Memento Mori

I didn't stay to watch the households reaction. I had seen the grief and sadness of a lost family member so many times I had no desire to be present. Instead, I moved back towards the forest that held my hunting grounds. I let the soft sounds of the forest overwhelm my senses for a moment, the calm nature of my little respite from life giving me time to center myself. I stepped into the fog that marked the borders of my hallowed ground, and as I crossed the invisible wall the whispers started. A million voices, all fighting to be heard in whatever cursed language they were speaking in. For the first hundred years it unnerved me, making it impossible to rest and remain calm. Now though.... "Hello, Demonic voices. Did you have a good day?"

The whispers surged, and I began ignoring them as I looked at the sky above me. The thick leaves of these unknown woods blocked out the sky, leaving me safe from the light come dawn. I smiled and took a moment to shift my mask before laying in the soft grass. Despite my extended vacation, I really wanted to sleep. Real sleep, where nothing invaded my mind or assaulted my dreams. I slid back against a tree, leaning against the rough bark while using my hood as a makeshift pillow. I let my head fall forward and my eyes shut. I happily embraced sleep as soon as it arrived, letting the world gently fall away.

***

I was in an old ski lodge, looking at three other people who seemed eerily familiar. They each wore a mask similar to mine. One of them quirked their masked head to me, their smile replaced with an x over where a mouth would normally lay. "Hey, you get the last runner?"

I nodded, cleaning off a knife I never knew I was using. "Of course, ain't nobody gonna outrun me and make it home!"

I winced at my own words. I felt like I did in a hunt, but I could still think about whatever asinine trite my animal brain thought was 'clever'.

The mute mask nodded. "Sweet! I gotta say when we started this whole thing it terrified me, but now that we just get to pick and choose, IT'S THE GREATEST THRILL EVER!"

I smiled and reached an arm over her side, but before whatever stupid drivel my monkey brain thought was cool could spill from my mouth, the lodge shimmered in place. The image around me began to ripple and fall like water, leaving just me, in an empty black void. I looked around, expecting the Entity to chime in with its unearthly horrors any second. Instead, a soothing voice called out from the aether of darkness surrounding me. "Hello? Who's dream have I stumbled upon during the daylight hours?"

I looked around, trying to find a source for the voice. "You have found a dream of worlds gone by, and I would prefer to speak to you, rather than at a blank void."

There was another pause, but this time the darkness faded. Colors seemed to seep out of nothing, leaving me in a different area, but one that was still strangely familiar. A darkened room, with various furniture scattered about. A chest of drawers with clothing thrown haphazardly over it. I ran a finger over the bed, with its blankets balled up at the foot. The voice called from behind me. "Such a strange location to be familiar to you. There are several things here that seem strangely alien, and yet I think I recognize you..."

I turned behind me, looking at the voice that had been invading my dream. An alicorn, one of the two actual alicorns that ascended with my game. I smiled beneath my mask. "Did I really leave that little of an impression? I seem to remember a very specific one, somewhere around where your left wing grew in."

Luna looked to me, before her face paled. "YOU! YOU SHALL NOT HAVE A SECOND CHANCE AT US VILLAIN!"

I didn't flinch as a blast of magic passed through my body, sending the wall behind me into disarray. I turned to face the new mess that had been scattered around the room. Drawings wafted through the air and I plucked one free. I stared at the crude sketch of a body, with a few odd trees surrounding it. I stared at it for a minute as if prompting a memory to come with it, but nothing came. The body just seemed flat, a collection of slashes and stabs immortalized in black and white drawn for no reason other than shock and fear. I tossed the picture behind me, and another blast of blue energy flew through my chest. "Luna, could you please stop making such a mess?"

The soft glow from behind me ceased, and I bent over, gathering the various detritus that she had scattered about. I gathered them all up before shoving them on a desk. The room in some approximation of order, I leaned against the wall and nodded at Luna. "Hello Luna, long time no see."

I kept my eyes on her face, with her eyes squinted shut in outrage and anger. Honestly, I still don't know why ponies try to be frightening, she looked more like an annoyed baby than an angry goddess. Of course, having functional immortality might take the killer edge off of the murderous image she was sending. She lowered her horn. "Vile beast, what dark deeds are you planning this time?!"

I tilted my head at her. "Uh, my job? I have two tests to give out, and once that's done I'm probably going to have to go on a world tour to hunt down some minor issues." I crossed my arms, before shuffling my shoulders as I remembered another item on my checklist. "Oh, and maybe hunting down my coworkers. I don't fancy being alone for eternity."

Luna stared, giving me death glares that were far from terrifying. "You expect me to believe you so simply?"

I shrugged. "I expect nothing. You invaded my dream, and as such everything I share is a kindness to you. If I wanted you gone, I would simply remove you."

Luna stood tall, and I almost felt a sliver of fear at the pure confidence in her own strength that mixed with her death glare. "You cannot remove the princess of dreams as easily as you seem to think. You are in my realm, and I control it as easily as the moon itself!"

