//------------------------------// // Chapter 5 // Story: The God of Death // by TenebrisScholar //------------------------------// Alric ended up having to use some sleight of hand to take out the Life Soul and make it look like he had summoned it like his normal pyromancy flame. Keeping in mind what Crimson told him before about overwork exhausting everyone before their journey, he then used it to grow only a few of the trees for the sake of demonstration rather than growing all of their crops a second time. With that the Pegasi were able to be convinced to back down and Alric brought them back to his castle to work out a way to help them without hurting the Earth Ponies, after putting the fillies to bed. The Captain was still upset about the fact Alric had used Rapport on him, but begrudgingly put that aside due to the prospect of gaining a new source of food for his people. Alric would use his garden to grow enough food to at least relieve the burden on the pegasi. For a workforce to tend and harvest the crops he grew, he created Treants like the ones that tended the Royal Woods in the time of Oolacile. They were only slightly more intelligent than a golem but they were effective enough to harvest and store crops for the pegasi. Obviously he couldn’t produce all the food they needed without a considerable amount of time. But he was confident in his ability to produce enough to at least offer them some relief, though it would take some time. The next day while the treants were plowing and digging to prepare his garden, Alric carried the fillies as he went to the Unicorn Capital City. It was pretty average for a city, all things considered. Higher walls than normal and the buildings more ornate likely due to the fact their entire workforce could use magic and thus construction was easier for them.  “Well, little ones, there it is. Let us hope we can find a suitable place for you to stay.” Alric stated looking out at the city with the fillies in his arms. Neither of the fillies seemed particularly happy. Luna seemed sad and Celestia seemed worried. “Can’t we just stay with you? We can be quiet and not bother you…” Celestia asked. Alric shook his head. “Celestia, this is not about you two being quiet or bothering me. That is the furthest thing from my mind. It would simply be better for you to grow amongst your own kind. I can care for you and give you an education, but there’s much I cannot do for you. My castle is in the middle of nowhere. Far from civilization. There are no other foals your age to befriend and play with. There are no ponies around me for you to interact with at all, in fact. And thus I would be effectively your only source of interaction besides each other. I fear that would negatively impact your social development and would inevitably lead to you both being overly sheltered. among other such issues. Thus I truly do believe that this is what is best for you.” They deserved better than what he could give them. They deserved to have normal, happy, healthy lives. To have friends and to eventually have families of their own. To grow old and die amongst their loved ones. He could keep them alive and healthy and train them to be two of the greatest sorcerers who have ever lived. But that’s all. If they stayed with him, they would miss out on so much else. Celestia looked back at the city in the distance. She was afraid, he could tell. He held her a bit tighter, trying to comfort her. “I don’t wanna…” Luna muttered. “It’ll be quite alright, Luna. If it makes you feel any better, depending on where you end up, mayhaps I shall be able to visit every so often. Now there is no point in dallying any further. Let us be off.” Alric stated before setting off towards the city. He could have just teleported there, but they were already close enough he decided to walk. It gave him a few more minutes to spend with the fillies. Admittedly, he was actually somewhat reluctant to part with them, but ultimately it was for the best. He had to put their wellbeing above his own loneliness. He would simply appreciate the short time he had spent with them while it lasted. Just as he did with all the friends he had made along his journey. It was bitter sweet, but he was already used to it. He approached the city and was stopped by some guards at the gate. “Halt, creature! State your name and your business in the Platinum City. As well what you’re doing with those two foals!” Alric bowed politely. “I am Alric of Vinheim. I am a human. My business is to find an orphanage or perhaps a willing family to take in these two unicorn fillies I rescued from a village that was frozen by the Windigos. Celestia, Luna, say hello to the nice guardsmen.” “Hello…” Celestia greeted them. “Mm…” Luna grumbled. The guards looked at each other before looking back at him. “I shall speak with my commanding officer. Remain here until I return.” One of the guards ordered before turning and trotting off leaving Alric and the fillies with the other guard. “I am new to these lands. Ever since I arrived it seems all corners have been harshly impacted by the arrival of the windigos and the famine they bring. How has the city fared, might I ask?” Alric asked the guard, trying to make conversation. “Not well. The Windigos come and destroy villages, killing everypony. It is rare that there are ever survivors like these two. Our wizards can drive them away from the city, fortunately. However, the famine they bring is devastating us… It cannot go on like this… Fortunately Princess Platinum has a plan in the works that shall be our salvation. Or so she says.” The guard told him. Alric nodded grimly. “I suppose I should have expected nothing less… For what it’s worth, I’m sorry.” The famine… That was right, the Earth Ponies could barely grow enough food to feed everyone. It was why they planned to move to find more fertile lands. That could be a problem… He wanted to help the Unicorns too but he only had so much room in his