Darkness surrounded my everything. I tried to stand up on my hooves, but I couldn’t feel them. All I felt was the cold. No, I didn’t even feel that. I felt nothing. All of those little tiny aches and pains that built up over the years were gone. Didn’t ever think that would be something I’d miss. I didn’t even have a sense of direction. Which way was up? Was there an up?

Did I even have a body anymore?

Opening my muzzle, I tried to scream. No sound penetrated through the deafening silence that pounded against my ears. I would have killed to hear something, anything! Even that soft whine those annoying fluorescent lights made would have been a Celestia send to my ears! This silence was just maddening. My thoughts were the only things I could hear. They were all I had left to prove I even existed.

I was dead, and this was going to be a long eternity.

I wasn’t sure what I should feel. Fear that I would be stuck like this for ever and on? Pain that I lost everypony I cared about? Relieved that I wasn’t suffering in agony? I guess the simple answer would have been yes. But as I continued to just exist, I began to realize what I truly felt.

Alone.

In 79 you were almost never alone. When you were, another pony was always a few doors away. You had to work with them, and only together could you keep the stable alive. It didn’t matter if you liked them or not, they were there and they needed your help.

Everything was too idle, too still. I needed to get up and run to technical to make some repairs! Then run to medical and get my weekly shot of steroids so I could run forever! But I couldn’t do anything but just… whatever this was. Any moment now security would come and kick me out of bed to yell at me to get back to my work. Any moment now!

Any moment now…

...Being dead sucked.

What felt like an eon had passed. An eon of pure nothingness. I prayed out with my mind to the goddesses to let this end, even if it meant I had to end. For the longest time, I thought they wouldn’t respond, or that they simply didn’t care. Maybe they didn’t. A soft force slowly crept up on me, pulling me back. No, down! This was gravity! By Luna’s sparkly mane, something was happening!

The feeling of soft fabric was a Celestia send as it pressed against my side. Soon afterwards the feeling spread through me like a wave. Tiny sensations tingled across my spine, spreading out through my shoulders and hips down to my hooves. And then, with a sharp inhale of breath, I was breathing again. I was alive!

My eyes opened in a fluidic movement, and I was met with a blur of grey. A soft whine built up in my ears. I had never been as happy to hear those damned lights as I was right now! Grey walls and whining lights? This had to be my stable! I must have been unconscious this entire time, or something.

Things slowly came into focus and I was… in my room? Strange place for medical to leave me. I sat up, the air shifting around me as I moved; it was almost like I was walking through water. Since when was air so thick? I probably need to go check in with medical, this must be some side effect of the whole almost dying thing.

I hesitated a bit as I took a weary step off my bed. The feeling of gravity was still very weak, and I’d float away if I wasn’t careful! Or, the little pony in my head reminded me, it was probably just be more side effects from my recovery. Now he was kicking me and telling me that I probably shouldn’t have gotten out of bed in the first place. Oh, wasn’t I a silly pony? But I didn’t care, I had to move. I had to get back to work, help keep the stable alive.

Wait, if I was alive… did Red survive too? Well, now I had something else to move towards.

Once I was on the floor I had to fight to keep myself balanced. The world seemed to sway with my every movement. Looking around I noticed the surreal glow that brightened everything. I turned to the corner where I kept my bag of tools. My magic reached out to grab nothing. Scanning the rest of the room, I noticed my tools weren’t here at all. Another thing my happy little pony added to my checklist. I took slow and steady steps toward the door. The rocking slowly began to soften out as the gravity inched towards normal.

As I reached the door, my head-pony and I had made a nice sizable list of things to do. Most of them were to check on the systems I had remembered my pipbuck warning me about. Where was that magical overlay? I looked down at the devices black screen. Huh, pipbuck must have fried. Another thing to fix! Oh, I also had to find Lily! Finally tell her how I feel. Nothing like a near death experience to kick you in the-

The door opened with a mechanical swoosh that reverberated in my ears, revealing a bright shining light. I instinctively shielded my eyes, but the light spread to engulf the entire room in white. I expected my eyes to burn when I reopened them, but the white before me felt like looking into a dark room.

When the light faded away, I found myself on a hilltop. Green fluffy grass spread out as far as the eye could see, dotted with splotches of color from beautiful flora. Above was a great never ending blue, broken by a giant orb of yellow that illuminated the fields around me.

The little pony took one look around and blinked. Then he turned to the list we had amassed and ripped it into tiny little pieces. With a huff, he threw them all into the air and stormed off.

Welp, back to being dead. What was this place though, heaven? I would love the chance to meet the Goddesses!

The sound of foals laughter tickled my ears and a ghostly echo reverberated through the dense air. Curious, my eyes scanned over the colorful fields. I spotted them out in the open out to my right. Colts and fillies of all colors played together in an open field.

Not a single one of them had lost their baby fat! It reminded me of those old posters the Overmare had hung in her office. Was everypony fat back then? I thought it was just lazy painting and not wanting to draw out the bones...

The foals ran around a pole in the distance, weaving in and out of each other. Ribbons of a variety of colors wrapped around the pole, pulled taught by the little colts and fillies. I watched them for a short time, a smile creeping up on my lips. It was amazing how surreal the simple joy was. One of them looked up at me, and then they all ran off to hide and play in the trees.

Odd, I didn't notice those trees there before....

I took a step back, my hoof touching cold and wet. I quickly turned, all of my hooves splashing, and found myself standing at the edge of a large crystal clear pond. White flowers, open like bowls presenting the yellow core, bobbed along the waters surface.

The hell this get here?

