important information, along with the ritual I was thinking of. However, it would be best not to get ahead of myself and tell her of the nature of her hat. For now, that would be enough.
"Well, it seems that your parents are still with you Applejack. Their love for you seems to have tethered their souls to this hat. The spell I just used is a spell used to inflict pain, but your hat generated a barrier to protect you from harm. Though I think it's more accurate to say that your parents were the ones keeping you safe."
As I finished my explination, Applejack had a smile growing on her face along with a viable struggle to keep herself from crying. She then proceeded to leap Forward and wrap her forehooves around my neck and over my shoulders as she let out tears of joy that flowed down my shoulder. I would've shied away from her if it weren't for the raw joy and... gratefulness?... that radiated off her. After a bit of hesitation, I reciprocated the show of affection. This... this felt good. That hug felt like it lasted forever, and I had no reason or desire to complain about it. My mind flashed to my parents and the night they died... their sacrifice. Their last words. Remember to fight for what is right, to live and love as only I can. This... this moment, I felt their love. That same love that they had the moment I came into their lives and had no right to have was the same that made them sacrifice their lives for me. An undeserving child that could never repay the love he was being given. That exact same love was the love that I felt. That was the love that radiated off Applejack.
"Thank you..."
My train of thought was cut short with Applejack's voice and her breaking the hug. Part of me wanted it to go on for a bit more, but I knew that it would just be awkward, so I let her climb off me and look at me instead. Her huge, green eyes sparkled and that only made me smile in turn.
"No, thank you."
I replied, enjoying the tenderness of the moment simply looking into her eyes. Applejack's orange cheeks turned a light pink as she averted her eyes and looked down for a bit. She looked back at me after a bit and gave me an awkward laugh while smiling.
"Uhm... I should get going. I don't want the girls to get worried. Do you want them to come in and speak to you?"
She stated, the light blush she had never really going away. To this I chuckled before answering.
"Thank you, but I think I need some time to myself. Tell the girls and the princesses to ask whatever questions they may have to Mia, she will stay with you for as long as you desire."
Applejack tipped her hat off to me before turning around and taking her leave. I was left alone in the room with my skeletons in silence. The warm sensation in my chest had returned, and soothed me to my core.
"Master?"
I recognized Avalon's deep voice cut the silence.
"Yes?"
I asked, turning to see him standing by my bedside at attention like a loyal soldier.
"Should I go get Mia? She hasn't come in yet."
He asked.
"No. She's currently entertaining the princesses and their subjects."
I sighed and opened the bag that laid near the foot of my bed. I rummaged around for a bit and found what I was looking for. I pulled out the tome I was looking for and set it on my lap.
"Go outside and keep watch. I don't want to be disturbed while I read."
I ordered, and my creations obeyed with nods. Anvari had crawled into my bed and laid down with her head on my left thigh. I smiled at this and caressed her skull as I opened the book and read the handwritten message. It was my father's hand writing...
Azazel,
If you're reading this odds are your mother and I are... no longer with you. Whether it be because we are dead or are separated indefinitely, know that we love you to no end. As such, we have created a book filled with spells, rituals, and alchemical recipes that will allow you to survive and thrive in whatever world you land in. Speaking of which, I believe an explination is owed. When you were born, I knew that Mephistopheles and others like him that considered us to be their enemies would threaten you and our home. So I prepared a special warp stone in your bag to allow you to escape death's grasp should you need it. The warp stone was created from a Nova crystal you helped me harvest on your twelfth birthday from the Black mountain. The magical energy trapped whithin the crystal should be enough to break through a dimensional barrier to a different plane. Due to the infinite number of dimensional planes that exist, it will take you to any one of the infinite realities you wish if you focus on key traits that you want from. said reality. Because of the Nova Crystal's magical power and brittleness it will be a one way trip leaving no trace of where the transdimensional leap took you to. With nothing more to say, I wish you the best and keep on keeping on kiddo.
Your proud father,
Astoshan
I was holding back tears as I read my father's message, only to then see my mother's beautiful cursive writing below it.