garden and his Treants could only work so fast. He would try to offer some relief, at least, but he would have to dedicate a significant amount of time and effort if he wanted to actually end the famine by himself. Time and energy he could ill afford to spend on this. He needed to start conducting research to return to his own universe so he could end the curse. He couldn’t let compassion blind him to the looming danger that was the prospect of going hollow if he couldn’t fulfill his purpose. “Would slaying the Windigos be sufficient to end this famine?” Alric asked. Killing was something he had plenty of experience with. It was, sadly, his go to solution for most problems he faced as it tended to be the easiest and most expedient option available to him. If he could kill all the Windigos, perhaps the famine could end naturally and he could focus on his work. He would have to commit another genocide and exterminate the entire species. He didn’t want to resort to that, but… “A lovely thought, but it’s not possible. If Star Swirl the Bearded can’t find a way to drive them off, nopony can.” The guard said dismissively. “Humor me. If they could be slain, would killing them all end this famine?” Alric asked. The guard sighed. “Perhaps. It would end the cold which would let the crops grow. It would still take time to recover, however. More would die in the time it took. Getting rid of the Windigos would be a decent start but it would not be the end of our troubles for some time.” Alric scowled to himself in thought as he wracked his brain trying to think of a solution to save as many lives as possible while still leaving him with the time he needed to conduct his research. He continued to stand there thinking to himself in silence until the second guard eventually returned. “Our commanding officer has decided you may enter. However, know that any crimes committed will be dealt with harshly. You’re no pony, let alone a unicorn, even if there are two in your care. We have little tolerance for outsiders who make trouble within our city.” Still holding Celestia and Luna, Alric gave the guards another polite bow. “Understood. I shall be on my best behavior whilst I am here, I assure you. And I shall leave as soon as I know to whom I might entrust the care of my Wards… Where might I find the nearest orphanage?” “The largest and most well funded orphanage in the city is near the residential district. They should be willing to take in two more foals” One of the guards informed him before giving him directions to said church. With that Alric walked past them and entered the city. As he did, he saw unicorns bundled in warm clothes. Almost all of them looked hungry and they all looked utterly miserable. Alric pitied them. He knew not the pain of hunger. He knew not hunger at all for undead required no sustenance and he had forgotten most of his mortal life. But he knew suffering. And he recognized it on all of their faces. He weaved through the sparse crowds, ignoring the glares and stairs he received as he trudged through the city. He was unbothered by such things. At least they weren’t chasing him with torches and pitchforks. Eventually he found the orphanage. He walked inside and saw a mare dusting some simple paintings on the walls. “Good day.” Alric greeted her. She set down her feather duster and turned to face him with a smile. She then flinched and her smile fell as she got a proper look at him. “Oh… Good day…” “Indeed. Some guards at the city entrance directed me here. This is the orphanage, correct?” Alric asked. “It is… Am I to assume you wish to drop off those two foals?” The woman asked. “I am. Though I would like to examine your facility first, if at all possible.” Alric requested. “I simply wish to know the conditions in which they will be living before I entrust them to your care. It would put my mind at ease.” “I suppose that can be arranged… Ehem… What is your relation to these two, exactly?” The mare asked. “I rescued them from a village frozen by the Windigos. They were the only survivors, thus I have taken them into my care until I could find a new home for them amongst their own kind. I simply wish to be sure they will live a better life here than they would if they remained in my care.” Alric explained. “I see… Please follow me. I suppose I can give you a brief tour.” The Mare stated, turning and walking off. The two fillies in his arms looked around curiously as the mare led Alric through the orphanage. The mare opened a door and walked inside. Alric followed her. “This is one of the dorms where the foals sleep.” The mare informed him. Alric looked around. The room was full of simple cots, each with a single blanket. He frowned. Given the temperature now, in the middle of the day, he couldn’t imagine a single blanket would keep any of the foals warm enough at night. But while perhaps not pleasant he supposed it was livable. He had seen individuals survive in worse conditions. “Hm… Very well.” The mare led him elsewhere. This time, to the dining room. “This is where the foals eat. We try to give them two meals a day. Though recently we’ve only been able to give them one.” Alric’s frown deepened and Celestia grew visibly more worried. The mare led them to a dayroom where all the foals were currently located, along with several other staff members. “And this is where the younger foals stay during the day. The older foals are put to work in apprenticeships, doing chores, or helping us care for the young. We try to make sure all the little ones in our care gain the skills they need to get jobs or start and care for families of their own when they come of age.” The mare explained. Alric looked at all the foals in the room. Some were playing, or at least were trying to, but they all appeared lethargic and malnourished to varying degrees. Sunken cheeks, shallow stomachs, visible ribs. His heart ached for them. He had seen famines before, but it was never easy to see the young victims. He