Chapter 1. An Undead has come to play

The Everfree forest lay in silently in the early evening sun. It was a, if not the last, truly wild forest in the otherwise peaceful and organized land of Equestria.

In other places, Pegasi regulated the weather, manipulated clouds and used their innate magic to bend the meteorological events to their will.

Earth ponies used their connection with the very earth itself in a much subtler way. They plowed fields, grow crops and took care of nearly every kind of plant life, from simple flowers to mighty trees.

And the Unicorns, they used their powerful magic abilities to aid Pegasi and Earth ponies in their daily endeavors wherever their own powers were not enough.

But the Everfree Forest took care of itself.

It was a place brimming with all kinds of predatory life, from the curious wooden creatures that were known as Timberwolves, the mighty and territorial Manticores, the cunning Cockatrices, the many headed Hydras of the swamps and the gargantuan Ursas, sleeping the centuries away deep inside their caves.

An ancient, untamed kind of magic saturated everything within the forests borders, from the tiniest blade of grass to the tallest of the Everfree´s majestic trees. It touched something deep inside the cores of every living being that dwelled under the forests canopy for even just a little while, made them feel more primal, heightened their senses for the dangers around them, brought instincts long forgotten back to the light.

And this unnerved the ponies of Equestria beyond belief. They viewed the forest as something unnatural, as something that successfully shrugged of each and every try to subdue it, to bring order in what the ponies of this land in their, sometimes boundless, naivity labeled as chaos. The Everfree frightened them and so they left it alone as much as they could afford to, only really dealing with it when one of its dangerous inhabitants had wandered to close to civilization for comfort.

To Zecora, it was a home away from home. Here, in the wild, untamed heart of the ponies nation, the zebra shamaness felt the sting of homesickness only once in a while, when she prowled through the underbrush searching for rare herbs and other ingredients for her countless potions, salves and other herbal medicines.

When she merged with the living, breathing organism that was the Everfree, Zecora sometimes closed her eyes and nearly felt like she was back home, in the sheer endless planes of her beloved Roam, the ancestral land of the zebras since ancient times.

Of course, there were notable differences. Instead of the mighty Lions, there where Manticors to watch out for and the Jackals of Roam where replaced by the Timberwolves. The air was more humid and had a more earthy smell to it than the dry air of her homeland and the songs of wild birds never heard by any other zebra before filled her ears.

Sometimes, when she was deep in meditation or even just sitting with her eyes closed and listening to the forest, Zecora could faintly hear the Everfree´s voice. As a shamaness, Zecora was used to communicate with the unseen , spirits both benevolent and malevolent in nature. Most of the times, when the forest itself talked to her, it whispered locations where Zecora could find ingredients ready for the harvest, a wounded animal that she either delivered from its pain if it was beyond help or in most cases, brought it at the doorsteps of Fluttershy, a freelancing veterinarian and animal caretaker that dwelled in a small cottage right at the Everfree´s borders.

Even though the shy Pegasus, like most other ponies in the nearby town of Ponyville, had shunned Zecora for her foreign behavior for years, Zecora had been unable to hold a grudge for long after a little, curious filly by the name of Applebloom had disregarded all prejudice the townsfolk held for her and had approached her in order to get to know the mysterious stranger, since then bringing so much joy, so much color into both, Zecoras life and her heart.

Oh, the wonderful thing that was the youth, Zecora had thought many times since then.

Over the years, Zecora had learned to listen to the forest, not only its spiritual voice but to the Everfree as a whole. Every small change in the symphony of its accumulated sounds could indicate to dozens of things and right now, the Everfree was holding its breath.

No birds could be heard singing in the tree tops.

No small animals rustled through the underbrush.

Not even the prideful roars of the Manticors cut through the air.

Something unnatural, oppressive had entered the forest and it was on its way to her!

It is near! the voice of the forest whispered into Zecoras ears, sounding uncharacteristically fearful.

The zebra mare sat on a log, in front of the hollowed out yet still living tree that contained her humble dwelling place. Being a child of Roams hot climate, Zecora never had worn much clothing besides a simple loincloth and the traditional golden rings around her neck, her wrists and in her ears but in order to better withstand Equestrias much milder climate and not to offend the in her eyes sometimes silly shamefulness of the ponies, she had since added a simple cloth wrap to cover her chest and a long, hooded cloak to her apparel.

