//------------------------------//
// Ponyville 
// Story: The Spirit of Harmony 
// by Dawildehoers 
//------------------------------//

Chapter Two
Ponyville

I was seated before the violet bonfire and its soothing magical warmth. The lingering cuts on my leg and sides had faded away. Not even a scar remained in place. Unfortunately, the same couldn’t be said for my abused blade nor the tattered rags I wore. Twilight was so kind to wipe the dirt and blood off my face with a handkerchief. I could now grin at her with a mostly clean face.
Though, I wasn’t grinning at the moment. I was still upset after my encounter with Nightmare Moon. What she said, her offer, it chilled the marrow of my bones. Just the idea that I could corrupt disturbed my very being if I so choose.
Stop being a foolish Daydreamer already and become a Night Terror.
My muzzle curled into an uneasy frown as I gazed at the mare in the moon.
“Worried about the abyss?”
I snapped my attention to the fire keeper. “Yes… you could say that.”
“Oh? Is it something different?”
I explained, “I was encountered by Nightmare Moon. She… I couldn’t slay her.”
Twilight’s face twisted at me in confusion. “You fought with Nightmare Moon?”
“Not exactly?” I answered.
“What happened then.”
“She was… taunting me,” I half-lied. “She said I was wasting my time with trying to find the Elements of Harmony.”
Twilight asked, “Did she attack you?”
“Not directly. I tried to attack her, but she disappeared into smoke soon as my sword made contact.
“Really now?” She broke into an eased grin. “There’s no need to worry, Daydreamer. You didn’t encounter Nightmare Moon, not really. What you encountered was merely an illusion of her. The abyss took the form of Nightmare Moon in order dissuade you from your mission.”
“You’re sure?” I asked.
Twilight placed a warm hoof on my shoulder and pointed at the ever-persistent lunar body in the sky. “Do you see the mare in the moon?”
I nodded my head affirmatively. The mare in the moon, a dark unicorn’s head, was present on the moon as always. “Of course I see her.”
“That mare is Nightmare Moon,” Twilight explained. “So long as you can see the mare in the moon, you can be sure that she is sealed away with the stars.”
My anxious frown faded as I gazed at the moon. “Well then, I suppose I should find the Elements of Harmony soon as possible so she never has a chance to leave.”
Twilight broke into a wide grin. “That’s the spirit!”
I looked to her. “You said that you know of the elements’ location?”
She informed, “I do not know exactly where the Elements of Harmony are. They’ve been lost to me for many years. However, I may know a way you could learn of the elements’ locations.”
I paid her my full attention. “Yes? How could I do that?”
“There’s a book,” Twilight answered, “in the Ponyville library, a large tree at the center of Ponyville. It’s titled The Elements of Harmony: A Reference Guide. It tells the history of the elements, including their last bearers. The guide should give you some direction towards the elements’ general locations.”
My lips twisted as I tilted my head at the fire keeper. “You say ‘locations’, as if there are multiple. Would the Elements of Harmony not be kept together?”
Twilight shook her head with a dour expression. “It’s not likely, I’m afraid. The bearers of the elements were once close friends, but they split up long ago.”
“What? Why would they split apart if they were such close friends?”
Twilight sighed. “Nothing lasts forever, not even friendship. The element bearers, they had their own dreams they wanted, no, needed to fulfill. They just drifted apart in order to pursue their dreams.”
I looked at the fire keeper as she stared into nothingness. It took a moment, but she eventually looked to me with a light smile.
“Family, however, can never be broken.” Twilight called to her brother, “Isn’t that right, Shining?”
The alabaster stallion looked to his sister. “I suppose I don’t see us separating from bloodline all too soon.”
He returned his morose gaze to the ground.
I quietly asked Twilight, “Why is your brother so grim about everything.”
Twilight told, “Shining has had a rough life. The nightmare abyss took a lot from him. He hasn’t been the same since losing his wife.”
Shining sighed as he stared at the ground.
“However, he’s still the same generous stallion I knew as a filly.” Twilight called, “Shining, it seems our newest friend is in need of some protection. Could you maybe provide him with that set of chainmail you’ve completed?”
