Chapter 5

Twilight was excited. Today was going to be the first real day of her apprenticeship. The young unicorn had barely returned to her own quarters after the outing with Shining before a page had arrived, telling her to meet Princess Luna in her private study. Hardly able to contain her glee, Twilight had hurriedly made herself presentable and took off back down the corridor. She wondered which branch of magic Luna would teach her first. Each and every branch was important, of course, but she was secretly hoping that Luna would start with Light. Everything about that branch fascinated the bookish mare, from the extremely useful healing spells down to the simplest lighting spell. Or maybe they would start with Nature first, the magic that caused things to grow. Twilight has always wanted a small garden of her own, and maybe Luna would  start with the magic that would make growing one easier. But a small part of her mind whispered that Luna would want to start with Discord magic, throwing a slight damper upon her enthusiasm.

Twilight wasn’t sure she would be able to handle that. A great many uneducated folk insisted that Discord-based magic was evil. Twilight scoffed at the idea, but it was true that Discord magic was… well… not very nice. Animosity, of course, was the opposite of Friendship. The most Twilight knew about it was that it focused on manipulating your foes, deceiving them and preventing them from becoming too attached to you. Animosity was a valued tool for unicorns in Equestria Intelligence, as it was perfect for making sure a spy kept their cover even if enemies knew they were there. Then came Destruction, a magic that took everything Light stood for and obliterated it. Destruction was probably the only branch of magic with so much raw, pure power. Then there was Chaos, a magic that focused on turning reality upside down, and Hatred, which turned your most personal feelings into a tangible weapon. Lastly… there was Necromancy.

To be honest, this was the branch of Discord magic Twilight was afraid of the most. There was so little actually published on the subject. Very few unicorns ever practiced Necromancy, and the ones who did were always closely watched by Princess Luna. It was rumored that bringing the dead back to life was impossible, but if it was, Necromancy would not be able to exist. Twilight was so wrapped up in her own thoughts and worries that she didn’t even notice she had passed the hallway leading to Luna’s study. It wasn’t until she ran smack into a suit of armor she didn’t recall being there previously that she realized her mistake. The unicorn backtracked to the correct hallway and proceeded down it, struggling to calm her nerves. Princess Luna knew what she was doing. If she wanted to teach Twilight Necromancy, everything was going to be all right. Twilight knocked gently upon the door to the study.

“Enter,” came the call.

Twilight nudged open the door with a hoof and walked into the spacious room. Princess Luna was seated at the table they had eaten at yesterday, smiling gently at her newest apprentice. For a brief moment, Twilight thought she saw something else in the princess' eyes. But just as quickly it was gone again, leaving Twilight unsure if she had seen it or not. Twilight bowed slightly to the princess.

“Luna,” she said, waiting for be acknowledged.

The princess was quick to do so, beckoning her student forward and gesturing to a chair opposite her. “Come, Twilight. We have much to start on. I trust that your morning with your brother was satisfactory?”

Twilight jumped a little, surprised at the question. “Well, eh, yes, it was.” She stammered. “How did you know about that?”

Luna smiled. “I know all about your yearly excursions to the graves of your parents. It is one of the things that helps keep you going.”

Twilight was quiet a moment, slightly saddened. “It does. I only wish they could be here to see me now.”

Luna reached a hoof out to ruffle Twilight’s mane. “I’m sure they can see you now, wherever they are. And I know they would be proud of their only daughter, my faithful student.”

Twilight stared up at Luna, before smiling weakly. “Thank you, princess. I’m going to make sure I do my best. For them.”

Luna nodded. “A wise choice. As you may have surmised, today we are going to properly start your training. However, I must warn you that you must also start learning to properly wield a weapon.”

Twilight looked to her mentor, surprised. “A weapon? What does a weapon have to do with learning magic?”

“Several things, Twilight Sparkle.” Luna admonished. “Unfortunately, seeing as I do not want to spoil so many of your lessons, I can’t really give you a whole lot of details. But you should know, every branch of magic requires the caster to have some form of weapon. It can be something as simple as a quarterstaff, or as brutal as an ax. Most mages settle for something small, like a dagger or swortshord, as they only study one particular branch of magic. You are, of course, free to make your decision on what type of weapon you use., yet I would suggest something capable of holding your magic potential. Now, come. We head to the training grounds.”

