> Second Chance at Life > by Zepharel > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Ends and Beginnings > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- I do not own “Dark Souls” or the “my little pony” franchise. I only own my character. Ch. 1 Ends and Beginnings Two figures stood before an archway covered in writhing grey mist. One was glowing, its entire body seemingly made of sunlight. The other was a human man. The man one looked to the glowing entity. They spoke no words, there was no need to. The glowing man merely nodded his head in understanding. They both knew that this was it. They would either succeed where everyone else had failed or become one with the ashes that covered this barren place. The man stepped before the gate and placed a hand upon its shifting surface. The fog seemed to ensnare his hand and tugged at it, as if willing him to take the final step. The man glanced to his shining companion and with a final nod he pushed through to fog. As soon as he passed through the gate he rolled to the left, narrowly avoiding the sword slam that would have flattened him. Rolling onto his knees, the man brought up his shield and looked at the creature that would kill him. He looked the same as before. A hollow, giant of a man, at least four heads taller than himself. His long grey hair seemed to billow from the heat of his man sized flaming sword; ragged grey robe singed by fire and iron anklets, bracelets and spiked crown scorched black. The giant leapt at the man, raising his flaming sword above his head. He rolled aside again just before the blow landed and quickly lashed out with his sword, grazing his side. Before the giant could counter attack, he grunted and stumbled forward and lightning arched over his wilted body. The man glanced behind his enemy, he saw his companion grabbing his sword and joining him in the fray. Now, the battle truly begins. They fought for what felt like hours, trading blow for blow. Sounds of their clashes bounced of the dome like walls of their battleground, magnifying their sounds and echoing into the black sky, making it sound like they were gods, fighting for the desolate earth they were on. All were breathing heavily now, they are on their last legs. The winner will soon be declared. With a roar, the giant flew forward to the man, set on ending this battle with a final strike, only to be intercepted by his companions shield. Instead of striking out, the giant knocked aside the shield with his hand and grasped the glowing man by his throat. He raised him in the air and plunged his burning sword into his chest and then flung him aside, manically laughing all the while. He failed to realize, that the man had already recovered, and his actions had left him wide open. With a bellow, the man leapt to his feet and plunged his sword into the giants back and piercing though his chest. For a moment, everything was deathly silent. The giant man fell to his knees, looking at the blade sticking through his chest as if bewildered as to how it got there. He didn’t notice as the man leaned forward to his head and whispered a single word in his ear. “Die.” The giant roared in anguish as he burst into flame. The man covered his eyes until the light died down. The giants body was burned to a crisp, the man’s sword still stuck though his blackened body. Holding the hilt he kicked the body forward, freeing his sword as the body burst into ashes upon impacting the ground. With a sigh of relief the man looked around for his companion. He found him, kneeling on the ground, exhausted but uninjured. The man offered a hand and helped him up just as his form was beginning to flicker and fade. Just before he faded from view, the man gave his companion a nod of thanks and a shake of the hand. Even though he was wearing a helmet, he knew his companion, his friend, was smiling. He had done it. Now he would repent for what he had done in the world. The Dark Lord would not arise in this land, not again. The man stretched forth a hand to the dormant bonfire, placed the other over his heart and ignited it. The flame blazed forth and enveloped him, yet he felt no pain. As the fire grew larger and engulfed his vision his final thoughts were of his wife and children… …………………………….. Twilight sat in one of the chairs on the main floor of the library, reading a book on advanced magic, the evening sun streaming through a nearby window. One of the perks of being a book worm and living in a library, you can read whatever, whenever. She was just getting into the chapter on spells of transference when Spike came running up to her. “Twilight! Twilight!!” “What is it Spike?” she said looking up from the book. “There’s