//-------------------------------------------------------// The Forsaken Element -by Tesshu- //-------------------------------------------------------// //-------------------------------------------------------// Chapter One: Enter the Necromancer Part One //-------------------------------------------------------// Chapter One: Enter the Necromancer Part One Chapter One: Enter the Necromancer Part One Edited by: The11thWonder "My Sire?" ... "Please wake up my lord, they are coming through the walls!" ... I could hear distant sounds of explosion and screams. Ash drifted into my nostrils and I felt pinpricks of cold landing on my coat which I presumed was probably snow. My limbs felt nonexistent and I could see harsh sunlight glowing through my eyelids, causing me to scrunch my eyes. Hoof beats thundered around me and I found that I could not breathe. ... "Please get up...They will get to you and all of your glorious work will end!" ... The earth beneath me shook as a loud explosion emits a distance away from me, the heat wave washed over my body causing some burns to appear, but strangely I felt no pain. The sunlight became much brighter and more intense. An angelic and regal voice boomed over me as warm air began to whip around my body. ... "I have cometh for thee, Sombra! Thine horrible regime is now naught!" ... I felt my body being lifted into the air as the warm air that was whipping around me was now scorching hot and it felt like it was coming from all directions. My mouth spread open in agony but no sound came out of it. My limbs began to flail helplessly at the air, as if trying to swat away the scorching embrace. ... "Gravis Missa!" ... The moment after the booming angelic voice came, a searing pain pierced through my chest, filling my eyes with intense light. I felt my limbs and body explode into flames. My eyes snapped open to see a divine figure flying above me, her light fuchsia-gray coat seeming to shine with holy light. The light cerulean, light turquoise, very light cobalt blue, and pale heliotropic ethereal mane and tail seemed to flow around her. Pale, light grayish magenta eyes glared at me with the intensity of a thousand suns. oOo Golden eyes snapped open to a dark room with pale moonlight pouring from the single window that lit most of the room. The unicorn stallion breathed heavily as he sat up, clutching his head with his hooves. A few moments passed as he scratched his silver mane with his hoof. His breathing became lighter and he began to look around the room as if he was expecting something to pop out at him. Why do I keep having these nightmares? The unicorn thought in his head as he got out of his bed and onto the wooden floor. He looked over to his small clock on the oak nightstand and noticed it was three in the morning. A groan escaped his dark grey lips after realizing how early in the morning it was. The cryptic nightmares confused him, as they always ended at three in the morning exactly. Who is this Sombra and why did Princess Celestia look like that? He had seen many pictures of the Princess, always displaying her as a peaceful and caring leader. Her smile seemed to make others smile as well, but he had never seen her look like the actual embodiment of the sun. After a few moments of pondering, he cast away the questions from his mind and exited the room into the main living room. It was not much considering he lived in a log cabin. A rock fireplace was built into the north wall with a genuine buffalo fur rug in front of it. Two brown loveseats were beside the rug and the right one had a small nightstand beside it with a lamp and a small pile of books resting on top of it. The south wall had things you would normally find in a kitchen. Counter, fridge, sink, and some cabinets. Lastly, on the east side was the door that lead to the outside with small windows on each side that let in shafts of moonlight. Near the fireplace was a hatch that lead to the basement, and that was where all the magic happened. But he did not feel like conducting further research, so he went to sit in the right loveseat and turned on the lamp, revealing more of the room. It was not much, just wooden walls and a roof; he kept most of his stuff in the basement. His golden eyes looked over to his two books that were on the night stand. Libris Mortis: The Book of Undead, which was a decent book to those who are well-versed in its art. The last book is called the Book of Vile Darkness which he took great care with, due to its contents. Only the most indomitable minds dare to look upon the malevolent thoughts