Kurai the Forsaken : Rise of The Abyss

Chapters

Chapter 1: History
Chapter 2: So Many Questions But Not Enough Answers
Chapter 3: Formalities
Chapter 4: Assistance
Chapter 5: Attention
Chapter 6: Joy
Chapter 7: Location
Chapter 8: Old Scars
Chapter 9: Monsters and Rocks

Chapter 1: History

Author's Note

The true sequel. Enjoy and I hope you appreciate the blood and sweat I will put into this like I did the predecessor.

Chapter 1: History

Snoring quietly in her king sized bed, Luna, the Princess of the Moon had her work cut out for her as of lately. Paperwork up to her horn and day by day they still pile on, to sleep was a luxury for somepony like her. A small screen flickered in the dark with a game controller laying next to the alicorn’s muzzle.

——————

Trotting quietly through the many doors that lead to dream upon dream of every sleeping citizen in Equestria, as they woke and slept a door would unlock or seal. A grin grew upon her muzzle once she saw Celestia’s door, taking a peek inside she saw her older sister sitting at a table in a fancy restaurant laughing as if heard the funniest joke. On the other side was Twilight Sparkle, chatting away. “You never seem to learn dear sister.” Luna chuckled, watching as Celestia placed a hoof on Twilight’s. At this point she saw enough and shut the door to leave Celestia to her privacy, trying not to giggle. “I’ll let her work things out for once.”

Turning around to walk down the hall of doors once more a single door stood out, it was not here before she was sure of that. The frame of the door was lined with steel and what seemed to be a sword covered by a shield on the door itself, a dark glow was emanating from it. In dreams a nightmare was seen through a door as a leak of dark energy, while a really good dream had a specific warmth glowing from it. Tapping on the door with a hoof it swung open, her mind getting sucked inside the swirling portal to see the dream first hoof.

——————

Sitting on top of a gazebo Luna watched the empty arena, wondering what she came here for if there is nothing to see. The architecture was flawless but the building itself was slowly crumbling, withering away with age. Arguably the most interesting detail perhaps has to be that white gate of fog obscuring the entrance, making out a figure lumbering into the arena. It’s head was bloated and had completely malformed arms that looked more like incomplete bat wings, both ended in gnarled twisted claws ready to pierce the flesh of whoever decides to face it. Cocking an eyebrow of interest and disgust at the creature Luna wished she could approach and observe closely, sadly dreams were not as easy to manipulate to remain unseen so the best she could do is stay out of the line of sight. A rumble echoed through the gazebo, the fog gate split to let through a figure very similar to the disgusting creature in the middle, only with much more proportional limbs and coated with a thick shell of armour. Squinting to look closer at who the figure is her eyes widened. “Kurai…?” Luna whispered, leaning forward to make sure her assumption was right. Surely enough there he was, his iron chest plate and helmet glowing in contrast to his dull stone gauntlets and leggings bound in chain.

In a flash of a second the monster was struck down by an unknown figure, a giant sword deeply embedded into it’s body as it struggled for dear life. The figure pulled the sword back up and thrust it down, finishing off the monster with a painful crack of it’s spine with blood splattering all around. Taking a second to compose itself the figure stared up at Kurai, heavy breath being drawn through it’s obscured lips. Luna got a good look at the figure, it had a helmet shaped like a wolfs head with a blue tattered scarf surrounding the neck, the rest was standard armour which was quite damaged. The damaged sections all oozed a strange substance, especially from the left arm which hung uselessly like an accessory. A dark mist approached the figure and surrounded it, screaming as the mist enveloped it the figure spun and shrieked, tossing the limp body attached to the sword at Kurai who recoiled. “Sir Artorias, calm thyself!” The stone and iron clad knight called out, readying his blade.

“Sl-Slay me…” Artorias growled, his voice raspy and weary. With that he hunched over and shook slightly, leaping at an impossible height before shooting downward like a stray comet. Rolling the the side Kurai barely dodged the area where the sword struck, the ooze splashing out and hitting Artorias’s opponent in the arm corroding a bit of the gauntlet. “Forgive me… I can’t stop myself!”

Raising his sword to strike the distracted Abysswalker he was too late as Artorias rolled away himself and brought his sword back and thrusted forward, the sludge creating a slight boost in momentum to slide forward. Seeing no other choice Kurai raised his shield, the tip of the heavy blade breaking the simple kite shield in two and knocking the chosen undead back into the ground. “Gack! Now I see why your blade is so legendary…!” Kurai grunted, getting up and quickly switching out to Havel’s Greatshield. Charging forth, greatswords raised both knights swung. The clash could have broken mountains had Artorias been using his left hand with the sheer force alone. Artorias and Kurai now stood at opposite sides of the arena after their clash, the silence itself was deafening. “Not bad…” He coughed, putting away his Gravelord Greatsword and brought out a chaos imbued washing pole. Spinning on his heel to face Artorias once more Luna gasped at the sight, the left side of Kurai’s armour had a gash in it, a red streak forming on the flesh.

“Heal, undead… You must survive this match…”

Shaking his head Kurai readied himself with the katana in both hands, the cutting edge facing a worthy opponent. “I shall not, for me to heal in such a one on one would impede your quest for an honourable death. Raise your sword and fight!”

Hanging his head low Artorias chuckled, then started laughing maniacally. The Abyss had finally taken over his mind. “You brave fool.” He roared. “Very well, undead, I shan’t hold back.”

As soon as those words were said, everything went black, it would appear that he did not remember those moments. Luna pointed her horn aloft and was about to cast a spell to leave the dream, the light being the only thing illuminating her face along with her flowing mane. The gazebo reappeared once more, distracting the Princess of the Moon. There lay Artorias, barely alive as his opponent knelt over him, gripping his hand. “I promise, I will find Sif and destroy Manus. Rest assured your sacrifice shall not be in vain, brave Abysswalker.” Kurai spoke calmly, his armour riddled with gashes and marks.

“Th-thank you… what ist thy name?” Asked Artorias, his obscured face staring back at Kurai’s iron helmet.

Standing up and bowing respectfully Kurai looked up. “My name is of no importance, good sir. All that matters is you are remembered as you lived, a fighter.”

The dream came to an end and the dark blue alicorn was ejected from the dream, as if the owner of the dream had awoken.

——————

“This cross-dreaming was a great idea. I didn’t know you could enter dreams too.” Twilight cooed to her mentor, or in this case her secret marefriend.

Chucking the vanilla coated alicorn took a sip of her tea, her eyes locked with Twilight’s as they held hooves. The blissful moment didn’t last long as a door from nowhere burst open, Luna standing there and breathing heavily like she ran a mile. “Sister?! T-This isn’t what it looks like!” Celestia panicked, shyly hiding behind her large mane. “Ok, it’s what it looks like but-“

“He’s alive.”

