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Help Wanted: Pony to Collect Souls2,457 words
A Visit to the Ponyville Library2,060 words
A Royal Meeting3,014 words
Equestrian History 1012,503 words
Discussions and Decisions2,086 words
Observing Tradition1,682 words
Death, Trainee2,923 words
Ghosts of War2,581 words
Old Friends2,865 words
The Mask of Death2,902 words
Consequences3,108 words
Intervention2,848 words
Fate2,077 words
Vacation2,354 words
A Desperate Ploy2,439 words
Death2,369 words
Epilogue: Full Circle711 words

Equestrian History 101

Equestrian History 101

Rose Petal’s hoof connected with the large door in front of her. The knock seemed small and meager in the vastness of the hallway. Apparently it was enough, as the door swung open, revealing the dark blue unicorn with a billowing mane of stars.

“Hello?” she asked, looking down at the two mares bowing before her. “Most ponies do not come to my rooms without a summons. What did you come for?”

“Y-Your majesty, I am Rose Petal, and this is my mother, Roseluck. Dashing Cloud invited us for an audience to discuss the office of Death.”

Princess Luna looked down at the bowing ponies for a moment. “Ah yes, Mortis told me you were coming.” She looked behind her, presumably out the window. “You are early.”

“Our apologies, Your Majesty,” Roseluck started. “It was the only train that would get us here in time without making us late.”

Luna stepped back, allowing the two mares to enter her private chambers. “Please, come in. And you may just call me Luna. No need for such formalities with a coworker, yes?”

Rose Petal got up, though her jaw remained on the ground. Did she just refer to me as a coworker?

Her mom apparently shared Rose’s concerns. “Wait just a minute. With all due respect Your Majesty, we haven’t decided whether or not she is going to become Death or not. I, for one, am not totally fine with my little girl taking on such a lonely and dangerous job. I’d like to be a grandma someday!”

Rose Petal blushed, and Luna snickered. “I can understand your reservation,” the Princess of the Night said, “Dashing Cloud told me as much when he returned from your meeting. I hope our discussion here tonight will help allay your fears. After all, there aren’t many ponies alive at the moment that could fill the role, and none as well as she.”

Roseluck raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean, ‘none could fill the roll as well as her?’”

Luna smiled. “Take a seat. I will explain further once Dashing Cloud returns from his duties.” Mother and daughter moved to sit next to each other on a blue upholstered couch. Luna sat across from them in a large, straight backed chair. An exact copy of the chair sat on her right, though it was empty.

A few silent, awkward minutes passed before Luna spoke up. “Um, would either of you care for something to drink, maybe something to eat?”

“No, thank you Your Highness,” Roseluck replied. “We ate on the train. Dashing Cloud provided plenty of bits for snacks.”

Luna smiled. “Well, at least his pay is being used for something at long last.”

“Wait a minute,” Rose Petal said from her place on the couch, leaning forward eagerly. “Pay?”

“Wait for Dashing Cloud, then I shall explain,” Luna replied. She may not have been smiling, but her eyes sparkled with mirth. Rose grumbled in annoyance, but otherwise remained silent.

A few more minutes passed and, right as Rose Petal was about to speak up again, eager to get the discussion underway, a pony clad in black, with a massive scythe slung over his back walked through the wall. The two mares sitting on the couch shrieked and jumped back, almost flipping the couch with the force of their attempted escape. Hearing the noise within, and always faithful to the defense of their ruler, the two Night Guard burst into the room.

“What seems to be the matter, m’lady?” one of the guards asked, seeing no apparent threat in the room.

Princess Luna looked over at Mortis’ skull face, who looked back. Then, as one, they burst out laughing. Rose Petal poked her head over the back of the couch. “What’s so funny!” Rose shouted, spying the laughing ponies. “Huh? What makes you think it’s ok to scare ponies like that?”

“Madam, please control yourself,” one of the guards said. Turning back to face his Princess, he continued, “Princess, by your leave.” Luna nodded, and the two exited the chambers.

The pony in the cloak levitated the scythe off his back with a burst of black magic before throwing off his hood. Dashing Cloud’s face appeared, smile stuck over gold fur topped with a light blue mane. “Good evening, ladies,” he said with a nod of the head, “Princess.”

