The Twilight Reaper

Chapters

Chapter 1 - Mors cum parvulo
Chapter 2 - Resurrectionem animae
Chapter 3 Part 1 - Regnum Animarum et Mortis

Chapter 1 - Mors cum parvulo

As you come into this world something else is also born; you begin your life and it begins a journey, toward you. It moves slowly but it never stops.
Where ever you go, whatever path you take, it will follow. Never faster, never slower, always coming. You will run it will walk, you will rest it will not.
One day you will linger in the same place for too long. You will sit too still or sleep too deep and when too late you rise to go, you will notice a second shadow next to yours.
Your life will then be over.

-Peter Capaldi

They say that Death is cruel; that he is cold, uncaring and above all unfair however this is far from true. Death is kind, merciful and benevolent; after all it's his job to ensure that those who die are allowed to rest peacefully without fear, remorse or regrets. He does not judge on the actions of the mortals he tends to; he just makes sure they are given a peaceful sleep, one that will allow the souls to be happy.

Of course such a task can be hard to do sometimes, mortals die so often and so fast that he is always spread thin and he never can take a moment to stop and rest. But this is more of an annoyance or minor inconvenience; all jobs have their downsides after all. No, the hardest part of the job is the times when he is called to the side of a child; times like now where he stood before a small child that could be no older than seven. Death looked upon the child with sadness, her time was fast approaching and he had been called early.

Death always made sure that when a child died he was early, it may inconvenience him later on but children were special in that for them death was an especially scary thing and they would need comforting and someone to guide and reassuring them took a precedence over other older souls. As Death watched the mother and father of the child as well as the older brother stay beside her weakening body crying he once more felt a wave of sympathy for the child. One so young with such a loving family and promising future, snuffed out before they were even given a chance to shine. And people said he was cruel; they never realize that all their suffering was the work of his counterpart, Life. It was she who brought plagues and famine, it was she who caused death, he was just here to sweep up the broken pieces of those she toyed with and tuck them away in a safe place where she couldn't hurt them anymore.

Death looked at the hourglass in his hand and sighed as he watched the last grain of sand fall, it was time. The child coughed and raised her hand to her brother however the light left her eyes and the hand fell before he could grab it; Death raised his scythe with a sad grimace and swung, the blade made contact with the body of the child and passed through it without resistance. As the blade came away from the body black tendrils appeared and pulled the child's soul away with it. As the soul stabilized the Child appeared once more only now she was now translucent and groaned before looking up with wide eyed fear at the being before her. Death looked down at the small child sadly and slowly he knelt down laying the scythe on the ground as he took a seat before the child.

"Hello Twilight Sparkle, today you have died." He said in as kind a voice he could muster. "I am Death, Guardian of the Veil, bringer of Eternal Sleep, and the Pale Horse." He said keeping his voice kind and friendly.

"So I died?" Twilight asked confused before looking upset. "But mom said I would get better, she promised she would make sure I got better and then I could go to Princess Celestia School!" She said as tears began to fall. "I-I don't want to go! I don't want to die!" She yelled as she curled up and began to cry.

Death winced and he looked down sadly. "I'm sorry Twilight, but there's nothing I can do." He said as he moved closer to the crying child and embraced her. "I do not decide when your time comes child, simply to make sure you can find rest." He said as he pat Twilights back letting her cry, he knew she needed this and he honestly felt pity for the child.

As Twilight began to calm down Death drew back and looked at the sad child. "Can I at least stay for today?" Twilight asked. "I want to see the sunset at least one more time." She said sadly.

Death hesitated for a moment before sighing. "Very well but if you wish to spend one more day here then you'll have to come with me." He said as he picked up his scythe and rose. "I don't have a lot of time to simply walk around and let you do what you desire though." He said calmly. Twilight nodded and stood, wiping tears away from her eyes with her sleeve. Death reached out a hand and Twilight took it as a dark portal opened and they stepped through it.

When Twilight and Death emerged they stood in the hall of a hospital. Death let go of Twilight's hand and reached into his coat pulling out a long list that he barely kept from falling to the floor in a messy pile. "Right let's see..." He muttered as he looked through the list. "Right so here we go." He said as he returned the list to his cloak and motioned for Twilight to follow him. The two walked down the halls till they reached a door numbered 225 where death entered by phasing through the door, twilight followed quickly and stopped when she saw the old man lying in the bed. "This is Yellow Rock, a good man who has lived a fine life but his time draws close to its end and so I've come." He said as the heart monitor began to register a slowing pulse that finally stopped.

