I took in a gasp of air, my heart racing as my eyes snapped open. I saw nothing... no light, no animals, no undead, just nothing. It was a pitch black void, and it was then and there that I realized what happened to me.
I had died, officially.
When I say officially, I mean that there was almost no way I was coming back from this, no matter how hard I tried; there wasn't any corpse I could control nearby as my body and the dragon's head were crushed by house-size boulders. This was it, this was my last gasp of air as a living being. Idiotic dragon with its idiotic roar, bastard brought not only my death, but its own! Damn, I wish they had self-preservation qualities as to not get themselves killed like that. Hell, if they were sentient I would've done a monologue against each one! But no, God just hated me for the way I used his magic, so he decided that it was time to die.
All anger aside though, I would love to have a nice formal conversation with one, one that most definitely would be intellectually stimulating! But as if that'll ever happen.
I looked at my surroundings, shaking my head. Like hell I'm staying here. I thought to myself. I needed to find a way out, and unless it was my own fault that caused this experience in life, I'll never accept death.
Quickly focusing my mind, I searched for the closest soul possible, praying that it wasn't too far. This wasn't my first rodeo, and hopefully it won't be my last. Wait... there it is... gotcha you bastard! I thought as I pinpointed the location of a nearby soul, which was conveniently right next to me.
Turning to my right, I saw a blue flame the licked the air above it; this was a soul. This was the difference between life and death, luckily this one appeared alive and well. I wrapped my hands around the flame and brought it to my chest, a hot sensation reverberating through my body as I was enveloped in a white light.
I opened my eyes again, and in front of me sat two rather burly pony guards, both of which were facing away from me. I then realized that I was in a dark, damp cell that was barely lit by a candle. From what I could hear, I was the only one in there apart from the two guards in front of me. They both seemed to be clad in golden armor of sorts that covered their heads and bodies, and their fur was white as snow.
I then looked down at myself, and I saw that I too was a pony. This form simply won't do, and based off what I could tell, the smell of death was in the air, meaning a corpse of some sort was nearby. Even a dead rat would change my form completely, and I pray that something around here is dead.
Closing my eyes and channeling my energy to my core, I searched for the source of the scent of death. Took me a few minutes, but I eventually found it. Ah, there you are. I thought as I felt the dead life force of a bird nearby. I soon began the enhanced decomposition of its body, which gave me the material needed for my form. I could hear it all, the sickening sound of its bones drying up and turning into dust, the sound of its skin slithering off its body. It was a horrible thing to do, but it gave me a form, a good one.
"Da mihi nova figura usus est." I whispered to myself, and I opened my eyes; standing at a full six and a half feet tall, was me. I wore a black cloak covered in symbols around the wrists and hood, allowing me to put enchantments on myself easily, without any worry of them backfiring. My skin was pale white, and as far as I could tell my eyes were still their same light shade of green. I was also lean, thanks to my adventures and battles back on earth, and had matted black hair. No beard, though. Hate beards for some reason, but what can you do?
I looked to the guards who haven't heard me yet, apparently. I honestly believed they would've heard me, but sometimes even I can be mistaken. I cleared my throat, catching the guards' attention as they turned around to look at me. Their eyes were wide with shock when they saw it wasn't a pony, but something I doubt existed on this planet. How else could they be so shocked?
"Savage Tier...?" The one on the left asked me, but I simply smirked and bowed my head.
"I am Quibus Pythonicus, but you may call me Greg." I looked back up at the guards, their mouths wide with shock until I spoke up again. "May I speak to the leader of this area?" He didn't know who they were, what kind of government system they had, or why the body he took over was in a cell, but he was almost certain that these guards had a superior of sorts.
Almost instantly, the guards narrowed their eyes on him, the left speaking first, "Why do you want to speak to the Princess, beast?"
I feigned being hurt by that comment, "Beast? I am hurt! I am but a gentleman!" I chuckled when he gave me a confused look, "I'm just kidding around. I only want to have a chat with her, nothing else." It was probably best that I didn't tell them that I was a necromancer, otherwise that'd probably damage my chances of surviving in cities much more difficult.