Scanning the woods around her, Zecora added another piece of wood to the small fire that she had lit in a shallow pit ringed with stones from a nearby river. Something deep inside her had told the shamaness that lighting a small bonfire would work in her favor over the course of the coming events.

Zecora took a small pouch from a pocket inside her coat and sprinkled a powder into the flames that made them burn brighter for a second before the flames nearly died down to embers, but still radiated an enormous warmth that seeped into the bones and chased away the cold no matter how persevering it seemed.

Slow movements disturbed the bushes in front of Zecora and the mare straightened herself.

It is here!

From the darkness, Zecora felt that something was observing her, taking her in, every little detail and it unsettled even the stoic zebra a little bit. The feeling she had experienced back in her youth, when her father had taken her on her first hunt came back to her mind. The anxiety, the anticipation, the urge to run back home and hide behind her mother’s legs.

“There is no need for pretense, for I can feel your presence.” Zecora called out in an even voice “I do not wish for a fight, so please leave the shadows and step in the light.”

She got no answer and was about to call to the mysterious presence again but just as she opened her mouth, the underbrush slightly to her left parted and a something stepped into the small clearing in front of her hut.

It was tall, probably as tall as herself if she disregarded the Mohawk she styled her mane into, Zecora guessed. The being was clad completely in an elegant set of armor that gleamed silvery in the firelight. The armor plates covering the arms, chest and legs were decorated with flowing gravures. Deep red cloth could be seen in between the free spaces not covered by the gleaming metal. A full helmet made seemingly of the same material and likewise decorated, that hid its wearers face completely sat on the beings head, the small crest on top of it reminding Zecora a little bit of the helmets the Royal Guards wore. Through a T-shaped hole in the helmets visor, hidden eyes seemed to flick from the sitting zebra and the embers of the fire, Zecora could feel it.

In its right hand, the silver knight held an impressive weapon, a strange spear with a more than a whole hand long, broad spear head with an additional, upwards pointing and slender scythe like blade at its base and a smaller spear head on the opposite side. The weapons pole was of a deep red and rich golden ornaments at its head and butt made it look as deadly as beautiful. The left hand loosely held a triangular shield, clearly painted with a crest but Zecora could not see it fully. On the beings left hip, a surprisingly simple longsword hung in a likewise simple leather hanger and on the other hip hung what looked like a small chime in a frame made of bones connected to a simple wooden handle.

“How curious, to meet deep in the forest a stranger in a gleaming knights attire.“ Zecora smiled and gestured to the free log on the other side of the firepit. “My name is Zecora and I welcome you at my fire.”

The strangers head cocked slightly to the side, still alternating from looking at Zecora and the fire.

“Now, don´t just stand there like a twit, come over and sit.” Zecora said with warmth in her voice and a smile on her face.

Finally, the armored figure sat down on the log in front of Zecora, giving her more opportunities to get an even closer look. There were no holes for ears on top of the helmet nor a protective sheath for a horn, Zecora noticed and the front of the helmet was way to flat to house a muzzle behind it. No tail of any kind swayed between the legs of the strange knight. And the legs ended not in the typical armored horseshoes but in something long and pointy, something that looked like it could house a something along the lines of a dragons hind feet. The being rested the spear cassualy against the right shoulder and leaned the shield against the log, allowing Zecora to see the full crest painted on it. To her, it looked like two serpents of sorts, facing each other and their long bodies partly intertwined. One serpent was black on a white background while the other was white on a black background. Several large cuts marred the surface, giving clear evidence that it had served its owner well.

The armored form stared into the embers, seemingly mesmerized by the flickering flames as if the soft glow of the fire connected to something deep inside the beings soul.

Slowly starting to relax again, Zecora leaned forward a bit.

“It is an interesting time for a visit that you choose. For six long moons now, monsters unknown to even the Celestial Sisters are on the loose. Magic foul and darker than the blackest abyss is nowadays hard to miss. A curse infects all living, ponies, griffins and dogs and it turns them insane. They hunt their brethren like they were game and every take on a cure has been in utterly vain.” Zecora told her silent visitor, watching her opposite’s body language closely.

