New Digsby ThatLimeyFuckChaptersThe EncounterThe DiscoveryThe OrchardThe NightThe EncounterShovel Knight stood tall and proud on the deck of the Iron Whale. Treasure Knight lay within, incapacitated, surrounded only by his ill-gotten wealth. Only three Knights stood between him and the Tower now. The sun began to fade over the horizon, bleeding vibrant orange across the sky. Jumping from the Whale and landing with a heavy thud on dry land, Shovel Knight headed for the nearby treeline, coming to a halt at the closest tree. Readying his shovel, he powered it into the trunk, leaving a sizable dent behind as he raised it up to his shoulder again. He struck again and again, the mark growing larger and larger with each impact. Within minutes, the tree fell with an almighty crash. Drawing close to the fallen form, he swung his weapon into it from overhead, splitting up much of the trunk into smaller, more manageable pieces, and one larger log, until he had enough wood for what he needed. Carrying the fruits of his work to a clearing in the trees, he assembled as many rocks from nearby as he could find around the wood in a circle. Striking his trusty shovel against a stone rewarded him with sparks, luminous against the darkening surroundings. A couple of hits later, and the wood caught light. Shovel Knight headed back towards the tree, and rolled the log over to the fire. He planted his shovel firmly in the earth, and lowered himself down as his blue armour produced a cacophony of clacks and clangs while he did so. With the weight off of his feet at last, he rested his head against the log, and fell into a deep sleep. A swirling mist encircled Shovel Knight as he looked around. As mysterious as this was, it was familiar. Recognising it, he gazed to the sky, a crimson figure standing out against the white backdrop. A phantom voice commanded him, calling to him from beyond the mist. "Save her." As the words fell upon Shovel Knight's ears, footsteps echoed throughout. Shadows penetrated the fog, advancing on him - enemies he had slain in battle before. In unrest, Shovel Knight leaped into combat, holding his own as best he could against the relentless horde of foes, striking hard with his shovel, and crushing them from above. In the midst of the fray, he saw her. Falling. The red figure plummeting to the ground. "Shield Knight!" Racing past the countless enemies that stood before him, he leaped, as the world around him felt as if it slowed to a crawl. As the pair drew closer, he saw the fear in her eyes fade, joy flooding in to take its place. Shovel Knight, with his arms outstretched, reached longingly for her as she called out for him. "Shovel Knight!" Falling into his arms, the mist around him began to clear, showing a boundless, empty white void. The adversaries surrounding him vanished without a trace. Shield Knight was safe. The world around the pair of them faded into a hostile nothingness. Shovel Knight's limbs became numb, as the loss of feeling washed over his body. Looking around at the changed scene, he exclaimed as the source of the ghostly voice that had given him instruction was nowhere to be found. And when he looked back down, neither was Shield Knight. Shovel Knight began to stir. Slowly pulling himself from the world of sleep, he was hit with a wave of sadness as he realised. It was all a dream. Shield Knight was still beyond his grasp. She did not lay before him, only the glowing embers of the fire, and the charred, blackened wood. He was alone. Drearily pulling himself to his feet, he pulled his shovel from the ground, and put out the smouldering remains of the fire as the wavy pillar of black smoke snaked its way into the sky. Swarmed by sorrow, Shovel Knight looked off into the distance as the spire of the Tower of Fate peeked over the treetops. "I must persevere. This land needs saving." He reminded himself, the creeping depression threatening to crush his resolve. Putting the dream out of mind, he went on his way further towards the tower, spying the lairs of the last three Knights - a Clockwork Tower, a Flying Machine, and a Stranded Ship half-buried in ice. "Almost there. The homes of Tinker Knight, Propeller Knight, and...Polar Knight." He decided to root out the first two Knights before making his way to the ship. It was inevitable that he and Polar Knight would share their final duel, but he wished to delay the end of he who had once been his friend for as long as possible. Journeying towards the Clockwork Tower, Shovel Knight froze as he saw an unwelcome sight - his shadowy double, once his greatest ally, clad in his jet black and blood red armour, and...a dark figure, hovering before him, its presence dousing the area in darkness. Hiding behind a tree, Shovel Knight listened in, but only Black Knight's voice could be heard clearly. However, the unknown figure's voice, once heard, was unmistakable. The Enchantress. "I beg of you, take my words to heart. Your safety is my only concern!" As soon as he had been sure of it, she exited in a powerful display of magic, leaving only Black Knight out in the open, turning to head off into the dense forest as the area around returned to light once again. Leaving his concealment, Shovel Knight ran over to Black Knight. "Was that the Enchantress?! Tell me wha-" "You!" Black Knight turned and drew his shovel, pointing accusingly with it at Shovel Knight. "Haven't you tired of this charade? Stay out of this!" Black Knight was still clearly beyond being reasoned with. Gripping his own shovel tightly, Shovel Knight retorted. "You never were one to blindly follow, Black Knight, but the Order and the Enchantress must be stopped!" "Fool! You're headed down a ruinous path!" "The only path I seek leads to the Tower of Fate, and I will reach it." Readying himself, Black Knight prepared to charge. "Never! Steel thy shovel!" Black Knight and Shovel Knight bolted towards each other, determined to put each other out of their way. Jumping into the air, Shovel Knight plunged towards Black Knight, only to strike the earth as his opponent dodged back, swinging his shovel to connect with Shovel Knight's head. As Black Knight's attack closed in, Shovel Knight pulled his weapon from the dirt and leaped over Black Knight's shovel. Surveying vantage, Black Knight bounded away, and channeled his magic abilities through his shovel, firing a large purple bolt at Shovel Knight. "The same strategy, again?" Shovel Knight thought to himself. Recognising this attack from their previous bout, he sprang over the bolt, but tensed up as he saw what was coming next. This was not the same strategy, Black Knight had learned. And Shovel Knight was a fool for not anticipating this. "Right where I want you!" Black Knight taunted his rival as he charged a second bolt at Shovel Knight, now incapable of dodging as gravity pulled him back down. Letting the shot loose, he grinned maliciously beneath his helmet. The bolt slammed into Shovel Knight and exploded, sending pain surging through his chest as he crashed onto the ground. He struggled to get back to his feet, his futile attempt at getting back up cut short by Black Knight bringing his shovel down on his helmet, knocking him out cold. "It is done. Have your way with him." "He shall not be bothering us any more..." Shovel Knight's fingers twitched. Feeling began to return to his limbs, and his senses were gifted back to him. The world around him came back into view, but it was not the one he had left behind. He was in a forest, yes, but something felt...off. This soil, these trees, this sky, it all felt strange, oddly familiar yet alien all the same. Lumbering to his feet, Shovel Knight looked around. The forest was like any other, trees crowding the view as far as the eye could see, grass covering the ground. The sun was on its way out of the sky, the horizon illuminated by its red glow. Among the grass, there laid a tool, cerulean with gold trimming. Relieved to have his reliable shovel with him, Shovel Knight cast his gaze up, perhaps the Tower would be visible over the trees. And sure enough, there it was, the spire. "So, Black Knight bested me and left me elsewhere in the forest? What is he playing at?" Shovel Knight mumbled to himself in thought. He headed in the direction of the Tower, determined to get back on track. With the crunching footfalls rhythmically