More than a little confused by Luna’s words, the unsure unicorn followed her mentor right back out of the study. They set off down a corridor with a brief pacing, barely even glancing at the guards and servants they passed. Twilight, naturally, was lost in thought. She had never heard of any branch of magic requiring a weapon before. as far as she knew, you just said an incantation aloud (if there was one) and cast the spell. But apparently this was not the case. Twilight wasn’t overly concerned about being subpar with weaponry, however. Growing up with a brother in the guard had meant that Twilight often sparred with him whenever he came to visit, and even sometimes by herself when she was really bored and even her books couldn’t keep her company. While she has by no means mastered any one weapon, Twilight felt confident she could at least hold her own no matter what she was using.

Twilight hadn't even noticed that she had followed Luna right out of Canterlot castle and into the nearby training grounds, situated almost right smack in the middle of the giant courtyard. She was even more surprised when Shining Armor trotted up in his full guard armor, helmet tucked under one arm. He sketched a quick bow. “Princess Luna, Twilight. How can I help you two today?”

“I’m actually here to pick up a weapon for my student here, Captain Armor. See as she is your sister, I thought perhaps you might have some idea of what type of weapon might suit her?”

Shining Armor actually grinned. “Do I ever!”

The stallion led the pair over to a weapons rack standing next to the captain’s tent. And there it was, in all of its beautiful and deadly glory: A glaive, specially designed for one Twilight Sparkle. It was easily as long as she was tall while standing on her rear hooves, about four feet. The pole was made of ash and colored lavender, and if one looked closely, they could see the strengthening and durability enchantments upon the wood. The blade was just as impressive, one and a half feet of gleaming Brightsteel, straight and deadly. Near the end of the pole, two scarlet phoenix feathers were attached.

“Wow,” Luna breathed. That right there was what caught Twilight’s attention. Princess Luna was impressed.

Twilight couldn’t stop a half-smirk from forming upon her lips as she stepped closer to the majestic weapon. “It was the very first weapon I even came close to mastering. I was tired of Shining whacking me repeatedly when we sparred, because I just couldn’t find a weapon I was comfortable with. So I had this forged, specially designed for me. I enjoyed the feel of a spear, but didn’t like having to stab. I liked the idea of the cutting prowess of a short sword, but it simply didn’t have the reach I wanted. So, I combined the two and came up with… Grace.” As Twilight spoke the name, the glaive rose gently into the air and floated over to the unicorn. It came to a hover directly over Twilight’s flat raised right hoof and remained there.

Princess Luna stepped closer, examining the glaive more closely. “This is some very expert craftsmanship. Even the enchantments protecting and making it more powerful meld seamlessly with it. Who forged it for you?”

“I forged it myself. I checked out as many books on weaponsmithing as I could find, and then let my magic do the rest. This was the result.”

Luna looked as though her impression of Twilight had skyrocketed. “Impressive indeed. We’ll see how well you use it later. For now, we should really continue back to the castle and return to your lessons.”

More than happy to oblige, Twilight breathed a slight word to Grace. The glaive left her hoof and meandered over to a specially designed harness, where it fit itself snugly. Smiling slightly, Twilight picked the harness up in a flare of magenta. Grace’s holster came to a rest on Twilight’s right side while straps wound themselves gently around her barrel, keeping the weapon and harness in place. Twilight then turned to follow her mentor, sidestepping saluting guardsponies as they went. Right back up to the castle the pair went, and it was not until they were past the front guards did Twilight realize they had not asked her to relinquish her weapon.

“Uh, Prin--Luna? Should I really be carrying a weapon inside the castle?”

Luna glanced back at her student for the briefest of moments. “As one of my apprentices, you will find that there are certain regulations that will no longer apply to you. Being armed while in my presence is one of them.”

“But… we’re not going to be attacked out of nowhere, are we? Is that why I’m allowed to carry Grace?”

Luna laughed warmly. “Of course we are not going to be attacked. But if we are, it would help if you were already prepared. And besides, remember that you’re going to use your weapon in some of the magical teachings.” Luna entered her study again and sat down at the desk once more, waiting for Twilight to get comfortable.

