A life stolen for a war unclaimed

"Hey, Bubba, can I ask you something?" the voice coming from young girl with platinum blonde hair leaning into my side. I turn to look at her as I mute the T.V.

"Sis, you know you don't need to ask permission for that. So what's up?" I smiled warmly at her. It was this moment I realized I was dreaming a memory and shook my head dispelling the bittersweet images in my head away. Sighing I look around before I speak up. "Princess Luna, as much as I appreciate you giving me this I would rather you not be in my dreams... I don't like Fabricated dreams and would rather live through the only thing I have left of my old life. Those Nightmares I actually do treasure to some extent." I Paused for a moment only to hear the sound of hoof steps behind me.

"I apologize Rowan.... I had assumed from looking at your memories during our last encounter you would prefer this." I turned to look at her as she wore a sad smile combined with a tad bit of guilt in her eyes. "If you don't mind may we ask you some things since we are here?" her voice held and air of curiosity yet reservation. I nodded slowly before replying.

"Before that... can you show me how I look when I'm awake? I have yet to look in the mirror. All I'm aware of is that my fur and wings are white as well as webbed instead of feathered, and also some fangs." She nodded and her horn began to glow as she conjured and Image from the seemingly nothingness. Before me stood a white stallion with a mane and tail that was as black as a starless night My mane seemed to fall naturally to the sides of my face just out of my eyesight unless I were to jerk my head I could almost make out a curved and pointed M in it. My eyes were two different colors. The left a dark crimson beyond blood that shone with hope, the right a disturbing and unsettling yellow that could pierce through souls. A thought mused in my head as i looked at myself in the eyes. So this is how it feels when I look at people and they look back at me... they focus on the left eye more than the right. I wonder if ponies are any different. I walked a bit around the figure to take a look its...MY Flank to see if I had a Cutie Mark. My body shuddered at the idea of it but it was necessary. Blank... both sides the same Stark white as the rest of my body. So no Cutie Mark and no known purpose in life.

Seeing as I was done I decided to go back to standing where I was. I don't know if out of politeness or not Luna Changed the area to represent something like a living room just with more cushions and less couches. Taking a seat as she did our seats seemed to move or the space grew smaller as a small table appeared with 2 cups of tea appearing and some sugar cubes. Taking 3 lumps I dropped them in my tea and stirred it with a spoon I didn't know I had and gestured to her implying the floor was hers.

"Our first question is simple, as for reasons we cannot understand we have no access to the memory of your first failed death. Why did you make that deal with your worlds Grim Reaper?" Luna emulated her sister in many ways. She held a Poker face just like her and i sighed as I moved my forelimb seeing myself as a pony now and changed the scene to what I remembered. She took a sip as the scene began to take form.

First thing to appear was a lone figure that looked like a child whose hair was a golden yellow to rival the suns rays and looked about 7 years of age. A field that was colorless with only a single Blue rose just off a dirt path that the boy was standing on. Looking around confused he jumped when he heard a strange voice turning to face it.

"My... it seems you have gotten yourself into a little accident and so young as well..." A man in a black suit and an old style fedora that nearly hid all of his face as he got to eye level with the kid spoke in a saddened yet amused tone. "Tell me little guy are you ready to leave mommy and daddy?" the boy stared confused at the man as a small shift of movement behind him to reveal a young girl who looked the same age but she had silver hair and fair skin. The man spoke again. "Hmmm Mommy and Daddy are gonna be really sad if you leave them now." For the first time the boy spoke.

"I don't want mom and dad to be sad." His voice was worried but not scared this caused the man to lift his fedora a bit just enough to see his glowing pale blue eyes and this wicked smile he gave the boy at that answer.

"Alright I'll make you a deal, I'm gonna be busy and my darling daughter needs a new friend to take her out and have fun with. If you are willing to take her to this dance going on later then when I'm finished with enough of my business to where I can come home then I'll send you back to your Mom and Dad a moment after you left them and this will all be like a dream to you then. Deal?" The boy thought and looked at the girl hiding behind the man and nodded to himself as he went into the field and plucked the blue rose taking it to her.

"Would you like to go to the dance with me?" He asked her holding it out to her the girl whose eyes grew wide smiled and nodded as she took the rose gently. The man smiled and the scene changed fast forwarding through the times they spent together. Past meeting her 6 sisters and him spending time with each of them. It would seem like a hundred years have passed the boy looked only like he was 17 now and well fit but tanned with the same pitch black hair the stallion had. Luna watching this could only stare in wonder as she looked from me to the boy.

