Foal Necromancer: Soul's Rebirth

by Bold Promise

First published 27th of May, 2015

Madness. Bitterness. Cold, unwavering cruelty. Could love and acceptance truly wipe these stains away, or will they only offer the chance for the creation of a new foe, far worse than any Equestria had ever seen before?

I got as far as I could. I wish I had more free time, but I need to face the music.
This project is dead. Feel free to have your laugh and then do better if you have an excess of free time.

---

By sequel, I mean rework. A re-adaptation. A different take on an already well-acclaimed story...

Please bear with me now.

I might've been talking big about wanting to make a better iteration. None of that was bragging at all, and none of that necesarily suggests that I should create a version the same as the original, only refined and polished.

That's not going to happen. I'm not Kytranis 2.0. I got my own shtick. And frankly, there are a lot of things that Kytra did that I do not agree with. Similarly, there are a lot of things I myself will do that the die-hard fans of the original will not care for either. Also, there's nothing wrong with wanting to surpass your predecessor, for the LOVE OF FU-

I will try a different take on the same central themes and general starting circumstances as the original, but everything else after that is going to be my own thing. A new shot aiming for the same target.

I don't actually owe the fans of the original anything in particular. All I owe is that for my own sake, and for the sake of anyone who might potentially take time out of their schedule to read my work, I need to create the best thing I personally can, through what means I personally can. That means through my own vision, not through someone else's vision.

---

The young are defined by moving ever forward and making mistakes, which they either learn from or disregard. You don't survive long if you don't learn from your shortcomings and adapt.

The Living Lich survived for a very long time. He has much to look back on and reflect on, before he can understand what happened and move on.

Princess Luna has had an even longer life than one can imagine. She forgot more things than most mortals experience in their lifetimes. She ventures to teach the necromancer a new way of life, but knowledge can be shared both ways.

Well, that was a pain in the neck...

Author's Notes:

In case you didn't read this explanation in the main description, I'll repeat myself, as a memorial to the gauntlet I went through when I first started out on this story. I can not express how anxious (as in general anxiety, just to be clear) I am now to ever look at another comment again without forward mental preparation.

This story is about as similar to the original as coke is to pepsi. So no, I'm not saying mine is better, because apparently wanting to surpass your predecessor is frowned upon.

This iteration was neither meant as a revenge fic, nor as a work of plagiarism. Nor was it meant as a compliment to the original, to venerate it and to forever accept second bloody place.

A lot of things were inspired from the original, but I intend on making this my own work. The beginning will start similarly, since that was something I could only change for the worse. There was no good alternative way to start this thing off, all I could do was to put my own spin on it. After the opener, however, it's open game.

Again, let me remind you that this isn't an upgraded version of the exact same thing, since I am not Kytranis' clone, so I'm not capable of doing things the exact same way he would.

This is a relaunch. Something some guy decided to do because he had the gall to aspire to make something better, but then realized that he was being an idiot by trying to do that and figured out he could only make something worth anything if he did his own thing.

Quality in writing is not something you get via following an instruction manual, it's something that occurs as you go through the process of taking yourself apart and building off of each individual piece in order to create something new. Do with that information as you will.

All due respect has been offered to Kytranis, feel free to enjoy this version as you see fit, as long as you respect it as a separate literary work. Also, this is a non-profit work, so you don't have to worry about suing me, Hasbro. I'm most certainly not planning on publishing this cringy, though meaningful, abomination.

Also, regarding asterisks. I will be using them in the author's notes for the purpose of useful clarifications, fun tidbits and characters' two cents. They're not obligatory to read for things to make sense. They're mostly so I don't have to go through especially unnecessary exposition that the reader might want (not need) to know, but the character doesn't know about yet, thus minimizing the past tense-present tense confusion as much as possible. I am also of the opinion that this a is pretty fun thing to do, personally. Of course, I know better than to have an opinion on the internet.

(*) He was a very big brute. Either half-giant, or enhanced some other way.

(**) For tone, "Dancing with flames". Just for tone, since tension would be hard to maintain with all the exposition and flippant quips.

(***) At night.

For new readers, hit shift+f to open the search bar that helps you find the asterisks immediately. But if you're on your cell phone... well, you're shit outa luck. Open another tab or something. You might also find the use of this site's literal bookmarks useful.

Now that all of that is out of the way, let us begin.

Darkness. The biting cold of a winter's night inside a long-abandoned crypt. The smell of a mass of unearthed, rotting, shambling corpses faithfully standing guard. A normal person would avoid such a place. For me, however, it was home sweet home.

It might've not presented the most lavish of accommodations, but I was not complaining. All I required was shelter, though not from the elements, but from... well, let's just say I wasn't at the best of terms with those that would presume to be my betters.

In truth, the place I described earlier was the safest place that I could hope for. I've had my metaphorical eye on it for over half a century, only moving in when I knew the time was right. The way things were going, I couldn't really afford to wait any longer either way.

It just so happened that only a few days after I moved out of my old lair, was when the lord of the land had sent another squadron of 'heroes' to deal with me. They were completely unprepared for the trap I left for them. When I arrived in the aftermath, I had found that these mercenaries were carrying just the right scrolls and ingredients for countering my reanimation spell. They've finally found a way to get rid of me once and for all.

It's been ten years since I moved into my new... I did call it home, in jest. Ten rather uneventful years. I may have visited the nearby town on occasion, or left for some other reason at some point, but most of the time spent in those ten years did not present me with that many memories. Either fortification or preparation. I've fortified these labyrinthine caverns to the point where none but the suicidal, or the especially foolish, would dare come venturing beyond the warnings near the entrance. As the realm would have it, there was never a short supply of economically-challenged hapless fools, or truly mentally deficient wannabe heroes.

As for preparation, well... a new group of heroes had arrived. This unassuming winter's night, would be my last on this world. My calculations were verified and my tests went correctly. After ten years of preparation, this. Should. Work.

I used my magic to stretch out my senses in order to get a proper look at my executioners. A team of four, by all means appearing to be made up of what a king's ransom could only barely manage to cough up. A group which, if they spent any amount of time getting to know each other, their strengths and weaknesses, and were to learn to complement each other, then they would be unstoppable. They would be the type of foe I would not mind dying to that much, if only they were real heroes. However, I could smell their souls from my location across the caverns quite clearly. These were not real heroes, merely skilled thugs in positions of prestige.

Hypocrisy is in the eye of the beholder. At the time, I did not gain any reassurance from my enemies' faults, nor did I have any stake in their usefulness to society. I didn't care about their personalities one way or the other. I merely describe the heroes the way I saw them through scrying magic. They were selfish, opportunistic, and reliant on their greed and ego. So no, these were not your ideal, storybook band of "heroes".

You will have to excuse me, I tend to ramble. Not long ago was I still in seclusion in the dark, with only the dead to keep me company. Such things tend to take their toll on one's mind, especially in my case where said mind wasn't all there to begin with. It's difficult focusing on... anything, anymore.

The four heroes advanced through my lair. They disarmed both tripwire and rune traps, and dispatched my servants in quick order. They came across one of the spider's dens, the denizens of which they made short work of. I watched as the mage torched the webs and the priest stunned the larger mother while the remaining two of the party cut down all the smaller ones.

'Poor Anabel, she had to see her eggs get destroyed before she died.'

I contemplated my pets' deaths, wondering whether pity was called for or not. The flesh-eating monsters were actually not that bad, once you got to train them so they stopped trying to bite the hand that fed them. I even grew attached to one of them at one point, Skitters, I called it, before it died to an adventurer raid. I distinctly recalled being upset at its loss, hence my conundrum regarding the den's destruction.

I shook my head. 'I don't have time to be distracted now. They're drawing nearer, it's now or never.'

There was no window to let light or air inside. This was meant to be a place protected from the world, to preserve the peaceful rest of the one buried here. So of course I went and desecrated it all towards my own ends, much like a lumberjack destroys an ancient grove.

This used to be the resting place of some general or another whose name I can't really be bothered to recall. Supposedly he was kind of a big deal during his service. You know, before he died, after which, surprisingly, he gradually grew less and less relevant. His lineage faded into obscurity, his achievements overcome by time, and I claimed his crypt.

When I first came here, the only object in the room worth mentioning was the general's stone coffin. A simple, yet generously large, flat-surfaced container with a few words written at the head to identify the bones resting within. I've made a few changes to the decor since then.

Stolen books in one corner, tanned skin parchments to the side, notes strewn and discarded, runes etched onto the stone coffin, stone and wooden bowls here and there filled with alchemical ingredients, instruments made of bone at one side of the makeshift table, even a few glass tubes. What I wasn't resourceful enough to make, I scavenged.

If one were to see within the room now, they would notice a dark figure (hunched over uncomfortably) in front of the stone container, magical energies pouring from his skeletal hands into three suspended crystals, glowing as they filtered the energy into a small crystal the size of a teardrop. I've been charging this uniquely manufactured gem with as much energy as I could for the last two months. Not counting the trials and tests, and failed attempts I'd conducted beforehand. A maddening monotony without question, and my back was killing me, but I decided to err on the safe side. After all, who knew how much power I would require to pierce the boundaries of reality and sustain myself for long enough to find a suitable new home?

As the power was cut off, the light dimmed, leaving only a small pale light glowing murkily in the dark, emanating from the gem floating in the middle of my incantation circle. Skeletal hands wrapped around it, carrying it to a disturbingly thin face, gray from lack of sun and sporting bandages over its eyes. Or rather, the place where my eyes should've been.

I pressed the gem in through the skin of my forehead, where it was absorbed seamlessly. The power was there, only as a minor distraction.

The preparations had been done. Now, for the final necessary step.

It wasn't long at all before the room was lit, revealing me to my executioners. I straightened my back with a few sickening cracks, as I spoke, "I don't suppose you actually have a good reason to intrude. Perhaps revenge for your dear cousin Twice Removed that fell at my hands at some point." I gestured out with my palm up as I turned around to finally face my invaders.

I could feel the fear in their souls upon seeing me. As in, I was literally measuring and taking note of it. Dark robes enveloping me loosely, dark wisps of power flowing out of my sleeves and down my skeletal legs. Underneath was skin stretched across ribs and a stomach stuck to my back, but none of that was an issue for me. Necromancy was so very useful like that. Instead of hampering me, it aided me, offering me the advantage of intimidation. My face most likely seemed almost alien to them, my white locks made me appear as a Revenant. But I was not undead.

Their group was fairly standard. One was a bearded, robed old man with arcane energies boiling underneath his skin and glowing in his eyes; another a cleric whose blind devotion made her soul shimmer with holy fire; a trapper in a leather hooded tunic used specialized techniques to move about the darker corners of the room unseen even to my enhanced vision; and of course, you can't have a group of dungeon-raiders without your generic, brutish knight sporting all platemail armor. This one apparently wanted to go all out, with his ridiculous helmet reminiscent of a bucket.

Upon regarding their equipment in better detail, I could only notice that my transgressors could've spent less money to prepare to face an elder dragon. Instead, they all came here to face me.

I'd be flattered if I wasn't disgusted. So these were the ones who were supposed to go down in history as the ones who had finally slain the legendary Living Lich. Oh well, I supposed it could've been worse... For one thing, at least they didn't seem to have any artifacts capable of bringing back the recently fallen. So at least they wouldn't emerge from this encounter without losses on their end. Neither did they have any barbarians, no thanks to the gods. Bloody savages...

Without as much as a howdy-do, the knight charged in. The royal sigil, a crimson lion crest drawn on his armor and towering kite shield. He sported a sword looking sharp enough to slice me in half, from top to bottom, ten times over if my body were that of a normal, unenhanced human. His equipment seemed enchanted as well, judging by the runes etched on top and the glow passing along. I certainly recognized how his shield was absorbing the magical energies nearby and empowering him further, and his sword glowed the distinct tint of the spell-breaker enchantment. And yes, the other three's equipment were all about the same in regards to general quality.

"Die, monster!" Buckethead let out, sounding far more imposing than was necessary. He might as well yell himself deaf for all I cared.

Honestly. It wasn't as if I hadn't already heard that line a few thousand times before.

The knight swung with all of his strength, about to slice me exactly the way I described earlier. I prepared the bones at the point of impact, reinforced adaptively for the particular circumstance, courtesy of my mastering necromancy beyond what anyone else ever managed, beyond any preconceived limit offered to the school. I merely stopped the blade in my hand.

"Tell me." My dead tone sent a shiver down his spine. "How many did you kill in the name of your king, to reach the rank of Champion?" I made it a point to let him take a good look at my face, something I felt he didn't really have much experience with his victims, as far as the particulars of his sudden spike of fear suggested. "How many innocents dead..." I lowered his sword slowly, "...how many witch pyres lit..." I forced the brute to buckle under my hold, his face landing level with mine.(*) "All in the mane of your Holy Light?"

The spell-breaking enchantment was very potent. Despite my outburst, it actually took quite a bit of my concentration to halt the blade from sliding through. The reason I could counter his spell-breaking enchantment was that it was designed with magically generated shields in mind, thus the namesake. To break shields. However, it wasn’t a shield that was holding it, but bone. It was holy magic, however, which was why it actually took as much effort as it did.

Perhaps they might've been able to figure out how to reverse-engineer a direct counter to my magic, if they bothered to study necromancy themselves beyond experimenting on those I care about.

I almost didn't notice the rogue finally decided now was a good enough opportunity as any to strike. I merely dodged out of the way, noticing the distinct purple glow of soul-eater knives, one of them piercing my cloak, another whizzing by my ear. I landed a few steps away in a position to better face them both.

"An Elite from the thieves guild as well," I muttered less darkly, but still pretty dark. "You must've cost a ransom to hire."

I detected magic and holy fire coalescing at the chamber's entrance. The mage shot first, telegraphed, and easily dodged. The cleric, however, shot to intercept. Clever, but nothing special. I merely jumped high out of the way.

"A Battlemage from the Ivory Tower and an Inquisitor from the Order of the Sun. The king must be really cross with me."

"Silence, fiend! We're here to end you!" the Champion demanded, forcing himself back to his senses.

"That cultist self-assurance of yours is really comfortable, isn't it? Since it helps you sleep at night."

I like to think the battlecry the knight let out as he charged in again was less self-assured. He was faster this time, however, as it seemed that he was enhanced by the leftover radiation from the magics used, as well as by the Inquisitor's chanting.

Normally, I’d try a direct attack. If it weren't for the knight’s equipment, I would just blast him with a wave of death. But even with the presence of death enhancing my abilities, I knew better than to throw energy willy-nilly, only to find it get funneled in through the shield and turned into more power for my adversary.

More importantly, every moment mattered. In a fight, everything is decided not upon your own skill, but upon the mistakes made. The opening in your opponent's stance, the rock you tripped on. And in a fight to the death, it only takes one mistake for everything to be over.

Well, unless you have a handy Reanimation spell to fall back on.

I summoned a bone wall, which the knight powered through only barely. He was slowed only long enough for me to bring forth my own warriors. After all, what is a necromancer without his undead minions?

Dark magic spread around me. The stone cracked, not because it was damaged physically, but because it was dying. Distant moans and screams could be heard. The cracks spread as the already thin barrier to the realm of the dead grew progressively weaker. The knight, not wanting to let me finish what I was trying to do, charged at me again, only to be held in place by a skeletal hand gripping at his foot, coming out seemingly out of nowhere. Panicked, he tugged and trashed, only barely managing to break free.

My desk exploded, projecting stone throughout the room. The knight rose his shield to stop an especially large piece from hurdling toward his head, the rogue jumped out of the way. The mage wasn't fast enough, but the cleric was there to quickly heal his brain hemorrhage. When he came to, however, I could sense that he, similar to his peers, saw his life passing in front of his eyes when he saw what came out of the general's grave.

When I was young, I had heard tales of this man. An honorable warrior, as brave and noble as a young impressionable boy would color him. 'He was as strong as ten men,' they'd say. 'He once saved an entire village from elven bandits', they'd say. 'He once wrestled a great bear with both arms and a leg tied up, just for a challenge'...

As I studied the great warrior stepping out of his tomb, with his ruined greatsword in hand, himself a head and a half taller than the brutish knight, glaring down at him with empty eyesockets glowing murkily in the dark, I was wondering whether those tales gave him justice. I wondered how he died. I wondered how he lived. I wondered if perhaps his descendant wasn't in this room right now, and I wasn't forcing the tortured general to kill his own blood.

I wondered what he felt as he was compelled to rise his weapon in my service. His strike was interrupted by a holy lance, causing him to stagger. His adversary only barely managed to shatter the bone that made up his arm. I wondered if he felt anything. I wondered how much of his anger was his own. Singlehandedly, he finally managed to bring down his blade, sinking it into the dead stone where the knight was mere moments ago, and I wondered. Did I deserve to have survived this long?

'As if morality ever did me any favors,' was my resolution.

(**)More warriors pulled themselves out of the ground. Shambling, rattling, and angry. These used to be the adventurers that braved the traps and managed to reach my lair. They deemed me worth killing and paid the price. They were all steadily infused with my own presence ever since my taking possession of their remains, and equipped with the best armor and weapons that they and their peers could afford. These were my finest minions.

They would provide a short distraction.

One of my servants was brought down instantly by the cleric before it had the chance to strike the knight in the back.

The champion was busy with two other minions, as the fallen hero reattached his arm.

The mage managed to keep me busy, summoning fireballs to meet my death coils in the air, diffusing my barrage of death with his arcane one, casting a barrier to slowly crush me if it weren't for my minions gradually drawing closer to him, forcing him to refocus his efforts for a moment.

The rogue, however, had been overwhelmed and torn apart. Understandably, knives and evasive magics are not very useful against a throng of skeletons who can smell the blood coursing through your veins.

He was smart enough to try to avoid being surrounded, he was smarter still to keep several trump cards up his sleeve. His rank of Elite was made evident by just how well he managed to stay ahead of my subtle maneuvering of my servants. He was indeed an Elite, however I've known Grand Masters.

Blood-curdling cries echoed off the stone walls, giving the remaining three heroes more than sufficient reason to draw a perimeter and focus on my undead servants.

The knight kept backing away, shield holding fast against the fallen general. One especially strong strike, however, sent the enchanted shield flying and clattering off into the corridor they had arrived from, almost taking his arm with it. The knight recovered quickly and managed to roll out of the path of the next strike, slicing at ancient armor as he did, but failing to do any real damage. The general backhanded him, dazing him long enough for what would've been a final strike if it weren't for the inquisitor striking the ruined hero in the back.

Having had enough of that, as well as an opening as the mage was busy with another one of my minions, I decided on who to kill. I summoned bone constructs to impale the priestess. She looked around her, almost curiously, as she found she couldn't feel the stone under her feet anymore. She let out her final breath mixed with a gush of blood, then her limbs went slack and lifeless.

At least it was quicker than the trapper.

She truly was a priority for me. Holy fire countered my minions, and I was starting to feel a sunburn coming up. Still, that left the other priority target quite alive, and as I brought my attention back to him, I found the mage building up power for a massive outburst.

Annoyance tugged at my lips. 'He could have saved her, instead he used her as a distraction. How... pragmatic of him.'

All I could do was to send another death coil at the mage, but I wasn't fast enough. By the time the coil landed, his Mana Bomb had deployed. The blast was so powerful, it dissipated my coil and evaporated all of my closer-by undead. I was knocked back against the wall, waiting for the final blow to come.

I felt the knight's sword pierce through my magically supported heart.

The fallen general got back up and limped over to protect me, until a fireball disintegrated him, releasing him from my hold.

It became quiet save for two sets of panting breaths and my own gasping. "It's over. Lay to rest."

'...Actually, I can't say I remember hearing that one before.'

"...Rest?" My cold, dead voice echoed out. I could feel my magic seeping away at an alarming rate. "...I've lived so long." My voice faltered more and more, my body growing heavier and heavier. "I refuse to rest."

Even if it was just what I needed to do in order for my spell to work, I still refused to give in. After all these decades, after all that I had done, after so long since I've lost the will to live... something kept me going. It wasn't the fear of Purgatory, nor was it spite, or some kind of vow... Insanity, perhaps?

"We've found a way to counteract your phylactery," explained the mage as he approached. "You will not be able to come back... leaving you with nowhere else to go but the afterlife. Once you die, you will stay dead."

"So do the world a favor and just DIE ALREADY!" The knight emphasized his last words by pulling his sword out of my chest, then -

A lot of pain erupted in my neck. The world spun around, the ground rapidly approaching my head. Huh, now that my power left my body, it looked quite unassuming, what with how much of a dried-up husk I was. Then again, the lack of a head on my shoulders might've also made my corpse seem less like that of a dangerous dark mage, and more like that of a street vagrant.

My head bounced a couple times, and I would've monotoned "ow" if my magic wasn't already nearly spent. I then rolled into a dark corner, where I expired, and my hidden, modified phylactery activated and shattered.

It was true, after my spell was taken apart and sold, it was only a matter of time before the king and his Templar got a hold of it. They didn't study it, they just threw holy magic at it until something stuck. What they eventually decided on using was a specially designed variation of their Exorcism spell, meant to banish me from the world. Luckily for me, I had no intention of trying to come back to this world.

They couldn't see me, due to my being dead and all. The two already dead heroes had not had enough time to pull themselves together quite yet, and the battlemage clearly did not have the necromantic knowledge to be able to detect me in my entirely spiritual state. The priestess could've, however. Probably. Maybe.

I gave my body a small once-over, paying my respects to this shell which dutifully did all it could to keep me alive.

This was all the legacy I was about to be leaving behind. A headless, dried-up body, and a head no doubt to be kept as a trophy. Hell, I imagine it would be quite valuable. Perhaps the mage would now decide to kill the knight for it? I would not be surprised. Regardless, it was of no concern to me anymore. I’ve seen enough blood in this world. It was entertaining, but in the end, all that it ever left behind was a pointless mess.

I gathered my spirit around my soul, picturing it as an arrowhead, then I pierced through the air itself, through the fabric of reality.
For the shortest moment before that, though, I thought I saw a black figure with wings in the corner of the room. Oh well.

Beyond the reaches of reality. A realm of abstract and imagining. Behind myself I found a bubble of light, not too much bigger than an estate. Gazing back, I’d see fleeting images of the world I was leaving behind. I only had one thing to say.

'Good riddance.'

The Voidscape didn't have much to say for itself. Just a vast sea of darkness. A clear night sky. To say it was (further) maddening in the isolation it offered would be an understatement.

In the distance, I could see lights, not unlike stars. They were no doubt distant universes like the one I had left behind. Every one I would pierce to check for habitability would consume a fraction of my energy, and I couldn’t afford to search through too many. Luckily, I thought ahead here as well. My spell was directing me to habitable ones that also presented the magical energies necessary to facilitate my rebirth.
I just headed towards, and entered, the closest one which satisfied my requirements...

Creatures with tentacles coming out of their mouths producing nightmarish sounds in a nightmarish symphony that rent at my mind, like an orchestra from the depths of Hell. The airless expanse that I found around me, holding nothing but darkness. I soon felt eyes turning towards me, and only through some manner of miracle did I gather the presence of mind to escape in time.

If I had not already known what Hell was like, I would've thought I had visited it. The void I had returned to was not all that reassuring. I pushed forward however, metaphysical teeth clenched.

This time, they were not aware I was around. They were no easier to look at however. Blobs of featureless flesh, dragging themselves along a floor of orange things I assumed were their equivalent of grass. A reddish mist permeated, but I soon discovered that this was actually their atmosphere. Long, thin pillars that looked strong enough to withstand a dragon's swipe jutted towards a starry sky in the stead of trees, the moon looking very much populated the same way this horrid world was. I did not want to try to understand why it was so different. I only wanted to get away.

I was at my limit. I had prepared enough energy to try as many times as it would take, however I did not expect it would be so trying psychologically. It took every bit of my resolve to try again. Third time's the charm...

'Be a decent place to live. Be a decent place to live. Be a decent place to...

'...Huh. This one actually seems nice.'

I appeared overlooking a castle in the mountains, which by all intents and purposes looked as though it was supposed to collapse under its own weight and topple over. It was decorated in snow, I assumed that either they had winter here as well, or I arrived in a normally cold climate. At least it was not too different from my old world, I thought. The sky was normal, a normal night sky with a normal moon, a normal atmosphere which I had hoped held normal air for me to breathe. Not that I wouldn't develop lungs specific to the locals anyway, but I didn't want to survive here. I wanted to live here.

'Let's just see what lives here...'

Floating closer to the city at the mountain's base, I noticed a few creatures flying about.

'They seem... equine in appearance. Is that Pegasus? Is it wearing armor?

'Did it just greet that other Pegasus? Are they talking?!

'Either the mythical spawn of the Lord of Dreams was busy around everyone's back and populated this entire country with slightly smaller versions of himself, or my spell is having some unexpected side-effects on my perception.

'I should figure out how to synthesize that effect if it's the latter...'

I decided to search further. As I drew closer, I noticed a massively powerful presence in the castle. If my presence was ten times stronger than that of the strongest creature down below, then whoever was in the castle was ten... no, at least thirty times stronger than me.(***)

I decided it would be best not to get too close to that particular flavor of doom...

I floated down over to the city. All the creatures inhabiting it were not as unreasonably powerful, even though the great majority of them were still most definitely more powerful than the common human. I approached one of them, entered through one home and found a sleeping equine, only this time with a horn instead of wings. Another house, and a couple of unicorns were found sleeping.

I dashed towards the direction of a conglomeration not far away, passing through another two houses. One of said houses containing two equines apparently having a little nighttime fun of their own, which I had no intention of spectating (I've had a long night, I did not need any of that weirdness), then the second one holding a child's bedroom...

A child, sleeping peacefully. This one had neither horn nor wings. Maybe they grew out? It was smiling, holding a smaller bear toy.

'At least this world seems peaceful enough,' I thought.

So it really was a race of sentient equines... Still, I decided to rush forward to the conglomeration.

There was music. It was a concert. Unicorns, pegasi and equines without either horn or wings were everywhere. I could read looks of content on their faces. They were smiling, enjoying the piece. The music itself was quite moving. A gray mare at the cello leading the orchestra. I decided to wait a little longer, figure out my next move here.

The music was soothing. Like holding a wounded limb to your chest, or like entering a warm inn on a cold winter night. I was tired.

I wasn't sure if I would come across a world governed by humans next, or if I'd wander into an elder god's parlor, but considering the two realities I had seen already, I thought that perhaps this was one of the better ones. Perhaps there were too many variables, and humans were merely one in an infinite number of creatures that could have developed on a world. Perhaps I needed to lower the bar.

I approached the creatures below. They looked... odd, certainly. Their eyes were too big, on their also oversized heads. I wondered why that was. It was disturbing. Still, they looked friendly. Once I suspended my reprehension at their appearance, I tried looking at them. Really looking at them. Wondering what they were like. To live with.

It would take some time for me to get used to them, but... it didn't seem so bad here.

Granted, I would have to find a safe place to spawn now, and then I'd have to study the locals from afar with my divination spells in order to learn their language and customs, but none of that seemed unscalable. I might even be able to fit in!...

My train of thought crashed down into a dark hole when I felt an impossibly powerful presence approaching from the far side, similar to the one I felt earlier. At the same time, the one in the castle decided to approach from the other side. Did they find me out?

I rushed towards the distance, looking for somewhere to spawn. A small town, then a forest. As I entered, there seemed to be a... presence abound. Upon closer inspection, I noticed the plantlife's network was far more complex than that of any normal forest. Was it looking at me? I somehow felt unwelcome here...

Oh, me and my paranoia. I couldn't afford to wait forever! Every moment I delayed was another moment they could find me in. I needed to find somewhere to spawn already.

'This cave looks promising enough. Nothing alive inside... perhaps it's a predator's den, whose owner went out to hunt? If I'm lucky, it's mating season and this is a male's den. If I'm unlucky, it's a female's den with juvenile pups. Either way, I need to hurry.'

I moved to the back of the cavern, then let the spell run its course...

I'm not certain how to describe the feeling of being brought back to life. Essentially, it was just the opposite of dying. Instead of feeling your entire body painfully shut down, struggling to keep going even though your heart had long since stopped beating, here it just felt like... waking up from sleep. Only stronger.

My bones forming out of nothingness felt as if numbness gave way to the winter night air. The cold then greeted my tendons and blood vessels as they knit seamlessly into flesh. Then followed the overly sensitive visceral organs before being enveloped by muscle tissue, then skin, then fur. Then blood filled my veins and my heart started to beat. I gasped my first breath.

I was asleep, as my spiritual consciousness had only started to sync with my physical one.

Then I felt the two massive presences from before.

'Oh no... I need to wake up! I need to make a phylactery quickly!'

No use, however. My mind was still starting up for the first time, binding my soul to it and building the myriad neural connections needed for me to actually be able to use this body to begin with.

I was vulnerable...

Resentment and resignation

Author's Notes:

I'm sorry to say that there isn't going to be much killing or mauling for most of the story. I only started on the high stakes note I did because I wanted to place him in his element first before throwing him in a world of technicolor peaceful ponies prancing around on rainbows.

This story isn't about killing stuff. It's about having one character facing his demons and overcoming them by the skin of his teeth, and the other character learning what true evil actually means... and by the way, I'm switching the POV of every even chapter between these two characters. I hope you don't mind by any modicum amount. Feel free to mind in greater amounts, however. It helps me sleep at night.

The original story had the main character dodge a bullet to his sanity. This version decided to cry out some corny one-liner right before jumping head-first into the darkness that was going to engulf him anyway. And yes, it was going to engulf the hell out of him.

He turned out pretty bad, but hey. You don't survive a bad world for very long by running away. Believe me, I tried. When life gives you lemons, you need to weaponize those citrus fruits and make life regret ever giving you the means to kick its ass ironically. Use them to make nunchucks to punch it in the labia.

Whew... so anyway, calm down the hype. This chapter takes the perspective of Luna now. So none of that lemon flailing yet. Give it till chapter 7. For now, we're getting to know the main character...s.

(*) Hopefully Twilight or anyone else as magically or/and spiritually apt didn't get woken up by this, though one could debate that only specially trained and capable alicorns could smell that taint. It could also be debated that you'd need to be awake to be able to immediately notice if someone was stinking up the place. Cadence was too far away, though.

(**)Discord actually erased every such spell from every existing record in the world, perhaps with a hint of irony. Perhaps he felt threatened by the possibility of such magic being used against him, or perhaps he actually had enough sense to realize how disgusting the field was.

(***) Surprisingly, it took him several months before he got assassinated and replaced by someone just as ruthless as he was, but less complacent towards making sure he keept his head once he became a target of others' ambition and greed.

Personal note, I may sound like a downer during the Necromancer's projected inner monologue. I'm doing well, despite managing to put on paper this depressing perspective on human nature. Don't read too much into it, it's just an artistic representation.

It was another peaceful winter night.

My stars remained in their place obediently, my ponies resting peacefully below. It seemed hard to believe that there ever was any time of grief betwixt us. Most certainly, it was nothing like a thousand years ago. I could only be thankful for my dear sister for this change...

It was just another silent, snowy night. Since barely anyone ever bothered to attend Court, and the nobles only bothered to grace the night on times of festive balls that rarely took them too far into the late hours. I didn't have anything better to do with my time either way.

This was far from unwanted, however. I enjoyed these moments. In-flight, on the horizon, watching over restful sleep. It was not often, but there were the occasional malevolent forces taking shape at night. This particular night, however, seemed as though it was going to be a peaceful one.

Indeed, it seemed that it was going to be just another lonely, cold night...

That was how it seemed, up until I was proved wrong.

”What in the name of the gods...”

A massive outburst of power erupted somewhere in the distance. It appeared to be somewhere near-

”No...”

It wasn’t near Canterlot, it was right above it!

I forced myself into getting back as soon as possible. I would've most likely broken the magical barrier if it was only sheer wing power put into the effort, but fading ethereal through the night sky made it unnecessary to force such a cacophonous stunt. It would only be a few minutes by the time I arrived from Manehattan, so hopefully, Celestia would be able to deal with the source of the disturbance on her own until then.

As I drew nearer, all I could ask myself was what this being could be. The amount of magic it was burning through, what was it doing? And why was it so... raw? Like it was swimming directly in the leylines, its soul was completely bare. It was naked, flaring and befouling so abundantly, I could sense its particulars from tens of miles away.(*) I hadn’t sensed a presence this dark since Sombra. Was he back? No, it wasn't the same kind of taint. It was worse.

Where the fallen crystal pony was boiling with fury and pride, traits which rendered him predictable in the end, this one's presence radiated cold, calculating discipline as well as boundless malice begging for a target. A great mind capable of untold atrocities. Such a foe needed to be caught immediately, lest it has time to gather its strength.

Whatever this being was, it seemed that it was not taking up any acts of aggression yet. Neither was Celestia doing anything about the obvious threat right at our doorstep. Was she being cautious? Truly one cannot be too careful with this particular kind of foe. After all, the fallen king was by no means strong enough to face us both, but he still managed to almost steal away victory through the use of his cunning and ruthless curses. This one did not seem as powerful, but he seemed to be more careful. Perhaps Tia was aware of more than I was? After all, she was closer.

As I reached halfway over the Everfree, I seemed to have drawn within range of the strange entity's perception, prompting it to flee. It moved so quickly, almost instantaneously, then it stopped just as quickly. That was not teleportation, the being seemed as though it was somehow exempt from the laws of physics altogether. It appeared the stranger could phase ethereal as well.

Its behavior was peculiar. It didn't do anything, almost as if it was only trying to goad us into following it. Was it leading us into a trap? Hopefully, Tia could shed some light on what was happening.

We took no time at all to meet up where the new being surfaced.

”Sister, what is going on?”

She only gave me an aggravatingly calm smile in return, as she usually does when she knows something I don’t. I was in no mood to deal with this, and I knew she noticed. There was only so much she could do to mask her reactions.

”It would seem that someone has decided to grace us with a visit. Someone from outside our world.”

Someone from another world? Truly? Exactly how powerful was this stranger? How much energy did they expend to get through the boundaries of reality?

”And why didn’t you take action until I arrived?” I accused pensively, keeping an eye on the stranger’s magical presence.

”Because I am interested in finding out what he wanted. If we know that, then we can predict his actions.”

So it’s a he, then? Noteworthy, I thought. I started towards the stranger’s new position, making sure to be subtler this time. Tia decided the same as she flew beside me.

”What else could you tell about this new player in our fates, besides it being a he?”

”Not enough. He’s troubled, and you’ve probably noticed how... unseemly his particular type of presence is, but he does not seem aggressive in any way. If anything, he just seems to be seeking to be left alone.”

”Be that as it may, we can’t allow him to roam freely. Who knows what he’s capable of.”

I couldn’t have timed my statement better. The stranger just so happened to decide now was a good time to start channeling power for a rather dark-natured spell.

”That’s necromancy! We must make haste!” I shouted as I took the lead. Tia decided to follow close behind, wordlessly though, and with no urgency. Did she know something else?

I’d assumed the stranger noticed our approach, but this time he didn’t try to escape. He was most likely ready to face us now. Who knew what gruesome trap he prepared for us?

He was within a cave. A perfect place for an ambush, I realized.

”Perhaps it would be best if only I entered, sister. We can’t be too... care...ful.”

Celestia decided to answer by just walking inside before I even finished. She looked back quizzically to gesture for me to come along. I sighed and obliged.

The amount of necromantic energy being used was massive, and it was all focused on creating one creature...

'Wait. Create? It’s not bringing any corpse back to life, it’s bringing a new body into existence...'

”Is he...” I started and was cut off.

”Creating new life? It would seem so.”

”But that’s impossible! Necromancy does not act this way! It’s a force of harm, not good!”

”It would seem that there’s yet more to this particular creature than either of us know at the moment.”

”So you’re suggesting that he might not be that bad? Or are you saying he’s just all that more unknown and unpredictable?”

”I’m saying that we shouldn’t decide on who he is in his stead.” She looked at me critically. I sighed in defeat. She knew me, that wasn’t a surprise at all. She didn’t even need to know me for a few thousand years to know exactly what to say to drive her words home. I afforded myself to wallow in the irony of the situation.

”Fair enough. I suppose we can afford to interrogate him and see which one of us is wrong.”

”I’m happy to hear it,” she smiled again. How quaint.

We tracked down the source of the spell to the back of the cave. There, what we found gave us both pause in our steps.

It was a foal. A young dark-grey colt with beautiful yellow hair. He looked malnourished, but that wasn’t what drew our attention as much as the disturbing way his eyelids sagged. It appeared that his sockets were empty, that he didn’t have any eyes inside.

What gave me even more pause, though not as much shock, was the presence of not only a horn on his forehead but also wings on his back. My words came out without my noticing, ”My stars...”

By Tia’s composure, she was affected just about the same.

Surely enough, the dark energies were mostly spent by now, what were left were active within the colt. Further inspection showed that the colt himself was, indeed, the source of the energies.

It seemed we’ve found who we were looking for.

What was going on here?

The colt appeared to be asleep, though I couldn’t see any dreams within his mind. 'Is there something wrong? Are the dark energies hurting him?'

I searched more carefully, studying the energies and their apparent effects. They weren’t hurting him. They were, indeed, creating this body from nothing but magical aether. However, the process seemed incomplete. The spirit was still settling, the mind was still forming, the soul was still syncing. Whoever was inside knew what he was doing. His ability was simply unfathomable. The skill, the knowledge required to recreate the minute details that made up a living body so flawlessly...

Fear struck. I voiced out carefully, ”What else would he be capable of?”

Celestia seemed to understand what I was hinting at and nodded. ”We need to suppress his magic either way. The dark energies are already affecting this body.”

I let out a huff. ”This certainly won’t be bothersome.”

Leaving aside the obvious main reason why no creature should ever have access to such talents, under any circumstances; Ponies are very profoundly affected by their magic, beyond simply giving them their cutiemarks. As for dark magic? The effects vary from the pony dying, to affecting the mind, body, and soul progressively, misshaping the body while it accumulates the energies until they either cause the user to burn out, or burst often rather catastrophically. Perhaps his old world worked differently, but the way things were going, this new visitor's body was not long for its new world without our intervention.

By nature, suppressing another’s magic is no simple endeavor. Cutting one's tie to the psionic field generally requires as much concentration to maintain as the target’s magical talent. And considering his capabilities thus far, it would probably not be too difficult, but not easy either. Hopefully, we won’t take too long to manufacture a runed relic to manage this task more efficiently.

Once we were certain our binding runes were properly written and secure, we then decided to take a look inside this strange being’s mind. See what we were dealing with. Perhaps it was cheating to simply use magic so conveniently, but when one has the ability at their disposal, why not use it when they truly had a reason to?

"Hello?" I spoke. My voice echoing throughout the mind and resonating inside the soul. It didn’t take long for an answer to come.

"Who's there?" a man asked quickly, clearly confused and nervous. "How did you manage to get in here?"

"Quite easily, to be honest,” my sister answered. "As for who we are, you’re speaking to the protectors of this land. Identify yourself, if you please.”

The mindscape was still forming. It was in a shattered state. Even so, we saw glimpses of the memories belonging to the human within. Most of them were quite disturbing. Others were downright horrendous. What manner of monster was this?

"I'm just a lonely traveler looking for a place to live peacefully. I have no ill intent."

"But your soul is soaked in blood!" I shot back. Surely he wasn’t trying to fool us, was he? "Tell us, human. Why should we not destroy you here and now?"

I didn’t want to sound so cruel, but my indignation was just nonetheless. Why should we leave him to roam freely, when he could just harm our subjects so easily, in manners as unspeakable as the ones he’d committed on his own kind?

"...I just want to live."

Hopelessness, fear... His voice held despair at the possibility of his death. He reacted just like anypony else would.

Still, that didn’t change anything. Even Sombra was scared in the end. And so was I when I was banished to the moon. That doesn’t change the fact that our defeats saved countless innocents. Regardless, we’d already decided to give him the benefit of a doubt before deciding his fate. So, we reached further inside.

The realm of the mind. It takes imagination to form your surroundings. So far, this place was still in the process of creation. It would’ve been cruel to try to dive straight in and look for our answers ourselves. Instead, I decided we might as well let him present his case. As to receive orientation, as well as to study his reactions. My sister likely wanted only to resolve this as gently as possible, but I wanted to look him in the eye.

We entered his mind, appearing as a black void all around. Here, we’d meet with his soul and question him.

As his pseudo-manifestation took in the sight of those belonging to me and my sister in front of him, his mouth gaping in shock (apparently he truly had never seen our kind before), we took his appearance in as well.

It would seem somewhat likely that his soul was already starting to merge with his physical body, in terms of appearance. Perhaps in a few years, as he’d get more and more used to this body, his default spiritual shape would also be that of a pony. Until then, however, only the colors of his fur and mane coincide with his clothing and hair.

A dark-gray coat and vestments covered his body, fair blond locks hung over his face, over the bandages covering his eyes, or, eye sockets more likely. It seemed that seeing him eye to eye was going to be a little difficult.

Personally, I hadn’t met many humans in my time. However, his appearance was not surprising. After all, they are one of the most widely spread, tenacious, and versatile races inhabiting throughout the Tree of Eternity.

This was not the first instance of another race visiting our world, even if theirs was among the ones that would do so more often than any other. It would seem that their race holds a certain sympathy for ours, curiously enough.

The human before us appeared worse than he should’ve. He was as skinny as the colt he now resided in, his posture was weary as well as permanently ready for intercepting and countering aggression, and there were no eyes under those bandages. He was caught at a loss.

Tia seemed more than eager enough to speak first. "A fair trial is the least we could afford you. State your case, and we will decide what best to do with you."

The fact that he saw one of us talk had driven home. ’Yes, human. The pretty pony really can talk.’ Even despite his arduous reactions, his mind was very active with considering a cacophony of possibilities.

After further deliberation, he closed his mouth, straightened his back, carried a hand to his chest dramatically, and took to a more proactive posture. "As much as I simply love the idea of having someone else decide my fate, might I first..."

"No," Tia answered with finality. The human betrayed quite the savage grimace, the kind I hadn’t even seen on dragons whose eggs had been insulted by intention.

He took a couple of calming breaths.'Wise,' I thought. 'So he knows who he’s dealing with after all, though he undoubtedly has his dark interpretation of us to fit his twisted philosophies. What might he believe? That we’d stoop to acts of violence similar to his? Perhaps that's why he chose the appearance of a foal, to further deceive and discourage us.'

I took the liberty of making sure his thoughts would be more easily accessible. The human looked behind himself to find a massive screen playing scenes of his life, melding in and out like in a dream. Only instead of a first-person, I made certain that the pictures would be presented from an objective look. This way, nothing would be lost in either transition or context. Just a clear, third-person perception. One moment there was a scene of a human child hunting frogs in the bog near his hometown, next there was a cloaked figure battling... what supposedly was a striga.

The alien sighed, gathering his bearings, and spoke again in his calm, collected tone of voice, which almost managed to make him appear reasonable and understanding for a moment. Perhaps it would have helped him wear his facade if it weren't for the memory of him skinning a man alive that was running behind him at the time.

It was hard to acknowledge his words. He tried to pass himself off as smart and articulate, but all I perceived him as was cunning and forked-tongued, "Although I find this incredibly unfair, I suppose it can't be helped... Where should I start now."

His memories started to fade from one to the other more calmly. I could only imagine what he was trying to look for. His main focus was to convince us to be merciful. Unfortunately for him, no amount of begging was going to suffice and no attempt to hide the truth would succeed, nor would it be ignored.

Only now did he notice his thoughts were echoing throughout the area. It finally dawned upon him that he had nothing he could do but tell the truth, from his perspective. 'Let’s see how he colors it. With pride in his accomplishments? With excuses and passing of blame? With callous disregard, or perhaps even joy?'

He was nervous about his circumstances, however. The feelings of anxiety were abound in his mind, all around us. The way he held his composure with all of this negativity coursing through him was impressive.

I found it even more impressive how he managed to calm the maelstrom with just a deep breath and a forward tilt of his head. He regarded us each with an even glare.

”Okay then, equine creatures which I have no idea what you are and how you're able to talk. I suppose I have no choice but to explain my entire life to you. Who I am, what I've done to survive, despite how horrible it all was, and why I became the way I am. However, before I start, I'd want to make a few things clear."

'Honesty? It would seem he assessed his situation intelligently. He also seemed to not be above resorting to snark.'

"And what would those be?" Tia asked, beckoning him to state his requests.

He started to pace, "As I've admitted earlier, I've done terrible things. I went through things that, if you would be so kind and check, you would need to admit that no sane man would be able to survive unscathed. I did not wish for violence..."

He stopped pacing. The images behind him stopped to show him standing in a field of dead warriors and destroyed undead. He was... dazed in his memory, at every step he seemed ready to fall over and join his victims. He did not seem happy.

"Since we're here," he sounded like he ate something foul, "perhaps you can choose to judge me fairly? After all, it would be too easy to just pick out a few moments from my life when I have been cruel, confused, or cowardly and just call it a night. If instead, you don't want to be a couple of presumptuous, self-assured hypocrites, perhaps you will consider challenging my reasoning instead. Show me how much better than me you are and tell me with a straight face that you would have done better. If you bring forward an instance when I initiated violence, perhaps you might consider checking for extenuating circumstances. You have heard of the concept, have you not?"

"Do you not feel shame nor regret?!" I snapped. I wished to do far worse than yell in outrage.

He seemed to ponder my words for a few seconds, "That would imply I did not try my best within reason, so no, not really."

'...He does have a point, but that does not lessen how much of a cheeky knave he is.'

"While it is true that I have acted on hate and apathy," I could hear Celestia hold back her dinner as images of gore and violence passed by, I wasn't doing much better, "when others come to you with vile intentions, again and again, well... To put it simply, evil has a habit of sticking to you. Despair... bends you and breaks you, you lose some parts of yourself to preserve the parts that keep you alive. But I say again, my circumstances were merely extenuating. I offer no excuses, I am merely trying to prove that I am not as unreasonable as you think."

"Those images... you're a monster."

He did not have a witty retort to my words that time.

”If you would let me go and not look for me, you would never hear from me again. I might've gone out of my way in the past to help others, but that was long ago. All I care about anymore is to be left in peace. Then again, that is the reason why I killed so many. So I suppose my argument is moot after all?"

He seemed to force down a rueful laugh, before sighing.

”Consider this. I am at your mercy. I have no control over my body, no say in my fate, no power to fight back. I'm not asking for any donations. I never beg. I'm only asking for you to listen to my side of the story until I consider there is nothing left for me to say. If you can judge me fairly, then I will defer to your judgment."

"Even if our sentence is dea-"

My words froze in my throat. He smiled at me, with insanity unlike any I've ever seen in all my centuries of life. Even Discord never managed a smile so deranged and yet so...

'Huh. Why does he seem sad?'

I shook away from the thought. I judged that if anything, it was... unlikely he was lying...

I turned to my sister, who looked back at me with a strange look of comprehension. I didn't know what she saw, but I could instead practically see the gears turning in her head, and I could have sworn I saw a twinkle in her eye.

"Very well," she spoke before long.

The human acknowledged, then he crossed his arms and started to pace again. "I assume introductions might be in order?"

"You first," I answered quickly. His reaction caught me by surprise.

He stopped pacing again, his previously smothered laughter returned like one of his undead. At the expense of sounding pretentious, I can only state the truth that cold and hollow echoes resounded all around, like the cries of a demented Windygo.

A couple of seconds later, his laughter calmed down then he answered. "Ah. Well, sorry. But I do not have a name to give. Not anymore."

I cleared out my throat. "How come?"

"Because I needed to get rid of it," was his simple answer, his tone barren, as the images behind him finally focused on the memory in question.

The images showed writhing in pain on the floor of a forest. Lacerations appeared across his flesh and blood spilled from every orifice. We couldn’t feel what pain he felt back then, but we did receive its memory. It was excruciating.

He needed to use every ounce of his concentration to keep himself from passing out, using his magic to both drown out the pain and do the only thing conceivable for him to save his life. Even if severing his name was only causing his pain to increase three times over, like trying to amputate an already putrid limb.

"They were using it to kill me, so I was forced to sever it from my being."

In this instance, he gave off neither resentment nor regret. Celestia and I knew what naming magic entailed, and what it meant for someone to sever it from their being. It meant that he no longer had a place within fate, that he would never feel he belonged anywhere ever again. That those who knew him forgot he ever existed, that any mention of him would be erased. Anything he ever did was either consigned to someone else or cast to oblivion. Leaving behind nothing but an anomalous thing walking around at the edge of your perception.

The alternative, of course, was that he would have been dragged with his Name over into oblivion.

"I got better, of course. That's not to say that the severing process and the following couple months of recovery were anything short of Hell."

While Purgatory is still worse than being a Fateless, it's not by much. To recover though... it's possible, similarly to how learning to live without your limbs without aid is possible.(**)

"Why would anyone do such a thing?" Tia asked.

"The simple answer? Human nature."

Despite his words, his tone wasn’t resentful at all. It was just plain, simple. Like speaking a well-known fact, like how the sky is blue and birds sing.

And then his thoughts started streaming forth on their own. It seemed he wasn't as honest with himself as he made himself out to be. 'Still though. Such resentment at his own species?'

"We're cruel. Selfish. Sure, we occasionally do acts of selflessness out of love. But usually, our kindness springs from spite, to go against those who wronged us. To prove we're above animals. Civilization, right. It's based on fear and greed; pain keeping us in the campfire's light, and arrogance in thinking rising in station actually means something. Everything in line with our instincts, our insecurity, and our worthless egos. Always preying on someone else, always making me the scapegoa-"

He took a deep breath to calm himself. He took a while in thought, studying us, before starting.

"The motive behind my branding as a scapegoat all comes down to a single mistake of my old, stupid, child self. I failed to hold my tongue and challenged a noble knight's word. That's it, that is all it took. About half a decade later, the king died and it just so happened that of all the people in the world, it would have to be the same knight I angered back then, who would later inherit the throne."

The anger in his last two sentences was genuine. However, it seemed as though he was angrier at himself than the knight he was speaking of. There was a fair amount of disgust towards the one who ruined his life, but it seemed he did hate the fact that he was human. Well, perhaps he'd be happy to know that wasn't a problem anymore.

"I hardly think someone would hold a grudge for five years," Celestia tried to argue. It wasn’t that she was doubting in another’s ability for cruelty, she was just trying to poke, and see the reaction.

Her reaction, of course, was a wave of glacial cold. One could only imagine the glare he would’ve offered if he could.

At one point the image behind the human was of a boy being held against the wall by his chest, by a knight sporting a look of arrogance and rage, being pulled back by an adult similarly clad in armor. Next, was a scene in a dark building. A blond young man in humble clothing kneeling, hands tied behind his back, in front of a dark-haired man in elaborate, rich clothing, not too much older than the former. The latter was holding the other's chin up by the tip of a sword. It wasn’t hard to distinguish who was who.

The human in our presence took the liberty of explaining what we were seeing. Not moving. Not giving away a thing. Just... standing there and telling his tale.

"He didn't need any reason to hold back. Being king, he had no fear of repercussion, since it would’ve been the most horrible crime conceivable to strike back at him. To hurt the king is to hurt the entire kingdom, after all. And he took full advantage of that fact."

'Untie him.' the dark-haired man said. Afterward, two soldiers came forward to fulfill the given order.

'Now give him a sword.' the royal continued, enjoying every moment as he slowly brought his terrified adversary up with the sharp tip against his jowl.

"He only needed to remember who I was upon being brought to him. He was in power, so he had all the right in the world to do as he pleased." He spat.

'Defend yourself.' the king voiced out moments before attacking fiercely, giving barely any time for his adversary to parry.

"I had all my life to remember that day. Maybe he just wanted to scare me? Maybe he only wanted to hurt me non-lethally? Maybe he just wanted me to prove my right to talk back at him. Still, his conceit and cruelty were clear on his face. It didn't matter either way. He was going all out, actively trying to kill me during his 'honorable' duel."

Throughout the one-sided match, the king sliced at his adversary's arm, then struck the sword out of the dream-self’s hands soon afterward.

'Pathetic.' the royal said to the kneeling and defeated memory-self. 'Are you supposed to be one of my warriors?' He spat at him in disgust, the Necromancer snarled at the sound. 'Weaklings like you only hinder the rest of us.'

He brought back his blade to strike him down. I could feel Tia gathering magic in her horn instinctively, which came with a small feeling of surprise coming from our storyteller.

'No!' The boy held his hand out defensively. As the metal sliced through his hand, halting between the bones, dark energy erupted forward, knocking the king back.

Everyone was stunned, including the young necromancer.

'Kill him!' ordered the king, and his soldiers obliged.

"It was no small miracle that I got out of there with my life," he concluded as the images showed him running past the still stunned guards, some of them running after him, others back-pedaling away from him, and still others going for their crossbows instead. He managed to reach a window, heard the stretching of crossbow string, and decided on his action. He jumped, tumbling off the cliffside once with a sickening crack of bones, into the river they used as a moat, where he was taken by the current. "It helped that fortresses are generally built to effectively keep invaders out, not to keep any desperate escapees in. It also helped that this particular keep was Richard's favorite place of residence because it had great accommodations, its fortifications were second in priority.(***)"

I and my sister both let out breaths we didn't know we were holding. "But you survived. Didn't you run?" I asked.

"I did,” was his answer. ”I ran and hid throughout the whole kingdom afterward. That was all that I could do for the rest of my life."

"What happened next?" I asked.

Up to that point, he maintained his breathing rhythm, even though it was unnecessary to breathe in here. Now, however, his mental projection and his entire mind were still. He wasn’t thinking of anything. Otherwise, we’d hear his thoughts. The screen behind him was trembling, the spell was struggling to remain stable. The area was getting darker on its own, our mental link spell was being strained. He was receding into himself, deeper, deeper still, it was as if we were falling into a void.

"After that, my family was killed."

He wasn’t angry. He wasn’t sad. And no, he was not indifferent. In that void, we saw his face. He was hurt but resigned to what had been done to him. Because that's what counts for normal for a human.

Was it something I said?

Author's Notes:

Major changes to the original layout I laid out originally. I suppose it's marginally different from the original original as well. But I can't really suppose that, because apparently my point of view is too subjective to decide fairly. So I'll just let you decide on your own, and let loose the hounds of criticism.

That doesn't mean I'll enjoy having every single chihuahua pup nibble on my bits. If I catch anyone being a conceited child in the comments section, I will be all over his ass.

I came back again and made more patches and announcements:
-Changed Celestia's and Luna's names a bit. Apparently their names are very Latin in origin (which actually makes brilliant sense lorewise);
-Made Equestria as the local equivalent of America, and some different continent where they originated from, let's call the equivalent of Europe the Manelands. Equestria and the Manelands use variations of the same language, same as America and Britain, same as how the Romans and Greeks shared the same mythology. Let's say Equestria uses a Latin variation of the Maneland's Greek... so Equish is a Latin variation of Maneish or something.
-Necky's name will be Ancient Mane (Greek) in origin, as opposed to Luna's and Celestia's Discordian Age Equish (Latin).
-Necky's old world's deities will be localized variations of the Endless. Vertigo had them modernized, Necky had his deities contemporary all the same.
-I removed Necky mentioning anything about any other deities altogether. I mistook Helios for Solaris anyway. I removed mention of Helios/Solaris altogether, as well as swapped mention of Poseidon with simply "the Lord of Dreams" in chapter 1. Though I guess I could suggest that Pegasus was a result of Dream and Delirium having a little too much fun together.

They witnessed my memories of when I found my family dead. They were presented in perfect clarity compared to most of my other memories. Probably because I could remember that day like it happened only moments ago. I was relieved to find that my judges actually had the courtesy to take in the images respectfully. Silently, if somewhat shocked.

The images behind me showed the same blond young man from before crying, looking madly through the still smoldering remains of a burnt-down house.

No one. Not the parents, not the older brother, not the younger siblings. Not even the youngest was spared.

They might’ve noticed my staring. My searching their faces for anything dislikeable. I was pleasantly, if perhaps dryly, surprised.

The larger one looked as if she wanted to retch. If these were any other circumstances, I would’ve taken joy in her disturbance. That her choice to study me like a lab rat made her feel less than ideal. This particular setting, however, gave me pause.

They had the audacity to dissect me like this, and yet it was them who couldn’t handle the information they asked for. I would’ve given them a close-up of the disturbing images. Yelled in outrage, telling them how they had no right to invade my soul like this. But that would’ve been folly.

They had every right to interrogate me, every authority to make certain this alien wouldn’t cause trouble in their lands. After all, I was invading. I was the one disturbing their peace. They were merely reacting to the appearance of a creature much stronger than the average citizen. Of course they felt threatened.

Still, none of that changed the fact that at the rate they were going, it wouldn’t be long at all before I finally snapped. Which was most likely what they were waiting for. Push me until I offer them what they want. If not the excuse to destroy me, then the desperate outburst commonly expected during the average interrogation procedure.

Something I learned from several of such experiences, from both ends of the hot iron. The best way to shatter someone’s resolve is to force them into lashing out, then crushing even the last ounce of fighting strength.

The two damned creatures in front of me were clearly pushing me on purpose. Humiliating me until I lashed out, offered them something to use against me. I wasn’t about letting that happen. Rather, I would regain control of this encounter.

”Is this exposure to your liking? Am I bare enough for you, or should I start offering even more perverted favors to appease my would-be executioners?”

The smaller of the two seemed horrified at the implication, stopping the images behind me immediately. The other one, however, seemed immersed in her own woes. I didn’t have to wait long for her to start talking.

”Was your world truly this cruel?”

”Is yours not?” I asked in return.

What she did next confused me. She retaliated with neither hostility, nor spite, nor plotting. It was just... sadness. Unaggressive. Unforseen. Unnerving.

What was she playing at? She already had me in the palm of her... hoof. Certainly she didn’t think I’d trust her to be able to sympathize. Why would she want to lull me into a sense of security?

I was going to call her out on her bluff when she continued, ”This isn’t the world you came from. The cruelest of our people only ever enforced slavery, but otherwise he kept his subjects marginally healthy. Naming magic is only used once a few hundred years, and never for the sole purpose of hurting another, much less killing. No pony has ever taken another’s life for thousands of years.”

”...What are you on about?” I asked, still not being able to comprehend what she was saying. Her words were flowing seamlessly, but I just couldn’t accept their meaning. She was spouting nonsense. ”If what you say is true, then what about what your friend said mere moments before both of you invaded me here?”

”My sister can sometimes get carried away when she’s upset,” she retorted patiently, offering her smaller counterpart a wry look.

”...That so?” I questioned, tone laced with disbelief. ”So you’re saying your... sister, didn’t mean what she said?”

The sibling in question seemed to react accordingly to my negative attitude, ”You’re an alien possessing evil powers, capable of killing and torturing with nary a second thought. Pardon me if I feel threatened by your presence in our peaceful world.”

”That didn’t answer my question,” I insisted, much to the younger equine creature’s discomfort. ”You’ve said your world is peaceful, but if it were true that I’d be an active threat to it, would you kill me to protect it?”

”That’s never an option. There’s always an alternative...”

”But what if there was no alternative? What if you’d be put in a situation in which you’d have to choose? Surely you’d pick your charge over a homicidal stranger.”

'This is it. Come on already! Admit it! You’re not as peaceful as you’d like to tell yourself.'

Neither sister could answer me. It wasn’t that they didn’t want to. I could see it, they simply couldn’t work the courage to decide upon an answer.

”You refuse to admit it? Fine, let me say it in your stead. It’s a simple answer. Even if it weren’t a thousand of your people. Even if it were just one. Even if it were an army of me. If you have to, you kill the guilty to save the innocents.”

”But doing that only makes you just as bad as the ones you’re forsaking!”

They really aren’t going to admit it, are they?

”What if you were upset?” I asked. She seemed confused at first. I smiled. ”Like your sister so graciously admitted for you. What if you became upset, and got carried away?”

”Is that why you would do it?” the older sibling asked me as soon as I finished. They both looked at me expectantly as I took my time to answer.

”The first time I killed someone was in self defense, though I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t acting on grief and anger as well. They were the ones who killed my family, after all. Ever since, however, it became a lot easier to take a life. So I suppose you’re right to believe that punishing villains turns you just as bad as them, if not worse.”

They looked at me like they were seeing a dead friend. I should know, I’ve caused that look to surface a few times in my life.

”Don’t look at me like that. You make it seem like it was the end of the world. So I can take lives. That doesn’t mean I like going out of my way to find people to kill. It just means that when the time comes, I am able to do what needs be done.”

