Chapters In Death I Recived My Purpose
Another day, another meaningless existence. I walked from my school to the bus stop like I do every school day and when I get home I do my homework, watch some T.V. eat dinner with my mother and sister then go to bed. When I wake up I shower, eat breakfast, get on the bus and go to school. The cycle continues never changing and never breaking. Most people don't even notice that they live their lives in a cycle that is the same, some may say that but today, bla, bla, bla, at its core it's still the same thing.
I realized this at a young age and ever since the memories I remember most are when something interrupts this cycle. For instance, when I was eight I got to go on a field trip to an aquarium and see things I'll never again get to see. There were few things I looked forward to in my life and oddly enough one was a T.V. show for little kids called My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic. I rather enjoyed the show because unlike we humans those ponies don't live in an unchanging cycle, or at least the main characters don't I couldn't say about background characters.
I often loose myself in thought and as a result I lose track of time. I checked my watch and the bus was late, not that unusual but it still when it's late it takes its time. In the distance I heard the sound of crunching metal and car horns going off. "What the?" I turned just in time to see a large piece of what was a red car slam itself against my torso. I fell to the ground with a large hole where my chest was and three of my ribs sticking out of chest. My blood spilled out onto ground and my vision was turning black.
I'm dying? Well then at least my death was somewhat interesting. Odd though, a normal response to dying is pleading for life but I can honestly say that I don't give a damn that I'm dying. My vision became pitch black and I lost all of my senses.
* * *
I was still seeing darkness, for a while I thought this is all that death was. Then I realized I could move, I saw my arms and despite the total blackness I could see myself clearly as if I was in daylight. I moved myself a foot forward and I heard what sound like a stone floor. Just then a light shined from what looked like a tunnel in front of me, I reached my hand up forward but it vanished as if it rejected me... Well then that happened. If the light rejected me then what about the darkness?
I turned around and I saw a darker tunnel that just kept going, endlessly. One thing I hated about the dark is what I see in it. It may sound odd but the darker and quieter a place is the more I can see and hear, like whispers and outlines of... creatures is the best I can put it. After years of that I got used to it and even managed to ignore it. But this is different; I don't see any outlines or hear anything.
I walked deeper into the darkness and still not outlines or whispers; for once I started to think I was truly alone in the darkness. After several minutes of walking the darkness started turning into stone. Made sense given the sound of my footsteps. The colors soon turned from stone grey to black and white, in the distance I saw darkness again but I saw those familiar outlines around the darkness. This is the first time I've seen a body on those things, glade to know I wasn't crazy all those times I've seen the outlines.
I walked closer to the dark humanoid figure then it turned around and I was met with a pair of rose red eyes. After a moment A deep but feminine voice came from the black mist. "Now who are you?"
After a failed attempt at speaking I had to force out the words. "What and who are you?"
"I am Gatekeeper, as for what I am that not even I am exactly sure of. You should have gone into the light, I already have a key master."
What is she talking about? "Yeah, about the light I lifted my hand towards it but it vanished without warning."
Gatekeeper stared at me for a moment then lifted her forelimbs and opened a shadowy book. "This has never happened before. Tell me stranger what is your name?"
Like I'm giving my name to a shadow person. "Call me... Wait you have a half?"
"key master, yes, he was like you once. I knew he was joking when he spoke the name key master but I haven't had a counter part in years so I gave it to him out of loneliness. Now he means so much to me but I have to stay here and there is so much that can harm him out there."
The tone of Gatekeeper's voice alone says how much this key master worries her. Maybe... "So he does not have any protection?"
"His abilities are growing but they are still weak. He has good friends but not many of them can fight off the forces of the ethereal plane."
"Then why don't I protect him?" Gatekeeper's eyes widened, almost turning into red circles. "In life I had no purpose, just a cycle of the same events day in and day out this can be my chance to make my existence have meaning."
gatekeeper gave a long pause, she went through the dark books pages over and over again then even though without a mouth I could tell she broke a smile. "There are no rules saying otherwise, this will even give me a chance to see what this can do." gatekeeper reached her hand into the pages of the book then pulled out a small dagger that looked like in was a 3D ink drawing. "Take this and protect my key master and all those he holds dear."
