Tombstone

Chapters

Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9

Chapter 1

It was the dead of night in Ponyville when a cloaked figure appeared in Twilight’s castle. It made its way to her room and crept inside, slowly closing the distance. Moonlight shined though the window casting a shadow over her sleeping form while he stood at her bedside. Twilight started to stir as if she felt something wasn’t right, her eye’s cracked open, looking up she saw him and then everything went black.

Spike awoke the next morning as if nothing was amiss. “Good morning Twilight.” No response. “Twilight?” He got up and looked on top of her bed. She wasn’t there, all he found was a scroll with a note attached to it. “Send to Celestia…alright.” In a puff of green flame the scroll was sent on its way. “Twilight must have gotten an early start, I’ll check up on her later, right now I need to get some breakfast.”

Celestia sat at her desk filling out paperwork when a scroll materialized next to her. Thinking it was just another letter from Twilight she calmly broke the seal and started to read.

Dear Princess Celestia,

I have Twilight in my keep, if you ever want to see your fellow princess again alive you will do exactly as I say. Meet me at your old castle in the Everfree Forest, in the throne room at exactly noon so we can talk, and no guards.

Celestia couldn’t believe what she just read. Twilight ponynaped, and by who? She quickly wrote out a letter to Spike to inform him of what happened if he didn’t already know, and for him and Twilight’s friends to meet her at the old castle. After she sent it on its way Celestia ran down the halls of the castle and informed a couple of guards to wake her sister. Fortunately Cadence and Shining Armor were visiting so she went to tell them as well.

When Twilight woke the first thing she noticed were the shackles around her legs and the suppressor around her horn. Twilight took in her surroundings and from the looks of it she was in some kind of lab. There were beakers and test tubes used for potion making as well as scrolls and other items strewn about. Then let out a little gasp when she noticed the pony in a black cloak sitting at a desk writing something.

“So you’re awake.”

“W-Who are you? What do you want from me?”

“All will be explained in due time, but it’s not what I from you, it’s what I want from Celestia.” He got up and made his way over to her. “But I’m glad your finally wake, it’s almost noon and we have a meeting to attend.” He charged a teleportation spell and a second later they were gone. They reappeared in the throne room in the castle of the two sisters. “Now we wait.”

Spike and Twilight’s friends were waiting at the entrance of the castle when Celestia, Luna, Cadence, and Shining appeared next to them.

“Princess!” they said in unison.

“Is Twilight going to be okay?” said Spike.

“Whoever ponynapped Twilight has another thing coming, just wait till I get through with them,” said Rainbow while punching the air.

“I understand you’re concerned, but let’s not do anything rash. I’m sure we can handle whatever it is we’re up against. Now we have to get going.” They made their way through the castle and arrived at the throne room doors. “It’s noon.” Celestia used her magic to open the double doors, and then they saw the mysterious pony and Twilight in chains.

“Celestia!”

“Twilight.”

Celestia and the others began to rush towards Twilight. “That’s far enough!” They stopped dead in their tracks. “Right on time, hello Celestia it’s been a looong time hasn’t it and I see you brought company, although I did only say no guards so I can’t penalize you for that.”

“Do I know you?”

“Oh yes we met many years ago.”

“Who are you?” said Luna.

“I’m not so much a who anymore. I’m more of a what.”

He then removed his cloak and reveled his half rotted away form with missing patches of skin and hair revealing the muscle and/or bone underneath, with red pupils were his eyes used to be.

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH, DEAD PONY!” screamed Pinkie.

Everypony was frozen in place by the revel, everypony except Celestia that is.

“You.”

“Sister you know this thing.”

“That I do.”

“So good to see you remember me.”

“What are you?” said Cadence.

“Good question, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Tombstone and I am a lich, an undead, immortal, and powerful being. The ultimate form of a necromancer. Hmm by looks on your faces things might go smoother if I made myself a little more presentable.” His horn sparked to life and his skin began to replenish its self and fill in the missing gapes until he looked like a regular pony. His coat was jet black, his mane was a dark gray, and his cutie mark was unsurprisingly that of a tombstone. “Much better don’t you think? And be thankful that I already neutralized the smell.”

“Enough! What do you want?” said Luna.

“Oh Celestia knows exactly what I want don’t you princess, you stole something very precious to me a long time ago and I want it back.”

Celestia shot him a dirty look. She then pointed to the gem in the regalia she wore around her neck.

“This is what he’s after.”

“Your gem, sister I do not understand, of what significance is it to him?”

“It is his phylactery. You see Luna when a pony becomes a lich they need an object to put their soul into for safe keeping, this is what makes them immortal. No matter how many times you destroy a lich they will just return a few days later. The only way to permanently kill them is the destruction of their phylactery after which they will simply cease to exist.”

“How did you come into possession of it and why not finish off this creature when you had the chance?” said Shining.

“Well about five hundred years ago he appeared before me with the intent of killing me and destroying Equestria, he claimed to have army of undead soldiers numbering in the thousands to do it with.”

“I like to think I was saving Equestria, cleansing it of the filth that has plagued this land for so long. Most ponies are vile creatures that deserve to die. When the many are gone and a few remain I shall replant the seeds of life and rebuild. It may take centuries too repopulate but under my leadership I shall create a nation worthy of existing.”

It was unsettling to hear what he planned to do, wiping out Equestria and its citizens, and acting like it was the right thing to do.

“As I was saying, his undead minions were popping up throughout the castle keeping the guards busy so I was on my own. A tense battle ensued, one which I nearly lost. It was by a stroke of luck that I obtained his phylactery and put an end to hostilities. I see now I should have ended him right then and there, but I showed leniency and sent him to Tartarus. I thought that was the end of it. When and how did you escape?”

“About ten minutes after you left actually, as for how well that’s my little secret.”

“It took you only ten minutes.”

“More or less, it seems that no prison can hold me, but that was a long time ago back when I foolishly thought that the safest place for my phylactery was on my person. I realized I made a few mistakes that day and rethought my strategy. I’ve been lying in wait ever since, just waiting for the opportunity to present itself. Then I heard about your student turn princess and knew the time was right. Now either give me back my phylactery or Twilight dies!” He then brandished a knife. “Make…your…choice!”

Celestia took a moment to consider her options and the possible outcomes, and then she made her decision.

“No.”

All eyes fell on her. The entire room was shocked by her choice, no more so than Tombstone.

“Come again.”

“I said no. I-I’m sorry Twilight but you don’t know what he’s capable of. He would see all of Equestria burn if left unchecked. If I gave this back to him he would be unstoppable, so for the greater good I cannot do it. I hope you can understand that.”

Celestia’s head hung low while the look on Twilight’s face was one of hurt and confusion.

“Well this is unexpected to say the least. If that’s the case then I guess she is of no further use to me.”

“Kill her and your next foul creature,” said Luna.

Tombstone pondered that for a moment. “Worth it!” He then put the knife to her neck. Everypony lurched forward a little, everypony except for Celestia who stood static and unwavering. “Wow not even a flinch out of you, you’re cold Celestia. I wonder if you would make the same choice if it were your sister instead.” Celestia just stood there staring daggers at him. “Your silence says a thousand words. Hmm this complicates things. Tell you what I’ll give you some time to rethink your decision, who knows she may yet prove useful to me. I shall contact you when I’m ready.” Tombstone then teleported himself and Twilight to places unknown. After things calmed down a little, Rainbow Dash confronted Celestia.

“Princess how could you!? We could’ve found a way to stop him!”

“And if we couldn’t it would spell doom for all ponykind. I’m the only one that’s seen what he’s capable of and he’s probably only gotten stronger since then. He’s most likely the greatest threat Equestria has and will ever know. I just couldn’t take that risk. But at least now we have some time to find where Tombstone’s keeping Twilight and get her back. Now let’s get going.”

The others silently agreed. Finding Twilight was now their top priority.

Tombstone and Twilight reappeared in the same room they left from. He then let out a soft roar. “I can’t believe that didn’t work, I thought for sure Celestia would do anything to get you back!”

“Me too,” said Twilight under her breath. Tombstone then turned to face Twilight, put a collar around her neck that was chained to the wall, undid her leg restraints, and began to leave. “Where are you going?”

“Out, if you’re going to be saying here then I’m going to have to get some supplies, can’t have you dying of starvation on me before Celestia has a chance to reconsider my offer.”

Chapter 2

After only one day of captivity and Twilight was sufficiently board out of her mind, constantly replaying what happened over and over again in her head, watching Tombstone conduct his research, and sometimes speaking in a strange tongue she had never heard before. Occasionally one of his undead servants would bring him what he needed.

Perhaps if I got him talking I can find out more about him and why he hates his own kind so much. “So how long do you plan on keeping me here?”

“Don’t know.”

“What are you working on?”

“None of your business.”

She let out a sigh. “Can I ask you something personal?”

Tombstone stopped what he was doing and turned to face her.

“What!?”

“Why do you despise other ponies so much?”

“That’s a long story.”

“I’m all ears.”