”We’ve seen fragments of your memories. You take pleasure in torture and cruelty.”

”Be that as it may, I never hurt anyone who didn’t deserve it. I never killed anyone who wasn’t capable of killing first. And I never harm innocents... at least not physically.”

”So you say...”

”And so does your lie detection spell affirm! Do you really need to invade my memories further?”

The sisters looked to each other for counsel, but neither knew what to do. Typical...

”If you think I’m too much of a loose cannon, just throw me in a dungeon and be done with it. It’s not like I have any say in the matter anyway.”

”We’re afraid a dungeon might not be adequate for you.”

”So you’re afraid I’d turn the dungeon keepers into undead servants. Strip me of my magic then. Must I decide everything for you? I’m not even sure if my new body draws magical energy the same as my older ones did anyway. Even so, even without my needing to re-learn how to cast basic spells all over again. Even in my prime, compared to the likes of you, I’m as harmless as a newborn.”

A snicker emerged on the two equines’ faces. I found this suspicious... then cause for alarm... then dread.

”You didn’t...” I managed out, panic rising in my voice.

"We didn't do anything. We were actually going to ask you why you chose to turn into a foal, or how you managed to turn into an alicorn..."

I stumbled and lost my balance, falling on my arse. Foal? As in, child?

"...What were the commands you gave your spell to follow?" the darker toned alicorn asked.

"I... I had it set to build me a suitable body to reside and grow in. One that could firstly survive in the environment, then fit my presence, then blend in with the local populace."

The smaller sister rose a hoof to her chin contemplating my stuttered answer. "That explains your age, then. It also explains why your body is so skinny. It would appear your spell didn't have enough power to turn you into a full adult, and needed to cut a few corners. An alicorn body is a powerful one, after all."

"...But."

"Also, since you asked for a body that can not only fit in and survive, but also one to encompass your power as well as offer room to grow..."

"No..."

"It would seem your spell did the best it could to satisfy all requests as satisfactorily as possible."

'This is unacceptable. It can’t be... I am not a defenseless child! I refuse to believe this!' "...Swear to me that you’re telling the truth."

She did more than that. She extended the truth spell over herself as well. ”I swear. You’re very much in a child’s body.”

'This will be troublesome,' I thought as I balanced a forearm over a knee. ”So I’m defenseless now. Alone in a new world, without even the strength of an adult from your species. I doubt our languages coincide beyond our mental link either.”

I berated my state of weakness, of defenselessness. Yet, I wasn’t arrogant enough to deny the facts any further. My position on the nonexistant floor was fitting. I was at their complete and utter mercy.

They both drew closer and sat down in front of me. The darkness around appeared to brighten. From the right side in front of me, it turned yellow, from the left it turned light blue. They looked at me quizzically, oddly. Yet not a single malevolent intent in their features.

I looked back at them. I imagine I might’ve looked less than dignified, but at this point, what did it matter? They won. I had nothing.

”What are you going to do with me?” I asked.

They sported peaceful demeanors. They were content enough to just sit alongside me, as if my company was actually enjoyable.

”We still had questions, but we imagine you’d wish to rest for now.”

”But what are your plans for me?” I insisted.

”We have no plans,” the larger of the two answered. ”You may keep your guard up, expecting someone to come and attack you at any given time, but know this, and know that the truth spell is still in effect. You’re safe here.”

”...Are you sure your spell is working properly?” was the only functioning retort I could give.

”You’re in a different world. A peaceful world, as we’ve decided already, did we not?”

I didn’t have an answer. She only continued to glare inoffensively, waiting for my retort. I couldn’t offer one.

Their words and reactions checked out. They were protective, but the mere idea of taking a life disturbed them. If what they said wasn’t true, then they at least believed what they were saying wholeheartedly. Passionately.

”I only have three questions.”

”Ask away,” the white alicorn offered with a smile.

”First one. Who are you? Second, why do you care about me enough to give me a chance? Final question, what’s the catch?”

Their smiles saddened again. By now I’ve already given up on trying to understand the meanings behind their changes in demeanor. They said I was safe. I still couldn’t believe it, but since they kept insisting on it... What were their answers?

”Are you sure you won’t be tempted to use naming magic afterwards?”

”I... tend to try to make a point in avoiding the use of naming magic. Still, I might feel tempted regardless, now that I think about it...” They deadpanned. ”What? I said I’d be tempted, not that I’d do it! It’s not like the victims would notice either way...” More stern staring. I sighed. ”Fine. I give you my word that I won’t use naming magic unless someone’s life depends on it. And considering how peaceful you make this world out to be, that would translate into a never. Is that sufficient?”

”It will have to do,” the smaller of the two sighed. ”My name is Princess Nox Luna. However I haven’t been called by my first name since before the clans merged. Princess Luna will suffice.”

”And I’m Princess Sol Caelesti, but I would prefer Celestia, if you would please.”

”Wonderful. I’m sure to jot them down for later use,” I smiled back.

I was yet again surprised. The white sun-themed royal smiled playfully in return. ”That would be such a shame. We would have loved it if we could grow to trust each other. Oh well, I suppose we will have to resort to more drastic measures.”

”Alright, alright, I’ll behave...” ’For now.’

”We heard that.” the moon princess retorted.

”Darn.”

They only chuckled in response. I was perplexed.

”You’re surprisingly lenient. Am I really not a threat to you?”

They took a small pause before answering that time. I didn’t think much of it. I supposed the question was just that tricky for them.

”Not directly, no,” Luna answered. ”Though you could certainly try, if you can still use your powers, since you say your body might not allow you to use magic anymore. But if you do, don’t expect to receive positive results. You’re a guest here, but we can make your stay as hospitable as we deem fitting.”

”...Noted.” I confess to being slightly intimidated at the time. Only slightly, though. Because I’m not afraid of anything. There was obviously no more than the idea of dread coursing through my head. I was most certainly not feeling a shiver down my spine upon her intense glare. <Cough cough>.

”Moving on...” I continued. ”Why are you even bothering with me? Certainly you can’t be acting out of sympathy...” I regarded them. They only smiled gently in return. I shook my head awkwardly and resumed, ”...alone. There has to be more to it.”

”Are you referring to the catch? Wasn’t that the third question?” Luna inquired cheekily.

”The catch being whatever ulterior motives you have for me. I’m only asking if there aren’t any personal reasons for you to want to deal with the likes of me in the first place. In short, what are you trying to prove?”

Such matters aren’t meant to be taken lightly. I was happy to find my last phrase was compelling enough to do my inquiry justice. Truth be told, however, I was mostly just aiming to find out whether or not they had decent answers ready.

The lunar princess seemed the more reluctant to answer, so I decided to give her the chance to gather her thoughts, should that be what she required. I faced the older sibling instead. She seemed much more ready to show her cards.

”When you showed your memories, I came to realize that you weren’t entirely to blame for your ruthlessness. Still, you’ve only kept to hurting those who you deemed deserving, never hurting an innocent. I imagine that’s why you never went after the king?”

I chuckled in response. ”Impressive. No one bothered to think that through until now. It would seem you were paying attention to my tale after all...

”You’re right. I didn’t try to kill the king, even though he deserved it. It wasn’t because I couldn’t, though. I simply didn’t want to cause political instability.”

The darker mare’s eyes widened in realization. I smiled wider.

”To hurt the king is to hurt the kingdom. I wasn’t about to offer the neighboring countries chance to invade and lay ruin to the commonfolk across the state.”

”You did say, you don’t hurt the innocent.”

”That I did. I also said that should I have to choose between an army of bastards like King Richard and just one innocent, I’d choose the innocent.”

Luna’s eyes went wider. She had objections.
”What of the relatives and friends of those you killed? The ones who went after you?”

”Their friends and family should’ve talked them out of throwing their lives away. I wasn’t going to just lie down and die because of every self-conceited sheep-shagger who challenged me. If their loved ones were willing to let them risk their lives to kill me for the price on my head, then their loved ones should’ve expected them to fail like the ones who tried before them.”

She seemed to have wanted to press on, no doubt insisting on something within the lines of ’but why did you torture them?’, when her older sister intervened. ”I can’t imagine it was easy for you. Having an entire nation hate you. Sustaining and embracing the common belief that you were a monster. I imagine a century, perhaps a century and a half was more than enough for you to finally give in and humor their demands.”

”...They were telling me I was a monster. Even my friends would agree. Who was I to deny everyone else? After all, I was only one man.”

My previous confusions were only childish disorientations compared to what I felt next. The younger sister decided to embrace me. I didn’t know what to think.

She was shaking, crying. What was I supposed to do? Was I supposed to embrace her back? I looked to the older sibling. She just looked sadly at me in return.

”...Was it something I said?”

For whatever reason, her crying only grew stronger upon my saying that. I decided it might’ve been best not to say anything else, lest I’d upset the impossibly powerful princesses enough to finally forget their promise of peace and kill me already. They must really hate killing a lot, if they were willing to collapse like this before finally giving in. The hug, however, was what I found odd. Certainly she didn’t sympathize with me that much? It must’ve been a cultural thing.

Eventually, the older sister decided to try to pacify her younger one. ”Perhaps we could answer your questions later?”

I couldn’t answer. I wasn’t certain what was going on anymore... not like I ever did since this encounter’s beginning. Nothing made any sense. Truly, this was an entirely different world from my own.

I only nodded in reply, and they vanished. Leaving me alone again. My sanctuary was devoid of intrusion once more... but it somehow felt different now. It felt... empty.

Quite the pickle indeed.

We never stopped feeling the cool, winter night air within the cavern. When we left the nameless necromancer’s mental realm, we merely shifted our main focus back to the physical realm. As the world returned to our surroundings, the first thing that we were greeted with was a small colt clutching himself for warmth on the stone floor. Alone, in an alien world, afraid.

I picked him up and held him close. I could feel Tia wrapping around us both. I could only picture the warm smile on her face as she stroked my hair.

”What are we going to do?” I asked. I've had enough of being wrong for one night. Tonight had been just so... exhausting.

”Let’s get him into a bed for now. I can’t imagine sleeping in this cold is doing him any favors.”

It would appear that I will have to rely on her to take the lead for the rest of the night. Not like I thought she minded that much.

I nodded and dried my tears. I had no intention of letting our subjects see me upset. I needed to be stronger than this if I was ever going to surpass being considered the lesser of the royal sisters. I was grateful that Tia waited for me to finish. Then, with a flash of light, she brought us in the castle infirmary’s reception area.

There were a couple of ponies there, recovering from the surprise of having us appear without warning out of nowhere, most likely with no small amount of noise. From the bandage around one’s head, and the pale look on the other’s, they seemed to be patients waiting in line. Hopefully they didn’t mind having a child cut ahead of them. Hopefully no patients inside were woken up by our crackling entrance either.

”Your Highness! Is there something wrong?” A voice behind us sounded.

We turned around, and were happy to find one of the staff, already approaching from down the hall.

”Doctor Seam,” Tia started. ”Sorry to drop in like this. We’d like to bring someone in for recovery.”

As the good doctor came close enough, he appeared to have noticed our charge. His eyes widened in shock and he turned his head away to shout ”Sweet Heart! Plaster! Prep a bed in one of the pediatric areas stat!”, then he hurried over to us pulling out a crystal-point light pen.

”You said recovery? What happened to him?” he asked us carefully, to which my sister answered patiently in kind.

”It’s a long story. I’m afraid the light pen won’t be of any use to anyone.”

Once she finished, the good doctor let out a long, drawn-out breath, put a hoof over the colt’s forehead and pulled the eyelids back. He only offered us a short, harsh, expectant look as he then placed his pen back and pulled off his stethoscope.

”Fortunately, he doesn’t seem to be missing a heart as well. His beating is only a bit fast, but nothing abnormal. Let’s just get him in a bed, and you can tell me your long story.”

Doctor Seamless was a very respected medical sage in Canterlot. If I were capable of illness, or wounded, I wouldn’t ask for anypony better to depend on. I’m certain Celestia shared that sentiment, judging by the relief apparent on her face.

He had a dark green coat with maroon hair, going gray with age. Under his uniform was a needle and thread, a red drop of blood on the needle’s tip.

We followed him through the clinic. I took to appeasing his worries, considering it on the safe side to offer him at least half of the truth.

”The foal we’ve brought is actually a traveler from a different world. There have been complications during transit. He shouldn’t be in any mortal danger, however we’d still like to be certain that there's nothing we'd missed.”

”Another world?" he asked, eying me with no small share of skepticism. "All right, another world. It's not the wildest revelation. What about the eyes, though?”

”We’re hoping he’ll be able to tell us himself soon enough.”

We entered one of the recovery quarters. Its walls had dragons and teddy bears drawn on them. Inside were four beds, each presenting a chair on one side and a table attached on the other, noticeably bigger than your average nightstand.

Next to one of the beds and facing its respective... table, was a pink maned, tan unicorn mare. Her horn was glowing a taffy pink as she was working on a tri-pronged crystal contraption encased within a glass dome, placed on said table. The tri-pronged crystal presented two smaller crystals at its base, inserted into conspicuous slots.

Another nurse, this one a brown earth stallion with muddy yellow hair, came in after us carrying a saddlebag with multiple serums inside. He offered a short bow, but didn't slow down much at all on his way to joining his candy-colored colleague and gently pulling his bags off.

Dr. Seam beckoned us to lay the colt in the bed they were preparing. Once we did, his horn started glowing, emanating a muddy green glow that surrounded the colt.

”There doesn’t seem to be anything wrong with him, besides the obvious lack of eyes. No unseen injuries, no sickness or magically induced impairment... There does seem to be an enchantment focused on his mind, but it doesn't seem to be either hurting or hindering him in any way. However, it seems to be quite..." He trailed off, eyes widening and face going pale. That couldn't be good.

"Quite what?" I asked.

"Well," the doctor responded, his voice trembling nervously. "It's not harming him... it's actually made up of several defensive seals against unwanted intrusion or magical assault. But that doesn't mean it's harmless. Far from it. One command in question would appear to be an... inactive kill-switch."

The two nurses stopped their work to stare incredulously. They most likely thought they probably just misheard that last part. Celestia and I, however, knew better.

"What are its parameters?" I asked. The doctor seemed faint, but he obliged.

"It would appear to have two, actually. First one being a direct trigger, apparently this colt could, technically, do it any time he'd..." he choked.

"The second one?"

"...It would seem that the second parameter is a failsafe against any kind of magical tampering that would affect his mind(*). For whatever reason, someone decided they'd rather have this boy die than lose his senses.”

It sounded a bit... much, but I sympathized. I could understand the train of thought the nec... our guest was following. Celestia seemed to share my supposition as well. Doctor Seam, on the other hoof, had no idea what was going on. What's more, for all that he knew, he was essentially waving a candle around in an ammunitions room.

"Perhaps it would be best if you only administered a rest and recovery serum to him. Through the gems. And nothing else."

He nodded, then gestured for the nurses to start working on the concoction while he sat down and tried convincing his heart to stop trying to burst out of his chest.

The male nurse chose and picked out certain bottles out of his bags, which his unicorn colleague would take up and measure carefully as she mixed them into a larger, runed jug.

Once the two nurses were done mixing their... whatever it was, they sealed the container, pulled out one of the smaller gems from the larger tri-pronged crystal and placed it into an aperture on the jug. Doctor Seam then took the second one of the two smaller gems and strapped it to the unconscious newcomer’s foreleg. The tri-pronged intermediary then started to glow, together with the other smaller gems, signaling the process of transfusing the substance into the foal’s bloodstream.

I can’t say I remembered such a contraption being used before I was exiled. Apparently it was something that our own ponies figured out during my time away, that they could manufacture crystals which could be used in a wide variety of ways, though imports from the Crystal Empire were far more sought after. Once the kingdom returned, of course.

It was well known that crystals could be enhanced with many different types of magic. With this discovery, the crystal ponies found themselves in the centerlight of not only many business propositions, but also many political demands as well.

It was surprising how many nations took offense to our helping them establish their presence again. So many sour over not being able to bully the kingdom into submission, so many faking indignation and pretending to be threatened, making us out as aggressive invaders annexing them. The nerve!

Leaving the exciting matters of politics aside(**), there wasn’t much left to do for us. We brought our guest to safety, the doctor and his helpers did all they could to make him as comfortable as possible, then they left to tend to the other patients. Leaving us to wait for him to wake up. And from the looks of the complexity of the spell still affecting him, one could only assume how long it was going to take.

My sister seemed fascinated by the intricacies of the spell. ”It would appear he was quite thorough when he designed this spell. It’s not leaving any loose ends at all.”

”How do you mean?” I asked.

”You do remember, an alicorn mind is built quite differently from that of any other kind of pony, let alone from an alien creature.”

I blinked in surprise. I studied the spell in further detail, and surely enough, I found its commands to back up Tia’s claims. His mind was, indeed, being changed into that of an immortal alicorn. It was being recreated to withstand the tides of eternity, as well as becoming connected to the magical aethers and spiritual realms in ways one could only fail to describe with simple words.

Celestia had all the reason in the world to be impressed. To say that what we were seeing was amazing would be an understatement. We were witnessing nothing short of a miracle.

”...So he’s truly becoming one of our own?”

”I know. Quite the pickle, isn’t it?”

”Celestia, he’s becoming an alicorn! There’s four of us now!”

”A male alicorn, to boot.”

'...Oh.'

I stared back at the sleeping colt.

'Quite the pickle indeed.'

”Let’s just put a pin in this matter and leave it for later discussion... Preferably never.”

I only received a mischievous smile in response. I took a few steps forward and snapped at her, ”No! You are not plotting anything this time, Celestia! I mean it!”

She gestured with her hoof in a placating manner, continuing her smiling like she always does in order to get her way. It was infuriating as always, mainly because it keeps working, this time being to exception.

”Let’s just deal with the matters at hoof for now,” she answered, her smile dissolving into concern. ”I can only imagine how difficult it must be for you.”

”I’m fine. I was just caught a bit off-guard was all,” I said, taking a few steps to the side, before continuing. ”I was actually rather concerned with you myself.”

”I wasn’t the one who started crying.”

”Was that how you felt when you lost me?” I ignored her and asked simply, enjoying the sight of discomfort taking up her features instead of mine for once.

In all seriousness, however. Back in the newcomer’s mental realm, I could only imagine what was going through her head when she saw those children’s corpses. I even got a sample, from the distant, buried recollections being resurfaced and drifting through.

Celestia asked me, ”...Was I really that transparent?”

”You looked as if you were about to lose your lunch. I’d have said something then and there, but you started speaking first, surprised that his world really was as cruel as it was.”

She sighed. ”There were a couple things going through my head at the time.” She looked away to the doorway. I closed it with my magic and walked her over to one of the empty beds where I sat at its edge. She chuckled and sat next to me before going on. ”I can’t remember us ever being so close before things went apart.”

”We’ve talked about what happened back then over a hundred times. None of it was your fault!”

”It was. I should’ve seen what was happening to you.”

I huffed. ”If you didn’t see it, then that was my fault. I should’ve been more open back then.” I brushed my head against her chest. She returned the gesture, locking her head over mine. ”I know better now.”

She sighed. It would seem we didn’t quite cover everything in our over a hundred or so talks. I couldn’t blame her.
All our lives, we only had each other. Why was she so upset? I was the one who abandoned her for a thousand years.

”I thought I lost you forever,” she whispered.

Little known fact, I was originally intended to be bound into the moon for eternity. From what I heard, it took her no small amount of effort to shorten my sentence.

”What’s ailing you?” I pushed further, then jested. ”I’d rather not have you turn into a Nightmare as well. Even if maybe I deserve at least that much...”

”Hush now. I’m not going to hear it.”

”Then start talking already.”

My insistence paid off.

”I suppose there’s not much chance for you to not have a solid idea of what went through my head when I saw our guest’s memories. Of the desolate feelings emanating from his recollecting himself finding his family lost forever. Of knowing that he was essentially responsible for what happened.” I was about to speak again, but she cut me off with a hoof on my lips. ”Before you start, I’m sorry, but it’s just how I feel. I was the one who used the Elements against you. I was the one who failed to take meaningful measures to protect you. The same way, he was the one who angered his king, and he was the one who failed to arrive home in time to protect his family. Taking that into consideration, we both have something in common with him. Unlike our cases, however, he didn’t have anyone to help him.”

”Neither did you, back then...” I added.

”...That may be true, but I at least had hope to hold on to. And I eventually succeeded in gaining a second chance. Him, on the other hoof...”

”...Not so much.”

Tia let out a tired breath. ”To make matters worse, it would seem that his relatives no longer even remember his name from beyond the grave. I can only imagine how it might’ve been for his parents to suddenly forget their own child’s face.”

”We have more than enough strings to pull in order to find a solution to that. We'll figure something out. I’m also certain his family will be overjoyed to see him again. Furthermore," I drew away and gave her a stern glare, "enough of that! You remember the name and face of every pony in our kingdom. I’m certain you can afford yourself to forget some of them after a few centuries.”

”Well, I do have to remember for the both of us," she chided playfully. "It just so happens that somepony can’t be helped to even remember the names of those in her own night guard.”

”Oh, bother. You’ve met one, you’ve met them all.”

Her crystal clear laughter always did warm my heart. I had half a mind to try denying my sanity and stop the moon in the sky again, only this time to just freeze time, and keep us here forever. Unfortunately, I actually had all of my faculties this time around.

We just made due with holding each other tight and trying to forget that this moment would have to end eventually.

Tia was the first to break the silence of the moment. ”...He will figure out sooner or later, you know.”

How truly poetic. It’s as they say, nothing good ever lasts forever.

I got up and regarded her evenly. ”About our seal? Not likely.”

”Are you willing to risk it?”

”He’s been alone his entire life. If we’re going to build up his trust in us, we will have to do it now. He doesn’t need to know, he needs to re-learn how to use magic anyway. We can guide him to abandon his former lifestyle. This is a good thing!”

”Withholding the truth is never a good thing,” she offered in rebuke.

”Neither is letting untruths plague your mind. He needs to stop seeing threats in every corner. He needs to trust us. And I need to trust you to not tell him until he’s ready.”

”Very well,” my sister sighed in defeat. ”I only pray he doesn’t find out before he’s ready, on his own.”

I honestly didn’t need her insisting so. I was fully aware of the risk I was taking. I decided to move on to the next subject rather than dwell any further. ”...You were especially smug and all-knowing when I returned in Canterlot. Pray tell, how much did you really know from the beginning?”

”Much less than you’d think, actually,” Tia answered absentmindedly.

I only glared in response to her answer. Tia smiled and held me tight. Oh well, I suppose I could let her off this time...

She didn't wait too long to continue, though. ”To be fair, I wasn’t going on much more than a hunch. From his behavior, his magical imprint and spiritual make-up, it was all just so out of the ordinary. Nothing was adding up. I was having a few ideas, but more than anything I realized that there had to be so much to this strange being, that we couldn’t possibly just disregard him. That maybe we could afford to at least hear him out first.”

”We were going to do it anyway,” I offered quickly.

”Were we now?” She eyed me critically, with a raised eyebrow and the crack of a smile.

”Yes!..."

More staring.

"...Okay, fine. Probably."

Still staring.

"...Maybe?”

She'd yet to relent. ”Truthfully now,” she finally asked, in her ever warm and gentle voice. No wonder our subjects like you more...

I only rolled my eyes and sighed in defeat. ”Truthfully, while we were approaching his location, all I could think about was how to vanquish him as quickly and efficiently as possible, before he could resort to any kind of trickery.”

She let off halfway, and remained at that. It seemed that she was not letting off entirely until I emptied the cup.

Not much for me to do but to just get it over with. This was getting ridiculous. ”...I also might’ve been looking forward to trying out some of my new, occult battle spells. But only because I never get to summon creatures from the abstract planes,” I half-whined.

”On a not entirely unrelated note," she chimed in ,"I think he might’ve visited one of the abstract planes... at least one, anyway. There was quite a distinguishable amount of residual energy specific to those places that he dragged here with him.”

”Oh dear... As if he hadn’t been through enough already. Like one last insult to injury.”

”And to think that you were going to assault him earlier tonight.”

”You can’t rightly blame me! His spiritual energy screamed evildoer!”

”And it still does.” Her tone had turned strict, she let me move away to stand at better attention ”You’ve seen it as well. He shows great promise, but also great potential for evil. You've seen as much as I did within his mind. Perhaps you've seen even more. He’s nothing like the other enemies we’ve faced before. He’s hardened, cold and relentless. He went through hell and did unspeakable things. He’s every bit as cruel as Sombra, as ruthless as Tirek and as unpredictable as Discord. He has the potential to become worse than any enemy we’ve ever faced before... or greater than both of us combined.”

”Your words ring true as always, sister. Rest assured, however. I’m not likely to lose sight of any of this any time soon.”

She nodded reassured, then lay in bed. I lay beside her, after checking on the colt’s physical and magical states. Surely enough, he was still sleeping, and his magical binds were undisturbed as of yet.

I continued, "I choose to think of this less as a gamble, and more as a win-win situation. Either we help him become better, or we become forced to use the Elements to imprison him. He’ll still be alive, which will be more than what he could say about what his fellow humans would’ve wished for him...” I sighed. ”Can you truly believe what they’ve done to him?”

”I’ve studied humans, Luna. We both have. But until tonight, I was never aware of the extent of the cruelty they’re capable of.”

”Indeed. No wonder they’re so wide-spread through reality. They’re more versatile than any creature, more... stubborn.”

”Not just that," Tia offered. "They’re capable of incredible cruelties, as well as mind-boggling kindness. But that’s not what drove me to wanting to help him.

”Humans can be cruel, but they’re not the only ones. All creatures are capable of cruelty. Even in our ponies, I’ve seen it. The potential.” All this time she continued to watch the colt warily, almost nervously.

She trailed off. I moved to better see her in the eye. ”Is that the other thing that made you almost lose your dinner?”

”You’re still dwelling on that?” my sister offered, smiling tiredly.

”It’s not every day I see you finally drop your holier-than-thou attitude.” I brushed against her, eliciting a tired chuckle.

”I suppose I might’ve been caught a little off-guard as well. I always wondered what our ponies would be capable of. I was just not ready to finally see it tonight.”

”Why do you want to know so much?”

”Why else, but to learn from it.”

”...So you wish to learn from our guest?” I figured.

”I want to understand cruelty, true cruelty. I want to be able to know how anyone would ever be able to simply disconnect themselves to such a degree.”

”I’m not certain I want you to, sister.”

”It’s not out of no good reason. I want to understand it, so I can better counter it. So I can prevent it. I want to make sure what happened a thousand years ago never happens again. But also, I want to prove that even the darkest heart can be redeemed. That no matter how bleak it all seems, there’s a way to help others see the light.”

”You want to learn how to cure me of my Nightmare should I turn again?” I smirked.

”Or you me.” She brushed against me. ”Who knows? Eternity is a long time. Anything could happen.”

”Eternity is a long time...” I agreed, letting the moment stretch on.

Of course, Tia had to break the silence again. ”Perhaps we could afford extending our family.”

Her tone was rather suspect, I found. ”What’s that supposed to mean?” I eyed her carefully.

”Oh, nothing. I just thought you might be interested in guiding him more than anypony. After all, who else in all of Equestria knows what he’s been through better than you?”

I held down a shudder. ”I sense you’re getting at something, and I’m not sure I like it.”

She didn't miss a beat before answering. ”He’s a child now, Luna. He has the potential to change for the better, and he needs someone like you to build upon his miseries. Someone to nurture him.”

”...You want me to adopt him?” I raised an eyebrow.

”Do you not?” Her smile never fading.

The matter actually caught me by surprise. ”I... don’t know. I don’t know if I can, I...”

”Luna. Sweet sister. Trust me on this. If there ever was anypony who could help him, that pony couldn’t hold a candle to you.”

I got up on my haunches, as did Tia. Truth be told, this wasn’t the first time I was a mother. And during my exile, Celestia had time to add a couple more relationships under her belt as well. But this was different. He was not really a child, technically. Then again...

”What about his psyche? His physical body and mind are turning into those of a child. What would happen to the rest of him?”

”I think we both can put two and two together. His soul and memories will remain mostly the same, but his physiology will correspond to that of a normal alicorn colt.”

”This is all just unbelievable. It’s...”

”...Overwhelming?” Tia chimed in.

”...I need to get adoption papers. Give him a name... Rework my schedule! I can’t take care of a child if I’m too busy working nights! I need to reorganize the night guard, reschedule night court, make a public introduction...”

”We can both work on all of that tomorrow. For now, I think you’ll agree that his own introduction to his new world would hold more priority.”

I then noticed that she was looking persistently towards where our guest was in his bed. I followed where she was looking, and found him awake and up, trying to look our way despite having neither eyes nor active magic.

He looked aggravated, and sounded the same in his next words, ”Var abver ninua, sze?”(***)

Author's Notes:

(*) 'Actually, it's designed less to kick in if, say, a magical fly farted the wrong way near my head, and more to kick in right before my very last defensive measure were to collapse.
'And no, I didn't forget to deactivate that little failsafe before leaving my last world. I had no idea where I was going, and I'd rather just die already than become some sort of mindless slave, or mad ghoul, or whatever. Or worse, have someone gain access to my knowledge of dark magic.
'Yes, I designed that. How else was I going to save my memories if my own mind was compromised? Oh, don't be like that. It actually saved my... well... not my life, but my senses, on more than a few occasions.'

(**)
'The political game certainly hadn’t changed since its establishment. Greedy, self-important bastards always claiming they deserved more than they could ever make use of.
'You’d think they’d have more sense than to try to bully someone who could leave the sun out a few hours too many over their territories or evaporate them in solar plasma rays, or who could control the tides and deny them of their sleep should they be pushed too far. You’d be amazed at the brass the Prench ambassador had, let alone the representatives of the Griphon Kingdoms.
'Of course, one can always count on a politician to either spin the facts, or insist that they deserve the shirt on your back, or bark up a storm in order to use some obscure leeway to skin you alive if possible. Also, if possible, literally. But in the end, we all agree to settle our differences within the meeting.
'Which, surprisingly enough, usually leads to entertainment and catharsis for everyone involved. And a few black eyes and impromptu relationships.
'The political game hasn't changed one bit.'

(***)
Translation within the next chapter.

Before you accuse misanthropy, what I was going for in Celestia's speech about us having all that potential, "He’s every bit as cruel as Sombra, as ruthless as Tirek and as unpredictable as Discord." Here's a thing. We had Hitler, Attila the Hun and, I dunno, let's say George Carlin respectively. Carlin was unpredictable, wasn't he? As for the other side of the spectrum, for the people who are capable of "mind-boggling kindness"(as well as nobility, I couldn't quite fit that in), us humans also have not only the many people who did the few dozen attempts on Hitler's life (apparently the bastard had the devil's luck), but also Nobel, Anne Frank, Buddha, etc. So, we cool? Or do I need to elaborate further?
To further my point, watch "Valkyrie" and "The imitation game". Not because they’re some awesomely enlightening cultural products, but because they’re just pretty damn cool, as well as pretty darn inspiring. Peeps be comin' in all shapes n' sizes.

Anyway. As a general idea, Necky would normally pronounce the j's sharper, and roll his r's. Ponies tend to talk more "h"-oriented. "Hje" becomes "hie" and they even go as far as making their r's more guttural.

You're kidding me, right?

I couldn’t think during my synching. If I wanted my spell to run its course, I’d need to finally give in and let myself fade into complete unconsciousness. It might’ve left me vulnerable, but at least it seemed that somehow, I didn’t understand how, but somehow, I was safe from harm. Those two sovereigns wanted something from me. I didn’t know what, but I was going to find out soon enough.

Coincidentally, my mental seals were capable of keeping my mind from succumbing to any kind of unwanted changes of any physical, chemical, physiological or magical nature, including the particular way in which I’ve been physically changed. My physical mind was that of a naive, curious, vulnerable child, but my soul was still my own. Over the course of decades, I’ve inscribed defenses to protect the latter, as well as the former. They carried over, given specifications. If it weren’t for my precautions, not only would it have taken me the whole night to synch, but I would’ve also ended up sharing the mentality of what body I now had. I’ve gone through the process of growing up once, I had absolutely no intention of living through it again.

I focused on what mattered. My body felt healthy, no injuries were apparent. It appeared that they had no intention of causing me physical harm while I was unconscious. It also appeared that I was, indeed, no longer human. Which was something I had initially planned at from the beginning. What I did not take into consideration, however, was that my spell would do what it did. Being told that I’d turned into a child took me by shock.

I could sense the sheets pressing against my skin, only that it felt different. There was something in the way. I was covered entirely by a soft material wrapped tightly, but without any pressure, around me. I then figured that was how having fur had to feel like. I could also feel a number of other things. I could smell something odd in the air. Something synthetic, chemical. It was not an unpleasant smell, but I just couldn’t place what it was.(*)

I was resting comfortably on my back, apparently. I could also feel a source of magical energy wrapped around one of my... limbs. Pumping some sort of soothing concoction into my blood. My necromantic wards kicked in, but apparently I wasn’t poisoned yet. Only sedated. Also, it seemed that I was going to have to get used to human-equine dichotomy.

Before I could feel the energy around my... foreleg, I guessed? Before that, I could feel two marginally more massive sources of power. They were the same as those of the princesses from earlier that night, only this time I couldn’t... feel their spiritual energies. That was disconcerting.

I forced myself heavily upon my haunches, noting the differences in my new range of motion and the grogginess I was feeling. I supposed that whatever was running through my veins was some pretty solid stuff.

I conjured my vision spell, but it felt different. Like a glove I couldn’t fit anymore. As opposed to the previous times I reanimated, this time I didn’t have a hand at all to pull and stretch the glove around... metaphorically, not literally. Literally I had no hands to begin with. I tried again, and again it was to no avail. Apparently I would have to relearn everything all over again. Bloody new body...

I removed most of the spell’s parameters, only leaving its barebone photographic component. The image would barely have any clarity either.

I focused. Nothing happened. I focused harder. I didn’t care if I was going to blow a fuse, I was going to see where I was. I poked around. I pushed in all directions, then pulled, then stretched. Eventually, something happened. The spell worked!... But the resulting information I received was pathetic. Just two vaguely equine shapes to my right. I couldn’t even make heads or tails of the bed I felt under me. It seemed there were quite a few differences in fuel type which I would need to learn to compensate for.(**)

All the while I was listening to what they were saying. It sounded... ridiculous.

It was unique. The best way to describe it, however, would be kind of what one would imagine a horse trying to speak Elvish would sound like. Honestly, even hobgoblins sounded more respectable. Even centaurs would speak their nomadic languages in a semblance to humanoid pronunciation. Theirs was just too silly. Too... horsey. Too seely. Then again, upon considering it better, it did make sense. Their race developed their own specialized language, with their own physiologies and traditions taken into consideration. I honestly had no place to expect anything else.

”...Hoenje gahihrae bo’doho, gahenje nir’doho, hein bvriri ne...”

...But I still didn’t like it.

I didn’t bother trying to figure out what Celestia (judging by voice) said next. I just stared in their general direction, trying to project my disapproval. And considering the fact that neither of them exploded... oh well. Suppose forcing them into silence will have to suffice.
Once they stopped talking, I decided to give them a bit of my own language.

”You’re kidding me, right?”

Surely enough, the voice that came out was similar to that of a child. I’ll complain about it as soon as I don’t have any more important things to do. Also surely enough, some of the letters failed to roll off the same, even though the teeth didn’t seem that different. My canines weren’t as sharp, but they were still most definitely there.

I was not looking forward to having horse teeth. Finding myself to have evaded such a fate made me feel immensely relieved.

The silence was driving me up the walls. What were they thinking? What were they planning? I tried to re-activate my spiritual senses, and failed. It seemed as though I was right in my earlier supposition... although I had no idea how right I really was. This new body was built to accumulate a completely different type of primal arcana, and to use what it did have at its disposal as effectively as possible. I could actually feel the energy coursing through my whole body, but I simply didn’t know what to do with it.

...It made me wonder. If I were to try manufacturing a new reanimation gem, how likely was I to blow myself up in the process?
Answer: Not very likely. I would’ve probably just wounded myself lethally in a far less dramatic fashion, or misshapen myself painfully to the point of being unfit to survive any longer than a few minutes...

I shuddered at the thought of being turned inside out and torn sideways. Again. It was not pleasant the first time around, nor was it any better the last time around.

I felt energy being focused by one of the two sources of power, namely the one which appeared to share Luna’s voice. Then there was an enchantment trying to breach through to my mind, this time actually activating and being halted by my seals, non-violently. I let it through.
It appeared my mental seals still held. I suppose they counted enough towards being part of my spirit that they carried over.

"I am thankful that you allowed me enough leeway for a language spell. By the way, my sister and I were hoping that you didn’t intend on killing yourself any time soon.”

’Huh. So they found out about that.’ I mused to myself, thankful that they could no longer hear my thoughts anymore. I quickly got my head in the game and returned the younger sister's snide attitude. ”Hello again to you too. Thanks for not killing me yet. I appreciate it. Regarding my kill-switch, though, to be completely honest, it saved my sanity more than a few dozen times. Also, you’d be surprised how many times I needed to either discard my body after sufficient non-lethal trauma was inflicted, or to use it as a decoy to keep my new body safe. In a more important order of business, however, please tell me I’m not currently speaking in your language.”

Luna was surprised. I was actually surprised myself at how taken aback she was. ”...What’s that supposed to mean? What do you have against our language?”

”A few things, actually. Three to be precise. Seems to be a theme of threes going on. Oh well.

”First issue, no offense, but your language sounded like a horse was trying to speak Elvish, which is ridiculous in and of itself. Second, I hate elves. Third, why aren’t you speaking in my language instead? What makes you so special?”

”But... How does that even...” her confused stuttering was cut short when she saw me smirking and heard her sister chuckling.

She let out a frustrated huff as she walked around the side of the bed and seated herself onto a chair on my left, recovering her composure as she rounded me, ”Be that as it may, you’ve yet to answer my question.”

”I just did. I told you I don’t have anything against your language, though perhaps you were expecting a different type of answer?”

”Not that! Abo-”

”I don’t know,” I interrupted her. Simply. Calmly. No cause for alarm. It’s just that, she meant well, I could tell. But I honestly didn’t know the answer to that question, which scared me.

”I can't enchant a gem. I can’t engage the incantation for my Reanimation spell just before dying either. I can’t use magic here... But what I can do is make sure that none of this dark knowledge lands in the wrong hands,” I said, tapping the side of my head. They remained silent for long enough for me to decide to continue.

”It’s mine. I’ve shed my veins dry far too many times for the sake of understanding the workings of life and death. Having some random idiot use them to terrorize the countryside would not only be a gross misuse, but also an indignity to the point I was trying to prove.”

”...And what point might that be?” Luna asked, and I smiled.

'How should I go about having as much fun with this as possible,' I asked myself. I would certainly love to conflict with their undoubtedly shallow ideals of right and wrong. Good and evil... Or, I could be more subtle, see their own views first. Force them to realize the errors of their ways on their own, and see if they had the courage to admit their lesson.

At this point, I was running 17982 to 63 times, where the latter ones numbered admitted that perhaps they didn't know as much as they thought they did, whereas the former didn't give a toss and condemned me and my craft anyway, because they were not able to comprehend that there was more to the world than what little amount of self-serving philosophies they fashioned for themselves.

Let’s take it slow at first. I’m quite curious regarding my new... keepers, after all.

”Tell me. What are your views on my powers?”

”What is there to say? Necromancy is generally used to control dead bodies, or inflict pain or death on the living. What else is there?”

”Is that honestly all that you know of it?”

”If you’re referring to its crude, painful abilities to mend flesh and bone, there are many other schools of magic that do that less excruciatingly. Its schools of pain control are no better either. You could either cause it or mitigate it, and the latter is only done superficially. The mind no longer registers the discomfort, but the body and soul still do. You might’ve changed your body, but your soul retains its scars.

”Necromancy can further be used in order to establish contact with the spirits of the dearly departed, but it’s never worth the endeavor. The spirit experiences pain when they get ripped out of their due rest, and the caster often loses a part of themselves in the process.

”Finally, it’s a form of the dark arts, and our kind can’t use it without repercussion. Anypony who does risks their life, their mind and their soul.”

”Seems you’ve done your homework," I finally spoke. "I imagine you know everything there is to know about necromancy.”

”Please, don’t play games with me. I’m not in the mood. What are you getting at?”

’Touchy.’ ”Very well, I’ll cut to the chase. You seem very self assured of these side effects. Are there any documented cases of your people actually dying, or going insane, or losing their soul...”

”Yes,” she cut in.

”...caused as an unexpected side effect of the spell, rather than what the spell had as an initial, well defined condition? Or if it was something they could’ve avoided, but failed to for some petty reason or another?” I finished.

”Petty? Ponies are in Hell for using these spells!”

”Have you checked?” I responded.

That appeared to take the wind out of her sails. ”I... well, no.”

Saying that as if it's within their abilities? Interesting. ”Then how can you be so sure? You’re insisting that necromancy has nothing redeemable to it. You’ve studied it extensively and found how destructive it can be, but only skimmed over its practical applications through responsible usage?”

”Maybe I did. I doubt there was anything important either way.”

...To quote a dwarven friend I once had, 'The lass be lookin’ fer trouble.' The context might not be the same, but I still think it’s fitting enough.

”It offered me the possibility to not only preserve my soul, but also build a new body. Is being able to come back from the dead not important enough? I could use it to strengthen the bone structure, regenerate wounds quicker and more seamlessly than any other restoration spell and counter any illness, poison or toxin. Does that count towards nothing as well? It might’ve been painful, but it saved me from permanent death for a century and a half! And that’s not even covering the usefulness through cross-referencing other schools of magic!”(***)

I was on a roll. I didn’t even wait for them to ask me to continue, I couldn’t care what further detestable dribble she might wish to spew out. I was not stopping until either I stopped breathing or was done talking. Whichever came first.

”Necromancy, as with all magical fields of study, opens up countless applications! If a necromancer and a druid were to sit down and compare notes, odds are one of them would learn how to heal a burnt forest, while the other would be able to learn how to turn into a werewolf, at least.

”Even destructive fields of study offer positive gains. Crossing into pyromancy could, theoretically, teach how to render flesh resistant to both extreme heat and cold. It could even teach how to control and combat djinn. Similarly, any of the other schools of elementalism would allow to better combat semi-elemental spirits from the respective orientation.

”Mephits being partly made up of whatever elemental state they’re in at the time, they’re incredibly hard to deal with by a master of either school. But once I figured out how to create a mere spark, dealing with their fire form was made immensely easier! Tempests are exclusively air spirits, and although they’re made up almost entirely as elemental and I could barely create a gust strong enough to blow out a candle, the bastard didn’t stand a chance! Even wendigos, who would usually require a specific method of exorcism, who would otherwise just use you as its new host even if you defeated it, even their ridiculous immunities no longer mattered worth scabs once I relied on my knowledge of both air and water elementalism. The list goes on, these were only a few examples.

”I could cross it with scrying in order to not only detect the spirits of the living or the dead, but make out the signs of emotional pain, then later any other emotion. I could eventually distinguish their personality and composure if I were to focus enough.” (1)

”Necromancy could even be crossed with schools that aren’t entirely magical. It offers insight into alchemy, leading to many poisons, but also many more cures. I once used spider venom to create an acid that could eat through lead, and another time I created a cure for rabies.

”The possibilities are endless, just imagine what someone could achieve through decent, encouraged, well-funded cross-study into restoration spells!

”Now tell me, princess, does none of that seem important to you at all? Does even one of those things I listed seem like a waste of time? Do you still believe that my craft, to which I’ve dedicated my entire life, was POINTLESS?!”

There was only the sound of my heavy breathing for a while. All I could gather was that I may have taken them by surprise with my... conviction. I took a calming breath, "All I want, the point I wish to make, is that the craft which I've dedicated my life to, the one which I've been condemned for, is valid. That is all."

The break in speech stretched for a while longer. Eventually, the younger royal deemed the break long enough.

”Perhaps I was out of line. I’m sorry.”

’How surprising. The dignified royal deemed to lower herself off her self-important high shelf. I'd call this a miracle, but I know better. This is actually a bit of a turn-off though, we had a perfectly usable conflict set up! This is just disappointing...

’Oh well. Fair's fair. 64.’

Renewed silence followed, this time of a more awkward variety. It took Celestia to break it. ”...So were your seals a product of your cross-studies?”

”Yes,” I sighed, ”and no. The seals were of my own design, but nothing else was. Turns out there was one school of magic that happened to reach into the spiritual aspects of necromancy without the need for prior knowledge in the field. Shamanism has a branch called Spiritism, which deals with the spiritual realm only slightly differently from mine. I only happened upon a nomadic tribe once, who didn’t know who I was. Their elder was more than happy to share his knowledge with someone willing to listen.”

”Something happened, didn’t it?” the older royal asked.

Funny. I could’ve sworn I didn’t give anything away. It appeared that the sun princess was more insightful than one might think.
I slumped my head a bit. I don’t like dwelling.

”They were good people. They did nothing wrong. Their only mistake was finding me wounded and dying in the forest, then taking me in. Apparently that was more than enough excuse for the king’s men to have them all slaughtered.”
More silence. I just took to talking about anything that came to mind.

”From my newfound knowledge of spiritism, and with no small help from the shaman who continued to teach me from beyond the grave, I then managed to come up with ways to detect spiritual energy even more efficiently than I would magical energy. In a meditative state, I could technically find anyone on the planet. Later, I learned how to leave my body and speak to said people, continents away, then later still how to possess other beings. It took me no small amount of studying the Lich’s Pact spell to reverse engineer it, then cross my findings with my knowledge from spiritism to finally arrive with my Reanimation spell. Where I got the Lich’s Pact, well, that’s a tale and a half.”

After I finished, Celestia apparently allowed herself to escape a hearty, charming yawn. ”A tale which I look forward to hearing at another time. For now, I’ll be going back to bed.”

She took a few steps towards the door before her sister questioned her in surprise, ”Are you serious? Someone tells you about the time he inadvertently led to the death of an entire clan, and you’re worried about your sleeping schedule?”

”Everything he told us this far has been either one form of tragedy or another. It doesn’t make any of it any less tragic, but if that’s all that we’ll be doing tonight, then I’m certain you can handle it on your own. At least one of us needs to oversee tomorrow’s meetings, and I’m not doing it half asleep.”

This actually drew a bit of laughter out of me. ”Good to see at least one of you has her priorities straight.”

”...What?!” Luna practically shrieked. ”I don’t understand! How can you be so callous?”

”Because it’s as your sister said. Throughout my life I've gone through tragedies abound, difficulties that required a certain outlook to survive. Either I grew a thicker skin, or I would've died, or I would’ve gone even more insane than I already have, which would've also, in turn, hindered my efforts to survive.”

”You can’t be serious...” She resigned herself.

”No, I could not. I just finished explaining that,” I added to the fire, furthering my point and eliciting a satisfyingly exasperated groan.

”All jokes aside,” Celestia eventually spoke in, ”I just wanted to ask a few things before leaving. You don’t have to answer them immediately, I just want you to consider them.”

I delayed only for a few moments. ”Fair enough. Ask away.”

She walked back to the foot of my bed. ”You’re in a different world. You do realize that, right? Anything could be possible here. I guarantee that if you look around, you will be surprised by what you find. Who knows? Maybe you’ll find that you don’t even need that awful spell looming around your neck? Maybe you’ll find that you can even afford the use of your own eyes again?”

Her words took a while to settle in my head. By the time I worked up enough sense to ask her how she knew about my eyes, she was already halfway through the doorway. ”Goodnight, Luna. I’m certain you two have much to discuss.”

There’s only so far insightfulness can reasonably go. If I didn’t know better, I would’ve thought she was reading my mind. But she couldn’t have, because there are only so many possible ley commands a spell like that could be made of, and her magic didn’t even activate the entire time, save for when she opened and closed the door.

I shook my head and groaned. I wasn’t one to be outdone. She’s trying to get under my skin? Very well. A challenge it is then.

May the best human non-royalty win.

”So,” I heard Luna say. ”What did she mean regarding your eyes?”

At least the younger sibling didn’t figure it out. I let out a sigh of relief. It would’ve been distressing to find I’d lost the ability to school my facial features.

Focusing again, I argued, ”She was referring to the matter of why I didn’t simply regrow my eyes by now.”

”I thought you just couldn’t.”

”Ha! I can regrow limbs and major organs. I can conjure skeletal constructs from thin air. I’ve experimented with corpses and sewn together abominations. What makes you think I can’t regrow a measly couple of eyes?”

”...Perhaps the fact that I didn’t know you could do any of those things until now?”

”...Oh. My mistake.”

”Don’t worry about it. Though I would’ve preferred it if I didn’t find out about your talents...” She sighed. ”Okay then. Why didn’t you just grow them back?”

”Because they’re a liability.” I could tell she was only more confused now. I set to explaining, ”You know the saying, the eyes are the window to the soul? What knowledge does a ruler of this land have on the matter?"

"I don't follow."

'No, it would seem you don't.' "Necromancy does tend to have a hazardous effect on the user's health, and the eyes are sensitive little gelatinous organs. But with the proper protections and rerouting of ley fields, I could reasonably preserve them healthy as can be. The only problem was the one of the eventual soul-eating beast(2), or Mana Overload curse, or any manner of other advanced illegal magic that could affect you on a spiritual or mental level, using said organs as intermediaries. Windows to the soul."

"...Oh."

'She certainly seems to follow now, going by her now-further-tired tone of voice.'

It did seem however that she did have the monumental willpower to, oh, talk at the same time of being sad. How valiant. 'Playing it a little thick, aren't we? Honestly, this may be a different world, but what kind of fanciful realm is she pretending to be a - wait. She and her sister presented themselves as protectors of this land. They also said their titles were that of princesses... what's their job then? Telepathy magic tends to be iffy on certain commonalities across cultures... This is going to gnaw at me forever. Oh wait, she was talking.' "Sorry, could you repeat that? My mind wandered a little further than usual."

She sighed and valiantly repeated herself despite being sad at the same time, "I was asking for more clarification as to why you would still choose to use your magic when it involved mutilating you in such a way, but in retrospect I figure you would merely offer more mean-spirited tangents in answer."

"That I would, yes."

She remained silent for a little while afterwards, though I could sort of distinguish motion and pressure around the edge of the bed. My guess would be that she was rubbing her temples, which made me smile...

”Either way, I’m sorry to hear you had to go through that. Both from others and... yourself.”

”Are you really?” I questioned.

”Yes,” she answered without a second's thought. ”Honestly, I’m sorry for everything that happened to you, and everything that you needed to do to survive. No one deserved to go through what you did.”

”Huh...” was all I could manage out. I had a number of things to say, but nothing quite fitting at the time. Either she was wrong, or lying. I didn’t know, and it was really starting to get me frustrated.

”You can grow your eyes back, you know. We’ve told you already, it’s safe here.”

Yes, they did. I wasn’t believing them any more, though.

I could only shift in my place. ”How about we leave this matter for later, for when I’m not still trying to place your motives. You’ve yet to answer the rest of my three questions, after all.”

Just then, there was a curt set of knocking at the door.

”Come in,” Luna offered, and in came... someone who I couldn’t see. Because I was blind. Duh.

”Your Highness, your sister sent for a chess table?” a girl asked. My guess was, a servant.

”She did?” Luna asked. I could feel her magic activating, taking hold of something in the air and floating it over to us. ”Thank you, servant. You may go.”

'Servant! Called it!... Ugh, I'm so bored.'

Author's Notes:

(*) He’d never been to a sanitized medical clinic. Back in his old world, the best he could find was the smell of freshly scraped gore coming from the floor of a church. The fact that he couldn’t hear moaning in pain or smell the infuriating smell of incense threw him off further.

(**) He was trying to say that where before he’d run on Diesel, now he only had Petrol and a Petrol engine at his disposal. Also, he did take into consideration the small, localized spell on his arm... or foreleg, as well as whatever was coursing through his veins. The magical energies he was actually referring to were resonating with him far more subtly, more profoundly (namely, it was spicing up his spiritual energies, sort of).
(***) Got that idea from Heroes of Might and Magic 5. Always loved how you could use skills from one school to improve those from others.
(1) In another order of ideas, alicorns can see even more of these spiritual and magical intricacies than Necky can. That’s why they could see all of that stuff about him when he first arrived, even though they had zero necromantic knowledge.
(2) Think of the Ghost Rider’s Penance Stare. It's like that in certain cases, thought more often than not the beastie cuts out the middleman and just eats its prey whole. Or maybe it sucks the soul out through some alternative means, like the heart, or the blood. Also, succubi and kappas are a thing. Also, magic in general is a thing. Like the Soul Eater enchantment on the knives that one rogue threw at the protagonist in chapter one.

An eventual question that I've covered and one might pose. Why are his seals still active? Well, to answer that question one would have to ask a better question. How were they going to remain active through the many magical interferences imaginable on the battlefield, or whilst on the torturer’s table?
He designed those enchantments to work independently, and to withstand Hell itself without any risk of malfunction. As long as they had some kind of magical fuel available, they would keep going.

Regarding the Princesses' runes, they didn't block out all of his magic. Only the harmful stuff.
Like I said in one of the comments. Don't think of it as a spell to counter spells. Consider it as a plug on his fuel hole. Or, snake venom, or more specifically the paralytic neurotoxins typically contained in their venom which they use for hunting. The way neurotoxins in general work is by inhibiting "inter-neuron communication", i.e. blocking out specific neural pathways, i.e. sometimes snakes like to eat stuff alive so their venom only stops their prey from moving their limbs, not their heart or lung muscles.
It's kind of like that. Only you know, instead of enzymes and neurons we have magical spells blocking magical outlets via magical magic bullshit complex principles pertaining to their universe's unique fundamental laws of physics. That's right, I'm going there. I just got my driver's license and I decided to head straight into the night at 80 mph. What's that? Headlights? What're those? Must've skimmed over that part of the manual.

Back to Necky's seals. Although saying they ”count enough towards being part of his soul” is a good explanation, it’s not entirely accurate. Those spells were nothing more than magical information, same way this message is an electrical array of ones and zeros. Once his spiritual defenses got inscribed, they stuck there like binary ink on digital paper. They don’t need magic to exist, but they do need it in order to function. Same way letters don’t need light to exist, but you do need it to reflect the letters back at your retina in order for you to be able to read them.

He didn't really need to let the princesses into a meeting within his mental realm in the first chapters. He actually wanted to find out what was happening either way.
Regarding the reason why the princesses could talk to him in the first place, that was because parley isn't an offensive mind-altering spell. He only designed his soul seals to protect him against either mind control, illusions, memory wiping or any other kind of mind-altering spell he could think of. Maybe there are a few things he didn't encounter yet?
Parley was an exception. He left that open primarily because he really, really likes conversation, but also because he often gets useful information from his gloating adversaries.

Luna has a medium-large freak-out moment reserved for later, shouting and demanding that Necky would drop his kill-switch. It's not happening during the next chapter, because there's something else scheduled there as well. It would require a bit more dedication and build-up. Said discussion should take half of an upcoming chapter's focus, so I gotta set it up right.

Long ago...

I wanted to convince him that he no longer needed his necromancy. Not because I was afraid that he’d find out what we’ve done, or because of my own personal opinion on the matter. There was actually a far more pressing concern that I had. Namely, the nature of pony magic.

Every pony has an affinity that affects them in far more ways than one might expect. It is a part of what they are. Similarly, alicorns have an affinity as well, if more acute than all the other kinds of ponies. Celestia doesn’t just get empowered by the sun, she is the sun... to a certain extent. She is the day the same way a bird is its singing, or the leaf is the tree it belongs to. Same way, I am far more than the night, the moon and the stars. I am me as well. I am a pony. I am fallible and flawed. I have my own emotions which come into conflict with those of the night itself. Where the sun only wishes to bring warmth and light, to see the world under it grow, the moon desires to be loved in its own right; To stand vigil and to inspire.

Necromancy is not an affinity that anyone should have. Or at least, that was what I believed. Now, I was not so certain. He surprised me once before, showing me there was more to himself. Then he surprised me again, showing me there was more to his craft. Perhaps if anyone could handle the darker nature of necromancy, it was him?

Regardless, before he could learn to be an alicorn, he needed to learn to be a pony. And before he could do that, he needed to put his demons to rest. Until then, he couldn’t be allowed to exercise any of his darker abilities, lest he’d establish a link to anything less than what I saw in him. There certainly were a number of things on the agenda. Perhaps it would've been best to focus on the moment at hoof. I’ve yet to convince him that he was safe. Answering his questions had been delayed quite enough, I imagined.

”It’s not easy to explain, you should know. It’s actually both complicated, as well as rather... personal.”

”But you do have an answer to give.” he retorted.

”A long-winded one, yes.”

He seemed to consider my words carefully. I lay in bed across from him, studying him intently, imagining that if I looked hard enough I might be able to decipher the information churning inside his head. I took this chance to propose an idea. ”How about we play a game? This way you get to know me better through it and I get time to mull my answer over more carefully.”

He stared at me impassively. You would think that someone without eyes wouldn’t be able to pull off a stare. You’d be wrong.

”Fine.” he finally answered, ”But I’m playing black.”

”...Are you sure you don’t want to go first?”

”Yes, I’m certain.” he stated with finality.

I forced down a sigh in disappointment. I like playing black as well. Oh well. Suppose I can’t be too disappointed. We’re still playing my second favorite game, I suppose switching my color from time to time can’t hurt.

Yes, princesses play games. We know how to have fun, even if the actual word wasn’t used a thousand years ago. We only called it ”entertainment”, or ”diversions”, or ”recreation”. Chess being only one in a wide array of ”fun” activities I’d have time for. Besides reading and writing poetry, there was always drawing, writing music, as well as organizing festivities...

Well, I used to organize festivities. Now, not so much. I’m trying to ease in for now.

Halfway through setting up, I realized something. ”How are you going to see the pieces?”

”Well,” the bodily impaired human offered, ”you could try guiding me on how to cast a basic sight spell again.”

”I’m afraid it doesn’t work that way. I could cast a visual link, however.”

”...Fair enough.”

I haven’t cast the spell in more than a millennia, but recalling the ley commands was simple enough regardless. I encountered some slight resistance, which quickly gave way just like when I cast the language link.

”So, is that what I look like?" the colt asked with a critical look on his face, shifting his head and hooves around like one would inspect themselves in the mirror.

”You sound disappointed.” I pointed out.

”Not really. I might be stuck in a defenseless child’s body, but I’m actually relieved. You’re not human, but you’re certainly not that disturbing aesthetically. Far from it.”

I finished placing the pieces, then jested, ”I am pleased to hear that you’re not horrified by your new, alien appearance.” I made my first move on the board.

”Considering the two worlds I went through before I found yours, I’d say I came out lucky. However...” His words cut off as he slowly, shakily, reached out with his hoof. He seemed to be having trouble getting his foreleg to go the right way. ”Not only am I still fine tuning my new range of motion, which isn’t any easier when you only have an inverted mirror image to guide you, but I have no idea how to pick anything up with these things. How did you even move that knight, anyway?”

I reached out and placed a fetlock over his, laying it back down. He seemed surprised by the gesture. ”Let’s leave the workings of unconventional magic(*) for later. Just tell me what move you want to make.”

”That felt... surprisingly gentler than one might expect a hoof to feel.” he offered, as he dragged his own hoof over to the back of his head and scratched awkwardly. ”I don’t even know how I’m doing this, either.”

”Trust me, it would require at least an hour of explaining. Let’s just focus on the game for now.”

He made his move, albeit a poor one at first glance. I briefly considered overlooking... and decided not to. I was curious at his choice of moves, and was repaid immediately for it.

I managed to cut my losses and keep going, although at the expense of a knight, a pawn and both bishops. He was certain to take as many spoils as he could carry. Afterwards, he was quick to coil back in like a snake.

He sported a very centralized defense, preferring to react over taking the offensive himself. However, despite his heavily control-oriented strategy, he made sure to keep things interesting with plenty of effective lures , similar to the one at the beginning. Rather, I poked and prodded his defense, looking for a weakness.

He didn’t speak much. Quite the change of pace, actually. I supposed he wanted to let me figure out my answer. I wasn’t going to come up with a satisfactory speech any time soon, however. So I considered we might as well sustain conversation.

”You do realize, you won’t be able to win unless you take the initiative.”

”I’m good.”