“Who?” The lavender alicorn questioned, her cheeks as crimson as her secret date.

“I don’t know if it was his dream of this Artorias person or Kurai, but Kurai might be alive!”

Celestia gaped at her younger sister, unable to believe what she is hearing. “Are you sure you haven’t been staying up too long playing your video games again and just fell asleep?”

“NO!” Luna shouted in her Royal Canterlot Voice defensively, stomping her hoof down. Truth was she had fallen asleep in the middle of her Pony Fighter marathon from fatigue after a sixteenth win. “Just,” She calmed down after taking a few breaths. “hear me out. Either Kurai is alive or there is a new human in Equestria and we need to find him!”

“Slow down,” The Princess of the Sun patiently began, seemingly striding across the room and placing a hoof on her younger sister’s shoulder. “And start over. What happened?”

Chapter 2: So Many Questions But Not Enough Answers

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Chapter 3: Formalities

Author's Note

Man, I have to go to the beach after uploading this, so expect my updates to be a little slack from now on. Tiredness comes in all shapes and forms, mine so happens to be beach fatigue.

Chapter 3: Formalities

The loud snoring that was echoing through the halls of the great castle had since been shaking with hearty laughter between two occupants. “I have missed you dear friend! Tell me, what was it like to battle-“

“Hold on a second, before we get into any formalities, are you hungry?” Asked the darkness, who was sitting opposite from Gough.

Now that he thought about it, he felt this odd sensation in his stomach for quite some time since arriving. It felt like his belly was trying to devour his being. Placing a hand to his still grumbling stomach the giant looks up to the unknown figure and nods slowly. “Now that you ask, I do feel peckish. What does this world offer to eat?”

The darkness that Gough stared at for some time chuckled quietly before laughing. “You would be surprised of the dominant inhabitants of this world!” He laughed, trying not to shed a tear from his own inside joke. Looking up he saw Gough’s head tilted in confusion.

“What are those ‘dominant inhabitants’?”

“Well.” The darkness drug out that word to purposely keep the giant on edge, it seemed to work as Gough leaned forward in anticipation. Taking a deep breath the darkness quickly began. “Earth ponies, unicorns, pegasi, alicorns, changelings, gryphons, a draconequus and dragons. But the most prevalent creatures are the mentioned ponies, pegasi and unicorns.”

The giant’s jaw hung loose in awe. “You are joking right? Please tell me I have had too many Elizabeth mushrooms. Wait, dragons?! I must hunt them down before they cause harm!” Gough strained to stand and reach for his bow, his stomach causing him pain to which he grunted and sat down again.

“First, I know this will sound crazy, dragons are peaceful when compared to the monsters you’re used to. So long as none disturb them. Second, they are protected by Equestrian law as a mythical creature alongside phoenixes. So I ask this of you,” The darkness paused to make sure Gough was paying attention to his every word. “Please do not hunt dragons in this world, the inhabitants have a way of dealing with them peacefully and they actually live in peace with them. Respect their law like a knight would and you will earn their respect. Not to mention you’re in no shape to be standing, you look like you could feed on a banquet.”

Hanging his head once more the giant thought for a second. “So I can not full fill my duty as a knight in this world?”

“No you can, you can by protecting the inhabitants. Now, how about some food? I’m cooking manticore. Tried talking to it and calming it at first but… it was a lost cause, let’s put it at that.”

Nodding slowly, feeling a bit better knowing his duty as a knight would still be put to use. “I request that you look away when I pull up my helmet to eat.”

“Best you only pull it up so only your mouth shows.” The darkness quickly responded, slight panic in his voice. “The world itself has eyes that would pay a great price for your full face.” He justified as a lie.

Pausing to stare ahead for a brief moment Gough nodded in agreement, a platter was put forth consisting of manticore meat cooked to a savoury degree. Without hesitation the giant pulled his helmet up only until his mouth showed before shovelling the meat into his mouth, giants were sadly not known for their etiquette at the table. Save for Gough who used special tools, which were unfortunately back in Lordran so this was an exception for the time being. Not to mention how famished he was.

——————

“Thank you for coming on such short notice, Captain Dash.” Celestia spoke, bowing respectfully to her visitor.

“I always have time for you guys!” Rainbow Dash bowed in return, a grin seemingly reaching ear to ear. “So what’s this you need Princess?” The cyan pegasus enquired, standing to her height and eager to do her duty.

“You see, it has come to our attention that the human may still be alive after all this time.” Luna explained on Celestia’s behalf, hearing the word ‘human’ Rainbow Dash knew exactly who they were talking about. “Unfortunately we have no conclusive evidence to prove such a claim, there is however the single proof we know of. That there may be another, given what we know about him he may be as deadly as Kurai. I already had my best artist, Quick Sketch, prepare an artists interpretation of what he looks like and sent to the printing press. To the point, we request that you give the pictures to your squads and have them comb Equestria for one simply known as Sir Knight Arotrias and give him this.” Handing Rainbow Dash a scroll with a royal seal, nodding in response the prismatic maned pegasus placed it in her saddle bag.

“I won’t disappoint you!” Rainbow Dash saluted, flaring her wings and rearing to go.

“Stay a while, the printing press will take a while and we need all your best to be there to collect the papers.” Celestia warmly smiled. “I hear you and Gilda have been getting along quite well.” She winked.

Rainbow Dash’s cheeks felt like red apples, staring at the floor as Twilight gave her mentor a nudge, both giggling like fillies as Luna disapprovingly cleared her throat. Odd how the younger sister has to keep the elder one in line. “If it were not for me you two would be having pillow fights in the kitchen after a meal of pancakes.” She snorted.

“Too late.” Twilight replied, trying not to laugh alongside the vanilla coated alicorn who had both hooves up to her lips, cheeks puffed out in desperation to hold back her mighty cackle.

——————

The cave was not enough, it was never enough. It provided shelter from the occasional storms and native monsters of this forest of nightmares, but it never provided enough space for both inhabitants. Sitting in a meditative state while his companion fate so cruelly bestowed upon him groaned in the background about his last meal, apparently he would rather have had crushed bone for seasoning instead of the rosemary and moss which grew outside the cave.

“Ornstein, when can he leave this place?” Asked Smough, the executioner and candidate for the Knights of Gwyn. Ornstein, the dragonslayer remained silent at the cave entrance as rain was blown against his shining armour by the wind. “Of course, why even bother asking someone who won’t even speak often?” The executioner sarcastically replied to Ornstein’s silence.