“You really want to hear the tragic tale that was my life, fine! I’ll try to sum it up best I can. It all started over a millennium ago, I was but a foal and as far back as I can remember I had nopony to watch over me. No family, no friends, just me growing up on the streets of some town I can’t even remember the name too trying to survive another day. Everypony I met either paid me no heed or rejected me for reasons I’ll never know. As you can imagine this made learning magic difficult. It took some time but I managed to gather the materials needed to teach myself the magical arts, I even found material on dark magic and found myself intrigued in the subject. I had a knack for necromancy, that’s when I got my cutie mark. But when others found out that I used dark magic and what my cutie mark meant that only made things worse. As the years passed I traveled around Equestria, but everywhere I went I was rejected by my own kind. That is until I met a certain Unicorn mare. Her name was Vibrant Sunset, she saw me differently than the others. We were in our mid-teens at the time and become fast friends and we even fell in love, she made all the pain go away and made me feel like everything was right in the world. The other ponies of that particular village were increasingly suspicious of us, they didn’t like me and her by extension, even her own family began to turn their backs on her. We didn’t care so long as we had each other. That’s when my world came crashing down around me. I had to leave for a few days in order to acquire some updated texts on magic I was studying. Unfortunately tragedy stuck while I was away. All the village crops had disappeared over night. I later found out it was due to a passing swarm of parasprites, but the villagers didn’t know. All they knew was that their crops were gone and I was the scapegoat they blamed it on. Then they turned on Vibrant who was labeled guilty by association, from what I heard an angry mob dragged Vibrant out of her home and cut off her horn so she couldn’t defend herself, nopony did anything to help her, not even her own family. They tortured her trying to get her to confess to where I was hiding and that I was responsible for what happened. Vibrant tried to tell them they were wrong, that I was innocent. When they didn’t like her answer they….they burned her at the stake.”

The look on Twilight’s face was one of sheer horror. “That’s horrible.”

“I know. It just so happens that I returned the next day. I wondered into town and was met with glares that could kill, as well as an increasing number of ponies gathering around me. They started shouting things at me like ‘you destroyed our crops you demon’ and I didn’t know what the villagers were going on about, but I had managed to piece together what happened and demanded to know where Vibrant was. They all just gave a soft chuckle and motioned to the direction she was in. The crowd parted a little so I could get a better view and what I saw was the charred corpse of a pony tied to a pole, somehow I just knew it was Vibrant. At first I felt nothing but sadness, but that sadness quickly became a burning rage. They took my world from me and I was going to make…them…pay! The mob tried to jump me, but I lit my horn and sent out a shockwave that knocked over or sent flying everypony that surrounded me, then I set the village ablaze. The villagers ran around in a panic while I continued my rampage, not caring who got in my way. Once the flames died down what was left of the village was now a smoldering pile of ashes, the villagers long since fled. I made my way over to Vibrant and broke down crying. That had been the last straw for me, after I gave her body a proper burial I fled to live out my days in solitude and washed my hooves of ponykind forever, or so I thought. I still needed to venture back to civilization every now and again to get the materials or supplies I needed, and to catch up on current events every so often. But I made sure to make as little contact with other ponies as I possibly could. At first I blamed myself for what had happened but quickly realized it had been their fault, it had always been their fault! I swore vengeance on ponykind for the pain and suffering they caused me, and would not rest until I brought about their destruction. I dedicated my life to the pursuit of knowledge so I could obtain the means to carry out my plans. I studied magic and developed my own spells and theories. But one can only accomplish so much in one lifetime. That’s when I decided to become a lich to make myself immortal so I could take my time and not rush into a fight I wasn’t prepared for. Although it still seems I jumped the gun a few centuries ago, but now I am ready.”

“I’m sorry for your loss but that was a long time ago. Ponies are different now.”

“Not likely.”

“Times change, a lot can happen over the course of a thousand years. Let me help you.”

“How?”

“By showing you that most ponies are good natured at heart, although I would stay clear of Manehattan.”

“You do seem kinder than most I’ve encountered that much is certain. But, especially in my current state of lichdom I don’t think that would work. Now I need time to myself to focus on my research. Perhaps your time could be better spent somewhere else.” He then undid the collar around her neck. “Follow me.” Tombstone and Twilight made their way down what looked like the inside of a cave with many different passages leading to who knows where and the only illumination coming from glowing crystals on the walls. “Don’t even think of trying to run for it, my lair is a virtual labyrinth. Only I know the layout and even if you do somehow manage to find the exit only my magic can open it.” They finally came to a door, when it opened Twilight was blown away. “Welcome to my library.” Twilight couldn’t believe her eyes, there were rows upon rows of books stretching on for what felt like forever. “Do you like it?”

“Like it, I love it, this is amazing!”

Twilight was positively glowing. She was so giddy that she almost forgot that she was still being held captive.

“It’s actually nice to meet somepony else that’s interested in learning. I have books on just about every subject you can think of, art, literature, history, magic as well as other topics. I’d say I have more information stored here than the Canterlot archives and Crystal Empire library possibly combined. I even have Star Swirl the Bearded’s original notes and texts in his writing.”

“You do! But I those have been lost for centuries!”

“I have many rare tomes that I’ve collected over the years that have been thought lost. There in my private study.”

“Can I read them?”

“I suppose there’s no harm in it.” Tombstone turned to the first bookcase against the wall on the right and lit his horn. All that could be heard was the sound of tumblers unlocking and then the bookcase slid open revealing a hidden room. “All my most rare and valuable texts are stored in this room and I would never dream of parting with a single one.” They made their way inside. It was considerably smaller than that of the main room with books on the left and back walls and a reading area on the right. “And here we are Star Swirl’s lost works.” He levitated a few books and journals over to the table on the right side of the room. “Enjoy and feel free to look at the other books in my collection either in here or the main room. Although you’re barred from reading the ones that contain advanced magic, don’t want you learning anything thing useful that could be used against me. You’ll know when you find one as you won’t be able to open it. And I warn you any tampering with the material or mistreatment of my property and I’ll know about it, understand.”

“I would never harm a book.”

“Very good, I shall take my leave.”

“Before you go, what are those?”

She pointed to a sealed case in the middle of the room. It contained two books, one was a rather thick tome with a white cover and the other looked over twice as thick with a black cover.

“Oh those, they are the culmination of my life’s work. Every spell, every theory, every ritual I developed is contained in those books. The white one is for regular magic and the black one is dedicated to dark magic. As you can see I was far more interested in the dark arts. And no you can’t read them they’re especially off limits.”

“Oh come on, please.”

“No, it’s my life’s work. All my secrets are contained within them. I would rather see them burn than let them fall into somepony else’s hooves. Besides you couldn’t read them even if you tried.”

“How come?”

“They have many layers of protection. First you would have to get the case open witch I magically sealed. If you do get it open then you have to get the books themselves open which are also sealed. If you managed to get those open then you’re faced with another problem. The pages would all appear to be blank, as I cast a spell to hide the words. If by some chance you do manage to reveal the text you’re faced with one last obstacle. The words are written in a special otherwise dead language that only I can translate. All the while a silent alarm spell would have been triggered by now.”

“You sure are thorough I’ll give you that. Wait special language, you mean like the one I heard you speak in the lab.”

“That’s the one. It’s called dovahzul or dragon language. It was the ancient language of the dragons before it became lost to them for reasons unknown. It died out even before Celestia’s time. The fact that I managed to gather enough material on it to reconstruct the language for my own purposes is nothing short of a miracle. Dovahzul itself is tied with magical properties. I’ve used it to create alternative forms of spell casting, through words and magic circles. Spells that even Earth ponies and Pegasi could perform.”

“That’s not possible.”

“Oh but it is, allow me to demonstrate. Wuld Tusron.” In an instant he traveled from one end of the room to the other in the blink of an eye, leaving only a gust of wind in his wake.

“How did you do that!?”

Tombstone had big grin plastered on his face. “Well you see Twilight instead of channeling magic through a horn first, using words or circles draws its magic directly from the source and even from other living things in the surrounding area. You see every living thing has at least a small amount of magic in them, plants, animals, and even the air you breathe has small traces of magic in it. For example when you perform a levitation spell you are merely stimulating the magic in the air causing it to manifest as an aura around the object you are lifting. The same is also true for teleportation spells. You’re merely displacing your form from one place to another traveling through the magic particles in the air. Sometimes a spell can be amplified depending on the spell and how powerful the being is. For example if I were to cast a spell that can draw off the magic of others in your presence it would be more potent than if it was drawing off my magic alone. However there is a disadvantage to using words as the effects of them only last a few seconds, so you would have to continually recast it for a prolonged effect. Circles on the other hand last much longer.”

“That’s incredible!”

“Yes well you would have to know what the words meant for them to be of any use. Merely imitating them will have no effect.”

“You don’t think I could learn some do you?”

“Absolutely not, I don’t really feel like having my own magic used against me.” Come to think of it, why did I bothered explaining all that to her. Oh well, I hopefully didn’t give away anything that was of any use to her.

“Oh right.”

“Now I need to get back to work, I’ll stop by later with some food.”

Tombstone then took his leave and Twilight started reading.

Chapter 3

A day turned into a week and a week turned into a month. In that time Tombstone and Twilight got to know each other on a more personal level. Twilight talked about her many exploits and what her friends were like, while Tombstone mentioned how he my meet Sombra in his youth and what he was like before he was king. All the while enjoying each other’s company and growing closer, maybe closer than either one realized. Twilight still tried to convince him that he was wrong about ponykind but he didn’t want to listen, most ponies were still vile creatures, weren’t they? But back in Canterlot a different scene was unfolding.

