Shadow of the Necromancer

by Cynewulf

Rating: teen
Tags: Twilight Sparkle, Main 6, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Dark
Length: 5154

Twilight uncovers an old book, and with it secrets better left long dead are awakened, as they always were meant to.

Twilight learned a valuable lesson, long ago. Memento Mori: you too, will die. It was a bitter pill, but she accepted it and her boundless curiosity about the darkest of lores was for a while sated. But when she discovers a curious volume in the bottom of Ponyville library, hidden in the most unsuspecting of places (for after all, who would look in such a sleepy town?) she begins to feel a pull that she is not sure she wishes to resist.

(A sequel of sorts to Momento Mori, featured on EQD.)

Published 2014-01-15 05:00:04 UTC
Last updated 2016-05-06 03:08:38 UTC

The Account of Silver Corner

Dear Uncle Poets,

I hope this letter finds you well. In any case, it can’t find you any worse than what I’d been led to believe was your fate... I’m getting ahead of myself. Sorry. It’s been a long day, and I just got back in from Ponyville two days ago. I’ve literally had five hours of sleep in the last forty-eight, and it’s bound to show, so sorry in advance.

I thought you were dead until a little after noon today when I received a hoofwritten note from my father that you two were staying in my old room upstairs. I’ll admit, I probably shed a tear or two right there; you have no idea how hard it was, seeing your shop. Well, no, I guess you would know. Crap.

I’m sorry, I’m kind of trying to write this quickly... but I don’t wanna miss anything, you know? I feel like it’s important. Like... if I don’t say it, nopony will. It’ll just have never happened. Maybe that would be good, if it simply never happened. But it would be a lie, even if only by omission. Because as awful and unholy as it was, it’s real and it happened and...

I’m not sure where I was going with that. Sorry, Uncle. Let me think here. Think. Right, your store.

Corner Books is actually in surprisingly good shape. Aunt Star’s little barrista counter is fine, if dirty. The right wall is totally gone, and there were... remains behind the register. I found some notebooks that looked important or personal, I guess full of poems or a story or two. I didn’t read it, I just flipped through to see if it was something personal so I could justify adding it to the catalogued items. All of your stuff is in the back room, I moved most of it myself. It’ll be checked for taint by mages and then shipped to Canterlot or something. I promise if they’re free of any taint from the incident, you’ll have them back. Tell Aunt Star her keepsake chest is safe, I made sure of it.

Gods... Uncle, Ponyville. I’m glad I saw it when we last visited you, and really had a good look. It was such a pretty village. I remember loving it. It’s just gone now. All of that charm just vanished. It’s dead. The streets are filled with rubble. Blood on some of the walls, overturned carts and what I guess were market stalls? It was impossible to tell what some things were before the incident. It was just chaos. I’ve seen what a hurricane can do to coastal towns, Uncle, and even the worst of them has nothing on what happened to Ponyville.

Thank Celestia for family get-togethers, huh?

The rest of the street was wreckage, but the store survived. I mean, it took damage and there’re some rather disturbing symbols scrawled on your walls in what I’m pretty sure is blood, but it’s still standing.

They only sent twenty-four of us. I was really confused at first, but I get it now: containment of information, but also all those sent had personal connections there. They swore us to secrecy before we left camp, and then reminded us of our vows when we entered town and when we left. The two mages who administered the rites of the Sun on us stayed outside the village, watching. The magic keeps you safe from necromantic energies, but not forever. And it doesn’t take away the feeling of it, Uncle. The air felt thick, like you’re walking through soup or something. Weird mist pooled in some of the houses, and those we avoided.

The dead littered the streets. We tried to identify them if there was enough left to identify. Often, there wasn’t. I have no idea what ran through those streets. None. I wasn’t there when the Princesses fired the shot that ended it. But it must have been awful. Huge chunks torn out of just everything, ponies literally shreds...