something strange going on in the Everfree forest! Look out the window.” Her curiosity piqued, Twilight walked across the room to the window Spike was looking out. What she saw unnerved her. Dark clouds were swirling over the forest with lightning arching through them. “What do you think that means Twilight?” “I don’t know Spike, but I think I should let Princess Celestia know what’s happening. Hurry and grab a quill and scroll.” Twilight went back to staring at the eerie phenomenon in the sky. What could be causing this? It can’t be Nightmare Moon could it? She was defeated when we used the elements of harmony. She couldn’t still be alive… could she? A rainbow blur caught her attention as it landed at the large wooden doors to the library. “Twilight? Twilight open up!” a familiar voice said “Doors unlocked Rainbow.” She heard the door slam open and a gust of wind. She turned to see Rainbow Dash in front of her looking worried. “Twilight, have you seen it?! Do you know what’s going on?” Twilight shook her head. “I have no idea Rainbow. I was just going to write to Princess Celestia and inform her on what’s happen-” Before she could finish her sentence, an enormous boom sounded from the distance; both ponies heads snapped to the forest. The center of the swirling clouds dipped slightly before a plume of fire descended into the depths of the forest. It remained for a moment, a glowing pillar of fire in the sky. It swayed back and forth as if alive, hypnotizing the residents of Ponyville. They stopped and stared at the dancing flame some in awe, others in fear. Then just as quickly as it appeared, it dissipated, the flames spiraling outward and dissolving into the air, releasing the ponies from it spell. “Whoa… what was that from?” “I… I don’t know Rainbow. It could be from a dragon showing off but I’m not sure. “Spike soon came back with the scroll and quill Twilight asked for. Her horn glowed as they were lifted from his grasp and poised to begin writing. “I only hope Princess Celiestia knows what to do.” ………………………………… The human inhaled and opened his eyes as he returned to consciousness. The first thing he noticed was he was still alive. The second was that his entire body hurt. Ugh, I feel like Smough tenderized me with his hammer. *groan* I never can seem to catch a break can I? He slowly got to his feet and quickly stood up, a symphony of pops and cracks sounded as he corrected his posture, looking around as he did so. He seemed to be in some sort of throne room, two stone chairs sat upon a raised platform, covered in dust like the rest of the room. Everything seemed ancient, from the partially moss covered walls to the cracked and chipped pillars that held up the ceiling, which itself held various gaps and holes; a large one directly above him. Treetops could be seen through them, casting the room with waving shadows in the moonlight. A castle of some sort? Though I do not remember seeing one like this anywhere before. Could this be another part of the Darkroot Gardens I was unaware of? He turned around to see a bonfire a few feet away, and a path leading out. Shrugging his shoulders he walked past the bonfire and walked through the darkened halls. He eventually came to the castle entrance at the edge of a steep drop, a stagnant body of water below. With a huff of annoyance he slowly backed up and armor clanking all the while, took a running leap to the other side, barely making it. Dusting himself off he looked around again, seeing various critters scattering from his noisy entrance. No, this was definitely not the Darkroot Gardens, which begged the question, Where in the hells am I? Greetings everyone! This is my first post to FIMFiction and one I have been thinking of for awhile. Though I was beaten to submitting a story with Dark Souls by a certain someone *cough* techwolf *cough* I do hope it will prove to be a good read. Please let me know if I get any of the characters wrong as I really haven’t watched the series; I observed the pony’s attitudes and behaviors through other people’s writings. Also if anything doesn’t make sense or could be improved upon, please let me know. It has been quite awhile since I last wrote so I fear I might be a bit rusty. And of course, let me know what you think! P.S. if you like this, you should go check out A Dark Past. Don’t say I’m a sore loser Techie > New Lands > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- I do not own Dark Souls or the “My Little Pony” Franchise I do own my OC Ch.2 New Lands Where in the hells am I? The man thought as he observed his surroundings. The forest was thick, despite the full moon out, very little made it through the canopy. He could only see a few feet