Shining scoffed at us. “What, and let it be lost with his corpse when he inevitably gets himself killed out there? Worse yet, what if he goes hollow? Then he’ll be a hollow in mail instead of a hollow in rags!”
I shuddered at the mention of such an idea.
Shining continued. “Do you know how many hours it takes to craft chainmail? I refuse to give my hard work and sweat to another foolish sunseeker just so they can go and get themselves killed!”
Twilight asked, “Didn’t you make that chainmail set specifically for the sunseekers to use?”
“I made this chainmail set for a competent young knight to use. I don’t want to give it to another foal that’s going to end up like Scootaloo. When was the last time we saw her? One week? Two weeks? Two months?”
Twilight shook her head. “How could Daydreamer display competence to you, then?”
Shining stared at his sister, then turned his attention to me. “If you can journey into Ponyville and return with the elements’ guide, then I might consider giving you the armor. If you can bring me back a royal guard’s sword, then I’ll cleanse the sword and give you the armor. Understood?”
I nodded enthusiastically. “You’ll be begging to give me that armor after I come back.”
“He’s got spirit.” Shining rolled his eyes and began trotting towards another room in the castle. “Just like Scootaloo did.”
Twilight begged, “Could you at least repair his sword and clothing? The poor colt hardly stands a chance with his equipment in tatters”
Shining looked back at me. Without asking, he drew my sword from it’s sheath with his glowing blue magic. He looked over the damaged blade before the ghost of an entertained grin spread on his muzzle. The white stallion chuckled.
“Is this a stock craft longsword I’m looking at?” He asked. “By Celestia, you’re the most typical sunseeker I’ve ever met! Some foal with a traveler’s longsword, warming coat, and an abundance of blind spirit. You are such a sunseeker. Why don’t you just stay at the castle with us? Really now, it’s good for your health. Ponyville is filled with hollows and possibly worse.”
I furrowed my brow at the alabaster stallion. “I swore myself to securing the Elements of Harmony! I’ll find them whether I get your help or not.”
Shining rolled his eyes at me. “Whatever. This is a quick fix. I’ll have you out there getting killed in no time.”
He retreated to a dimly lit room, immediately going to work on my gear.





It came to my knowledge that Shining was a skilled craftsman amongst other things. He sewed up the tears in my clothing and tempered my blade better than it ever was before. He wasn’t any klutz about it either. I couldn’t hardly wait to earn his mail armor.
I peered at Ponyville from the very edge of the Everfree Forest. From there, I could only see just a few buildings and a bridge leading into the town over a stream of running water. The town appeared dead, just a set of still ruins that died with the sun. However, Shining Armor’s words rang out somewhere from inside my skull.
Ponyville is filled with hollows and possibly worse
I straightened my form, approaching Ponyville on battle-ready horse shoes.
I crossed the bridge approaching Ponyville. A beam of moonlight caught my eyes as it reflected off the water. The familiar face of the mare in the moon stared me in the pupil. I swear, I could almost see her eye gleam at me as if planning something wicked. I caught sight of a warm orange glow out the top of my vision.
I looked up to spot a hollow pegasus mare holding a brightly lit torch in her maw. She’d occasionally moan around the burning stick. Not the sultry moans one might hope to hear at their bedside on particular occasions, but uncanny deathly noises coming from a pony that can no longer fathom how to make any other sound. Her wings, likely once lined with beautiful soft feathers, were now nothing more than rotted vestigial appendages. She shuffled about aimlessly, cracked hooves clopping on old stone road.
I drew my sword into my mouth and charged at the mare. She hardly had anytime to react to my thundering horseshoes before I slashed clean across her neck with the blade. Black fluid spurt onto my clothes. The mare let out an ear-splitting scream of agony as she fell to the ground.
I caught sight of two hollow guards approaching, drawn by the noise of the fallen mare. They each wielded guard’s spears, wood handle with steel tip. I took my sword into clutch, entering a defensive stance as the hollows approached.
