Ask The Psychic Of Ponyville

Um… Hello? My name is… Ambrosia. I… um… please be nice… (link to moderator https://www.tumblr.com/askthepsychicmod )

[askthepsychic]

I have to apologize. I’m still planning to finish the Return of Grogar, but I’m not sure if I’ll continue after that. I had a lot of future plans, but I’m not sure I’m going to post them. If I find motivation to do more with this in the future I will, but for now, Return of Grogar is looking like the current conclusion of this blog.

[askthepsychic]

Progress on Return of Grogar post has been slow, but it’s coming. I’m sorry again, but like I said, I really want to post the whole event in one post.

[askthepsychic]

Here’s another update on the Return of Grogar. It’s definitely going to be even later than I hoped, but it is coming. I’m sorry it’s taking so long, but it covers a lot of world building along with the struggle against Grogar. There’s going to be a few revelations along with epic moments. I’m definitely doing what I can to make it worth the wait. That’s all for this update. Later all.

[askthepsychic]

Quick update on the Return of Grogar post. I originally intended to shoot for it actually being posted around the end of the year, but I think I may end up a little late with it. That being said, I will be posting it as soon as it’s done. I have made a couple alterations to Grogar himself for my own sensibilities. I wanted to make him a truly terrifying character at first glance, but revealed to be in the very core of the matter anything but intimidating just before the end. I have always believed that we as people are most afraid of what we don’t know. Grogar’s introductory scene heavily reflects this, as my Grogar also believes that intimidation is a truly powerful weapon. I won’t show exactly what I have built in terms of his appearance right now, but I will be going ham on his description when we finally see him for the first time. One particular change that I have made to him I will state bluntly now. My Grogar is anthropomorphic. Bipedal. If that’s a deal breaker for any of you, I’m sorry, but I wanted him to be able to fight in a similar manner to Rey when it came time for them to go all out against each other. So I made him a biped in my cannon to allow for that. That’s all for this update before I start to ramble even more. Later all.

[askthepsychic]

Message from the mod, I just wanted to let those who read this Tumblr know that I’m alive. I’m writing a particularly long post. I’m trying to fit the whole of the return of Grogar into one posting. It’s still going to be a while yet, but I’m hoping the wait will be worth it. Later all.

[askthepsychic]

As pokemon and alicorn spar, two other pokemon are watching with a group of ponies and one pony/changeling hybrid. But there are others watching as well. Miles away in a cavern, four black hooves connect to black legs, leading up to a black furred torso with a white tail, which then connects to an upright torso wearing steel armor with gold accents. On one hip is sheathed a curved sword, with a mace hanging from the other. Finally, a red skinned and white haired head sits upon the shoulders of this being.

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A centaur, bearing a resemblance to an infamously evil creature from the past. This is Tara, daughter of Tirek. Like Nyx, her goals are as far removed from her progenitors as they possibly can be. A warrior sage who once drank from the long hidden Spring of Time, Tara became a seer, and uses her gift to perceive all possible futures in order to prevent what terrible versions of the future that she can. Now she finds herself greatly interested in Rey. Though she can surmise the other two strange creatures observing the sparring peacefully are Rey’s progenitors, she still feels a strange sense of kinship with the creature sparring with Nyx.

Meanwhile, in an entirely different realm, a mismatched set of parts constituting a single entity is floating in a reclined position, munching on a bucket of popcorn. A handful of popcorn stops midway between bucket and mouth as a female voice says “dang. They’re really going at it hard. They’ll both be a lot stronger by the time we face Grogar, huh dad?” Eris, daughter of chaos. Firstborn child of Discord

A male voice coming from Discord, situated behind Eris responds “I certainly believe so. All the better for your chances, don’t you think?”

“Definitely. I better get back to my own training. I can’t become a greater spirit of chaos than my old man if I don’t work for it, right?”

The word “indeed.” is followed by a chuckle.

Back in the original realm, in a room in the Crystal Palace of the Crystal Empire, a mare of dark countenance but pure heart also watches the training match through magical means, in her case a tendril of black magic coming from her body and forming a ring in front of her, moving images being shown within. Umbra. Daughter of the tyrant king Sombra. Like Tara and Nyx, profoundly different from her father in terms of goals. But while Sombra could only wield a facsimile of the forbidden branch of magic, she has worked tirelessly to master the true version. Due to the manner of her creation, she was forced to, else she be lost to that dark magic forever. Due to the presence of the Branch of Hatred within her, she lacks not only a cutie mark, but in fact has no other form of magic within her, even in spite of being a unicorn.

A voice calls out to her, coming from Shining Armor, calling her back to training. In response, she retracts the tendril, running over to continue her own training. Like the others, she too prepares to battle Grogar.

Training is underway to create a formidable force of the children of villains, redeemed and not. The question is whether they will be ready when the King of Evil returns.

[askthepsychic]

(FAIR WARNING, A DARK HISTORICAL MOMENT IN THIS DIMENSIONS HISTORY WILL BE DISCUSSED BELOW THE BREAK. IF YOU DON’T LIKE DARK EVENTS, FEEL FREE TO SKIP THIS POST. AS A TLDR, I’LL SAY THAT NYX TAKES REY TO A UNIQUE LOCATION TO BEGIN TRAINING HER NEW ABILITIES AND THAT THEY DISCUSS WHAT MAKES THE LOCATION SPECIAL PRIOR TO GETTING DOWN TO TRAINING. STORYWISE, THIS POST EXCEPTING THE DISCUSSED PAST EVENT TAKES PLACE TWO DAYS AFTER REY IS RESURRECTED.)

Rey watches Nyx ahead of her, looking for some sign that they’re nearing their destination. It’s been two days since her resurrection, and Nyx has told her she’s selected a special location for training her new power, if she’s successfully gained it. Finally Nyx begins to descend, Rey following suit. They end up landing in a large field. From the moment Rey touches down, she suddenly feels uneasy. There’s a palpable atmosphere of darkness in this place.

Nyx, for her part, simply looks around, noting the familiar feeling she became accustomed to when she trained here during her time as Spirit Detective. She closes her eyes as she remembers the day she asked her assistant, who was also her trainer, why this place felt the way it does. Knowing Rey, she opens her eyes and turns to look at her. As expected, there’s a visible tension in the pokemon. Nyx decides to wait for Rey to talk first, not wanting to give her a heart attack so soon after resurrecting.

Rey looks around one more time before noting that Nyx is looking at her expectantly. “I’m guessing you’re expecting me to ask why I feel so tense just being here, right?”

Nyx nods “and I will happily answer. Following your first death, you became able to perceive readily apparent spirits at the same level as Ambrosia. Now, having experienced the spiritual realm yourself twice, your awareness of it has grown. You have actually surpassed Ambrosia as far as awareness goes. And given time performing the role of Spirit Detective, I would be unsurprised if you would eventually become even more perceptive than me. Now, as for how that all relates to this place. The ground we stand upon is the site of an ancient battle from the time of the ancient Equeus wars. This particular location played host to one of the bloodiest, deadliest and darkest battles of that time period. Units from every force met and fought here. While the soldiers battled, their commanders set up command tents. But it didn’t take long for the battle to begin to sound wrong. The commanders left their tents and beheld a battle that observed not a single one of the widely known rules of engagement. Weapons lay forgotten in the dirt. Claws, hooves, teeth and fangs were the weapons being used to take lives, and the soldiers were even targeting their fellows. The command to retreat off the battlefield was given from all sides, and was subsequently ignored. The commanders could do nothing but watch as the field became buried under bodies and blood. Finally, the battle had come down to a single living soldier. But rather than claim the victory, he looked to the ground. Saw a fallen knife. Picked it up and used it to kill himself. This ended the Battle of the Dead.”

Rey blinks “and this is where that battle was fought? I’ve read about that battle. Numerous theories exist to explain why the soldiers acted like that, but most point to some kind of curse or enchantment on this place. Are you sure we’re safe to train here?”

Nyx nods “Spirit World took notice when that all went down. They had their own theory. But in the end, theories and the like didn’t matter. Spirit World sent their most powerful mystic at the time and they performed a cleansing ritual on this place. Whatever caused that event was dispelled. However, the event itself couldn’t be erased. And it had an eternal impact on this place. Even as highly attenuated as you have become, you may not be able to see them. That doesn’t change the fact that the soldiers who took part in that battle are still here. They are eternally bound to this place, and will remain so unto the very end of days in this universe. They are tormented by a multitude of facts. First, that they fell to whatever force corrupted their battle. Second, that even the victor of that battle still died in that moment. Third, that they disregarded their commanding officers when they issued the order to leave the battlefield. And finally, possibly most damning of all, that even if none of that had happened, the cause they were trained to fight for… no longer matters. The ancient Equeus wars were fought in pursuit of supremacy. But in the modern era, we focus on fostering equality. Cooperation. Unity. Harmony. We still fight at times, but the goal of most is to end the battle with as little loss of life as possible so focus can return to forging peace. The soldiers who died here… never knew that goal.”

Rey looks around again “for what it’s worth, I pity them. That being said, why exactly would you choose this place specifically to train my new abilities?”