The loud beeping of the heart monitor registering the flat line drew panicked nurses who moved to try and save the old man however the attempt was futile as Death had already swung his scythe and the soul of the elderly man was pulled from his body. "Oh, I say!" The old man said with a gasp as he looked around and saw the cloaked figure of Death. "So you finally decided to pay this old man a visit?" He asked calmly.

"Hello Yellow Rock, today you have died." He said calmly. "I am Death, Guardian of the Veil, bringer of Eternal Sleep, the Pale Horse." He said as he stepped forward. "Your time upon this world has ended and so it is time for you to rest." He said as he reached out his hand.

Yellow Rock smiled and took the hand without hesitation. "Then let's be off, I wish to see my final adventure be a grand one, oh reaper of souls." He said cockily. Death nodded and a portal opened allowing the group to leave the hospital and enter what looked like an infinite void.

As soon as they entered Yellow Rock stumbled and Twilight quickly ran over to him and tried to help him up. "Thank you, young lady." He said kindly as he turned to death. "Strange that Death would be helped by a child." He said quietly.

"She is spending her final day among the lands of the living with me, after today she will rest as well." Death replied as they continued to walk through the void, as they walked the translucent forms of souls began to appear till at last they reached a spot and death turned. "This is the end of your journey, the last stop before you dream your eternal dream." Anything you'd like to say or a last request before your peaceful slumber?"

Yellow Rock shook his head. "No, my story has ended." Yellow said as he sat down, his eyes growing heavy. "I only hope the deeds I've done both right and wrong are judged accordingly, let the rest be silent." He said as he slumped over, his eyes closing as he fell into his eternal sleep.

Twilight watched as he fell into slumber before turning to death who reached out a hand for her to take as another portal opened. Twilight took it and they appeared in a new location, this one was less peaceful than the hospital with police and guards moving quickly to cover the area. "Oh dear..." Death mumbled as he pulled his list and looked down concerned. "Twilight, I'm sure you know that evil exists correct?" He asked, receiving a somewhat confused nod from the child. "This is the site of a death done by a very bad man." He said calmly as he approached the body.

This time when he swung his scythe over the corpse crying could be heard and as the soul appeared it became why. The woman before Death and Twilight was mangled; her face unrecognizable and her stomachs entrails were spilling out of her guts. Twilight looked in horror before retching and death calmly stepped forward. "Ice Candy today you have died." He said in a soothing tone as he slowly approached the crying spirit who turned and paled in fear. "I am Death, Guardian of the Veil, bringer of Eternal Sleep, the Pale Horse." He said as he stepped forward. "Your time upon this world has ended and so it is time for you to rest." He said as he neared her.

"NO! I won't rest, not till my killer is caught!" Ice Candy screamed in anger and fear. "Look at what that bastard did to me!" She yelled gesturing to her body. "He mangled me!"

Death reached out his hand causing it to glow and slowly the woman's body began to restore itself. "Revenge, justice, these are desires of the living." He said in a calm voice. "Your time among the living has passed; Life has seen fit to cut you free and in so doing you cross into my domain." He said as he reached his hand out to her. "Now please, come with me." he said.

The woman looked at herself and then at death before stepping backward. "No, I was killed- murdered and I will have revenge!" She roared.

Death sighed and closed his eyes. "Your time has passed as such you will come quietly or by force, either way you will come." He said as his eyes snapped open and he thrust his hand forward silvery strings shooting out from the air and ensnaring the women who screamed and trashed in anger. "No matter what, all will come with me in the end." He said sadly as he approached the women who had stopped struggling and simply hung there limply crying. "I'm sorry you died in such a way but there is nothing to be done now." He said as he lowered the woman who was now crying and embraced her.

"Why, why now?!" She sobbed. "I finally managed to piece my family back together from almost falling apart, I was pregnant with my husband’s first child, I was just promoted and- and-" As the women broke down crying into death's arms his eyes glowed slightly and slowly the women began to fall silent. After a moment Death picked the women up as a portal opened. "Grab onto my robe young Twilight." He said and together they once more entered the portal and returned to the Veil. As they walked through the bodies Death looked down at the floor as if he were looking for something and after walking for a time he stopped and set the women down, almost instantly she began to sink into the void.

"Why is she sinking?" Twilight asked as she watched the women drift further into the inky blackness.

"The greater the pain a soul has when they die the deeper they sink into the Veil to try and escape their pain." Death said. "Her pain is great, I imagine when she finally finds her place to rest she will be deep in the Veil." Death explained sadly. "That is my duty young Twilight, to ensure that those who die are allowed to rest peacefully without fear, remorse or regrets. I do not judge the actions of the mortals I tend to, I just make sure they are given a peaceful sleep." He said as he turned to the young child. "One that will allow their souls to be happy; it is a difficult job, and one that I cannot do alone."