The water rippled, and an icy feeling nipped at my legs. A sky blue mare, tall and regal, rose up out of the water facing me. She gracefully walked out towards me, her wings opening softly to stretch out by her side. She was fat enough her chest was smooth like the foals. I was honestly actually starting to find the look attractive.

Why couldn’t ponies look this way naturally? It was an odd look, not being able to see the curves her bones made. I looked down at my own body, eyeing the contours that my bones made on my legs. It was so ugly in comparison that she must have been some kind of goddess.

The smile that the mare carried upon her face was one of the kindest I had ever known. Her emerald eyes were locked on mine, and her look alone was enough to freeze me in my spot. The water itself seemed to ripple and arch up, forming into softly flowing mane and tail. I chanced a glance at her flanks to catch her cutie mark. She was... Blank?

"Greetings, young one," her words flowed into my ears with a gentle smoothness. "My name is Aquarius, and welcome to Elysium."

I stared up at her, my ears slowly perked forward as I asked, "I'm... really dead, aren't I?"

She nodded slowly, her smile staying steady, "You are at peace. Elysium is a place for you to rest for all eternity, away from the pain and hurt that ravages your world. Stay with me, Shadow. Only here can you truly be happy. Only here can you be provided with everything you need...." She dipped one of her wings into the water, gently picking up a little flower, "The lotus flower.... One of my favorites. It's center produces a nectar with a flavor that is absolutely.... Divine." She arched her wing, bringing the flower closer to my face, "Try a flower; it will take all of your troubles away."

I tilted my head to the side as I took the little flower and brought it to my lips. The aroma alone was enough to make my mouth water. I wasn't exactly hungry and I had a moderate case of death… but that didn't mean I couldn't still have a taste, right?

Her smile warmed when I took the tiny flower with my horn. That smile… it was almost just like Lily’s.

Lily…. Lily! Is she ok? Will I see her again when she dies? And what about the rest of the ponies from my stable!? Will they survive? Was my death for nothing? The questions kept piling on and I nervously bit into the flower.

Oh wow, it was delicious....

My thoughts were suddenly cut off by a pair of soft lips pressing against mine. The kiss clouded my mind and better judgement, and I could only melt into it. My eyes drifted shut as I could feel the worry washing away.

Oh…. oh my….

Hooves pulled me into a soft embrace, pulling me towards Aquarius’s chest as she began slowly sinking back into the water, “Let them go, my sweet young one… they will join us soon enough.”

“Let them go…..” I softly echoed her soothing words, resting my cheek across her chest as the water tickled my chin.

No! Shadow, please… You-you have to save him!

The desperate words wavered from the back of my mind like a whisper from a dream. I almost missed them, but they were enough to get my attention. I started to pull away from her, looking back into her eyes. She frowned at me, her soft hooves letting go as I took a step back into the chilly water.

“What… what about my friends? Is… is Red Wire OK? Or is she here too?” I had to at least know if my stable would make it here with me.

Her smile returned as she nodded, hushing me gently before looking over to my side. Following her gaze, I saw my mentor’s euphoric smile as she looked back at me. Her cheeks were flushed, and her glassy eyes looked at me with bliss. A soft ripple drifted through the water, and Aquarius was gone.

“Heya, Shadow…” She said, quietly giggling as she wrapped her hooves around me in a quick motion. The water barely rippled as she moved. “Glad ya could make it!” She leaned forward and licked my lips. No, I quickly realized, she was licking at a flower petal I had missed.

But that didn't matter, I blushed all the same. “R-red….” I stammered, quickly trying to change the topic. She was my mentor… that-that would be like kissing my mother! "I'm sorry I didn't save you..." I blurted out quickly, pulling out of her grasp as I sat back.

She giggled again, giving me that same glassy smile. "And if ya had just left me, ya might have survived. And I'd be here without my....favorite pupil~"

I watched her for a moment. There was just something….

Red’s crimson glow floated a couple flowers out of the lake. The aroma seduced my nose, making my mouth water again. My will to focus failed me as I leaned forward to the offered flower and bit into it. The taste of the sweet nectar washed over my tongue, and I suckled the savory treat. Red had already eaten hers, and watched me with a gleeful expression.

She leaned closer to me, smiling giddily, "Ya know Shadow..." She leaned in closer, barely touching her muzzle to my neck. Her warm breath was tickling my fur. "We’ve got some time on our hooves~"

She nibbled on my neck gently, her hoof brushing my chest. Oh sweet Celestia, this was just so wrong on so many levels! She was the one who taught me ever since I gained my cutie mark! She was my teacher... My aunt, not a lover!

I swallowed the flower and stammered at her, my cheeks burning red, "R-Red! What do you think- But what about your husband? And what about Lily! I have to-to..."

Red kissed me, and my eyes widened in shock. Her breath carried the same scent as those flowers. When she broke it she giggled, "Till death did we part~"

I blinked. I had to.... What? I almost pulled away from her, but why? I was dead, I shouldn't care about this stuff. And when she arrived, I could share myself with her too!

Wait, share myself with who...? Names and faces of ponies blurred away from my memories, and I couldn’t bring myself to think. There was somepony important I wanted to see... something about a flower?

Flower... So sweet and juicy...

I could feel a warm smile grow on my face, looking over as a small white flower floated towards us. With my magic I lifted the small delicacy, then gently took it between my teeth. Red giggled again before she leaned forward and took the other half of the flower between her lips. Our mouths opened, and soon we began enjoying the taste of each other as much as we savored the flavor of our little treat. My whole body turned warm, and I held onto her tighter. She wrapped her hooves around me, pressing herself against my body.