”You’re... good?” I stuttered, not understanding what he meant. ”Well, I was still trying to place you, but I wouldn’t go as far as ranking you as either completely good or evil. I...”

”Fool to B4. It’s a figure of speech. It means I’m okay without taking up on your offer. But still, go on. I am actually interested in whatever petty model of right and wrong you chose to follow.”

I sighed. I had no idea what he was on about this time, but I didn’t feel like fighting over philosophy. Perhaps another time.

”For what it’s worth, I don’t think you’re evil. Just... very lost in a dark place.”

”That so?” he asked, a cocky smirk on his face. ”What are you going to do? Try to guide me out of the dark?”

”Yes, actually.”

His smile faltered gradually, the rest of him slowly falling into a thoughtful expression.

The game slowed down, starting to resemble a fight of attrition instead. He eventually spoke again, more sedate this time.

”You’re not brilliant at thinking ahead. You can see obvious traps, but only as far as five moves ahead. You seem to prefer finding creative, if risky maneuvers instead of strategizing. That’s the only reason why you lasted this long. You will neither fully commit, nor fully disengage, but you always react in the least predictable manner.”

I didn’t take offense to his criticism. It was true, my gameplay thus far was less than impressive. I decided I’d rather confront him more sportsmarely. ”It’s a trick I learned from an old friend. The only way to beat a reactive, orderly type as yourself is to surprise them. A little chaos can go a long way. Check.”

One moment he looked as though he wanted eyes to widen, the next he was laughing heartily. As he calmed down, he spoke, casually, ”I suppose you’re right. I don’t quite like surprises much either. They’re the only way I ever get myself killed. Move the knight in the way, if you please.”

”...Huh.” was all I managed out awkwardly. ”So... is that why you’re so control-oriented?”

”The only reason I survived for the first few years before I perfected my Reanimation spell was because I made it a point to keep one step ahead of my enemies. It’s like you said, you can’t win if you don’t take the initiative. Fortune favors the bold, but there’s far more to success than initiative. It’s knowing when to strike and when it’s safer to fall back. When to lay a trap and when to lay in wait, studying your enemies for weaknesses. When to pick out the weaker links, when to go all in, and most importantly...” He lowered his head in focus, his horn glowing. I was surprised when he actually managed to move one of his pieces. I supposed he studied me doing it enough to figure out the gist of it himself. ”...when to set to control what the enemy does and does not notice. Check mate.”

I blinked. Somehow, I lost track of his queen.

"You're very good at keeping people distracted," I noted. I simply failed to keep note of everything that was happening in the game. He hadn’t used the piece for a while, leaving it to fade into the background.

”Nice example.” I offered, genuinely impressed despite knowing full well that he just demonstrated one of his methods of taking down any number of enemies before now. ”And well done with your first levitation spell.”

”It was actually surprisingly easier than it was before I changed shape. Normally, I could barely levitate anything heavier than a set of keys, on a good day.”

”Wait. You can cross necromancy with multiple other fields, but-”

”-But I’m no good in most of those fields.” he finished for me. ”It actually took me a fair amount of toils to figure out my divination spells. The only reason why I could sense spirits at all was because of how heavily on the necromantic side it really was.”

”You mean you couldn’t use any magic?”

”When using any of the schools of magic, one needs to be in the right states of mind and emotion. Once you picked out one school, you would need to unlearn it before you could practice any other type of magic. I never had time for such an endeavor. Whenever I did try to use other schools anyway, I would receive mixed results. My pyromancy often backfired, for one thing. Always had trouble maintaining a stable flame.”

”You’re surprisingly forthcoming with your capabilities. If I didn’t know better I would’ve thought you were starting to trust me.” I spoke casually, and was satisfied to receive a sufficiently panicked reaction from him.

”I’m only sustaining conversation!” he snapped back quickly. ”There isn’t even any point in keeping these things secret anyway. I can’t use magic, so I don’t have any reason to dodge your questions. After all, it would seem that I’m not going to be able to use any of them any time soon, and will have to re-learn everything all over again anyway. Perhaps I could even bother with a few pointers...”

”Perhaps if you’re good.” I jested.

He raised an eyebrow in confusion before continuing, ”Regarding my combat strategies, they are all well and good to hear, but you need to learn what they entail on your own in order to truly understand them."

He sighed, ”In the end, I was just happy to chat. I haven’t had a decent conversation partner in a few years. At least not anyone living, anyway...”

’I really did not need to hear that last part. I suppose he only had his mindless, skeleton minions to talk to for years on end? Really?... He’s probably just forgetting to specify something. He certainly doesn’t seem THAT insane.’

I regathered myself. ”...You’re surprisingly sane for someone who went through such a long time without social interaction.”

”Am I? My mistake, I’ll try harder.”

Okay, that time was actually rather funny.

”Do you have an answer for me yet?” he asked me.

I stared at the pieces on the table for a bit, at the fallen pawns and surrounded king. I finally spoke as I started putting them away. ”I do. But before I get to it, there is a matter which I wish you to consider. I imagine you’ve asked yourself this for your entire life, but, what do you believe was the reason for why those people persecuted you?”

He put a surprising amount of thought into my question. He cocked his head to the side, and after a few seconds, asked, ”Do you want the long-winded answer, or the overly simplified answer?”

”Take as long as you want.” I answered, closing the chess table and placing it in another bed.

”I’d rather not take at all...” he sighed. ”I usually prefer not thinking about it, but you’re right. I did give it a lot of thought regardless.

"At first, I just came up with an overly narrow-minded answer. Simply, they did it because of interest. Because they were given an attractive enough offer, to kill for money they desired. Because they cared about coin, or their own livelyhood over petty morals. After all, why be nice when being a selfish bastard is so much more rewarding? At first, I thought that I was a magnet for the worst of the worst. But then, I learned something after I had more opportunities to look around and think. Apparently, I brought out the worst of others, and then I started to ask questions. To see what was going on inside their heads.”

”You wanted to understand why they hated you?”

”I did, but only for the sole purpose of figuring out how to use that hatred to my advantage. After all, a clouded mind is easier to anticipate and control.”

‘Is he serious? His peers hated him, and of all things, that's why he wanted to know why?’

I sighed. “…What did you find out?”

“That they feared the dark arts, and their users. Not just because those arts are dangerous and unknown to them, no. It went further than that. They were educated that way, to consider Necromancy and the like as something which only the most vile, demented, depraved and cowardly would study. To them, it was unholy. It was a stigma. An anathema. Simply put, they believed in evil, and were educated that my kind was it.”

He regarded me oddly. He appeared to want to continue his tirade, but stopped. Now he only looked expectant. “Was my answer enough?” he asked me.

It would suffice. He seemed anxious, and I could only guess what he was staring at me expectantly for.

“I suppose I delayed it enough. I just didn’t think I could give myself justice unless I made certain you had the proper understanding. So far, however, I’m still uncertain.”

He escaped an adorable little growl upon hearing that. I couldn’t help but stifle a chuckle.

”Alright alright. How about this. I will tell you a tale, one which I believe will help you understand my reasons better.”

”...Does anyone die in your story?” was his unsavory remark.

I gave him a wry look, although he probably didn’t see it. ”Well, for one thing, the entire planet was at risk of being plunged into eternal darkness, eventually causing vegetation to die and forcing the remaining living creatures to either die or turn into monsters. Does that suffice?”

”...So,” he hummed, tapping his chin, ”there was the risk of global death involved? Sounds interesting enough. I might even keep quiet through most of it.”

Cheeky till the end. I made myself comfortable beside him. If he minded, he didn’t say anything, or give anything away.

I imagine the commonly known version of the story had a few details cut out, for the sake of keeping past sins buried. I didn’t feel my guest needed coddling.

I lay on my side, looking out the window into my moonlit night, recalling the events of a thousand years ago. Admiring my work always helped put me at ease. I would need it.

”Long ago, in the kingdom known as Equestria, there were two regal sisters who ruled peacefully and lovingly, and watched over their subjects, as well as over the balance of the world around them.

”The older sister would rule during the day, rising the sun at dawn, nurturing their hearts and easing their fears. She would maintain order, and enjoy watching her ponies grow and prosper.

”The second, instead, preferred to follow her calling and not only watch over her ponies during the night both in the physical realm, but also in their sleep, as there are many malefic beings who would try to attack them during their most vulnerable. But she would also rise the moon and bring out the stars, making sure they all appeared where they would feel most admired.

”She would create many spectacles during the night. There would be festivals for star showers, auroras, as well as for art and poetry. And her ponies would enjoy them, which would make the Princess’s heart swell.”

I let myself dwell on the memories. Oh, how wonderful those events were... while they lasted.

”Unfortunately, as fate would have it, nothing good ever lasts forever. To live is to change, and that is what was demanded of the two sisters.”

My charge was silent, but he was paying attention. I sighed as I tried to piece together a decent enough explanation. Tonight’s happenings offered quite the unsavory insight. Even after so long, it was still incredible how very... wrong things had gone.

”The two sisters were not gods. They were alicorns. They were paragons of their race. They were immensely powerful in comparison to the average pony, and they never aged. However, they were still quite mortal. They were not all-knowing, they still made mistakes. They would still present cravings and wants, they were still flawed.

”However, the ponies would presume otherwise.

”It was an honest mistake to make. However, no matter how many times their rulers corrected them, the ponies would always come back to the same assumption. It was almost as if they weren’t hearing them.

”Eventually, the sisters realized that it wasn’t their ponies’ fault. It wasn’t that their assumptions were based on ill-found rumor, but that they simply needed the knowledge that they had the protection and love of unfaulting gods to prosper. They needed that meaning in their lives.

”So, the two sisters allowed their subjects to believe what they needed to believe. Not because the sisters ever wanted to be identified in such a way. Far from it. They wanted to be loved as equals, not put on pedestals and hidden behind the image of something which they were not. However, it wasn’t something their little ponies could help. They didn’t want gods, they needed them.”

My charge finally got off his haunches and laid more comfortably as well. I took it as a good sign.

”After a century, the sisters stopped bothering to correct their subjects. They told themselves that it was a worthwhile sacrifice, to be disconnected in such a way. And for a while, it seemed that way. For what followed was the greatest Golden Age that ponykind had ever experienced. They thrived... but they changed.

”Gradually, their views upon their leaders warped. For whatever reason, they started preaching about their diarchs being on opposite sides of some kind of rivalry. Where they were actually in the midst of an unseen war, where the day and night conflicted for absolute dominion. Light versus dark. Good against evil... Apparently they decided to all but ignore about the beauty of the night, and consider it as nothing more than just some primordial foe responsible for everything wrong with the world.”

He stood still, listening intently. I had almost mistaken him for asleep, from how silent he was.

”Gone were the celebrations and festivals. The artists, poets and bards which would once be abound throughout the kingdom, were now so painfully few. No longer would they look upon the stars and feel wonder and grandeur. They had the day, and a god sheltering them from all that they did not understand. They would only know fear as they looked into the night sky, fear and hatred at the vastness of the world beyond them. Of the unknowable.

”They wanted us to be their gods, and then they wanted to part us. One of us to be their savior to put their hopes on, the other to be their source of grief to blame for their woes. They wanted things to be simple for them. Convenient... and to damn anything that was in their way.”

”They didn’t need someone to hate, they wanted one.”

There was a tone of desperation hidden in his voice. I couldn’t bear to correct him even if I disagreed. I didn’t know what to believe myself, but I did know one thing. I didn’t want him to hold onto this hatred.

I recalled what I did tonight. What I thought, and what I might’ve done to my charge if Celestia wasn’t there.

”People do things that they can’t help. They’re flawed. It’s not something which anyone can do anything about, neither is it something which we should ever accept. Nor does it do anyone any good to dwell on it.”

”Nor are such things within range of forgiveness for the sane.”

”You drowned.” I gave his shoulder a slight nuzzle. ”But now you’re on dry land. Please, you need to try.”

He pushed me away. ”Just finish your story.” he sounded out tiredly. I couldn’t even work up a sigh.

I lay my head on my forehooves, calming myself as I thought about what happened afterwards. I didn’t even bother trying to pretend like it was something that didn’t happen to me.

”Things never stopped getting worse. My sister would try to convince them of their mistakes, but her ponies would just disregard her, believing I was affecting her mind somehow. Whatever anyone said, they would just use it all as fuel for their hatred of me. And eventually... they crossed the line.

”I could live without their love. I could hold my own against the rage of the unloved night, because I still loved my subjects. Because I loved my sister, and I could never betray her.

”But she couldn’t lead on her own. A period of political tension eventually arrived after a certain centaur attacked our kingdom. Fearing a second attack, she left me to stand vigil as she departed for a political meeting.

”During the leave, the entire kingdom turned on me. They wanted to poison me, but when they found I was resisting the toxins, the entire castle’s guards and a good number of armed civilians tried to kill me.”

His ears perked up, only a little.

”I could hold my ground for a while. I eventually needed to rely on more and more of my attunement to the night. Eventually, however, I just... couldn’t take it any more.

”The night came early that day. The hatred on my subjects’ faces soon melded into fear as they realized what they’d done. Moments later, Celestia arrived. She flew back home all the way from across the world, terror and tears across her face. If she arrived any later...”

Had she arrived a moment later, I would’ve killed every single one of them.

”What happened next?” my charge insisted.

”What happened next? Their religious dogma came true. Sister turned on sister, night lay siege on day. The Nightmare came true, and the Day defeated the Night.

”I forced my own sister to strike me down. To imprison me, to bind me to my Moon. I abandoned her...”

I didn’t know what my guest was thinking. Did he have any idea what it was like? Was he even capable of sympathy? He only remained silent.
Perhaps he just didn’t trust my tale to be true. Perhaps he felt too skeptical to offer any sympathy. Perhaps after what he’d done, he could no longer feel sympathy either way.

I sighed and continued.

”The entire kingdom cheered, celebrated my fall as I watched from within my prison. This was what they were waiting for. Their Goddess had unshackled herself from the chains I put around her mind, and delivered them all from me. What was going to follow was an eternity of sunlit paradise...

”...but their joy was short lived. They would’ve never expected in a million years that maybe, just maybe, they were wrong. That their beliefs were folly, and they were persecuting a pony who loved them and would be terrified of hurting them the way they did not think, but instead knew she was doing.

”And now, they were left with a grieving sister, which they had also damned to an eternity alone.

”They hadn’t realized, but Celestia never forgets a single one of her subject’s faces. She remembered everyone who was in the throne room with me when I turned. And she made sure what happened would not go without punishment.

”She turned them all into nightwalkers, and exiled them to a corner of Equestria where she made sure to never raise the sun again. She had them all stand vigil to the things that lurk in the night, that I was protecting them from to the very end. She made them safeguard the kingdom from the nightmares that I could no longer guard against. In so doing, however, she had made them partly into the type of monsters that they were fighting against.”

”Afterwards, she went to barter for me. She pleaded, demanded, begged for my release, but it wasn’t until it seemed as though she was going to die waiting, for weeks on end, broken and crestfallen, that she finally received an answer. She would receive me back after a thousand years, even if I was going to plunge the world into darkness upon my arrival as an insane demigod.

”That was three years ago, and I am thankful with all of my heart that I failed.”

I brushed a few locks of hair out of his face as he slept. I could sense that he was still listening to what I was saying.
I tucked him in.

”I was given a second chance. What I want from you is to receive one as well. Please, believe me. I know how it feels to have the entire world against you. To have those you care about betray you and accuse you of being something worse than you are. You don’t need to be what others consider you to be. You have the chance to leave all of that behind you. You have a choice here, and I will never let anyone hurt you like that again.”

Author's Notes:

(*)Unicorns have magical outlets in their horns, similar to how pegasi have outlets on their wings. All ponies have outlets on their hooves (earth ponies noticeably more). The hoof outlets allow for what is generally known as "unconventional magic". It's pretty strong. Strong enough to, say, snap a sonic screwdriver in two in their fetlock (totally not a reference to anything, honest).

I'm not bashing on religion, I'm bashing on people's proclivity to take certain liberties when they believe they have the right to be hateful, and use that belief in order to go out of their way to hurt others. Like for instance, how people would burn witches to the stake, or how religious leaders would preach to knights and crusaders, telling them some hogwash about how they were fighting for god, and that all of their war crimes would be forgiven.
Right...

I wish I could build on this theme better, but for now I'm just kind of focusing on introducing the main characters.
I'll be returning to this whole religious persecution matter later, hopefully give it the limelight it deserves.

Next chapter, Necky clobbers a guard... On an unrelated note, say in the comments section how physically strong you think necromancy could make a malnourished, half dried up adult human male. Then say how far it could strengthen a malnourished ten-year-old colt.

That nose is going to need resetting.

You’d be surprised by how clarifying dying can be. It puts everything into perspective.

I’m not going to say it makes you realize just how trivial any other grievances become, or how I’d learned to live life at its fullest because ‘you never know when you’d die’, or any other such pretentious excretions... Of course, you would have to actually come back from the dead yourself in order to realize just how full of it I would have needed to be in order to say such things.

A less enlightened man might want to spew out some self-satisfied dribble, thinking they believe that they’re actually enlightening you. Everyone knows they might die tomorrow, and that they need to live life at its fullest. But there are multiple ways of knowing this fact. Multiple facets to this matter.

Me? I will just keep things simple. I will highlight the core of the matter, and let you decide what to make of it.

What I learned was very simple. Dying hurts. It hurts a lot. No amount of times telling that to anyone could ever possibly suffice, and trying would be idiotic. It is only something you can comprehend if you've experienced it beforehand. Because after you did, you might realize that it transcends every meaning that you ever associated with the word ‘pain’.

Death is meant to be the kind of thing that purges your soul before it can move on to the next realm (as a bonus, however, it does wonders for your sanity… or lack thereof). And through the simply horrifying, mind-numbing pain of dying, the type that makes you clench your teeth until they crack, which makes you want to writhe, and twist, and thrash until you break your bones trying to bring whatever killed you down with you, which forced you to feel so completely, utterly, fundamentally… alone…

It’s not fun.

As for perspective? Life became extremely simplified. Either you live, or you die. There’s no “good way to die”, nothing worth dying over, no reason to risk your life or waste it. I’m not saying those who gave their lives to save loved ones were idiots, but the fact that someone would be left with no other option would still essentially be an ultimate loss. You saved those loved ones, but you were still fallen like prey to whatever predator had claimed you.

Animals have the best idea, since they face death on a daily basis and their fear is unspoiled by petty hopes and delusions. There’s a life beyond this one, but right now, you’re here. This isn’t a test, you’re not meant to fulfill some higher purpose, you’re not meant to die for someone else’s benefit or teachings. You’re meant to live this life, because every single moment matters. It doesn’t matter how you live it, just live it true to yourself.

I lived my life true to myself. I pursued my studies, traveled the world, went on adventures. I had fun, loved, hated… I had a full life, and a very long one at that. I made mistakes, I learned, I made friends, I had relationships, I loved and lost love, I made and lost friends. I did both well and wrong by others, I've tried to help more than I hurt, but in the end I did still harm and scar, as well as kill. Either intentionally, inadvertently, or in states of bloody rage and murder-high…

There was a substantial part of my life when I enjoyed the taking of lives. I liked it simply because I got to make my would-be murderers realize just what they were going to do to me. Make them realize that upon deciding to take a life, they relinquished their own to the laws of nature. Kill or be killed.

They admitted that fate could decide whether or not someone’s life could be taken away from them. And in doing so, they entered the food chain. Little did they know, however, just how much of a mouthful I really was.

How many adopted preconceptions such where they believed unfaulting gods were personally invested in their well-being. The look of shock on their faces upon their realizing otherwise, my celebration of being the one who survived, the predator instead of the prey… You have no idea how fundamentally fulfilling it felt. At least, while it lasted

As with all things however, that particular part of my life came to a close eventually. When the subject matter no longer had the same rush to it, and I was growing progressively bored with the monotony of a life lived too long. The repetition inherent in a century and a half... Bah, I'm ranting again.

It was just, this entire development was queer to me. After so long, if I hadn't rationalized what happened on a step-by-step of how I arrived in this outlandish new world- wait, that's a tautology. Argh, this is what I'm talking about! This is all so confusing...

...

So, it seemed that I somehow came across a couple of benevolent demigod rulers of a peaceful race, emphasis on peaceful. So peaceful, in fact, that rather than do the sensible thing and just kill the homicidal psychopath, they decided that just because he didn’t really have the chance to live peacefully before, then he deserved to at least be offered that chance.

I certainly wouldn’t have taken that chance. Still, I wasn’t about to refuse a gift hor… darn. I’ll have to figure out new metaphors.

One of the princesses apparently knows how it feels to lose a loved one, and what it can bring out of you. The other one knows what it feels like to be portrayed as a monster, and forced into becoming one. They both seem to be under the impression that there’s still something left of me worth saving. Personally, I’m not so certain of that.

I suppose we’ll find out. I’ve never actually had the chance to try being tame again.

---

It didn’t take much to wake me up. There was someone silently chatting outside the chamber I was in. Apparently Luna deactivated the language spell, because I couldn’t tell what they were saying anymore.

‘Great. This isn’t going to get annoying anytime soon…’

With a sigh, I focused on trying to replicate the language spell. I paid attention to the formula when the princess cast it, so now all I had to do was to stop being so horrible at every single school of magic besides necromancy for just a few minutes.

The ley commands came together unbelievably easily. Apparently this body worked quite differently, and far better than a human’s body at managing the foundation of magical commands. However, actually activating the nodes themselves proved far too difficult. I wasn’t even a quarter way through before a spot on my forehead (probably that horn that Luna let me see) started hurting like it was going to split. I supposed that this body was still too underdeveloped to cast anything too strong.

I had nothing better to do than to keep going, however I found out another unexpected detail. I fatigued. I could ignore the pain in my horn (damned new pain receivers…) but my performance only succeeded in diminishing. I stopped as soon as I figured I didn't find much appeal in the prospect of never being able to use magic again. I had plenty of other things to consider anyway.

'I should make a diagram.' I thought, resting my head under my hooves. 'Get a decent impression of just how outlandish these events are. I didn’t even consider the chances of actually coming across non-hostile creatures...' I looked around with my lack of eyes, trying to see my stubs where my hands used to be. 'No use trying to write. I could’ve tried writing with my blood on the walls, but that doesn’t seem like an option.'

My necromancy should’ve kept me from running out of blood any time soon. It did seem capable of halting the tranquilizer currently being pumped into me (to which I promptly tore off the band around my arm). Managing lesser pain, as well as more serious bodily harm, however, were going to be an issue, since I wouldn’t dare try modifying or reinforcing the respective wards. At least not yet.

“I’m bored.” I voiced out to no one in particular.

I got out of bed and became only slightly disoriented by my new range of motion. I was quadruped now. I always wondered how it would feel like. It was kind of weird…

For one thing, my head was bigger. For another, my back legs were all twisted at odd angles. Luckily this body came with a brand new pony brain as well, so it didn’t take too long to figure out the gist of its movement capabilities. After the initial getting used to, I started practicing my strides.

I couldn’t use magic, couldn’t see and couldn’t speak the local language. Fortunately, I could at least walk on my own.

I supposed the guards heard me clopping around on the marble floor because I heard the door opening.

”Var aehe! Jorho di avi?” One of the guards spoke as he and his colleague entered. I sighed and slumped my head.

“Sorry, boys. I have no idea what you’re saying.”

My speaking in my own odd language seemed to have given them the right idea…

“Jorho. Di. Avi. Dina?”

I palmed my face… Correction. Hoofed my face.

“No, saying it slower does not help.”

They just stood there.

“Luna did tell you I speak a different language, didn’t she?”

They finally seemed to have gotten the idea. One of them addressed the other, my guess would be, something within the lines of either “this guy seems to be talking a different language” or ”this kid must’ve hit his head or something”.

“Me awake. Tell boss.” I tried gesturing to get the idea across as well as I could. First laying on my arse in order to lift my front limbs off the ground and gesturing to the bed tentatively, opening my eye sockets. Then pointing a hoof at them then imitating a salute.

I wish I could see their reactions, because from the sounds of it, they did not like the sight of my empty eye sockets. One of them said a few quick words before rushing out of the room. He might’ve gone to find someone who can use a language spell, but it was more likely that he went to find someone with a tranquilizer syringe handy. The fact that the remaining guard was now situated in front of the doorway gave me reason to believe the latter.

Yeah, their plan wasn’t going to work for me. I decided I’d rather go look for Luna myself.

I walked over to the remaining guard and offered him a few moments of intense scrutiny, enjoying the nervousness I could smell off of him even though my eyes weren't even opened. I admit that the concept of an eyeless, malnourished child staring at me would be rather unsettling for me as well. When I rushed in through his legs, he barely had the presence of mind to stop me.

I managed to notice the opposite wall before I collided with it, having gotten accustomed to the noise of hooves on marble and the echoes of produced on the stone walls. Going by the draft, I guessed I was in a hallway, so either direction could turn out to be a dead end. I chose right, the guard’s shouting behind me actually helped me orientate.

I chanced another sight spell stump, and received a general idea of what was around me. As well as a further increase to my headache. There were a couple of closed doors at the end of the hallway ahead of me, evident by the odd distortion of their windows. From experience, I quickly figure that they might or might not have been locked. Behind me, the regular pony guard was gaining on me. I’d have to do something to lose him.

Distances were not easy to make out, nor anything too far away, but I did manage to make out an open door coming up to my left. The sound of talking and smell of some bitter aroma (which I would later understand to belong to coffee) coming from inside supported that realization.

I strafed in through the open doorway, then quickly slammed it closed and looked for a lock. None to be had. Luckily, I still had my necromantic wards offering a strength boost, otherwise I wouldn’t have been able to hold the door closed on my own.

Yes, I had a strength boost. How did you expect I stopped that blade from slicing me in half, as well as afforded myself banter with Sir Buckethead? Any necromantic boost I could find, I enchanted myself with it. I was in the body of a malnourished child, but it was still better than a malnourished, half dried up adult. It wasn’t like I could focus on the dozens upon dozens of enchantments I had active on me at once, constantly, consistently, that were keeping my vital bodily functions going, beside my sight spell, poison resist, spirit sense, my control over however many minions I might have at any one time, as well as whatever death coil or focused bone reinforcement I might be activating.

There is such a difference between passive spells (wards) and active spells. I can’t have more than two active spells running at the same time, but I can hold any amount of passive enchantments that my mana pool can afford. There’s also the difference between my necromantic wards and my soul seals. Soul seals don’t need activating, and I could use those to activate my necromantic wards. I didn’t even need to bother actively refreshing the latter, or converting my mana into necromantic energy to feed said wards with. I kept them active for so long, it wasn’t hard figuring out how to keep them active even during my being unconscious, or (silenced) magically impaired.

Now that that critical piece of information is out of the way, let us use our stubby sight spell to study our surroundings.
I chose to ignore the throbbing pain I was feeling now, instead deciding to focus on the fact that I started to get the hang of this spell. I noted an infinitesimal improvement on it’s quality. It was still something, though.

There were five equines in the room, four in white robes and one oddly similar to the guard following me. This must be where the second guard went.

“Ner heika?” I heard him say, bewildered. I assumed it was their version of saying ‘The hell?’.

I offered my best disarming smile over the yelling of the other guard, and spoke casually, “Oh, don’t mind me. I was just passing through.”

Unfortunately, there wasn’t any other way out of the room. There was a window, but considering how impossibly tall this castle was, I wasn’t about to barter that I could survive the fall. I prefer erring on the safe side. Plus, the last time I had wings didn’t end well for me. I ended up with a really nasty rash… and a broken spine.(*)

I was working under pressure, trying to figure something out, as the guard inside the room finally gathered his thoughts and came forward to get me. I was cornered, I couldn’t use my magic and I couldn’t talk my way out of this. The only option I could think of was the window… No, I needed a different out. Let’s see…

<SLAM>

Direct confrontation wouldn’t be very advantageous for me, I figured. Perhaps I could use their numbers against them?

<SLAM>

I was already smiling, but stifled any changes to my composure. ‘This is going to be good.’

I listened carefully, tracing one guard’s position and the other’s rhythm.

<SLAM>

‘Just a little closer…’

<SLAM>

‘…Now!’

Right before the first guard was about to slam against the door again, I got out of the way, surprising the other one with my sudden movements. Moments later, the first slammed the door open, only for it to stop suddenly as it impacted with the second’s head.

Hard.

Oddly enough, I started hearing chirping sounds coming from the fallen guard, for whatever reason.

I couldn’t resist working through the pain and managing a sight spell. It was all worth it.

‘Ouch. That nose is going to need resetting.’

As an added bonus, I found an opening. As quickly as possible, I hopped off of the dazed guard’s head, making sure to put as much weight into his nose as possible, and jumped to where I saw the other surprised guard’s face, kindly offering him a haymaker.

Such a nice thing when you’re able to take your enemies by surprise. I imagine if the latter guard knew I was a lot stronger than I looked, he wouldn’t be unconscious right now.

I would have liked to regard my handywork, but I didn’t feel like straining my horn further, lest it fall off. It certainly felt like it was about to do just that.

As soon as I opened the doors at the end of the hallway, however, I ran straight into a pair of legs, and was again surprised to hear my head squeak upon impact.

I rubbed my forehead and regarded whoever decided to be in my way when I ran into them. Unsuccessfully, understandably. I really wished I could see again… Unfortunately, I never bothered to automate that particular type of passive spell because I always tended to adapt my sight spell in various ways, either situationally or with regards to general quality. I never expected a situation in which I could no longer be able to activate my scrying once it wore off.

...Much to my infinite regret.

“So, you must be the new prince.” I heard the figure in front of me say. It was male, that was all I could tell.

I didn’t take long to recover from my ensued confusion. “Nice language link. I see you decided to speak in my tongue instead of the other way around.”

“Yeah, well, I supposed I could afford the courtesy. What’s going on here?” he asked before addressing my pursuing guards, who had recovered by now.

I assumed what this new character said to the pursuers next was something within the same lines as what he asked me just now, and what followed afterwards were the guards’ one-sided retorts of what trouble I’ve been giving them. I only glared in their general direction, eye sockets opened, until the two shut up.

“I woke up and wanted to see the princess. One of them barred my way out of the room, so I slipped past. I suppose what happened next could be considered ‘resisting arrest’, as I ran away.”

“That so?” the figure in front of me asked. “Did resisting arrest include assault as well?”

“Only if you can call being clobbered by a child assault. The broken nose was the colleague’s doing. Otherwise, I haven’t touched them.”

A chuckle emanated from the new character, which I assumed by now was some sort of superior officer. Then, he turned to my keepers and spoke, calmly. “Beszinjhe.”

My guess was, that meant “Dismissed.”, because my guard only barely started objecting when the new guy repeated himself a bit more forcefully. That appeared to have done the trick.

So, this really was a superior officer. I found it odd, considering he sounded a bit young for a higher position in the army.

“You’ve got brass, kid. I’ll give you that. Come on, let’s get you that audience.” the helpful officer spoke as he levitated me onto his back.

“I can walk, you know.” I snapped back almost by reflex.

“But can you see where you’re going?” he humored me as we started walking.

“No, but I can follow the sound of your steps quite easily.”

“Tell you what. How about you let me avoid cross looks for letting a disabled kid risk hurting himself, and just enjoy the ride instead?”

“Fine.” I relented forlornly. “But only because I like piggy back rides.”

A few chuckles and further steps later, my mount decided to ask me, “What’s your name?”

“I’ll tell you as soon as I get one. Yours?”

“Shining Armor.” was his no-nonsense answer before continuing. ”You don’t have a name? Seriously?” he asked, befuddled.

I resisted the urge to call him out on his ridiculous name. Partly because I was still grateful for him being nice enough to get those guards off my back; partly for deciding to side with the malnourished kid rather than his own men; partly because it would’ve been petty and childish to make fun of his name, even for me; partly because I most certainly was not one to talk, not having a name to begin with; and finally, because for all I knew, Shining Armor was a completely acceptable and common name around these parts.

All that considered, I was now at odds with myself. On one hand, I wanted to make as many friends here as possible. On the other, however, I was not what you would generally describe as a ‘nice guy’.

I decided on pursuing the middle ground. Pragmatic abrasiveness.

“Nope,” was the beginning of my answer, deciding to forego explaining why I don’t have a name. I merely resorted to explaining that: ”I never bothered giving myself one until now. Though I’d rather not have a name at all, than have a name like Shining Armor.”

The poke was met with surprising lenience. “Yeah, it is a bit on the silly side, isn’t it? Oh well, what’re you gonna do.”

‘…Huh. He seems like a pretty decent guy.’

Shining hummed thoughtfully. “Not having a name isn’t something to just leave hanging. We should probably have the Princesses fix that once we find them. How ‘bout you think of a name you’d like for yourself?”

“You know, you’re a pretty nice guy,” I offered.

“Thanks,” was his earnest answer.

“When things do inevitably go south, I’ll try to kill you last,” I finished.

“…Wait, what?”

---

I thought about it. I did think about it before, make no mistake. There were plenty of names I’d thought to give myself. But I was still a bit cautious about offering myself that chance, even now. Still, I supposed that I could discuss my options with him, even if I specifically asked Shining Armor to not use any of them.

“Bal’goth the Destroyer?”

“Too violent.”

“Epsilon the Unmaker?”

“Too overkill.”

“Pirion Bloodmourne?”

“That just sounds gross.”

“And that’s all my ideas.”

“What a shame,” Shining answered sadly, although I felt a bit suspicious of his sincerity… “Where did you get those ideas, anyway?” he followed.

“…I had plenty of free time,” was my answer. I think I might’ve sounded a bit too somber that time.

“…Huh. Anyway,” he nervously redirected the conversation, ”why didn’t you want to have a name anyway?”

“I’d rather not say. Honestly, it’s a long story that you really wouldn’t like to hear anyway.” Not because I was concerned for him. I just didn't feel like wasting my breath.

“Okay then,” he relented, “fair enough. You don’t want to explain, that’s fine. What am I going to call you, then? I can’t exactly keep calling you ‘Kid’, now can I?”

“Why not?” I asked him honestly. He frowned awkwardly in response. Don’t ask me how. I just knew it.

“You sure you wouldn’t rather I called you Spider-Stallion or Cyberguard?” (**)

“As tempting as that may be, I’m afraid not,” I sighed, a gesture which Shining reciprocated.

We arrived at the end of another long hallway. This was the fourth one. Shining spoke something to someone, which then proceeded to open another set of doors. I managed to activate my scrying again, to find two gold-white meshes each at the side of a wide doorway. Beyond those doors, I could not make out a single. Bloody. Thing.

'Blasted Gods, I miss being able to see.'

It was only because of my being able to sense the two massive sources of magic beyond the doors that I could easily tell we’ve finally found the sisters. In comparison, at first I didn’t even notice Shining until I bumped into him, but after a while, I started being able to make out traces of quite the respectable amount of power being insulated under his outfit. (***)

He was twice as strong as I ever was, when it came to sheer power. And yet, he fell into the background as we approached the princesses. We were both very much like bugs. Like specks of dust. How were they so powerful now?!

'It seems Celestia is substantially stronger now. On a guess, it may be because it's currently daytime. It also seems that her power is amplified somehow through a synergy with her sister. Day and night, balancing one another in harmony... They really are demigods, aren't they?'

I did not like the feeling of such power close to me in the least. This was worse than anything I've ever felt. The elder dragon I faced that one time was nothing to this!

“How do you stand it?” I asked Shining.

“You get used to it,” was his aloof answer. He caught me off-guard, surprising me that he supposedly knew what I was talking about.

I eventually sensed a familiar pair of spells trying to get through my seals. I let them through, and found me approaching myself, riding on top of a white unicorn stallion with two-toned blue hair, dressed in light blue and purple armor.

So that was Shining Armor. I was rather disappointed by how un-shiny his armor was.

Luna and Celestia were each seated on either end of a long table. I seemed to have entered a Banqueting Area, most likely of the Royal variety, judging by the golden vase with rare-looking orchids in the middle of the table and the insanely large diamond chandelier overhead. The unreasonable decorations, coupled with the fact that the only thing in the room was the large table set in the middle, left little room for doubt.

“You’re awake early,” I could hear the younger royal sister say. “The doctors told us your sedatives were supposed to last you until later in the afternoon.”

“I’m not the type to let chemicals tell me what to do… Unless I take them on purpose. Anyway, what time is it now?” I inquired.

“We were just about to have lunch. Well, Celestia was about to have lunch. I was going to have a sandwich and a jug of coffee.”
She did not sound very happy.

“Why don’t you two join us?” the elder sibling inquired.

Shining Armor deposited me a seat away from Luna, then started backing away, denying the invitation. “Thanks, but I should probably get back to my post.”

Celestia didn’t seem intent on having any of that. “Oh, don’t worry. I’m sure the guards will be able to handle themselves well enough for a few minutes. Besides, you’re part of the family now. This concerns you as well.”

A part of the family? Is he related to them somehow? Oh well. Shining Armor decided to relent, and took a seat next to me. As he sat down, a servant approached with a couple of solid papers, bound together at one edge. She offered one to Shining then paused awkwardly in front of me.

I didn’t know what those paper objects represented , but the fact that the servant thought I didn’t want one when she offered them to everyone else made me want it.

I snatched away the elusive object of unknown make or purpose (it was called a menu) and blew a raspberry at the girl. To my surprise, I seemed to have succeeded in eliciting a giggle from Luna with that, and a playful, if somewhat reserved smile from the servant.
I was rather surprised, and frankly uncertain of what to make of the reactions. That is, until I recalled that the massively powerful diarchs were not, in fact, a danger to me…

I cleared my head before it went reeling too quickly, lest it unwind and get all tangled. I wasn’t ready to comprehend the concept quite yet. The best relationship I ever had with royalty was with the Sultan of Quel’Dir, which was only because I cured their bloody kingdom from a particularly virulent strain of plague… Of course, they decided to blame me for the plague’s creation a few days afterwards. (1)

To the other side of the table, Celestia cleared her throat tentatively and waved a hoof at the servant girl for her to come over. Once she obliged, the princess proceeded to whisper something in her ear suspiciously.

‘Conspiracy!’ I thought to myself indignantly before Luna offered to start conversation.

“So, how was your sleep?”

The sun princess finished ordering my undoubtedly treasonous ambush (conspiracy, I say!). Afterwards the servant went over and took Shining’s order, who had meanwhile taken my menu away and offered it back as well.

“Fine,” was my simple answer, as I was too busy regarding Celestia suspiciously through Luna’s eyes. She seemed to have noticed, and smiled at her younger sibling a little more warmly. Almost suspiciously warmly. ‘You know what you did…’

Luna merely did her best to move past my distracted answer, “I’m glad to hear it. I was worried because I noticed your dreams seemed a bit troubled, and I couldn’t get past your seals.”

“I allowed for conversations, not for others to invade my dreams. Besides the fact that I can’t exactly control what my mind generates subconsciously, which is usually of a personal nature, I can’t guarantee the safety of the invader.”

“Don’t worry. I know how to make my way around dreams.”

“Again, that is nothing short of invading one’s privacy,” I threw back, also throwing my arms in the air. “People can’t control what they dream.”

“Ponies,” Luna cut me off.

“…What?”

“You’re correct in your statement, but the common term used is ponies, not people. It’s a matter of etiquette which you’ll need to learn. Either way, I agree with you, but that doesn’t change the fact that…”

“Wait a moment. Ponies? What’s that supposed to mean? You can’t go replacing people with ponies! That’s like presuming that only ponies are people!”

“No it’s not, it-” the lunar princess attempted, only to be interrupted again. Unfortunately for her, I was not letting this one slide.

I got right back into the fray, “Yes it is! 'People' is meant to describe any individual, not just one species! Saying otherwise would be fundamentally wrong!”

“You’re being unreasonable!”

”Who’s being unreasonable? I’m not the one saying only humans are people! What are you, some kind of racist for species? A specist? You do realize I’m not actually a pony, right?”

“Come again?” Shining Armor asked from beside me.

“Not really a pony, also not really a child. Anyway,” I answered quickly before getting back on track, “I honestly have no idea what you were on about, correcting me like that. People dream. Even animals dream. I suppose that makes me sound a bit specist against animals too, but that’s not the point! You made it sound like you were trying to impose on me that you consider ponies, which are only one race, to be people exclusively!”

“That’s not what I meant! I… just...”

I waited patiently with a raised eyebrow. Celestia and Shining were apparently trying to find a balance between looking anxious, mirthful and surprised.

“I’m waiting,” I offered, further increasing the shifting I could hear coming from the other seat.

“Well, I… what I meant to say was… ugh… a little help, Tia?”

The alabaster alicorn seemed to have gone a bit paler, if it was at all possible. Apparently she didn’t anticipate this turn of events. Good.

“Well, I do suppose it does sound a bit racist...”

“You’re darn right it’s racist!”

She took my interruption patiently in stride. ”…I also imagine it can’t be very fair for the other species living within our border either. Spike, for instance.”

That actually made matters worse. I didn’t know why she was giving me more ammunition, but I was more than happy to be outraged as I was rightly supposed to be.

“What?! That’s incredibly unfair! It’s segregating minorities!”

“Calm down already!” Luna shouted.

I didn’t calm down.

“I will never calm down until this injustice is rectified! You can not squelch the voice of reason! You cannot expect such an outrage to go unpunished!”

They eventually gave up on trying to calm me down, as Luna decided to carry me out of the room. “Send our meals to my chambers,” she asked her older sibling as she walked out, sounding rather bored.

”I will gather the people! I will start a revolution if I have to march through every city in your kingdom and preach of equality, of freedom, of tolerance and most importantly, of the right to arm bears!”

“Don’t you mean bear arms?”

“Why would I want that? They’re already at a disadvantage! I can’t just spar against a poor, defenseless bear unless it's armed, let alone if I were armed instead! That would be just cruel!”

“Of course…”

Author's Notes:

(*) Necky mentioned in the beginning that he doesn’t like dwelling on touchy moments from his past. This particular memory, however, was not a bad one.
"I freaking flew! How could a memory of flying be anything but an amazing one?!"
Right... Anyway. The rash bit was a reference. Anyone recognizing it wins an internet cookie.

(**) I didn’t say Batman because Batstallion sounds like But Stallion, another famous pony. And I didn’t want to risk crossing copyright.
Instead, we have Spiderstallion, who happens to be romantically involved with Batmare. Cyberguard is this world’s version of Robocop.

(***) Kind of like how you can hear the voltage running through power lines.

(1) He's the kind of person that people love to hate. Kind of like Spider-man. It took Deadpool swapping outfits with him for Jameson to change his outlook on him.

Next chapter, I think I can finally go into the “Remove your death seal!” conversation. Luna was already trying to steer into that, in case anyone noticed. She was trying to ask Necky to drop his guard so she can visit his dreams.
Needless to say, it didn’t go so well. Don’t worry, though. Luna has ways to discipline ill-mannered little colts.

One way or another

I nursed feelings of worry as he wouldn’t stop ranting. The looks we received from the few guards and castle staff we’d met on our way had been about as bad as one would expect. I tried to focus on the curiosity with which they regarded the presence of both a horn and wings on my charge, but I couldn’t ignore their reactions at his hyperactive behavior. Under normal circumstances, such excitement would not have seemed out of place, but his wretched appearance only succeeded in giving them less the idea of childish innocence and more that of a disturbing tragedy.

Suffice to say I was not intent on leaving his appearance as it was. I didn't know how he could stand starvation. Necromancy? Wasn't he incapable of casting anything, though? Regardless, I was intent on taking care of it, one way or another. I also intended on getting him to drop his seals in order to regrow his eyes. Certainly there was some way to make him see sense?

...I cannot belive I just wrote that. Tia would likely have a fit of laughter if she read that last part. As would my charge, apparently...

At any rate. The castle was large enough, but thankfully the banqueting area wasn’t too far away from me and my sister’s individual quarters. There were only a couple short hallways leading to the entrance of my chamber. The length offered me some time to consider what had just happened, however I was distracted by my guest’s unrelenting chatter.

I couldn’t blame him for it, though. It appeared that all he wanted was just to talk, even if it was perhaps a bit tiresome. It also presented reason to worry for his sanity, but that was just something to focus on later. I had planned on visiting my therapist today; see if she could tend to him as well, or at least offer a proper recommendation.

‘Perhaps this was just a coping mechanism?, I considered. ‘Certainly a few decades of isolation would’ve rendered him scarred, maybe this was his way of holding on to sanity?’ I suddenly felt far less confident with devising a punishment for his earlier behavior. ‘Perhaps just a minor scolding. Hopefully until I get to figure him out better. I will need to make an effort to evade any attempts at misdirection that he will most likely pursue, intentionally or not. At least he’s certainly more reasonable than most nobles and politicians in that regard - including my sister.’

As we rounded the second corner and I saw the two day guards at the end of the hallway, he finished going on about the importance of properly arming large forest dwellers (I’m certain the Sibearians* would just love to agree with him), showing extensive knowledge of a wide array of weaponry and ritualistic equipment, and then started explaining how a battle between ninja bears and octopirates would go…

Whatever reasoning he was following, he at least seemed content enough. Suffice to say, however, that I was not reassured with regards to his sanity. I finally had enough as we nearly reached the guards, deciding I could at least offer him a meaningful basis regarding what he did wrong for now, and start from there.

“Do you know who Spike is?”

He stopped his ranting immediately. It appeared that he certainly was attentive and reasonable after all, for an insane follower of the dark arts, I’ll give him that. Apparently he really did just want nothing more than to keep his mind active and distracted.

“You make it sound as though it’s someone I should care about. Who are you talking about again?”

He was certainly not going out of his way to be polite. “I suppose you couldn’t have known,” I mused patiently, considering what to say next.

I paused the conversation here, as I offered a short nod to the guards at my chamber, and told them of the deliveries they were to allow through, before continuing inside. “Humor me. Try recalling the look on Tia’s face upon mentioning Spike’s name. What did it look like?”

He answered after the guards opened the doors and I stepped us through. “I seem to be picking out some underlying distress in your tone. I assume the look on your sister’s face was important?”

I weighed his words carefully. So far he was indeed dissociated and driven by interest. If there was any empathy, it was not plainly obvious. Still, I relented for now. “Very well. It’s not out of the question for ponies to exa-”

“People,” he corrected.

“…Let’s just say you were in the heat of the moment, and couldn’t discern you were upsetting the demigod who could vaporize you at a moment’s notice.”

“If you wanted to kill me, it would’ve been a funny decision to finally do it now. I’d wind up laughing at it all the way to the afterlife.”

The chamber itself was humble, as far as royal housing went. It was large enough, mostly sporting colder and darker hued marble and carpets. Several desks and nightstands presented schematics, magical and otherwise, musical measures, and a multitude of star charts which further made up most of the many books in the room. There were also a few clockwork trinkets here and crystal baubles there, strewn about. I then realized that it was a bit messy.(**)

The entire ceiling was a domed depiction of the night sky, which I would tinker with in order to find other possible designs. The walls were further adorned with star charts (which I often needed to keep digging up again for reference) and impressionist art far older than most anypony, or should I be saying anyone, in the castle. Said tapestries would’ve undoubtedly faded away by now if it weren’t for their preservation wards still active since before my banishment. I appeared to have been fortunate enough that my sister recast them during my time away.

My charge seemed impressed enough by my simple accommodations, but what appeared to have caught his eye the most were my collection of stuffed animals, if his perplexed look in my bed’s direction was anything to go by.

"...What?" was my reaction to his judging stare. He'd yet to relent. "What?" I asked again, more persistently. To this, he sighed.

"Nothing..."

I continued eying him curiously as I moved closer to the offending bed. I placed us more comfortably and started in a more serious tone, "Regarding Spike, he was a baby dragon which my sister took care of only recently. She took what time she could out of her schedule in order to help raise him as he were her own. Thanks to your less than gentle observations, she had finally realized the serious mistake which she had been doing without even realizing.”

“You’re welcome, by the way.”

I ignored his remark. “Why exactly did you react the way you did? You couldn’t possibly have been that revolted by the revelation.”

“Well,” he started off-hoofedly… unless that figure of speech was specist as well, “I could argue that such behavior would make room for further harm, but that would be presumptuous. Instead, let me ask you this. How would you react if you found yourself stranded in a new world, and your self-appointed ‘keepers’ offered evidence of bias towards other races? Especially if you technically weren’t really a part of their race?”

“So you were just concerned with your safety? Nothing else?”

“No, I was also bored, actually.” I gave him a look, before he continued, “Beside that, however, I was also looking to get to know you better. After all, what better way to get to know someone than by instigating conflict with them?”

“We could talk, like civilized pon-”

“People. Also, no. That would be boring.”

I sighed, got up and walked over to the windows on the eastern wall. “Let me ask you this. Are you capable of civilized life at all, or not? Because so far, you made me suspect you’re just better off on your own in a cave.”

“Aww… Are you giving up on me already? I thought you had a point to prove. Something about turning me better, according to whatever standard you had for a normal life. Surprise, princess! I’m not a normal person, so normal life might not be my thing.”

“So I’ve found.”

I looked out the windows and admired the view. I admired the spires that sprang out to one side, tall enough to give the impression that they were threatening to cut the sky. I viewed down to the city stretching along the foot of the mountain. In the distance, I regarded the makings of the small town of Ponyville.

He continued soon enough, seemingly not very particular of the lull in conversation. “It seems rather peaceful. You said no one took a life here in millennia. Mind sharing how you managed that, leader?”

I regarded him from the corner of my eye. “I hope you’re not likening me to that swine king who ruined your life.”

He hummed thoughtfully. “To be fair, you and your sister are quite the oddity to me. Your confessing to invading other people’s dreams did not help in that regard either.”

“Sometimes, people do seemingly bad things, but for good reasons. I’m certain you’ve lived long enough to know about that.”

He regarded my general direction impassively, objectively. I turned back to the window and let him consider my response. He deliberated, thinking out loud, “You mentioned of dark creatures threatening your ponies during their sleep last night. You also explained in your tale that you’re the sister that protects against those creatures. That’s all well and good, but invading other people’s dreams? That is a bit objectionable, even if it’s to defend against malevolent forces that might affect you in your sleep.”

“I’ve been told,” I answered tiredly, studying the bags under my eyes in my reflection in the window.

The snow shone as it decorated the castle and city. The sun was near its zenith. It was still far too long a ways until nightfall. I was supposed to be asleep at this hour.

Fatigue did hold as strong against me as it would against most other creatures… emphasis on most. Another thing about alicorns, the higher rank you are, the less mortal-like you become. Unlike my third-tier sister, I did not reach that far, so sleep deprivation was still an issue for me.

“I suppose we both still retain more than enough questions for the other.”

I enforced the filter spell on the windows, slightly darkening the room and making reflections more visible. Not too dark, but dark enough for the sake of my own relief, and possibly just enough to encourage rest in my charge, hoping that he was at least half as tired as I looked.

I turned back to him and spoke again, “Just to make things clear, not one of our subjects had yet to issue complaints regarding general etiquette. They didn’t feel segregated, as they knew that by being called a pony as well, they were being called a peer.”

“Still sounds specist,” he offered casually. I merely smiled in return.

“Perhaps it is,” I offered as I walked over to one of my desks, “which is why I promise that we will be bringing it to the attention of the other counselors, and maybe even pull a few ears in our meetings with the other nations.”

“That’s very… thoughtful of you,” he offered with no small amount of reservation. He still seemed to be struggling to give me the benefit of a doubt, I noted.

I yawned as I got to distracting myself with my work. I was meaning to tweak a bit on a few constellations. I also had plans on making a surprise for my guest, but I was still deciding on what it was going to be about.

I got to answering his previous question. “Being thoughtful and caring for your subjects was one of the ways we led, but not only. Far from it. It was not easy, as I’ve already told you last night.”

“You made sacrifices,” he cut in.

“We did. We also made mistakes. But we learned, and we did better. And today we live off the fruits of those lessons.”

He proved remarkably patient. Apparently he really was trying his hardest to understand his new surroundings. I figured I could afford to give him a few more minutes to himself as I made a few tweaks I’ve been meaning to make since last I left my desk. I could wait to confront him regarding his death seal, he wasn’t going anywhere.

After a while, there was a knock at the door.

“Come in,” I invited.

In came a couple servants from the royal kitchens, together with Dr. Seamless’ two colleagues which had taken his shift for the day.

Subtle Beat, a light blue, purple-pink maned unicorn mare with a heart and pulse lines for a cutie mark, was one of the doctors who entered. I’ve heard good things of her, of how thoughtful with her patients she would be. Apparently she also had an amazing voice, as well as a colt of her own.

In contrast, her colleague, doctor Cracked Potion, was a rather eccentric and hazardous old unicorn stallion, which preferred teaching when he wasn’t called to the operating room, or wasn’t tinkering in his lab. He was an old copper-yellow stallion with gray hair, unkempt facial hair and a permanent frown on his face, whenever he was in a good mood. He had a cracked, conical beaker containing some boiling substance for a cutiemark.

Apparently they arrived with the medicine I’d asked for, most likely with the further intention of meeting the new prince… Which reminded me that the prince in question most likely didn’t know about how we elect our royalty around here.

If he were to become a regular prince, there wouldn’t have been any problem beyond offering such a title to an unstable, intelligent sadist. There are princes by right of either adoption, or our extended familial trees. But him being an alicorn prince does pose political issues.

So far, the only explanation we could offer to the populace, which is to say, the only one agreed on by the governmental deputes, was that our new addition to the royal family is a reward given by the powers that be to our harmonious race, and a declaration that we’re ready for a form of evolution. Considering the nature of alicorns, it’s likely that they’re not far off.

The reasonable answer would’ve been hiding his wings, but that wouldn’t have been a permanent solution. Turned out the best answer was for one of the royal family to adopt him and reeducate him. It was now only a matter of how I was going to do that…

And unfortunately, hypnosis didn’t seem to be an option, what with his mental seals.(***)

The old physician was apparently in the midst of a heated discussion with one of the guards when he came in, something about not liking having his way barred despite being summoned. “…Like I’d have time to waste my whole day waiting at her door just because you feel you can’t be too safe! She’d already told you to let us in, why do you still have to follow your redundant safety measures anyway?!”

While the guards attended to the old eccentric’s mostly-foul disposition, I got up to walk over to the bed to try explaining in the last minute what being a prince might entail. I was surprised to find my charge visibly perturbed at the intrusion, despite any attempt to hide it. His head was a little lower, his eyebrows were raised in a studying manner, his breathing became steady, mechanical, his fur was a bit raised as well.

I received a better idea. I walked over to the doorway just as the old doctor reached the apex of his ranting. “Thank you for your timely arrival, doctor Potion. Would you mind if you let me administer the serum, however? My charge and I are tired, and we’d hoped to get some rest.”

The servants went ahead, placed the meals inside and left. The old stallion seemed to have wanted to object, but doctor Beat quickly took the initiative to cut him off, “Of course, Your Highness. There’s no issue, is there Potion?”

Her colleague shot her a glare, then he levitated his saddle off and towards me. “Of course not,” he answered impatiently. I took the saddle out of his field as he continued, “It wasn’t like I didn’t have anything better to do than waste my time around your door.” He tilted to the side and took a short, bored glance around me. “Though I’d suggest you turn him back in. From the looks of things, his kidneys seem to not be working.” He turned around and started walking away. “No wonder there was so much of Seam’s serum left. His digestive system isn’t even working. But if you’re not concerned with that, then I’ll just be off.”

The others gave the departing stallion incredulous looks. Doctor Beat looked around me as well, adjusted her glasses for a double take, then turned to me concernedly. I cut her off before she said anything. “Don’t worry, it’s nothing serious…” I trailed off, then turned around to give the colt a look of my own. “Right?”

Annoyed, the colt-turned necromancer laid his head on one hoof and waved me off. “I’m not a big fan of needing to excrete. I don’t need treatment for it, only a reason to activate my digestive system. And a very good reason at that.” He gave me a glare. Apparently he was well aware that I was going to try to convince him to do just that.

I turned back to the doctor. “We’re fine. Thank you again for your help,” as I magically closed the doors in her face, releasing a tired breath afterwards.

I inspected the saddle. Everything seemed already arranged, all I had to do was strap the smaller receiver crystal around his foreleg. I decided to leave that for after our meal, and levitated the saddle over near the bed.

I walked over to the covered trays, already starting on that particular discussion. “While I can sympathize with your pragmatism, I still think not eating would be a little extreme.”

“Forcing someone to eat if they don’t need to is extreme,” he countered confidently. “You don’t feel the pain of starvation unless your digestive system is ever in use. I don’t need to sustain myself in the natural way, I have soul seals in place to do that more efficiently, without any drawbacks.”

“Impressive,” I admitted.

“Hardly,” he countered nonchalantly. I uncovered the plates, and he burst out confusedly, “What is that?”

“Apparently my sister has taken a liking to you.” I smiled as I levitated what appeared to be his meal closer for a better look. A bottle of formula, complete with rubber cap. There were even a baby hat and apron, a diaper and changing equipment and a sucker.

“What’s that at the end of the bottle? It looks perverse,” he muttered confusedly.

“Nothing for you to worry about.” I chuckled nervously as I pulled the sucker off and smelled the substance inside. ‘Yep, it’s definitely milk. Hilarious, Tia.’ After a few moments of thought, I just decided to use the milk with my coffee. It wasn’t really actual breast milk, after all.

I uncovered another plate and found she actually did have the decency to send us a real meal as well. Some steamed vegetables and a light noodle soup. No harder grass or plant stalks. Reasonable enough for someone who never used his most recent stomach before. Now to convince him to eat it…

I stared him down, bowl of hot soup in my aura. He didn’t have eyes, but he did all he could to stare at me back.

“I’m not eating that.”

“Yes you are.”

I stared more intensely, he was not impressed in the slightest.

“I promised I’d look after you, but I’m not going to put up with appearing like I’m starving you intentionally. I will force-feed you if I have to.”

“Then I suppose we’re at an impasse. I actually find I like this appearance,” as he opened his eye sockets at me. “It gives me a visual advantage.”

“The only advantage you need is on me, and I’m not taking this type of manifestation very well.” I floated the meal in front of him.

He stared at it, then whined, “But I don’t wanna…” I rolled my eyes, he went again, “And stop doing that, it’s making me dizzy!”

I couldn't help but let a chuckle through. “A compromise, then. While you eat, I’ll answer another question, but then you need to answer one of mine.” He looked at me expectantly. “…And I’ll try to remember not to make you dizzy again.”

“Okay then, I only have one question. Where’s the chamber pot?”

I took far less time to register what he asked than you’d expect. I used to use one myself a thousand years ago, after all. “There’s a thing called a bathroom in the adjacent room that we have. I’ll show you later. Now eat,” I said more forcefully than I initially wanted.

He sighed and grimaced as he swallowed it as quickly as he could. Stubbornly, he forewent savoring the meal which the royal chefs put effort into, instead wanting to just spite me for my imposing normal, equine living conditions on him. He even almost choked from lack of practice eating.

'This is ridiculous. I'm practically force feeding a starved child! Such insanity is even below Discord, for the love of the Gods...'

I pulled the plate away from him. "Easy now, lest you get sick."

He stopped suddenly, an anxious look on his face. I eyed him critically.

"...You were planning on retching all over my bed, weren't you?"

"I am neither confirming nor denying your ridiculous and insane inquiry."

"Mess up my bedchamber and you're sleeping in a dog house."

"I've slept in worse conditions, princess... when I decided on sleeping at all, that is."

I sighed and rubbed my temples. My head began to ache from his tirades. The colt didn't appear intent on stopping. "I believe it was your turn to ask a question."

His smile gave me the distinct impression that he knew what I've been trying to ask him. I sighed, for the nth time, and just got it over with. “What will it take for me to convince you to drop your death seal?”

"Ah, that," he drew away, faking surprise in order to further aggravate me.

“You’re as charming as a coffin, you know that?”

“I do my best,” he nodded and bowed dramatically. “Allow me to answer your question with a better question. Why don’t you have any defenses yourself? Certainly over your long life, you couldn’t have possibly not come across forces that could affect your mind or soul.”

He made a good point. I shifted in my spot next to him. “Alicorns are stronger than you know. I had time to train those parts of me in other ways. We don't use necromancy, instead we strengthen ourselves directly through focus and attunement.”

“And is there a reason you haven't suggested this before now?”

“There is. If you'd pay attention, I said only alicorns can train that way. You're in the body of one, a body which is connected to this world's aethers only superficially. If you were to let your synching run its course, then yes, I could instruct you.”