into the dark woods. What he did see, was a partially overgrown dirt path a few feet ahead. He looked behind him to the gap he jumped and frowned. I really don’t want to have to jump this bloody thing every time I want to get back here. Perhaps I can find something to use as a makeshift bridge. With a goal in mind, he brought out his skull lantern and started on the path. As time passed, the man noticed distinct differences in the woods as he walked along the path. It seemed to be less hostile than ones he had traveled through. Of course there were still dangers amongst the trees, that much was certain, yet there was a measure of tranquility that matched the perils. One such peril seemed to have been following him for the last half hour or so. He could feel himself being watched, catching the occasional pair of glowing eyes in his peripheral vision. It was when he came to a fork in the road did his stalker show himself. The man raised his lantern to see the creature. It looked to be a large wolf with the exception of glowing eyes and lack of fur. The wolf growled at him, teeth bared. This is it? Your whats been following me? I admit, I am a little disappointed. Just as he reached for his weapon he, heard bushes rustling behind him. Ah, I remember how it goes now. Where there's one… He looked behind him as four more of those wolves hopped from the foliage and snarled at him, eyes glowing in the shadows. More are sure to follow. The creatures circled the human. He drew his sword from his side and readied himself for the imminent fight. It was one of the creatures behind him that struck first. The wolf leaped at his unguarded back, trying to end the fight quickly, but the man has learned such strategies. He feinted to the left and spun to bring down his lantern on the creatures head. To his surprise, instead of the creature being stunned, it burst into flame. It howled in pain and fled into the forest while he and the other wolves watched bewildered at what just happened. The man looked down at the smoldering embers left from his attack and saw shards of the creature he struck on the ground. He knelt down and picked it up. Is this…some kind of bark? These creatures are made of wood? Surely they can’t be that easy to defeat can they? Curious, he dropped the lantern and ignited a small flame in his hand. Stretching it forth to the nearest wolf he snapped his fingers and a large plume of fire engulfed it. Like its pack mate, it too caught fire and ran away in a panic. Apparently so. He looked at another wolf and snapped his fingers again, but the wolf jumped away before it could get hit. Smart. They are at least somewhat intelligent. Interesting. Realizing that their prey is too powerful for them, the last three wolves retreated back into the dark forest, leaving the man standing alone. Smirking beneath his mask, he sheathed his sword and retrieved his lantern. Looking again at the splitting paths before him, he shrugged and pulled out an engraved gold coin and flipped it into the air. Seeing the result, he headed on the left path. Hours later, the man noticed the trees thinning out and wide open plains before him. The moonlight bathed the hills in a silvery sheen rendering his lantern unneeded. Climbing a nearby hill he pulled out a pair of binoculars and surveyed what he could see. There seemed to be a settlement nearby and a larger one further away. While it’s not exactly ideal to trespass in unknown lands in the middle of the night, I find that I have little choice if I am to get supplies to build that damn bridge. Ah, well. As he was putting away the binoculars he heard a familiar growl from behind him. He quickly twisted around and drew his sword in a fluid motion and faced his attacker. Only he saw no one. He glanced around in confusion before lowering his sword. He heard it again but louder and deeper, sounding like it was right on top of him. Moving on instinct he rolled forward and swung his sword behind him simultaneously. He quickly got to his feet to face his enemy, but again, no one was there. Where is it?! Don’t tell me those beasts are back and they can turn invisible! Again, he scanned the area around him and saw only open fields covered in moonlight. Frustrated, he closed his eyes and strained his hearing, listening for that sound again. Moments passed before he heard it again, this time it sounded like it was close in front of him, almost like it was… Wait… is that my… stomach? That sound, it means that I am… hungry? How is this possible? Of all the thousands of years, this is the first time I have heard it. Or, perhaps it has sounded before and I merely was not paying attention? Shaking his head in embarrassment he sheathed