"So there are other deaths?" She asked receiving a chuckle from Death as a portal opened and the two walked through it.

"No, I am Death and the only one but I do have servants." He explained as they exited the portal and he pulled out his list. "One of my servants, Davy Jones, works the seas. He commands a ship that sails the ocean and collects the souls of those who pass at sea and once the ship is full he sails to the Veil and drops them off." He explained as he put the list away. "Then there is Thanatos, he is the Angel of Death and does the same as I, however he travels beyond Equestrias borders when gathering souls." He explained as he entered the house of a young woman who was cooking. "Lastly there is Charon, he stays in the Veil and watches over the more... active souls." He said with a chuckle. "Souls often tend to get up and... wander. They don't do any harm but they can get lost trying to find a way back; Charon's job is to make sure they don't get lost and to bring them back if they wander off." He explained as a support beam fell from the ceiling and crushed the poor women who barely had time to look up and scream before she was killed. Death looked sadly at the crushed mare and stepped forward preparing to remove her soul.

For the rest of the day he spent repeating this routine, Twilight and Death would go to a place where someone had died, speak with them and reassure them if needed, then take them to the vail where they would be put to rest. Twilight watched as Death tended to the souls who died, collect those who had just died and even catch wayward souls that had escaped him. But as the day drew to a close and Twilight grew more tired Death began to let her speak and interact with the soul more. By the end of the day Twilight was the one talking with the souls and reassuring them while Death simply reaped the soul and helped calm the more dangerous or distraught ones.

At last the day ended and Death took Twilight back to Canterlot where they stood on one of the many observation platforms around the city. "Thank you for letting me spend one more day seeing the world Death." Twilight said sadly.

"It was... a pleasure." Death said hesitantly as he watched her calmly.

"Why does everyone think you're bad?" Twilight asked with a sad smile and turned to Death. "You let me spend one more day here on Eques, you help the souls who die and make sure they're happy, so why do so many of them fear you?" She asked.

Death was silent for a moment before looking out over the observation deck and staring at the city under them and the lands beyond. "They fear me because I am unknown, because I am inevitable." He answered after a while. "All come to me in the end, all must find rest eventually and as such they are afraid. Even your princesses who are immortal will one day find their way to me." He said sadly.

Twilight moved over to the tired looking man and hugged him. "If I could I'd love to help you, I had fun talking to the spirits and helping them move on. They all had such interesting lives, each with their own thoughts, experiences and stories." She said sadly. "I'd love to see it all, and do it all again." She said as she looked down. "Even if some of them are scary or mean I want to help."

Death was taken aback as he looked at the little girl hugging him and as he looked at the child he thought back to all the people she was able to help. She wasn't as fast as him but with that trade off she was much more gentle and kind to the spirits making them come willingly; Death smiled as an idea began to form in his mind.

Twilight seemed to have a unique talent for connecting with ponies and she was kind to them, perhaps if she was trained properly she could help speed up the line and fewer souls would be lost. "Twilight, what if instead of letting you rest I gave you the power and chance to do what we did today again?" He asked, earning a confused look from the girl. "I have Charon as the caretaker of the Veil and as such he doesn't reap souls. Then I have Davy Jones, Captain of the Flying Dutchman who sails the seas collecting the souls of the Seaponies, Hippogriffs and Sirens. Next I have Thanatos, the Angel of Death, who patrols outside Equestria and gathers the souls of the Minotaur, Griffons, Zebra, Dragon, Breezie races." Death explained as he turned to Twilight calmly. "This leaves me having to tend to collect the Valkyries, Terra, Magus, Crystal Terra, and Changeling races." Death explained as he knelt down and looked at Twilight. "Because I have so many souls I can't take the time to be as kind to them as you saw today, many of them I have to rush to their sleep but you seemed to be able to get them to calm down and come more willingly than I." He said as he looked Twilight in the eyes.

"Twilight Sparkle, I will make a deal with you." He said calmly. "I will grant you a new life, one that will give you everything you could ever desire but in exchange you must become an Avatar of my power and collects the souls of mortals as my other servants do." He offered.

Twilight seemed to think about his offer for a moment before looking at Death confused. "What would I do exactly?" She asked.

"Like my other savants you will collect souls but rather than being seen only by the dead I will give you a new life entirely allowing you to live in the mortal world." Death explained. "Of course there are going to be certain rules you must follow." He said with a smile.

"And what rules would those rules be?" Twilight asked as she crossed her arms and pouted.

Death chuckled. "Rule one, you can never tell anyone you were once Twilight Sparkle; if anyone learns then you will die." He said calmly. "Rule two, using the power you will have as my servant is meant only for the deceased; to perform your duty as my servant you will be given some control over my domain so you must be careful with it." He explained. "And Rule three; you must guide at least one soul per day."