had been worried that something like this might be the case. Seeing the Earth Pony village he had hoped it wouldn’t be quite so bad. But it seemed the fact they could make their crops grow kept them barely afloat amidst this perpetual winter. He sighed. “This is what I was afraid of… I’m sorry, madam, but I cannot in good conscience leave my charges in your care.” The mare looked at him in confusion. “The famine. I had hoped that, being funded by the church or state, an orphanage might be able to keep their children fed. But looking at these poor souls, it seems my hopes have been dashed… I assume the other orphanages are in a similar state?” Alric asked. The mare nodded. “We’re actually better off than most, I’m afraid.” Alric nodded grimly. “And I take it you don’t know of any families who can afford to take on two new children?” She shook her head. “No. Else these poor dears would already have homes of their own.” “Hm… Ah, wait a moment. Celestia, Luna, you informed me your father was invited here to join the group who raise and lower the sun and moon. And said group works directly for the Royal Family. Is that correct?” Alric inquired. “Mhm. Daddy got a letter inviting him. He was so happy… We were gonna leave soon, before the Windigos showed up and…” Her eyes started to water and she pressed her head against Alric’s chest. Luna sniffled and her eyes started watering as well. “I miss Mommy and Daddy…” She muttered. He gently squeezed the two of them. “I know, little ones… It’ll be alright…” He looked back at the mare. “I’m not quite familiar with how this works, I’m afraid. Does that make them nobility or at the very least change anything? Might someone within that group be willing to accept them? I can go back to their village and find the letter of invitation in their old home if necessary.” The mare shook her head. “It doesn’t… Um… I’m not sure I should say this in front of them. Might you be willing to leave them here for a moment so that I might tell you this in private?” Alric shook his head. “I do not believe in overly sheltering children. This has to do with their family, thus they have every right to hear it. If it is bad, I will comfort them but I will not shield them with ignorance.” The Mare sighed. “Very well then… I’m afraid the ‘honor’ of joining the group who raise and lower the sun and moon is something of a deception ponies tell their foals to comfort them. In reality the process is so straining that it eventually burns out their magic entirely. Their father would have been just another unicorn to be used up so that a few more days could pass. He would have been well compensated for his service, yes, and may have been granted a lesser noble title if he was lucky. However after a few days, maybe a week or two if he was particularly powerful, he would never again be able to use magic. But he likely deemed it worth the sacrifice to feed his family for a bit longer. However, since he never arrived to fulfill his duty, no title will have been granted nor any compensation given. Thus, sadly, it changes their situation not.” Celestia stiffened in Alric’s grip. Luna looked confused. “Lose his magic? Does that mean Daddy’s horn would have fallen off?” Luna asked. “Mercifully no. The unicorns who sacrifice their magic to raise the sun and moon keep their horns. But their magic gets all used up. They just don’t have any more so they can’t use what they don’t have.” The mare explained. Alric sighed. Of course. Nothing is ever so simple is it? It made sense. Without a god to do it, raising and lowering the sun and moon would be a truly herculean task, thus it stood to reason it required sacrifices. If anything, it was lucky they didn’t lose their lives rather than just their ability to use magic. Though, the fact they could lose their magic did come as something of a surprise to him. It had to have something to do with their horns, otherwise that just should not have been a possibility. One did not simply ‘use up’ their magic. Perhaps their catalyst, or in this case their horns, could be damaged but if they could get a new one they would be able to cast spells just fine. The problem was, the ponies likely had no idea about Catalysts or how to make them as they had horns and thus had never had a need for Catalysts. He would have to try to rectify that, if possible. “I suppose I shall need to continue caring for them myself then… A pity. It would be better for them to be raised by other unicorns, but so be it…” Alric stated. Celestia’s expression went from sad and worried to hopeful. “So… We get to stay with you, Alric?” She asked. “I suppose so. I can at least keep you both well fed… I’ll have to find some other means of solving the issues presented by you remaining with me… Madam, I am unfamiliar with the laws of this land. Is there a process I need to go through to adopt these two? Paperwork I need to sign and the like?” Alric asked. The mare shook her head. “They aren’t nobility, nor are you. So, no.” Alric nodded. “Very well. Then I thank you for your time and your courtesy. We shall be taking our leave now.” He turned and left the orphanage, thinking about how to solve the problems this presented. Though in a way he was somewhat relieved. He had only known them for a short time, but he had come to like them both quite a bit. Spending what time with them he was able made him realize how much he longed for children of his own. Or apprentices, at the very least. He had spent millennia fighting, traveling, and studying, in his efforts to find a way to end the curse. It was a long solitary journey full of loneliness. He had never had the time to take on an apprentice. Plus the situations he got himself into were oft far too dangerous for the living, while every undead he had ever known had an unfortunate tendency to go hollow in the pursuit of their own purposes. And their purposes oft led them in vastly different directions to his own purpose regardless. Thus he simply