One screamed, “Damned curse!”
The hollow lunged at me with his spear. I narrow dodged the lunge before striking. I drove the tip of my blade through his throat. I’d just barely managed to pull my blade out of the corpse when the other guard impaled my chest with a spear.
I smashed the spear handle with my blade, leaving the steel tip lodged in my thoracic cavity. The hollow was defenseless as I pounced at him and cut him down with my sword. I wiped the hollows' black bodily fluids off my face with a hoof, smearing it off my cloak.
I soon found myself wheezing for air, heaving wet metallic breaths. Immense pain settled into my chest as the battle-high wore off. I gripped the spear tip in my teeth and pulled it from my chest before drinking a fifth of my estus. The wound promptly sealed shut. I coughed up specks of crimson blood as my breathing returned to normal.
I glanced down at the hollow corpses. The guards’ armor was old and worn but served as armor enough. I’d have taken their barding had it not been tainted by the abyss. They say using abyss tainted gear allows it to better influence you.
I sheathed my blade and coughed up some congealed blood. I approached Ponyville in my cloak damp with abyss tainted blood.





For the most part, Ponyville was a quiet town. It was likely a homely place before the age of the abyss, but it now rested in ruins. Most homes and buildings had collapsed in on themselves. Some skeletons dotted the stone streets. The ruins were mostly still aside from the mindless hollows. Most of the undead ponies paid no attention to me, instead tending to their own business. They’d stumble about aimlessly or smash their hooves against walls without reason. Occasionally, a few hollow town’s ponies would attempt to attack me with torches, clubs, or shoddy spears made from a broom handle (sometimes the whole broom) tied with a kitchen knife. They were easy clashes really. The town’s ponies, weak and unequipped for battle; they took hardly any effort to down. I drank just a fifth of estus in order to heal the few solid wounds they inflicted.
I found myself lost in the middle of the town. I’d passed by the same fountain at least three times in searching for the tree-library that Twilight Sparkle had described. Resting against the crumbled stone decoration, I finally took in sight of what must’ve been the town hall. It was larger than any other building in Ponyville. It still stood sturdy, clearly built to last. At the top of the roof was a balcony with unfettered view of all of Ponyville. I drew the idea to use the balcony in order to spot out the library.
Entering city hall, I was met with a mass of wood chairs scattered before a stage and pedestal. Most of the chairs were tipped over or broken in one way or another. Laying over the pedestal was an earth pony skeleton wearing tattered formal business wear, something in a shade of tan. It was eerily silent, with not an organism about to make any sound.
I proceeded towards the spiraled staircase leading upward, finding it broke and covered in rubble. I searched about the town hall until finding a ladder leading to the roof. I scaled the ladder, ascending to be met with light wind and the pale glow of moonlight. The ladder let me out on the roof, opposite end to the balcony. I trotted towards the structure, iron horseshoes clacking against ceramic tiles. The roof sloped at a calm angle. I hardly feared slipping and falling off anytime soon.
Approaching the balcony, I found myself met by a royal guard. The guard, hollowed and corrupted as she was, possessed a pair of deep black voids in place of eyes. Dark smoke rolled off her worn royal armor. The top of her helm, lined with a plume of bitoned blue similar to Shining’s mane, wavered in the air. The torn remains of a cape whipped off her back in the wind. My traveling cloak imitated the motion. I stared into the void of her eyes, trying my damnedest to see if Nightmare Moon was hiding somewhere deep inside of her.
The hollow guard was first to draw her sword. It was a fine blade: long, straight and thin, made to be wielded by a dexterous pony. She held it in a weak magical field with her cracked horn. At the same time, she held up a hoof towards me. Secured around that hoof was a device none too different from my clutch. The device clicked, and a parrying dagger ejected from her hoof. She held the tip of both blades in my direction.
“Foul hollow! You will die in the name of Princess Celestia!”