Twilight considered Death's offer as she watched the sun begin to set however after a while she smiled and looked at Death. "I want to help, if this means I can help then I accept your offer."

"Very well Twilight Sparkle, from this day forth you are no longer bound to the whims of Life, this means that you are now bound to my domain." Death said as he smiled at his newest and youngest servant. "You'll need a new name; something fitting that will not give way who you once were..." Death trailed off in thought before looking at the young child sitting beside him with a smile. "Aeternum... yes, that will do. Aeternum Rest, the Grim Reaper of Souls." He said with a smile as he ruffled Twilight's hair. Twilight now the newly named Aeternum smiled as the portal opened and Death reached out a hand. "Come Aeternum; let me show you to your new home." He said as she took his hand and then entered the portal.

They say that Death is cruel; that he is cold, uncaring and above all unfair however this is far from true. Death is kind, merciful and above all he is benevolent, after all it's his job to ensure that those who die are allowed to rest peacefully without fear, remorse or regrets. He does not judge the actions of the mortals he tends to; he just makes sure they are given a peaceful sleep, one that will allow the souls to be happy.

Author's Note

I hope you enjoyed the start of this new story and I'll see you in the next chapter.

Young Twilight Sparkle:

Chapter 2 - Resurrectionem animae

It had been several days since Twilight had agreed to Death's offer and since then he had kept her in a room designed to house spirits and insure they didn't become what he called Lost. Despite her inability to leave the room she wasn't exactly lonely, just bored. Death came to visit her each night and bring her books for her to read but no matter how much she liked reading the fact she was trapped in this single room for so long was not fun. Twilight sighed as she finished another book and moved to the last one Death had brought her however as she reached for it the door to her room opened and Death entered. "Death!" Twilight exclaimed happily as she jumped to her feet and embraced him in a hug.

Death appeared taken aback by the gesture but brushed it off with a chuckle as he leaned down and patted the child’s head. "Hello Twilight, how are you today?" He asked.

Twilight sighed as she let go and looked up at Death. "I'm alright, just so bored, I like reading but I can't leave the room or anything!" Twilight whined earning a head pat from Death.

"Then you'll be pleased to know you can come out, I've completed the preparations needed to return you to life. Now we can only hope it works properly." He said as he gestured to the door causing Twilight to smile as she ran to it and pushed it open. "Follow me Twilight; we have a very short window to do this so we must be quick." Death said as he stepped ahead of her and she followed as he led her through the maze like corridors of the mansion they were in till they reached a small study, a large circle of runes was carved into the floor of the study and Twilight immediately began to analyze them.

"What is this?" Twilight asked after a minute of her trying to figure it out on her own and she stepped closer to the circle to better examine it.

"Step into the circle and I'll explain." Death said and Twilight did as he asked. "Now, this is a Ritual circle and one I made specifically for the task we are about to perform." Death explained as he moved about the room using a glowing stick of chalk to create several more markings on the floor. "You see, I cannot resurrect you back to life as you were; not only is it forbidden for me to do so but it would make you incompatible with my power. What I'm trying to do is create a body for you that is bound to my domain but can interact with the land of the living; and that is much more difficult than you would think." Death said with a frown. "The reason I'm doing it this way is because my power cannot be used by one who is bound to the realm of Life; it would corrupt them and drives them mad. So to counter this I have to resurrect you into my domain and to do that I need to place a part of myself inside you."

Twilight frowned as she thought about what Death was saying. "So I'll be your daughter?" She asked, causing Death to stop in his work for a moment.

"I suppose you will be..." He said quietly before returning to the runes he was writing with the chalk. "My other servants are bound entirely to my world so while they can be seen by mortals they appear as ghosts and only when one is about to die, this is not what I'm going to do for you. Instead I plan so that you will be able to freely travel across the borders of the Living and Spirit world; the ritual I'm going to perform will hopefully allow this however there will be some elements of risk involved and of course there will be the obvious side effects."

Twilight nodded. "I understand but what do you think will happen?" She asked in concern.

"First you will be able to interact with both the physical world and spiritual world; the overlapping of both will make it difficult for you to tell the two apart since you will see both the spirit world and mortal world at once." Death said as he finished the last of the runes. "Second I imagine you will gain wings of some sort seeing as you will be immortal in a sense." He said as he looked at the young child before him. "Finally, as we spoke of before you will no longer be Twilight Sparkle but Aeternum Rest, don't be surprised if your physical appearance changes; though how much it changes I can't be sure yet." He said as his hands lit up with blue fire. "Now brace yourself, I imagine this will not be a painless process." He said as he set his hand down on the chalk and the entire circle lit up, and then Twilight screamed.

