Fallen

Chapter Seven

What Do You Ask of Death

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Celestia awoke with a start, something had made her break from the peaceful dream she had, a dreadful feeling. Celestia felt a chill run down her spine as she peered into the shadows of her bedchamber. She narrowed her eyes slightly as she could feel the buzz of power in the back of her mind, similar to when the angel had appeared.

"He has reappeared!" Celestia exclaimed to noone.

The princess of the sun then operated her own magical sweep of the nearby land, and pinpointed where it was coming from. Celestia gasped as she realized it was coming from Ponyville, almost right on top of where she could feel Luna.

Luna stared at the angel before her, unable to believe what she had just heard. The princess of the moon found herself in an internal conflict. She knew his words to be honest, but she told herself it was a jest, how could a being be a caretaker of life and death? Luna then came to a realization.

"That book... What exactly is it? And give me the full detail." Luna said in a commanding tone.

"It is something that I created as a physical manifestation of my powers. Once when I was still what would be considered to angels as 'young' I had to continually write in and erase names for life and death to occur. As time went on and my powers grew, the book took care of itself, and I was free of my duty. The book itself now records the names of all life, mortal and otherwise, provided they actually have souls. Beings without the ability to produce intelligent thought lack souls and are merely run by spiritual energy instead of a soul." Azrael explained.

Luna was taken back at the information that was casually tossed at her hooves. She did not expect him to give her so much, and thus she was unsure of how to react. A silent minute passed as Luna collected her thoughts, and all during that time Azrael patiently watched.

"Is my name in that book, if you tell me I am a god because of my immortality..." Luna asked carefully.

"Yes, the name of all immortals I come into contact with appear in my book." Azrael replied calmly.

"Wait, you have to meet them? And does being in the book make my sister and I mortal?" Luna pressed on.

"No, you are not mortal by being in my book, however, it does give me the ability to take away your life at any given moment." Azrael replied with a sigh.

"You act as if taking the life of an immortal is a power you wish not to have,,," Luna pointed out with a raised brow.

"This 'gift' of mine has brought me great trouble. And a lot of work. Did you know this world used to be the home of hundreds of gods?" Azrael asked, finally seeming to gain interest in the conversation.

"Hundreds!?" Luna exclaimed with widened eyes.

"Each of them fell to my power, only a handful I never actually met got away from my judgement. Those that did I suspect still walk the realms keeping an eye over their shoulder for me..." Azrael said with a dry chuckle.

"Why? What could warrant that much hatred for gods?" Luna asked softly, feeling something she had not felt in a long, long time. Fear.

"The gods were to blame for the only being I ever loved to suffer, and die. They treated us angels as slaves, and we loved them for it, We were made to have joy in servitude, and they abused that. He was a brother to me. When I tried to save my brother, I became a fallen angel. When we fall, we are branded with a sin. There were seven of us who fell in total, one for each of the deadly sins, and I was wrath. And I made the gods tremble under the might of my hatred." As Azrael finished he slammed a fist onto the arm of his throne, shattering it.

Azrael's eyes burned a deep crimson and Luna did her best not to shy away from the gaze. One thing however did not make sense to Luna. She needed one more piece of information before she departed from the house and left to tell her sister of what had transpired.

"Why are you being so compliant? You could have denied me access. You could have made me leave. Why are you answering my questions?" Luna asked with a trembling voice.

"Because it is too late to hide. My kin know of my escape and are coming for me." Azrael said as he stood up and walked behind his throne.

The sound of clapping resounded off the walls of the dimly lit room. Luna briefly wondered what was doing that, only dragons and diamond dogs could clap like that. Suddenly the room was flooded in a bright light. Luna whipped her head towards the door where a fiery figure stood tall, wings spread wide. The figure was similar to Azrael, but it had longer red hair, and its body structure had more curves to it. Flames playfully whipped about her figure, obscuring it's nudity.

"Once again you amaze me brother, I thought for sure you would be stuck in the garden forever. But here  you are, mocking our old master with your refusal to stay down." The newcomer said in an aggressive, but alluring voice.

Azrael stepped out from behind the throne with a massive, gruesome looking scythe. The shaft was composed of a long spinal cord with a skull sitting on top, face away from where the long thick blade curved dangerously.

The newcomer tensed visibly at the sight of the weapon, but only wasted a moment before winding her arm back and throwing a fiery ball towards the archangel of death. As the ball flew the skull's eye sockets began to glow, and the ball curved in its flight and struck the ground behind and to the right of Azrael.

"Aww, I missed you too Gabriel..." Azrael said in a mocking tone as he strode closer to his fellow angel.

Normally a being that was approached by death would turn and run, or plea for mercy. Gabriel however detested cowards, and chose to dive at her brother, fiery claws outstretched as her body began to change, the more human figures becoming bestial. Azrael allowed the claws to tear into his skin, cauterizing the wounds they caused. Azrael regarded the wounds with amusement before snapping his hand not carrying the scythe up, grabbing the throat of the fiery angel. As soon as his hand came into contact with her, the fires died and Gabriel was left smoldering and naked, no longer shrouded in her flames.