She charged at me as I drew my longsword in clutch. The unicorn mare swung her sword, whipping her head to match the motion. I deflected the attack with the wide side of my blade before stepping forward with an attack. My blade cut against the royal guard’s armor, but only managed to make the mare flinch back. She made a horizonal swing at my neck with her long blade. I only narrowly managed to duck the slash before thrusting the tip of my longsword at her chest. The mare sidestepped my stab and quickly cut through my cheek with the parrying dagger. I backstepped in order to give myself space.
I wiped a stream of blood off my cheek, wincing in sharp pain. I scowled at the hollowed royal before rearing back to strike. Being quite the clodhoof, I threw all my weight into one strike at the dexterous guard. She parried my attack with ease, leaving me wide open to counter attack. She took the opportunity to impale her long narrow blade clean through my thorax, entering through the front of my chest and exiting through my back. She pierced at such an angle so to hit both my lungs. The royal hollow snarled in my face, breathing rotted moist air over my muzzle before removing her sword and tossing me to the ground. I breathlessly gazed up at the weapon in shock. Moonlight gleamed off both shining metal and fresh blood.
I took no time to chug from my estus flask, drinking until just a third was left. The hollow guard swung her sword at my laying form, almost making contact before I rolled out of the way. I climbed to a stand, taking the handle of my longsword into muzzle. I waited in a defensive stance until the mare attempted to slash at me again. I caught the attack with my own sword. We locked into a battle of strength and fortitude, pressing blade against blade as we both struggled to overcome. It was during this clash where I took the handle of her sword into my clutch. She quickly lost control of the weapon. I cut clean across her throat with the narrow blade and immediately followed up with my longsword. The guard’s head, helm and all, flew through moonlit breeze before landing on the roof beside her still body.
I panted for breath as I sheathed my longsword. I removed two things from the abyss tainted corpse. First was her sheath, which I strapped around my body, opposite side to my longsword’s sheath. Second was her parrying dagger device, which I placed in my bags. I didn’t intend to use either weapon anytime soon, but Shining Armor had a promise to keep.
I proceeded to trot onto the balcony of town hall. I gazed about the ruins of Ponyville before my eyes settled on sight of a great tree home. Leafless branches sprouted out from a thick trunk of solid wood. I could spot a set of shattered windows and a single door built into the trunk of the dead tree. My eyes lit up as I took in sight of the Ponyville library.
I looked to the mare in the moon. The gleam in her eye was no longer present. I shook my hoof at the moon, screaming at her from every alveolar sac of my lungs.
“I will find those damned Elements of Harmony, and you’re going to watch me!”





The short trip to the library was met with little resistance. Really, the most difficult part was coping with the stench of hollow blood which had soaked into the deepest threads of my cloak and coat. The scent of rotted flesh and mildew somehow failed to fade into the background of my senses.
Approaching the library, I caught the sound of loud smashing and clashing. A mare’s screams soon followed, vibrating through the cool air on the flaps of my ears. I picked up my steps to a hurried run. I drew my longsword in clutch before opening the door of the Ponyville library. Inside, a furious old hollow smashed a sledgehammer against a barricaded door. He grunted and shouted as he swung the heavy weapon. The hollow eventually stopped to rest, slightly panting before the damaged door. Much to my surprise, he began speaking legible words.
“Come out, dear Limestone. I need help! I can’t slay all these hollows without you.”
He spoke warmly, something reminiscent of father to child.
Panicked screaming came from the other side of the barricade.
“For the last time, the Great and Powerful Trixie never has and never will go by the name of Limestone! You are chasing the wrong mare, damned old hunter!”
The hollow let out a rumbling feral scream. He’d just finished the noise when his snout began sniffing the air. He immediately darted his head at me. His body followed. The old hollow snarled at me. He was dressed in older formal wear, including a torn overcoat and crumpled hat. Long grey hair tangled through the bottom of his hat and off his face in a messy beard. Despite his age, the hollow still appeared sturdy and muscular. I didn’t notice it at first, but a black necktie appeared to be fastened over his eyes in a sort of blindfold. Black smoke rolled over and under the makeshift blindfold, telltale symptom of abyss corruption. The elderly earth stallion hollow sniffed me out through his blindness.
