The Doctor is in

An uncomfortable silence filled the room as Herbal stared at his old friend, looking at him with a troubled expression. To break the silence, Herbal levitated another joint and lit it with a fire spell.

"I don't know what to tell you," smoke escaped the old stallion's lips as he grimaced. "there ain't much to go off of."

It was a harsh truth. Even after everything, Herbal still couldn't find anything all this time. He expected Velvet to lash out, scream, yell at him, anything! Instead, the younger necromance just looked at Herbal with a far-off stare, lips moving wordlessly as his mind tried to comprehend what he'd just heard.

Then, a faint smile made its way on Velvet's muzzle as he chuckled in disbelief. "G-Good one, Herbal, Y-You always was one to joke around." Velvet warily said with a shaky voice.

Herbal sighed and huffed his joint, "I was never one for jokes, Velvet, you know that. Besides, the only information I've got is that the leader's location is between the crystal empire and Cloudsdale." Herbal went to take another huff, but with the sight of the disturbed necromancer in front of him, he decided to place it down in an ashtray. "That's all I got."

Velvet's unhinged smile seemed to grow morse as he stumbled back, almost falling over but catching himself on the edge of the desk.

"T-That's g-good, t-t-that's good. All we have to do is pinpoint the location, walk up, and slaughter anypony that gets in our way! Then I can finally finish the total resurrection spell and-"

Herbal's hoof slammed against the desk, causing Velvet to stop mid-sentence and look at the glaring Herbal with mild confusion. "You still on about that damn spell?! You know damn well it doesn't work!" Herbal yelled.

"N-No! I almost have it completed. All I need is one more thing!" Velvet got to his hooves and took a step towards Herbal with a pleading look. "I can even bring back your wife!" Velvet's smile wavered with tears building in the covers of his eyes.

Instead of yelling, Herbal sat there with a face of pity as the room once again filled with silence.

"I-I can bring her back, memories and all. I can even make her immortal too. You both can spend the rest of your existence happy together. Then I can bring him back. We all will be happy in the end!" Tears ran down the face of the frantic stallion as he stepped closer.

Herbal inwardly sighed as he picked the joint back up and huffed it, trying his best to suppress a cough. "When my wife died, I nearly broke. I would wake up in bed every morning thinking she would be beside me, but no. And I would be lying if I said I never thought about joining her as well."

Velvet got a hopeful look as he held out a hoof. "So you agree then? So let me-"

"I don't want her back, Velvet."

The room's silence was almost deafening as the hopeful look and smile instantly disappeared, replaced only by one of shock and confusion.

"W-What?" Velvet muttered

Herbal sadly chuckled as he put out the joint directly on the table. "What I mean is, I don't want to go through that again. Even if you somehow got her back AND made her immortal like us, It would change much." Herbal sat on the ground and continued looking at Velvet with a half-stern stare. "You know we're immortal as in we can't age. Just because we don't get old wrinkles doesn't mean we are invincible. So I would spend every second of the day worrying if something would hurt or kill my wife again, and I don't think I could go through with that again."

Velvet's confusion only worsened, with a scowl developing on his face. "Then keep her locked away! She could be safe that way, and you would never have to worry!" The frantic necromancer argued.

"Sweet Luna, do you even hear yourself?" Herbal growled in frustration.

"If you'd listen and help me, I can bring down the dark moon legion and bring our loved ones back!" Velvet sneered as the faint sound of hushing in the background fell on deaf ears.

"The thing is, colt, I was just like you once. I chased after that same spell to bring my wife back and found nothing." Herbal's glare softened into a knowing look. "You haven't found anything, have you?" The reluctance in his voice was heavy, Herbal hated this, but the young necromancer would have to come to terms at some point.

