Immortal bondsby JustAGamerChaptersChapter 1Chapter 2Chapter 3Chapter 1"You are an inspiration to us all, Twilight." Those had been the words Princess Celestia had told her the day she became an Alicorn. The day Twilight had ascended to a level of existance she had never believed was possible, and had earned herself wings and a title as princess of the very thing she had been tasked with studying in the first place. never in her life had she thought that she would become an alicorn, especially not of a subject as both vague and comlicated as friendship! How was she supposed to preside over such a thing, considering she herself wasn't perfect in the subject matter? It had been almost a week since that day, and Twilight was faring no better now as she was the day it happened, as she had spent the last six days tearing apart her home/library for source material. "I need every book I've got documenting Princess Celestia's rule for the past milennia." Twilight muttered, though more to herself in a state of near permanent stress she had been under recently than to anyone in the room. "Any sort of detailed recordings of her major decrees and actions when in the face of national struggles or crisis, something to help reference what I'm expected to be doing from here on out!" Levitating several books into a big stack of books, Twilight turned her gaze from the now empty bookshelf before her to the next one beside it. Just as her horn sparked up to repeat the process, Twilight's focus was torn from her thoughts as a voice picked up from behind her. "Do you really need this many books, Twilight? I know your worried about making the princess proud and all, but surely you have enough?" The newly appointed alicorn stopped her spell as her left eye twitched slightly. Turning around in a swift one-eighty Twilight lowered her gaze to her assistant and brother-figure Spike, who seemed way to relaxed for her liking considering all that happened this week. Granted, he wasn't the one with the title, but he had to know how this was affecting her! "It's not about simply impressing Princess Celestia anymore, Spike!" Twilight exclaimed, her brow creasing as she brought a hoof to her head to suppress a growing migraine. "I was thrusted into this role with little to no preperation or warning, and I have no idea when I will have to act on my title as a princess, or what it even means to be one! Sure I've looked up to the princess as my mentor for years, but I never actually thought about what it took for her to be the pony she is or how she's able to cope with the stress of ruling a nation until now!" Seeing Twilight's evident stress levels hitting an all-time high, Spike lets out a sigh and closes the distance between himself and the alicorn, hugging her by the foreleg still on the ground as he looks up at Twilight with a soft smile that he hopes is as disarming as he feels it is. "Then maybe instead of looking into a hundred or so books on how other ponies saw and interpreted her rule, why not send her a letter about this or even go visit her in Canterlot and ask her yourself? You know she'd be more than happy to listen to you, Twilight. Especially since she's the one who thrusted this upon you and all by sending you that book in the first place." Twilight opened her mouth to say her usual retort about how busy the princess was and how she'd rather not bother her, but for once the words seemed...wrong. Something deep within Twilight, something completely foreign to her, was telling her that Spike was right. After all, she was called a princess by Celestia herself, surely that would allow her to drop in unannounced if needs must, right? These new sort of thoughts and feelings both surprised and even scared Twilight a little, as they had been slowly coming up more and more as the days have went on. Other than with her wings, had something deep within her shifted somehow? Making how she views her relationships with others change in some degree? She didn't exactly feel the urge to make her best friends bow to her whenever she entered a room or anything like that, but Twilight couldn't help but admit she felt...closer to the princess of the sun now...perhaps it's some sort of almost primal nature that came with being an alicorn? Some sort of even standing despite the difference between her and Celestias experience as alicorns? "I..." Twilight trailed off, glancing past the dragon and to the three stacks of books beside them. Each one seemed to almost reach the ceiling, and a quick glance to the bookshelves around the librarys common room was all it took for the mare to realize she had three shelves worth of books in those stacks. "Ok...maybe I did go a bit overboard." Twilight admitted sheepishly, laying her head on top of Spikes as she let out a surprisingly deep sigh, a weeks worth of stress coming out in a single breath. "It's just...I wish I could've known beforehand this was going to happen. "You know I don't like to be caught off guard, and so does the princess." "Maybe she wanted to make sure you'd tackle that book with a level head?" Spike suggested, nestling his head into Twilights neck as he let the mare use him as an impromptu headrest. "You might've blown things out of proportion if the princess would've told you the results of using that book she sent you. I think she simply wanted you to tackle it like you would've any other problem without that extra stress to throw you off your game." "I guess...Still, I'd like to have been not left completely in the dark." Twilight whispered, taking a deep, sobering breath before pulling back and looking down at Spike with a smile that would not have appeared moments prior. "Thanks, Spike. I don't know how I would've handled all of this without you being here to keep my head on straight." Curling up his claws into a thumbs up, Spike took a step back and pointed it at himself with a big cheesy grin. "That's why I'm your number one assistant, Twilight!" He proclaimed before he dropped the bravado and gave the mare before him a nod. "Though...you should let the princess know how you feel, and not through a letter. We've seen enough friendship problems to know these sort of things need to be worked out as soon as possible and through an in person heart-to-heart." Twilight gave a single nod andsmiled as her horn sparked up, causing two of the three stacks of books to fly out and return to their rightful places on the shelves. Walking over to remaining shelf Twilight levitated a single book down from the top, glancing at it's title once before turning back to Spike with the book in her magical grasp. "I'll keep these books out for some light reading later." Twilight said, ignoring Spikes face-palm as she made her way towards the stairs. "While I could probably go straight to Canterlot now and see the princess, I'm still going to send her a letter and see when she'd want to see me about all of this." After all, despite the feeling in her gut of equality among the other princesses Twilight seemed to have at the moment, the mare still believed in the decorum of manners and respecting the teacher-student relationship she had with Celestia. And there was no way she was going to barge into her mentors workspace and demand an audience, no matter how important she seemed to be now. Shaking his head with a smile, Spike realized this was probably the best he was going to get in this situation, and followed the mare upstairs, eager to assist her anyway he saw that she needed. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Outside of the library and across the street stood a cloaked figure. Leaning against the wall of the building behind him, the stranger watched the massive tree before him for a moment before kicking off the wall. "So this is the residence of the newest addition to the Equestrian Pantheon? I'd say I'm surprised, but Alicorns always seem to have a flair for the unusual, don't they?" Walking up to the library, the figure let a bony hand trace across the hem of his robes as the other laid softly on the bark that lined the residence walls. "I wonder what she's going to be like?" Retreating his hand to his side the figure turned and walked back onto the road, glancing to the side as he saw a rainbow blur shoot straight through him, flying down the road at mach speed without a single notice of the interaction. Waiting for his form to stop rippling, the figure pulled a rolled up piece of parchment from his robes and unrolled it slighty as his gaze went over it. "I'll give her a few days before I introduce myself. Better for her to be more acquantied with her new role before I bring down the hammer of mortality." The figure spoke as ponies passed by, unaware of the creature looming in their wake. "Now, let's go check up on the Apples. While it's shouldn't be her time just yet, it would be best to see if anything has changed in that old grannys health to change that." Putting the parchment back within his robes, the figure flicked his wrist as a staff appeared in his hand. Though crafted mostly of Willow bark, the top had a boney claw sealed to it along with a single ruby gemstone engraved in its palm. With a single tap of the staff, the ruby glowed an eerie light as the figure vanished in a swirl of shadows, leaving begind nothing but a rush of chills in the bodies of the ponies who were nearby when he departed. Author's Note So, uh....tada! Here's my first touch into storywriting. The next chapters will be longer, I just felt like this was a good starting point for now to introduce things. Chapter 2Appearing from a veil of shadows, the stranger found himself standing at the gate of Sweet Apple Acres. Stepping over the front gate, the figure began to make his way to the farmhouse residing over the farmland. As he drew close, a series of sharp barks caught his attention. Turning his gaze from the house, the stranger found his focus on a dog. Said dog repeated the same little song and dance every time he appeared on the farm: See the hooded figure, run up and bark at him, get told off by a member of this farms family before leaving him alone. Kneeling down before the dog, the figure felt a low chuckle escape his chest as he reached out and put a hand on the dogs head. Even though he was unable to actually touch the dog, it was clear she could sense the intention as the barking switched to a recognized "arf" as she tilted her head into the hand. "I should see if I can bring my dog up here to see you, little one. I'm sure both of you could use a canine friend." The figure spoke before standing up and continuing his way to the farmhouse, walking up onto its porch as the dog followed close behind. Coming to a stop in front of a rocking chair, the stranger looked down on the older mare before him with a smile, eager to see what the she had in store for him today. Said mare met his gaze, and with a slight startle at the appearance of the figure the mare let out an annoyed snort. "Consarn it, boy! What have I told you about sneaking up on me like that?" Another chuckle leaves the figure as he moves to the right side of the mare, leaning against the farmhouse wall as he kept his focus on the earth pony before him. "I didn't sneak up on anyone, you old hag. Your able to see the whole farm from this porch, you shouldn't be old enough to not see me coming." Grumbling to herself, the old mare let his comment slide as she turned her gaze back out to the farm. "Ah was distracted, ya boney varmint." Granny Smith retorted, though her voice held no real bite to it. The dog from before came up, taking her post beside the mare as a green hoof made its way to the dogs head. "Today would've been my son's birthday had he still been with us." "Bright Mac, you mean? He was quite