echoing in his head, Shovel Knight drew close to the edge of the forest, the concentration of trees diminishing. Between the higher, slimmer parts of the trunks, he could see what looked like roofs. "I'm back near the village?" Continuing on, he heard voices in the distance, and closing in. Townsfolk, most likely. Drawing closer, he could hear their words more clearly. "Hang on, I hear hoofsteps." A feminine voice spoke with a hurried tone. Shovel Knight paused and thought to himself. "Hoofsteps? Is that what those bipedal equine townsfolk back at the village called them? ...Now that I think about it, I don't recall them having any different of a vocabulary." "It's stopped!" A second voice piped up, a little bit more rough than the first, but still feminine like the one before it. Shovel Knight barely heard the third voice, meek and quiet, speak up. "...I think it knows we can hear it." He carried on towards the source of the voices. Whatever they belonged to, they were surely mistaken - he was no creature, he was a Knight. Emerging from the trees, what laid beyond came into view. The buildings were not those of the village, or the armour outpost. The spire did not belong to the Tower of Fate, but to a strange castle on a mountain, but it was clearly not the Clockwork Tower. And before him stood a very peculiar sight, six oddly coloured horses, small in stature, only just above waist height. Two featured horns, two with wings, and the last two with nothing of the sort. These were certainly nothing like the horse-like townfolk from the village - there was no way the voices had come from them. As perplexing as this discovery was, he refocused on his objective, which now seemed much further away. "Strange, I definitely heard voices from over here." Walking past them, he heard a fourth voice speak with notable intensity and a refined accent. "How rude! How dare you dismiss us as if we are not worthy of notice." Shovel Knight stopped in his tracks when the voice made itself known. He turned and looked towards the group and, lo and behold, the white horned equine seemed to be the source of the voice. He stood and stared at them in silence, his mind drowning in questions, none more eminent than one thought bouncing around his head as his mouth remained sealed tightly shut. "...What?" "These things are sentient? And capable of speech?" Shovel Knight pondered to himself. "Where am I?!" The same brash sounding voice from before made a second appearance, belonging to the sky-blue...pegasus? If he knew his mythology right, that was a pegasus, and the horned ones were unicorns. The blue pegasus, with a mane that could only be described as radiating exuberance, spoke quietly to the purple unicorn by its side. "I'm not sure it knows how to respond." To which, the unicorn, the owner of the first voice he had heard, turned and made a reply. "But we heard it talk not even a minute ago." This was getting both more awkward and tiresome with each passing moment. Shovel Knight took it upon himself to bring this to a close. ""It" has a name." Surprised by his jarring outburst, the group in its entirety exclaimed and jumped back, shocking them into silence once again, with only quiet murmurs being passed between only the most talkative of the group, namely the white and violet unicorns and the blue pegasus. "Well, it can respond, alright." "What should we do?" "I don't know, I've not done something like this before." While they had seemed to be eager to take the first step, it was now Shovel Knight leading the conversation. If this could be called a conversation at all. From looking at them over his shoulder, he turned to face them properly, seeing how they now had his attention. "My name is Shovel Knight, of the Kingdom of Pridemoor. You have no reason to fear me, I assure you." That seemed to work, as the amethyst equine stood more confidently, and spoke up. "Well, Mr. Knight..." Shovel Knight chuckled covertly "...my name is Twilight Sparkle. If I may ask, what are you doing here, and how did you get here, anyway?" "Twilight Sparkle? A peculiar title, but one I can address you by nonetheless. Well met." Shovel Knight looked back into the forest, retracing his steps as if any kind of answer lay at the end. "Sadly, I have no desire to be here, and I fear an adversary of mine may be the reason I find myself in this place." "An adversary? Who? And what's wrong with being here?" Twilight responded. She seemed to be full of questions, which couldn't be helped. The only problem came in the fact that Shovel Knight had many of his own and couldn't get a word in edgeways. "A man who was once a great friend of mine, my dark doppelganger - Black Knight. Pridemoor was in grave danger, the Enchantress, a sorceress capable of terrible magic and her order of Knights - The Order of No Quarter - were out to wreak havoc across the land, an endeavour I took it upon myself to end." "That's terrible! What's going to happen?" "I do not know, but I fear the Enchantress's hold over the Kingdom will tighten without me to oppose her. If you don't mind, I have some questions of my own." Twilight's form shrunk slightly as she realised how she had been bombarding him ruthlessly with question after question. "Erm, sure, go ahead, sorry I've been running my mouth so much..." "Think nothing of it. Firstly, I wish to know the names of your companions - if idle chatter is all I'm going to be able to do, then I wish to be able to call them by name." "Well..." Twilight sidled closer to Shovel Knight, who caught notice of the strange marking on her side, turning and labeling each of the group by name from left to right, the white unicorn, who still looked rather sour, the cream pegasus who could barely be seen hiding behind the pink equine, exhibiting quite the contrary attitude, the blue pegasus and the orange horse in a hat. Strange, he thought, but stranger things have indeed happened already. "These are my friends, Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie -" "Hello!" The one named Pinkie bounded impossibly high into the air as her name was called, and Shovel Knight swore his eyes were fooling him as he thought he caught a glimpse of some confetti. "- She's...she's like that a lot, Rainbow Dash, and Applejack." The Discovery"Are all names here so strange?" Shovel Knight thought in silence before addressing them all. "A pleasure to meet you all, and Rarity, you have my apologies, I did not expect such beings to be capable of speech. My impertinence was merely the result of ignorance." Rarity seemed taken aback at his politeness, attempting to keep a stern look, with limited success. "A-And I should hope so, too!" Turning his attention back to Twilight, Shovel Knight continued. "Second, that marking on your rear - what is it?" Spying an opportunity to make a good impression, Rainbow pumped her wings and shot up above the others, flapping in place level with Shovel Knight's face, blocking off visual contact will all the others. "This thing is called a cutiemark, it's a symbol that you get once you find your special talent, and the mark shows what it is! Sometimes, somepony's name will tell you what it is, too. This one's for my speed, I'm the best flyer you'll find anywhere!" "Her and Propeller Knight would get along brilliantly..." Shovel Knight chuckled at the image of his thoughts. "I see, akin to the naming of Knights back home, then." Rainbow floated away, giving him some much needed breathing room as Twilight piped up again. "So the inhabitants of your home were named based on their talents?" Finally able to see Twilight again, he held his shovel up. "Not too far from the truth - our names give indication of our likenesses, like Specter Knight, a ghostly Knight, master of the dead, or Treasure Knight, residing among mountains of his stolen riches. As for me, well, I'm sure you can tell. Third question: Where am I? I spy no recognisable landmarks around, a detail that will surely make getting back to Pridemoor troublesome." "You're in Equestria. I'm sorry, but I've never heard of any place in all the lands called Pridemoor." Shovel Knight sighed at the bad news. "And would you happen to know anything I do not about how I got here?" Pointing a hoof back into the forest, Twilight returned to her inquisitive self, though the questions were not focused on him, and rather... "Well, all