Author's Note

So, guys, here it is. After the ordeal of four chapters regarding Walken's life as both him and Brutus in the Undead Knight's world, there is the Equestria part.

That is also the first part of the events that took place before the infestation of Cloudsdale, and there is about to take some time before the story will return to the present. But hey. At least that will just show off part of the characteristics of the main character and what he can do. I know that he looked kind of a unlikable guy but I hope is at least bearable. If I can call that.

If you see some error or have some opinion, you are welcome.

Nine Days Before the Pestilence

"And so I died for a second time. I would be pissed off upon knowing about that second death. That wasn't what I had planned. There are still unanswered questions regarding my powers and the entity the Beast talked about, but were then forgotten after my demise. Still, I managed to get the tranquil life that I longed for... After I was reborn as a pony... Seriously. I wouldn't had know that detail if fate didn't had another plan for me. And this time the Beast wasn't involved."

It was as placid day in Stardust Mantle, a bright marble colored town located at north of Canterlot Mountain; a half-clouded sunny with a gentle but slightly strong wind that almost blow the manes of a few ponies on the streets. They didn't minded that, although their only fear was that it would rain at any moment, sooner or later. Some of them were greeting each others with occasional smiles and talking cheerfully. Others were not so enthusiast due to their problems. Only a few of them were being jerks for various reasons.

The pedestal in which stood tall the statue of Princess Celestia being in the center of the town is a very benevolent symbol in this town, as well as in any part of the Equestria. Two ponies passed in front of it. One being a red maned white female unicorn with a golden armor and a bright attitude.

The other, a scarlet maned beige stallion with calm demeanor, being Cinder Work. A go lucky firework seller with a tranquil life, a almost good job and a social link with a few ponies who knew him. Everything used to look the same for Cinder.

Until the second day after his sixteenth's birthday where he regained his memories as Walken Jeager.

Just when he managed to start all over again, Cinder got to remember his past identity, his two lives and the actions that he had committed. Despite that, he didn't cared that much and he became more tranquil with the pass of the days since that day. Although he was embarrassed to be a pony, living in Equestria was better that being in the Void. After all, he finally got the tranquil life that he wanted, yet he has still some doubt about that.

"Cinder, are you alright?" The unicorn demanded.

"No, Vesper, it's ok." Cinder assured.

"Are you sure?" Vesper asked suspicious. "Because I just hope that you didn't blown up everything like the last year."

Cinder groaned. "I will be more careful, ok? Just don't hammering me to much with that."

"Well, sorry, but sometimes I have to." Vesper reminded that.

Cinder rolled his eyes. He know that she was referring to the time in which he accidentally ended up destroying Flim and Flam brothers' stand, along with a few rooftops and multiple lawn of the town.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you that, Cinder. The Royal Guards had finally accepted me," Vesper said happily.

"Well, congratulations, Vesper," Cinder replied with a faint smile. "It's seemed like my support finally payed off."

"You can tell that," Vesper replied. "I couldn't had reached this part of my goal without your help."

"Don't exaggerate."

"No, Cinder. I'm serious. You managed to encourage me like no other. Defend the other was my dream since my childhood. Your help means so much for me."

Cinder looked slightly surprised at her. "I don't know what to say... Thank you."

The two ponies continued forward when they spotted a trio of pegasi Royal Guards with a chariot behind them, probably waiting for Vesper. Both of them stopped.

"Well, is time for me to meet my future," Vesper announced proudly, one second before her enthusiasm was interrupted upon noticing his almost impassive face. "Cinder, is there something wrong?"

"Why you ask me that?" Cinder demanded.

".... Cinder, you can't hide that from me. You looked a little gloomy these days."

"Don't worry about me. You have a dream to realize."

"Cinder." Vesper looked at him with insistence, unconvinced of what he said.

"Just don't be too reckless in your duty. Ok?" Cinder responded bluntly.

Cinder then flinched upon realizing what he has done. Vesper's eyes almost narrowed. He expected her to mad, but then her face assumed a veil of empathy.

"Cinder, I know what means put my life on the line and I know that you are worried about me," Vesper said, smiling. "You don't have to. I had trusted you. So try to trust me for once, ok?"

Cinder was hesitant for a moment but upon seeing her like that, he finally spoke with a calm tone. "Alright. I guess I can do that."

"I will return to visit you someday, I promise." Vesper assured one moment before heading toward the chariot.

"Good luck." Cinder said.

Both of them vowed 'goodbye' at each other at the chariot carried Vesper away in the sky, driven by two of the pegasi. After that, Cinder walked toward the exit of the town, just to take some fresh air. Not minding the other ponies around them, he continued in his path while pondering about something.

"I have been Vesper Camellia's coltfriend for several years and I had morally supported her. The ponies in the town knows her as a gentle, selfless and determinate soul who really wanted the defenseless. She even asked me to become his fiance... I doubt that would happen since being a Royal Guard implies that she had to go through a life of sacrifices."