Velvet growled as more tears of frustration fell down his face, his horn suddenly glowing. "SHUT UP!" He roared. A weak shock wave blasted out of his horn, knocking Herbal down with a forceful push. "SHUT UP, SHUT UP, SHUT UP!!!" Velvet repeats, with hooves holding the side of his head. "YOU DON'T KNOW ANYTHING! I CAN BRING HIM BACK; I KNOW I CAN!" Velvet fell to the floor, hooves held against his ear, mumbling incoherent ramblings.

Herbal pushed himself off the ground just in time to see Twilight and the other peaking through the door with worried faces. Herbal was quick enough to give them a look that said "stay back", to which they reluctantly agreed. The older necromancer slowly approached the frantic stallion, carefully picking him up and wrapping his forelegs around Velvet's body. Of course, he tried to escape the Herbals grasp, and in response, the older stallion hugged him tighter until he huffed.

"You gotta let go, Velvet. I know that feeling of loss, and I sure as shit know that it hurts a lot. But no amount of magic is going to bring our loved ones back, and you should know that out of anypony. The best thing we can do is to keep moving forward and live the best life we can in honor of our lost loved ones. You're only causing yourself more pain, and as a somepony who sees you as a son, it also hurts me." Herbal hugged Velvet gently as tears formed in his own eyes. "Move on, and then you'll find happiness with the ponies you have now. Carve a path to a better future." After Herbal's speech, Velvet couldn't hold it anymore and started to wail like a newborn foal in the forelegs of his mentor/ second father. It might have been seconds, minutes, or hours. But that didn't matter to the crying necromancer.

Velvet sniffled and looked down at the floor. "I-I don't want to be that stallion anymore. I know I should move on, but the thought of my brother being with me again won’t go away. Every time I get close to some semblance of happiness, there's something that always ruins that for me! I don't deserve anything for being so pitiful!"

Herbal stroked the back of Velvet's head while quietly shushing him. “Don’t say things like that, Velvet; they ain't true. You're just a lonely colt that’s been tough for too long. Anyone could tell that you’re a good pony at heart.” He said with a small smile.

Velvet’s eyes widened at those words as the events of Minty and Velvet’s meeting a couple of days ago played in his mind.

“With you, I and any other pony can see you aren't some 'hate-filled' stallion. You're a kind-hearted and gentle soul who got the short end of the stick. You don't have to bottle these emotions up: it's alright to be angry or sad. Just because you feel that way doesn't mean you're bad; you need a shoulder to cry on when you feel down."

‘That day, I didn’t know what I did. At the time, I chalked it up to being the heat of the moment I kissed him. But now I see that my thanks weren’t a lie.’ Velvet thought as a sad smile appeared on his muzzle.

“I’ve been a fool this entire time.”

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The sky slowly dimmed as its once bright blue-hued color changed into vibrant orange as the sun lowered beyond the horizon. Velvet stared out the train car window as The Elements and Herbal sat in their seats.

It had been a few hours since Velvet and Herbal’s talk. Twilight and her friends came out and revealed they had been listening to them the whole time, the fact petrified Velvet as he tried to hide his face in shame. After a little more coaxing, they eventually got Velvet to calm down and in a more stable mood. They had all figured that they should talk about life stories or events to pass the time.

The subject of Herbal’s hoof canon came up, and when Twilight gave it back, Herbal nearly had a heart attack upon seeing it. Somehow, the studious unicorn fashioned the weapon with A SECOND BARREL, a new pink and purple color scheme, and glitter practically caked the thing!

For 2 hours straight, Herbal cursed Twilight and her partners in the “crime”, being Pinkie and rarity, demanding an explanation. Twilight’s reason was that she “got carried away” and reverse-engineered the Celestia damned thing. Pinkie and Rarity’s reasons were practically childish compared to the studious unicorns, in the sense that they thought it looked bland and bleak, so they decided to “spice it up.” as they said.

As punishment, Herbal forced Pinkie and Rarity to clean it back to the way it was. Twilight didn’t get one; instead, she got thanked by the old stallion. Now the group was making their way to the train station with Herbal in tow, something about needing to lie low for the time being.