The guards looked at each other, then back to me skeptically. "Fine then, you may follow." I smirked, but that was replaced when the guards spoke again, "However, we will not tolerate disrespect towards the Princess.
I smiled, "Of course, I would not think of it!" They unlocked the door to my cell, giving me room so that I could step out. When I did, I was pushed forwards by one of the guards. "Move." I complied, keeping my anger in check. God knows what I'd do to these guards had I not cared about my own safety.
Anywho, after a five minute journey of odd looks from maids, windows the size of watchtowers, and the occasional shove of a guard behind me, we reached the doors that led to the throne room. The doors were the same size as the windows, which was pretty intimidating at first, until I realized they were made of wood and couldn't actually harm me.
One of the guards pushed the door open, allowing me entrance as I nodded in thanks. I received a glare, however, to which I then rolled my eyes. These ponies have no sense of the word 'polite'.
When I entered the throne room, the first thing I noticed was the large velvet carpet that led all the way up to the throne. Then there was color-stained windows that were placed along the walls to my left and right, all of them depicting some sort of milestone in this land's history. Then, finally, there was the over-abundance of well-dressed ponies around the throne, a pure white pony sitting in said throne.
This pony wasn't like the others, though; she didn't have just a pair of wings or just a horn, she had both. Her rainbow ethereal mane flew in a nonexistent wind, and her height rivaled my own. Her fur was pure white, her eyes were a brilliant shade of purple, and she wore the most extravagant royal regalia I had ever seen! If I didn't know better, I'd go as far to say that she is a god! But gods aren't real, no matter powerful someone or something is. Speaking of which, I could sense her power, and I was blown away at how much she had! She could move the entire planet if she wanted too!
She caught sight of the guards escorting me, and seemed almost relieved to see the sight. She turned to the ponies around her and said a few words I couldn't hear over the shouting of the ponies, and almost instantly they dispersed. A few passed me though, and I wasn't impressed when they either pointed their muzzles in the air and harrumphed, nor was I impressed that all of them gave me a look of disgust before doing so. If I had to guess, they were all snobbish nobles who have not been born into a middle or lower class family.
When they were gone, the princess motioned for the guards to bring me over. With a shove from the guards, I did so. When I reached the bottom of her throne, I bowed my head in respect of the princess, not because it was forced upon me; the power she held was astronomically stunning, and so such a being should be treated with as much respect as possible.
I heard her chuckle, "Arise, please." I was confused at the softness of her voice, but stood straight nonetheless, putting my hands behind my back. She gave me a calm smile before asking, "Hello, I am Princess Celestia, ruler of Equestria, and the one who brings day and night. If I may ask, what is your name?" Bringer of day and night? Please, even I know that's not possible, even with her abundance of power.
I still smiled though, "I am Quibus Pythonicus, but you may call me Greg."
She chuckled softly this time, "You are quite the being, Greg. If I may ask, what is it you're doing here?"
"Well, I didn't have a choice, really. It was either this, or death."
She gave me a worried look, "Your people were going to execute you?"
I shook my head, "No, Your Highness. To put it simply, I already died. However, in the Void, I found the soul of one of your prisoners and deduced that I wasn't ready to be left alone in the darkness." I shifted slightly, "So I swapped our souls; he's in the Void, and I was in his body. Of course, I was in the form of a pony, which I did not like as it was rather uncomfortable. So I changed it to this." I motioned to my body, smirking slightly.
She gave me a skeptical look, "How did you change forms?"
I gulped, but kept my stature. "I'm a... master of the dark arts, Your Highness." The guards in the room gasped, but Celestia gave me a stern look. I continued, "I took the matter from a dead bird, which was enough to change."
Her voice spoke as much as her expression, "You should know that those arts are banned here, and what you have done broke Equestrian law."
I nodded understandingly, "It won't happen again, Your Highness." I smiled though, "However, I would like to ask if I could have a job here."
She gave me a curious look, "Why would you need a job?"
"Because I don't think I'll be able to return at all, so I'll need money to live in this land." I gave her a smirk, "I can be really helpful!"