“Thank you all for meeting me here.”

Celestia had called a meeting with Spike, Twilight’s friends, Luna, Cadence, and Shining in the castle conference room.

“Of course princess, any new info on Twi, have ya found her yet?”

“No Applejack and so far the search has turned up empty. Tombstone has yet to contact me which leads me to believe he’s plotting something. Twilight been gone a month now and who knows what he’s done to her in that time. It’s very likely that she is not the same Twilight we knew anymore and that he’ll try to use her to carry out his plans should he fail. That’s why I’ve come to a decision. I’m going to destroy his phylactery.” The others were taken aback by this. “I realize this means we may never see Twilight again but for the safety of Eqestria it must be done.”

“Please reconsider.”

“Yes, this is Twilight were talking about, there’s still a chance-”

“I’m sorry Shining, Cadence, but my mind is made up.”

Celestia used her magic to pry the gem out of her regalia and placed it on the table. She then sent a blast of magic at it, but the gem fought back by projecting a small shield around it. Seeing this Celestia increased her power and the shield broke, the gem tried to stay strong but slowly began to crack under the pressure.

(Moments earlier)

“So you and your friends used this new found power from the chest produced by the Tree of Harmony to defeat Tirek, undo all the damage he had done, and received a castle of your very own.”

“Exactly.”

“Never a dull moment in your life is there.”

“Well I wouldn’t say that. But I’d like to talk to you about your view of other ponies.”

“This again, you’re a broken record you know that.”

“I’m telling you if you just gave other ponies a chance, especially the ones from Ponyville you’d see things differently. If Discord can change then so can you.”

“I…I just don’t know, I’ve been hurt so many times in the past…”

Twilight got up and made her way over to him.

“You wouldn’t have to go it alone you know, me and my friends would be there to help. I just have one question for you.”

“What?”

“If Celestia still refuses to give you back your phylactery then….are you still going to kill me?”

Tombstone thought for a moment, he’d been enjoying Twilights company so much that he forgot all about Celestia and the exchange.

“Well I suppose not. Your one of the good ones out here, in fact you actually remind me of Vibrant a little. You don’t deserve to die.”

Twilight never felt so relieved in her entire life. She smiled and momentarily lost control of herself, wrapping her hooves around his neck and gave him a kiss. His body was as cold as death but in that moment she didn’t care. Tombstone was surprised to say the least at what just happened, but slowly melted into it, wrapped his hooves around her, and returned it. Then Twilight pulled away, blushing profusely. If he still had a pulse Tombstone would be blushing too.

“Oh I-I’m sorry, I don’t know what-”

“It’s fine.” She kissed me and I felt something, something I’ve not felt since. No it must have been my imagination and yet. Just then he felt immense pain surge through his body. “AAAAAAAAAAAH!” He then collapsed to the floor on his side.

“Tombstone what’s wrong?”

“It’s my phylactery…its calling out to me…Celestia is trying to destroy it.” While he still could he used his magic to remove the suppressor around her horn. “Go…you don’t deserve to… die here with me.” His skin began to shrivel and steam.

“Do you know where your phylactery is?”

“Canterlot…Castle…conference…room.”

Twilight cast a teleportation spell and they were gone.

They reappeared on the other side of the conference room. All eyes fell on Twilight and Tombstone. Just then a green flame enveloped Tombstone as he wailed in pain.

“Celestia please stop!”

Celestia was so surprised to see Twilight that she stopped her assault for a moment, but a moment was all Twilight needed. Twilight used her magic to grab his phylactery and brought it over to her, then concentrated and cast a spell to repair the cracks in it, returning it to normal. This caught everypony off guard. The flames died out and Tombstone cast a spell to replenish his body and return to normal. He then rolled onto his belly and looked at Twilight.

“You saved me.”

She then turned to face him and put his Phylactery into his hoof.

“Twilight, what are you!?”

“Just trust me Celestia.”

“You’re giving this to me, but I never said I would-”

“I know you’ll make the right choice.”

“You trust me that much do you.”

“I do.”

He gave her a soft smile, got up in a sitting position, wrapped his hooves around her and gave her a hug, which she returned. “Thank you Twilight, you’re a virtuous soul in this world and have been a ray of sunshine in my otherwise bleak existence, I’m lucky to have met you even if it wasn’t under the most ideal circumstances.” The others were increasingly confused as to the scene playing out in front of them. Tombstone broke the hug and offered his phylactery to Twilight. “Here you keep it.”

“You trust me that much.”

“I can’t think of safer hooves for it to be in.” He put it in her hoof, then turned towards the others and took a few steps forward. “Celestia I would like to formally apologize for my actions and I would like a chance at redemption to make up for the things I’ve done. If someone like Discord can do it than I guess I can too.” The others were now completely baffled. What in Equestria could have happened while Twilight was with him?

He actually wants to be redeemed, this is some kind of trick, it has to be. “Twilight what exactly happened while you were away?”

Twilight strode up next to Tombstone. “You see Celestia we talked and he explained why he hated other ponies so much. I convinced him that they were worthy of a second chance, and that he could live a better life. On a side note you should really checkout his library sometime, it’s filled with near endless amounts of books. I only spent about a month in there and I only got through a fraction of the material. He even has Star Swirl the Bearded’s original notes and texts, and I got to read them.” That last part she said in a higher pitch than she would have liked. Celestia was still suspicious of him and his motives, but decided to play along for now.

“Very well you may have a chance to prove yourself, but you’ll have to wear a suppressor until further notice.”

Tombstone gave a chuckle to which Celestia raised an eyebrow. “Sorry but that will be a nuisance at most. You see I have discovered alternative forms of spell casting that don’t require a horn to use, through words and magic circles.” He saw the questioning look on Celestia’s and the others faces so he thought it best to show them. “Allow me to demonstrate. Horaat.” He held out his hoof and it began to glow as well as one of the chairs in the room. He then waved his hoof around and the chair followed its every move. The others were shocked by this, especially Celestia who had never seen magic like this nor even conceived it was possible. He then put the chair down and the spell ended. “As you can see a suppressor wouldn’t be all that useful, sure it may slow me down a little but not keep me from using magic.”

How powerful is he? “Is that how you managed to escape from Tartarus?”

“You could say it had something to do with it.”

“Very well I see your point, but I’m keeping a close eye on you. By the way what was that you spoke? It doesn’t sound like any language I’ve heard before.”

“Sorry, there are still somethings I would like to keep to myself at the moment.” Tombstone shot a quick look at twilight that said keep that info just between us for the moment. “Now I must gather somethings from my home. I shall meet you outside your castle in Ponyville Twilight.” He then teleported away.

“Twily are you ok? What happened?”

“I’m fine Shining really. Let me explain.” She told them about Tombstone’s past, her time in his lair, and everything else that had happened. Well almost everything, she did leave out the part about dovahzul and the kiss. “And then we appeared here and you know the rest.”

“Well darling that’s quite a story.”

“I’m not so sure about his sudden change of heart. Anypony that’s held a grudge for a thousand years doesn’t simply turn over a new leaf in such a short amount of time. This may be just some kind of ploy.”

“I’m not saying he’s a changed pony yet, it’s going to take time for him to heal. But I’m confident we can reform him. Please Celestia I’m asking you to trust on this. Like I once trusted you.”

Celestia was slightly taken aback by that last statement.

“Twilight look I-”

“You just gave me up for dead almost as if I meant nothing.”

“That’s not true! We did everything we could to get you back.”

“And I suppose that trying the destroy Tombstone’s phylactery was a sign that you gave up hope of ever seeing me again. Tell me I’m wrong.” Celestia didn’t know how to respond to that. “Look Celestia I understand you’re reasoning and in some ways I’m glad about how things turned out, but it still hurt.”

“Twilight I’m sorry about what happened, but right now I’m just glad you’re back.”

“We all are, right girls,” said Cadence.

Twilight’s friends all nodded, and then they rushed over and gave her a big group hug. Breaking it off a few moments later.

“All right girls let’s get going I’m expecting company soon.”

Chapter 4

The train ride back to Ponyville for the most part was uneventful. Her friends were getting Twilight caught up on what she had missed over the last month when the train pulled into the station. They disembarked and the train departed. On their way back to the castle everypony they came across met them with a warm greeting, happy to see their princess back from her “vacation.” As they approached the castle they saw Tombstone already there waiting outside with what looked a pack mule carrying a heavy load. Most likely one of his undead servants made to look normal so it wouldn’t scare the locals.

“Are you sure about this Twilight? This guy’s bad news.”

“Oh Rainbow he’s not that bad once you get to know him.”

“Well why does he have to stay with you? Why doesn’t this guy stay at his own place?”

“I second that.”

“Rainbow, Spike it’ll be fine, and he hast to stay with me so he can properly reintegrate into society.”

“How are you even going to introduce him around town, hi there this my friend Tombstone he a walking corpse wanna be friends with him, they’re liable to run him out of town with torches and pitchforks.”

“Rainbow!” Twilight paused for a second and took a deep breath. “I’m working out the details but for the moment we’ll just leave out the part about him being a lich and having tied to destroyed Equsetria in the past until the time is right.”

