Darkroot Garden, Lordran.

The Chosen Undead stood in front of the steel gates that leads to the grave of Sir Artorias the Abysswalker, the same knight he defeated not long ago. After an intense fight within the Abyss, Manus Father of the Abyss was dead; making him a true victor over the Abyss and preserving Artorias' honor.

He could feel a certain feeling rushing from himself just by standing in front the gates; gathering himself he reached for the gates and pushed it. Slowly but surely the gates opened before him, revealing a large field inside. When they did, a large field was exposed before him; but what caught his attention was a towering gravestone with one giant sword sticking out in particular; surrounded by countless smaller gravestones riddled with weapons. Mustering all he got, he walked towards the gravestone with his sword and shield at the ready.

Upon reaching the gravestone, he reached for the giant sword only to be stopped by a deep growl coming from above him. Fearing nothing, he looked up only to come face to face with the same wolf he rescued from the Abyss. Sif jumped down in front of him and approached him menacingly; the Chosen Undead slowly inched backwards but tripped on his own legs causing Sif to pin him down with her mighty paws.
As she did so, she began to sniff at the chosen one; slowly, she began to recognize his scent which was no other than her rescuer's back in the Abyss. Immediately she knows what he was after, deep inside her mind she knows that she can't let him reach his goal; not after seeing what happened to her old friend and master.

She stepped back from the Chosen Undead and whimpered in sadness, as he reached his hand to pet her; she raised her head and howled sadly into the night air of Darkroot Garden. She turned around reluctantly and picked up her greatsword, switched what side the blade was on and stared at the undead with sad but determined look in her eyes; ready to stop him from achieving his goal.

The Chosen Undead reluctantly brandished his shield and sword at her, even as much as he hated to kill her; he knew it had to be done or more will suffer.

Sif charged at him, ready to cleave him with her greatsword. As she did, the Chosen Undead evaded the incoming attack with a deadly agility and proceeded to slice her right paw with his sword. Sif whimpered in pain as blood started oozing from the wound, but to her; that was a very small flesh wound.

Sif delivered a 360 degrees spin with her greatsword; a signature move Artorias taught her. The Chosen Undead saw this and blocked it with his shield; heavily dazing him and denting his shield. He knew he couldn't take another hit like that, or else he would be dead. Sure, he would return to a bonfire but that will reset him back into his 'hollowed' form; and since humanity is quite rare to find, he couldn't risk himself to go hollow.

Sif was ready to deliver a final blow to him, and charged at him with her sword ready to cleave his soul; but he noticed this and rolled away to safety. Then, Sif did what Artorias had trained her to do; attack relentlessly until the enemy slips up and deliver the final blow. She attacked with her greatsword relentlessly, but it appeared the Chosen Undead had predicted this; with a stunning agility he slid underneath her paws thus avoiding a slash to his head and got under her. Before she could jump away, the undead plunged his sword into her heart and pulled it out; causing a massive bleeding an causing her internal organs to fail.

Sif let out a pained howl before collapsing to the ground with blood pooling beneath her; staining her grey coat. Then, the Chosen Undead reached for her neck and yanked a necklace attached to it with a dull golden ring as it's pendant. Sif could only watch helplessly as her own life force is leaving her body; her feelings mixed with both sorrow for letting another person whom she held dear fall into the Abyss, and happiness for she will finally rejoin her old friend and master in the afterlife.

To her surprise, the Chosen Undead removed his helmet and knelt by the side of her head,stroking her fur gently while singing a lullaby in a very delicate voice. She relaxed by his gentle touch and voice; her breathing became shallow as each second passed by and her vision started to blur as her body lose more and more blood. As she drew her last breath, she could saw the chosen one's un-hollowed face looking at her while smiling sadly and a tear dripped to her fur.

"Forgive me" was all Sif could heard before her vision faded into blackness.

After what felt like an eternity of darkness, Sif awoke in a forest. At first she felt so powerless, and she decided to gather her strength before trying to get up. After a while, she finally had the strength to lift herself up; while doing so, she was confused with her surroundings. She knew the Darkroot Garden very well, since she stayed there for literally centuries; but this forest was nothing like it.