his sword again and sighed. No matter. Right now, First things first. I will figure out what’s going on later. The man traveled carefully, constantly keeping aware of his surroundings, looking for threats that might hide in the shadows of the clouds or beneath the earth. A nervous habit, but one he learned to embrace since it saved his life more than once. The moon was beginning to descend by the time he reached the wooden fence of the settlement. Judging by the buildings he assumed it to be a farm of some kind though he saw no evidence of livestock. Hopping the fence he snuck as quietly as he could to the barn and opened the door. Glancing behind him to make sure he had not been seen, he entered and carefully closed the door behind him. While it was dark inside, a few slivers of light passed through the cracks in the wooden walls, illuminating enough to see some shapes. Stacked barrels and full baskets took up most of the barn, but he saw a small alcove of scattered materials. Hoping he could find what he needs there, he searched and found a dozen sturdy boards and a few bundles of thick rope. Smiling, he grabbed a small black satchel from his side and opened it. Bringing the first of the boards to it, black mist rose from the satchel and touched the board, turning it into black mist and then entered the satchel. He did this with everything else and reattached the small bag. As he turned to leave his foot struck a basket, spilling its contents into the ground. Mentally cursing he rushed to pile everything back into it until he saw what he was grabbing. One of the objects rolled into a section of moonlight and he saw that it was a kind of fruit. He grabbed it and looked at it closely. Its skin was smooth and firm. It was deep red and as nearly as large as his hand. As he stared at it, his stomach lightly growled and he felt something wet leaking from his mouth. Without thinking he grabbed three baskets and opened his bag again. Black mist rose, and as if reading his mind, floated over to the baskets and slowly absorbed the fruit. When it was done, he tossed the empty baskets behind him and picked up his bag. Unknown to him though, one of the baskets he threw struck a precariously perched barrel on the second level of the barn. Said barrel fell onto a large stack of other barrels causing them to fall and break open, spilling their contents. Golden liquid soaked his boots as he turned around to see what he had done, but he only managed a glance. He immediately heard a dog barking like mad, and saw through the cracks in the walls lights turning on in the nearby house. Cursing his luck he reached for a ring in his satchel. Putting it on, his form began to fade and become transparent. He wasn’t completely invisible, but it would have to do. He quickly kicked open the door, and ran outside as he saw three creatures and a dog standing in front of the lit doorway. He stopped, stunned at what he saw. Horses? The beings in the house, the owners of the farm were…Horses? ………………… Applejack had a long day. First off, she'd gotten up late and nearly missed breakfast. Then as she was bringing her fully loaded cart into town, one of the wheels broke! And to top it all off, some mice got into the barn and chewed through five baskets, meaning they would need to be repaired. Now she was looking forward to a nice relaxing night’s sleep after the hearty dinner granny made. Lying in bed she thought back to the day she had, more specifically, to that one strange thing that happened. That thing of fire over at Everfree… ah do hope it’s nothin’ to worry about. Turning over in bed to get comfortable she drifted off to sleep. She slept for hours, caught in a pleasant dream. She was just beating the hay out of the flim flam brothers and watching as their Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000 getting ready to explode when- SMASH!!! She's jolted out of her dream by a loud sound. Getting up from bed she hears Winona scratching at the door and barking. She rushed to the stairs and met both Big Mac and Appleboom, both having heard the noise and coming to see what was going on. Applejack and Big Mac made it past the door just in time to see the barn door burst open and something come out. They were too stunned to notice Applebloom had squeezed past them and saw what had them stupefied. Whatever it was, it was tall, maybe taller that Big Mac. It was standing on two legs, and what stood out the most was the fact they saw right through it! “W-What in tarnation?!” was all Applejack could say as Winona growled and stepped forward. The creature took a step back before turning tail and running towards the forest, Winona in pursuit. She was gaining ground