The howls of monstrous creatures, clashing steel and cries of pain filled the air of the town of Honeywood. The southern part of the town had been all but overwhelmed by monsters and fire, sending thick pillars of black smoke into the sky, blocking out the night sky.

The streets were filled with the fighting between the towns Guards and Militia and a horde of animated corpses of Ponies and monsters. The guards were separated between three different decorated uniforms, majority were from Honey wood while the remaining were from nearby villages which had already been destroyed.

The militia was made up of able bodies Stallions and Mares wielding spears, wood cutting axes, pickaxe and other weaponized tools. They wore a variety of armour, from half plate armour to thick leather vests. While the militia did little against the larger monsters, the addition of addition unicorns unleashing basic spells seemed to give just enough to hold the tide of undead at times.

The defenders had set up several barricades every few hundred feet, although the barricades were being broken through as fast as they could be constructed. The leader of the defenders was a plate wearing Unicorn mare known as Captain Iron Song. Her violet mane was cut short while her fur was a steel grey colour. She directed the mares and stallions around her with a frightening amount of efficiency while occasionally grabbing a javelin and throwing it at the horde. She had sent off a pegasus to get aid a few days ago when refugees of one of the nearby villages began to arrive. She had been preparing soldiers for a counter attack to retake the village when the next wave of villagers arrived. It made her realize that the town was next so she prepared.

On the first morning after the first raid, the Captain sent out a party of twelve of her guard to try and find where the horde was coming from. Only a single guard returned, stating that half a days travel away was a massive castle which the horde swarmed like it were a hive of wasps. Fast forward several days later and every night so far a horde of undead swarmed the town, slowly working away at the defences. Dragging away civilians and guards alike, dead or alive.

Each night the Captain began to lose hope of surviving when on the third night, after she had given the order for ever pony within the city to retreat into the keep. She had gone to a balcony in the keep with a pair of binoculars to see the extent of the horde when she saw a brilliant flash of blue light. Dread filled her heart as she inspected the area with her binoculars. Nothing appeared out of the ordinary save for a group of her guards attempting to protect civilians until she saw it.

A being coated in full plate armour march out down the road away from her guards before stopping and placing a maul down on the ground and standing there. The captain was confused as she watched before she noticed the large group of zombies closing in on it. "What are you doing you fool?" She asked moments before the large group of zombies detonated in a fiery explosion. "Holy Shit!" She shouted in confusion as she watched the warrior picked up its weapon and charge into the crippled horde.

She stood there dumbfounded as she watched the warrior make little work of a group before it charged into another group as the guards nearby retreated to the keep. She lowered her binoculars and stood there in shock at what she just witnessed.

(Town outskirts, a few moments earlier)

The Zombified charred corpse growled and hissed as it tried to pull itself free of the javelin that had impaled it to the wall. The one on the dirt was slowly crawling towards the five foot four indigo unicorn mare as she looked around for what dealt the attack. Her attention quickly returned to the undead before her when one of the foals screamed.

She looked forward just as the zombie had forced itself back to its feet and retrieved it's weapon.

"Stay back" She ordered as she drew her shortsword and used her off hand to keep the children behind her.

The zombie gave a growl as it moved towards her, but as it took it's third step towards her a small orb of fire slammed into the side of its head. The zombie didn't get a chance to react as it collapsed on the ground with smoke rising from it. The unicorn took another step back as she kept her blade trained on the now static corpse while she looked to the direction the blast came from.

Her eyes widened as she saw a six foot tall, plate armoured entity marching towards her. She moved around the foals she was protecting in order to put herself between the foals and the new creature as she leveled her sword towards it. Her ears flattened against her cobalt mane as her horn began to glow sky blue.

Seeing the Mare's defensive posture, Lex raised his hands while stopping at least fifteen feet away. The mare was preparing herself to fight against the larger being as she tightened her grip on her weapon.

"Easy there, I'm not here to hurt you" Lex said in a calming tone of voice as the mare glared at him. "I'm here to help" he added.

"Right? And how can I trust you on that?" She asked him as she scanned him.

