Daughter of Death

Twilight Velvet and Night Light were having dinner together. Well, it was more breakfast for Night Light since he worked the night.

They… tried to live despite Twilight’s disappearance. They at least knew where she was, more or less. Shining told them about Celestia thinking that she was somewhere in the jungle south of Equestria, and they knew that she seemed alright thanks to the reports of undead activities several weeks ago, even if Twilight unearthing bodies out of their graves to seemingly constitute an army was worrying. Several times, they thought of leaving to search the jungle, but each time, Shining convinced them to not do that as it would be too dangerous. The jungle was filled with wild predators, and it would be very difficult to find Twilight in there. They had absolutely no experience exploring jungles, and they could easily get lost.

So they lived knowing that their little filly was out there, but that they couldn’t see her, and it was very hard, but they managed with the help of Shining. Thankfully, Celestia kept him in Canterlot as one of her personal guards so he could remain with them, so he was never sent away to another city or to some camp.

They missed their little Twily so much…

Then, as they finished their meal, they heard a very light knock on a window. When they looked to see what it was, they could see through the glass…

The skeleton of what seemed to be a rat.

It was waving at them.

For a brief moment, they were disturbed, but then, they understood that this rat may belong to their daughter, so Twilight Velvet ran to the window to open it.

Immediately, she asked, “Twilight?”

The rat nodded. “I’m one of her undead. Name’s Mickey. Can I enter? Wouldn’t want somepony to see me and panic, ahah.”

“Of course! Enter!” the mare said before she moved aside, letting Mickey enter before she closed the window. Immediately, she bombarded the rat with questions. “How is Twilight? Is she alright? Has something happened? Is Prince Golden Crown still with her? Is she coming home?”

Mickey raised his paw to sign to her to calm down. “Woah woah woah! One at a time! I can’t answer if you don’t give me the opportunity! Your daughter is fine. Despite some recent… complications, she is doing well in her lair in the jungle. Golden Crown, Goldie, is still with her, constantly helping her and being a very good friend. Sadly, she isn’t coming home. Her place isn’t in Canterlot. The ponies would never accept her.”

“I’m sure that we can do something about that with Princess Celestia’s help!”

Mickey shrugged. “Maybe. Speaking of, she is now willing to talk with Princess Celestia.”

Behind Twilight Velvet, Night Light looked at the rat with hope. “Really? She is willing to finally trust her?”

“Apparently. She seemed very hesitant when she told me that, but she seemed willing to try. However, I can’t enter the castle with all these guards everywhere that would attack me on sight, so she told me to talk to you so you can bring me to Princess Celestia. She wants her to come to her lair. She doesn’t feel like coming to Canterlot.”

The two adult ponies exchanged glances, then Twilight Velvet asked, “Can we come?”

“She hasn’t said anything against, so I guess that you can, ahah. Well, if Princess Celestia agrees to let you come with her.”

“I’m sure that she will,” Night Light said before he lowered to let the rat climb on him. “Let’s go.”

Celestia was pleasantly surprised when a guard entered her room before she could lower the sun to tell her that Twilight Velvet and Night Light wanted to see her, and that they had an undead rat with them.

An undead rat. Celestia immediately felt hope rising within her.

“Let them come.”

Soon enough, the couple was in her room, along with Shining Armor and the rat who presented himself.

“Princess wants to see you,” he then said.

Celestia raised an eyebrow. “Princess?”

Mickey chuckled. “It was either that or we called her Mistress. You can thank her friend Goldie for that.”

“Goldie… Golden Crown?” Celestia asked.

“Yes, that’s him. But he prefers that we call him Goldie.”

Celestia smiled at that. “I see. Yes, he would do that. Why has Twilight Sparkle changed her mind about me?”

“I don’t know. She sent me here to Canterlot to… Uh… Keep an eye, and I haven’t really followed the actuality on her side. I never bothered to ask what was going on.”

“So you are Twily’s spy?” Shining Armor asked

“That’s right. I was keeping watch in Canterlot in case anything interesting happened.”

“Like when I would go south to Klugetown?” Celestia asked.

“Yep. Warned her the moment you left the castle.”

Shining Armor sighed. “Twily is too smart for her own good.”

“Anyway, so, Princess doesn’t feel too keen coming to Canterlot, so she wonders if it would be possible for you to come to her lair.”

Celestia nodded. “I can come, yes.”

“Can we come too?” Twilight Velvet asked.

Celestia smiled at her. “Yes, you can. It’s only right for you to see your daughter again.” She then thought for a few seconds. “And I guess that I should bring another guest that I’m sure that Twilight Sparkle will be happy to meet. This will have to wait for tomorrow however, it is getting quite late. I have to lower the sun.”

