A Pony Called Death

by thehalfelf

Fate

Fate

Princess Luna

I am not entirely sure if you are the right pony to write to, or even if this will come to any sort of fruition, but I’m at a loss here. My daughter, Rose Petal, who currently holds the office of Death, has been working constantly. This normally wouldn’t bother me, especially considering she can’t drop dead of exhaustion because of of her job, but I’m growing more and more concerned.

It all started with a job, a spirit that turned out to be one of her foalhood friends. She started withdrawing from me then, but it got much, much worse when Dashing Cloud, her mentor, was killed. I am trying to help her the best I can, but I’m not entirely sure it is working. Right now, I’m trying to get her to come with us on a family trip, but she refuses to abandon her clients. Perhaps I could handle this better, but I’m out of options, Princess.

All I ask, is that the next time you see her, that you talk to her for me. Even if you know little about her job and what it entails, you know more than I, and that little bit might just be enough to help. Maybe she just needs somepony to talk to, and, as ashamed as I am to admit it, we aren’t exactly as close as we used to be, and I don’t think she is comfortable talking to me about some things.

Thank you, princess, and I hope you have a wonderful night.

Roseluck

Blue magic faded from the scroll, dropping it onto a stack of other open and half rolled letters. Princess Luna sighed and looked over towards a book on a pedestal, glowing softly in a corner. “You don’t happen to know anything about this, do you?”

The book lost its’ glow for a moment before flipping open on its own. The glow intensified rapidly before returning to normal. Deaths are increasing. The office is being called on more frequently, the page read.

Luna nodded. “Sounds like I will need to contact Rose Petal and have her come speak with us in the castle. It appears that Dashing Cloud never completed Rose’s training into the office, and she is ignorant on how to suspend clients. I... am not sure if I can help, either, but perhaps we can work it out, the three of us.” She turned back to an alarmingly large pile of unread mail on her desk, but a flash of light in the corner of her eye caused her to turn back to the book. “Yes?”

There is no need to call in Rose Petal, the book read, she is already on her way. Luna cocked an eyebrow and glanced over to the door, just as a knock echoed beyond it.

”Your Majesty, Rose Petal to see you,” the voice of a guard on the other side called.

Luna took a moment to take a seat and make herself comfortable before responding. “Enter.”

The door creaked open, and around popped the hooded face of Rose Petal. “H-Hey, Luna. I wasn’t interrupting something, was I?”

“Neigh.” Luna waved a hoof, motioning for Rose to take a seat. She did, and flipped back the hood of her cloak. “In fact, I was just about to call for you. Your mother saw fit to send a letter--”

Rose Petal groaned. “I’m sorry she bothered you. Mom’s worried, thinks I’m working too much.”

“And are you?”

“I...” Rose started. “Maybe... Maybe I am... This job just hit me really hard, you know? First Chrysanthemum, then Cloud. I know that I can’t bring them back, but for some reason, I didn’t have to... to worry while I was working.”

Luna nodded. “So your mother’s concern that Cloud’s death may have affected you more than you let on has some truth behind it?”

Rose’s ears drooped. “He died in front of me, was killed... in front of me, and I couldn’t help him.”

The princess got up and walked slowly over and placed a reassuring hoof on Rose’s back. She stiffened at first, but was soon relaxed into the embrace. “Do you know who did it?” Luna asked softly.

Words did not come easily, so after a few moments of working her mouth, Rose settled for nodding.

“If you tell me who it was, I can inform the guard and he will be arrested and put on trial. Cloud was an important, well known and well liked pony in the castle, and I do not think his murderer will go unpunished.”

Rose choked out a weak laugh. “I know, but I think he might be a little bit out of your reach.”

Drawing her head back, Luna snorted in disbelief. “Everypony in Equestria is part of my jurisdiction. Nopony is above the law here, not even Sister or myself. Just give me a name. Perhaps confronting the source of your trouble will help you overcome it.”

“Morits.”

Luna withdrew her hoof. “Rose, if you are trying to joke with me, this is not the way to go about it.” Her look of irritation slowly morphed to one of concern. “You are not joking.”

“Ever since you pulled him off of me before I assumed office, he has been causing problems. He wants the office back, for whatever reason. I just know he isn’t going to get it.”

The lunar princess shuffled her wings. “If I may ask, since spirits lie firmly within your power, why have you not simply banished him?”

“Trust me, I would love to, but I think there must be some trick to it. I never had to banish a malicious spirit while Cloud was here, only trapped souls. Right before I came here, I was working a job and he showed up. I tried to slice him with my scythe, but it didn’t work, and I don’t know why. He just laughed at me.”

“Well, that settles it, I think,” a silky, feminine voice cut through the air. Both Rose and Luna looked up just as pure white light filled the chamber, radiating outward from a book in the corner. The earth pony blinked her eyes rapidly, trying to banish the spots that covered her vision. Standing in front of the now empty pedestal stood a sandy colored earth pony with a cotton white mane. A soft glow seemed to radiate from her coat, but Rose wasn’t entirely sure it wasn’t simply something burned into her eyes from the flash of light earlier.

“Who is that?” Rose whispered into the princess’ ear.

“I am Divine Sight, the officeholder of Fate,” the mare said. “Your Majesty,” she said, turning to Luna with a slight curtsy.

“You have not felt the need to show yourself for some time,” Luna replied. “Many who know of the Mostly-Immortal ponies believe you are no longer actually a pony.”

