Morbid Curiosity part 2

(Minor updates on 24/12/16)

>Crap.
>He really is not moving.
>He would have moved by now if he was trying to trick you.
>And those weird scars you can see on his legs.
>... and face.
>They definitely were not there before.
>They look like a tree.
>...
>Or a lightning.
"No, no, no, no."
>You shake your head trying to get rid of the dark thoughts creeping in on you, throwing your rainbow mane around.
"Anon, you got me. I'm creeped out for real this time. You can move now, I lost."
>You walk up closer to him, and raise his hand with your hoof.
"So stop being a jerk and just say something, alright?"
>You drop his limb.
>It falls like sack of potatoes.
>No saving reflex.
>No reaction.
>Nothing.
>Like he was...
>NO!
>He isn't.
>He is just playing with you Rainbow, he's being an ass.
>...
>Right?
>You look at his mouth.
>It's split open just a little bit, like he was snoozing.
>That's right.
"You just decided to take a nap then, right?"
>You give a nervous laugh.
>And a worried smile.
"It's okay, I don't mind that much. Just..."
>You carefully lift his eyelid.
>His eye doesn't move around.
>His iris does not shift its shape.
"... just..."
>You lean in closer to his face.
>Trying to listen in.
>Trying to hear air coming in and out of his mouth, his nose.
>Nothing.
"... just..."
>You suddenly notice that your vision is getting somewhat foggy.
>But it's not the most important thing right now.
>You move you head back, and put your wing in its place, trying to catch the small gusts of air with your sensitive feathers.
>...
>Nothing.
"... just don't be dead, alright?"

>He didn't respond.
>But he will respond.
>Not right now, but when he wakes up.
>Maybe in an hour.
>Maybe tomorrow.
>Yes, is just tired from all the running.
>That's why he ran out of breath, right...?
>But your denial grows weaker and weaker.
>Some part of you already knows what you have done.
>And try as you might to stop it, it looms over your mind.
>You still don't want to accept it, and still resist.
>But not for long.
>You feel an overpowering cold resonating from your chest.
>Like the blood in your veins was replaced with liquid ice.
>You feel your resolve slowly give in.
>The last glimmers of arguments fading.
>And then...
>You give in.
>Just like that.
>You realise that Anon will not wake up.
>Not in an hour.
>Not tomorrow.
>Not ever.
>He has died.
>He is dead.
>You have killed him.
"A-anon?"
>You ask, even though you're not sure why.
>He can't talk anymore, you made sure of it.
>You suddenly notice that you're running out of breath.
>A myriad thoughts start running through your head, not one of them positive or happy.
>The horrifying chill has reached your hooftips by now, and you feel like your heart was struggling to pump the cold blood in you.
>Your racing thoughts become slowly clouded, like the sky you were preparing for a stormy day.
>Suddenly you realise that your vision becomes shrinking as well.
>Acting on the deepest levels of learned reflexes you perform the specific kind of controlled breathing.
>The one pegasi use when in a tight turn of a fast flight.
>The familiar feeling of oxygen reaching your brain in full capacity calms you a bit.
>And allows you to think again.
>Sweet Celestia, did you need to think right now.

>The cold seems to have receeded somewhat.
>Good, it was rather distracting.
>You need to focus.
"Dammit Rainbow, think."
>Did you just say it out loud?
>Whatever, nopony is around.
>And if they were, talking to yourself is not the biggest of worries for you anyway.
>So, thinking.
>Anon is dead.
>You killed him.
>The only human to arrive in Equestria in all its history, and you just...
>Like it was nothing.
>You force yourself to look at his face again.
>He looks so peaceful, like he was actualy sleeping.
>Save for the scars.
>For some reason you feel like it would be less awkward to talk to him.
"You know I didn't mean to do it, right?"
>And then you hear a thought from the same rogue area in your mind that tried to break through your denial.
>"Or did you?"
"I never meant to harm you, it was just supposed to be a prank."
>"But you did harm him. Far worse, you MURDERED him."
>The penultimate word was left resonating in your skull.
"But I... I-uh, I... How could I know a small lightning would be this bad for him?"
>Some distant cells in your brain register that your voice is now cracking.
>"Because he told you. Because Twilight told you. And you were too DUMB to listen."
>Another word begins bouncing inside your head, and it begins to sound like Twilight's voice.
"Twilight is afraid of lightning like a filly, I thought that she just found someone else with the same fear in Anon."
>"And you were so self assured that you would bet his life on it?"
"I was not betting on anything, I worked with thunders for so long now that..."
>"That you disregarded pleads for mercy and instead became a MURDERER?"
>That word again.
>It hit a perfect resonating frequency with the first one, resulting in physically painfull crescendo going in your cranium.
>"MURDER... DUMB... MURDER... DUMB... MURDER..."
>And just like that.
>You snap.
"I. AM. NOT. A. MURDERER."
>...
>Silence...

