Being a spirit is different for one I get to mess around with ponies like my friend Prodigy who is super fun to mess with.
“Quantum, knock your shit off,” Prodigy told me while I was messing with the paper on her desk “I think I know how your spirit got knocked out of your body,”

“Is it because he hit me super hard in the head with a staff?” I asked her jokingly. She rolled her eyes

“I’m being serious here Quantum, and yes but no. I’ve been looking at the pictures at look at the markings on the staff.”

“Ok? The guy was a nut job and carved random symbols into the stick he nearly killed me with.” I said looking at the markings. She huffed

“These markings aren’t normal, they are for necromancy. I don’t think he was trying to kill you. I think he was trying to do what he did and split your spirit from your body,” She explained “The markings are for a specific spell,”

“And what spell is that?” I asked though I assumed I already knew it

“I’m not entirely sure but considering the side effects I’d say something along the lines of a spirit split,”

“Well gee what gave you the first clue?” I asked floating around her head emphasizing that I was a spirit at the moment. “Ok so what does knowing that change?” I asked

“Well for one it changes the crime,” Prodigy explained

“How does it change that?” I asked

“Well if the markings really are a soul split he wasn’t trying to murder you which changes the crime to Necromancy,” She told me “Necromancy is illegal for a plethora of reasons, soul splitting is only one reason of many,”

“So the buck that tried to kill me wasn’t trying to kill me?” I asked confused

“Precisely,” She nodded

“Well it sure as hell felt like it,” I said rubbing the back of my head. “Does that mean he succeeded in doing what he was trying to do?”

“Well maybe, I think that he was trying to do some other things too. You see it is completely possible to steal somepony else’s body with necromancy,” She explained

“So what you’re saying is that he was trying to steal my body?”

“Exactly,”

“But wouldn’t I just be able to appear to tell them that it isn’t me inside the body?” I asked

“Remember how I said necromancy is illegal for a bunch of reasons?”

“You said a plethora of reasons, but yes I remember,” I said being sarcastic

“Smartass, but that aside, normally when somepony casts a spirit split they trap the other pony’s spirit in an object so they can’t interfere. This is called spirit trapping, but obviously he didn’t succeeded in doing that with you,”

“How do you know so much about all of this?” I asked her

“Mostly studying it, it’s only illegal to actually cast the spells studying them is looked down upon...but legal,” Prodigy stated. I looked at her for a minute

“Ok, but all of this still doesn’t explain why he was trying to steal my body,” I said putting my hooves on my temples “Why in the wide world of Equestria would anypony want to steal somepony else’s body?”

“That’s what we need to figure out, we need to talk to him,” She says standing up

“Shouldn’t we tell somepony like the police or something that he used necromancy instead of actual murder?” I asked

“We should, but we aren’t. The punishment for necromancy is banishment. So that is a bad idea if we are going to talk to him,” She explained. “So you coming?” She asked getting her coat on. She is so persistent sometimes I swear

So we headed over Fillydelphia where Shadow Bolt was being held. Until recently I hadn’t known his name. It seemed that he was a Pegasus. “Hmmm I didn’t know that pegasi could do any magic let alone necromancy,” I said

“Necromancy is more of a rune base magic, relying on symbols and other things instead of actual magic,” Prodigy explained to me “Pretty much any race could learn how to use it Pegasi, Earth Ponies, and almost every other race you could name. Believe it or not there are secret underground Necromancy groups,” That is a scary thought to think about. Secret groups of ponies that can take your spirit out of your body.

“You must be used to getting weird looks by now,” I told her noticing the looks the mare was getting from passerby’s

“Well when your best friend is a spirit that doesn’t want but a few ponies seeing him when you talk to him it looks like your talking to yourself. Speaking of which why don’t you want ponies to see you?”

“It just feels weird when other ponies are staring at me it’s like they are staring through me,” I told her.

“I don’t think that’s the reason but I’ll take it for now. We’re here,” Prodigy said looking at the dark building. I looked up as well ‘Fillydelphia Correctional Facility’ was written in big letters over the entrance. “I’m surprised it’s so big, crime isn’t a common occurrence there can’t be that many ponies in there,” I shrugged. Though the same thought had crossed my mind as well. “Well wish me luck,” she said going through the doors.