Then, Sif quickly picked her greatsword which somehow got transported with her and clamped it in her jaws. She quickly analyzed her surroundings and saw a large clearing in the distance,but just as she started to move she heard multiple canine growls behind her; as she turned around she saw multiple glowing yellow eyes in the darkness. Sif didn't know what creatures that lurked in the darkness of the Everfree Forest; but she decided to follow her instincts but this time instead of charging forward with her greatsword she howled to the night sky. At an instant the growls stopped, and one by one the eyes disappeared into the darkness. With that, she walked towards the clearing.

"Sif...?" Artorias whispered quietly.

'Must be my imagination' he thought while laying back to sleep.

But his eyes shot open when he heard somepony knocking at the door.

"So much for a good night sleep" he said quietly, got to his feet, done his boots, and answered the door.

When he opened the door, he saw Applejack with an equally sleepy expression on her face.

"Howdy partner!" she greeted him.

"Hello Applejack, what's going on? what are you doing here so late?" Artorias asked.

"Didn't ya hear that howl?" she asked "Sounds like Timberwolves".

"Er, what is this 'Timberwolf'?" Artorias asked.

"Ya know, wolves that're made of woods?" Applejack asked while raising her eyebrows.

"I see" he responded.

"Hey guys, what's going on?" Twilight asked while rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.

Before Artorias and Applejack could respond, a bloodcurdling scream echoed through Ponyville. As if taking it as a cue, the citizens of Ponyville began to wake up from their deep slumbers. And seconds later, ponies were walking out of their houses with worried expression on their faces and muttered to each other.

"What in tarnation?! sounds like it's comin' frem Fluttershy's!" Applejack exclaimed.

"Oh no! something must have happened!" Twilight cut in.

Knowing it was the time to act, Artorias rushed back inside the library and retrieved his greatsword and talisman; ready for combat.

"Which way?!" He asked with a concerned tone.

"We'll getcha there partner." Applejack glanced at Twilight who nodded; determination visible from their eyes.

Artorias nodded, with that they rushed like the wind with the rest of Ponyville in tow.

Moments earlier...

Fluttershy's P.O.V

Fluttershy was preparing to go to bed; all of her animal friends are fed and her chores were done. She stretched, and looked outside her window and gazed at the beautiful night sky, she was saddened when her mind wandered back to the moment where she met with Princess Luna for the second time during the Nightmare Night celebration.

"*sigh* If I am not such a coward..." she trailed off. She was snapped out of her thoughts when a howling echoed from the Everfree forest.

"Timberwolves?!" she squeaked, but as quickly as the howl came; it faded away just as quickly. She sighed with relief.

But just as she turned around, her sensitive ears caught a slow but rhythmic rustling sound as if somepony or something were strolling through the dense vegetation of the Everfree Forest. Again, she froze in fear; knowing what comes out of the Everfree Forest were usually bad things, in exception for Zecora. But she also knew that Zecora won't come out at this hour, since most of the forests' predatory animals are nocturnal. So, she knew it was not good; but nevertheless kept her watch.

Slowly, a large wolf-like figure came into view. Frozen with fear, she thought it was her end; her friends were not there for her this time. Sure, she was good with animals; she helped an injured manticore, and even drove a dragon away by just 'sweet talking' to it, yet she never interacted with Timberwolves unless by screaming or running away from them. But when the figure emerged from the forests's edge; it was not a Timberwolf.

Fluttershy was dumbfounded by the sight before her; the wolf was much more massive than any Timberwolves she have ever seen, it was not made of wood, it has a grey coat, but what astonished her the most it clamped a massive sword in its jaws; reminiscent to Artorias' greatsword. Then the great gray wolf embedded its sword to the ground, and lay down.

Fluttershy's fears changed into curiosity, deep in her mind she was familiar with the towering wolf before her. Suddenly, her own realization struck like lightning.

"I-is t-that S-Sif?" she wishpered quietly.

Fluttershy's breath became erratic. Her feelings mixed with excitement, curiosity, and fear. Fluttershy questioned herself, should she walk out of her cottage's safety or should she stay inside and let Artorias find her himself.

'What do I what do I what do I do?' her mind kept rushing back and forth at this 'Maybe I should let Artorias handle her himself'

But something clicked in her mind 'No. She must be confused and scared, I must help her.'

With that, she mustered all of her courage and exited her cottage.

Fluttershy gulped when she saw Sif from ground level, even when laying flat against the ground she was massive. Immediately, Sif tilted her head when she sense a new presence in the area.