“Of course, Princess,” Night Light said with a bow.

Celestia hoped that they will be able to sleep tonight. She couldn’t imagine what it was like for them, finally getting to see their lost daughter only to have to wait. But it was better this way. The journey to the jungle will be long. It was best to have a night of sleep so they could depart refreshed in the morning.

The next day, when she saw the family again, she could see that they failed to have a good night, as she had feared. During their flight, if they want, she will give them a sleep spell.

A chariot was readied, a dozen pegasi ready to pull it in the sky.

Soon, they were flying.

They took a stop at Dodge City so the pegasi could rest. After that, they flew above the Badlands, then reached the jungle. Celestia spotted several shipwrecks that had been absent the last time she came here two years ago, but she didn’t question it. Mickey probably didn’t know. There were also signs that fires happened, and there were even areas that were entirely destroyed. Eventually, Mickey pointed at a large tree that was taller than the others.

“The lair is at the foot of this tree.”

Celestia looked down at the jungle, the trees leaving very little space.

“It will be difficult to land the chariot. I should have thought of that.”

“Uh. One moment,” Mickey said before he became silent. A few moments later, he said, “Sunny and Leviathan will clear a path for us.”

Before anypony could ask, they saw two dragon skeletons fly from further in the jungle, one that looked normal, although some of its bones were missing, and another that was clearly the result of an amalgamation of several dragons. Five, judging by its five heads. The two then began to uproot trees, creating a clearing not far from the big tree.

“Where did Twily find dragons?” Shining Armor asked as he looked in awe at the behemoths.

“It looks like she went to the Dragon Lands,” Celestia said.

Eventually, the clearing was large enough that the chariot could land.

Once on the ground, the skeleton of a unicorn wearing armor similar to the Royal Guards, but made of iron instead of gold, came from between the trees before bowing.

“I’m Captain Star Eyes. I’ll guide you to Princess.”

“Very well, Captain. We will follow you,” Celestia said before she left the chariot, then picked up the little guest she brought and put him on her back. The others descended the chariot too, and the pegasi detached themselves so they could follow too as their escort.

The group followed Star Eyes, quickly reaching the entrance to the lair.

It was quite simple. No extravagance such as statues, symbols, or other decorations. It looked like Twilight Sparkle hadn’t developed an ego.

There were various undead animals surrounding the entrance, from wolves to elephants, and even a hydra. Celestia could also spot on the branches of the large tree behind the entrance countless undead birds. Finally, there were two guards beside the doors, both earth ponies.

Captain Star Eyes opened the doors, revealing stairs that descended underground, with torches on the walls. At the bottom were other doors leading to a room with several more guards, mostly ponies, but there was also a couple of griffins and a donkey. Beside them, the room was entirely empty.

“Time for me to leave. While I’m here, I will give a look at the library,” Mickey said before he passed through a cat flap in the door at the opposite side of the entrance.

Meanwhile, Star Eyes pointed at a door at the right. “Behind this door is the apartment section of the lair. Princess is waiting for you there. We… have nowhere for your guards, but they can explore the lair if they want. We have two libraries and a game room.”

Celestia nodded, then told her guards to do what they wanted, keeping only two.

Meanwhile, Shining Armor chuckled. “Of course Twily has two libraries.”

“A third one is being built as we speak,” Star Eyes informed.

The three members of the family burst into laughter at that, and Star Eyes joined them. The little passenger on Celestia’s back copied them and began to laugh too.

Eventually, they passed the door, entering a hallway that turned right. However, they stopped at the first door where the hallway turned.

“Behind this door,” Star Eyes said before she opened it.

Immediately, the two remaining guards placed themselves at both sides of the door while Celestia followed the Captain who was saluting at someone inside the room.

“Princess Celestia is here, Princess. Your family is here too.”

“Thank you Star Eyes,” a childish voice replied.

Celestia entered the room, clearly a living room, and there, on a couch against the right wall, she saw Twilight Sparkle, gently petting a skeleton cat.

The last time she saw the filly, she had been an unmoving corpse, dead to the world, but still with all its flesh and blood. Now, she was a moving skeleton with little purple flames in the eye sockets, like she saw and fought so many times in the past. Of course, being dead, she hadn’t grown at all in the last two years.

Beside her, against the wall, was a magical staff, a very tall one, with a crystal at the extremity.

The filly stared at her. Sadly, with her being a skeleton, she had no expression for Celestia to read, so she couldn’t tell what she was thinking.