and forbidden secrets bound herein. This corrupt tome is filled with deplorable wisdom, malignant ideas, and descriptions of creatures, rites, and practices most foul. Evil permeates every word and image inscribed within it. Those were the words uttered by the stallion that sold him the book. The following day, the newspaper reported that he was found dead. As he got settled in his chair, he picked up Libris Mortis and began to read. He must have been enthralled in the book because when he looked up he saw the morning sunlight streaming through the windows. With a huff he closed the book and placed it on the nightstand. Well I guess I should go out and look at the celebration in Ponyville, hopefully there are some fun things to do. He gave a smirk as he got out of his chair and opened the door to reveal the dark trees of the Everfree. His house was a bit on the edge of the forest so he could get some sunlight; he was not one to dwell in the black art that lived in caves and other dark hideaways. He breathed in the fresh air and admired the view of the apple trees in front of the forest that belonged to Apple Farm Acres. Or was it simply Apple Acres? Bah, he did not give a buck what it was called. It was a nice place to be though, isolated from society, and free apples every day. Good thing the view of his cabin was blocked by the heavy branches of the forest and there was no trail that lead to his hideaway. He did not want any inbred redmuzzles to come barking at him for stealing the apples. With a yawn he began to walk among the lush apple trees. After a few minutes of walking he saw a red barn came into view. An evil grin split his face as a plan began forming in his head. The dark grey unicorn stalked alongside the tree line that marked the clearing. He eventually got to the backside of the red barn and held his hoof on the wall. "Coracinus Putesco" The scratchy words whispered from his mouth as his horn was lit with dark energy and purple smoke flickering at the edge of his eyes. The wooden wall creaked and writhed beneath his hoof as a malignant rot began to form at its center. Black veins began to sprawl like a spider web outwards from his hoof until they covered the whole side of the wall. He chuckled as he headed back into the trees and got a good distance away from it, but not too far to the point he could not see it. He looked back at the farm and lit his horn in a black necromantic haze, causing the veins to seep deeper into the farm. The farm began to creak louder and moved a bit before it tumbled down in a loud crack. A giggle escaped him as he saw a pony come running to the destroyed barn. On top of the light orange pony's blonde mane sat a brown Stetson, which she was desperately wrangling as she ran, trying to keep it atop her head. She seemed to be shocked and backed away as she smelled the reek of decay. Satisfied with the misfortune he’d caused, he began to walk away towards the main road that lead into Ponyville, but not before pulling some apples out of the trees with his magic. It seems it’s apples for breakfast again, he thought. His trek was going quietly until he placed a single hoof inside Ponyville. A blur of pink appeared mere inches from his face. Light cerulean eyes beamed with happiness as the mare in front of him grinned from ear to ear. In his shock, he stumbled backwards and would have fallen, were it not for the outstretched pink hoof that grabbed hold of his own and yanked him back up with a surprising amount of strength. "Ohmigosh I am SOOOOOOO sorry! I did not mean to spook you silly, it was meant to be an surprise!" The earth pony bounced around him, as if she was trying to cheer him up, her fluffy light raspberry mane and tail seemed to brighten for reasons unbeknownst to him. She looks familiar... He pondered in his head before forming a smile. "No hard feelings there, miss. Also, I cannot help but feel as if I’ve heard of you before. Are you the famous party mare of Ponyville?" The look on her face looked as if he’d spoken the name of a demon. Her grin widened unnaturally before taking in a deep breath and jumping into small cannon that was placed between them. His mind reeled in surprise at the sudden appearance of the cannon. Where in the nine circles did that come from!? His amazement continued to rise as the cannon shot the mare into the air like a cannonball. When she uncurled herself, an explosion of confetti and small fireworks came to life around her before she shouted. "You are correct!" Before she landed with a boink. He glanced to where the cannon was