the stallion." The figure stated, remembering the fateful day he had to guide both the stallion and his wife to the other side. It had been nothing short of disastrous for the family left behind, especially the mother of the poor colt, who had to raise their children alone ever since. It had also been around that time that Granny Smith had began being able to see him, and while this trait was usually reserved for beings on a higher plane of existance the figure didn't mind having someone else to talk to. Letting out a small "mmm-hmm", Granny Smith leaned back into her rocking chair as her gaze returned to the hooded one before her. For a while she did not speak, simply staring at the hood over the figures face before at last deciding to break the silence. "Tell me...have you come for his children? Ah know darn well it's not mah time just yet, but after losing Bright Mac ah know better than to assume each day with those young'ns is guaranteed..." Granny smith asked, breaking the silence as her body seemed to tense up. Despite it being years ago, the scars still ran deep, and the old mare wasn't ready to lose another just yet, not when she knew her grandchildren still had so much to live for. Upon hearing her question, the stranger stepped off the wall and knelt before the old mare. Raising up a skinless hand, the figure took off his hood, revealing the skull beneath as his hollow sockets bore into her eyes. "No, Death does not come for them on this day. I am only here to check in on you, Smith. Your time of departure is much closer than any of theirs, and even that day wont arrive for a while." Breathing out a sigh of relief, the mare relaxed back into her chair and pulled her gaze away from the skull beside her. Even with all she had seen and been through, one could only stare death in the eyes for so long before having to avert their gaze. "Thank ya, sonny. There are times mah fears get to me sometimes, and I wonder if the young'ns will be next to go before me." Returning to his feet, Death flipped his hood back over his head, following the old mares gaze to the two apple siblings out in the fields. The older, much bulkier brother pulling a cart full of apples that the younger sister had more than likely spent the whole morning bucking down from the trees surrounding the farm. "I wouldn't be too concerned about them, Smith. They are both at the peak of their health right now, and even the youngest of the lot is a energetic little one that most likely outlive you all." Though if he was being honest, the figure was more concerned that the antics that little filly and her enthuastic friends got into would lead to someone elses untimely demise. The ponies in this town really liked to be on the edge of disaster ever couple of weeks...it was a miracle this town didn't make his job harder than what it already was...though the Elements of Harmony living in the vicinity definitely helped in that factor. Glancing back at the old mare, Death gave a nod and moved to step off the porch, remembering he still had other places to be today. "It's about time I was on my way, Smith. While your family is fine there are others that need my attention." The figure stated, summoning his staff once more as he glanced towards the young mare helping her brother take their bounty into the barn nearby. Both of the farmers were in great shape, and Death hoped that he wouldn't have to pick these apples from the tree before they ripened. "I'll be back to see you in a weeks time, try to be more aware of your surroundings next time we meet? I'd rather not spook you into an early grave." Vanishing in a swirl of shadows, the old mare couldn't even get the chance to fire back at Death, choosing to instead let out a huff and pick Winona up into the chair with her, stroking the dogs head softly as she watched her grandchildren work the farm from the comfort of her porch. "That little...teasing the elderly like that...teach him some manners next time he shows his face around here" She grumbled, though a smile went across her face as her fears had been temporarily suppressed for the time being. "Oh well...Ah'll take any teasing if it means just one more day with the ones ah love." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Stepping from the shadows once more, Death found himself not only in a small cottage, but in the company of animals...a lot of them. A plentiful amount of birds, squirrels, foxes and other forests animals were huddled in the living space of this humble abode. At the center of this little huddle party was a tearful pegasus holding what looked to be an sparrow close to her body. Said bird had bandages around his plumage, but the coverings were bloodied and seemed to be doing little to save the birds already dwindling life. Bringing the parchment from his robes, Death opened it and found the name "Freewing" listed in red. Rolling it up and returning it within his person the hooded one walked past the animals gathered and knelt before the pegasus, revealing his face to the bird as it looked up at him. "Hello, little sparrow." Death spoke softly, reaching out stroking the birds back gently as the sparrow let out a weak chirp. The sorrowful pegasus holding him felt a shiver go up her back, and though she glanced in his direction Death could tell she could not see him despite what her bodies instincts told her. How many times have I visited this cottage? How many of your animal friends have I helped pass to the other side, bearer of kindness? And yet you still persist, looking after each one of these animals as if they were your blood no matter how many you have to say good-bye to. It truly amazed Death. This pegasus truly earned her title and beyond. There probably wasn't a single animal in this world that the mare would not care for. Hell, her kindness extended to even the sentient creatures of this world, despite some of them being less than savorable people in their own right and definitely undeserving of her nature. However, having such an open heart came with it's drawbacks, and Death found himself frequenting this cottage more than any other place in Ponyville. Animals didn't live nearly as long as ponies, and this poor mare lost many of her friends to the varying reasons that could only be blamed on the cruel world of nature. Softly turning his hand, Death cupped the bird into his palm and raised it slowly. An almost see-through apparition of the sparrow was held aloft in his hand, looking nearly exactly the same as the corporeal form bar the transparent look. The physical body below shuddered slightly before slowly relaxing into its final slumber. A peaceful, painless death for a peaceful bird. As the pegasus beside Death craddled the liveless husk close and wept softly, Death rose and stepped back as he watched the animals around the room circle the mare, comforting her as they shared in her sorrrow. Holding the spirit in his hands, the sparrow glanced back at the mare and let out an almost mournful cry as the bird watched his friend and caretaker cry over his now cold body. "Be at peace, little one...look how many were here for you in your last moments." Death spoke, his voice bringing the sparrows attention back to him. If this wouldn't have been his job, the sorrow-filled gaze of the bird would've made the figure be just as bad as the element bearer close by. But this was something he was well beyond accustomed to. And it would take more than just another spirit to cause Death to hesitate to do his job. "You can rest easy knowing that you were loved, dear Freewing. Rest well, and enjoy the freedom that the beyond gives you." Death whispered, pulling the sparrow into his robes as he embraced the spirit, feeling the sparrow slowly fade as the spirit passed on. Returning his hood over his face, Death gave one last glance to the pegasus before him before walking towards the front door, phasing through it as Death glanced up at the sky and spotted the sun shining down from above. Staring at it for a while a scowl etched across his skull as he turn his gaze back to the field before him. "Another death...and yet your sun still shines like nothing happened." Death whispered, his voice empty as he summoned his staff once more. Just as the hooded one was about to vanish, a loud snap appeared from behind him. Letting out an annoyed sigh, Death turned to face one of the few who had the gall to interrupt Death. "Ah, the god of Chaos." Death said, holding his staff beside him as the draconequus floated before him. "How goes the reformed life, Discord? Learn the importance of a life that isn't yours? Or are you as conceited as you were a thousand years ago." Narrowing his eyes slightly, Discord popped out of existance, just to appear beside Death once more. Flipping his hood back, Discord put his paw around Deaths neck in a side hug as a big grin came across his face. "Death old buddy, you haven't changed a bit! Just as gloomy and doomy as you were when I was king!" Discord stated with a cackle before his smile dropped to the ground...literally, as Death watched it roll across the grass despite still being in use. "You'll find that I am a changed draconequus, one that actually has friends...though I guess that's not something you'd know anything about now would you?" Unfazed by the taunts Death merely barked out a laugh as he lifted a boot and brought it down on the mouth, holding it in place as it got flattened under his heel. The sharp intake of breath that came from Discord brought a grin to Deaths skull as he held his boot in place. "So the rumormill says...though I wonder how long your little change of heart will last? The element of Kindness isn't immortal, Discord. Surely you don't expect me to believe that your going to keep up this act when she's gone, do you?" Snapping his mouth back to his face with a fingersnap, Discord pulled away from Death and moved in front of him, staring into the empty sockets of his face with a unusually serious expression. "If you think I'd let you get your filthy hands on dear Fluttershys soul then you've forgotten who I am." Discord stated, snapping his fingers as a mini Fluttershy appeared in the chaos lords lion paw, looking at discord for a moment before letting out a startled little "eep!" when her eyes landed on Death. "She is a treasure beyond any other living creature I've ever seen, and I wont let a pure soul like her be whisked from this world by the likes of you." Death glanced at the mini Fluttershy, who was currently cowering in the face of both entities. Reaching out he grasped the little pegasus in his hand and squeezed, a dark light emitting from within his grip before he pulled his hand away, revealing naught but bones where the illusion had been before. Said bones became dust before the Chaos Lord, who glared daggers at Death. "You forget yourself, Discord. I'm not some fancy princess you get to taunt or some mere mortal you can outwit. I'm death, and sooner or later all things must return to my embrace, no matter how much power they weild." Staring down the chaos lord Death held his ground, his staff glowing brightly in his hand as if begging the draconequus to try something. "While I applaud your ability to recognize the importance of a life, don't think it means you get to meddle in the affairs of others. Chaos may be your domain, but I am the master of mortality." Death kept his sockets locked on Discords eyes for a moment longer before shaking his head and backing off. "Enjoy the time you have with mortals, Discord. Getting caught up in trying to make things last forever will only bring ruin to both you and those you try to force it onto." Turning away from the serpent, Death tapped his staff against the ground twice. As the shadows enircled him once more, Discord flew around to met his gaze once more. Though he seemed less hostile now as his face seemed to be more...melancholic. "I'll give it some thought." He muttered before glancing behind Death at the cottage. "One more thing...I'm not sure where to go from here. I'm not used to things I enjoy having an expiration date." Taken aback by the sudden vunerability shown before him, Death smiled softly and reached out, booping Discord on his snout as the shadows picked up speed around his robes. "Then take my advice: embrace what you have now, and don't waste it. If your enjoying your time with the Element bearer as much as it seems you are, simply live in the moment. Beings like you and I have all the time in the world, so make sure that this little blip matters rather than stressing over tomorrow." Vanishing in a swirl of darkness, Discord was left floating alone in the open field outside Fluttershys house. Turning back to the Cottage where Fluttershy was undoubtedly still grieving over the loss of one of her friends, Discord floated over to the front door and opened it, exiting inside to go be there for the one who was willing to call him a friend. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Reappearing across town, Death found himself once more in front of the library. Narrowing his eyes, he pulled his hood back over his head as he pulled out the parchment from his robes. Opening it and seeing no name for the location present, Death placed it back before returning his gaze to the giant tree. "I was supposed to be at Canterlot...why the hell did I appear here?" Death muttered, though a bit of movement from the library window caught his gaze. Looking up to the second floor, Death realized that the newly appointed Alicorn was staring down at him from the window with a surprised look on her face. It seems he had been warped here just as the mare decided to open a window, and now she stared with an absolutely dropped jaw...meaning she had likely seen his skull head before he had thrown his hood back up. I don't blame her though. I'm a tall bipedal figure wearing black robes that cover me from head to toe, I definitely stand out among the ponies around here. Death watched with amusement as a couple of ponies walked straight through him, causing the lavender mare to sputter out some half-words before quickly pulling away from the window and out of sight. Deciding that it wasn't yet time for their meeting, Death vanished and reappeared in the shadows of the buildings nearby, watching from afar as the princess popped into sight in the middle of the road, spooking a couple ponies at her sudden appearance. As the mare began to ask if any of the townsfolk had seen the hooded figure in the road, Death shook his head and walked further down the alley, pulling out his parchment as the next name on the list finally appeared. Death could tell his sudden disappearance was going to stick with the mare, but there would be a better time later to introduce himself. For now, he had a job to do. All in good time, Princess. Enjoy these moments of purity while you can, for I doubt you'll see this world the same when we next speak. Author's Note Alright, here we go. Thats more like it for my size goal. Most chapters will probably be around this size unless I say otherwise. Hope yall enjoyed it! Chapter 3"So...wanna run that by me again?" Standing beside Twilight at the train station, Spike couldn't help but stare at the alicorn beside him with wide eyes that shone with both amusement and a touch of disbelief. "You saw some sort of skeleton creature that nopony else was able to see?" Twilight couldn't fault Spike for being hesitant to believe her, especially since she wasn't sure what she saw that day either. Three whole days had passed since the sighting of that...thing. She had watched it look up at her with its hollow eye sockets and a cold grin. But when she had managed to pull herself together and teleport outside, it had already vanished and all the mare had managed to do was shock one of the passing flower sisters into passing out. Apparently nopony had seen or even registered the fact they had walked through the cloaked figure that had been out in the middle of the road. "I know it sounds ridiculous, but I can't pretend what I saw was any sort of hallucination or a part of my imagination. Whatever was outside my house that day had to be real...even if I'm the only one who could tell it was there for some reason." Stretching his arms behind his head, Spike leaned against a lightpole as he thought it over. After all the threats they had faced until this point and crazy villians with absurd and magical powers, was it really outside the realm of possibility Twilight was being watched by some sort of creepy undead guy? "Well, I can't say it's impossible. I mean, we know a chaos lord who can cause literally anything to happen at random with a snap of his paw." Spike reasoned as he looked down the tracks for any sightings of their train. "Best thing to do would be to talk to the princess. We're already going up there to speak with her about your alicorn stuff, might as well ask her about that thing as well in case it's something else from a thousand years ago." Giving a nod, Twilight reached into her saddlebags with her magic and pulled out the letter Celestia had sent via dragonfire. The princess had let Twilight know she could come by during the weekend, as her mentor had convinced her sister to watch over the royal courts so Celestia could meet with Twilight. With it finally being friday, Twilight got herthings and reference books together and was ready to learn more about her new responibilities as princess. "She's going to be waiting for us to arrive in her study, so once we arrive at Canterlot I'll teleport us there to save time." Twilight said as she triple-checked the letter had said to come today. Finding the ink still bearing the same time as the other two times she checked, Twilight turned her gaze back to Spike. "Though I still feel a odd about just casually going to see someone I considered my teacher all my life." Making sure the parchment was nice and neatly re-rolled, Twilight let it fall back into her saddlebags as the train whistle sounded off in the distance, signaling its timely arrival into the station and interrupting Twilight's line of thought. "See, told you it would be early today!" Twilight chirped happily as she trotted up to the entry zone along with Spike following from the side. As the train pulled into the station, the mare passed Spike his ticket, who barely grabbed it as he had been preoccupied watching the ponies exiting the train. "Think the princess will have lunch for us at the castle? We didn't exactly eat breakfast in your rush to get here so early." Spike stated, a hungry glance in Twilights direction. "If she doesn't, then I have no doubts she wouldn't mind having a lunch break when we get there...but for now this should keep your widdle tummy from rumbling." Twilight said in a tone Spike recognized as almost motherly if not for her goofy grin letting him know she was messing with him, though he stopped any rebuttal he had prepped as she floated a decently sized ruby his way. Snatching it out of the air Spike quickly took a big bite of it, sounding off a muffled "Thank you!" while Twilight rolled her eyes at the dragons instant devouring of the gem. As they got onto the train and took their seats in the empty train car, Twilight watched as Spike began to hiccup. "This is why we savor our food, Spike. You ate it too fast!" Twilight told him with an exasperated sigh as said dragon started to hold his breath. "Did you even taste it?" Letting out his breath sharply after a moment, Spike waited a second to see if he would hiccup before answering. "Of course I did, it tasted li-Hiccup- Dang it!" Laying back on the seat Spike looked up at the ceiling with a groan, hiccuping in random intervals between each breath. "The price of enjoying myself for once! Woe is me!" The dragon lamented dramatically as Twilight looked on with no sympathy, having seen Spike do this to himself far too many times to be concerned. "You'd think you would learn after doing it every time someone gives you gems to eat." Twilight said as she levitated a book from her saddlebags and sat it before her, loafing her forelegs beneath her as she glanced at the title. Supernatural: Myths and Legends of old "Couldn't hurt to see what I can find out about that thing I saw...if it was some sort of ancient being or entity then I should be able to find some sort of origin for it." Twilight whispered to herself, opening the book in a lavender glow as the train began to move, trying to tune out the hiccups from the dragon nearby. "What I saw that day wasn't my mind playing tricks on me, I'm sure of it...all that's left to do is figure out what it was and go from there." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Appearing in a veil of shadows, Death stepped from the darkness into the shining marble of what he recognized as Canterlots very own castle. Pulling his parchment from his robes, Death opened it and saw the name Feather Duster written in red. "A maid, if the their namesake is to be taken literally." He mused, rolling up the paper and returning it to his robes as he began to walk down the halls. Death had gotten quite affiliated with the layout of this castle over the years, and since the sun princess never was the biggest fan of change, the locations of places such as the barracks and quarters for the staff tended to always be in the same locations in the castle no matter how much time passed. Even if he wasn't used to the location he had a sixth sense for locating those who's times had come. After all, none could escape death forever. Walking through a pair of big doors Death let his hood drop as he walked past guards, maids, and noblepony alike that were none the wiser to his existence before them. As he turned a corner however, Death noticed an older looking guard following his movements before Death phased through another doorway, not quite able to see him but sensing something was moving among the crowd. He looked quite a bit more seasoned compared to these other guards...wonder if he's seen actual combat or death?. Other than the changeling invasion from almost two years ago, most ponies didn't know what actual warfare looked like. Even then, the changeling invasion had been one isolated instance, and it mostly affected the castle anyway. None of the younger generation had to live in a time of war, not since Celestia forced a peace treaty between the ponies and the griffons after the latter faced a sudden decline in their economy during the conflict between the two races. Some sort of lost idol or something...whatever it was, it's dissapearance caused a dissonance between griffons. To Death however, it meant saving him the time of having to wander anymore battlefields to send off souls of the damned. After all, just because it's his job doesn't mean he wanted creatures to die. It's just a part of life's cycle, and he happened to be the ferryman to the other side. After a few more turns and phasing through closed doors and walls, Death found his way to the quarters where the maids resided. Slipping through one last doorway, the hooded figure found himself in room consumed by what was best explained as organized chaos. There were maids galloping about in mulitple directions, some with cleaning supplies and others with food trays and fresh bedding. Ponies exited in and out of the room in waves, each going to do their assigned task for the day or coming back for reassignment. Among the chaos an elderly maid stood atop a wooden crate, barking orders