>The realization of what has just transpired dawns on you.
>You just argued with voices in your head, by shouting at a corpse of a friend who you so happen to have killed a short while back.
>You give a short, nervous laugh.
>You're insane.
>You're going crazy.
>Hey, that might be a good thing actually.
>Instead of being thrown into a dungeon, you will be locked in an asylum.
>Yes, the food is probably better.
>Heh.
>Wait...
>Suddenly you realize what you just said.
>Internally this time.
>You're going to be locked away for what you did.
>That's what they do to...
>Ponies who caused others' death.
>You feel the relapse of panic setting in.
"I c-can't go to the d-dungeon."
>You explain to the Anon.
>He seems rather indifferent to that.
"I will never be able to become an actual Wonderbolt from there."
>Oh. So THAT'S your concern, huh?
>You reprimanded yourself.
"Plus Celestia is going to kill me for killing the only human."
>That does sound rather problematic, too.
"And Twilight will kill me for being such an idiot."
>Probably, yeah.
"And Rarity..."
>Oh man, Rarity.
"She will kill me even more than Celestia and Twilight. Shit, I told her to wait myself."
>Anon seems to not realize the direness of Rarity's impending berserk rage.
"And now she will never tell you that she had a crush on you."
>And finally he answered you, even though you could clearly see his lips not moving.
>At least that's the only reasonable explanation, because you've heard quite clearly Anon shout
>"WHAT?"

>You recoil in shock from the dead body.
>Or what you thought was a dead body anyway.
"A-anon?"
>You ask timidly.
>...
>Nothing.
>Was that in your head?
>It sounded so real.
>You muster the courage to slowly sneak closer to him.
>His chest is still resting flat.
>Eyelids still closed, just like you left them.
>He looks just like a dead body would look.
>That is not a sentence you hoped to come up with today.
>So did that mean you were hearing voices?
>Your previous argument was with yourself, even if that other "you" had Twilight's voice.
>This one felt different, it felt like it came from outside.
>And to be honest, not even from the body, but...
>You turn your head to the right, and look at a roadside bush.
>...from over there.
>Sudden rustling of the leaves you were looking at almost sent you flying.
>But you overcome your initial instinct to run, and instead shout
"Hey, who is over there?"
>Once again, the only answer was the sound of silence.
>You decide to walk over there, despite your trembling hooves.

>Shit.
>She definitely heard you.
>Shouting like that was probably a bad idea, but come on.
>Rarity?
>Crush on you?
>What the hell, she was always playing this "I'm-far-more-exquisite-than-you-so-don't-even-look" queen of the world kinda mare.
>And she didn't even give you any attention.
>...
>Except when she was so eager to work on your clothes when you first got here.
>And prepare furniture for your house.
>And when she asked you for a help with some kind of exhibition of her works.
>Holy shit.
>The pieces are starting to fall together.
>When you recall her behavior every time she was not behind that iron curtain of a facade, she acted...
>Strange.
>You've always played it off as a xenophobia, being an alien and all that.
>But with what Dash has just said, it would make sense.
>Implying she was talking truth, and not going even crazier.
>The image of her shouting at your body comes back before your eyes, and you involuntarily shudder.
>The leaves on a brush you were standing next to give a soft flutter as they are upset by your left arm.
>To your terror you notice that Dash is looking straight at you.
>Well, was looking, before she almost jumped out of her hooves.
>Fuck, she heard that one too?
>Just how much influence do you have on this world right now?
>"Hey, who is over there?"
>You freeze. She did not run, as you thought she would.
>Instead, she started slowly walking towards you.
>You do your best to not make any sound as you inch behind the bush somewhat.
>You were supposed to be invisible, but holy crap did you do a poor job at that so far.
>You hear uneasy hoofsteps come closer to your hiding spot.