Smough appeared very heavy, that was in fact his armour being very misleading of his appearance. The armour depicted that of a fat man with a long slender neck topped with a very disproportional head, while his silent companion had a far more slender build, his helmet taking the shape of a lion with a red plume. The only similarity they shared was the material their armour was made from. Their prized weapons sat at the dead end of the cave, very deep inside. Smough’s weapon was a pole which ended on a terrifying lump of moulded steel, creating the executioners hammer, something he used to crush the bones of those he executed for his own cannibalistic tendencies to add them as seasoning to his food. Ornstein’s weapon again, is the opposite. A large spear ending with a long blade that shot thunder, something dragons were weak to before that infernal beast Kalameet came along with his obsidian scales.

“What about that town in the distance? Can we go there?”

Ornstein shook his head slowly.

“Why not?” Smough growled, narrowing his eyes at the dragonslayer.

No reply, this was starting to get to him.

“Is it because you think those worthless inhabitants are best kept away from us and us from them?!” The executioner asked, his voice raised.

A single slow nod.

“Are you having a laugh?! They’re equines, little horses, nothing worth saving or protecting! I hunger to taste what their bones will be like!”

It may have been a trick of the small cave fire’s light, but Smough could have sword he saw Ornstein twitch in annoyance at his arrogance. “…This is why thou shalt never come a Knight of Gwyn…”

Recoiling slightly at that blow to his self esteem Smough held his tongue and clenched his fists. As much as he wished to yell at Ornstein he could not find the words to do so as they had been slain in his very throat, he hated him as much as he feared and respected him. Yet the more he hated him, the more his respect and fear grew.

Chapter 4: Assistance

Traversing the landscape of the large desert, Ornstein stopped by a cactus and stabbed it with his spear and twisting until a piece popped off like a soda bottle. Picking it up with the thorns bending to the mighty steel of his gauntlet the dragonslayer tiled his head and let the water gathered drip into the mouth of his helmet.

“Don’t hog it all to yourself.” Smough wheezed, using his hammer for support. His smaller companion pointed to the large cactus with a silent glare. “Oh, right.” Gripping the column of a green leaf surrounded in spines with both hands he pulled until a chunk was in his grip. Pulling his helmet up so his mouth could get a clear drink he crushed the cactus chunk until the water fell like a monsoon into the black hole that is his mouth. “So, why we going to this ‘Applaloosa’ place?”

“…The town near the forest was too risky, thou should know…” Ornstein replied, continuing his walk through the cracked and thirsty landscape.

“Oh sure, a town almost full of buffalo is less risky than a town of Elizabeth mushroom high coloured horses!” He stopped to think a second. “You’re worried I might invite myself to a rampage, aren’t you?”

A slow nod. That was all it took for Smough to growl like a rabid dog, something the dragonslayer grew accustomed to from all those years.

They both painstakingly walked up a hill of dust and earth to see the small western town of Appaloosa, from the looks of it there seems to be a celebration going on. Bison were running in a herd down a path and through what looked like… an apple orchard? In the middle of the desert? Whatever it was it seemed like some sort of tradition, climbing over the hill top Ornstein slid down the other side of the steep hill with confidence, creating a miniature avalanche of pebbles and dust as he did so. Following his example like a toddler Smough lifted himself over the side, his armour though threw him off balance and instead tumbled down the hill like a gold plated snowball. Watching the spectacle Ornstein raised a hand to his helmets face, shaking his head in disapproval.

——————

“Two cubes of salt, if you please.” Sheriff Silverstar asked the barkeeper, pulling up a stool as the mumbles of other ponies and buffalo overshadowed by a smooth piano and the singing of the local saloon singer, Honey Voice. Who winked at a couple of patrons eyeing her.

“Been a rough day eh, mate?” Asked the barkeeper, opening up a fresh box of salt cubes.

“You have no idea, I’m more like the maid of this here town. I clean it up, somepony comes along and messes it up and then the whole process starts all over again!” He threw his forelegs up in the air at the last part of the sentence, his well kept moustache ruffled by a long schedule of law keeping.

“Eh well I’m sure ye will find some kind of rest here.” Placing two cubes of salt into a cup of water and stirring thoroughly until the water was a cloudy white. “Two cubes, sir.”

“Thank you.” Silverstar smiled, raising the glass with a hoof. “To justice.” Bringing the cup to his lips a rumble echoed through the saloon, the pianist stopping to hear it too while poker players looked up from their cards. The rumbling grew louder and the ground shook. “Are the buffalo going for a second run?”

“Too large to be a buffalo run.” The barkeeper raised a brow, the saloon itself was practically shaking. Only good handiwork saving the building from a cruel demolition, the bottles of salt imbued water weren’t so lucky. A loud crack and crash was heard followed by Honey Voice’s scream of terror in reaction to the noise. A couple of the customers trotted outside to see the damage outside, only they were not expecting the sight. A large fat creature, appearing to be made out of gold dusting itself off from a rather nasty tumble down the steep hill. From the indent in the hillside it was obviously heavier than anything in this town combined. Looking up from the giant the town got a glimpse of a smaller figure with the same glint of steel but with a slimmer armour sliding down the mountain, needless to say that was enough for the town to be stirred up into a panic.

The sounds of doors and windows being locked, curtains being pulled were heard all over the small town. Landing far more gracefully than Smough, Ornstein took a second to view his surroundings while the executioner stood and dusted himself off with a grimace under his helmet. Looking around the town was empty, a single tumbleweed rolling through it. Using his spear as a walking stick the weary dragonslayer turned to the saloon, seeing a small sign that read ‘HELP WANTED, SECURITY NEEDED’ on the swinging doors.

Opening the door he crouched down to step in as Smough followed behind, unable to fit. Turning to his large companion Ornstein shook his head slowly and pointed with an irritated finger to the ground just outside the door. Facing inside the building again he continued walking, Sheriff Silverstar eying him carefully. The creature approached him slowly but with a steady pace and weary steps that caused the floorboards to creak. Raising a hand the entire room flinched in fear before Ornstein placed the sign on the counter top, the barkeeper staring awestruck at the figure that entered his bar. “…Art thou hiring…?” A slow cautious nod. “…Good, my companion and I are in most desperate needs for sustenance. Thine currency is different from mine so we require work to purchase thine essentials…”

About an hour later.