“Alright sugarcube, but if ya need anythin or are in any trouble we’ll come runnin ok.”

“Thanks.”

They finally made their way to where Tombstone was waiting. Twilight’s friends tried to put on a brave face, all except for Fluttershy who was trying to hide behind Rarity and Spike who was hiding behind Twilight. Although Tombstone had lived long enough to know when a pony is being genuine or not and saw right through them, but decided to let it slide, for now anyway.

“Hello Twilight. And company.”

“This a friend of yours?” said Rainbow.

“Him, no he’s just one of my servants I dressed up so as not to standout. He’ll be leaving once I get settled in.”

“Speaking of which let me show you to your room so you can unpack and then I can give you a tour of the castle later. Follow me.” Tombstone, Twilight, and the others made their way through the castle halls in an eerie silence with tension in the air so thick you could cut it with a knife. Twilight had to find some way to break the ice. “So Tombstone maybe later we can stop by Fluttershy’s cottage and you can meet all her little animal friends. Would that be alright with you Fluttershy?”

“I-I s-suppose so.”

“That would be a bad idea. Animals don’t like my undead presence, it activates their fight or flight response. Either they go on the attack or flee in fear.”

“Well, ok then. Oh there’s still the party to look forward too, and you can start to get to know the other ponies in town.”

“Party?”

“OH MY GOSH! I completely forgot about your welcome to Ponyville party!”

“Can’t say I’ve ever been to one let alone had one thrown for me.”

Pinkie let out a loud draw out gasp. She had never met a full grown pony that’s never been to a party before.

“You haven’t lived until you’ve been to a Pinkie Pie party,” said Twilight.

“Huh, is it that good?”

“As Ponyville’s premier party pony, I guarantee you will have the best night of ever! That’s a pinkie promise. Oh I still need to do the baking, setup the decorations, get the word out, there’s so much left to do! See you later Twilight.”

In a pink blur Pinkie dashed off and was out of sight a second later.

“How did she?”

“We’ve known Pinkie long enough to know not to question how she does anything anymore.”

“I should get going too. I uhhh promised Scoots I’d help her learn how to fly to day.”

“Yeah I reckon I should get back to the farm.”

“Well since they’re all leaving, I might as well too. Bye darling, see you at the party later.”

“Twilight is it ok if I go over to Rarity’s for a bit.”

“I suppose so.”

“Thanks. Hay wait for me!”

“Well things have been off to an interesting start. I take it your friends don’t like me very much and I’m having a hard time liking them as well. At least the pink one had a legitimate reason for leaving. ”

“They just need some time to warm up to you that’s all. When we first tried to reform Discord Fluttershy was the only one willing to give him a chance. The rest of us were suspicious and wary of him as well.”

“Can’t say I blame them, I didn’t exactly make the best first impression.”

“Yes well let’s get you to your room.”

They continued to make their way through the castle, up a flight of steps, and then they finally arrived. Twilight used her magic to open the doors and they stepped inside. It was a moderately sized room with a bed, a dresser, a window, and a desk.

“Hmm cozy. I can work with it.”

“I’ll let you settle in. The party probably won’t be until after sunset so you have plenty of time.”

Twilight then started to leave.

“Twilight wait.”

Twilight stopped and turned back around to face him.

“What is it?”

“I uhh…on second thought never mind, forget I said anything. I’ll just start unpacking.”

“Ok, but now that I think about it there is something I wanted to ask you.”

“What?”

“With you being a necromancer and all. Why didn’t you…did you ever try to bring Vibrant back from the dead?”

“Oh that. Yes I did actually, but was unable too.”

“Was her body too far gone?”

“Her remains weren’t the problem I could have restored them back to her original from. The problem was I couldn’t locate her soul in the afterlife. That only meant one thing. That it wasn’t her time and her soul entered the cycle of reincarnation. She could’ve been reborn the next day or centuries later, I’d have no way of knowing.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.”

“It’s ok. Though I always had this silly notion that the bond we shared was strong enough that we’d end up running into each other without even realizing it and that I’d somehow figure out it was really her. Ridiculous right.”

“I don’t know, stranger things have happened I suppose. But I’ll leave you be for now and stop by later.”

“Until then.”

Celestia sat on the balcony outside her room looking in the direction of Ponyville contemplating the day’s events as she lowered the sun onto the horizon. Luna made her way into Celestia’s room and saw her on the balcony deep in thought.

“Something on your mind sister?”

“Oh Luna I just don’t know about this. I fear for Twilights safety while in his company. What if he tries to corrupt her instead? This still could be some elaborate scheme of his to gain our trust and lower our guard, only to betray us when the time is right. At least Discord was only slightly twisted and mischievous. Tombstone is something else entirely. Even Sombra and the others we’ve faced seem better by comparison.”

“I understand you’re concerned but we must also have faith in Twilight’s ability to reform him. She has managed to overcome every obstacle she’s faced so far and I have little doubt that she will fail this time.”

“Maybe your right Lulu, but still I don’t like this arrangement. I should have just finished him off when I had the chance.”

“I am having trouble understanding. Why out of all the villains that we’ve encountered do you hold such animosity toward him in particular? And why have I not heard about that incident either? When I returned I read up on all the history I had missed but there was no mention of your encounter with him.”

“That’s because I had covered up the incident and made the guards and castle staff swear too take what they saw to their graves. I didn’t want the public to know how weak I was at the time, that I almost failed to properly protect them from harm.”

“No pony would have thought less of you, besides that was back when it was just you. Between you, me, the element bearers, and Twilight in possession of his phylactery we are more than a match for him. But that still doesn’t explain why you hate him so.”

“I didn’t mention everything that happened on that day earlier. Luna what I’m about to tell you is the part of the story that not even Tombstone knows about. You see there were some casualties that day, all of them guards. One of which was the current captain at the time. His name was Vanguard. We were in a relationship you see. I didn’t find out he was dead until after I got back from imprisoning Tombstone in Tartarus. I loved him, losing him hurt just as much as when I sent you to the moon. I made up a story about them dying in a training accident which the public bought. I just don’t think I can ever forgive Tombstone for that. Besides you haven’t seen him in action, I looked into his soulless eye sockets that day and saw no mercy, no remorse, only hatred and death.”

“I’m sorry to hear of your loss, I suppose only time will tell how this will play out. Though I hope this comes to a peaceful resolution. Sweet dreams sister.”

“Thank you. I’ll see you in the morning Luna.” What are you hiding Tombstone? I know there’s a reason behind why you’re doing this and I’m going to find out what it is.

Chapter 5

The sun was setting and Twilight decided to check on Tombstone and give him a quick tour. When Twilight opened the doors to his room she barely recognized it. The room was much darker in scope, with the walls, ceiling, and floor looking much rougher and duller than before. The bed was moved to open up the room more and the mattress was up against the window blocking any light from coming in. There were also some tables jetting out of the floor lined up against the wall with his lab equipment and other materials laid out on them, and a bookcase that was completely filled. The only illumination coming from candles that were spread throughout the room. Tombstone himself was at the desk looking over some papers when he heard the doors open and looked over to see Twilight.

“My you’ve been busy haven’t you.”

“I hope you don’t mind but I decided to make myself more at home. I’m used to working in a dark cave like environment.”

“Well that’s ok. It looks a lot like the lab back at your place actually.”

“That’s what I was going for.”

“Anyways would you like a quick look around the castle?”

“That’s fine. I can finish what I’m doing later.”

They started to make their way through the castle. An hour later and Twilight had shown him most of the major rooms by now, with just a couple more stops to go.

“Here we have the library.”

“Hmm a good size. A little bit bigger than I thought it would be, of course this whole place looks bigger on the inside than it looks on the out.”

“Oh this is nowhere near as big as your library.”

“True, but you have a fine collection of knowledge none the less.”

“Thank you, now we have one last stop. Right this way.”

With the sun now fully set. They traveled back through the castle and came to the finally stop.

“And this is the throne room.”

“So if this is your castle why are there seats for your friends?”

“Because it’s never been just me. Every challenge I’ve faced my friends have been right by my side to face it with me. If it weren’t for them I never would have become a princess. So it only makes sense that they would be there to help me with my duties as The Princess of Friendship as well.”

“I suppose that does make sense.”

Twilight then noticed Spike peak his head into the room.

“Yes Spike.”

“Pinkie wanted me to tell you that she’s finished setting up and that other ponies have already started arriving.”

“Ok, let’s get going then. We don’t want to miss out on anything now do we?”

“Let me just pack a couple of things in my saddle bag first, then I’ll be ready to go.”

“Alright. Spike you can go on ahead if you want.”

“Ok.”

It was night time in Ponyville and most ponies were either retiring for the evening or heading for Sugarcube Corner. Twilight and Tombstone finally arrived and made their way inside. Tombstone was at a loss for words. The place was packed with ponies, there were cakes and desserts on a long table off to the side, and there was music playing in the corner. The party itself had a subtle subtheme to it in the form of gravestone shaped cookies and some Nightmare Night decorations.

“I don’t know about this Twilight, I can’t remember the last time I’ve been in the same vicinity of this many ponies. I feel incredibly out of place here.”

“You’ll be fine, at least give it a try. You just need to loosen up a little and mingle.”

“Fine, I’ll try.”

Just then Pinkie sped up to Twilight and Tombstone, stopping just short of running into them.