"Because if I wanted you dead then I wouldn't have thrown that javelin and also could have done it without getting close" Lex explained as he turned his head to look at the Zombie that was impaled against the wall, which was moaning and trying to reach him from a fair distance away. "Per example" he stated extended his right arm out to the zombie. He opened his hand out so it was flat facing undead as the jewel encrusted ring on his hand flashed with static electricity.

Before the mare could question what was happening, an aura of blue-white light formed around his hand before a frigid beam of the same colour shot out from his hand and hit the Zombie. The undead began to rapidly freeze from the area it was struck until it stopped moving. The mare could only stare in shock and awe as she looked between Lex and the undead popsicle. "I… what…" she tried to say as her words kept getting muddled before she shook her head. "Please help us" she asked in a desperate tone causing Lex to turn his head to look at her. " Please, i...i am willing to…" she continued until Lex interjected.

"It was my intention from the start," he explained as arcane writing surrounded his arm, causing his javelin to vanish in a flash of light. The weapon reappeared in his hand as the frozen corpse hit the ground, causing its legs to snap off. "Now is there somewhere you can hide safely?" Lex asked her as he opened his bag and put the long weapon into the small bag, making the mare do a double take.

"How did…" the mare asked distracted.

"Focus, is there a safe haven?" Lex asked, snapping the mare out of her confusion.

"Ah yes, most likely the keep is the best bet." She explained as Lex nodded and pulled a decorated maul from the small bag. "Okay, how the heck did you do that?" She asked intrigued.

"Bag of holding" Lex said with a shrug as if that was meant to explain everything as he rested the weapon on his shoulder as he began walking towards the alleyway the lead into the town.

"Wait!" She cried out as she went after him with the foals following her. "There is a huge group of them out there!" She said as she grabbed his shoulder. "Don't be foolish!" She exclaimed.

"I'm just having a look, calm your farm" He said as he pulled his shoulder from her grip and entered the alley and moved down it, stopping a few feet away from the entrance to the street.

"Your gonna get yourself killed" she added as she stood next to him.

"Been there, done that" he said gaining a confused look from her as the sound of fighting could be heard. "Looks like your comrades are holding firm against that pack" he said as he pointed to the group of ten guards finishing off a small group of zombies while protecting fifty civilians.

"Thank Celestia" The mare said with a sigh of relief as she saw it. "Come let's go with them to the keep!" She said as she went to step out, Only for Lex to hold his hand out infront of her. "What are you doing?" She asked confused as Lex pointed down the opposite end of the street at the group of forty zombies approaching, about two hundred feet away. Seeing the horde, the mare went visibly paler as she tried to comprehend when to do.

"Go to your comrades, I'll buy you time" Lex said in a rough tone as he stepped out of the alleyway and marched towards the horde before the guard could stop him. The man walked until he was about fifty feet away from the horde and got into a stance. He placed his maul down on the ground, hammer end on the ground with the handle facing upwards.

"So your approaching me, that is a foolish mistake" Lex said as he pointed his right fist into his partly open left hand. He focused for a second before a small orange bead formed an Inch from his left palm. "Fireball" He declared as he took a step forward and flung the bead at the horde. The bead straight and passed several undead until it stopped twenty feet into the horde.

For a second nothing happened before the orb suddenly detonated, engulfing everything within twenty feet of it in brilliant orange flames and filling the street with light. A deafening explosion was heard as a wave of heat moved down the street. Through the flash explosion Lex could see a large amount of Zombies being instantly incinerated. As the spell finished, the street darkened and all that remained was ash, two dozen charred skeletons and a dozen damaged but still moving zombies.

"Now those are better odds" he said to himself with a chuckle as he picked up his weapon and charged towards the remains zombies. As he reached the closest undead, it turned to look at him only to find a great hammer in its face. A loud visceral crunch was heard as it's skull, face and brain splattered across it's comrades as its body was sent tumbling away. Lex didn't wait another moment to inspect his work as he slammed his weapon into another three. Loud crunches, cracks and gory splattering could be heard as Lex made short work of the zombies as they tried in vain to pierce his armour.

The remaining zombie lunged forward at Lex with its spear made of several stretched out spines, managing to drive the point of the weapon into the man's thigh. Lex gave a shout of pain before grabbed the spear and pulled it from his leg as the zombie struggled with it. "That's not very nice" Lex growled as he shoved the weapon away, sending the zombie off balance. The corpse stumbled a few feet before it was introduced to Lex's hammer, crushing it's torso and sending it several feet back where it simply laid there limp.