“We got a rowdy one here!” Called out the bartender to his new bouncer, trying to avoid the angry ranting and tossing of cups by a drunk patron. Coming out of the shadows with his spear ready Ornstein stepped forth with a glare at the rowdy customer who tossed a cup of salty water which broke on his shining mane of the lion shaped helmet. The bar grew silent and very frightened at the draognslayer’s possible reaction of violence, instead he picked up the still ranting patron by his name and tossed him out the door. “And don’t come back till yer sober, mate! Drink some fresh water!” Called out the barkeeper, tossing a bit to Ornstein who caught it with the palm of his hand as he strode into the dark corner again.

“Ill show you sober, you-“ His approach and speech was cut short by Smough stomping in front of him, tapping the upper handle of his hammer in a very slam happy hand. “…On second though I’ll just go take home to the missus.”

“That’s a mighty fine decision you just made, hirin’ them two.” Honey Voice complimented, resting on a bar stool. “But don’t ya think they might be more trouble than they’re worth?” Giving the barkeeper a half lidded stare.

“Honey, this saloon was quite messy before we hired them two blokes. Besides, been a while since we had 'someone' who actually works here. Speaking of which,” Filling up a glass full of grade A saltwater the barkeeper placed it in front of Honey Voice who gave him a knowing smile. “On the house fer yer lovely singin’.”

——————

Prowling the forest, Sif sniffed at the air continuously with every few steps. The smell was stronger now, now sure of himself the wolf broke into a sprint, more than determined to find the source. Breaking through a shrug he encountered the source, a slim bipedal figure sitting against a tree. It had dark clothing surrounding it with a porcelain mask upon its head, ivory strands of blonde hair waving slightly. “Ggrr!” (Lord’s Blade Ciaran!) He gently growled, poking her wrist with his snout as if to wake her.

Turning her head slowly over to Sif she bolted upright in surprise at seeing the fateful companion of Artorias. “Sif! Oh it’s been a long time since we have seen each other.” She gave him a well deserved scratch behind the ear, as mighty as he was, he could never resist the feel of a good ear scratch and belly rub for his work. Cocking his head to the side for her to have a clear scratch Sif inwardly grinned. “Have you encountered the others?” Ciaran enquired. “Surely if you’re here too, this must mean some of the others are here, right?”

Sif nodded with a slow growl in response. He could faintly smell two nearby, pointing a paw in the direction. “Grrmmm, graaahh. (I think I can smell Gough, and a long unidentified smell.)”

“Sif, you know only dear Artorias can understand you, I however cannot.” Mused the assassin, hanging her head low. Rolling his eyes the wolf placed a paw on her lap and pointed with the other in the direction of the scent. “Very well, I shall follow. I may be a bit slow, the creatures of this forest are...brutal…” She coughed, moving her hand to show a gash which a tooth shaped stake was embedded.

Without hesitation Sif gripped the stake in his jaws, pulling it out with a mighty swing of his neck. Ciaran gritted her teeth through the pain, this was nothing compared to Lordran at least. Tearing off a cloth from her armour she wrapped it around the gash. That will hopefully stem the bleeding and keep the wound from outside infection.

Crouching low Sif offered his back as support for the assassin of the Four Knights, Ciaran obliging to his assistance with a smile and rested her frame on his back, locking her arms around his neck. “Grr (Hang on tight!)” Sprinting off with her clinging on his back, bounding over roots and through shrubs and bushes to reach the source of the two smells.

——————

“Any sign of he target yet, Roughclaw?” Gilda shouted out to her gryphon squad.

“Nada, ma’am. We attempted searching the forest but all we got was a hostile reaction from a pack of manticores, the best we could do is wait for anything to leave and make sure it is the target.” Replied Roughclaw, her second in command.

“Alright, alert the Wonderbolt captain to begin a full scale search of the entire continent in this order; Las Pegasus, Alloy, Manehattan, Ponyville, Canterlot, Saddle Arabia, The Crystal Empire, Allied Changeling zones 1 to 163 and Appaloosa!”

“Yes, ma’am!” The squad called out in unison, tilting to make a sharp turn towards their first search zone while the messenger headed for Canterlot.

Chapter 5: Attention

“So are you saying that Gwynevere, was nothing but an illusion my captain was protecting…?” A deep mournful voice echoed in the castle of the two sisters.

“That is what has happened I’m afraid. Just so happens I have two very trusted figures to prove it for me.”

Gough tilted his head, feeling a warm glow on his skin. “What is it?”

“Soul of Gwyn and soul of Gwyndolin,” The darkness replied, allowing the souls to flow around him and the room. “I never knew it before, but you can apparently communicate with souls as powerful as those.”

“What?!” The giant immediately bowed down on his arms and his head against the ground to respect the two souls who were hovering right in front of him, they slunk low as if bowing courteously in response. “So it was you who put The Great Lord out of his misery?” Asked Gough, raising his head slightly.

“I am afraid so. Gwynevere was nothing but an insult to The Age of Fire, abandoning her father in his time of need. Ornstein has been protecting an illusion of an abandoner, I would hate to see his reaction.”

The soul of Gwyn sparked in reply, a low and very upset sparkle at that.

“Excuse me, I need to find a spell of communication. Lovely library this place has, full of ancient spells to which even I am boggled by.” Getting up resonant footsteps were heard fading into the distance with the tossing of books and flicking of pages. “No… no… AH! Here is is!” Running back to the starting point the two souls floated in a spot the darkness pointed to, raising a catalyst in his right hand. “Alright, hopefully this will work better than that resurrection spell.”

“Resurrection?”

“Best we avoid talking about it.” Replied the darkness, the souls sparked in agreement. Apparently there has to be some sort of story behind this. “Now where was I? Oh yes!” Clearing his throat the darkness waved the catalyst as it began to streak with an aura, pointing it at the two souls. “Astral Intensifier!” A bright light circled the two souls as they rose, both gaining fragments of body parts which reconnected themselves around the souls like a glass casing. “This is only temporary, and the spell only works once every twenty-four hours for about one hour.”

The first to receive a full astral replica of their body was Gwyndolin, who floated daintily to the ground. Once his feet touched the ground he bowed. “I thank thee.”

The darkness scowled at him. “I think we should start by having a talk about that illusion you made Ornstien and Smough protect.” The son of Gwyn slightly shook, his astral skin crawling with fear.

“That is something I too wish to understand.” A booming voice replied, if it were any louder the castle would crumble. Gwyn, Lord of Sunlight landed, his magnificent beard hanging like a scarf. “Rise, Hawkeye Gough. I am no longer worthy to be bowed to as a monarch, for I have failed my kingdom…”

The darkness placed a reassuring hand on Gwyn’s shoulder, he felt like smooth glass in his astral form. Of course, a body of steel but a heart and soul of glass. “You did what you could, that is what matters.” Turning to Gwyndolin. “And as for you, please explain why you had an illusion of Gwynevere.”