quickly, but before she could get close enough to snap at it, the creature leaped over the fence and continued running, not slowed down by the obstacle at all. Winona merely barked at the retreating figure until it disappeared into the forest. “Big Mac… d-did ya see what ah saw?” “Eeyup.” And here’s the second chapter. I know, it’s essentially a wall of text but I felt it necessary not to rush the introduction between the ponies, and to know a little bit of the personality of the newcomer. Next chapter should be less confusing if my referring to him constantly without a name bothers you. I feel that it would go with the story that you find out his name when the ponies do. As for chapter number three, I have an idea on how it’s going to go, so it should be up sooner than this one. As before, please let me know what you think! P.S. Sorry Applejack lovers if I got her accent wrong. Never really wrote in a southern drawl before. > The Ghost in the Woods > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- I do not own MLP:FIM or Dark Souls. I do own my oc. The Ghost in the Woods By the Darkstalker, what the hell is going on?! First I’m miraculously transported to an unknown land and now I find it’s populated by talking animals?! The man ran for awhile before exhaustion caught up to him, forcing him to lean against a tree to catch his breath. His thoughts went wild with theories and guesses on how he could have traveled to such a strange place. Why aren’t I dead? Igniting the first bonfire should have destroyed me like it did Gwyn. Or am I really dead and this is some sort of absurd afterlife? No, if that were true, I would have met others here. Recovered, he stood back up and huffed in confusion. Well, I think before I look for answers, I should ignite that bonfire back at the ruins. Now that I have supplies I shouldn’t have any trouble crossing that gap. Retrieving the lantern from his satchel he continued forward into the woods, searching for the path he had traveled on before. By the time he had found it and navigated back to the ruins, the sun was already beginning to cast its warm glow. Tossing his opened satchel on the ground, he raised his hands and imposed his will on the black mist as it poured out and took shape. The mist darkened and solidified into the items he stole from the farm. Working with experienced hands he quickly blended the two components to create a crude bridge. Tying one end of the bridge to two trees, he brought out his Dragonslayer Greatbow and tied an end to the arrow, and fired across the gap. The arrow quickly crossed the gap to the castle, and punched through the stone around the entrance. Doing the same with the other side, he slowly walked out on his bridge and tested it. Satisfied at his work, he strolled across and headed onward to ignite the bonfire. Stretching out his hand, the flame roared to life, casting the room in a flickering light. He sat down and brought out one of the fruits from his satchel. Taking a large bite out if it the stared into the flame as he chewed; his mind attempting to sort out just what is going on. Damn it, why didn’t I die? Why couldn’t I simply join my family in the afterlife? I’m so weary of this…*sigh* enough of that. Right now I need to think. Alright, Instead of dying when I ignited the kiln’s flame I was somehow transported to a strange world, where instead of humans there are talking horses. While there is a bonfire here, it seems to be disconnected to my world, so I am apparently stuck here. He reached for more of the juicy fruit when he ate up the first one. As far as I can tell, there should be no reason that the two worlds should be connected at all. They have nothing in common as from what I see. Granted, I haven’t really explored much of this land since I’ve only been here for a day I think. A small pile of cores sat beside him unnoticed as he continued devouring the delicious fruit. But talking horses the dominant species? I find it hard to believe, even after seeing it with mine own eyes. While I have seen animals that speak before, they were scarce. Yet beyond that farm I saw a community of what I would assume would be more of their kind. I wonder though, if they are the only sentient animals? Are other animals able to speak or understand speech? He grasped for more of the fruit, but stopped. Looking towards the bag, his eyes were drawn to the pile of cores that sat next to it, nearly as tall as him while sitting down. His eyebrows rose in mild surprise. I ate that much already? Yet, my stomach is still not satisfied. He thought as his stomach let out a slightly loud grumble. Hmm. Perhaps I shall risk hunting for some more filling food if I am to have