we saw was this weird purple orb floating just above the forest. I say 'we', I mean myself - I gathered the others to come and investigate, but by the time we were all together it had vanished. Then, well, you know what happened after that." "Purple orb?!" Shovel Knight exclaimed "So it was the Enchantress's doing! She must have sent me here so I can interfere no more. And with me being unable to resist...I must be too far away to return. She would have been thorough. I see no way I can return home now." Bouncing up and down on all fours, Pinkie took her turn to deluge Shovel Knight with questions at insane speed. "Ooh! Ooh! What other kind of Knights were there? Is your shovel super special or are you just really good at digging? Was there a Party Knight?" Taking a second to process the myriad of questions, he responded. "Well, there is I, Black Knight, Plague Knight, Mole Knight, Tinker Knight, King Knight, Polar Knight, Propeller Knight, Treasure Knight, and my ill-fated lover; Shield Knight." The last name came out noticeably quieter and drearier. Trying to put the thoughts out of mind, he continued. "As for my shovel, I can make great use of it, I use it first and foremost as a weapon, to overcome those in my path, but yes, I have done my fair share of digging, uncovering treasure or making my way into hidden secrets within the Lairs of the Knights. It was crafted for me by the blacksmiths of Pridemoor's Aerial Armoury, as was my armour. As for the last question, no "Party Knight" has ever made himself known." The last piece of news was received with an "Aaaaww! Shoot!" The pony in the hat took notice of his supposed expertise, speaking with a strong drawl. "So, ya good at diggin', huh? Maybe one day I'll get ta see how ya do on the farm." Shovel Knight shouldered his shovel, his body sagging slightly as he went on. "A farm? I've spent working on farms, myself, after..." His shovel slipped off his shoulder and he plunged it into the ground, looking off to the side with his arms crossed uncomfortably. The last of the group to make their presence known, the cowering one known as Fluttershy stepped out from behind her concealment behind Pinkie, muttering in a hushed, shaky and apprehensive voice. "Y-Your ill fated lover? Oh my..." Still looking into the distance, Shovel Knight responded with a lifeless murmur. "Yes. Shield Knight and I were a team, inseparable. We traveled the length and breadth of the land, back when it was a land free of fear, free of the Order, when adventurers like ourselves roamed aplenty. We stood taller than all the others, braver, swifter, stronger, adventuring further than any others dared to go, returning with spoils beyond all others'. But at the Tower of Fate, she was taken from me by a powerful amulet of dark magic. I was on a quest to return to the Tower, and destroy the amulet. That is, until Black Knight bested me and I awoke here." Hesitantly, Fluttershy stepped forward, to the surprise of the others. "You poor thing. That's incredibly brave of you, taking on all those people by yourself just to avenge Shield Knight." Shovel Knight felt a warm smile forming from his lips. He turned back to the group, to find Fluttershy standing just before him, closer than any of the others. He crouched down to eye level with her, and gave a benevolent utterance in response. "Thank you very much, Fluttershy. Your kind words mean a great deal to me." He was graced with a gentle smile in return as he stood back up to full height. "But, alas, that is a journey I can continue on no longer. But, at least, if this is my fate, to live out the rest of my days in this foreign land, then I am glad that I have made friends of you all. Thank you." Nudging his greaves, Twilight wasn't quite out of questions yet. "What species are you? We only know of one species that walks on two legs, and that's the Minotaurs, but you don't look like you have the same stature as a Minotaur, at least not with all that armour on." "I am a human." "A human? Oh boy, I know someone who's going to be interested in you, scarily so. Anyway, since you're the first of your kind ever found here, and given your circumstances and ability of speech and sentience and whatnot, we're going to have to make sure Princess Celestia is aware of your existence." "Royalty? Well, if it is deemed necessary, I would be happy to make myself known." "Great! Now, he's going to need a place to stay, seeing as he's stuck here. Any volunteers?" "Heh, if he's half as good as he makes himself sound, I'll be happy to take him in, I'm sure I can find room in the barn, if that's alright with you, Shovel Knight, and I'm sure I could keep him busy while you get in touch with the Princess." "Any accommodation would be greatly appreciated, and if it is assistance with physical labour you seek, I would be happy to lend my shovel in return." "It's settled, then. Applejack will find a place for Shovel Knight to stay, and I'll contact the Princess and let her know about this." "You have my greatest thanks, again, all of you. Such hospitality is like none I have ever seen before, truly heartwarming." "And thank you, Shovel Knight, for your impeccable manners...even after our first run-in." Thankfully, Rarity's mood seemed to have improved a fair bit, and Shovel Knight gave a courteous nod that was close to becoming a bow. "I am a Knight, and as such, I have a reputation to uphold, and the Code of Shovelry to abide by. You are most welcome." "Alright, everyone, the sun's getting low, so we'd better get going. Hopefully we'll be able to see Celestia in the morning." As the six said their goodbyes, Shovel Knight bade them all farewell for the evening, and followed Applejack back through town. The buildings gave a reassuring sense of familiarity, though they themselves were completely new to him - he'd been to many villages before, this should be nothing out of the ordinary for him. Save, of course, for the obvious. Due to the late hour, very few of the locals were on the path back, but that did not stop the odd glare being directed at Shovel Knight. None more intense than the powerful stare of a pair of amber eyes lurking in the shadows. The OrchardWith time, the pair eventually made it to the farm, Applejack piping up as it came into view. "Well, here we are, Sweet Apple Acres!" Surveying the area and spotting a large concentration of trees around, Shovel Knight quickly realised exactly what this place was. As if the name didn't give it away. "Ah, an orchard. I assume this isn't a one man-er-a one pony job?" "You'd be right there, me and my brother Big Mac do most of the work 'round here, and my lil' sister Applebloom helps out from time to time." As she spoke, Shovel Knight caught sight of a large red pony, without wings or a horn, which he immediately assumed was the aforementioned brother, hauling a large cart of apples behind him, heading towards the barn Applejack mentioned earlier. "The barn's where we keep our apples, tools, supplies and all that sorta stuff, but I'm sure we could find room for you. When Twilight came for me, we were in the middle of collecting the apples, and, clearly, the job ain't quite done yet." "Would I able to lend my help? You're showing me hospitality, after all, it's only right that I repay you for it." "Well, that'd be appreciated. There ain't many trees left to get apples from, so me and Big Mac'd be able to get the rest of them, but just over there, behind the barn, are a pair of dead trees. We don't like to keep 'em around for long, so, if you're any good as ya say ya are, d'ya reckon you could take 'em down?" Bringing his shovel down off of his shoulder, Shovel Knight chuckled as he headed off where she had sent him. "I don't think so - I know so. Give me some time, and it'll be done." Heading inside the barn and coming out with a bucket, Applejack gave a grin as she went to join Big Mac in collecting the apples. "That's what I like to hear! Let me know when you're done, okay?" Coming across a pair of short, leafless trees, Shovel Knight found himself in refreshingly familiar territory, having lost count of the times he'd done this. Swinging the shovel fast and hard into the tree left a large mark, growing bigger and bigger as he hit the tree over and over. Before long, the first tree came down, followed by the second minutes later. Pleased with his