“Hay there Tombstone, are you ready to paaaaarty!?”

“I guess so.”

“Come on you can do better than that. Here have some cake.”

“Uhh sorry but I no longer eat. My body is unable to process food anymore. It would merely sit like a lump in my belly.”

“Oh ok. Don’t worry the night is still young, and I’ll have you smiling by the end of it.”

And with that Pinkie zipped off and disappeared from sight.

“How can she?”

“Again it’s best not to question how she does anything.”

The Mayor was the next to approach the pair.

“Hello, as Ponyville’s Mayor I would like to personally welcome you to town.”

The Mayor then extended her hoof and touched him on the shoulder. Twilight thought that Mayor Mare would find it odd that he would be cold to the touch, but acted as though she didn’t even notice.

“Uhh thanks.”

“That’s an interesting cutie mark you have, what is it you do if you don’t mind me asking?”

Crap I forgot about that, how are we going to explain his cutie mark to other ponies. Hopefully Tombstone thought of something.

“Not at all, the subject was bound to come up eventually. I work with corpses mostly. I’m a forensic pathologist you see.”

“Oh that makes sense.”

That was close.

“Well I’ll leave you be for now. Enjoy the party and your stay.”

Twilight waited until The Mayor was out of earshot before asking Tombstone about what just happened.

“Why is it she didn’t notice your body being so cold?”

“I cast a spell earlier to warm up these old bones of mine and have my body generate false heat for a little while, just in case I had any physical contact with other ponies.”

“Good thinking, now come on I’ll introduce you to some more ponies.”

A little while later and Tombstone was starting to feel a little better about his situation. Some ponies decided to leave early, opening up the room more and a few ponies even stated to dance to the music.

“Care to dance?” said Twilight.

“Ok I guess.”

Twilight and Tombstone started to dance along with the others, though he really didn’t know how to, he just tried to follow her lead.

“This isn’t so bad I suppose.”

A slight smile crept on to Tombstones face.

“Glad to see you’re finally starting to enjoy yourself.”

Just then the door to Sugarcube Corner burst open with a distressed Carrot Top (who was breathing heavily) standing in the doorway. All eyes fell on her and the music cut out.

“HELP!” said Carrot Top while trying to catch her breath.

“What’s wrong!?” said Mayor Mare.

“MURDER!”

A collective gasp enveloped the room. Then they started murmuring to each other.

“What happened!?”

By now she had started to calm down and wasn’t breathing so hard.

“I-I was on my way home when I decided to cut though an alleyway and then I saw the body. Buttercup’s dead!”

Most of the ponies in the room found the news hard to take, none more so than Buttercup’s fiancé Cloud Surfer.

“That’s not, you lie!”

“I understand this is hard for you to accept but why would Carrot Top lie about something like this?” said Mayor Mare.

“Then take me to her dammit! I want to see if what you say is true with my own eyes!”

“Very well I will.”

Carrot Top, Mayor Mare, and Cloud Surfer began to leave. Tombstone decided he wanted a look as well and followed them. Twilight also went and the rest followed suit. The group traveled a couple of blocks over when they came to an alley and indeed found Buttercup’s body lying on the ground. Cloud Surfer was overcome with grief upon seeing her lifeless form. He walked up to her and broke down. Seeing this struck a chord within Tombstone, he too knew the pain of losing that which he loved most and decided to do something.

“Stand aside. Allow me to have a look.”

Cloud backed up a little and Tombstone started to look her over.

“Hmm she has miner bumps and bruises around the face and chest, obvious sign of a struggle, with bruising and marks around the neck which appears to be from strangulation which as of now is the most likely cause of death.” His eye drifted towards her flank and he examined that area as well. “Also appears she was raped most likely prior to death.” That last part for Cloud Surfer only turned his grief into anger.

“WHO!? Who did this!? I demand justice!”

“And you shall have it.”

Every pony looked at Tombstone slightly confused. He removed a quill and inkwell from his saddle bag with his magic, then drew a circle around her body and started writing strange markings on the inside edge of it.

“Tombstone what are you doing?” said Twilight.

“We need an eyewitness account of what happened and who better to ask than the victim. I’m going to reach out and make contact with her soul on the other side. I estimate she’s only been dead about twenty to thirty minutes so her soul should still be awaiting judgment, that and with her body here will make her easy to find.”

“What kind of pathologist are you?” said Mayor Mare.

“I’m unique in the practice.” Tombstone then summoned candles around the circle, when he finished writing he touched the circle with his hooves. The circle and markings lit up, and he began to speak something. “Dinok Zu'u faan voknau hi.” The smoke from the candles began to swirl round in the air above her body. When Tombstone finished his incantation a ball of light appeared in the smoke. “Buttercup can you hear me? Are you there?”

“H-Hello, who’s there?”

“Buttercup?”

“Cloud is that you? Where am I?”

“Buttercup my name is Tombstone and you’re dead. Your soul is in limbo at the moment.”

“I’m dead but, wait I remember, he killed me.”

“Who, give us a description of your attacker, did you know him?”

“I-I did, it was my ex-coltfriend Steady Hoof.” The others were shocked by this, most of them know Steady and they couldn’t believe he do something like this. “He was always bitter about the breakup and when he found out I was getting married I guess he just lost it.” Buttercup now started to cry. “Wait I see something, it’s a bright light.”

“Good that means your soul is journeying to a better place. Thank you for your time, now go.”

“Alright. Bye cloud, I love you.”

“Good bye Buttercup, I love you too.”

Then Tombstone put out the candles and the connection was severed. The circle went out and the ink disappeared.

“Now with that taken care of all we have to do is find this Steady Hoof and make the arrest, although in my opinion he deserves to die.”

“I second that!” said Cloud.

“Hear, hear!” said some random ponies in the crowd.

“Everypony calm down! We don’t need a mob scene here. I’ll contact the authorities and have them make the arrest, although I’m not sure how well a dead pony’s account will hold up in court,” said Mayor Mare.

“All you need for a conviction is inside her. His spunk contains enough DNA to prove he is the one that did it.”

“Very well I’ll go contact the proper ponies. The rest of you should return to your homes for the rest of the evening.”

The others started to leave, all except Cloud who wanted to keep watch over her body while The Mayor went to do what she needed too.

“Tombstone before you go I just wanted to thank you. If nothing else at least I got to say good bye.”

“You’re welcome, I know the pain you felt all too well.”

Twilight and Tombstone made their way back to the castle. Twilight made sure they were alone before asking him about what happened back there.

“Tombstone are you ok?”

“Fine,” he said in an angry tone. “Look Twilight I know you’re trying to get me to see the good in ponykind, but what happened back there reminded me just bad they can be. It’s a cruel world out there and you’d do best to remember that as well.”

“Life may be unfair at times but it’s not as bad as you think it is. By the way what were those markings you made?”

“That was dovahzul in its written form.”

“But those were nothing but lines and dots.”

“Exactly, dragons didn’t have writing utensils back then. All they had were their claws to carve into things, so it would be a bunch of lines and dots. Speaking of dragons where’s yours at?”

“He asked if he could spend the night at Rarity’s, just for tonight.”

“So we have the castle to ourselves then.”

“Yep, just you and me tonight. Uhh Tombstone I’m a bit shaken up from what happened back there.”

“I can imagine.”

“So I was wondering since it’s just you and me, if maybe we could spend the night together? I could really use the company.”

“You mean like staying up with me.”

“More like going to bed with me.”

“Oh, I can’t really sleep anymore.”

“Oh right.”

“But I wouldn’t mind simply lying next to you while you slept.”

“Thanks.”

They finally made it back to the castle. Then made their way to Twilight’s room and got into bed. Then she cuddled up close to him.

“Mmm still warm.”

“I refreshed the spell for you. It should last all night.”

That got a giggle out of Twilight.

“Thanks. It feels so weird to not hear your heart beat. How about you?”

“You get used to it. Good night Twilight, I’ll see you in the morning, maybe even sooner than that. You know Luna’s not the only pony that knows how to enter others dreams, but I’ll wait until you’re in your REM cycle before I visit.”

“It’s a date. Night.”

Date? Oh Tombstone what have you gotten yourself into. Do I really have a chance at love again?

Chapter 6

After word got out about Tombstones role in solving Buttercups murder case there were mix reactions about him. Some thought he did good while others were wary of him and his abilities. After about two months most of the town was accepting of his presence. Tombstone was also warming up to the townsponies as well and came to realized that they weren’t as bad as he first thought. All the while Tombstone and Twilight began a secret relationship, going on various dream dates while she slept. On some of those dates he noticed some similarities between her and Vibrant and began to wonder if it was more than a mere coincidence. Their current dream date involved them lying next to one another under a shady tree on a warm summer’s day.

“Twilight what is it you see in somepony like me? Especially after how we first met.”

“Well after you explained your past to me and we got to know each other a little more I came to realize you weren’t necessarily evil. You were just a pony that’s lived a hard life and has been in pain for a very long time. I also realized you had the potential for good, you just needed somepony to help you heal, and we happen to have a few things in common.”

“It wasn’t out of pity was it?”

“No, I really liked you.”

That brought a smile to his face. “Come here.” He then wrapped his hooves around her and whispered in her ear. “Twilight I…I love you.” There was no hesitance in her response.