any hope of silencing my stomach. Perhaps an elk or deer. This place is abundant in wildlife so I doubt I should have to look far. Standing up, the man called forth his bow from the satchel and headed out into the forest, licking his lips at the meal to come. …………….. “Ah tell yah Twilight, it was some sort of spirit! Big Mac, Apple Bloom and I could see through it, and it headed off towards the Everfree forest when it noticed us.” After the startling event that happened on the farm, Applejack headed to Ponyville as soon as dawn broke to speak to Twilight and try to make sense of what she saw. Needless to say, Twilight was very interested in what she had to say. “That is rather strange Applejack. And you said it walked on two legs?” A quill and parchment floated beside her encased in a purple aura, documenting everything they talked about. “Yep, took off like a startled rabbit once Winona went after it. Never thought a ghost would be afraid of a dog.” “Hmm, I don’t think it was a ghost, but I intend to find out. Spike, do we have any books on supernatural creatures of Equestria?” Spike, who was listening intently to their conversation, wandered over to a section of the library and began to scan their titles. “Hmm, we have Windigo’s and other winter spirits, Ponies of the Paranormal, and urp-BELCH!!” Green flame erupted from Spikes mouth and a sealed scroll appeared thought the flame and dropped into his claws. “Twilight, you’ve got a message.” A purple aura engulfed the scroll as twilight brought it before her. She read My Faithful Student Twilight, Since the Elements of Harmony were used on Nightmare Moon, I have not sensed her presence for awhile and believe her to be gone. Though she is no more, the recent activity in the forest has caused me some worry. I have sensed some unusual magic lurking at the Moon Castle Ruins but do not believe it is anything to that requires action. It is most likely a dragon showing its skills. Should anything else happen that is out of the ordinary, do let me know. Princess Celestia “What’s it say Twilight?” “The Princess says she senses some faint magic in the castle ruins but she doesn’t believe it is anything to be concerned about, at least not yet.” “Yeah, but what about now that there are ghosts runnin’ around?” “I don’t know Applejack. I’ll write her about the ghost you saw. I’ll let you know when I get a response.” “Alright sugah cube. Now, if ya’ll excuse me, I have a mess in the barn to take care of. Apparently, that darn ghost has a taste for apples.” ……………. “I’m telling you guys, it was a ghost! I saw through it and everything!” Apple Bloom, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle sat in their clubhouse as Apple Bloom told the others of what she saw last night. Both were fascinated at how she described the strange creature. “It was tall, taller even that Big Mac, the biggest pony I know! It walked on two legs I think, and it hooves were broken! When Winona went after it, it looked like it glided above the ground, then it went through the fence and headed for the Everfree forest.” The other two crusaders sat there, mouths hanging open in awe. It was Scootaloo who snapped out of their surprise first. “That settles it! This has to be a sign that this is how we can get our cutie marks! You said it went into the Everfree forest right? Then that’s where we’ll go!” Sweetie Belle looked a surprised and a little afraid. “B-but Scootaloo, the forest is a big place. How can we hope to find it?” “Hmm, well, ghosts usually haunt places right? The only place I can know of is the ruins. It has to be there!” Applebloom began to share in Sweetie Belle’s hesitation. “Scootaloo, we’ve never been that far in before. We won’t know where to go, and what if we get lost? We’ll never be able to find our way back!” Scootaloo brought her hoof to her chin and thought for a moment. “Well… what if we ask Zecora for help? She knows her way around the woods and she likes us too. That should work right?” The other two ponies still looked hesitant to go through with the plan. They would be going farther into the forest that they ever had before. Scootaloo could see they still needed a little encouragement. “C’mon fillies, we can do it! This could be our one chance to get our marks. This is something no one has ever done before. It’s practically guaranteed that we’ll get’em!” The other two ponies nodded their heads; and Scootaloo pumped her hoof in success. All three put their hooves together and said- “Cutie Mark Crusaders, Ghost Hunters! YAAAAYYY!!!!” …………….. The man had been hunting for hours now, all the while seeing no large prey. It was getting agitated. He didn’t remember hunting being this hard before. Then