work, Shovel Knight headed back around to the front of the barn, taking a quick peek inside. True to Applejack's word, there was a lot inside, carts, buckets, barrels, wood, a stockpile of rocks, all manner of equipment and supplies. So much so that it could be a little claustrophobic, he thought to himself. Leaving it behind, he wondered if that wood was being put to use, furthermore, what those trees were going to be used for. Leaving the barn behind, he made his way over to where Applejack and Big Mac continued to strike the trees, yielding a shower of apples falling from above. As Applejack picked up the last of the apples from the tree they stood by, her gaze wandered, coming to rest on Shovel Knight coming towards them, her eyes widening in surprise, though her brother hardly seemed fazed. "Y-You're done already?" Shovel Knight cocked a grin beneath his concealing helmet. "Never doubt my shovel. It seems there are a few trees left, shall I help?" Applejack stuttered for a second in shock. He really was as good as he sounded. The two of us are gonna get along just fine, she thought. "Uh, yeah, sure, just grab a bucket and ya can help us gather these up quicker." Shovel Knight jogged back to the barn and grabbed an empty bucket, and made his way back towards an unoccupied tree. Setting the bucket down on the ground, he gave the tree a hard whack with the flat back of his shovel, feeling the strong impact shoot through his arms. The leaves shook fiercely, and the apples came loose, plummeting to the ground, one or two landing in the bucket, the rest on the ground, and one bouncing off of Shovel Knight's helmet with a -thunk- that reverberated around inside it. Finished with this tree, he collected up the apples into the bucket, and moved onto the next one, taking care to avoid any fruit-based bombardment. Before long, the containers were full, and the trees were clean of apples, the cart and buckets left in the barn. "That was some nice work, Shovel Knight, I can tell you're gonna come in handy in the future." "Thank you. If I may ask, what do you plan to do with the felled trees?" Applejack responded the closest thing to a shrug that a quadruped can perform, as Big Mac emerged from the barn with a foreleg wrapped around a wood axe. "Not much, we usually just chop 'em up and use the wood for little things here and there that need them." "I see, and how long does each tree usually last you?" "Depending on what we need it for and how much wood we need, they can last anywhere between a week or two to a month or more." "If it's alright, may I make use of the wood of one of them, and some of the rocks inside?" "Sure, I guess. What for?" "While I appreciate the offer of accommodation in the barn, I'd prefer to sleep by a campfire." "Really? Ya sure you'll be fine outside?" "Believe me, many a night of mine has been spent asleep by a roaring fire built by my own hands. I have no doubt the experience will be similar here." "Well, if ya say so." The trio headed behind the barn to the two fallen trees, stripping them of their lifeless branched and cutting them down to size with ease, Big Mac's into small pieces like the ones inside the barn, and Shovel Knight's into several small chunks and one long log. Taking his share of the wood a little way away from the buildings, he rolled the log to a stop, and left the wood in a pile, surrounding it with rocks. The sky had faded to a dark purple, the last remnants of the sun's light bleeding over the horizon. Setting the wood ablaze with a strike of shovel on stone, Shovel Knight planted his shovel into the ground by his side, and laid back against the log as the fire warded off the coldness and darkness of the night. Bidding Applejack and her oddly quiet brother good night, he laid his head against the log, the fire's light dimming from his view as sleep overtook him. He found himself in the same place again. The all-hiding fog. The cloud surrounding him. But something was wrong. There was no red glint in the sky. The normal dream was shattered, as the ghostly voice did not call out to him. But something else did. "This one seems interesting..." The NightThis new foreign voice put Shovel Knight on edge. Whirling around on the ball of his foot, he clenched his shovel tightly, trying to find the source of it. "Show yourself!" Brief moments of silence followed, before the ghastly voice replied. "...Lay your weapon, and we shall approach." "We?" Shovel Knight thought "Is there more than one? Is the voice from before here too?" Tense and cautious, he slowly laid his shovel on the bleak white ground. "I have done as you asked, now come forth." A shadow painted itself against the encompassing fog, before the figure itself emerged. Like the inhabitants of this land, it, too was a quadruped, its coat a dark blue. However, while the most features the others had were wings or horn, this one featured both, and its stature was larger than that of any of the others, even the large red workhorse at the orchard, easily reaching eye level, and its mane and tail looked much more bizarre than the ones he had seen thus far - it seemed to flow on its own, and it almost looked like it was filled with stars. But something to note was the fact that there was only the one - it had clearly said "We". Perhaps the other was something amorphous? Or maybe it was just a speech pattern. Aside from its build, it was also wearing several things, most notably, a small diadem and a breastplate with a white crescent moon on it, the same as her so called cutiemark. Whoever it was, it certainly had something to do with the moon, that much was made very obvious. "Thou art indeed a peculiar being." Well, there's the answer, it's a speech pattern. "I could say the same about you." Shovel Knight retorted. "I've not seen any locals quite like you. Who are you?" It replied with a short bow of the head. "Luna, Princess of the night, sister to Celestia." This introduction left Shovel Knight slightly ashamed - he didn't know this was the monarch's sibling, hastily dropping to a knee and bowing his head. "My apologies, I was not aware I was speaking to royalty!" The two shared a short, awkward silence, broken by Luna chuckling quietly. "No matter, we are not in a place for formalities. Thou may put thyself at ease." Shovel Knight stood back up, clearing his throat, having narrowly escaped a potentially dangerous situation had left its mark on him, his voice flustered and unsteady. "Speaking of...where exactly are we? This place feels oddly familiar. It feels like I've been here, but just don't know it. Almost as if-" "It's a dream?" The Princess interjected "Correct. We are inside your mind, inside your dream." Shovel Knight was stunned into silence, fully becoming conscious of his lucidity, turning his back to gaze on the funnel of whiteness. "Now I see. I remember this, all of it, the towering fog, the bleak backdrop, and what is absent - the insurmountable odds, the endless swarm of foes..." Once again, Luna stole the words from his mouth. "...and Shield Knight." Slowly looking back over his shoulder, Shovel Knight stuttered and mumbled in bewilderment. "H-How do you...what?" With her voice mirroring the conversation's sudden change of tone, she sidled up next to Shovel Knight, staring up into the sky, and its unusual emptiness. "We can read dreams, see what has been dreamed in the past through this one, a pathway to past imagery of the mind." "So, you're a mind reader?" "Of sorts. Alicorns possess the ability to delve into memories in one form or another, based on our talents; we can observe and enter dreams at will, so we can use them like a window to see dreams of the past." "...Intriguing." Leaving his side, Luna walked on ahead towards the fog. "This has been a most enjoyable introduction, Shovel Knight. We shall leave you to your endeavours." "Good night, Luna." She disappeared through the fog, and the white of the world around began to flood his vision as the dream came to an end. "Wait, how did she know my...oh yes...dream reading." Shovel Knight prised open his eyes, the morning light bleeding colour onto the land. Grabbing onto the handle of his shovel, he pulled himself to his feet, stretching out his tired limbs under his clanking armour. His ears were treated to the familiar sound of the trees rustling in the wind, and the cheerful birdsong. And a maniacal giggle behind him.
