https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Lc75D5ehxM

Another Place
Another Universe
Another Time

Grey gazes at a picture of Valkyrie while resting his frame on a wooden table. He strokes her cheek with his thumb. His golden eyes stare at her longingly. Footsteps alert him up; he turns to look at the door as the knob turns open. Onyx pops his head inside and searches for Grey and smiles when he finds the wolf.

Onyx walks in, and his smile begins to turn south when he notices what his brother is holding. Onyx stands in front of Grey with his arms across his chest, "Grey, we talked about this."

Grey heaves a sigh and turns away from Onyx in shame. He stares at the golden picture frame in his right hand. He runs his left hand through his thick, black mane and replies somberly, "I know."

"We still have our kingdoms to run, brother," Onyx grips Grey's shoulder, "C'mon, we have a whole new future to build; leave the past behind us."

"Tell that to Kyllgorr," Grey gripes with a grunt.

"I want to keep my life, thank you very much." After a moment of silence, Onyx crouches down and smiles up at Grey, "I know you miss Valkyrie and I know you miss Luna, but the ponies had to go back to their home."

"I just feel bad for Kyllgorr, you know?"

"Yeah." Onyx stands up and helps Grey to his feet. "You just gotta find a woman with both Valkyrie and Luna qualities now. Just stay away from Demons."

Grey chuckles, "You know how love works, comrade." Grey starts to follow Onyx out of the room to go to the meeting with the new leaders of the world. Half way to the meeting Grey stops in the middle of the hallway. "Oh. I forgot some papers. I'll be right back. Go ahead."

"Roger."

Grey rushes back to his room to retrieve the papers he forgot. As he closes a drawer at his desk, a sudden presence alerts him. He turns around and sees Death leaning against the door wielding a wide grin.

"Hello, brudder!" she greets him.

Grey smiles then furrow his brows at her in anger.

"Wh-what?"

"How could you put Dehs through that?" Grey confronts Death.

"Hey, hey!" Death holds up her arms, "I didn't throw her in there with Mystin. I came up with the plan, and I told her the dangers, yet she still volunteered!" Death crosses her arms across her chest, "Would you rather I have gone through the Hell Mystin put her through?"

Grey releases a sigh and pinches his forehead. "No," he answers, "No, I wouldn't want either of you to go through his torture."

Death hugs Grey's waist and squeezes him as she buries her face in his chest, "I missed you, brudder!"

"Yeah, yeah. I missed you, too, squirt." Grey rubs the top of her pink head affectionately. A question pops in his head. He pushes Death back and stares into her eyes, "Where is Shade?"

"Why would you think I know?" Death smiles cheekily up at Grey.

"Death."

Death holds Grey's face and says, "You have such beautiful eyes, Grey.

"Where is my daughter, Death?" Grey asks sternly.

"Do you really want to know?"

An uneasy feeling sinks into Grey's gut. He knows what her sly tone and twinkling pink eyes meant. Grey groans inwardly as he weighs out his options and predicts what will play out. Meanwhile, Death is playing with Grey's bushy beard, as distracted as a cat with yarn.

Grey grabs Death's lithe wrists and kneels in front of her. "All right. I'll play your little game. Tell me where she is."

"Why don't I show you?" Death smiles.

"Fine," Grey huffs, "Show me."

"Kiss me."

"I have a bad feeling about this," Grey thinks as he leans closer to Death and kisses her lips quickly. Death wraps her arms around his neck and keeps their lips locked together. Grey's mind starts to go blank, and his vision darkens.

Death's House
Equestria
July 25, 997 C.R.

Grey groans.

He releases a long yawn.

He smacks his lips and rubs his eyes.

Another yawn escapes him, and he stretches his frame.

He opens his eyes and instantly knows he is not in his room. Besides the room being pink and the canopy of a bed above him, the room contains furniture of bright colors and windows with pink curtains. This much pink and color can only mean that he is in Death's room. He tries to sit up but notices his neck bending further than normal.

Death opens the door with a silver tray of breakfast behind her and a hum on her lips. She stops in her tracks when golden orbs lock onto her. Her muzzle splits into a wide ear grin as Grey stares back at her in shock.

"Good morning, brudder!" Death chimes.

"I'm a pony!" Grey shouts.

"Yeah, you are!" Death affirms.

"I'm a pony!" Grey repeats, this time in a quiet voice. He stops examining his body and scans Death. A small smirk tugs his mouth, "You would be pink."

"That's because it is the best color ever!" Death chimes and sets the silver tray of food on the bedside table for Grey with her pink magic.

Grey reaches for an apple with a dark gray hoof. He makes contact with the green apple and pictures grabbing it with a hand. Viola! He now holds an apple in the frog of his hoof!

"Trippy. . ." he comments as he takes a bite out of the apple. "MMM! This apple is delicious! It tastes fantastic! Is it because my taste buds are more herbivorous than carnivorous?"

"Sure!" Death smiles.

Grey chuckles and takes another bite of the apple. A content sigh leaves him before his face scrunches up pensively.

"No," Death cuts Grey off before he can open his mouth to speak his thoughts. She continues talking to cut him off again, "No. Luna is not here. . . at this time. . ."

Grey continues to masticate the rest of the apple as he stares at Death. "Where is Shade?"

The question makes Death sigh and slumps onto the comfy pink bed. "She left me. I guess I was a little too eccentric for her. She went to Ponyville to visit friends and escape captivity."

"Don't be like that," Grey tussles Death's mane. He chuckles when Death purrs. "What time are we in?"

"Three years before Luna returns," Death answers.

Grey tosses the apple core onto the tray and grabs a wooden bowl of salad. He eats the salad contently as Death stares up at him. "So. . . How is Princess Sunbutt doing?"

Death snickers into her hoof. "She is afraid of Shade and me. We have practically been banished, and she has us under constant Pegasi surveillance."

"Why did you bring Shade here in the first place?"

"Meh," Death shrugs.

"Fantastic," Grey deadpans.

"I have my reasons. Shade has changed." Death sits up quickly and smiles at Grey, "She has even. . . well," she sits on the bed, "I'll let her tell you when you two meet."

"You really know how to push my buttons," Grey grits.

Death grins and her eyes flash. She crawls up to him to stare into his golden irises. "I know everything about you, Grey," she purrs.

Their eyes stay locked with one another. Grey boops Death's nose with a hoof. "That's is not at all creepy," he comments.

Death twitches her nose and frowns at Grey. "Grey, it breaks my heart when you call my love 'creepy.' I really do lo "

"Shh!" Grey presses a hoof against her lips. His ears are up and swiveling around. "Do you hear that?"

Death cocks her head to each side as she raises her ears to listen. Silence. "No."

Grey picks Death off of him and gets out of bed. "It sounds like a little voice," he says as he walks out of the room.

Death lays on the bed. Feelings of neglect and forlorn well up inside her. She rests her head on a pillow with a huff.