“It took me a great deal of time to decide what branch of magic to start you out with,” Luna began. “I know you want to master each of them, but we can still only do one at a time. However, I recalled something that occurred the other day: You seem to be nervous about Necromancy. And so, that is what we are going to start with today.”

Twilight almost felt herself deflate a little at those words. “Are you sure, princess? I mean… Necromancy should be reserved for unicorns with more practice with magic in general. I--I’m not sure I’m ready.”

“Trust me my faithful student, you are more than ready. I will still be here to guide you, and will help you if it actually turns out you require aid. But the sooner we get this out of the way, the sooner we can focus on other branches, branches that you don’t naturally fear.”

“Okay.” Twilight tried to stop her voice from shaking. “Where do we start?”

“You start by listening to me,” Luna responded with a twinkle in her eye. “Necromancy has the potential to be the most complex branch of magic you’ll ever explore. There are a few rules and regulations that need to be followed at all times, which you will quickly discover on your own. Since hardly anypony actually studies this type of magic, and those who do are not allowed to talk about it, Necromancy is naturally steeped in superstitions. I can assure you right now, all of those superstitions you have heard are wholly incorrect.”

Twilight went wide eyed at this. “But…?” She let the sentence trail off into a question.

“Anything you might have heard of Necromancy is likely to be wrong, Twilight Sparkle. When ponies do not understand something, they make up things. They create reasons, excuses as to why something is evil, or something is bad, because it is easier than simply not knowing at all.”

“I… guess that makes sense.” Twilight frowned dangerously. “But I don’t like making stuff up. I’d rather learn about something, instead of just taking guesses at it.”

“Very good, Twilight, and that is what makes you different from a great deal of my ponies. Now, Necromancy is very hooves on. There are no special incantations, like some of other branches of magic. There are only two majorly important things in Necromancy. The willpower of the summoner, and the soul of the summoned. Since you are just now taking your first steps into this magic, I’ll be the one summoning the soul, so that you can see how it is done.”

Despite herself, Twilight was curious. Right now it didn’t matter if it was Necromancy or not. She was learning, and that was all that was important. “What happens then?”

“Then we will find out if a Link will be formed, or not.”

“A Link?” Now Twilight was just plain confused. “What’s a Link?”

Luna only smiled mischievously. “You’ll find out soon enough, my most faithful student. Now, watch me.”

And watch Twilight did. Luna’s horn suddenly blazed to life, a sickly green tinged with black. As Twilight watched, Luna spoke some more. “This is rather easy for me. I’ve studied Necromancy for a long, long time, thus enabling me to summon any soul I wish, even the one I’m not Linked to. What you are about to see will probably startle you, but I implore you to not freak out.”

Twilight didn’t respond, transfixed by the display. Little motes of energy began falling from Luna’s horn, faster and faster. The princess’ face remained calm, collected. There was no visible strain on her face at all. Twilight marvelled at that fact. She had never seen anypony with so much control over their magic before. Quite soon, however, and Twilight was now preoccupied with something else. A dark mist began to form from thin air, taking on a vaguely pony shape. The mist began to solidify, and just was Twilight began to wonder at its purpose, the mist disappeared. In its place… Was Twilight’s doppelganger. Twilight fought back a panicked scream. Her pupils dilated and her breathing began to come faster. It was taking all of her concentration to not just flip out.

Despite her near hyperventilating state, Twilight’s mind was doing what it did best: analyzing. The clone of Twilight Sparkle before her was the same, yet completely different. She was lighter, for starters, several shades lighter than Twilight’s own coat and mane coloration. The lookalike also had overly bright eyes, almost shining like a lamp. The figure had started out almost insubstantial, like a ghost, but even as Twilight stared her twin seemed to further solidify, becoming more and more real every moment it stood there. But the thing that stood out the most was the fact that this clone of the original Twilight Sparkle had wings. They were perfectly serviceable, like any other pegasus--or Alicorn.

Princess Luna finally spoke. “Well met, Twilight Starshard. I’ve not seen you in a long time.”

The twin turned, her face lighting up in an easy grin. “Princess Luna! I thought that was you summoning me!”

“Indeed. I am teaching my newest apprentice the art of Necromancy.” The new Twilight turned to glance back at the old one. For the briefest of moments, something flitted across her face. It was like a look of longing. The same look Twilight had thought she saw in Luna’s eyes as she entered the study. In the next instant however, Starshard was grinning again, eyes alight with wonder.