𝓜𝔂 𝓭𝓮𝓪𝓻 𝓼𝓸𝓷,
𝓘𝓯 𝔂𝓸𝓾'𝓻𝓮 𝓻𝓮𝓪𝓭𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓽𝓱𝓲𝓼 𝓽𝓱𝓮𝓷 𝔀𝓮'𝓻𝓮 𝓶𝓸𝓼𝓽 𝓵𝓲𝓴𝓮𝓵𝔂 𝓪𝓹𝓪𝓻𝓽 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝔀𝓲𝓵𝓵 𝓷𝓸𝓽 𝓼𝓮𝓮 𝓮𝓪𝓬𝓱 𝓸𝓽𝓱𝓮𝓻 𝓪𝓰𝓪𝓲𝓷. 𝓗𝓸𝔀𝓮𝓿𝓮𝓻, 𝓘 𝔀𝓲𝓼𝓱 𝓽𝓸 𝓶𝓪𝓴𝓮 𝓸𝓷𝓮 𝓽𝓱𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓬𝓵𝓮𝓪𝓻 𝓲𝓷 𝔂𝓸𝓾𝓻 𝓶𝓲𝓷𝓭, 𝔂𝓸𝓾𝓻 𝓯𝓪𝓽𝓱𝓮𝓻 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓘 𝓵𝓸𝓿𝓮 𝔂𝓸𝓾. 𝓦𝓮 𝓪𝓻𝓮 𝓹𝓻𝓸𝓾𝓭 𝓸𝓯 𝔀𝓱𝓸 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝓪𝓻𝓮 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓰𝓻𝓮𝓪𝓽 𝓶𝓪𝓷 𝓘 𝓱𝓪𝓿𝓮 𝓯𝓪𝓲𝓽𝓱 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝔀𝓲𝓵𝓵 𝓫𝓮𝓬𝓸𝓶𝓮. 𝓛𝓸𝓿𝓮 𝓪𝓼 𝓸𝓷𝓵𝔂 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝓭𝓸, 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓵𝓲𝓿𝓮, 𝓯𝓸𝓻 𝓵𝓲𝓯𝓮 𝓲𝓼 𝓽𝓸𝓸 𝓼𝓱𝓸𝓻𝓽 𝓽𝓸 𝓷𝓸𝓽 𝓫𝓮 𝓮𝓷𝓳𝓸𝔂𝓮𝓭.
𝓨𝓸𝓾𝓻 𝓛𝓸𝓿𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓜𝓸𝓽𝓱𝓮𝓻,
𝓛𝓲𝓵𝓲𝓽𝓱
As I read her message, cold tears began to fall down my cheeks and onto the first page of yet another gift from my parents that I could not repay. I raised the book to my lips and softly kissed the page. The memory of my mom's 40 thousand-ish birthday came to mind and through my pained sobs, I began to sing part of the song I had tried to harmonize before the sun rose on that day. Taking comfort in the memory.
"...fate... is kind... she brings... to those that love... the sweet fulfilment of.... their secret longings..."
As I neared what would have been the crescendo, I subverted it into a decrescendo as Anvari got up and pulled my arm for me to lie down. I hadn't noticed it then, but looking back on it, I almost could've sworn I could hear a chorus of angelic voices lulling me to sleep as I finished the lyric.
"Like a bolt... out of the blue... fate steps in... and sees you through... When you wish... upon a star... your dreams... come... true..."
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I see a reference to Harry Potter. Nice!
Capitalize and.
Rainbow Dash.
Fillydelphia.
These are supposed to be on the same line.
Rainbow Dash.
Rainbow Dash.
She proclaimed.
Rainbow Dash.
Much quieter tone.
Pretty sure there is an error in one of these paragraphs that I lost track of.
Same as the previous.
Not much willpower then huh.
Add a not.
Lowercase father's and change if to of.
Explanation.
I cry
10278987
Keep reading, I promise you'll enjoy it 😁
10278991
Was his father based on the Astoshan from that story that All things D&D read?
Maybe it's just because I'm on mobile but I got a bit of unintentional comedy here. Her cursive is just boxes, some with an x in the middle, which is honestly about as legible as most cursive I've seen.
10538048
Sorry about that, i write this on computer, and sometimes mobile readers can't see certain chunks of text. Thanks for pointing it out though, I'll put it normally between parentheses.
10016257
Sorry it took so long to see this, thank you. I'll be sure to make the corrections. Lemme know if you spot anything else.
alright, you can't get away with that one, I know one when I see one.
Good reference
And that part with Applejacks hat is something to admire.
Great chapter