My eyes open to be greeted by the night sky, its many stars shining alongside the silver moon. I begin to get up, only to my dismay to find I’m in a coffin. Okay, bad start already. Maybe it won’t get worse? Inspecting my surrounding, I discover that not only am I in a coffin, but instead a cemetery, next to what was most likely my grave. I do not like where this is going, but somepony has to have an answer, right? I get out of the coffin, my muscles feeling stiff like I was...well...dead for quite awhile.
I look around, hoping to find some sign of civilization to go to. Maybe they’ll have answers as to what is happening. As I scan the skyline, I-wait, what was that? I look back to find nothing when I was pretty sure I saw a pony just then. Anyways, I spot some lights off in the distance, casting shapes of buildings. With no need to stick around in the graveyard, I head off towards the town.--- I trot into town to find some...ponies? They have the body structure of them, but something seems off. Their eyes look dead, fur patchy, and hide looking disfigured as they’re shambling around like a drunkard. On their flanks are an orange ring, almost alight with embers. Now that I think about it, my hide is leathery and bald, like my body had been left out in the sun to dry, my mark matching theirs. I began trotting towards the equine shaped beings, passing by an alleyway with a masked pon-wait, where’d they go? Somepony was just there. I steady my breathing and calm my nerves as I walk towards the...fuck it, I’m calling them ponies just for personal comfort. Maybe it’s just Nightmare Night and everyone is just dressed up and just deciding not to carry around bags! “Hello?” I call out to the nearest group, catching their attention as their heads turn towards me. Oh, they seem to have swords on them...it’s just part of the costume, right? I come to a stop as they’re about three meters away from me. I was just about to speak as they unsheath their weapons. I begin to realize they’re not wielding the broken swords as a part of a costume while backing away from the-THUNK I look down to find the blade fitting quite snuggly in my sternum. I fall over, seeing the mask again before things fade out.--- I come back to in the grave again, but now with an almost golden like mask peering down at me, a pink horn resting above the mask. “You are an undead, but are you a hollow?” a feminine voice called down at me through the plate. So that’s one question answered and two more made, it seems. I decided to respond back with, “I can’t exactly give a solid answer to that. Could you tell me what a hollow is so I could possibly give an answer?” The masked figure’s head raised from my own, “You seem to hold a greater than primal sense of thought, so clearly, you are not Hollow. Now rise, Accursed One, for you have a destiny ahead of you.” Destiny? I rise from the wooden casket, bringing myself face to face with the mask and inquiring, “Wait, what destiny? Is that why I was brought back? What is my desti-” She raised her black cloth clad hoof up and silenced me before speaking. “You were brought back to claim the throne and bring about an end to this wretched blight, but you won’t be able to without equipment. One of these graves should have something useful, though.” I was going to respond, but then she cut me off, adding “And do not worry of laws for those were abandoned long ago. You must focus on your safety.” Being given the okay to rob the dead, I searched around the graveyard, not turning up much until I found a tomb, the name having been worn away. Inside contained the skeleton of a unicorn mare, clad in armor with a sword by her side. The armor being a mixture of cloth, plate, and chainmail. Plates covering the legs, yet chain for the body, being padded by a stylized tunic and leggings. The helmet covering the wearer’s head in metal, with holes for breathing, seeing, and ears and horns. The sword had a black grip, the pommel being the same yet with gold adornment. The cross-guard was styled similarly, a sapphire embedded in the center. The blade looking pristine, as if it had just been cleaned. Deciding that this would most likely suffice, I donned the gear and weapon.--- I returned to the masked pony, my being shelled with cloth padded steel and mail and sword resting within the sheath strapped to my side. Having no horn, the face mask was pushed up to allow access to the sword. She looked me over, trotting around to inspect every part before she stopped and held her gaze on the sword. Using her magic, she rid me of the blade and unsheathed it, drinking in each and every bit of it. Her body lightly trembling, she put it back in its scabbard and strapped it back onto me. She cleared her throat and regained her composure. I peered back and tilted my head, my face a mixture of concern and confusion before asking, “Is something wrong? Do you know the owner? Should-” Before I could inquire further, she held her hoof up and responded, “Do not worry about me, nor who the grave was of,” she lowered her head as she continued, “Her name is lost to time and decay. What is important for you to know is that the blade should be suitable defense against physical and magical attacks as it won’t break, and it can reflect spells.”
She took in a deep breath and let it out before resuming, “Now, Accursed One, you must take down the Bearers of the Elements. The list goes as such: The Pursuer of Beauty, who lives in the boutique in town, The Hunter of the Cursed, who resides within Sweet Apple Acres, The Guardian of the Forest, within the exotic forest bordering the farm, The Traitorous Joker, who is imprisoned within the dungeon of the castle ruins, the Lord of the Sky, who rules the city atop the clouds.” She lets out a sigh before carrying on, “Slaying those five should then allow access to the giant castle dubbed, ‘The Friendship Castle,’ and lying within it is Twilight, the Seeker of Knowledge. There is more after that, but it shall not be discussed now.”
She pointed back to the village I was stabbed in, “Start with the Pursuer, and continue down the list. Y-” Before she could continue with the instructions, I cutted in and asked, “You never told me what your name was, nor how you know all of this. You can’t instruct people around without first introducing yourself!” My exclamation made her recoil a bit before thinking things over and following up with, “That is true...I guess I have become rusty at socializing...To your first question, you may call me the Acolyte of Harmony. To the second one, I have been waiting for centuries for someone to come and conquer the curse. In any event, I believe that you can do it, but I must tell you...prepare to die.”