“Hiya Velvy!”

Velvet jumped slightly at the sudden appearance of the party mare with a friendly smile on her face. “Hello to you too, Pinkie.” He replied with a smile of his own.

“So how are ya feelin’? Is that frown of yours upside down yet?” Pinkie said as she used her hoofs to stretch Velvet's face into something resembling a toothy grin. Velvet gently pushed her hooves away, the taste of birthday cake still in his mouth, and chuckled at the mare's enthusiasm.

“Heh, I’m faring much better now, thanks to you and your friends.” Velvet tiredly smiled at Pinkie but was surprised when she frowned at him.

“Something is still making you sad, isn’t it?” She said with concern.

Velvet frowned as he faced away from the party mare. “It’s just cart lag, my mind is trying to process the last few hours. I’ll be fine in a little bit.” He flashed a reassuring smile.

Pinkie was strangely silent for a moment before a light bulb went off in her head as a wide grin found its way onto her muzzle. “Hey, Velvy, wanna hear a joke?” She said with a sly expression. Velvet got nostalgic at those words, and he raised an eyebrow.

“Suuuuure?” He cautiously agreed.

“Why did the fish have a bad fin?” Pinkie asked, trying to suppress a giggle. “Because they had carp-altunnel!” Everypony in the train car overheard the awful joke and collectively groaned as Pinkie almost fell to the floor laughing.

But what shocked the group and stopped their sounds, was that Velvet was laughing almost as hard as Pinkie was. It was to the point he would cough from how hard he was laughing at the awful pun. Velvet finally stopped laughing and wiped a tear from his eye, now noticing the strange looks from his friends.

“Sorry everypony, It’s just that I have a soft spot for puns. My brother would always tell me whenever I felt bad.” Velvet turned to pinkie with a grateful smile. “Thank you, I needed that.” Velvet only smiled as the pink mare's mood seemed to skyrocket at the comment, then a devilish smirk came to his muzzle. “Hey, pinkie dear, would you mind if I told some jokes?”

Pinkies gasped with stars twinkling in her eyes as she got close to Velvet with a big grin. “Would I ever!” She loudly said.

Unfortunately, the rest of the inhabitants of the train car were filled with dread and soon subjugated to several hours of non-stop puns from the two. Herbal considered shooting himself but chose to take a nap in the back car. Twilight used a sound-canceling spell. Rainbow dash uselessly covered her ears. Rarity stuffed cotton she had into hers, and Fluttershy listened to the two and giggled at some of the jokes.

But to the groups, except for Velvet and Pinkie, relief, the train soon arrived in the small town as Luna's night had fully covered the sky. Twilight was stopped by two bat ponies wearing black and purple armor as she trotted off the train.

“We were given an order for one Velvet night.” One of the stoic guards spoke. Twilight was about to introduce herself when Velvet trotted right next to her. “Are you Velvet night? You fit the description.” the guard asked with a raised eyebrow.

“You are correct my good sir, but if I may, could you tell us who you are?” Velvet gave a suspicious look as the second guard stepped closer.

“We’re both parts of the lunar princess's newly established night guard. Our orders were to escort you to ponyville central hospital.” The bat pony droned out. Before Velvet could ask, the two guards turned around and started heading to the hospital without speaking. With some confusion, Velvet followed but stopped when he noticed the rest following him.

The younger necromancer sighed and faced the group. “It’s been a long day for all of us, so I suggest you all go home.” Velvet looked at Herbal, “You can go with Twilight, Herbal, I am sure she can get you someplace to rest for tonight.” With that, Velvet trotted off before anypony could argue, so Twilight and her friends parted ways.

To be honest, Velvet was annoyed by this sudden request so late at night, even more so that he had to abandon his friends. So it had better be good or so help whoever called him.

