Deep, deep under the crust of the earth, in a pitch black cavern, stood a large mirror. Every couple of minutes or so, several small wisps of light in varying sizes would shoot into the mirror, making it glow gently. Behind its silvery surface, a murky blackness watched the world, its gaze darting between the cities as they feel. One of the many things that irked it was the Golden Lion who was traveling the railroads of Equestria. It would stop in the towns, staying and waiting, and would eliminate every beast from Lordran that appeared. It irked him. Significantly. Because of it, his plans were moving far slower than he liked. It shifted a little, running over its thoughts in its head, when two wisps shot into the portal. Its gaze turned to them, and a surge of stringlike blackness lifted them close. It looked them over, realizing that not only were they substantially stronger than the average souls that came in, but they were also only about half of the power in the owner's true souls. Yes...these will do nicely... The blackness slunk forwards, bringing forwards other souls. The other two, one being white and the other red, joined the mass, before the black crashed over them like a wave, writhing intensely. The black crushed inwards, then exploded outwards, leaving behind a red figure, the center of its body a deep black. Its body glowed in the obsolete blackness, as it took one knee and bowed. The black mass chuckled, and reached out almost lovingly. It crushed the figure inside of its sickening hand, then calmly released it, leaving it a hazy red smoke. A red sigil opened up beneath it, and it quickly faded away, as the dark began to chuckle ominously.

The moon's light feel upon Ponyville, its residents asleep after a hard day's work. After Princess Twilight Sparkle had received a letter from Celestia about beings from an alternate world attacking the land, she had informed the citizens. After the initial panic, they had begun preparations to prepare for any such encounter. The carpenters had begun building barricades to prevent them from entering the town from the outside, whilst the others rigged up alarm systems throughout the town. Guards were posted in every section, and citizens had reinforced the locks on their front doors. Now, guards were patrolling each section of the town, using magic or lanterns to look into the shadows as they had no idea what to expect from these 'creatures'. One such guard was near the remains of where the library stood, his eyes scanning the dark. He turned to leave when a dark wind blew past him, making his hair rise on end. He snapped around, raising his spear upwards. A glowing red sigil appeared on the ground, evil and malice seeming to rise from its core. He watched as a red figure slowly oozed upwards out of the sigil, his eyes widening as panic began to fill him. The figure was a blood red, the core of it seeming to be dark and black. Its helm was that of a wrinkled hood, obscuring the face inside. It's chest was covered in black leather, several pouches adorning its belt. It arms were skeletal, ending in sharp claw-like fingers. It had tight leather pants and boots, its feet digging into the ground as it rose to its full height. It reached to its back and grabbed a hilt, its hand tightening as it pulled upwards. The guard began to breathe faster, trying to keep itself calm as he saw the large curved blade rise upward and eclipse the moon, before resting gently on the figures shoulder. The guard swallowed and raised his spear, aiming it at the chest of the figure. "Now just stay right there...whatever you are. You are in the town of Ponyville, and-"

His voice cut off as the blade quickly swept past him. The hooded figure looked at the pony, watching as its head slowly fell from its body and it collapsed, blood draining from the open neck. It's mouth grew into a wicked grin as he absorbed the souls, the familiar feeling of ecstasy coursing through his veins. It turned and walked towards the rest of the town, the bloody blade shining in the moonlight. Deep below the earth, the darkness began to chuckle happily, feeling the incoming souls rush into it.

The citizens were all hiding, horror striking their minds as they heard another guard screaming in pain. It was quiet outside, before the sound of one of the doors being tugged on echoed into the town. The being rattled the handle, tugging at it several times. When it didn't open, it raised its fist and punched the door, shaking the entire frame. The sturdy wood held, annoying the fiend more. Several calls were heard as more guards approached only to be quickly cut down by his superior blade, adding to the corpses littering the ground. One last guard that hadn't run forward sat there, watching the blood soak into the ground around her companion's corpses as she wet the ground in fear. It turned and looked at her, flashing it's wicked smile. It walked over slowly, the boots making fresh imprints in the dark red ground as its left hand started to glow. Before she could react she felt her horn getting tugged as she was lifted into the air. Her eyes widened and she came to, struggling against the powerful grip. The being chuckled, and her body was filled with a strange sensation, almost as if her life was being drained straight from her body. Her horn crackled and sparked, the hand glowing stronger as it drained her more. She felt her consciousness start to fade out, her life ending in the grip of the red demon, when suddenly she was dropped on the ground roughly. Her blurred eyes could barely make out the sight if the thing staggering backwards, then rolling away as purple shots of magic hailed down on it. Her eyes fluttered down and she fainted to the sound of quick hoof steps.