and found it was not there anymore. This greatly confused him as his mind couldn't comprehend the unnatural events unfolding before him. The pink pony giggled as she took his hoof to shake it and spoke in a cheery tone. "My name is Pinkamena Diane Pie! But my friends call me Pinkie Pie! What’s yours mister?" He gave a chuckle as he return the hoof shake. "My name is Soul Dusk, it is a pleasure to meet you Pinkie," He spoke honestly, Pinkie seemed to be an interesting mare and her "talents" only intrigued him further.. She giggled as she bounced a bit, making a boink noise every time she propelled herself into the air. "Why thank you Duskie! It is a pleasure to meet you too! Have you been to Ponyville before?" she asked curiously, which made Dusk a bit uneasy. He does like giving out where he lives but he supposed visiting the town wouldn’t hurt. "I live on the outskirts but I do come by Ponyville for supplies from time to time." This surprised the pink pony. "Well you must not come often because I remember EVERYPONY in Ponyville. Oh well, that’s OK, I can still invite you to the party tonight!" Pinkie beamed with joy, which made Dusk a bit uncomfortable as he hadn’t had another pony around him for a long time. Well, except for the undead but that’s a bit different. At the mention of the invitation, his ears perked up. "A party? What's the occasion?" Pinkie giggled again as she continued to bounce. "Well it's a welcome party for another mare but I could have it for you too!" She cheered, which actually made Dusk flash a rare smile. Pinkie truly was a party mare, it would be best not to make an enemy of her. "Well I suppose I’ll let you do your business here! See you at the party Duskie!" She smiled before bouncing away leaving Dusk with his newfound knowledge and questions. She is really strange, I never seen talent like that before. Is she connected to the spirit world? It could explain the teleportation of objects such as the cannon. Dusk gave a sigh as he tried to cast away the question in fear of having his mind explode trying to figure Pinkie out. Dusk only took a couple of steps into town before a streak of rainbow dashed above him and crashed into the ground with a loud thump and a cry of pain along with the sound of bone snapping. Dusk saw the trench the pony made along the ground and he knew it had landed harshly. More curious than concerned since he never seen a pegasi create a rainbow streak before, he trotted over to the crash site quickly. When he got there the sight left him awestruck. At the center of the crater was a breathtaking Pegasus struggling to get up. Her very light cerulean coat seem to be dyed the color of the sky itself. The sun made her rainbow mane and tail shimmer in the light. She had an extremely athletic build; not a single trace of body fat to be seen. Her graceful and strong wings were wide open and were twitching. Her cutie mark is a blue-yellow-red lightning bolt coming from a cloud. Cerise eyes stared at her front leg in pain and shock. When dusk looked down at her front leg he could see the injury that made his heart hurt a bit. Jutting out of her foreleg was a massive piece of bone. Probably due to the impact of the crash. When the beautiful mare began to tear up, Dusk snapped out of his awe struck trance and galloped to her side. She notices his approach and attempted to look fine despite the obvious bone sticking out of her leg. "Uh hey there, I am alright. I-It just a flesh wound," Her voice seemed strained as if she was trying to block out the pain which made Dusk feel worse. "No, you are not. Sit down so I can heal you.” He spoke sternly but kindly, which is rare for those who knew him. The rainbow mare seemed a bit annoyed by the fact that another pony was helping her, she tried to stand but gave a yelp as a jolt of pain ran up her foreleg. With a groan she fell on her flank looking a bit mad at herself. She must be a prideful mare, considering the fact she wants to take care of herself when she’s in such a large amount of pain. Cerise eyes locked on to his gold ones as if she was saying to get it over with. Dusk gave a reassuring smile as he walked over to her. He gently placed his hoof above the rainbow mare which made her flinch. His horn lit with a dark haze as he spoke the words quietly, it sounded like a knife was scraping against rock. "Curatio Tactus" She widened her eyes in surprise as the skin of Dusk's hoof became transparent, showing the muscle and bone beneath. Dusk felt his vitality leave his body and ebb into the mare. Her eyes were filled with amazement