And then everything blurred together as I lost myself in our bliss.

Another flower, another lost moment.

A soft distant sound tickled my ear. Was somepony crying? No, this was a happy place. My mind flowed like molasses as I began to do something I hadn’t done in a long time… think.

How long had I been here? Hours? Days? Years? I really couldn't tell. I had only thoughts of joy and love, and I shared them all and myself with Red. Aquarius never returned, and I was perfectly happy with that. But we never dared stray from the crystal water or the succulent lotus flowers it provided. Aquarius was right, this place had everything I needed. If that crying pony came here with us, she’d have everything she needed too. Nopony needs to cry…

A buck’s voice penetrated my ears, riddled with amusement. “Oh, lookie here! A little pony caught in a web of lies~.”

This voice was different, lacking a certain reverberation that I had grown accustomed to. I opened my eyes, floating on my back in the water as I looked around for its source.

Red eyed me, perfectly content right now just resting on my chest. “Need something, my sweet?” she purred seductively on my chest.

I shook my head, smiling down at her, “No… just thought I heard something…”

A lotus idly floated next to my head. I looked at it and smiled as I opened my jaw to take the little treat between my teeth.

The voice returned with a dark chuckle, “Oh you poor little soul! What poisons she must be feeding you for you to let yourself be devoured this way...”

The petals glistened in front of me, the aroma begging me to just take a little nibble. It was so good, how could it possibly be poison? My tongue reached out, caressing the little cup.

"And this mare with her aching heart!" He feigned a gasp, "You’re not too far gone. Far more than just a sliver of a fragment. You could go back to her, if you escape. Perhaps you could use a little assistance?"

There was a tingling sensation that traveled through my spine up to my ears. Suddenly, the sobbing returned to my attention with clarity.

Shadow, you idiot... Why couldn't you have just put on a damn mask?

I quickly sat up, It was that voice again. I thought hard, pushing back the cloud that had washed over me. I knew her…. from somewhere…

"Shadow, something wrong?" Red put a hoof on my chest, gently pushing me back down, "Let me take care of you the way only I can.... You love me." She smiled, turning her muzzle to my chest and slowly kissing down.

Wait, what? No I didn't, I loved...

You should have just told me… told me everything...

But instead you left me!

I shoved Red back, gasping out the name of the one I never believed I would have forgotten. "Lily...." I could hear her cries. I had to tell her it was OK... somehow.

Red’s eyes looked back at me, turning slightly cross, "Lily's not here. You’re going to love me. Here, have a flower and forget her."

I glared back into her pale green eyes, "Red, what's gotten into you?! You know how much I care about...."

Wait, green eyes? Red doesn't have....

Who the fuck was this?

And why didn’t I notice this sooner!?

The pony in my head signaled at me frantically with red flags and my expression must have said it all as shit started to hit the fan. Faces appeared deep in the warping water below as a chorus of horrible screams erupted. The sky shifted black and the colorful gardens and grass withered away. I don't know where here was, but it wasn't where I wanted to be!

Red, or the mare pretending to be Red, tilted her head back and joined the hellish choir. Before my eyes her color drained, blending in with the water. Her skin warped to something only vaguely resembling a pony before dropping down into the mass of ponies below.

And... that was my cue to run.

Or swim, as the case was.

The water sucked back and thickened, pulling me down before a wave crashed into me. The force knocked me down deep into the water. Ghostly apparitions that blended in with the water grabbed and nipped at my flesh, all chanting the same thing, “Love me! Stay with me!”

Aquarius reemerged from the center of the lake, towering over me with the mass of dozens of ponies. I could barely make her out through the water. Her face was wrinkled and her lips shrunk back, revealing her baring teeth. Her eyes were as black as coal, broken by the chalky white iris that glared at me through the water with fury.

I broke the surface of the lake, gasping for air as faces emerged around me. They were still screaming as they started biting and grabbing at my hooves, trying to pull me back down into the depths. Aquarius wasn’t just standing in the lake! She was the lake!

"You're going to LOVE ME!!!" she screamed, her voice filled with pain and desperation.

Oh, Luna fuck me with a megaspell reactor! Again!

I struggled to get to the shore against the watery hooves that flailed and grabbed at my sides. I felt a pair of teeth latch onto me in a very sensitive place, and my body shot out in pain. My head jerked towards the offending mare, my teeth clenched in rage. I brought my hoof down onto her face, breaking it apart into streams of liquid. Unfortunately, as my hoof was no longer holding me above the water, it left me vulnerable to the rest of the deadly herd trying to pull me down. I cried out as my lungs filled with water and everything started burning. In my wild panic, I thought I was going to drown.

The little pony in my head quickly pointed out that I was already dead and this was probably hell. Yea, thanks for that.

I fought back against the herd, their faces smashing and then reforming as I swung my hooves. Somewhere I got the idea of using them to push myself back up, letting me break the surface of the water. A fire raged in my chest as I started to cough out the ghoulish water, letting me take in another breath of sweet air. I looked up just in time to see Aquarius’s maw open wide and rear back before it came crashing down on me. My lungs burned again as a wave of ponies grabbed onto me, holding my hooves apart.

The one that was Red appeared before me, holding one of those damned flowers in her hooves and smiling. “Don’t worry Shadow… We’ll be together again soon!”

I fought and struggled against the water, but nothing worked. Whenever I would break free from one of those pony things, another would quickly take its place. They were biting, licking, and kissing at every inch of my body. Often all at once! Red moved forward, pushing the flower against my mouth. She tried to force the poisonous treat between my lips. To make me go back to that cloudy bliss…

Part of me wanted to. Go back and forget this nightmare.