Gods, I can’t describe it. I don’t have time. When I told you I’d gotten five hours of sleep... Uncle, they gave me a whole day off after that day, and couldn’t sleep. Everytime I closed my eyes I saw this one pony. Her dead eyes. I saw this swirling design scrawled on a wall, one that I think continued into the street and just twisted around and around all over the place. I tried to follow it that day and I just couldn’t find an end. Maybe there wasn’t one. Maybe it goes on forever. Maybe it’ll be burned into the air when they demolish the walls and just keep going forever. It was so wrong, Uncle! It shouldn’t have existed! My partner on the street pulled me away from it and she told me I was babbling and sobbing and I believe her.

The whole town... it’s just wrong. It’s all so wrong.

I’m telling you this partially because as someone who escaped the massacre, you deserve to know. It was your home, after all. But also because right after I received that letter, my commanding officer asked me about you.

I talk about you a lot, Uncle. Writer, bookworm. I probably mentioned how many languages you know at some point, and I guess that’s what Captain Shining remembered.

So they’ll be coming by, probably with me in tow, to ask you to help them. They’ve got... diaries. Papers. Things. They need your help to translate them as quickly as you can. You’re free to say no, I guess... it’s all secret. But please, if you can help, do.

It was me who found them. The diaries, I mean. Day Star and I were checking the library. I won’t try to describe the inside of the library tree. If I start writing about the things we saw in there, I’ll lose it. I’ll start crying all over this stupid letter and burn it and go to bed. And then probably have nightmares about it and wake up in a cold sweat like last night. Over and over and over.

But we found these diaries. It’s really just one, but in volumes. I was so afraid I almost just burned it with magic and ran. I started reading and there... there was just meaningless scribbling. It didn’t mean anything to me. I recognized like one out of every eight words, maybe. And even then...

But it burned in my magic’s hold, and I started screaming. Traps, obviously, of course. I should’ve checked first for latent enchantment, but I was scared out of my mind. Fear makes you stupid. Day Star saved me, cut the connection between me and the book... but I’m afraid.

You knew Twilight Sparkle, didn’t you? The Princess’s student. I met her once, actually.

They’re her diaries, with a few clippings and letters from the Princess. Captain Shining Armor tells me that it’s encoded. He told me that it’s really important.

The mages tell me I’ll stop having nightmares soon. I just got a little taste of it, really. Only a smidgen. Anyway.

It’s really important, Uncle. I think it’s life or death, with these things. They have to know what happened, and this is the only record we probably have.

Tell Aunt Star that I send my love. If I can, I’ll try to come see you under less pressing circumstances.

Your Niece,

Silver Corner

Compilation: Diary of Twilight, March 3-April 7 (Without annotation)

Author's Note

Poets Corner's pen came to a halt over the page. He'd be damned if the encryption wasn't easier than they'd made it out to be, so far. But he wasn't really complaining. After all--he'd gotten out of the town alive, hadn't he? That really was good enough. If it meant he owed the Guard a favor with some encrypted diary translating, it really was the least he could do.

As to the contents... he wasn't sure what to think, yet. There was only a sort of dismay. His niece's note sat on the table beside the diary and his transcript. He hadn't answered it yet. What could he possibly say to describe what had happened to the happy hamlet he had called home? What words in Equine could be spoken?

Compilation: Diary of Twilight, March 3-April 7 (Without annotation)

Compilation: Diary of Twilight, March 3-April 7

March 3

I’m not sure where I heard it first.

I have been waiting to write about it, hoping to have solid details to go on, but nothing has surfaced. It is only a shadow, really, plaguing me. Sometimes I wonder if I’m going crazy. Maybe it’s a dream, something that came to me in the night and I simply forgot its source. That would explain why I can’t remember any one pony talking about it.

And yet... I know somepony has, somewhere. I feel as if I’ve talked about it. Somepony had to have told me.

But I’m rambling, aren’t I?

It’s only a rumour, and yet I begin to believe it. There’s whispers of dark magic in the Everfree of the oldest kind. No reports of any specifics, nor any real eye witnesses... just feelings. Rumours.

I only write about it now because Zecora came into town today. I’ve been thinking about it for weeks... but today I first began to believe it. Or at least, I began to give it some serious thought. I still need to find out more.

Zecora was nervous. Not overly so, but I could tell when she found me and Rarity a little after lunch. Rarity had just stopped in for tea, and I was making it when Zecora came in and asked if I was busy.