Twilight skidded to a stop next to the fallen guard, and quickly levitated her upwards. She beckoned Rainbow and Applejack, the only two of her friends that could handle the sight around them. "Here. Take her somewhere safe." They nodded, all three of their faces grim and sick. The two of them carried her away, as Twilight set her eyes on where the creature had gone. My magic seemed to work, meaning that it does feel pain. But it must be a skilled warrior to have killed this many guards... She cautiously began following after it, her eyes scanning everything around her. With a red glow, it shouldn't be able to hide that well...meaning I'll probably see it soon enou- her train of thought was cut off as a loud ringing sound was heard, and she instantly readied her magic, her wings flaring out. She looked around her, standing in-between two houses, the moon blocked by the roofs. Her ears twitched gently, every nerve standing on end. A small crumble of dirt was the only warning she had before the massive blade carved through where she just was. She had dove forward, snapping her wings shut to give her a burst of speed. She came to her feet and turned sharply, rapid firing several shots of magic at her assaulter. She watched as they flew forwards and impacted the white fog around his form, which seemed to absorb the entirety of the blast. She grit her teeth and fired several more powerful shots, but each one hit the barrier, completely unaffecting him. Her eyes widened a little and she faltered, watching as the figure grinned and began to slowly walk towards her, raising its blade upwards. She shook her head and darted backwards and into the open, right in the center plaza of the town. She harnessed her energy in her horn, which crackled and sparked as her stored energy began to build higher. The being continued striding towards her confidently, its left hand starting to glow again. She yelled and fired her magic, the powerful beam shooting forward and slamming into its chest. It staggered backwards, the barrier rippling from the force of the attack. Damnit...come on! She poured more energy into the attack, the beam getting larger as it forced the figure back more. It lowered its blade, interrupting the stream with the flat of the blade. Twilight began to sweat, putting more magic into the beam. The barrier began to crackle, blocking the figure from view. She closed her eyes and poured the last bits of her magic into the beam, until the force sent her flying backwards, the laser cutting through the night sky. Several civilians, guards, and her friends all saw it, and prayed.

Twilight slowly got to her feet, panting and looking around. The ground in front of her was scorched black, and she could see in the distance where the beam had cut into the forest, leveling the trees. Her eyes scanned the buildings, and couldn't see any sign of the red demon. Just as she started to relax a little, she felt a tight painful grip on her horn lift her into the air. She gasped in pain, her eyes widening as they met the black hood. It's hand gripped tighter and glowed, before she felt the sensation of pain rippling through her body as it began to suck out her very life. It cackled manically as it fed off of her, her life slowly fading away in its grasp. Her eyes began to slowly close, her ears twitching as she heard a sharp crack nearby. The flow stopped as the thing looked around, another crack echoing into the night. It's eyes drifted downward to the ground, where a large crack was cutting through the ground. Suddenly and without warning a fist shot out, slamming into its head. It staggered backwards before rolling away, facing the hole where the new creature was slowly pulling itself out of the ground, with Twilight breathing raggedly nearby. First came a gauntlet, gripping the dirt tightly, before slowly hoisting itself out. Then came a large blade, gleaming in the moonlight, almost with an otherworldly feel. The new arrival hoisted itself outwards, ending on a armored knee, with its large blue cloak floating gently onto the ground. It slowly rose to its full height, a foot taller then the invader. Across its back was a large triangular shield, scratches and notches its defining features. The blue cloak came neatly around the front, nestling atop the Knights chestplate. The helmet was in the shape of a bird, the opening large, yet still hiding his face. The sides were made of a similar blue cloth to that of the cloak, and it had a small plume of dark hair rising out of the back. The figure gripped its blade tighter in its left hand, and turned to the wounded pony besides it. It knelt down by her, her eyes too drained to react as they looked over the new creature. It reached into its pocket, and slowly withdrew a golden vial, about the size of his finger. It delicately pried open her mouth, and slipped it onto her back molars, before closing her jaw. As she felt the glass shatter and cut into her gums, the heavenly liquid rushing into her body. Her eyes widened as she felt her limbs renew with a rich vigor, and her heart beating stronger then ever. She rose strongly to her feet, and spat out the glass, feeling the last of the miraculous fluids repair her cut gums and leaving her healthier than she was when she woke up that morning. Yet she could still sense something was missing, something that felt like it could never be returned. She swallowed and wet her lips, looking into the dark helmet of the knight. "Wh...who..?" He slowly rose to her feet, and turned away. She turned as well, then snapped into a battle stance, remembering what had happened. The red figure was still standing there, blade held at the ready as it regarded the knight. Said knight slowly raised his blade, gripping it tighter in his left hand, as he slowly pushed Twilight backwards. She swallowed and did so, leaving the two of them facing each other, the fountain's trickle of water the only sound between them.