Nyx smiles “the abundant spiritual presence here will have a strong effect on your new energy. Normally, those who are just starting to learn about spirit energy can utilize it in full measure only once a day. Here, the spiritual forces around you will provide the effect of recharging your energy much faster than normal. You should easily be able to overcome your normal limitation, and by doing so, should likewise easily increase your rate of development in this power. Understand now?”

Rey nods “I do. But first things first. We need to make sure I really have a new power to develop. So, how do I do that?”

Nyx smiles “you look within. If our hopes have been realized, you should now recognize a form of energy that escaped you before.”

Rey nods, then closes her eyes. A moment later she says “that’s interesting. There’s definitely something that feels new, but at the same time it also feels like I’ve always had it, just never noticed it.”

Nyx smiles “a common response to discovering the power of your spirit for the first time. Now that you know it, somecreature like you should find it easy to figure out how to manipulate it. Shall we spar to see if my assumption is accurate?”

Rey nods, opening her eyes again “sure. But I can’t help feeling like I’m about to have my understanding of your strength completely shattered.”

Nyx chuckles “you’re not wrong. One thing you need to understand now is that I’ve never used my spirit energy in matches with you. And my method of restraining it is very effective. Full disclosure, you actually haven’t even come close to knowing a fourth of what I can really do.” With this said, a blue energy aura flares around Nyx.

Rey blinks a couple times (wow. I was sure she was exaggerating. Now I’m wondering if she even knows how powerful she really is. This is going to give me a new definition for difficult to be sure) with this running through her mind, she gets into her typical battle pose before she and Nyx launch an attack at the same time, connecting in the middle of the battlefield with crushing power. Thus begins a new form of training for Rey.

[askthepsychic]

Part 2

As the day goes by, Twilight and Nyx continue to forego sleep. When noon comes with no sign of Fluttershy, Rey at first figures she’s just running late, but as the hours pass she begins to worry. Koenma has been with her all day, but he decides to briefly return to Spirit World in order to get someone to check on Fluttershy for Rey’s peace of mind. A few moments after he rejoins her, a new face joins them.

Yuna Spirit World - made with Hero Forge

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Koenma looks at the newcomer “ah, Yuna. Rey, as Spirit Detective, Yuna here will be working with you as your assistant. While you’re going to be the primary investigator and fighter, Yuna does have some potent skills of her own. Which makes sense considering she’s descended from two powerful warriors who played essential roles in the work of a former detective. Now, that being said, I assume you have a report regarding Fluttershy’s status?”

Yuna nods “yes, sir. I regret to inform it is apparent that we can no longer count on her involvement. Apparently one of her animal friends woke up sick this morning and has remained so all day.”

Rey grimaces “Fluttershy is nothing if not devoted to her animals. Out of curiosity, which animal is ill?”

Yuna looks at Rey “a rabbit named Marigold.”

Rey scoffs “of course it would be her. That rabbit is a direct descendant of Angel Bunny, an animal who was extremely cherished by Fluttershy in her original lifetime. That love has been inherited by his descendants. Heh. There’s practically no way Fluttershy will leave Marigolds side while she’s sick. She’s probably trying to convince herself that my message to her was just a strange dream, or that Twilight or Nyx must’ve fallen asleep at some point so she wasn’t needed in the end.”

Yuna nods “precisely. And while she’s convincing herself that you ended up not actually needing her at worst, you’re here watching time tick away without getting the necessary energy for your resurrection.”

Rey nods “and the silliest part is I can’t even be mad at my one hope. I love that Fluttershy is so caring towards her animals. Hmm. I wonder. Could my presence last night be responsible for Marigolds illness? I’ve heard it said that a ghost’s presence lowers the temperature around them and I’m sort of a ghost right now, right? Could the temperature change have made Marigold sick?”

Koenma hmms, rubbing his chin “it’s logical. Unfortunately.”

Rey sighs “so all that’s left now is to wait for this chance to be spent. I don’t believe for a second that mom or Nyx will fall asleep now, and Fluttershy’s not an option anymore either. As far as Spirit World’s ability to help me is concerned I’m finished.”

Koenma sighs. Yuna looks between the two of them, then looks at the clock in Rey’s room. There’s only three hours left until this gambit ends.

As the time ticks down, the three of them keep their vigil, Rey still secretly hoping for some miraculous last ditch effort, Koenma wondering if there was more he could’ve done to help Rey, and Yuna trying to think of a solution that might have escaped them.

Two hours left.

One hour left.

At forty seven minutes to the end, Yuna gasps, then Flies off as fast as she can, leaving the other two blinking surprisedly.

Meanwhile, at Fluttershy’s cottage, the pegasus sighs, taking a cloth from Marigold’s forehead to cool it down again. As she drops the cloth into a bowl of ice cubes and water, she blinks, hearing Marigold stirring. She looks back, but finds Marigold still asleep.

Then the descendant of Angel Bunny speaks.

“Fluttershy, you have to hurry. Time is running out. Remember your dream from last night. It was more than that. She needs you. You can get another animal to watch Marigold while you’re away. Please!”

Fluttershy blinks, stunned for a brief second, then turning to look towards the palace of friendship. She whispers one word “Rey” then she’s off like a rocket, pushing herself to achieve greater speed than she ever has before as she tries desperately to beat the clock.

As the clock approaches midnight, Rey blinks, not quite understanding what she just saw. The colors matched Fluttershy, but she’s never seen her move that fast.

Yuna comes up saying “she may not be known for it, but that pony can really move when she’s desperate. Marigold was asleep, so I temporarily possessed her to urge Fluttershy to act.”

Rey blinks “of course! One of the two criteria that are necessary for spiritual possession! I’m going in to get into position.”

The two Spirit World entities nod as Rey heads into her current bedchamber.

Five minutes left

Twilight and Nyx are startled by a commotion from the hallway, accompanied by what sounds like Fluttershy shouting out in desperation for Rey.

Four minutes left

Rey blinks, then flies through the door into the hallway, finding Fluttershy opening doors on each side of the hall.

Three minutes left

“FLUTTERSHY, IN HERE!”

“Rey? REY!”

Two minutes left

Fluttershy charges down the hall, stopping outside Rey’s door.

One minute left

Fluttershy throws the door open, her eyes falling on Twilight and Nyx laying on either side of Rey’s body, the glow starting to fade as the clock begins to announce the passing of the hour.

One chime

Fluttershy begins moving towards Rey, ignoring the questions Twilight and Nyx are asking.

Two chimes

Three chimes

Four chimes

Five chimes

Six chimes

Tears fall in Fluttershy’s wake as she continues desperately trying to reach Rey before time runs out.

Seven chimes

Eight chimes

Nine chimes

Fluttershy reaches Rey’s bedside and jumps up to her side, leaning down over her.

Ten chimes

An inch apart

Eleven chimes

Twelve chimes

The clock goes silent

Fluttershy slowly parts her lips from Rey’s, praying to see some movement from the pokemon. She looks over Rey’s body, looking for any sign that she made it, but at first it seems she failed. Her ears finally register the sounds of Twilight and Nyx’s voices as her body begins to shake with sobs.

She spends the next moment filling the two alicorns in on her dream, Twilight soon embracing her in shared grief. However, the two are startled out of their tears by Nyx speaking.

“I don’t think you failed.”

Fluttershy blinks, looking over at Nyx.

The lunar alicorn looks back at her “mother may be a divine, but she’s not the right type of divine to perceive spiritual things. So she is taking you at your word because she missed the blue glow that passed up your throat and into Rey. The life energy you were so desperately trying to deliver to her. But I saw it. The transference was completed.”

Fluttershy blinks, then looks at Rey again. And… there. An expansion of her chest. The sound of an inhalation.

Her eyes open. She rises and turns to look at the three of them. “I’m sorry I scared you, Fluttershy. Getting back into my body wasn’t as straightforward as I was expecting.”

Fluttershy leaps out of Twilight’s embrace, giving Rey one of her own. Twilight and Nyx aren’t far behind, embracing both of them together as the relief washes over all of them. Rey knows she won’t have long to relax. A threat greater than any she has yet faced is on the horizon. She will have to resume her training in two days at the latest. And pray that what she can hopefully now learn will be enough to tip the scales against Grogar.

[askthepsychic]

Part 1

Rey sighs, the assailant at her hooves. She notices Ambrosia coming up and smiles.

Ambrosia smiles back and says “hi Rey. You can leave the rest to me. I’ve called for guards, and I’ll help your current host understand what’s happened.”

Rey nods, then relaxes her focus, letting her spirit relinquish its hold on the unconscious mare that would have been the assailants victim. The mare regains consciousness as Rey exits her body, staring at her assailant in confusion, then looking up at Ambrosia as the young mare offers to explain. Rey returns to an elevated position, folding her arms over her chest and sighing. “One thing I’ll miss when this is over is the ability to help others fight for themselves.”

A voice comes from beside her, saying “it really is a good way to help them.” Rey smiles and turns to look at Koenma, who continues with “after all, helping someone that way restricts you to utilizing their abilities rather than yours. With Ambrosia explaining how they were saved, you give them a boost in confidence as they realize they have the strength to defend themselves in similar situations.”

Rey nods “right. Granted, once I’m back in my body, I’ll be happy to take over defensive measures again, but it’s nice to let them know there are situations they don’t really need me in. So, since you’re here, can I assume there’s good news?”