When I said that, she thought about it for a minute. I thought a bit myself; what kind of job could she give me? Maybe something along the lines of teaching her sorcerers? I saw a few outside the window, and it was easy at a first glance to say that they were doing horribly. Or perhaps I could be a protector of sorts, guarding the princess at all times, eliminating assassins if that event arises?
"You can help me train my personal student, Twilight Sparkle." She said, giving me a small smile.
...
...
...train a student?
Honestly, we just met and I just said I was a necromancer, all that just a few minutes ago, and she wants me to train her personal student? Ugh, I suppose it'd be fine. Besides, how bad could this 'Twilight' be? She has to have some form of magical ability to be a monarchs personal student.
I nodded confidently, "Yes, I would love to help train your student, when do I start?" God I really hope Twilight knows the basics of magic.
"You may begin tomorrow while I'm doing court duty, but for now you will be provided a resting quarters in which you will stay for the remainder of Twilight's time here."
The guards quickly rushed me out of the throne room and after two minutes of walking, we reached mine. They shoved me into it, and I simply shrugged it off as I looked around at my room.
I was... quite surprised, actually. A king-sized bed sat in the left corner of the room next to a small window, and a nightstand sat on the l left of it. The ceiling was roughly fifteen feet above the floor, and the room itself was about twenty-five feet by twenty-five feet, a perfect square. In the center of the room sat a couch facing towards the right of the room, and it was then that I noticed the golden-trimmed fireplace. It wasn't lit, but it had the firewood in their and a small fire poker next to it. This place was quite calming, just based off the atmosphere.
I shrugged, closing the door behind me and heading over to the window to see what time of the day it was. I didn't know whether or not time here was faster, but apparently it was nighttime when I could've sworn it was sunny in the throne room. I shrugged off though when I decided I could use a nap.
I took all my clothes off apart from my underwear and got into the bed, the comfort it held wrapping around my body. It was so nice! It wasn't long before I fell asleep, and I thought about what this 'Twilight Sparkle' will be like.
Chapter 1: Someone Who Met Standards
When I first awoke that morning, I couldn't help but feel well rested. It was a feeling I've never experienced in my life, what with me being raised in a poor family as a child. I was very giddy at the feeling of such comfort, and wanted to just lay there for hours. But, sadly, I had duties to attend to, and a new pony to meet.
I casually got out of bed, put on my clothing, and set out to find the dining hall. God knows I can't help teach a small child without food to keep me calm and collected. Besides, I was almost certain that it was breakfast for these ponies.
I couldn't find my way around the castle, so I asked a nearby guard where the dining hall was. When he gave me the directions, I thanked him before heading back on my merry way. After a couple seconds, I found the dining hall and pushed the doors open, my smile stretching from ear to ear when I saw the amount of food sitting on the long-table; from end to end, there was an variety of breakfast foods like waffles, pancakes, salads, eggs, and all that good stuff. Sadly though, there was no meat, understandable since the ponies are herbivores.
At one end sat Celestia, and next to her sat a filly with a lavender coat, large purple eyes and a straight, dark royal blue mane and tail with violet and rose streaks. She was much shorter than Celestia, barely reaching the top of the princess' foreleg knee joint. I found it adorable at her height, and found it even more adorable when she gave me a fearful yet curious look. This had to be that 'Twilight Sparkle' pony that the Princess was talking about, and I was rather excited to teach her the arts of magic.
I smirked, looking up at Celestia, "Hello, Your Highness. May I be allowed to eat here?"
Celestia chuckled, "Of course, and stop acting so formal. If you're going to help teach Twilight, we might as well be friends!" I noticed that Twilight seemed a little scared when Celestia said that I was going to help teach her, and said Princess took notice of it too. She turned and looked over to Twilight, a small smile on her face, "Do not fret, Twilight; he won't hurt you. In fact, he's quite humble!"
Twilight gave me a once over before speaking quietly, "O-Okay..."
I smiled softly, walking around and sitting next to Celestia and dug into the food.
