1: The Curse
Twilight slowly awoke, her eyelids heavy and her limbs sore from sleeping on them wrong. She yawned widely, looking around at her room. Same old bed, same old dresser, same old bookshelf, same old window, same old sunset-
Wait a second! Sunset!?
Now fully awake, she leaped out of bed and put her front hooves on the window, wondering how long she had slept. Too long. Looking out, she could see most of Ponyville, but something was terribly wrong. None of the ponies were out and about as they should have been. None of the sounds the citizens normally made could be heard. The smell of various shops cooking their dishes were gone. It was as if the whole town... was dead. And above it all, the sun hung. Dull. Browned. Static. As if it, too, had given up on the world. As if it was going out. Twilight spun back around and jumped straight from her bedroom's landing down to the ground floor.
"Spike! Spiiiike!" Nothing. Her number one assistant was nowhere to be seen or heard. Like he was never there. Her breathing quickened as fear began to set in. Her eyes darted around the room, looking for any sign of Spike, or any other living thing. Instead, she saw something else. In an alcove, the one she typically reserved for her own studies, was an eerie, disturbing sight.
A pile of bones. Pony bones. On top, sat the skull of whoever the white sticks used to belong to. Through it, a sword was driven downward at an angle, the tip wedged into the wood and impossible to remove. She approached it, horrified. There was a sense of morbid curiosity to it, though. As if the soul of the dead pony was calling to her, to save it. She reached out a hoof, slowly and frightfully.
FWOOSH
She jumped back with a yelp as the bones suddenly burst into flame. The fire licked at the surrounding wood for a moment, then, as if finding the taste unsatisfactory, receded back to the pile. She stared at the fire. It was unlike anything she had seen, magical or mundane. A fire that did not burn. Approaching it cautiously, she found it giving off a gentle, pulsing warmth, like a living thing. The light it emitted was comforting, like coming home from a torrential rainstorm. But there was something else, too. Something... powerful. Something that was begging for release, but trapped just inches out of reach. She laid down by the fire, studying it.
This fire is bizarre. It's like it wants to leave, but can't. And it almost feels... like it wants to help me, since it can't move, itself. But where did it even come from? Just how long was I asleep for, that everything can feel so... different? Her head drooped at the thought of what could have happened to her friends. From what she saw out her window, there was no damage to the town itself. Which meant that whatever happened had only affected the ponies within it. She shook her head free of nagging worries.
The only way anything will get fixed is to find out what happened to begin with! I'll need to find the girls, and Spike. Then, we can investigate the area, and send a letter to Princess Celestia. If anypony will know what's happening, it's her. With her plan set, she rose from the fire, and opened the door.
Outside, the town was deafeningly silent. As if the buildings themselves were holding their breaths, waiting for something to happen. Twilight carefully walked down the road, instinctively moving as quietly as possible, so as not to attract danger. She headed for Rarity's boutique first, since it was closest. As she walked, she scanned the other houses. Nothing moved. Nothing made a sound. Ponyville had turned into a ghost town, apparently overnight, and she had missed the memo. When she finally arrived, she reached for the door handle, then remembered the entrance bell and decided to use the back door, instead. She came into the kitchen, and as soon as the door was shut, strained her ears. Upstairs, she could hear a voice. No, two. Females. Hopeful but cautious, she made her way up the stairs and followed the voices as they became clearer.
"-and then, this other guy came rushing up, and wham! decapitates three wolves at once! It was really cool!"
"That does sound quite impressive. But I suppose you weren't able to find out their names, were you?"
That's Sweetie Belle's and Rarity's voices. But what is this about decapitations!? And why isn't Rarity bothered by this?! She moved closer, and looked around the door frame to see Rarity sewing what appeared to be chain mail, while Sweetie Belle watched from a stool. Both were dressed in armor of their own. Rarity was clothed in light mail, with short plates making up a skirt around her hind legs. Her sister, however, simply had a small shield strapped to her back, giving her the likeness of a turtle.
