//------------------------------// // Chapter VIII: A New Arrival // Story: Dark Souls: A White Knight // by Timeless Lord Slayer //------------------------------// On the outskirts of Ponyville, on the top of a hill commonly used by the Elements for picnics, lay a woman garbed in dashing armor. A simple longsword lay next to her, while a red kite shield with a silver eagle emblazoned on it lay on her other side. Her chest rose and fell steadily, as if she was sleeping. Rise, fall, rise, fall. It continued like that for some time, up until a bird landed on her chest, and began pecking at her armor. With the sound of beak meeting steel, the woman slowly awoke, lifting her head slightly to see a rare, blue-backed robin on her. The robin ceased it's pecking and turned to look at the woman quizzically. The woman returned the gesture. The duo stared at each other for a bit. "Come on, Applebloom! Keep up!" yelled a young, scratchy voice. The bird flew off at the sudden sound, whilst the woman simply turned to the direction it came from. Soon enough, she saw a small, orange filly with a purple mane and small wings crest the hill. "Ah'm coming, Ah'm coming!" replied another young voice, but with a southern drawl. A yellow filly with a red mane tied in a bow reached the top of the hill, joining the other one. "Wait for me!" pleaded a squeaky voice, heralding the arrival of another filly, this time with snow white fur and a styled, pink and purple mane. The woman was utterly confused. Since when were horses technicoloured? When did they have such big eyes? How was she alive? Was this heaven? And how were they talking? And...wait, since when was her mind this clear? All this and more swirled in her head. The fillies, finally taking notice of the woman, squealed in fear and huddled together, hugging one another in fright. A likely reaction, seeing as the town was recently harassed by a being not unlike her. The woman simply tilted her head in befuddlement. Horses she had seen before, yes, but not of this variety. The woman slowly sat up, but did not move towards the three fillies. The younglings themselves, after realizing they weren't currently being eviscerated or attacked in general, opened their previously clenched eyes and stared in confusion at the woman. "Yer...yer not gonna hurt us?" the bow wearing filly asked. The woman shook her head. The three sighed in relief. After releasing their grip on one another, they slowly relaxed. The fillies stared at the woman. The woman stared back. "So...uh...are you a knight?" The orange filly hesitantly ventured. The woman nodded. "That's pretty cool. What's your name?" The woman was quiet for a moment, trying to learn how to use her vocal chords again, as it had been some time since she was able to speak. This was followed by multiple coughes and croaks, making the young fillies concerned, but the woman waved their concerns off and managed to find her voice quickly enough. "Ferelda," she finally uttered, her voice, while still somewhat shaky from neglect, was sophisticated and flowed well, all things considered. "That's a funny name," the orange filly blurted. "I think it's pretty," the white filly commented. "That sounds like a noble's name. Are ya'll a noble?" the yellow filly asked. "I...don't recall," Ferelda said somewhat sadly, before shaking her head clear of the thoughts. "What are your names?" "Ah'm Applebloom!" said the yellow filly. "I'm Sweetie Belle!" the white filly squeaked. "I'm Scootaloo, number one fan of Rainbow Dash!" the orange filly declared, before the three huddled together and inhaled deeply. "AND WE'RE THE CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS!" they all yelled at once, making the woman wince as the volume caused her ears to ring. Afterwards, she chuckled slightly. "Well, it's nice to meet you all. Might I ask what you three are? I've never seen anything like you," Ferelda queried. "We're ponies, of course! I'm a unicorn, Scootaloo's a pegasus, and Applebloom's an Earth Pony. Have you really never seen ponies before?" Sweetie Belle asked. Ferelda shook her head. "Really? Where are you from, then? It must be really far away if you've never even seen a pony before," Scootlaoo pointed out. "I...I don't remember, I'm afraid," Ferelda explained. "That's so sad!" Sweetie Belle said, sympathy and worry etched on her features. "Don't worry Miss Ferelda! We'll help you remember!" Scootaloo promised. Ferelda smiled 'neath her helm. "Thank you, Scootaloo. I appreciate that," Ferelda thanked. "No problem!" Scootaloo chirped. "Wait, how are we gonna do that? Twilight is in Canterlot, and she's the only one in town who knows a memory spell," Sweetie Belle noted. "Hmmm... That is a problem..." Scootaloo concurred. "We could search her library! Ah bet it has a book on it!" Applebloom suggested. "Hey, that's a great idea! Good thinking, Applebloom!" Scootaloo praised. "Hehe, thanks! Now let's get goin'!" Applebloom said before taking off toward Twilight's Castle. "Hey, wait up!" Sweetie called, before her and Scootaloo followed. Ferelda chuckled at their enthusiasm. "Children," she said with a mirthful shake of her head. She felt a strange warmth at the sight of the fillies rushing off, so full of vigor. A strange, yet familiar warmth. While her arrival here was...painful, she had to admit that she felt much better just being...wherever here was. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but being here made her feel...content. She didn't even care about her previous mission, if it could even be called that with the lack of solid direction. The woman shook off these thoughts. For now, her mission was to try and remember who she was. With that in mind, she set off after the young fillies, a smile 'pon her face.