"Sounds convenient." He eyed me suspiciously.

Enough was enough. Nothing I'd say was going to get through to him. "What will it take for you to believe me?!" He flinched in surprise. I merely went on, "You have so much to gain if you'd just let me help you! This wasn't just a second chance, it was a miracle! Instead of embracing this opportunity, you stubbornly refuse, preferring to see a threat in every corner you can't see! This isn't your old world!"

He sunk his head into his hooves in thought. He took a few moments then turned to regard me by the corner of his eye. "Tell me. Why do you want me to be a child so badly? Why do you care so much about my seals?"

"I already told you, I intend on protecting you. That means from anyone that would mean you harm, as well as from your own folly."

"So you're afraid I might suddenly decide to off myself. You're really set on this, aren't you?"

He's changing the subject again. I drew away with a heavy sigh. "Nothing I say will get through to you, will it?"

"...So show me instead."

I looked back at him curiously. He continued, "Let me see the fruits of you and your sister's labors and mistakes. Let me see how your subjects live, if they're really as happy and peaceful as you keep saying they are. Let me study this world, and let me decide for myself what to make of it."

"And if you're still not satisfied?"

"Then we'll work something out. We're both reasonable adults, after all." I deadpanned, he immediately grimaced at his own choice of words. "...Relatively speaking, that is."

I let out a breath in thought. "I suppose it's a start."

“Let's just move on. I’m still not convinced I’m willing to entrust myself to you in the manner you expect me to, but I suppose I don't have anything better to do for now than to at least give you the benefit of a doubt.”

I eyed him curiously. “You say that as if you're actually willing to give me a chance."

“I know what you’re trying to do for me. I actually tried it once for someone else in the past.”

“You tried to help someone else?”

He opened his mouth to speak, but was cut short by his stomach growling loudly. His face turned pale and he got up from bed.
“You were saying something about a bath-chamber?”

Author's Notes:

Pirates obviously beat ninjas. Just ask ScrewAttack.

(*) They live in a place called Sibearia. It’s like Siberia, but with bears. Don’t worry, this world’s big enough to encompass all manner of ridiculousness the same category as buffaloes and the Monkey King. All in all, it all does make the magic of friendship appear commonplace. As for the idea of octopirates, well, anyone can be a pirate, and the seaponies do occasionally have to deal with a diverse array of tentacled menaces, including but not limited to the likes of Squirk, which is about as canon as the Smooze and the Three Witches.

(**) ‘Okay, a lot messy.’

(***) She was joking. Mostly...

Just so you know, the reason this chapter took so long was because I need to constantly make the effort of not repeating the original lest I'd kill myself, as well as the effort of making sure I'm being just as entertaining as the original lest you guys give me hell that the original's better. And finally, I also needed to humor the motif I initially had for this particular chapter, namely the 'death seal' business. The repeating the original doesn't appear here, but in the next few chapters, which was why I needed to change a few things here preemptively. I needed to delete three times this chapter's length over reedits before I got all of that covered.

Also, there were my exams.

Recently I reached a milestone. I was going to upload this chapter then, but it wasn't done, so whatever. It's done now. Anyway, there's a Q&A offered in the blog post. Feel free to shitpost there as loud as you'd like.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rB7NR90hkcQ

<Looks tiredly up and down the pages of the chapter> Fuck it. <Publish>

Next chapter, we have more tedium to water down with finally realizing just how completely fuckless the Necromancer has grown.

"A walking extinction"

During the next couple of hours after my conversation with Luna, nothing noteworthy happened. I proceeded to essentially bleed my guts out, and Luna was a few feet away making a big deal out of it. It was a little frustrating at first, but then it just got boring. After half an hour, I was doing my best to not lose consciousness from blood loss. My standard seals could only go so far.

It was quite excruciating, of course, and I felt like I wanted to flay someone alive, repeatedly. But what can you do? Honestly, it was times like these that a sanity seal would've come in quite handy. Unfortunately, I became desensitized by the time I had the chance to research one.

Luna stopped feeling uncomfortable with my spewing various substances out of both ends once I almost fell into the bucket she offered. Apparently she was still inexperienced with the sight of gore, as well as still getting used to the knowledge that I could actually survive such things. I was indeed capable of living through things that surprised her, however there was more to it than that.

I was more resilient than I myself expected. This body presented a heightened natural resilience to disease, and at such a young age as well. I also had reason to believe that this was just a facsimile of what this body was truly capable of. Perhaps Luna was telling the truth, when she said I cut my synching too soon. Then again, she says a lot of things. I just stopped listening to her once I realized where we were getting at… which was probably why she decided she could just as well start yelling, if reason wasn’t working for her.

I could ask for another truth spell, but I didn’t, because I already knew she was telling the truth. From the way her voice trembled in her outburst, from how bare she was leaving herself to me, without hiding, without fear. From the sweat on her brow and her heart beating faster. She was truly upset. Aggravatingly vulnerable. All evidence pointed to her truly wanting nothing more than to help me... according to her opinion on what was good for me. Something which I failed to agree on.

Honestly, my suggestion to put talking on hold to see her kingdom, was less for the sake of reassurance, and more for the sake of avoiding another truth field. The later she found out that I actually had no interest in being re-educated, instead preferring to be my own homicidal self pursuing a dangerous craft which she made a point in explaining that she did not care for, the more time I had to escape.

Oh, my mind’s wandering again. Regarding the matter of my internal organs being turned to paste, I wasn’t just reactivating them. That is, yes, I actually did need Luna to stick around and answer a few questions regarding how her species digested their food, what illnesses were common and what types of bacteria I needed to look to introduce into my intestines. But before I could get to acting on any of that information, I first needed her to maintain a contagion field for the plagues I was getting rid of, just to be on the safe side.

I wasn’t just re-growing the bacteria required for the process of digestion, doing excruciating trial and errors, and enforcing what parts had been damaged through my lack of use, or my lack of any intention of using them to begin with. I had also been using my digestive tract as a means of carrying my more virulent work with me through reincarnations. (*)

Some of the strains I was keeping were already extinct, while others wouldn’t ever be able to survive on their own at all. It really was a damn shame that I had to get rid of them. The things I could use them for… I could make the greatest weap- I mean cures, known to… ugh… ponykind? Is that an actual word?(**)

Back on track, just because I don’t like relying on having a normal digestive system, doesn’t mean I don’t sometimes recreate a healthy body.(***)

Unfortunately, unlike usual, now I only had my standard necromantic seals to control the plagues inside me. A very arduous method, when I really would've preferred to not get rid of my specimens to begin with. I had nowhere and no way to deposit them safely, however. Nor could I unmake and remake the sicknesses on the spot, so I had no choice but to let my body break them down... Except for actually letting Luna know about this little detail I've been keeping from her.

I had complete control over my plagues. However, Luna wasn’t as confident in my abilities as I was. She was quite ecstatic upon learning that I was actually a walking extinction waiting to happen. And when I asked her for a few beakers to store some of my specimens, her answer was in the form of shaking the stone masonry and cracking the magically enforced windows with what I then learned to be the Royal Equestrian Voice.

I couldn’t be quite certain of what exactly it was that she said, but going by the fact that my ear drums got inexplicably perforated shortly after I asked, my best guess was that her answer was “no”.

Once she used her own gaudy restoration magic to repair my eardrums, she proceeded to ask me why I didn’t ask her to inoculate me as well. Something which I actually failed to consider. In lack of a better answer, I said she needed to mind her own business.

After she inoculated me, I have to admit that I was finished much sooner, since I was only left with needing to fix the damages and build my digestive system. Once I got my guts under control, Luna then proceeded to throw me in a bath, intent on removing the blood and various other bodily substances which covered a substantial part of my pelt, as well as some of the floor around the toilet.

She removed her royal apparel for the purpose of the soapy process, and emanated a strong purifying aura as well, in order to make sure no sickness survived (and to conveniently remove the gore). The containment field was enough, honestly, but her aura was like assaulting an ant with a sledgehammer the size of a medium-sized cave troll. While said cave-troll-sized sledgehammer was on fire. I actually felt like I was being bathed in fire-mint, not soapy water.

The princess didn’t stop at getting rid of the visible filth, however. It felt like she was verifying whether or not my skin was sticking to my flesh properly. Surprisingly, it was, considering that one of my specimens was a modified variation of Leprosy.

“Is this because of your female mind offering you enhanced perception of microscopic traces of filth, or are you still upset about my endangering your entire species earlier?”

My response was in the form of a bucket of cold water being emptied over me.

“Just so you know, you have two choices. Either act like an adult and have me treat you like the unstable psychopath that you are, or act like a child so I don’t feel awkward about bathing you.”

“Ah. So you feel awkward. I suppose it’s understandable. Very well, I’ll remain quiet.”

A few minutes in, amazingly, I wasn’t the one to break. She was. I was content with falling asleep in a coma from the pain of having my insides melted and repaired.

“…You said you tried to help someone else before?” she attempted to keep me awake.

“I did,” was my simple answer.

“…Care to elaborate?”

“Not really, no.”

She lifted me out of the water over to eye level. Water pouring off my fur, steam wafting away. “What do you mean ‘no’?” she questioned.

“It means what the word ‘no’ generally means,” I responded, pensively, as I floated helplessly in front of her. I gawked at her, unimpressed. “You know, this sort of close proximity would feel different if we were both adults… and it was me seeing a humanoid princess, instead of a mangy-looking furry animal.” (deciding which one of us was said animal is up to you)

She then countered with unceremoniously emptying one last bucket of warm rinsing water over my head. “Charming as ever.”

"Which reminds me, are you sure you can't turn me into a human? And for that matter, into an adult?"

"I could," was her simple, short and quite reserved answer.

"...Will you, though?"

"What's the hurry? I thought you didn't like being alone. Do you have anyone else to bother beside me?"

"I suppose not. Though I would certainly appreciate the presence of someone who couldn't vaporize me with a thought instead."

"Says the psychopathic necromancer."

"Fair enough," I relented with a smile.

It seemed she deemed me fit to return to her pristine bed. She pulled me out of the water and wrapped me up in a towel.

“You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?” I asked pensively.

She carried me back in her room, along with a comb. “Believe me, I’m not. I could, though.”

“Mind elaborating?”

The comb felt surprisingly gentle on my head. Which was nice and all, but my entire body felt like it was torn and burnt all throughout, so I didn't really care. She answered, “You know, I was actually looking forward to getting to teach you a new way of life. To being your…” I eyed her curiously during her lag, “…mentor.” I decided to not give it any thought.

I know what silk feels like. This bed wasn’t made of silk, it was too soft. My recent blood loss hit me quite suddenly, and Luna pulling the covers over me did not help.

“Sleep again? I barely spent half the day awake.”

“It’s late.” She lay in bed beside me, and pulled the serum gem band over my forelimb, causing my drowsiness to increase further.

I wasn’t much fan of laying down without a fight, even if I didn’t have anything to gain or lose from either giving in or not. My seals kept me awake, but it felt like I was under water.

I felt a gentle hoof on my shoulder. For a moment, it felt like a hand. I offered her a dead glare, she stifled a sigh. “Lay to rest.”

I jumped away, stumbled and fell. A burning pain shot through the middle of my chest. ‘It’s over. Lay to rest.’ She certainly knew how to choose her words.

I didn’t notice when I began to tremble, or when I was held against her chest. But when she was telling me that it was okay, that I was safe… I believed her.

I fell asleep listening to her heartbeat.

---

I don't remember what I dreamed the prior night, but this time I might or might not have dreamed of sparring with Abe, until a tiny forest troll came over and tried to sell us sweet rolls. The poor guy then started begging, saying he needed the cash to cover his rent. It got really uncomfortable. Then a flock of carnivorous penguins passed by, busily pardoning as they hurriedly waddled through. They seemed restless, like they were late for an appointment or something. That's about an average dream for me. Does that characterize as a restless mind? I honestly don't know...

Oh, wait. There was also the matter of the patchwork chimaera beyond the glass wall on the side, munching on a bag of... something, with weird spectacles on his eyes, one lens blue whilst the other was red, telling me I might be dealing with repressed emotional issues. That was the point which made me start to worry about my sanity.

Supposedly, by some philosophical analogy, sleep can be likened to death. While I like the concept of most everyone on the planet being dead during each night, the analogy in and of itself still feels pretentiously moronic. Sleep is rest. Relaxing, oftentimes entertaining rest. Death isn’t rest, it’s ‘nothing’ with a side of more ‘nothing’. Bear in mind I'm not referring to the realms of Heaven or Hell. I am referring to death as a whole and what it signifies pertaining to the end of life, beyond the culmination of your time among the living.

While sleep is when your knowledge settles in your mind, your pains and wounds rest and close up, and your spirit gets to heal and stretch its legs… death, true death, is when you've had enough of the monotony of Heaven, or when you were finally ready to come to terms with your sins and no longer need Hell, or when your soul was destroyed through some other various means beside Naming Magic and Soul-Eating. Perhaps there's actually another state of higher being somewhere beyond the horizon of Styx or within the depths of Lethe, or underneath the frost of Cocytus or in the form of the very fires of Pyriphlegethon. No one ever succeeded to scry that far, however.

Perhaps I just needed to come to terms with what happened and pass on... but why not prolong my stay? What's the harm in staying up a little while longer before... laying to rest?

Especially now that I finally found playmates that would stick around.

The matter I needed to focus on was how to avoid my old fate, and towards that end I needed to change who I was and safeguard my favor with the sisters. Of course they would not accept a dangerous mad mage threatening their subjects, regardless of whether I would actually harm them or not. And ultimately, a change of pace could only be likely to be for the best, considering how there were only so many possible alternatives, and only so few of those alternative paces were worse than my old one.

However, the pace I was going at was not mine, it was Luna's. This was an issue that I wished to correct. Somehow. I was not certain on the how.

‘…To Hell with it, I’ll figure it out tomorrow. Oh, wait. It’s already morning.’ “Rats.”

I heard humming from beside me, then shifting under the covers. Then I felt two familiar spells reaching out into my consciousness. I reluctantly let them take effect.

“Did you say something?” she asked me tiredly, with a charming yawn.

“…You were there this whole time?” was all I could reply with.

“You sound surprised.” I could tell she was smiling at me cockily.

I decided to change the subject, “I wasn’t expecting it. It’s a bit too close.”

She stretched charmingly while she responded, “Well, I had to. You’re a boiling point in the Dreamworld, with your troubled mind, so I needed to offer insulation.”

“Uhm… what?”

She cocked an eyebrow at me. “You honestly don’t know? I thought you knew about the Dreamworld.”

“There’s a thing called the Spirit World, which I thought was on the same plane of existence throughout reality. Where I’m from, I’ve never heard of a Dream World.”

“How can you not have a Dream World? It is the bordering area between the Spirit World and the living one. It serves as a means of keeping the two worlds separate. Without it, the dead would still have a presence in the living realm for long before they passed on, and if they die violently or tragically, there wouldn’t be any chance for them to-” She just kept getting more and more riled up as she continued. I decided to put a stop to that.

“Luna, I come from a world where there already are plenty of deadly things beside the dead. Actually, they’re quite helpful sometimes. As long as you get access to your ancestors’ and mentors’ wisdoms, and actually had the chance to offer proper goodbyes to loved ones, then what are a few Revenants and Death Knells?”

“…Revenants? Death Knells?”

“You don’t want to know.” I tiredly tried to get out of bed, until I was levitated back on Luna’s back. I sighed. “What’s on today’s itinerary?”

“Well, after breakfast…” I offered a groan, “… we’re going out to see Canterlot.”

My ears perked up upon being presented with the prospect. My mind was busy considering a variety of thoughts. ‘Oh, right. I’m going to need to see how the common and humble live as opposed to this lavish royal life. See if these princesses truly are as generous as they’re making themselves out to be. I’m also going to want to find out about how mind altering is used in the justice system, see what I need to look out for.’ During this time, Luna prepared a rather odd illusion spell on the both of us. She carried me on her back over to a mirror, and I found we had been subjected to noticeable changes.

“What do you think?” Luna’s voice came out of the new, noticeably smaller equine that shared the same color scheme as her. Her mane stopped flowing, and her wings and royal apparel were clearly missing, but I surmised she now looked indistinguishable from the common folk. I was barely changed, aside from my own wings also missing and the presence of a new pair of bright, wide, naïve and oblivious eyes the same color as her deep blue ones. I tried to shift and scrunch my face, but it was stuck in that gullible look.

“My face is stuck looking harmless.”

Luna produced a pair of large, thick-glassed spectacles in order to hide the fact that I wasn't technically looking at anything, and went to brushing our hair into less unruly states. “That’s the point. You will stay out of trouble today,” she declared. Unfortunately, I couldn’t roll my eyes either.

---

We were leaving the castle proper on foot hoof. Supposedly Luna could just teleport us to town without any difficulty, but she decided against attracting any unwanted attention to us. However, there was still another matter, “I’m surprised you didn’t bring a bodyguard along. I was looking forward to harassing them.”

Luna hummed pensively, as we both enjoyed the feeling of the early morning sun on our backs. “As much as I’d like to discourage any further chaperones, I would prefer it if you at least tried to get along with others.”

“Certainly. As long as they’re not part of the kind of people I like to hate and subsequently torment at any chance I have. It just so happens that soldiers are on the list, right between nobles and priests.”

“I’m not even going to ask.” We walked past the gates leading to the castle area, along a marble road towards an area with a brilliant fountain statue depicting a stylistic representation of Celestia. It seemed the locals really liked their rulers, going by how clean the entire area was. Not taking into account the snow, of course.

“Where to?” she asked me.

“Somewhere with plenty of people to interrogate. City square, perhaps?”

She took a right at the fountain. I would’ve very much liked being able to see again, but I couldn’t risk trying anything with her breathing down my neck. Hopefully I’ll come up with a decent idea. Start yelling, saying I’ve been kidnapped? No, there are several ways that could go wrong. I’d need her to let me down first, and to be sufficiently distracted for me to have time to go behind a corner. Unfortunately, running into pedestrians would only work towards giving me away, as well as getting in my way, rather than offer me cover.

What I would need would be something big. Preferably with lots of sharp teeth. Something to cause a panic. Hopefully Luna would think I got trampled to death, and wouldn’t look for me.

As we advanced through the city, everything looked pristine. I was pleased to find that they weren't throwing their refuse out the window on any unsuspecting pedestrians, then laughed at their expense.
Marble flooring, well-made housing and shops. Everyone was well fed and working happily, no vagrants or street urchins, they were wearing confortable-looking and diverse clothing. I would need to question Luna regarding why they were wearing clothing at all, and why I couldn’t be bothered to receive pants.

“I just realized something.”

“What is it?” she asked.

“How do I know all your settlements are just as well off as your capital? Obviously the capital is the most well off.”

Understandably, she didn’t like hearing that. She stopped in her tracks and looked me in my vacant eyes. “And you’re saying this now?”

“It only crossed my mind just now,” I explained with a shrug.

She sighed. “We’ll figure something out later.” I had the distinct impression that she was not impressed by this new development. She got back on her way. “Regardless, since we’re here, we might as well have a nice time, wouldn’t you agree?”

“I suppose,” I offered simply, eying (as much as I could) an opening into the sewers. Disgusting, but perfect for an escape route. Considering it was royalty I was dealing with, she would definitely never follow me down there, lest she’d get her mane dirty. All I needed was a short distraction…

“Quick! Look over there!” I pointed in the opposite direction.

“Huh?” she did look in that direction, but as soon as she felt me scrambling off her back, she caught me in her magic field without turning and levitated me over to her face. She just stared at me, her dropped eyelids giving away a deadpan. I only smiled sheepishly in return. She turned around, looked around…

“…The sewer? You’re kidding.” I only shrugged again. “…You’re kidding, right?”

“A man’s gotta try,” I offered.

Her punishment was in the form of sighing again, tiredly. It was a very harsh sigh. She weaved through the mass of well-dressed middle-to-upper-class citizens, towards a square-shaped clearing in the buildings. Shop stalls ran along the margins in multiple layers, offering only a wide variety of fresh food produce and luxury items. Certainly, this entire city never heard of poverty. This development went to support Luna's claim of what lessons learned and loving her subjects could do in the long run. Now I only needed evidence that all the other establishments throughout her and her sister's kingdom were just as well off, and, if that truly was the case, then I needed to research on what slave nations this one had, or what recent wars were funding this nation. All of this luxury needed to be afforded somehow.

In the middle of the large city square were half a dozen street performers which, surprisingly, were smiling quite earnestly. Artists enjoying their craft while they were surprisingly not starving.

Among the many spectators seated on the many benches around the center area were both the elderly and the young, enjoying the spectacle, some of them even trying their... mouths at sketching. A contented hum escaped Luna's chest as she took a seat, in a surprisingly non-precarious position, offering herself room to place me on her lap. I found this position far less troublesome than I should have. I find a lot of things far less troublesome than I should.

We, well, Luna looked around while I was stuck seeing whatever she was seeing. Eventually I couldn’t help myself but cut the silence, “Am I in trouble?”

“Depends. Did you suggest last night that we go out because you truly were interested to learn about your new world, or was it just you trying to find a way to escape?”

“A little bit of both, but not just. Mostly I just wanted to get an open sky over my head. I’ve been stuck in a cave for the entirety of the past few months and the majority of the last decade, doing absolutely nothing other than preparing the spell I used to get here. I was a bit restless over the fact that I was now stuck again.” I paid attention to the others nearby. “Can they understand me, or must I act like a child as well?”

She took off my glasses, and shifted her mane into a better position to hide me from sight. “You’re speaking Equish, yes. Though I don't know why you would mind. Weren’t you trying to get away from me, though?”

I glared at her. “You are already making me feel like a prisoner. I don’t need prying ears to offer you reason to make me a prisoner stuck inside the castle as well.”

“It’s not prying ears that are the reason why I’m keeping you on such a short leash.” She regarded the mare at the violin. From the edge of the princess’s sight, I noticed that no one was paying our conversation any heed. “You are not irredeemable, that’s why I’m even trying with you. I also told you my personal motivations. As for a catch, I suppose there would be one thing I was striving for…”

She petered off, for whatever reason. Her tone gave me plenty of leeway to guess at what her follow-up might’ve been. It was thematic by now. “But you want something in return,” I assumed.

“I want a lot of things from you,” she sighed tiredly again. I supposed my guess missed its mark. “Right now, the forefront of my mind is occupied by finding out who the person you said you tried to help was, whether you’re truly capable of caring about anyone else beside yourself, and whether you’re capable of living a peaceful life after what you went through. I was also hoping to find evidence that I can trust you not to try to kill the first person who looks at you funny…”

“Are you looking at me funny right now?” I joked. She deadpanned, I smiled. She relented and went on.

“The fact that you’re so easygoing is both a good thing, and a bad one. It’s as you’ve said, you couldn’t take everything to heart, otherwise you would lose your mind. On the other hoof, you’re still able to take a life without as much as a flinch.” Her eyes fixated on a mother and child walking past. She was about to say something more, but I cut her off.

“I thought I told you, I don’t hurt innocents.”

“So you said, and so I suppose my truth spell affirms,” she quoted with a hint of pleasure. “But we both know there’s far more to it than that.” She eyed me intently, I returned a glare. “There’s a certain temptation to do the wrong thing, like how most creatures share the urge to jump upon looking down from the side of a high ledge.”

“Another reason I tend to keep myself isolated and busy with my studies. What’s your method of dealing with this rather gross biological flaw that we appear to share?”

“A number of things. Restraint, common sense and decency, my love for my subjects and my fear of hurting them. The fact that ponies are actually innately peaceful creatures, that only show aggression upon feeling threatened, as opposed to certain ape-like omnivores that consider everything free rein and need to poke a sharp object before knowing that it’s painful.”

“So we only share reverse fear of heights, then,” I half questioned. “On the side, I feel slightly offended, even though I agree full heartedly with your description of humans. I also must admit that I’ve yet to properly take the detail of my being an herbivore into account. The implications are quite fascinating…”

“That aside, I was hoping we could get back on track.”

I sighed in defeat. “I was hoping you’d forget about that. The concerns at the forefront of your mind are serious enough, and I do take them seriously, but can’t we leave them for another time?”

“Another time when?“

“Perhaps after I finally understand why you’re bothering with me to begin with. I can’t help but ask myself that, if you’re really so concerned about the risk I pose upon your beloved subjects, then why are you bothering with me at all?”

By this time, the artists had changed their song to a more morose one. Once their song was finished, coin landed in their plate and the spectators went on their way, soon to be replaced by others. Until the next batch of listeners arrived, however, the crowd would remain thinned out.

Luna began, steadily, silently. “I do not consider the act of taking a life to ever be an option under any circumstances. The very thought of it disgusts me. Then again, I didn’t live your life, so I understand that I could never truly judge you properly. I just can’t, it’s not within my ability. I don’t think anyone has that ability. So then I decided that it doesn’t really matter what I think. What actually matters is what you deserve, which would be something that you were never offered before. A chance.”

There was a pause. I felt a truth charm’s effects take hold. “That is, of course, if you did truly never have a choice regarding the matter of having the life you had.”

I sighed. “I suppose this is as far as I got, then.” I could feel her muscles tense next to me, hear her heart beat more forcefully. “Oh, calm down, it’s nothing incriminating. However it’s not something I want to talk about either.”

“What isn’t?”

“I’ve been… tinkering with my Reanimation spell throughout my life. In order to offer myself a new shape, one that was different from the one on the wanted posters. And eventually, I succeeded. I had a normal life at my disposal, if I so chose.”

“And what stopped you?”

“Oh, I don’t know. Perhaps the fact that living as a common farmer after all I've been put through was generally unacceptable to me. To downgrade myself into just another cog in a kingdom, another beast of burden for those who graciously fancy themselves my betters and another toy soldier for some halfwit glory-mongering general's convenience, another faithful among the masses that was conditioned to believe that he's happy to prostrate and pay taxes when he could far too easily just be killed together with his entire family as soon as a few cretins were convinced with a few coins and 'holy words'. Ater all I’d gone through, I was supposed to surrender and accept the imperfections of society and life, both of which deemed me expendable in the grand scheme of things. That after all I'd seen and learned, I was to just be a normal, average human that tramples everything they don’t understand to the ground. That take pleasure in causing harm and destruction, and cling to excuses but never take the blame. All because they don’t have the chance to develop emotional depth and awareness, because it’s not enlightenment that we’re designed to pursue, but survival and procreation, and absolutely nothing else.

“To live and die a short and troubled life which we did not have any real say in before we were forced into it, all for the sake of bringing a few sodding morons on the world, which would be doomed to repeat the same mistakes that were done by every single flawed, short-sighted, self-centered human being that came before them. After all, it’s as you’ve said. We don’t take heed of oral lessons, we do need to poke before comprehending warnings. Who knows? Maybe one of my children or grandchildren would’ve grown up to be a mercenary, like the ones that tried to kill me?”

There was a hidden edge in my words. Because that’s how I fashioned myself to work. To study my adversary attentively, not giving away anything as I’d reach sharp claws around them. The hidden dagger, I found, was quite to my liking.

Once again, I was surprised, as I felt a drop of something hit my cheek. She was crying. She whispered, “I’m sorry.”

I was livid. I didn't even care if anyone else could hear me. “…How. How can someone as powerful as you be so… weak? So vulnerable?!" More tears fell as she held me tight. "I just… can’t understand.”

Author's Notes:

(*) 'I’m going to need to explain the five schools of Necromancy some time. Disease is the fourththirdfourth one of them.'

(**)' …On an unrelated note, those two remaining heroes might meet a very slow and painful end unless they meet a medical sage within a few hours after their killing me. Unless, of course, they did the reasonable thing and inoculated themselves before facing me.'

(***) 'For example, once I got killed, I might sometimes decide I could use a few days of laying low… and maybe visit a brothel or two… or the local duke’s daughter…'

'Pain is the thirdfirst school of Necromancy, which generally deals with wounds, but can effect fatigue just as well. Every single kind of bodily discomfort can be managed and healed. Especially fatigue, which is mostly caused by micro-fissures in the muscle tissue. Managing mental fatigue and memory was another matter altogether, however. It took me quite a few trial and errors on mercenary guinea pigs, trying to reverse engineer an amnesia spell, to finally figure out an... acceptable solution to that as well. It also helped me perfect my defensive seals against amnesia. Understandably, if I wanted to find proper results, I couldn’t test it on myself.'

Author’s notes. I came back and patched a few things, as explained in the author’s notes from chapter 3. This is a copy of what I updated those author’s notes with:

I came back again and made more patches and announcements:
-Changed Celestia's and Luna's names a bit. Apparently their names are very Latin in origin (which actually makes brilliant sense lorewise);
-Made Equestria as the local equivalent of America, and some different continent where they originated from, let's call the equivalent of Europe the Manelands. Equestria and the Manelands use variations of the same language, same as America and Britain, same as how the Romans and Greeks shared the same mythology. Let's say Equestria uses a Latin variation of the Maneland's Greek... so Equish is a Latin variation of Maneish or something.
-Necky's name will be Ancient Mane (Greek) in origin, as opposed to Luna's and Celestia's Discordian Age Equish (Latin).
-Necky's old world's deities will be localized variations of the Endless. Vertigo had them modernized, Necky had his deities contemporary all the same.
-I removed Necky mentioning anything about any other deities altogether. I mistook Helios for Solaris anyway. I removed mention of Helios/Solaris, as well as swapped mention of Poseidon with simply "the Lord of Dreams" in chapter 1. Though I guess I could suggest that Pegasus was a result of Dream and Delirium having a little too much fun together.

Sol Caelesti and Nox Luna. Necky's name will come when it comes. In the meantime, vote on his eye color. I have no idea when his eyes will grow back, and I've not the faintest when we will achieve that milestone, but yeah. I was thinking either red or orange. No fucking way I'm making him blond with blue eyes, though.

Bell chimes

I wish I could say that my truth spell uncovered some as-of-yet unknown facet to him which absolved him of his very real potential to harm others. I did not, however I had found something else. Something deeper.

He held resentment in his heart, but not just. He recognized what was wrong with his world, and tried to do better. He recognized why he was wronged, and tried to isolate himself from the cause, he did try to do better on his own. He still posed no less of a potential danger than what my sister and I had first recognized in him, but I found I was mistaken in my perception of him. He was not some sick beast that needed to be pacified; he was far more than just some reiteration of my own Nightmare; he was a man who persevered, even now.

I told him before, but only now did I truly understand it myself. He had drowned, but now he was safe.

I didn’t react the way I did because I was saddened by his confessions, per se. In all honesty, it was all merely a matter of perspective.

First off, such tragedy simply does not happen in our world. It was something which I was still having trouble coming to grips with. And yet, the fact remained that for so very long, to his very last breath, he struggled against his fellow humans, and they did not stop until they forced one last death out of him. He alienated himself from them, and they sought out his own end, for what? Was it truly because of his magic, or was it because he dared to reject their 'justice'? Because he defied their own corrupt order?

His society was so much worse than our own to such a drastic degree that, it just broke my heart. It was just now settling in for me that perhaps his craft was much less out of place in his world than I had initially thought.

Soul-eating monsters and mad undead were the least of his worries. There were worse still than that, and as a result, his peers were living in fear to the point that instead of being encouraged to enforce their community, they merely focused on putting as many bodies between themselves and any sort of danger or insecurity as possible. Their peers’ bodies. To what precise extent, I did not know, but it definitely appeared that they were too busy to actually seek out enlightenment and personal growth in any manner, instead pursuing becoming as loud and aggressive apes as possible. Such a society was simply inequine… but that was all that he had at his disposal.

I shuddered to consider what he expected to find of our kingdom this day. No wonder he was not satisfied with his findings and wanted to inspect other cities beside Canterlot.

That was why I cried. Not for a single tragic life, but for an entire tragic world... and for my own mistaken assumptions of the treasure within my care.

Right now, he tried. He might’ve not turned out unblemished as a result of his life thus far, but he was still trying to understand something contradictory to his nature, to his being. He might’ve not been the child I wanted, but he still sought to understand something which wasn’t making any sense to him, in spite of how it made no sense to him. He was trying to understand, well, me. And it was hard for him, but he still tried. It was painful for him, maddening for him, it spit in the face of everything he built himself upon, but he. Still. Tried.

He could’ve most certainly come out much, much worse than he did. I did not know what he went through, and I doubted I would know even if he were to recite his entire life to me. Still, that wouldn’t stop me from trying, especially not now when I finally knew that my words and actions really did have an effect on him. After all, maybe that was all he really needed. For someone to try to understand him as well.

Here in the square of Canterlot, I held my son.

I did not stay that way long enough, however, as something decided to impose a rude interruption.

I was not paying attention to my surroundings, and didn’t notice the commotion my subjects were causing until moments before I felt an impact upon my side, throwing me into a merchant’s stand a few strides away (*).

I felt my disguise flicker from the impacts, but I regained my focus quickly enough once I recovered my senses amidst the debris of the stand. It was a lapse in concentration, but I doubt anyone noticed my true identity. After all, I wouldn't allow for the day I planned to spend with my child to be canceled because of this fiend.

As I recovered from the crash, I first took stock of myself and my charge. “Are you alright?”

“I’m… fine,” he offered with a notable amount of reservation, seemingly distracted somewhat.

Not feeling anything broken, I focused my attention to the hissing monster glaring at us. It was a large creature, perhaps three times my real size, a cross between a lizard and a bird. Leathery wings with long scales arranged like feathers, ending with long, hooked claws, sharp enough to leave shallow cuts as it dragged them across the hard marble in an effort at intimidation. It seemed completely capable of balancing itself on its hindlegs however. A long beak full of serrated teeth, with multiple long, tentacle-like tongues within. And a single eye betraying simple, beastial aggression.

“You let your guard down. That’s why it attacked.”

I was more concerned with focusing on the beast in front of me than responding. However, before I even gathered the presence of mind to decide to use an offensive spell, the creature faded out of vision. I looked around in surprise and trepidation, not finding the creature anywhere, however I still heard its hissing and scratching on the marble, and could make out the places where he'd disturb the few stretches of remaining snow. It was circling me, indeed looking for another opening.

“You do know Snallighasts can turn invisible, right?”

“Don’t you mean Snallygasters?” I baited.

“Careful!”

My charge’s warning wasn’t necessary in the slightest. This beast was clearly deadly in its speed and arsenal, which were more than enough to hunt a manticore. However, I had stronger protection than even the natural king of the hunt, and more than enough magical ability to make this encounter into a farce. I was actually surprised that its opening strike hurt me so very little.

As the beast rushed at my perceived blind spot, I turned toward the noise it was making and blasted it away with a simple concussive spell, knocking it out of its cloaking field. It bounced a few times, then it stopped, remaining still.

“I think you might’ve killed it,” my charge’s voice went, chilling the blood in my veins.

“What?!”

I rushed towards the creature, my charge still held against my chest, past a stallion who approached us in order to ask if we were not harmed ourselves, then I regarded the beast. It was still breathing, however there was a trickle of blood coming from its head.

My charge commented, “Its skull is fractured. It doesn’t seem to be dead, however.”

“I didn’t hit it that hard!”

“The fact that you almost killed it says otherwise.” I wanted to say something else, however he patted me on the place where I was hit and continued with, “Exactly how durable are you?”

I was interrupted again, this time by a pegasus guard who arrived at the scene. “Ma’am? Are you and your colt okay?”

Two of his colleagues approached soon afterwards, landing on either side of the fallen creature, carefully. Apparently they had enough sense to treat this situation as the adequate threat it… was supposed to be.

“We’re fine. Just a little startled, is all…”

“You sure?” the guard checked. “That was quite the impact you both went through.”

“I would be more concerned with that… beast, if I were you. I seem to have reacted a bit strongly.” ‘Which is to say, for whatever reason, it is far weaker than it’s supposed to be.’

“Don’t worry, I don’t think anypony would judge a mother for reacting to a threat to her child.” I felt my charge go stiff in my grasp. “Still, my colleagues will make sure the creature’s tended to, as well as locked securely until we can determine why it acted so violently. Meanwhile, I’ll be escorting the both of you to the hospital. Can’t be too careful, after all.” Before I could object, he went on with, “I’m sure you understand.”

Oh, right. A mother would typically be expected to react unreasonably concerned for her child in my situation. And since that was the role which I’d best take on in this particular situation, I figured I should act the part, unless I wanted to give myself away.

To my eternal fortune, however, I did not need to concern myself with that dilemma for long at all, as a familiar voice rang out, its source approaching from the rear. “That won’t be necessary, officer. I can make sure my sister arrives home safely.”

‘Drat.’

Surely enough, the guard, together with everyone else in the area, offered deep, courteous bows towards where I heard my sister speak from. I sighed and turned around. Finding my ever-protective sister here, most likely in response to feeling my energy flaring earlier, I decided it was pointless to try to keep my and my charge’s disguises any further at this point.

I turned back into my old appearance, luckily I had the foresight to equip my apparel anyway. Predictably, everyone around gasped in shock, however they were not taken aback by me in particular.

“Luna,” Tia drew my attention allarmingly, approaching whilst pointing at my charge.

There was the subtle sound of bell chimes. He was staring at the blood, which was now running along the marble towards us. He stretched out a hoof towards it. I jumped and hurried away, holding him tightly while I did so.

I turned him towards me, but he did not respond, as if in a trance. His eyeless sockets were opened, an eerie red glow emanating from within.

“Are you alright?” I asked him. No response. “…Answer me! My child! Talk to me, please!”

He seemed to have heard me that time, as he shook his head clear of whatever he was experiencing. The curious sound of chimes and the red glowing of his eyes ceased. He lowered his eyelids back down, an obviously confused look on his face. “What did you call me?” he asked, genuinely at a loss.

I sighed out in relief. “Don’t do that! You scared me half to death!”

“I did?” he asked, rubbing the side of his head. “What did I do? I seem to have blacked out for a moment there.”

I looked back to the now motionless bloodstain on the marble. Tia approached, and spoke, “Perhaps we can look into it safely at some point in the future. For now, I think we need a little time to clear our heads.”

---

We didn’t want to cut our day short so quickly, but it couldn’t be helped. Perhaps next time. I didn’t even get the chance to introduce him to donuts…

Celestia teleported us back to the castle, not wanting to hear any objections. She was very persistent in keeping us as safe as possible. I presumed she might’ve been a bit upset over what happened. In that respect, when I brought up whether we could visit any of our cities today in order to show him how our subjects lived, she would not hear any of that either.

I briefly considered that this must be how my charge feels about being supervised and held against his will. I'm certain he'll appreciate us sneaking out tonight. We shall feast on the delectable dough holes yet!

We appeared in my sister’s study. Apparently Tia was busy signing forms when she sensed my power spiking. Early in the morning, and she already had a stack of papers waiting for her. I would feel sorry for her, if I didn't know she actually enjoyed the chore… Anyway, we had a few things to talk about, so she asked her aide to leave the chamber while we discussed what just happened. While… ugh… Quill-Something? While her aide was clearing her documents, Tia sat down behind her desk and beckoned us to sit across fron her.

Before either I or my sister could initiate the conversation, my charge started, “Alright, tell me. Exactly how much damage does a lethal amount typically consist of around here?”

It took me a while to understand what he was talking about. “Much more than what it took for me to break that wretched creature’s skull, if that’s what you’re getting at.”

“That’s not it. You were supposed to be sliced in half in that initial attack, at least if you were a regular human. However, you emerged without even a scratch. What, does your kind have mithril-lined pelts or something?”

There was a sense of horror steadily growing in my throat. I knew what he was getting at, but I was reluctant to follow that train of thought to the end. Celestia regarded me with not small amount of concern, then eyed my charge carefully, “A regular pony can be whipped by a manticore’s tail with nary a bruise to tell the tale, not to speak of the naturally resilient earth pony, who could technically be flattened by a dragon and just bounce back out with not much more than a few bruises and aching joints. An alicorn’s resilience is… harder to measure, as it varies according to their tier and attunement to their Aspect. Suffice to say, you could drop a mountain on us out of nowhere and we’d survive without that much trouble.” She paused, steel in her eyes, before continuing, “What about humans?”

“Well, I don’t know about any mountains, but there is this one record of the first recorded murder of a human. It was by his brother, which merely brought a respectably large rock, no larger than a forearm was long, to the back of his sibling’s head, in a tantrum. He didn’t even mean to kill his brother, since death was as-of-yet unheard of back then. Or so the tale goes, at least.”

Tia’s eyes went a little colder at that, but still she wanted to make sure. “…Pardon? A rock?”

I held him a little closer. He seemed to notice, but said nothing of it. He just went on, “…Yes, a rock. Hell, let’s be generous and say that it was a very sharp rock that the farmer used. Perhaps the stone on his plough? Regardless, he didn’t really need the addition of the stick connected to the stone, but whatever helps you sleep at night. Honestly, even a rock thrown by a skilful-enough slinger could kill quite effectively, then again there are always bows, spears and crossbows. Regarding being flattened by a dragon, however, I don’t think I heard of any records of any human, dwarf, elf or other, surviving the experience. Except for that one druid that one time… No, wait. He reincarnated. Nevermind.”

I have to confess that neither I nor my sister focused our study of his race beyond a general, perspective view. We did not force ourselves through studying any instances where they’d… died. We only deemed it sufficient to agree that they were just a very violent race, only a slight ways away from our gryphons in likeness in that respect.

A rock to the back of the head. We just assumed that they were more resilient. We had no reason to think otherwise, how could we have known otherwise?! It was unthinkable that it took just this much to kill one of them! It takes a boulder to injure a pony, and it wouldn’t even be anything that they couldn’t recover from afterwards! It takes falling at terminal velocity for a pegasus to break their wing, which only contains their very thinnest bones! But what is a rock?! What is a human left to assume of their lives if it could be taken so easily?!

Celestia wanted to try to find an explanation.

“I am sorry, we were not aware of any of this. It seems our morphic field preserves us, while your kind might not even have it to begin with.”

“We do have it,” he cut off, “It just doesn't offer any kindness. Even so, I don't think I understand. You can get literally flattened by a boulder, but say no thanks and stay alive?”

“To an extent, yes.” (**)

“What about stab wounds to the heart or head? What about drowning?” his tone even, it seemed he suspended his disbelief and was now merely gathering information.

“While there is a limit, the pony body will always seek to return itself to perfect health. Make no mistake, we can die, it's just less easy. We're physically adapted to making best use of our magic. Even if we are ever at the point of death, we fall into a coma, an organ at the base of the brain keeping it from deteriorating until another pony might come and take us to safety.”(***) He was about to object further, but Celestia hadn’t finished. “There’s also the matter of Windygos.”

“…What?”

Celestia took a while to gather her composure for such a grim subject. “In the case of ponies being claimed by wild things, they become part of the forest and act as a deterrent keeping ponies and animals separate. If the culprit was sapient itself however, the victim's spirit gradually gets twisted and warped by the need for vengeance, eventually becoming a Revenant. In the case of ponies, that would be a spirit of cold and hate, a Windygo." On queue, Tia’s horn lit up and an image of the spirit in question appeared in front of us.

She went on, "After the Windygo claims its culprit, it is left to roam the lands, prowling for ponies with an explicit desire to shed blood. Once they catch their scent, they hunt again. The more hatred, the more prevalent the scent, so a pony who intends on taking a peer’s life would be quite irresistible.” For emphasis, the images depicted the shadows representing two ponies, one wielding a knife in a threatening manner around the other’s back. The culprit lifting the weapon to strike, but being imprisoned in ice as soon as the knife started being brought down. “The common Windygo freezes any pony it comes across, instinctively, so as to preserve their source of hatred indefinitely… unless they’re enraged.”

“And what if they’re enraged?” he asked, just as unreadable.

Tia escaped a sigh. As answer, she changed the image. This time the knife landed, and the second pony dissolved into a far larger, more menacing ethereal shape. The culprit was not encased in ice, instead being turned to ice themselves, then shattered, the sounds of screaming only intensifying after that.

“So around here, Wendigos are created through murder? Where I’m from, they are created through cannibalism.”

“…I think I’m ill,” I went.

“I am not surprised,” my colt answered shortly, nonplussed.

Tia asked, “You seem to be taking this well.”

“How am I supposed to react to the revelation that, unlike mine, your race actually seems to live above the natural law? All I can say is, I am surprised that you didn’t overpopulate by now.”

“…Right. About that." Tia traced a hoof to the side of her mouth reluctantly, looking to the side. "You see, unlike humans, ponies run on a mating season, once every ten years. We also happen to have a longer lifespan.”

My charge seemed to have had enough. He finally burst out of being unreadable, giving in to the restlessness and tension that had been gathering underneath the surface. “Okay! So, this particular conversation line seems to be having trouble dying in excruciating agony, so I’ll just take the liberty of killing it myself! There, it’s dead! We have better things to discuss right now! We were talking about the beast that attacked us today!”

“Oh, right," I offered, less in a tone of recollection and more in one of uneasiness. "You were asking how I didn’t get sliced in half by that beast.”

“The Snallighast,” he offered, studying me persistently.

“…But that was not a Snallygaster, however,” my sister offered to correct.

“There you go as well,” he replied, turning to face her in turn.

The colt decided he finally had enough of the close proximity and bound off on top of the desk. “You say Windygo, I say Wendigo. You say Snallygaster, I say Snallighast. Let me throw a random idea out of nowhere now. We both have different versions of the wintry spectre, perhaps we also have a different version of the multi-tongued bird crossed with a lizard with hooked talons and only one eye as well? Perhaps your language link is trying to point out that we're not really talking about the exact same creature after all?”

My sister went again, “Around these parts, this particular member of the wyvern family is far less… well, disturbing than the creature you two have faced. However, I can’t say for certain that it doesn’t present a distinct resemblance to our own version, despite its larger size and general appearance. Wouldn’t you agree, Luna?”

I nodded, and my colt retorted, “The Snallighast is part of the ghast family. Ghouls with spectral abilities, including phasing through solid structures and becoming invisible. If I were to guess, your version is simply a two-legged creature with dragon-like characteristics, literally the description of a wyvern, correct?…”

I nodded, and Tia replied, “Yes, you are. I would also like to offer my own random idea, if you don’t mind.”

“Speak your mind,” he allowed.

She lit up her horn and her desk was split in two halves. The left side had a hoof track next to the line in the middle, and the right side had a palm track in a mirroring position. On the left side appeared many magical beasts’ silhouettes from our world, two of which were highlighted. “I believe that there might possibly be a connection between all of these differences, which our scholars might be able to find.”

“Or maybe there isn’t, and they would be wasting their time on your behalf. Or perhaps there are actually multiple different elements setting our two worlds apart. Just this morning I found out from Luna that you have a Dreamworld acting as a buffer between this realm and the realm of the dead. We don’t have any such realm to speak of.”

“Good to know,” Tia replied, and jotted new information down on a note. “And even if they would be wasting their time, they would be doing so in my service, on my money. So it’s my choice to make.”

“Suit yourself. Mind at least explaining why you’re so anxious to throw away your money?”

“Oh!” she laughed warmly. “How silly of me! I forgot to explain, it was the random idea I mentioned that I came across. I just thought, randomly, that perhaps your Necromancy might also work differently from ours? It was something I wondered since I couldn’t quite explain that little display of yours during your blackout minutes ago, and considering there are no records of any Necromancers as talented as yourself in our world, then perhaps your advanced affiliation would manifest differently here than in your original world?”

To his credit, my colt only remained taken aback very briefly. “You’re talking about reverse-engineering not only the mechanisms behind both human and equine magic, but also about me teaching you the intricacies of my art which I’ve gathered over a century and a half.”

“That I am.” And to Tia’s credit, she remained as calm and collected as though she had just merely asked someone to pass the salt at the table.

My colt did not seem amused in the slightest. What he said afterwards, however, took me off guard. Only me, however.

“Tell you what. How about you remove this seal off of me, and maybe I’ll consider it?”

Author's Notes:

Yes, that seal. Now you know what they're talking about in the next chapter.

(*) They use the Equestrian system, not the imperial nor the metric one. So, strides. There are a lot of other technicalities which I'd like to set straight here as well. Logically, Equestrians were not supposed to have chess either, or donuts, and they were also supposed to have words that did not have equivalents through direct magical translation between Equish and… whatever Necky’s language was. Also, the ponies weren’t supposed to have the decimal system either, since they didn't have ten fingers. Needless to say, I refused to be bothered with all of that crap.

That doesn't mean there wasn't a good reason for them hidden in there after all. Let's just say that chess is so popular that it's a dimensional recurrence, like Troll Will Smith. Actually, yeah, it would be a crime to insinuate otherwise! It would actually be an even worse crime to create a world without donuts, however.

Seriously now, Luna's language link translates meaning, not literal translations (no, duh, otherwise we'd be looking at Google-Translate-level grammar), and said language link also translates numbers as well. Expect Luna asking Necky about his choices in numbers, however. "Why 5?" or "Why 10?". That sort of thing.

(**) The morphic field is a thing which, say, has a frog still hop around even after Twilight turned it into an orange. The frog remembers what it is despite the spell turning it into a fruit. It essentially said 'nope' to being killed and turned into an inanimate object, which is by definition what cartoon logic is.

Pinkie is a special case. Long story short, she has the rare ability to harness that ‘cartoonishness’ for the sake of cheering her peers up due to the symbiotic nature of pony magic. The entire race acts as an organism, and she's charged with making sure the organism is functioning well. After all, you can take depression lightly until you're reminded that it's an illness that causes people to kill themselves. Also, she herself actually has a psychological dependency to be upbeat and to make others happy all the time (“Party of One”).

Royal guards are often seen wielding spears. Let’s just say that they all receive specialized training in both lethal and non-lethal takedowns. You know, kind of like how most armies and police forces train their recruits. We can also say that, same way Applejack can use telluric energy to drop all of the apples out of a tree and land every single one in the baskets below, and pegasi can extend their magic onto chariots in order to make the entire platform fly, so too can the guards channel magic through their spears. Since they're more durable than humans, they can get stabbed in the thigh and not bleed out, while a paralysis or stasis enchantment can stop them from endangering other's lives. At the same time, the guards are meant as both the first and last defense, so they can either use stasis and non-lethal takedowns, or they can amp up the enchantment to dangerous levels, or use their telluric magic to better guide the sharp edge through a rabid dragon's enchanted scales.

We can also just say that there’s an unwritten ‘take no life’ rule going on. Less in order to avoid creating a vengeful spectral fiend that would otherwise almost never fail to rip them apart for creating them in the first place; and more in order to avoid bringing about another Cold Age. There's a reason why the Crystal Empire is still surrounded by tundra. Sombra fed off of the hatred and fear which he inspired in his subjects, something which understandably attracted every single vengeful spirit in the continent.

I’m not sure what manner of vengeful spirit each individual race has, however. All I have is variations of the Windygo for equine creatures and Hellhounds for Diamond Dogs. I'm also not against giving the latter a fiery elemental orientation.

The Royal Guard are more in service for the purpose of disaster control, than anything else. Hydras, “Constellations” like the Ursa Major, “want it, need it” spells, rampaging Spikes… you get the idea. They might also find plenty use in maintaining the law. They can protect and serve without killing.

(***)Sort of a magical black box. What, they have magic that they use to heal wounds and the sort, why wouldn't they have magical safety nets as part of their anatomy? Did you think those heads were so big just to be cute? That would be just plain ridiculous. Ridiculous, I say!
It's right under where the horn usually sprouts out, between the brain hemispheres. I think there's a hindu-acupuncture-spiritual-pressure-point thing going on around where the horn pokes out as well, but I don't really know for sure... anywho! They can get stabbed to death, bleed out, they can even drown. I'm totally not drawing on straws here, trying to figure out how to justify the existence of magic and mythos. Having entire species get wiped off the face of the planet if a demigod-tier entity felt especially uppity one morning, or if some legendary-level magical martial arts master decided to reshape the layout of a few maps just 'cause.

Exasperation aside, now you know why their heads are so big. It’s most certainly not because they’re smart. They have a section of the brain, which I have no intention of naming, in the fronter-middle of said wrinkly organ, right next to the hypothalamus, the optical chiasm (Wikipedia's your friend!) and has some say in whatever the fuck lets them use magic.

I understand this might be a bit of a curve ball... Even though no one would really pull a Naruto in one of the stories on this site, be all foot-in-the-grave and still keep going. That's not saying I'm planning on doing anything like that, though. If someone gets stabbed in the leg, they're not using that thing in the next few days, unless they use necromancy... which is why I'm going to have to add a very severe drawback to using necromancy. Some kind of magical Necrosis maybe... Did you know, scar tissue is actually a lot shittier than the tissue it replaces? Cause it is, and Necromancy does NOT create life. It merely offered Necky the means to make due.

---

I see most of you like the idea of bright yellow eyes like the sun. Very well, sounds good to me. Let's have the embarrassing fawning happen. Also, I'll apparently have his eyes turn different colors under certain circumstances. Apparently they glow red when he smells tasty, tasty blood nearby. I assure you, however, that he is not a vampire. It really is just his necromancy acting wonky on his new fuel. It has to do with Thestrals 'n shit. The reason his head didn't go 'POP!' when he blacked out there was because his defensive seals weren't even triggered. He actually de-synched with his body because he was encountering issues with recognizing his own body anymore, hence the blackout.

I need to keep reminding myself that this is a story about Necky and Luna's chemistry, not a story about me talking about a story about Necky and Luna's chemistry. I wrote >2k words that I needed to shelve just by making the first 6 lines of this chapter. I didn't even touch on them in the author's notes! I could just go on and on about the rationale behind what happened last chapter, and get a freaking thesis paper in the end. I suppose it's a good thing to have as many words to choose from as possible, however. It just gets really freaking disorganized. I have four different Word docs titled 'Notes', 'Reminders', 'More reminders' and 'Even mnore reminders'. I am dead serious. There's also a doc called 'Scraps' which I have not opened once since I reinstalled Windows last summer. I have no idea what's written in there.

I figured out what his cutiemark is going to be in the end. I took a while of deliberation until I finally decided on what I'd find fitting for him.

Finally, here's a thing that exists. It's a mediocre band, though, if you ask me. I give it a generous 6.5, personally. BUT HEY, THE ALBUM'S CALLED AFTER THE MAGICAL BEAST THAT I MENTIONED, even though I don't remember the lyrics ever mentioning the birdosaurus creature once. Feel free to not listen at all.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yka-nEiTG6g

What's a therapist?

The cold fall wind pulled at the trees’ skeletal branches, and howled through long abandoned stone. The fallen castle of Eldwin stood in ruins, long since breached and plundered, left to crumble under time’s relentless governance. The day was close to an end, and I was weary from the travel here.

This was where I used to live, before I moved into the fallen general’s crypt. Leaving a few meager defensive measures to make sure there would still be a ‘home’ to return to, I came here to retrieve a couple of things I had left behind. Not because I had forgotten them, but because I wanted to forget about them. The fact that I was now coming back for them made evidence how well that worked out for me.

I climbed through the rubble of the breach in the outer wall where Morena's forces had managed through. The inner yard, once the scene of the violent and desperate struggles of war, of life and death, steel and blood, rage and fear... was quiet. Red, orange and yellow decorated the overgrowth, the leaves crumbled under my steps. The bodies were piled in carts and taken back to the nearby city they were guarding to be torched in ritualistic fashion, so their family members might be allowed that much comfort. I looked around for anything that might offer evidence that anything ever happened here, but there wasn’t much to find. If there were any clues, any rusty pieces of metal, any rotten arrows or bolts, nature made sure to cover them in now dead vegetation. After all, death was just another part of life, in the end.

The inner keep was no worse for wear, surprisingly. Nothing changed, but as I went through the main entrance into the reception area/ mess hall again after so long, I’ve nonetheless looked around the room to take everything in. The overlooking balconies along the walls, for archers to rain down at will, if there only were any to answer the call. The empty weapon racks on the walls, decayed husks that haven’t seen use for a long time. The massive oak tables, broken and ruined across the chamber. I wondered briefly what the soldiers stationed here might’ve had for their last meal, in a group, before the invading forces arrived at their doorstep. The tales they’d share over a properly heated meal, the laughs they’d trade, the names of their loved ones waiting back home.

I took notice of the scorch marks, arrows and aged blood stains left around the mess hall. I wondered what the last stand that took place here went like. When arrows flew and spears struck from between the tables turned into well arranged barricades, and armoured soldiers stormed in and overwhelmed. You could almost still feel the violence in the air.

Leaving echoes of struggle and loss behind, I went further inside the structure. Along the way, my mind wandered again to what the last crew that came here seeking my head had gone through, in their own last living moments, similarly to the majority of people who fought here more than half a century ago. Or to the contractors that arrived before said crew came seeking my head did themselves. Or to the countless others before them, or the countless others before those. Consistently. Self righteously...

As I’ve mentioned before, the last squad of heroes that came to Castle Eldwin ten years ago did not find me here. Instead, they were greeted by a trap that I had gone to great lengths to disguise as my own magical signature.

As they would enter my room, they would've found a figure dressed in torn robes, hunched over away from them. In the back of their heads, they might’ve suspected that something was wrong. If they would’ve bothered to address me before moving in for the kill… which came in the form of various assorted magical bolts, daggers and axes being thrown at ‘my’ unsuspecting frame, then they might’ve noticed that what they had mistaken for their quarry was, in fact, an empty shell. Empty, save for a respectable amount of necromantic energy coursing through it, just waiting to come out.

Truly, there was nothing odd about ‘me’ at all. Just another affront to their shallowly fabricated gods. Logically, they would capitalize on any advantage they might possibly obtain over me, sparing no expenses. After all the many minions they had struck down on their way, by this point they had made a habit out of simply dispatching threats on sight. They were all trigger-happy now, and it only took one of them to give into their excitement in order for all of them to need to commit, but it would've been no use. The moment my puppet's flesh was breached, their fate was sealed.

In the end, they had no reason to act any differently than they did. If they did, then they wouldn’t have died. If they did, then they would’ve survived to die by my hand when they’d pursue me at my new location. However, my preparations proved sufficient this time, which meant that their lives had ended here, like the many others before them.

Was there anything else to say on the matter? Did these men and… woman, by the looks of the skeletons, have a meaningful end to mirror their life choices, or my own decayed lifestyle? Did their lives mean any more than the ones of the countless others that preceded them? Perhaps. But none of that really affected the end result, now did it?

Through blurry vision from the myriad effects of my Omniplague affecting their entire bodies far faster than any Inoculation spell could possibly protect against, the last thing they would see would be my soulless corpse standing back up despite its grievous wounds, pulling out one of the daggers sticking out of its back, turning around, then approaching them, ever so slowly, a red glow coming from within its empty eyesockets.

---

My world didn’t offer me much to work with in the way of excuses for what I needed to do. I had reasons, yes, but justification was an entirely different matter altogether.

At first, I alienated myself from my enemies as well. Which had an… effect on me. It turned out that simply killing members of my race wasn’t exactly good for my sanity, which was why I didn’t manage all that well on my own, until Abe, her father and their tribe somehow happened across me.

I might’ve had my share of enemies, but I also had many friends as well. Friends which, if it weren’t for them, if I somehow managed to survive without getting to know them, to learn from them, then I would’ve been a lot… worse.

You need a justification. A certain understanding of the world, one that serves your own particular lifestyle. You need hope, otherwise the winding, unending road ahead of you becomes impossible. Without the knowledge that there’s some kind of meaning to the difficulties along said road, then you eventually just either stop being able to keep going, or you make compromises on others' behalf and find yourself becoming the same breed of thuggish mongrel that tormented you.

You confirm their pretext that you're a monster. Not that the opinions of such conceited individuals hold any value. It does, unfortunately, numb ration, blurr the distinction between right and wrong. And you find yourself capable of doing unto innocents the same that was once upon a time done unto you. And you're left wondering what you have left.

You can’t live without hope, and you can’t hope without having a proper basis for justifying your own actions. It’s according to your own justification that you define yourself.

I did not let the world choose who I was, nor did I tell myself I did something because I was forced. My justification was not an excuse that life was hard, but a vow to hold on to life, to maintain control of it, and to hold on to what I believed set me apart.

I lived a long life. I learned a lot of things, met many different people, either friend or foe. I like to think I know a few things that others might not. Most of those things I’ve learned on my own, but some of them, I’ve learned from those who truly mattered to me.

I took life one step at a time. How else do you ever manage the distance? There might’ve been objectives from time to time, but after a while, those lost meaning as well. Grievances got buried, fancies became tasteless. What meaning I did retain, what basis for my justification, were found in company. All else became mere distraction. Even the rush...