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

As I trotted down the halls of ponyville hospital, I couldn’t help but undress the two bat-like ponies in front of me with my eyes. From the outside, they look to be just another form of pegasi, just with new features. The exciting thing was; that if bat-ponies WERE part bat, then it would be a scientist's wet dream to study these creatures.

I was so captivated by them that I failed to notice they stopped walking and were now standing before a familiar door. “In here, sir. Commander Rocky road will fill you in on the rest.” One of the guards said. Then as fast as I met them, the two trotted off before I could do anything.

‘interesting as they are, I’m afraid they run off before I'd catch one if that is how they all act’ I wrap my magic around the handle and open the door to see a tired-looking Rocky road sitting with his back facing a large window. On the other side, Arctic specter was still restrained and locked to his hospital bed, albeit looking better now. I trotted to Rocky with a friendly smile.

“Good evening, Commander. I hope you find yourself in high spirits?” I greeted with a raised eyebrow.

Rocky sighed and stood up to face the restrained Arctic. “To be honest, I’m not. While you and your friend were out in Canterlot, my stallions and I got stationed here to keep an eye on this guy,” Rocky tapped a hoof on the reinforced glass, with Arctic not reacting. “We tried to question him, but every time he would stay silent and speak only three words,” Rocky road turned to Velvet with a serious expression. ”Bring me Velvet. That’s all he would say.”

I stayed silent to process what he had told me. Why would he suddenly want to talk now? And why with me, especially? The first time I tried to question him, all he did was curse at me and act like a spoiled brat throwing a tantrum. All of this sounded fishy to me, especially what happened only a few days ago with the train. I huffed and trotted over to the door connecting the two rooms, and before I opened it, I looked at Rocky.

“I’ll talk to him.” Rocky nodded. I opened the door and was now face-to-face with a higher 6, denial. We gazed at each other, dark red eyes meeting icy blue ones. “It’s flattering that you’d want my audience, but it’s getting late, and I had a long week. So don’t waste my time.” I spat with annoyance.

The red colt remained silent, with barely any anger coming from himself. “Why?” He muttered under his breath.

“Huh? Could you say that again? I couldn’t hear you.” I asked with a confused look.

“Why, why am I not dead yet?” The venom in his voice was heavy as a slight glare aimed at me. “Is it because you need an answer? Then you’re out of luck because I barely know anything higher than my rank. Still, should a necromancer like me be dead on the spot?” His eyes drifted down, a somber expression now on his face.

Usually, I would come up with some snarky response, maybe even a white lie. But right now, I don't know what to say. He had a point. Why wasn’t he dead yet? With me, I struck a deal with the princess and was lucky enough that she wasn’t in a bad mood that day. With Arctic, He made no deals or pleas for his life and was probably only around for an answer before they killed him. That’s when memories played in my mind, over and over of how the friends I have now warmed up to me, how a monster such as myself was able to feel love again with Minty, and how Princess Celestia trusted me when nopony else would.

” Because I think you are a good pony.”

Arctics' eyes widened as he stared at me with disbelief. “W-What?” he muttered in shock.

“When I joined forces with Celestia, I didn’t think I’d last a day before getting executed. But, she trusted me and allowed me to make allies so that I could achieve my dream. During all that, I kept fearing that any mistake I made would result in my demise, and sure, they distrusted me at first. I still think that a pony like myself doesn’t deserve them, and maybe that is true.” I looked at the Arctic with a smile and determined look. “But still, I have others I can rely on to help me forge a future where we can all live happily. Where I can let go of my past deeds. And maybe yours too.”

I trotted to the stunned Arctic’s bedside and unlocked the restraints around his hooves, only leaving the one on his horn. He sat up slowly and rubbed his sore joints with a confused scowl. “Are you stupid or something?” He spat.