As soon as Death placed his hand on the circle Twilight felt like her entire existence was being ripped apart, she was pulled, compressed and ripped apart all at once leaving her with an unbearable pain she couldn't even describe. As she was ripped apart she felt magic begin to seep into her body and then the first sensations of an actual body began to come together.

From outside the circle Death watched as Twilight's soul writhe and screamed in pain before it froze and rose up into the air as magic began to pour into it. At first Death thought he had failed and the soul was destroying itself but as he watched his fear turned to astonishment as bones began to grow. They started slow, with them expanding out from chest and then forming arms and legs, the head was the last to form before the spirit wrapped itself around the body and the eye sockets of the skull lit up with two glowing violet orbs of magic and it fell to its knees as two bony wing like protrusions grew from its back. Slowly the magic began to construct organs which were quickly covered by muscles and then flesh. As this happened feathers, hair and other parts grew from the body and then the vocal cords grew and the newly reborn Twilight Sparkle, now Aeternum Rest, screamed in agony before going limp and hitting the floor passed out, though whether it was from the pain or exertion of growing a new body Death wasn't sure.

Death knelt down and placed his hand upon the bodies’ neck and waited. Nothing happened and Death sighed about to deem his attempt a failure before he felt it, the beat of a pulse; it was slow, barely there but it was indeed a pulse. Death pulled his hand back and looked at the newly reborn child before him, as he had guessed her appearance had changed. Her skin was now a bit paler than before and the tips of her hair turned gray; there was also now a stripe of silver in her hair alongside the magenta stripe. The child’s wings glowed with a silvery color in the light of the study; Death knelt down and opened the child’s closed eyes to find that her eyes had changed to a slate gray as well.

Death smiled as he examined the girl, she had changed just enough to look both the same and different from her first life. Death picked Aeternum up and carried her out of the study and walked through his mansion, passing the servants and maids who maintained the old manor, till he reached a recently cleaned room. Standing beside the door was a woman in a snow white kimono; the woman was as white as freshly fallen snow, from her skin to her hair with the only contrast of color being her piercing ice blue eyes.

Death eyes the women calmly nodding to her as she bowed before opening the doors to the room; the woman was one of the denizens of the Spirit World, a Yuki Onna, and served Death as the head maid of the manor. "I trust the room has been fully prepared Ms. Izayoi?" He asked as he entered the room to find it pristine and freshly cleaned.

"I just finished Master; I assume this will be our newest tenant?" The Yuki Onna asked as she looked at the child. "A bit young for a maid.” She commented dryly.

"That's because she is not going to be a maid." Death said calmly as he placed Aeternum on the bed in the room and covered her. "She is special Sakuya, the first soul born into the Spirit World with the power to walk among the living and she even bears a shard of my essence." He said, causing the Yuki Onna to turn paler than before.

"That means that even though she is a reincarnated soul she is your daughter!" Sakuya said in shocked fear.

Death nodded as she stood and looked down at the sleeping child. "A child of death, my little Grim Reaper." Death's voice was soft, almost wistful as he spoke.

"Do I detect a hint of fatherly pride?" Sakuya asked in a mischievous tone. "To think she was only created mere moments ago and you're already attached, Heaven help the poor soul when she finally starts dating." She teased.

Death blushed and pulled the cloak of his robes lower. "Yes well, I assume the staff will be properly notified Ms. Izayoi?" He asked as he turned away from Aeternum.

The Servant bowed, a small smile playing across her face. "I shall inform all the staff of who she is Master." Ms. Izayoi said as she rose and turned to leave. "I'm sure they will be happy to serve your daughter." She said as she exited and Dearth groaned.

"You're never going to let that go will you?" He muttered as he looked at Twilight one more time before rising and exiting the room.

Chapter 3 Part 1 - Regnum Animarum et Mortis

Please read the Author's Notes at the end, it has some information on this world.

Twilight groaned as she slowly awoke and sat up rubbing her eyes to get the last of the sleep out of them. As she sat in the bed she slowly became aware that she was no longer in the room she had spent the last few days in and looked around to see a large room that was sparsely decorated but what was there made it seem like the room was meant for a king or queen.