"........ Seriously, coltfriend? Why is that equestrian word play a must again?" Cinder inquired to nopony in particular.

"Is there something wrong, Cinder?" A half stern voice said.

Interrupted, Cinder halted his march and turned to see a black maned white unicorn and a green maned purple earth mare approaching him. He know very well who they are and felt a little awkward to see them.

"No. It's alright, mister Dusk Camellia." Cinder replied.

"Oh, c'mon. Don't be that reserved, young boy," Dusk said calmly. "I know for a long time what you really want. I won't say that I don't trust you, but I want you to be really honest with Vesper about that. My daughter deserve that."

Cinder flinched. "What?"

"Dear, I think we should not haste the things. Should we give them more time to think?" The mare said.

"I know, Dawn Shade. But that has to be addressed, soon of later," Dusk said before sighing and looking back at Cinder. "Well, since she is still right, you can go. But if you want your bond with her to remain solid, you have to express your real thoughts."

"I never said that I didn't had considered that," Cinder replied.

"Until you blow up the next firework festival. I guess," Dawn remarked, referring to a past incident.

After that particular conversation, Cinder leaved the town and wandered aimlessly in search for an isolated place where he can clear his mind. In his travel, he stepped deep into a forest. The vegetation was quite wild. Cinder didn't care about that as he stopped in his track and took a deep breath to relax his body. He remained to enjoy the breeze. He took the time that he need to rest mentally.

"Hopefully Vesper doesn't know who I really am. And should stay that way for her sake. At least I got a normal life without any trouble... And yet I end up a little empty handed without her."

That worry was legit to him, just like it should be. It was normal preoccupation... Until the memories of his two past lives emerged inside his mind. That reminded him of he actions that he had committed in order to get the normal life that he had craved for, and his eventual deaths, first as Walken and then as Brutus.

Cinder groaned upon remembering that, feeling that the relaxing effect that the breeze was providing to him.

"I wonder if I have retained some humanity after what I did." Cinder said to himself.

Not long after that, the sound of a lightning echoed in the distance, snapping him back to reality. The wind was blowing almost brusquely and the three branches moved in one direction, along with the leafs.

"I can't even take a moment to meditate, isn't it?" Cinder complained as he turned around. "I have to find another way to calm my mind. I don't want to get any cold."

Fearing a storm coming, Cinder galloped at a very fast pace. The edge of the forest was in front of his sight but very far from his reach. As soon as he stepped out of the forest, he suddenly felt a very sharp pain on his back as if something pierced violently through his flesh from above. Twice.

Cinder screamed in pain as he collapsed to the grass on his side. He couldn't even think straight for the pain, but felt something flowing through the coat of his back and his senses go nuts. He tried to stood up but was then pinned on the ground and by a cloaked figure standing two legged and blocking his body with his own hind leg. He wasn't alone as other eight ponies dressed like him gathered around their victim. Two of them were holding curved daggers with claws protruding from their hooves. Cinder went wide-eyed upon seeing it since he never heard of ponies. That detail was then disregarded as he noticed the daggers, realizing what struck his back and that he was bleeding.

"Let me go!!" Cinder shouted, trying to flail his forelegs one second before being blocked by other two holding them on the ground.

The one who was blocking his body pulled out a long sword and wield it while pointing his blade on his chest. Before Cinder can even scream, his aggressor promptly stabbed his sword through his heart and beyond. As Cinder felt his blood and his warm being drained away even further, his cloaked assassin twisted his blade and violently pushed it obliquely, instantly cutting through the already damaged heart, the bones of the left side of his rib cage and these of his right shoulder.

Cinder let out a brief, chilling scream as the rest of his blood was erupting out of the gruesome cut. The cloaked ponies silently watched his demise, without any kind of emotion in their eyes or action. In that moment, Cinder wanted to ask them the reason of this action. That, however, became insignificant to him as his sight quickly darkened and his body went cold, and then numb until it touches the point of no return.

In that fraction of seconds that divided him from death, his mind suddenly screamed in frustration as he recalled his previous two deaths.

"Not this shit again!"

His eyes widened in shock upon reliving that, one second before the darkness finally put all of his senses into silence.

Pure blackness greeted him. There was nothing in his sight. Then, a bizarre, chilling terrain slowly manifested in front of him. It appeared to be a blue colored rocky one, infested by some bulging things resembling bones and huge spines, accompanied by pulsing veins and a thick fog. Everything was cold, and the air was rarefied. It was very difficult to breathe.

He found himself unable to move his body. Unable to talk. Unable to feel anything. He could just watch. Time passes without nothing happening and the silence reigning in this place. But then something appeared in his sight. Something merely glowing. That one being a quadrupedal dark figure engulfed in a spectral, ethereal white fire approached him and stared at him with wide opened white eyes. And after a few seconds, darkness filled the silent place once more.