Even the all-consuming experience of a kill. Even that became trite after a while.

I didn’t want to die, so I survived. I wanted power, so I did questionable things to achieve it. I was bored, so I sought out something to keep my mind busy. Pure and simple, action and reaction, pointless without a purpose.

I wanted to protect those who mattered to me, so I did all I could in order to do so. I found someone willing to listen to my drivel, so I savored conversation. I found someone who didn’t have anything better to do than to humor my presence, so I sought out their company as well… Company was the least dull.

Company was something I still wanted.

---

Let’s be honest here. I was in no position to ask the sisters to give me my magic back. I might’ve been a tad upset when I first found out that they took it away from me, but I got over it. Sure, I felt exposed and vulnerable, but not because I didn’t have my magic. After all, what would I hope to be able to do against a couple of ancient demigod rulers of an entire race of magically enhanced creatures? Honestly, having my magic would only make matters worse, because then I’d actually pose a threat to them. So essentially, my very defenselessness was what saved me in the first place… assuming I was in any danger in this new world to begin with.

Still. Monumental power and patience or no, what bothered me wasn’t their sealing away my magic in and of itself, but their being dishonest about it. They lied to me, which hurt my feelings. <Sniffle.>

...Seriously, though. The fact that they lied to me opened up the possibility of them lying about other things as well. Why did they lie about this in particular? The question nagged at me like a particularly rotten boil.

I studied my ‘keepers’ attentively. Celestia seemed to regard me just as carefully. The small amount of tension I managed to pick up on spoke volumes. Apparently my grand reveal earlier did make her feel concerned, if at least slightly.

We continued staring at each other. She was too proud to back down, but neither was I of any inclination to start being the lesser participant of our disputes.

I started explaining my point of view, arduously. “I understand that you didn’t feel comfortable trusting me with the means to harm others. I don’t blame you for that. What I blame you for, however, is the fact that you couldn’t be bothered to tell me what you did. Was there any particular reason why you didn’t tell me that you sealed away my necromancy?”

“Well,” Celestia started, before I cut her off again.

“You know what? I just remembered, I don’t really care enough right now for any excuses. Tell me, do I still pose a threat to any of your subjects?”

My question seemed to have taken them by surprise. “No,” answered Luna. “Why?”

To the royal sisters’ growing confusion, I decided I didn’t have any further reason to take part in this meeting. I jumped off the desk and headed for the doorway.

“In that case, unless you want to hold me prisoner, I believe I will go for a walk.”

The older sibling decided to finally speak, “So you’re not concerned about the fact that someone is sending dangerous creatures after you?”

“Yes I am, but I won’t have a Snallighast make me live in fear,” I answered. I did not have the chance to go very far, however, as I felt the floor distancing from my… hooves.

Turned me around to face me better, the younger sister confronted me, “Leaving aside your reckless pride, what exactly do you plan to do on your own, when you’re blind and can’t even speak the local language?”

“Leaving aside the fact that I can’t imagine it being that hard for you to just enchant a pair of spectacles to allow me to see,” I snarked right back, “I believe I will be able to manage well enough on my own. Now if you would kindly allow me the small dignity of leaving the room by my own accord, I would not hold it against you.” She was about to reply, but I hadn’t finished. “There is the matter of how I’ve spent the last six months in a cave, preparing to travel here, not even knowing how feasible the spell I was preparing was in practice. I can handle having you impose upon me your subjective opinions on what is best for me, but I won’t wait any longer to finally walk under the sun after so long, no matter what either you or that Snallighast might have to say.”

After a brief delay, Luna placed me back down. “We can see the Royal Gardens. They’re a nice change of scenery this time of day.”

I did not answer. I was not in a very humoring mood. I was running short on humor.

---

The sky was clear. The noon sun shone and warmed my back, the snow numbed my hooves. I gulped down a lungful of fresh, cold air, enjoying the smell of winter.

“Are you upset with me?”

Luna’s question remained unanswered. Apparently, she didn’t enjoy that. She persisted, “I meant to tell you about our seal, just not yet.” Seeing as I was still not talking, she went on, “Necromancy acts differently in this world. Ponies are more sensitive to the magical energies they use than humans are. It affects us to such an extent that there are multiple races shaped by it to this day. More than a dozen, not even taking into account those who made their home within the outer fringes of-”

“I enjoy your company, Luna,” I finally interrupted. “Presently, however, I’d like some time in silence. Can you do that? Can you stay quiet?”

She obliged, fortunately. I was upset at her, but I still wanted us to be friends. I honestly did not look forward to having our exchanges devolve into a more physical nature. I was upset with her, just not quite enough to want to snap her neck yet. However, nor was I about to hear any more of her excuses either. I hate excuses even in the best of days.

I was still not used to walking on all fours, no thanks to her keeping me on her back all this time. I didn’t complain about it until now because I found it... fun. As much as fun even applied to me anymore. But there’s a point where even sincere fun starts getting upsetting. I just needed to get some distance across from all that developed so far. To feel the ground moving underneath my own limbs.

Eventually I decided that I had had enough. “I enjoy our conversations. Our little back-and-forths. I really do. I don’t think I told you that. What I did not enjoy, however, was your prying into my personal matters, the way you insisted on doing thus far. Nor did I enjoy your dishonesty.”

“How long have you known?” she asked, rather calculating.

I answered plainly, if a bit impatiently. “Known what? That you took away a necromancer’s magic? How long does a chef take to notice whenever someone’s been poking around in their kitchen? How long would a painter take to notice when someone scrawled over his work? How long would a musician take to notice when someone cut the strings to their instrument?”

Luna lowered her head, but not in a submissive gesture. It seemed she finally had enough. “My apologies, then,” she muttered, with adequately pressed words. “I was not aware that my little lie was so heinous, the gall of me to misinform! Such unthinkable lack of scruples!”

“There’s no need for that. Just tell me honestly now. What reason did you have to lie to me about something like this?”

She relented and sighed. “I just didn’t want you to feel held against your will.”

As far as excuses went, even I was not heartless enough to disregard that one.

I continued to stumbled around clumsily in the snow, wondering why my legs had to be this darned short.

“I’m not going to presume you should tell me the truth from now on, and nothing else.”

“Gods know, you can’t say you’ve been entirely forthright yourself, now have you?”

I turned around and pointed a hoof at her accusingly. “Don’t you try to shift the blame. We’re both in a foul mood, but only one of us can actually afford to be upset. It’s rather hard to express myself in a dignified manner in this body, Princess, but you can huff and puff all you want without looking like a spoiled child.” She huffed in resignation. I continued, “I do want to trust you, Luna. I want to give you the benefit of a doubt. It’s the least I owe you, and the one thing I want the most right now. You must understand, however, your dishonesty does not ease my reservations regarding trusting you with my very soul.”

“Heartwarming,” she offered in response, coldly but patiently, evidencing how bored she was by the issue by this point, “but spare me the melodrama. You’re making it sound like something it’s not.”

“Perhaps you’re the one who’s failing to understand my point of view.”

“Explain it to me, then, and I shall listen.”

“...I will as soon as I figure it out myself.”

A lot has happened since I arrived in this world. There was a lot to weigh, and no order in which to do it. I felt… disoriented. The only thing I knew for sure was that I truly wanted to seek out her company.

The garden was large enough. I wondered why we hadn’t found anyone else here. No one playing in the snow, nothing. It was far too quiet, save for the wind brushing past and the snow crumbling underneath our steps. I had nothing else to focus on beside the multiple things on my head. Multiple things that only lead to more multiple things. If I were to start complaining, I would never stop. Which was why I refrained up till now, save for the most pressing concerns I might’ve had.

She was still mulling over an adequate answer. I enjoy back-and-forths, but this one was exhausted.

“I’m bored.”

Luna looked up to find me staring at her expectantly. If I were to guess, I’d assumed she found herself at a loss. Again.

“I’m… sorry?”

“I’m bored,” I repeated. She was still having trouble understanding me. I wasn’t in a very explaining mood, so I just took matters into my own hooves.

I reached out at her face, she drew away. I tapped her on her chest. “Tag,” I said, and started running the opposite direction. A few feet away, she still hadn’t budged. I stopped, sighed, and turned back around. “I assume this basic game has to have some recurrence in this world. You do know how to play it, right?”

She tripped on her own words. “Buh-well, y-yes! I do know how to play this game!” she triumphantly managed out.

I smiled. “Good. Now try not to trip on those stilts you call legs.”

I started running again, fortunately she did start pursuing this time. I could just run on my lonesome, but having someone for company was not unwelcome.

There was a long list of things I could pick a very uncomfortable conversation out of right now. What she wanted from me, why she was feeling the way she did about me, what reason she had to lie to me. Who sent that creature from my world here, how it got brought here across worlds, how they found me in the first place. What this world was like, what rules governed here, why its denizens were protected when those of my world were not. The list went on, and each line would branch out into further disputes and deliberations. However, I had no intention of bothering my head with any of them right now. For the moment, I was just trying to have some fun, after ten whole years of mourning.

---

A particular part of the garden caught my attention. A particularly… still, one. It was already eerie, and the presence of all the statues did not help in that regard.

There was something in the area. Something big and foreboding. It was as if I were a sailor at sea, hoping that the giant eye underneath the surface would not open.

Which was why when Luna suddenly picked me up in an embrace, my heart was especially insistent to exit in a hurry.

“Huzzah! I’ve caught you!” she went, apparently taking special care to be as triumphant and loud as possible.

“Good job,” I answered pensively. “And it only took me stopping completely still for you to finally be able to catch a blind child.”

She let out a breath in awkward resentment. An impressive and rather particular feat. “I’m fairly certain most children wouldn’t have necromantic muscular enhancements, or such trained agility and refle-”

“Yeah, yeah, I still won. Tell me, what’s hidden here?”

She was surprised to hear that, and only now looked around to see where we were. Perhaps she was not able to sense the stillness of the place, or perhaps she was too childishly oblivious to be able to even begin to comprehend such an amount of dread. Or perhaps it was the contrary, perhaps she was too big to recognize any danger that was so dreadful to me, but otherwise not so much for a creature of her stature.

Or perhaps she just really enjoyed our game, and hadn’t noticed where it took us. Blast it, she really did seem to be having fun. Something told me she didn’t have much opportunity to have genuine fun.

“Oh,” she offered, surely enough deflated of all the joy she previously expressed. “It’s a long story.”

“I don’t have the patience for it, then,” I retorted. “But please, if you think it’s anything I might want to know, go right ahead.”

Back on her back again, she carried me over through the stone garden. “My sister and I used to have a friend. That friend betrayed us, wanting to turn the entire realm into a plethora of madness and chaos. We stopped him, turning him into stone.”

I regarded the many decorations in the area. Statues of ponies in various artistic contexts were abound, and I checked to make sure none of them held any prisoners as well. They did not. Apparently they were just for the sake of keeping the actual prisoner company, or to make him not seem out of place. Eventually, surely enough we arrived at a central area, where the snow was disturbed. Something was moved away from here, not too long ago.

Luna continued, “This used to be where Celestia would store Discord’s petrified form, so as to offer him some comfort. Offer him at least the sky over his head, if we couldn’t afford to allow him to roam freely. I hope you understand.”

“That you needed to contain a mad god? I think I can manage that much common sense.”

“He was certainly god-like, but he still had a ways away from becoming a deity.” She seemed to have wanted to go on, but abstained.

She walked on, leaving the square of missing snow behind. “In any case, after his last escape, we couldn’t leave him here anymore. After turning half of Equestria on its head, the populace have come to nurse fear for him… and hatred. We needed to move him to the castle dungeon for his own protection.”

“For his protection? Surely you’re mistaken. I’d think someone of that capability would not need protecting.”

“He does in his statue form,” she clarified to me. “They tried to smash him to pieces one night. I stopped them.”

“...Oh. Suppose your magic has its limits when it comes to keeping you alive, huh?”

“It does. As was explained, only an earth pony specifically could withstand the aforementioned extreme amounts of punishment, due to their natural hardiness. Other creatures’ resilience tend to vary. Discord, for one, was only protected by his own chaos magic, which he can not currently make any use of. You can’t exactly hold your breath while asleep, so you can still drown.”

“Makes sense, I suppose… Wait. I thought you said he was still conscious.”

“In a manner of speaking.” She deliberated further on an explanation. “...It’s complicated. He would manage to persist in some shape or form, just not the same as he was. Not alive, at any rate. I don’t exactly understand it all that well myself. Chaos magic is… tricky.”

I decided not to insist on it any further. I was willing to listen to her, but I would rather do something else on the side. She was carrying me again, which was generous of her, if a tad tiresome.

We didn’t have anything better to do at the moment other than talk. So I got to talking.

“Tell me, Luna. What exactly is it that you want from me?”

She stopped in her tracks for a slice of time. Starting again, carefully, she asked, “Haven’t I told you already?”

“You did. You said you wanted to give me another chance at life. To that end, you’ve fed me, bathed me, held me and cried for me as if I were your own.”

“...Oh,” she managed out. “That was something else I’ve been meaning to tell you...”

“I’m certain it was,” was my less than sympathetic reply. “I wonder what my real mother would say about this. You know, the one that died.”

I regarded the small bridge that came into view, crossing over what could faintly be noticed to be a frozen brook.

She started to say something, but I decided to speak over her, “As much as I’d love to hear more excuses, Luna, I honestly am not in a very humoring mood. Just explain to me, plain and simply. What exactly will it take for me to convince you that I can live peacefully in this world of yours, with my own faculties? Unless this really was your intention from the beginning, to wipe my memory and have an obedient new member of your dysfunctional demigod family?”

“I didn’t mean it!”

We reached the bridge, I hopped off. I walked over in front of her, turned around, and regarded her expectantly. She regarded me back with a pleading look. I was not impressed. She sighed, and started.

“Like every other option at my disposal, just picking the easy one and betraying you so despicably… did cross my mind, and I did feel awful about it. I wasn’t going to act on it!”

“You were tempted,” I cut her off, “it’s understandable. Temptation itself isn’t a fault, however. It’s the inability to rationalize it and express restraint when it matters that makes it a problem. You can hurt others in all manner of way, and most of them aren’t even physical. To not be able to admit that you do actually have very natural yearnings that are part of what you are, you would have to be a certain kind of arrogant imbecile, the kind that incites a special kind of hatred in me. In that regard, I suppose you’ve dodged an arrow earlier.” She regarded me oddly. I continued. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m still upset with you. You were not able to man up and tell me about the arguably literal emasculation you subjected me to, because you… didn’t want me to hate you. I suppose it wouldn’t have gone well for you either-which way you would've taken.”

She remained quiet. I continued, with a sigh.

“I don’t hate you. You’re trying your best, and I guess that’s all anyone can ever ask of anyone else. But I’m not exactly any more eager to trust you now.”

“I understand.”

I walked over to the side of the bridge, looked over the ledge towards the snow-covered surface of the river. There was some ice visible, but no reflection.

I let out another breath, yearning to be able to see it come out. It would’ve been calming to watch the vapors disperse in front of my own eyes. Instead, I had to make do with this outside perspective. It felt nothing short of disembodied.

“I want to be able to see again.”

“Very well.”

---

“You’re surprisingly understanding, all things considered.”

Her words rang off the walls of the castle halls. I considered them. “I like to think so. I often required a level head before. Your little white lie really was no big deal, I might be uncomfortable with how dependent I am of you currently, but I never really trusted you that much anyway.”

“Oh… Right,” Luna resented. “I don’t suppose there’s any way we could change that?”

“That’s a tricky question. Let’s just take things one step at a time for now.”

There seemed to be a recurrence of a couple of guards every odd doorway. I supposed they were evenly distributed so that each post would be in earshot of at least one other. Protocol and all. Also within reason, I figured they were required to stay completely still, stoic and stalwart.

But still did I manage to pick out their awe at seeing us, although less plainly obvious as it was on the servants. I had nothing good to make of the attention.

“Who was it that you wanted me to meet again?” I eventually asked.

“Your new therapist…”

“New the-whatnow?” I interrupted, before she went on,

“...some time today, before Cadance arrives in Canterlot.”

“...Cadence? As in music? I don’t think I understand.”

She chuckled, “You will know who she is when you meet her.”

---

Back in castle Eldwin.

I dropped the skull of one of the mercenaries that met their end through the trap I left for them. I got up, then walked over toward the corner. I knelt down again, and surely enough found the unmistakable remains of their scrolls intended to counter my reincarnation spell, kicked to the side in their struggles. I brushed the parchments to the side, uninterested. They weren’t what I returned here for.

I identified the loose stone brick I was looking for. I pulled, and looked inside the uncovered aperture.

Just a couple of gold rings, simple save for the orhicalcum runes inscribed underneath the surface. Otherwise completely unassuming, and honestly, useless to anyone else beyond their physical value. The reason I hid them, the reason I left them here…

I pulled one of the rings on my finger. It hung loose, from lack of that much meat under my skin. The other ring glowed as I rolled it in my hand, warming my cold skin.

“Haven’t talked in a while, have we?…” I spoke as I slid down the stone, sitting on my haunches in the corner. Spinning the second ring in my hand, I asked, “I don’t suppose you can hear me, can you?”

The room was quiet. No one answered.

“Where has the time gone… I suppose wherever you went, right? I hope you’re enjoying it more than I am.”

I studied the jewelry in my palm, trying to recall the hand it used to belong to.

“I finished redecorating my new place. It’s the crypt we stopped at that one time, remember? Near Woodmarrow? The really big one, you said it looked like someone intentionally made it into a labyrinth? Well, I found out why that was. Originally, they planned on burying all of the good general’s descendants there as well. Sort of a, private family crypt...”

As I kept on ranting on my own, I imagined what her answers would be. That was all I could do anymore. It was all I had.

Life was long, and it never stopped getting duller and duller. At one point, I did consider settling down and just letting the next generation have a go at this pointless masterpiece called life. A point when I found someone I wanted to grow old with. Not because I sought her out, or she me, or because it was planned. It just… sort of happened. I guess it was just that I had lived long enough for that to happen.

It didn’t work out.

Author's Notes:

As you might've cared to gather, I had a lot of exposition to juggle. It took me a while of ramming my head into several different literary walls before I finally managed a layout I liked, and I didn't really have that much free time to get any work done. Free time in which I wasn't dead tired.

Sorry it takes so long, it's just that unless I'm happy with the final cut, I tend to just scrap everything and do it all over. Blame my overbearingly high standards.

All in all, I'm pretty satisfied with this layout. I could still fit some tweaking here and there, I could always find more room for tweaking. But nah. <Publish>

Death and Delirium

The clatter of silver hoofguards echoed off the stone walls and stained windows. I was well used to the long hallways of the monumental structure I took residence in, however if I were to be frank, I would usually just forego wasting cumulated hours of my day in favor of teleporting to where I needed to go. Now, however, it wasn’t nearly as bad, since I was kept occupied with pleasant company - comparatively speaking. At any rate, my apprentice needed to get to know the layout of the castle, if he was going to eventually consider it his home as well, fates willing.

“May I ask an obvious question?" the alicorn-colt-turned necromancer asked from on my back, in his thus far typically captious yet charming tone of voice. "Why must I see your specialist?”

I considered my answer for a few moments. My first intention was to simply refuse his trick question, but as things were, we were not at very good terms. I decided to offer him a little leeway, at least now. “Leaving aside how I wanted a professional’s input regarding what to do with you, I figured you might be interested in help adapting to your sudden change in environment as well.”

A short few moments later, he answered, “Fair enough.”

“...What? No arguing? No hypocritical offense?” He didn’t answer. It seemed he was more upset than I thought. I asked him, after a while, “Is there something in particular on your mind?”

“Tell me, Luna. In this world, what is magic?”

I stopped in my tracks in surprise, turning my head around. “That’s a rather... specific thing to ask.”

He waited pensively for my explanation. ‘I suppose there’s still a way’s left to the office.

‘Let’s see. How do you describe why a law of physics exists, and why it exists in a certain way instead of a different one.’

“What exactly do you want to know?”

“Where I’m from, we have these things called leylines that run across the planet. Those leylines have two distinguishing characteristics. Firstly, they spread across all matter in our world, like water in a delta. Everything living can tap into it, and directly affect the world around them through it as an intermediary. Secondly, those leylines have certain central points that connect our world to the rest of reality. To the realm of Death, Destiny, Delirium… they’re all inter-connected by those Ley Gates. I feel that a realm of Dream might not be so far-fetched, but apparently we don’t have one, for whatever reason. Thought it’s probably fortunate...”

He stopped for a while, his demeanor turning more thoughtful. It was rather curious, to be sure. I briefly considered the names he mentioned. They seemed to ring noteworthy to me, but I couldn't recall why before my charge continued.

“Anyway. The realm of Vertigus doesn’t really coddle those living in it. It merely offers the possibility to survive to those who have the will to seize it. Your world, on the other hand, seems inclined to promote weakness by allowing you to survive things you otherwise shouldn’t, but I’m not going to judge a god on how they should run their world. I just want to know where magic is different between our worlds, so I finally know where to start making adjustments so you don’t need to keep this seal on me anymore. After all, I can’t actually ask you to remove these seals before I even figure out how to control my necromancy properly to begin with.”

“Why do you want your necromancy back so much, anyway?”

“Because it’s useful, and because it’s among the few things I’m truly good at.”

He answered a tad quickly, I noticed. Oh well. If he didn’t want to be forthcoming now, I could bear to wait for him to be ready to tell me later.

“I suppose it would be cruel to keep an artist from his art, even if that art might seem strange at first glance. As for our magic, no, we don’t have Leylines of that manner. Though the origins of the creatures of our world might be of a magical nature, our magic springs from us. From the connection between all living things. It’s only natural that a system like that would wish to protect its source, wouldn’t you agree?”

“A spiritual matrix then?… Forget a name, envious me.”

“It’s not all perfect, however. Considering we’re in a world populated by predatorial gryphons, warmongering minotaurs, not to mention reality-bending spirits and city-destroying dragons, is it really so unreasonable to consider that mayhap this world is organized less to coddle the lazy, but rather to preserve those at a disadvantage?”

“Whatever you say. Anything else?”

“Yes. Anything in particular?”

He chuckled. “Tell me about your people. How they fit into the world, how they got to having unaging rulers who actually have their people’s best interest at heart.”

“It’s a long history…”

“This hallway doesn’t seem to be getting any shorter.”

“No it does not,” I groaned tiredly. Honestly, was this really necessary? No wonder we need so many servants to keep the place clean.

“There are no definitive records, but it is widely accepted that there used to be the ponies’ progenitor which eventually adapted to what you see today. Regular ponies which split into several tribes and spread across the world, eventually taking on specialisations based on their environments. Our magic helped us adapt.”

“And alicorns? Where do they fit into all this?”

“Special circumstances. To make a long story short, it was a matter of necessity forcing a breakthrough. Our race fell behind the other ones in the balance of power a thousand years ago, and we needed a solution; which then required alicorns as a solution to that one.”

Apparently satisfied for now, he then considered his next immediate concern. “What am I expected to do during whatever you’re taking me to, anyway?”

“Talk. That is all.”

“About what?”

We arrived. “During this first meeting, about whatever you want. You merely need to get acquainted with her.”

He sighed. “Alright then. Who is ‘her’?”

I knocked at the office’s door. “Family,” I offered simply, as the voice inside beckoned us in.

The room itself was interesting, to say the least. It garnered the eye with its subtle aesthetics. All the furniture was modern in design, like an abstract artist tried their hoof at woodworks, stopped halfway before they were done, and asked a professional to finish the job properly.

The walls and drapes were lighter colors and the floor darker; warm and cold colors adorned all around, but they did not clash no matter where you looked. That was the theme she was going for. I’ve asked before during previous opportunities, Doctor Cross Heart explained that the choices in decoration were meant to evince color balance respective to the mind’s twin hemispheres... as far as I recall. She also mentioned something about a Superego?...

In contrast, however, the psychologist herself was about as unassuming as one could get. Light gray fur, orange and pink hair, thick glasses that hid her orange-pink eyes, and a yet unassuming smile.

She spoke in a pleasant voice, “Hello, Your Highness. How is your day going so far?”

---

Alicorns are allowed to have family, in case you might have objections.

Dr. Cross Heart, my sister’s daughter and my own therapist since I’ve been acclimating to… everything, had been previously informed on whatever she asked to know about her new patient. There was the matter of my language link only working when I was taking part in my child’s conversations, but as luck would have it, the good doctor was capable of managing a variation of the spell. The sight spell, however, was still beyond her ability.

There was also the matter of the beasts that might get sent after my charge during my time away from him. They would find my niece more than capable of dealing with anything the likes of the Snallighast, or even a throng of the beast, if it came down to it.

Either way, Dr. Cross agreed to escort him once they were done. In the meantime, I had a few errands to run myself. I needed to check on how the Night Guard were doing, see what paperwork required my immediate attention for them to reorganize. Technically, I wasn’t really needed to oversee patrols for every night. After all, they managed to run on their own perfectly well during my thousand years away from them. With no small thanks to the buffer provided by a certain, relatively unwilling, murderous part of the kingdom.

I digress.

There was also the matter of the new prince having yet to be formally introduced to his people. Something which I suspected was going to be slightly more difficult than his revelation that he knew about the seals we placed on him. And to top things off, I’ve yet to decide on what name to introduce him under. Yet another issue to discuss.

I pulled out the pair of glasses I had offered him this morning. Another complex spell, which would take an experienced mage - or a very talented pupil - to cast. A spell which fetches quite the price as well. My subspace pocket kept them safely tucked away during my encounter with the alien beast. I’d need to remember to take the time to enchant the spectacles with a proper sight spell, one that did not risk making his head explode.

Understandably, I wasn’t going to just let one of the royal mages do it. As a requirement, however, he would need to offer me sufficient leeway for the spell to bind. Nothing too invasive, of course, even if he might still mind at this point.

First things first. I would drop by the barracks, pick up Captain Ardent Gleam, provided she was in her office. There was an immediate priority I needed her to be aware of.

---

The beast thrashed in its bonds, turning in and out of its spectral abilities, trying to phase through the walls of its specially enchanted containment cell. Its various shrilling sounds, meant to intimidate, were muffled behind the thick, enchanted glass we used to view it. The glass was strong enough to hold against a dragon’s punch, so no one was concerned about the beast escaping any time soon. Certainly not any of the graying unicorns in white research coats that were busy at work, apparently far from done studying the creature.

Miss Ardent stepped in front of the glass, studying the snarling beast thoroughly. I had explained to her along our way that we were to expect more alien creatures of the Snallighast’s like in the future.

The pegasus mare was taking in every detail, or at least as much as she could now at what late hour it was for her. Her eyes were red under her crimson mane, looking more red than they really were in contrast to her teal fur. While her tired eyes took in all that they could, the lead researcher in charge of the project was in the middle of a heated explanation full of esoteric terms, describing everything he found out in great detail.

“... trace amounts of biologically adaptive magic working around its nutritional requirements. The subject’s digestive system seems to be natural, although inactive; it seems to be mostly vestigial at this point. As for its exact feeding habits, we are still studying the information we are gathering. It’s unique to anything anypony has ever documented so far, apparently reinventing the baseline by which all etherovores function! It shows certain aspects of magic-empathic digestion, but it’s not psionic in any way. It’s definitely not raw magic it’s leaching either, although its metabolic acclimation does not seem that far-off. It foregoes synthesis of any kind, which again points to the latter feeding method. Distribution is directly along a complex Verdant-Crux ley matrix, which we’re hoping will be the key in finding out...”

“Wait,” I cut him off. “Verdant-Crux?”

“Uhm, yes, your majesty. It seems the creature likely uses necromancy to sustain itself.”

“Wait, what?!” Captain Gleam burst out, shaken out of her stupor.

“Indeed, it is disconcerting,” the researcher offered, before Gleam cut in again,

“No! I mean yeah, that too, but couldn’t you just say, ‘hey, this thing’s a ghoul!’ and be done with it?”

“I didn’t, because by our traditional sense, this is not a ghoul. Yes, it’s still borderline living and breathing, even its blood is still marginally healthy... but it does not feed on what ghouls typically feed on.”

“What does it feed on, then?”

“Well… the results are inconclusive.”

“Then what did you manage to find until now?!” Gleam seemed to only notice her own tone after her words came out, if her subtle flinch was anything to go by.

“Captain, perhaps you might want to calm down.”

At her superior’s request, she drew away and let out a tired breath. “Yes, Ma’am.”

To his credit, the balding chrome-blue unicorn stallion conducted himself as expected of his age and position. Instead of paying any mind to my captain’s tired state, he was more interested in a sudden realization that struck him.

“You’ve witnessed undead beings, didn’t you?” he questioned Gleam.

“All I had to deal with were the odd animated corpse of Nightstalkers, nothing like the creature you’re studying,” she answered in a direct, no-nonsense manner.

“But there has to be something they still have in common, can’t there?”

“Not really. I first thought that thing was some poor wyvern that a unicorn got too overzealous experimenting on,” she regarded the old unicorn with no small hint of weariness, which did not go unnoticed. The old stallion was visibly upset at the insinuation, however I did not take it lightly.

“Captain,” I voiced out with finality. Her head fell, almost like she were struck. I relented when I recalled one of her more recent missions. A certain unicorn from Vanhoover who wanted to bring his wife back from the dead, desperate enough to ignore the risks involved. As far as I’ve heard, the spell did not go well for him.

I mentioned that naming magic was only used once a few hundred years, and never for the sole purpose of hurting another. I also said that no pony had ever killed another in recent history… however, that does not mean that there were no attempts. And as for necromancy, well, they died at their own hooves, not another’s.

Unfortunately, the unicorn in question was better off dead, rather than experiencing his flesh rotting off yet refusing to die. He’s currently still undergoing mental treatment… and filtering his memory of any knowledge of the spell he used.

I sighed and decided to let Gleam’s comment slip. She was tired, after all. Instead, I decided to move the meeting back to proper speed.

I regarded the old sage, “Alright then, is there anything in particular that you have gathered for us?” he was about to eagerly answer, before I specified, “That we might be able to make use of.” That seemed to have put a damper on his eagerness. It seemed that it only now dawned on him that perhaps we didn’t understand everything he ranted so far.

He could not really gloss over anything. It was because he wanted to make sure no potentially important conclusion would be missed because he chose to ignore some at-first-glance unimportant detail. After all, the first step of research was to gather all information and turn it all on its head, no matter how unimportant it may seem.

It was his hope that perhaps an ancient being like myself would be able to offer some sort of useful insight. He was at least halfway correct. For all the while throughout his explaining, I could only think of my charge’s short description of the creature that he offered me and my sister in her office earlier today. ‘A ghoul with spectral abilities.’

“So it uses necromancy to sustain itself?” I ventured.

“In a manner of speaking. Its digestive system appears to suggest that it does not feed through any conventional means, so we could only assume that the subject uses magic similar to other beings with magically-supported eating habits.”

“Like a changeling draining love?” Gleam offered.

“Yes, however only to a certain extent. As I was trying to explain earlier, the subjet’s eating habits are unlike anything previously recorded. There are all manner of beings that use a host to synthesize the magical energy they require, but none of them are anything like our subject. It’s as if it feeds on something else entirely.

“Fitting, I suppose. After all, it's not from our world, as far as I’ve been told.”

“My sister told you?” I confronted. The old stallion affirmed quite eagerly.

“She dropped by to have a better look at the creature, and check on whether we needed anything else. After all, one can’t be too careful when dealing with the dark arts, especially ones as strange as the ones at work here.”

‘Fair enough,’ I thought. It then occurred to me that perhaps I should’ve asked my charge for more details on what exactly this being was. Then again...

“Have you tried checking if the creature’s magic has any… exterior elements?”

The entire room went quiet as they heard my question. “What kind?” the lead researcher asked attentively.

“My sister told you that the Snallighast is from a different world. In that world, magic is of an environmental nature, rather than an empathic one. It’s not created from a race’s emotional state, but from several weak points in the fabric of reality.”

Suddenly, his face lit up in realization, as did the faces of everyone else in the chamber, gradually increasing into a cacophony of esoteric theory being exchanged left and right. The proverbial butterfly causing a storm, chaos theory at its finest.

Captain Gleam, however, did not seem to appreciate the sudden disorder, evidenced by her ever-increasing tension in her jaws. Eventually, she yelled in a commanding tone, “ATTENTION!”

Immediately, the room went quiet, the previously erratic researchers even going as far as forming a military line, which I found funny.

“Might I remind you that you’re still in the presence of royalty? Act with some decorum!”

“Sorry, Ma’am,” they all briskly rang out in unison, again as one does in military fashion. I stifled a chuckle.

“Now, I will repeat my last question, since you’ve all seemed to have forgotten. You said this thing doesn’t eat corpses. What does it eat, then?”

At that, everyone’s shoulders sank and ears fell nervously. It seemed they all had the same answer in mind to offer, but weren’t very happy about it. Eventually, their lead colleague approached us, and answered in an extremely serious tone, “So far, we had a suspicion, and we didn’t want to conclude anything unless we were one hundred percent certain. However... with this new information, let’s see…” he contemplated, then turned to one of his colleagues, “Zephirus Cipher?”

Said young stallion then rushed to a blackboard and quickly wiped and wrote in a frenzy. “Maths hold up, sir.”

“I told you not to call me sir, Zeph. It makes me feel old…” He let out a thoughtful breath. “Gradatio?”

A mare then voiced out, “Sorry, Leaden, but the theory’s model is holding up as well.”

I swapped a glance with my captain, she seemed to be of the same mind. 'What are they so upset about?'

After a short delay, the old stallion finally explained. ”You see, there is a reason why I and my colleagues have been focusing so much on understanding the creature’s dietary habits. As I’ve mentioned, It seems to be feeding on something other than magic or emotion… No. So far, I’ve been saying feed, but I doubt that properly describes it. It doesn’t feed at all, but rather it contains something, and uses that something in combination with its necromantic processes in order to sustain itself. That something would seem to be another living creature’s soul.”

---

I told Leaden to continue his research on the Snallighast’s taxonomy as well as anything else he and his colleagues could uncover. Captain Gleam ordered for extra guards on the project, and requested any future information the Guard might be able to use in the possible event of other such creatures coming to our world.

My charge had mentioned at one point how certain creatures of a necromantic inclination tended to feed on others’ souls. It was no surprise to me to hear the researcher’s findings.

There weren’t many things I knew on necromancy, but there was something that I didn’t need prior research to know. As someone responsible for the balance of the world I lived in, I had a responsibility to make sure those living under me didn’t fall to disharmony and darkness in such a manner. Allowing for creatures to feed on souls in your world was unconscionable. Having spells that destroy the soul was unacceptable. Allowing for the development and free, unrestrained use of Naming Magic like that was unforgivable. I had a bone to pick with a few gods.

Perhaps that was what Celestia was interested in finding out, regarding the difference between our world and our charge’s previous world. It merely seemed that this world had caretakers that gave a damn, pardon my Prench, as opposed to a world where darkness had already fallen, to the point where there were actually multiple subtypes of ghouls that prowled the realm.

There are many variations of undead here, however as a nation that had occasional dealings with the undead, even if rare, we needed to make clear distinctions, primarily because most might forgo rationalizing the exact type of undead creature one might come across. The common ponyperson did not have any incentive to be specific, instead preferring to freeze upon encounter, before promptly soiling themselves, then running away screaming in manic terror.

There are three clear distinctions between creatures of undeath specifications. The first one would be that of the Zombie. Reanimated corpses, either products of the desperate trying to hold on to those they held dear, or of those searching for a way to extend their own lives.

The second category are the Returned, or Revenants. Those who came back of their own desire for either vengeance, or who merely refused to leave things unless they were set right. Each race have their own variation for either situation. From the Diamond Dogs' Hellhound to the Gryphons' Einherjars.

Last category of undead are those that refused to lay to rest in the first place. Those who, through Necromancy, forced their bodies going despite already decomposing, constantly in a race to regenerate faster than they decayed. The Ghouls.

Where our world seemed to strive to protect its creatures and nurture them, Vertigus, as my charge called it, seemed to merely focus on allowing its denizens to persist, should they have the will to survive, and the chance. That would explain why a creature from our world would recur in the manner it did. It used whatever means it had at its disposal in order to survive.

I wondered if they had Changelings… or some kind of variation of our Nox Equus. It was unlikely that their history was similar to ours, but you never knew.

‘Suppose there’s no reason I can’t just ask directly.’

---

I teleported to Celestia’s location. When I arrived, I found her busy working on an incantation circle. A summoning circle, to be precise. It seemed Tia was already very well ahead of me, much to my dissatisfaction.

“Hello, Luna. Have you spoken with Leaden Insight?”

I ignored the playful tone of her voice. Yes, I forgot his name again. Judge me. “When?” I asked, short on words and temper.

"I had a hunch," was all she offered before focusing on her circle again. Her tone seemed as collected as it usually was, if not for the subtle undertone. If I were anyone else, I wouldn’t recognize the keen, hidden edge, sharp enough to slide through boulders without much resistance. I knew when my sister was upset.

I decided to relent. After all, there was someone else I was saving my aggression for. Moving around, I took notice of the details of the circle. Indeed, it seemed that she was preparing to summon a governing entity from another realm. Such a thing meant that she needed to offer something of interest in return… unless she was planning on presuming on the Laws of Equilibrium, which was a very risky move.

Celestia added another circle along the edges, presenting a greeting and promise of good-will. There also seemed to be room to add to what she was offering, most likely with whatever the entity asked in return.

She made her finishing touches on the circle. “After speaking with our charge, I’ve come to suspect that there were some rather objectionable details to his former world’s fauna. Judging by your current demeanour, I suspect I was correct?”

“That creature… it feeds on souls.”

She let out a heavy sigh. “I wished I was wrong.” She turned her head back up to focus on her preparations. “I suspect there are other things wrong with that world on the side. What was it called, anyway?” She then started feeding magic into her shrine, its runes starting to glow progressively. “Oh well, I suppose we can ask now, once we confront those in charge of it, don’t you agree?”

My anger flared. “I know just the right spell to test on them...”

“As do I, Luna. However, we both know how unwise that would be.”

I sighed. “Why must you always be right?”

“I’m the older sibling. It’s my job to be right.”

“Good to hear,” I smiled, before that fell as well. “So what are you offering them?”

“What ever could you offer a deity that needs for nothing? I offered to talk. If that’s not enough, then, well, we’ll figure something out.”

As the rune circle finished charging, the room became… different. Like back when we were in my child’s mind, only now instead of being in two places at once, we were in several.

I knew full well that there was likely more than one governing entity in that world. The circle’s conditions were clear enough. Send the call to whomever you wanted, as many as you wanted. The call will remain in the back of the receiver’s consciousness, assuming they’re capable and powerful enough, until they answer at their leisure. They may refuse to answer, unless the Laws of Equilibrium are called into effect, at which point a higher-consciousness would come to oversee the trial, making sure to bring extreme forms of punishment to whosoever might’ve either wasted their time, or done anything to endanger the balance throughout the planes of reality.

Chances were, at least one of the receiving parties were curious, or bored enough to answer, as governing, immortal entities often tend to be. Chances also were that if any of them were cautious enough, they would also wish to answer this call rather than risk a Trial.

“We’re not going to risk a Trial, are we?”

“No, but they don’t know that.”

Two of the receivers refused immediately, and one of them accepted, then seemed to change their mind. Eventually another two refused, leaving only three in total. As the uncertain one continued to accept and refuse at odd intervals, however, another one answer a little too quickly. Celestia then added another circle to the shrine, this one a containment one. As soon as they noticed the change, the overly eager one immediately left, leaving only the remaining two.

That elicited a chuckle in humor from me. “How quaint. Certainly nothing suspicious there.”

Eventually, the indecisive one seemed to have finally made up their mind and answer, at which point the other remaining one did as well. After a moment’s notice, I took the liberty of adding my own power to the circle in order to bring one of them of my own, which Celestia allowed room for. Since we could only summon one at a time, my sister decided to go first. It seemed that the more decided one of the receivers wanted to arrive first as well.

The chamber became noticeably colder and darker, the closer our guest was to arriving. Progressively, a sense of failure and aftermath overcame my being. By the time the summoning was complete, the feeling of a lonely end had fallen like a thick mist over the room.

Reality bent around the air above the circle. With a snap of Celestia’s magic, our host appeared before us, enveloped in immense, wretched-looking raven wings. Those wings moved away to reveal a stunning visage.

She was human, but only in appearance. Palest white skin with the blackest hair, lips and eyes. Dressed in an elaborate black mourning gown, reaching to her knees and leaving her arms and shoulders bare, it was the only thing that subtracted from the utterly alien look about her. Unreachable, yet beautiful in a fleeting manner.

She was wearing all black, of course, save for the Ankh pendant she wore around her neck. She appeared young, no older than an average human’s twenties, yet she was unmistakably ancient. The floating feathers drifted into nothingness, soon joined by her wings somehow retracting and disappearing into her back.

Her twinkling dark eyes, like twin abysses, searched the room from underneath her elaborate hair, studying everything in a cold, yet somehow caring look. Those eyes landed on my sister for a time, then studied me a short while longer.

And then, her eyes softened, and a completely unassuming and friendly, as well as notably brash smile appeared instead.

“I was wondering when you’d call.”

“Did you now?” my sister responded, a hint of suspicion in her tone otherwise undetectable to most. “In that case, we thank you for answering nonetheless.”

“You say that now,” she smiled in a challenging manner, before dropping into a serious one and moving to the side. “Either way, since none of the others decided to answer, I figured I might as well, since I had a certain responsibility regarding the reason you called. Plus, I couldn’t really let Delirium wander here alone..”

“...Delirium?” Tia asked.

“You’ll know her when you see her.”

After a short pause in expectation, they let me summon the remaining entity. The already cold and void room became progressively wretched and overbearing, like a visit to the hospital, specifically to a patient undergoing mental treatment. It felt… it felt like the aftermath of a broken dream. Not broken as disillusionment, rather broken as in… violently torn asunder. Combined with the presence of whoever was already here, it felt like a nightmare mere inches scratching at the surface of the mind.

With a snap, another shape took form on the shrine, an echo of a fever-dream escaping through from where she arrived from and enveloping her like a cloak. It faded away, revealing a shorter, thinner, seemingly much younger humanoid figure. Long pointy ears like blades rose along the sides of her head, oddly healthy and intact considering the rest of her appearance. Short hair a fiery orange, it seemed like it hadn’t seen a brush in years. Her dress was torn in places and her skin was pale, like she hadn’t seen sunlight in a long time. Head bowed, shoulders sagged, a dazed look on her vacant face.

Mismatched eyes arrived on me. One appeared blue at the surface, seeming like it was supposed to be something else. The other was an elaborate emerald green, flecks of silver dancing throughout, however one could never quite study the starry particles as they kept moving as you shifted your sight to better see them.

There were many kinds of gods throughout the realms, but these did not seem to be gods. They seemed too... primordial to be entities of prayer and belief. An idea sprouted in my mind as to whom they were.

“Pretty…” she voiced out silently, a shaky smile appearing on her face, before she looked over to my sister, then over to the other guest. “Hi, Death. It’s nice to see you...”

‘Death? Delirium? It's them, isn't it?’

“Are you...” I stammered, noticing I wasn’t receiving a proper answer. I addressed the other one, “Is she well?”

“She hasn’t been well in quite a while,” the darker being beside her answered, a smile on her face from cruel, defeatist glee.

I stared in surprise, she didn’t seem to care. The wretched girl decided to speak, or rather, go on a difficult rant.

“I’m… I remember being happy once... It’s kind of a jumble now. I’ve always struggled to find a reason to stay happy, now I don’t really need a reason.” The thin girl smiled. “Life wasn’t made for happiness, you see.”

There was no doubt anymore as to who we've summoned.

I might’ve had trouble pulling my thoughts together, but Celestia seemed more capable in that regard. “On behalf of my sister and myself, we would like to welcome you to our kingdom of Equestria.”

“You know it’s rude to call your world by your country, right?” the darker Endless sibling chimed in.

Tia was not abated by the dark figure’s nonchalance. “Perhaps we could discuss over a cup of tea? I’m certain there are plenty of wonderful things we could share.”

“Your hair is really pretty...” the younger Endless mumbled half to herself. “Can I have some?”

‘What have we gotten ourselves into?’

---

Every kindergarten needs a teacher to supervise the children. No matter how long they might take, they all need someone to make sure they’re looked after until they’re ready to move on, as well as make sure that they are ready to move on once the time comes.

The Endless are not kindergarten teachers, however. That would better describe my sister and I, or anyone else that could be described as a Pantheon. The Endless are something completely different.

They’re neither representations of any kind, nor are they conscious manifestations or personifications. No, that would be selling the Endless short. They are not managers, or spirits of their function, they simply are their function.

“I have two questions,” I voiced out. “First, why did you come? I thought we called for the gods looking after one of the worlds of your realm, not you. Second, why did my charge tell me that you don’t have a Dream Realm? To that effect, since you’re here,” I reeled in on the lady Death, “Tell me. Why are there creatures that feed on souls in one of your worlds? I know it’s not your responsibility, but you needed to at least have some say in the matter!”

After the initial surprise, Death looked over and shared an awkward look with her sister. The younger sibling didn’t move her awkward position in her chair, her legs held tight at her torso. She merely drew her attention back at her tea. Death looked back to me, “Well… you see, that’s easy to ask, but kind of tricky to answer.”

I regarded them in confusion. “Why, what’s the issue? I thought I asked a simple question.”

“You see, the reason why we arrived instead of any agents of the local Pantheon is because, well, the people living on the world of Vertigus killed their gods long ago.”

“...Come again?”

“Don’t worry, though. Besides hogging all the magical energies which the local creatures could’ve used to live marginally better, they were also reprehensible people. They had it coming,” Death added, to which Delirium continued,

“They were really bad gods. Killing, taking and hurting without caring at all...” then her tone changed into something more unhinged, “They didn’t die soon enough, if you ask me.” She then proceeded to dip her finger in the tea and start drawing with it on the table.

“Of course, then the ones living on Vertigus had to deal with the elements breaking out of control under the effects of their world’s unhindered magical leylines, but I guess that couldn’t be helped. It was then that the realm fell directly under our jurisdiction, in lack of anyone else. Now, Vertigus’ landscape is completely different from what it was before. Kind of like yours...” a contemplative look fell over the grim mistress. “But you’re not like those gods, are you?” She scrutinized my sister and I a little further before finally tearing away, “New reality, new rules, I guess.”

“Not to mention they’re not human. Ponies are just better, aren’t they?”

Death merely shrugged, balancing her hand in an odd gesture.

Eventually, I gathered my wits. “Okay… What about my other questions? The Dreamworld?”

“Oh, it’s there. It’s just sealed off. Trust me, if the locals had their way, they would’ve invaded that place long ago.”

“Okay…” I held my head. “What about the soul-eaters?”

“Consequence of the lack of a local god of death to filter out my magic. Same reason why I’m having issue keeping them from persisting or returning after death. Once they stopped being suppressed, they became capable of some pretty impressive feats. Humans most of all, not surprisingly. Even though Elves are more talented and magically inclined, it seems humans can surpass even them through sheer force of will. Quite amazing, the stubborn creatures.”

“Your magic? Never mind. What about their eternal rest?!”

She took a sip of her tea. As she put the cup down, she regarded it sadly. “It’s something I couldn’t do anything about. In actuality, soul-eating creatures are important for that world. What do you think dragons eat in Vertigus? The only reason they don’t burn down the entire world is because they have something better to eat, in the form of creatures feeding through magical means. Ghouls feeding on souls through Necromantic means, Ragers through Vehemic means, Succubi through Tantric ones. Vertigus isn’t a violent place by anyone’s choice. It’s simply the way things are.

"Regarding those souls bound by spells, however... That is not something unique to my magic. There are those who constantly misuse magic, far too many and too carefully for us to do anything about, which is why each of the Endless have acquisitioned local agents.”

My sister offered to ask in my stead, “What do you mean?”

She looked at us funny after that. “Well, you might find this offensive, but in Vertigus, it’s very popular to use horses for transport. We have Horsemen...”

“Not horse-people, though,” clarified Delirium. “Just horse-riding warriors, using our magic to stop bad people from misusing it.”

“I see...” Tia sounded out.

“Can I ride you?” Delirium followed.

“No,” she answered casually with minimal attention, eliciting a pout from the younger Endless. Afterwards, Tia went on, “We do know about how equine creatures are animalistic in your world, and though we might be uncomfortable with the knowledge, it’s no surprise or offense. Carry on, you were saying about your Riders?”

“Yes. Each Endless chooses a group of nine Riders, which were once people who misused our magic themselves. They’re tasked with maintaining balance through hunting down those who would repeat their mistakes. In doing so, either they give their quarry to me so that I may do my work, or they get replaced with their quarry, assuming their debt had been repaid, and that their replacement is capable enough to be worth the trouble. Like the necromancer in your care, for instance.”

Unintentionally, my magic flared upon hearing that. Death stared me down for a few moments before relenting. “Relax. Though he studied my Lich’s Pact, he didn't actually sign it and made his own version. He's in the clear.”

I stifled my magic, but my glare didn’t falter.

“I have to admit, however. Reverse-engineering one of my contracts is no small feat. Of all the humans that have ever lived, this one… he’s quite something. You two are quite lucky… unless you’re very unlucky.”

As soon as Death finished, a large explosion shook the castle. I identified the magic to belong to Dr. Cross. Moments later, a note appeared before us, attached to a bag that landed on the table. There seemed to be something struggling inside the bag… or rather, several somethings.

Tia seemed nonplussed, merely sipping from her tea unperturbed, while our two guests stared at the bag before them unintelligently. It seemed they weren’t as all-knowing as they would presume, I noted with a small note of glee.

I took the note to read it. “It says there was another attack on my charge, however your daughter took care of it. She also wanted to ask whether you were still up for tea this evening.”

“I wouldn’t miss it for the world,” Tia smiled back as she took her own pen to paper and offered a response.

Meanwhile, our guests had appeared to have regained their senses, as one of them took the liberty of pulling the bag open before any of us could do anything. Out came an odd sight, the first thing that came to mind were the Parasprites, if they were somehow humanoid.

The first thing they did was to fly to Delirium, happily embracing her like a scared child would their mother.

“My pretties! What are you doing here?”

“That’s what we’d like to know as well,” offered Tia as she sent her message out in a flash of magic. “There’s also the creature from your aspect as well, Death. I thought you knew.”

“I… didn’t, actually…”

“How curious. So when you mentioned you had a certain responsibility regarding the reason why we summoned you, you were merely referring to the human that fell into our charge?”

She regarded us carefully. “...He’s a user of my magic, so he’s my responsibility as much as any creature from my aspect.” She got up. “Now show me.”

Author's Notes:

For those that have no idea what I'm talking about, here's a thing.

I took a few liberties in this one. An OC here, some world building there... and a lot of exposition. Sorry about that. but hey, at least you know I'm still working on this.
I'm going at it by my own design. If you might be unhappy with all of the exposition, don't worry. You're not the only one. <GROOOOAN>

To be fair, I did have a lot to turn over in my head. Initially, I wanted to make Death as the main villain, but then I thought, nah. Then I wanted Celly and Luna to summon her for no reason, because I was being a daft idiot that took about a month before I noticed the plot hole of, 'yeah, Snallighast was bad, therefore DEATH IS VILLAIN!!?"
Writing is hard...

Next chapter. Necky goes on an adventure! Unless I change my mind!

I'm trying to hurry things along, because I'm only getting more and more busy as time passes, and this story is getting harder and harder to juggle. Seriously.

Looking for trouble

“I would like to ask you to relax, and talk about yourself. Nothing we discuss here will ever leave this room. No one is pressuring you, no one is expecting anything from you. All I want is to know who you are, and to offer advice that you can either accept or refuse at your own discretion.”

“That sounded rehearsed,” I quipped back. “Anyway, before anything, I would like to insist that I don’t know why I’m here. I’m completely normal and sane.” Being practiced in keeping my expression inscrutable, I did manage to keep a straight face when I said that. Until a snort in hilarity suddenly and violently escaped my nostrils.

To her credit, Dr. Cross Heart managed to hide her glee much more efficiently, due to not trying so hard that it backfired the way I did. “Really? That’s unusual. In all my years working in this job, I don’t think I’ve ever met a normal, sane person. Not inside my clinic, and especially not outside of it.” Understandably, also refreshingly, I was surprised.

“How about I talk a bit about myself first?” she asked me next. I didn’t have any objections while I assumed Dr. Cross made herself comfortable in her couch.

“Bear in mind that in order for our meetings to work efficiently, we need to maintain a professional relationship. I can tell you about myself, so that you know me as a person, but otherwise it would generally be more beneficial for the therapist to remain objective and impartial to the patient.

“As you might’ve figured out by now, I’m Celestia’s daughter, whom I assume you’ve met. I’m three hundred and twelve years of age, which counts for about half of my life expectancy. I’ve had three children, I have six generations underneath me and chances are that you’ve likely come across at least one of my grandchildren by now. One of them is a working physician at the clinic, while another is a rather well regarded deputy.”

“May they be in good health. Three hundred years? That is quite the lifetime. Suppose being the daughter of a demigod has its perks. I imagine you have quite a few tales of misadventures from your early life.”

She seemed to have picked up on my intention to keep her talking in my stead. “I do, though I suspect none of it compares to adventuring through the wide realm and banding with assorted misfits.”

I chuckled and relented. “There has been a group of adventuring misfits, though we weren’t exactly on the side with the law. Still, I suppose it’s okay considering the law was a joke and the authorities were as corrupt as they could get. I think my friends and I defended more innocent bumpkins than certain towns’ authorities cumulated since their founding. There was even this one time, when my friend Valarad…”

---

Half an hour later, I was mostly the only one who spoke. Didn’t she say she wanted to talk about herself? Oh well, I didn’t complain. I love hearing myself talk. Especially when it’s about nonsense! “...And that’s how I saved Evebrook from a pack of rabid, alchemically enhanced ferrets. Which I might or might not have unleashed to begin with.”

“Uh huh… And what happened to that young guard you mentioned?”

“Oh, Allejin? Joined up. Good man, stuck with us until the end. The Red Dervish, we’d call him, though I have to say, not the best singer. Now my friend Lilianne? Best singing voice I’ve ever heard. She could likely make Destiny himself change his mind if he wasn’t such a rotten old bastard. She even tried to help Allejin a bit regarding his singing skills. Unfortunately, there was only so much even she could do.”

“Do you like singing?”

I was slightly taken off balance by the sudden question. “I enjoy listening, though you wouldn’t catch me dead doing it, if that’s what you’re asking. Why?”

“It was either ask about singing, or ask about your friends which you no doubt miss,” Cross answered empathically, quill momentarily stopping its rapping on paper as she paused her scribbling down notes.

Before the lull in conversation got too awkward and I needed to cough out something to force it back to life, Dr. Heart started again, “What does it mean to be a necromancer?”

I sighed in a degree of relief. “It means to study death and control it. One can’t really control their own deaths through necromancy unless one pays a price, usually their humanity. However, what the craft means varies from person to person. Most followers simply want to try to unlock immortality, while most bumpkins consider it the taboo, an antithesis to what it means to be human. It’s a long story. Personally, I like to think of it as a tool for understanding, as well as for forestalling one’s death.”

“What about the price you mentioned?”

“Well, there was a risk involved, understandably. The average necromancer, who uses too much of their craft, does tend to have no other choice sooner or later but to ask Death for a contract, however I was not your average necromancer. I was more careful, and instead of focusing on gaining power in order to bring back someone from beyond… as tempting as it might’ve been; I instead opted to only use enough of my magic to keep myself alive… relatively speaking. Suffice to say, it was not a fun time of my life.

“Anyway! Let’s not dwell on such things. The past is in the past, let’s focus on the future.” I regarded in her direction wryly. “Any ideas on what I could do with my time? Baking, learning to read your language, sculpting? Or would you have me take up singing?” I was smiling friendlily, but my tone bordered on accusation.

“You’re quite paranoid, aren’t you?” Cross retaliated.

“Paranoia is a healthy thing to have, even if someone in your field of work might wish to argue something superficial to the contrary.”

She sighed in response. “To answer your question, I was actually compiling a list of things for you to do with your free time for Luna to look over. I didn’t intend on suggesting you to pick up choir activities, but I’m starting to consider it a good disciplinary experience.”

“...You wouldn’t.”

I could swear she was smiling sinisterly at me. “Wouldn’t I?”

I suppressed a shiver, she chuckled at my expense.

“Either way, there are actually a number of things you could choose to do in order to stay busy, however I wanted to highlight what might potentially help you learn to be a valued member of society-”

I failed to contain another snort in amusement. “That might prove more difficult than you might think. I enjoy the company of friends, not people in general. I tolerate my disdain for everyone and anyone for the sake of not wasting my life as a decaying and insane lich inside a cave. A lonely existence, with no benefit above being dead other than the delirious dreams one might be able to cook up, or the unspeaking skeletons keeping one company… But it would still only be slightly worse that having to deal with people on a daily basis.” I shuddered at the last two words.

“What if I told you you don’t need to interact with other people in order to be an active member of society?”

I sighed awkwardly. “I suppose I could accept that. There was the matter of not wanting to have anything to do with the society that justified turning me into an avatar for fear and contempt, before I arrived here. It will be… tricky, but I’m willing to give this world a chance, at least.”

“I’m happy to hear you decided to not let your past decide your lifestyle.”

“Right. Do you have any more interesting questions, or can I go now?”

“Is there somewhere else you’d rather be?”

“Well, as much as I do enjoy it, talk is cheap and abundantly available for me now. We could talk while I got some kind of work done today for a change.. Or rather, I’d like to have a little bit of actual fun, before you and Luna subject me to schoolwork.”

Dr. Cross seemed to be thinking of an adequate comeback for a few moments, until something unforeseen happened. Sleep magic started taking effect in the room. My first assumption was that my supervisor had finally decided she could pacify me for the rest of her looking after me, but then I picked up the distinct sound of laughter, coming from a familiar, tiny voice.

‘Sprites. At least they should make for a good enough distraction for me to slip out.’

I felt the doctor’s magic gathering in extremely large amounts. Before the magic could take effect, rather explosively I noted, I had ample time to exit the room and close the door behind me.

‘Let’s see. Where, should I, begin!’

The sound of guards yelling for me to stop made it clear that I was still little more than a prisoner. It was mildly upsetting.

‘Ah, military! So rigid in their beliefs, so blindly loyal. My favorite kind of toys to break!’

---

Death-affiliated Snallighasts, and now Delirium-affiliated Sprites. Maybe the one sending these creatures was watching me, waiting for me to become vulnerable. Maybe it was their intention to offer a distraction in order for me to be able to slip away and become unguarded. Or, maybe the beasts weren’t controlled by anyone at all, and found their way to me on their own somehow. Regardless, I wasn’t going to ever find anything out by standing idly and waiting for answers to come to me.

The only way to deal with a potential trap is to spring it. Of course, I doubted Dr. Cross would agree with such a course of action.

I was on a timetable, I needed to stay ahead of my chaperone, lest I’d find the floor moving away from my hooves. It wouldn’t be a problem to stay out of her reach, if she continued to keep her slow, casual pace behind me, if only the guards wouldn’t stand in my way.

I already memorized the flaws in the soldiers’ armor. I ran in the opposite direction of where I could hear two of the guards approaching from, just far enough to turn a corner, so Cross wouldn’t have vision of me to grasp me in her magic. She didn’t levitate me already, I assumed she couldn’t for a reason, that being that perhaps she needed direct vision of me. A range of effect was also likely, but considering I was dealing with a direct descendant of a rather god-like entity, I wasn’t keen on finding out what hers was.

I listened to the clanging of gold-alloy plates as the guards drew closer. ‘They even gave the pegasus that same bulky armor? You can’t be serious...’

Timing right, I rolled out of the pegasus’ immediate reach... and failed to account for my tail’s length. As the guard bit down on it, I only had enough leeway to swing and kick off his armor plate, twist, grab hold of his helmet, and then proceed to check how well it protected against physical trauma.

It was an awkward strike. A punch with the force of a small leg, dissipated across the plates primarily designed to protect against magic, but horribly lacking in every other regard. I needed to compensate for the protective shell, and fortunately I managed to make the guard stagger and loosen his mouth enough for me to pull free.

