Twilight Sparkle and her friends were dead. There was no refuting that.

In a last ditch effort to halt the machinations of the wretched Plague King, Twilight overloaded her magic. Combining the primal magical forces within her with the power of the reforged Scepter of the Broken Moon, Twilight drew out the power which lay dormant in the bonds forged between her and her friends, and through sheer force of will, focused it into one final attack.

The resultant explosion wiped out not only the Plague King, but his altar, his throne room, his temple, and a large portion of the surrounding jungle. All that remained was a large smoking crater, and a distant rumble as the sound of the explosion echoed off the distant Akhal-Teke Mountains, but even that soon dissipated.

Silence reigned in the crater. Small wisps of smoke arose here and there, behaving like ephemeral headstones for wherever there had been some particularly dense cluster of organic material before the blast.

No birds or insects chirped. Even the wind stopped, as if in respect for the passing of the greatest heroes in Equestria's long history.

And then, like a parson sneezing in church, a voice broke the memorial silence.

"Oh dear... Well that certainly could have gone better."

One particular wisp of smoke stopped rising. It continued moving, but rather than head skyward like an ashen angel, it swirled and coiled about itself. The cluster of smoke grew in size rapidly, like a ball of yarn being wound up, and before too long a vaguely equinneous shape began to emerge. A head soon distinguished itself from a torso, as did a pair of forelegs. One long curling strand of smoke emerged from the head like a snake and coiffed itself in a perfect spiral. Two pinpricks of blue light shone from an unclear source from within the smoke, giving the feeling of a pair of eyes. Though any idea of a lower body remained wispy and ill-defined, it would be hard not to recognize the upper half of the form that had emerged.

The smoke-pony which could only be Rarity, Element of Generosity, rotated on the spot as she took in the large crater in which she found herself. She clicked her tongue in annoyance. "All those tapestries, gone. Not even a stich left to use as a reference." She shook her head. "Such a pity. Alas, I suppose I'll have to try and recreate those beautiful designs from memory."

"Ya mean the ones with all the pictures of ponies bein' sacrificed?" A twangy voice cut in.

Another plume of smoke began to solidify off to Rarity's left. Rather than coiling, the smoke gathered itself into a single mass which slowly began bulging out. Like a tree affected by a growth acceleration spell, bits of smoke began to push their way up and out, gaining definition as they did so. Two legs quickly formed, as did a head, followed by a wide flat area of smoke which promptly snapped into the shape of a classic Stetson. Two glowing green points peaked out from under the brim.

"I ain't no expert," Applejack continued, "But I don't rightly think ponies'll be linin' up to wear that."

Rarity sniffed haughtily, as she brushed aside a lock of mane with a hoof, either uncaring or unaware of how both hoof and mane passed through each other. "Well obviously I was going to work around those parts. Some parts were salvageable, such as those lovely geometric patterns around the border."

"How can you two talk fashion at a time like this?" Another voice joined the party.

This wisp of smoke shot from the ground like a geyser. Almost immediately, it changed direction on a hairpin turn and started moving level to the ground. The wisp shot across the crater like a badly angled firework, completing a rapid series of victory laps before returning to where Rarity and Applejack waited patiently. By the time it did, the smoke had already formed itself into a winged equine whose mane tips dissolved and reformed with every motion, and whose whole face was lit from inside by vibrant magenta lights.

"I assure you, Rainbow Dash," Rarity returned smoothly, "There is never a bad time to talk about fashion."

"Yeah yeah, whatever." Dash performed a couple of lazy backflips. "But who cares! We did it! We took down the Plague King and kicked his sorry flank all the way back to Tartarus!"

"Did he even have a flank?" Applejack mused, "As I recollect, he was more tentacle than anythin' else."

"Doesn't matter. Whatever he had, we busted it up! And you know what that means-"

"Post-Baddie-Celebration-Party!" Yet another voice chimed in with a small explosion of smoke.

Pinkie Pie didn't waste any time in fancy theatrics. One moment she wasn't there, then after a sudden puff oddly sweet smelling smoke, she was. Although, being composed of smoke, her normally bouncy hair did not behave quite how it usually did. Instead of springing and shaking with every movement, it tended to sway and shift as though she was underwater. Her bright blue eyes were alight with just as much joy and liveliness as ever, despite her less-than-alive condition.

Despite being composed of mostly hot air, Pinkie still somehow managed to hop across the scorched landscape as if everything was normal. On one particular hop, she chanced to pass right through another burst of smoke which erupted suddenly like a flame.

"Hey! Watch where you're going Pinkie!" Spike's voice called forth from the quickly recoalescing smoke.

"Sorry Spike!" she called back without ceasing her hopping.