The staring didn’t last long however before Twilight Velvet ran toward her daughter with a shout of “Twilight!” to embrace her. There was no hesitation. She didn’t care that she was hugging a skeleton. Night Light followed her right after, followed by Shining Armor.

“Oh, Twilight, we were so worried!”

“Are you alright?”

“I’m so glad to see you again!”

“I thought that we would never see you again!”

“Finally, we are together again.”

“Has anything happened to you?”

This continued for a moment as Twilight Sparkle looked at her parents and her brother before she said, “M-mom… dad… Shiny…” She finally returned the hug. “I’m so sorry for leaving… But I was so scared…”

“Shhh… It’s alright. We are here now,” Twilight Velvet said as she rubbed her daughter’s skull.

Silently, Captain Star Eyes left the room.

Just after, another unicorn skeleton entered the room from a different door, a trail levitating beside it.

“Here is the tea and biscuits.”

“Thank you Sunshine. Put them on the table,” Twilight Sparkle said, not moving her head from beside her mother’s chest.

The skeleton did so, then bowed before leaving the room through the same door.

The family remained together for a while longer, and Celestia didn’t mind waiting. After a couple of minutes, however, she finally decided to talk.

“There is one last family member who has been impatient to meet you.”

This made the family break their group hug, and Twilight Sparkle looked at her again, Celestia guessed in confusion.

“Another family member? What?” Then she gasped and looked at her parents. “Do I have a little sister or little brother now?”

The adults chuckled before Night Light said, “I guess that it’s up to you to decide what you consider him.”

Celestia then levitated her little passenger from her back, her head having hidden him from the filly’s view all this time. She made sure to tell Mickey, then Star Eyes, to not tell Twilight Sparkle about him, having wanted to keep him a surprise.

Then, she gently dropped him in front of her legs.

A little purple baby dragon with a light green belly and green spikes from his head to his tail.

He was looking curiously at Twilight, a bit hesitant, but not scared.

“I present to you Spike. He is the baby dragon that you hatched that day, at the exam.”

Twilight Sparkle looked at the baby dragon, she guessed in awe. Celestia wasn’t sure if she remembered having hatched him in the chaos of the moment, and then with the whole dying and becoming-a-lich part.

She jumped down from the couch, then slowly approached the dragon.

“Do you remember him?” Celestia asked.

Twilight Sparkle nodded silently as she continued to approach until she was just in front of him. Then, after a moment of hesitation, she raised a hoof toward him, stopping before his face. In turn, Spike raised his claws to grab the hoof.

“Uh… Hello, little one,” Twilight Sparkle then said.

Spike stared at her in the eyes, then said, “Mommy?”

Celestia wasn’t surprised that he would ask that. Since his birth, she had been talking to him about the filly who hatched him, preparing him for the day he would meet her if it ever happened. She didn’t know much about Twilight Sparkle however, so she often left him at the family’s house where they were able to tell him more while getting to know him and, rapidly, including him to the family. That was the reason why Spike wasn’t scared of Twilight Sparkle despite her appearance.

And without surprise, the little one quickly saw her as his mother, and he really had been impatient to meet her.

Now, to see how Twilight Sparkle reacted to that.

She clearly hadn’t expected that, judging by her jaw opening in shock.

After a moment however, she said, “I… I’m your mommy, uh? I… I don’t know if…”

At this moment, Spike hugged her. Twilight Sparkle eventually returned it.

The filly then looked up at the adults. “I don’t know if I can be his mommy! I live in the middle of a jungle! Away from all civilization! And I have no idea how to take care of him! And I don’t know if it would be alright for him to grow among the dead!”

“Then return to Canterlot with us,” Twilight Velvet said.

“You know I can’t,” Twilight Sparkle replied sadly. “I don’t have my place among the ponies… I will never be accepted…”

“I’m sure that the ponies will eventually open up to you if you show that you aren’t bad.”

“I don’t know…” She sighed. “You should sit. The tea will get cold.”

Twilight Sparkle then went to sit on the couch, and her parents went to sit on both sides of her, the skeleton cat moving away. Shining Armor went to sit on a chair, and Celestia did the same. Spike went to sit on Twilight Sparkle’s lap. While the filly seemed awkward at first about it, she quickly accepted it, even wrapping him with a leg.

Then Spike finally decided to talk, telling Twilight Sparkle about his life in the castle and with her parents. The filly listened attentively, occasionally saying or asking something. Everypony looked at them with warm smiles.

“Then I hiccuped, fire comed out of my mouth, and his beard burned.”