Sitting on a pillow and removing his crown, the Dark Sun of Anor Londo stared at the floor as two pairs of eyes and three pairs of ears were paying attention. “After Gwynevere had abandoned us, I could not bear to see father in such pain. His heart was broken and his soul grew weak, so I had conjured an image of my sister to appease my father in his final momemts before he sacrificed himself to the fire. Fearing that someone might reveal the truth I fabricated the story to the captain of The Four Knights of Gwyn and his company, executioner Smough to ‘protect’ her. This was also the reason why I branded those people 'heretics' and began my covenant. Forgive me father for I have sinned…” Placing his head in his hands Gwyndolin was now the next image of misery as he sat in shame.

“You would go so far just to make your foolish father happy?” Gwyn questioned, kneeling down and wrapping an arm around his sons shoulders. “I forgive you, son.” Bringing him into a fatherly embrace, something Gwyndolin had not felt in millennia.

“Lord Gwyn?”

“Hm? Oh yes, we should alert my captain of The Four Knights. Any idea where he might be?” Enquired Gwyn, standing to face the one who partially revived his being.

“Sadly no clue, however we do have one who might know. Until he arrives that is.”

——————

Wading through the frozen tundra, he grips the shattered remains of an armoured arm. He did not question how he is alive up to this point, all that he has on his mind now is to find shelter from the blizzard ravaging his beat and weary body. Staring upwards his heavy eyes witnessed a life saving vision, light. Whatever it was it was bright and appeared welcoming, setting his sights on the light ahead he pushed onward all the while ignoring his body experiencing otherwise fatal frostbite. Upon getting within eyeshot of the light source he could not believe it, a city made entirely of crystal. Surely a light tap of a foot would shatter the mighty towers and homes that lined the streets, yet here it stood. Wading even closer he felt something press against him slightly, a giant barrier seemed to have been placed around the city. Powerful enough to keep out snow at least, pushing harder he slid through the barrier with ease. The warmth of the place hit him like a falling citadel, the pain of frostbite meeting warmth was excruciating. Screaming in pain for the first time in years Artorias the Abysswalker’s howl echoed through the otherwise empty streets of The Crystal Empire before collapsing in a heap.

“Did you hear that honey?” Princess Cadence whispered to her husband, Shining Armour who was previously snoring in bed next to her.

“Yeah, is it me or did it sound… wolf like?” Replied her husband, getting out of the bed. “Guards!”

A group of crystal bodied guards burst in the room, thankfully they were on night shift. “Yes sire?”

“Get a group of your finest men and find the source of that scream and bring it to the palace at once.” Shining Armour commanded while Cadence prepared some hot chocolate nearby if it was somepony, or someone in need.

——————

“What do you think it is?” Cadence asked the palace nurse, bringing in a tray of hot chocolate for the being that lay on the bed.

“I don’t know, but it’s left appendage is in critical condition, I honestly do not know how this creature survived this long.” Replied Seamless Quartz, flaring her horn up for a medical spell. “Here goes.” Tapping her horn on the left appendage it did nothing. “Odd, usually it works on the first try.” Trying once more the spell did not even affect the creature. “Well, best we use practical medicine for once.”

Cadence nodded in agreement, levitating a first aid kit from a nearby table.

“Thank you, Princess.”

——————

Groaning in pain to himself Artorias opened his eyes, his body felt…bare. Upon coming to a realisation his eyes shot up, his armour had been removed. “What kind of beast would dare-“ He began, stopping once he saw his armour on a stand nearby his bed. Apparently someone took the time to clean and repair it. “Hm… I must remind mineself to give my thanks to the one responsible for this…” Artorias grunted, getting up and off the bed. Staring down at his broken arm it had a cast around it, sighing with relief he fell back on the bed to get a few extra breaths of rest. Hearing voices approaching Artorias shut his eyes and pretended to still be slumbering.

“After further inspection the creature is male and an omnivore.” Seamless Quartz read from a chart. “I suppose this would be a good time to test the artificial meat, see if he likes it.”

“Bad idea, just feed him the usual hospital food until he’s not near death.” Replied Doctor Alexandrite, adjusting his glasses. “Princess Cadence has alerted Canterlot about him, so until we get a visit from Celestia and Luna we will keep him in good health.”

“Understood, sir.”

Once the doctor was within reach Artorias shot up and attempted to grab the doctor, thinking it was an assailant. Instead the Abysswalker gripped his left shoulder in pain from the sudden movement, the doctor flinched, backing up into Seamless she dropped the chart. “O-Oh… I see you’re awake.” Alexandrite composed himself, readjusting his glasses. “I apologise if I have disturbed your sleep.”

Getting a good look at the creature that he attempted to attack he was flabbergasted, instead of being met with an undead or hollow about to kill him it was simply a short equine wearing… glasses. Holding up a hand Artorias took a second to numb the pain with heavy breaths, staring the doctor in the eye. “No, I apologise for attempting mine attack upon thee. I do however request to wear my armour once more.” He quietly murmured, just now accepting the fact that this was the dominant inhabitant of this crazy world he ended up in.

Doctor Alexandrite shook his head slowly, disheartening Artorias. “No, not until you get some food down you first.” He explained, Seamless Quartz pulling up a hospital bed food tray with mushy peas, strawberry jelly and a loaf of fresh bread with a glass of orange juice.

Perking up at the thought of wearing his armour again the Abysswalker dug in like a ravenous beast, desperation for his armour or hunger was anypony’s guess. Both the nurse and doctor stared in astonishment as their patient gulped the orange juice with a single swig and the loaf never stood a chance against his mighty jaws. All that was left from the tray was a few crumbs and a red substance from the jelly, gently pushing it away he stood as his carers stared on with their shocked expressions still plastered on their faces. A knock on the door followed by a couple of hoofsteps broke then out of their trance. “Hello? We have the Princesses waiting in the lobby as we speak.” The voice behind the knock called out, the hoofsteps leaving in the direction of the crystal palace lobby.

"Well that was fast..." Seamless Quartz commented.

“Royalty?” A fully armoured Artorias asked, his armoured left arm slung by the cloth he placed back around his shoulder. Though he was loyal only to Gwyn and Ornstein as well as his duties, he was a sucker for royalty and would be as courteous as possible. “Take me to them immediately, where ist thine ‘lobby’?”

“This way, sir.” Gestured Alexandrite, leading Artorias through the crystalline hallways of the palace. The place was clean, shining even. Though it did make him feel uneasy, the palace itself reminded him of a certain dragon’s library if it was completely encased. Two doors swung open to reveal quite a large lobby with the main entrance just a fifty meter sprint away from the stairway that took up half the room to the other wings of the palace. Standing at the main entrance were two larger ponies, Celestia and Luna.