The rest of me shot that part of me in the head and dumped it into the river.

Think Shadow, think! What was this thing? Water. What can you do to water? Freeze it. I don’t know that spell, and I’d still be just as trapped! What else…. Electricity! I needed to generate electricity! But how? I didn’t have a generator on me! Shit!

My horn flared in crackling white energy as my panic rose. Sparks spread out as the sudden spell released wildly into the water around me.

How the fuck did I do that?! It was similar enough to my spark charging spell, but had some oomph to it!

Whatever the hell that was was worthless anyway. The water rippled and distorted around the bolts, and the screaming ponies kept up their attacks. A hoof clamped down on my jaw, slowly prying it open. I could already taste the lotus flower’s nectar on my tongue and my mind slowly started to cloud. I was an inch away from just giving in.

No! I couldn’t just let it win!

I focused on the electricity again, barely managing to bring up my spell. I discharged it again, sending the electric sparks into my body. I shot up with pain, but it was a success. My head began to lift from the cloud, and I could think again! The hooves let go of me with a roar and I took my chance to break through to the surface. My lungs ejected the water inside them, and it took me all but half a second to notice the eye staring back at me from it. Oh, now that’s just sick.

Then my little pony pointed out something interesting to me; they screamed when I hurt myself. Did they not want me to hurt myself, or did they feel the same pain I felt? Well, nothing else in this world made sense so why the fuck not!

Aquarius's giant fat head ripped out of the water once more. "You can't leave me! I won't let you! We'll be together forever!" She roared at me in anguish as ripples of water trailed down from her eyes. I couldn’t exactly tell if they were supposed to be tears or not.

I charged my horn and aimed at her... Wait, no. I charged my horn and aimed at myself. As I discharged my electric spell, she cried out. Her head broke apart into water, sending a wave crashing into me. Of course, she wasn't the only one crying. This hurt, a lot.

Biting my lip, I turned toward the shore and swam as fast as I could.

"I hate you Shadow! I hate you, hate you, hate you!" Aquarius screamed at me from below.

Mouths erupted up around me and bit hard into my legs. I thrashed, kicking at the offending faces as I desperately tried to reach the shore. They latched on and I charged my spell again. "You ain't so pleasing yourself!" I bellowed, before gritting my teeth to the pain I knew was coming.

Another face broke the surface of the water. This time it was Red, appearing before me as the mare she once was. She glared at me with the pain of Aquarius as her hooves reached up for my horn. "Lily would never have loved you! You're nothing but a foal! You should have stayed with me and loved me!"

I glared into those green eyes that were now glowing with a sickening ichor. I brought up a hoof. "You! Are! Not! My! Mentor!" I screamed at her as I punctuated every word with a smash to her face.

Red broke apart into water again with a ghostly scream, and I discharged my spell into myself once more. A chorus of ghostly wails erupted as the water relaxed. I began swimming, fighting the against the living current. But bigger concerns dawned on me as I realized I was weakening far faster than I'd like. The spell was hurting me just as much as it was her. All I had to do was reach that shore.

My hoof touched soil and sunk in. I panicked, but then my little pony said fuck it, it can't be worse than here! I pushed on. Using the sticky soil as leverage, I began to pull out of the water. It was working! I was sinking further into soil, but the soil was not water!

Aquarius screamed behind me, "Lily is a cunt! A whore! She can never love you!"

"Fuck you!" I screamed, sending electric pain through myself. Both of us cried out in agony as I pulled through the water and onto land! Dry, sweet, somewhat gooey land!

Then I sank into the soil. Can I never just win? As my face met concrete, I realized that yes I can! I looked around, taking in my surroundings as quickly as I could. Beds on wheels, beeping equipment. This was defiantly Medical. And everything looked and felt normal! Except me. Other than the weakness I felt from my spell, and a growing pain in my horn, my body felt just as dead as it was before. At least I was out of that hell and away from that monster.

The crying tickled my ear again and I turned to see Lily crying and hanging onto a buck on one of the beds. Who was the buck? Me. There's just something about seeing yourself dead that makes you regret everything that you didn't do. I started to get up, to go to her and tell her everything. It didn't matter if she could hear me or not.

I then noticed the sticky wetness all over my body. And then the trails of goo that led from me to the mouth of some kind of unconscious monster pony. Finally, the little pony in my mind pointed out that the monster pony was some horrible mutated version of Aquarius. There were glowing bulges and veins protruding from her body. She was puffed up like she was filled with glowing toxic water balloons! Her jaw was split down the center, giving her a gaping hole which her grotesque tongue hung out of.

Aw, crap… did she fucking try to eat me?! She tried to eat me! She did eat me!

That meant that world was her stomach? Gross...

Thank Celestia for indigestion!

Aquarius stirred, groaning as she brought her gaze onto me. She screamed, leaping up and knocked me aside with a giant hoof. I braced myself for impact with the wall... and then found myself flying straight through it. Stupid ghost physics!

I had to focus with my magic to right myself, soon skidding to a halt and floating in the air. This kind of levitation may have been beyond me when I was alive, but without a body I could fly! This might have been fun if I wasn’t fighting for my life! Err, that’s wrong. Fighting for my soul!

There was a loud crash and a scream from the room I was just thrown out of drew my attention.

No... Lily!