>Through the semi-transparent shrubbery you can see a multicolored mass slowly creep towards you.
>You try to breathe as quietly as possible, not knowing anymore what exactly you can do without being spotted.
>It seemed like she didn't notice you when you walked behind a bush.
>Or when you actually materialized back in this world, even though that sounded like a pretty loud crackle to you.
>Wait, materialized?
>Does a ghost materialize? You know, being all immaterial?
>Huh, that's not exactly a question you've had to consider before.
>But then again, same can be said about a great many things that happened to you today.
>Such as "why is the gateway to pony afterlife a ravine made out of clouds?"
>Hell, even "is the gateway to pony afterlife a ravine made out of clouds?"
>If someone asked you that yesterday, you'd probably look rather confused, not knowing why would that be one's mental image.
>A rainbow mane poking around the green plant cuts your philosophical debate short.
>You try to persuade your heart to not beat so loudly, but it seems deaf to your reasoning.
>As the pegasus pokes her head around the corner, she scans the area nervously.
>"H-hello?"
>You can hear her voice crack there.
>She seems to be taking this whole situation rather poorly.
>Beats being dead, huh?
>...
>Only that you were not dead, remember?
>And as far as having died goes, it wasn't that bad. You've had way worse when you were alive.
>Before you can realize what you're doing, you exhaled your breath through the nose rather loudly.
>It was a weak replacement for a laugh, but not weak enough considering your situation.
>Because right now Rainbow Dash was looking straight at you.

>You hold your breath.
>Both literally and metaphorically.
>Her magenta eyes are staring right at yours.
>But she doesn't say anything, nor does she otherwise react to you.
>In fact, her eyes were not looking at you.
>They were looking right through you.
>Like you were truly invisible.
>She squints.
>"This is not f-funy, okay? Whoever you are, stop hiding and s-show yourself, a-alright?"
>She sounds more like Fluttershy than herself right now.
>Save for the voice of an alcoholic, that's still there.
>You try breathing really slowly.
>As luck might have it, the blue pegasus chose this moment to move closer to you.
>You have no idea if that was random, or as a result of air escaping your lungs.
>Hang on a second.
>You have no lungs.
>They lie discarded and broken on the road, a few meters away from you.
>Why are you even breathing?
>You try to not breathe in this time, as Rainbow sheepishly half-crawls towards you.
>Everything inside you screams that you need air.
>But you don't feel dizzy, nor do you feel physical pain.
>You're just very uncomfortable with this.
>Some primal shard in your ethereal brain tries to force its way and make your lungs expand once more.
>But you manage to quench that inner rebellion, and keep yourself deflated.
>So to speak.
>Dash was really close now.
>A step or two, and she will end up colliding with you.
>You're not sure how that would end, but seeing how you managed to move the leaves on the bush, you seem to have some kind of physical influence.
>Although you'd really rather not right now.
>She makes a step.
>She looks both scared, and confused.
>... and also sad?
>A rather miserable combination altogether.
>Another hoof rises into the air.
>Shit, she will touch you.
>With all your willpower you try to focus on disappearing.
>You're not sure why, but you feel like that's the right thing to do.
>Just...
>Believe that her azure limb will pass right trough you.
>And so it does.

>The hoof reaches your leg and phases right through it, completely undisturbed by the contact with you.
>It does not seem to slow down, or turn in any capacity.
>It just keeps going, like there was nothing there.
>Because there is nothing there, remember?
>You try to stay focused on that fact.
>Although you are still very new to this whole ghost business, you'd rather not find out if suddenly becoming material again with something inside you is problematic.
>Don't think about it.
>It will not happen.
>You are just air.
>Rainbow lands her leg on the ground and presses her body forward another bit.
>She has her eyes nervously jumping from the bush itself to the spot right behind it.
>If anything would be hiding here, she would've seen it by now.
>But given the circumstances, she probably does not think 100% rationally right now.
>Not that she ever does.
>If she did, you would not be here after all, now would you.
>She makes another step, by now seeing entirety of the area behind your faithful shrub.
>Your legs are sunk into her chest.
>Or her chest is sunk into your legs, you couldn't really tell.
>It's probably one of those "is the train moving, or is the train station moving" kind of questions, but taken to the extreme.
>The pegasus does another quick sweep of the area, and backs away slowly.
>She does not seem more confident than before, not having found the source of weird noises.
>After backtracking from behind the bush she turns around and walks back to the pathway.
>You breathe in.
>It feels nice.
>Redundant, but nice.
>You allow your thoughts to wander about once again, not having to focus so hard anymore.
>You try to take in what just happened.
>You had a living, material creature walk right into, no, through you and not even notice it.
>You were truly in a ghost form now.
>This day was shaping to be more and more odd.
>Especially since it was the day that [spoiler]you came to be inside Rainbow Dash.[/spoiler]