Koenma nods “we’re ready to go. It’s time to try and get you back in living flesh again. Follow me. I’ll explain the particulars when we’re in the room with your body.”

Rey nods, then follows Koenma. When they reach her body’s new bedchamber, having been moved after the attack, Rey smiles at first to see Nyx and Twilight watching over her body as usual. But her smile falls when Nyx, noticing Koenma, leaves the room after telling Twilight that Koenma is there by way of explanation. “Why can’t she understand that her failure is only in her mind?”

Koenma sighs “the Lunar Knight takes great pride in her ability to protect others. Admitting that she was overworked was the most difficult thing she’s ever done, and she will consider that her greatest failure for a long time yet. She did manage to reach out to me recently with an offer I was quick to accept regarding you. If everything works out to the greatest benefit, she’ll take care of teaching you about your new powers and helping you to train them.”

Rey smiles “awesome. I’ve missed training with her. So, getting me back in that body. How do we do it?”

Koenma smiles “before I tell you that, I’d like to explain a bit about the factors involved. What do you know about wavelengths?”

Rey hmms crossing her arms. “Wavelengths. Isn’t that what determines the frequency of a particular energy? Different forms of magic work in different wavelengths, and it would take at least twenty lifetimes to master every single one. That’s what mom told me once.”

Koenma nods “more or less correct. We’re dealing with a similar situation right now. To put it simply, the physical has a different wavelength to the spiritual. However, in the case of an individual’s soul and body, over the course of their life, the physical and spiritual wavelength will periodically synchronize. For you, the earliest occurrence of this phenomenon starts tonight at midnight. At the moment this happens, I will begin a mystical process that will open the link between you and your body starting at noon tomorrow and ending at midnight. When that happens, your body will begin to emit a golden glow starting at the feet and spreading upwards. Our estimates put your body’s full illumination at ten’o’two. But it’s worth pointing out that you don’t have to wait to be fully illuminated for successful resurrection. Any time between noon and midnight will be viable.”

Rey nods “sounds simple. Too simple. There’s gotta be some kind of difficulty to this. Some obstacle I have to overcome to earn the restoration of my life.”

Koenma nods “there is. Up till now, you’ve spent your time as a spirit helping others, proving time after time that our faith in your guardian nature is well placed. Well, for this, you’re the one who needs help. The obstacle you have to overcome is in gaining that help within the rules of this situation. To start, you can ask only three individuals for assistance, and they must care deeply about you in order to qualify. To put it more clearly, only the three people in living world who care about you the most are viable options. Second, verbal communication of the facts is forbidden unless your helpers can figure out symbolic indicators on their own. Finally, you can only communicate your need for assistance via dream communication.”

Rey hmms. “Mom and Nyx definitely are two of those people, but there’s a problem with both of them. Neither of them have been sleeping at all since the attack. I’ve been checking on them more often since then, and no matter what time of day I come around, they’re always awake. So right now let’s focus on my third option. Hmm. Wait… I remember, after the attack, I asked Aaron why Fluttershy was there, why she had gotten hurt. He told me she’d made a point of coming to check on me practically every day since I died. It’s her. She’s my third option.”

Koenma nods “wouldn’t surprise me at all. She’s shown a high level of care for you ever since you met. You could practically call her your second mother based on that.”

Rey nods. “You’re right. I’ve never said it in so many words, but you’re definitely right about that. So, can you explain what I need to get her to do in order for this to work?”

Koenma nods “certainly. I was planning on it. As I’ve already explained, between noon and midnight your body will have an increasing golden illumination to it. Fluttershy must act during that time frame unless either Twilight or Nyx fall asleep for a moment and give you other options. If all three of them miss the deadline, Spirit World can no longer help you. We’ll have to turn to other possibilities. Now, this is exactly what Fluttershy must do. Your body needs a portion of life energy to jumpstart its ability to support you again. Fluttershy, Twilight or Nyx must provide that energy through an act reminiscent of mouth to mouth resuscitation.”

Rey blinks “I need one of them to basically kiss me on the lips you mean?”

Koenma smiles. “Is that a problem? Parents and even siblings do such all the time don’t they?”

Rey sighs “well, yes. And I guess this situation really is like mouth to mouth. But… right now it’s definitely looking like it’s going to have to be Fluttershy, and with how shy and timid she can be I can’t help but question if she’ll even be able to do it. I know she has some sort of motherly attitude towards me, but would that be enough to overcome her anxiety?”

Koenma nods “a fair question. Unfortunately, as you said, it currently looks like it’s going to be her or no one. We just have to hope her motherly feelings will be enough.” After saying this, he looks at a clock nearby “aaaand… it’s time.” He holds a fore hoof towards Rey’s body as waves of light start to wash over her. A moment later, the waves of light sink into her, Koenma looking at Rey. “It’s done. Now it’s up to you and Fluttershy to work out the rest.”

Rey nods “then I better go visit her. She can’t help me if she doesn’t know I need help.” With that, Rey leaves, going to Fluttershy’s cottage.

When she arrives, she can’t help but smile at seeing a few of Fluttershy’s animal friends cuddled up to her in her bed. (That’s no surprise. But I can’t deny it looks really sweet. Okay time to get this message across) “Fluttershy, it’s Rey. Hi there.”

Fluttershy smiles a little wider in her sleep as in her dream, Rey appears in a golden fog with her “Rey? Oh my, is this a dream visitation? I’ve heard others talking about how you’ve appeared in their dreams to help them during difficult situations. Um… hold on… I… can’t think of anything I’m having a hard time with right now. Nothing outside of my usual day to day troubles. Rey, why are you here?”

Rey smiles “it’s true that I usually use this medium of communication to help others, but this time is different. I’m the one who needs help this time, and you’re one of the only three people in my life that qualify to help me. The three people who care about me the most.”

Fluttershy blinks “I… I am? One of the three people who have you in their heart and thoughts more than any others? Wow. I won’t deny it, I do care about you a lot. I think I act as sort of a second mother to you if I’m being honest. Twilight is definitely your true mother, but she’s the sort of mother who is primarily focused on teaching and protecting. Providing and nurturing. Most definitely a good mother, but not always the best when it comes to dealing with emotional distress.”

Rey nods “which is where you step in to take up the slack. I can go to mom for practically anything involving comfort and health, but when my emotions build up to near breaking point, I always come to you, the kindest pony I know.”

Fluttershy smiles, then looks at Rey “is that what you need me for now? I’m always happy to help you with that.”

Rey chuckles “I know. But I need a different kind of help this time. I can’t verbally communicate what I need unless you can successfully interpret the symbolic visions I’m going to show you. Ready?”

Fluttershy nods “I’m ready. I’ll do my best to understand the visions you’re going to show me.”

Rey nods, then looks off to the side. Fluttershy, when she follows Rey’s gaze, sees an image of Rey’s body lying in sunlight, a clock indicating that the time is noon. The clock begins to advance, Rey’s body gradually starting to glow a golden color from the feet up. As the clock advances, the golden glow spreads upwards over Rey’s body until finally, at ten o two, her body has fully illuminated. The time advances almost another two hours, then the glow fades and a big red X appears over the scene. Rey looks at Fluttershy.

The butter yellow pegasus has a hoof on her chin. “I’ll try to interpret that vision now. Um… noon tomorrow, a process begins that could lead to your resurrection. But in the vision you showed me, something either went wrong, or a necessary step was never taken. So you remain dead?”

Rey nods “additionally, this failure would mark the end of Spirit Worlds ability to help me. I would have to turn to other methods of restoring my life if this doesn’t pan out.”

Fluttershy nods “I understand. Next you’re going to show me a successful version of this, right?”

Rey nods, then the vision rewinds to noon. This time, as Fluttershy watches the vision, she can’t help blushing deeply as she sees herself walking into the vision at intervals, leaning down and kissing the deceased pokemon. But she does notice that every time their lips touch, some sort of energy passes up her throat and into Rey, who awakens after the kiss breaks every time. Until the final iteration, seconds after midnight, when there’s no passage of energy, and Rey’s body remains motionless. Throughout this vision, Rey watches Fluttershy closely. Though she sees the expected embarrassment and shyness, she doesn’t see what she feared most. Unwillingness.

Finally, after the final iteration, Fluttershy looks at Rey. “I understand. I have to share some kind of energy with you if no one else does. And I have a limited time to do so. If you can’t reach Twilight or Nyx to show them what you’ve shown me…”

Rey nods. “There’s another complication. Neither Twilight nor Nyx have slept at all since the attack. I’m only allowed to communicate this request for help via dreams. That means that right now…”

Fluttershy gains a determined look “right now, I’m your only hope.”

Rey nods “if it helps you feel more comfortable with what you need to do to help me, you’ve admitted yourself that you’re kind of a second mother to me. Mothers kiss their children on the lips all the time, right? That’s nothing to be embarrassed about, just a common display of motherly affection.”

Fluttershy nods “all of that is true. And I don’t want to let you down. Still, I do hope you’ll get the chance to communicate your need to Twilight or Nyx. That being said, I’ll try to get there as soon after noon as I can. All of this is happening tomorrow, right?”

Rey nods “that’s right. I’ll be near my body throughout the day. I do still want to help others, but I’m nervous. And my body has already been attacked once. I want to be there to protect it tomorrow with it being such a critical day.”