-Twenty Minutes Later-
I burped softly as I smiled with satisfaction, leaning on the table. Those were the best waffles and eggs I ever had! There was just enough syrup on them to make them not too sweet and not too bitter. The eggs were cooked to perfection, too! Oh my lord I would go for seconds, but I took about five waffles, which was almost too much!
During my time of eating, I got to know Twilight Sparkle a little better; she told me about her parents, her brother, and how she ended up becoming the protégé of Princess Celestia. I was quite shocked about the dragon hatchling and the sonic rainboom occurrence, and how she had a magical freak-out session before Celestia showed up and calmed her down. When she saw my expression she felt hurt, but I said that I had my fair share of freak-out accidents in my lifetime, which seemed to cheer her up.
I arose from my seat and brushed myself off, heading off to the library that I heard was filled to the brim of the knowledge these ponies held. I was stopped, however, when Celestia spoke, "Greg, where do you think you're going?"
I turned and smiled at Celestia, "Simply to see your library filled with extensive knowledge beyond my own comprehension."
"Take Twilight with you then, since I have court duties to attend to." She replied less than enthusiastically, before arising from her own seat and nudging Twilight.
I shrugged, "That is fine, come along Twilight, you could teach me a few things about your nation that I don't already know." When I left the room, she followed suit and walked alongside me. "So, about that dragon hatchling."
"What about him?" She asked curiously, looking up to me as we walked down the long hallways of Canterlot Castle.
"The first thing a hatchling sees is its mother, and the first thing it saw was you, so it should believe you're the mother." I replied calmly, before asking, "What are you going to name it?"
When I looked down to see if she would reply, she instead had a look of thought. "Hmm, I'm not sure... it's a he so I'll need a male name." I chuckled, catching her attention. "What?"
"I would pick out a name based off his physical traits, perhaps you could do the same?"
She nodded, and thought it over once more. "Well, he has spines that are a little sharp, so maybe something spikey... spikey... Spike... Spike! That'll be his name!"
I nodded approvingly, "Good thinking, Twilight. I'm sure that the young drake will enjoy the name very much." She smiled with glee at the sound of approval, and seemed pretty excited of having her own dragon.
We eventually reached the library, and were let in by the librarian. When I asked where the books on Equestria and its history were, she showed me, and I was in awe at the amount of books before me; at least fifteen rows, all thirty feet long in length. There were so many books that ranged from the beginning of this country all the way to this day!
I looked down to Twilight with a giddy smile, "Twilight! Come with me and help me learn about these..." I looked over to the books, my smile growing, "...amazing books of knowledge!" It almost brought a tear to my eye how happy I was. Almost.
"Can't you read though?" She asked curiously.
I nodded, "Indeed, but I want you to help explain and tell me about these events and places." I looked over the books, and found one that seemed to stick out on the shelves; one dark blue book, about as thick as my fist, and had the title 'Mare in the Moon: Facts and Myths'. I reached out and pulled it off the shelf, a small smile coming across my face as I brushed a bit of dust off it.
"You want to read that one?" Twilight asked, walking over and reading the title. She rolled her eyes, "That book is all myths, no facts."
I looked over to her, a smirk on my face, "Sometimes myths can be fact, even if most deny it."
She seemed unmoved, "Horseapples, there are no facts! It's all just about a mare who was sent to the moon, and how she'd return after the thousandth summer sun celebration."
I raised a brow, "Twilight, if someone says a fact is myth long enough with the same amount of effort along the way, then eventually everyone will believe that the fact is now myth." I shook my head, "Not everything in this book is a myth, otherwise there would be no purpose in having the title 'Nightmare Moon: Facts and Myths'."
She sighed, nodding, "I understand, but are you sure you want to read that and not something else?"
I chuckled, "Yes, I am certain. Now tell me a bit about this Nightmare Moon." As I read through the book, she told me everything she knew about the pony; apparently she was pure evil, and wanted to bring around midnight eternal. A bit idiotic, but it had some biblical qualities to it. Twilight also told me that, according to the book, Nightmare Moon was once Princess Celestia's sister. But she also said that it had to be myth because even Celestia herself denies it.
After that little session reading the book in its entirety, I sent Twilight off to go play with her brother; he was in the guard, and was currently off-duty if Twilight was correct. Besides, I got a few questions of my own for Celestia.