‘Useless tail. Also, I feel like they should focus more on protecting those overly large, vulnerable eyes, rather than waste money on decorating the helmets. Those are meant for large-scale combat and phalanxes, not security patrols... Case in point,'

The guard was waving his hoof at me impotently, not managing to quite reach past the crest on his helmeted head. It was quite pathetic. ‘Now that’s a design flaw if I ever saw one. Then again,’

Thinking quickly, I jumped off, grabbed hold of his wings and caused him to lose his balance in-flight, just enough to steer him to crash into where I heard the other guard’s clanking armor, incidentally head-to-head. ‘What was the point of giving a flier such bulky armor, if such a critical element as their wings are left exposed like this? It only serves to make them heavier and fall harder! I’m starting to think their designer was drunk or something. Most importantly, however,’

As the guards staggered back up, I prepared to strike them in the most important areas for armor to protect its wearer … then changed my mind, cast a sight spell for an outline, then struck them in the second most important place instead: in the torso, in this case aimed for the liver. The crippling pain should keep then down for several minutes, long enough for me to evade them. 'WHY is their armor only covering their upper bodies, leaving their undersides and LEGS exposed?'

The two guards were both gasping for air and failing, one of them appeared to be holding himself from puking while the other was barely staying conscious.

I had already found their species' heart's location in their chests beforehand, from my proximity to Luna. It was in the right place for an equine. From that, I assumed that beside their wings, horns and the additions to the brain, their bodies were similar enough to what was familiar. My assumption was proven correct so far.

'Pain is definitely the same. It would certainly be counterproductive to cancel out natural defenses. So I'm not entirely out of my depth, the general rules are still the same. Don't hit hard, just hit in the right place in order to rattle the insides. The shock is enough most of the time, and if I am to make a modest assumption, if they're really so protected by their magic, I have barely anything to worry about. If it weren't for this little safety net, this little escapade would've been a lot harder to justify.'

Once the fight was over, I cast my sight spell again, to orientate around the hallway.

“I’d like to have a word with your instructor and armor designer. Before I ask Luna to fire them both, that is. Which would be, preferably literally setting them on fire, if they fail to offer proper arguments for their methods.”

I didn’t wait any longer, however, since I could tell that Dr. Cross was arriving around the corner soon, in her calm, casual trot. Perhaps she expected these guards to stop me?

“...Wai-” one of the men didn’t have time to finish his request before I closed another door behind me. A small empty room this time. No one inside, but there was the vague scent of a sleeping quarter about it.

A third spell, a vague impression of my surroundings. A bed to my left, a cupboard next to it, a wardrobe in the corner, what I guessed was a tea table… [']'I suppose that employment as castle staff offers decent accomodations. Privacy? Must be a head of staff or something.'

I didn’t have much time for pondering, my pursuers wouldn't need long to get back on their feet. I gathered my frayed attention and looked to single out the distinct refraction of windows.

‘First priority: escape. Second priority: figure out a way to deal with levitation magic, as soon as I’m not short on time anymore.’

I looked out the window, cast a fourth sight spell and noted the distance to some roof tiles below. Good, but not great… still better than nothing, however. I then got to trying to decide where I wanted to head next. Preferably somewhere with a lot of obstacles to deny direct vision. And with an echo effect.

‘Too bad I don’t really know where anything is in this castle… Perhaps they could send another creature to offer cover for me to get to the forest? Perhaps a Dullahan, or a Tulpa?’

I studied the slope of the roof tiles underneath me. It would be difficult, I decided to finally try my wings to slow my descent a bit so I wouldn’t bounce off. I regretted not having an opportunity to figure out the bloody things earlier, rather than indulge in the simple joy of piggy-back rides. Curse my giving into temptation!

I took a deep breath and jumped off, moments before the door opened behind me. A couple tiles broke under my hooves, and my wings were guided more by instinct than anything else, but I managed to get a proper footing (hoofing?) on the incline.

“Thank you, hardwiring. I imagine it would be rather pathetic for a bird to die because it was too stupid to use its wings, right?”

A quick sight spell later, just enough to tell where the windows were, I proceeded through. I sensed someone was inside, however the glass deflected my sight spell. I couldn’t see where I was entering.

A surprised voice sounded out as I entered. A sight spell later, I noticed what seemed like a pony at a desk. Paperwork, maybe?

I shushed her insistently, making sure to convey that I was not going to get no for an answer. Thankfully, the light gray mare remained quiet as I slowly opened the door to check the hallway. All clear, it seemed there weren’t any more guards on this hallway.

I couldn’t detect any of them, due to their gold and orchialcum armor plating meant to isolate magic. Great for hiding their magical presence, but even better for protection against magic. Unfortunately, gold is brittle and orchialcum is extremely hard to manufacture, so that was probably why they made a practical patchwork regarding defense from conventional blades and fangs. Upon further consideration however, what with their little ‘thou shalt not kill’ rule going on in respect to their Windy-goes and likely other assorted revenant entities, perhaps they figured they didn’t really need to worry about anyone going straight for the jugular that much. There was also the matter of their magic apparently defending them, strengthening their pelts so they breach less easily, making their bones bend like Zebrican rubber when they should be broken instead, even offering them quite some time to be recovered should they stop breathing. I imagine that should a scenario arise, there were any number of ways they could enchant even non-armor to withstand physical abuse.

‘Still, that’s no excuse to not train your soldiers properly. Necessity is the mother of ration and adaptation, but reason should step forward and adopt the role, right? I suppose these ponies are just not very reasonable.’

Back to the now. I closed the door behind me then started walking down the hall, expecting the pegasus guard to come in my pursuit sooner than later. They didn’t see where I went, but they could potentially sense where I was. There was no use dealing with the two guards pursuing me in a more drastic manner, since there were a few hundred more around the castle just waiting to be asked to do something other than stand motionless like statues all day. I did not envy them.

‘A lethifold, maybe? That should offer a good distraction. Or maybe a makara? No, there are neither waters nor brothels frequented by sailors nearby..."

My train of thought was interrupted, as I felt the floor move away from me again. I cast another sight spell, and noticed a unicorn guard emerged from behind a corner ahead of me.

“A sound cancelling spell? No fair,” I whined.

“Your escapade ends here, Your Highness,” was the guard’s straightforward response.

“'Your Highness'? Since when do you need to detain your royalty?”

That said, it was not out of the question that at least one of the hundred-or-so guards in the castle was going to be competent enough to present at least this much common sense.

And there I was. Floating helplessly. It seemed that my quest to wander around looking for trouble while doing absolutely nothing productive for anyone else was at an end… or was it? I had a theory, well, I had a couple theories, but this one was the one I was more likely to work for me to escape.

I waited for the unicorn to walk closer, then I beat my wings as forcefully as I could, propelling me to headbutt the unsuspecting guard. My theory proved correct. A lot more correct than I expected.

Skull met helmet, crown first. Ow.

"Are you alright?" I heard him ask.

I rubbed my head and steadily got on my haunches. If it weren't for the ponies' aforementioned rubber-like resilience, I would have definitely broken my horn. Or jabbed one of the guards' eyes out. "Yeah... Just give me a moment to adjust. Blasted new pain receivers... Okaydone," as I headbutted him again even harder in the temple, causing him to be the one to collapse this time.

It was rather obvious that the pegasi’s(?) wings could not work normally on their own. They had to work on a magical basis, particularly the same way these ponies picked things up with their hooves, which happened to be the same basis on which their telekinesis worked, to a certain extent. I didn’t just propel myself forward with my own magic, instead I used a bit of knowledge pertaining to basic necromantic Siphoning in order to use the levitation affecting me in my favor, accelerating me just enough to achieve a certain amount of force.

It wouldn't have worked at all if it wasn't for the fact that these wings seemed uniquely designed to cast a field on my entire body, allowing for ample surface through which to 'soak in'. Almost as if pegasi were actually digging through the air, like they could manipulate it, push it, stand on it... the abundance of telluric outlets across the entire body didn't hurt either.

'This magic is weird. Oh well, back to the now. Chances are that my underhanded trick strategic genius will likely not work as well a second time...'

I could hear the pegasus guard finally catching up to me. “I got you, you little-” I struck him over my shoulder. Short ark, lower jaw. It rattled his brain enough to cause him to fall in a heap.

'...so I better not get caught like that a second time.' I bent my head back around to regard the newest guard. “Your training really is horrible, isn’t it?” No answer. Both guards seemed to be out cold. “Pansies."

I started back on my way. I turned a corner, heading towards the stairway. The way things were going, it was not a matter of if I was stopped, but of when. So, I decided to find a way to end my little adventure on my own terms, with a climax.

I was looking for the barracks.

Author's Notes:

And with this, I go into an indeterminate hiatus. Sorry.
There are a number of reasons, first of them being real life. I want to focus on my studies. Secondly, the method by which I'm doing this thing is taking me way too much time. In the beginning, it only took me about a month at most, but not it's taking me half a year. Wtf!
So I'm quitting for now. Not giving up, not taking a break, not starting again in a few days, quitting. Cold turkey.

If I find myself having majored in a few years, and hopefully I will, and I will find myself with free time, and somehow my writing no longer takes so much of said time, then I'm getting back to it. However, that's not going to be for a loooong time, if it will even happen at all.

So, I guess this is kind of goodbye. Thanks for following me so far, sorry for not being able to keep it up longer.

Oh, and happy holidays.

Metastasis

Author's Notes:

I took some time off to write another chapter and to make evident that yes, I’m still alive and I’m still interested in finishing this thing. I know it doesn't amount to much, it’s been a year since my last update, sorry about that. I’m also sorry to say that my schedule hasn’t changed, I won’t be able to focus on this thing properly for at least another two years.

That’s something that I just can’t help. My resolve to get this thing over with lasted for this long, I’m confident it’ll last for at least long enough to give this sucker a proper goodbye, and I most definitely plan on giving him his name.

Now as for this chapter, you might find something peculiar with its page breaks. Mostly, Luna only had a hitchhiker's exposition on the Endless to talk about (because it's important for you guys to know what they're all about), and a general idea of Vertigus and its magic shaped by the direct, unfiltered feed from the eltritch entities' domains.

I tried to maintain the whole one-POV-per-chapter thing, however I decided to give up on that because I couldn't make it work otherwise. As in, it was fucking impossible. I was enough of a masochist to make the POV thing work until now. This time, however, not even I could spin all of that 'telling' into something remotely interesting to dig through. So I decided to adopt a useful workaround to finally get this damn story rolling faster.

In order to more easily distinguish when I’m switching between perspectives. I’ll be using specific page breaks in that instance. When you see a blue squiggly line with a moon in the middle,

~~~ 🌙 ~~~

then you need to know that I’m changing to Luna’s point of view. When you see a yellow line with the Asclepius’ Staff symbol in the middle,

~~~ ⚕ ~~~

then it’s Necky’s turn. By the way, the latter choice of symbol is most definitely not significant in the future. Not at all. Seriously, you would need to be pretty silly to assume that.

Anyway, we’re starting with Luna’s PoV, just to be clear, in case you can’t distinguish the eloquent politeness of best pony from Necky’s own eloquent and jovial cynicism.

Final opinion of this chapter? I couldn't fit in any generic carefree girl talk between the two rulers and the two eldritch beings; Luna is turning out to be the type to fawn over and spoil her kids; and Necky had too much of a woe-is-me thing going on for him. If you agree, then tell me how much I suck in the comments section below, and try to focus on what I could've done to actually fix those issues.

(*) 'And he was quite insistent about how I was supposed to be dead, if it weren’t for my ridiculous hardiness. It was abundantly clear that this was the sort of thing he shaped his entire life around, potential risk of danger.'

(**) Which is, at most, 14 of age. In case you were considering to suggest DiscordDelirium shipping in the comments section based on their similar affinities. If anything, Discord would be Delirium's imaginary friend or something.

(***) 'Yes, yes, I realize that this might make you argue that my own nighttime roles seem far less important. I would also like to bring to your attention that chances are high that I’ve saved your sanity from Mindflayers on at least one occasion.'

(****)'I did eventually learn what those are. I also did eventually manage to get back at Celestia for it.'

~~~ 🌙 ~~~

Let us recapitulate. After we’ve woken up and I’ve prepared myself and my charge for a short wander and sightseeing through the city, we were attacked(*) by a beast that somehow followed the former human here from his old realm of Vertigus. After we have subdued the creature and were revealed for who we truly were, my sister and I questioned my charge about what had happened. After that, we’ve wandered out for a bit of air, then I left the boy at his first therapist meeting while I went to check on the royal scientists’ progress towards understanding the alien beast; which is to say, the less eloquent, intelligent and adorable alien beast. After some startling revelations, I then joined my sister in summoning the leading deities of his old world for a stern talking to.

Now I was heading back to the location of the Snallighast, accompanied by my sister and two Endless, in order to determine who, or what caused the creature to arrive here in the first place. And it was only early noon.

Of course, I was looking forward to resolving this troublesome endeavor as soon as possible. It was just starting to become difficult to keep track of what was happening. The most important detail was that our two newest guests - two metaphysical entities that were as old as the very realities they originated from - were currently acting in collaboration with us towards finding out who was responsible for meddling with their affairs. I was expecting the possibility of Lady Death deciding to take my charge away because he’d run out his natural lifespan a long time ago. Although her earlier unconcerned behavior did not reassure me in the least, I needed to remember that her being uninterested was in my best interest. Which was left moot once they appeared to have taken exception to the revelation that creatures from under their care were either wandering off out of their area of observation, or were being used by someone else for some unknown purpose.

We would’ve teleported our group to where the Snallighast was being held, if we could. We were already having difficulty bridging our guests here, suddenly changing our position regarding the summoning circle would undoubtedly break our spell.

Thus we set to walking the hallways of our castle in favor of the more expedient alternative. It was not an issue, per se, but any one of our servants who regarded our guests would be subjected to either the perception of true, terrible, unadulterated finality, or uncomfortable turbulence of the mind that would occasionally wake them up at night from that day on. So I didn’t really care either way, after all, I would just dispel their nightmares as they’d come up anyway.

Aside for the initial fawning of the younger Endless sibling(**) towards our subjects, which the unhinged eldritch entity admitted to find ‘cute’, which offered the respective guards’ shift mate excuse to tease him, once he believed we walked out of earshot. After this, Death requested from Delirium to remained more discrete, and to not wander off, which the younger sibling obliged. Now she was satisfied with keeping herself busy by gently speaking nonsensical, entirely whimsical drivel to her Sprites.

The elder of our two summoned guests appeared perturbed over the earlier revelation. Although the younger sibling was not as easy to read, Delirium did seem to hold her little Sprites protectively closer to her. It appeared that creatures from the world they held under custody were being sent here, somehow without their knowing, which appeared to be reason enough for the Endless to foster concern.

It’s commonly a matter of nature for Death and Delirium’s kind to seek out stability within their individual aspects, their beings. As I’ve said, they are not gods. Where a god is a spirit born from faith and prayer, a fiction that’s a facet of a world’s consciousness, an entity made to carry out a role in a world’s balance; an Endless is a role in the guise of an entity, a transcendent facet of reality. The forms we perceived them as weren’t even actual bodies, merely the way we interpreted their presence. In truth, our guests’ humanoid appearances were only due to their official capacity as responsive representatives of Vertigus, due to it lacking gods. If we were to not have summoned them in that manner, I imagine we would’ve seen and felt them in a more familiar manner, even though their appearances would've been superficial. Their physical bodies are insignificant with regards to their whole; Those primordial impressions we sensed around them? They were actually our own minds trying and failing to perceive the rest of their beings.

Same way gravity seeks to pull ever downward and heat seeks to disperse ever outward, Death and Delirium would like to know what might be interfering with their aspects within Vertigus. For the Snallighast and Sprites to be drawn here without their knowing would be like someone finding out they’ve been bleeding without actually feeling any pain.

Now that they were aware of the ‘leakage’, they knew to investigate what had ‘cut’ them and was drawing at their essence.

This was an especially unique circumstance for them as well, as I considered it further. For a populated world to be without gods was rare, but there was also the matter of what my charge described as Ley Gates present in Vertigus. Those could only be cracks in the boundaries of their reality leading into the realms of the Endless. A nexus in reality without gods to maintain it? I shuddered to consider the manner in which Vertigus was warped when its gods perished.

’I imagine that life on that world could only be similar to that of creatures living near an underwater volcano. Rich, but built on so much… Death.’

I regarded the grim lady walking ahead of me. ’Then again, Vertigus is also a unique world, comparatively speaking. If nothing else, its magic must indeed be the most powerful, the most unfiltered. I feel it’s safe to assume their natural world would also be as wild as the now rampant magical energies...

’Which would account for the physical appearances of some of the creatures. Those under Death are ghoulish, those under Delirium are of a more… abstract appearance. The same must likely be for their mages and, even moreso their ‘horsemen’. Aside for the general danger a power-mad mage would present, it’s no wonder the locals stigmatize Necromancers, regardless if they succumbed to lichdom or not.’ My face darkened. ‘I would also very much want to know their relationship with Oracles and Fateweavers… They certainly didn’t seem to have any compunctions with having them use Naming Magic on my charge… despicable… Leaving aside what they did to him, it’s hypocrisy as well. An oracle succumbing to Naming Magic is actually worse than a necromancer becoming a Lich!’

I let out a breath. ’I wonder, overall, what might be the relationship between the sapient creatures of Vertigus and the Endless themselves? They are not their gods, but I can only assume they would need to be kept under scrutiny. Even though it’s not their responsibility to manage the lives of mortals. Nor is it their nature suited for such a task in any fashion. Far from it. They’re actually less suited to act as gods than alicorns.’

While alicorns are leaders that guide and protect, Endless are not. They merely do as is in their nature… though they do occasionally leave for some leeway. They might abstain from their function, if the mortal they are to affect would make a good enough argument they might decide to, ahem, bend their rules. Endless are even able to abandon their function altogether, if they so wished; however, considering that for them, their nature comes first before all else, it would need to be a very, very good reason for them to decide to give up on everything they are.

Their nature comes before all else for them. They define themselves through these attributes. But they aren’t limited to these things. They still have wills of their own, personalities, quirks and desires. They fashion self-imposed responsibilities and rules for them, because they do need reminders. They are functions of reality, however they are nonetheless in the guise of sentient entities. They are more than mere forces without rhyme or reason, they interpret their circumstances, take intelligent measures to problems that would cascade into events that would end worlds, if not unmake reality. There are rules to magic, conditions as well as ways to abuse said conditions. There is an order above the natural one, and one above that, and one lateral to that one...

So yes, they do reason. The Endless do encounter crises that require sound judgment and memory. They need a concept of time, a concept of feeling, a concept of wanting. Of course, they are only subjected to these things to an extent. Their conscious representation is only secondary to their overall being. Usually they only want for something when it’s in line with their nature, and they hate something that threatens or contradicts what they are. As for love? Well, it depends on the Endless in question, same with all divine and metaphysical beings. Some would remain celibate, while others would be gods of fertility, or Desire.

As for what they love however, well... it would be simpler to make an analogy to any other sentient, feeling person, and applying that to the individual Endless’ nature same way one would apply the nature of love overall to any individual person, with the person’s respective defining wants, needs, quirks and shortcomings taken into account.

Perhaps that might offer some context into who, or should I say what it was that my sister and I were dealing with. It should also offer some context into who are in charge of Vertigus, and where their magic comes from. If nothing else, perhaps it would allow some semblance of understanding why entities as old as time might still present the ability to empathize with mortals, and why they might even go so far as, say, allowing the existence of the undead and Necromancy in the first place, regardless of the fact that Vertigus was flooded with magic. They could’ve simply left the world to tear itself apart, but they didn’t.

And while Necromancy can be used to control and forestall Death, it is primarily a means to understand her as well, as far as I could understand from my charge. It is a tool, that can also be used to control the dead, as well as help them lay to rest. So, one could offer the analogy that the relationship between Death and necromancers is one of both appreciation and apprehension, same as how any relationship is not without its inevitable quarrels. It can be said the same about any Endless and their respective schools. Bear in mind, however, that all magic is interconnected, which is why a Necromancer would be able to use spells from a different school… to an extent.

Destiny with Divination… and Naming Magic. Destruction with Vehemic manipulation and Evocation (energy manipulation), Desire and Despair as either side of the same coin with regards to their influences over Chakra and Illusion.

Dream and Delirium are trickier however. Where the former represents the border between reality itself and the metaphysical(***), Delirium governs the realms of interpretation and sanity. However, since one can only ever measure both the real and imaginary through interpretation, the lines are often blurred. Where to Dream is a prerequisite in the act of casting magic, in the act of influencing reality within its bounds and Conjuring ideas into being… perhaps that is the cause of my charge’s controversy regarding Dream’s realm not being immediately accessible. As for Delirium, her venue is that of shifting and warping reality chaotically through the art of Psionics, rather than Dream’s more order-inclined Arcane bending of it.

If you haven’t figured it out yet, I will spell it out. Unicorns use Arcane energy, while Discord happens to use an especially undiluted and chaotic variety of Psionic energy. This links back our discussion to Lady Death’s earlier brief explanation of Vertigus having creatures called Succubi that run on Tantric energy, and Vehemic users, which are likely some manner of entities made of pure energy. Like my charge’s mention of Elemental spirits. I would also consider that there are other esoteric schools of magic on the side, like Druidism and White Magic. However, to go into detail regarding the intrinsic relations behind Necromantic Magic, Planar Projection, how exactly Chakra fits into all this, segueing into the matter of conventional and unconventional magic, maybe with a side of why armor can only take so much magic coursing through it before suffering Enchantment Overload… I assume you get the idea.

There were many thoughts coursing through my mind in my desire to revise what I did know about our extremely powerful guests, and how I could rationalize the quite literally savage nature of the world under their care, of their interaction with Vertigus. Yet, one thought in particular stuck out. Among the multiple matters in the backdrop, one forced its way to my judgement’s forefront. Of all things, what drew my attention was the matter of my charge’s proficiency with the necromantic arts (and not much else), and the fact that despite the particular nature of the Endless, they do nonetheless present wants and desires.

’...It would not be impossible for my charge to be of Lady Death’s heritage. However, you’d assume she would be more careful in telling her grandchildren to exercise discretion in a world that stigmatizes her magical arts. You’d also assume she’d behave a bit less disinterested regarding his fate. Then again, the Endless are still very much disconnected and alien beings, their hearts being merely an extension to their natures. At any rate, I could just ask her. Their kind commonly do not lie, nor resort to subterfuge, as are their natures and rules. Oh, what am I saying? What do I have to go on for this foalish idea? My charge’s aptitude for necromancy? It would be like asking a weather god if he’s related to a weather pony I just happen to know. It’s not important anyway.’

As we continued along our-

“So, is he your son by any chance?” I cracked.

The grim lady ahead of me stopped her walk down the hallway, and subsequently turned around to regard me evenly, eyebrow raised. Judgingly. “...No.” Once she gave her definite answer, she then turned back around and went back on her way. “Neither is he my grandchild, nor my great grandchild, nor anything to that effect, if you were wondering. And even though he did garner my attention throughout the decades, I tend to get involved in the lives of mortals sparingly. It would come off rather hypocritical of me to create new life, at least too often. Also, whether or not I do feel admiration and appreciation for him and his respect for me, he harbors profound resentment towards me nonetheless, so I can assure you there was never room for a relationship.”

“Oh. That’s… I apologize if I caused insult, I...”

“You did not,” Death interrupted. “You asked a question, and I answered it. You need to learn more about your new charge, and I endorse it. There was no harm done, and I had no reason to not aid you if it’s so simple for me and important to you.”

“Well, thank you, in that case. I truly appreciate it.”

The Grim Lady continued again, a hint colder, “I apologize if I come off as aloof, I’m just a little distracted is all.”

My sister asked them, “I thought your kind deal with world-ending events on a semi-regular basis. Is this issue truly so severe?” Endless are quite collected and detached by nature. Add to that the matter of their age, and also the fact that they typically deal with world-ending threats and extinction level events on a semi-regular basis, and you might agree why my sister found one of them being worried, however subtle the signs, to be reason for us to in turn worry for how our own world would be threatened.

“Although traveling across realities is involved, there is no hazard to either realm’s stability, so you don't need to worry about that. As an idea, it would take a very specific force to collapse two universes, the kind that would need to accelerate enough to overcome each reality’s integrity. Not like we’d notice anyway, since Time is a dimension encapsulated within a Universe. How could anything possibly happen outside a Reality’s radius? It would need to be done consciously from within both universes, expending enough power to destroy each universe several times over. Why collapse a building using another building when you could just blow it up instead?”

'Just like Death to immediately jump to the worst possible scenario,' I mused.

The Dark Lady delayed a few moments in consideration before she answered my sister's question. “However, there is a most definite danger to your charge. There are some creatures from Vertigus that feed on souls, while many others might somehow cause his death seal to trigger one way or another, now in his weakened state. And the cause of these happenings is fully aware of his weakened state, and is fully likely to capitalize.”

We moved noticeably more quickly.

There was commotion coming from elsewhere in the castle, but we disregarded it. Whatever it was, there didn’t seem to be anyone using any kind of magic, beyond anything the guards would typically use. Whatever the matter was, they could handle it.

After all, Cadence and Shining Armor were scheduled to arrive momentarily. I assumed it a ‘safe bet’, that they would want to make a good impression on their former Captain and his wife.

~~~ ⚕ ~~~

It’s what it means to be alive. To be caught in events beyond your ability to fully comprehend or predict. To act and react in a manner true to yourself, according to your most basic awareness, stripped of pretense of what you should and shouldn’t do. No more second-guessing, no more tip toeing for diplomacy’s sake. Nothing but to let loose.

That said, the royal guards’ competence was quite underwhelming. I expected some manner of directions to overwhelm me with numbers, not for them to just charge at me one at a time. Did they actually expect me to stand still while they were running right at me?

“My leg!” shouted a guard as I twisted it out of its socket. There was a tangible resistance due to the magic enhancing them, but even that had its limits.

They did occasionally engage in groups of four by arbitrary chance, even a group of five, but that was just because two guards joined with another three while I was having difficulty bringing down an especially bulky one among said initial three. Even so, they were easily confused and slow to react. Their unicorns' levitation was also no longer an issue once I figured out the trick to countering it. They did occasionally try the same stealth spell that first unicorn tried, but I was starting to think the silence that one cast was just part of an invisibility spell required of specialists, and he had no idea I was blind. Certainly, who would believe that a mere colt could be so much trouble, let alone a blind one?

Fair enough, it was a reasonable thing to do, to underestimate me. I would even feel bad about beating them senseless if they weren’t so disgraceful in their behavior. I could only take offense to how they believed they deserved to best me with such pathetic attempts. I may have had a bias towards agents of authority, but I had an even greater bias towards self-important fools.

That's not to say my bias was any kind of justification, or course. You could call me a hypocrite to judge others when my hands are so stained, or arrogant in turn after calling others arrogant, when I was the one to blame for inciting trouble to begin with. And should I find someone that deserves honesty and points this out, I will admit my fault. Until then...

’You can be either right or wrong all you like on your way to Hell. It was neither your self-righteous order of faith and law, nor your double-standard morality and opinions of truth that kept me alive for so long.’

Another guard let out a scream as I dodged and jabbed him where his wing met his armor, with enough force to shatter bone. I didn’t hear any cracks, even though such a strike rightly should've broken such fragile bones. I maneuvered behind the guard's head and took him down by limiting his bloodflow with a headlock, since there was no one else to stop me. 'There's no such thing as peace. No such thing as innocence. There's only power... and whether the wielder is willing to use it on others.'

“And that makes twenty-three," I voiced out loudly as I let the unconscious but still breathing guard go. "I wonder how many more they are going to send before they figure out I'm not as vulnerable as they think.” I channeled another image spell, and certainly enough, Dr. Cross was finally catching up due to the delay caused by the last patrol. Despite not breaking her leisurely walk so far at all, as could be attested by the sound of her hoofsteps coming closer. “Do they not have lieutenants, or are all of them really this stupid?”

“Their training and experience are oriented around dispatching large enchanted monsters, apprehending dangerous magic-users, and suppressing lawbreakers with their stun-enchanted spears, which they did not have permission for. They rely on coordination during larger engagements, magical artillery kept safe behind phalanx positions and flying skirmishers. They’re actually quite effective.”

“I will take your word for it,” I droned unconvinced as she stopped in front of me.

“There’s the fact that your experience surviving in a far more inhospitable world than this one instilled a unique predatory confidence and surviving competence which only beasts and carnivore races from this world have any concept for. Perhaps this fact presented you with an edge, the kind that means you only needed less than a second-long opening to win any encounter. Perhaps the fact that you’re a half-malnourished child might also be a reason for as to why they might behave less than fully confident in harming you. Which means that what you’ve just done, wise necromancer, was little more than fighting what amounted to untrained children while they were at a disadvantage, compared to you. How does that make you feel?” she asked in a surprisingly level and non-threatening voice.

“Well, when you put it like that...” she appeared to be waiting for me to finish. I sighed. “I feel rather ashamed.”

She continued calmly and inoffensively, “There’s also the matter that your behavior will not go without repercussion. Not just from aunt Luna and my mother, I imagine Shining Armor won’t be very pleased either, even if he might give the impression of being easygoing. By the way, he is expected to arrive here to visit with his wife at any time today, because she was eager to meet you. What do you plan on telling them when they ask you why you assaulted Shining Armor’s former subordinates?”

“...That I offered to give them an impromptu training session?”

“Not buying it. Try again.” I stood still upon hearing the words coming from a couple of paces down behind me, in a familiar, no-nonsense voice.

‘Huh. I did not notice him approach.’ I cast another image spell with my now slightly aching horn. Only slightly aching because I did not actually need to use it all that much. To my surprise, I was now surrounded by about fifty guards. ’They probably snuck over with their sound muffled due to whatever the type of the stealth spell used, while I was busy talking to Cross Heart. Suppose they’re not so bad after all...

’Odd. There seems to be a strong magical presence behind all of those gold-clad guards. I wonder who that might be.’

I turned my head towards where I noted their former captain to be, plastering as calm and easygoing a smile on my face as I could muster, though a fat lot of help it would do for me now. “Oh, hello Shining, fancy hearing you here! I, ugh… heard you’re married?”

“A for the effort to dodge. One more try.” He did not seem to be kidding around.

I shifted in place and awkwardly scratched the back of my head. “...They started it?”

One of the downed guards decided to chime in, “Oh, that’s a load of horseapples! You broke my leg! We were only trying to stop you from running away!”

I turned back sheepishly towards where I could feel Shining staring at me disapprovingly. “To be fair, it’s only dislocated. Besides, you could just use magic to heal it.”

“That does not change the fact you hurt him,” Dr. Cross decided to make herself known again.

“That moral high ground of yours must feel very nice, considering the fact that you could’ve stopped me at any moment if you disagreed so much with my actions, rather than taking your sweet time strolling the halls before catching up to me, only to join everyone else on ganging up on me like this. Really nice choice of supervisors Luna left for me.”

“So you’re saying you can’t be trusted to be held accountable for your own actions?” she retaliated.

“...You know very well that’s not what I was saying, you pretentious wench.”

“Alright everypony, break it up,” a new feminine voice sounded from behind the wall of angry guards, accompanied by a set of hooves maneuvering towards my location. “Regardless of his level of guilt, you all ganging up on a colt like this is still entirely uncalled for.”

“I’d say knocking him down a peg is entirely called for after his behavior and the trouble he’s caused. Also, he’s older than both my parents put together,” Shining countered in a deadpan.

“Still a colt to me,” the new voice replied confidently from right in front of me. “Hi! It’s so nice to finally meet you!” I heard her speak again, presumably holding out a hoof to me.

I cast a slightly uncomfortable image spell to see… a blob of candy pink predominating the front of my face, because blurry, washed-out colors were all I could actually see with my spell.

“I would like to use this opportunity to point out that I am still very much blind due to a lack of eyes,” I was briefly interrupted by a fair number of surprised guards simultaneously asking ‘Huh?’ and ‘Wait, what?’, over which I continued with, “and that there are still a few guards that need limbs reset. I’m also fairly certain I'm not physically capable of causing any visceral damage due to the magic protecting you. Still, I assume you'd rather have a different expert with local certification decide on that matter instead of the one responsible.”

“That’s… impressive,” the new voice replied;

To which Shining answered, “Please don’t encourage him, Cady,” in a pleading and resigned tone.

A particular kind of pleading and resigned. The kind that husbands adopt when trying to convince their wives to have mercy on their souls. ’…Wait. Cady? As in... Oh! So that’s what Celestia meant yesterday when she said he was family! Huh!’

As they finally started carrying the wounded crybabies away to get their diapers changed(****), I found myself enveloped in a pair of limbs which I assumed belonged to ‘Cady’, as she spoke. “Come on! You have to admit what he did was at least a little impressive. Besides, you always told me that the guards didn’t get enough field training…”

“Noooooo...!” Shining evenly warned.

“...and an alicorn colt does need exercise…”

“Cady, I’m serious!”

“...so why don’t you ask Auntie Luna if he could spar with them from time to time?”

“I agree with this notion!” I immediately declared, foreleg raised, followed by a chorus of groans and a couple whimpers all around us. “So, Cady. That stand for Cadance? Luna mentioned you.”

The sounds of guards dispersing, a quick peck on Shining’s cheek and a subsequent resigned huff later, I received an answer. “That I am. And I notice you’ve yet to start calling her your mother.”

“We’re still working things out. New world, new species, new age, this isn’t exactly a change of shoes. I wasn’t aware that you were Shining’s wife, Luna seemed to have neglected to say that before we got sidetracked again. Well, before I sidetracked her.”

“Aunt Tia did tell me you tend to ramble like an old man,” she responded jovially.

“Among other things, I’m sure,” I responded back.

She caught on, but didn’t let herself get too discouraged. Cross cut ahead before she could say anything however, “We still have a long way ahead of us.”

“Oh, you’re still here?” I quipped.

“I suppose so. After all, I’m still supervising you. I hope this pretentious wench’s presence doesn’t bother you too much.”

“It does, but when did what I want ever matter?”

A pause later, she responded, “I do believe that opinion of yourself is something that will need to be brought up with you mother. For now, I suppose an explanation for my behavior would be in order.”

I decided to spare her the breath. “A psychological tactic. By refusing to acknowledge any attempt I might make to rebuke your passive deconstruction of my behavior and attitude, you’re effectively disarming me. I respect you for your obvious intelligence and undeniable wish to ‘help’ me, which leaves me without the ability to reasonably ignore or disregard you, which gives me no other choice but to acknowledge your authority and how right you are.”

She decided she had enough. So she let herself loose. “...You are unable to let yourself be helped by others because of several barriers you’ve put around yourself, as well as several misconceptions that took root and could not be removed because you were alone for the last ten years. You are vindictive, paranoid, mentally dissociated, and a misanthrope, though frankly I'm surprised you're this well off, all things considered. You expected things to stay horrible for you, you are unable to comprehend the concept of trust, or the idea that you would ever be happy again, which is now apparently because you do not believe your feelings matter. All of this, combined with your guilt, is why you were ever inclined to give up on trying to live your life, but there’s something else that pushed you over the brink. Something keeping you in your pit of despair, something you’re unable to face. Something that, if you do not come to terms with, then I’m afraid you will never be able to live your life, no matter what anyone else might try to do in order to help you.”

“I believe that’s quite enough psychoanalyzing.”

They remained silent for a while. Eventually, the good doctor responded, “Very well. I wish you the best of luck.” Followed by a spoken “Your majesties,” which I assumed was directed at Cadence and Shining, after which she walked away.

Silence continued to reign, eventually I had had enough. “So, since everyone keeps complaining about my desiccated appearance, who wants lunch?”

~~~ 🌙 ~~~

“You’re a long way from home, big guy.”

We stared at Death as she communed with her creature.The snallighast might’ve responded for all we knew, none of us spoke Ghast.

“Let’s send you back home,” she spoke again, waving her hand before her. And like that, the beast was gone. “Remind me to give you a Return spell for when more of these creatures arrive. Don’t worry, it can’t be used, or reverse-engineered against your charge. It’s actually quite likely now that the world would try to conspire to do that.”

“So you were saying that someone was conspiring to take my charge away?”

She eyed me oddly. “No, I did not say that. Honestly, the necromancer I understand coming to such a conclusion, what with the paranoia he’s developed. You, however, are being such a mother.” I felt a blush forming, and a suppressed chuckle from my sister. “At any rate, none of my siblings nor myself have noticed any of our creatures disappearing lately. It would seem that your new charge has managed to get himself in yet another pickle.

“There is a phenomenon called a Metastatic Incursion, a term coined after the symptoms of a disease due to similarity.” Lady Death continued, “With the disease, it occurs when an invasive agent spreads from an initial area to a different one within the host's body. In our current situation, we are dealing with this plane of reality repeatedly attracting more entities similar in origin to the initial invasive element, in this case your charge. Unlike the case of the illness, the Incursions happen as an immune response." She looked our way to verify if we were following. "This phenomenon doesn’t happen often, because the rare cases of people sliding into other realities don’t land themselves in quasi-sentient realms sensitive to the initial incursion, or realms so unyielding as to take sufficient exception to the interference the respective alien would cause to the realm's already determined fates and destinies. Then again, this world seems so heavily skewed over the side of order, that it brands its creatures’ destinies on their sides like they were cattle, so...”

“No, that’s not actually what happened,” Celestia intervened. “We’re not told what our fate is, we’re told how to best achieve our personal growth and fulfillment. Our marks also serve to enhance our aptitudes as well, in a manner identical to what connects a god of an element to the respective element. If anything, we are our own gods, in a way.”

“That’s…” Index finger raised, Death stammered for a while, said finger gradually lowering until eventually she gave up on trying to retaliate. “Moving on. So, because of this world’s… specific attributes, whatever they might be; and due to the fact that your new charge arrived on your realm so suddenly and forcefully, your realm is now imbalanced. Now, it is drawing in these other beings for three reasons. Firstly, as a coping mechanism, in order to understand the invading element and its nature through studying less offensive variations of the initial alien, as well as through studying the first alien’s interactions with the newly added strain. Second reason, in order to arbitrarily throw things on the table until it resembles something more balanced. And third, by learning from these new strains, this realm is adapting itself in order to survive, same way animals instinctively sample any soil and plants they come across during their developmental stages, in order to develop antibodies. You could also liken this phenomenon to a kind of self-vaccination.”

“In other words, no, there is no conspiratory element out there trying to get your boy. Reality just literally takes offense to his existence. Much like Vertigus did in a figurative way, and most everyone else of his peers did in a less figurative way.”

“...That’s just depressing,” one of the doctors in the background sounded out.

I then remembered we had intruded into the scientists’ affairs, without so much as acknowledging their existence in any way. Except for Delirium, however, who seemed more preoccupied with staring at our ponies with childlike wonder in her eyes, in favor of paying attention to what her older sister was discussion with us.

“Maybe you should go give your colt a hug,” Tia suggested, to which I could only nod numbly in return.

I cast a spell to find his location given by the runes I and my sister placed on him, and found him next to that of Cadence and Shining Armor. ‘Oh, they already arrived? I didn’t notice…’

I started casting a teleportation spell, then remembered I had a visitor I was bridging across the eternal void between dimensions. An eternal void which was yet not enough for my child to be finally rid of his old world’s troubles. Troubles which are now being sent intentionally to end him before he even had the chance to do anything wrong.

Then I felt that particular magical strain lift, simultaneously to my sister’s horn glowing with greater intensity. She merely tilted her head towards the door in a ‘go on, off with you’ gesture, to which I smiled thankfully.

At odds

~~~ ⚕ ~~~

Cross Heart’s language link wore off after a few more moments. I drew attention to that and Cadance replaced the effect, however it appeared that the vision link was beyond her ability similarly to the therapist. It didn’t matter. I could handle myself well enough even if it wasn’t so uneventful.

We hadn’t moved from our spot in the castle hall, it seemed Shining had a few grievances he needed to share as soon as he could, notably aggressively in tone I would add.

“Why did you attack those guards?”

It was understandable. A high rank can’t be achieved easily without dedication. A dedicated soldier would need to hold authority close to his heart, he would need to take to the mental conditioning of his training like fish to water. I wasn’t getting away with my reckless actions easily. "It is as I’ve said earlier. They went after me first. I merely fended them off.”

“Wrong answer, I guess we can just discuss your punishment and be done with it.”

“Of course you would say that,” I sighed. He was definitely not budging on the issue. “Before you indulge too eagerly in your bias and decide on the nature of the just ‘punishment’ you already want to visit on me, may I present my defense?”

“I've already asked you four times. I hope you realize that an actual court of law would not have had this kind of patience, especially with your attitude.”

‘Well, perhaps if you asked me in a civil manner those first three times, instead of surrounding me with a mob and then interrogating me, then maybe I would’ve been able to offer a more satisfactory response.’ “Very well then, I will be to the point,” I bowed my head in deference. “There would be the matter of your soldiers’ insufficient training very definitely costing lives very soon. Their own, mine, as well as the lives of bystanders, all because I inadvertently brought danger with me in the form of beasts originating from the same realm I came from, apparently hunting me for some unknown reason.”

“I was under the impression that Cross Heart was left to guard you, and that you ran away while she was distracted with defending you from said beasts,” Shining retaliated.

“Oh, that makes everything better, doesn’t it? Your soldiers aren’t properly capable of the task, so a therapist was charged with my safety instead.” He was likely about to argue something in return, I wasn’t interested. “That said, as much as my own safety is a priority, the fact that I am indirectly responsible for the imminent injury, death and worse of innocents leaves a sour taste in my mouth, so I decided to try to take matters into my own hands. Certainly we can agree to this much common ground, Shining Armor?”

“So is that why you tried to escape the castle?” His momentum faltered, but he was not giving up so easily.

“I did consider trying to escape your custody, but I could not forget about the seals your princesses have on me in order to keep tabs on my whereabouts. Quite bothersome, honestly. I also wished to attempt to draw out any entities that might potentially be behind these creatures being sent after me by isolating myself from any potential meat shields, but that didn't work very well. Since you wouldn't let me leave and minimize the risk to anyone aside for myself, I decided to see if your men were capable of handling their own against the beasts. So far, I’m not convinced.”

“That may be true,” Shining admitted, “but the way you went about it was still disruptive and unnecessary. You could’ve asked in a civil manner, instead of commiting nothing short of assaulting officers of the law.”

“Perhaps you didn’t hear me when I explained how urgent this is.”

“And perhaps you took me for a foal. Cut the chaff, kid. From that cruel smile on your face during the act, it was pretty clear your motivations weren’t as noble as you’re trying to make them out to be.” He was very eager to push his point. “If you don't agree, then it just means you don't want to understand. I get it, kid. You have issues you need to deal with. But this isn’t any kind of justification. Either you apologize for what you did, or undergo disciplinary action.”

"Excuse me? Leaving aside your blatant patronizing behavior, what am I being ‘disciplined’ for?"

That seemed to have made him stumble in his impetus, if I were to guess by his brief delay and increasing anger in his response. "Disrupting the peace, assault and battery, resisting arrest, assaulting officers of the law, attempting to escape custody. Should I go on?"

"Alright. But what are the laws against having these things done by someone that never agreed to your laws? I never signed anything, I'm not even a citizen."

As far as I could sense, he was getting tired of my belligerence. He may be a soldier, but patience for adversaries and discipline only intersect so much.

"So you’re claiming diplomatic immunity, or maybe you’re claiming to be a minor as well? Either case directly concerns your mother. So which one is it?"

I would’ve chuckled at the attempt to disorient me if it weren’t for the rising restlessness in the soldier’s tone. "I don’t care what you tell Luna, I wouldn’t care what you would tell my actual mother if you were to contact her from beyond the grave. You could convince Luna to fashion some alternative punishment for me, something suitably humiliating to suit your tastes, but it would not work towards making me more humble, it would only work towards alienating me further. You fail to recognize the root of this issue, that being not a lack of firm guidance, but a lack of any patience for your soldiers’ arrogance. I need a lot of familiarity to develop anything resembling sympathy, Shining, and so far, I have no reason to give two scabs about any of you. Luna is getting there, but you and your men?”

“And why should anyone want to have anything to do with you?” he shot back.

“I recognize you do not owe me the patience to suffer for my impatience, but you yourself fail to admit that I owe you and your precious order of hierarchy exactly just as much patience as you, in turn, are currently showing me. All you have to do is to not force your will on me just because you may feel I am stepping out of line, but apparently that’s too difficult for you. You don’t see me trying to make you submit to anything, you don’t see me forcing you to apologize to me for the unnecessary way your men tried to manhandle me, but you’re unable to admit that your role is not that of the victim. We're both at odds with the other, we both ask the other for something the other can't accept. But I'm the only one willing to meet the other halfway. You argue my reasons are unfair, that my justifications don't matter and that my motivations are the only relevant things in this dispute. But you're not that honest yourself, are you?”

“Excuse me?”

‘How nice, now you’re actually on the defensive.’ “You’re incensed not because I hurt those men, but because of my act of defying your laws in itself. You see me rejecting your faith in your order of law, and it infuriates you. You want me to fall in line, so as to reaffirm your faith with either the ‘returning to the fold’ or the ‘just punishment’ of someone as controversial as I am. To reaffirm your self-assurances regarding how the world falls in line with your wishes as long as you’re on the side of righteous good. Shining Armor. While a dislocation is still a very serious medical matter, with your magic-using doctors, complete recovery would take less than a week at most. If you don't back off, I'll make sure you would take a lot longer than that to recover.”

“You really do talk a lot, don’t you?”

I was about to charge him, when I was suddenly reminded that Cadance was still present by a couple of hooves holding me in place, and a surprisingly cold tone coming from behind me. “Shining, is there a reason why you are antagonizing him so much, aside for what reason he suggested?”

“I…” He actually started to fumble. All that confidence, crumbling when he didn’t have his bias to fall back on. Fair enough, he did do a good job of steeling himself, ”Honey, he’s not just some colt making a mess, he’s an alicorn! He’s supposed to symbolize something for Equestria, not even considering what influence he will have on the world with his magic! You have the Crystal Heart, Celestia and Luna have the sun and moon, if we don’t fix his attitude, he might turn out to be the next Discord!”

I briefly noticed familiar magic flaring in the background. “Discord, really? You mean the mad god, right? So you’re saying you want me to cease my evil ways before it’s too late? I didn’t take you for a zealot, Shining.”

“Coming from a misanthropic anarchist that we’re supposed to trust with the responsibility of an alicorn? Look me in the eye and tell me why I should trust you with that kind of responsibility!”

It dawned on me, “...Wait. Are you actually looking to guide me as someone to look up to? This is too precious.”

A throat clearing drew our attention to our left.

~~~ 🌙 ~~~

I teleported in, to find my charge arguing with Shining Armor. “So what did I miss?” I asked, after I drew their attention.

“Oh, aunt Luna! It’s really nice to see you again.” The younger princess’ stuttering attempt to wrestle our discussion’s focus couldn’t be more evident.

Luckily my charge decided to cut to the chase after I picked him up from Cadance. “I beat up some presumptuous guards and Shining won’t stop griping about it. The guards wanted me to behave obediently and wait on others’ constant supervision and direction, and I wanted some time to myself after extended talking to a professional on the field of taking others’ life apart. You can decide to ‘discipline’ me, but it would only yield negative results.”

“...I see.”

“I would discuss this matter in further insight later once Shining isn’t participant in the discussion, I don’t want to encourage him beyond his groundless self-assurances and ego. Give a zealot an inch he’ll tie you to the stake.”

It seemed the former captain missed the meaning behind the insinuation directed at him. After all, stake-burnings haven’t happened since before Discord’s rule.

I took the initiative, “Really now? I was under the impression that you two got along well, at least last time you spoke to each other.”

Shining took the opportunity to jibe in return, “That was before I learned that he’s actually a reclusive murderer in disguise.”

Of course, the death mage in question decided to state his disagreement. “Reclusive? Definitely. Disguise, perhaps circumstantially. But ‘murderer’ is such a loaded word. I would rather consider myself a civil war veteran that had to defend himself after his side lost. I also believe such descriptors shouldn't be used in a hallway, where anyone could overhear and interpret your accusations in the worst manner possible.”

“Suddenly you care about what others think of you?”

“Not really. I just don’t want to get poisoned by an overzealous pony because of rumor. But what do I know? Ponies don’t murder… except they did try it on Luna once upon a time.”

That seemed to have given the former captain pause. After I briefly checked for eavesdroppers and finding none, I teleported us to the royal dining room, considering that a meal would serve towards more amiable demeanors.

“I was not aware you took part in a civil war,” I pointed out.

“It didn’t come up. Besides, it failed. And if you want to be technical, you need to be part of the winning side in order to be called a veteran." I tried to keep things light, but it didn't work. I looked to the side, "People died and nothing changed. It doesn't change anything here either. I’m still no less a risk to your people, I’m still undergoing rehabilitation; or at least I was until your psychoanalyst went and said there's nothing she can do for me until I lay my past to rest.”

Cadance took this opportunity to pass along the language link my way, and to explain what the colt was talking about. “We talked to Doctor Cross Heart briefly, she said that there’s an issue in particular that he has been having trouble coming to terms with. She made it sound like a pretty serious turning point in his life.”

My charge started in response, “Personally, I think she just wanted to get the last word in.”

Cadance strode past the unfriendly remark, “I don’t know, she did make a good point. I can’t imagine dwelling on your past would ever be helpful in any way. You could’ve tried to hide, or leave the country and try to retire. You didn’t even need to do it in a social environment, just find someone to settle down with on a farm… I see that I’m touching a nerve. You tried it, didn’t you? You’re a widower- what happened?”

While she spoke, she noticed my charge's demeanor suddenly take a turn for the worse. I clarified before he had the chance to do so instead, in a less than civil manner, “Alicorns gain different abilities through their attunement. Celestia has a profound foresight that could often be considered prophetic, which she uses to great effect combined with her insight into other people and their personalities. I have a connection to the dreamworld and can travel through it under astral projection, an ability which I use in order to regularly safeguard dreamers from various entities beyond the veil. Our fair Cadance, however, can perceive the connections between people. Relationships of affection and hatred, but over all else, love. She can perceive your connection to those you care about.”

“I must seem like a tangled knot of frayed strings then.” He was placated, despite his foul tone. The colt seemed set on making his dissatisfaction known, “Perhaps you’ve truly never heard of a particular act of common decency used among rational, reasonable people. It’s called respecting another’s privacy. It’s commonly described as the act of not tearing into another’s private affairs.”

Ever-patient Cadance continued to ignore his derision. I certainly wouldn’t have, and it seemed that there was more than perceived ‘zealousness’ that kept him and Shining at odds. “I’m just concerned about you. What happened?”

Impressively, the colt stifled his temper on his own, replacing it with a cold weariness. “Your… sympathy, has been received. However I would rather let the matter lie.”

“We could discuss less troubling matters, if it weren’t for some of them being relevant. I would rather get them out of the way.” Having finished shoring the sight and language links, I took a seat at the table and sent a message for the servants to bring in tea, suspecting our discussions were about to take longer than they should. After the castle servants set the tea plate on the table, one of them moved to fill our cups before Cadance took the set in her magic and did it herself. Once the servants left, I cast a privacy spell on the chamber. Recalling my promise to enchant a set of spectacles with vision for my charge, I pulled out the accessories from my holding pocket and got to work.

While I kept busy, I started speaking, “We’ve discovered why there are creatures from your previous realm pursuing you. It would appear that your arrival here wasn’t without its issues, the world itself perceives you as an invasive entity. Similarly to a living creature, it’s now trying to develop antibodies of its own by ingesting more benign instances of what type of risk it perceives you pose. It would seem that it’s in your best interest to acclimate as soon as possible. The longer you take to establish yourself as helpful rather than hurtful, the more you endanger the lives of yourself and those around you.”

The two guests sat down next to each other across from my seat. They were paying close attention to my explanation, their demeanors troubled at the information.

My charge, on the other hoof, took to the knowledge in a clinical way. “Spirits defy the laws of nature in order to preserve people and their justice. Predation of sapient beings, the taking of people’s lives is either rejected here, or there were preventative measures taken. I wonder, is it the world itself that behaves as an organism, or your empathic species, or whatever system it is that's reacting to the likes of me?”

“Further conspiracies aside, you’re taking this better than I expected you would,” I commented.

“Hardly. Apparently I am perceived as a disease by the world and it wants me dead, only this time it’s literal. Sounds about par for the course. At any rate, I'm just rationalizing this new information however I am able. It makes just about as much sense as any other theory I've had. It's certainly better than my suspicion of some secretive organization of ambitious wizards on this new world wanting to draw out sources of magic from Vertigus in order to use it to their own ends; or the worse possibility of remnant fragments of the dead gods of Vertigus, having their attention drawn here and wanting to take advantage of the particular combination of my interrupted reanimation spell and this unique body, in order to come back to the realm of the living. Instead, the real reason turned out to be a side effect of my arrival here. What proof did you say you had?”

I took a while to catch up, and placed his glasses down on the table. I was supposed to concentrate for the enchantments, but it would have to suffice to merely synchronize them with his aura for now. It would make binding the spell to him easier later on by a modicum amount. ”A trustworthy source, at least assuming the Endless my sister and I have summoned from your realm follow the same 'no lying' rule as is typical to them.”

That seemed to shock Cadance out of her confused idling, “Wait, you mean the Endless? With a capital E? The aspects of reality itself? Those Endless?”

“Is that what those auras were?” Shining chimed in.

I recalled that the former captain did develop the ability to perceive magical auras, a difficult skill to train overall, however a certainly useful one to have from a military point of view. Cadance on the other hoof, did not train this ability, having been tutored by my sister in other more pressing matters during what limited time they had before my return from banishment. Understandably, Celestia wanted to prepare a few failsafes, or at least to impart as much of her knowledge unto Cadance as she could. It was my understanding that the alicorn of love was to escape through the Mirror Portal in the event of my victory in my... altered state.

Truthfully, Cadance only started training her comparatively more leisurely perception of connections between soul-hearts once her schedule cleared up.(*)

“Yes, you are both correct," I answered. "We have summoned the gods of the alien realm in order to express a few grievances we had with how they were running things. We were answered by the Endless of Death and Delirium instead. Of course, their kind don’t lie, so I am fairly certain of the validity of the information the older of the two siblings offered.” ‘Although she did still mistake the nature of our kind’s empathic field. Honestly, branding?’

My charge chimed in, “My necromancy is out of my reach, so it’s no surprise that I couldn’t feel Death nearby. And my divination abilities aren’t exactly as compatible with this realm’s different magic. That said, I did smell something rotten. I just assumed it was Shining’s attitude.”

The former captain briefly furrowed his brows before ignoring the immature necromancer. “What are they doing now? I’m guessing they’re acting as ambassadors?”

I took a sip of tea. “Right now, I believe my sister is telling them about what unaging great-grand-grandmothers usually chat and gossip about. Likely something embarrassing for someone dear to her. I’m thinking, either something from our childhood, or from her time tutoring Cadance. Or possibly something pertaining to her dear student.”

“Coming from only the second oldest alicorn in the world,” Cadance quipped. I smiled and retorted good-naturedly.

“I may be old, young filly, but I prefer to preserve a certain air of mystique about me. She’s the cheeky morning pony, I’m the one that hunts changeling queens at night.”

“What’s a changeling queen?” my charge inquired.

Our mood dropped. Each with their own bad memories on the matter. “They’re something to be discussed along with all the other magically created abominations of the world. This one certainly is not something to discuss over pleasant company.” I pondered for a different subject, then smiled as I came up with an idea. “So Shining, tell us about your achievements. I’ve heard Captain Gleam mention you and your shared exploits together often enough, what else has the former captain of the royal guard do to earn his standing?”

“You mean before I got demoted to royal spouse?” he chuckled ruefully, earning an elbow from his wife.

Author's Notes:

(*) In other words, Shining trained really hard to develop a voltmeter in his horn, only for long-distance magic instead; While Cadance leisurely developed her own made-up soul-length-meter bull$#!^. I'm not intentionally trying to make up a video game skill tree here. It's just how academic training contextually appeared here. Magic just comes off as more interesting than learning engineering or law, that's all there is to it.

So yeah. Story is still alive. Or more like undead, at this point.
I was thinking about skipping, or at least skimming, Shining's CV accomplishments. Mostly cause it wold be exposition that wouldn't really do anything for the story. I actually tried to spin that conversation, but without actually doing an in-depth story-flashback, it would turn out crap.

I started a sort-of final draft notebook for this story, so I don't waste time re-remembering certain details about it. Like how nobody cares to hear lessons explained through preaching, or how one needs to experience the method of solving an issue properly on their own in order to actually learn anything. Or how expositioning second-hand re-tellings like Shining's CV are usually a bad idea unless they're important to the plot, and Shining's life story is not.

There's also the matter of this being a fanfic about a magic edgedeathmage turned into a magic demigod baby horse, but I'm doing this right or I'm not doing it at all. So far, this chapter came out as passable by my standards. I really miss actually looking back at a chapter and being happy with how it turned out.

Oh, and I still have an actual life I'm busy with, that didn't change. As you can see, there's still a hiatus tag down there.

In the blink of an eye

~~~ ⚕ ~~~

It was well in the afternoon. We were having lunch. Shining and Cadance were sitting close, interacting playfully while they ate and did almost all of the talking. Since I only had experience manipulating a single chess piece with my hooves, Luna took it upon herself to feed me as well, though she needed to tie my hair back so it stopped getting in the way.

My attention was fleeting, there were two matters of primary concern for me. The fact that I was meant to be a royal now, one of some particular manner of mystical importance, and the fact that I was such a thing in a world that reacted to my presence in a definitely rejecting manner, for one reason or another.

Which made sense, since someone like me was definitely rejectionable for several reasons in regard to eligibility to become a part of a world like this. A world this peaceful and idyllic, it was certainly far too good for the likes of me.

‘For the likes of the Living Lich. But is it truly so set in stone? I do not need to hold on to past habits and measures. Where do I even stand anymore?’

My initial plan was to find a new world where I could live as unassuming and as peaceful a life as I could possibly fashion for myself. That went out the window moments after I arrived. I also needed to change my species as a calculated loss due to circumstances I couldn’t possibly foresee… except I should've scried a destination before attempting a voyage.

‘It seems I was in a more foul a state than I thought, if I was unable to muster the presence of mind to even make that much consideration… no wait, I remember. It was because I was in such a hurry to fashion a stable spell for the voyage in the first place, which I wasn’t even entirely certain I could pull off. After all, you’d never know if there were any bugs in the final version until after you tested said final version. Truly I should count myself fortunate, except I was so unfortunate as to have no other recourse than to try such a stunt in the first place. That, and I didn’t really mind that much either way. Either the spell worked or I died, either scenario would’ve been acceptable to me at the time.’

‘And now I found myself in a position I would’ve never anticipated. Rather than taking on the identity of an average stranger from a distant land, I happened into the queer position of becoming a demigod royal. So… currently processing that.’

No fallbacks, no safety in anonymity. I needed to do the exact opposite. Go about politicking for my worth and safety, as well as the worth and validity of my craft. What was surprising was that I actually managed to do just that, which was nearly as surprising as Luna’s desire to adopt me as her own.

Which came with a host of other issues that further complicated matters. On which was finally added the latest matter of the creatures hunting me due to some manner of global immune response.

‘So much to consider… It seems almost impossible to not make a mistake. Yet I need to decide on a direction to take.’

Either risk the lives of unwitting innocents or take my chances in unpopulated areas, these were my options. Well, going at it on my own was not only prevented by those who considered me a potential threat, but it was also risky for my well-being to try such a thing in my current weakened state. And while the open road may be fun to roam, it would be rather lonesome.

‘So I came upon two undesirable choices. Nothing else to it but to try for a third option.’

I interrupted Shining’s riveting life story which I was only barely hanging onto anyway. “I will do it again, you know.” Once he stopped speaking, I elaborated, “These assaults on your guards. Either you let me leave, or you let me help you train your soldiers so they’d be able to not die immediately should they face against a Kikimora or Nevermore. Those are your options.”

“But-”

“Please save your posturing, Shining. He makes a valid point, no matter how you look at it.”

I’m having difficulty describing how much I appreciated Luna’s understanding on the matter.

"Thank you.” I was aware of the silent discontent on Shining’s part, “Just so you know, I never wanted to become an alicorn. All I wanted was a peaceful life, unassuming and boring. Since things developed this way instead however, I do plan on handling my responsibilities thoughtfully, only at my own pace, not yours.”

“Well maybe you should try a little harder,” he retaliated.