Fluttershy nods “in that case, I’ll see you there tomorrow.”

Rey nods, then with permission gives Fluttershy a grateful hug before leaving to monitor the situation at her body.

When Fluttershy wakes up the next morning, at first she smiles, looking forward to seeing Rey alive again later. Then her ear twitches as she hears a cough.

[askthepsychic]

Rey sighs, looking at her Spirit beast’s egg. It’s been four months since she chose to take it, and it’s almost doubled in size. She can sense the energy of the creature growing inside it and recognize that much of that energy came from her. As she looks at the egg, she gets that feeling again. A feeling of tender affection that she was surprised to find herself feeling, but in retrospect should have expected to develop. This egg and the creature inside may not have come out of her, but for the time being, she has definitely taken on a motherly role towards it. And she has no problem with that. In fact, she’s looking forward to meeting them more and more as time goes on. Finally satisfied with her inspection of the egg, she replaces it in the pouch at her hip.

As she does this, Aaron comes back, having been investigating a strange feeling he had. “No quantifiable evidence of what that feeling meant, but I did find something you can help with on my way back. Let’s go.”

Rey nods, following Aaron to her latest mission. A few moments later, after having ousted a malevolent spirit from the schoolyard, Rey blinks, noticing Aaron is distracted. “Aaron?”

Aaron turns to look at her “guess I was a bit early on my last check. Come. We must hurry.”

Rey nods, taking flight and following Aaron. As they go, she says “Aaron, I know you’re leading me to something important here, and I’m completely willing to follow. That being said, I wouldn’t mind if you’d share some details so I can get an idea of what I’ll need to do in advance.”

Aaron nods. “Fair enough. But to give you as comprehensive an explanation as possible in as short an amount of time as possible, I have to go back to just after you accepted the ordeal. While you were undertaking your first task, I looked into the future to see what your chances of ultimate success were. I found twenty different ways your ordeal could end, most of which were perfect successes that had you returning to life at different times. But along with those, I also found two instances in which the ordeal failed. In the first case of this, your soul ended up having a deep hidden darkness within, powerful enough that the spirit beast, when it hatched, was quite eager to feast. That instance has long been erased by this point. You truly are as good as we’d hoped. However, the second instance of failure is still in play. That instance ends two ways. Do you recognize our path?”

Rey nods “I don’t even need to look around. We’re heading for the palace of friendship. My home.”

Aaron nods. A few moments later, they’ve arrived. Aaron leads them into a room where they find exactly the scene he was hoping they wouldn’t find. Twilight, Fluttershy and Nyx all but unconscious, clearly in no shape to stop what’s about to happen, and an unknown individual striding slowly, confidently towards Rey’s body. He spares a glance at them as Rey mega evolves and charges at him, only to be easily blocked and thrown aside. Aaron grimaces (as powerful as expected, if not more so.) “Rey!”

Rey gets up from where she was thrown, flying over to Aaron “what happened? How did he do that?”

Aaron rests a hoof on her shoulder “that’s not important right now. He intends to destroy your body. If he succeeds, that would be an end to your chances of resurrection in this situation. But you aren’t powerful enough to stop him. And I can’t act in this moment.”

Rey looks at Aaron “so what’s the third option? What’s our deus ex machina?”

Aaron looks at the pouch on Rey’s hip, and she instantly understands. Then he looks back at her “there will be consequences. If you use the energy the spirit beast has accumulated thus far for this, it won’t be able to fulfill its normal duties. You’ll lose option A, and option B isn’t ready yet. If it was, Koenma would have contacted us. Do you understand?”

Rey nods, taking the egg out of her pouch, then looking at Aaron. “Perfectly. So much for option A!” Without hesitation, she throws the egg at her would be assailant. In a burst of light blue energy, the assailant is grabbed up in the energy from the egg, tossed around the room a moment, then propelled away as if shot from a cannon, disappearing over the horizon. Rey sighs. “So. Who was that?”

Aaron looks at her “there are a few possibilities. Koenma and I together will be going over them. Seeing if we can’t get those possibilities down to one exact person. But before that, I’m going to go report on this and check on the progress with option B. You should have as much of a conversation with them as you can. Make sure they’re not seriously injured. Later.” With that, he’s gone back to Spirit World.

After Aaron leaves, Rey looks at those scattered about the room, wondering who would rise first as she approaches Nyx first “sis, you good?”

Nyx groans “so, you’ve come to realize I am fully capable of perceiving you in your current state. Good. As for my status, nothing serious. And I shielded mom and Fluttershy as well as I could so neither of them should be badly injured either. Pardon me a second.” With that, Nyx begins trying to rise to her hooves. It takes a moment, but she finally makes it to a shaky standing position. “Ah. That’s better. Now, tell me something, Rey. What exactly did you do to stop him? Did you throw your egg?” Rey nods, and Nyx continues. “When I received mine from Koenma, he informed me that in drastic circumstances, the egg could be thrown, releasing the accumulated energy of the spirit beast to avert disaster. But the cost would be that the spirit beast could no longer be a viable option to resurrect me. I never had to make that choice, but I am grateful you chose what you chose. Who’s to say what he may have done with us in our defenseless states after accomplishing his primary objective.”

Rey nods “right. But how did he overcome you? It seems like something that should’ve been impossible for some random.”

Nyx nods “true. Even if my magic had proven insufficient, my spirit energy would have more than sufficed to make up the difference against an average foe. But not against him. I cannot be sure, because his attack was over when you arrived, and Koenma hasn’t reached out about it yet, but unless I miss my guess, he wielded something even greater than spirit energy at the level I’m capable of. I’ve only ever heard of it before, but I have been training to gain access to it for myself ever since you perished. It will be a lengthy process even with my best efforts, but certainly worth it.”

Rey nods “okay. So what exactly is this other power?”

“A question that must be answered another time, I’m afraid.” Aaron says as he returns. “Rey. Koenma wants to meet with you. I’m here to take you back to Spirit World.”

Rey nods “got it. Nyx, make sure mom and Fluttershy are alright for me?”

Nyx nods, then turns to look at Twilight and Fluttershy as Rey and Aaron leave.

A few moments later, they’re back outside the door to Koenma’s office. Before Aaron goes to open the door, Rey says “before we go in, can I ask something?” Aaron looks at her expectantly and she continues “Fluttershy. Why was she there? I’m not upset at her presence, but I’m furious that she got hurt. So why? Why was she there to get hurt?”

Aaron smiles. “You haven’t been checking on them much have you? Fluttershy has been coming to check on you almost every day since she found out you’d died, but were coming back. I dare say she cares for you just as much as Twilight does. Ironically, this information will make things that are about to happen simpler. It’s a shame that she was harmed for her care, but it could be worse. Now, we shouldn’t keep Koenma waiting any longer.”

Rey nods, and enters the office when the door opens. They find Koenma in the midst of giving instructions to someone through the screen Rey took note of last time. For a brief moment, Rey feels a strange familiarity with the individual on the screen, then her attention is captured by something sitting on a pillow on Koenma’s desk. Rey slowly approaches, staring at the egg on the pillow. Tentatively, she reaches out with her feelings and gives a surprised laugh at the familiar sensation. It’s her egg, her spirit beast.

Koenma looks over once his instructions have been fully imparted, smiling as he sees Rey focused on the egg. “I’ll be looking after it until it’s ready to hatch. Be aware that even though it’ll no longer serve to restore your life, its form and temperament will still be determined by your actions. That being said, we have new matters to discuss. Option A is spent. If Spirit World is to help you resurrect, there’s only one option left.”

Rey straightens up, nodding. “Option B. Where do we stand with that right now?”

Koenma smiles “now there’s some good news. We’ve managed to make our way through about 75% of the process to get it in play. That being said, our eyes have been on you all this time. The way you showed no hesitation whatsoever to throw your egg, fully understanding the consequences of doing so, with your primary concern being to prevent further harm from coming to Twilight, Nyx and Fluttershy, has left quite an impression on many of those involved in the process of activating option B. Granted, I can’t guarantee, but I think there’s a strong possibility I may be able to convince everyone to accelerate the remaining steps of that process.”

Rey nods. “Cool. I’ll leave you to that then if I’m free to go. I want to see if I can do any more good things while I’m waiting for all that to be done.”

Koenma nods. “Understood. Rey, may I just say that I’m looking forward to working with you. Until next time.”

[askthepsychic]

As they fly towards Rey’s first effort, Rey looks at Aaron “out of curiosity, do you know what it could look like if all goes well?”

Aaron looks at her “sort of. Spirit beasts have an exceedingly wide range of appearances they could manifest as, but one can get an idea of some common attributes based on the kind of spirit the one who hatches them possesses. In the case of a true guardian soul, like what you have presented over the course of your life thus far, there tend to be some angelic elements to their appearance.”

Rey smiles “I see. But aside from that, there’s a lot of things that are up to chance, right?”

Aaron nods, then looks down “I believe I know the answer, but I’ll ask anyways. Do you know that house?”

Rey blinks, looking at it “yes. A good friend of mine lives there. She’s going through college right now and I must say, based on things she’s told me about her ambitions, I’m looking forward to seeing what she does in the future.”

