Black Knight sat in train car quietly, patiently waiting until he arrived at his destination. To be honest, it was quiet the relief to see something going along rather smoothly for once. With this peace also came time for thought.
"Why would he be here?" Black Knight thought aloud, his voice accompanying the humble roar of the train's movement. "It doesn't matter though, if he is here then things may actually go along much more swiftly. Time is of the essence."
"He? Would you happen to mean little ol' me?" A playful voice called out.
"Shite."
"Oh come now, if time truly is of the essence then how about a new clock?" A small coo-coo clock suddenly appeared next to Black Knight. With the hands on the clock striking noon, a small version the god of chaos himself popped out.
"Enough games. Reveal yourself."
"I don't know how anyone could refuse such a handsome clock such as this, but it's your call." In the clock's place suddenly appeared Discord.
"Why are you here?"
"Straight to the point, are we? Ah, you knight types are no fun at all." Discord continued to spill his words in a playful manner off his tongue.
Black Knight is not amused.
"If this is about the contract then there is no need for discussion. You lend me your power, and I get the job done. That is our arrangement."
With a snap of his lion paw, and a flash of light Discord now suddenly had a business suit a monocle.
"Why yes my good sir that was indeed our arrangement." Discord said sitting down, and taking a sip out of the cup of tea he had just spawned. Black Knight withheld his comments on the odd chimera's foolish behavior.
"If that much is clear to you then as I said before, what are you doing here?"
"Well, a few minor complications have come up."
Black Knight gritted his teeth.
"Those complications being?"
"It appears you were right about that nasty spirit being somewhere. All the critters in the Everfree forest are getting quite testy. They wouldn't even offer me a nice muffin while I was there!"
Black Knight did not know, nor did he care, whether or not the native creatures of this world actually distributed baked goods.
"Regardless of whatever you had just said, it would not be the first a disturbance in the wildlife has occurred because of he-... it."
"Is that why you had your blue brother summoned along with your other little friend."
Black Knight's face-palm resulted in a clank lightly echoing throughout the train car.
"Shovel Knight and I are not brothers, and the only reason I summoned him here is as a backup plan."
"My my, you truly are uptight. Perhaps it's that stuffy armor of yours." Discord prepared to snap his fingers before he felt the tip of shovel barely touching his throat. "Alright, alright I get the hint. I'll leave to your wonderful science." With a flash of light, Discord disappeared.
"Tch... Why must he be such an annoyance?" He sighed in frustration. "It matters not, so long as everything goes according to plan."
Much to Black Knight's relief, only silence proceeded the rest of the train ride.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"And so here I am now." Shovel Knight told the Crusaders.
"Whoa... so, Shield Knight was possessed the whole time?" Scootaloo asked with wide eyes.
"That is indeed correct."
"Epic plot twist..."
"That must have been really tough for ya." AppleBloom's ears flattened slightly against her head.
"It was." He nodded. "But in the end we were once again reunited, and I am forever grateful to the gods we are together again."
"Are you gonna write a book about your adventures?"
"Hmm... perhaps when I am an elder, Sweetie Belle."
"But aren't you already a-" Scootaloo began to say but was abruptly stopped by AppleBloom's hoof on her mouth.
"Anyhow," AppleBloom began, " I think after hearin' all of Shovel Knight's stories we should try to get our cutie marks by bein' knights!"
"Yeah!" Sweetie Belle cheered in agreement.
"I second that." Scootaloo proclaimed as soon as AppleBloom put her hoof down.
"You wish to become knights you say?" Shovel Knight inquired. "It is fair to warn you all that becoming a knight is no easy task. It requires years of training, dedication, and above all else, a true passion for knighthood."
"That sounds like a challenge." Scotaloo smirked slightly.
"This is not a challenge of any sort." He quickly affirmed. "If you lack the true passion for chivalry then your efforts will be for naught."
"What if we become knights like you? Y'know, with a shovel?" SweetieBelle pondered.
Shovel Knight sighed internally. 'They are far too young to realize the true meaning of being a knight. Then again... perhaps I could be the one to teach them. If anything, they appear to be very eager learners.' He looked down at the crusader's large, pleading eyes. "Very well. I shall train you three to become knights whom abide by the code of shovelry!" He proclaimed. The crusaders cheered in joy. "However!" Shovel Knight brought silence to their cheering. "You may not cease your basic training until it is complete. Understood?"
"Totally!" All three said unison.
"Hmm... very well. We shall begin immediately." At those words the crusaders once again cheered. Big Mac, on the other hoof, was more terrified than joyful as continued to listen in, and he thought about going to tell AppleJack but decided it would probably be a better idea to stay with them to make sure they would be safe.
If anything was certain at his point it was that this would certainly be... interesting.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Enchantress...
"W-What? Who's there?!"
You can feel it can't you? That power flowing from your fingertips. You want it, no, need it. Desperately.
Shield Knight looked down at her fingers. Indeed from the tips of her fingers a violet and ebony smoke was being emitted.
Do you feel that power? It can all be yours. Just-
"No! Leave me alone! I am not the enchantress! This power you speak of... is nothing but a wretched parasite!"
At those words, Shield Knight had awoken with a small gasp. What happened? Where was she? She wanted to open her eyes but she felt something soft on top of them. Much to her relief her hands were unrestrained and she gently lifted one of the soft objects from her eye.
It was a cucumber slice.
Then she remembered where she was. As Rarity had told her: the building they were in they were in was known as a spa. It appeared that Rarity's tales of the spa's atmosphere of relaxation were indeed true, and that she must have simply fallen into a small slumber and had that awful nightmare.
Or at the very least, she hoped it was just a nightmare.