Death's Bargain

by Haseo

Chapter 12 - The Apocalyptic Four

Chapter 12
The Apocalyptic Four

The dangerous sound of a blazing fire resounded inside Princess Luna's personal chamber. The eyes of the by standing ponies looked upon the small ball of fire that grew second for second in its diameter.

Princess Luna was already eagerly waiting for Soul Tearer’s return from Griffhala. The flames grew into the form of a unicorn stallion and manifested into flesh.

Applejack and Princess Luna watched the stallion calmly breathe and regain his attitude. The Princess of the Night looked strained, like something had bothered her badly. She stepped forward to Soul and caught him in her royal embrace before he could speak up. “Soul! I'm so glad that you made it back without harm! Applejack told me about the happenings in Griffhala. Did you manage to solve the differences peacefully?”

Soul firmly returned the caring embrace of the Princess and gently pushed her hooves down from his back. He gently smiled at the Princess who had raised him since he was a little colt. “Thank you, Luna. How could I possibly return to you and show any signs of weakness? I would never disappoint you, but I can't satisfy your expectations this time. Griffhala couldn't be saved.”

Princess Luna's eyes widened in shock. Soul's eyes definitely told her the truth. She stepped carefully back and stared at him in concern. “You couldn't save them? What does that mean? What happened after you send Applejack away? Explain yourself!”

Soul closed his eyes and concentrated for a short moment before he continued to answer the question of the obviously upset Princess. “When we arrived, they were already gone. There were no living creatures around the moment Applejack left. The ambassador Gium left unseen immediately after we stepped outside the wagon. The capital of the Griffon Kingdom was deserted from life right from the start.”

The concern in the eyes of the Princess grew. Her pupils narrowed when she looked hastily back and forth until she finally managed to focus on Soul again. “What about these two ponies, Pestilence and War?”

Soul broke the eye contact immediately and looked bashfully at the ground. “The stallion named Pestilence summoned an army of undead griffons after two failed attacks. The origin of the corpses is unknown to me. They were most likely not the citizens of Griffhala but an older generation of fallen soldiers. I immediately took drastic measures and burned them to ashes. The second pony named War somehow managed to flee. I suspect their so called mistress behind her flight.”

The dark stallion noticed a faint whimper behind the Princess of the Night. Applejack bit her lip, and tears were well visible in her bloodshot eyes. Soul couldn't bear the sight of Applejack crying. He attempted to take a step forward, but Applejack cut him off beforehoof. “How could ya ditch meh? Ah don't care who these ponies were, but Ah could have helped ya! How would Ah deal with the suffering if something had happened to ya?”

Soul could feel a single tear run down his cheek. It had been a long time since he cried. He wanted to embrace the mare that cared for him more than herself, but Applejack turned away in disgust; she didn't even let him close in on her. “If ya think ya don't need meh, then Ah see no reason to bother ya anymore. Ah’ll go downstairs and tag along with Blaze.”

Applejack turned around, her tears flying from her cheeks, forced to met the ground. Angrily, she pulled the door open and smashed it shut shortly after.

Soul lifted his hoof. He wanted to follow her but something bugged him. The dark stallion turned to Princess Luna and shot her a questioning glare. “She doesn't care who these ponies are? Does she know who they were?”

Princess Luna leaned forward and grabbed Soul's hoof. Her eyes showed fear, an unusual sight in the gentle blue eyes of hers. “You did your best to minimize the damage, and I'm actually glad that you already took one of them down. But I have to ask you a question. I could only guess but, are these ponies really part of the legendary four Apocalyptic Ponies?”

Soul ripped his hoof out of Princess Luna's hold and turned away from her. His gaze was turned towards the window in the back, always searching for something certain between the clouds in the sky. Princess Luna noticed this, but didn't mind it at all when she learned that nothing was in sight. The stallion tore his eyes away from the sky and closed them forcefully shut. He gnashed with his teeth and snarled at the thought of War. “There is no mistake. Both of them belong to the four Apocalyptic Ponies. It was suspiciously easy to defeat Pestilence even when he could regenerate after I broke his spine. Equestria is in far greater danger than we believed. Not only is Discord running wild, but Twilight has even lost control over herself and at least one Apocalyptic Pony is causing mischief. The famine and the black death in Equestria are most likely inflicted by the other two Apocalyptic Ponies.”

He locked his gaze on the tile just in front of his hooves. His own words were ringing through his mind. “Pestilence, War, Famine and Death … I've read these names somewhere before... but I can't put a hoof on it right now.”