“So this is the one meant to be Linked to me! I wondered when somepony would show up. Twilight Starshard, at your service.”

“Um… Twilight Sparkle. Pleased to meet you.” Then, unable to help herself, a veritable flood of questions came pouring from her mouth. “Who exactly are you? Why do you look like me? Why do you have wings?”

Starshard and Luna shared a glance. There was amusement there, but also… slight hesitation? The unicorn wasn't sure. Reading other ponies was not her strong suit.

“Firstly, I’m Twilight Starshard. As to who I actually am… I guess you could call me a physical representation of you, Sparkle.”

“A physical representation of me?”

“Yes. The study of life and death is full of intricacies, and even the most learned Necromancers don’t always pretend to know all of its secrets. Basically… I’m an Alicorn who died about a thousand years ago. When Princess Luna summoned me with the intent of Linking me to you, my appearance altered to match your physical makeup.”

“So then,” Twilight’s voice became very soft. “You’re dead?”

Starshard’s shoulders slumped a bit. “I am. I have been for a great many years, now.”

“But… you’re standing right there. You look so real!”

That got a warm chuckle from Starshard. “That is because I am real. There is one part of the circle of life that is constant: Decision. When a pony dies, he or she has three choices: Rebirth, Revive, Restore. Some call them the three ‘R’s. Rebirth is a pony who does just that: The are Reborn into some form of undead. This choice is normally taken by ponies who still have unfinished business among the living, but can't return to a physical body to finish it. Ponies who choose to Revive are reborn into the world of the living from another womb. And ponies who choose Restore cross to the other side, to paradise. I am a pony who chose Rebirth. I came back to life as a Lich Queen, and even though my business within the living world has long been completed, once I became undead, there was no turning back.”

Twilight’s mind was practically running at a thousand miles a minute. She absorbed just enough information to respond: “I’m sorry that you are stuck where you are.”

Starshard shrugged. “I don’t mind it. I can still help out in the world of the living.”

Twilight already had another question. “What’s a Lich Queen?”

“A Lich Queen is an undead who controls other undead. Namely, zombies and skeletons. Those guys aren’t usually very smart, so Lich Queens (or Kings) guide them and direct them.”

“You mean… some ponies are Rebirthed as a zombie? That sounds awful.”

Starshard shook her head. “Sentient creatures rarely Rebirth into something so unpleasant. You see, those types of creatures are the result of a Necromancer breaking the number one rule of this branch of magic. There are two rules a Necromancer must always follow. The first, is that you must never, ever, force an undead being to follow your will. You ask us, and it will be up to the individual undead to decide whether or not to help you in your endeavors. If you try to bend us to your will, not only will we ignore the directive, the Necromancer will degrade into the living dead; what you just called a zombie. If a Necromancer cannot follow this rule, then they do not need to be seeking the aid of unliving. Thousands of years ago, Necromancers made this mistake in droves. They were cocky, overconfident, thinking that all of their vaunted power could not be beaten. They paid the price. But these days, there aren’t so many. I’m sure Princess Luna has something to do with that.”

Luna nodded. “Indeed I do. Even the staunchest of ponies can give in to the lure of power, so I try to keep them away from such a fate as much as I can.”

Twilight’s eyes were the size of dinner plates. She had never expected something this momentous “What’s the second rule of Necromancy?”

“The Link. When its been formed, it cannot be broken for any reason. If a Necromancer ties to remove the Link, the sharing of souls, then they’ll enter the Void. They’ll just cease to exist. No paradise, no Rebirth, no second or third life. Just… gone.”

Twilight snorted softly. “But what exactly is this Link you both are talking about? You’ve mentioned it countless times now.”

“The Link is a bond shared between the Necromancer and a Soul. When a Necromacner first begins to summon, the first soul he or she summons will be one closest to their genetic makeup. Once that summoning is complete, the undead summoned and the Necromancer will have a choice: They can either form a Link, or they can continue their separate ways and the Necromancer will never try that magic again.”

“What does it do? Is it just for cosmetic purposes, or what?”

Starshard was already shaking her head before the words even left Twilight’s mouth. “I cannot tell you, Twilight.”

“What do you mean, you can’t tell me?”