He small dragon grumbled as his various bits reconnected themselves to the main mass of his body. A mirthful chuckle rose from behind, startling him.

"Oh Spike, you know how she can be at times. Let her have her fun. It seems we did succeed in our quest, after all."

Rather than rise from the ground, the smoke already airborne in the area began to collapse into a small area. Like a figure dissolving in reverse, the smoke quickly grew to the form of a unicorn mare with a pleased smile. Just as quickly however, her expression devolved into a critical analytical gaze as she surveyed the damage around her.

"Hmph. Seems as though that was a bit too much power after all. Spike, take a note: While interweaving the spell matrices did magnify the overall output as hypothesized, it would seem that the Scepter-"

"What do you expect me to take a note on?" he interrupted, "In case you haven't noticed, there's not exactly a stationary store around here."

"Ooh! I saw one!" Pinkie interjected, waving her hoof like a foal in class. "There was a cultist selling some in the temple gift shop by the entrance. Over... thereabouts." She waved her hoof in the general area to her left, which was filled with more crater and little else. "If we hurry, I bet we could take advantage of the fire sale they're sure to be having!"

Twilight snorted slightly at Pinkie's joke while Spike just rolled his eyes. "In any case," Twilight continued, "I suppose the point is somewhat moot. It's not like I can recreate the experiment anyway since we don't have the Scepter anymore."

"Um, excuse me?" A small voice piped up from behind the group of smoggy friends who had all been chatting quietly about cultist fashion, stationary, and/or partying. "But I think we may have a little bit of a problem."

The foggy form of Fluttershy rose up from the ground, where she'd apparently reformed in a dense, low-lying smoke-puddle. She hid slightly behind her mane, a completely futile effort since everyone could see straight through it. "I don't wan to cause a panic or anything but..." Her voice faltered as she struggled to find the words. She shook her head slightly in determination, swallowed her fears, and finally asked: "...I think we may be dead."

Silence once more reigned in the crater.

Just as before, Rarity was the first to break it.

"I do suppose we are." She passed one hoof through the other experimentally. "Or at least I certainly don't recall being quite this diaphanous before." She grimaced as a lock of mane fell in front of her eyes. "Or such a drab shade of gray."

"Iffn' we are, I'm surprised how well we're takin' it." Applejack said, also experimentally swishing her mane through her torso. "I expected I'd be more upset."

"Well I don't feel dead." Pinkie performed a series of cartwheels as if to prove a point, finishing up with a somersault that left her grasping her wispy lower half. "Though that would explain where my legs went."

Twilight chuckled, drawing everyone's attention to herself. "Don't worry girls, you're all fine. Well, technically yes, you are all dead. But you're also fine."

"Somethin' tells me you've got a pretty decent idea of just what's goin' on, so hows about you go ahead an' explain it to the rest of us already." Applejack said, uneasily eyeing the area where her livelihood-dependent apple-bucking legs used to be.

"Yeah, like why I can fly now." Pinkie added from a few feet up in the air. "And why I can do this." She rolled her eyes back (somehow, despite them being dots of light) until they disappeared, only to reappear a moment later like a pair of grapes on her tongue. Rarity swooned at the sight and began to fall backward. Fluttershy instinctively reached out to catch her, only for Rarity to slip through her hooves like water and finish her fall into the ground where she vanished. She poked her head up a moment later with a slightly embarrassed expression, and attempted to nonchalantly return to where she had been standing a moment earlier.

Twilight sighed. "This may take a bit of time to explain, and there are going to be some parts you may not like. I suggest you make yourselves comfortable." The group looked around for a moment at the practically featureless crater before returning their attention to Twilight without moving from where they had been standing/floating prior. With a sigh, Twilight began.

"It all started with Chrysalis. Things got very dangerous during that wedding, and really, we only barely won. If Chrysalis hadn't sent me to the same place she send Candace, or if things had gone slightly different during the fight, or even if I had been less suspicious of her odd behavior, we might not have won. And that got me worried. So I started looking into spells and enchantments which could give us an edge. It wasn't a serious project, just preparation. Just in case."

"And then Sombra happened." Twilight hung her head. "Again, things only worked out for the best by the skin of my teeth. Between him, Chrysalis, and Discord, we seemed to be solving interpersonal problems less and less, and fighting for our lives against world-threatening monsters more and more often. And so, I began to look into more... fringe methods of providing assurance. In fact, it was partially thanks to Sombra that we're standing here now. I- I'm ashamed to admit it, but I... I..." She took a deep breath. "I stole several books from Sombra's personal study!"