>You try your best to not snicker at that thought.
>Somehow you succeed.
>It was a rather immature thought after all.
>Although those jokes can sometimes make you laugh the hardest.
>Having made sure that you won't start giggling like a schoolgirl, you peek around the bush again.
>Then you realise that you are invisible, and just walk out in the open.
>Dash has reached your body and lied down in the dust besides you.
>Or what used to be you.
>...
>This really can get complicated, can it not?
>Either way, the pegasus seems to have given in to the anguish completely.
>You kinda feel sad for her now.
>It does not make you forgive the murder, but just adds into the cauldron of emotions and experiences of this day.
>You did come here with a goal in mind, and you haven't reached it quite yet.
>But seeing how Dash is taking it, this might not take long at all.
>To be hones you almost expected her to hide the body and forget about the whole thing.
>But she was really hit hard.
>Maybe a bit too hard, remembering the "yell at the corpse" episode.
>With that in mind, she seems awfully quiet right now.
>Her eyes just staring at your head, and her rainbow mane concealing all her thoughts from you.
>Now that she wasn't screaming them out loud that is.
>You wish you could get inside her head right now.
>Well, you can. Literally.
>Okay, let's rephrase - you wish you could know what she is thinking right now.

>This is not good.
>None of this is anywhere near good.
>Anon is dead, and you managed to piss off 2 alicorns and Rarity.
>As if that wasn't enough, you were going insane.
>First arguing with yourself, including screaming at nothing.
>Then hearing voices.
>Then this weird cold numbness traveling from your hoof down into your chest.
>You sigh.
>The panic seems to be gone by now, and your thoughts regained clarity.
>All that's left by now is regret.
>You wish you didn't ignore Twilight.
>You wish you listened to Anon.
>None of that would've happened then.
>All that was left now was just waiting.
>You feel your eyes tearing up again.
>When they find his corpse they won't even have to ask what happened.
>Enough ponies saw you chasing Anonymous with a stormcloud recently.
>Although...
>You were chasing everypony in Ponyville that way.
>And Anon was just one of your targets this week.
>Heck, you didn't even begin today.
>You raise your head from your hooves.
>That's right, there is no reason to believe that you have to do anything with this... accident.
>But...
>When they find the lifeless human body lying on the pathway close to the town, they will be asking questions.
>And seeing the weight of matters at hoof, royal investigators will probaby arrive too.
>That is, when they find the body.
>IF they find the body.
>You stand up and wipe your eyes.
>It doesn't make you feel any better about what you've done, but maybe at least you can fix the situation a bit.
>Not bring him back to life, but just...
>Dunno, not go to the dungeon for the rest of your life.
>That seems like a good reason to get up.

>Alright.
>They can't prove it was you with no evidence.
>And the only evidence right now was Anon himself.
>Hide him, and everything will be fine.
>Okay.
>Where to hide him.
>Just your house?
>That seems rather obvious, and if the detectives will have any suspicion, they will search there first.
>Plus, you're not sure if you could even carry a human into the sky alone.
>They were rather heavy, or at least this one was.
>Come to think of it, you weren't really able to get him far at all.
>So you'd probably have to think of something temporary, while you work on the details.
>You look around.
>Not much to work with around here, the location was pretty flat and featureless.
>But.
>Roughly in the direction your house was you could see a majestic oak.
>The canopy was thick and opaque, so hiding something in there shouldn't be too difficult.
>And it was rather out of the way, so chances are ponies would leave it alone for a day or too.
>All in all, seems like a good idea.
>You look down at your deceased friend and are struck with grief again.
>Part of you still refused to believe that this has happened.
>It just seems so unreal.
>Like for some unexplainable reason he was not dead.
>But you saw him die, so that can't be possible, can it?
>Once again you sigh.
>There will be time for those thoughts later, for now you had to act.
>You position yourself above his head and put your forehooves below his shoulders.
>With all your strength you take to the air.
>Sweet Celestia he was heavy.
>You resort to dragging his legs along the ground, while you struggle about a meter above it.
>It was rather exhausting, and that caused you to not notice the sudden scent of almonds that hit your nostrils.