“And perhaps you should acknowledge the difference between us before you apply your own shallow standards onto someone you know next to nothing about.”

“Well,” Cadance offered tentatively, “You didn’t really tell us much about yourself. What do you like?”

“What I like?” I repeated the question to myself. “Well…” I took the time to set aside my snark, “traveling is always nice. So is decent company and conversation. But as far as passions go, I’m sorry to say that they’re not something you would care for. Studying necromancy for the sake of understanding life and death is, of course, generally regarded as unseemly at best, as Shining would no doubt like to agree and elaborate on.” He was about to offer his expected input before I quickly added, “That is not an invitation, Shining. Shut up already.”

Since he’s a nice guy, he decided to finally give the matter a rest for the moment. “What I wanted was to live in peace. That’s all. Travel for a while, see the sights in this new world I’d found my way on. Gain new experiences, meet new faces, sing new songs in taverns. I don’t suppose that’s too much to ask for, is it?”

I would also try to prove that my craft was worth a damn in the interim. It was a simple plan, but so many complications made it necessary to go about this goal in an entirely different way. I needed to learn more about this world quickly, as well as to take measures to study my craft without any of the physical effects. Wouldn’t want for rumors to spread about the ‘dark prince’ adopted by a princess with a history of going insane and trying to bring a catastrophe to the world.

My new lack of anonymity also came with a completely new set of potential benefits. High risks, higher resources, and yet even higher complications. I can adapt to the risks and I don’t need the extra resources, however the complications are a real problem. Simplicity is vital to the process of research in general, let alone research into a highly dangerous and volatile field of magic.

And yet.

“No, it sounds wonderful!" Cadance offered cheerily. "Oh, there’s so much you can see, so many sights in the world. I’ve been to the Gryphon Isles and that alone...”

And yet I did enjoy Cadance’s presence. Her patience and desire to potentially gain a family member. Even Shining Armor, despite how polar our differences, he was no less valiant and well-meaning. Though he did try my patience, he was nonetheless entertaining to quarrel with and he was only further endearing in his storybook righteousness.

And then there was Luna. Who went so drastically far out of her way for me, merely because she saw herself in me and wanted more people beside her during the coming eternity. As cynical as I was, I couldn’t bear to disregard what she, as well as Celestia, were doing for me.

Perhaps I was getting a little accustomed to them.

~~~ 🌙 ~~~

He was oddly quiet. It seemed he was more preoccupied with whatever was on his mind than with what was being discussed at the table.

Cadance didn’t seem to mind overly much. Shining Armor, however, was only content to remain quiet, for the moment at least.

‘Honestly, can that stallion truly not let the matter lie?’

It wasn’t like I didn’t understand what they were arguing about. Shining was concerned with my charge’s destructive and malicious behavior and was trying to get through to him, while the child was weary and wanted time to himself. One was incensed by the other’s refusal to admit what he did was wrong, while the other was doing everything possible to deconstruct the argument merely because he was too proud to allow the stallion some perceived satisfaction.

‘...At least I think it’s perceived. To be fair, Shining is behaving a bit incensed.’

I wasn’t willing to take sides, but when one makes a valid argument, I would rather just end it decisively and move the matter forward. They were both being immature, it was as if they were- were they establishing dominance?

I shook my head. At least Cadance was understanding and succeeding in playing peacemaker. Heavens knew I didn’t have the patience for it.

‘That’s what mothers do, however,’ I recalled from previous experiences. ‘Being patient while at the same time drawing the line. Encouraging while also disciplining. It’s coming back to me gradually… together with memories of tiny smiles and wide eyes. Perhaps this one won’t die in the blink of an eye.’

I held him tighter at the memory. I liked to think he was less unresponsive by a small amount every time I held him.

Cadance went quiet at the display. “So, what were you going to name him? We can’t really go about without referring to him by name, now can we?”

“I have a few ideas,” I answered. “Nothing certain yet. I need him to synch properly to the magic field before I can Imprint on him.”

“Of course,” she nodded.

Shining furrowed his brows, “How is that even going to work, anyway? Won’t the fact that he’s not really newly born interfere with imprinting?”

“What imprinting?” was my charge’s own addition to the discussion.

“It’s how ponies name their children,” I clarified. “How else is a parent going to give its child a name that would best fit them?”

“...Huh. That’s actually… nice. Must make things easier to figure out who you are and what job would make you happy. Unless that’s some manner of divine self-fulfilling destiny treachery that’s going on.”

“Funny,” I responded to my charge’s bleak interpretation. “That’s exactly what Lady Death inferred regarding cutiemarks. Have I told you what they are?”

“Not really. I just assumed they were a fashion choice mixed with tradition,” he lied.

“Did you really?”

“No, I thought they were brands made with a magical hot-iron as a rite of passage into adulthood by adolescents once they figure out what they want to do in life.”

Silence. Shining was the first to speak up, “...You’re messed up, kid.”

“Where I’m from, it’s a lot less uncommon than it should be. It’s also not as bad as other types of rites one might come across, especially if they’re magical.”

“Let me rephrase then,” Shining replied. “You’ve been messed up.”

“Oh dear Shining, you don’t know the half of it,” my colt answered self-deprecatingly. “It’s more, one fifteenth rather than one ha-”

“So you wanted to travel?!” Cadance interrupted in a panic. “Was that all you wanted to do? Certainly you’d want to settle eventually, right?”

I assumed she tried to hook towards settling where he already was. I also guess that my colt saw the hook and tried to dodge the subject.

“There’s a saying where I’m from. Men plan, the gods laugh. I try to not make a habit of making plans.” That seemed to upset Cadance. I suspect my colt noticed, because he started again, his tone even having a hint of being more caring. “But yes, I did plan on settling down eventually.”

Cadance smiled, “Really? What did you have planned?”

He sighed. “While keeping my less… sociable interests to myself, and once I’ve gathered some amount of coin to myself, I would likely one day like to build myself a cabin, at the outskirts of a country village. Perhaps work as an alchemist, though I’d probably take at least a year until I got the house just right. Then I’d just make an average living, interacting with the town just barely enough to be a recognized part of the community. I’d find a friend that’s actually intelligent enough to hold an interesting conversation with, whom I’d pressure into learning how to play chess. I’d marry an average girl, not too beautiful or too ugly, and have two kids. Then I’d retire when my children were either married off or successful, then spend the rest of my life playing chess with my friend and bothering my kids.”

'So much for not wanting to make plans.'

“And what about your wife?” Cadance inquired.

“Oh. She’d probably get tired of hearing me constantly prattling and divorce me as soon as the kids moved out.”

Shining guffawed at that. Cadance couldn’t help chuckling as well, “Really now? That’s not a very nice thing to say about your eventual wife.”

“What can I say? I’m not a very nice guy.”

She smiled leisurely. “Still, I’m sure you could find someone that’s right for you.”

“I already did once. I’m fairly certain it won’t happen again.”

That immediately put a damper on the two’s moods. Shining scratched his head awkwardly while Cadance seemed to have a dawning realization on her face.

“You really do miss her, don’t you?”

I didn't know what answer she expected for that. For his part, the colt seemed to take it in stride. He leaned back and let out a breath through his nostrils. “Yes, I do. Unfortunately, this matter isn’t something that can be helped, neither with necromancy,” he focused his view my way, "nor through mere talking."

“Certainly you’d be able to find a way to at least speak to her, couldn’t you?”

“No, I can’t,” he answered more tersely.

“Why not?” Cadance followed up, not relenting for a moment.

“Because of the circumstances of her death. Now leave it be.”

“No.”

I blinked in surprise at the retort. Going by my charge’s sudden silence, he wasn’t that much more cohesive either.

The pink alicorn followed up, “Aunt Luna said we have the Endless of Death here. We’re talking to her.” She stood up from the table, her face showing more fury than Hell in its entirety. Apparently, the matter scorned her quite a bit.

After a moment, my charge countered in frustration, “And do what? Ask her to just hand my wife over? While Death is laxer than her siblings, she does not work that way, far from it. Either we ask her for an exchange of some kind, or we ingratiate ourselves enough to her so she’d be willing to offer us just enough leeway to work for what we want. And let me tell you, you need to dedicate gallons worth of blood, sweat and tears for every inch.”

“Certainly she’d be willing to at least let you speak to her?”

He was defensive. I knew what he truly wanted, the same thing any widower would want no matter how much time passed. A natural want for something forbidden, the want to deny death and keep his loved one.

I decided to intervene, “I understand that this is immensely difficult for you.”

“And I sincerely doubt that you’ve lost anyone in the particular fashion I lost my wife.”

I was about to snap back at him at that, then took a breath to compose myself. ‘He’s very certain of what he said. And considering the kind of world he hails from…’ “...Yes, I believe you. But I must ask you to believe me as well when I say you do not wish to attempt to bring her back. Not because of the typical reasons why it is… problematic, to interfere with such matters of life and death, but because unlike in your world, here such spells are harmful in catastrophic ways. I have explained to you the nature of our magic, did I not

The last time a unicorn using forbidden magic had free rein, the entire realm descended into endless winter. Luckily such instances are extremely rare, otherwise, my sister and I would’ve had a far more difficult time uniting the clans over a far harsher realm than it is today. Especially considering how we’ve only been offered the Elements of Harmony some time after we’ve finished uniting the clans.

My charge realized what I was referring to, “...It springs from an empathic field connecting your kind. No wonder this realm reacted the way it did to my presence. I must be like a toxin to it.”

Spells drawn from hatred and fear poison the world. I was hoping he could find a way to draw something wonderful from his own craft, but this was not the way to do it.

I confirmed his revelation, "It's one thing to speak to the deceased and apply your magic to medicine, it's another thing entirely to resurrect the dead. There are some lines that must not be crossed."

He remained silent for a time until eventually, my child took a deep breath as he came to grips with the truth of the matter. He nodded stiffly in understanding. “...I would, like it very much, if I could see her again.”

One flash of magic and we found ourselves facing a peculiar sight. At another table in, oddly enough, my own bedchambers, surely enough there were two figures having tea. Also surely enough Celestia was in the midst of excitedly retelling some of her memories whilst Lady Death was paying attention with an easy smile on her face. Miss Delirium was spinning around the room, playing with her little sprites that were now either shifting in color or sparkling and dimming like Hearth’s Warming lights… with the addition of a certain draconequus laughing and literally swimming through the air among the diminutive beings, himself similarly alternating colors and light level across different parts of his body.

“...And when I arrived, the entire town was fighting over a little foal’s doll! Oh, the poor dear was- oh, hello Luna,“ Tia wrestled her attention to our arrival.

“Tia,” I answered in kind. “Uhm… why is Discord out?”

The second, darker figure at the table decided to answer, “After you left, I’m afraid my sister eventually became bored and wandered off. By the time we’ve noticed her absence, she already came across your… acquaintance? And had already released him…”

She briefly trailed off looking sheepish, and the odd amalgamate in question decided to speak up as he sprang up out of the ground amid our newly arrived group.

“Permanently!” the amalgamate cried out joyously with a flourish. And like any flourish from Discord, it involved fireworks, confetti and several noisemaker sounding off. Unlike any flourish however, it was then followed up with fair Delirium’s sprites being adorned with various particular instruments and apparel, then start performing what Shining Armor had at one point described to me was a mariachi song(*). To Delirium’s obvious delight, as she clapped her hands and started dancing to the melody.

The mismatched spirit then proceeded to wrap the four of us into an unwanted hug while expressing his joy, “I’ve been set free indefinitely through good ol’ chaotic magic, never to be held captive by such a pitiless punishment again! Oh, wondrous day!”

I held onto my charge tightly at the news, while seeking Tia for some manner of guidance on the matter. “He’s pulling a prank, right?”

Discord feigned being upset at my words as he let us go, surprisingly without dropping us. “Why Luna, I’m surprised at you!” He covered his eyes with the back of his lion's paw in mock grief, “After all we’ve been through, is that any way to greet your oldest non-sibling friend?”

I ignored the unhinged spirit and turned back to my sister, pleading, “Please tell me he’s pulling a prank.” Celestia could only shrug apologetically, an oddly un-distressed look on her face.

Discord seemed to quickly recover from his intense anguish, “Oh, don’t be like that! What ever did I do to deserve such treatment?”

“You tried to turn the entire world into a pandemonium of insanity,” I offered flatly.

“Ah yes, good times...” after a while of reminiscing of ponies screaming and dragons crying, he suddenly snapped back to the present, smiling sheepishly at me. “What I meant to say was, that I wish to put our past behind us.”

I gave him a deadpan, while Cadance and Shining shifted into more aggressive stances.

The former captain most certainly didn’t believe the spirit. “It doesn’t matter if we can’t use the Elements anymore, Discord! Somehow we will figure out another way to stop you!”

“Why how valiant of you… uhm…”

“Shining Armor,” I supplied.

“Shining Armor!” Discord resumed. “Truly, such inspiring words are the sort that poems are made from!”

My charge decided to voice his opinion, “I agree, it was pretty impressive.”

Upon hearing the new voice, the music slowed to a stop while the spirit blinked and stared as if finally noticing the foal in my grasp. “Huh. So I also meet someone who likes chaos like me, and another who makes similar jokes as mine on the same day I get out. Is it my birthday perchance?” His gaze briefly glanced over the Dark Lady before looking to the side at some point no one else could see, “Or did something happen that you’re not telling me?” He started rubbing his chin in deep thought, “Did I leave the stove on and burned down Aquastria? Did I tie someone to a set of train tracks in my sleep? Did my stamp collection mail itself to Tambelon causing a rift in space-time that will inevitably refract-”

“I am fairly certain nothing of the sort happened,“ I cut him off.

“Hmpf. Oh well, fine. I’ll just go over there to my new friend, who is a far better friend than either you or your sister have ever been, I might add.” He then walked away on his hind legs, appearing genuinely upset.

Cadance was about to address the Lady Death before the draconequus stretched back over to us and added, “Anyone who appreciates a bit of humor and diversity in their lives is welcome to join us.”

My colt realized he was likely the one being referred to. “I would like to, but we’re a bit of in the middle of a delicate situation right now. Definitely later though.”

The spirit shrugged in acceptance, “Alright, fine. Have fun doing your thing in the boring side of the pantheon.” Then he snapped back to his usual length with a distinctly wet elastic sound, and proceeded to show what seemed to be a card trick to young Delirium. A card trick that somehow involved a floating set of billiard balls.

“As much as I’m concerned about the literal antithesis to modern pony society, I’m still slightly more concerned with something else,” Cadance finally spoke, concern and pleading in her features as she turned to face the Endless in question, “Could you find it in your heart to reunite this poor colt with his dead wife?”

“So we meet again,” the Lady Death greeted the colt. He merely waved back in acknowledgement.

“...Wait, you already know each other?”

“I’m a necromancer,” my foal supplied. “It would be fairly difficult for me to be one if I didn’t know her. Also, you should know that it’s easy to reunite with the dead, but it’s not so easy to do so while not harming the one you’re bringing back. You should really be more specific about these things, you never know what entity you’re talking to that would merely do the minimum amount associated with the wording of your request. Death isn’t like that, but this is still very important.”

I interjected, “Child, perhaps you could be more straightforward on the matter. I know this is difficult, but unless we try-”

“There’s nothing to try,” he cut off. “She was exorcised, there’s nothing left to bring.”

Death had something to say about that. “Now child, is that really your knowledge on the matter?”

“...Very well, I’ll reiterate. There’s nothing I can grab onto in order to tether her back to the living realm, she passed on too far into a realm separate from our own in ways beyond mortal comprehension, because the realms beyond reality are a separate context where not even time or meaning work the same. Same reason why one can’t scry into the afterlife. Unless I’d have an immortal’s relationship with reality, with an immortal’s mental capabilities and an immortal’s boundless powers, then it would be akin to using a row boat and hand-length fishing net to catch a particular fish in an ocean that literally has no boundaries. Without either a map or compass.”

At first, we merely stood there. Then I started, “My colt, you literally have three demigods to help you with that.” He snapped his head to face me, his gaze shifting from sudden realization to careful contemplation.

“There’s more however. The exorcism complicates the procedure. There’s also the matter of the ten years since it happened, and I don’t even have anything from her for a tether-” His head snapped to Cadance, then pushed out of my hold and started pacing, now completely focused on the logistics of the matter.

He faced Death, “May we pass?”

She looked back at him quizzically, then regarded the table. “I suppose this counts as an offering.”

“I’m not courting you, all I’m asking is that you let us visit your realm. Do we have your permission?”

“You do.”

“I thank you,” he bowed again and resumed pacing. “Cadance can offer a line to follow once we pass the boundary. Unfortunately she’s very far gone, we’ll need to dive into realms the mortal mind is not meant for - and I don’t care how unaging you are, you’re demigods of balance and order, not even full-fledged gods of death can go that deep without dying themselves. We’ll need a buffer and a perception filter included in the spell. We can use my Reanimation spell, I’ve put every possible protection I could think of into it already for my travel through the Void Eternal. All we need left is a lot of power,” he faced me, “and a navigator experienced in traveling through astral projection.”

Author's Notes:

(*) It had to be done.

Same old thing, not out of hiatus. If you have any constructive criticism, don't be an ass about it. I can take harsh but fair, 'fair' being the operative word.

"What part are you at?"

~~~ ⚕ ~~~

People come back from the dead all the time… that is, they do on Vertigus. Considering Death is limited by the borders of her one plane of existence, I suppose this rule may not necessarily be multiversal. At any rate, those of Vertigus are allowed a choice upon death. Whether they pass on, or persist in a state of decay in order to satisfy a mission, whether a vendetta or a loyalty.

There is also resurrection for the recently fallen. Anyone with the proper training can pull it off no matter how gruesome the death and body parts regrown, as long as the deceased has not passed the veil of death yet. In the case of those who did pass on, that door typically requires an unacceptable price for a half-life. Aside from the chance of a critical failure in the ritual that can have various drastic consequences; even a successful resurrection can only ever end with a best-case scenario of a gradual tragedy.

Once the soul passes on, it is no longer fit for the world of the living. Its existence becomes miserable, wasting away trapped in a body that decays into a true abomination, the kind that all preachers and circle-jerkers keep pointing at saying how ‘that’s all there is to this vile demon worship’. Needless to say, I don’t make a habit of torturing the dead of my worst enemies like that, and I most certainly would not endeavor to attempt to pull my wife back by my side. Instead, I would endeavor to make the travel to where she was.

In theory, it made sense. In practice, however, what we were trying to do wasn’t some childish adventure story where the valiant hero went through trials of worthiness and valor in order to save the princess from the evil dragon. Lady Death allowed us enough leeway to suspend ourselves outside the very laws of reality, but I knew better than to ask her to do any of the heavy lifting we’d need to do in her realm. Not that I needed any help from her.

“Overall I estimate the entire procedure should take less than five minutes. It would take longer to prepare after we leave for Death’s domain where I’ll be able to make the needed preparations. Death’s surface area should present ample magic that I could finally use for a change, but you will still need to feed the protective spell I will extend with your own godly power. The consumption rate will be minimal at first, only increasing gradually the further we go. The Entropy Principle shouldn’t have too great an effect on us on our way back since we didn’t die yet, and even so, Death would be expected to be a good host and escort us on our way out whenever we’d want to end our ‘visit’.”

Death returned a knowing smile my way. “After the concerto you’re about to play, it would be the least I could do.”

“Concerto?” Luna echoed curiously.

I tapped my chin in thought. “Here’s a fun little bit of trivial knowledge. The only person, mortal or otherwise, to ever come close to doing what we’re about to do was not a necromancer. He was a musician.”

Cadance connected the dots first. “Wait, is that what you meant by resonance?”

“Yes. I will implement the same principle. Of course, since I don’t have the same affinity with music that transcends the physical realm and resonates with the soul to its roots, I will need to compensate with my own craft. Especially since what we’re doing is essentially one better than said musician’s legendary feat, since at least his lover ended up in a form of afterlife, while mine faded into Death’s deeper realms. Either way, I apologize beforehand but I won’t be able to compare to Dream’s son, I will need to cheat a little.”

“I’m sure you’ll do fine,” Death encouraged with her typical knowing smile.

I chuckled, then realized I was shaking. Anticipation and fear were getting the better of me. I took a deep breath. “Well, let’s get to it then.” I turned to Luna and Cadance, “I’ll go on ahead. Take your time following me.”

I couldn’t use magic, but I still had control of my own spirit. I settled in Luna’s bed and then left my body in a trance as I submerged into the Collective Unconscious.

~~~ 🌙 ~~~

I dragged my niece along into an expansive void underneath the starry realm of dreams, which was in turn underneath the waking world. The only reason I could perceive the stars of dreams was due to my affinity, otherwise, we would be in complete darkness. This was as far as I could go by my own power.

With a mental flex, I searched for my charge, then I and Cadance found ourselves in an unfamiliar area, though I certainly recognized the familiar presence of Lady Death everywhere. It was rather clear where we were.

Flowing white and black architecture stretched out endlessly in every direction. The floor had the distinct feeling of incredibly thin stone, one crack away from crumbling and letting us fall into nothingness. Columns which I surmised to be the foundations of countless lives, of every life of Vertigus, jutted through murky mists above.

“Those aren’t mists, by the way,” my charge voiced out as he advanced between us in his human form.

He was addressing us but was primarily focusing on fiddling with the runes floating around him.

Cadance seemed focused on taking in his human appearance for the first time, while I was scrutinizing the spell he was weaving. It took me a while to make sense of what he was doing. “Is that a Filly Bonaccy spellform?”

He cocked an eyebrow at me, then started chuckling. “Your translation spell really is funny sometimes. I also assume it’s the reason why you're able to understand runes you’ve never seen before.” He added another set of runes to his Golden Spiral.

“Anyway, as I was saying. If these pillars were to be made of stone, then the clouds above would be made from powdered stone. Life is not exclusively as literal as most would assume. It’s not as cut and dry as, either it moves and breathes, or it doesn’t. In actuality, there is rarely a pebble that you might find in the world that can’t crack and decay. Entropy is constant, it’s never truly static.”

Cadance tilted her head, "So rocks have souls now?"

"Not usually, no, they typically hold only spiritual energy. Ever heard of the Spirits of the Elements? You don't necessarily need a soul to have a presence in the Realm of Decay."

"So you're saying pebbles do have souls occasionally?"

"Occasionally spirits gain sentience, yes," my charge nodded.

Our attention shifted to what the Lady Death spoke next as she shifted into view in front of us, “I can count on a human hand how many people in Vertigus share your insight.”

“I had a lot of time to study,” he answered levelly. He looked our way, his bright yellow eyes softened for a moment before focusing back on his fiddling. “Necromancy isn’t an easy field. It rots the mind and makes you lose sight of what matters. My perspective is just another facet. All I ever wanted was for it to be proven useful.”

The Endless just held her level smile, appearing to abstain from speaking further. She turned her attention to us. “Celestia is looking after your bodies. Take as long as you need.” Afterward, she dispersed out of sight.

A short while later my charge finished his tinkering on his spiral. He then pulled a hand away from his chest in a sweeping motion, enveloping us with a dull, gray energy. A feeling of icy numbness took hold for a moment before the ‘blanket’ was completed. “You may start fueling the protective field.”

Cadance shivered after the sudden effect of his spell. “Why did you need divine energy again? Wasn’t death your field of expertise anyway?”

I grasped out with my magic, getting a feel for it. “I did wonder that myself. You used Necromancy to fashion your Reanimation spell, but how can you craft a living body with death energy?“

He considered his words, "All the Endless Aspects are interconnected. Death is a defining outline for Life. Death's contract which I got my hands on an age and a half ago allows for the transition between death and life, and I'm very good at taking things apart into smaller, more digestible pieces."

"Okay, but how did you learn how to use divine energy?"

"I managed to get my hands on a piece of a god's corpse at one point."

No one asked for further details, instead just fueling the spell for a few minutes in contemplation.

A few breaths later, Cadance asked, "So, you can sing?"

He still focused on his spell, but managed to respond through breaks in his weaving "I practiced all forms of Necromancy. Spellcasting, sorcery, runes, soul seals, shamanism. Even the bardic school. Yes, I know how to sing."

Cadance was giddy, but he didn't seem in the mood to go into further detail. Or pay her any further mind.

The subject petered out. After a few more minutes, we were finished.

“Are the both of you ready?” he asked. “This will feel disorienting.”

“We-”

“Just start singing already!” Cadance cut me off excitedly before she brought a hoof to her mouth to cough to the side. “Sorry.”

My charge just looked at her flatly in return before shaking his head in order to clear it of distractions. (*)

The runes started to slowly spin around us, giving off flickering light. Ghostly trembling vibrated the air and stone beneath. Chilling trepidation ran through my core. It was at that point that I discovered two things. The first was the extent of his mastery over his field. The second…

His singing was a wretched thing, painful to hear. The words would occasionally fail to translate properly, but the message seemed to reach some deeper part of us nonetheless. It felt like he was trying to encompass his entire life experience in a single song.

The runes gained speed exponentially, shining as they gradually activated. They eventually spun fast enough to form a vortex dispersing outwards. It started to feel like we were both standing in place and sinking away from the outer edges. If we had physical bodies, I’m certain vertigo would’ve made itself known.

Cadance started tracking for the dead lover. Once she got a trail and showed me the path, I started on my own part. There was resistance, I couldn’t get any traction.

My charge increased the tempo. His spirals seemingly started spinning in the opposite direction, if not in both at once. Contradictory, like the idea of changing the past.

It wasn’t necessarily digging into the darkness, rather it was forming itself in front of us. As my colt continued to create a modicum of a texture for me to navigate, the strain on my affinity was growing progressively, though nothing to be concerned about.

“We’re getting close,” Cadance spoke with no shortage of trepidation in her voice She didn’t seem that strained by her own effort. The pressure on our protective spell had grown quite substantially.

A current started. Like a strong wave of water. I sensed the turbulence, but I could not see a thing beyond the spinning spell, save for the string of light that Cadance was projecting. The spell didn't encounter resistance, only constant pressure akin to that of the depths of an ocean, only getting stronger the further into the dark we went.

The spinning of the spellform felt more and more like a funneling maelstrom's current drawing us into oblivion. After awhile I was no longer certain if we were drilling forward, or being sucked in.

The maelstrom kept increasing in power, for a moment I considered just turning back. Was it fear? The next moment I decided the only thing I was afraid of was failure. I got this far, I would get Cadance and I to the end and then back again.

Then suddenly, it all stopped. The pressure, the current, the singing... and our surroundings shifted from a shapeless void to a summer’s day.

There was the feeling of the sun beating on my back, the sound of wind blowing through leaves. And the sight of a castle’s ruins.

“Where did he go?” I heard Cadance ask.

Certainly enough, my charge wasn’t anywhere to be found. In quick succession, the sound of wings hitting the air heralded the arrival-no. It heralded Death choosing to address us within her own realm.

“It seems he didn’t wait for you. He’s already off to see her again.”

“Which way did he go?” I asked.

“It’s not important right now. You need to leave. I’ll explain when you’re back.” And with a wave of her hand, I and Cadance woke up with a start.

I looked over to find Death still at the table with Celestia. I glowered at her. “What is going on!”

~~~ ⚕ ~~~

As with any last day with someone you care about, you never know it’s the last until after the fact. Neither did I at the time.

It was just another average summer day. The sun was shining, the birds were singing, and the two of us were spending it inside my dingy laboratory deep within Eldwin’s walls. I was working on my research while she was lounging in her nook made of a few blankets and furs in the nearby corner of the chamber, carrying out the motions of her memory reading one of her trashy romance books as one might read a science journal, as she often would in life. The memory of her reading the book was extremely vivid due to the fact that this location was where memories went when forgotten. Of course, as vivid as the memory was, it was still nothing compared to the experience.

If there was anything left of her after all this time within oblivion, was what I intended to find out, carefully.

“What part are you at?” I asked, doing my best to appear as if nothing was out of the ordinary.

“...Dress.” She answered after long, though the fact that she answered at all was a blessing.

I answered with a thoughtful hum, then carried out the memory of that day. “I always did find that part of the book mean-spirited. I mean I get it, the world can literally destroy you if you give it half a chance, but why does the main character need to be such a passive-” I was interrupted by a flash and billow of smoke due to a mistaken measurement.

While I coughed the smoke out of my throat, I noted my love didn’t react in the least.

‘Either that part of the memory decayed or... she figured out what was going on.’

I steeled myself, “So anyway. How’s it been for you these past ten years?”

She didn’t answer. Seconds passed like the last drops of blood from a beating heart. After a while, I started to despair that I failed to go deep enough with my spell to reach her.

“...Missed... you…”

I stopped still at her words, then rushed over and held as tightly as I could onto the woman’s torn remnants underneath the blanket. I brushed a hand over her platinum hair, trying to cry tears I had no eyes for. Her own silver-grey eyes barely held a spark of life left in them.

I grit my teeth forcing down undignified thoughts that came to my mind. Thoughts of remaining where I was and letting my escorts return alone. ‘The mere idea of such a disgraceful recourse would be beneath me,’ I seethed.

Then came conceit and disregard. I started to reconsider my previous intentions and limitations. Those were fading from my mind quickly, replaced by indignant spite. I started drawing in magic from all around. The flow resisted at first since I needed to overpower the current outside, but I wasn’t going to stop.

‘I came here to say goodbye, but even after so long, that is the one thing I could never do.’

Lastly came my constant apathy and hatred for the world, taking hold and clouding my judgment. I focused my magic more strongly than I ever attempted before.

I was a necromancer. I dedicated my life to understanding mortality and death and controlling it within the bounds of morality and balance. I could accept that someone I cared about would die eventually, after all. Death is a component of life. But not this death. Not this life.

“I refuse."

Black lightning arched across my spiritual projection as I kept drawing in more and more power. If I had gums, they’d be bleeding from the tension in my gritting teeth.

‘Where was the balance of life when the Iron Inquisition sent army after army to their deaths because they decided they could afford it once the country won the war? Where was the morality of humanity when the Silver Tower decided they wanted my Reanimation spell, so they uncovered where we hid and sent the armies after us wherever we ran? Why was it that they didn’t stop no matter how much we bartered, threatened, raged, or begged? Why was it that they only stopped once I slaughtered them all after it was already too late?!’

“I refuse!”

I didn’t care about the balance of life and death. I didn’t care if I would be poisoning the realm of Equestria to death if I brought her with me. Did Luna actually expect me to come here and be content to just say goodbye and leave?! Was she insane?!

And worst of all was cold and unconcerned Death…

I made my Reanimation complete its course, whatever was left of it upon my being. “Mistress of faded and fallen, hear my words! I'm taking this one back with me, regardless of your impression of what should and shouldn’t be!”

There was the sound of breaking. The memory was being torn asunder and drawn into the figure in my hold.

“Until my last breath, I reject your claim on her!”

Right before the world tore to nothingness, I finally cast my spell. The memory bubble gave way to the raging oblivion outside, and I soon knew nothing but darkness...

“Took you long enough.”

Death’s matter-of-fact tone drew me back to consciousness, gradually followed by an awareness of my surroundings. I found myself sitting on the stone floor of Death’s surface, holding my wife’s sleeping form.

“On one hand, your reaction could be interpreted as a tantrum. On the other, it could also be described as a man finally working up the courage to reach out for what he wanted regardless of whatever eventual consequences may come. Lucky for you I have no reason to be upset over your rather childish display, and instead endorse your ability to challenge me. Even though all you had at your disposal was the influence I gave you over me.”

I froze and forced down a shudder of fear once I registered the implications of this fact. ‘I’ve rejected Death. She’s notoriously sensitive about that.’

“...I’m sorry. I may have had a moment of insanity there,” I attempted.

“Did you really?” she asked. “You seemed pretty convinced that I was the one whose ‘impression of what should and shouldn’t be’ was mistaken.”

I sighed. “You’ve lived before, you know that there is only so much the mind can take before-”

She cut off only increasing in indignation, “You went into that memory alone. You had Luna and Cadance with you, but you decided to leave them behind. Do their efforts so far mean nothing to you?”

I had no retort. I bowed my head down in defeat. “You don’t know what she means to me.”

She spoke in a haunting tone, “Needless to say, you no longer are of Vertigus.’

I looked up. Her gaze was emotionless, as if any concept of life was suddenly as alien to her as the concept of death was to the living.

I was currently being rejected by Equestria. I was now estranged by Vertigus as well, first the banishment of exorcism and now this. I no longer had an afterlife anywhere.

“I don’t suppose you would be gracious enough to let me try to fashion an afterlife for myself and my spouse, would you?”

She regarded me evenly, contemplation coloring her blank gaze. "You’ve severed the both of you quite thoroughly from me with that stunt of yours. Between that and your new choice of residence, I no longer have any connection to you. Although..." She closed her eyes in deeper thought, and sighed. "Give me a moment.”

The Endless then produced an odd device out of nowhere and placed it against the side of her head. The device gave off the sound of ringing before it sort of ‘clicked’ and there seemed to be a voice coming out of it.

“Yeah, hi. Is this the Death of this world?... Well that’s convenient. No, your daughters called me and my sister. Yes, that’s the one. No, we’re not here to take the boy home. He’s been banished - listen... Okay, I see you’re making a lot of assumptions there. Have you even talked to them? Luna and Celestia. Well I’m certain you could make the time to visit your own daughters if you really wanted. It doesn’t, it’s… never mind. Okay, look. I’m not taking him back, he has nowhere to come back to. He’s still alive, so no... seriously? Okay, that’s not... oh for the love of - SHUT UP! Listen to me. You’ve taken just enough interest in him to know how to condemn him, but not enough to realize that maybe your own daughters had a reason to take him under their wing? One of them is trying to adopt him for Dream’s sake! How does her history matter?! Look. You can continue sending creatures from Vertigus at him if you’re so desperate for confirmation, but if either he or his spouse do die in your realm I expect you to take responsibility for them!” A lot of outraged shouting came from the other end of the discussion for a while. Death just tapped her foot in impatience. “I appreciate the understanding. And as a genuine piece of advice from an Endless of all things, the boy and his spouse have an affinity to my aspect. Consider that maybe the two of them can take care of some of your responsibilities after a bit of training.” After a few moments of silence, she concluded, “Thanks for your time,” then hung her device back into her pocket of nothingness and faced me again.

“So. Good news, you won’t be a couple of wandering spirits for the rest of eternity once the both of you die because the lady in charge, who happens to be Celestia and Luna’s mother, also happens to be an overworked goddess who isn’t willing to delegate any of her responsibilities to anyone who she isn’t confident would do the job perfectly. Hence a lot of stress and pent-up frustration that she can’t take the time to look into solving. The bad news is, that said goddess is likely going to make sure you’re going to be able to take up some of her responsibilities and do them perfectly. That means she’s going to up the ante on the creatures this world automatically sends your way in a test of both you and your spouse’s capabilities and character. If you pass, you’ll get a job and a place you might belong, as well as a lot of responsibilities. If you fail any of her ‘tests’, then she will up the ante again and again in a sort of ‘recovery course’, until either you recover the course or you die. So I suggest you do your best to become fit for whatever specific role in this world she might have for you two.”

I nodded my head slowly, only managing to follow what had happened to some extent. 'We're not her problem anymore, she passed us onto someone else... who will likely take the first chance she gets to get rid of us.' "So one last chance? Fit in, don’t die?”

“Essentially,” Death nodded. “Which boils down to finding alternative ways to deal with the things that will be sent your way. Subduing without killing would be great, peaceful resolutions would be even better. That said, I would also appreciate it if you could send the creatures back to Vertigus alive with the return spell we’ll be leaving for you to use on them. Though I’ll understand if you won’t be able to do that for every single rabid Barghest that might be dropped on you at the most inopportune time. Especially since innocent lives will inevitably be put in danger.”

“I’ll try to fit into this pacifist world and go for more peaceable responses to adversity… however I won’t hold back if those I care about are in danger.”

“That’s a morally gray area that you will need to justify after the fact,” she stressed.

I nodded in understanding, then continued trying to work out the information I had just come across. “...Thank you for your benevolence.” She seemed to eye me expectantly at that. I stroked my lover’s hair, which was now slightly shifting green and ebony. Oil flowing in water reminiscent of the Princesses' manes shifting and flowing like rivers. I continued, “I sincerely regret what I said earlier. Though I imagine you might’ve expected me to react the way I did, it doesn’t make any of it any less hurtful.”

“Relax, it’s not an issue,” She insisted, animation slowly returning to her features. Her shoulders lowered slightly. “If anyone knows what it’s like to be rejected, it would be you. I get it, you love your wife.” Her brows furrowed. “Well, betrothed, really. You two never had the chance to officiate anything, have you?”

“...We were going to wait until we settled.”

She shifted her weight to the side and her animation fully resumed. She sighed. “You know, you could’ve tried asking me if I would be willing to help you get her back. It breaks my rules as opposed to my usual bending of them, but then again you are an unaging demigod of death now. The rules are more flexible in your case. So why didn’t you try to ask?”

I recognized what she was doing. She wasn’t berating me, she was genuinely trying to communicate. I tried to answer honestly, “A bit of spite. A bit of the same skepticism that kept me alive so far. After all, this wasn’t something to ask lightly. It wouldn’t be right to ask you for something like this no matter what the circumstances were. Most importantly, however, I didn’t want to be given this on a platter regardless.”

I made a motion of taking a deep breath although I had no lungs in my spiritual projection. “The truth is that, whether it makes me wise or a fool, I did start the journey ready to say goodbye. I didn't want to risk anyone's safety, and I most certainly did not want to subject my wife to life after death. But deep inside, I think I knew better. I saw what was coming, I just didn't..." I sighed tiredly. "I don't know anymore. I wanted to do this myself. I wanted to overcome this difficulty, a trial on my own, to earn her back. Of course, I wanted my lover back, but as any sapient creature does, simply being given what I want takes away from the value of life. It’s the reason why you give life meaning, why Despair makes life worthwhile. Without Despair, there is no Hope. Without you, there is no Life… I hope I didn’t come off as pretentious in any way.”

She shook her head in thought, “No, you didn’t. It’s nice hearing someone say it.”

The Endless drummed the fingers of her left hand on her right arm in contemplation, though not regarding the discussion itself. It’s been too long since last she spent time as one of the living, her fidgeting and shifting now were mechanical, an emulation carried out in an attempt to gleam memories of her time alive, in order to recall something she was having trouble remembering.

“You managed to effectively pierce the veil between life and death far beyond what Orpheus managed to do, you’ve also further weakened it through your desperate use of your reanimation spell. All you needed left was to provide and use your own desire for your loved one to live, the same way anyone alive does for an endangered loved one. So I suppose that for a precedent, this is decent enough to constitute letting the Faded Dead return to the realm of the living. Of course, as you’ve forced yourself beyond what’s safe to perform...”

An image was shown of my sleeping alicorn body underneath a waiting Luna, with one of Luna’s dolls emanating necromantic energy in my grasp, but an entirely destroyed horn on my forehead.

“...You’ll be feeling the consequences for pushing yourself for however long it will take your demigod body to heal.”

I couldn’t take my sight off the doll. As I held tighter to my wife, my body in the waking world seemed to do the same with the doll. “Is that where her soul is tethered?”

“Right. About that. What you likely aren’t aware of, is that while you finally ran your reanimation spell to completion, while still in the depths of my realm...”

I coughed awkwardly at my little… fatal mistake.

Death merely stared at me judgingly for my idiocy before shaking her head and continuing, “Yes, while you were doing that, your physical body reacted about as to be expected for a body you’ve interrupted your syncing to. Your unconscious mind and muscle memory were taken over by your alicorn affinity and desperate desire to survive. Luckily they managed to keep you alive. Luna referred to it as a 'trance state'. You were just sleepwalking."

"I see..."

"As an aside, your conscious mind was never tied to your body beyond a few threads. It’s an absolute mess right now, when I let you return to your mortal shell you'll find a real blast zone in your head, now that you no longer have your soul seals keeping your consciousness in one piece. You're going to take even longer now to finish binding properly... that is, you would have taken longer if it weren't for the fact that Luna will undoubtedly come and fix the mess you've made of your head. Still, there may be some side effects."

I nodded, "I'll deal with them when they come. and I'll... figure out how to show my gratitude to Luna and Cadance."

"Like I said, just do your best. You're on thin ice. Finally, when you channeled all that energy from my furthest depths, your physical body underwent a rather… impressive reaction...”

~~~ 🌙 ~~~

“It started,” Lady Death warned.

She had briefly explained what she previously anticipated my charge’s reaction would be. The reason she didn’t warn anyone was because she understood that he needed to do this, regardless of what he'd choose.

In hindsight, I should've known. It's been ten years and he could not move on. Did I believe he was simply being dramatic? For someone like him to actively try and fail to let go of someone, that would be either obsession or something rare indeed.

I was a selfish fool. I was just impatient and wanted him to move on sooner rather than later, perhaps even be his shoulder to cry on. I didn’t even stop a moment to think what I was asking of him.

Death energy accumulated within the tiny body in my hold. He was engulfed in a pitch-black aura, the seal my sister and I placed on him glowed stronger until it shattered like glass.

His horn was channeling the abyss before it exploded, embedding shards across the far walls. I only gave that a passing notice, however, more concerned that he was no longer protected from his own harmful magic. And yet, he didn’t seem to be affected negatively. My child’s mane coursed with black and crimson, but otherwise, his health remained the same, sans shattered horn and…

His eye sockets glowed red again, and the sound of bell chimes returned. He got up slowly, not acknowledging anyone else in any way. He was in that damnable trance again.

He scanned around the room. Eventually, his view landed on the gifted dolls I kept on my bed. He reached out to one of them…

And it flew over into his grasp.

It happened too quickly, I could not stop it or throw it away. My colt’s hold would not give and the possessed toy would not tear in my fearful pull. Before I could shout in panic, Death’s voice cut through my adrenaline-addled mind.

“Relax, everything is okay. That’s just his wife.”

Before I could even ask what she meant, the flood of magical energy already started to subside. His eyes no longer glowed, and his mane returned to its former appearance… mostly. There were still thin black or red lines running along its length. Once the magic subsided enough, I realized there was a connection between my colt’s body and the toy, which was now broiling with the black and green of necromancy.

“His wife? No, forget that for now. He was enshrouded in a pit of necromantic energy earlier. Why didn’t he waste away into a rotten skeleton?” I asked.

Death answered nonplussed. “While his body had access to not even a sliver of his magical energy until now due to your runes plugging his necromancy up completely, he was still affected by his soul seals, one of which being a resistance builder. He’s been steadily building up his immunity since he arrived here, however short his stay was.” I opened my mouth to interject but she continued, “However, in his trance earlier, his subconscious had full control of his body, including the seals on his soul. He recognized the seal that was keeping him from dying from the massive influx of pure, unfettered necromantic energy springing directly from my further depths, so he opened it fully. Sadly, while this action undoubtedly saved his life, it damaged all of his seals beyond any use. The only reason why he survived such a catastrophic failure was because his Reanimation spell was also empowered by the influx of necromantic power, as well as by the remaining divine power you and Cadance left behind.”

“All of that sounds a bit fortuitous. Not that I’m complaining, of course,” Cadance spoke.

Death shook her head, “He is a one hundred and seventy-six-year-old genius. He dedicated most of his life to his craft, to the point where he could weave his spells in his sleep, as you could see. What happened was less a possibility and more an unavoidable outcome from the moment he went into his trance, as long as he had the desire to survive. A desire that he had more of right now than he ever did in his entire life because he wanted both himself and his spouse to survive. And finally, there’s the divine magic I’ve already mentioned. The stuff tends to help the caster quite a bit, to the point where I believe he is now more resistant to the side effects of his necromancy than he’s ever been in his entire life… save for a couple of special circumstances in the past."

I only held him tightly during the explanation. “So it was a combination of fortuitous elements working in tandem towards keeping my colt alive. You won’t hear me complaining.”

I regarded the connection he had to his.. spouse. It seemed that most of his necromancy was being funneled into the toy, which had a faint star of a soul shining within, apparently feeding off the dark energy heading to it. ‘We certainly can’t seal away his power anymore. At least not in good conscience, if the flow of magic is truly sustaining the poor dear.’

“How is it that the girl’s soul is being kept alive with death?” I asked.

“Same way your colt used it to fuel his reanimation spell,” Death supplied. “Only in this instance, he no longer needed divine energy to create a living body, merely Necromantic energy in order to contain her soul and stabilize it. She could be described as being held on life support, in a sense.”

“Couldn’t you help her?” Cadance asked.

Death turned and gave the inexperienced princess a queer look. “Depends. Are you willing to give me the lives of a country’s worth of innocents in return?”

Everyone just stood there in incomprehension. Eventually, Discord spoke first, casually munching on the remains of a broken glass of chocolate milk like it were candy. “Boy, and they say my deals are bad.”

Delirium walked up next to the draconequus, “Sister, don’t be mean.”

“I’m not being mean,” Death retorted. “That doll is housing the soul of someone who will live on for as long as her spouse will, as per the wording of his ritual he carried to give her new life. Do you know for how long an unaging demigod tends to draw breath? Honestly, I’m at a gross net loss in this exchange as is.” The dark lady then turned back to Cadance and offered her hand for a shake, “So do we have a deal or not?”

“I… ugh… on second thought…” she stopped stuttering when she noticed the playful grin on the Endless’ face and the wiggling fingers on her extended appendage. “Oh! You were joking, weren’t you?”

“Honestly, the boy was right. You really need to be more careful when dealing with other ancient entities.”

“What happened to your milk?” Celestia spoke up, still in her seat.

Discord shrugged, licking some of it that was left on his lion’s paw, “A horn fragment projectiled through it. Tasted like butterscotch milk. Also, its sibling apparently had it in for Shining. Went straight for the heart.”

Cadance seemed like she was about to faint, “W-what? SHINING?!”

She ran past the draconequus who was rolling his eyes at her display. As she found her husband alive, Discord was taking the liberty of griping at her, “Oh, relax. He’s a unicorn, remember?”

Indeed, Shining was still breathing, although with a painful look on his face and a substantial amount of blood on his pelt, coming from a nearly closed wound on his chest. His horn was alight with healing magic, a bloody and extremely sharp-looking horn fragment on the floor nearby.

'He didn't even let out a peep as he healed an otherwise fatal wound... I looked at the former Captain in a new light.'

“Gotta admit,” Shining said as his wife arrived at his side. “The kid is definitely dedicated. He doesn’t even need to be awake to try and hurt someone. It’s scary but impressive.”

“To be fair,” Discord cut in, “if your pelt wasn’t enhanced with protective magic, you wouldn’t be able to pull the horn out and would be in the hospital wing right now. Or, you know, you could’ve just accepted my offer to help.”

“No thanks, I’d rather take my chances healing myself.”

Discord seemed to take offense to that.

The two then had a staring contest, up until Delirium wandered over and joined in, making it into a Marexican standoff for no reason. Discord eventually gave up first, “Fine then, I know when I’m not wanted.” He then grabbed Delirium under her arms and held her to his chest like a kitten. “I’ll be off on a little vacation. Hopefully, when I’m back you all will have learned some manners.” Then he brought up his talon to snap, then had a look of reconsideration for a moment then snapped with a malicious grin on his face. “A parting gift… Actually, how about two?” He smiled as he snapped a second time. “Ta-ta!” And with a final snap of his talon, he was off.

I blinked at the development. “Did he really just leave?” I asked, pointedly ignoring the childish prank he pulled on Shining Armor.

“It would seem so. Though I wonder what he meant by ‘gifts’…” Cadance was just as confused, apparently not aware of her husband’s new fashion choice until she turned around.

Tia spoke, “His second prank will surface eventually. Hopefully, it won’t be harmful.”

“I don’t get it. What’s the first one?’ the former captain asked, somehow missing the massive sombrero on his head. And his sudden unshaven and dirty appearance. As well as the rest of his bandito outfit. He merely noticed Cadance holding down her laughter with further confusion.

“As fun as this was,” Death said, “I suppose it’s time for me to leave as well. I’ll keep an eye on your acquaintance and make sure my sister doesn't destroy the planet with his help. Before I go, I’ll just give you the return spell and tell you about a few other developments you will likely find relevant.”

I only gave passing attention to Shining’s cry of outrage or Death’s mentioning of our mother. Tia would figure it out and make a plan anyway. I wasn’t needed. I needed to see the extent of the damage on my charge’s horn…

It was destroyed all the way to its root, though it seems his Reanimation spell did close the wound. If he was a unicorn, he would’ve lost his horn permanently. As is, he’d require at least a year to recover with medication, possibly less if his affinity offers some kind of health benefit. Death and life, and all that.

I conjured a cast to keep his horn protected and clean. “I thank you all for your aid this day, but I think I’ll have to cut things short. I feel I’d like a short rest with my colt if none of you mind,” as I muzzled his form underneath me.

No one seemed to have any objections and left in an orderly fashion.

I focused, thinking about what I knew of the boy so far. Soon enough, harmony took effect, and I stopped seeing only the figure I guarded over and started perceiving his potential, glimpses of his possible destiny.

‘Survivor. Memory. Grief. Healer. Fear. Understanding. Perception. Insight.’

It was like feeling a tapestry with my hoof and recognizing what the image was by touch. I already knew him well enough, all I was perceiving now was how those traits would come into play in this world. My wishes on how they’d play out took a step back, I wouldn’t make the same mistake now that I did earlier.

Anchor. Fulcrum. Medium. Seeker. Searcher. Guide...’

This wasn’t about me. It was about him. It was his life, all I could do was help him become someone he’d be happy to be.

“Asclepius Acheron.”

Author's Notes:

(*) I'm not going to either make up elven gibberish, or make up any haiku and put it in a Tolkien translator. Instead here's a link to a song that should be close enough to what I was going for.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=klfquP1_dpk

If the vid gets taken down, just google "Hellsing - RAID OST - Bodhisattva Cathedral".

My last blog post has some relevant information. Read it.

Moonlight

Author's Notes:

No, I am not playing the pronoun game. I am sorry in advance, I can only name the Polter-wife in the next chapter. I have an idea for what would suit her best, but as always, if you think you have a genuinely good idea of your own, go right ahead. Maybe it's better than mine. I certainly need ideas for what the Mane 6 would suggest.

I'm thinking Necky can represent a Bram Stoker/Castlevania gothic perspective to a Dark Fantasy world while his betrothed can have an Attack on Titan all-hope-is-lost doomsday thing going for her. You know, to go with the Vertigus-NotEquus dichotomy.

Personally, I figured that Twilight could suggest Shrödinghoof for obvious reasons, and then Luna would run with that and decide on Sekhmet Shröding. It's the most fitting, as well as the nicest and most benign name I could think of.

I'm still on hiatus.
Haddaway is inescapable.

~~~ ⚕ ~~~

If you were to be asked what love is, what would you answer?

In all honesty, love is an ideal, just like any other. What is justice? It’s just a set of laws placed on paper, up until they bring order to a chaotic world. What is faith? A means of gaining moral strength from nothing, of both encouragement and deception towards either noble or selfish ends. What are loyalty, mercy and respect? They are positive outcomes from the fear of betrayal and cruelty, in other words they only manifest in those who know what it’s like on the short end of the stick. What are dreams? A means to broaden our horizons, when our current horizons are not enough. What is a sunrise? Well, it is the beginning of a new day, whatever that day may entail.

Love is something which is given by those who yearn for it themselves. And everyone yearns for it in individually unique ways. Some are more demanding, others are neglectful, yet others are overbearing, and most are childishly selfish and only want results with none of the work put in.

I suppose as far as relationships went, ours went fairly well, all things considered.

It’s a difficult balance to keep. Too much empathy can cause you to hesitate in a crucial moment. Not enough, and you become little more than a selfish, methodical beast. That’s the struggle we both decided to draw a line and face together.

That makes it sound so easy. No matter our perspective trick, we couldn’t easily hold onto both empathy and efficiency. You can’t both keep your heart open to birdsong and not think of how no matter what said stupid animal might witness, its song would sound all the same mere moments after it decided the immediate danger had left.

We were both callous, but we tried. We both offered the benefit of a doubt, most importantly we never held anything above the other. We communicated, we covered for each other's shortcomings. We worked together, and focused on the task at hand.

To that end, we both made sure we could trust the other could hold his or her own, when push came to shove.

I asked her if she wanted to start her own life, she said she wanted one with me. I trained her to survive, and her resolve only strengthened the more time we spent together. Mine did as well.

She wasn’t the first person I've met who I am happy to have known, nor is she the first person I’ve been involved with. She was, however, the first one I ever looked in the eyes and recognized as kindred spirit. Same in her case, if I was to interpret in any fashion the manner in which, light seemed to appear behind her eyes when I spoke to her for the first time.

The moment we met, we weren't alone anymore. I may have had other people willing to stay by my side now in this new world, but her? Well, I refuse to rationalize what she means to me.

“Am I to understand she also does not have a name?”

My trail of introspection stopped at the words, as did the maelstrom spinning around my and my lover’s location within my forming mind. It was in disarray.

The way children sort knowledge in their minds is completely haphazardly, because they have no basis for what is important to keep and what isn't. Although I already had priorities decided, my physical demigod mind was a different matter altogether from the mortal human template my Reanimation had to go on. I needed to learn my astral projection abilities all over again before I could control the maelstrom that was my mind at the moment.

All I could do was hold on tight and concentrate through meditation in order to impose some degree of order. So far, my progress was minimal.

Which was why I was grateful that Luna decided to enter uninvited and aid me with that predicament. She… calmed my turbulent mind, as well as helped me set up the arteries for my web of memories. My human base was gone, a demigod 'pony' one was to take its place. I would still behave childishly from here on, but I would at least still retain the memories that defined who I was.

“She didn’t know it when we met,” I answered.

My mind was scattered, but I still remember Luna looking at me questioningly. She knew I was avoiding the question without even doing it consciously.

Rather than press forward, she asked, “Are you well, Acheron?”

“I am, thanks to you,” I answered groggily. It took me a while to register her words, “Acheron?”

I focused my attention on the person who has helped me so much since my arrival in her world. I’ve heard Luna’s voice so much until now, but I barely ever saw her.

She made herself look human, I didn’t really care about it. “...Turn back.”

I think she seemed happy to hear that.