The eyes behind the helmet were now solely fixated on Zecoras face, the hand around the spear was tightening and even though the body was hidden underneath layers of cloth and armor plates, Zecora could see muscles tense up in anticipation of the hunt, of the battle.

“The curse I speak of is not an unknown to you am I right?” Zecora said, causing the silent being in front of her to stiffen up. “I am a shaman, you see, with powers on my own right. The darkness of the curse, I can feel it rushing through you with all its sinister might.”

The strange knight jumped up at that, in an attempt to get into a battle stance of sorts while gripping the spear with both hand.

“Halt!” Zecora shouted, holding out her open palms to show that she was peaceful “Please, put down your arm, I mean you no harm.”

Her visitor kept the weapon at the ready but stood still.

“Even though your soul is afflicted with this blight, I assure you, deep inside you, there is still light. It may flicker and even now I can see it sway but believe me, this light is what will you make see many another day.” Zecora told the armed and armored stranger in a soothing tone.

The spear was lowered, its razor sharp tip now pointing at the round.

For a moment, Zecora was silent, just gently looking at her mysterious visitor, listening to the renewed whispering of the spirits filling her ears.

With a consenting hum, the shamaness nodded. “I understand it now, my mysterious friend. From here on, you will go on a journey as the first step towards your stories end.” She stood up and beckoned the armored form of her visitor to follow her. She lead the mute knight to a well-traveled path that went away from her hut, deeper into the forest. Turning to the silent figure, Zecora pointed with her hand down the path. “Follow that path. Leave the forest and behind a hill, you will find a town called Ponyville. Seek an audience with Princess Twilight who rules there. She is a dear friend of mine, knowledgeable and fair. She will aid your endeavor in this land, of that I am sure if you greet her with respect in good measure.”

Her mute visitor looked at her for a moment before reaching for the helmet and pulling it off.

Surprise played visibly over Zecoras features as she witnessed the face underneath the helmet for the first time and a warm smile returned to her muzzle as another set of lips, pale and thin, mouthed a wordless ‘Thank you.’

Moments later the helmet was back in its place and with a final, respectful bow of the head, the strange being walked down the path.

Zecora stood there, her eyes following the mysterious being until the last trace of the silver armors gleaming was swallowed by the Everfree´s shadows.

After a while, Zecora turned around to walk back to her hut, only to look over her shoulder one last time. Staring into the depths of the darkness, the shamaness silently muttered “Far thee well, Bearer of the Curse and may the spirits shelter you from the worst.”

With that, the zebra mare returned to her hut.

The Everfree let go of the breath it was holding and once again, the air was filled with the songs of evening birds, the rustling of small critters in the underbrush and in the far distance, a Manticor roared.

°°°

Ponyville. Go to… Ponyville. Find… Princess… Twilight…<<

That simple thought echoed sluggishly in her mind as she set armored foot before armored foot.

Her trusty halberd swung in her right hand with every step, while her left hand again held onto her battle scarred shield.

Soon enough, the forest began to clear out and not much later, she stood in a grassy plain.

For a moment she just stood there, blinded by the vibrant colors of her surroundings compared to the seemingly endless dark and dense forest that had held her captive for so long.

A breeze picked up.

She perked up. There were sounds in the wind. Sounds that were strangely familiar.

The sound of blade meeting blade or biting into shields.

The sounds of magic roaring through the air.

Screaming.

The sounds of battle!

Instinct took over as she fell into a sprint that carried her down a winding path. With a long leap, she crossed a small river and jogged up a small hill. From atop the her vantage point, she could overlook the plains before her and there, not far away stood a big castle that glistened in the evening sun as if it was made of diamonds. A town spread out around it, houses with thatched roofs and mostly white walls making up most of the settlement. A wall was following the border of the town, with a moderately wide gate in it. The gate was wide open, several columns of smoke rising from within the town. Small figures could be seen, running around or lying on the ground.

A smile grew on the hidden face underneath the helmet as its owner fell into a jog again, down the hill and towards the town.

The Firekeeper in the forest had shown her the right direction!

Author's Note

Grab your gear, stash enough effegies and fill your Estus flasks fellow Undead, we´re going to Equestria!