The EncounterShovel Knight stood tall and proud on the deck of the Iron Whale. Treasure Knight lay within, incapacitated, surrounded only by his ill-gotten wealth. Only three Knights stood between him and the Tower now. The sun began to fade over the horizon, bleeding vibrant orange across the sky. Jumping from the Whale and landing with a heavy thud on dry land, Shovel Knight headed for the nearby treeline, coming to a halt at the closest tree. Readying his shovel, he powered it into the trunk, leaving a sizable dent behind as he raised it up to his shoulder again. He struck again and again, the mark growing larger and larger with each impact. Within minutes, the tree fell with an almighty crash. Drawing close to the fallen form, he swung his weapon into it from overhead, splitting up much of the trunk into smaller, more manageable pieces, and one larger log, until he had enough wood for what he needed. Carrying the fruits of his work to a clearing in the trees, he assembled as many rocks from nearby as he could find around the wood in a circle. Striking his trusty shovel against a stone rewarded him with sparks, luminous against the darkening surroundings. A couple of hits later, and the wood caught light. Shovel Knight headed back towards the tree, and rolled the log over to the fire. He planted his shovel firmly in the earth, and lowered himself down as his blue armour produced a cacophony of clacks and clangs while he did so. With the weight off of his feet at last, he rested his head against the log, and fell into a deep sleep. A swirling mist encircled Shovel Knight as he looked around. As mysterious as this was, it was familiar. Recognising it, he gazed to the sky, a crimson figure standing out against the white backdrop. A phantom voice commanded him, calling to him from beyond the mist. "Save her." As the words fell upon Shovel Knight's ears, footsteps echoed throughout. Shadows penetrated the fog, advancing on him - enemies he had slain in battle before. In unrest, Shovel Knight leaped into combat, holding his own as best he could against the relentless horde of foes, striking hard with his shovel, and crushing them from above. In the midst of the fray, he saw her. Falling. The red figure plummeting to the ground. "Shield Knight!" Racing past the countless enemies that stood before him, he leaped, as the world around him felt as if it slowed to a crawl. As the pair drew closer, he saw the fear in her eyes fade, joy flooding in to take its place. Shovel Knight, with his arms outstretched, reached longingly for her as she called out for him. "Shovel Knight!" Falling into his arms, the mist around him began to clear, showing a boundless, empty white void. The adversaries surrounding him vanished without a trace. Shield Knight was safe. The world around the pair of them faded into a hostile nothingness. Shovel Knight's limbs became numb, as the loss of feeling washed over his body. Looking around at the changed scene, he exclaimed as the source of the ghostly voice that had given him instruction was nowhere to be found. And when he looked back down, neither was Shield Knight. Shovel Knight began to stir. Slowly pulling himself from the world of sleep, he was hit with a wave of sadness as he realised. It was all a dream. Shield Knight was still beyond his grasp. She did not lay before him, only the glowing embers of the fire, and the charred, blackened wood. He was alone. Drearily pulling himself to his feet, he pulled his shovel from the ground, and put out the smouldering remains of the fire as the wavy pillar of black smoke snaked its way into the sky. Swarmed by sorrow, Shovel Knight looked off into the distance as the spire of the Tower of Fate peeked over the treetops. "I must persevere. This land needs saving." He reminded himself, the creeping depression threatening to crush his resolve. Putting the dream out of mind, he went on his way further towards the tower, spying the lairs of the last three Knights - a Clockwork Tower, a Flying Machine, and a Stranded Ship half-buried in ice. "Almost there. The homes of Tinker Knight, Propeller Knight, and...Polar Knight." He decided to root out the first two Knights before making his way to the ship. It was inevitable that he and Polar Knight would share their final duel, but he wished to delay the end of he who had once been his friend for as long as possible. Journeying towards the Clockwork Tower, Shovel Knight froze as he saw an unwelcome sight - his shadowy double, once his greatest ally, clad in his jet black and blood red armour, and...a dark figure, hovering before him, its presence dousing the area in darkness. Hiding behind a tree, Shovel Knight listened in, but only Black Knight's voice could be heard clearly. However, the unknown figure's voice, once heard, was unmistakable. The Enchantress. "I beg of you, take my words to heart. Your safety is my only concern!" As soon as he had been sure of it, she exited in a powerful display of magic, leaving only Black Knight out in the open, turning to head off into the dense forest as the area around returned to light once again. Leaving his concealment, Shovel Knight ran over to Black Knight. "Was that the Enchantress?! Tell me wha-" "You!" Black Knight turned and drew his shovel, pointing accusingly with it at Shovel Knight. "Haven't you tired of this charade? Stay out of this!" Black Knight was still clearly beyond being reasoned with. Gripping his own shovel tightly, Shovel Knight retorted. "You never were one to blindly follow, Black Knight, but the Order and the Enchantress must be stopped!" "Fool! You're headed down a ruinous path!" "The only path I seek leads to the Tower of Fate, and I will reach it." Readying himself, Black Knight prepared to charge. "Never! Steel thy shovel!" Black Knight and Shovel Knight bolted towards each other, determined to put each other out of their way. Jumping into the air, Shovel Knight plunged towards Black Knight, only to strike the earth as his opponent dodged back, swinging his shovel to connect with Shovel Knight's head. As Black Knight's attack closed in, Shovel Knight pulled his weapon from the dirt and leaped over Black Knight's shovel. Surveying vantage, Black Knight bounded away, and channeled his magic abilities through his shovel, firing a large purple bolt at Shovel Knight. "The same strategy, again?" Shovel Knight thought to himself. Recognising this attack from their previous bout, he sprang over the bolt, but tensed up as he saw what was coming next. This was not the same strategy, Black Knight had learned. And Shovel Knight was a fool for not anticipating this. "Right where I want you!" Black Knight taunted his rival as he charged a second bolt at Shovel Knight, now incapable of dodging as gravity pulled him back down. Letting the shot loose, he grinned maliciously beneath his helmet. The bolt slammed into Shovel Knight and exploded, sending pain surging through his chest as he crashed onto the ground. He struggled to get back to his feet, his futile attempt at getting back up cut short by Black Knight bringing his shovel down on his helmet, knocking him out cold. "It is done. Have your way with him." "He shall not be bothering us any more..." Shovel Knight's fingers twitched. Feeling began to return to his limbs, and his senses were gifted back to him. The world around him came back into view, but it was not the one he had left behind. He was in a forest, yes, but something felt...off. This soil, these trees, this sky, it all felt strange, oddly familiar yet alien all the same. Lumbering to his feet, Shovel Knight looked around. The forest was like any other, trees crowding the view as far as the eye could see, grass covering the ground. The sun was on its way out of the sky, the horizon illuminated by its red glow. Among the grass, there laid a tool, cerulean with gold trimming. Relieved to have his reliable shovel with him, Shovel Knight cast his gaze up, perhaps the Tower would be visible over the trees. And sure enough, there it was, the spire. "So, Black Knight bested me and left me elsewhere in the forest? What is he playing at?" Shovel Knight mumbled to himself in thought. He headed in the direction of the Tower, determined to get back on track. With the crunching footfalls rhythmically echoing in his head, Shovel Knight drew