We never get to see her enough, so of course we invited her to join us. We talked, and she seemed normal at first. But as we kept talking, I began to feel like she was on edge. It was as if... No, I was going to say that it was like she was trying to get her mind off of something, but I’m assigning her all sorts of motivations. I’m a scholar, not a novelist! I must begin to act like it.

Perhaps she was simply lonely.

March 6

Another letter from the Princess!

When I graduated, I think what bothered me most was the thought of no longer being able to write the Princess freely. The pressure of post-graduate studies, the whole “being-an-adult-for-real” thing, Spike starting to grow up... all of that I could handle. I still think I can!

But I was glad that Celestia let me continue to write her. I even write her about things I’m learning day to day, sometimes, and it feels like old times.

I’ve been thinking a lot about old times, recently. Sometimes I miss being younger and new in Ponyville.

But anyhow! Her letter was quite wonderful, as always. She wrote that she was proud of me and my progress in mastering Star Swirl’s Nine Incantations, and told me some of the news in Canterlot. Luna is considering reopening her own academy, and Celestia may have asked me if I might help her along. If she decides to go through with it any time soon, of course. I was very honored. It would be nice to see the Princess of the Moon again! It has been too long.

But it was not all good news. The Griffons sent a strangely hostile delegation that arrived two days ago in Canterlot. They haven’t revealed much, but Celestia suspects civil war brewing. Whatever it is, the most recent Gathering of the Nations at Canterlot Palace has been tenser than in past years.

March 10

Dash and I spent most of the day together. I’m glad that the Wonderbolts are on break for the next month. I’ve missed her so much! We read and... well. It was wonderful. Kind of slow today in the library, but it’s spring. School is wrapping up, and that means a lot less traffic. Cheerilee’s new reading programs have been wonderful.

But I don’t mind, in the end. It’s nice sometimes to have some peace and quiet in the old tree. Time to catch up on my reading and maybe write that letter to the Dragonic ambassador. Time for some alone time with Dashie.

I think I might drag her downstairs to the archives and search. I don’t get to explore those dusty shelves nearly enough, and I’m sure as long as she has a candle and some Daring Do, Rainbow will be fine.

Later:

Have you ever been afraid to write something?

I have. It makes it more true, to write it down. I found a book.

Rainbow is asleep. She stayed the night, but I couldn’t enjoy her company at all. I kept thinking about the book. It’s in my hooves right now, and I’m using my magic to write this. The whole time she was awake, I kept worrying Rainbow would see right through me. Or that she would ask me about what must have been suspicious behavior, as I left her behind in the archives to hide the book.

I’ll write more about it later. I’m worried she’ll notice I’m not in bed.

March 12

I need to write about the book, don’t I?

The Princess has warned me about books like this. She showed me once, what books like this could do and what they would make of me. I even recognize it from the vision she gave me of the future when I was in my last year of the Academy.

I suppose I’ll have to write about it now, won’t I? I never did. It was simply too much.

I dreamt about it last night, anyhow. I woke Dash up in the middle of the night with my crying, and she kissed my forehead and held me until I fell asleep. It helped, but...

The Princess revealed to me in a letter that, to a certain extent, she could see into the future. She could, in fact, see many possible futures.

By almost providential luck, she had spotted something... terrible. That I was going to the archives as I eventually did, and find a locked chest full of books. Books of forbidden lore. And, as is my nature, I would not be able to keep them locked up. I would read them all. I would learn all they had to show me. I would be a monster. I would kill Rainbow Dash.

I lived that possible Twilight’s final defeat, and I still have nightmares sometimes.

But from her memories, I retained some knowledge. Most of it was inconsequential. But I remember this book.

It’s black, with a leather cover. I was horrified by this, but I tell myself it isn’t made from ponies. Goddesses, I hope it’s not made from ponies. It’s worn and a little fragile, but still very readable. I haven’t made it past the first page yet.

I just... I can’t. I can’t do this, can I? Celestia was desperate enough to keep me from these books that she risked me hating her. For pete’s sake, in one version of the future, this branch of study causes me to kill Rainbow Dash! But now we come to thinks I wish to forget. I've tried to forget that night, when she came to me with Luna's help, and plunged me into a dream of what could happen.