again, he never hunted in armor before. Heavy, loud, clanking armor…. He shook his head as he facepalmed. Stupid, stupid! No wonder I haven’t found anything. They heard me coming a mile away! *sigh* Guess I should hurry and change. I might still have enough daylight for- Before he finished his thought, he heard a snapping of branches somewhere above him. He paused, and slowly looked up. A strange creature was looking down on him, licking its beak. It was a little smaller than himself, with the head of a chicken and the body of some kind of lizard. Judging by the look on its face, it must think me its next meal. If it weren’t for that, I would check to see if it could talk at all. Eh, why not? “Ho there creature! You’re not seeking to make a snack of me aye?” The creature jumped down and looked amused at what he said before lunging at him with its beak. He side stepped it easily, and instead of clamping down on him, the creature bit down on a tree branch snapping it cleanly in half. Ok then. It’s sentient and knows I am but still seeks to make a meal out of me. So be it then, I shall do the same. “You’re no deer, creature, but you’ll make a good enough meal I think.” The man said as he drew his silver sword and readied his shield. The creature turned and with a squawk, charged at him again. He quickly raised his shield and blocked the blow, which stunned it, unaccustomed with charging head first into a metal guard. He took this opportunity to strike, arching his blade over his head and swinging it down, cutting a deep gash into its chest. It squealed in pain and jumped back, but not before reaching out with its talons and tearing through his armor and drawing blood. He grunted in pain but shrugged it off. He’d dealt with far worse. As the creature landed it stared at him intently, his sixth sense warning him something is going to happen. He raised his shield in front of his face just before the beasts eyes glowed and cast forth rays of magic against him. Strangely enough, he felt nothing. Odd. I would think with that coverage it would do some damage. He lowered his shield once the glowing ceased and readied himself again, only to be distracted by loud cracking noises behind him. Turning his head he saw a family of rabbits staring past him, only they were no longer flesh and fur, they were turned to stone! Cracks had formed on the larger ones and chunks had fallen of the smaller ones. What the- “OOMMPPFF!!” Distracted, the man didn’t see the creature as it turned and whipped its long thick tail at him, knocking him into a tree, and throwing his mask of in the process. His head was bowed down, unconscious. The beast casually strolled towards him and bent forward to stare at him eye-to-eye. Its eyes began to glow, preparing to unleash its petrifying gaze again. The only thing that stopped it was the sight of the smirk on the humans face and the glint of his sliver sword in the sunlight. …………… Rarity sat in her studio, thread and needle flying through the air as she worked her magic, both figuratively and literally. Orders had been coming in nonstop for alterations, repairs and brand new outfits for the rich and famous mares and stallions that would be attending the Grand Galloping Gala next month. “Sweetie Belle, could you hand me the green thread? Sweetie Belle?” Rarity looked up from her current task and looked around for her little sister. She stepped out from the studio and into her living room and called out again. Shrugging, she headed back to get the green thread herself when there was a knock at the door. Using her magic, she opened it and Fluttershy walked in. “H-hello Rarity. Are you ready for our trip to the spa?” “Goodness, is it that day already!? I’ve been so busy I completely forgot about it!” “It’s ok Rarity, we can go next week.” “Nonsense Fluttershy. Just let me get ready and we’ll be off for a nice relaxing time. Celestia knows I need it.” After a moment, both were off to the spa. They chatted about various things on the way, from Rarities business to Fluttershy’s animals. As they turned a corner, they saw Twilight and Applejack standing outside the library in a heated discussion. Curious, they decided to see what was going on. “Hello Dears! Oh my, what seems to be the problem? Applejack, you look like you’re about ready to buck somepony. Did something happen?” “Rarity! Maybe you can talk some sense into Twilight. I told her that Applebloom and the others were seen headn’ into the Everfree forest and she says I shouldn’t worry.” “Well, Applejack, they have gone in before and they know not to wander too far in. They probably went to say hi to Zecora.” “Any other day I would agree with ya, but with that thing ah saw