"Now now, have we forgotten our manners? I have an important guest over," Azrael said tilting his head towards Luna. Gabriel followed his gesture to the princess of the night and her eyes widened, "Do I need to discipline you little sister?"

Azrael let go of Gabriel, and the moment her feet touched the ground he punched her in the stomach causing her to double over and clutch her stomach. She then backed up against the wall where she used it to get herself upright while covering her exposed body.

"Even your flames can die, now please leave. I do not wish to slay more of my kin." Azrael said, clearly fighting back his own anger.

Gabriel gritted her teeth, looking between Azrael and Luna. A clearly confused look was apparent in her eyes that Azrael picked up on. He gave her a questioning look and waited for her to regain her breath.

"Why are you in the company of a goddess? I thought you slew all gods you came into contact with." At Gabriel's statement Luna realized she had been told the truth of his power over the immortals.

"I never killed without judging them guilty, you know that. And I found this one and her sister deserving of their eternal lives. Unlike the others they do not actually see mortals as toys to be used and broken at will." Azrael said lifting Gabriel's chin with the scythe.

"Now, will you leave peacefully, or eternally quietly?" Azrael asked with a murderous look in his eyes.

"Don't think this is over traitor!" Gabriel spat as her flames once again shrouded her form and her body took on a less bestial look.

"It would not be in your nature to forgive sister. But warn the others not to attack me while I am in public, If any of you involve the innocents I will utilize my power to end it immediately." As Azrael finished his warning Gabriel departed in a puff of smoke, winking out of existence.

Luna was at a loss for words at what had just transpired. She made several attempts to ask what had happened but she failed to find the right words, this was not lost on Azrael who sighed and ran a hand through his hair calming himself down.

"I know you no doubt want an explanation for this, but for now I want you to leave. We will be in contact, goodnight Luna..."

Luna blinked as she felt an itch begin to bug her eye, and she jumped slightly as she realized she was now standing outside of the manor, staring at the front door. Luna looked around slightly confused and noticed the form of Twilight Sparkle approaching her.

"Princess Luna... What is going on? All the unicorns in town could feel quite a bit of magic coming from Azrael's house... Is everything alright in there? Twilight asked, knowing that only the princesses should have that much power.

"Y-yes Twilight Sparkle... Everything is... Fine." Luna stated uncertainly as she spread her wings and took off into the night.

The other ponies waved her off as she left, but Twilight couldn't help but feel shaken. Luna looked scared and confused, what could have happened in the house. Perhaps it was a haunted house the large stallion had put on just for Luna Twilight's mind tried to rationalize. But the lavender unicorn's heart told her otherwise.

Azrael stretched his equine host body, getting the blood flowing once more in the veins that moments before were lifeless. If his brothers and sisters started showing up more frequently he was going to need to find a way to stop or delay the process of decay. If nothing else he would need to capture a soul to keep on hand to have inhabit the body to keep the functions going while he was not in it.

Lost in thought Azrael failed to notice the sound of the front door open and a lavender mare coming in. As the large stallion paced back and forth occasionally casting a glance at the book sitting on the ornate pedestal. Azrael moved the book to him and opened it up to a random page. Sure enough the name he was searching for appeared as always. Azrael then conjured a magical pen that was made from carved bone and had a tooth for a nib. The pen jabbed itself into the stallion's neck and with the blood he wrote over the letters  'Granny Smith'.

After his promise was carried out he pondered why a mare would be named Granny. The dominant species of this world sure were strange to the archangel of death, but he still found them to carry a certain charm that kept the world interesting.

"Umm... Hello?" Called a voice, but Azrael did not register it, too lost in thought to be troubled with the physical world at the moment.

Azrael then leafed through a few pages until his eyes found an interesting name. Daring Do was fading, and was almost gone. The stallion cocked his head at this with a bemused grin, the adventurer seemed in good health, must not be a natural death. It was not a murder either though, because you did not slowly fade away from those, unless the attempt failed and you bled out.

Azrael once again dipped the pen in the blood dribbling down his neck and wrote over the name he gazed at with a smile. He had just paid off two debts in one go.

"Oh my... A-are you using magic?" The voice asked with a frightened undertone, Azrael heard it this time.

The stallion turned his head to the doorway of the library where the town's librarian Twilight Sparkle stood mouth agape. Azrael then looked from the pen floating in the air, to the blood running down his neck, and finally to the book floating in front of him.

"Why are you bleeding? I-is that dark magic?" Twilight asked, her mind whirling with thoughts of Luna's face and what this stallion could have done. She then recalled how swiftly Azrael had read the books.

"What are you?" Twilight asked suspiciously. Azrael levitated the book over to its pedestal and banished the pen. The wound on his neck then closed as the blood was sucked back inside of him.

"I am a friend Twilight Sparkle. If you doubt me ask your friend Applejack. Now, please leave me be for now, I have recently expended my patience with your princess and my sister. I do not have any left to deal with an uninvited guest... Breaking and entering is a crime in this town is it not?" Azrael said rubbing his eyes with a hoof.