as she saw her bone move back into place and her tendons rearranging themselves, as her damaged skin began to stitch itself back together. Then Dusk’s hoof turned back to normal, leaving it feeling numb, but manageable. He withdrew his hoof and chuckled at the rainbow mare staring at her perfectly healed leg in amazement. "Are you feeling better?" The question made the mare look up at him suddenly. The faintest of blush showed up on her cheeks then quickly faded away as she reclaimed her posture. She stood up and Dusk could see the energy radiating off her body. She flexed her wings and gave Dusk a smirk. "Why else wouldn’t I be? I’m the most awesome flier in all Equestria!" She exclaimed with vigor as she took off from the ground and zoomed around Dusk, ruffling his mane and tail a bit. It felt pleasant to Dusk, the wind twisting around him felt good but it drudged up a memory about the night before. Don't think about the nightmares Dusk, he thought to himself as he gave a laugh of enjoyment. The rainbow mare seemed to have calmed down and landed in front of Dusk. It quickly dawned on her that she had forgotten something which in turn made her chuckle in embarrassment. "Heh heh, Thank you for healing me Mr..?" "Soul Dusk,” he answered. The mare smiled as she continued to speak. "Soul Dusk, you saved me from another long visit to the hospital, and I am simply too awesome to be cramped in a room all day," Dusk chuckled at the mare, she was unique. Much like that Pinkie Pie he met earlier. "I mean for a second there I thought I was going to be taken advantage of, it's reassuring to see some stallions that care.” Dusks feature grew dark and his shadow grew darker as well. The mare realized what she had said and attempted to reassure him. "I-I mean not like that, Um I meant that stallions like to brag and uh," She stuttered as she realizes she was making it sound worse. It spooked her a bit when she saw Dusk’s golden eyes shone darkly and the aura around him was giving her signals that he was very dangerous. "Have they taken advantage of you before?" It was more of a demand then a question. His voice held bridled malice and he was grinding his teeth a bit. The mare eyes darted to the side a bit, Dusk could see the wheels turning quickly in her head. Then she stared at him with determination before she spoke. "Look Dusk, I appreciate that you care I really do. But I am fine, nothing’s ever taken me down, and I’m not gonna let some pesky stallions break that streak. Uh... my name is Rainbow Dash and uh Igottagotrainseeyoulater!" She quickly bolted into the sky above, leaving a stallion with a brewing storm of dark emotions. I made her uncomfortable. Thoughts drifted through his mind as he digested what just took place.They took advantage of her when she was hurt. Purple smoke flowed out from the edge of his eyes which shone with dark hatred before disappearing. But something else formed within him, something hot and heavy. The urge to… KILL. He never had this strong of an urge before, last time it was when his mother died and it was his first time he used his Necromancy magic. True Necromancers such as him tend to get angry often but when it becomes personal, it has been said the pony should just kill themselves to avoid the dark mage’s wrath. However, as anypony stupid enough to have tried it can tell you, the Necromancer would just reanimate them, and kill them again, and again, and again. His limbs shook in fury as he made his way out of the crater. Much to his displeasure, he wanted somepony to talk to. Normally he would talk to a ghost or something, but he needed to talk right now. The image of a pink pony showed up in his mind’s eye and he immediately chosen to go look for her. If anypony can make me smile, it’s her. oOo He trotted aimlessly through town for a while till he saw a Unicorn rushing out of the Carousel Boutique. Her horn poked through her purple mane with light violet and brilliant rose streaks. She had a lavender coat and her cutie mark was an unusual pink six-pointed star surrounded by five smaller white stars. Her deep purple eyes looked annoyed and urgent. On her back rode a small, light purple dragon with green scales. However, this sight did not give the mage pause; he was too wrapped up in dark emotions to let his curiosity stop him. A few seconds after the violet pony left the door open to reveal an another Unicorn. Her mane and tail were indigo, and her a pristine alabaster coat covered her body. The unique part of her is that she made her mane and tail into elegant curls. Her cutie mark