Sif and Fluttershy stared at each other with quizzical looks on their faces, and silence fell upon them.

In her head,Sif was contemplating whether she could eat this strange creature in front of her; since she haven't eaten for a long time. But, a soft voice pushed those thoughts away.

"H-hello there" Fluttershy squeaked, normally nopony could hear her when Fluttershy is in this kind of situation. But thanks to Sif's sensitive ears, it was crystal clear.

Sif was uneasy about this creature before her, it just spoke in her master's tongue! however, the softness and calmness in her voice affected the battle-hardened great gray wolf so, she lowered her head to make herself look less larger and more friendly.

Seeing this, Fluttershy mentally patted her shoulder 'It is working!' she cheered.

"Are you lost?" she asked softly.

As if understanding what Fluttershy said, Sif's ears flattened against her head and whimpered slightly.

"Aw, you poor thing" she said with a sympathetic tone, flew up,and patted the wolf's head. Sif was and still is a battle-hardened great gray wolf but her life was not all filled with gruesome and bloody battles, during peacetime in Lordran; Sif would act as friendly as a domesticated wolf but precautions must be taken to get close to her, as she is still a wolf after all.

Reacting to the touch, she yipped and licked Fluttershy right on her face. She giggled, but her giggles were replaced by a look of horror when she saw another large wolf across the field; but this time, it was a large Timberwolf . A bit bigger than Sif. Sensing fear emanating from her new friend, Sif pushed Fluttershy gently with her snout as if telling her to stay back. Sif raised and stretched, preparing for combat; then, she picked up her greatsword, shifted what side the blade was on, and took a fighting stance. Ready to take a 'dance of death' with her new equally sized opponent. Both wolves snarled and growled at each other; ready to rip each other's throats out.

Fluttershy couldn't take it any longer, she was very scared. One bloody battle back in Canterlot was enough for her, surely another one would make her lost it. Seeing no more alternatives, she inhaled deeply and screamed at the top of her lungs.

"How much further?!" Artorias asked with a serious tone. They have been running for quite a while now, most of Ponyville's citizens were following them. Even Rarity, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie have joined in as well.

"Just another turn to the left and we are there!" Twilight replied between breaths.

'Hang in there Fluttershy' he said mentally.

After another turn to the left, they reached Fluttershy's cottage.

"I'll check if she is home" Twiliight said while teleporting away. Seconds later, she came back with a worried look on her face "She is not here!"

As those words came out from her mouth, the crowds gasped and mumbled in a panicked tone until...

*CRACK!*

The crowd turned towards the loud cracking noise, similar to a wood being hit a by a lumberjack's axe but this time the lumberjack was a towering sword wielding gray wolf and the lumber was a massive Timberwolf.

Before any of them could react, Artorias sprinted towards the direction of the great gray wolf. Sif was too busy battering the massive Timberwolf to notice her best friend and master's presence. Ignoring tears of happiness, and focusing his mind for battle; he grabbed Fluttershy out of the fray. With that, he returned to the crowd and put her down gently near her friends.

"Take care of her, me and Sif will deal with this monster" he said with a genuine smile of happiness and determination, with that he rushed to his wolf companion's side. The girls nodded.

As Artorias made his approach, Sif was still slicing and battering the massive wooden wolf which seemed to regenerate every piece of its missing limb with even more and more pieces of wood.

Artorias noticed this, knowing that sword strikes would be useless; he knew that he needed to obliterate the massive Timberwolf in one strike.

'This should do the trick' he thought, with that he whistled as loud as he could.

Sif, hearing an all too familiar whistle stopped her relentless assaults and jumped away to safety; leaving the Timberwolf confused in its place. With her out of the way, Artorias lifted his talisman high in the air and once again a large lightning bolt materialized on his hand; he arched his hand backwards and threw the bolt at a blistering speed; earning gasps of astonishment and awe from the crowd.

When the Timberwolf realized what was going on, it was too late. The lightning bolt struck its body; emitting a massive amount of force, heat, and electricity--shattering it to pieces, and setting it on fire.

Drenched in sweat and panting heavily, he got to one knee to catch his breath. But just as his breathing stabilized, he was tackled by a certain great gray wolf.

Tears of happiness flowed freely from Artorias' eyes as he hugged his wolf companion by her neck. Sif also pressed her neck to his head, they stayed like this for what seemed like an eternity before letting go of each other.