“I love you too.”

In that moment Tombstone was the happiest he had been in the last thousand years. The feeling of loving and to be loved is something he thought he’d never have again. Once the feeling started to subside another took its place.

“Twilight I’m worried.”

“About what?”

“About what the others will think when they find out about us. We can’t keep it a secret forever. What would happen if Luna popped in while we were in the middle of one of our dates? What would happen if Celestia found out? She still seems convinced that I’m up to no good.”

“I don’t know, but we should tell them before they figure it out on their own.”

“Yes it probably would be better if we just told them rather than having them come to their own conclusions.”

“How about today? I’ll have spike gather my friends so we can tell them and I’ll send a letter to Celestia.”

“Ok, but mark my words they won’t take it very well.”

“Twilight, Twilight.”

“That sounded like Spike.”

“Twilight, wake up Twilight.”

“Guess its morning, I’d better get going.”

“Twilight!” Twilight’s eyes slowly began to open. “Twilight are you alright? It seems like you’ve been sleeping in a lot lately and that’s not like you.”

“I’m fine Spike, really I am.”

“Well ok.”

“Spike while you’re here I need you to do something for me. Can you go and tell my friends to meet me in the throne room in a half hour? I have something important to tell them.”

“On it.”

A half hour had past and Twilight had just finished her letter to Celestia when Tombstone entered her room.

“I’m not so sure about this Twilight.”

“It’ll be fine. I’m not expecting them to be accepting of our relationship right away. They’ll need time to come to terms with it, so it’s better they find out sooner than later.”

“I suppose you’re right.”

“Good, now let’s get going, I expect my friends to be here any moment.”

Twilight got up to leave when Spike walked in.

“Twilight the others are here.”

“Good, Spike I need you to send this letter to Celestia right away.”

“You got it.”

After the letter was sent they made their way through the halls and entered the throne room.

“Oh hay Twilight you wanted to tell us something,” said Pinkie.

“Yes I did. Well you see girls for a little while now Tombstone and I have been seeing each other and we’re in love.”

Spike and her friends just stood there in a stunned silence for a moment, trying to process what Twilight just said. Rainbow Dash stated laughing a few seconds later.

“Good one Twilight, you had me going for a sec. This is some kind of joke right.”

Twilight shot her a look that said, does it look like I’m joking.

“I’m being serious.”

“What!? Really!?”

“I think what Rainbow Dash is trying to say is we’re just caught off guard by this, it’s something we never expected to hear,” said Rarity.

“I realize this is a lot to take in but I hope you can accept our relationship.”

(Meanwhile)

Celestia was sitting on her throne when a scroll appeared. She broke the seal and began to read.

Dear Celestia,

I have something important to tell you. Tombstone and I have been seeing each other and I’ve come to realize that I love him and he loves me. I know you probably don’t approve, but I ask that you give us a chance. He’s no longer the villain you thought he was. I hope in time you can come to accept our relationship.

Sincerely,
Twilight Sparkle

Celestia’s eye went wide as she read and felt her heart skip a beat. She was beside herself as she read it over again. Her magic intensified, the letter burst into flames and was reduced to ashes. She then took a deep breath.

“Princess are you alright?” said a concerned guard.

“I’m fine.” Calm down Celestia, no sense getting all worked up. I just need to talk to Twilight about this. Tombstone will not take her from us.

Then the throne room doors opened and Luna, Cadence, and Shining came running in.

“Cadence, Shining Armor, what are you two doing here? Luna what’s going on?”

“Sister I bring terrible news.”

“Guards leave us.” They nodded and left the room. “Now then whatever it is my news is probably worse. I just found out Twilight is in a relationship with Tombstone, she claims to love him.”

“What!?” they said in unison.

“Well sister as troubling as that is we have a more pressing matter to deal with. King Sombra has returned and took over the Crystal Empire, which is why Cadence and Shining are here. They and a few guards managed to escape before it was too late.”

“I see. I’ll contact twilight immediately. With our combined strength we should be able to defeat him once and for all.”

“We may need more than that. This could be the perfect opportunity for Tombstone to prove himself.”

“No! It’s too risky, for all we know this could be the opportunity he’s been waiting for and turn on us to join Sombra.”

“I don’t know. It has been a couple mouths since our last meeting and we haven’t heard a peep out of him, maybe he has changed.”

“Hmm I don’t like this one bit, but very well he can come, though I know I’ll regret it. I’ll send a letter to Twilight at once.”

Back at Twilight’s Castle Spike coughed up a scroll. Twilight broke the seal and started to read. She was shocked by the contents.

“What is it?” said Tombstone.

“It says that King Sombra has returned and took over the empire. We’re needed in Canterlot at once.”

“Hmm the train may be too slow, we’d better teleport there.”

“Alright. Come on Spike, girls we’re leaving.”

Once everypony was in position they charged the spell and were gone a moment later.

Chapter 7

Twilight, Tombstone, and the others reappeared in the throne room of Canterlot Castle.

“Celestia we came as quick as we could,” said Twilight.

“I’d say so.”

“What’s the situation so far?” said Tombstone.

“All we know is that Sombra took over the empire. We should be getting an update from our scouts any time now,” said Luna.

“Well we do have an advantage that Sombra doesn’t know about,” said Twilight.

“We do?” said Celestia.

“We have Tombstone. He actually knew Sombra personally a thousand years ago.”

“He did!?” they all said in unison.

“Oh I knew him alright. When you’re the only two individuals pursuing dark magic you’re bound to run into each other some point. We had a few run-ins, got to know each other a little, and even learned some magic from one another. But we ultimately went our separate ways. We wanted different things, he wanted to rule and enslave Equestria while I wanted to wipe the slate clean and start over.”

“I see.” If he knew Sombra then this is even worse than I thought.

A guard then ran into the room and approached the princesses.

“Your highness I bring news from our scouts. It seems a shield has been put up around the empire’s boarders preventing us from entering.”

“I suppose that it also prevents any kind of magic from passing through it as well. Thank you for the update, you may leave now,” said Luna.

“Yes your highness.”

The guard ran off and the others were left to wonder what their next move should be.

“It seems Sombra has dug in for the long haul and wants us to wait until he is ready for us,” said Celestia.

“We can’t just do nothing, there has to be a way past that shield but how?” said Cadence.

Tombstone just shook his head and while the others were bickering amongst themselves about what to do next he went over to a nearby wall, produced a quill and inkwell and began to draw a large circle. When he finished drawing the symbols and writing the incantations he made a loud noise that caught their attention.

“Now then if you’re all done yapping I have the solution to your problem right here.”

“What is that you drew on the wall?” said Celestia.

“It’s a portal circle. When activated it will open a portal to an area behind the shield of my choosing.”

“That’s impossible, how can your magic get through the shield?”

“I never said it went through it. When it opens it travels outside of our world through space and time and then reappears in our world on the other side of the shield circumventing it.”

“Really?” said Celestia in a sarcastic sort of way. “Well what are those markings you’ve made in it?”

“That is the written form of the language I spoke during are last encounter. It’s called dovahzul.”

“Wait that sounds strangely familiar.”

“It was the ancient language of the dragons, though it died out before your time but you may have of it at some point in your early years. Anyways, let’s get going.” Tombstone touched his hooves to the circle and it lit up. He then backed away as the letters and symbols began to swirl together and a picture of the Crystal Empire appeared when the gateway opened. “I will keep the portal open long enough for us to pass through and then close it, just in case Sombra tries to flee through it later. Is everypony ready to go?” They all nodded. “Very well then, follow me.”

They made their way through and the portal closed behind them. They arrived just outside the city and began moving through the streets. The buildings had turned to black crystal and the crystal ponies were in chains. As they made their way to the palace the crystal ponies were surprised to say the least to see them.

“Look it’s the Princesses!”

“They’ve come to save us!”

The guards patrolling the streets finally spotted them and raised the alarm.

“You go warn the King, the rest of you with me,” barked a guard.

The guards went on the attack and were quickly overwhelmed by the power of the alicrons. With the current threat neutralized they began freeing the crystal ponies from their enslavement and continued to the palace.

King Sombra sat at his throne when a guard come running in.

“Your majesty the Princesses are here in the city!”

“Impossible, there’s no way they could have gotten through the shield I put up.”

“But I have seen them with my own eyes.”

Sombra decided to look for himself. He got up and made his way onto the balcony, to his surprise he indeed saw the Princesses and company making their way to him, freeing his slaves along the way. Sombra turned to shadow, went over the ledge to the ground and went to confront them. He rematerialized in front of them with an angry look on his face and dark magic in his eyes.

“Celestia, how did you get past my barrier?”

Celestia was about to respond when Tombstone stepped in.

“I’ll take things from here. Hello Sombra, it’s been a long time hasn’t it.”

“Wait I remember you.” He then raised an eyebrow. “Tombstone?”

“Good to see you still remember me after all this time.”

“So I assume that you were able to turn yourself into a lich to achieve immortality like you planned to.”

“You are correct.”

“I’d ask you how you’ve been but the better question is what are you doing with them?”

“Let’s just say resent events has caused me to rethink my choices in life, so I’m with them now.”

“Hmm I’m sorry to hear that. I suppose that means you’ll try and stop me then.”