Princess Luna hesitated for a short moment. She thought about these names and wanted to be certain before she told him. “If I remember it right, these names were written on this four white boulders at Demon's Run. Maybe there is a connection between this ponies and these boulders.”

Soul's eyes ripped open. He lit his horn up and formed a simple frame on the floor. Its inner blurred until a picture was hardly visible. The picture got clearer again and exposed a lush meadow with endless swarms of butterflies and fields of flowers. The picture moved until four white boulders came into the view. “There they are, exactly at the same spot as two years ago.”

Princess Luna mustered the boulders carefully. The boulder with 'Pestilence' written at it was gravely cracked. Only a soft push more and the boulder would collapse, but the other three stones were surrounded by a milky fog-like magical aura. It was glimmering in the sunlight. “I guess the boulder of Pestilence is cracked because of his death. The glowing of the other three would imply that the other Apocalyptic Ponies are actually here in Equestria.”

The Princess of the Night bit her lip. Her entire body tensed up by the presumption of three Apocalyptic Ponies rampaging through her kingdom. “What should we do? Ponies are dying out there! But how can we stop them? You managed to kill one of them, but that doesn't mean you will be able to take the other ones head on. We have to plan this in every detail as fast as possible!”

Soul looked from his lowered position directly into her eyes. He slowly lifted his head. Princess Luna shrank back at the horrifying gaze of her favourite ex-student. They were still coloured in the marvellous sapphire-blue hue, but his pupil had turned into a draconian slit. “A plan? We don't have time to fool around. We can't simply plan how to deal with them. These ponies aren't mortals! We just can't send mortal ponies to fight them! Every single of them will perish when they get near to them!”

Instead of shouting the Princess become suspiciously quiet. She eyed Soul for a moment before she slowly began to speak again. “You say mortals will perish if they come close to them?”

The eyes of the dark stallion narrowed when he noticed what Princess Luna was up to. The Princess of the Night closed in to him and met his gaze with determination. “When mortals can't get close to them, how did you manage to break his spine and still live? I doubted that you would tell me how exactly you returned from the realm of death, but I think it is time that you explain.

Soul was getting nervous. His eyes switched back to normal in the blink of a second and a tiny drop of sweat was running over his forehead. He felt his pulse raising, but no matter what happened the Princess wasn't allowed to notice. “Since I didn't die in the regular way, but kind of forced my living soul into the realm of death, there was a difference in the rules that beings there had to obey. A normal dead soul is allowed to interact with everything and everypony there. It is very similar to being alive despite the fact that you don't age anymore. This is what ponies call heaven. You are immortalized, and the world around you forms into the world you’ve dreamed of. But the place where I had to stay was different. It showed me my greatest fears. I saw deaths of the pony I love over and over again. A dead soul can't change. It will suffer the exact same pain over and over again, but I was still alive. So I hardened. After a few months I got used to it and didn't react at all. So I used my magic to break out of this endless spiral of misery and wandered through the realm that ponies would consider hell. At some point I found a pond where I could stare into the world of the living and used it to observe the former Elements of Harmony and you. Every single step... When I realized that something went awfully wrong, I tried to come back. But my magic just brought me back to hell. There was no escape from there. I guess the four Apocalyptic Ponies were in hell as well. Somepony must have broken the barrier between death and life, so I could slip along with them back into Equestria.”

Princess Luna scratched her chin and continued to eye him suspiciously. She began to pace around him. For three whole laps she walked around him, until she stopped. “Then what are you? Dead or alive?”

Soul didn't hesitate. As soon as the Princess finished her sentence, his answer followed. “Alive!”

The Princess pounded her hooves against the ground. A single tear was stuck in the corner of her eyes. “Liar! Proper resurrection is impossible even for an alicorn. It is possible to bring a body back to life, but the soul and personality is lost forever. I'm the guardian of the gateway between the living and the dead. I know that there is no way to return. So stop lying to me!”

Soul couldn't see his very Princess cry. Especially not for his sake. This time he took her hoof and pulled her body into a warm embrace. “Luna... I promise you that everything will be fine. You can trust me. Everything will be restored to its usual order.”

He could feel the Princess gently nodding behind his back. Soul released her and looked into her eyes another time. She wiped her tears away and offered him a small smile. “But what about the ponies in Ponyville that got attacked by Twilight's creations?”

Soul stroked the eternal mane of the Princess and bopped the tip of her nose. “There is nothing to worry. Just leave this to me. Their souls aren't gone. I isolated them in a realm where time and space doesn't exists. It must be possible to save all of them.”

Princess Luna rubbed her nose, a faint blush had taken hold of her beautiful face. “Does that includes Applejack's brother and friends? Or the ponies that were caged by Discord in Twilight's basement?”