to any maid that passed by. Wearing a similar uniform to the maids that stood out on her pink fur, the main difference was her maid uniform had no frills and was ironed out, along with a nameplate made of Gold, showcasing the name Death had been searching for on its plating. "Princess Celestia is planning to have a guest during the afternoon, so make sure the dining hall is empty and the kitchens are ready to serve lunch if the princess so desires it." The mare barked at a pair of maids who recently returned from whatever they had been doing before. Said mares gave a salute as they quickly exited out the door they just entered. As Feather Duster prepared to bark out her next series of commands, her eyes fell on the looming figure by the doorway. As her mind registered the skull staring back at her the older mare gulped nervously, able to guess what the intimidating entity wanted, a look of fear crossing over her face before it was soon replaced with reluctant acceptance. Stepping down from the box without a word, some of the maids watched with confusion as their usually stoic boss entered her office looking more rattled than they've ever seen her, though nne dared to follow after her and risk failing in their duties. However, each of the maids in the room felt a chill run through their bones, and while they could not see Death walking past or through them it felt like the room itself had turned several degrees colder with every step Death took past them. Phasing into the office, Death found the mare sitting in a rather lavish office chair, her forelegs folded on the birch desk in between the two of them. To Feather Dusters credit she was quite composed for a pony facing down Death straight on. It was as if she was conducting a business meeting with a associate of hers. And in a rather morbid way, it kinda was. "I assume the fact that only I was able to see you amongst my subordinates means you've come for me at last?" She asked, the earth pony's voice shaky as she took a deep breath. '"I've been in her majesty's service for over a century, so I've been well aware that this day was coming and have already made the preparations necessary for my passing." Stepping up to the desk Death gave the mare a single nod, his hollow eyes boring into the mare as the cloaked one traced a boney finger across the wood. "Have a replacement already trained then? How prudent of you." Death spoke as he walked through the desk and knelt beside the mare, placing a chilled hand on her shoulder. "You've lived a long and productive life, Feather Duster. Not many can claim to have the level of loyalty and devotion to their job and life as you have shown here. Be proud of the legacy you will leave behind." Tearing up, the elderly mare sniffled as she wrapped her hooves around Death, placing her head on his shoulder as she tried to control her breathing. "W-Will it hurt?" Was her single question, spoken in a shallow whisper only Death could hear. Bringing a hand up he ran it gently across her back as the figure shook his head. "Your death will be a peaceful one, little pony. Rest well, and enjoy what awaits you on the other side." Death assured as he opened his coat and wrapped it around the crying mare, feeling her embrace him tighter for a moment before a soothing light shone from within the coat. Sitting still for a moment, Death slowly undid his coat from the mare before him as the mares body leaned back in the seat. Standing up, Death smiled as he saw the content smile on the mares face. "If only every passing was like this one...painless and with them feeling content with how their lives ended." Death whispered, turning and walking through the desk as the doors to the office swung open. Phasing through the pair of mares that rushed into the room Death paid them no mind, pulling out his parchment once more as the name Feather Duster faded away from the document. "Another life sent on." Death said, putting the paper away as he exited the room and entered the halls once more, making his way towards the throne room. "now, since I've got the time I should drop in on the Alicorns...but which one?" Coming to a stop Death thought it over for a moment before summoning his staff. With a coy smile Death tapped it on the ground as the shadows engulfed him once more, and as he reappeared from them Death found the marble hallway he was previously in replaced by crystal, a smirk on his face as he continued his walk. "Cadence should be in her throne room right now...wonder if that husband of hers is there too?" Death mused as he phased through the crystal doors blocking the way into the throne room. Coming through to the other side Death found himself barging in on what seemed to be a rather interesting meeting between the princess and a green pegasus wearing gardening clothes. "Princess, the agricultural association wishes for your majestys permission to boost the amount of fertilizer we put in our crops by at least ten percent. Even with the evil gone from the kingdom our fields will need extra effort to be put in order to return them to the splendor they once yeilded." Said princess, while eager to listen to what was being said, it was clear that she didn't know too much about the subject. However, for as long as Death had known her Cadence always seemed capable of thinking outside the box and finding a way to reach out to those she wanted to help. "The crown hears your plea, Windy Gales...I'll have your request put before the head of the council of nobles and see what type of fertilizer and how much of it should be used before we proceed." Cadence stated, getting a bow from the pegasus before he flew out through the opened doors behind Death. As soon as the guards posted by the doors closed them Cadence let out a soft sigh and slumped back into the crystal throne a bit. "And to think I used to skip out on my earth pony studies back when Aunty was raising me...I really should've paid more attention to those lessons." The pink alicorn muttered before glancing up, seeing Death from across the room as she sat up instantly. "G-Guards, leave the chambers for now, I wish to be alone." Giving the princess a nod the two guards exited the room in a uniform manner. As they left Cadence hopped down from her throne and trotted up to the robed figure before her, a happy yet guarded smile on her face as she greeted Death. "It's been a few weeks since we last spoke...your not here for anyone I know are you?" The princess hesitantly asked, and when Death shoke his head her mood picked up tremendously, all lingering fear gone in an instant. "Oh thank Auntie it's just a friendly visit, you need to send me some sort of letter ahead of time or your liable to give me a heart attack one of these days." "Death does not let one know when he arrives." Death spoke with a smirk before booping her nose. "Besides, you've known me long enough that you shouldn't be afraid of me anymore." "You spent six years of my childhood pretending to be the monster hiding under my bed, you should be grateful I wasn't traumatized." Cadence retorted as before her eyes widened in realization. "Wait, Twilight became an alicorn last week right? Don't tell me you put her through the same jumpscare routine you did when you introduced yourself to me." "No, I've yet to introduce myself actually, though she did see me in Ponyville a few days ago." Death informed the princess as he chuckled lightly. "She seems like the type to overthink things, so I should probably introduce myself to her soon before the thought of me drives her crazy." Hearing his words Cadence couldn't help but be worried for the filly she had babysat once upon a time, and knowing Deaths rather...crude way of handling situations the alicorn was worried he might genuinely spook Twilight. "When you do introduce yourself...could you ease her into things? She just became an Alicorn and likely doesn't realize the full weight of what our extended lifespans mean yet, let alone the effects we have on the world itself." Cadence asked, walking over to a window and peering out into the courtyard below where a white coated unicorn could be seen running drills with the guards. "From what Auntie's letter told me Twilight's ascension happened without her even knowing it would occur, and while Twilight is an extremely intelligent pony she can get overwhelmed pretty easily at times...so please, do let her into it gently? For my sake and hers." Appearing beside Cadence in a whirl of shadows Death leaned against the wall and peered down below at the prince as he led the guards in what appeared to be laps around the courtyard. That damned stallion was quite the lucky guy, surviving run ins with a changeling queen and an evil darkness-powered unicorn? Death knew damn well the normal citizen would've had their souls passed on by now, but Shining Armour had managed to push through those tribulations and earn his spot by his wifes side. Death could respect that level of determination and grit. It's what seperated honorable warriors from those who only sought glory. "I'll keep from scaring her or anything on purpose, but reality isn't something that can be eased into, Cadence." Death stated, turning to the princess as her expression fell slightly. "It's better shes informed now of the effects of being an Alicorn. Hiding it or attempting to soften the blow for her now will only hurt her later when her friends start to pass on." "I...I guess thats the best I can ask for." Cadence relented before a knock sounded off at the doors nearby. "Oh! Looks like there's another pony here to see me, so I'll have to get back to work." Giving a nod Death put his hood back on and summoned his staff once more, tapping it twice as shadows engulfed him before the figure vanished from sight, leaving Cadence to quickly trot to her throne. Landing on it with a rather elegant 'plop', the alicorn glanced at the spot where Death had been, a nervous glint in her eyes as her mind wandered to what Twilight must be feeling about her recent change. "I hope Twilight, for your sake, you can learn to understand and shoulder the burden of being a princess...because whether you feel like your ready or not you'll need to learn how to do so." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Reappearing in the Canterlot Castle, Death found himself standing right outside Celestia's personal chambers... a location he had not been trying to go to. Raising his staff to his eye socket level, Death let out a small growl as he saw a glimmer of white light shimmer off the engraved ruby on the staffs paw before fading away without a trace. "Someone is tampering with my magic...and whoever that someone is will find their lives cut very short if they don't stop." Death threatened the empty room as he turned his gaze to the bedroom door of the sun monarch, hearing voices from the other side. "Speaking of which...have you felt any tension in your wings? Anything feel like it's not in the right place since they appeared?" It was definitely Celestias voice, and while he couldn't hear who's voice was on the other side Death could guess who the princess would be concerned about when it came to new wings. Glancing once more at the staff in his hand Death decided to let the issue be for now, as whatever was messing with his staff seemed to really want him to meet this new princess. "Well, no time like the present. let's see how much Celestia really taught her student." Death said with a grin, his staff disappearing into the shadows as Death walked through the doors and into the room where the newest alicorn awaited her rude awakening...even if she had no idea it was coming. Author's Note Ta-da!!! Thanks for waiting! Oh, and thanks for all the support for the story! I'm glad you all like it so much!