close to the edge of the forest, the concentration of trees diminishing. Between the higher, slimmer parts of the trunks, he could see what looked like roofs. "I'm back near the village?" Continuing on, he heard voices in the distance, and closing in. Townsfolk, most likely. Drawing closer, he could hear their words more clearly. "Hang on, I hear hoofsteps." A feminine voice spoke with a hurried tone. Shovel Knight paused and thought to himself. "Hoofsteps? Is that what those bipedal equine townsfolk back at the village called them? ...Now that I think about it, I don't recall them having any different of a vocabulary." "It's stopped!" A second voice piped up, a little bit more rough than the first, but still feminine like the one before it. Shovel Knight barely heard the third voice, meek and quiet, speak up. "...I think it knows we can hear it." He carried on towards the source of the voices. Whatever they belonged to, they were surely mistaken - he was no creature, he was a Knight. Emerging from the trees, what laid beyond came into view. The buildings were not those of the village, or the armour outpost. The spire did not belong to the Tower of Fate, but to a strange castle on a mountain, but it was clearly not the Clockwork Tower. And before him stood a very peculiar sight, six oddly coloured horses, small in stature, only just above waist height. Two featured horns, two with wings, and the last two with nothing of the sort. These were certainly nothing like the horse-like townfolk from the village - there was no way the voices had come from them. As perplexing as this discovery was, he refocused on his objective, which now seemed much further away. "Strange, I definitely heard voices from over here." Walking past them, he heard a fourth voice speak with notable intensity and a refined accent. "How rude! How dare you dismiss us as if we are not worthy of notice." Shovel Knight stopped in his tracks when the voice made itself known. He turned and looked towards the group and, lo and behold, the white horned equine seemed to be the source of the voice. He stood and stared at them in silence, his mind drowning in questions, none more eminent than one thought bouncing around his head as his mouth remained sealed tightly shut. "...What?" "These things are sentient? And capable of speech?" Shovel Knight pondered to himself. "Where am I?!" The same brash sounding voice from before made a second appearance, belonging to the sky-blue...pegasus? If he knew his mythology right, that was a pegasus, and the horned ones were unicorns. The blue pegasus, with a mane that could only be described as radiating exuberance, spoke quietly to the purple unicorn by its side. "I'm not sure it knows how to respond." To which, the unicorn, the owner of the first voice he had heard, turned and made a reply. "But we heard it talk not even a minute ago." This was getting both more awkward and tiresome with each passing moment. Shovel Knight took it upon himself to bring this to a close. ""It" has a name." Surprised by his jarring outburst, the group in its entirety exclaimed and jumped back, shocking them into silence once again, with only quiet murmurs being passed between only the most talkative of the group, namely the white and violet unicorns and the blue pegasus. "Well, it can respond, alright." "What should we do?" "I don't know, I've not done something like this before." While they had seemed to be eager to take the first step, it was now Shovel Knight leading the conversation. If this could be called a conversation at all. From looking at them over his shoulder, he turned to face them properly, seeing how they now had his attention. "My name is Shovel Knight, of the Kingdom of Pridemoor. You have no reason to fear me, I assure you." That seemed to work, as the amethyst equine stood more confidently, and spoke up. "Well, Mr. Knight..." Shovel Knight chuckled covertly "...my name is Twilight Sparkle. If I may ask, what are you doing here, and how did you get here, anyway?" "Twilight Sparkle? A peculiar title, but one I can address you by nonetheless. Well met." Shovel Knight looked back into the forest, retracing his steps as if any kind of answer lay at the end. "Sadly, I have no desire to be here, and I fear an adversary of mine may be the reason I find myself in this place." "An adversary? Who? And what's wrong with being here?" Twilight responded. She seemed to be full of questions, which couldn't be helped. The only problem came in the fact that Shovel Knight had many of his own and couldn't get a word in edgeways. "A man who was once a great friend of mine, my dark doppelganger - Black Knight. Pridemoor was in grave danger, the Enchantress, a sorceress capable of terrible magic and her order of Knights - The Order of No Quarter - were out to wreak havoc across the land, an endeavour I took it upon myself to end." "That's terrible! What's going to happen?" "I do not know, but I fear the Enchantress's hold over the Kingdom will tighten without me to oppose her. If you don't mind, I have some questions of my own." Twilight's form shrunk slightly as she realised how she had been bombarding him ruthlessly with question after question. "Erm, sure, go ahead, sorry I've been running my mouth so much..." "Think nothing of it. Firstly, I wish to know the names of your companions - if idle chatter is all I'm going to be able to do, then I wish to be able to call them by name." "Well..." Twilight sidled closer to Shovel Knight, who caught notice of the strange marking on her side, turning and labeling each of the group by name from left to right, the white unicorn, who still looked rather sour, the cream pegasus who could barely be seen hiding behind the pink equine, exhibiting quite the contrary attitude, the blue pegasus and the orange horse in a hat. Strange, he thought, but stranger things have indeed happened already. "These are my friends, Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie -" "Hello!" The one named Pinkie bounded impossibly high into the air as her name was called, and Shovel Knight swore his eyes were fooling him as he thought he caught a glimpse of some confetti. "- She's...she's like that a lot, Rainbow Dash, and Applejack."
The Discovery"Are all names here so strange?" Shovel Knight thought in silence before addressing them all. "A pleasure to meet you all, and Rarity, you have my apologies, I did not expect such beings to be capable of speech. My impertinence was merely the result of ignorance." Rarity seemed taken aback at his politeness, attempting to keep a stern look, with limited success. "A-And I should hope so, too!" Turning his attention back to Twilight, Shovel Knight continued. "Second, that marking on your rear - what is it?" Spying an opportunity to make a good impression, Rainbow pumped her wings and shot up above the others, flapping in place level with Shovel Knight's face, blocking off visual contact will all the others. "This thing is called a cutiemark, it's a symbol that you get once you find your special talent, and the mark shows what it is! Sometimes, somepony's name will tell you what it is, too. This one's for my speed, I'm the best flyer you'll find anywhere!" "Her and Propeller Knight would get along brilliantly..." Shovel Knight chuckled at the image of his thoughts. "I see, akin to the naming of Knights back home, then." Rainbow floated away, giving him some much needed breathing room as Twilight piped up again. "So the inhabitants of your home were named based on their talents?" Finally able to see Twilight again, he held his shovel up. "Not too far from the truth - our names give indication of our likenesses, like Specter Knight, a ghostly Knight, master of the dead, or Treasure Knight, residing among mountains of his stolen riches. As for me, well, I'm sure you can tell. Third question: Where am I? I spy no recognisable landmarks around, a detail that will surely make getting back to Pridemoor troublesome." "You're in Equestria. I'm sorry, but I've never heard of any place in all the lands called Pridemoor." Shovel Knight sighed at the bad news. "And would you happen to know anything I do not about how I got here?" Pointing a hoof back into the forest, Twilight returned to her inquisitive self, though the questions were not focused on him, and rather... "Well, all we saw was this weird purple orb