“Is this him?” Celestia nudged her younger sister with a whisper who nodded frantically. “He’s a lot more intimidating in person than I imagined…”

“YOU didn’t see him fight…” Luna hissed back, unaware he was standing right in front of them and could hear every word they were saying.

Both yelping in surprise they hopped back like foals, he was taller than expected too. In their crouched position from the jump he towered over him, one question shot through them. How did Kurai defeat this beast? “H-Hello” Stuttered Celestia, bowing respectfully by lowering her head. Luna still stunned by his height and build needed her older sister’s white wing pushing her head down in the same bow to snap her out of it.

Bowing in return Artorias could not help but notice their Cutie Marks, a sun and a moon. “Art thou goddesses?” He asked, standing to his full height.

“Well, in a sense.” Celestia replied. “What made you guess that?”

“Where I hail from, I serve Gwyn, Lord of Sunlight and his son Dark Sun Gwyndolin.”

Arching their eyebrows the two sisters stared at each other before turning back to Artorias. “I…see…”
A grumble was heard from the Abysswalker’s stomach, he had only ate a few minutes ago yet his appetite could put a food eating champion to shame. Celestia chuckled slightly. “I see you are still starving, how about we have a talk over some tea?”

“You’re obsessed with tea, dear sister!” The blue coated alicorn groaned. “Why not just ask for a snack of pancakes and syrup?” She added with spite. All Artorias could do was watch as they bickered, goddesses or not, they had the mindset of a child.

This is going to be a long night.

Chapter 6: Joy

Staring at the plate of pancakes Artorias pondered on how they manage to create something this delicious, without a second thought he shovelled another forkful into his waiting jaws. Luna stared in disgust at his table manners all the while Celestia tried to not burst out laughing, nearly choking on her cup of tea. Cadence and Shining Armour stood nearby, trying to process what is going on in front of them. “So, what is your name?” Celestia asked.

“We already know that…” Her younger sister rolled her eyes, earning a small slap on the back of her head.

“Let him speak his name to us, so we can be sure.”

Taking a second to swallow the remains of the chewed up mess that was his pancakes Artorias coughed slightly, taking gulp of the cup of water nearby him and taking a sigh of satisfaction. “My name is Sir Knight Artorias, or Artorias the Abysswalker, m’ladies.” He bowed his head. “And I thank thee for thine generosity.”

“It was our pleasure.” Both princesses replied at once, bowing their heads in return.

“What are your duties if we may ask?” Luna enquired, leaning in to listen clearly with a curious smile. “And don’t be so formal, good sir, relax.”

He was not sure if he should tell them, lest they panic at the thought of his enemy probably following him into this dimension. They however seemed mature enough…or at least he hoped they were considering that they bicker half the time like children, the rivalries of siblings never change. But he would give them the benefit of the doubt for his tale.

“My duty was to eliminate a threat that could have taken over the land of Lordran and send it into eternal darkness and despair. His name was Manus, Father of The Abyss. A primeval man driven to madness by the foolishness of the people I had the unfortunate pleasure of protecting, sadly their foolishness lead to the downfall of Oolacile and the death of all it’s inhabitants. Fearing that The Abyss would spread outside of Oolacile, Lord Gwyn sent me on a pilgrimage to create a covenant with the creatures of The Abyss, allowing me to traverse freely. This earned me my title as The Abysswalker.” He sighed and sat back, clearly the next half of his tale had more woe than he was willing to say. “With my companion, Sif, we travelled into the town. It was a sight of destruction and disease, those creatures known as Bloatheads were once human, once citizens. I had no choice but to cleave my way through them, their blood spilling all over my armour and tainting it with the corruption of The Abyss itself. Once we reached the chasm all we could do was run, those phantoms of what humans call ‘humanity’ ran rampant through the caves as well as Bloatheads deeply corrupted to the point of pure animalistic instinct. As a result I had to leave my shield behind to protect Sif and face Manus alone with only my sword, the battle to his domain left me weary and, I was no match for him even if I had my shield. He did this to me with only one arm.” Pointing to his shattered arm, which seemed to be healing a little. “The rest I do not remember apart from meeting an undead who ended my misery and from what I can gather, slain Manus in my name if he has succeeded.”

This was certainly a fable of epic proportions, if Manus had followed him here The Abyss would most certainly overtake the world if he was not stopped. This was something Celestia was sure of, it had to be sealed and sent away before any serious damage is caused. “Is there any way to stop this spread if it happens here and get rid of it?” Artorias shook his head, something that disheartened her immensely.

“There is however a way to stop it from spreading, just not contain it, not the source at least.” He replied to ease her thoughts.

Luna tapped her chin. “Well, most likely is this Manus creature followed through a dimensional rip. If he did make it through the best solution should be to banish him back though the portal and find a way to sever the connection between our worlds.”

“Good luck with that,” Artorias replied. “You would have to be godde-. Oh. Well even so it will be a very draining task indeed.”

“You’re right.” A voice replied, definitely not one of the princesses. The Abysswalker stared all over the room to find the source of the voice. “Over here.” Was his spoon…talking? Two pairs of mismatched eyes appeared on Artorias’ reflection in the utensil, getting jumped a bit he dropped the spoon on the table. “Ow!” A head replaced the spoons face before the whole thing expanded, transforming into a large serpentine body. “Hold on a second.” Raising the end of the tail which had a fuzzy section creating a finger using the universal hand sign for ‘wait’. Taking a deep breath the face puffed it’s cheeks as an antler and dragon horn appeared in it’s head with two pops, four more pops were followed with an eagle talon and lions paw showing up for hands and a cloven hoof along with a lizard tail foot for legs. The figure coiled up into the air before resting back on the air like a hammock.

“State your name!” Artorias yelled, standing up to face this creature. Luna and Celestia were dumbfounded, nopony or nobody had addressed Discord in such a threatening matter without a weapon in centuries, save for the Element of Harmony, Fluttershy.

Discord flew down to come face to face. “My name is Discord,” He stepped back midair and bowed in an exaggerated manner. “God of all things chaotic.” The self proclaimed chaotic god conjured a stiff piece of paper between the fingers of his lions paw before handing it to Artorias. “Here, my business card.”

Cocking an eyebrow at the spectacle that was a business card Artorias could not resist giving it a closer inspection, once he was close enough the image of Discord holding a party popper on the card came to life and pulled the string, sending confetti flying out the card and into Artorias’ face. “…Amusing…” He grumbled.