I took the dagger and was surprised at the detail on the blade, it bore symbols I've never seen before as well as a silhouette on both sides of the dagger blade above the grip. "I shall master."
"No, there is no need for that."
"What else is a Guardian to call the ones he protects?"
Gatekeeper sighed. "If you wish Guardian." Gatekeeper holds the dark book up to what I figured was her face and after a minute or two she moves to the side and nothing but pure darkness was behind her. "This is a portal to the world key master is currently residing in. It is called Equestria."
Did she just say Equestria!? I processed this for a moment and put it up to that multiverse theory many a T.V. shows and Si-fi novels have exploited. "Yes master, does key master go by any other names?"
"I believe he has taken the name Spooky."
Spooky, really? Well makes sense if he's a ghost like me, sorta. "I shall find master Spooky as soon as I arrive." I walked into the portal and set out to find my new master with a new purpose.
When light reached my astral eyes I was in an alleyway of sorts. The moon was high in the sky and where the alley goes into the street I could see ponies walking back and forth across sidewalks. I moved my feet to walk but I did not move, how can I move if walking gets me nowhere? I started thinking of how I could move, I need to get out of this alley to find master Spooky. My body moved several inches and I felt my nonexistent heart jump out of my chest in shock... If I think it or rather will it I can move.
After a minute or so I started to get the hang of moving with my mind and willed myself out of the alleyway and onto the walkway. It was then that I noticed that no one, er, no pony was paying attention to me. If I'm in Canterlot that could explain it, those rich pricks ignore just about everyone. That thought was in vain as several ponies passed through my body as if I was fog, one even shivered after passing through. Guess I give off a cold aura or something. I willed myself down the walkway and started thinking about how exactly am I to find master Spooky.
Gatekeeper said he was residing in this world so could he have a body? How would he even get a body is a better question, can he make one or did he posses one? Gatekeeper said his power was weak so I don't think he can make bodies so he must have.. borrowed one. That said in order to help me find him I need a body. My morality said that taking some random pony away from their life for god knows how long was wrong and it was right. Maybe it doesn't have to be some random pony, maybe a recently departed or dying body can do?
I willed myself up into the air and scanned the city for a morgue or hospital. I spotted a large building in the distance with a red cross resting at the very top. Hospital it is then. I willed my body over there but it was rather slow, at max a pony walking speed, when I arrived at the hospital the sun was starting to rise and the moon was going down. I always thought the princesses’ magic was visible when they moved the moon and sun but no it looks as if the magical aura the T.V. show had around it when they did show them moving the sun and moon was just for show.
I figured if ponies pass right though me then I should be able to pass though walls. I attempted to touch the window I floated in front of and sure enough my hand phased through the window as if it was air. I phased though the wall and found myself in a hallway filled with paintings, chairs and coffee tables with magazines on them. I could hear a rather loud conversation coming from he far end of the hall.
I floated myself over and phased through the door. I found myself in what appeared to be an argument between a doctor and a grey unicorn mare with a blue mane and tail with a cloud cutie mark. There was a young unicorn stallion hooked up to a machine that looked like a life support system. His mane was a midnight blue and his coat was standard blue and his cutie mark was covered by egg white sheets.
"You can't, I'll get the money just give me time!" The grey mare yelled out to the doctor.
The doctor just gave a sympathetic look to the mare. "I'm sorry miss you're already two months late and your insurance can't cover the expenses anymore, your son will have to be taken off of life support."
"You can't! You said it yourself he might wake up soon!"
"Yes but the directors have made up their minds miss, as against this as I am your son will be taken off of life support. I can give you ten minutes before I have to pull the plug."
The doctor left and the mare planted her head onto the bed sheets crying next to he son. Maybe... I floated myself over to the stallion, I phased my hand through his head but nothing happened. I tried to pull back but my hand was stuck then a sharp pain as if thousands of needles were stabbing every cell in my ghostly hand. My arm started to get drawn in and the pain came with it, soon my whole body was absorbed by the comatose stallion and the pain stayed even after all was dark again.
After a few moments I could feel warmth, I felt legs, four exactly and a heart beat in my chest. Wait no the bodies chest, this isn't my body, my body is gone. In the back of my head, er, this bodies head I can hear something, like soft breathing. Is this stallion still alive? Is his mind sleeping? I opened my eyes and saw the mare crying on the side of the bed, face deep in now tear soaked sheets.