Aaron nods “as am I. Right now though, she could use some help. Let’s go in and check on her.” He then flies through a wall directly into the bedroom of Rey’s friend.

When Rey follows, she finds her friend, a unicorn named Stellar Heart, asleep at her desk. She comes closer and sees a textbook open under her. Rey looks at Aaron and he tells her to try to grasp one side of the book. When she does, a spiritual copy of it manifests in her hand which she looks at. “This is one of the more difficult courses she’s studying.” She says, looking at Aaron.

Aaron nods. “Yes. She was reviewing to prepare for a big test tomorrow. If she doesn’t complete her review, she’s likely to do poorly on the test. That will be a blow to her confidence. She’ll start to wonder if she’s really good enough to accomplish her long term goals. Up until now she’s been a straight A student if I don’t miss my guess. Even one score lower than an A at this point could compromise her so badly that she might give up on what we’re both looking forward to.”

Rey looks at Stellar. “I can’t accept that possibility. Her goal could help countless people have better, and healthier lives. Tell me what I can do to help her.”

Aaron nods “dream manifestation. It’s similar to the dream walking skill Luna and Nyx command. Not as potent, but it would still allow you to manipulate her dream. You could bring an image of that textbook into her dream, along with a desk and notebook. A quill wouldn’t be a problem either. All the things needed for her to complete her review and let you test her while still getting a full night’s sleep so she’ll be studied and rested for the test tomorrow. However, beyond these things, you would only be allowed to bear witness to the results. You can influence a reminder to remember her dream once, and only once.”

Rey nods “so I can help her finish her revision, but the only help I can give her during the actual test is a single reminder of the dream study session. Good enough.” She says, looking at Stellar as she prepares to delve into her dream.

As she manifests, she finds the manipulation of the dream to be highly intuitive, and thus she sets to work. In just a short moment, she’s smiling at Stellar as she blinks in confusion, looking around.

Stellar Heart, a sky blue coated unicorn with purple eyes, mane and tail quickly realizes what’s happened and looks at Rey again to ask “when did you learn to dream walk?”

Rey chuckles. “I didn’t. Not really. This is something different. But that’s not important right now. What is important is that you fell asleep studying. How are you going to pass the test tomorrow if you stumble in the last leg of the race?”

Stellar blinks, then blushes, rubbing the back of her head embarrassedly “good question. Guess I better wake up and get back to it.”

Rey shakes her head “not so fast. Wouldn’t it be better if you were well studied and well rested for the test?”

Stellar nods “well sure. Wait. Can you help me with that?”

Rey nods “that’s the plan. I’ll manifest a desk, quill, notebook and textbook.” As she lists each item, they appear. “Once you’ve reviewed the test material, tell me which pages are involved and I’ll quiz you. Then it’ll just be a matter of remembering this dream and you should pass your test with flying colors.”

Stellar smiles, nodding “sounds like a plan. Alright.” She says, picking up her textbook and starting to review the necessary pages.

A few moments later, Rey closes the textbook after quizzing Stellar “full marks. Remember this dream tomorrow and you’ll be set.”

Stellar nods “if you stick around, I’ll treat you to breakfast as a show of gratitude.”

At this, Rey’s smile falls “I’ll have to take a rain check on that one, Stellar. I’m afraid I’m in no condition to share breakfast with you at this time.”

Stellar blinks, tilting her head “why not? Got something going on? Are you sick? What’s up? I’d like to help if I can.”

Rey smiles ruefully “I’m sure you would help if you could, and I’m absolutely grateful for the sentiment, but… I’m afraid I’m a bit more than sick. Look. I’ll stick around till morning. That’ll give you a better understanding of what’s going on. But I want to make one thing clear right now. The condition I’m in right now? Temporary. Absolutely temporary. There are ways to get me back to full health from the state I’m in. It’ll just take time, that’s all.”

Stellar looks down. “I see. Rey… you’re dead, aren’t you?”

Rey blinks “I… um… how… did you guess?”

Stellar sighs “I’ve hung out with Ambrosia on more than one occasion. I’ve been around when she was working. When you started this dream, I noticed something felt off. Something about you. Your energy felt wrong. And with what you said after I asked if I could help you… I finally made the connection. Rey? Is this really a temporary thing for you?”

Rey nods “I swear it is so. Just you watch, Stellar, I’ll be back in my body before the year’s out. I… I still have things to do. People to protect. I’m not going to leave them or you. I’m coming back.”

Stellar gives a small smile and nods. The next day, she passes her test with her typical perfect score. As she heads home from school she can sense Rey nearby. She whispers a word of gratitude.

Rey smiles, watching Stellar a moment more before looking at Aaron “a perfect resolution. But… Aaron, is she… aware of me?”

Aaron nods “she is. Spending time with Ambrosia as she said she has. That can have a unique effect on someone. Stellar’s abilities are just beginning to form, but at this point, further time spent in Ambrosia’s company is unnecessary to further development. It would accelerate development to be sure, but at this point Stellar will steadily grow more aware of psychic phenomenon all on her own. And if she takes the right approach to this process, she could even unlock some special abilities for herself. If that happens, her current ambitions could prove to be only one of the great impacts she could have on the world.”

Rey nods “I see. Could I be of any help guiding her through this process?”

Aaron nods “you could indeed. Now, as for your score in this first effort. I’d say it’s a perfect score. Even when you spoke of your current situation, your intentions never veered away from helping Stellar. Good work.”

Rey chuckles “are you going to be reporting on my score every time? I’d prefer you didn’t. It could be distracting.”

Aaron smiles and nods “very well. Let’s find another place you can help someone, shall we?”

Rey nods, and the two of them head off to continue her work.

[askthepsychic]

The room on the other side of the door is small and sparsely furnished. Clearly a room primarily meant for official business. As Rey looks around, her eyes eventually settle on a figure near what Rey first takes to be a window, though when she gets closer, she realizes it’s some kind of screen. As for the figure himself, he too is sparsely decorated, wearing little more than an ascot. His mane, coat and tail are all immaculately groomed, and when he turns to look at them, his deep blue eyes reveal eons of knowledge in their depths. “Ah. Rey, it’s nice to meet you.”

Rey nods “you as well, sir. May I inquire as to what name I may refer to you by?”

The stallion nods “certainly. You can call me Koenma. And if you’re wondering why I lack a cutie mark, such designations mean little in this world. One of the reasons deceased ponies often lose their cutie marks.”

Rey nods in understanding. “Got it. Koenma sir, I know why I’m here. How are we going to do this?”

Koenma smiles “well, there are a couple options we can turn to without relying on the power of someone like Vitalia or Aaron. For now, we’re going to consider both of those options in play. Look at my desk.”

When Rey does, she finds herself blinking in confusion. “Was that there when I came in?” She says, referring to the gold egg that has appeared there.

Koenma smiles “no. It wasn’t. But it’s there now. Rey, pay attention. There’s a reason we refer to the Trial of the Spirit Beast as an ordeal. If you accept that egg, the trial will begin. Over time, the spirit beast inside the egg will grow in accordance with your actions. If your actions benefit others, exceedingly likely based on your file, the beast that hatches from the egg will be benevolent, a guide. They will help you to reenter your body and return to life. If, however, your file turns out to be inaccurate towards your true self, and you act with selfish or worse, evil intent, the beast that emerges will be vicious. Ravenous. It will devour your soul completely. There is no possibility of coming back from this fate. It will mean the end of all that you are.”

Rey nods “I understand. An ordeal indeed. Selfish intent. Even if my actions do benefit others, it may not be enough for that beast to be friendly if my end goal is only to help myself. If I take that egg, it would be best if I cast off any concern regarding getting back into my body. I’ll need to be certain that I can fully dedicate myself to the good of others. I’ve never had trouble with that before, but this situation is new to me. An unprecedented variation of my usual situation. Okay, so the spirit beast is one option. What’s the other?”

Koenma sighs and says “the other option will take some time to get the ball rolling. In terms of paperwork and red tape, it’s basically the biggest headache Spirit World has to offer. In fact, even if you take the egg as your primary option, I’ll be working on getting option B ready anyways. Once the ball is rolling on option B, it tends to culminate much faster than a spirit beast.”

Rey nods “got it. So, now the big question. Time frame. How long would I have to train between the spirit beast hatching and my battle with Grogar?”

Koenma smiles “worst case scenario? You would have precisely three weeks. That’s if one: the spirit beast is slow to hatch, two: you struggle to understand its instructions on how to return to life, and three: Grogar breaks free in the shortest time possible. If all three of those things happen, I’m still confident in giving you an estimate of precisely three weeks.”

Rey smiles “and option B?”

Koenma sighs “that’s harder to estimate. Frankly, there’s no guarantee that we’ll successfully get the ball rolling on that one before Grogar breaks free.”

Rey nods “so my options are to accept the spirit beast and have at worst, providing I pass its test, three weeks to train up for a huge fight against an overwhelmingly powerful opponent, or don’t accept it and pray to the Allmother, you and every other deific entity in this universe that option B will be good to go sometime before Grogar breaks his bindings. Well. Let’s hope I’m truly the kind of person my past actions indicate.” She steps over to Koenma’s desk and picks up the egg.