floating just above the forest. I say 'we', I mean myself - I gathered the others to come and investigate, but by the time we were all together it had vanished. Then, well, you know what happened after that." "Purple orb?!" Shovel Knight exclaimed "So it was the Enchantress's doing! She must have sent me here so I can interfere no more. And with me being unable to resist...I must be too far away to return. She would have been thorough. I see no way I can return home now." Bouncing up and down on all fours, Pinkie took her turn to deluge Shovel Knight with questions at insane speed. "Ooh! Ooh! What other kind of Knights were there? Is your shovel super special or are you just really good at digging? Was there a Party Knight?" Taking a second to process the myriad of questions, he responded. "Well, there is I, Black Knight, Plague Knight, Mole Knight, Tinker Knight, King Knight, Polar Knight, Propeller Knight, Treasure Knight, and my ill-fated lover; Shield Knight." The last name came out noticeably quieter and drearier. Trying to put the thoughts out of mind, he continued. "As for my shovel, I can make great use of it, I use it first and foremost as a weapon, to overcome those in my path, but yes, I have done my fair share of digging, uncovering treasure or making my way into hidden secrets within the Lairs of the Knights. It was crafted for me by the blacksmiths of Pridemoor's Aerial Armoury, as was my armour. As for the last question, no "Party Knight" has ever made himself known." The last piece of news was received with an "Aaaaww! Shoot!" The pony in the hat took notice of his supposed expertise, speaking with a strong drawl. "So, ya good at diggin', huh? Maybe one day I'll get ta see how ya do on the farm." Shovel Knight shouldered his shovel, his body sagging slightly as he went on. "A farm? I've spent working on farms, myself, after..." His shovel slipped off his shoulder and he plunged it into the ground, looking off to the side with his arms crossed uncomfortably. The last of the group to make their presence known, the cowering one known as Fluttershy stepped out from behind her concealment behind Pinkie, muttering in a hushed, shaky and apprehensive voice. "Y-Your ill fated lover? Oh my..." Still looking into the distance, Shovel Knight responded with a lifeless murmur. "Yes. Shield Knight and I were a team, inseparable. We traveled the length and breadth of the land, back when it was a land free of fear, free of the Order, when adventurers like ourselves roamed aplenty. We stood taller than all the others, braver, swifter, stronger, adventuring further than any others dared to go, returning with spoils beyond all others'. But at the Tower of Fate, she was taken from me by a powerful amulet of dark magic. I was on a quest to return to the Tower, and destroy the amulet. That is, until Black Knight bested me and I awoke here." Hesitantly, Fluttershy stepped forward, to the surprise of the others. "You poor thing. That's incredibly brave of you, taking on all those people by yourself just to avenge Shield Knight." Shovel Knight felt a warm smile forming from his lips. He turned back to the group, to find Fluttershy standing just before him, closer than any of the others. He crouched down to eye level with her, and gave a benevolent utterance in response. "Thank you very much, Fluttershy. Your kind words mean a great deal to me." He was graced with a gentle smile in return as he stood back up to full height. "But, alas, that is a journey I can continue on no longer. But, at least, if this is my fate, to live out the rest of my days in this foreign land, then I am glad that I have made friends of you all. Thank you." Nudging his greaves, Twilight wasn't quite out of questions yet. "What species are you? We only know of one species that walks on two legs, and that's the Minotaurs, but you don't look like you have the same stature as a Minotaur, at least not with all that armour on." "I am a human." "A human? Oh boy, I know someone who's going to be interested in you, scarily so. Anyway, since you're the first of your kind ever found here, and given your circumstances and ability of speech and sentience and whatnot, we're going to have to make sure Princess Celestia is aware of your existence." "Royalty? Well, if it is deemed necessary, I would be happy to make myself known." "Great! Now, he's going to need a place to stay, seeing as he's stuck here. Any volunteers?" "Heh, if he's half as good as he makes himself sound, I'll be happy to take him in, I'm sure I can find room in the barn, if that's alright with you, Shovel Knight, and I'm sure I could keep him busy while you get in touch with the Princess." "Any accommodation would be greatly appreciated, and if it is assistance with physical labour you seek, I would be happy to lend my shovel in return." "It's settled, then. Applejack will find a place for Shovel Knight to stay, and I'll contact the Princess and let her know about this." "You have my greatest thanks, again, all of you. Such hospitality is like none I have ever seen before, truly heartwarming." "And thank you, Shovel Knight, for your impeccable manners...even after our first run-in." Thankfully, Rarity's mood seemed to have improved a fair bit, and Shovel Knight gave a courteous nod that was close to becoming a bow. "I am a Knight, and as such, I have a reputation to uphold, and the Code of Shovelry to abide by. You are most welcome." "Alright, everyone, the sun's getting low, so we'd better get going. Hopefully we'll be able to see Celestia in the morning." As the six said their goodbyes, Shovel Knight bade them all farewell for the evening, and followed Applejack back through town. The buildings gave a reassuring sense of familiarity, though they themselves were completely new to him - he'd been to many villages before, this should be nothing out of the ordinary for him. Save, of course, for the obvious. Due to the late hour, very few of the locals were on the path back, but that did not stop the odd glare being directed at Shovel Knight. None more intense than the powerful stare of a pair of amber eyes lurking in the shadows.
The OrchardWith time, the pair eventually made it to the farm, Applejack piping up as it came into view. "Well, here we are, Sweet Apple Acres!" Surveying the area and spotting a large concentration of trees around, Shovel Knight quickly realised exactly what this place was. As if the name didn't give it away. "Ah, an orchard. I assume this isn't a one man-er-a one pony job?" "You'd be right there, me and my brother Big Mac do most of the work 'round here, and my lil' sister Applebloom helps out from time to time." As she spoke, Shovel Knight caught sight of a large red pony, without wings or a horn, which he immediately assumed was the aforementioned brother, hauling a large cart of apples behind him, heading towards the barn Applejack mentioned earlier. "The barn's where we keep our apples, tools, supplies and all that sorta stuff, but I'm sure we could find room for you. When Twilight came for me, we were in the middle of collecting the apples, and, clearly, the job ain't quite done yet." "Would I able to lend my help? You're showing me hospitality, after all, it's only right that I repay you for it." "Well, that'd be appreciated. There ain't many trees left to get apples from, so me and Big Mac'd be able to get the rest of them, but just over there, behind the barn, are a pair of dead trees. We don't like to keep 'em around for long, so, if you're any good as ya say ya are, d'ya reckon you could take 'em down?" Bringing his shovel down off of his shoulder, Shovel Knight chuckled as he headed off where she had sent him. "I don't think so - I know so. Give me some time, and it'll be done." Heading inside the barn and coming out with a bucket, Applejack gave a grin as she went to join Big Mac in collecting the apples. "That's what I like to hear! Let me know when you're done, okay?" Coming across a pair of short, leafless trees, Shovel Knight found himself in refreshingly familiar territory, having lost count of the times he'd done this. Swinging the shovel fast and hard into the tree left a large mark, growing bigger and bigger as he hit the tree over and over. Before long, the first tree came down, followed by the second minutes later. Pleased with his work, Shovel Knight headed back around to