I lifted the left front foreleg and placed it atop the mares head. She jumped up and when she saw me she looked at me with a mix of joy and terror all in one. "S... Star?"
So that's the name of this stallion. "No." The voice that came out was a mix of my own and the stallions, at least I assumed that other voice is his. God that’s creepy. "I am a specter."
"Wh.. why are you in my son?"
"I require a body and your son is facing death when he still lives. I can hear his mind sleeping, he can and will wake up. if you will allow I can keep him alive while his mind sleeps and when he wakes up I will return him to you but only if you agree to let me occupy his body until then."
The mare rubbed her temples with tears coming from her eyes. She was thinking hard about this dissension. "... Alright specter but the moment my son comes out of his coma you bring him back!" I nodded in agreement, pulled out the needles and other sensors attached to Star's body.
"You should go now, when the alert goes off that the patient has 'flat lined' they will come quick." The mare nodded and ran out of the room with tear filled eyes. I pulled off the last sensor and the machine flat lined, I jumped out of the bed and fell over. Not only am I not used to running on all fours but Star's body was also weak from being in his comma for God knows how long. When I stood back up all four of his legs were trembling. Damn this is gonna be harder than I thought.
I paced myself quickly out the door and down the hall. I could hear the doctors and nurses back down the hall running. Gonna get quite the surprise aren't they. I found an elevator and stepped inside the second it opened, I nearly had a heart attack when the doors closed and I saw my reflection. Star's eyes where glowing a sickly green, add that to the freaky voice thing and it's no wonder Star's mom looked frightened. I turned around and the cutie mark on Star's flank was a cartoonish ghost printed on a black shield. Yeah I don't think this was his cutie mark.
The doors opened and I walked Star's body out of the building. Before I reached the exit the receptionist mare spotted me. "Not again." She fainted behind the desk making a loud thud against the floor.
"Again? Could master Spooky have been here?" I walked out the doors and found myself in a large town, ponies of all races, genders and ages walking about in the new daylight. I figured it best I keep my, Star's head down to avoid some suspicion. Glade it' s morning though, these glowing eyes would be rather hard to hide. I moved the eyes around while keeping Star's head down to try and spot any pony that might be like me, or at least similar. That fainting receptionist helped a little, means master Spooky could be in this town.
I kept my eyes sharp looking master Spooky, examining every pony on the street as they passed but none gave any suspicion. I had wandered out of the down town looking area of this town and found myself in a more residential area. This is starting to look familiar; this scenery is almost deja vu. Then I spotted it, the ever so recognizable tree library of Twilight Sparkle, this town is Ponyville. As a fan of the T.V. show I'm freaking out, but I can't show it, it's bad enough I look strange I shouldn't act it.
I took in a few deep breaths and calmed down. Should I speak with Twilight to see if she has seen any ponies like me?... How bad could that be? I walked over to the door; Star's body has gotten better and stronger than when it just got off the bed and walking on fours has gotten much easier. I knocked on the door three times and Twilight opened the door quickly. She took one look at me and pulled me inside with her magic, she had a rather angry look on her face.
I was dropped onto the floor in the center of her library. "Spooky what are you doing in that body!?"
"Wha?"
"Did you break the body Trixie and I made for you, if you did then why not just come here in your ghost form!?"
"Do you know my master?"
"Oh ha, ha, Spooky nice try. Let that stallion go!"
"I am not Spooky! My name is... Guardian, I was given the purpose of guarding my masters Spooky and gatekeeper, as well as those master Spooky holds dear to him."
"Sure, let's just say you are this Guardian pony, specter, whatever then why haven't you been around before?"
"I arrived here last night, and I died last night from my world." Twilight still looked skeptical, what kind of person is master Spooky? "I'm telling the truth and if you do know master Spooky you can bring him here, then you'll see I'm who I say I am."
Twilight rolled her eyes. "Fine, I'll humor you. Spike!"
The little purple dragon came from up stares, his short legs moving at their top speed and finally stopped in front of the purple unicorn. "You called?"
"Yes go get Spooky, he should be at Lyra and Bon Bon's."
Spike looked at me, then Twilight, then back to me. "uh isn't he Spooky?"
