“I’ve always believed that there was good in the world…” I say, “I was just never quite sure how much there was exactly.”
“Not too much of it, I’m afraid.” The reply is grave.
I’m dead.
Me and my friend, Rainbow Dash… we’re both dead.
“It’s her fault really…” I speak into the silence, “If she hadn’t tried to save me at the last microsecond… she’d still be alive and breathing.”
“Would she? Or would she have survived for but a few more seconds?”
“Who knows…” I sigh in reply.
“Damn lucky shot though,” the other voice comments, “To hit you and your friend in the same strike? One would almost think you had a penchant to die.”
A scene flashes before me… The monster - the golem - bearing down on me as I cast my magic, attempting to dispel the word of the creator. My vision, filling with the almighty arm of the creation. The flash of blue as Rainbow dived beneath it, racing towards me with a scream of desperation etched permanently across my mind…
“Bad luck, I suppose,” the voice continues conversationally.
I turn to look at the owner of the voice for the first time since I arrived in this wasteland realm.
In the middle of the wastes, a chair, made from oak and bark, stands. The occupant stares back at me impassively as I take… it in.
It’s a cat; dark as the midnight sky and with eyes of fiery amber. It watches me as I register the fact and seems to smile.
“It’s a nice form, isn’t it?” it says. It sounds slightly feminine, “I prefer it, even though it isn’t as… traditional as some of the others. But then… you didn’t come here for such an ordinary being, did you?”
I shake my head, ignoring my misgivings as I speak. “No. I need to find whoever started this… I need to stop this…”
The cat laughs, its voice scratchy and oddly warm. “Why? Why sell your afterlife when you have so many others that can do this task for you- without you?”
I glare at the cat. “Did you want to make a deal or not?” I ask pointedly.
The cat laughs again, albeit quieter this time. “I do, I do… I’m just curious as to why you’d want to take such drastic action.”
Another flashback. Me, Rainbow, talking quietly in the library. Me, Rainbow, in front of the cave that was to be our doom. Me, Rainbow… under the golem’s arm.
“I have my reasons,” I reply stiffly.
“Doesn’t everyone,” the cat says, humour absent from its tone as it regards me. “I must warn you that once you do this… there’s no going back,” its voice is suddenly business-like as it continues, “You and I are in this to the sweet, bitter end.”
“I understand,” I say and watch as the wastes start to change, hills and trees rising in the distance.
“And once it ends… that’s it for you. There’s no way for you to ever find your friends in the afterlife; there’s no way back from this choice.”
“I understand,” I repeat. The landscape changes colour, the drab greys and browns washing green across the hills.
“Then we agree… I shall bring you back to life and aid you in your quest to find and stop the creature- or creatures- responsible for the golems and the death of you and your friend,” the cat says, standing up and stretching as the throne changes, sinking through the grass growing at its feet.
“I agree,” I reply for the final time and the cat grins,
“Excellent,” it says, almost malevolently, and hops off the tree throne towards me. “There is but one more step required from you. Words are loose; brittle… I need something a bit more… secure to hold my bargain. The more secure the bargain, the more I can aid you.”
I fall silent for a few moments, considering the options. “My memories,” I say eventually, “You can have hold of my memories as security.”
The cat remains silent for a few moments, eying me over again before it replies, “That is an… interesting bargain. I will accept your offering, Twilight Sparkle.”
There’s a crack of thunder as the sky breaks and rain starts falling, washing the hills as the cat smiles to itself. I watch it impassively before a thought occurs to me. “And what should I call you?”
The cat just grins wider. “Call me Chroma.”
I wake up.
I open my eyes to be greeted by pitch darkness.
That's a perfectly reasonable occurrence, my mind informs me, I died in a cave, it follows that I'd be revived in one.
It still didn't stop a sense of unease falling on me as I groan, my battered body reporting that it wasn't the best fan of being crushed to a paste before being reformed.
A scuffling to the side of me sets my hackles and I spin over, my eyes only just making out a thin silhouette, roughly the size and shape of a pony, in the darkness. “Chroma?” I confirm and squint, only just able to catch the shadowy figure nodding.
“Couldn't you have done something about the pain?” I ask, climbing to my hooves and wincing as my bruised body complains.
“The fact that you're standing there, a dead pony walking, wasn't enough for you?” the figure asks, it's voice an octave or so higher and oddly familiar.
“I'm quite happy about that, yes. Thank you,” I concede, putting the bruises out of my mind for the time being, “Where are we?”
“Exactly where you were when you died,” Chroma answers, “Well done on that, by the way. You actually managed to dispel the golem,” a pause, “A few seconds too late, I'm sure... but still, points for effort.”
“Thanks,” I reply bitterly. I gingerly reach out to my magic, slightly surprised when I find it there, poised for action. The first thing I do is heal myself, letting my magic flow around me, healing the sores and bones. Once that's done, I focus on concentrating my magic in one spot, compressing it until it fuses into light.
The shadows flee before it and I look around. The golem is no-where to be found, but apart from that, the cave is exactly as I remembered it in the brief time I was there. Somewhere, water drips from the ceiling and echoes through the cave. I glance down, expecting to see blood from where I fell.