never took any true apprentices. And undead were, of course, sterile. So he had never had children of his own. Nor had he ever had time for romance even if undead were not sterile. He looked down at the sisters who now seemed considerably happier than they were just a short while ago. “I’m sorry, little ones. I suppose this trip turned out to be a waste of time. I held out hope that an orphanage might be able to provide at least the bare minimum for you, but that seems not to be the case.” “It's okay. Neither of us want to leave anyway. You’re really nice!” Celestia told him. “Yeah! And if we stay you can teach us to make pretty crystals like you do!” Luna agreed. Alric chuckled a bit. “It’ll be quite some time before either of you are anywhere near ready to cast crystal sorceries. But I suppose you're technically correct. That is something I can teach you, eventually… Thank you, little ones. I do appreciate the sentiment. But I shall still have to find some way to circumvent the issues with you staying with me. Visits to the city several times a week, perhaps? A live-in nanny? Hm… I shall think on it.” “Okay… Um, Alric? How did Gwyn and Gwynevere raise and lower the sun by themselves without losing their magic? If a whole bunch of unicorns working together lose their magic, then how can they do it by themselves?” Celestia asked. “Because they are gods, of course. Beings with power far beyond the reckoning of mere mortals. It would take an entire army of unicorns to match Gwynevere, let alone Gwyn himself.” Alric explained. Then he tilted his head as some pieces clicked together in his head. “Wait a moment… You just made me realize something…” He had both Gwynevere and Gwyndolin’s souls from his rampage against the gods in his youth. Along with the souls of many other gods. He kept the majority of the souls of any gods he killed, as it seemed wasteful to consume them or turn them into weapons. He primarily used them as tools to cast certain kinds of magics having to do with the specific god’s domain.  Regardless, perhaps he could bequeath them upon someone to create gods of the sun and moon to take over for the unicorns? Plus Gwynevere was a goddess of fertility as much as she was the goddess of the Sun. He would have to find suitable candidates. Individuals he could trust with such power and responsibility. Once he found a suitable candidate for Gwynevere’s soul, he could delegate the task of blessing crops to them, helping ease the famine whilst freeing up his time so that he might be able to conduct his research as necessary. The unicorns and Pegasi would likely need such anyways as the Earth Ponies, whose magic enhanced the growth of plants, would soon be leaving to find new more fertile lands. Plus this new deity could take over raising and lowering the Sun while whomever he bequeathed Gwyndolin’s soul onto could raise and lower the moon thus sparing further unicorns from burning out their magic. The problem then became finding suitable candidates. He looked down at the fillies in his arms. They were a bit young, but perhaps that was for the better? He could raise them to be good deities, avoiding the many mistakes and atrocities committed by the gods of his world. Perhaps this trip wasn’t quite the waste of time he thought it was after all. He would have never thought of this had he not come here. Then he hesitated as he thought of the implications this would have upon their lives. If he did this, they wouldn’t have the chance to live normal lives. They could, perhaps, start families of their own when they were older, but they would outlive their mortal husbands. Their children would likely be immortal like themselves, however. So it wasn’t as though they would necessarily outlive everyone around them. But would that be something they wanted? Was this truly what was best for them? Or was he being too hasty now that he had a potentially viable solution to solve so many different issues? Did he have a choice? If it could help so many others and save lives or stop ponies from crippling themselves to maintain the cycle of day and night, would it be right to not follow through on this? Merely for the potential cost to two little orphan girls? The math didn’t line up. Two was far outweighed by millions. And many would suggest he was granting them the largest blessing imaginable by turning them into deities. He wasn’t quite sure he agreed. Morally speaking, he was uncertain if this was the right call. This was an immense responsibility and burden to put on two children. But were morals what mattered here? Why did it have to be them? He could find two adult ponies he could trust with such power, he was sure. But how long would it take? How many would suffer and die in that time? He was conflicted. On the one hand they would be able to help so many others. On the other hand, he could be damning them to a life of endless responsibility with very little happiness. He wished Velka, Quelana, or Quelaan was here so that he might discuss the matter with them before coming to a conclusion. Sadly, they were not. Thus the weight of this decision rested entirely upon his shoulders. That didn’t necessarily mean he had to make this decision alone. He would speak with the girls. Let them know all of the pros and potential cons of becoming goddesses. Then he would let them decide whether they believed it was worth the potential costs or not. Most of the decision would rest upon Celestia as she was the eldest and thus the most likely to truly understand when he explained all that this could cost them. He would have preferred if she were older, at least in her teens, but this was not something that could wait a decade or so for them to both grow up more. “Girls, there is something very important I need to discuss with you. Let us return to the castle immediately.” Alric told them in a very serious tone. Setting them both down, he drew his catalyst and teleported the three of them back to the castle.