"Bastard" Lex growled as he placed a hand on the wound. "Of course it had to be the fucking leg" he grumbled as he watched a pack of twelve zombies come around the corner. "Looks like I'm in for a long night" he sighed as he focused on the wound, causing a faint golden light to engulf it. The pain quickly faded as the light did and allowed the man to move unhindered as he snapped his fingers. "Mending" he commanded, causing the hole in his armour to seal. "Gonna have to repair that properly when I get the chance." he muttered as he walked towards the new pack of zombies approaching him.

He took a deep breath and charged the new pack, slamming his heavily armoured body into a fragile looking Zombie before swinging his hammer around. The weapon struck the first zombie and tore through it like paper, sending gore spraying out onto Lex as the hammer continued, cleaving through several more in a similar fashion. The pack attempted to overwhelm him but before they had a chance to organize, Lex had worked his way through eighty percent of the group. In a few moments more, the remaining undead was splattered against the stone pavement as Lex moved on to the next fight. Both his weapon and body was coated in blood as he marched.

As he marched he stopped when arrived at the town centre of the town to see a group of civilians and guards running from a nine foot tall zombie a wicked looking morningstar. Unlike the other zombies, Lex new of the creature which was now the undead beast. It was a zombified Ogre. Before Lex could react, he watched the monstrosity turn a pair of guards to blood paste before curb stomping a wounded third guard.

Not wanting anymore people to die due to his inaction, Lex drew his javelin from his bag and threw it. The weapon once again turned into a beam of lightning before embedding itself into the gut of the Ogre and forcing the monstrosity onto it's knee. A smoking hole was present in the monster’s chest.

The Ogre raised was slowly getting back to its feet as Lex reached it. "Down!" Lex ordered as he slammed his hammer into it's left knee, shattering it and sending the zombie tumbling down onto it's left side. The zombie gave a heavy guttural groan as it began getting up until Lex turned the Ogre's head into a shower of off coloured red paste on the stone road.

The weapon was now coated in the viscera of the zombie along with the grim smell, which made Lex hold the hammer away from him as he clicked his fingers. “Prestidigitation” he choked out resulting in sparks of light fluttering around his hammer, cleaning it. Once clean, Lex heard someone call out to him, making him look towards several waving ponies.

"No! Look behind you!" One shouted as Lex heard a heavy foot landing behind him moments before he felt an intense pain fill the left side of his chest. He was lifted off the ground and sent tumbling away into a stall, sending produce in multiple directs as his Hammer flew away in a random direction. He laid there for a second, his mind spinning as his left side burnt with pain. He could feel side growing wet and sticky as he managed to focus his mind. Focusing his strength, he pushed himself onto his right knee while holding himself up with his left arm. He coughed loudly, filling the inside of his helmet with blood making him growl in frustration. He pulled the helmet off and threw it away as he pushed himself to his feet.

The Orges slowly approached him as he wiped his blood from his lips before he focused his mind more. As he did, the pain in his side quickly dulled as if he had been given a second wind as he felt revitalized even if his breaths were shallow and laboured.

"Run away!" He heard one of the defenders cry as the monsters approached him. As one reached several feet away from Lex, the man extended his right arm as Arcane writing coiled around it. He could feel the tattoo on his right arm heat up as he focused a second before a large decorated Claymore materialized in his right hand. The sudden appearance forced the man to grab the handle in both hands due to the weight. It made the man stumble for a moment before regaining his composure. The blade was five foot long and was decorated with a dragon engraving and a nine point star, it simmered with golden energy which seemed to make the engravings move slightly. Lex didn't have much time to marvel at it as he lunged towards the closest Ogre.

The man managed to avoid being struck again as he weapon in an upward strike. Lex expected the attack to cut the arms off the monster but his aim was off. Instead of hitting the Ogre at the elbows, the weapon struck the zombie on a forty five degree angle just under it's pecs. The blade seemed to ignite in radiant fire as it cleaved through the moving corpse with little trouble, sending its top half falling away to the side as the remaining part simply collapsed on the ground.