The ground is spotless. I look to where Rainbow would have fallen before I can stop myself and gasp, my control over my magic slipping and plunging the cave into darkness again.
“Why?” I ask furiously, struggling to get my magic under control.
“Interesting offer you made,” Chroma says conversationally as I succeed, lighting the cave up once more and sending the shadows scurrying again. “Your memories as security...”
“That doesn't give you the right to do... that,” I exclaim angrily, glaring at Chroma.
It was Rainbow; standing there with her trademark half-smirk. Her mane was tangled and dusty, as if she'd just dug herself up from a grave. The only difference was the slight tint of amber in her eyes.
“I took a peek at them,” Chroma continues, ignoring me as I realise why the voice was so familiar, “And... well. The opportunity was too good to pass up.”
Rainbow Dash spread her wings and inspected them.
“I think I like this body,” Chroma mutters to herself – it seems appropriate to give her the pronoun now.
“I don't,” I reply flatly, “Can't you change into something else?”
Chroma laughs with Rainbow's mouth and voice and I shudder, setting my jaw. “Into what?” she asks, gesturing around us. “Your friend was the only one I could inhabit. It just so happens that you two have a painful history. Not my problem.”
I briefly consider trying to continue the argument – to force her into leaving Rainbow's body; to let her rest in peace – then think better of it. It's not going to accomplish anything and, if anything, it'll mean that I don't have to tell my friends that Rainbow is actually dead...
Probably a good idea to not let that one slip, my mind agrees.
“Well…” I say eventually, turning away from Chroma and her body, “Should we get going?”
“As you wish,” Chroma replies from behind me.
I shudder, finding her voice eerie and trying to block out the memories of the pony that once held that voice. She’s gone now, my mind reminds me again, That’s not her.
It’s little comfort to me as I set off towards the entrance of the cave, mine and Chroma’s hoofsteps echoing off the cave as we walk through it, ignoring the wreckage from the battle. “How are your impressions,” I ask suddenly as we pass a large stalactite that I remember toppling onto the golem.
“The best in Equestria,” Chroma replies and I look over my shoulder to see her half-smirk and confident stride.
I look away quickly. “Good,” I reply shortly, not trusting my voice to remain level after that.
“I have your memories; I can garner what I need to from those,” Chroma explains further, still in the tones of someone that is lost to me now, “Such as how I appear to have a fascination with an aerial stunt team named The Wonderbolts, a pet tortoise named Tank, and that I’m currently living with you.”
I clench my jaw, determined not to rise to the bait as I keep walking, emerging into the autumn sunlight and blinking in its brightness. Once I’m sure of my reply, I say, “And that’s how we’ll keep it; for appearances sake.”
“Of course, my dear egghead.”
I tense up, trying hard not to spin around and punch Chroma in the face; if she was going to make my life a living hell, I’m not sure I should have taken the deal in the first place.
I could almost see her smirk as she continued, “Oh, my mistake, how insensitive of me to bring back these memories you keep trying to forget. Would you like me to refer to you as ‘Mistress Twilight’ instead?”
I felt as if my heart skipped a beat as Chroma chuckled behind me. “Refer to me as befits the situation and character,” I say carefully, already knowing that this is going to lead to some less-than enjoyable situations.
“So very formal,” Chroma remarks, “Why is that I wonder? I’ve already saved your life, doesn’t that grant me some informality?”
I sigh and stop, the light from the cave mouth within a minutes’ walk from us. “Listen…” I start, turning to face the one thing I’d rather not, “You and I have a deal and I’d like to make it as painless as possible; you’re already getting my soul and you have my memories as security… doesn’t that – I don’t know – grant me some sort of peace of mind?”
Rainbow Dash grins back at me as Chroma answers, “Now there’s an idea… I might use it for an additional package, thanks for that.”
I sigh and turn away again, walking towards the light. “I’ll take that as a no,” I mutter under my breath.
“It’s an ‘I’m stuck here as well as you, ya’know? You can’t expect to keep all the fun for yourself.’” she replies smoothly.
“You could at least make an attempt at being halfway considerate,” I growl under my breath, not turning back as I hear her chuckle at me.
It’s raining outside. Somehow, it seems appropriate as me and Chroma step out into the downpour. I conjure a disk of magic above our heads and listen as the rain crashes into it.
Chroma looks around with a smirk and lets out a short laugh, “Ah… how I missed this world… So much to do here; so much to see, so many beings, so much life…”
I manage to swallow my feelings for a few moments as my curiosity gets the better of me, “You’ve been here before then?”
She shrugs and sighs, almost longingly, “A long time ago and a long way away from here… It’s not very often that I manage to get…” she pauses, searching for a word, “Out.”
I don’t know why I did what I did next… only that I did it. I offered the thing that pained me to look at a hoof and a smile, and said, “Come on, let’s go home.”
Author's Note
And thus... it begins.
No confirmed update deadlines. I'm on a lull/break at the moment, so screw that stuff.
Updates will happen when they happen, I'll try to keep them at a reasonably large length too to compensate for the longer wait.