“Right you are, and as a lich you know you can’t kill me.”

“True but I can at least destroy your physical form taking you out of the fight for a few days.”

“That is true isn’t it, well then enough idle chit chat let’s get down to business shall we.”

Tombstone and Sombra both lit their horns and fired off a shot at each other. Dark magic collided and sent a shockwave that had them both reeling. They looked at each other and both turned to shadow and charged forward, deflecting off one another. They circled around and continued to bounce off each other several times. They finally broke off and landed on the ground, Tombstone flared his horn, an undead chimera and manticore burst out of the ground in front of him. They rushed toward Sombra who blasted the manticore killing it and was about to do the same to the chimera but he didn’t notice Tombstone teleport behind him and blasted him in the back. Momentarily distracted, the chimera pounced and landed on top of Sombra who held out his hooves to keep the beast from sinking its jaws into him. Sombra shot it at point blank range killing the chimera and sent it flying. Sombra quickly got up to face Tombstone.

“What’s the matter don’t like my pets? Well you haven’t seen anything yet.” Tombstone’s horn flared again and the ground began to shake. Then an undead dragon emerged from the ground and spewed fire at Sombra who projected a shield around himself. The stream of fire stopped and when the smoke cleared his shield held, then the dragon began pounding and clawing at the shield. The constant barrage was taking its toll on Sombra, the shield broke and so did the one around the Empire as well. He managed to dodge the latest strike. He then turned back into shadow and went straight for the dragon entering the beast through one of its rotted away patches and started to destroy it from the inside out. The dragon fell to the ground, Sombra exited through the mouth and turned back into a pony. “Impressive you’ve gotten stronger since we last met but then again so have I. Qo ruzaak.” A bolt of lightning shot from him right at Sombra, who dodged it.

“How did you?”

“Let’s just say I don’t need a horn to cast spells.” Sombra went on the offensive, horn flaring he ran toward Tombstone who counter charged. But before Sombra could get off a shot Tombstone yelled “Wuld Tusron” and he shot forward ramming into Sombra which sent him flying back. Sombra lay on the ground and appeared to be injured so Tombstone went in for a closer look. Then Sombra turned his head and shot a bright light at Tombstone temporarily blinding him. Sombra saw his opening and cast a fire spell. Tombstone was engulfed in flames, the spell ended and the area around him continued to burn. Sombra felt a smile creep onto his face, but it quickly vanished when a figure emerged. Tombstone walked out of the flames near skeletal with just a few patches of charred flesh clinging to his bones and red pupils were his eyes use to be. “Ouch,” he said nonchalantly. “Alright no more messing around.”

The others were amazed and/or terrified at the spectacle unfolding in front of them, non-more so than Celestia. Then before the fight could go any further she got an idea and decided she was done sitting on the sidelines. Celestia spread her wings and flew straight toward Sombra who just caught sight of her. He turned to face her and right before they collided there was a blinding flash of light, when the others regained their sight Celestia and Sombra were gone.

Celestia and Sombra reappeared on a cliff on one of the Crystal Mountains. Sombra looked like he was ready for another round and was about to attack her.

“Calm yourself Sombra I only wish to speak. I have a proposition for you.”

He was suspicious of her but decided to hear her out.

A proposition? “I’m listening.”

A minute later Celestia reappeared in the Crystal Empire. By this time Tombstone had already turned his body back to normal.

“Tia are you alright? What happened?”

“I’m fine Luna and I’m not sure what happened. All I know is that Sombra managed to escape.”

“But what about the Crystal Heart?” said Cadence.

“I’m afraid Sombra is probably the only one that knows what happened to it, but rest assured we will find him and the heart. It’s only a matter of time. In the meantime let’s head home.”

Chapter 8

It had been four months since the incident in the Crystal Empire. Afterwards word of Tombstone and what he was spread like wildfire. Some were scared of him while many, after hearing about how he helped send Sombra packing were willing to give him a chance. Meanwhile Tombstone and Twilight started dating in public. Twilight’s friends and family became accepting of their relationship as time went on, well almost all of them. Celestia tried to convince Twilight that she was making a mistake but she didn’t want to listen and continued to defend him. Eventually Tombstone purposed and Equestria was abuzz with the prospect of another royal wedding in Canterlot. The day of the ceremony came and most were in high spirits, most. Luna entered her sister’s room and saw her sitting at her desk doing paperwork.

“Sister I understand your feelings regarding this matter but are you sure you won’t attend? Twilight would love it if you preformed the ceremony.”

“Luna I already told you I’m not going. I think it’s wrong and I want no part of it. Why don’t you do it or better yet have Cadence preform the ceremony, I’m sure she would be thrilled.”

Luna let out a sigh of defeat. “Very well Tia I shall leave you be, but you might want to at least make an appearance at the reception.” Luna made her way out and closed the doors behind her.

I can’t believe Twilight is doing this. After all the years I was her mentor I thought she would at least try to heed my warnings. As time goes on I feel I’m losing her more and more, but I must be patient and wait until I am able to make a move.

Luna made her way back to where Twilight and the other girls were. Twilight’s friends were getting into their bridesmaids dresses while Twilight slipped into her beautiful wedding dress that Rarity had made along with the others. Luna entered the room.

“I am sorry Twilight but my sister refuses to budge and won’t be attending.”

Twilight looked a little disappointed. “That’s alright, thank you for trying anyway.”

“Cadence I realize this is last minute but would you be interested in preforming the ceremony? Otherwise I can do it.”

“I would love to.”

“Very well then, as you were.”

Within no time the wedding was underway. Celestia thought briefly about showing up if for no other reason than to abject to the union, but decided against it realizing than it wouldn’t accomplish all that much other than delaying the inevitable. The ceremony was coming to a close.

“Tombstone do you take Twilight for your lawful wife, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do you part?”

“I do.”

“Twilight do you take Tombstone for your lawful husband, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do you part?”

“I do.”

“Then by the power vested in me I now pronounce you mare and stallion. You may kiss the bride.” They exchanged rings, kissed, and then left the altar.

Later the reception was in full swing. Most ponies were on the dance floor including the bride and groom. Celestia could see the festivities from her balcony as she lowered the sun. Twilight caught a glimpse of her before she headed back inside, again a little disappointed that her former mentor would not be a part of one of the most important days of her life.

“Everything alright Twilight?” said Tombstone.

“Fine, I just thought Celestia would at least make an appearance.”

“I wouldn’t count on it. She still seems to despise me.”

Luna made her way over to them. *Ahem* “Twilight, Tombstone may I borrow you two for a moment?”

“Of course Luna, but what for?” said Twilight.

“I’ll explain in a moment, follow me.” Luna led them to a more secluded area. “The reason I called you here is to give you both a better understanding of why Tia is acting the way she is. You see when Tombstone attacked the castle centuries ago there were some casualties among the guards and one of them, the captain at the time was also my sister’s lover.” Both were surprised by this.

“I had no idea. That would explain why she’s holding a grudge against me, but considering how long I held mine I can’t blame her. Still I hope she can move on someday like I did.”

“Me too. The last thing I want to do is put more distance between me and her.”

“Thank you for telling us this Luna. Although I’m not sure where to go from here. I don’t think an apology will work in this instance.”

“Hopefully we will be able to get through to her eventually, but for now return to your loved ones and enjoy the rest of your evening. I shan’t keep you any longer.”

Once the reception was over Twilight and Tombstone returned to their castle to enjoy some alone time while Spike spent the night at Rarity’s. Tombstone carried her over the threshold and into their bedroom putting her on the bed, sitting down next to her.

“Twilight this has been the happiest day of my entire life and I can’t wait to spend the rest of it with you.”

“I feel the same way.”

There is no doubt in mind now. She is Vibrant’s reincarnation. “Oh I almost forgot I have something for you, consider it a wedding present.”

“You didn’t have to get me anything.”

“Trust me you’re going to like this.” He lit his horn and a second later a book appeared in his magic, but not just a book it was the white book from his lair. “Twilight I’m giving you access to my life’s work. You can also read the black book as well but I figured you may not have as much interest in the dark arts.”

“I don’t know what to say, thank you.”

“But before you can read it I’m going to have to teach you dovahzul first.”

“Oh right I forgot it’s written it that language. When can we start?”

“Well I could teach you during the honeymoon. Unless you would rather wait until after?”

“No-no that’s fine. I want to start reading it as soon as possible.”

“Alright, now that that’s settled I want to ask you something. Have you given any thoughts to us having a foal?”

Twilight was a little surprised by the question. “I thought your body could no longer reproduce.”

“That is true, and up until now I’ve only been to resurrect life. But what if I told you I’ve been working on a ritual, not to bring back life but to create it. Using our own DNA we could have a foal of our very own. I just need to do a little more research to achieve it. But that can wait, right now let’s just enjoy the rest of our night together.”

Chapter 9

Twilight and Tombstone went to Neighagara Falls for their honeymoon. During that time he taught her how to read, write, and speak dovahzul but he didn’t anticipate her being such fast learner and she had an almost complete comprehension of the language by the time they got back. As soon as they did get back Twilight dove right into the white book while Tombstone prepared for the ritual so they could have a foal of their very own. A week past by and the preparations were complete. Twilight decided to invite her friends and family to witness the occasion but didn’t give them any indication as to why they were showing up. Celestia was suspicious but decided to attend just to see what they were up to. When everypony arrived they gathered in the throne room and then Tombstone walked in.