The bedroom was large, with the massive bed she lay in pushed to the far right corner and as twilight got up and looked around she was surprised by what was inside the room. Across from her bed and tucked into the opposite corner was an ornately carved desk and a big fluffy chair that she approached and looked over finding the desk topped with writing tools and other objects one would see on a desk. Between the desk and the bed set into the center of the wall was a large window letting in the cool light of the moon and below it was a window seat that was covered in a cushion that made it a perfect spot to read. As Twilight turned to the front of the room she saw that in the front left corner of her room stood several book cases, most not even half full of books but the ones that were on them were the ones Death had brought her to read while she was locked in the room as a spirit. With a small smile she turned to the other corner to see a door right before her bed and an ornate silver mirror in the right corner. Twilight walked to the door and pushed the door open to peer into the room finding a massive bathroom.

Twilight entered the bathroom and looked around finding that the floor looked like marble, the wall beside the door was lined by a counter that contained a sink and several cabinets and as she looked around she saw that the bathtub was actually set into the floor with steps that lead into it like those found in a pool. Twilight looked down at the bath to see water already inside and steaming like a hot tub. Twilight frowned and turned back to the door to return to her room where she went to examine the mirror.

As she neared the mirror she froze at the person reflected in it hesitantly reached a hand out seeing the figure in the mirror do the same. Slowly Twilight raised a hand to her face and the figure did the same and Twilight walked closer to the mirror and looked at herself closely. "So I really was reborn in a new body..." She said, her voice trailing off as she examined her new body.

Her skin was now a bit paler than what she'd had before and the tips of her hair had turned gray while the purple in it had lightened to become a more gray purple, there was also now a stripe of silver in her hair alongside the magenta stripe she had always had. Calmly she stepped forward more to look closer at herself and she noticed her eyes had changed from purple to a slate gray as well.

As Twilight examined herself and looked her body over she slowly began to become aware of a strange sensation that she had been feeling since she had woken up. The sensation came from her back and as Twilight focused on the feeling she felt something stretch and she stepped back in shock as something flared from her back, slowly she turned her head back to the mirror only to see a set of wings extending from her back that glowed silver in the moonlight coming from her window.

Twilight stared in shock at the wings before she slowly tried to move them; they felt completely natural and for some reason she just knew that if she wanted to she could fly, it was as if she always had wings but even more confusing was that she seemed to know how to use them. As Twilight examined the wings a quite knock was heard at the door causing her to jump in surprise and turn to see a strange being.

The being looked like a human however their eyes and the inside of their mouth glowed with a cyan blue light, their flesh seemed to be decomposing as well with holes around their mouth revealing the light inside even when their it was shut. The being appeared female was dressed in the attire of a maid and as Twilight remained frozen the maid calmly approached the air growing chilly as she neared and bowed. "Greetings Mistress, it is a pleasure to see you have awakened." she said snapping Twilight out of her trance.

Twilight shook her head to clear her thoughts as the maid rose and smiled kindly. "Who- what are you?" Twilight asked as her mind worked to catch up with what was going on. "And why did you call me mistress?" She asked causing the maid to tilt her head in thought before responding.

"My name is Whisper; I'm a type of undead known as a Wight. Master Death raised me from slumber to attend to you as your personal maid." The being, now identified as Whisper, said in a calm voice.

Twilight nodded slowly as she looked back at her reflection, "Okay... so what do I do now?" She asked as she placed a hand on the mirror as if to confirm it was there.

"First I will assist you in getting dressed." Whisper replied with a smile. "Afterwards Master Death suggested I take you to the dining hall to eat."

Twilight nodded as she looked at her reflection one last time. "Whisper, you don't have to call me mistress, please just call me by my name." She said as she looked at the Wight.

Whisper nodded. "Very well mistress, I will call you by your name..." She said trialing off before looking at Twilight in confusion as if to ask what her name was.

Twilight sighed and looked at her reflection. "Aeternum Rest, my name is Aeternum Rest." Aeternum said sadly. 'Even though I was Twilight Sparkle she died, I can't use the name of a dead person.' She thought her wings drooping in sadness.

Whisper nodded and bowed. "Very well, do you wish me to address you as Lady Rest or simply Aeternum?"

"No lady, or miss, or mistress, or anything like that till I'm at least older!" Aeternum said in a huff. "I'm only seven!" She said causing Whisper to suppress what looked like a smile.

"As you wish, Aeternum." She said as she took Aeternums' hand. "Now, come with me and I shall aid in get you dressed." She said a she pulled the young Aeternum.

For Twilight getting dressed was the most embarrassing thing she had ever done mostly because Whisper was forced to help her with most of the clothing because Aeternums' body was still weak from its reconstruction. This left Aeternum feeling as if she were simply a doll and no amount of apologies from the distraught servant could alleviate the young girls’ embarrassment. After the change of clothing was done however Aeternum followed Whisper out of her room and down the halls of what turned out to be a massive estate.