“Thank you.” Discord bowed. “Now back to business, a space time rip is really a pickle to patch up, it takes dimensional thread and magic precise enough to sew it together.” A strand of white energy appeared in his hands, now in a grandmother costume knitting the thread on a cotton candy rocking chair. “And it can be tiring too.” The clothes and thread dissipated. “BUT!” Holding a finger from his lion’s paw up. “It can be possible with the right tools and magic, but the question is where is this portal located?” Discord began pacing the length of the table, his body stopping where Artorias sat. The knight that sat at the table did know which to focus on, the oddity floating in front of him or the set of legs pacing on the table without a body. “You wouldn’t happen to be able to sense where portals like that come from?”

“Isn’t that your job?” Luna interjected with a scowl.

“Hellooo? Anypony home?” He started knocking her head with a cane shaped like a fist on top. “I’m still practicing how to work with Lordran’s aura frequency.” The chaos god’s body split from his head and flew to Artorias with arms folded and a face appearing on the belly right below his crossed arms. “Back to where I was, can you?”

“I… I’m not sure if I can, I was once corrupted by The Abyss. If I was corrupted I would be able to sense it.”

Discord’s body parts reconnected. “On the contrary, you still are.” This caused The Abysswalker to recoil in horror, if he was still corrupted why hasn’t it taken total control? “It reeks of moon butts’s cold pizza still in the fridge.” Waving a talon in front of his nose which scrunched up.

“Hey!”

“Either you’re too far from the source or the source is toying with you or it is currently too weak. I prefer the first choice, either way the sooner the source is gotten rid of, the sooner you can be saved.” He sounded serious, dead serious. And very rarely was he this serious. “But first, I think we would fare better with your companions.”

“You’re saying my captain and comrades are here too?!” Artorias questioned, resting a hand on the table as he got up again. The notion of his comrades alone being in this world had the knight excited.

“I don’t know that for sure, but the gryphon squad and the wonderbolts have been deployed around the planet.” A small globe of Equs rotating between his hands. “And once they are found,” Discord tossed the globe like a basketball into a hoop that appeared out of nowhere and into a small sack. “The rest is in the bag. Any more questions?”

“Yes, how did you clean my armour?” Abyss sludge was difficult to clean and it spread like a pestilence, unfortunately for him it clung to him and his armour like glue.

“Well, it took a while but with Celestia’s and moon butt’s help we did seal the residue inside this sphere.” He help up a sphere with the sludge inside it, writhing like a mass of worms. As soon as Artorias was within it’s sights it beat against the transparent sphere relentlessly, even letting off a squeal of desperation to return to the warmth of it’s host. “I named him Venom.” Discord added with a goofy grin.

——————

“Grr! (We’re here!)” Growled Sif, standing in front of a large crumbling castle that for whatever reason had stayed intact for thousands of years. Ciaran hopped off his back, her belly and arms sore after such a ride through the forest. Sniffing the air one last time to be sure of the location he caught another faint scent, his usually stoic expression lightened and now he was panting like an excited husky.

“Are…you ok…?”

Bounding in without another word, or growl, the sounds of laughter and cheering between two creatures were heard. Curious to what is going on, Ciaran searched for her Gold and Silver Tracers yet they were nowhere to be found. Of course. She gave them to a human in return for his generosity in giving her Artorias’ soul, which was also gone. Entering bare handed the assassin was met with quite a sight. Sif was on top of someone licking happily at his face while her comrade, Hawkeye Gough laughed heartily. The laughing died down and Sif got off the victim of his slobbery tongue, sitting on his haunches. Ciaran’s footsteps were now audible to Gough who turned to her. “Lord’s Blade Ciaran! You’re here too?”

Nodding slowly, trying to adjust herself she was met with whom Sif had slobbered all over. Recoiling in surprise she was met with the true unsung hero for slaying Manus, Kurai Mokusei, towering over her. “Human?!”

“Faceless?” Kurai joked in return to her address of him, something that earned a chuckle from Gough. Her face was always obscured by a porcelain mask with ivory hair so little was known of her true form apart from her being a female, as a result she was thought of as faceless.

“So, you’re here too.” Ciaran began, a hint of spite in her voice. Obviously her distrust of humans getting the better of her. “What are you doing here?”

“Living here. I can’t go hollow, death is final in this land and I wish to spend the rest of my days in solace.” He replied almost mockingly, shrugging. The light flickered on to his body a little more, giving her a full view of his body. This was not the armour he always wore, it seemed much more streamline and reminded her of a certain marvellous fellow. Only without the hat and mask, his facial features displaying a man in his late twenties with slicked back white hair and a small white beard. “So,” Bringing out two souls which flew around Ciaran and Sif. “I think you need a long awaited audience with a certain monarch.”

Chapter 7: Location

“It’s a shame to see ye go, mate. But it was fun while it lasted I suppose.”

Both Smough and Ornstein held their payment, a satchel of bits each tied to their hips. It was difficult but worth it, now they can both continue on their journey to find Gwynevere. Bowing his head respectfully the slimmer one of the duo nudged his larger companion with an elbow, who in response nodded his head after having his attention from the satchel broken. “…It was a pleasure, but we must press forward…”

Blinking a few times the barkeeper looked over to Honey voice who shrugged, just now he realised that they did not argue the fact that they were talking to ponies. “Out of curiosity, mate. Are you not questionin’ that you are out of the ordinary around here compared to us?”

“…Thou hast buffalo in a land which I can assume is mostly populated by equines, knowing this, it is you who is out of the ordinary to us…” Replied Ornstein, gesturing for Smough to follow.

Honey Voice held out a hoof. “Wait, do you know where ya’ll even going?” She called out to them outside the saloon.

Staring at each other both knights thought about this for a second, they did not know where to go at all, and this land was foreign to them. Coming by this place was sheer luck. Rolling her eyes the local saloon singer trotted by a drawer behind the counter then brought out a rolled up map and held it out with a hoof which was then enclosed by Smough’s massive hand. “I can’t even open it.” He clumsily attempted to open it with his column like fingers, failing every time.

Snatching the scroll from his subordinate’s grip Ornstein used his far more nimble fingers to read the map closely, rather impressive and has a huge attention to detail. Especially the way it marks the major paths between towns, though judging by the train tracks in the nearby station it seemed trains were their primary source of cross country transport. If not their only. They could not use the train as it would draw too much attention to themselves plus Smough’s armour and sheer height would be a huge issue, so walking was a necessity unless they could make larger carriages. “…I thank thee, to ‘Canterlot’ it is after purchasing supplies around ‘Cherry Jubilee’s’ cherry farm…”

“You do know we have to walk through that town that we were nearby in the forest?” Pointed out Smough, his column of a finger placed on ‘Ponyville’.