Rose Petal blinked. “Wait a minute, wait a minute! How did you do that?” she asked, gesturing towards the scythe.

“Do what?” Cloud asked with a smirk.

“You... You’re a pegasus. How did you use magic?” Rose stared him down, then shifted her gaze to the Princess. “Is this some kind of trick?”

“Take a seat, Dashing Cloud,” Princess Luna said, “you two as well, and try not to flip the furniture this time,” she added with a friendly smile. Roseluck followed her daughter up onto the couch, both blushing slightly at the joking reprimand. Once Cloud was seated as well, Luna continued. “I believe I can answer that question, but you must wait and be patient. I will start at the beginning, the start of all things, and explain to you this office of death.”

The two mares nodded. “Once you know of the story,” Luna said, levitating a massive, old tome off one of the many bookshelves around the room, “I believe all shall be made clear. Are you two ready?”

Rose Petal looked over at her mom, who gave an encouraging smile. “Yea,” Rose said, “besides, I always liked storytime.”

“Hmm,” Luna replied with a smile, “well, there is no story better than history.” Luna opened the book before her, aged spine creaking in protest to it’s violent awakening. A musty scent slowly filtered into the room as the Princess took one look at the first page, and began to recite from memory the events of millennia past.

*****

I do not know much from before my birth, obviously, I was not around to take notes. I know my mother is the Creator of all things. I know she was, or is, very powerful, and I also know that she left almost as soon as she made my sister and I. After teaching us how to control our magic.

We were born after the three tribes united under the banner of Equestria. A schism between the tribes was threatening the peace established by Chancellor Puddinghead, Princess Platinum, and Commander Hurricane in the aftermath of the windigo invasion. However, that is a story for another day.

Mother decided that the best way for Equestria to survive was it there was a ruling body that would not change; if the highest power in the land would never change and spark wars--as happens with the Griffon tribes--and if the rulers could see the weight of the centuries to avoid making stupid mistakes over and over, to see the full effect of all their actions. She blessed us with long life. She cursed us with immortality.

Thus, my sister and I were born. Mother stayed with us for a time, teaching us all we would need to know to become the rulers of a great nation like that of Equestria. It was Mother’s dream that the land inhabited by the creations she modeled after herself should be perfect. We tried to accomplish all she asked, but in the end, ignorance got the best of us.

War came, and with it, millions of deaths. We prayed to Mother for guidance. She returned, ragged and aging, but she led us to victory. Much was lost in that war, some of which we still have yet to regain, but we gained much as well.

We gained the Offices of the Mostly-Immortal ponies. Mother created them, to aid us in running Equestria efficiently. Of the many she made, the ones most important, and who rose in our favor quickly, were Death, Time, Fate, War, Knowledge, Space, and Life. Many, many others were created as well, but they all faded into the major offices over time.

Even the major ones faded after a fashion, all but three. Death, Space, and Fate all still exist, though Death is the only one that assumes the form of a pony. Fate is a book with volition. She only opens when she must, and that is usually only when Death is about to step down. Space changed.. nigh on two thousand years ago. Something happened to him, and he vanished. His office still functions, however, so we leave it alone.

For now, perish the thought of all but Death. The histories of the others can come when you need them, if you need them. The first death was a farm-pony by the name of Mortis. He was given this job by Mother, and, though I know not the details of any office, I know that he brought several things.

Mother founded each office with a single item, which became the Office’s Focus, the thing that transferred the powers of the office to a mortal pony. Mortis, however, felt this was not enough. To his office, he brought his scythe, which he used as an extension of his horn during his duties, and to fight off hostile spirits, for not all dead are peaceful.

At any rate, the decades slipped by. Mother was gone, Equestria was swelling, both in borders and in all else, and the ponies were happy. But, Mortis was not. He had been working as Death since he was a young fifteen. Now, had he been mortal, he would have died twice over, but his office kept him healthy and fit. Alas, it did no such thing for his family and friends.

Mortis watched his loved ones die, one by one. Some he even had to collect himself, to add to his pain. Finally, sick of all his job had to offer, he came to my sister and I, begging release. Mother had not told us if this was possible, nor was she replying to our pleas for aid, so we made the best choice we could.