last night…” “What thing do you speak of Applejack?” “Applejack told me that last night that she saw some sort ghost come from her barn and fled to the Everfree forest when they saw it.” “Ah didn’t just see it, Ah saw through it! And I’m afraid that the crusaders might have gone after it.” Now Rarity began to mimic Applejacks worry. While the CMC know not to go too deep into the forest, their insatiable need for getting their cutie marks might drive them to go deeper than they should. Suddenly, Pinkie Pie came out from behind Twilight and started asking questions. ”Ooh a ghostie?! Was it Green?! Was it slimy?! *gasp* Did it try eating any of you?!” While everyone was trying to calm the energetic pony down, a rainbow blur shot down from the sky and landed before the group, raising a small cloud of dirt as it landed. It was Rainbow Dash, and she looked a little confused. “Hey everyone. Applejack, Rarity, do you know if the crusaders went into the forest today? Cause I saw Scootaloo bookin’ it out of there and headed here. She looked afraid of something.” Looking behind Rainbow, everyone could see a cloud of dirt in the distance, coming at them with incredible speed. It reached them in a matter of moments and stopped a few feet before the group. They saw a panting Scootaloo who shakily got off her scooter and managed to say one word. “G-G-G-Ghost!” …………….. The man walked through the woods with a small smile on his lips dragging the carcass of the creature behind him. The kill had been quick and easy. He was surprised at how cocky the creature got once it thought he was unconscious. As soon as it got close, it was a simple matter of thrusting his blade up through the bottom of its head. It managed to let out a small squawk of surprise before it fell over dead. Now he was headed back to the ruins, focused on enjoying his upcoming meal, though his meal was intent on getting caught on every branch and root that he came across. Grumbling as it got hung up again, he turned around to see just what it was he had to deal with and was suddenly plowed into from behind, causing him to stumble forward. Turning to see what hit him, he saw three small horses with odd coat and mane colors. They were too busy rubbing their heads in pain to notice him at first. It was the one with the red mane that saw him. Its reaction raised his brow a little in curiosity. Its eyes grew wide and its mouth hung open and nudged the one with the purple mane. It too followed suit and soon all three were gawking at him, making him feel uneasy. None of them noticed what came out of the woods until a loud snarl drew their attention. Behind the horses was a pack of those wooden wolves. So this is what caused these horses to run into me eh? The man saw at the head of the pack a familiar face, so to speak. Their leader had scorch marks over its body and when it noticed him, backed away slightly. No doubt about it. This must be the pack that attacked me last night. He stared at them and how they looked at the tiny horses that were now cowering at his feet. He had seen that look many times before. The look of desperation. How many times have I seen that in the eyes of the hollows back in Lordran? Their eyes were wide with hunger and maws drooling to be so close to food yet unable to feast. It looked like they hadn’t eaten in awhile. Heaving a sigh, he grabbed the tail of his would be meal and gave a sharp tug, snapping the branches it was caught on and drawing the attention of the wolves. He slowly stepped around the horses while dragging the body and with a heave, tossed it over to the hungry beings. It landed with a loud *whump* in front of them. The leader stared at it and then to the man. He merely nodded and stepped back to the horses. The leader gave a soft growl and looked at the wolves on either side of it. They grabbed their meal and dragged it back into the forest, leaving the man and the horses alone. He turned and looked down to them. Now they cowered from him. To show he meant no harm, he knelt down and slowly stretched out his hand to them. The one with the purple mane snapped out of its frighted state and kicked at him, knocking his hand away. “RUN!!!!” It shouted and took off. He looked to the other two and saw them on the ground, unconscious. Apparently he scared them so much they passed out. He let out a *humph* of disappointment. He couldn’t in good conscience leave them there, so he gathered them in his arms and headed back to the ruins. Next Chapter, the mane six meet the Dark Lord, and what happens? Battle of course! Like always, please review and let me know what you think so far. P.S. Sorry for the delay. Had a little trouble on deciding how to write this.