With a start forward their blades clashed, the sickly red curved blade meeting the edge of the blue knight's majestic sword, before they parted and deftly clashed again. The Bird was faster, his strokes chaining one after another as he pushed the red figure back. It grit its teeth and rolled away, getting to its feet and swiping at him. He turned and parried the blade away, earning a growl of anger. It swiped again, but he ducked underneath the blade, swinging upwards. It tried to roll away, but The Bird's blade caught its chest, cutting into it deeply. The red figure backed up and raised its hand, energy crackling and charging into it. He quickly reached behind him with his right hand and pulled forward his greatshield, just in time to absorb the impact of the large bolt of lightning. He hunkered down as several more impacted his shield, the electricity slightly numbing his arm. He looked up, then stepped backwards as the curved blade arced towards him, the red figure attacking with more ferocity. He raised his blade and met it with the curved one, slowly stepping backwards as their blades continued meeting powerfully in the air. The sound of a small pebble scattering drew his gaze, as he saw the purple creature peeking from around the corner. Sensing his distraction, the thing swung its blade to the side, grinning as it felt the curved edge hit flesh. It made to tug it out, but met resistance. It finally noticed that his hand was holding the blade in place. It tugged again, but had its sword pulled from its hand. The Knight tossed it away, and began walking forward. It began to slowly back up, swallowing as it watched its weapon fade away into nothingness. The Knight dashed forward, punching it in the face. He then hooked his blade under his stomach and lifted him into the air, before arcing it high and batting the figure away, making it splash in the fountain. It gasped, clutching its chest as a black mist began to leak outwards. It looked up slowly, and saw the dark blue blade swinging through the air before its head was cleaved straight off, flying high in the air before toppling across the ground, fading away as well. The Knight regarded the headless red body, the water forming around it, before it exploded it a cloud of magic, scattering high into the air. He nodded and sheathed his blade, then groaned and held his side, the cold metal of his gauntlet gently touching the open wound.

Her eyes darted between the fading body and the remaining figure, watching him in awe. She swallowed and hesitantly walked over, seeing him holding his side. "E-excuse me? Are you okay?" She stopped as it looked over at her, the sense of observation coming from under its helm. It slowly stood up, making her back up slightly, before it spoke to her. The sounds that fell on her ears were clearly structured as words, but she couldn't understand a single one. She shook her head, and the figure stopped, understanding. It looked around the square, which was obviously small to it. It slowly walked to one of the gaps in the houses, and looked at the corpses that were strewn around. Twilight stood next to him, swallowing painfully. She charged up her horn, then cast a quick cleansing spell, cleaning away the pools of blood. The figure walked to each of the bodies, looking them over. It stopped by one and kneeled down, lowering its head next to the body's. It appeared to listen intently, the shook its head as it stood back up. Twilight nodded grimly, and went to a different one, doing the same. The both did the same for several minutes, and managed to find several which were just unconscious, although they were all badly wounded. They put all the bodies in a row in the square, covering them gently with a cloth. Everyone who was still alive they layed by the fountain, Twilight conjuring pillows for each of them. She turned to the figure and bowed her head slightly in thanks, to which he returned the favor. He looked her over, and saw there was something off about her horn. He made to point it out, when he suddenly felt something impact the side of his head, staggering him and sending him to the ground.

Deep under the earth, far far below, the darkness watched as the red figure was slain, by his nemesis no less. It growled loudly in anger, slamming its fists around. The remains of the black mist, the spoils of the red figures venture, hovered in front of him. It pulsed powerfully, the essence absorbed from the horned Pegasus echoing outward. The darkness slowly pulled it closer, a smile slowly cracking across its face as it danced the pulsating across its fingers. It tossed it gently into the air, before crushing it firmly in its grasp. It let out a gravelly chuckle as the energy surged through its body, filling every crevice and vein. He screeched outward, the heart-wrenching sound of hate crashing against the cavernous walls, slithering through the cracks, upwards and upwards, before coming out as a whisper through the crack below the now stunned knight. Twilight was too busy berating her friend to hear, but she cut off. The blue Pegasus responsible flapped her wings guiltily, watching her in confusion as to why she stopped. Twilight darted her eyes around, the thick silence of the night weighing down on them. What was it...what is this feeling..? She looked up at the sky, towards the stars. Strange...she swore there were more of them on the sky tonight. As she stared, several more blinked out of existence, making her gasp. A black void was forming in the sky, slowly expanding outwards. It quickly blotted out the twinkling lights, consuming them ravenously. It eventually stopped, and the rest of her friends gathered around her. They all gazed up at the void, watching as a ring of fire seemed to alight around it. Finally, it gave one last flash, shining in darkness of the night, before the black energy ripped through the ground around the world. Not even one person could scream as it speared through their bodies, taking ahold of their souls. They all collapsed, and the world went silent, the change beginning to take ahold of their petty lives forever.

Author's Note

Sorry for the long delay, Dark Souls 3. The Red Phantom's equipment: Gold-Hemmed Hood, Black-Thief Chest, Darkwraith Gauntlets, Leather Boots, Server, Darkhand, Canvas Talisman. This chapter was honestly rougher to write, it didn't flow as well. But the story will continue!