Soul's confidence faded with every word she spoke. He still managed to look her in the eyes, but the Princess knew that something was wrong. “Luna... you know... I will try everything to bring every single one of them back. For Big Mac' and the others there is not much hope, but even if I have to use divine magic, I will do it. Shadow and the remaining Elements are most likely banished somewhere. If I beat Discord, I should be able to bring them back.”

The Princess’s smile grew in its size. Maybe hope had finally returned to her. Before she could say more, a knock at the door interrupted them. Princess Luna turned to the door and waited for the second knock. “Come inside.”

The door opened and a single guard entered the room. Soul looked at him briefly. For him it was just one of the inexperienced Solar Guards with a brown coat and blue mane, squeezed into golden armour. The guard proceed to bow down and to roll out a scroll afterwards. “I'm sorry for the interruption, your highness. Agent Soaring Knight brought news about the two little fillies. They found them in the Everfree Forest near Ponyville; they are completely unharmed and on their way here.”

Soul levitated the scroll over to himself and read the paragraphs quickly. The Princess nodded approvingly to the soldier. “Well done, Iron Pike. You are allowed to take your time off. I will await you back tomorrow in the morning.”

The soldier bowed a second time and quickly left the room after he said his farewell to the Princess. She turned around and paid Soul her whole attention again. “Shall we go downstairs and tell Applejack the news?”

Soul laid the scroll aside and sealed it again. Despite the good news his face wasn't graced by the expression of happiness but of serious concerns. “If you don't insist, I would rather choose to go alone. I think I should talk to her in private after what I did.”

Princess Luna nodded and grabbed the stallion at his shoulders. “Don't mess up again... But I'm sure you will do the right thing, my little black colt.”

With a wink she let go of him and used her magic to wrap him in a magical coating. Soul smiled at the only parent he knew and gave in to her magic. With a silent flash he disappeared from Princess Luna's chamber and reappeared in front of the Royal Study Chamber.

Carefully, he nudged the door with his nose open and took a peek. Soul caught sight of Blaze and Applejack. She was vigilantly watching the teenage stallion hanging above his book. A huge pile of books was already piled up next to him, but the pile of the books that are still in hiatus were almost double the size.

None of them noticed him, yet. So Soul decided to sneak into the room and hide behind the countless bookshelves. Silently he walked over the purple carpet that coated the entire study room floor. Slowly he approached Applejack from behind. Soul raised his hooves to tap gently against her shoulder.

As soon as he made contact, Applejack spun around and threw her hooves into the air. She struck Soul in his face and left a small scratch behind. The orange farmer regained her composure and looked in shock at Soul. “Soul! Where did ya came from? Ah'm sorry. Ah really didn't want to hit ya! Please let meh take a look at your face.”

Soul rubbed his hoof at the slightly painful spot until Applejack gently took his hoof away. Her eyes widened when the spot where she had seen a tiny drop of blood before was completely unharmed. “Ah'm sorry, Soul. Ah thought a saw a bleeding scratch in your face. But it seems like Ah overreacted a tiny bit.”

He put his hoof gently back to the ground and looked into Applejack's eyes. They were bloodshot and puffy, she must have cried a few minutes ago. Blaze rocketed up from his books and shot towards Soul. He reared up and pressed his hooves against Soul's chest. “Hey! I already waited for you! How could you do something like that to Miss Applejack? I never expected something awful like that from you!”

Soul's heart was aching at the sight of the disappointed little stallion. Every time he accidentally hurt his emotions, Soul felt an incredibly strong pain in his chest. Soul laid his hoof on the young stallion's head and tried to look as convincing as possible into his eyes. “I feel terribly sorry for what I have done. Please don't give me a hard time about that. I want to speak to Applejack in private. I know you are studying here, but would you leave us alone for a second?”

Blaze twisted his face and snorted at the much older stallion. “Fine, but when I hear that you made Miss Applejack cry another time, you have to deal with me!”

Soul nodded and let go of his little friend. “I would never dare to disobey you.”

The young stallion pointed his nose upwards and proceed to walk out of the room. With his rear hoof he closed the door behind him. Applejack and Soul were all alone in the giant room.

Despite her concern before, Applejack didn't think Soul was worth enough to be honoured with eye-contact. “Ya want to speak? Then open your mouth.”

Soul levitated the scroll towards Applejack and opened it for her. He tried to put on a gentle and sorrowful smile. His voice was as smooth as possible in order to calm the upset mare. “The guards have found your little sister and her friend. They are unharmed and on the way to the castle. The guards had found them somewhere in the Everfree Forest near Ponyville. Seems like your little sister is quite the survival specialist.”