She burned that book that was in the library. I'm sure of it. I saw it happen. It can't exist.

But I just keep looking at it. It really is a lovely book. So old, so fascinating. I’ve always loved books, not only for what they give me but for what they are. Something in me loves this one too. Isn’t it beautiful, though, for everything?

March 15

Pinkie bounded into the library today with her husband Caramel in tow, and they convinced me to go out to eat with them. She’s right, I have been a bit solitary since Dash got called away to help with weather work down south. I’m worried about her. I mean, I know that she can handle it, but...

It’s always wonderful to spend time with Pinkie and Caramel. You know, I always thought that he had a crush on me. I’d never ask Pinkie, though she probably knows. Or would she? I don’t know. I’m not sure I would tell Dash if I used to have a crush on Rarity, which I didn’t. At all. But if I did, it would be strange. Anyhow.

He’s working on a new painting, which he promised to show me after Pinkie had seen and he was done. I did enjoy his paintings when I was new in town. I can’t believe I’m writing this, but I posed for one once. It was nothing major, but... honestly, I should have known he was pining after me. I mean, the look on his

Yes, I need to move on, don’t I? Gods out of the Song, but I hope Pinkie doesn’t read this. I’d be mortified. This is the one place I can ramble and be perfectly safe.

Anyhow, it was a good visit. I had been feeling a little lonely. It’s kind of alone in the library, just me, Spike (when he’s not at Rarity’s or with Sweetie Belle!) and that book.

March 16

I read the book today.

Not the whole thing, obviously. It’s a textbook, after all. I mean, it’s not Basic Spellcasting or Aerodynamics for the Advanced Flyer, but in it’s own...weird... fashion, it’s just a textbook. Right?

So I read some.

I took notes on the first “chapter” I guess you could call it. Mostly, it was drivel, just a kind of credo for the writers or writer, talking about the utility and power of his art. Drivel mostly.

But.. interesting drivel? Can drivel be interesting? Is that a thing that drivel does? Regardless, I was intrigued despite myself, in the end. The kind of almost effortless power the writer speaks of... Think if that level of power could be put to work. Not for evil, and not these spells, obviously. This books is evil. I don’t need to read it all to know that! But what if we could simply rearrange life as we knew it? Think of the world we could make. Of course, we can to some extent. We can change the course of rivers, make forests smaller or bigger... but we can’t truly create. Entropy is still a thing that happens.

But... maybe I’ve misread him. I’m sure I have.

Blood magic can’t do that.

March 17

Rainbow is back!!

I was so excited to see her. She told me the storms over Rusted Hoof had gotten out of hand and started some flooding. Apparently, we’ll have a few refugees in town over the next month. I’m so sorry to hear of their loss... it hurts my heart, hearing about their houses and farms swept away while they had to watch from the hills.

I already wrote the Princess, and she’s informed me that help is actually already coming! I’m delighted to hear it, and I’m sure the ponies who come from Rusted Hoof will be too. I asked if I could help, but the Princess says that Archmage Spiral and his entourage will handle it.

The Archmage is so old, though. I hope they can turn back the flood.

Rainbow is back, though! I’m so excited. We’re going out to eat tonight, just the two of us. It’s been too long since we had a nice romantic dinner. I look forward to it.

March 18

Dinner went well last night, in case you were wondering, diary! Ha.

I’ve begun a new project, actually. The black book (that’s what I’m calling it now) is hidden under our bed upstairs, safe. Honestly, I’m tempted to write Celestia right after I finish this and go ahead and tell her. I don’t need something like that.

Anyhow! Project. As you can see, I’ve been working on my knowledge of older tongues and modes of writing. I think I’m going to work on an old favorite of mine, working on a translation of The Mareiad. I read it once, learning under Professor Hope Blossom in University, and I remember loving it. I actually went looking for a translation today... and I couldn’t find one that I loved in modern Equestrian. It’s high time I fix that!