Then suddenly it began at normal speed again. Rowan was holding a long rectangular box leaving his room in the large castle like building heading to the dinner hall for breakfast where he met with the 7 Daughters of Death. He got their attention and got them to stand up all together. Getting down on one knee.

"I know this may not be a good idea...but" Rowan pulled out the box and opened it revealing 7 rings each one a different design matching each daughters taste. "Its probably really bad of me to do this, but that doesn't matter to me. what matters to me is the time we have all spent together and gotten to know each other. what you all have come to mean to me. So, Lala, Sarah, Lillian, Jillian, Victoria, Amanda, Rebecca... Will you Seven Marry me?" their eyes each going wide as he asked the question some starting to cry tears of joy others smiling and being giggly about it. Suddenly the Scene paused and Luna looked at me in confusion.

"In my Death I fell in love 7 times.... I was dating all of them and they all were in love with me as the memory shows, but in life I've fallen in love only twice, and only had it honestly returned once." I spoke solemnly as I turned to look at her after drinking my tea and finishing it. "You wanted to know why I made that choice to accept Death's offer. They were why." I raised my hoof and acted like I was pressing play and the memory resumed. Only for the wind to blow open the doors as a monstrous being of bones and shadows and wielding a scythe came in screaming in Objection. I watched as the me in the memory stumbled dropping the box of 7 rings and the monster grabbing each ring individually then burning the box. As he finished burning the box with shadow fire the monster reverted back to the pale man in the suit glaring at the memory Rowan's very soul then turning to face myself before speaking to Rowan.

"I Refuse your Proposal to them. Because 1: you are a human and its time for you to go back and 2: you are undeserving of their love for marriage. You can't Marry all 7 of them I would've been barely able to let you marry 1. Boy you have audacity for trying to pull this stunt." The daughters began to protest before he cut them off screaming silence. He began to speak again, " Due to how they feel though, I'll do this then. You can marry them under these 2 conditions, and it has to be both." Death gave a vicious smile. "When you Fail though. you will live for aeons watching everything you care about disappear slowly before your very eyes." I watched as I foolishly got up and walked up to death staring into his eyes with my own narrowed.

"Fine, what are the Conditions?" I said Finality. The girls all screamed No as Luna did a spit take at what happened. While Death laughed.

"One: You have to save a total of 300 lives from me, and its can any type of death possible, Including Suicide, and Two: you have to fall in love with a Human Woman of my choosing and marry her by a specific date. You do that and I'll even have you become the one to take my throne and Job." He smiled as he pulled out a Coin and Flipped it. I closed my eyes and answered at the same time as my memory who caught the coin.

"Deal. Now send me back so I can beat this bet of yours."
"Deal. Now send me back so I can beat this bet of yours." And like that the memory Faded. Luna could only stare as she turned her head back to me as I turned to look at her and meet her gaze. "There you go, so now you know I'm effectively death denied. Is there anything else you would like to know? I know you've been going through my memories but I don't exactly know when I fell asleep."

She smiled and gave slight look of embarrassment as she spoke. "You fell asleep when my sister embraced you after a few minutes. As for if I want to know anything else I do have one more question to ask before you wake. Would you like stay here in Canterlot, The Crystal Empire or Ponyville? You, unfortunately, are to be watched by a princess and what she deems suitable given what me and my sister have seen about your.... Original species."

I nodded my head and thought about it for a moment. "Would I be allowed to nomad myself between the 3 locations? Just so I can vary what I may need and I don't over impose on you all." Luna thought for a moment before grimacing.

"I feel that would have to be discussed between my sister, Princess Cadance, Shining Armor and Princess Twilight Sparkle . For now we can start you off in Ponyville as Princess Twilight Sparkle has direct access to Celestia." I nodded in agreement to what she was saying.

"Then I would like to request one more thing. Will you run the idea of making an announcement to the citizens of my presence to at least inform them that I'm not exactly from around here to Celestia?" I gave her a look with pleading eyes. She gave a laugh and nodded before her horn glowed again and I find myself completely enveloped in darkness. Suddenly I sit up my eyes snapping open as I look around the room. Huh it's very.... Pink in here