We figured, since the office had been transferred by the accoutrements, maybe if we took those, the office would go with it. We told Mortis that if he could find another pony to take up the mantle, without coercion, we would give the Death cloak to them, and the office would go with it. We were right, in a fashion, however, the magic we used to separate the two had unintentional side effects. Mortis died after the transfer was complete. Death was now vacant, once again, just a cloak, but now the scythe went with it.

We quickly found a new Death, and learned that the scythe channeled the powers of the office for non-unicorns, a trick most welcome. Over time, Celestia and I learned how to vacate the office without killing the owner, and that made passing Death on much, much easier.

This brings us to Dashing Cloud. I am told that he took the office a scant hundred and sixteen years before my return, and he has become a good friend in the meanwhile. It saddens me to see him go, but, as custom, when he told me he was ready to move on, I consulted with Fate, and your name was drawn, young Rose Petal.

*****

“Now, before I actually ask, there are several things you still need to know about Death. However, I feel Dashing Cloud could explain better than I,” Luna said, rising from her seat, taking the book with her. Cloud quickly grabbed the Roses’ attention.

“Ok, Rose Petal, Death is a very... interesting job. Since you are an Earth Pony, you will do most of your job with your Scythe, which I will teach you to use. Yeah, that’s right, we aren’t just going to give you the stuff, and leave you on your own. I’m going to train you, and stick by your side until both Luna and I think you have it all down.”

“Um, but what am I going to be doing, exactly?” Rose Petal asked.

“Well, the main job of Death is to collect the souls of ponies who die before Fate schedule them to. Don’t look at me like that, Fate doesn’t know everything, she just weaves the big picture together. Sometimes, even she messes up. What we have to do, as Death, is collect those who slip through the cracks, and return them, so they can be reborn.”

“But, if we can return souls who die, why are there more ponies? I mean, couldn’t we just collect everypony who dies?” Rose asked.

“Well, yeah, we could,” Cloud replied, tapping a hoof to his chin. “But, come on, collecting every single soul that dies, do you realize how much work that would be?”

Rose giggled. “Not really, but I think I will in time.”

“Now, Rosie,” Roseluck interrupted, “we don’t even know if you’re going to take the job or not. Don’t be hasty.”

Rose Petal glared at her mom, but Roseluck ignored it. Chuckling awkwardly, Dashing Cloud continued his story. “Anyway, another thing Death does is tend to rogue spirits. Rogue spirits are those who, for some reason or another, don’t end up in eternity when they die. Instead, they wander the earth, usually searching for something. Most of the time, we can talk to them, and convince them to go to Eternity. But sometimes... they don’t want to go, and get violent. That’s where the scythe comes in...”

“So, if a pony--who is dead--doesn’t want to go to Eternity... we kill it?” Rose asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Yeah, pretty much!” Cloud said, flashing Rose a cheeky smile. “Honestly though, it isn’t that bad. You’ll catch on quick.”

“Now, wait a minute!” Roseluck said, switching her gaze between Rose and Cloud. “I think I should sit down with Rosie and talk to her about this. This is a big thing, and I don’t want her rushing into anything.”

“Mom! I-” Rose Petal started, before being interrupted.

“Rose Petal, your mother is right,” Princess Luna said, joining the trio in the chairs. “Speak with your mother tonight. We shall send somepony to escort you to breakfast with my sister and I, and you can give your answer there.” Luna turned her attention to Roseluck. “Is this agreeable with you?”

“Yes, it’s fine,” Roseluck said, glaring at Rose Petal to keep her from arguing. “We shall see you in the morning, Princess. Good night.”

“I will try,” Luna said, smiling as the cream pony led her riotous daughter from the room.

“Do you think she will, Princess?” Dashing Cloud asked.

“I think she wants to, but her mother may cause problems,” Luna replied.

Cloud walked over to the door, opening it before turning around. “Good night, Luna.”

“Good night, Cloud,” Luna replied as he closed the door behind him.

Author's Note:

Another chapter complete. This one marks the end of the expositioning. Not really much to say here, other than this story will probably feature a lot of world building, after all, Death is omnipotent, not just in Equestria. I could say a lot more, plot wise, but I won't. Spoilers.

Next chapter: Training. Yeah, this one is gonna be fun.

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