Twilight looked around in wonder at the decorations that lined the halls, from ancient banners and tapestries to ornately carved statues and ceremonial weapons of old; the halls were packed with the odd bobble and trinket most of which would make even the most dedicated of collector and prestigious of museums green with envy. At last Whisper came to a stop at a set of ornate dark wood double doors that she calmly knocked on before opening to reveal a large dining hall with Death sitting at the head of the table his bony hands clasped as he simply sat quietly watching.

Aeternum hesitantly followed Whisper into the dining hall and as she entered Death looked up at her, his gaze directed directly at her. Aeternum shifted uneasily as she followed Whisper to a seat on the left right next to him and pulled the chair out for her, Aeternum took a deep breath and climbed up onto the chair. "I am glad you are finally awake Aeternum, you have been asleep for quite some time." Death said calmly as he turned to fully look her over, his bony face showing a mix of relief and enjoyment at her presence.

"Sorry, I guess me being reborn was really taxing on my new body... I still am really weak thought." Aeternum said shyly and with a hint of embarrassment.

Death nodded. "I imagen it will be like that for some time." Death said calmly as he raised his hand and gestured to a servant who bowed and left before returning quickly with a cart with food on it. "After you have eaten you will be taken by Whisper to purchase new cloths." He said as he looked to the Wight maid that stood behind her mistress. "There is a Tailor by the name of Riso Alsharai that I have commissioned to make some more clothing for Aeternum, she is an Arachne so do be careful around her." Death said as he took a bite of the food.

"Next you will need to meet your new tutor Adrarea; she is strict but fair and will be working to teach you everything I will be unable to. I'll look into acquiring you more specialized tutors on other subjects when you are ready. One thing I've learned over my long existence is that there are times it pays to be death, especially when I can often go directly to the source to get my information, second hand accounts can be troublesome and more often than not are completely incorrect." As Death spoke a hint of disdain escaped into his voice and Aeternum giggled causing Death to at least look slightly embarrassed and he cleared his throat.

"In any case your final stop for the day will be to meet my librarian, Tigira Amerehet. She is an excellent records keeper and quite wise though both factors are most likely helped by the fact my library contains all recorded works since the first writings appeared on cave walls, I might even have some rare or lost tomes in there..." He trailed off before shaking his head.

"Finally you will meet with me every day to learn how to use your new magic." He said calmly. "You will also be meeting with my Guard Captain, Noreis Sterling for training in weapons as well as physical fitness and basic exercise. She will be helping you get readjusted to a body."

Aeternum nodded in understanding. "So I have a lot to do, is there be anything else I need to know?" She asked.

Death tilted his head in thought. "Oh, I did almost forget but seeing as you are bound to both the Mortal and Spirit Worlds you’ll be spending some time in both. For now you need not worry about such things but I do plan for you to stay in the Mortal World on occasion." He explained.

Aeternum nodded as she finished eating. "So I need to get new clothes, meet my tutor, go to the library and then meet up with you and a guard captain?" She asked slowly trying to make sure she got it all right.

"You'll be meeting with me today, next week you'll be meeting and starting your training with Captain Sterling." Death clarified.

Aeternum nodded. "Okay!" She said happily as she looked at Whisper. "Do you think you could help me remember all this?" She asked.

Wisper nodded with a smile. "I have a list Mistr-Aeternum." She replied causing Death to nod.

"Excellent, Whisper I'm placing Aeternums' protection in your care." He said as he looked at the Wight who bowed her head in understanding.

Aeternum pushed her chair back and jumped down with sigh as she stretched. "So when will I be leaving?" She asked.

"We will be leaving as soon as you are ready." Whisper replied and Aeternum nodded as she turned to leave, death watching her as she hurried out the door.

"She has a long way to go before she is ready for the duties of a Reaper but she truly does have potential." He muttered as an old Oni slowly entered the room.

The Oni had deep blue skin with two horns growing from his forehead, he wore the black suit of a butler and as he entered the dining room he bowed. "Forgive the intrusion Master Death but your Sister is here to see you and she seems rather... angry." He said in a measured tone.

"Death frowned before sighing. “Well let's not keep her waiting." He said as he leaned back in his chair. "I assume she is just outside?" He asked receiving a not from the butler. "Well, let her in Marnolan." He said with another sigh.

The Butler nodded and turned to the door opening it and bowing to the women who entered. The Women wore a glistening white dress with gold trim and with the appearance of a stunningly beautiful and motherly woman however the image was ruined as soon as one looked into her eyes. It was these eyes that Deaths met, tired eyes locking with one that only showed pure spite and hatred for everything around her.

"You have broken the pact brother." Life spit as she glared hatefully at Death.

"I did no such thing Sister." Death said calmly as he clasped his hands together calmly.