March 24

Work continues on translation. I remember the words, and how the roiling waves come out in the very language as Pious Word leads the weary unicorns of ancient Brouha to a new home...

It’s been quite fun. I even got my featherbrain in on it, a little. I read what I’ve worked on to her every night, and she’s been mostly good-spirited about it all. It’s been a nice thing to add to our regular bedtime routine, really. I confess I look forward to producing that turn of phrase that will make her smile or comment. It’s been my goal for this translation, mostly for my own benefit, to make something anypony can enjoy. I wrote the Princess about it, actually, and she’s asked me to send each book to her, as I finish!

March 27

Reports of strange things in the woods today. Somepony (I think it was Golden Harvest?) saw something big moving, like a shadow. Applejack was in town today, and she seemed grim.

Shadow. I heard that word and I shivered.

Timberwolves seems to be the general consensus. I asked AJ if there was anything I could do, and she told me I’d be the first to know if the farm needed some magic.

I feel so useless. How am I supposed to be a good friend if I can’t help my friends? My magic is useless if I can’t do anything with it. There’s talk of a curfew, but nothing’s been done yet. Golden Harvest asked if one of the local guardsponies could stay at the farm tonight, so the Carrot family can rest easy on the edge of the Everfree.

My translation was short tonight, as I did a lot of reading today in Practical Combat Magic just in case. It helped me feel a little better about being stuck in the library. We’re only halfway through Book I, and Rainbow already doesn’t like Pious Word. Ha! But she is enjoying it, I think. We read after our chapter of Daring Do. We’re almost done with this one... I should look for our next book.

March 29

I looked at the book again today.

I just... I had nothing else to do. No, that’s a lie. I had things to do. I could’ve translated a bit more for Rainbow tonight (She’s really enjoying the speeches! I’m surprised. We’ll make a connoisseur out of her yet. Though maybe it’s just because it’s me translating...)

But it was there. Rainbow was working today, clearing up some rain clouds that were drifting into Ponyville’s weather sector. Spike was working downstairs, just sweeping, and I was kind of alone. I tried reading, tried working a bit on that paper I was putting together for the Journal. Nothing held me. I just kept feeling that cover under my hooves, seeing that nice black surface. It’s really a beautiful book.

I took it out and stroked it, sitting on my bed, feeling warm. I wonder if it’s enchanted? Maybe a low level “Need it, Want it” sort of spell. I should check that out!

Back. I don’t detect one... but there’s something going on here. It’s definitely not without magic. That’s sort of typical of really old spell books though. Back then, they were a lot rarer and ponies guarded them jealously.

I proceeded further into the book today. It’s not structured like modern textbooks, that’s for sure. The “chapters” are rather vaguely delineated, and mostly there’s just titles of spells and rites with notes sort of everywhere.

I’d expected something more. More... evil, I guess? I only read a few pages before I stopped. It was mostly simple stuff, things I guess you’d teach an apprentice. How to grasp things properly with magic, how to manipulate the shape of something, bend it. It’s ugly, crude, brutal. Nothing evil, though. Not yet. It... fascinated me. Classical spell casting is usually known for being seamless, fluid. But this is all force and power. I tried it out, and it feels quite good to learn a new way of doing things. A bit hard to control, but that will come with time.

I stopped after four pages, though. It felt strange, reading this thing I shouldn’t even have. I liked it. But it felt so wrong.

I really should write Celestia.

April 1

Pinkie. Today, I avoid Pinkie at all cost.

No news. The Everfree hasn’t troubled anyone in awhile.

The Account of Applejack, First Part

Account of Applejack
[Recorded on tape.]

I reckon she was like she always was, y’know? I mean, weren’t nothin’ really strange about it. We took our pets out to the park like we do sometimes and we had us some fun. She laughed, she talked about getting’ Dash to listen to some kinda poetry thing…

Look, what are ya lookin’ for? I just… It’s not like there were any signs of some kinda calamity comin’. It was a sunny day. Ponyville was filled with happy ponies. It was a good day.

I’m thinkin’, I’m thinkin’. Hold on just a cotton pickin’ minute.