"No, I wasn't. He had this really heavy-looking armor, though. It was almost completely black, with these weird silver crosses all over it. I don't know what those were supposed to mean, though."
"Neither do I, dear, but it seems theories will have to wait. I don't know how long she's been standing there, but I hate to keep a guest waiting." Twilight jumped as Rarity and Sweetie Belle both turned their attention to her, and the latter waved as the former approached.
"Welcome, my dear. Please, come in, have a seat! I suppose you came in looking for some armor, yes?" She said as she trotted over, armor jingling and clanking while Twilight worked through her confusion. "Not to worry, I have almost everything kept in stock in all sizes. Now tell me, were you looking for the big, heavy armor, or were you hoping for something a little more unrestricted?" Twilight's confusion worsened as she was led through what appeared to be a fully-stocked armory, the less-important walls having been bashed down to allow movement around the entire second floor.
"I'll warn you now, the lighter stuff is more mobile, but it doesn't protect you nearly as well. Personally, I like to go with a mix. Light armor in the limbs so I can move, and heavy armor on all the important parts." Twilight suddenly broke away, shaking her head.
"Hold on a second! Why would I need armor!? This is Ponyville! We've never needed armor before, what is going on!?" She panted in exasperation as Rarity's eyes widened and she put a hoof to her mouth.
"Oh, my.... You don't remember what happened, do you?" Twilight cocked her head.
"What do you mean? What happened?" Rarity sighed, and Sweetie Belle shut the windows upstairs, before running downstairs to do the same.
"Darling, I need you to be calm for this. What I am about to tell you and what you are about to see will horrify and disturb you to your core. I need you to promise me, you won't scream."
"Why?" Twilight's fear was returning.
"Because if you do, it could cost all of us quite a lot."
Twilight swallowed a lump that had formed in her throat, and nodded.
"Say it, please." Rarity gave her a pointed stare.
"I promise I won't scream, no matter what you tell me or show me." Rarity still seemed unsure, but nodded anyway.
"Alright. Take a look at your cutie mark." A pit formed in Twilight's stomach.
"Why? What's wrong wi-!?"
What was wrong was blatantly clear. The mark itself was unchanged, but surrounding it was a black circle, like soot from a chimney, with small flames occasionally flaring out from the edges. Twilight's eyes went wide, and her body began to shake uncontrollably. She turned back to Rarity, and pointed at the circle.
"What. Is. That," she squeaked.
"It is known as the Darksign. A curse, to be reborn after every death." Twilight blinked.
"Wait. You mean, I'm dead?" Rarity tilted her head left and right a few times.
"Yes and no. You are Undead, just like us. Every time you die, the Darksign steals something from you in exchange for your resurrection. Memories, clarity, sanity. Eventually, your body will begin to decay, just like a corpse, and your mind with it. Every time you die, you come one step closer to becoming a true monster. A Hollow. A Hollow is an Undead who has succumbed entirely to the Darksign. They are mindless, and without purpose, save to consume souls." Twilight shifted in place anxiously.
"Souls?"
"Yes. Souls are contained within every living thing, sentient or not, and this is what we Undead require to survive. This is all a Hollow knows, anymore, and they follow the instinct to collect souls fervently. Just remember, not all Undead are Hollows, and although all Hollows were once Undead, the Hollowing process cannot be reversed. Only delayed. Perhaps stopped, if you're clever." Twilight sat down, mind reeling from the new information. She was an Undead, now. A creature that feeds on the souls of other creatures. A monster. Tears began to form in her eyes, and within seconds she was crying. Rarity moved forward, and wrapped her hooves around the sobbing mare.
"I know. It's terrifying. It's horrible. But unless you want to become Hollow, it's what you'll need to do to survive. I can see that you've only just gained your senses, though, so I'll help you out a bit. I'll give you your first set of armor for free. You'll need it, if you intend to make it out there." Twilight wiped her eyes with a hoof, and let out a weak, choked chuckle.