were three light blue diamonds, and she wore a worried expression as she looked around, somewhat frantically. "Oh… wherever did she go? I was only wanted to help her look absolutely fabulous for the princess!" She sighed and walked back in the shop, but not before Soul Dusk shouted at her. "Hey miss, do you know where Pinkie Pie is?" Her ears perked up at the mention of Pinkie Pie's name. She turned around and saw Dusk Shine a good distance away; even from this distance she could tell he was in a dour mood. "Why, she’s at Sugarcube Corner”—She nudged her head in a direction to his left— “don’t worry, you can’t miss it. I’d show you there myself, but I’m a bit preoccupied at the moment." She spoke in a worried voice as Dusk grunted and headed off in the direction she’d indicated. oOo He was worried, despite the Unicorn mare’s assurances, that he would miss this ‘Sugarcube Corner’, until he saw a large structure that looked like a life-sized gingerbread house. It even had a cupcake on top. A ding sounded as he opened the door, alerting the familiar pink pony who was currently behind the counter. Everything seemed to have entered the twilight zone when Pinkie made a comical gasp as she slammed her hoof on the counter. A second later a sirens like noise boomed throughout the room which startled Dusk. "Code Blue I repeat, We have a Code Blue situation!" Dusk vision turned into a pink blur as he felt himself being lifted and was laid down on a board of some kind. When his vision returned to normal, he was lying on a medical stretcher. He saw a puffy raspberry mane loom over him with light cerulean eyes that beamed with unimaginable happiness. "Don't you worry my sorrowful friend! Nurse Pie is here to save the day!" She smiled as she wheeled him into the kitchen. There he was picked up by Pinkie, surprising him yet again with how strong she was, and she laid him on the island. It was at that time he took notice of the ‘guests’. A bucket of turnips, a pile of rocks, a sack of flour, and a clump of lint sat on stools all around him. "Alright guys! We have a patient here who is extremely depressed! Quick Rocky, get me the mood stabilizers!" From his daze by the bizarre events he arched a brow at the word "mood stabilizers" but his intrigue was quickly answered when Pinkie drew out a large white feather. Before Dusk could even prepare he began to laugh uncontrollably as Pinkie tickled him on the stomach. But apparently Pinkie seemed to think she felt some lingering negativity, so she decided to take it to the next level. She started to tickle lower down his stomach which made him to twitch more and laugh harder. After a while she stopped tickling Dusk and looked at his face, he was wearing a big silly grin. "Alright my fellow friends, he is stabilizing! Let's move him outside to proceed the procedure!" Dusk was teary eyed and was trying to catch his breath before having a green medical grown being put on him. Pinkie’s head went under Dusk's back and lifted, Causing the Unicorn to be rolled onto Pinkie's back. With lightning speed she zipped out of the kitchen and dumped him on a chair. She quickly went to the other side of the table and sat down with her hooves together and her chin resting on them before staring at Dusk with delight. Dusk on the other hand was feeling dizzy and seeing stars. He rubbed his eyes before noticing he was at a small table with Pinkie Pie staring at him. "Feeling better?" Her voice held some amount of concern but she was perky overall. He was feeling better actually, the laughing really lightened his mood. Dusk gave Pinkie a smile to show that he does indeed feel better. "I actually do, thank you Pinkie Pie," Pinkie gave a wide smile, she was glad that Dusk was better. "It's no problem Duskie! It's my job to make everyone happy." Dusk chuckled at the statement but did not say anything. She had a thoughtful look on her face and spoke in a curious tone. "So, my little Dusk, what made you all sad?" Dusk eyes hardened as he felt the hot substance trying to claw its way up his throat, as if it was a monster scratching its way to the surface. He managed to push it down with his willpower and responded to Pinkie in a stern tone. "I met Rainbow Dash today when she crash landed. She broke a bone and I healed it, but when she thanked me, she let out a fact that stallions took advantage of her when she was wounded in the past." Pinkie eyes widened as she realized what was angering Dusk. "Awwwww you’re concerned for Dashie!" Dusk was surprised when he was suddenly hugged by Pinkie because he did not see