Twilight Sparkle laughed. “The poor guy. I hope he wasn’t too angry at you.”

“A little. But Miss Care maked him not angry anymore.”

“Glad to hear. Mmh… Do you have lots of friends?”

Spike looked sad at that. “No…”

“Then let me present one to you,” the filly said before the skeleton cat returned. She then levitated it before the young drake. “I present to you Felix!”

The cat waved. “Hello! I’m Felix! Do you want to play with me?”

Spike gasped, then excitedly shouted, “Yes!”

Twilight Sparkle then dropped the cat who ran to a different part of the room, and Spike followed him. Before long, they could hear his laugh as he chased Felix.

The ponies looked at him for a moment before they moved their attention away.

“So, Twilight Sparkle,” Celestia began as she soaked a biscuit in her tea. “I heard that you met a necromancer named Death Speaker who helped you. Where is he?”

Silence followed for several seconds before Twilight Sparkle answered, “He isn’t here anymore. I don’t know where he is.”

Judging by her voice, it was a sore subject. Better leave it.

“I saw several shipwrecks in the jungle while we were flying above it. Has something happened here?”

“Uhuh. There was that guy who wanted to invade Equestria. Called himself the Storm King. He had a huge armada of airships, and these hulking beasts called storm creatures. He invaded a lot of countries before coming here. So I stopped him. There was a huge battle several weeks ago, and these shipwrecks are what is left of his armada.”

Celestia, and everypony else, looked at Twilight Sparkle in awe.

She counted several dozen airships out there, and they weren’t small airships. Destroying such a huge armada wasn’t a small feat. Also, Celestia felt glad that Twilight Sparkle decided to defend Equestria.

“Is this why I received reports of undead unearthing bodies all over Equestria weeks ago?”

“Uh… Yeah. Sorry about that. I needed troops, and animals wouldn’t have been enough.”

“And what happened to the Storm King?”

The filly winced. “Uuuh… He is now one of my undead, along with the majority of his storm creatures.”

Celestia nodded. She couldn’t hold it against her. It had been a war, and Celestia herself killed quite a number of villains. Shining Armor understood too, being a soldier, even if he himself never killed.

However, learning that their filly killed someone clearly was a shock to the parents, but they decided to not say anything.

Twilight Sparkle then levitated the staff, showing it to Celestia.

“This staff belonged to him. The Staff of Sacanas. It can manipulate the weather and absorb magic. The Storm King wanted to use it to get all the magic of Equestria for himself.”

Celestia almost winced. It would have been Tirek all over again, except that this time, the villain would have had an army. This would have been bad. That was a very dangerous artifact that Twilight Sparkle obtained.

“I also obtained a lot of other stuff from the Storm King once I looted his HQ on an island south of here. He plundered many countries from both their wealth and magical artifacts on his path of conquest, and not knowing where everything goes, I decided to keep everything. Now, I don’t have to sell undead to Klugetown to get money to buy stuff for the lair.”

Again, Celestia was impressed. “That must be a lot of wealth.”

“Not as much as you may think. He used a lot of money to maintain his armada, I guess, because the treasure wasn’t that big. Still a lot, but not as big as expected after having plundered who knows how many countries.”

“All these airships must have cost a lot, yes,” Shining Armor agreed.

“Has anything else happened?” Celestia asked.

“No other villains appeared, no,” Twilight Sparkle answered. “However, I went to Thanatos’ lair several days ago.”

Celestia paled. “How did…?”

“Death Speaker told me about him, and he asked me if I could get his staff for him so he could use it to not die of old age. He was really old, you see, and I didn’t want him to die, so I agreed. With the Staff of Sacanas, I was able to reach the throne room.”

“Was… Thanatos there?”

“Uhuh. But you don’t have to worry about him anymore.”

“You killed him?” the alicorn asked in disbelief.

“Not at all. I couldn’t even defeat him even without his staff. No, he killed himself. He had had enough of his life. So he gave me all his possessions before he destroyed his phylactery.”

“So… You have his staff?”

“No, Death Speaker took it before leaving me. Turns out he mentored me only to use me to get what he wanted,” Twilight Sparkle said gravely.

Oh… No wonder it was a sore subject… And now, Celestia was scared thinking about a necromancer with THAT staff being somewhere out there.

Shining Armor was obviously very angry, and the parents were now hugging their daughter.

“I can’t believe that somepony would manipulate a filly like that,” Night Light said.

“Someone,” Twilight Sparkle corrected. “Death Speaker is a minotaur.” She then looked at Celestia. “Princess… What is your plan for me?”