A few moments later, she’s floating above Ponyville looking at the egg as Aaron floats beside her, Koenma’s closing instructions going through her mind. ‘From now on, you must keep that egg with you at all times. Even as a spirit, there are ways you can help others. Aaron has agreed to help you learn the ways you can do so. Remember, the spirit beast will feed on the energy produced by your deeds, and will grow in accordance with your intentions as presented during those deeds. Now, go and do good in the world. I need to get back to work on clearing the way for option B.’ Rey looks at Aaron “alright. So, shall we start with something simple?”

Aaron nods “certainly. But first, let’s make it a little easier for you to keep that egg with you.” He points at Rey and an energy beam shoots from his hoof at her, circling her waist and transforming into a belt with an armored pouch at her right side. “Armored on the outside, soft and snug on the inside. Perfect for carrying an egg of any type safely.”

Rey nods, opening the pouch and setting the egg inside, closing the pouch again once it’s snug inside. Then looks at Aaron.

Aaron nods, then smiles and says “I think you’re going to like what I’ve chosen for your first effort. Follow me.”

[askthepsychic]

The first thing she notices is that true to Aaron’s word, she is conscious this time. She’s aware of her surroundings and can move about. She sees Aaron looking at her with a satisfied smile on his face, clearly happy that whatever strings were pulled and whatever arrangements were made, it all worked as planned. Looking behind her, she sees Ambrosia approaching while Hades casts his eyes around the arena, seemingly on lookout for something. She turns back to look at Aaron and blinks. Nyx is approaching him. But… was that glance at her? She knows Nyx can perceive spirit minds as some of them emit similar wavelengths to dreaming minds, but a glance?

Aaron notes that Rey appears to have become thoughtful of something before turning to look at Nyx “let’s get the obvious stuff out of the way. You’re angry, you’re confused, you need to hit me as hard as you can or you won’t be able to calm down enough to think.”

Nyx nods, then drives her forehoof into Aaron’s gut. Though he barely reacts as she expected, it does feel good to hit him like that after what he just did. After taking a deep breath and exhaling, she looks at him with somewhat calmer eyes.

Aaron nods “I was planning to inform you of this. But I wanted to tell you in private, like I did Twilight and Rey’s parents. Ambrosia. The elements of harmony bearers. But you out of everyone turned out to spend the least amount of time alone. You thoroughly vexed me and now, we have no time. I have to set this project in motion as quickly as possible or we may run out of time before it’s complete. Here’s the deal. I’m taking Rey to see him. You know who I’m talking about. Vitalia is on her way. You folks have to work together to get her to only repair the damage I did to Rey’s body, not restore her life. It’s going to be difficult to convince her. After the part Rey played in restoring her freedom, she feels that she owes a boon to her. She’ll want to restore Rey to full vitality as a show of gratitude.”

Nyx scoffs. “If I know Rey, she never for a second felt that repayment was necessary.”

Aaron nods “right. But her belief doesn’t override Vitalia’s gratitude. Believe me, I know. I’ve seen similar situations from Rey’s point of view many times. Some folks just want to thank you, feel like they need to thank you, even when you believe that thanks aren’t required.”

Nyx nods, then looks at Ambrosia, circling an invisible point and talking. “What’s the verdict? Did Aaron’s manipulations work?”

Ambrosia nods “so far so good. Just asking Rey to do a few more basic movements to make absolutely sure.”

Twilight smiles, coming to stand beside Nyx “good. I’m glad to hear it. Aaron, please look after her while she’s in your care.”

Aaron nods. “You got it. There’s one more thing I should tell you though. In order for this to work out the best it can, the fastest it can, she won’t be allowed to use the tower to manifest a perceivable form. That would mean that she would have a body of some kind. She must spend this time in full spirit form as much as possible.”

Twilight nods. “I understand. As do we all.”

Sounds of confirmation, followed by Ambrosia declaring the testing complete, with a perfect success as the verdict.

Aaron nods, then looks at where Rey is standing. “Alright then. We’re off. Nyx? Anything you’d like me to tell him?”

Nyx once more takes a deep breath before sighing. “Give him my regards. And tell him… I’m sorry I let him down.”

Aaron nods, then fades from sight, after which he indicates that Rey should follow him “you’ll find that flight in this state is very similar to using your psychic powers to fly.”

Rey nods “thanks for the notice.” She says, starting to fly. A moment later, she’s following Aaron through the sky. Thinking back on the conversation from before, she asks “What did Nyx mean? I’ve never known her to fail anyone before.”

Aaron nods. “Well, it all started when she was off in a different kingdom. Let’s just say that she went through the same thing you’re about to go through, but it wasn’t planned out with her as it is with you. Following that experience, she was employed by an otherworldly agency along with her duties as a knight of Equestria. But eventually, she came to realize she wasn’t able to reconcile her at that time conflicting responsibilities. She decided that her employment with that otherworldly agency I mentioned was what she had to lose.”

Rey blinks “but… that sounds like her so called “failure” is all in her… heh. Whoever you two were talking about, they don’t believe for a second that Nyx failed them, do they?”

Aaron chuckles. “The very idea is utterly ridiculous to them. If anything, Nyx was one of the best agents they ever had. She earned her early retirement.”

Rey smiles then blinks, noticing a golden vortex forming in front of them. “Is that where we’re going?”

Aaron nods. “An entry point that’s been set up for us. It’ll take us out of this world to another called Spirit World. Feel free to ask any questions you may have about the scenery.”

Rey nods “I’ll keep that in mind.” A moment later, they’re flying through a new world. As they go, Rey glances around from time to time. Pink sky above. Golden clouds below, with only a glowing river to break the monotony. “How far must we travel?”

Aaron sighs. “Further than expected already. Fortunately the river is our guide. We follow it, we reach our destination. The terminus of our entrance was supposed to be closer. I’ll have to look into that later. For now, more important things take priority.”

Rey nods, then looks down at the river, then back at Aaron “does it have a name? The river I mean.”

Aaron nods “it’s The River Styx.”

Rey blinks twice “The River Styx? Then this really is the path between life and death?”

Aaron chuckles “after everything you’ve experienced today, that’s what surprises you?”

Rey chuckles “well, it just actually hit me that I’m really dead right now. And yet, I’m not thinking like I’m dead. I’m looking forward to getting back into my body, learning what I’ll gain from this experience. So… yeah. I’m still not fully grasping the concept that I really am dead.”

Aaron nods “completely understandable. Most who experience death don’t normally have another chance to look forward to. You’re a special case, Rey. And if all goes well, your case is likely to remain open for a long time after this.”

Rey blinks “why’s that?”

Aaron smiles “if our efforts to get you back into your body are successful, you’ll have to earn your keep. This isn’t a free opportunity, no matter how many strings are pulled. Nor do any amount of called in favors change that. You will have to repay the good will of the people allowing this to even be possible.”

Rey nods “I see. Yeah, that’s fair. No doubt it’s a bureaucratic headache to work this out.”

Aaron nods “to say the least. Look. Up ahead. Our destination has come into view.”

Rey looks to see a floating island with bridges leading to grand gates in every direction. The island itself is dominated by a massive palace similar in style to the recently built tower of souls in Ponyville. “Wow. Talk about symbols of rank. But all those gates. I always thought there would only be two.”

Aaron nods “you aren’t alone in thinking that. Most people who believe in an afterlife would say there will be two doors in a grand hall of judgment between life and what comes after. If they don’t believe that all souls are treated the same. But in some space times, it’s a lot more complicated than that. This particular space time is an example of the complex version of the afterlife. Here, judgement is meted out based on a multitude of factors concerning your life. And with so many factors and variables being considered, there must be multiple ends, both good and bad. That’s why you’ll commonly hear divine beings in this universe refer to the lands of the dead when talking about the afterlife. They speak with terms suggesting multitudes because there are many different fates your soul may be sentenced to after death.”

Rey nods “I see. Wow. Am I going to remember this stuff?”

Aaron nods “yes. Going forward, you are one of the very few privileged living mortals who know all this. Though whether you’ll always think it a privilege is a matter for the future to decide.”

Rey nods “understood.”

A moment later, they’re standing in front of the palace gates. Rey can sense Aaron reaching out with his mind, and can’t help but feel shocked when his efforts lead to his mind brushing against hers. She knew he had to be a truly ancient being from how wise he often shows himself to be, but… she never imagined he was as ancient as that touch revealed. Countless trillions of years of existence weigh heavy on that ancient mind. No… more. Rey suddenly realizes that there is no known number capable of being applied to him in terms of his age. (Unbelievable. If what I felt is true… just what is he? Truly?) she thinks to herself, but further speculation is denied as the gate opens to allow them entry into the palace.

Rey finds herself immediately bombarded by how crazy busy the room just inside the palace is, with what she guesses are workers running all over the place, some shouting details of events that she assumes concern the newly deceased. Stacks of paper and books are carried around at breakneck speed, and Rey is frankly amazed that no one crashes into each other or her and Aaron as the two of them are now moving through that insanity towards a hall on the other side of the room. Aaron strides forth confidently, but she’s keeping her eyes open so she can evade anyone who gets close to crashing into them. “Is it always this crazy here?” She asks at one point, her jaw dropping when Aaron replies that it’s usually worse, and that it looks like they’re having a slow day today. She looks past Aaron towards the hall, which seems to be terribly far away in this madness. “Couldn’t we just fly over to the hall?”