Twilight flinched and looked away, ready and expecting a tirade of scolding from her friends. When none came, she open one eye curiously. Applejack, Spike, and Rarity were giving her deadpan looks, while Rainbow Dash and Pinkie seemed to be trying to hold in giggles. Fluttershy just looked on with knowing sympathy.

"Girls? This is the part where you berate me for stealing. Stealing a book."

Applejack sighed and began speaking in an exaggerated monotone. "Oh Twilight. How could you. Not a book. The horror. Oh the horror. This is the worst possible thing." Before finishing with an unimpressed frown.

Rainbow Dash chuckled. "I think we can forgive you for taking stuff from a dead guy. Plus, he was evil, and since you beat him I think that counts as spoils of war. Or at least a loot drop or something."

"If I may interrupt," Rarity politely interrupted their exchange, "If I understand correctly, do you mean to say that, in order to save our souls as it were, you used some sort of dark magic in this spell of yours?"

"No! No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no." Twilight quickly refused with a frantic wave of her hooves. "Well, yes, but no. Necromancy has technically been considered a sort of magical grey area since the 503rd meeting of the Council of Magical Accords and Thaumaturgical Designations."

"Oh yeah, weren't you a keynote speaker at that conference?" Spike recalled, tapping a claw against (and occasionally through) his chin in thought. "I remember writing down your speech as you dictated. Something about Practical and Beneficial Applications of... of... something, I think? Right?" He looked up for confirmation, only to have his gaze met by a frustrated glare from Twilight. "Got it. Being quiet now."

"Anyway," Twilight continued, "You could hardly even call it the same spell at all after I got through with it. I completely reworked the internal arcane structure, upgraded its mana consumption processes with modern techniques, and heavily modified the way the spell interacts with both the caster and the castee. It's only necromancy in the strictest, most technical sense."

An awkward silence settled amongst the group, as some of the less magically inclined members shot each other confused expressions, hoping one of them might have a clearer understanding. Finally, it was Pinkie who spoke first.

"Sooo... what did you do? Or what did the spell do, I mean. And do I have to be evil now? Because I may need a few days to practice if I'm going to be able to be all evil and scary at my best." She gave a sample cackle, which was actually quite impressive, all things considered.

"No Pinkie, you don't have to be evil. You're still you, in all the ways that count at least." Twilight said with a smile. "Originally, when cast, the spell would rend a pony's soul from their body and bound it to the will of the caster, creating a useful and obedient servant. With my alterations, however, the 'soul-rending' only happens under very specific circumstances, and the spell is recursively designed to accept the 'victim', as it were, as the dominant will." She stopped, before recalling one final point. "Oh, and I removed any and all alignment-altering magic or complete obedience geases from the spell matrix."

Everyone turned to Spike, hoping he would be able to translate. It took a moment of confused glancing from face to face for him to realize what they were expecting from him. "Oh!" He began counting off on his claws. "It only triggers if you die, you're not under anypony else's control, and it won't mess your head to make you evil or anything." Luckily he was well versed in translating "Twi-speak."

A collective "Oh..." chorused from the group of ghostly friends.

"So what do we do now?" Rainbow Dash asked with interest. "I mean, yeah thanks for saving us and everything, but now what? I don't think the Wonderbolts'll be too happy about having a ghost on the team. And Applejack can't buck apples without legs."

"I was wonderin' about that too," Applejack acknowledged, "Ain't exactly much to life iffin' you can't do what's important to you. Plus, what about my family? Applebloom's too young yet to take over my share of the work." She gasped. "Will- can they even see us? Or are we gonna be forced to watch from a distance, cut off from love an' life as our kin grows old and goes on without us?"

Rainbow Dash snerked. "Jeez, who died and made you Rarity?"

"Rarity, apparently." Pinkie replied, giggling.

Applejack rolled her eyes and huffed. "So bein' dead makes me a bit more reflective and maybe a touch melodramatic. Still an important question."

Twilight tapped a hoof on the ground to regain some order and attention. When this failed to make any sort of noise, she settled for noisily clearing her nonexistent throat. She smiled as they returned their attention. "Don't worry AJ, saving our souls is one thing, but growing us new bodies is Biomancy 101."

"She's right, and luckily for us she's really good at it too." Spike added, turning to Twilight. "You remember back in your seventh year learning under Celestia? When you made the Blueblood duplicate?"

"How could I forget?" Twilight laughed nostalgically, "My big midterm project, and you and Minuette 'borrowed' it to go play pranks around the castle. It's a good thing Professor Beetle was so understanding. He even accepted the guards report of your exploits as evidence of it's durability and genetic authenticity. I wonder whatever happened to it..."