My horn raged as I rocketed myself through the wall and back into Medical. Aquarius had somehow managed to knock over several of the beds in a mad rage. Kiwi, hindered by medical bandages wrapped tightly around her chest, scrambled to get away. Lily shook as she looked at the mess, her hooves still hanging onto my body’s shoulder.

Aquarius charged right up to Lily. “YOU TOOK HIM FROM ME!” bellowed a garbled wet voice from the creature's jaw. She lifted a hoof, morphing it into some kind of organic blade, ready to bring it down onto Lily’s skull. I did not want to find out if this creature could hurt Lily.

“Hey blob-brain!” I cried out as loud as I could, “You’re a fat and ugly bitch and nopony will ever love you!”

Well, that got her attention.

My horn raged as Aquarius leaped towards me. I released an electric arc right into her back. It struck home into one of the veined bulges, bursting it apart in a shower of water and shining fragments that floated around in the air. Aquarius roared vulgarities at me, then turned and started swiping at me with that blade.

I dodged, falling through the floor to living quarters below. The lights had been shut off, but I could still see well enough. Couch, bedroom, kitchen, bathroom. Same as any of the others. My horn’s glow didn’t provide any extra light as I caught myself… but I didn’t care! I could hurt this thing!

My celebration was short lived when I learned that I very much still had that thing's attention. Aquarius came rushing down from the ceiling, swiping her sharp legs at me. Her garbled scream beat against my ears and I barely had the time to pull myself out of her reach. I lined up and fired another bolt of electricity at her side, popping another sickened boil. The glistening lights sprayed out of her and danced around the room. After a moment they shot upwards, disappearing to somewhere above the ceiling.

Aquarius roared, slicing at me again with her blade. I tried to dodge, but this time I wasn't fast enough and the blade sliced right into my gut and out my back. The pain was, well, exactly as bad as I thought it would be. My body... well, spirit, felt like it was ripping apart. I looked down, expecting to see blood pouring from my shell. I really shouldn't have been as surprised to only see glowing cracks begin to form around her blade. She pressed her hoof against my chest and began to twist her blade, ripping the cracks wider. Her eyes narrowed as she started screaming at me about how I was such a horrible unloving pony and that I should die a slow, painful death from radiation.

Heh, funny. I thought I already did that.

I clenched my jaw, tears beginning to form on the surface of my eyes. I could see that baleful grin form along her broken maw. As far as she was concerned, I was done. If she couldn't have me, nopony could.

But I wasn't done yet. I couldn't let her kill me! I was already dead, and that just wouldn't be fair! My horn charged as I slowly raised my gaze to hers, a tiny smirk on my face. Truthfully, I had no real confidence, I didn’t even have an idea if this would work. My head felt more and more light as I tried to keep up my focus. This would be a one shot deal.

Luna guide me.

I grabbed onto her blade arm with my hooves, hooking my arms around her knee and holding her to my gut. She shoved at me, trying to get me to move and twist across her blade so she could cut me more. Her mutated maw opened as she started screaming more wet insults at me. Just as I wanted her to.

I leaned forward, letting myself be cut more with her blade as I rammed my charged horn into her maw. It penetrated the roof of her mouth, and I discharged as much of my magic into her skull as I could. She spasmed, all sorts of unwanted liquids regurgitating up onto my face. The boils on her body rippled and pulsed with a sickening wet sloppy sound. It took everything I had to keep up the spell, and I could feel my strength and consciousness draining away. I just had to hold on a little bit-

And then she exploded.

The blinding blast sent me through another wall before I managed to catch myself. I quickly decided not to let myself think about the sticky goop that followed through and pelted my body.

Gently lowering myself to the ground, I cautiously looked at the wall I came through. No horrible screams and no monster pony rushing to attack me. Was it dead? Err... deader? I took the moment to check my gut. The cracking was slowly starting to fade away, but there was still that slice down the center. The sight of my insides split open without any organs brought a queasy feeling to the gut I didn’t have. I don’t I could ever get used to that. Though I’d have to admit, it is probably better than the site of my organs all over the floor. Do healing potions work on ghost ponies? Didn’t seem likely, but I kinda wanted this hole gone.

I walked back through the wall to the other room. The feeling of my gut sliding against itself made my queasiness worse, but the next sight I saw was absolutely beautiful. Hundreds of tiny lights that had broken free from Aquarius’s body glistened about in the dark room. They swirled and danced around a glowing white form that floated in the center. The form slowly lowered to the floor, taking shape into a mare just a bit taller than I was. The glow faded into color of Aquarius's coat before the rest of her shimmered into view. This time she looked completely different than the monster, or even the tall and regal form she was before. What stood before me was just a pony, shaking slightly with tears welted up in her eyes.

Her sky blue coat was slightly singed under her stable 79 barding. The pipbuck on her leg’s screen was as black as mine. Must be some kind of dead thing that we have them and they don’t work. Her wings were spread slightly from her side, showing off her shortened feathers. A cutie mark shimmered into view on her flanks; a bird with its wings turned back, diving into a pool of water. Her tears began to flow as she took a tiny step forward.

Since when did ponies have wings anyway? The only ponies I had heard of with wings were the goddesses! But here before me stood a pegasi from an era passed. What happened to them?

“Wh-whats wrong with me? Why do you all hate me?” she cried, her broken voice choked on her tears. “All I wanted was a friend, or somepony to love!”

“Hate you?” I balked, stunned for a moment at the question. A part of me wanted to hug her and tell her it was ok… but no, fuck that. That feeling of pity melted into rage as I proceeded to growl back at her, “You tried to eat me! Fucking eat me! And you used the image of a mare I was close to that I didn’t want to sleep with to control me! You made me sleep with her! What the fuck else am I supposed to feel?!”