“Thank you all for coming. Before we get started we need to make a quick stop at the castle library to get Twilight.”

“First why are we here?” said Celestia.

“All in due time. Follow me.” They made it to the library and Twilight was just finishing up the last few pages of the white book. They entered and she closed the book. “Well what did you think of my work?”

“It-it’s brilliant! This could change everything. It may even be more important than anything Star Swirl the Bearded wrote. The spells and the theories behind them. This could rewrite the very foundations of which magic it built upon.”

“Well I wouldn’t go that far.”

“Others have to know about this.”

“No, I not ready to share my findings with any other pony yet.”

Twilight let out a sigh. “Very well.”

“Twilight what were you reading?” said Celestia.

“She was reading my life’s work. Spells, theories, and everything else that I concocted over the last thousand years for regular magic is contained in that book.” Celestia looked skeptical. Tombstone then looked at Twilight. “Rek dreh ni frolok pah tol vreyviis.”

“Waan rek vust etaak nii rek fund kos.”

The others looked confused. “Sorry privet conversation. Now then follow us.” They were lead down a hallway until they come upon a set of doors. “Again me and Twilight appreciate you all coming here and I’m sure you’re all wondering why you’re here. Today is a special day, for today we will bring a new life into this world. We’ve decided to have a foal.”

The others were confused by this starring in silence for a moment before Rainbow Dash spoke up. “Woh-woh seriously, how? Twilight doesn’t even look pregnant and you’re dead, so how exactly does that work?”

“You’re about to find out, behold!” Tombstone opened the doors and they made their way in, inside there was a large ritual circle with intricate words written in dovahzul and symbols. In the center of it was a large metal container with ingredients of some kind in it. “There is one more thing to do before we get started.” Tombstone used his magic to pluck a hair from himself and Twilight then placed it into the container. “Let’s being.” Tombstone touched the circle with his hooves and it lit up. The words and symbols began to move. “Zu'u faan voknau faal suleyk tol kos ahrk uth niin, ofan zey laas!” The circle grew brighter, the words and symbols blended together, and then a bright light with an explosion. All was silent as a thin smoke lingered in the room.

*Cough* *Cough* “Did it work?” said Twilight.

The room remained silent until they heard the sound of soft cries. Tombstone went over to have a look and smiled as he scooped up a newborn foal out of the container and held it in his foreleg.

“It’s a colt and an…alicorn? Well dear it looks like he takes after you.”

The colt had a black coat and a blue mane. Twilight walked over and smiled as she gazed upon her newborn son. Once the initial shock wore off the others began congratulating them. Velvet and Nightlight were happy to be grandparents. Celestia however refused to share in the moment. She simply turned around, walked out of the room, and teleported away. The others chose not to notice her leaving, except for Twilight who now after seeing Celestia just walk out like that stopped caring if she disapproved of her choices in life.

“Oh-oh what are you going to name him?” said Pinkie.

“We discussed that and we agreed that if it was a filly then Twilight could pick the name but since it’s a colt I get to choose. I shall call him Macabre.”

The others weren’t too crazy about the name but went with it.

A month later and time seemed to pass by slowly for Tombstone. After the birth of his son he began to worry about his family and just how safe they really were. Celestia wasn’t helping the situation either. Twilight told him that she had been asking questions and even brought up his phylactery as a topic. This got him thinking she was up to something and made a few trips to Canterlot in secret. He noticed a steadily increasing number of solar guards in the city and around the castle. He knew something was wrong. He just needed to talk to Celestia alone to ascertain the truth. Luckily there was going to be a royal summit in Canterlot soon. A week later they were at the summit and met up with the others. They were about to head into the conference room to conduct the meeting when Tombstone spoke up.

“Celestia before we get started I would like a word with you, in private.”

She was a little suspicious but agreed. “Very well.” They entered the room while the others waited outside and the doors closed. “Let’s make this quick. What do you want?”

“Tell me, what are you plotting?”

“What do you mean? I’m not plotting anything.”

“Don’t lie to me! You may be able to fool others with that regal mask you wear but not me. You’re going to tell me what I want to know.”

“And what might that be?” she said in a serious tone.

“The truth!”

Tombstone then cast a spell to invade her mind to find the information he needed. He found what he was looking for in her memories. He became instantly enraged and blasted Celestia with his magic sending her flying into a wall. The others heard a commotion. They burst into the room and saw Tombstone with a furious look on his face and Celestia against a wall recovering from having the wind knocked out of her. Luna fired a spell at Tombstone but he already put up a barrier separating them from the rest of the room.

“Tombstone what are you doing?!” said Twilight.

Tombstone either didn’t hear her or choose to ignore what she said. “You dare threaten my family with death! You bitch!”

“What do you mean?”

“Twilight Celestia has been plotting against us and seeks to destroy us.”

Celestia tried to get up and retaliate but Tombstone lit his horn. Chains emerged from the wall behind her and coiled around her midsection, forelegs, neck, and horn cutting off her magic. She was then pulled back and held against the wall.

“Don’t listen to him, he’s the enemy.”

“Lies! Why don’t you tell them the truth? I looked at your memories, I know what I saw. If you won’t tell them then I’ll show them myself.”

Tombstone then used his magic to project the memory he saw around the room.

Captain Claymore entered the conference room of Canterlot Castle to meet with Celestia. Once seated she cast a sound proof barrier around them and locked the doors.

“Thank you for meeting me here captain.”

“Of course princess but why all the secrecy?”

“Because what I’m about to share with you is completely confidential. I fear I may not even be able to trust my sister with what I’m about to say. You must swear not to tell anypony anything, understood.”

“Yes your highness.”

“Very good, let’s begin. The reason I’ve called you here is because something has to be done about Tombstone.”

“I wasn’t aware he was still a threat.”

“Don’t be fooled by his innocent act captain. I know he’s up to something and needs to die.”

“What about his phylactery and Princess Twilight?”

“Leave that to me. I’ll try to coax the location of his phylactery out of her and convince her to see reason. If I can’t and she’s too far gone then…as much as it pains me to do so she will have to join him in death, but not before I get his phylactery first.”

“And their foal?”

“That thing is an abomination. A twisted perversion of magic and nature. It has no place in our world and must be destroyed.”

“But it’s still a foal.”

“I will not run the risk of it growing up and trying to avenge its parents someday.”

Claymore let out a sigh. “Very well, what do you need from me?”

“I need you to increase recruitment for the guard. We’ll need all the ponies we can get to join the guard should the worst happen. I can’t institute a draft for no reason without it looking suspicious. The rest you leave to me.”

“I’ll do what I can princess.”

“Very good, and remember this conversation never happened.”

The others were shocked by what they just saw. Luna couldn’t believe that her sister was capable of plotting to do such things but Twilight felt the most betrayed of all by what she was planning to do.

“Tia is this true?”

“Of course not. Luna who are you going to believe me or him?”

“If you all still don’t believe me then a simple lie detection spell will solve this. Twilight if you would.”

Twilight stepped closer to her and lit her horn about to cast the spell when…

“Alright I confess it’s true. But I only was going to do it to protect Equestria. He’ll doom us all, can’t you see that?”

“Enough!” Tombstone used his magic to summon his black book, opened it to the correct page, undid the chain around Celestia’s horn, and began to read. “Naal faal suleyk do vulom Zu'u faan voknau hi nu.”

Celestia fired a spell at Tombstone but it redirected to the book. Then she realized she couldn’t stop the flow of magic leaving her horn. It was being absorbed into the book and she was helpless to do anything about it. After he finished the incantation the flow of magic stopped and he turned the book around so she could see. One page had the incantation while the other had a magic circle with Celestia’s cutie mark within it. Her eye’s when wide and she quickly looked at her flank, it was blank.

“What did you do?!”

“Isn’t it obvious? I’ve taken your magic and sealed it within the pages of this book. You won’t be harming anypony now.”

Celestia felt a chill down her spine. Tombstone then retracted the chains back into the wall, releasing her.

“You can’t do that!”

“I just did, and maybe I’ll return it to you someday, if you’re good. Also just so you know if this book were to say be destroyed then your magic would be lost to you forever.”

“But who will raise the sun? Also I’m sure ponies are going to notice that I’m missing my cutie mark and can’t use magic or even fly. What will ponies say when they find out what you’ve done?”

“What do you think they’ll say when they find out what you planned to do? I’m sure you can find some way to get by without others knowing. As for the sun I’m sure me and Twilight can handle it.”

“Twilight please.”

“I’m sorry Celestia but you brought this upon yourself. We’re leaving.”

“Luna, Cadence, Shining.” The others just looked away unsure of what to do. Twilight and Tombstone left and so did the others leaving Celestia to her own thoughts. I have no choice now. It’s time for plan B.

After returning home Twilight finally let some tears loose. Tombstone went to comfort her and brought her into a hug.

“I can’t believe Celestia could plot to do something like that, to just cast me aside and have not only you but me and Macabre killed as well.”

“I can. It seems her hatred of me has made her delusional and paranoid.”

“Tombstone I want to read the black book.”

“Of course, and don’t worry I’m not going to let anything or anypony harm us or our son. Especially Celestia.”