Chapter 1"You are an inspiration to us all, Twilight." Those had been the words Princess Celestia had told her the day she became an Alicorn. The day Twilight had ascended to a level of existance she had never believed was possible, and had earned herself wings and a title as princess of the very thing she had been tasked with studying in the first place. never in her life had she thought that she would become an alicorn, especially not of a subject as both vague and comlicated as friendship! How was she supposed to preside over such a thing, considering she herself wasn't perfect in the subject matter? It had been almost a week since that day, and Twilight was faring no better now as she was the day it happened, as she had spent the last six days tearing apart her home/library for source material. "I need every book I've got documenting Princess Celestia's rule for the past milennia." Twilight muttered, though more to herself in a state of near permanent stress she had been under recently than to anyone in the room. "Any sort of detailed recordings of her major decrees and actions when in the face of national struggles or crisis, something to help reference what I'm expected to be doing from here on out!" Levitating several books into a big stack of books, Twilight turned her gaze from the now empty bookshelf before her to the next one beside it. Just as her horn sparked up to repeat the process, Twilight's focus was torn from her thoughts as a voice picked up from behind her. "Do you really need this many books, Twilight? I know your worried about making the princess proud and all, but surely you have enough?" The newly appointed alicorn stopped her spell as her left eye twitched slightly. Turning around in a swift one-eighty Twilight lowered her gaze to her assistant and brother-figure Spike, who seemed way to relaxed for her liking considering all that happened this week. Granted, he wasn't the one with the title, but he had to know how this was affecting her! "It's not about simply impressing Princess Celestia anymore, Spike!" Twilight exclaimed, her brow creasing as she brought a hoof to her head to suppress a growing migraine. "I was thrusted into this role with little to no preperation or warning, and I have no idea when I will have to act on my title as a princess, or what it even means to be one! Sure I've looked up to the princess as my mentor for years, but I never actually thought about what it took for her to be the pony she is or how she's able to cope with the stress of ruling a nation until now!" Seeing Twilight's evident stress levels hitting an all-time high, Spike lets out a sigh and closes the distance between himself and the alicorn, hugging her by the foreleg still on the ground as he looks up at Twilight with a soft smile that he hopes is as disarming as he feels it is. "Then maybe instead of looking into a hundred or so books on how other ponies saw and interpreted her rule, why not send her a letter about this or even go visit her in Canterlot and ask her yourself? You know she'd be more than happy to listen to you, Twilight. Especially since she's the one who thrusted this upon you and all by sending you that book in the first place." Twilight opened her mouth to say her usual retort about how busy the princess was and how she'd rather not bother her, but for once the words seemed...wrong. Something deep within Twilight, something completely foreign to her, was telling her that Spike was right. After all, she was called a princess by Celestia herself, surely that would allow her to drop in unannounced if needs must, right? These new sort of thoughts and feelings both surprised and even scared Twilight a little, as they had been slowly coming up more and more as the days have went on. Other than with her wings, had something deep within her shifted somehow? Making how she views her relationships with others change in some degree? She didn't exactly feel the urge to make her best friends bow to her whenever she entered a room or anything like that, but Twilight couldn't help but admit she felt...closer to the princess of the sun now...perhaps it's some sort of almost primal nature that came with being an alicorn? Some sort of even standing despite the difference between her and Celestias experience as alicorns? "I..." Twilight trailed off, glancing past the dragon and to the three stacks of books beside them. Each one seemed to almost reach the ceiling, and a quick glance to the bookshelves around the librarys common room was all it took for the mare to realize she had three shelves worth of books in those stacks. "Ok...maybe I did go a bit overboard." Twilight admitted sheepishly, laying her head on top of Spikes as she let out a surprisingly deep sigh, a weeks worth of stress coming out in a single breath. "It's just...I wish I could've known beforehand this was going to happen. "You know I don't like to be caught off guard, and so does the princess." "Maybe she wanted to make sure you'd tackle that book with a level head?" Spike suggested, nestling his head into Twilights neck as he let the mare use him as an impromptu headrest. "You might've blown things out of proportion if the princess would've told you the results of using that book she sent you. I think she simply wanted you to tackle it like you would've any other problem without that extra stress to throw you off your game." "I guess...Still, I'd like to have been not left completely in the dark." Twilight whispered, taking a deep, sobering breath before pulling back and looking down at Spike with a smile that would not have appeared moments prior. "Thanks, Spike. I don't know how I would've handled all of this without you being here to keep my head on straight." Curling up his claws into a thumbs up, Spike took a step back and pointed it at himself with a big cheesy grin. "That's why I'm your number one assistant, Twilight!" He proclaimed before he dropped the bravado and gave the mare before him a nod. "Though...you should let the princess know how you feel, and not through a letter. We've seen enough friendship problems to know these sort of things need to be worked out as soon as possible and through an in person heart-to-heart." Twilight gave a single nod andsmiled as her horn sparked up, causing two of the three stacks of books to fly out and return to their rightful places on the shelves. Walking over to remaining shelf Twilight levitated a single book down from the top, glancing at it's title once before turning back to Spike with the book in her magical grasp. "I'll keep these books out for some light reading later." Twilight said, ignoring Spikes face-palm as she made her way towards the stairs. "While I could probably go straight to Canterlot now and see the princess, I'm still going to send her a letter and see when she'd want to see me about all of this." After all, despite the feeling in her gut of equality among the other princesses Twilight seemed to have at the moment, the mare still believed in the decorum of manners and respecting the teacher-student relationship she had with Celestia. And there was no way she was going to barge into her mentors workspace and demand an audience, no matter how important she seemed to be now. Shaking his head with a smile, Spike realized this was probably the best he was going to get in this situation, and followed the mare upstairs, eager to assist her anyway he saw that she needed. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Outside of the library and across the street stood a cloaked figure. Leaning against the wall of the building behind him, the stranger watched the massive tree before him for a moment before kicking off the wall. "So this is the residence of the newest addition to the Equestrian Pantheon? I'd say I'm surprised, but Alicorns always seem to have a flair for the unusual, don't they?" Walking up to the library, the figure let a bony hand trace across the hem of his robes as the other laid softly on the bark that lined the residence walls. "I wonder what she's going to be like?" Retreating his hand to his side the figure turned and walked back onto the road, glancing to the side as he saw a rainbow blur shoot straight through him, flying down the road at mach speed without a single notice of the interaction. Waiting for his form to stop rippling, the figure pulled a rolled up piece of parchment from his robes and unrolled it slighty as his gaze went over it. "I'll give her a few days before I introduce myself. Better for her to be more acquantied with her new role before I bring down the hammer of mortality." The figure spoke as ponies passed by, unaware of the creature looming in their wake. "Now, let's go check up on the Apples. While it's shouldn't be her time just yet, it would be best to see if anything has changed in that old grannys health to change that." Putting the parchment back within his robes, the figure flicked his wrist as a staff appeared in his hand. Though crafted mostly of Willow bark, the top had a boney claw sealed to it along with a single ruby gemstone engraved in its palm. With a single tap of the staff, the ruby glowed an eerie light as the figure vanished in a swirl of shadows, leaving begind nothing but a rush of chills in the bodies of the ponies who were nearby when he departed. Author's Note So, uh....tada! Here's my first touch into storywriting. The next chapters will be longer, I just felt like this was a good starting point for now to introduce things.
Chapter 2Appearing from a veil of shadows, the stranger found himself standing at the gate of Sweet Apple Acres. Stepping over the front gate, the figure began to make his way to the farmhouse residing over the farmland. As he drew close, a series of sharp barks caught his attention. Turning his gaze from the house, the stranger found his focus on a dog. Said dog repeated the same little song and dance every time he appeared on the farm: See the hooded figure, run up and bark at him, get told off by a member of this farms family before leaving him alone. Kneeling down before the dog, the figure felt a low chuckle escape his chest as he reached out and put a hand on the dogs head. Even though he was unable to actually touch the dog, it was clear she could sense the intention as the barking switched to a recognized "arf" as she tilted her head into the hand. "I should see if I can bring my dog up here to see you, little one. I'm sure both of you could use a canine friend." The figure spoke before standing up and continuing his way to the farmhouse, walking up onto its porch as the dog followed close behind. Coming to a stop in front of a rocking chair, the stranger looked down on the older mare before him with a smile, eager to see what the she had in store for him today. Said mare met his gaze, and with a slight startle at the appearance of the figure the mare let out an annoyed snort. "Consarn it, boy! What have I told you about sneaking up on me like that?" Another chuckle leaves the figure as he moves to the right side of the mare, leaning against the farmhouse wall as he kept his focus on the earth pony before him. "I didn't sneak up on anyone, you old hag. Your able to see the whole farm from this porch, you shouldn't be old enough to not see me coming." Grumbling to herself, the old mare let his comment slide as she turned her gaze back out to the farm. "Ah was distracted, ya boney varmint." Granny Smith retorted, though her voice held no real bite to it. The dog from before came up, taking her post beside the mare as a green hoof made its way to the dogs head. "Today would've been my son's birthday had he still been with us." "Bright Mac, you mean? He was quite the stallion." The figure