Rose closed her mouth, question answered before she could ask.

Divine Sight laughed, an airy, lilting sound that did little to hide the contempt underneath. “I have been perfectly able to perform my duties without need of a physical form for several centuries.”

“Then why do it now?” Rose asked. Divine Sight turned to look at her, one ear twitching in annoyance.

“You are Rose Petal, officeholder of Death, yes?” the glowing mare asked.

“For a couple of months now, yeah.”

“But for no longer. I’m afraid I must issue a removal from office.”

“What!?” Rose looked up to Luna. “She... she can’t do that, can she?”

“On what grounds do you dismiss her?” Luna asked, using centuries of holding courts with crafty nobles to lend command to her voice.

“For neglect of duties. Of her last fifteen jobs, only three souls have been returned to Eternity.”

“Rose Petal! We gave you this job on the assumption you would just do it, not wave off your responsibilities!” Luna roared, turning on the small mare.

Rose dove down to the floor, cowering under the fury of the lunar alicorn.- “I-I-I only had to kill three, the rest I saved, I swear!”

As quick as Luna’s anger flared, it subsided. With Rose’s explanation still lingering in the air, she turned back to Fate. “I see no problem here. If I recall, the job of Death is to collect souls you did not schedule to kill, yet died anyway. If their souls were not meant to go to Eternity, what is the harm in saving lives that were never meant to be lost?”

“It upsets the balance of life and death. Those souls were never meant to die, so once returned to Eternity, they can be reborn in other creatures, and thus preserve life on this planet. If Rose keeps saving those she can, rebirth may slow, or even come to a halt,” Divine Sight recited.

“That is preposterous,” Luna accused, briefly flaring her wings. “Even with the increased birth rates Equestria now boasts, it is not feasibly possible for birth to halt altogether if souls, that were never meant to be available in the first rate, stopped going to Eternity. I cannot allow this, Divine Sight. Please, either return to your duties, or vacate your office. I must talk to Rose.”

“I am sorry, Your Majesty, but you have no say in the matter.”

Luna narrowed her eyes, flaring her wings out, careful to avoid the still shell-shocked Rose. “I am the Princess of the Night, with direct oversight of the Mostly-Immortal Offices. It is you who does not have any say in the matter. Return to your duties, immediately.”

Instead of returning to the book, as Luna expected, Divine Sight just shook her head. “With all due respect, you do not have oversight--only authority if unopposed. If you recall, the Offices were created to work alongside you and your sister, and help manage the internal workings of the world. We are more colleagues than employees, and as such, the only pony with the authority to override mine is another Immortal. Rose has not passed beyond her trial, therefore her vote is not counted. Therefore, unless you can summon Space to vote, I am unopposed. Rose loses office.”

A book, held in a sandy aura that Rose recognized as the same as Divine Sight’s--obviously, the aura of the office--floated from a bookshelf towards the princess, opening to a specific page. “If you do not believe me, it is all written right here. It also may not hurt to look up exactly what your role in our proceedings entails,” she said. While Luna looked at the book, she turned to Rose. “I must ask you return your cloak and scythe for your successor.”

Rose bundled up the parts of the cloak she could reach and cuddled to her chest. “N-No! It’s my office, you can’t take it!” she cried out.

Divine Sight gave the younger mare a deadpan stare. With a nod of her head, the Death cloak and scythe disappeared off Rose. “Thank you for your service,” she said in an unamused voice, before winking out in a flash of light.

Rose blinked, staring at the book that just took her job from her. “She... And I... and...” She sunk down to the floor, burying her face in her forehooves. A familiar hoof slowly rested across her back.

“She is correct, Rose. I am powerless within this, but I will speak to her, and Tia as well. Even if we cannot get you back in your office, I am sure we can find something for you to do for us.” Luna said, in what she hoped to be a comforting voice. The book Divine Sight gave to her floated gently to rest on her nightstand.

Rose lay on the floor for almost a full minute before slowly getting to her hooves. “I think I need to get back home. It seems to me I’ll be able to go on that vacation after all...”

Luna nodded. “Of course. I assume you will need some sort of transport, as you have no saddlebags with you, and no money.” Rose blushed and nodded. “I will have a chariot prepared whenever you are ready.”

Saying her thanks again, Rose excused herself, and slowly--reluctantly--left the chamber.

Author's Note:

No note, sorry guys. Too tired. Enjoy.

NOTE: If the part with Fate as a book looks really weird, refresh the page. I hit publish too fast. Sorry

Comments

[Kinky Pie]

Whenever I heard about someone taking up the job of death, I remember the story "On A Pale Horse"

[thehalfelf]

3330164
It is sort of based on On A Pale Horse, yes. It says so in the description.

[Kinky Pie]

3330175 Yeah, I just figured that out, my bad.

I really enjoyed that book, hope to see good things from you.

[thehalfelf]

3330186
A lot of things out. A lot of shipping. Have at it.

[Dusty Old Qrow]

For some reason, this didn't appear in my unread favorites until now... I'll have a talk with Knighty later.

But anyway, great chapter as always. Really looking forward to the next one.

[thehalfelf]

3341854
You may have to wait a bit. There is a chapter of In Search of Knowledge that happens during Nightmare Night, and I'd like to have it out around Halloween, but it's, like, two chapters away.

[Dusty Old Qrow]

3341859 Take your time. Good things are worth waiting for.