Aquarius reared on her back hooves, stomping them down before giving out a frustrated scream. Her body faded away in a swirl of light, taking her mournful scream with her, and left me alone in the sparkling room. I cautiously stepped towards where she was, the lights tickling my mane whenever they came close.

I watched the lights, weary of some kind of trap. They looked like what I would imagine the stars would. A few of them were bright and as big as my eyes, but others were dull and weak. My ears twitched as soft whispers came from everywhere around me. I looked around for more ponies, but all I saw were the stars. Was I hearing things, or were the stars…

The sound of clapping hooves made me jump out of my skin. Or it might have if I had any skin to jump out of. I spun around, quickly spotting a purple buck in a top hat and a suit relaxing back into the living room’s couch. He smiled at me, leaning back and crossing his hindlegs. I stepped closer, getting a better look.

His ghost grey mane flowed freely across his neck, brushing against the collar of his tattered navy-blue suit. A red ribbon was wrapped around the base of his scruffy top hat that matched his suit. The parchment and paper cutie mark, complete with happy and sad masks drawn onto it, showed clearly on his flanks. He wore a skull mask that covered the top half of his face. At least, I hope it was a mask. Red eyes gazed at me through the sockets, complementing that wide grin.

“Bravo!” he cheered, a slight roll in his r’s. “I expected to have to step in once you were freed, but you seemed to handle yourself quite nicely~” He smiled more, “I’d take claim for helping you escape from her trap, but the real honor goes to that mare of yours. I just had to nudge up the volume.”

That voice…. it was the same I heard while I was inside Aquarius. “Thanks for that… I guess, but...” But that smile of yours sends shivers down my spine. “Who are you?”

He chuckled as he got up on his hooves, trotting around me in a wide circle as his gaze turned to the stars. “Just a traveler, out searching for broken souls.”

The hell was that supposed to mean? I arched an eyebrow at him. “Yea, sorry. I’m new to this whole ‘dead’ thing. Is there some kind of rule that dead ponies have to be so cryptic?”

He pulled an amulet out of his shirt. It glowed a sickly green, and all the lights swirled around him before being sucked into it. He turned to me and smiled, “Oh, what? You didn’t get the memo?”

I blinked, then looked down at my pipbuck. “We get memos?” Yep, still a black screen. I tapped the device, hoping to get it to turn on.

The buck reared back and laughed. His gaze fell on me again as he trotted over to me. A hoof was wrapped around my shoulder, and he pulled me to his chest in a quick motion. Tapping my chest he added, “Oh, I like you kid! The way you took care of that wraith, I even think you could go places!” His creeper smile softened before looking off to the side and rolling his eyes. “If you would leave this damned hole, that is.”

“And what exactly is a wraith?” I asked, pulling myself out of his grasp.

“That would be a spirit like the one you just fought,” he said with an amused tone.

I gave him my best ‘oh really’ face and huffed. That made him chuckle a bit, and then he continued.

He turned to me again, giving me a serious look. “Some ponies believe that radiation only affects the body. But it is magic, and it will affect your soul as well given enough time. While souls are nigh indestructible, everything has their breaking points. And once worn, a soul can begin to mutate. The first stages inflict violence and hatred, fueled by any pain the pony might have had in life. Once they are mutated enough the inequine part of them can take over, usually turning them into monsters that feed off of other souls.”

I blinked, “Well… that explains it. I killed it, right?” It had vanished

He smiled, “The part that mattered. Pure soul is so much more resilient than it’s corrupted counterpart. A fraction of her survived. The pure part of her.” He chuckled, “Poor soul. She’s going to have to face what she’s done~ But she will move on in time!” He turned to me, raising a hoof and lightly tapping my nose, “Now onto you! We should get you back upstairs if we have any hope in saving you, my foal!”

I balked. I wasn’t even done talking about Aquarius yet! “But I’m already dead! You can’t fix dead!” I would have assumed this was kind of obvious.

“Haha! Of course you are and of course I can!”

“What the hell does that-whaaa!” With an eccentric grin, or perhaps maybe a manic one, he grabbed me by my hooves mid-sentence. Turning on the spot he flung me upwards and sent me flying through the ceiling back into Medical. I almost soared straight through the ceiling there as well before I caught myself with my magic, instead gently floating myself to the floor and taking a moment to around.

Medical ponies had already cleaned the room up from the flipped over beds. I heard one of them talking about how the ventilation system must have been on the fritz. It seemed crazy to me, but everypony just accepted it. I have to wonder how many of our stable’s malfunctions were actually caused by paranormal activity…

Lily was back to my body’s side. Just beyond her I saw a buck standing silently next to another bed, this one carrying a familiar red face under its sheets.

The buck rose out of the floor next to me, laying a hoof on my shoulder as he looked at me with a soft smile. “Now Shadow if you’ll listen, they’ll tell you death is the final word.”

I shook my head, looking back up with him, “What about my-” A purple hoof pressed against my mouth, silencing me as he continued.

“But I am here to say that is completely an absurd! I can bring you back for a favor, perhaps maybe a toll?” He left my side and jumped on top of an empty bed, turning around to face me again. He lifted a hoof to the air, closing his eyes as he said another line, “And all I really need is a tiny piece of soul…”

Wait, what?

“Though the process might be tricky,
and some might call it icky!
So if you’re just too picky,
You can refuse!”

Is he really…?

“But because your body lacks,
A bit of magic I must tack!
To your body a little soul I have to fuse!”

…He is!