“Oh dear, that horrible stench… another damned hollow.” He snarled at me. “A right bloody one that is. Come now, wretched corpse. I’ll make sure you meet Celestia on the sunny gemfield above…”
The hollow gripped his sledgehammer in his teeth and leapt at me quicker than I could’ve imagined. Though less nimble due to holding my sword in clutch, I managed to roll out of the way. I made a glancing blow to the stallion before he swung the hammer at me again. I backstepped out of range from the heavy metal piece. The hollow screamed and charged at me. His sledge made a grating noise as it dragged through the ground, and he swung at me upward. I backstepped again, pinning myself against a wall as the hammer barely missed me.
Egads, this old hollow hunter was a beast of a stallion! Finding it difficult to keep up with his aggression, I took my sword into muzzle in order to stay quick on the hooves. The hollow swung his hammer down at me. I dodged the attack by rolling into him, and his hammer smashed against the wall of the library. I slashed through his coat two times, cutting into his side. He roared in pain but didn’t stop to morn his coat. He hardly even flinched! The stallion turned and swung his heavy hammer into the side of my body. There was a sickly sound of shatter bone, and I flew though the air before tumbling on the ground. I’d dropped the sword from my mouth sometime during flight. It landed far out of reach.
I coughed and heaved for breath. I desperately tried to drink from my estus flask, spilling some down my muzzle as I gasped around the neck of the bottle. The hollow jumped at my laying body, swinging his sledge at my position. The ground crumbled beside me just as I rolled out of the way. I scrambled onto my hooves, readying to dodge at a moment’s notice.
This damned elder hollow! I was hardly any match for his feral speed and strength. Without any estus, I was sure to die if his sledge connected with my body again. Meanwhile, I couldn’t even make him flinch without a real solid strike. I could feel the blood pumping and gears grinding in my head as I tried to form a strategy in just a few hair’s split seconds. I spotted the old hollow sniffing me out through the air. He didn’t even need his eyes to see me!
Oh dear, that horrible stench…
But, he did need his nose!
I backstepped as the hollow swung his sledge at me again. I worked at unbuttoning my cloak and coat while backstepping. The feral stallion endlessly approached like a wild animal. After undoing the final button, I ripped both coat and cloak off my body, whipping them both through the air in my teeth. I threw the bits of clothing aside and dived out of the way. The hollow stallion repeatedly smashed at the clothes reeking of hollow blood. I quietly picked my longsword off the ground, taking it in clutch as I cautiously approached the hollow.
He soon stopped smashing the clothes into the ground, hunching over and panting as he figured me for dead. I took the opportunity to impale my longsword though the sides of his body, leaving it in his torso as I undid the clutch. The hollow roared in sheer agony, dropping the sledge from his maw. I proceeded to turn around and buck him with all my strength. He flew a short distance before landing on his side.
I picked up the sledge hammer in my mouth and dragged it across the ground towards the hollow’s body. He was just about to climb to a stand when I drew on all my strength to lift the hammer. I smashed the heavy end into his skull. A wet crunching noise followed as a bit of grey matter spattered on my face. I flicked it off with a hoof.
I panted over the elderly hollow corpse, taking a bit soak in the moment of my accomplishment. A minute later, the barricaded door slowly opened to the sight of a pale blue mare dressed in a purple cape and hat. She gazed at me from the doorway. I spotted the coiled sword of a bonfire behind her figure. The mare’s shocked eyes shifted between me and the hollow corpse. There was a moment of silence before she began clopping her hoof against the ground.
“The Great and Powerful T-r-r-rixie applauds your accomplishment, young knight!” She rolled the “r” in the name. “She will allow you to bathe in the warmth of the bonfire with her.”
My eyes darted around the library. “Excuse me, where is this Great and Powerful Trixie?”
The mare pointed at her own blue hide. It took a moment to process the idea of a pony speaking in the third person.
“Come now, join Trixie at the bonfire. She will be so kind as to light it for you.”
I didn’t hesitate to join the Great and Powerful mare.

Soul Obtained: Father Igneous