Playing With Death

"You will listen to me because I said so! I am the Princess of Magic, mind you; I can make things happen to you that no pony else can. Do it now." Twilight hissed, red wisps forming around her eyes, before shaking her head.

"My influence has made you all become a little darker. Twilight, I am the Queen of the Dead. The last time I checked, Queen outranks Princess by this much." Grimm put her hooves up to show how much she meant.

"Please, Queen of the Dead! Please, Grimm Reaper! Death, please revive my bunny!" Fluttershy plead.

"Alright, fine, since I'm a nice pony." The red wisps became darker and her horn glowed with a white intensity. The remains that were left scattered on the ground were transformed back into Angel, and his spirit was forced back inside his body. He hopped up and onto Fluttershy's head, Fluttershy crying in happiness.

Grimm turned to leave with a smirk on her face before Twilight stopped her. "Ms. Reaper-"

"Please, Princess, call me Grimm." Grimm insisted, giving a small bow.

"Grimm, I want to apologize for being so rude. It was like the essence of friendship left my body. Would you like to stay and chat?" Twilight Sparkle asked, smiling slightly.

"I would love that, but alas, my influence is draining you of your power. If I went into my 'powered down' stage, I might be able to stay." Grimm said, casting a spell.

Black fur covered her bones and her corneas filled in her eye sockets; her mane became a flowing mist that was gorgeous, and her body was mostly the same.

"Would you... like to tell us how you drained our essence?" Twilight asked, the seven sitting in a circle.

"Well, to start this story, we must go to a far, far away time."

"Long, long ago, I was the Princess of Care. I cared for and nurtured everything I could get my hooves on, and I had three friends; an earth pony named Ruby Worker, a unicorn named Sapphire Mines, and a pegasus named Emerald Reaper. They were sisters, believe it or not, and we were close friends. I was born an alicorn, so by fate, they'd die, and I'd live on. Which I did. My mother and father split Death's Duties, reaping the souls of every pony that appeared on the Scroll of Destiny. I watched them as they reaped my friends away from me, and cried and cried. I buried their bodies outside our Kingdom's castle. Dreadfast, was the name.

"My parents eventually, like Celestia and Luna's parents, became one with the heavens once more, and I became Death. I gave up on friendship and shut every pony out, taking sadistic joy in taking others' lives. Every day for the last thousands of years, I've reaped those who needed to be reaped. My total? Nine million eight hundred and seventy four. Some foals, some newborns, some elders, some mothers and fathers, some sisters and brothers, some of the closest ponies ponies could get to. And even now," Grimm pauses, reverting back to her bony self, started. "I take my sadistic joy in killing ponies. I can choose their deaths, I am the Queen of the Dead, the Princess of Fate. One day, Twilight Sparkle, I will come for your friends. And then your family. All the while you watch and I gain more and more power as I absorb your sadness. That is my way. Now I must be going."

"B-But Grimm, you can still have friends if you just-" Twilight started.

"No! No!" Grimm shouted, books flying from their shelves. "My job forces me to disallow friends! If I stay here any longer, I might destroy the Elements themselves!" Grimm cried out, her fur shedding off of her body.

"Grimm, listen to us," Twilight said, holding Grimm's hoof. "As long as you let friends into your life, you can be happy."

"Oh, my dear, I am happy. I have a sister, whom every pony loves, and I have my job. Getting rid of the blemishes that curse the soil we tread on. She once asked me, 'Grimm, why do ponies love me, and hate you?', I replied with the truth. 'Because I am a horrible truth, and you are a beautiful lie.' Do you get what I'm saying, Princess?" Grimm came inches from Twilight's face, hissing.

Grimm's tongue lolled out, violet and dripping with a sticky black substance, licking the sides of her face. The ponies backed away in fear, except for Rainbow Dash.

"Now listen, 'Queen', you need to let friends into your life, and you're too stuck up to do that!"

"Am I, now?" Grimm cackled. "Fine, I shall let friends into my life-"

Cheers came from every pony.

"If, if you six take the Scroll of Destiny and do my job for one entire week. Then come to my castle, and if you can't do it, that's fine by me. Bye bye now." Grimm said, teleporting back to her lonely castle.