Playing With Death

Princess Twilight Sparkle sat in the Canterlot Archives, searching for a specific book or scroll. Her friends were there with her, to help her find the one spell to revive Angel Bunny. Fluttershy was in constant tears as she watched the carriage run over the poor thing. Fluttershy wept as she searched for the book frantically, Angel's remains in a bag on her back.

"Find anything, girls?" Twilight asked.

"Nope." Were the replies to the question.

"Twilight Sparkle, how nice to see you. What, pray tell, are you doing here?" Princess Luna asked as she trotted in and picked up a few scrolls.

"We're looking for a revive spell. Fluttershy's bunny Angel died and we need to get him back. Can you help us? Please?" Twilight asked.

The Princess of the Moon sighed. "Here, Twilight, take this and find the exact row and book. There should be a spell to revive Angel without getting her involved. Speak to no pony about this." Luna gave Twilight a scrap piece of paper with a few numbers scribbled on it.

The title read Forbidden Spells.

Twilight and her friends ran to row 57, column 32. A scroll sat in place and Twilight swiped it up, flying back down and smiling. "Fluttershy, don't worry, I think this will get Angel back."

Twilight read the scroll over, scanning and thinking. "I can do this spell, but my Latin is a little rusty. We have to be in the town where the death occurred, I think. Let's get on the train to Ponyville."

~At Twilight's House~

"Okay, it says here we need a thick substance to make a pentagram." Twilight rubbed her chin and took some bags of flour from the kitchen. She put the powder in a pentagram shape and splashed water over it. "Now we need to have five candles, lit at each point."

After setting the candles down and lighting them, Twilight read the scroll further. "Fluttershy, place Angel's remains in the center of the pentagram. Then Rarity and I will activate the spell."

The yellow pegasus put the bag of Angel Bunny's remains in the middle and stood at her point. Twilight flew calmly above the circle, and she and Rarity charged the spell, their normal magic colors becoming blood red and black. Red wisps floated from their eyes and the white pentagram glowed.

Twilight and Rarity, along with the others, sat down and watched as nothing happened but glowing. Suddenly, a black cloaked pony arose from the shape, and turned around. She was tall, taller then Celestia, and instead of skin she had bones. She turned and one red eye and one yellow eye rolled into the space of the holes of her eye sockets. She turned to the ponies and growled.

"Why hath thou summoned me?! Grimm Reaper is a busy pony. I suggest you clear this sorry excuse for a pentagram so I can leave." Grimm growled again, her voice the sound of broken glass, her breath the smell of decay and rotting flesh. Red wisps flew from her eyes, fading into the dark air.

Twilight did as she was told and cleared the pentagram, obeying Death's orders. Grimm pulled her hood back and revealed a black, misty mane, as if it were mist, not hair. Her horn curved upwards and her wings, when extended, looked like bat wings. Her bones were a rusty yellow color, and she looked none too pleased.

"Death has a very tight schedule, mortals." Grimm's voice resounded throughout the room. A scroll appeared in her black magic. "There are exactly nine hundred and seventy two ponies that need to die today."

The skeleton showed the ponies the scroll and gasped as a few names were familiar. Fluttershy stood in Grimm's way as she was about to leave.

"We summoned you here to get my Angel Bunny back and that's happening!" Fluttershy started her stare, to which Grimm gazed quizzically back.

"That's funny, but no returns unless they're Gods or Goddesses. Angel Bunny is dead now, and he will stay dead." Grimm stated, swatting Fluttershy out of her way.

"Please, we'll do anything for you!" Twilight said as she helped her friend up from the floor.

"Oh, Princess Twilight Sparkle, I didn't see you there. Since there is a technicality in my work, I suppose I could bring back Angel Bunny." Grimm smirked. "For a price."

"What's the price?" Applejack asked.

"Each of you must reap one pony, without a tear. Do that, and I shall give Angel Bunny back. If you really, really want to please me, you could reap every pony on my list. You have two hours to reap one pony. Don't disappoint me." Grimm cackled, vanishing, but leaving behind an hour glass which held enough sand for two hours.

"Should we really take six lives just for a bunny?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Yes, of course! I'll do all I can to get Angel back!" Fluttershy yelled at Dash.

"Okay, okay, but...who're we supposed to get rid of?" Rainbow asked again.

Suddenly, in a flash of dark magic, six scrolls lay on the ground before the six ponies. They each had the respective Cutie Mark to match its owners. Applejack picked hers up and read it.

"Dreamy Day. How the heck 'er we s'pposed ta get rid of these ponies, Grimm?" Applejack asked.

As Applejack spoke, six more scrolls appeared. Applejack opened the one that was orange and had three apples on it, and a scythe lay in the parchment. The other five opened their's, and got to work.

~A Couple Hours Later~

The six filed back into the tree house, exhausted. Dash had to fly to Cloudsdale and hunt down Ruby Spice, and Fluttershy had to go to Fillydelphia to get Marching Mane. Rarity had to hoof it to Hoofington, to get rid of Celery Scene, while Twilight had to reap a Crystal Pony known as Ember Desire. Applejack took care of Dreamy Day in Appleoosa, and Pinkie Pie got to Violet Vile in Las Pegasus.

"We're... done, Grimm!" Twilight gasped out as they fell on the floor.

Grimm appeared in a flash of black, and she was filing her hooves, making the ends very sharp. "That's too bad, you took two hours and one hundredth of a second to get back here as well as finish the job."

"Now listen here, Grimm." Twilight started. "I am the Princess of Magic, and I demand that you bring Angel Bunny back right now."

"My dear Twilight, I am Celestia's older cousin. Why would I listen to you?"