Blood Flows Between Worlds

The face wasn't really a face. It was just three floating shapes, two parallel triangles and a sickle, looking like a grin. I stood before it, shivering with fear. I felt that this... thing... could simply eradicate me, if it wanted.

"Hello Phoenix. Do you have any idea why you are here?", it asked me, the grin widening as it spoke to me.

"No, how should I? I wasn't invited or anything", I responded, hoping that it was just a nightmare, an impersonation of my fears.

"That's where you are wrong", was it's answer, the grin fading a bit," you were invited by me." I was confused. I was invited?

"What do you mean? I never had a choice. I was killed, and woke up here. There was no invitation or anything like that." I didn't understand what it meant. It just confused me more and more as it spoke.

"The murder was the invitation. And the choice was made with your last breath." The grin continued to fade, but it was still visible. I started to tremble even more. I didn't want to know what happens if it gets upset.

"So you tell me that a task is awaiting me? What kind of task? And why is it awaiting me?" My heart was racing. I felt it in my chest. That wasn't a dream. But it wasn't real, either. An illusion, created by the grin.

"Your task is awaiting you because it has to be like this. And your task is one of the simplest, ancient tasks. Murder." I was shocked. Murder? Me? I never even was in a real fight, how should I murder someone?

"I can't kill. I never even hurt someone. And who should be my target? There is none that could be dangerous to you, is there? And why should I even do that?"

"You can kill, trust me. Your target is Twilight Sparkle. She isn't dangerous to me, no. I thought it was fun to set this up." He now stopped grinning. " And why, you ask? It's easy. Your reward, if you kill Twilight Sparkle, will be a ticket home. You can return to your family. And there will be absolutly no evidence that you murdered somebody. How is that. Sounds fun?"

I kept silent. Words were futile, it knew exactly what I wished for. I was thinking about the task, considering every possible outcomes, leading to a simple conclusion. I wasn't ready. If I really intended to kill an alicorn, my abilities needed to be at least at par with hers. "That is the reason for me being resurrected as an alicorn, isn't it?"

"Yes, that is the very reason for your current body. Alicorn, you said? Strange name, but well, it's none of my concern. You have to know this, time is working against you. I can give you a year, after that, you won't remember who you really are. And I will keep silent. You won't see me, you won't hear me, and you certainly will never be reminded of your task. It is your desicion if you want to follow this path."

I didn't responde, my head was spinning. I was too scared to think about anything, that I didn't notice that the grin returned to its initial state. It still looked at me, not awaiting an answer, but another question. I had none. I knew what I had to do and until when. Anything else would just be futile to ask, for an entity as the grin was not bound to our laws of thinking.

"I will send you back now. Maybe this little creature your living with at the moment needs help?"

The darkness overwhelmed me. I closed my eyes, and after a few moments, looked again. I was in the living room, Fluttershy bent over me.

"Is everything alright? You look like you had a nightmare", she asked. I just nodded, still confused what had happened. "I get you something to drink. Would you like to help me afterwards? We can talk about your nightmare while we are looking after the animals."

"Yes, I'd like to help. But I'd rather not talk about that nightmare I had. It wasn't as bad as it looks like." So we went outside, and while I worked, my thoughts became clearer and I could relax again. I was finally capable of starting to plan what I had to do: Murdering Twilight Sparkle, so that I can return home, to my family, my friends, my own life.