>You are Anonymous.
>But you are rather confused what that means exactly at the moment.
>You are still the spirit of yourself, as far as you understand.
>A soul unchained from the body, at least temporarily.
>And as far the body in question goes, well...
>It's currently being dragged along the grassy land of Equestria by a freshly baked pegasus murderer, Rainbow Dash.
>Also known as Thundercunt Prime, or whatever nickname you came up with today.
>As to where she was taking you...
>Uh, what formerly was you, or at least part of you...
>As to where she was taking your body, you were not sure.
>Frankly, you were rather curious how she would handle this.
>Going batshit insane and screaming at the corpse was at least promising an interesting show.
>At first anyway, since she seems to have calmed down a bit after that episode.
>And apparently she now had a plan in mind.
>Either that, or she was just improvising.
>Yeah, probably the latter. She never was one for elaborate preparations.
>To put it gently.
>You decide that it would be a good idea to follow her, since by now she was far enough to not hear your footsteps.
>As you pass over the path she caught you on, you notice a dark spot on the ground.
>That must be where the lightning struck.
>And from it there was a clearly visible imprint of something being dragged to the side.
>You sigh.
>She didn't have a plan.
>At this rate she will get caught before you're even done with her.
>You decide to cover up the most obvious trails, and replace them with your footsteps turning to the other side.
>Now it looks like you just decided to go off-road for whatever reason.
>Right, now to catch up to mare of the hour.
>You try focusing again on being immaterial, and find it easier this time.
>This allows you to cross the sandy surface with no mark.
>Perfect.
>After confirming that there is no trace, you are about to turn around towards Rainbow.
>Only to feel a hoof on your shoulder.

>You freeze.
>A bunch of questions run through your head very quickly.
>Why is there a hoof on your shoulder?
>Whose hoof is it?
>If it is Rainbow, why is she back?
>And how the hell can she see you, let alone touch you?
>Hell, how could anything touch you?
>You were a ghost, there shouldn't be a pony able to interact with ghosts.
>Was it another undead soul?
>You didn't exactly consider that before, but if you were concealed from mortals' eyes, why wouldn't other creatures have the same trait?
>And maybe now all those spirits will become revealed to you, complicating matters even further?
>Would they be friendly?
>Would they even communicate with you?
>How would they look like?
>As scary as some of the monsters you've seen back in your worlds?
>You believe those were called "math teachers."
>And even though it felt like a good couple seconds to you, it only took you a blink of an eye to ask all of that.
>And in that timeframe the mysterious owner of the hoof did not bother to make anything clearer to you, forcing you to act.
>You turn around, trying not to do it too jumpy.
>And you fail.
>You feel a dull pain in your neck as you remind yourself that you're not an owl.
>But with the help of the rest of your body (at least the immaterial part) you manage to look behind you.
>And fall over to the pathway that was now behind you.
>Because you saw what you didn't exactly expect to see.
>"What's the matter Anonymous, you look like you've just seen death."
>Said Death.

"I-ivory?"
>You manage to stutter out.
>"Herself."
>She says with a playful smile.
>"Your reaction was rather quite overdone if you ask me, but don't worry. I get it all the time."
>She rolled her eyes with the last sentence.
"Huh, figured."
>Man aren't you a beast of an orator right now. Roman senate would be so jealous.
>"Although I must say, if I expected anyone to not be scared of me by now, it would be you."
>She offers her forehoof to help you get up, and you accept without much thought.
"Sorry about that, it's that just... I thought you sent me back to Equestria."
>"Oh?"
>She looks around with a mix of surprise and laughter in her eyes.
>"And did I not? This looks like Equestria to me."
"Well sure, but if it was the... mortal plane, then why would I meet you?"
>The mare looks you in the eyes and grins.
>"I did say that we will be meeting soon."
>You recall her parting worlds back in her cloud realm.
"Yes, but I mean, why are you here?"
>Her happy expression erodes away somewhat after hearing that.
>You are as diplomatic as Germany in 1914 it seems.
"I mean, how can you be here? I thought you were confined to your own world."
>To your relief the pair of onyx eyes staring at you have reclaimed their joyful glister.
>"And what gave you that impression? If I could send you back, why shouldn't I be able to sent myself?"
>You recoil your head back a bit.
"That is actually a good point. So you can visit Equestria any time you wish?"
>She nods.
>"Even if I haven't been doing so too often. You see, you were not entirely wrong with your hypothesis regarding my confinement."
"How so?"
>Ivory looks up into the sky.
>"You see, I am not meant to interact with mortal plane. It's an element of an ancient balance that I did not come up with. But..."
>You notice a mischievous smile forming with her lips.
>"They couldn't straight up trap me, so a workaround was found."
"That being?"
>You ask with genuine interest.

