It remembered blackness.
Then fighting its’ sister to free her from the Infection that had plagued Hallownest for so long.
Then making a choice that led the Vessel to the source of Hallownest’s woes.
The Radiance.
The Knight had fought it, beat it in combat, before unleashing its’ shade, breaking its’ shell, while the Vessel’s sister, the Hollow Knight, restrained the creature.
Lashing out with a shadowy arm, the Knight had scratched, slapped, and hit the former god until it’d split open, spilling the energy that powered the bug’s Dream Nail everywhere.
Then it’d all gone black.
It was a bright, sunny day in Ponyville. Everypony was going about their business, and the librarian of town, Twilight Sparkle, was hard at work organizing the books she’d put in the library she called home.
Her ear pricked up as she began to hear a rumbling.
“Now what could that be?” She wondered.
Suddenly, Twilight cried out in pain as she felt a wave of magic unlike anything she’d seen before pass overhead.
Groaning, she got up as Spike ran over, concerned for her health.
“Twilight! Are you okay?” the little dragon questioned.
“I’ll be okay, Spike, it’s just that, I felt a wave of magic pass above us. It was so powerful... What could it mean? Where did it go?” she asked.
“I don’t know, should we g-“
Spike was cut off as Twilight’s friends burst inside.
“Twi! Did you see that wave of magic pass overhead?” Rainbow shouted.
“Yes, I did, and you don’t have to shout!” Twilight answered.
Flustered, the rainbow-maned pegasus blushed and said, “Sorry. I guess I forgot.”
Piping up, Fluttershy said, “I-i saw that wave of magic head over to the E-everfree Forest. I-it didn’t look like it went too far in, though.”
“Twi, ah say we head in after it. Who knows what that coulda been,” Applejack suggested.
“I was about to say the same thing,” Twilight replied.
“Fluttershy dear, are you sure you saw that wave of magic enter the Everfree Forest? That place is dreadful, and I’d rather not go inside it and ruin my mane...” Rarity asked.
“I’m sure...” the timid pegasus affirmed.
“Alright then, let’s get going,” Twilight said.
The six ponies, along with one young dragon, filed out the door, and headed towards the Everfree Forest.
Awaken.
‘W-what?’
‘Who are you?’
Little one, you are needed. You must get up!
‘Alright, I’m getting up...’
The little form that laid on the ground of the dark forest began to stir.
It groaned, before pushing it self off the ground, albeit quite unsteadily, and inspected itself.
‘Good, I still have everything I got while on my journey through Hallownest.’
It then inspected its’ surroundings.
‘What in the name of the Pale King!? This looks a bit like Greenpath and the Fungal Wastes, but I’ve never seen plants like these. And what are these vines?’
Something else caught the Knight’s attention.
‘Oh, my... the SKY.... my goodness, this is starting to be too much to take in....’
Panic was beginning to set in.
Hyperventilating slightly, the bug chastised itself for panicking like this.
‘Get ahold of yourself! You’re a Knight! You should be able to deal with this!’
Pulling itself together, the Knight began to explore its’ surroundings.
Hearing a rustling noise behind it, the Vessel whirled around, Nail at the ready.
Expecting to see a Mossy Vagabond, it was shocked to see a strange creature, unlike anything the Vessel had ever seen before.
It didn’t even look like a bug!
Stranger still, it seemed to be made of wood.
Growling the... thing... leapt at it, forcing the Knight to leap backward to avoid the attack.
‘What ARE you!?’
Darting forward, the Vessel slashed at the creature with its’ Nail.
The Knight breathed a sigh of relief when the Nail slashed through the wooden body, killing the feral beast instantly.
‘Wait...’
It’d BREATHED a SIGH of RELIEF.
‘I’m not supposed to be able to do that! I’m a Vessel! A Vessel isn’t allowed to speak! They can’t have feelings!’
Again hyperventilating, and too confused and scared to calm itself, the Knight dropped to its’ knees, panicking.
“Oh, lord.... what’s happening to me?!” The Knight said, out loud.
It froze.
“I.. can talk....”
“I can speak....”
The Knight, already scared and exhausted, passed out from the strain.