My jaw hit the floor as the buck was gleefully singing and dancing to his happy upbeat tune, using the medical bed as a stage. Music rose up with his words, trumpets and other instruments I couldn’t identify, but no matter where I looked I couldn’t find the players!

Dark shadows rose up from the nooks and crannies in the room, forming into ponies that would dance on the walls. More shadow ponies would form behind them, lifting trumpets to their mouths as they played the music to his song. Well, found the players.

He spun on the table, before hopping down to me and holding a hoof out towards Lily.

“Now if you’ll look over there,
You’ll see your lovely mare!
And if you think your love might dare,
That’s the cure!
So if you’re crying over Lily,
Well now you’re just too silly!
Here I am to say, ‘you’ll endure!’”

The buck spun around in spot and the shadows put their trumpets away as they joined him, tapping their hooves on the floor. Hooftaps made by dancing could be turned into music? I didn’t have time to think about it before he grabbed one of my forehooves. He lifted me onto my backhooves and spun me on the spot before flinging me towards my body.

Enough with the flinging!

A hoof grabbed my shoulder and the buck was beside my side again, the shadow trumpets rejoining the tune.

“So you see, here lies your body,
Its not rotty, its not shotty!
And if you get a little naughty,
You could sire a handsome foal!
True, I don’t actually care, sir,
But you can have your mare, sir!
Something even I can tell that will make you whole!”

I looked at Lily, who was standing right beside me. Her tears had run out and part of her looked dead inside. I wanted to be there for her, tell her I did love her. I was too much of a coward to actually say it before, but now I would have screamed it.

The purple buck, who I was pretty sure was slightly insane, jumped onto the bed and straddled my body as he continued his song.

“It’s not going to make you shiver,
And it will not make you quiver!
You’ll be connected to the giver,
For a toll!
So listen to me, Shadow,
As I bring out the piano!
All I really need is a tiny bit of soul!”

He sat down on my body, shadows forming up into a grand piano as he began to play… whatever this was he was playing. Faster and faster the music ran.

And all I could think of was the life I could have had… no, should have had with Lily.

I suddenly found myself spinning with the buck when he had hopped down and grabbed my forehooves, forcing me to dance with him. Actually, my part was me tripping over my hooves, then gliding through the air ghost style when he let go of me. Enough with the flinging, seriously!

He stood on his hind legs, his head tilted back. Wow, his voice was actually pretty grand.

“Ooooooooooooooooh-lay!
Oooooooooooooooooooooh-lay!

You can tell her what you may!
Heal her heart with what you say!”

Shadows had joined in, producing their own mare voices as they circled around me in a dizzying blur. “Even treat her to meals of oats and hay!”

“So what if you are dead?
Let’s get you out of bed!
There’s just one thing left to be said!

I can provide you passage, for such a tiny toll!”

His voice hung on the last note, then silence rang out over everything. The buck turned to me, sitting down on his haunches as the shadows and music faded away. He gave me a warm smile underneath his skull mask and laid a hoof upon his chest, finishing his song with a soft note.

“For I am Doctor Soul...”

We sat there for a while, gazing upon each other. Then he held out a hoof to me, tilting his head slightly to the side. “What do you say, Shadow? Shall I bring you back to life and be your friend on the other side? All I ask is for a favor, for when you decide to go outside.”

I didn’t know what to say. Had I really just been sung an offer… to take a part of Lily’s soul and use it to bring myself back to life? That was crazy on a monolithic scale! At the same time though, I could be with her again. I looked at her, wishing I could just ask her what she would do.

I looked towards the bed where Red’s cold body lay, “Can you... bring her back too?”

He looked at her body, then frowned. “Sadly, I cannot. The body has been damaged far more than simple radiation. Widespread arcane damage caused her body to slowly fail. Probably quite painfully at that. I could have brought her back as a ghoul, but…” His hoof touched his emerald amulet for a moment, and then he smiled, “Her soul would be too weak to sustain it, even with added help of multiple fragments. She was almost completely devoured~ You’re lucky you purified that wraith when you did. I might be able to save her.” His gaze fell on me again, “If you accept my fee of a favor, I will bring her back to you.”

My mane itched at the thought. Save her soul only if I do him a favor? My eyes narrowed as I tried to size him up for what he really is. “What kind of favor?”

He gave a slight chuckle, “Oh, just a similar situation to yours. I am a pony in a cage… well, my body is anyway. Got myself locked in a room that only opens from the other side, and as a spirit, I cannot properly use the controls… Which is where you come in. Go to a place, and open the door. Free me so I can continue my work.”

Huh, that didn’t sound sinister at all, actually. Giving a slight nod, “Alright… Guess I can do that.” My eyes widened suddenly, realizing what that meant, “Wait, leaving the stable? We aren’t supposed to leave! Things will eat us out there!”

He chuckled darkly, “And you were having such a sweet time not getting eaten by wraiths and the like on the inside, were you not?”

Damn, he had a point… but could I really just… leave? Leaving was supposed to be bad, but staying killed me. A world beyond the four halls… I couldn’t imagine it. What would I even do out there? All I had ever done was work on the stable, and during my odd off-times I would work one some sort of device like my pipbuck. No. No more doubts, I had to do this for Lily and for Red!

The little pony in my head tickled for a moment, and I looked back at Soul. “What… would happen to her… I mean to Lily? Taking a part of her soul?”

He smiled to me, still holding out his hoof. “You are fine, are you not? That wraith sucked far more out of you than I will require of her. I already analyzed your body, I know exactly what I’ll need. Simply a spell to keep your body operable despite the damage done to your brain. Though there is an added effect. Both of your souls will be connected for an eternity. A marriage, if you will...”