the front of the barn, taking a quick peek inside. True to Applejack's word, there was a lot inside, carts, buckets, barrels, wood, a stockpile of rocks, all manner of equipment and supplies. So much so that it could be a little claustrophobic, he thought to himself. Leaving it behind, he wondered if that wood was being put to use, furthermore, what those trees were going to be used for. Leaving the barn behind, he made his way over to where Applejack and Big Mac continued to strike the trees, yielding a shower of apples falling from above. As Applejack picked up the last of the apples from the tree they stood by, her gaze wandered, coming to rest on Shovel Knight coming towards them, her eyes widening in surprise, though her brother hardly seemed fazed. "Y-You're done already?" Shovel Knight cocked a grin beneath his concealing helmet. "Never doubt my shovel. It seems there are a few trees left, shall I help?" Applejack stuttered for a second in shock. He really was as good as he sounded. The two of us are gonna get along just fine, she thought. "Uh, yeah, sure, just grab a bucket and ya can help us gather these up quicker." Shovel Knight jogged back to the barn and grabbed an empty bucket, and made his way back towards an unoccupied tree. Setting the bucket down on the ground, he gave the tree a hard whack with the flat back of his shovel, feeling the strong impact shoot through his arms. The leaves shook fiercely, and the apples came loose, plummeting to the ground, one or two landing in the bucket, the rest on the ground, and one bouncing off of Shovel Knight's helmet with a -thunk- that reverberated around inside it. Finished with this tree, he collected up the apples into the bucket, and moved onto the next one, taking care to avoid any fruit-based bombardment. Before long, the containers were full, and the trees were clean of apples, the cart and buckets left in the barn. "That was some nice work, Shovel Knight, I can tell you're gonna come in handy in the future." "Thank you. If I may ask, what do you plan to do with the felled trees?" Applejack responded the closest thing to a shrug that a quadruped can perform, as Big Mac emerged from the barn with a foreleg wrapped around a wood axe. "Not much, we usually just chop 'em up and use the wood for little things here and there that need them." "I see, and how long does each tree usually last you?" "Depending on what we need it for and how much wood we need, they can last anywhere between a week or two to a month or more." "If it's alright, may I make use of the wood of one of them, and some of the rocks inside?" "Sure, I guess. What for?" "While I appreciate the offer of accommodation in the barn, I'd prefer to sleep by a campfire." "Really? Ya sure you'll be fine outside?" "Believe me, many a night of mine has been spent asleep by a roaring fire built by my own hands. I have no doubt the experience will be similar here." "Well, if ya say so." The trio headed behind the barn to the two fallen trees, stripping them of their lifeless branched and cutting them down to size with ease, Big Mac's into small pieces like the ones inside the barn, and Shovel Knight's into several small chunks and one long log. Taking his share of the wood a little way away from the buildings, he rolled the log to a stop, and left the wood in a pile, surrounding it with rocks. The sky had faded to a dark purple, the last remnants of the sun's light bleeding over the horizon. Setting the wood ablaze with a strike of shovel on stone, Shovel Knight planted his shovel into the ground by his side, and laid back against the log as the fire warded off the coldness and darkness of the night. Bidding Applejack and her oddly quiet brother good night, he laid his head against the log, the fire's light dimming from his view as sleep overtook him. He found himself in the same place again. The all-hiding fog. The cloud surrounding him. But something was wrong. There was no red glint in the sky. The normal dream was shattered, as the ghostly voice did not call out to him. But something else did. "This one seems interesting..."
The NightThis new foreign voice put Shovel Knight on edge. Whirling around on the ball of his foot, he clenched his shovel tightly, trying to find the source of it. "Show yourself!" Brief moments of silence followed, before the ghastly voice replied. "...Lay your weapon, and we shall approach." "We?" Shovel Knight thought "Is there more than one? Is the voice from before here too?" Tense and cautious, he slowly laid his shovel on the bleak white ground. "I have done as you asked, now come forth." A shadow painted itself against the encompassing fog, before the figure itself emerged. Like the inhabitants of this land, it, too was a quadruped, its coat a dark blue. However, while the most features the others had were wings or horn, this one featured both, and its stature was larger than that of any of the others, even the large red workhorse at the orchard, easily reaching eye level, and its mane and tail looked much more bizarre than the ones he had seen thus far - it seemed to flow on its own, and it almost looked like it was filled with stars. But something to note was the fact that there was only the one - it had clearly said "We". Perhaps the other was something amorphous? Or maybe it was just a speech pattern. Aside from its build, it was also wearing several things, most notably, a small diadem and a breastplate with a white crescent moon on it, the same as her so called cutiemark. Whoever it was, it certainly had something to do with the moon, that much was made very obvious. "Thou art indeed a peculiar being." Well, there's the answer, it's a speech pattern. "I could say the same about you." Shovel Knight retorted. "I've not seen any locals quite like you. Who are you?" It replied with a short bow of the head. "Luna, Princess of the night, sister to Celestia." This introduction left Shovel Knight slightly ashamed - he didn't know this was the monarch's sibling, hastily dropping to a knee and bowing his head. "My apologies, I was not aware I was speaking to royalty!" The two shared a short, awkward silence, broken by Luna chuckling quietly. "No matter, we are not in a place for formalities. Thou may put thyself at ease." Shovel Knight stood back up, clearing his throat, having narrowly escaped a potentially dangerous situation had left its mark on him, his voice flustered and unsteady. "Speaking of...where exactly are we? This place feels oddly familiar. It feels like I've been here, but just don't know it. Almost as if-" "It's a dream?" The Princess interjected "Correct. We are inside your mind, inside your dream." Shovel Knight was stunned into silence, fully becoming conscious of his lucidity, turning his back to gaze on the funnel of whiteness. "Now I see. I remember this, all of it, the towering fog, the bleak backdrop, and what is absent - the insurmountable odds, the endless swarm of foes..." Once again, Luna stole the words from his mouth. "...and Shield Knight." Slowly looking back over his shoulder, Shovel Knight stuttered and mumbled in bewilderment. "H-How do you...what?" With her voice mirroring the conversation's sudden change of tone, she sidled up next to Shovel Knight, staring up into the sky, and its unusual emptiness. "We can read dreams, see what has been dreamed in the past through this one, a pathway to past imagery of the mind." "So, you're a mind reader?" "Of sorts. Alicorns possess the ability to delve into memories in one form or another, based on our talents; we can observe and enter dreams at will, so we can use them like a window to see dreams of the past." "...Intriguing." Leaving his side, Luna walked on ahead towards the fog. "This has been a most enjoyable introduction, Shovel Knight. We shall leave you to your endeavours." "Good night, Luna." She disappeared through the fog, and the white of the world around began to flood his vision as the dream came to an end. "Wait, how did she know my...oh yes...dream reading." Shovel Knight prised open his eyes, the morning light bleeding colour onto the land. Grabbing onto the handle of his shovel, he pulled himself to his feet, stretching out his tired limbs under his clanking armour. His ears were treated to the familiar sound of the trees rustling in the wind, and the cheerful birdsong. And a maniacal giggle behind him.