Twilight froze at this, though she could tell something was not right he was correct that technically Twilight was breaking the law. She wondered what he meant about asking Applejack though. Twilight decided on making sure her friend was alright, instead of pressing the issue further here.

"Fine, I will let myself out. Happy Nightmare Night Azrael..." Twilight said. The stallion waved her off, and Twilight could swear it looked like he was gritting his teeth by the way the muscles worked on his face.

As the lavender librarian mare left Azrael huffed, he had been so lost in thought that he let his guard down and a pony got this close to him unnoticed. His mind was slipping after so long in the garden.

"Perhaps having a little scuffle with the others will be a good thing after all. I'm going senile without anything to do..." Azrael mumbled to himself.

Daring cracked her eyes open, and immediately screwed them shut. The light was blinding wherever she was. Slowly she let her eyes adjust by fluttering them in brief intervals. Finally, blinking back a few tears from the light, Daring took in her surroundings.

She was in a stark white room, laying in a bed. Daring moved to lift a hoof to her face but noticed she was too weak to move. Daring cast her eyes around once more and found the sleeping form of her cousin Ditzy Do. The gray mare slept in a chair with her head on the mattress at Daring's side.

"D-Ditzy?" Daring mumbled.

The gray mare stirred instantly and blinked a few times before breaking into a huge grin. She sat upright and beamed as she fought to find the right words.

"A-are you feeling okay? Oh, I was so scared..." Ditzy finally said eyes brimming with tears.

"What... Happened?" Daring asked weakly.

"They found you out in the forest with a dart stuck in you. They suspect Ahuizotl tried to get you... The dart had a deadly poison on it. You were rushed to Canterlot Hospital, the doctors still don't know how you survived..." Ditzy said patting her cousin on the foreleg.

"Perhaps you had a guardian angel that day?" Offered a voice.

"A wha?" Ditzy asked looking to the other side of Daring.

Daring turned her head slowly and her eyes widened as she noticed the familiar large stallion who wore a smug grin.

"Were even by the way." He said as he placed a ticket on the bed next to Daring, "Make sure she doesn't lose this, she lost the last one I gave her."

The stallion then left as Ditzy gave a bashful look at forgetting her train ticket. Daring however only had eyes for the stallion who left. He had saved her, but how? Sure he was powerful but he shouldn't have been able to do this for her.

"Thank you!" Daring managed to shout, before going into a coughing fit from straining her voice.

"Hey, don't strain yourself you're still weak!" Ditzy scolded her cousin.

Daring smiled weakly as she let her head fall back into the pillow. She was going to need to take a break from adventuring for a while. Perhaps she would focus instead on studying some older texts. There had to be something on the angels somewhere in the Canterlot Library.

Celestia walked through the hospital corridors, She heard Daring had awoken and she had some very serious questions to ask her. From what Celestia had heard Daring should not be alive. Nopony had ever before survived the poison that Daring had been injected with. Only one thing could have saved her, but Celestia wanted to confirm it in person before jumping to conclusions.

As Celestia passed a waiting room window she stopped abruptly causing her guards to almost bump into her and give her a questioning look. The princess of the sun then backed up a few steps, the guards moving out of her way. Celestia looked into the window to confirm what she had seen in the corner of her eyes. A massive pegasus stallion was standing in front of a vending machine, putting bits into the coin slot with his wings.

"Wait right here men, I will be right back." Celestia said as she made her way towards the door.

As Celestia entered the waiting room she was greeted by a couple of bowing staff members who were on stand bye, Celestia nodded at them but then moved to where the stallion was.'

' "You are an extinct breed of pegasi I hope you know..." Celestia said carefully.

The stallion turned around with a chocolate bar in his mouth as he chewed slowly, almost tall enough to see eye to eye with the princess of the sun. The stallion chewed the chocolate, and finished it as the silence dragged on in the room.

"I take it your sister filled you in on what happened?" The stallion asked in a voice that made Celestia freeze up. There was no doubt that this was the Angel, his voice did not hold the power it did on the first day she met him, but that might have been due to the fact he was not showing off his power.

"yes... What are you doing here?" Celestia asked getting a hold on her nerves.

"Eating a snack, I've been waiting for Daring Do to wake up for a full day now and this mortal body is famished." Azrael replied.

"Why were you waiting for Daring?" Celestia asked calmly.

"Because if it were not for her you wouldn't have freed me. I had a debt and now I have paid it off." Azrael explained.

Celestia considered this for a moment. Then an idea popped in her head, it was only a hunch but it was worth a try.

"Do you consider yourself still in debt to my sister and I?" Celestia asked.

"Yeah, twice over actually since my first attempt at settling failed." Azrael said casting a look back at the vending machine, eyeing another candy bar hungrily.

"So, am I right in suspecting if we ask for something you will be obliged to accept the task?" Celestia said with a hopeful look in her eye.

Azrael looked away from the candy and stared Celestia dead in the eye. A grin broke out on his face and the light in the room seemed to dim and flicker. The stallion's eyes began to glow and his wings flared in anticipation. Perhaps he could get rid of his final debt quicker than he imagined.

"What do you ask of death?"