her leave the seat. "It's okay Duskie I know how you feel, but Dashie chose to forget about them." It did not make his killing intent go away but he subconsciously hugged back. "Were they arrested?" Silence hung in the air after Dusk spoke, Pinkie lowered her head on his dark grey shoulder and weakly muttered no. Her eyes were half closed and distant. KILL His blood boiled as the monster within him begin to stir. The desire to coat his hooves in warm sticky blood made his mouth water. Purple smoke began to flow from his eyes and a black haze coated his horn. He grinds his teeth in an attempt to stop himself from screaming in rage. Pinkie noticed the churning magic within him and attempted to calm him by rubbing his back with her hoof. "I know, I know. But she did not want anything to do with them because she hates spending time in courts because she hates boring stuff. She also does not like others taking pity on her, so she tries to forget about it.” Again it did not wane his killing intent. "They need to pay for what they done." The air was thick with the sound of silence as they sat there hugging each other. After a few minutes the purple smoke faded away and the monster within him settled down. With a sigh, Dusk let go of Pinkie and got out of his chair and tossed his gown on the table with his magic. Pinkie let go as well and looked at him with a sad expression. "Are you still coming for the party?" Dusk had a grim expression and looked at Pinkie before speaking tiredly. "I'm afraid not, It's been a tiring day for me. It will be best for me to head home and rest for the celebration," Pinkie's mood seemed to brighten up and waved goodbye to him. "Ok I will see you at the celebration!" Dusk gave a ghost of a smile before leaving the building and towards home, the monster within him slowly becoming more active. oOo Soul Dusk walked into his cabin, darkness engulfed the room except the rays of the sun coming from the windows. He liked it that way, for it is comforting to be in the darkness. Dusk moved towards the fireplace and open the hatch next to it, revealing a ladder leading down into even more darkness and the rush of cold air coming out of it. He climbed down a couple of feet, the scent of earth was thick in the air. As he got to the bottom he faced the darkness and spoke out to it. "Phasma Lux" His horn shone a ghostly green radiance with the brightness of a torch, basking the room in the green light. It was the color you would normally expect to enshroud the lair of a dark wizard. Bookshelves that covered both sides of the walls held bizarre objects and ancient tomes. In the middle of the room was a large ebony table with many papers and diagrams scattered across it. On the northern wall was simply the bare earth, there were even some roots poking out of it. Back on the table was a large lamp which Dusk went over to and turned on, and his sickly green light slowly gave way to the lamp’s orange glow.. He gave a sigh but his eyes shone with determination. It has been a long time since he went out and stretched his capabilities. Maybe it's the time to see if he had gotten soft during his days in the cabin simply reading and studying. He went over to the east bookshelf and grabbed a large tome. It made a loud thump as he dropped it on the table. The cyan letters etched on the cover said Ghostwalk; it spoke about the city of Maneifest that rested atop ruins from ancient times and far above the entrance to the land of the dead. It is said that there are many entryways that lead to the city scattered across Equestria. What intrigued him is that it is here that the world of the living is shared equally with the deceased, who linger in physical form before finally passing through the Veil or the Afterlife, as many ponies call it. In the book he had hoped to find the city and speak to any apparitions that may know who harmed Dash, but all trying to access the world of the dead were presented with the same dilemma: nopony knew where the entryways were. He took a deep breath and cracked open the book as he grabbed a quill and some blank papers. He soon became enthralled in the book as the sound of scratching parchment filled the room. To Be Continued Author's Note Also I know I have another story but I want a few stories to work on because I do not want to get burned out on one of them. Also it will be going along the canon plot but with many difference. Also my OC spell set will consist of spells from D&D. Lastly I am writing the spells in latin because I believe it sounds cooler. Lastly I welcome all critics.