"I'm glad you haven't really changed through all this, Rarity." The other unicorn blinked.
"How did you know my name?" Twilight was dumbfounded.
"Rarity, we're friends. You, me, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Fluttershy. We were all friends, remember? We met during the Summer Sun Celebration. You made me try on a whole bunch of outfits, and gave that sea serpent your tail when we went after Nightmare Moon!" Rarity tapped her chin in thought.
"Some of that does sound vaguely familiar.... I don't have any recollection of you, though. Don't forget, the Darksign takes memories when you die, too. I'm afraid I don't recall much from before. Only that I lived here, and that Sweetie Belle was someone very important to me. I don't even remember our relationship, and neither does she." Twilight's mood fell instantly.
"You're... you're sisters. You even tricked her into running a race with you instead of someone else, just to prove you cared for her." Rarity smiled sadly.
"I'm afraid I don't remember that, darling. But I'll take your word for it. You don't seem to have lost many memories, yet, so maybe you have a better chance at helping remove this curse than some of the others."
"Others?" Rarity returned to roving about the armor displays, searching for one that would work for Twilight.
"Oh, of course. You don't think you're the first pony to show up at my door, do you? There were several other ponies in this town who went wandering off in search of some kind of cure for the curse. So far, the only ones who have come back have done so with battered armor, bent shields, and broken blades. I fear the worst for the rest. But let's see if we can make you the exception, hmm? Go ahead, pick out some armor! Mix them up however you like!"
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If its a dark souls crossover, you should mention that in the description.
I like this so far! Its really good, but with a few grammatical errors. If you'd like, I could proofread later chapters.
This is wonderfulmazingtastic
4113360
Which ones did you see? I thought I got them all.
I'm interested to see how this turns out. However, I never heard of 'Dark Souls' before today.
4113847
The first game came out about three years ago. The second one came out last week. I hold the franchise as one of my top five favorites. It takes some learning to get used to the rules, but once you're in, it's addicting and awesome.
4113847 This should explain it.
4114156
It does an excellent job of explaining the game, actually. Until you figure out all the attack patterns and timings. That's actually what I used to introduce one of my friends to the first game.
4114156 I liked the credits. Short, sweet, and most importantly, fast.
Well hello there. I'm Andre of Astor- I mean, my name is Rarity. How may I help you?
(I may or may not play Dark Souls too much for any normal human to handle...)
4114622
I've got you beat, then, because I definitely play too much for a normal human.
Praise the sun!!!
Seriously, loving this story so far! Poor Twilight has no idea what she's going up against. I eagerly await the next chapter, though I must ask: will there be a Solaire pony? Twilight may need some jolly cooperation!!!
I'd like to actually get involved with helping you out on this if you're looking for those who can. I can say I know my stuff about the game and lore -- quite a bit of both, actually -- and I'd love to get involved with a story such as this.
4114714
Not quite. Trust me, I wouldn't even dream of writing this without a Solaire replacement, and I think a lot of people are going to enjoy who I've picked.
Well this is, how you may say? Unusual, but none the less awesome.
4113532 Some of the dialogue never found its way onto a new line.
4115159
Such as? I'm not sure what you mean.
4114731
Well, if you're going to so blatantly give me a way to test that, then obviously I have to at least see if you're not just bragging.
If you know your lore as well as you say, then you should have no trouble identifying which Dark Souls character the pony Sweetie Belle was describing is based on.
4115183
See, this is wrong. There should be a new paragraph after Rarity's first quote, as well as after Twilight nods. Otherwise, its difficult to keep track of who is saying what, no to mention it is hard on the eyes.
Also, I believe Sweetie Belle is talking about Tarkus, yes?
I haven't ever played dark souls before,(even though I have a friend who is addicted to it and talks about it all day)but this story is going to be amazing,I can tell!