“…No, this large forest should be a good hiding spot. We stop at this castle marked here,” Pointing to an overhead artists interpretation of a run down castle. “rest and then continue non stop…”

“And if we find any beasts?” Smough asked, clearly excited as he readied his hammer.

As a reply Ornstein stabbed a nearby boulder in the ground with his spear, cleanly impaling the stone and lifting it with minimal effort with no cracks appearing on it. Flicking his spear all the eyes nearby followed it with wonder before Smough shot into the sky, leaving a great crater from the force of his legs. Forcing his hammer down onto the boulder it was caught in his momentum under the hammer, upon landing a colossal shockwave of dust and pieces of rock from the unfortunate boulder covered the area.

The dust was cleared after some effort from the locals fanning it away, the duo were gone with an even more larger crater replacing where they stood. “This can’t be good for business.” Blinked Honey Voice, turning to see Silverstar staring with wide eyes at the crater.

“How the hay am I s’posed to clean THIS up?!”

——————

Standing parallel to a tree the younger sister of the Apple sisters raised her hind legs, fully focussed. Taking slow and deep breaths she locked her spot on the the tree that would drop more apples from it’s branches. Forcing her hind legs back Apple Bloom’s hooves made contact with the oak, causing the entire base to shake with a hail of apples landing in the barrels below. Taking a moment to breath the amber eyed mare trotted over to the barrels to inspect them, picking out a few apples overflowing to place them into barrels with less of the delicious red fruit.

“Need any help DT?” She called out to Diamond Tiara who thankfully to her dad’s insistence she knows what it’s like to work on a farm in order to take on the family business of sales. Needless to say this gave the recently spoiled bully and brat a newfound respect for how hard they worked which resulted in her family’s fortune.

“N-No, I got this!” She replied in a strained voice while trying to pull a wagon of apple stuffed barrels.

Shrugging it off Apple Bloom continued to buck the trees in hopes she can meet her daily quota in time to meet a friend she made six years ago. The sound of a a scream emanated through to the orchard, definitely Tiara’s. Rolling her eyes the farm pony grumbled, wiping sweat off her brow. “What is it now? Another bug? I swear DT you better have a broken horseshoe to have an excuse for this!” Galloping towards the scream Apple Bloom held her head low in a disgruntled half lidded glare at whatever the trouble was.

“Ghost! It’s a ghost!” She squealed, running in a pink blur which was promptly stopped by a foreleg from the Apple Bloom.

“Ghost? Really?”

“Yes! It’s in the barn!” She forced her way past Apple Bloom and hid behind a tree, trembling like a frightened kitten.

Flattening her brow with a low growl she stomped to the barn, her Stetson hat which was a gift from Applejack that also adorned her signature pink bow around the top hung low and over her eyes. Kicking the barn open she continued her miniature rampage. “Nito, how many times do I have to tell you? Stop scaring Diamond Tiara, I know she can be insufferable at times but she’s trying, ok?”

A small light shone on the roof which floated down, sparking sarcastically.

“Don’t you take that tone with me, bony.” Apple Bloom glared, staring down at the soul. “I’m tired and I was hoping to to do some stuff with you in town with Scootaloo and Sweetie Bell when I was done. But now I’m having second thoughts if you’re gonna be like this.”

The soul of Nito sparked sarcastically again, the small trails of light spinning as if the soul just turned his back on her.

After dealing with Nito’s soul for a while she had grown accustomed to the sparks and vaguely understood him. “How dare you,” She gripped Nito’s with both her hooves and slammed him to the floor. “Take that tone with me again on this matter and I will put you back in the box.” Apple Bloom threatened, causing the soul to recoil in horror and spark frantically. “Good, now stay quiet and stay low until I come back.” She trotted towards the barn exit, turning to give a suspicious glare at Nito who simply floated there with an angry spark. Rolling her eyes she closed the barn doors.

“Fsshh, crrk. (Keep rolling those eyes, you might find a brain in there.)” He snidely remarked before remembering what his head was like. “…Fsh… (…Damn…)”

——————

Too heavy to take a royal carriage and teleportation spells would not work on him, looks like Artorias has to walk with the two royal sisters after a long train ride. Canterlot looked bigger than he imagined, not as big as Anor Londo yet it seemed to have it’s own feel of a grand size. His arm felt better, whatever medicine they used it did a job almost on the same level as estus flasks from what he knows about humans, considering he was never able to use them on the grounds he was not human.

“What is this beastly thing roaming with the royal sisters of all ponies?” A unicorn scoffed, her head held high with a high pitched snort to match her snooty tone.

“Perhaps a new guard?” Replied another, eyeing Artorias with a judging glare.

A loud clang replaced the growing whispers, a stone had been thrown at his head that ricocheted off the top of his helmet. Stopping in place the Abysswalker turned his head slowly to the perpetrator as the princesses froze in fear of what he would do, if they could not hold him back with magic what chance did they have with his physical ability?

The blue cowl of his wolf shaped helmet obscured his face, leaving a void to which the unicorns of Canterlot stared into all the while hoping he did not pick them out. His icy cold stare halted and he once again continued walking forth to the palace as the sisters gave a sigh of relief, Luna giving a glare to the culprit before tagging along.

“Veteran Vanguard again?” Celestia asked as her younger alicorn sister caught up.

Nodding she sighed. “Indeed, but who can blame him? He had to deal with the horrors of the Changeling war alongside others, in fact, he was the one captured and tortured. Makes it really hard for him to trust new creatures.”

“Poor fellow, I hope he finds a way to deal with his judgment.”

Nodding in agreement Luna paused to stare at a window in a shop, her eyes sparkling with delight. “Oh sweet me! Is this…?” She pressed her face against the window as unicorns and her face hoofing older sister watched on.

“Luna!” Celestia sternly called out. “We’ll reserve it and have it delivered to you later, first we need to introduce Artorias to everypony else.”

“Fine…” Huffed the Princess of the Night, following them once more with a grumpy pout.

“Siblings.” Chuckled Celestia to Artorias who gave no reply. “So you speak only when necessary don’t you? That reminds me of a certain guard of mine.” No reply again. “Are you okay?”

He nodded slowly.

“Ok, well I would like you to meet a few special friends of mine. Two of them having known about Kurai.”

Tilting his head towards her Artorias seemed confused. “Who is this Kurai?”

“Oooh… you don’t know his name. I’ll explain everything when we rest a while.” Smiled the Princess of the Sun trotting up the steps towards the main entrance.

Chapter 8: Old Scars

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Chapter 9: Monsters and Rocks

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