Aaron laughs, looking back at her “we’re here to meet with royalty. That would be a rude gesture, don’t you think? Don’t worry, this place has existed almost since the beginning of this universe. They’ve had eons to get their groove, and a small disturbance like us won’t change a thing.”

Rey blinks, but nods understandingly. A few moments later, she sighs in relief as they make it into the hall. “That was terrifying. Amazing, but terrifying. I could barely make sense of how none of them ran into each other. And you said it looked like a slow day?”

Aaron nods “yes. And I wasn’t kidding. I’ve seen it ten times as crazy in there.” After a few more moments, he turns to look at a door they’ve arrived at. He looks at Rey “you’re about to be presented with an important choice. Consider your options carefully.”

Rey nods. “I will.”

[askthepsychic]

Nyx watches intently as Rey trains with those she owes her genes to. The two psychic Pokémon testing her limits over and over with increasing intensity. As she watches, Twilight comes up to watch with her. Nyx looks at her “how do you feel about this. Genetically speaking, her true parents are here now. And I can tell she cares about them.”

Twilight nods “as can I. But… I’m not troubled by it. She still cares for us too. Right now she’s trying to make up for lost time with them, but her heart has room for us all. You know that as well as I do.”

Nyx nods.

Twilight looks at her “and you? What do you think of the situation.”

Nyx sighs “if I must be honest, I’m relieved. I never told her in so many words, but I think she knew as I did that her power was growing faster than mine. It wasn’t hard to realize that I would eventually become a detriment to her training, rather than a boon. She would surpass me, and I would be unable to provide her with effective exercise from then on. Her parents already have the level of power she has the potential to achieve. They can train her far more effectively than I going forward.”

Twilight nods, then blinks as Aaron appears in the training arena. “Is it time for that already?” She wonders aloud, noting a decidedly grim look in his eyes. She looks at Nyx “let’s get down there. If I’m right, Hades and Ambrosia should show up in a moment.”

Nyx blinks, but nods as they fly down from the stands to join the others.

When they get down to them, Rey is asking Aaron why he’s interrupted the training session. Aaron replies “I’ve pinpointed the exact time Grogar will break free of the spell imprisoning him. Fortunately, it won’t be until the end of this year. This means that we have time to equip you with a new power that might tilt the scales in your favor should you need to fight. But before I explain that further, show me your progress with mega evolution.”

Rey nods, then clasps her hands in front of her, over where her mega stone is in her chest. A white energy spreads from that place, and when it fades, Rey has assumed her mega form. “My instructor says that with how quickly I’ve gotten to this point, she’d be comfortable leaving me to finish that training myself.”

Aaron nods “good. Then there shouldn’t be any issues that’ll arise from this.” With that, he suddenly charges forward, faster than any of them can track, his hoof connecting with the center of Rey’s chest with crushing force, making her drop out of mega evolution and leaving her gasping for breath on the ground on all fours.

Rey is shocked. In her wildest nightmares she never imagined that Aaron would ever attack her like this. And why is it suddenly so hard to catch her breath? She looks up at Aaron, her thoughts beginning to cloud over as she asks “Aaron, what did you do? Why did you do it?” As she asks, she detects Hades and Ambrosia arriving via Hades’ divine teleport.

Aaron looks at her grimly. “I made your lungs burst. That’s why it’s so hard for you to breathe right now. You’re about to die. As for why… it’s the only way. You gained perception of the spirits around you from your first experience with death, but you should’ve gained more. The only reason I can think of for you not to have gained all you should’ve is that you were dead for too brief a time, and were comatose throughout. But this time, strings have been pulled. Arrangements have been made. You won’t be comatose, and you’ll spend a longer time in spirit form. Your body will be preserved and repaired. When you return to it, you’ll have gained the rest of what you should’ve gained the first time. As long as you follow the rules regarding what’s happening now. I’ll be with you most of the time, guiding you along this experience. Now, relax. Release your soul. Ambrosia is waiting to report on your souls status.”

Rey nods “I see. I knew there had to be a good reason for this. See you on the other side.” With that, Rey relinquishes her hold on life, still surprised by what’s just happened, but trusting Aaron.

[askthepsychic]

Rey sighs. According to her new instructor, she made great progress towards achieving control of her mega evolution during her first lesson. Now she’s laying on her back in a meadow near Ponyville. If she reaches out, she can sense the three of them circling miles above, taking in the view of the land around them. Rey closes her eyes. Her mind has never been more clear than now. Then again, she’s never had an actual fellow psychic type Pokemon to help her train her psychic powers to stillness before. As she thinks about this, she hears hooves moving through the grass, getting closer to her. When they stop, she opens her eyes again to see Aaron standing next to her.

Aaron smiles “not a bad day’s work. I can already tell you’ve made a massive leap forward in control. But that’s not why I’m here. You wanted to see me?”

Rey blinks “I did?” She thinks back, then remembers what she sensed just before her visitors arrived “yes! I did! Aaron, just before they arrived, I was conducting a scan to gauge the mental state of the citizens of Equestria. During that scan, I came across a mind. Cruel. Full of hatred. Evil. It was only perceptible for an instant, then it vanished. Aaron, can you tell me what I sensed?”

Aaron nods “an ancient evil of this world. One whose dark will is so great, he was once called the king of evil. He was banished along with his dark fortress millennia ago. What you sensed was him testing the current strength of the spell keeping him and his fortress sealed away. The fact that you sensed him at all… doesn’t bode well. Based on what you’ve said, I can’t give it more than a year before he returns. I’ll have to go speak to Celestia about this. She’s never encountered him herself before, but I have no doubt she knows of him. She needs to know, to prepare. Rey, please, devote yourself to mastering your mega evolution and growing your Pokemon power as quickly as possible. We may have need of such great power before the year’s out.”

Rey nods. “I understand. I’ll be ready to lend my power when needed. This king of evil won’t know what hit him. Out of curiosity, what’s his name?”

Aaron turns to leave “Grogar. One of only two individuals ever known to truly master the forbidden dark branch of magic. Take care when you face him. That branch has only one purpose. To kill.”

Rey nods. “I understand.”

Aaron nods, then leaves, leaving Rey to evaluate her battle strategies to try to find one that could keep her alive against magic meant only to kill.

[askthepsychic]

Rey is floating high above Equestria, stationary, eyes closed as she reaches out with her mind to sense the thought patterns of the citizens and visitors, checking for any who may have intent to harm the kingdom. Suddenly, she senses a flash of intensely dark thoughts, so dark and evil that she actually experiences pain from the brief moment she senses them before they vanish again. She immediately focuses her senses in that location to see if she can pinpoint the individual with such intense evil brewing within them, but whoever they were is now completely absent from her perception. Unable to find the source of those dark thoughts, she begins to descend back to Ponyville, hoping to find Aaron so as to inquire about what she sensed.

As she makes her descent, she feels the air around her ripple strangely, then a portal appears in the air in front of her. She can scarcely believe her eyes when she sees who comes out of the portal. She knows the species, if not the exact individual in front of her. It’s one of the two species she owes her existence to. A mewtwo. Then two more individuals come out of the portal, one after the other. Another mewtwo and what she senses is a mew.

Rey gazes at the three before her, trying to think of what to say first when the first mewtwo to arrive, somehow different in appearance from the other though Rey can’t quite pinpoint how, breaks the silence first.

“Greetings. You are Rey, are you not? If you are, I would like to run my lesson plan by you after you acquaint yourself with those who came with me.” The voice sounds female, and Rey can definitely sense a feminine nature in the one who spoke, though she spoke only with her mind, using telepathy rather than her vocal cords.

Rey nods. “I am Rey. I guess your words indicate that you are the one Aaron contacted regarding teaching me more about mega evolution. As for you two” she indicates the other mewtwo and the mew “are you…?”

The other mewtwo nods, speaking, again telepathically, with a definite masculinity to his vocal tone “we are. Aaron thought you might like to meet us, so he insisted your instructor utilize her mega evolved speed to find and collect us before coming here. So, here we are. The ones whose genetic material was used to create you. I cannot speak for mew, but I can say that I at least am curious as to whether there is anything you would want to say to us. Any questions you might want to ask. Personally, I would give a great deal to have the opportunity you have. To meet my progenitor. To learn more about who I am, admittedly less than naturally, begotten of. To gain a new piece of the puzzle as to where I truly belong, what my existence truly means.”

Rey closes her eyes, trying to contain the threatening tears. “Your words resonate deeply with me. As to what I would wish to say to you, to ask of you, there is so much going through my mind. So many questions. So many words I want to say. I guess I’ll start with the first one that came to mind when I saw you. About the events on New Island. Was it worth it to either of you? One of you? Both?”

Mew comes to float around her as mewtwo sighs “I regret what I intended to do there. But for me, ultimately, it was worth it. I don’t know if I could have learned to respect all life any other way after the things that had happened to me before then, but I do know that I did learn to respect life on that island. So yes. Though it left me with a heavy weight to bear I do believe that event had sufficient worth from my perspective.”