"We'll see, now go."
Spike ran out of the room with a quick pace and I was left in a awkward silence with Twilight staring me down. I hope Spike gets back soon.
Master Spooky and Mistress Twilight
It felt spike ran out the door hours ago. Twilight has spent this whole time giving me this glare of disparagement, Jesus Christ she's like my mother. "Uhhh so how long have you known my master?"
Twilight rolled her eyes at the question. "A while Spooky, a while."
"For the last time Spooky is my master, I am his guardian."
"Yeah and when spike gets back your little prank will finally..." The door of the library flew open and spike skidded between Twilight and I. "Spike, so let me guess Spooky's..."
"On his way Twilight." Spike deadpanned.
Twilight stood there with a blank expression that quickly turned to shock. "Wa... What!?"
"Yeah when I got there it looked like they were all playing poker."
Twilight facehoofed then quickly glared at me with a scary large smile on her face. "OHMYGOSHOHMYGOSHOHMYGOSH You're another ghost!"
"Did I not try and explain this earlier?" Twilight then proceeded to bounce up and down much like Pinkie Pie has done on the show.
"Hey Twilight you wanted to... wha?" A stallion with a grayish white coat, neon green mane and tail and a beard walked in. His cutie mark was a cartoon ghost but not above a shield like mine, it was all alone. He spotted me and his jaw dropped and his mane and tail started to float up and wave around as if he was under water. "What the!?"
"Are you Spooky?"
"Yeah, and who are you?"
I kneel on one leg in front of my master. "I am your guardian, I have sworn to Gatekeeper that I am to protect you and those you hold dear. In times of peace I am your slave, butler, servant, and whatever else you wish me to be. In times of conflict I will lay down my... unlife for yours." I stood back up but master Spooky gave me this blank expression.
"Spooky?" Twilight asked, then poked him but he did not respond. "I think you made him go into shock." Twilight moved her hoof in front of master Spooky's face but still nothing. "Spooky, you got a... problem to deal with."
Ouch, that hurt right in the ego. "I am right here. Hey are you close to master Spooky?"
Twilight turns to me, a bit of blush on her cheeks. "Well we're friends but that's it."
"Then I must serve you as well, as part of my oath." I kneel on one leg again. " I am at your command Mistress Twilight." I get back up and now Twilight's face is blank. "... Shall I get a doctor or...?"
Twilight shakes her head then gives me a concerned look. "There's no need for that, please don't call me mistress."
"What else is one such as I to call the ones I serve."
"... Sorry you're just so different from Spooky, why are you like this?"
"In life I lived an unbreakable cycle that gave me no purpose in life just a meaningless existence. After my death I met Gatekeeper and we talked, now I'm here with a purpose."
"Wow, do you come from Spooky's world?"
"The human world? Yes."
"You said you died last night, how did you die?"
"To put it briefly a large chunk of metal shot itself into my torso, crushing my ribcage, smashing my heart and making me bleed out. At least that's what it felt like."
Twilight gave me a sad glance then walked over to the massive collection of books in a section labeled 'Young Unicorn Spells'. The levitated a book out, flipped through the pages, put it back and walked over to master Spooky. "Alright this should do the trick." Twilight's horn lights up with magic, followed by a small bolt of lightning striking master spooky on his back side.
Master Spooky jumps to life, patting his back side. "What the heck Twilight!?"
"Firstly you weren't responding, secondly that's also pay back for last weeks 'Ice Cream' prank."
"It was just a little hot sauce."
"I hate spicy foods and sauces! Any how so what are you going to do with your... 'helper'?"
"Well... you said you promised Gatekeeper that you'd to protect me and those around me right?"
"Yes, even though I just met her I could tell she is one whose bad side you don't want to get on."
"Yeah, true. So... I don't really know what to do."
"Just give me a command and I will do it."
"Look as lazy as I am having someone do things for me at the drop of a hat seems kinda... wrong."
"My purpose is to serve and protect you and your allies. There must be something I can do."
"Uhhh... Tell me how you got that body I guess."
"I'm interested as well." Twilight spoke, seated next to master Spooky.