I smiled under my mouth. "Ah, only a few millennia in and you already have the cockiness of the truly ancient. Shall I share with you some wisdom from my past?" Luna's horn began to glow as I began thinking of the entity. Before whatever she was planning could occur, a large ring of black claws with no definable source rose from the ground as smoothly as if surfacing from water. I stopped my thoughts, letting the small hooks of the entity in while keeping the old hook from noticing me stealing what amounted to his fingers. I turned aside, looking at a bookshelf. "There's always a bigger fish Luna." As she let out a strangled scream the world snapped into a pure void.

I woke up with a sudden start in the woods, the sky still dark. I spent a moment trying to tease out if I had slept through the day, or just barely gotten any sleep. I let out a yawn and stretched out, deciding that if I felt this refreshed I probably slept through the day. I stumbled up, moving to a standing position with a few false steps as I slowly remembered how to keep my balance. I cracked my neck back and forth, before glancing down in the dirt beside me. There were gashes in the dead grass, making an image I only truly remembered from my dream. A mask like mine, with an x instead of a mouth. I kicked my foot over it, erasing the image from existence without any effort. I turned towards the library without sparing it a second thought.

I made it to the castle fairly quickly, with the low position of the moon betraying the fact that I was indeed on time for my meeting, and by the pulling that was thankfully keeping itself on ground level I wasn't going to have to conduct a full search of the area just to hunt down Twilight. I looked around the town as I walked, making sure that the ponies who seemed to be moping around town couldn't see me. There seemed to be more clothing today, with black being the color of the day. I fingered my own black leather jacket, before realizing the gray hoodie under it ruined the look. Especially with a bright band logo peeking out from the unzipped jacket. I doubted it would fit in with all the semi-formal look the town seemed to be covered in.

I walked through the large double doors of the castle, where I suddenly noticed the dour mood had infected this place as well. I could see this mostly in the various guests that had popped up over the course of the day. A rainbow haired pony was zipping about, containing the energy of grief by trying to focus it into other activities. From the way she was angrily dusting the roof, I hazarded cleaning was not her special talent. The rest of the guests seemed to be circling one pony in particular, an orange mare with an old stetson on her head. I debated letting them have their moment but decided that if it took too long I would invariably fall even more behind schedule. With a clap of my hands, I brought the room's attention to me, snapping the fragile illusion that kept me from sight.

I centered my mask on the young alicorn who was holding the saddest pony under her wing. "Young alicorn, I have come as I was asked, we have business to discuss."

The alicorn stared at me in horror as I looked over the room, and her eyes lingered on my right hand, where a knife still sat rather happily. I ignored her horror and spun it with the lazy grace that only centuries of practice can create. "You have ascended to immortality without paying your dues. In one week you will be tested." I didn't bother moving as a few outraged cries came from around me, instead leveling my mask at the princess until the voices died down. "You may bring two others to join you, only you and the pink alicorn must take the test. Any others may join, but be warned." I crouched low, my mask level with the young immortals face. "Any who fail the test die. Passing assures their on immortality, such is the cost of trying to cheat death itself."

There was a door that opened from somewhere ahead of me, but I didn't look away from the alicorn in front of me. I took note of her eyes, which seemed to be frantically looking side to side, trying to tease logic from the situation around her. It also distracted me as a beam of magic burned my head to cinders. A rush of heat melting skin and boiling blood as what was once my face fell to the floor.

I felt the fog swirl around me, reforming my face as I turned to whatever had sent a beam of energy at me. An orange unicorn, with a red and gold mane that seemed to spark ablaze with every step towards me. My head reformed around me while I crossed my arms. "Brave one, aren't you? Unknown creature speaking to the false immortal and you try to burn him into dust." I wiped some slightly gooey ash from my leather jacket. "Not very polite though." I turned and felt the young mare's aura as she got close, and found myself smiling. "Ah, the heir of Celestia. You are so much like your mother that I'm embarrassed I didn't notice earlier."

The mare stopped. She stared at me with a raised eyebrow before speaking. "The name's Sunset Shimmer and that didn't look like a conversation, that looked like crashing a funeral and threatening someone."

I looked around, just now noticing that the mare with the hat was probably from the farm last night. I looked at her, before kneeling down, placing a hand on her shoulder. "You are one of the old-mares grandchildren, yes?" The pony nodded, looking so tired and angry. I gave her a few pats. "I was with her, at the end. There was no suffering, and she enjoyed a final smoke before going to rejoin her loved ones of the past. This I swear." I made a simple cross with my hand, tapping at my forehead, stomach, and shoulders. Without preamble, I rose. "Also, know that she was not scared, she lived longer than most, and her final thoughts were of her family."

The hat mare stared at me, before slowly nodding. "Well, I can't rightly tell how you were there, but you ain't lying. Thank ya for that at least. It's good knowing she'll be waiting."

I nodded, before turning to the alicorn. "As for you, remember. One week, tell the pink one and get two champions." I turned aside, pushing open the doors. "And remember pony, those that you bring must be prepared to die. It is the only way any of them might survive." I felt the doors shut behind me and instantly dispersed into a fog. A moment later, Celestia's spawn ran out, looking in all directions for a creature that was currently surrounding her feet. After a moment, she walked back in, but I knew who one of the champions would definitely be. I felt warmer just a tiny bit, knowing I would face off against Celestia again, even if it was just by proxy.