“Heh, Heh, most likely. You remind me of myself in my younger days, so full of spit and hate that you’d burn the world before being taken down. But I believe you can change as I have, to grow beyond what you are now and make your happiness.” I wrapped my forelegs around the young stallion and pulled him into a hug. “Aren’t you tired as well?” I softly spoke.

We were quiet for a moment before I felt Arctics' head nod slightly. “Yeah, I am. When I was young, my parents and I worked and lived at a family-owned lumber mill. Life was good until a forest fire was burning the mill to the ground. My parents rushed in to save anypony that was trapped inside. Luckily, everypony got out safely, except my mom and dad.” I felt a set of hooves rest on my back. ”Since that day, I’ve been lying to myself, believing that they disappeared because they were mad at me, that I didn’t attempt to help them. So I joined the legion to find them, but deep down, I knew they were dead.”

“To answer your question again, I’m tired.”

A smile came to my muzzle as I backed away from the colt; tears ran down the young stallion's cheeks despite his stone-faced look. “That’s good. If you answer my questions, I will be able to talk with Princess Celestia to see if she would give you the same trust as I have.” I said with a warm smile. I place my left hoof back onto the ground with my right held out to Arctic. “Let’s carve a path to a better future, to make our happiness with the ones around us.”
Arctic specter stared at my hoof for a second before he smirked. ”You’re not as bad as they say.” The Arctic grabbed my hoof with his own. “I’m sick of taking orders from some edgy old stallions; let’s kick their flanks and rise!”

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Sir, what should we do about Higher 6?” A robed servant bowed before the leader

He looked down at them with an annoyed glare. “I want the trash exterminated; no secrets are allowed to be revealed yet, not when I’m so close.” He snarled and slammed a hoof into his stone throne.

“Would you like me to send a group to do the job?” The servant asked with hesitation.

“Yes, I would. In addition, send Higher 2 and 4. I want to make sure the traitors are dead.” The leader spoke with heavy disdain.

“U-Um, sir? Higher 4 is having one of her…um, episodes again. Are you sure-”

The glare from the leader silenced the servant in an instant. “I don’t care. Tell her if she doesn’t comply, her brother gets the chopping block.” An evil smile came to the leader's muzzle as the servant nodded silently and teleported away.

“You and that sister of yours won’t stop me when my plans are complete, not even the royal sisters would be able to face me. Those visions will be proven wrong.”

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“There, that’s where the HQ should be. I don’t know the location exactly, but if you’ll find it.” Arctic pointed at a spot on a map, provided by Rocky road, between the crystal kingdom and Cloudsdale, as Herbal said.

I nodded, folded the map, and put it into my vest pocket with my magic as I got off the bed. “Well, it was nice having a chat with you Arctic, dear. But I must go, seeing that it is almost 2 in the morning.” I smirked and pointed to the wall clock with the same time. “I’ll make sure to speak with the princess first thing in the morning. Goodnight.” I was about to open the door when Arctic spoke up.

“Hey, wait!” I stopped and looked back at the young stallion, a grateful smile on his muzzle. “Before you go, can I tell you something?” I nodded and he looked away with a blush of embarrassment. “My name isn’t Arctic specter, It’s chestnut.”

I giggled, which caused the young stallion to look at me with an angry expression and his blush to darken. “S-Stop laughing, you asshole!” He yelled.
“Sorry, it’s not a bad name; it’s cute.” A sly smile crossed my lips as chestnut stared blankly and proceeded to lay back in bed, pulling the covers over himself as he did. I giggled again and left the room quietly, noticing that Rocky road had fallen asleep on the other side of the window.

I shook my head as I left. And as I was trotting back to the library, a yawn escaped my lips as my eyes went heavy. It didn’t take long for me to reach my destination, going through the front door, all the lights were off, and I could hear loud snoring from the basement. Walking up the stairs, I entered my room, threw my clothes and glasses onto the floor, and collapsed in the bed, soaking up the softness of the sheets.

As my eyelids started to close, a smile came to my lips as darkness consumed my vision.