stated, remembering the fateful day he had to guide both the stallion and his wife to the other side. It had been nothing short of disastrous for the family left behind, especially the mother of the poor colt, who had to raise their children alone ever since. It had also been around that time that Granny Smith had began being able to see him, and while this trait was usually reserved for beings on a higher plane of existance the figure didn't mind having someone else to talk to. Letting out a small "mmm-hmm", Granny Smith leaned back into her rocking chair as her gaze returned to the hooded one before her. For a while she did not speak, simply staring at the hood over the figures face before at last deciding to break the silence. "Tell me...have you come for his children? Ah know darn well it's not mah time just yet, but after losing Bright Mac ah know better than to assume each day with those young'ns is guaranteed..." Granny smith asked, breaking the silence as her body seemed to tense up. Despite it being years ago, the scars still ran deep, and the old mare wasn't ready to lose another just yet, not when she knew her grandchildren still had so much to live for. Upon hearing her question, the stranger stepped off the wall and knelt before the old mare. Raising up a skinless hand, the figure took off his hood, revealing the skull beneath as his hollow sockets bore into her eyes. "No, Death does not come for them on this day. I am only here to check in on you, Smith. Your time of departure is much closer than any of theirs, and even that day wont arrive for a while." Breathing out a sigh of relief, the mare relaxed back into her chair and pulled her gaze away from the skull beside her. Even with all she had seen and been through, one could only stare death in the eyes for so long before having to avert their gaze. "Thank ya, sonny. There are times mah fears get to me sometimes, and I wonder if the young'ns will be next to go before me." Returning to his feet, Death flipped his hood back over his head, following the old mares gaze to the two apple siblings out in the fields. The older, much bulkier brother pulling a cart full of apples that the younger sister had more than likely spent the whole morning bucking down from the trees surrounding the farm. "I wouldn't be too concerned about them, Smith. They are both at the peak of their health right now, and even the youngest of the lot is a energetic little one that most likely outlive you all." Though if he was being honest, the figure was more concerned that the antics that little filly and her enthuastic friends got into would lead to someone elses untimely demise. The ponies in this town really liked to be on the edge of disaster ever couple of weeks...it was a miracle this town didn't make his job harder than what it already was...though the Elements of Harmony living in the vicinity definitely helped in that factor. Glancing back at the old mare, Death gave a nod and moved to step off the porch, remembering he still had other places to be today. "It's about time I was on my way, Smith. While your family is fine there are others that need my attention." The figure stated, summoning his staff once more as he glanced towards the young mare helping her brother take their bounty into the barn nearby. Both of the farmers were in great shape, and Death hoped that he wouldn't have to pick these apples from the tree before they ripened. "I'll be back to see you in a weeks time, try to be more aware of your surroundings next time we meet? I'd rather not spook you into an early grave." Vanishing in a swirl of shadows, the old mare couldn't even get the chance to fire back at Death, choosing to instead let out a huff and pick Winona up into the chair with her, stroking the dogs head softly as she watched her grandchildren work the farm from the comfort of her porch. "That little...teasing the elderly like that...teach him some manners next time he shows his face around here" She grumbled, though a smile went across her face as her fears had been temporarily suppressed for the time being. "Oh well...Ah'll take any teasing if it means just one more day with the ones ah love." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Stepping from the shadows once more, Death found himself not only in a small cottage, but in the company of animals...a lot of them. A plentiful amount of birds, squirrels, foxes and other forests animals were huddled in the living space of this humble abode. At the center of this little huddle party was a tearful pegasus holding what looked to be an sparrow close to her body. Said bird had bandages around his plumage, but the coverings were bloodied and seemed to be doing little to save the birds already dwindling life. Bringing the parchment from his robes, Death opened it and found the name "Freewing" listed in red. Rolling it up and returning it within his person the hooded one walked past the animals gathered and knelt before the pegasus, revealing his face to the bird as it looked up at him. "Hello, little sparrow." Death spoke softly, reaching out stroking the birds back gently as the sparrow let out a weak chirp. The sorrowful pegasus holding him felt a shiver go up her back, and though she glanced in his direction Death could tell she could not see him despite what her bodies instincts told her. How many times have I visited this cottage? How many of your animal friends have I helped pass to the other side, bearer of kindness? And yet you still persist, looking after each one of these animals as if they were your blood no matter how many you have to say good-bye to. It truly amazed Death. This pegasus truly earned her title and beyond. There probably wasn't a single animal in this world that the mare would not care for. Hell, her kindness extended to even the sentient creatures of this world, despite some of them being less than savorable people in their own right and definitely undeserving of her nature. However, having such an open heart came with it's drawbacks, and Death found himself frequenting this cottage more than any other place in Ponyville. Animals didn't live nearly as long as ponies, and this poor mare lost many of her friends to the varying reasons that could only be blamed on the cruel world of nature. Softly turning his hand, Death cupped the bird into his palm and raised it slowly. An almost see-through apparition of the sparrow was held aloft in his hand, looking nearly exactly the same as the corporeal form bar the transparent look. The physical body below shuddered slightly before slowly relaxing into its final slumber. A peaceful, painless death for a peaceful bird. As the pegasus beside Death craddled the liveless husk close and wept softly, Death rose and stepped back as he watched the animals around the room circle the mare, comforting her as they shared in her sorrrow. Holding the spirit in his hands, the sparrow glanced back at the mare and let out an almost mournful cry as the bird watched his friend and caretaker cry over his now cold body. "Be at peace, little one...look how many were here for you in your last moments." Death spoke, his voice bringing the sparrows attention back to him. If this wouldn't have been his job, the sorrow-filled gaze of the bird would've made the figure be just as bad as the element bearer close by. But this was something he was well beyond accustomed to. And it would take more than just another spirit to cause Death to hesitate to do his job. "You can rest easy knowing that you were loved, dear Freewing. Rest well, and enjoy the freedom that the beyond gives you." Death whispered, pulling the sparrow into his robes as he embraced the spirit, feeling the sparrow slowly fade as the spirit passed on. Returning his hood over his face, Death gave one last glance to the pegasus before him before walking towards the front door, phasing through it as Death glanced up at the sky and spotted the sun shining down from above. Staring at it for a while a scowl etched across his skull as he turn his gaze back to the field before him. "Another death...and yet your sun still shines like nothing happened." Death whispered, his voice empty as he summoned his staff once more. Just as the hooded one was about to vanish, a loud snap appeared from behind him. Letting out an annoyed sigh, Death turned to face one of the few who had the gall to interrupt Death. "Ah, the god of Chaos." Death said, holding his staff beside him as the draconequus floated before him. "How goes the reformed life, Discord? Learn the importance of a life that isn't yours? Or are you as conceited as you were a thousand years ago." Narrowing his eyes slightly, Discord popped out of existance, just to appear beside Death once more. Flipping his hood back, Discord put his paw around Deaths neck in a side hug as a big grin came across his face. "Death old buddy, you haven't changed a bit! Just as gloomy and doomy as you were when I was king!" Discord stated with a cackle before his smile dropped to the ground...literally, as Death watched it roll across the grass despite still being in use. "You'll find that I am a changed draconequus, one that actually has friends...though I guess that's not something you'd know anything about now would you?" Unfazed by the taunts Death merely barked out a laugh as he lifted a boot and brought it down on the mouth, holding it in place as it got flattened under his heel. The sharp intake of breath that came from Discord brought a grin to Deaths skull as he held his boot in place. "So the rumormill says...though I wonder how long your little change of heart will last? The element of Kindness isn't immortal, Discord. Surely you don't expect me to believe that your going to keep up this act when she's gone, do you?" Snapping his mouth back to his face with a fingersnap, Discord pulled away from Death and moved in front of him, staring into the empty sockets of his face with a unusually serious expression. "If you think I'd let you get your filthy hands on dear Fluttershys soul then you've forgotten who I am." Discord stated, snapping his fingers as a mini Fluttershy appeared in the chaos lords lion paw, looking at discord for a moment before letting out a startled little "eep!" when her eyes landed on Death. "She is a treasure beyond any other living creature I've ever seen, and I wont let a pure soul like her be whisked from this world by the likes of you." Death glanced at the mini Fluttershy, who was currently cowering in the face of both entities. Reaching out he grasped the little pegasus in his hand and squeezed, a dark light emitting from within his grip before he pulled his hand away, revealing naught but bones where the illusion had been before. Said bones became dust before the Chaos Lord, who glared daggers at Death. "You forget yourself, Discord. I'm not some fancy princess you get to taunt or some mere mortal you can outwit. I'm death, and sooner or later all things must return to my embrace, no matter how much power they weild." Staring down the chaos lord Death held his ground, his staff glowing brightly in his hand as if begging the draconequus to try something. "While I applaud your ability to recognize the importance of a life, don't think it means you get to meddle in the affairs of others. Chaos may be your domain, but I am the master of mortality." Death kept his sockets locked on Discords eyes for a moment longer before shaking his head and backing off. "Enjoy the time you have with mortals, Discord. Getting caught up in trying to make things last forever will only bring ruin to both you and those you try to force it onto." Turning away from the serpent, Death tapped his staff against the ground twice. As the shadows enircled him once more, Discord flew around to met his gaze once more. Though he seemed less hostile now as his face seemed to be more...melancholic. "I'll give it some thought." He muttered before glancing behind Death at the cottage. "One more thing...I'm not sure where to go from here. I'm not used to things I enjoy having an expiration date." Taken aback by the sudden vunerability shown before him, Death smiled softly and reached out, booping Discord on his snout as the shadows picked up speed around his robes. "Then take my advice: embrace what you have now, and don't waste it. If your enjoying your time with the Element bearer as much as it seems you are, simply live in the moment. Beings like you and I have all the time in the world, so make sure that this little blip matters rather than stressing over tomorrow." Vanishing in a swirl of darkness, Discord was left floating alone in the open field outside Fluttershys house. Turning back to the Cottage where Fluttershy was undoubtedly still grieving over the loss of one of her friends, Discord floated over to the front door and opened it, exiting inside to go be there for the one who was willing to call him a friend. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Reappearing across town, Death found himself once more in front of the library. Narrowing his eyes, he pulled his hood back over his head as he pulled out the parchment from his robes. Opening it and seeing no name for the location present, Death placed it back before returning his gaze to the giant tree. "I was supposed to be at Canterlot...why the hell did I appear here?" Death muttered, though a bit of movement from the library window caught his gaze. Looking up to the second floor, Death realized that the newly appointed Alicorn was staring down at him from the window with a surprised look on her face. It seems he had been warped here just as the mare decided to open a window, and now she stared with an absolutely dropped jaw...meaning she had likely seen his skull head before he had thrown his hood back up. I don't blame her though. I'm a tall bipedal figure wearing black robes that cover me from head to toe, I definitely stand out among the ponies around here. Death watched with amusement as a couple of ponies walked straight through him, causing the lavender mare to sputter out some half-words before quickly pulling away from the window and out of sight. Deciding that it wasn't yet time for their meeting, Death vanished and reappeared in the shadows of the buildings nearby, watching from afar as the princess popped into sight in the middle of the road, spooking a couple ponies at her sudden appearance. As the mare began to ask if any of the townsfolk had seen the hooded figure in the road, Death shook his head and walked further down the alley, pulling out his parchment as the next name on the list finally appeared. Death could tell his sudden disappearance was going to stick with the mare, but there would be a better time later to introduce himself. For now, he had a job to do. All in good time, Princess. Enjoy these moments of purity while you can, for I doubt you'll see this world the same when we next speak. Author's Note Alright, here we go. Thats more like it for my size goal. Most chapters will probably be around this size unless I say otherwise. Hope yall enjoyed it!
Chapter 3"So...wanna run that by me again?" Standing beside Twilight at the train station, Spike couldn't help but stare at the alicorn beside him with wide eyes that shone with both amusement and a touch of disbelief. "You saw some sort of skeleton creature that nopony else was able to see?" Twilight couldn't fault Spike for being hesitant to believe her, especially since she wasn't sure what she saw that day either. Three whole days had passed since the sighting of that...thing. She had watched it look up at her with its hollow eye sockets and a cold grin. But when she had managed to pull herself together and teleport outside, it had already vanished and all the mare had managed to do was shock one of the passing flower sisters into passing out. Apparently nopony had seen or even registered the fact they had walked through the cloaked figure that had been out in the middle of the road. "I know it sounds ridiculous, but I can't pretend what I saw was any sort of hallucination or a part of my imagination. Whatever was outside my house that day had to be real...even if I'm the only one who could tell it was there for some reason." Stretching his arms behind his head, Spike leaned against a lightpole as he thought it over. After all the threats they had faced until this point and crazy villians with absurd and magical powers, was it really outside the realm of possibility Twilight was being watched by some sort of creepy undead guy? "Well, I can't say it's impossible. I mean, we know a chaos lord who can cause literally anything to happen at random with a snap of his paw." Spike reasoned as he looked down the tracks for any sightings of their train. "Best thing to do would be to talk to the princess. We're already going up there to speak with her about your alicorn stuff, might as well ask her about that thing as well in case it's something else from a thousand years ago." Giving a nod, Twilight reached into her saddlebags with her magic and pulled out the letter Celestia had sent via dragonfire. The princess had let Twilight know she could come by during the weekend, as her mentor had convinced her sister to watch over the royal courts so Celestia could meet with Twilight. With it finally being friday, Twilight got herthings and reference books together and was ready to learn more about her new responibilities as princess. "She's going to be waiting for us to arrive in her study, so once we arrive at Canterlot I'll teleport us there to save time." Twilight said as she triple-checked the letter had said to come today. Finding the ink still bearing the same time as the other two times she checked, Twilight turned her gaze back to Spike. "Though I still feel a odd about just casually going to see someone I considered my teacher all my life." Making sure the parchment was nice and neatly re-rolled, Twilight let it fall back into her saddlebags as the train whistle sounded off in the distance, signaling its timely arrival into the station and interrupting Twilight's line of thought. "See, told you it would be early today!" Twilight chirped happily as she trotted up to the entry zone along with Spike following from the side. As the train pulled into the station, the mare passed Spike his ticket, who barely grabbed it as he had been preoccupied watching the ponies exiting the train. "Think the princess will have lunch for us at the castle? We didn't exactly eat breakfast in your rush to get here so early." Spike stated, a hungry glance in Twilights direction. "If she doesn't, then I have no doubts she wouldn't mind having a lunch break when we get there...but for now this should keep your widdle tummy from rumbling." Twilight said in a tone Spike recognized as almost motherly if not for her goofy grin letting him know she was messing with him, though he stopped any rebuttal he had prepped as she floated a decently sized ruby his way. Snatching it out of the air Spike quickly took a big bite of it, sounding off a muffled "Thank you!" while Twilight rolled her eyes at the dragons instant devouring of the gem. As they got onto the train and took their seats in the empty train car, Twilight watched as Spike began to hiccup. "This is why we savor our food, Spike. You ate it too fast!" Twilight told him with an exasperated sigh as said dragon started to hold his breath. "Did you even taste it?" Letting out his breath sharply after a moment, Spike waited a second to see if he would hiccup before answering. "Of course I did, it tasted li-Hiccup- Dang it!" Laying back on the seat Spike looked up at the ceiling with a groan, hiccuping in random intervals between each breath. "The price of enjoying myself for once! Woe is me!" The dragon lamented dramatically as Twilight looked on with no sympathy, having seen Spike do this to himself far too many times to be concerned. "You'd think you would learn after doing it every time someone gives you gems to eat." Twilight said as she levitated a book from her saddlebags and sat it before her, loafing her forelegs beneath her as she glanced at the title. Supernatural: Myths and Legends of old "Couldn't hurt to see what I can find out about that thing I saw...if it was some sort of ancient being or entity then I should be able to find some sort of origin for it." Twilight whispered to herself, opening the book in a lavender glow as the train began to move, trying to tune out the hiccups from the dragon nearby. "What I saw that day wasn't my mind playing tricks on me, I'm sure of it...all that's left to do is figure out what it was and go from there." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Appearing in a veil of shadows, Death stepped from the darkness into the shining marble of what he recognized as Canterlots very own castle. Pulling his parchment from his robes, Death opened it and saw the name Feather Duster written in red. "A maid, if the their namesake is to be taken literally." He mused, rolling up the paper and returning it to his robes as he began to walk down the halls. Death had gotten quite affiliated with the layout of this castle over the years, and since the sun princess never was the biggest fan of change, the locations of places such as the barracks and quarters for the staff tended to always be in the same locations in the castle no matter how much time passed. Even if he wasn't used to the location he had a sixth sense for locating those who's times had come. After all, none could escape death forever. Walking through a pair of big doors Death let his hood drop as he walked past guards, maids, and noblepony alike that were none the wiser to his existence before them. As he turned a corner however, Death noticed an older looking guard following his movements before Death phased through another doorway, not quite able to see him but sensing something was moving among the crowd. He looked quite a bit more seasoned compared to these other guards...wonder if he's seen actual combat or death?. Other than the changeling invasion from almost two years ago, most ponies didn't know what actual warfare looked like. Even then, the changeling invasion had been one isolated instance, and it mostly affected the castle anyway. None of the younger generation had to live in a time of war, not since Celestia forced a peace treaty between the ponies and the griffons after the latter faced a sudden decline in their economy during the conflict between the two races. Some sort of lost idol or something...whatever it was, it's dissapearance caused a dissonance between griffons. To Death however, it meant saving him the time of having to wander anymore battlefields to send off souls of the damned. After all, just because it's his job doesn't mean he wanted creatures to die. It's just a part of life's cycle, and he happened to be the ferryman to the other side. After a few more turns and phasing through closed doors and walls, Death found his way to the quarters where the maids resided. Slipping through one last doorway, the hooded figure found himself in room consumed by what was best explained as organized chaos. There were maids galloping about in mulitple directions, some with cleaning supplies and others with food trays and fresh bedding. Ponies exited in and out of the room in waves, each going to do their assigned task for the day or coming back for reassignment. Among the chaos an elderly maid stood atop a wooden crate, barking orders to any maid that passed by. Wearing