"It seems that Celestia decided to get us up bright and early…" Amissus said to Luna, commenting on his grogginess from his sleep. They had fallen asleep in each other's arms. Luna, despite being slightly taller than he, had her head underneath his. But her head wasn't where he last remembered it.

"Luna?" He quickly stood and gazed about the garden, looking for her.

He let a sigh escape him for not finding her, as he walked to the fountain. He put his head under the falling water; it ran through his mane and trickled to the pool below. He shook the hair about and arranged his mane into its subtle style.

The dawn went by slowly, Amissus walking about the courtyard observing the many types of flora that were given to this area. A butterfly fluttered out from a flowering bush he gazed upon. It was a transcendent blue with silvery stripes on the wings. It flew around his face, pulsing tiny gusts of air onto his nose.

He smiled and said "Well, hello there butterfly."

It flew around his head and landed on his back. It sat for a moment, as if it had found its place on his body. It then cast itself out again, this time away from him and up to the sky. Amissus followed the butterfly to the edge of his focus. A hawk then dived and caught the butterfly into its beak.

Circle of Life, I suppose. He thought, a bit unhappy that the butterfly had to go so soon.

He switched his eyes onto the hawk that had landed in a nearby tree. It wasn't a normal color for a hawk: it was black with red highlights in its feathers, a silver beak shining in the light. At this observation, the sky darkened and the sounding of crows filled the air. The gold of the Sun cast the sinister red that haunted his nightmares. The garden's many trees and bushes shriveled and blackened from an invisible fire, spreading ashes upon the whitening grass. The castle started to crumble to ruin. In this entire event, Amissus stood still, not knowing why this was happening. A movement in the distance found its way to his awareness.

The figure of a pony was looking down at the deadness that had swept over the garden; she was covered in an aura of dread, darkening the long cloak and hood over her, and held the instrument linked to causing life to cease living…the feared Scythe of Death.

He stared at the image, the ashes cascading down on both of them, crows deafening him. She slowly averted her gaze to him; red beams of foreboding were upon his very soul. He then heard the silent words of Death herself.

Soon…

The entire figure dropped to the ground as ash, the eyes fading away as the world did the same. Amissus had received an omen too great to ignore, but familiar voices clouded the crows' attempts to suppress them.

…

"He's not breathing! Somepony do something!"

"I can't! Moving him would possibly injure him further."

"He's dead…isn't he?" A third party solemnly asked.

"No, he can't be! It's not right!" A fourth joined.

Faded from distance, "Tia, is there not something you can do?!"

Celestia spoke, "I cannot, it isn't up to me who is allowed to pass." And crying among a few members of the crowd started that hadn't already.

"Well doc', what do ya' think?" A hollow voice asked.

"I'm afraid that, since he hasn't been revived by CPR or any form of healing magic…I must regretfully pronounce him-"

The sentence was cut short as Amissus flung himself forward, taking in a second wind of life. This action caused the doctor, as well as many surrounding ponies, to be cast back by surprise.

"It's not possible: dead for that long and revived?!" The doctor said as her thought escaped her.

"Give him space…I said space!" A guard said, moving the crowd back.

Amissus gasped for air and let out his death with each exhale. When his heart beat normally, and his body flowing with blood again, the guard kneeled down next to him.

"Are you alright, son?" He asked.

"I was dead…?" Amissus asked.

"You were…dead as dead can die." The guard affirmed to him.

"I…I need…" Amissus started his sentence, but the speech was blocked for a moment.

"What is it?" The guard asked him, coaxing out his thoughts.

"I need some…time…to figure this out." He stated.

A pony from the gathering crowd, "What's there to figure out? You died and now you're alive!"

A suggestion from another, "I say that's reason to celebrate!"

"No." he denied them. The group hushed, "A triumph over nature is never a good thing."

Amissus stood from his sitting, falling back down as his legs gave way; he did as he always does and stood again. He looked at the faces of the gathering, listing their expressions. He started to back away when he realized that he had survived Death, only to have to face her again. He backed away more as the ponies in front of him started to move closer. He turned and ran, he ran away from them, he ran for the time he had living and the chance he had again. He ran throughout the paths, taking any that lead anywhere. He wanted away. He wanted to prepare.

…

He stood amongst the tallest of bookshelves, searching for a book that he didn't know the name to. He knew that he had to prepare for the Austerelands. Many maps had left him perplexed as to the nature of this hidden land. Atlas after atlas, he found no mention of the fabled locations.

He stood in a clearing within the room, a reading area with sitting mats formed around a large rug. A banner was hanging low from the ceiling, only a few inches from the ground. It was amazing, the feat that the banner was long enough to. He noted its age, seeing the wear on the tapestry and the trim. It had a map embroidered into it, stretching from side to side. It showed Equestria as a large portion to the East, while many smaller lands lay to the West. Scanning over these Western lands, he found nothing. He hit it with his hoof that he used to read the names in frustration.

Upon doing this, the banner had shook and a clicking sound resonated from the ceiling. The banner then dropped opened further, revealing a hidden flap to the right, showing a land East of Equestria. A large outline of an unknown expanse lay there, it had a description in place of a name.

"?" This land has not been charted and shall not be charted due to the danger it poses to cartographers. This land will be deemed unfit to publish in any work regarding cartography, history, zoology, or any liberal science.

Ruled by Her Highness, Princess Celestia.

"Of course it would be hidden. Nothing can be simple for me, can it?" He told himself.

"Nothing is simple among so much knowledge."

Amissus looked behind him to see an elderly mare, carrying books upon her back.

"I…uh…I suppose that is true, ma'am." He agreed.

"I heard hoofsteps over here, then a big 'clicking' sound. I wanted to make sure everything was alright."

"Everything's fine. Just a hard time researching is all."

"I suppose your studies might also include these?"

She flung the books to him; they slid across the rug, landing almost perfectly in front of him. He glanced at each of the titles.

Extreme Survival and Related Topics, Wielding the Tools of War, Journeyman Cartographer's Guide, Directions from Nothing…all these books are going to help me. But how did she know to get these?

"I guess not everypony's so eager to help you. Are they, Amissus?"

"How do you know my name?" He snapped to her, surprised that she knew it.

She only laughed as she turned and continued down another corridor between bookshelves. He ran to catch her, losing sight as she went behind the bookshelf. There was nothing there. He heard her cackle when he realized her disappearance.

He never thought that an apparition would help him find his way. He primed himself to devour the information in the books, but as he sat to read, his horn decided upon a quicker approach. It lifted the books in front of him and pulsated a spell onto them without Amissus's command. His vision was filled with images, words, voices; pure knowledge was being transferred from the scripts to him all at once.

The entirety of the spell lasted seconds, but a lifetime of experience was obtained. He dropped the books when the spell was complete, standing as he did. He did the spell again; this time he had it span an entire bookshelf. The books on the shelf never moved, but Amissus was moved by the poetry and tragedies that were included in the knowledge transfer. He was excited for the adventure stories and the tales of valor. He thought deeply upon philosophies and theories that were passed to him. The knowledge of the shelf became his; every last book was read in a matter of minutes. Amissus smiled at his new power, knowing that no hidden manuscript was safe. But he smiled wider at his next thought.

I'm going to find the Austerelands; I'm going to set things even with Arb'mos. He…will…fall, or I will die again and again trying.