“How can I help you?” The receptionist asked Prodigy

“Would it be possible for me to talk to Shadow Bolt? I’m doing a research paper on criminals and I want some information straight from the horse’s mouth,” the receptionist pony looked Prodigy up and down

“The murderer Shadow Bolt?” the receptionist asked Prodigy nodded “I don’t know what possessed you to want to do a paper on him but I’ll see what I can do,”

“Technically he was charged with attempted murder considering the victim was only knocked into a coma,” Prodigy corrected her. The receptionist glared at her if looks could kill I think Prodigy may have died “Sorry,” She said blushing

“Here you need to sign this paper work before you can visit him,” The receptionist said handing her a stack of paper. Looking at the stack I was glad I didn’t have to do that

After a what felt like an eternity of watching Prodigy signing papers we were finally able to go talk to Shadow Bolt. “So what exactly are you going to talk to him about,” I asked her

“Why he split your spirit for one, and some other things,” Was her answer “And I’d rather you didn’t show yourself to him,” That caught me off guard a little bit.

“Why not? It’s not like he can tell anyone he saw me he would be considered crazy,”

“Just trust me,” and with that I knew I wasn’t going to get an answer.

“Hmph mares,” I mumbled under my breath

“What was that?” Prodigy asked looking at me sharply

“Nothing,” I said quickly. She grinned at me and headed off into the room.

“Ah you must be the Prodigy that wants to do the paper on criminals,” Shadow Bolt said as she walked in the room. I walked in the room behind her “Isn't your friend going to say hello?” he said grinning.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about we are alone in here,” Prodigy said looking back and glaring at me.

“Cut the crap, I can see him,” Shadow Bolt said staring right at me. The back of my head started hurting where he hit it.

“I’m not making myself visible to him I swear it,” I told her. He chuckled

“Don’t you get it? I can see you even if you try to hide yourself from me,”

“How is that even possible?” Prodigy asked him baffled.

“Silly girl I’m not a novice necromancer I’ve done some things that most necromancers wouldn’t dare try,” Shadow said back to her “As for you, Looks like my spell did work after all shame I got caught before I could finish it,”

“So you were trying to steal my body, weren’t you?” I asked moving to face him more

“Well, not technically,” He said. I raised an eyebrow

“Not Technically? What is that supposed to mean?” I asked getting in his face

“Violence will get you nowhere, and what I mean by that is I was going to put your spirit back, after the deal was done, but the guards showed up and arrested me after seeing your unconscious body and me with a staff in my mouth,” He said stretching his wings

“What deal?” I asked baking away from him. Prodigy butted in before he could explain

“Wait… the staff and a deal… You’re a Necro dealer! Aren’t you?” Prodigy said looking at him. I stared at her in confusion seeing my confused face she explained. “A Necro Dealer sells things enchanted with necromantic spells, usually in somepony else’s body so they never get in trouble themselves,”

“Well familiar with the art, are we,” Shadow Bolt taunted “Yes that is correct. The staff itself is mine, thankfully the markings are subtle and the deal was hidden elsewhere,” I was beyond confused at that point

“Can somepony please explain this in a way that a normal unicorn can understand?” I asked them both. Prodigy sighed

“He uses other ponies’ bodies to sell illegal tools used in necromancy, his staff has markings so it works to split the soul,” She explained. Ok that…still really doesn’t make any since to me, but whatever I nodded.

“I assume you’ve tried to get back into your body at some point in the past week, No?” He asked me. I shook my head “You haven’t? That’s a first, well even if you tried it would have failed. You see I use a special spell that prevents the original host from going back in just in case Im not fast enough to split my own spirit,” prodigy looked at him in astonishment

“That’s not something I’ve read about,”

“Ah so you have dipped your hooves in necromancy haven’t you? And you are right it’s not something you going to have read about, I made this specific spell myself,” Shadow Bolt boasted.

“You can reverse the spell right?” I asked looking at him

“No, I just cast the spell I made and never made a counter spell for it,” He answered sarcastically. I could smack him but it wouldn’t be as hard as I want it to be. “yes I can reverse it, but the problem here is I can’t really just go to a guard and say ‘Yea I cast a necromantic spell that split his spirit from his body and I’m the only one that can reverse it, so can you let me go?’ cause that wouldn’t end well for me,” He had a point there.

“So what do you purpose we do?” Prodigy asked

“We? You are the only person really in a position to do anything,” Shadow Bolt stated “There is something that you could do,” He implied. Prodigy stared at him for a long time. I looked back and forth between both of them. Was I missing something? Prodigy sighed

“You owe me big time,” she said who was she talking to me or him? Before I could ask there was a flash of light and we weren’t in the facility anymore.

Author's Note

This story is actually based off of a dream I had a night or two ago