“Until you make the decision for yourself, I can’t tell you. I’m not really allowed to. But now that we are at this proverbial crossroads, I must ask, Friherrinna Twilena Star Sparkle av Twinkle: Do you wish to complete the Link? Do you wish to take the very first step in your training as a Necromancer of the Crown?”

Twilight was conflicted. On one hoof, this was everything she had feared about the subject laid bare before her. All of the superstitions she had heard were wrong. There was really nothing to be afraid of. But, now an undead Lich Queen was asking her to practically share her soul, if Twilight was hearing that correctly. Her life would never be the same if she accepted. Eventually, however, Twilight’s thirst for knowledge easily overpowered her fears of the unknown.

“I’ll accept,” she said proudly, struggling to keep her voice in check.

Starshard, in turn, grinned slightly, like she knew Twilight was going to make this decision sooner or later. Rather than responding to the unicorn’s announcement, Starshard moved closer to Twilight. The suddenly nervous apprentice eyed the Lich Queen warily, but stood her ground. Whatever was going to happen next, Twilight was going to accept it proudly. Starshard stepped even closer, and the finally brought the length of her long, slender horn to Twilight’s smaller and stubbier one. The effect was immediate. Both let out loud gasps as a strange, unknown energy coursed through their bodies like an electric current. The power grew, and grew, swirling around the pair as they stood there, horns locked. Just as Twilight thought she would burst, the alien power suddenly changed direction--and flowed directly into Grace.

Twilight nearly collapsed as the energy left her, Starshard supporting her gently. They were both panting like they had just ran a marathon. A distant part of Twilight’s mind noted that Starshard was rather warm, instead of the cold feeling she would have expected from an undead. As Twilight recovered, she felt an odd vibrating at her side. It was her glaive. The weapon slide out of its sheath and hovered right before Twilight’s eyes, turning so that its owner could see the odd rune in the middle of the staff that had not been there previously.

Still partially staring at the rune in wonderment, Twilight turned to Luna, silently asking for an explanation.

“Its a Necromancer Rune, Twilight. Its designed to enhance your spellcasting abilities with this branch of magic. Its why I had you obtain your weapon.”

“So… that’s it? I’m a Necromancer now?”

Well, yes and no.

“Gah!” Twilight yelped as she heard a familiar voice echoing around her mind. Luna was grinning. “What was that? Some form of telepathy?”

Starshard answered her. “In a nutshell, yes. Its a part of the Link. Our minds are connected, allowing us to speak no matter how far apart we are. We also have a shared aether pool. Haven’t you felt it yet?”

Now that Starshard mentioned it, Twilight did feel… Stronger. More alive. She could feel the power coursing just below her horn, ready to be unleashed. A small smile began to play across her lips. “So in other words, I’m more magically powerful?”

“You are,” Luna replied. “But, I’m afraid your studies in Necromancy are far from over, my faithful student. You have a Link now, that is true. But there is still a great deal to learn. Summoning and controlling lesser undead and a whole host of other things. For now, however, we may call it quits. It is far past lunchtime, and I’m sure you’d like to grab a bite to eat before continuing.”

Now that Luna mentioned it, Twilight was feeling hungry. Ravenous, even. But there was something still bothering her. “What about you, Starshard? I mean, I know you’re here now, but what's going to happen from here?”

Starshard chuckled. “Well, now that I’m Summoned and Linked, I’ll stay in the world of the living for as long as I want, until my Summoner sends me back for whatever reason. Right now, however, I would like the opportunity to catch up to Luna.” Twilight nodded almost absently, her curiosity sated at the moment. With a small wave of her hoof, the lavender unicorn departed.

Starshard waited until the door was closed and she could no longer hear Twilight’s hoofsteps before turning to Princess Luna. “Do you think she suspects anything? Or knows?”

Luna was already shaking her head. “No. She’s still in the dark. But she won’t be for long. Twilight is incredibly smart and resourceful. I’ve never met another pony with her drive for knowledge. She even surpasses the last Valkyrie in that regard. She’ll figure out the truth eventually. And by then, I hope that we will have prepared her as best we can.”

Starshard sighed. “I sure do hope so. I almost couldn’t keep my expression clear when I first saw her. I’ve missed her for a very long time.”

Luna echoed Starshard’s sigh. “I know, Starshard. I have too.”