There's too much explaining going on to give the story that Dark Souls atmosphere. Imagine that, instead of just flinging a corpse down your cell, Oscar took the time to stay there and tell you all about the dark sign and what it does as well as what you're supposed to do, and about hollows. And gave you a choice of armor and advised you about light and heavy armor. The sense of isolation and mystery is already lost just so the story can tell the reader "yes, this is a Dark Souls crossover".
4115822
Have you played Dark Souls 2 yet? Because they do that almost right off the bat, and it still works. Also, I'm working with other character personalities along with it, so I have to put at least some of that in as well.
4115222
Ok. I had been under the impression that wasn't required, but you seem pretty certain of this, so whatever. It's not the first time I've been wrong.
Wait....
Crap. Now I have to go back and fix my other stories, too. That's just...
4115907 Don't feel bad! Think of it as...a setback.
Of course, every minor setback in dark souls usually costs your life....
4115196 If we're basing this on Dark Souls 1 lore, the only character I can think of with such a thing would be Black Iron Tarkus. I lack knowledge in the DS 2 lore as it were, as I'm waiting for the PC release.
4115980
4115940
Yes, it's Tarkus. I don't think there even is any black armor in the second game. Although, the Greatsword looks far more impressive than before.
4116035 I got my Greatsword to +10.
Pure strength, baby
4116035 So who gets to help you then, of Jot Notes, or I?
4116056 I'll duel you for it :P
4116088 Yeah, me and my shitty Canadian ping might whoop ya. +15 Washing Pole, +14 Claymore, Canvas Talisman, +15 Grass Crest Shield, +9 Wanderer set (+6 Thief Hood).
4116056
Don't know yet. I'm still waiting for a response from Akumogetsu. Once I have his opinion, I'll let you know.
4116047
That's what I did, too. Makes life much easier during an ambush if I can hit almost everything within arm's reach of my character. I also bought a second Greatsword, and infused it with magic. Once I get my stats high enough, I'm just going to dual-wield them. COMPLETE OBLITERATION OF ALL WHO WOULD OPPOSE ME!!
4116094 Giant Chest Piece +5
Giant Gauntlets +5
Giant Leggings +5
Mask of the Father
+5 Chaos Zweihander
4116101 I love strength builds. Not because I can't use magic, but because I hate magic.
4116129
Havel's Helm
Black Iron Chestpiece +5
Stone Gauntlets
Havel's Leggings
Havel's Greatshield
Black Knight Greataxe +5
I also started a lightweight greatsword build recently.
Mask of the Sealer
Elite Knight Armor
Tattered Cloth Manchettes
Crimson Skirt
Zweihander
Bastard Sword
I forget how far I've upgraded everything so far.
4116291 Awesome. I found a build for a lot rincess Celestia build. I might try it out when I come back to DkS
4116124
If you're going to play heavy be a real man and register for your Big Truck license today!
Giant Dads....
Paid for by people who support Big Truck builds everywhere and abhor dirty magic using cheesing buckers. Note; the Big Truck group does not abhor Mages, only "Clerics" who don't bow & spam Wrath of the Gods.
4116343 Ah...Rosie...
Also, I'm building a Pure Dark Magic build in Souls 2, only I'm using it for good, not evil.
4116035
There is. Darkwraith armor
Anyway, kinda mixed feelings. On one hand, fellow Souls fan/crossover writer. On the other, this was pretty on the nose. I'm having trouble with that too but it's still something that needs to be thought about heavily. Though i have the problem of creating new lore that still borrows from Demon's/Dark Souls instead of just adapting already made lore.
Honestly I'd get rewrite that whole explaining the Darksign bit to be more obscured. In my Souls-esque story I usually write a regular explanation of stuff and then rewrite it to be more mysterious and vague. Though there's a few places where I dropped the obscura to make the backstory clear due to reasons.
The fact that you're integrating the fate of Lordran into Equestria instead of forcing a Souls character into Equestria or vice versa is promising. If you can come up with a good explanation for the Darksign's appearance in Equestria that's even better.