I nodded slightly, looking down. Lily’s sweet voice tickled my ears, grabbing my attention.

“Goodbye, Shadow…” She said, barely above a whisper in my bodies ear. Leaning down she planted a kiss on my forehead, standing there a moment before slowly turning to walk away.

Medical ponies walked up to my bed, and put the blanket over my bodies face, before wheeling it away to go dump me into the processor to be ground up and mixed back into the dirt. Plant food.

That did it for me. I absolutely hated the idea… but I couldn’t just leave her alone. Not when I had a chance to go back.

“Tick, tock, Shadow. Make your choice. Time is running out.” Soul said with a growing grin.

I turned to the Doctor, hoping I wasn’t making some big mistake. Laying my hoof in his, I gave him a nod. “Do it,” I said simply.

He smiled at me, then his eyes narrowed, before turning a baleful green. My hoof locked into place on his as an electric surge shot up my arm and pushed its way through my body. I couldn’t move. I couldn’t blink, I couldn’t talk, and I couldn’t run. His mouth moved, speaking in a dark monotone of words I couldn’t understand. The entire room darkened, and little wispy trails of smoke emerged from the darkened crevices. They shot behind me, and a horrible scream of pain erupted from where they went. I didn’t need to be able to look to know who it was.

I’m so sorry Lily…

A wisp of light flew over my head, swirling around the sheets that my body laid. It descended into my horn, and I began to feel an immense gravity take a hold of me.

Doctor kept his baleful eyes locked on mine, and I was unable to look away anyhow. “Don’t forget our deal, my little foal.” He said darkly, “For I have given you life… and I can easily take it back.”

Oh, fuck.

His hold on me snapped away, and everything faded to black as I flew into my body.

The squeak in one of the wheels was the fIrst thing I noticed, followed quickly by the soft feeling of the medical bed, and the fabric upon my nose.

"Fuckin' hate this job." A buck whined, "Hate dealing with corpses."

"Show some respect, Beat... These ponies died saving us." A mare said. Same one who gave me the RadSafe at the reactor door.

"Yea? Good for them. They're dead, don't matter what we say about them now. Can't fuckin' hear us anyhow."

Oh, you'd be surprised...

"Oh, if you bad mouth these ponies even once, I'm going to throw you into the processor myself!"

"Shut it, Heart. I ain't got nothing bad ta say! This one was kinda cute, coulda had some fun with him if he'd let me!" I felt a soft tap on my ass as he laughed.

Oh, sweet Luna's moonlight spewing cunt, kill me now! Again! Come on, move it Shadow!

"Beat! That's sick!"

"So? Ain't no other cock lovin' buck in this Celestia forsaken place! Can't blame me fer dreamin'."

The bed came to a stop as Heart gave out a frustrated groan. The sound of swinging metal scraped my ears, and then the defining crunch of some pony being thrown into the processors grinder. "Look, just throw him in already, I ain't going to stand by while you rape corpses! And I thought you just said you hated dealing with corpses!"

Beat grumbled, and the cover was thrown off, "I do! I might like it better though if you'd let me. Rather have a warm body anyway!" A hoof laid on my ass again, and a dark chuckle emerged, "Oh, he is still warm!"

Stop! Touching! My! Ass!

"Beat! What did I just-"

Her words were cut off as my ability to move, and to scream incoherently at the buck, returned. I sat straight up in the bed, my eyes opened wide as I screamed right into his face. He squealed like a little filly, falling backwards and trying to back away from me as quickly as I could. The smell of ammonia hit my nose, then the buck turned tail and ran for the exit. "Fucking dead are coming back! I ain't going ta become a zombie, I fuckin' quit!"

I... couldn't exactly blame him.

I turned to look at Heart who was hunched down in a corner. Her eyes were as wide as my hoof, locked onto my every movement as her body shook so hard she'd probably fall apart.

I sighed, rubbing my temple with a hoof. "Thanks..." My voice was hoarse, and my mouth tasted all sorts of foul. "Blugh!" I stuck my tongue out, wiping it on my hooves. "Dead pony mouth.... I need some water..."

The mare watched me with weary eyes, but slowly stood up, keeping her head low as she approached. Her voice squeaked, “Are… are you alright?”

I nodded, giving her my best ‘I’m not going to eat you’ smile, “Yea, never better!" My dry lips smacked a bit as I moved my jaw. "Still need some water though. So... how long have I been dead?”

The mare could only do her best to stammer a response, which I couldn’t even understand. My body ached and groaned in several different ways as I tried to get up. Just like a living pony should. Perhaps maybe a living dead pony. Honestly, I didn’t know what I was exactly or how I should feel about that, but I couldn’t help but laugh.

It was good to be alive!

Footnote: Level Up

New Perk: Electric Personality - Your magic has taken a liking to electrical power. Any arcano-electric spell you cast receives a bonus of 15%. However, any other magics, excluding telekinesis or transport spells, suffer a 15% penalty.

Quest Perk Added: Death Sight - Through the power of necromancy, or just some bad luck, you have gained the ability to speak with spirits from the other side. New dialog options are available when dealing with the paranormal.

Author's Note

Of course, thanks to Kkat, hasbro, and bethesda for all the goodies and things I love that made me want to write this!

Also, thanks to my new editor! Welcome Cloud Kicker everypony! *claps*

And before you ask, no! Shadow is not immortal!

Written song is based off the tune of 'You won't Succeed on Broadway' from Monty Python's Spamalot.