>The alicorn looks back down on you.
>"A simple limitation. I am unable to interact in any way with living things. Be it talking to them, touching them, or even being seen or heard by them."
>You nod with a thoughtful expresion on your face.
"I see. So as soon as someone dies you can talk to them and guide them... along?"
>"Exactly. A solution that both allows me to perorm my duties, and prevents me from doing much else."
>You notice a sad note in the tone the last part was spoken.
"That seems like a rather inconsiderate way do to things."
>The pale mare sighs.
>"My wellbeing was not exactly the top concern when creating this arrangement. Although there were some who got it worse than me, no doubt."
>You begin to feel somewhat lost in her words, unsure about how ancient are the things she was so casually discussing right now.
"I'm not going to ask about the details, since I will probably not understand anyway, but I am rather lost right now I'm afraid."
>She looks at you with a surprise in her eyes, almost as if she forgot that there was someone she was talking to.
>"You're right, my apologies. I tend to get lost in the thought sometimes."
"Yeah, you did mention that before. And I understand, even if I can't exactly relate. Being puny mortal and all."
>You both share a chuckle, and Ivory seems to go back to her happy mood again.
>For some reason it makes you feel warm inside.
"So, you did send me back to Equestria after all and decided to join me soon after. Why not just go with me right away?"
>"Well, for one thing the look on your face when you saw me was quite worth it."
>Once again she gives you that playful smile fit more for a filly than a primodal being tasked with taking care of the dead.
>Then again, you didn't meet too many of those before today, so what do you know.

>"And for the other I couldn't just pop in here in my work attire, now could I?"
>You raise your eyebrow before noticing what she is wearing right now.
>Or rather what she is not wearing.
>Her black cloak was gone, uncovering the entirety of her while body.
>You notice that her coat is all in the same shade of white, as you suspected before.
>It's a rather tame color, and you don't think you could mistake her for Celestia even without their hair being different.
>She didn't have quite the same radiance Sunhorse wore, but in a way it made her more...
>Approachable?
>Not a trait you'd think would be fitting for a Death, at least yesterday.
>Her tail was just as dark as her mane, and contrasted heavy with the rest of her body, save for the deep onyx eyes.
>On her now exposed flank you could barely see her cutie mark, although from that angle it just looked like a smudge with a more vivid shade of white.
>What you found more interesting was the lack of gemstone that she wore on her chest before.
>Her new chestpiece was a delicate ornament made out of something that looked like silver to your untrained eyes.
>And in the middle of it rested a small, tame, and seemingly not hypnotizing diamond.
>It means that you could stare at her all day now, and not drift away.
>...
>Not that you wanted to of course.
>Anyway, you could also see her hoofwear made out of the same delicate material her "necklace" was.
>All in all she looked more like a princess than a Grim Reaper.
>And probably expected you to comment on that.
"Oh, sorry. I did not notice before now."
>She scoffs and flaps her wings angrily.
>Shit.
>Bad answer dummy.

>You better think of something to save yourself, and quick.
"I-I mean, you kind of surprised me here, and the situation is rather new to me, a-and..."
>You stop stuttering for a second.
>Her wings have been put at rest, but her expression is far from being pleased yet.
>Welp.
>Time for the big guns.
"And you do look beautiful Ivory."
>C8
>She instantly recoils her head in surprise, and the disgruntled look on her face gives in to a surprised one.
>Hit and sunk.
>Your bold strategy seems to have forked fine.
>Really fine, as her muzzle suddenly gains a marble shade of pink in what you assume is a deep blush for her.
>And frankly the only reason blood is not rushing to your cheeks right now is because your heart is not working, otherwise you would've joined the mare in the blushing department.
>Perks of having died, huh.
>Before you get to appreciate the sight though, she covers her face with her right wing leaving everything below her now smiling eyes concealed.
>You suddenly realize how much you like seeing them glister like that.
>Strange.
>"Well if I had any doubts if you are a stallion before, you've just made them all go away. Trully it takes one to commit such a travesty."
>She tries to make her voice sound have a reprimanding tone, but you can hear an amused note giving the masquerade away.
>"Although I must admit that you know how to talk your way out of a hole you clumsily trip over into."
>You sight with relief internally, and put a smile on your immaterial face.
"I'm afraid my tongue is a double edged sword, both causing trouble and solving it."
>The alicorn narrows her eyes and presses her wing harder against her nuzzle.
>Did you say something wrong?
>”Oh, I'm sure it could solve a lot of troubles if used correctly.”
>…
>Huh?