But not before the creature could spoke with a ominous, elder voice that echoed through the place, breaking the silence.

And that happened again, once again time in a bloody fashion.

Experiencing death is indeed a horrifying experience than death itself, let alone living it twice but that won't happen this time.

Ironically that was nothing compared to the ugly side of the ambrosia called immortality.

The world in which you were before was brought into chaos during your absence.

That is a crusade to restore the whole equilibrium that can be your opportunity to take back what was stolen from you.

So of course a enormous amount of blood is needed.

Your time is not over yet.

Nine days later.

Groaning heavily, Cinder opened his eyes and rose up. Confusion was the first thing he felt as he found himself being at the edge of the forest again. The sky being crowed by dark-gray clouds, with dusk almost leaving its place to the night. He doesn't know how he ended up being here at first until then he remembered. The memory of his body being mangled, his heart being pierced by the cold steel, his aggressors and his life slipping away flashed in front of his eyes.

Cinder should be dead and yet he was still alive. He could gladly say that was a dream, but that didn't explain him being nearby the forest. He never was drunk in his life so that was improbable. Too dissipate his doubt, he glanced on his chest. His eyes instantly went wide opened.

"What the...!"

His face quickly contorted in horror upon seeing the gruesome, oblique cut that spread from his chest to his left shoulder being still present. Not only that but his chest was also partially holed, exposing part of his rib-cage. He noticed few of the muscles of his body being exposed as well. The most disturbing part was that his heart was still pumping blood through his veins. It felt cold as the tundra, which gave him the uncomfortable feeling to freeze, even if not really .

Cinder galloped toward the river near to him and looked at his reflection. He refused to believe at what he was seeing or experiencing in this moment. His eyes were the only normal things that he had compared to the rest of his body.

"It's ridiculous... Is this really me!?"

He trembled and staggered for a sense of nausea dictated by his own disgust and shock. His mind raced in a desperate attempt to make sense in his actual conditions. He pondered back and forth about his death and his conditions with no plausible answer. This until a memory resurfaced in his brain. His words, as much absurd and cryptic they can be, are actually quite of a hint.

"What did that prick meant with my time is not over yet?" Cinder demanded but then realized something far more sinister than this. "Wait a second." He paused. "'Crusade to restore the whole equilibrium'? 'Enormous amount of blood'?" He shook his head in horror. "Oh, no."

Those words that Cinder heard from that ominous voice reminded him of the time when he witnessed the resurrection of Romulus, Remus and Sylvia as the Undead Knights by the hand of the Beast. For Cinder, being a living corpse was bad enough, but then realized the disturbing context as he remembered what the Beast said to the three undead.

Flesh of my flesh. Blood of my Blood. Those with whom you choose to share my gift... shall become your soldiers in undeath. Cease your suffering, and restore balance to the land...

"That's not fucking possible," Cinder said in muted shock. "That voice wasn't that of The Beast.... A-and this undead form of mine... I didn't feel any power at all. So I can't possibly be resurrected in the same way as the Bloods."

His pondering was then interrupted by a unsettling groaning noise coming from behind him. Startled by that, Cinder turned around to see who was only to find a stallion slowly coming toward him, almost shambling. That wasn't a normal pony at all. Much to his shock, he was pretty much like him, except that his eyes were white, his mouth was bloodstained and his coat being an extremely pale one.

Cinder didn't have the time to do anything that the pony leaped toward him at startling speed and pinned his body on the grass. Making a feral growl, that creature tried to sink his bloodstained teeth into his flesh. Cinder was scared for a moment, but after being killed thrice, there's no way he would allow that.

"Get the fuck out of my face!!" Cinder screamed as punched the stallion in the face so hard that he had practically disintegrated part of his head, causing it to collapse on him.

Astounded by what he did but not wanting to remain with that creature any longer, he quickly moved the corpse away from him and stood up. Cinder then stared at his hoof, dirtied with the blood and other bodily residues. Disgusted, he wiped his hoof on the grass and used the water of the river to do the rest. He then glanced upon the corpse one more time, just to accept it's existence, as well as his own conditions. That horse has also his left side of his rib-cage being exposed, his pallid being smeared by blood.

"That is outright demented... was that a Zombie?" Cinder said, a few seconds before he heard other groans in the distance.

As Cinder looked forward, he noticed a herd of other bloodthirsty, feral ponies, like the one that he just killed. They walked slowly toward him while steadily accelerating their march.

"You gotta be kidding me!"

He galloped away from the place, heading toward Stardust Mantle. In his run, he noticed the town in the distance emanating some trails of fume, as if it was on fire. Guessing that something happened there, he accelerated his charge.

Cinder had no idea how grave the situation had become.