I'm hopeful that you're going to bring in some black phantoms. They've been in all three Souls games, and it wouldn't be right with out one. Or a Yurt expy. And you gotta have my girl Priscilla in there somewhere. Fluffy tail wife.
Anyway, that's about all I can think of to say. Unless you're playing DaS2 on PS3 in which case we should swap info and do some jolly coop.
4116431
I actually did the Darksign bit quite purposefully. I didn't like the fact that the first game barely said anything about it, and while I did put quite a bit of information in there, I still have plenty up my sleeve. As for how it showed up, don't worry. Two of the first rules I learned in world-building are these:
1. Everything has a reason to exist.
If something only exists in a world because you want it to, it probably shouldn't be included. Jar Jar is a perfect example of this.
2. Use what's available.
If something already exists that would fit the role you're trying to fill, put it in. Don't try to come up with a perfect facsimile. Working off a source material can actually lead to a far more original creation. Again, Star Wars is a perfect example. George Lucas originally wanted to do a Flash Gordon movie, but he couldn't get the copyright. So, he took the basic framework, and started moving things around, changing bits and pieces here and there until something entirely new was born.
As for black phantoms, yes, they will be making an appearance or two. I just don't know when. Certainly not for a while. And Priscilla... I don't know. It's doable, but it's gonna be a hell of a long stretch, and I don't think it'll be worth it. If I can do it without making it feel forced, I'll try, but it's not likely. Sorry.
4116552
I hope they aren't filthy clerics!
And I hope there is Patches here.
4115893
That may be, but consider how you dispense information. Your story description alone gives away lore that a Dark Souls player only learns when Frampt and Kaathe enter the picture. Not only that, it favors Kaathe's interpretation of events when Dark Souls was careful to remain ambiguous about the whole thing.
Twilight's examination of the bonfire was about as subtle as being bludgeoned with a chunk of ham. The fire is mysterious, yes, but better to bring out its mystery slowly throughout the story instead of Twilight getting all these vibes "somehow".
Rarity explaining the memory thing also hurts the mystery. Why not just have her not remember Twilight at all and leave it at that? That would compel the reader to push on with the story to find out. Let the horrific nature of the darksign play out slowly, perhaps through multiple deaths, instead of front-loading all the info in the opening chapter.
4114125 Well if you count Demon's Souls then the series has been around longer.
This looks very interesting so far, it helps that I am playing Dark Souls right now, and have just beaten Demon's souls a few days ago (found them both at game stop for cheap), I also plan to get Dark Souls 2 latter on when I have the chance.
Anyways my main wonder is what your plan for bosses and areas, do plan to make them all from scratch or will some be familiar faces and places from Dark Souls and maybe Demon's Souls?
What is Dark Souls?
4117571
I'm going to put a video at the beginning of the next chapter to answer that in the best way possible.
4117023
Oh, don't worry. There will be bosses. Probably not anything straight from the games, but definitely a few horrifying ones.
4116961
I'll admit I'm not the most subtle of writers, but I guarantee that there's still plenty of other secrets here. I'm basing the story itself more on the first game, but I prefer the way the second game doles out information, so I'm borrowing more heavily from that for details. Don't worry, I've got plenty of other horrific reveals to show. Part of it, though, is that I've never really seen the Darksign as a bad thing. Memory loss can be terrifying, I won't argue that, but my death count in both games is low enough that I always saw it as a warning to not die, anyway, even though death isn't permanent, instead of an unavoidable fate that no one can stop. So yeah, that's probably coloring my judgment a little and affecting my writing somewhat.
I like this, but I think you stuffed to much exposition into too short a space
4114661 I think that you and i will get along JUST fine, then.
4117579 Ok then
, though part of me did hope to see the Tower of Latria 
, but that's fine 
, if your going by scratch then i'm very interested in seeing what you come up with, and if any will be based on G1, anyways good luck.