>That was an odd comment.
>And Ivory seems extremely flustered by it for some reason.
>Did she just say something inappropriate?
>Well not that you noticed, but then again, you still did not get all the small intricacies of the pony world.
>And who knows what was considered rude back in her times, whenever that was.
>Okay, don't say the last sentence out loud, that much you can tell.
>Still, probably better to sidetrack the conversation since she still haven't recovered from whatever it was that she just said.
"So, uhm, you said that you can't interact with living ponies in any way, right?"
>She gives you a surprised look.
>"That's... correct little one."
>Her voice is slightly muffled because of her wing positioning, and it looks like she struggled to find the correct choice of words there.
>You find that strangely amusing.
"But in that case, how comes Raincunt..."
>You pause, but remember that she already knows all the "creative" nicknames you gave Dash.
"Well, how comes that she heard me when I spoke out loud?"
>The alicorn raises an eyebrow and distances her feathered limb from her muzzle slightly.
>"Oh? She did? And what did you say exactly?"
"Not much, really. I actually kind of just shouted "what" out loud, since she... mentioned something I did not expect in a thousand years."
>"Well, that would explain why."
>She said before lowering her wing and letting it rest on her side once again.
>The pink trace that looked so fitting on her was gone by now.
"Really?"
>"Yes. For you see, there is something you need to still understand about your current... state."

>You nod encouraging the mare to continue.
>"Even though it may not feel like it right now, this is your natural form."
>You nod again before realising what you just heard.
"Wait what?"
>She smiles seeing your confused expression.
>"Your memories before this day reach no further than the birth your mother gave you on your world. At least I assume so, since you don't look like a reptile to me."
>You involuntarily get an image of little Nonny hatching from an egg.
"I'm not, just a standard mammal like every pony here. But I do not exactly remember my birth you see."
>"Nopony does. And for a good reason."
>Her expression suddenly became very serious as she leans in a bit closer to you.
>"Your physical birth was not the beginning of "you". You existed before that, or rather aside that. In the place where time has no meaning. A free spirit, awaiting its destination in the material world."
>And just like that your jaw ignores your best intentions and surrenders to gravity.
>"I cannot tell you much more, but your current state is more than just that of a ghost. This is how you were created, before space or time."
>You think on it for a bit, and a heavy silence invades the scene, only disrupted by chirping of the distant birds, defiantly indifferent to the weight of matters discussed.
"I can't say I understand, because those are rather... abstract concepts. But I do believe you. It's just that I do not see how that made Dash hear me."
>"It's simple, relatively speaking. You can control how much imprint you leave behind you in this plane of existence. And because your state is so primal, you know how to do it.
>She raises her hoof and touches your shoulder with her metal hoofwear.
>It's warm.
>"Even if you do not realise it yet."

>You feel like you're attempting to squeeze a Rubik's Cube through a keyhole, whilst simultaneously solving it in 4 dimensions.
"Could you... elaborate a bit?"
>She puts on a warm smile that somehow reminds you of that one history teacher who always had patience for your questions.
>"You were once familiar with this form. Sure you don't remember it, but subconsciously you kept some of the instincts that came with it."
>She turns around and points at a tree some distance down the path.
>"Just like those birds know how to breathe, how to fly, and how to sing. Just as you knew how to let the air into your lungs when you left your mother's womb."
"But aren't those more organic things? What we've carried from years of evolution? How is that the same to having a memories from some kind of previous life?"
>She snorts and answers without looking back at you.
>"It's not any previous life. It's the same life, you're still the same being that has just entered a catalyst of mortality."
"Okay, but what about my question?"
>"I do not know the origin of your natural instincts. I take them as granted, something that was with you since you were given a specific form."
>Only now does she turn back around towards you.
>"And for your current one, it natural for you to change the way you interact with the world on the fly."
>She extends her hoof again, this time towards the sandy surface you have landed on a moment ago.
>"I saw you cross without leaving a single trace. So you must have partially figured it out already."
>You think back to Rainbow crawling up on you.
>How you really wanted her to not touch you.
>And how it worked, even though you did not know why.
"So what you're saying is that I can be... physical when I just feel like it?"
>"Correct. And the same applies to your friend hearing you."
>You cringed at the word "friend".
"So she heard me because I kind of wanted her to?"
>The alicorn nods.