"As you wish master. After I figured out how to move around in my astral I started my search at a hospital, I found a mother yelling at a doctor because her son was going to be taken off of life support since she no longer could afford to keep him on it. She was given ten minutes left before the plug was pulled, doctor stepped out and I originally thought I could wake him up but that ended up not being the case, so instead I promised the mother that when her son wakes up I will return him to her. In the mean time my possession of his body will allow me to keep him alive. After that I left the hospital and here we are."
Master Spooky and Twilight both looked taken back from the story. "Well it looks like you don't just protect Spooky and us." Twilight spoke, a smile on her face. "Looks like you protect the rest of the living as well."
"Seems so. Gatekeeper even gave me a..." I felt the blood in Star's body run cold as realization struck. I don't have the dagger! "Shit!" I looked around, ran outside looked some more but still nothing. "Where is it!?"
"Where's what?" Master Spooky asked with a heavy breath.
"Gatekeeper gave me a dagger, I didn't realize I dropped it since I was getting use to walking on all fours."
"Wait how can you even hold a dagger? It took me months before I could even pick up paper!"
"It existed in the ethereal plane just like us."
"Wait!?" Twilight shouted as she approached, also heavy of breath. "So... inanimate... objects... can be... ethereal!?"
"I didn't question it Mistress Twilight I just took it." dammit did I drop it at the hospital?
"Well where did you have it last?"
"At... The hospital where I possessed Star's body." Shit! But how could I drop it. Well at least since it's ethereal it won't be seen or touched by anything of the physical plane.
"Then we should go look there." Master Spooky spoke.
"As much as I would like that I can not Master. When I left the doctors and nurses got a shock finding Star's body gone, If I go back then, well... Who knows what will happen."
"He has a point Spooky." Mistress Twilight said to Master Spooky. "You should be able to see the dagger Spooky so you and I will go look for it. Uhhh..." Mistress Twilight looked over to me. "Sorry but what was your name?"
"You may call me what you wish Mistress Twilight."
"Well I want you to tell me what you want to be called."
"Is that an order Mistress?"
"Uhhh... sure."
Now then my first real order, what should I name myself? What type of name, I asked to be called guardian but it seems they don't want to call me that... I always liked magic in this show and in any other story or video game world. "Call me Mage."
"Alright then Mage you stay here with spike. Spooky come on."
With that Mistress Twilight and Master Spooky ran off towards the hospital and I walked into the Library. My first day as a servant and I need help from the masters I am supposed to serve, damn I'd better get myself together.
I trotted back and forth in the main room of Mistress Twilight's library, muttering in self hatred. “Can't believe, I'm supposed to serve them and now I'm stuck here because Dammit!”
I dropped Star's body to the floor and hit the floor a few times. How worthless am I?
“You shoulden't talk about yourself like that.” I looked up and saw a little green and purple dragon standing about three feet from me.
“M Master Spike, how long have you been standing there?”
“The whole time. Why did you talk about yourself like that?”
“When I was alive my mother always told me she only accepts perfection and nothing less. Even when I was young I knew there's no such thing as perfect but I tried anyway and failed every time.”
“So you hate it when you don;t get something right?”
“Forced habbit's die just as hard as old ones.”
“You're very open about this.”
“You asked me a question, as a servant I must answer truthfully.”
Master Spike face-palmed, or would it be face-clawed? Probably the first one. “Why are you like this? I mean I help Twilight and stuff but you, well...”
“I'm their servant it's what I do.”
“ugh, Never mind. So if I heard right you chose to be called Mage, are you good at magic?”
“Never used it. The world Master Spooky and I hail from considers magic a thing of fiction but I've always liked the idea.”
Spike walked over to one of the shelves, pulled a book out and tossed it to me. Magic 101 A beginner Unicorns Spell Book. “As Twilight say's 'best to start with the basics'. Good luck with learning some spells I got to head out.” Master Spike left and I just stared at the book. The title is in english so the book should be too, right?
I opened to the first page and thankfully it was in english. Page one was describing all one would need to know about levitation, even gives a brief history on it.
Levitation:
The basic unicorn spell of moving inanimate objects. This spell is easy to learn and use since the castor only needs to mentally visualize the object of their choosing moving while activating their magic.
Step 1: Choose and object or objects upon which you wits to levitate.
Step 2: Activate your magic by concentrating both thought and energy to your horn.
Step 3: Visualize how you want the object to move mentally while keeping your horns magic active.