I entered the throne room, and saw that Celestia was sitting atop her throne whilst having a bored expression on her face. She didn't appear to have any duties at the moment, and it seemed to not have anything more important than sitting on the throne.
So I walked up to the bottom of her throne, bowing my head to her, "Princess."
She looked relieved to see me again, "Ah, Greg, how nice it is to see you." She looked around curiously. "Where's Twilight?"
"I sent her off to go join her brother while he was off-duty." I then whispered, "Want to tell me a bit about this 'Nightmare Moon' character?"
She seemed to narrow her eyes, before replacing it with a calm look. "Guards, go wait outside the throne room; me and Greg have a few things to speak of." The guards did so reluctantly, their eyes trained on me as they left the throne room. When they were gone, I could feel Celestia's eyes glaring at me, "Where did you hear that name?"
I smirked, "I heard it in the library, Celestia. A little book told me quite a bit about you and her being related." If she wasn't glaring daggers, she was now. I raised a hand, "I know this might be a touchy subject, Your Highness, but some facts must remain true lest your people not trust you for changing them." I gave her a caring look, "I've read the book, from beginning to end, and quite frankly I don't judge you for sending your possessed sister to the moon."
Her glare stood its ground, but I saw the sadness in her eyes, "You don't know what that's like, sending your sister away and never seeing her for a thousand years." She looked away, and I thought I saw a tear roll down her cheek, "In twenty-five more years, I will have to face my sister again, and I'll have no chance at succeeding; she's just too powerful..."
I sighed, pinching the bridge of my nose, "Well, perhaps I could be of service in that field?" I looked at her, and gave her a smirk when I saw her confused face.
"How can you help me? You are but a necromancer, not a pony filled with power stronger than mine." She seemed doubtful, but I turned my smirk into a confident smile.
"You defeated her with elements once, yes?" Celestia nodded, and I continued, "The book says your aren't as strong as you used to be, and it also says that a great amount of trust is needed." I rubbed my head, "So you can't use them, and neither can I because of my lack of trust."
"All of them are true, but whom could we ask to help?" Celestia asked while in deep thought, rubbing her chin with her foreleg.
It took me a minute, but an idea came to mind. I turned back to her, "Perhaps Twilight could be of great assistance."
Celestia gave me a soft glare, "Twilight is my student, what would make you say that she has the ability to take on somepony who is as strong as a god?"
I shrugged, "I don't know, perhaps it is the mark on her flank that signifies that she has some power." I chuckled, "In fact, I'm pretty sure her mark is a symbol of magic, meaning that's her special talent if I'm not mistaken?"
Celestia bit her lip and closed her eyes, letting out a breath before speaking calmly, "Her talent may be magic, but she is still a young filly and has much to learn." I could sense the anger behind her words.
"Exactly, yet we have twenty-five years to train her. Twenty. Five. That's more than my people ever had before a villain raided." I then gave her a smile, "And I'll be damned if someone says she doesn't meet standards for the task. She meets all of mine!"
Celestia sighed in defeat, nodding in defeat, "I suppose you're right. But we cannot tell her that the world rests in her hands, otherwise she will not be the kind young filly she is now."
I nodded in agreement, rubbing my chin with a finger, "Indeed, that would be most unpleasant. Perhaps... we could get her to study a bit more on this topic? Make her believe that Nightmare Moon is coming in twenty-five years?"
Celestia thought it over, before nodding, "Yes, but it must be you who gets her to do it, not me. If it were me, then there would be a problem, what with us both worrying about it."
"Of course, I'm sure I can convince her enough to believe that Nightmare Moon is coming back. But I'll just say that you don't believe me, and that you want me to refrain from studying such things." I replied with a calculative tone, turning on my heel and heading off to search for Twilight.
"Be warned that if this fails, then world may pay the price." Celestia stated behind me, and I raised my hand to let her know that I already knew the consequences. I prayed that this all played out nice and neatly, not with a crash and burn.
Then again, Twilight has met plenty of standards already, why not save the world while she's at it?