a similar uniform to the maids that stood out on her pink fur, the main difference was her maid uniform had no frills and was ironed out, along with a nameplate made of Gold, showcasing the name Death had been searching for on its plating. "Princess Celestia is planning to have a guest during the afternoon, so make sure the dining hall is empty and the kitchens are ready to serve lunch if the princess so desires it." The mare barked at a pair of maids who recently returned from whatever they had been doing before. Said mares gave a salute as they quickly exited out the door they just entered. As Feather Duster prepared to bark out her next series of commands, her eyes fell on the looming figure by the doorway. As her mind registered the skull staring back at her the older mare gulped nervously, able to guess what the intimidating entity wanted, a look of fear crossing over her face before it was soon replaced with reluctant acceptance. Stepping down from the box without a word, some of the maids watched with confusion as their usually stoic boss entered her office looking more rattled than they've ever seen her, though nne dared to follow after her and risk failing in their duties. However, each of the maids in the room felt a chill run through their bones, and while they could not see Death walking past or through them it felt like the room itself had turned several degrees colder with every step Death took past them. Phasing into the office, Death found the mare sitting in a rather lavish office chair, her forelegs folded on the birch desk in between the two of them. To Feather Dusters credit she was quite composed for a pony facing down Death straight on. It was as if she was conducting a business meeting with a associate of hers. And in a rather morbid way, it kinda was. "I assume the fact that only I was able to see you amongst my subordinates means you've come for me at last?" She asked, the earth pony's voice shaky as she took a deep breath. '"I've been in her majesty's service for over a century, so I've been well aware that this day was coming and have already made the preparations necessary for my passing." Stepping up to the desk Death gave the mare a single nod, his hollow eyes boring into the mare as the cloaked one traced a boney finger across the wood. "Have a replacement already trained then? How prudent of you." Death spoke as he walked through the desk and knelt beside the mare, placing a chilled hand on her shoulder. "You've lived a long and productive life, Feather Duster. Not many can claim to have the level of loyalty and devotion to their job and life as you have shown here. Be proud of the legacy you will leave behind." Tearing up, the elderly mare sniffled as she wrapped her hooves around Death, placing her head on his shoulder as she tried to control her breathing. "W-Will it hurt?" Was her single question, spoken in a shallow whisper only Death could hear. Bringing a hand up he ran it gently across her back as the figure shook his head. "Your death will be a peaceful one, little pony. Rest well, and enjoy what awaits you on the other side." Death assured as he opened his coat and wrapped it around the crying mare, feeling her embrace him tighter for a moment before a soothing light shone from within the coat. Sitting still for a moment, Death slowly undid his coat from the mare before him as the mares body leaned back in the seat. Standing up, Death smiled as he saw the content smile on the mares face. "If only every passing was like this one...painless and with them feeling content with how their lives ended." Death whispered, turning and walking through the desk as the doors to the office swung open. Phasing through the pair of mares that rushed into the room Death paid them no mind, pulling out his parchment once more as the name Feather Duster faded away from the document. "Another life sent on." Death said, putting the paper away as he exited the room and entered the halls once more, making his way towards the throne room. "now, since I've got the time I should drop in on the Alicorns...but which one?" Coming to a stop Death thought it over for a moment before summoning his staff. With a coy smile Death tapped it on the ground as the shadows engulfed him once more, and as he reappeared from them Death found the marble hallway he was previously in replaced by crystal, a smirk on his face as he continued his walk. "Cadence should be in her throne room right now...wonder if that husband of hers is there too?" Death mused as he phased through the crystal doors blocking the way into the throne room. Coming through to the other side Death found himself barging in on what seemed to be a rather interesting meeting between the princess and a green pegasus wearing gardening clothes. "Princess, the agricultural association wishes for your majestys permission to boost the amount of fertilizer we put in our crops by at least ten percent. Even with the evil gone from the kingdom our fields will need extra effort to be put in order to return them to the splendor they once yeilded." Said princess, while eager to listen to what was being said, it was clear that she didn't know too much about the subject. However, for as long as Death had known her Cadence always seemed capable of thinking outside the box and finding a way to reach out to those she wanted to help. "The crown hears your plea, Windy Gales...I'll have your request put before the head of the council of nobles and see what type of fertilizer and how much of it should be used before we proceed." Cadence stated, getting a bow from the pegasus before he flew out through the opened doors behind Death. As soon as the guards posted by the doors closed them Cadence let out a soft sigh and slumped back into the crystal throne a bit. "And to think I used to skip out on my earth pony studies back when Aunty was raising me...I really should've paid more attention to those lessons." The pink alicorn muttered before glancing up, seeing Death from across the room as she sat up instantly. "G-Guards, leave the chambers for now, I wish to be alone." Giving the princess a nod the two guards exited the room in a uniform manner. As they left Cadence hopped down from her throne and trotted up to the robed figure before her, a happy yet guarded smile on her face as she greeted Death. "It's been a few weeks since we last spoke...your not here for anyone I know are you?" The princess hesitantly asked, and when Death shoke his head her mood picked up tremendously, all lingering fear gone in an instant. "Oh thank Auntie it's just a friendly visit, you need to send me some sort of letter ahead of time or your liable to give me a heart attack one of these days." "Death does not let one know when he arrives." Death spoke with a smirk before booping her nose. "Besides, you've known me long enough that you shouldn't be afraid of me anymore." "You spent six years of my childhood pretending to be the monster hiding under my bed, you should be grateful I wasn't traumatized." Cadence retorted as before her eyes widened in realization. "Wait, Twilight became an alicorn last week right? Don't tell me you put her through the same jumpscare routine you did when you introduced yourself to me." "No, I've yet to introduce myself actually, though she did see me in Ponyville a few days ago." Death informed the princess as he chuckled lightly. "She seems like the type to overthink things, so I should probably introduce myself to her soon before the thought of me drives her crazy." Hearing his words Cadence couldn't help but be worried for the filly she had babysat once upon a time, and knowing Deaths rather...crude way of handling situations the alicorn was worried he might genuinely spook Twilight. "When you do introduce yourself...could you ease her into things? She just became an Alicorn and likely doesn't realize the full weight of what our extended lifespans mean yet, let alone the effects we have on the world itself." Cadence asked, walking over to a window and peering out into the courtyard below where a white coated unicorn could be seen running drills with the guards. "From what Auntie's letter told me Twilight's ascension happened without her even knowing it would occur, and while Twilight is an extremely intelligent pony she can get overwhelmed pretty easily at times...so please, do let her into it gently? For my sake and hers." Appearing beside Cadence in a whirl of shadows Death leaned against the wall and peered down below at the prince as he led the guards in what appeared to be laps around the courtyard. That damned stallion was quite the lucky guy, surviving run ins with a changeling queen and an evil darkness-powered unicorn? Death knew damn well the normal citizen would've had their souls passed on by now, but Shining Armour had managed to push through those tribulations and earn his spot by his wifes side. Death could respect that level of determination and grit. It's what seperated honorable warriors from those who only sought glory. "I'll keep from scaring her or anything on purpose, but reality isn't something that can be eased into, Cadence." Death stated, turning to the princess as her expression fell slightly. "It's better shes informed now of the effects of being an Alicorn. Hiding it or attempting to soften the blow for her now will only hurt her later when her friends start to pass on." "I...I guess thats the best I can ask for." Cadence relented before a knock sounded off at the doors nearby. "Oh! Looks like there's another pony here to see me, so I'll have to get back to work." Giving a nod Death put his hood back on and summoned his staff once more, tapping it twice as shadows engulfed him before the figure vanished from sight, leaving Cadence to quickly trot to her throne. Landing on it with a rather elegant 'plop', the alicorn glanced at the spot where Death had been, a nervous glint in her eyes as her mind wandered to what Twilight must be feeling about her recent change. "I hope Twilight, for your sake, you can learn to understand and shoulder the burden of being a princess...because whether you feel like your ready or not you'll need to learn how to do so." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Reappearing in the Canterlot Castle, Death found himself standing right outside Celestia's personal chambers... a location he had not been trying to go to. Raising his staff to his eye socket level, Death let out a small growl as he saw a glimmer of white light shimmer off the engraved ruby on the staffs paw before fading away without a trace. "Someone is tampering with my magic...and whoever that someone is will find their lives cut very short if they don't stop." Death threatened the empty room as he turned his gaze to the bedroom door of the sun monarch, hearing voices from the other side. "Speaking of which...have you felt any tension in your wings? Anything feel like it's not in the right place since they appeared?" It was definitely Celestias voice, and while he couldn't hear who's voice was on the other side Death could guess who the princess would be concerned about when it came to new wings. Glancing once more at the staff in his hand Death decided to let the issue be for now, as whatever was messing with his staff seemed to really want him to meet this new princess. "Well, no time like the present. let's see how much Celestia really taught her student." Death said with a grin, his staff disappearing into the shadows as Death walked through the doors and into the room where the newest alicorn awaited her rude awakening...even if she had no idea it was coming. Author's Note Ta-da!!! Thanks for waiting! Oh, and thanks for all the support for the story! I'm glad you all like it so much!