She did seem tired. Just a little, mind you, but she did. I noticed, but I didn’t wanna make a fuss. Rares asked her ‘bout it at some point, I remember that, but she kinda danced around it.

We talked ‘bout it, actually, me and Rares, when I was walking her back to her shop. Fluttershy was with us, bein’ quiet. I asked Rares about Twilight, and I remember she said to me, “That girl is far too stressed.” And, of course, I asked her why, but she wouldn’t elaborate. I guess she didn’t really know, just got a good helpin’ of that old mare’s intuition hogwash.

Well, I dropped her off with a kiss and the promise of a great dinner and me ‘n Fluttershy headed back home. I felt kinda bad for her, as she hadn’t seen Macintosh much that week. He’d been busy helpin’ us out. Apple Bloom was feelin’ sick and he knew I’d run myself ragged tryin’ to do it all.

Sorry, sorry, got distracted. Let me think again.

Fluttershy mentioned that too, ‘bout Twi being tired looking. I never saw it, mind you, until they started pointing it out. But Fluttershy insisted it was all obvious. Started talkin’ about visiting Twi and talkin’ to RD about helpin’ her ease the load. I guess that scare with the Everfree probably didn’t help, even though it blew over real quick. First time, it did. That was weird, really, just how quickly we all forgot about it. I guess… I don’t know, the sun was up and the days were gettin’ warmer and better and I reckon it’s hard to think about dark stuff in Spring, y’know. Everythin’ growing and the farm is starting to look pretty again after being dead all winter and it’s just… it’s good. So I guess it makes sense how we all let that slip our minds, all collective like.

Twilight remembered though. She mentioned it, I think, at some point. Took me a minute just to remember what she was talkin’ about like I was some dern fool, but I remembered it. She’d never forgot. She’d been studyin’ and plannin’ and she’d made up all sorts of contingencies and what not. I was impressed, really! I thought it was a token of the kinda mare Twilight was, actually. She not only finds the answer to the problems around her, but she never rests. I understand that in her, I’m like that myself.

The scare in the Everfree was more jumpin' at phantoms than anythin' substantial. Twilight could have... she really could have explained it better. Everybody was antsy, you know? I'd say the first sign of trouble was ponies claiming to have seen some shadow or creature on the edges of the Everfree. Didn't place much stock in it at the time and to be honest with ya I don't really place much stock in it even now. Even after everything. It weren't shadowy monsters in the woods that were the danger.

So the rumor got started, right? Ponies felt uneasy. Scared. But then they felt more then uneasy. Some of the unicorns in town started gettin' these weird headaches. The farmers, myself included, started feelin' run down. Tired. Draggin' our hooves. Figure somethin' musta happened to the pegasi, but Rainbow seemed fine. There was some talk about a curfew. You know, I remember Twilight seemed really upset about that. Which was odd to me. Figured if anypony I knew could see through a crowd workin' out its tension, it would be her. Course there weren't a curfew. This is Ponyville. It... Sorry.

It all came to a head about the time that Fluttershy came back into town. She was terrified, poor girl. Nopony had seen her in days, and Mac was lookin' more and more drawn and nervous himself. Filly was beside herself, talkin' lunacy about things in the night and sounds and darkness and all that sorta crap.

Set everybody's nerves on edge, made the whole thing worse. But who could blame her? She was scared witless. I took her to the farm with me and called Mac in to tell him his mare'd had her self another episode and he went runnin' before I was even finished speakin'. Mac doesn't talk much, but he's the pony I would want by my side any day of the week.

That riled the town right up, and Twilight ended up announcing she would do somethin' bout it. She'd investigate, that was her word. I was about to pull her aside after but she found me first. She needed an escort into the Everfree durin' the day and she trusted me enough to take her.

See, this is why I didn't think this'd be worth nothin'. Far as I could tell, her investigatin' didn't do a thing. Her horn glowed and she muttered a lot and brought a little book with her and wrote in it. Two books, actually. Guess she needed some sorta reference guide? Heh. That... that sounds just like somethin' she'd do.

After a few hours she told me that she had enough "data" or whatever and we headed home. That was the only real warnin' sign I had. Not much of one. The next week or two was pretty peaceful for me.