Artorias got on his feet, and placed his hand on her snout "I missed you very much my friend" she whimpered slightly and nuzzled his face. Then, he glanced at the girls and the citizens of Ponyville who were eyeing the two of them in awe "Lets introduce you to the rest of the town shall we?" he said with a smile.

Sif yipped and followed him suit. As they approached, the crowd inched forward slowly; anxious at the presence of the great gray wolf before them.

Seeing this Artorias spoke up "Do not be afraid, this is my great gray wolf companion; her name is Sif. Believe me, she meant no harm." with that, Sif embedded her sword to the ground and bowed in a pony-like manner; thanks to Artorias' training of manners Sif knew a few things about formality and courtesy.

The girls and the crowd were astonished by Sif's decent intelligent and sapient being, but were still unconvinced due to their experiences with the Timberwolves. Seeing this Fluttershy and the girls stepped forward; surprising everypony in the area.

Then in a soft but determined voice, she spoke up "He is right everypony" the crowd gasped "Without Sif, I won't be standing here right now." then she flew closer to Sif and patted her head "Thank you so much" Fluttershy said with a smile on her face, Sif yipped in response.

Seeing this, Twilight spoke up "You see everypony? this is not how a big bad wolf is supposed to act" the crowd mumbled and nodded in response.

Then Twilight glanced at Artorias and motioned for him to speak "Thank you Twilight. Now seeing all things are done and the Timberwolf threat has been dealt with, I suggest all of you return to your respective beds. I am sure you have your tasks tomorrow."

The crowd nodded, thanked him, and once again dispersed like ants; heading to their respective homes and beds. And in no time, there were only the Main Six, Artorias, and Sif standing in the field.

Artorias smiled and turned to the girls "You girls should go home as well, it's late."

"Aw, but we just met with her" Rainbow spoke up while glancing at Sif "can't we stay up a bit longer?"

"Unless, you wanted to miss your first training session tomorrow" Artorias said while rolling his eyes.

Rainbow's ears perked up on this "FOR REAL?!" she exclaimed with a wide grin on her face.

Artorias nodded with a smile.

"Oh my gosh oh my gosh oh my gosh!" Rainbow said while squeezing her cheeks in happiness. After regaining her composure, she spoke up again "Thanks Arty! when will we start?"

"Arty?" he asked with a bewildered expression.

"Your new nickname!" she exclaimed with joy.

Artorias chuckled "Well then, tomorrow morning after you are done with your weather patrol duties."

Rainbow saluted, thanked him and Sif for saving Fluttershy (which she got licked on her face for doing so), said her goodbyes and flew towards her home.

"Um, Artorias" Fluttershy said while hovering next to him.

"Yes Fluttershy?"

"I just wanted to say thank you, for...dealing with that Timberwolf" she said with a soft smile.

He smiled and patted her head "No problem Fluttershy; besides it is my duty is it not?"

She blushed slightly and gave Artorias a quick hug before turning to Sif and thanked her one more time before returning to her cottage.

"Sif, let's go" he said to his great gray wolf companion; Sif immediately picked up her sword and stood beside him.

With that, he once again walked his friends to their homes with Sif by his side. As they reached Twilight's library, they said their goodnights and Sif stayed outside due to the cramped space in the library only to fell asleep with greatsword clamped in her jaws; constantly ready to follow her master to the end.

After cleaning himself up, Artorias flopped back to the couch with a peaceful and determined mind and heart. With his best companion back to his side once again, he knew nothing could stop them. But deep within his heart, he was greatly saddened knowing that he may never return to Lordran nor his best friends or his lover; neither knowing of their fates.

All that he knew was: he got a second chance to live his life, and it's time to end the previous chapter in his life and begin a new one. He could never forget his previous life experiences, but he got to move on; knowing that's what his old and new friends would have wanted him to do.

With that, he pushed those thoughts away and drifted into a peaceful slumber.

Author's Note

And that was another chapter

Sorry for the delay and shorter chapter, my computer got busted so I used my smartphone to write this one and my frickin' hi fever is not making things any better . But hey, thanks to my fever I get a whole extra week of vacation Yayyyy! and that means more time to write.

My computer should be up and running tomorrow, so yeah; things are getting back to their tracks

As usual, feel free to leave comments, likes, and reviews. The next chapter's coming soon and until then, I will see you in the next one

-Lightning Spear