"You created life; you’re not supposed to do that!" She screamed at him as she stomped her foot like a toddler. "That’s my job, mine and no one else’s!" She screamed in anger."

Death sat quietly as she screamed at him not even looking the least bit interested. "You were the one who threw her away Sister; I took her and made her mine." He said calmly. "Furthermore she is not yours to play with, she is bound to my realm and as such she is my child to tend to." He said calmly causing Life to grit her teeth as her hand s curled into fists.

"I don't care if that thing is bound to your realm or not I will not have her existing!" She spit in hatred. "And if you do not kill it then I will." She said as she turned to leave only to find Death standing before her.

Life froze in fear as she saw Deaths glare, his eye sockets glowed with an ethereal light as he seemed to grow taller before her and loom over here. "You enter my domain, scream and threaten me and then think you can order me to kill my daughter?" He asks his voice as cold as a frozen tomb. "Life, I will tell you this once and once only, if Aeternum Rest, my daughter and your niece, comes to harm and I find you had a hand in it be it either direct or indirect I shall open the gates of my realm and let the dead wash over the world like a tide unending." He said in a dark tone. "I have sat back and let you do as you please for a long time; I've watched as you’ve unleashed plagues upon the mortals, I've watched as famines you've wrought destroy entire civilizations. Each atrocity and abuse of your power I've bore witness to and never once have I interfered or stopped you but this is the line in the sand, cross it and you will learn just how great my wrath can be, little sister." He said as he loomed over her his form appearing as a mass of darkness, normally white bones appearing as pure black, the hood of his cloak falling way revealing his blackened skull in all its glory and star like eyes that bore into the terrified immortal before him.

"Remember Little Sister; I am Death, the Guardian of the Veil, the bringer of Eternal Sleep, the Pale Horse." He roared as his shadowy appearance writhed in rage. "All that exists will meet me eventually, the trees, the grass, and all of nature shall wither and die. From the the smallest of insects, to the mightiest of dragons, and the most ancient of immortals, all of them will on day meet me; you are no exception to this rule." He said as he stepped to the side. "Now leave my domain and do not return; you are no longer welcome here." He growled as Life ran for the open door Death watching as she left in terror.

As Life fled his sight he began to take deep breaths and slowly he shrunk down and his bones lightened back to their white state. After a moment ne took one more deep breath and pulled his hood back over his skull. After calming down he exited the dining hall to see Marnolan standing off to the side of the door. "Marnolan, find Captain Sterling and inform her that I will be moving Aeternums' training up." He said calmly as he headed down the corridor.

"As you wish sir, may I ask where you are heading?" Marnolan ask as he walked behind death at a respectful distance.

"I'm heading to the Veil to retrieve the soul of the Masamune; I have need of his talents as a Blacksmith." He said as a portal opened and he walked through it.

Author's Note

This chapter was not meant to be a two parter but I changed the ending and thought it better to divide this chapter between what was going on with Death and what Aeternum was doing. So the next chapter will be focusing on Aeternum.

Also few people have asked if this world is anthro or not and the answer is that it is human. I'll explain body types on a need to know basis but for now I'll just cover the Main pony Races.

The Pegasus A.K.A. Valkyries are a winges race of humans taking the appearance of angels. Valkyries that are especially gifted and Alicorns like the Princesses tend to have larger wings.
The Earth Pony A.K.A. Terra look exactly like humans with the single exception that they are extremely strong from birth and even without training are able to crush rocks and wood in their hands with little effort.
The Unicorn A.K.A. Magus are human like with the exception that they have natural 'tattoos' that cover their arms, these 'tattoos' are unique to the individual and appear shortly after the birth of the Magus glowing with the color of the Magus's magic. The 'tattoo' grows to always cover their arms with time and age and the stronger the Magus's magic is the more detailed and intricate the markings are. Magus with extremely powerful magic like the like the Princesses have these 'tattoos' covering not just their arms but also their neck, face and even body.
The Crystal Pony A.K.A. Crystal Terra look exactly like their Terra counter parts with the exception that they appear to be made from crystal, when they die their bodies shatter and crumble to dust like shattered stone.
The Alicorn Race is a combination of the Valkyrie, Terra and Magus Races, they have larger wings than a standard Valkyrie, are slightly stronger than an average Terra and the 'Tattoos' that most Magus get are not only far more detailed but can cover more than just their body if they live long enough. Alicorns also have an extreme healing factor that gives them an abnormal longevity to their lives making them seem almost immortal however they can be killed like any normal being, they are immune to the ravages of time but anything other than that can kill them.

So here are the main pony races, don't worry about the other races for now as they will be explained when the come up in the story.