Step 4: If all goes well your magic should have covered the object the same way you mentally imaged it.
A brief history on Levitation:
Levitation has been a part of unicorn history since the earliest recorded eras of pony history. Documents record some of the earliest uses of Levitation was ment to be used to raise and lower the sun and moon before Celestia and Luna took power and responsibility of the task. Folk lore tells that the spell was an adopted form the magical bursts of baby unicorns, details are unknown about how or who adopted the spell.
Well than, that was informative. Alright then Step one, I decided to test it out on the book so I focused on it. Step two, I concentrated on Star's horn and put some mental and physical energy into it and it lit up like a light bulb. Step three, I imaged it moving up and In less than a second the book was covered in a greenish blue magical aura floating an inch off the ground.
Wow, that was much easier that I thought. Wonder what other easy spells this book has? I skimmed through the pages and quickly found that I was using magic to do so. So is levitation instinctual? About half way through the book I spotted a rather interesting spell.
Summoning spell:
This spell is commonly used by law enforcement, musicians, and show ponies a like. By the user knowing the exact location of an object they can teleport said object to their location. Depending on the size of the object and the distance between the summoner and the object location determines how much effort is needed to successfully cast the spell.
Step 1: If not already select an object that is not currently with you but you know its location.
Step 2: Activate your magic while imaging the object, its location and your location all at once.
Step 3: Image the length that the objets is needed to travel while keeping the objects current location and your location in mind.
Step 4: Focus your magic with all of step three in mind. If successful then the object should appear in front of the castor.
Step 5: In order to send the object back all that the caster has to do is repeat the steps above.
A brief history on Summoning:
It is unclear exactly how this spell came about since it was for many years only known by traveling gypsies and show ponies. The Lunamoon family was the most talented at using this particular spell in their shows and some believe that they had a part in the spells creation.
Lunamoon? Why does that name sound familiar?
Tossing the thought aside I started practicing the spell. Step one… Guess the book will have to do again, I levitated it over to the other side of the library and turned around so I couldn't see it. Step two,Once again I started up the greenish blue aura around Star's horn and thought about where the book is and where I am. Step three, I thought about the eight or so feet I was from the book. Step four, I put some more effort towards the horn and it glowed brighter. In a flash of greenish blue light the book appeared right in front of me and dropped to the floor.
“Alright then now step five.” I did the spell over again only this time it was sort of reversed. In another flash of light the book was gone and when I turned around it was laying on the ground where I first placed it.
Okay now that was cool! I'm actually using real magic! I couldn't stop the grin I broke across Star's face I was just too exited. I even started to laugh a little in self pride.
“Wow!” I turned to the door and Mistress Twilight was walking in. “It took me two day's to get that spell right! How did you pick it up so quickly?”
“I… Uhh, Mistress Twilight?! How long have you been there?”
“Not long but I saw what you did and I'm impressed.”
“Thank you Mistress.” I said with a nod. “Was your and Master Spooky's search for the dagger successful?”
“Well… we found what we think is your 'dagger' but it wasn't a dagger.”
“… I'm afraid I don't follow.”
“I was afraid of that.” Mistress Twilight levitated from outside a blade the length of Star's body, it colors had red at the tip and point of the blade, green on the grind and the cheek and spine was the same color blue as Star's coat. The handle looked like it was designed to be wielded from the mouth if the wielder was not a unicorn.
“… You found that at the hospital?”
“Spooky did actually. I was searching the room and he found this in one of the doctors offices, probably was going to hand it over to authorities or something. I was kind of hoping I could perform some tests on it, if you don't mind?”
“Do as you wish Mistress Twilight.” Mistress Twilight rolled her eyes and started walking over to another area of the library. “Mistress.” Mistress Twilight turned around. “Do you know where master Spooky is?”
“Oh, he went back over to Lyra and Bon Bon's to finish their poker game, why?”
“I'm his guardian I must assess the situation.”
Mistress Twilight rolled her eyes again. “Well if you're going to go they live a few blocks away. Spooky insisted that they put their cutie marks on the door so look for a door with a lyre, candy and a cartoon ghost kind of like yours.”
“Thank you Mistress.”
With that in mind I made my way out of Mistress Twilight's library and off to the domain of Master Spooky.