Rey nods, then looks at mew, the small mythical Pokemon still circling her. In Pokemon language, mew then gives her response. “I… lost something prior to New Island. Something I missed dearly. My sorrow lead to me deciding to sleep. Just sleep the world away. From what I could tell, several decades, if not centuries, passed while I slept. Then I sensed mewtwo’s power. It brought me out of my slumber. I wasn’t sure any other Pokemon with sufficient power were near enough to stop what I sensed this power was being prepared for. I had to act. At first I tried to show him that we didn’t have to fight. I invited him to play instead. But he was determined that we were somehow meant to be enemies. I had to engage. My regret is that I failed to get through to him without violence. That not even the wisdom born of my millennia of life could reach him. And then he locked away the powers of his clones and the other Pokemon to try to prove a point. I hadn’t helped. I had made things worse. I couldn’t think of any other ways I could try to reach them, so I forced myself to unleash the power within me to fight him, hoping that the battle would somehow reveal another option to me. But… I never thought… that poor boy. By the time I realized what he’d decided to do it was too late to stop my own attack, much less mewtwos. He was caught in the middle. No human could’ve survived the force of our combined power. I could only watch on as I felt the weight of his death settle in my heart while his dear little pikachu tried repeatedly, futilely to revive him. The whole situation was just so very wrong, and I realized there was nothing I could do to fix it. But then… I didn’t have to anymore. As I watched on while the tears of all the Pokemon flowed, their restorative powers undoing what had been done to that boy, I sensed mewtwo coming to realize how much the same we really were. I knew everything would be alright. But I also knew that no matter how many millennia I lived, I would never forget that event. And I realized I couldn’t hide away from the world again. What if something similar came about and I was once again the only one close enough to resolve the situation. I decided the best thing I could do was to guide mewtwo and his clones to a place I thought they’d be safe. Then resume the vigil required of mythical Pokemon, required of those with power. And that is how I have lived my life since. Always watching for my power being needed, never forgetting any of my past experiences. In closing… as horrible as that whole situation was… yes. For me, it was worth it.”

Rey nods “I get where you both are coming from. You both came out of that situation with important lessons to apply to your futures. I guess that’s the real value of life. The ability to learn, and live by what you learn. That being said, I hope you don’t mind me asking but, what was it that you lost, mew? You didn’t say.”

Mew nods “I know, and that isn’t going to change. I only told you that I had lost something to explain why I was where I was when that situation began. Aside from that one moment, I have never spoken about my loss, and I prefer to keep it that way.”

Rey nods “understood. But another question came from your story too. Pokémon tears have healing powers? Enough so even to reverse death?”

Mew nods “if the situation is right, yes. But it takes a very grave situation for that power to be summoned from within a Pokemon. Aside from that moment, at the end of our fight, I know of only one other moment when that power manifested. It was before my time, but we mew, what few of us are left at this time, pass that tale down to our children. I won’t deny we can be childish more often than not, but we do assign great value to knowledge. Especially so if it’s of that sort of thing. Rare powers, strange events. Am I… making sense?”

Rey nods “you are. But again, you have given me a new question to ask. What did you mean by “what few of us are left”? Is something happening to the mew species?”

Mews expression finally changes to a rueful smile “well. Yes and no. You do realize the rarity we must exist in to be assigned the designation of mythical, don’t you? Last I checked, there were less than 50 mew left in the world we came here from. But that’s okay. One thing you should know about the mew species is that we are numbered among the oldest species of Pokemon. There are only a handful of species that are slightly older if not just exactly as ancient as the mew species. And there’s a reason for that. Unless I miss my guess, you have known the technique Transform your whole life, haven’t you?” At Rey’s confirmation mew reverently lowers her gaze, closing her eyes “that technique was essential to the purpose we were given at the beginning of our world. In the beginning, precisely 10000 mew were created by the god Arceus. They were born alongside Pokemon who were created to govern the elements of existence in our world. But the mew were different. They weren’t created for such grand purpose as the others. While the other Pokemon that Arceus himself created went to fulfill their roles, went to tame the wild forces of creation, the mew stayed behind, waiting for Arceus to explain why they were created. It wasn’t until the world was tamed that Arceus did just that. He told the mew that while they had no element of existence to govern, their role could be considered to be even greater than that. They were then shown a special flower. Arceus bade them “seek thee out these flowers in the world with healthy body and parental will. Diversify your forms after the flower has given you its gift. In this way, you may bring life on a grand scale to the world I have created.” The mew, their purpose now clear, went to work immediately. By their gift, the ability to reproduce without a mate, they were able to bring life to the world at twice the rate any other species could have. They used their natural born technique transform to choose the forms that life would take on a whim according to their own fancy. The rest is both history and myth.”

Rey nods “it’s admittedly hard to believe, but still, I don’t doubt a single thing you have just said. Hmm. ‘Seek thee out these flowers with healthy body and parental will’. That’s why the mew species is in decline, isn’t it? They’ve become too childish, making parental will exceedingly rare among a species that is already rare.”

Mew nods. “Exactly. We are capable of reproducing the other way too, but with so few of us wanting to be parents… it’s only a matter of time. We are immortal, but for us, that doesn’t mean we can’t die. We live exceedingly long lives, with one mew being capable of witnessing millennia of life, if not a full eon. But, eventually we too wither away and perish. And in all that time, it’s perfectly possible that we may never be in the right state of mind to bear children. So… we don’t. Our mission to populate the world is complete. We’ve done what we were tasked to do, fulfilled our purpose. But I think doing so sapped us of any desire to have children. Heh. Our progeny walk upon the earth… but they aren’t us.”

Rey nods. Then looks at the two of them, her genetic parents. “There’s one last thing I’d like to know right now. Did either of you… know about me?”

Mewtwo sighs “I sensed a new psychic presence at one point. Powerful, and I could tell by how it felt that it was connected to me. But before I could do anything about it, it was gone. I thought of my past battles. Realized it was likely that someone had somehow acquired a genetic sample. Since you had vanished from my perception, I assumed that the effort to create you had somehow failed. That you had died still in the incubation phase. But ultimately, whatever had happened to you left me powerless to do anything for you. So I decided it was best to leave it at the fact that you had existed and pray that you found happiness in whatever life came next for you.”

Rey chuckles. “Well, at least one part of that prayer came true. I am happy here.”

Mewtwo smiles, nodding in satisfaction before looking at mew. She nods “like you, I also sensed Rey’s presence for the brief time she spent in our world. I was on my way to find her when she disappeared. I was depressed for a time afterwards. Whatever or whoever I sensed, I could tell that their mind was in turmoil. I wanted to help them, but I had lost the opportunity without ever seeing them. Rey, I’m sorry I was too late to help you.”

Mewtwo nods “as am I.”

Rey smiles “what matters to me is that you both tried. You both sensed our connection and wanted to help me because you felt responsible for me. Mew, I can tell you’re the sort without parental will, but you were willing to take responsibility for my existence and come to help me. Mewtwo, you were likewise willing to take responsibility. Even if I had never come here, I would have had true parents sooner or later. Thank you both.”

The two nod, then the other mewtwo gets Rey’s attention “if all your questions are answered for now, shall we discuss the lesson plan?”

Rey nods. “Yes. But I do want to mention that you three are all welcome to stick around as long as you want as far as I’m concerned. Besides, having other Pokemon to train with could accelerate my development.”

Mewtwo nods “a good point. I don’t have any true obligations back home, so I believe I shall stay.”

Mew nods in agreement.

The female mewtwo smiles. “Now that that’s settled, here’s how I’m planning to teach you.”

[askthepsychic]

Rey hmms, looking out over Ponyville from her perch on the spire of the Palace of Friendship. She raises her hand to her face, looking at it. “A temporary evolution. Pushing my power way beyond its normal limits. How? If I can learn more about that transformation, maybe I can learn to use it at will, and not in a state of anger. If I can do that… my ability to protect everyone will grow exponentially.”

“Amazing. And very pleasant to hear.”

Rey blinks, turning around to see Aaron behind her. “Aaron? What can I do for you?”

Aaron smiles. “This time, I intend to be the one to ask you that same question. You learn of a power that you never knew existed within you, and the first thing you think is that this power would make it that much easier to protect others. I’m very happy with this fact. So tell me. What do you think you need most to learn more about this power?”

Rey blinks, thinking a moment before deciding on her response. “Such a power could easily be intuitive to master I think. That being said, I do think instruction could accelerate my learning to master this power. And the sooner I do so, the better as far as I’m concerned.”

Aaron nods. “I shall contact someone who can help you understand this power. As an aside, there’s another power you could gain access to in the near future, we’ll be having another discussion regarding that power soon.”

Rey nods. “Understood. I look forward to learning more about that power, as well as the one I recently accessed. Out of curiosity, what exactly is my recent metamorphosis called anyways?”

Aaron smiles “it’s called Mega Evolution. A temporary form of Pokemon evolution that pushes the limits of the Pokemon who experiences it beyond the normal parameters of their species. On top of that, only certain species are capable of it at all.”

Rey nods “so I lucked out by having the genes of such a fortunate species added to my makeup. I wonder what species I inherited that ability from.”

Aaron smiles “you’ll know soon enough. I’ve contacted them. They should be ready to come train you sometime in the next week.”

Rey smirks “multitasking. Okay. I’ll be waiting.”