>You begin to understand now, or at least you're under such impression.
>You recall the thought that was in the back of your head behind that bush.
>That you somehow knew the right thing to do.
>"Whatever it was that she revealed to you, it's probably resulted in you wanting to walk up to her and demand more information."
"Yes, on some level that was exactly what happened, even if it was not what I wanted to do in the end."
>"But it was enough. Right there and then you wanted her to hear you, and you made it so that she did."
>You instinctively look to the spot you were hiding in.
"But some time after that she heard me when I rustled some leaves. And I didn't exactly do that on purpose there."
>"My guess is that at this point you were still in the "full influence" mode, so to speak. If you didn't really want to be hidden from Rainbow, then you didn't exactly switch right away."
>Come to think of it, you were a bit too distracted to care back then.
>You tried to recall events from your past, instead of focusing on stealth, so it makes sense.
>"There's also another factor that might be in play here."
>You raise your also sort of existent eyebrow, since you were a ghost now and all that.
>"You're still used to being alive, and I know it sounds a bit weird."
"I can't help but to agree."
>Ivory chuckles softly before continuing.
>"You still expect to behave like a material being. When you step on the grass, you think that it will bend. When you step in sand, you expect to leave a hoofprint."
>You flare her a questioning look, and she corrects herself.
>"Yes, a footprint rather. And when you reach out to touch someone..."
>You know where this is going, she's done that before.
>For some reason she likes to touch your shoulder when she talks.
>"... you expect them to feel it."
>The mare says before booping your nose with her hoof.

>You scrunch hard and raise your hand to protect yourself from any further invasions of your nasal privacy.
>But it seems that whatever the purpose of this ruthless act was, it was already achieved as no more hooves were heading towards you right now.
>Upon seeing your reaction the alicorn bursts into a healthy laughter and begins swishing her obsidian tail.
"You know, with all the ways I've seen death impersonated in my life, none came close to you."
>She controls herself enough to respond while wiping a single tear from her eye.
>"I'm going to give you the benefit of a doubt and take that as a compliment."
"I mean, I just didn't expect you to be so..."
>You pause and take a good look at her.
>Her eyes were watery from the laugh she had a second ago, but you could still see both amusement and growing curiosity.
>Her head was very slightly tilted, and her tail continued its pendulum motion as she watched you with anticipation.
"Well, light."
>She looks down at her chests and touches the puffiest part with her hoof.
>"Why, do you not like the shade? Would you prefer it black?"
"No no, I meant, lighthearted. Happy. Joyful."
>As if to prove your point, she giggles before asking
>"And do you consider yourself disappointed with that?"
"More like: positively surprised. I'm not sure what I expected, but I'm glad I was wrong anyway."
>"Well, I try to make the best out of my situation. If I had to take everything seriously and act all grim all the time I'd go insane."
>She circles her hoof next to her head in a universal gesture.
>"But I don't get to be like this all the time, far from it. When a soul must cross my domain, I guide it the best I can, and that's not the time for jokes."
>You raise an eyebrow.
"But my predicament is the time for jokes?"
>"Exactly!"
>She says with a huge grin.

>You scoff and raise your head high in the air, trying to do your best Rariy impression.
"Very well then, I see how things are. Now if you don't mind, I'll be going somewhere else, since apparently I am not being taken seriously here."
>And with that you walk past the mare and head towards the way Thundercunt dragged your body.
>Ivory however does not fall for it one bit.
>"A great decision little one, you should put your hoof down when you're treated like that."
>She says before cantering towards you and easily catching up.
>"And I'll go with you. Heavens know what you might do to without my watchful eye."
>You manage to keep your face stiff for about 3 seconds, before the sight of alicorn trotting at your side with the proud smile breaks you.
>You scoff and give in to the amusement, not able to pretend anymore.
"Oh really? And what did I ever do to earn your concern?"
>"Well, there's that episode when you died today, and that's a bit worrisome."
>You grab the base of your nose between the thumb and index finger before snorting."
"Never change Ivory, never change."
>You're answered with what you consider by now her trademark grin.
>"Thanks, I wasn't planning on doing that anyway."
>And with that you both make towards the oak you saw Dash climb a moment ago, giggling like a pair of schoolgirls.
>The weirdest pair of schoolgirls under the sun, no doubt.