The memory was there for the remainder of the Reanimation’s effects, but after that, it was a memory of a dream. What else happened afterwards, I can only recall fragments. All I can recall is Luna’s features, trying to memorize as much of what she looked like as I could.

~~~ 🌙 ~~~

I busied myself tidying up my son’s mind while I kept watch over the two of them a while longer. It was a sordid mess, and I made sure to sort his worse memories further in the back and his worst memories behind a barrier, at least until he'd grown a bit older. He'd know what happened, he'd be able to dig up every horrid detail if he truly forced himself to, but he would first need to willfully dig the memories up.

As much as I wanted him to just forget his past, that was up to him.

Once his mind calmed down, it developed a more consistent shape. Our surroundings took the form of a red and black tiled room, with gray stone walls and ceiling. Lighting came from oil lamps on the walls and moonlight from a window.

There were several doors on the walls. On either side were his corresponding hemispheres. Each, evidently, had a wide array of functions, though his memory library had entrances to both hemispheres. As I’ve mentioned, I added a restricted section to said library, the key to which I placed in one of his pockets.

Behind us were two more doors. One of which was heavily enchanted and fortified, leading down to his subconscious, which gradually descended into the Collective Unconscious. Wouldn’t want any Nightmares in, would we?

Aside the bolted door was another one leading to a swirling dark void, it took me a while to recognize it as what passed for his lover’s own subconscious realm.

‘You two truly did share something special, didn't you?’

Said void was impossible for anything to survive in without taking the same lengths we did to find the poor dear. In other words, it would take the likes of either Grogar, or Mistress Death.

Then there were three other doors on the last remaining side of the square chamber. The leftmost was red, the right one black, both of their colors spilled into the floor like blood and tar respectively. However this fact was not as disconcerting as the way the colors seemed to shift, knit, pulse and fuse across the middle door, the only place the colors were static was in the door's center. They merged into the image of a unique symbol of a serpent coiled around a staff.

Have I mentioned how concerned I was about my son’s mental state and life choices? Because I feel I did not mention it enough.

I settled back in to watch over my charges. In the waking world I was looking over the list of names I made for the dormant girl. I enchanted the paper to write possible names on its own, because I didn’t quite know her well enough to imprint on her directly. Surprisingly, the spell I used for said purpose required adjusting several times. I still only managed so far, the words on the parchment would either be gibberish, or they would quickly decay into scribbles.

“...So. Ker is first on the list. As far as I can divine, that’s the name for a recurring type of denizen of the realm of death, a spirit of violent death, essentially another type of the more commonly known Valkyrie. It is… a charming name, as well as indicative to the hints I’ve been gathering regarding her end; surely we can find something less fatalistic to name her. There’s a straightforward archaic term for battle here, and I believe Sekhmet- oh wait, it changed. Apparently she could be likened to war deities with vengeful proclivities like either Sekhmet or Durga. I am to assume that my charge has found a spouse that would be capable of handling herself in order to survive at his side, presumably someone who would not just be adept, but excel at a prolonged life of struggle.

“Atalanta isn’t so bad.”

What followed down the page were more gibberish. Either the spell simply failed, or I was the one who failed to comprehend alien meanings. What I could decipher from them would often translate roughly to a wide array of ominous rhetoric straight from a horror novel. ‘‘She Who Slumbers in the Abyss’. How wonderful. Oh, look, ‘Eye of Oblivion’. How reassuring. I think I’ll get back to easier-to-read titles… Izanami is not any bette- and we have Megido. I give up.’

I groaned and just passively watched the words shift continuously. Styx changed to Lethe, Ker turned into Maenad, Ankou changed to Azrael and then halfway to Mortis before the letters broke apart. I then decided that perhaps it wasn’t just her bordering on death that was making it difficult for the spell to function, but also the fact that there simply wasn’t enough of her to put a name on.

‘Perhaps Acheron would be able to help settle the issue, once he wakes. Though he might also require to know the local language and conventions first.’

Eventually there was the sound of knocking at the door, which I telekinetically opened.

In walked one of my night guards. Nightshade I think. Almost half of them were named Nightshade, so I was probably right.

“Your Highness,” the guard saluted, “I’ve been asked to tell you by Princess Celestia that her student and her friends have arrived. They are currently in the banqueting area and are wondering if you would join them.”

‘Great. Social activity. How fun.’ I sighed. “Tell her I will be there momentarily. Thank you.”

Half an hour later, after making myself and my charge presentable, I decided to make a more dramatic entrance with a teleportation spell. Acheron was safe under my wings, still resting with his spouse’s container held in his death grip.

It didn’t take long at all to find the six Element bearers, sitting obediently at one of the tables with my sister, Cadance and her husband, the latter two mostly there to catch up with young Twilight Sparkle.

Celestia smiled upon seeing me, soon followed by everypo-... everyone else at the table halting what they were doing, their eyes all gravitating towards my charge.

“Greetings everyone. I hope I’m not interrupting anything with my late arrival.”

My sister answered, “Nonsense, Luna. After all, your charge is the main reason why I’ve had us all gathered. Or rather, him and his wife.”

“They never officiated,” I provided, ignoring the curious looks from the Bearers as I sat next to Tia at the table. “Also, I named him. It’s Asclepius Acheron.”

Needless to say, everyone was excited at the news. All except for a certain purple scholar, who was likely concerned with what the titles signified.

Celestia and Cadance were especially happy to learn the name of their new family member, even Shining Armor gave a reserved smile. “At any rate,” Tia went back on track, “We have been telling the girls what has happened, and why we could use their help.”

“Their help?” I asked.

“Yup!” interjected a very excited, very pink young mare at the table. One I remembered all too well... “Princess Celestia said we needed a party to let the ponies of Canterlot unwind after everything that happened!”

“Pinkie!” my sister’s student cut the excited menace off. “I’m terribly sorry, Princess. We’re just all very excited to not just help with organizing festivities, but also get to know the new prince! After all, there hasn’t been any record of a male alicorn in all of pony history! I’m certain you have great plans for him.”

I decided not to read too much into her last remark. “My sister wishes to organize festivities? Are the citizens about to riot already?”

That garnered chuckling of varying humor and awkwardness from the rest. So that’s what they discussed before I arrived.

The subject matter was simple. With Discord’s escape and departure, the populace was likely in a state of unease. This unease would only increase the longer the spirit of chaos took before he inevitably made a grand pandemoniac return, in their minds. In truth, the draconequus had left the realm altogether, but the ponies couldn’t easily accept that.

So, their fears were only going to increase until they decided to take their turmoil out on the most immediate ready target to their ire, namely the new mysterious colt of the former Nightmare Moon. The same colt who made a very clear show the other day in the middle of the city square of being a user of forbidden magic, evidenced by his glowing eyeless orifices and his magically pulling that creature’s blood towards him.

The fact that we were apparently under disguise likely proved further reason for suspicion for the skittish ponies, since clearly we were planning something nefarious yesterday whilst we were merely sitting peacefully, listening to music.

So. In order to offer an outlet for the populace’s unease, as well as to mark the occasion of not only getting rid of Discord, but also of welcoming my child into the world, we needed to celebrate, as one would celebrate any good thing.

“So you asked them to come,” I followed. “I suppose it would be good for public relations, having the Elements of Harmony not only standing at our side to support our claims, but also to reassure the populace that they’re safe should either my colt or I pose a threat.”

That killed what remained of the guests' amiable disposition, if the mares’ silently shifting in their seats was any indication.

My sister tried to salvage the situation, “I was also hoping the girls could get to know the new prince. After all, I’m certain they have so much to learn from each other.”

“He is still recovering,” I retorted. “If you wish to speak to him, you will need to wait for another occasion.”

Perhaps I was a bit short with them, but I could only notice I was feeling a bit protective of Acheron around the six mares. I was grateful for what they’ve done so far, but I was still nervous about six inexperienced civilians that were barely even adults, having not just the power to control artifacts initially created to prevent Catastrophe-class engagements before they had the chance to level the country, but also having the authority of judge, jury and memory-wiper over using said artifacts. Because either the gods or Harmony itself decided it.

The fact that Acheron and his spouse were what one would technically describe as evil by conventional standards, did not help either. One was a murderous psychopath that now had a legacy of authority over the realm of death in front of him, while the other had names like Megido suggested in that spell earlier.

‘No.’ I held my colt tighter. ‘So they’re far from innocent. That doesn’t mean they want to cause chaos and misery.’

Tia likely sensed my troubled state, but fortunately decided to exercise discretion. “By the way, how are they both? I trust the ritual went well?”

“I… do not know for certain. His mind healed, there was even a link with his mate already established. But currently I was waiting for him to wake up in order to see if he felt anything wrong.”

Kindness seemed to want to express her concern, but her words were lost due to Cadance interrupting her. The latter was delighted to hear what I said, “I knew it! I knew they were close enough to manage it! This is amazing!”

Twilight was very much left in the dark, which seemed to upset her. “Hold on, what are you all talking about? What do you mean mate?”

Her sister-in-law was more than eager to answer, “Twilight, remember when I told you about the Red Thread of Destiny?”

“Here we go,” the Bearer of Loyalty droned, before Twilight started explaining as if she were reading line by line out of a textbook.

“The Red Thread of Destiny is said to be an invisible thread connecting ponies through the magic of Harmony. It is said that these ponies are destined lovers, regardless of place, time, or circumstances. This magical cord may stretch or tangle, but never break.”

Cadance nodded. “That's right. Go on.”

The scholar seemed unsure but obliged. “It is said that in rare occasions, when such ponies are close enough lovers, they become Entwined. This phenomenon supposedly allows herdmates to know each others’ whereabouts, state of well-being, and allegedly also allows them to share glimpses of each others’ memories and even share intuitive skills to a certain degree. Of course, none of this is proven.” She looked at Cadance questioningly. “Wait. Are you saying Prince Acheron is already Entwined with somepony? Is that what Princess Luna meant about a link? Where is she?”

“About that,” I interrupted. “What exactly do you know regarding the field of Necromancy?”

After the words left my mouth, I realized my question was similar to what I've been asked myself three days prior. The irony rapped at my mood like claws on a chalkboard.

Twilight was evidently troubled by my inquiry. “Well, it’s evil of course. Every respected scholar agrees that it’s a dark and destructive field, pursued only by the truly evil or mentally ill. That’s why it’s forbidden, it corrodes the caster, mind, body, and soul, eating away at everything that makes them equine and leaving behind only a walking husk that feels nothing but hatred for all life!”

Her explanation managed to properly scare her friends and offer them a basis to further spread as truth. “An accurate explanation according to any study you could possibly find,” she seemed to inflate at the apparent praise. “Too bad the source material is wrong.”

It was almost as if a balloon deflated. “What? Bu-but every scholar agreed-”

“To the same inaccurate preconception. Think about it, Twilight. You said it yourself. Every respected scholar agreed to this notion. What do you think would happen to their status if they actually, I don’t know, researched the field?”

“Well, obviously they’d lose credibility because their judgment would no longer be reliable,” the student answered as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

“I was under the impression that you were a scholar, Twilight Sparkle. Pray tell, how can someone possibly understand something without studying it?”

“By reading about it, of course!” she countered confidently, a little angry at my insinuation.

I looked at her critically. ‘Is she really this dense?’ I gave a cursory look to the other Bearers. They appeared either too confused to understand what I was asking, or not confused at all. I asked them all slowly, “And where do the books get their information from?”

Suddenly finding themselves being addressed, they all fidget awkwardly, avoiding eye contact.

‘Were they even paying attention?’

“Well, evidently from carefully conducted research! Where else could their authors compile their information from?” Twilight answered, still missing the point.

I was about to offer them all a scathing remark, but stopped. “I give up. Celestia, you deal with them. I’m leaving.”

I got up. The six civilians seemed surprised. ‘To think I felt any kind of admiration for them.’

“Wait!” Cadance beckoned before I could teleport away.

“Why? I asked shortly.

“Because…” she delayed, trying to figure something out, “...I’m certain Twilight didn’t mean anything wrong. Let’s just talk about something else instead!” She held a shaky smile. I offered a deadpan in return. “...Please?”

I just stared at her a while longer, then sighed and rubbed my temples. “Cadance dear, royalty do not say ‘please’. They need to behave with dignity, they represent their entire kingdom.” I turned to Celestia, “Sister, do you perhaps have anything to add?”

“Very well,” she answered nonchalantly. “You’re both right.” Celestia gestured to her student, “You see, the reason for the vicious cycle you were arguing over was because my faithful student was answering your questions as best she could, without knowing why you were asking her your questions. And the truth is, that anyone who tried to study Necromancy succumbed to its effects. Therefore, it is not a safe field to study. The research every book is based on is, after all, primarily a list of all the accounts of ponies succumbing to said effects.”

"...Oh." I begrudgingly understood. “You could’ve mentioned all of this until now,” I protested.

"Same way you could have mentioned the seal on his magic?"

"-Now wait just a-"

Tia went on, "Instead you decided he didn't need to know that distracting detail before he'd come to the logical conclusion that he needed to trust you? Essentially you were trying to gain his trust, by lying to him."

I was stunned. I could feel the others at the table staring at me. Loyalty spoke for everyone, "...Wow."

"...I'm, just... going to sit here and..." I sank in my seat and made myself as small as possible.

Tia turned to her student. “Twilight, my sister was arguing that the field of Necromancy isn’t fully understood due to bias, dismissal, and willful ignorance, and that no proper study was published and released because anyone who tried to do so were disregarded on account of the prejudice that anyone who tried to study the matter and offer any kind of results beside the ones already established as truth, were doing so because they were not in their right minds.”

The others at the table were understandably lost. Except for Twilight, who adopted a contemplative look. “I suppose the reasoning behind this established precept is a bit iffy… Still, questioning my integrity as a scholar was a bit low.”

I shifted in awkwardness. “And for that I apologize. I may have overreacted.”

Suddenly Twilight erupted in awkwardness. “I-It's nothing, Your Highness!” she chuckled self-consciously.

I cleared my throat to draw everyone's attention. “At any rate. The reason why I asked these questions was because it was relevant for you all to understand something. Necromancy is dangerous, but it is not inherently evil. It can be used for good… we just do not know how to use it safely yet.”

“How are you so sure, Princess?” Twilight asked.

“Because my colt used to be a wielder of the craft, and managed to use it to traverse the veil between worlds and recreate a new living body. The fact that it turned out as an alicorn body was not even intentional, it merely turned out this way due to a technicality in his spell’s parameters. And as for his mate, he successfully brought her soul back from the realm of the dead, albeit she is only in a dormant state bound inside the doll permanently in his grasp. Any questions?”

As with all youth, they are excitable. Whenever you reveal to them something remotely peculiar, they cannot help but get excited and ask dozens of questions.

Rainbow Dash was gushing up a storm regarding how awe-some my colt was, asking if he was some kind of vigilant hero that used magical powers to defeat evildoers. Rarity seemed touched by the romantic element of his ordeals, and started theorizing on the relationship between the ‘rugged, roguish gentlecolt’ and a kind but persevering mare that made him into an honest stallion. Pinkie Pie was excited about throwing my colt and his spouse an extravagant feast, asking what kind of decoration and sweets they might like, assuming we could just wake the girl up from being but a soul bound into an inanimate object. Twilight Sparkle floated out a quill and paper out of her magical pocket and started asking my sister question after question regarding the application of known magical principles into recurring themes in horror novels starring necromancer villains, before she systematically found reasons herself why each one of said themes had no techmaturgic basis. Celestia, for her part, merely smiled and nodded to her student’s antics.

Cadance and Shining offered input for Rarity and Rainbow Dash’s theories respectively. Apparently they had relevant knowledge on the subjects.

The final two ponies at the table remained quiet. The butter yellow one, Fluttershy, was merely reserved due to her temperament being that way. Applejack however, seemed genuinely upset.

Noticing my gaze, the Bearer of Honesty spoke her piece, “Ah don’t like this.”

The others stopped to listen. Twilight wanted to question her friend, but the Bearer of Honesty cut her off.

She took her hat off and started, “Ah’m just a farm mare, ah ain't pretendin’ to know better than the Princesses. But yer sayin’ this feller made controllin’ life an’ death into a science? Fer the sake of mah peace of mind, Ah need ta ask, do any of ya have any idea what yer’ gonna do with ‘im?”

Twilight finally spoke up, "Applejack! Think of the potential benefits! Even if he's a prince over mortality, he'd be able to revolutionize medicine!"

"There are some things ponies aren't meant to control, Twi. Sure, bein' able to cure any disease sounds great an' all. An' Ah'd love it if Granny were to feel young again. But where do we draw the line? When ponies stop dying, when is it okay to let them pass on? An' if nopony does, then how many of us are gonna fit on this world before it starts gettin' crowded?"

"But he's an alicorn! Who else to trust with these things than a prince?"

"Would you WANT Princess Celestia to ever be put in the position of decidin' who lives an' who dies?"

Twilight opened and closed her mouth in befuddlement. My sister answered, "There are many things I can decide as a ruler, Applejack, but I also made other pertinent things only up to vote. If any such choice would ever appear, rest assured that Acheron would not be the one who would need to decide."

The farm mare nodded, however her frown did not lessen. "Ahm happy ta hear that, Yer Highness, but even so. After what Twahlight said about this kinda magic, how it twists a unicorn's mind an' soul like that? What about that? What are ya gon' do if he went to deep into this craft an' lost it?"

"He won't." I faced her firmly. "Measures will be taken. Any research will be made impossible to conduct without proper regulations and supervision prepared beforehoof. And most importantly, I will raise him better than that."

Applejack lingered for a while, staring me in the eye, until she decided she was satisfied with what she saw. Still, she had one last argument to offer, though she couldn't voice it before Pinkie Pie intervened by shoving a confectionary into the orange mare’s mouth.

“Cheer up, AJ! I’m sure the princesses have everything handled! Besides, we have so much work to do to prepare Ronnie and his fillyfriend’s party!” She shifted her gaze to me, “By the way, what’s her name?”

Applejack begrudgingly relented, for the moment. I considered my options.

On one hoof, I was at a bit of an impasse regarding choosing the girl’s name, so looking for outside help would be the smart thing to do. On the other, I wasn’t too eager to share my current ideas with them.

I took in a breath to steel myself. “Right. Would any of you happen to have any ideas for a nice name to give a filly that’s adept at lethal combat and has an affinity with the realm of Death?”

Transitory

~~~ ⚕ ~~~

I acted recklessly in Death's domain. I forgot myself, and fell back on what I knew. And what I knew was to use what she had offered me. I defied her using the tools she gave me and could take away at any time.

I really should have just asked. Instead I acted out like a child. Perhaps this new shape was fitting after all.

Using the Reanimation spell like that was the last time I’d ever channel Mistress Death’s aspect. Quite the goodbye. I relied on her for so long, from the day my heraldry was awakened. Without her, I would've been dead at Richard's blade. Without her… my family would've lived.

Perhaps I'm being fatalistic, but one can't help but consider what-ifs during a transitory time such as this. It was a time to adjust.

I've survived for so long. My hands were soaked in blood, and now I presumed to live peacefully.

People don't change. They adapt. They can't change their nature, only curb it. I could not become someone else, I could only make use of what I was in order to earn my keep. If that wouldn't be enough…

Death told me I was at my last chance. The Incursions would happen more regularly now, with a guiding judgement behind them. I had no reason to do anything except for my best towards earning my place in this new world. I’d gotten to this point, I wouldn’t let myself get killed just because I was considered too rude or petulant by a haughty upper management.

I told Death I wanted to give my wife a life that Vertigus denied her. I’d be damned before tainting this world with the darkness of the one I came from. Quite literally, apparently.

I pictured my new body in Luna’s care, what I wanted to do with it and the nature of potential obstacles ahead of me. I took a step back...

‘Whatever it takes.’

...and heard two doors slam shut.

~~~ 🌙 ~~~

The coffee was too hot. I put the cup down, then looked up to find the six mares still looking at me like I was insane.

As an alicorn, Acheron was linked to the sphere of death. Specifically, to two connected elements of death, if one was to surmise anything from the presence of the two doors in his mindscape on either side of the one with his cutiemark. If one was to further theorize, given his shared authority with his spouse, it would be safe to assume that he would preside over the Mortality half of the circle of Death, while his spouse answered for the Oblivion side. Of course, beyond playing with uncertain panderings, what would happen in the end remained to be seen.

A prince running authority over mortality, and a vengeful spirit of oblivion. It was up to me to guide them down constructive paths. Aid my son to make mortality into survival, aid his spouse in making vengeance into justice...

“[...]or perhaps even into protection.”

It was apparent the bearers were willing to give the benefit of the doubt to my colt before, but were not able to reconcile his mate's nature.

Twilight spoke for the group, “Excuse me your highness, but have you lost your mind?!”

The scholar was quite aggressive. Her friends did not seem surprised by her outburst at all. I realized I was treading on thin ice.

“I take it you disagree with my notion," I stated.

"She's a murderer!" Twilight shouted. "She's a spirit of darkness and death! What is there to guide them on?! Prince Acheron I can see being redeemed, but his mate? I'm sorry, Princess, but I think we should just use the Elements on her and be done with it."

"No."

My answer confused the scholar. "But Princess, it would just be an unnecessary risk to-"

I rose my hoof to halt her argument, waiting for her to calm down. She did, albeit only enough to stop arguing.

“First of all, my son’s actions were always out of self defense, this fact was confirmed under truth spell. It is a strong possibility that his spouse did the same, but you may interrogate him to your heart’s content once he wakes.” That seemed to placate her somewhat.

“Second, while his spouse may be aligned with oblivion, it is no worse than Celestia controlling a source of endless fire or me managing the realm of dreams. If you have accusations to make, then perhaps you should question my sister first, since she’s been around for millennia and hasn’t been challenged on her intentions once in her entire life.”

“All true,” my sister casually confirmed, outwardly seeming more interested in her tea than the conversation.

Before the scholar could give voice to her evident disagreement, I ended my argument, “...And finally, whether the Elements are used or not is not up to you to decide. You may be the Bearers, but you are not judges. None of you are."

I eyed them each in turn during my last statement. They were not reassured. Rainbow Dash inclined forward in her seat, “So what then, we just wait for him to wake up?”

“Evidently,” I answered, “since it seems my guardianship over the two of them is insufficient for you.”

Another stretch of silence followed. I pulled the list of broken letters out of my magical pocket. The bearers shifted awkwardly until Cadance spoke up again. “Didn’t you ask us about name ideas?”

“I did,” I shrugged, “but I didn’t want to insist on a subject that troubled them so.”

The bearers seemed conflicted on what to do next. Rainbow Dash was the one to finally speak first.

“Well, what did you have in mind?”

I regarded the brazen mare. She still held reservation, but at least she seemed somewhat open to get to know them now. “As I said. I want my charges to reflect positive facets of their natures. I named my son Asclepius, after a healer that earned ascension similarly to how he did, and Acheron, after the river flowing into the realm of death. An ascended savant, and a river of mortality. As for his spouse… it’s not so simple to explain.

“...Imagine a hoofprint in the sand.” They looked confused at my words. “Where the sand is the realm of the living. As you live, you walk forward. When you die, you walk into the waters of death. Time is the wind that ruins your hoofprints in the dry sand, and trying to leave prints in sand run by waves is impossible. But occasionally, you step in still hardening stone, and you leave an imprint. That would be the impression she left on my colt’s heart.” Rarity and Fluttershy teared up, the rest didn’t seem far off. “But that’s all that he had to go on. An impression. An empty hoofprint. What we found in Death’s domain was something corroded. Something that was returning to where we all originate before birth. Something less than his spouse… but also something more. That’s what he wishes to recover.”

Twilight asked in true scholarly scrutiny, “So you’re asking us to give a name to something unquantifiable?”

The others at the table seemed confused. Pinkie Pie asked, "Un-quainty-whatsit?"

"Unquantifiable," the scholar answered. "It means unmeasurable, impossible to be expressed in any form of measurement."

Applejack was still uncertain of what her friend meant, "So, what? Like tryin' to weigh a feather?"

"Not at all. A feather still has weight, it's just very, very light. Like measuring the size of a flea, it's small but it still has size. What I'm referring to are things that are outside the physical, measurable world."

“Wait, isn’t that kind of pointless?” asked Rainbow Dash while holding her head. “Like… I dunno, measuring the speed of a rock?”

“You can throw a rock though,” argued Applejack.

Rainbow frowned, “You can, but until then it’s still stationary.”

Twilight frowned in thought. “It is rather redundant. If we can’t perceive it or interact with it in any way, then it is a waste of time. You can’t fit something that doesn’t exist inside the context of what does exist. It’s like…” Her eyes widened in realization. She got up from her seat with a start, “Schrodinghorn’s Cat!”

Rainbow let go of her head and laid it on the table, “I give up.”

“Same here,” Applejack agreed, leaning her own head against a hoof.

Twilight, however, was as excited as a foal on Heart’s Warming, not really hearing her two friends’ complaints. “A cat inside a box that is both awake and sleeping! When we add magic to the mix, the potential applications are endless! Acheron’s findings could change magic at its foundations!”

Most of the ones present at the table sported looks of utter confusion. I wasn’t much better off.

Shining Armor voiced out, “Hang on. Is that why you brought a cat home and asked mom for her sleeping pills when you were six?”

The scholar blushed at that. “I didn’t quite understand the concept back then.”

Rainbow chuckled, “Wow, something she didn’t understand when she was six? Must be a tough field.”

“Essentially,” Twilight started, “Schrodinghorn made this thought experiment to highlight the dissonance between quantum mechanics and classical physics, specifically in the case of quantum superposition.”

“Could you use smaller words?” Pinkie asked.

She sighed. “You know how not one thing is ever two things at the same time? As in, Pinkie is never both jumping and sitting at the same… nevermind, bad example,” she rectified as Pinkie started to hop in place from a sitting position.

After a while, Fluttershy asked, “So it’s like Pinkie in a way?”

Twilight sprang forth, “Yes! Exactly!” eager to cling to any lifeline she could get in this sea of ignorance… before a look of terror started to take hold upon considering further implications.

I decided to steer the conversation before it got out of hoof, “So it’s a thought experiment referring to something being two things at the same time. Like asleep or awake, like my charge’s mate?”

“Y-yes, it is. Of course, the original experiment was referring to an environment void of magic, but from what I understand, Prince Acheron only used Necromancy to facilitate his wife’s… situation. He didn’t create it directly, only made it possible. Right?”

I considered her argument, until my head started to spin. “What he did was bind his spouse inside a doll and design said doll as a proper binding 'box', as it were. She is being sustained in the mortal realm, but if she were to be released from her 'box', she would definitely either succumb to death or undeath. Acheron is supplying her with raw necromantic energy to persist and try to heal. All that said, no, she is not being directly affected by any magic of any kind. She is being fed and protected, not changed or 'pushed' in any way…” I rubbed my chin in thought. “Schrodinghorn,“ I hummed.

“I’d go with Schroding,” offered Cadance. “It has a better ring to it, doesn’t it? Plus we don’t know if she’ll turn out as a pony, human, or anything, really.”

Shining nodded, “It covers her otherworldly nature. I suppose now we’re left with referencing her warlike one.”

My sister added, “What about Bastet?”

“Like the Bast Dynasty?” Cadance asked.

“The cat people actually named themselves after the goddess Bastet, also known as ‘She of the Salve Jar’. She’s also supposedly one side of the war goddess Sekhmet, a war deity and protector of the rightful ruler…” then added as an aside, in sotto, “exclusively.” She smiled serenely, “I’d say it ties together well, don’t you?”

A chorus of agreements rang out at the table.

“Bastet Schroding,” I sampled the name. “It certainly sounds unique. Fitting of her standing.” I nodded in agreement, disenchanting the list of broken letters.

I wondered what Acheron would think of his spouse having a cat's name. It’s a very strong, yet very childish name.

~~~ ⚕ ~~~

I woke up to the sound of laughter. I reflexively checked to see if I was still holding onto her.

I felt different. More at ease. It was suspicious. I reached out with my other senses. I recognized Luna’s familiar scent and heartbeat from within her grasp.

“Good morning, Acheron,” I could hear her smiling. I also took note of the fact that I didn’t notice her making a mental link. Bothersome.

I groaned, “How long was I out?”

I tried focusing inwards to find what was different. I was properly bound, so I no longer relied on any soul seals as go-betweens. Which was good, because it seemed my last stunt had left absolutely nothing of my seals and runes left. Mistress Death also mentioned the possibility of side effects...

There was a wall. When I pushed against it, it gave, but didn't break. As soon as I focused intent to pierce it, I realized what Luna did for me.

I left the gift be. Heavens knew I could use a break.

My guardian's next words completely drew me out of my musings. “Your eyesockets are on fire.”

It took me a while to register what she said. By then she spoke again, “Are you feeling alright?” She was maintaining her composure, but it was clear her concern was increasing rapidly.

“Yes, I’m well. I don’t feel anything wrong.” The others in the area were shifting nervously. I wanted to check something, “What does the fire look like? Does it glimmer or shine? What color is it?”

“The embers are red with yellow centers, as opposed to the smaller red ones you had during your trances. They're ethereal and gleaming, like a couple of small and angry Will-o'-Wisps. Also, they're interfering with my Clairvoyance spell, we can't share vision.”

'Death also mentioned an 'impressive reaction' last night.' A few seconds of consideration later, I offered, "There is a strong possibility that this development is benign. Though I will need to conduct tests to be certain."

"Would a doctor be able to do anything?" she asked.

I swayed my head from side to side. "If my life-force starts getting either drained or poisoned… well, they'd need knowledge which I do not know if they have."

Luna drew in a long, hard breath, then her magic ignited. “Sister, what do you think?” Celestia’s magic ignited in a similar ley matrix, then I felt eyes literally peering into my soul.

The older diarch rang out, “I can’t find anything wrong. Maybe he should try casting a spell?”

"And risk agitating what might be wrong?" Luna offered rhetorically.

"I can stop as soon as you detect anything wrong," I supplied.

Taking their silence as compliance, since agreement was too heavy, I started to focus magic into the problem area. Since my current magical aptitude was at the level of pushing and pulling and hoping for something to go 'click', I just kept going, always ready to stop immediately at any point in time. “I have no idea what I’m doing, so you’ll have to guide me.”

“Your concentration is erratic,” Luna criticized. “Stop pushing so hard, there’s no hurry.” A few seconds later, “...There! Just keep going like that a few seconds longer!”

All I could do was to follow her instructions blindly… “Wait.”

“What is it?” a different, younger voice rang out from further within the room.

The pun was not intentional. I was figuratively flailing randomly until blurred sensation of black started replacing the nothingness one would typically associate with a lack of eyes.

I pulled my eyelids open, maintaining the flow of magic. "...It's not average sight," I noted as I gained focus. "I think it's spirit sight."

Vigor, thought and emotion. The billowing youth of six good-hearted young ladies, a glimmering beacon of morality and duty which I ventured was Shining Armor, a cascade of empathy and joy right next to him, and finally the tempered storms of the two royal sisters.

You can't really see these things in the typical sense of the word. Honestly, all I could see were swirls of 'colors' where people's auras either wafted or dispersed; pervading around close-by objects in the physical world, shaping outlines the way a stream flows around rocks.

Without thinking, I locked my eyes on the doll in my grasp. There was a spark, infinitely small. That infinity constituted what my spouse was now. Not of the living, but something… other. Outside mortal reckoning.

How was I going to awaken her?

"It's not sight, it's some sort of ability caused by my affinity and Necromantic energy," I pointed out, holding my head in pain. I cut off the flow and felt my vision fade back to nothing.

A new development, I felt the flow of magical energy shift towards the doll.

"So, no danger, save for a headache caused by unusual senses. I should get used to it if I use the spell more... and learn how to cast it properly."

"Sounds like magical feedback. It's no surprise you'd get a headache."

'Again with that voice, I sighed. "I'm sorry, we haven't been properly introduced, have we?"

Author's Notes:

Shorter chapter, cause it was uneventful and I needed to push things along up a hill. If anyone has anything constructive to offer, etc etc.

Next chapter we're jumping into the "Welcome to Equestria" party. And potentially some made-up leaders from made-up countries will start arriving for an after-party meeting.

Chapters slowed to a crawl. Sorry, truth is I'm just kinda burned out.

To those who ask when I'm planning on finishing this thing. I'm stretched thin as is. I'm at the point where I believe it would be best for this story to just finish a first ark as soon as possible, then leave the second ark for when I first gather at least ten or so chapters, pre-read of course.

Are you disappointed? Are you happy this thing is still comatose-ing its way forward? Feel free to be whichever.

Calm

~~~ ⚕ ~~~

[...]"No, not quite dead yet."[...]

I woke up from the dream, trying to grasp at something nonexistent with a hand I didn’t have. I found the pony doll She was using as a shell was still in my grasp, her forehooves and head hanging over my own forehoof. Under my other forehoof was a book, one using a system called 'Braylle'(*), which I’ve become accustomed to.

‘No,’ I thought. ‘Not a dream, but a memory.’

I got up and worked the kinks in my neck. I was still getting used to needing sleep, so I might’ve fallen asleep somewhere strange again.

A gentle voice rang out, “Had a nice nap, Sir?”

It was a servant girl which Luna had hired to be my chaperone. Since I behaved the way I did with Cross Heart, the princess had me give my word that I’d behave myself. I gave it, of course, but not without stressing in my own turn that I would never lay a finger on the demure servant. Or hoof, if one were to be pedantic.

After a few moments to put together the foreign words in my head, I answered, “It was rest-full, thank you… ergh… Por-see-lain?”

She giggled at my broken Equish, “It’s Porcelain, Sir. Though I have to admit you’re speaking quite fluently considering you’ve only been learning our language for three days.”

I had a child’s receptive mind. I also had Luna’s mental seal to keep my more disruptive memories in their place. And while I no longer had soul seals to keep my mental chemistry in check, it was more than made up for with a modicum use of the type of meditation and mental training you would expect from a user of volatile magics.

While making a list of translated words didn’t hurt, there was still the fact that I was learning an alien language from the ground up. Syntax, morphology, even pronunciation with a new mouth.

Also, they do not even use the decimal system since they do not have fingers, they only have two hooves. And not having fingers as learning tools, ponies instead use a wooden tool devised in ‘the Bast Dynasty’, something called an abacus. A frame around twelve thin strips, each strip having twelve beads that could slide along them.

They use the duodecimal (or dozenal) system, which was something else I needed to learn from the ground up.

I had a lot of knowledge to digest, which contributed to my already drowsy state these past few days.

“So,” I said, “do we have any-thing schedule for today?”

“It’s ‘scheduled’, Sir. And yes, actually. You do remember that your welcoming party will be this evening, don’t you?”

After a few moments of realization, I nodded, “I may have forgotten.”

I focused a small amount of magic into the flames I had for eyes. Will-o-Eyes. Eye-mbers… I could make out Porcelain’s vague outline which was supposed to be of a white pelt and blue mane. My range was only of a couple of feet around me, although it was of the entire circular area surrounding me.

With what I assumed was a smile on her face, the young servant picked me up on her back, “Come on then, Sir Acheron. Let’s go get ready. I’m certain you’d like to make a good impression.”

I sighed at being called Sir, as well as at my lack of agency. ‘So much for taking action.’

We didn’t have much preparation to make, just a bit of combing and then suiting up.

A few compliments regarding my appearance which I didn't listen to later, Porcelain asked, "Is something bothering you, Sir?"

"Nothing wrong," I managed. "Maybe, a little nervous. About speaking to a big group."

"There's nothing to worry about, Sir. Look-oh." Porcelain stopped in consideration for a moment. "How about I look below at the reception area and you can ask me what I see?"

She asked so earnestly, I decided to not snark about how the Royal Dressing Room (obligatory capital letters) was conveniently overlooking the party’s reception area.

"Okay," was my answer, unfortunately I did not try too hard to match her earnestness lest I fail spectacularly.

The young maid was surprised at what she saw, "There seem to be a lot of reporters outside, they must want to get a picture of you. It's a good thing the guards are keeping them out, there must be over two dozen of them."

"Could any of them... Sneak in, some-where else?" I asked

"Well, I wouldn't be surprised if they did. While the guards have gotten used to catching them trying to sneak into the castle, well, where there's a will there's a way, Sir."

"Mm-hmm... What's a reporter?"

"Ergh, well you see sir..."

Porcelain also described hearing mention of a couple of dignitaries already being present elsewhere at the castle, one of the Zebra Alliance and one of Gryphonia. Which I surmised were a zebra and a gryphon respectively, which were apparently similarly sapient as ponies were.

Among the early-comers were both nobles and those of more common social standing, of course it was clear that the latter were less than a third of the former in number.

While she was describing the busy atmosphere below, as the preparations weren't finished yet, my mind wandered off. I later didn’t have the faintest idea as to where my mind went off to.

“Prince Acheron?” Porcelain woke me out of my stupor. “Are you alright?”

I blinked, gathering my bearings.

“I am fine. Just… distracted.”

A short pause, then she replied, “Perhaps you would like some tea to help blow away the cobwebs?”

“I assume that means to help me wake up?”

“Yes, sir,” I perceived motion through my spirit sight, I assumed she nodded.

“I would like that, thank you.”

She bowed her head and left, “Right away, sir.”

After she left, I finally let my grimace show. “I wish she didn’t call me ‘sir’.”

“Then why don’t you tell her?”

The sudden voice and presence right next to me had me jumping in surprise. I hadn’t heard anyone coming, perhaps I really was out of it.

After a moment to register what had happened, I took in the voice’s owner’s features in the spirit world. It was a certain turbulent concentration of energy and joy which I recognized from a few days prior.

“Pink Pie, was it?” I managed out.

“It’s Pin-kie Pie, Ronnie!” she rectified joyfully, loudly, while sticking her cheek to mine. “Still, your Equish is getting really good! You’ve been working hard, haven’t you?”

“...Yes.” I didn’t really have much time to say anything else before Pinkie started again.

“How about we take a break and have some fun? Oh! I know! How about we play hide and go seek? Or Pin the Tail on the Pony? Or-”

“That sounds suspicious.”

My retort seemed to put her tirade to a halt. “Huh?”

I shook my head. “Nothing.” Perhaps here it was not as commonplace as in Vertigus to be weary of strangers, regardless of whether the stranger might be a seemingly innocent young woman. But the fact remained that I did not sense the faintest grain of ill-will from her spirit. So, going against my paranoia, I let my guard down. Just a little. “I ap-preci-ate, but no thank you. Also, I be-leave you should ask Porce-lain, not me.”

“Oh. Okay then.” The mare, which I imagined to be extremely pink, didn’t seem to lose stride at all, and went right back into her ranting. “So if Porcelain is okay with it, then you’d like to come and see how the party preparations are coming along? I mean sure, I know what I’m doing, and you did say you were okay with me and my friends using ‘our best judgement’, but I’m sure the others would really like it if you came along and gave some input. This is your party after all. Plus, while you’re down, maybe you could try making some friends too! Wouldn’t that be great?”

It took me a while to realize she finished talking. “Not great at Equish yet. Slow down.”

With a slight, microscopic hint of frustration, she tried again, “Please come and check the party preparations? My friends and I would really like it if you did!”

'I could use a break anyway.' I nodded, "Wait for Porcelain, then we may go."

~~~ 🌙 ~~~

Worgs, giant spiders, mountain-sized manticores, these were only a few creatures on the first page of a single category of the list of dangerous monsters from Vertigus which I had asked Acheron to compile. There were six other similar categories, making a total of seven. There was also an eighth shorter category listed separately, filled with descriptions of entities of Catastrophe-class or higher.

Strange creatures could be heard from Everfree Forest. Since the forest was more wild instead of more silent, one can assume that whatever Incursion had appeared, it did not kill everything in the forest.

Soldiers were dispatched to Ponyville, however I wasn’t very reassured of how useful they might prove.

‘About as useful as they’ve been during Cadance’s wedding,’ I groused internally.

I dropped the papers back on Captain Gleam's desk and asked, "How goes the Guard's new training regiment?"

The soldier straightened again as she answered, "About as to be expected, Ma'am. The mares are skittish and the stallions are unruly. The problem is that it would appear that they don't like needing to stick their necks out for the young Prince, especially after the stunt he pulled. I hope he makes a darned good impression tonight."

‘He better.’ I already discussed the matter with him. Acheron made a good point in that we needed to keep to a middle ground. Apologize too eagerly and the guards would eagerly believe themselves victims, however not acknowledging their grievances at all would break their trust. They needed to rationalize that things were going to be more dangerous from here on, without starting a revolt over the pretext that 'it's all his fault'.

"He will assume his responsibility for the situation, not any kind of error. I won't have him becoming guilty for something he couldn't help. If anyone has anything to object, I will hear them out. What takes priority is that the guards are ready for anything that may come. To that end, I ask that you make certain they fully understand the situation by the end of the afternoon."

Gleam nodded, "I will make sure they do."

I am not Celestia, I act according to my station. However, this instance required a slight exception.

I shed my posture and tone, "Thank you."

The captain broke out of her soldierly guise upon hearing my frank response. "Your Highness?"

I shook my head, "The guards only think they understand, Captain. They're biased. They believe that there's nothing worse than what they've faced in a changeling hive. They think that just because they've seen something dark, then they're qualified to face anything. But not you.

"I've read your reports, Captain. Every time a threat arose, you didn't face it head-on, you smoldered it. Even before you rose in rank, you followed your orders uncompromisingly. Tell me, why is that?"

"Because no matter what you do, there's always a chance for failure, Your Highness. It's not a matter of if, but of when."

She was likely saying the same words she did to anyone else who ever asked. "Does this have anything to do with the mission you had with Shining Armor two years ago?"

She tensed at the question, and her soldierly guise went back on. "I will make sure the Guard are ready, Your Highness. Now, if you don’t need anything else, I would like to get back to work."

I nodded in understanding. “I thank you again. And, if you would like someone to talk to, just know that I’ve seen my fair share of horrors as well.”

I left the office, resuming my inspection of the guards in the halls.

They were not ready. They’ve defeated dragons by talking them down, they were never truly burned.

My sister and I already discussed our options. Either we kept Acheron away from civilization, or we revised the Guard’s training. Since the latter was something we truly needed regardless, we decided to at least wait a while for our soldiers to rise up to the challenge. However, when I looked them in the eyes as I passed, I did not find the needed survivor's resolve.

I stopped in the halls, deep in thought.

‘If telling them won’t suffice, then perhaps showing them will.’

I approached one of the guards. “I want everyone in the training hall, now.”

Not waiting for the guard to answer, I teleported ahead.

Fifteen minutes later, the hall started to fill up. By then I had prepared the spell Lady Death had left for us, only set to summon instead of banish.

Once I decided enough had arrived, I addressed them.

“I have called you here in order to discuss a particular recent development you all should be familiar with. Raise of hooves, how many of you have received a copy of the instructions regarding what to do when faced with one of the Incursions?”

‘Everyone rose a hoof. So far so good.’

I pointed at one of them. “Would you please offer your input?”

The guard took a moment to formulate an answer, “Standard defense against magical beasts, Ma’am. We do it all the time.”

I forced down a growl. “Does anyone else agree?”

More than three quarters rose their hooves. I nodded.

“I require three volunteers among the ones who share the sentiment.”

An earth pony, a pegasus and a unicorn stepped forward. Lieutenants, going by their uniform. They appeared sufficiently confident, so the others would not assume I picked weaklings.

“I am going to summon one of the weaker beasts from the lists Prince Acheron had written for us to prepare. I believe a worg will prove a good challenge for three experienced soldiers such as yourselves, yes?” They nodded without a hint of worry. I channeled the spell, “I suggest you draw your weapons.”

After a blinding flash of the spell, a shifting vortex appeared between myself and the volunteers. After moments, the vortex subsided, but it did not disappear. Instead, it appeared to reshape into the form of a massive wolf-like beast, half again larger than myself.

Its fur was a shifting black, like a blood moon’s light being reflected off a pool of dark water. Its face was fiendish, the energy it was formed from appeared to focus around its intensely glowing eyes. Its breath carried the scent of blood.

Acheron had divided his list into categories pertaining to which Endless sphere they belonged to. A large number of the creatures listed in the sphere of Destruction were energy-related entities. Archons, animunculi, Dullahan. Apparently the circle of Evocation had an... interesting visible effect on beasts. Then again, the Snallighast was presumably a common carrion bird before linking to the sphere of Death.

“Remember what the list said. They are intelligent.”

My familiar ignored me, instead growling and barking at the three lieutenants, staring at them with enough malice to still a lesser pony’s heart in fright.

The three held their ground, only barely. The other guards in the chamber also nervously brought out their weapons.

“I will let the beast go now. Try and last for ten seconds, will you?”

The volunteers did not have time to answer. The moment I let go, the worg was on top of the unicorn, its fangs held away from the pony’s jugular by her spear.

The other two only blinked stupidly at the scene, their colleague’s screaming in horror turned into gurgling as the fangs found their mark.

I banished the beast, and took my time preparing a healing spell. The remaining seven and a half seconds should’ve been enough for the image of the fallen unicorn to be burned into the other guards’ minds.

Once I was certain the mare was safe - she lost her helmet, the Uniform enchantment gone with it - I addressed her sternly, “Get up.”

Apparently it was not stern enough, since she was still bawling uncontrollably. By this point the other lieutenants had backed away, joining their peers in a building uproar, one of them leaving behind a yellow puddle on the floor.

I let out a sigh, then ignited my Aspect.

“CALM.”

Everything became muted. The air was heavy, sound ceased, minds remained still. It was the peace I offer them every night, with the exception of leaving their faculties unaffected now. They were fully aware of what had happened, they just weren’t panicking anymore. Whether the now fully healed mare minded or not, it could wait. Right now, I expected them to listen.

“I apologize, but this is your cold shower,” I declared, ceasing my channeling.

I had their attention now. I picked the mare up in my magic and levitated her over to stand with the rest.

“That, my subjects, was a denizen from another world. A world that hadn’t been tamed through millennia of magical influence by a benevolent pantheon. One that was left to its own devices. Wild. Uncompromising. Free. And no, before you assume Vertigus to be some kind of vile hellscape, it is actually our world that is the exception.”

They were transfixed. In that moment, I was the only thing that mattered in the world.

“Since according to Multiversal average, it’s more likely to find a world without gods altogether, followed by a world with gods that do not hold empathy for the mortals whom they perceive as lesser. Less than a thousandth of worlds with gods have a benevolent pantheon.”

I gave them the best disappointed look I could muster, “Vertigus isn’t hell, you’re just privileged.”

Studying their faces, I noted a theme of shame tinting their cumulative demeanour. A few disbelieving ones here, a few uncomprehending ones there, but the final result was satisfactory. If even an eighth of those humbled had learned something, then perhaps even one among said eighth would go on to inspire her colleagues. Of course in tandem with future lectures of this sort, though hopefully not this severe.

To move forward, one needs to start with but a single step. And even if they weren’t ready in time for the next Incursion to save one life, at least they would know which way to correct themselves to save the next life. Assuming that losing one life would have that minimal lesson to it, for it to have such minimal meaning.

“I asked you if you were ready for the danger we’re faced with. I have received my answer. I will give you three days to prepare to face that same beast a second time. If you cannot fend it off for an entire minute, then I will take my colt and leave. No use having innocent ponies die meaninglessly.”

“And where would you go?”

My gaze traced over to one of the chamber’s entrances. Celestia was the one who asked, a troubled Ardent Gleam at her side.

I shrugged. “Somewhere far removed from civilization. Perhaps the ruins of our former home. You’re welcome to visit, of course. Just make sure you’re ready in case you come upon an Incursion.”

Celestia took a while of consideration before answering. “Well then,” she looked upon our subjects critically, “let us hope they will do better next time.”

With that, she walked out. Their attention went back to me.

I cast one final diagnosis spell on the now healed mare. "What is your name, soldier?"

Still holding her neck, she managed out, "Swan Song, Ma'am..."

I nodded. "I apologize the test went as badly as it did. You may take the day off if you wi-"

"No!"

I was taken aback by her sudden outburst. She went on, a burning determination in her eyes, "That is, I think I could use some more training, Ma'am."

After a few more moments, others of her colleagues joined her in solidarity. Captain Ardent glided over to the front of the group, facing me off evenly. "While I don't agree with your little stunt, Princess, I can't argue with your reasoning. Still, next time you want to do something as brash as your son, consider trying talking things out first."

I shook my head. "I now realize what my son wanted was to show our guards something, when words did not suffice. Rather than to let live in ignorance, would it not be better to live a little longer under hardship?"

Ardent's mouth opened to respond, then closed. After a few moments of consideration, she straightened herself again, though this time her soldierly guise seemed less forced. "We won't let you down, Ma'am."

I smiled and bowed. With a lighter heart, I teleported to my chambers. A sigh, then I headed for my study. There would be paperwork needed to be prepared in case I would leave, though hopefully I would not need to use them in the end.

Author's Notes:

(*) It's a pun, if it wasn't obvious enough.
Next chapter, Acheron interacts with the Mane 6. In real time, that would be in around a year or so.
Again, constructive criticism is welcome.

Bravery alone

~~~ ⚕ ~~~

Of the six Bearers, I found Pinkie Pie to be quite charming. That said, after a decade with minimal social interaction, the hyperactive girl was tiring for me to interact with; or rather, I should be referring to her as a mare, the way I've heard being said until now.

While she was carelessly hopping along, leading me and Porcelain down stairs, through hallways, then into the ballroom, she once again forgot that I couldn’t keep up with her yard(*)-a-second rambling. Instead of trying in vain to keep up with her words, I took stock of my affiliation with them. I recalled them telling me that they wished to aid me in my attempt to turn a new page in my life, so I deliberated what said ‘aid’ might entail.

They were young. They seemed like eager, earnest individuals. Their personalities were as contrasting from one another as they could get, yet the girls held each other in unmistakable rapport, covering for each others' shortcomings. It wasn’t a matter of them merely being coworkers, my spirit sight allowed me to recognize that they genuinely cared for one another.

Although it was quite stirring, their cooperation was nonetheless the only thing I respected them for.

I insisted to Luna that it was only a matter of time before they would strike me down at the first hint of anything resembling a pretext. They might be friendly now, but they would inevitably keep digging, pushing and forcing me to conform until they realized that I couldn't change to the point they wanted me to. Luna rebutted that she would be watching the girls intently, and would tear into them herself at the first hint of treachery, yet that it was still important that I gave the six 'heroes' a chance.

Black and white mentality and frivolity in accusing another, due to carefree lives and general inexperience. Recklessness due to lack of failure, the reassurance of an echo chamber which their group offers eagerly to one another. The accomplishments of saving the world repeatedly, by bravely scaling insurmountable odds through heedless use of an unfathomable weapon. Bravery alone does not a victor make. These weren't heroes, they were just children caught in the midst of events beyond their understanding.

Luna insisted that their strength did not lie in martial ability, wisdom or adaptability, but in something foreign to me that was imperative that I understood. Far be it for me to not offer her the basic courtesy of trusting her word. At the very least, to stand by my word given to Cross Heart, that I would give this world a chance before dismissing it and its denizens.

I decided to give the six 'heroes' the benefit of the doubt long enough to not overlook whatever it was that Luna wanted me to find. That said, my already strained attention wavered when it came to the disgustingly optimistic pink mare.

‘[...]obably think natural selection is unnatural, how full of themselves. Harmony, is it? Such a wondrous and unassuming thing to associate your species to. Such a disarming guise.’

“Ronnie?”

‘Like any religion, it merely allows for different excesses through loopholes.’

"Hey, Ronnie!"

‘Different targets to direct one's fears and dissatisfac-’

"Ronnie!"

"Oh yore gohds! What?!"

There was the noise of people busily preparing for the festivities around the ballroom. My spirit sight picked up Pinkie standing next to someone.

The party pony spoke, “You should pay more attention to your surroundings.”

I would’ve offered a reprisal, however between my poor comprehension of the language and the fact that I was, indeed, daydreaming again, I decided to bite my tongue instead.

After a sigh of resignation, I responded, “I’m lis-te-ning.”

The figure next to Pinkie Pie spoke, “I tried to greet you, kid, but you seemed a little spaced out there.”

I took a while to recall the name of whom I've heard that voice from again. She was the boisterous one, wasn’t she? I pointed at her, “Dash?”

“That’s me,“ she met my outstretched hoof with her own in a form of greeting. “Happy to see you’re out of your tower, kid. We should hang out when Pinkie’s done with you.”

“What do you-”

Before I could finish my sentence, my surroundings shifted and I found myself in front of someone else. The sounds of the walking and chatting in the ballroom were replaced with more hectic banging of pots and pans, and shaking and mixing of food over lit stoves.

Which I took note of after I gathered my bearings, after I fell off Porcelain's back. I also took note of the squeak sound my head made upon impact with the floor.

“Oh dear!” Porcelain exclaimed while pulling me close. I assumed her dismay was over my fall, as well as the sudden change in surroundings.

Pinkie spoke, “Hey Applejack! You busy? I got a colt here who could use some grub! And also maybe he could give some last-minute input?”

A short delay later, the farmer answered, “Hey there, Prince. Ah’ll get a spread done in a jiffy. Anything in particular you want to tide ya over?”

Setting aside my annoyance, I considered the forced smile I could hear from the farmer. A brief channel of my Spirit Sight confirmed her antipathy directed at me. I suspected it had something to do with my dark and deviant history rubbing her humble and traditionalist upbringing the wrong way. Aside for other personal and non-personal issues, I suspected.

“A fruit would be nice.”

“Alright, fruit it is.” Applejack handed me an apple. I didn’t know whether to be surprised or relieved. “You behave now, ya hear?”

The next moment my surroundings shifted again.

“My goodness, Miss Pie! Stop doing that!”

“Stop what?” Pinkie asked with what I knew was a stupid look of fake ignorance on her face.

I couldn't really offer any satisfactory input myself at the time. All I could say was, "Not fun."

That seemed to hit the mark regardless. "Come on, Ronnie! It too was fun!"

"Porcelain does not like it. I get con-fuze. No one is have-ing fun."

"Confused, sir."

"Yes, that."

The pink mare was still holding on to her drive by a thread, "Didn't you like it even a little bit?"

Porcelain said with finality, "I'm sorry, ma'am, but you'll just have to find a different crowd."

"Oh. Sorry." Pinkie’s spirit seemed to deflate a tad, before she bounced right back, addressing whomever she took us to. “Anyway, hey girls. How’s decoration?”

"Ahem," an as-of-yet unknown voice rang out.

"You need some water for that cough?" was Pinkie's retort, doing an excellent job of playing the fool again. I took a bite out of my apple, and involuntarily let out a sound of approval.

I guessed the owner of the strange voice gave a deadpan, while eager Twilight took the initiative, "It's going very well, Pinkie! The curtains and banners are all geometrically aligned, the tables are spread evenly throughout the room minus the dancing area and music stage in the center-"

"It's all ready, darling," went a more sophisticated voice, at least she was determined to make herself sound that way. "It took a great amount of arguing, but we eventually came to a consensus."

"Speak for yourself, I'm just about to go deliver my report."

In a tone betraying a suppressed long-suffering sigh, Rarity addressed the nameless voice, "Formal Note, as I've said before, your input is appreciated, but only if it's constructive. So far, all you did was shoot down everything we suggested-"

She barely had time to finish before this man intervened, "That's merely because none of your suggestions were up to Canterlot standard! If you stopped to conside-"

I finished my apple, core and all, and discarded the stem.

"Excuse me," my words rang out sufficiently coherently for once, if I were to judge. "Who asked you to be here?"

I could only imagine the look of surprise that the stallion was making. It was quite simple, unless whoever sent this fool here was one of the two ruling Diarchs, his authority in the matter was as substantial as Rarity allowed. I was there when Celestia appointed the six girls with final say in how the preparations went.

So, either this fellow was here due to meddlesome bureaucratic reasons that even Celestia could not forego, andhe was here to 'supervise' or some such; or someone of questionable position but varying incompetence and/or foolishness arranged for this buffoon to interfere with a royal decree for non-job-reasons.

And a royal ward just asked him who it was that sent him. Now, I was no expert, but going by the sudden spike of fear I could smell from this fellow, it would appear that my hunch was correct. My own standing was not Luna's, he could brush me off or criticize me as he pleased, but the act of either outright lying or undermining me or either one of those following royal decree (namely any of the six Bearers) would be another matter.

He took a calming breath. "L-lord Acheron. I am merely working in the Crown's best interes-"

I cut him right off, as he did to the seamstress before. "On whose dir-ec-tion?" Before he decided to try to hide behind his thumb, or make a run for it, I added, "Say it, or I will say it was on yours."

Rarity decided to try the conciliatory role, "Now now, Asclepius dear. I'm certain he didn't mean any-"

"It was Prince Blueblood, sir. Please don't mind me."

Immediately, Rarity's line of dialogue ended like a broken string. I was not channeling my Spirit Sight yet I still perceived an intense flare of indignation from her. There was also the matter of everyone taking a step away from her, except for Footnote who was rooted in place in fear.

Her voice was strained, her tone was unmistakably that of someone forcing down a vicious grimace under a struggling smile, "I see. Well, Formal Note, you'd best be on your way. We'll handle everything from here on."

The stallion took a few moments to pull together the presence of mind before finally running off like his tail was on fire.

Porcelain offered, "Prince Blueblood is the master of the royal household, Miss Rarity. His obligations include managing any matters that concern how the public sees the royal family, in this case how they receive Prince Acheron. I suspect he will come to address us shortly."

I kept a straight, slightly sympathetic face, "How the public sees me? I do not envy him."

Rarity retorted, her indignation receding to a simmer, "Don't waste your sympathy on Blueblood, dear. That ungentlecoltly foal can handle himself. It's everypony that's forced to be around him that you should feel sorry for."

Porcelain nodded knowingly, "He can be… Difficult. He is only slightly worse than most nobles."

"Isn't he Ce-le-sti-a's grand-child?" I asked.

Rarity offered my words the minimum amount of consideration, "Great grandchild, but don’t let her hear that. Everypony related to her call her aunt for a reason. And yes, he may be her blood, but he most certainly does not show it."

"You would think she would prevent her… 'neph-yew' from turning too disage-ugh…"

She picked up my slack, "Disgraceful?”

“Yes.”

“I would have to agree, dear. Alas, it is quite a shame. Perhaps one day he might consider improving his behaviour, but until then we must deal with him as he is."

I was about to ask if she meant killing him, but stopped myself.

However, it seemed Twilight saw me opening and closing my mouth, “You wanted to say something, Acheron?”

‘Blast.’ “No, I just… don’t think my presence is needed.”

"Aww, you want to leave?" Pinkie protested.

Rarity took initiative again, "Now now, he may leave whenever he wants." She addressed me next, "Actually, I suppose it will get a little troublesome soon, so go right ahead. You can find Fluttershy in the garden, if you want. Rainbow Dash is probably there as well"

I nodded and turned my head to Porcelain to lead us away. She picked me back up on her back, which I did not protest to, and gave me a piggy back ride away (yey). Behind us, Rarity went on, "Pinkie dear, how about you give us your opinion on the streamers we should use? Twilight believes flowers would be better-"

"At a colt's party? Twilight, are you crazy!"

"Well Spike never complained," was the scholar's uncertain answer. I imagined this Spike fellow was in dire need of a male role model.

~~~ 🌙 ~~~

It took me close to an hour to finish everything. By the end, I had a stack of thirty-four sheets outlining a few things: To whom fell authority of the Night Guard; how updates and contact would be maintained with me pertaining to any and all Incursion activity, as well as any other critical development which would require my aid; the details of a restraining order keeping any and all reporters, nobles, what have you, from approaching me or my son outside of very detailed exceptions; the fact that just because I was delegating my responsibilities meant that I was renouncing my status, not my heritage (which alone required twenty pages); finally, regarding my adoption of Acheron.

‘He isn’t old enough to sign anything, he only needs to express his consent to an official agent. Which he will no doubt do out of pragmatism. I would, however, like it if he agreed due to more reason than just pragmatism.’

I worked the kinks out of my shoulders. I didn’t have a secretary to drop my documents on top of, so I stashed them in my pocket subspace(**) for later dropping.

In truth, the country was run by the parliament, my sister and I merely being involved whenever tides needed breaking, or when reforms needed weighed. What Celestia actually kept herself busy with all day were mostly the domestic matters and ails of the more humble ones among our ponies, as well as her personal economic ventures which she mostly dedicates to making our ponies’ lives better. As for myself, aside for managing the Night Guard or burning my time on frivolous arts, all I had to use my work desk for were whatever Celestia either felt I’d want to have a say in, or wanted a second opinion on.

I didn’t receive anything of the sort lately-

<Pop> <Pap>

...I just received such documents, my sister’s magic easily recognized in the teleportation spell that suddenly dropped them on the edge of my desk. Because of course she was aware when I had time to spare.

One document was a request for additional guards received from an outlying town. Celestia already attached a lengthy response explaining that all guards have been sent out with careful consideration, and that any further requests of the sort needed to be forwarded through the officers stationed there. It was nice of her to keep me in the loop.

Another document was an update from one of the coordinating officers detached to such positions. The populace were adjusting well to the increased military presence, but the guards themselves were another matter. They were going to follow their orders with the same discipline as ever, but they weren’t looking forward to putting themselves in danger for Acheron’s sake. I needed to keep in mind how important it was for the boy to make a good impression today.

I regarded another letter quizzically. It was written shakily, as if the transcriber was rushed.

‘I accept your invitation, but I’ll be using it when I darn well please! Also, congratulations. I’m very happy for you. Don’t expect a gift.’ Signed from Dragon Lord Torch.

‘He actually deemed to offer an answer? He must’ve been in a good mood. It’s definitely more than I can say about Lord Ironhorn.’(***)

While the Zebra and Gryphon dignitaries have already arrived, they merely stayed in their rooms to rest until the event began. I remembered I would need to introduce Acheron to each of them in turn.

The two final letters however were what upset me. It appeared Princess Eloise and Empress Hinode were arriving personally. Blueblood should be receiving them personally.

'I most certainly do not envy the stallion. He may be an effeminate foal, but even he has enough sense to try and reel in his obnoxiousness, as opposed to the shameless, fresh and profiteering thief of a wannabe princess, or the unrelenting, backwards-thinking god complex ‘empress’.’ I considered the fact that aside for meeting and ‘buttering up’ the two unrepentant mares, my nephew has already been busy doing so not just with the other nobles, but the press as well. ‘It’s his job. Though I can’t imagine it was easy before, let alone now that he needs to cover for Acheron. I should thank him, or at the very least offer my help. Although we are both aware of my lack of patience with the two mares’ type, I believe he’d at least appreciate someone covering his flank.’

I picked out his magical signature in the ballroom. He seemed to be in the company of three of the Bearers, coincidentally enough.

Perhaps they were discussing any final touches regarding the festivity’s preparations.

After a few moments of casting, I teleported behind my nephe-

<SPLAT>

There was a chorus of gasps around the ballroom followed by silence. I took note of something wet and sticky dripping from my face. Removing the substance from my eyes, I inspected it to discover it was a slice of pie. The fragments that entered my mouth had the taste of apple pie.

“Did I just teleport into a food fight?”

Fair Rarity looked like she was about to faint, a look which merely intensified when Blueblood opened his mouth, “Auntie, are you alright?”

“At least you ducked instead of using your aunt as a living shield!” Rarity blurted out in a panic.

That seemed to incense my nephew, “You have the gall to act indignant now?!” His shouting surprised the seamstress, going by the step she took back and her lowered ears.

"That's quite enough," I intervened.

"But auntie-"

"No buts, Blueblood. There was no harm done." a quick swipe of magic later, I was as clean as I was seconds before. "It was just a pastry."

He was utterly flummoxed. It seemed he wished to object again, but was smart enough to abstain.

“At any rate,” I turned my attention to the mare, “why exactly was there food being thrown around?”

My nephew opened his mouth to speak, then closed it again when I fixed him with a look. Miss Rarity seemed most reluctant to answer.

“I may have taken exception to something he said.”

“Oh. I understand.” I nodded, then turned my ire her way. “Of course, I cannot agree with trying to drive my nephew off like an animal whenever he says something aggravating. What exactly was it he said?”

“He- uhm, we were in disagreement over who was responsible for our date going poorly during the last Galloping Gala. He even went so far as to sabotage my preparing Prince Acheron’s welcoming party.”

“I did no such thing!” I gave the stallion a critical look. He shuffled in place for a few moments before rectifying, “Though I did send somepony to offer Miss Rarity constructive criticism on the matter.”

“Well then it would seem you were not very clear with Formal Note on the ‘constructive’ part of your instructions.”

I interrupted before Blueblood could make more of a foal of himself. “I believe I’ve heard quite enough. You’re both being childish.” I ignored them both babbling incoherently as I took the decorations in. “It is all lovely. I thank you for your efforts, Miss Rarity, regardless of any eventual sabotaging. Now, could you two please behave yourselves for the rest of the night, or will I have to ask the guards to chaperone you?”

They settled their inability to communicate, Blueblood settled into a half-bow and answered, “No, auntie, we will behave.” Rarity nodded.

“Good.” I looked around the ballroom and offered a critical look to those who decided to gawk at us, they immediately went back to doing what they were doing before. Young Twilight, Applejack and Pinkie Pie were pretending they were not looking our way a moment ago.

The remaining two bearers were approaching from the garden, with Acheron and his maid in tow. They were likely attracted by the commotion.

“Also, nephew. I trust you’ve heard that we are expecting two more foreign guests?”

“You mean their Highness Princess Eloise the twenty-third and Empress Tsukikoe Hinode? Yes, I have been informed. I have everything ready for their reception.”

“Well done. Do tell me if you need help dealing with them.”

He offered a curt nod, “I will, auntie. Thank you.”

I took in Acheron's appearance, doll in hoof and sharply dressed.

"Are you enjoying yourself, my colt?"

He shrugged, "Taking break from studying."

"Indeed, you have been working hard, haven't you? I'm certain there is something we can do to have 'fun' tonight."

Author's Notes:

(*) Get it? As in, graveyard?... Okay, maybe that was a bit of a stretch.

(**) It's her personal magical portable hammerspace dimension. I had her mention it before, describing it as a reasonable thing that would exist because magic, although the price range would depend on the quality of the spell. Also, as a bonus, you can use it as a pretext for why the (now alternate) main universe ponies apparently had pouches or whatever inside their flanks before the animators decided to start giving them saddles on the rare occasions when they were going to need to pull something out of somewhere.

(***) All I know about Lord Torch is from this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HU0KOjVNQno
And from pictures on google about him and his mate. I'm assuming he's a relatively competent leader, a brute, and that he has a soft spot for family. I will put aside time to see the episodes at some point and decide what I want to keep and what I want to change.
Dunno if anything minotaur-related was expanded upon since Iron Will or not.