Applejack forgot her pride and ripped the scroll down from the air and began to read through every single paragraph. She tossed the scroll aside and swung her hooves around Soul's neck. “By Celestia's sun! Ah never was so happy before! Ah can't express how glad Ah am that nothing had happened to her! If something had happened to her, Ah...”

Soul squeezed his overjoyed friend tightly against his chest. Applejack snapped out of her sheer happiness and was thrown back into a reality she had to face. Carefully she withdrew her hooves. Her gaze was firmly locked against his chest. “So ya brought this scroll along to cheer meh up before we speak?”

The black stallion began to shiver slightly, only barely enough for Applejack to notice. “I want to apologize for what I've done. But you have to understand... I couldn't risk your life. Both of these ponies are only capable of killing. I could protect you, but what if I make a mistake and something happens to you? I don't know what I'm capable of doing if I lose you.”

Applejack laid her own hooves at his. He was still holding her tightly. Her eyes were hidden from Soul's sight. He couldn't have guessed her thoughts in this moment. “Ah have to understand? Are ya makin' fun of meh or somethin'? Two years ago, ya barely could bear when Ah was around ya. Ah admit Ah was harsh and rude, and Ah was rushin' things way too fast. But now ya are sayin' that ya can't bear if somethin' happens to meh? Ya are a liar!”

Soul hooves began to shake harder. With all of his will he tried to suppress his emotions from leaking. “Applejack, please! I'm definitely not making fun of you. The only reason for my return from the realm of the death is you! I've seen ponies suffer, ponies die! Even your friends! I saw every one of them perish! Only your upcoming death gave me reason to literally freeze hell and come back! I've followed these cursed ponies back to Equestria! Midnight Veil died by my fault! Harmony died because I couldn't save her! I even shattered her immortal soul to banish Lunacy within me eternally! Everypony I cared for died because of my faults! But I won't let you die! Even if I have to recreate this whole damn world! You will live!”

Applejack's coat tensed up. Did she hear that right? A feeling of discomfort rolled through her stomach. “Ya... ya banished Lunacy inside yourself? Again! Why did ya do this? What if somepony plans to free him again?”

The air around them felt cold to Applejack. Her anger was gone and pure fright returned. Soul withdrew his hooves from her shoulder and slowly wandered higher. His hooves glided over her neck until he could gently touch her face. “I've told you before. Sometimes things don’t work like they should. I chained him down into the eternal abyss of hell, but the chains couldn't restrain him for a long time. So I came to the conclusion that I had to banish him somewhere where I have control over him at all times. The only place I could imagine was my own soul. The difference to his banishment before is simple... this time he isn't just inside of me. My soul and his aren't existing parallel to each other. My and his soul merged and became one. Lunacy and I are the same.”

Applejack stepped back from the stallion in front of her. Her eyes grew wide from fear. Even her heartbeat increased drastically. “Ya and this monster are the same?”

Tears were collecting underneath Soul's eyes. Every single tear ached like a thousand needle stitches inside his mind. “I didn't tell you, because I feared that you might become afraid of me. But it seems like my attempts failed. I'm a monster … I always was, and I always will be. I'm sorry that I have bothered you...”

Soul turned around and headed for the door. Every move forced a tear to drop. Something warm strived over his back and held tight upon his mane. His head turned around and looked directly into Applejack’s marvellous green eyes. “Ah'm not afraid of ya. Ya are still the same pony Harmony had showed meh when we first met at Sweet Apple Acres and Ah learned to know during our time together. Ya ain't a monster… ya are just a desperately caring stallion. Listen to meh, Ah can understand that ya are worried. but Ah was the Element of Honesty. Ah can defend mahself. And more importantly, Ah will never leave ya.”

Joy overwhelmed the usually so collected stallion. He wiped his tears away and couldn't suppress a small giggle towards Applejack. “Tomorrow I will go and seek for the reason of the famine in Los Pegasus. Do you want to come with me? This time without such a bothersome necklace.”

Applejack turned her gaze away from the sensitive stallion. By chance her sight fell on the spot where she had struck him before. A faint stain of blood was rubbed into the carpet. Applejack narrowed her eyes for a second, but for now she dropped the matter and rose her head back up with confidence and grabbed the face of the uncertain stallion. Quick and painless, almost not noticeable. Applejack pressed her lips for the speck of a second against Soul's. “Ah guess Ah can't let ya go alone. Ah have to make sure ya won't mess everythin' up.”