Shaking her head, Twilight returned herself to the present. "Anyways, my point is making us all new bodies will be a piece of cake." There was a collective sigh of relief from the group. "It'll just take about a week."

"A- a week?!" Fluttershy exclaimed (that is to say she spoke through a larger than average panicked gasp), "But... my animals! They can't go for a week on their own. And I only set out three days worth of food for this trip. On no, this is terrible again!"

"I'm with Fluttershy," Pinkie agreed, putting a comforting arm around hyperventilating fried, "I have four birthdays, two anniversaries, and a cute-cenera to plan for. I can't be out of the party game for a whole week!"

"Not to mention we got an early crop of young cider apples comin' in, and the family's going to need some kind of help to get it all before it starts to spoil." Applejack added.

"Girls, girls!" Twilight again struggled to regain the focus of her friends, all of whom suddenly began remembering very important tasks they had to do within the next week, also showing a remarkable ability to overlook the fact that Twilight had just reduced an eternity of inability to a mere week. Eventually, the ghostly unicorn was forced to raise her voice well above all others to make herself known. "Girls!" Finally, they ceased their clamoring. "Do you forget who you're talking to?" She grinned slyly, "Of course I planned ahead for this. With all the work you do for your families and friends, I knew you wouldn't stand even a day's inactivity. That's why I added one more buff to the spell. " She held her head high, not bothering to hide her pride. "Although it was a difficult process, I successfully managed to reroute the aetheric flow through the contract portion of the spell, giving special attention to flux of course, thus allowing a much higher morphogenic field in the subject than would normally be present. At least two hundred thaums by my calculations."

Again they turned to Spike for clarification. He complied readily. "She rigged it so instead of being just wispy normal ghosts, we'll have a lot more substance, probably more like wraiths or thralls. And if it really is as much as two hundred thaums strong, we should have no problem interacting with physical stuff. Might even be able to possess things."

"Exactly. Top marks, Spike." Twilight said with a smug grin, "And you said you never paid attention to my lectures."

He shrugged. "I pick stuff up."

Rarity politely raised a hoof. "Question, Twilight dear. I'm not entirely comfortable with the idea of having to possess somepony, especially against their will."

"Oh, there's no need for that," Twilight assured, "Once we get back to Ponyville, I'll give you all a crash course in golem making."

"Golems?" Rainbow Dash asked in surprise.

"Any object or collection of objects powered and controlled by an animating essence." Spike recited.

"Yeah thanks, I know what golems are. They were pretty important in Daring Do and the Guardians of Heptoria after all." Rainbow Dash rebuked, "I'm just surprised. In the book, Daring Do said that golemancy was an ancient lost art."

"Not so much 'lost' as 'outdated' and 'sadly neglected'." Twilight clarified, "You know how Yearling tends to exaggerate at times. It was a very common practice in the centuries just after the Unification of the tribes, but common uses for golems were slowly replaced with specialized spells or advancing technology."

"Then how do you know it?" Applejack asked before realizing her mistake. "Wait, nevermind I shou-"

"It was an elective course!" Twilight interrupted cheerily. "Spike and I were practically the only students in the class."

"Oh, this is going to be so much fun!" Pinkie jumped back and forth as though playing invisible double-dutch. "It'll be like arts and crafts but then you get to wear what you made home! I'm gonna make a golem that looks just like me, except pink!"

"Aren't you pink enough already?"

"Not pink, Dashie, pink. It's a very important difference."

"Pinkie's design choices aside," Rarity segued, "How are we going to go about getting back to Ponyville?"

"Easily enough," Twilight said, "Same way we got here." She paused for a moment as a look of concentration overtook her face. She glanced up at her horn, or rather the ashen air that composed it and her face fell. "Oh, right... no magic until I rebuild our bodies."

She turned towards the east, where the sun was just beginning to rise. It's golden-orange glow lit up the desolate crater and left the seven figures at the center somewhat more transparent than they had been before. Twilight turned back to her friends. "Welp, looks like we're walking home," she glanced at the tail-like wisp which made up her lower half, "Or floating. Whatever, you get my point."

As she began to drift eastward, one by one the others fell into line behind her. As the small procession made it's way to the edge of the crater, Applejack piped up. "Well, since we got no better way to pass the time and this is lookin' to be a mighty long journey, why don't you start telling us about this golemancy business, Twilight?"

Her face fell in a remarkable inverse reaction of Twilight's lighting up. "Great idea Applejack! I was going to trim it down to just the basics, but now I can recount the full rich history and detailed inner magical processes! In fact, I bet I can recall most of Professor Beetle's lectures near verbatim!"

A collective (but respectfully repressed), groan echoed across the landscape, sounding for all the world like the tormented moaning of lost souls.