Lex heard a chorus of cheers from his flank as he rushed to the last zombified giant-kin and cut it in two as well. As the last monstrosity stopped moving, Lex drove his greatsword into the ground and rested against it. He gritted his teeth as he panted whole gripping the handle of his weapon tightly. He was in his own little world as he heard someone clear their throat behind him.

He turned his head slowly to the group he rushed in to help had now moved up to him. One of the guards was holding his maul and another had his helmet. "Thanks" Lex said with a cough as he pushed himself off his sword and took the hammer. "You all should head to the keep" Lex said as he put the hammer away, much to the surprise of the ponies.

"What are you gonna do?" A Stallion asked as he handed Lex his helmet.

"Keep… keep fighting" Lex explained, stopping mid-sentence as coughed up more blood, which he wiped away.

"Not in your condition" a unicorn Mare guard stated as Lex pulled on his helmet.

"I… I am fine" Lex stated as he clutched his left side.

"Yea not happening" the mare stated as she crossed her arms.

"Too bad" Lex said as he began walking away from the group only to feel his entire body begin to slow as a cobalt aura surrounded his body. "And what is this?" He asked as he turned to see the mate's horn glowing with a look of strain on her face.

"Y...you a… are coming with us to help… help defend the keep" she groaned out as she focused on trying to restrain the man.

"I think it would be best if…" Lex started when he heard a faint popping noise from behind him shortly before something struck him in the shoulder. The ponies in front of him loomed horrified as only black tendrils coiled around his body while a few pierced his armour and his flesh making him cry out in pain. The aura quickly vanished as the man collapsed to his knees as the tensile burrowed and squeezed his body as it slowly necrotized his flesh.

"Oh my Celestia, I'm sorry for holding yo…" the mare said as she ran up to him to help him, but he pushed her back as he got to his feet.

"Get to the damned Keep, I have work to do." he growled out through clenched teeth as he looked around for the caster. He eventually spotted a cloaked figure with a strangely familiar wand roughly sixty feet away. "Found you" he said as his left hand glowed with purple energy. The figure seemed to be alerted to being detected but made no attempt to run as Lex felt another pulse of pain go through his body as more tendrils pierced his armour and skin. "Dimension Door!" He declared as his left hand seemed to grab an invisible object in front of himself before pulling it open. A purple doorway seemed to form before Lex, which the man moved through and teleported behind the Caster. the caster had a moment to react as Lex summoned his greatsword and brought it down in a downward slash.

His weapon struck a inches from Lex's intended target as instead of cleaving into the caster's shoulder and down through their body, the great weapon only brutally removed the caster's right arm. The caster gave a scream of agony as they stumbled a few feet away before collapsing onto the ground holding the wound. As they did, Lex felt the tendrils vanish from his body along with the pain they were causing, causing the man to drop to a kneeling stance. Lex did his best to catch his breath as he watched the caster produce a familiar looking wand that made Lex's heart sink. The Wand appeared to be made of a spine with a human skull on the top that had a sickly green glow emanating from the eyes.

He didn't know why exactly but he felt he knew what the wand was and who the wand belonged to as he had brief flashes in his mind. The flashes were too brief to gain much information from save for one.

The memory that filled his mind was of a creature that stood at least three times as high as Lex. The creature had the lower torso of a goat, and a humanoid upper body with a corpulent belly swollen with rot. Great bat wings sprout from his shoulders, and it's head is like the skull of a goat, the flesh nearly rotted from it. In one hand was the wand before him only easily seven foot long. The memory of Lex's encounter with the Blood Lord Orcus had left Lex shaken to the point where he was in his own little world.

Lex managed to break himself from the memory to see the caster before him had pressed the skull of the wand against it’s heavily bleeding wound, resulting in wisps of vile green light to penetrate the pony. Lex cringed as he heard the caster cry in pain as their arm began to reform fast and brutally, showering blood across the cobblestone. As the limb reformed, Lex pressed his attack and aimed to end the madness in one fell swoop.

Lex soon realized that sometimes plans don’t go properly as a wicked crackle of energy slammed into his chest, throwing him ten feet backwards and onto the ground hard. “H-how dare you wound me!” the caster growled as Lex finally noticed it was a stallion.

“Oh don’t be like that… I was aiming for your neck.” Lex chuckled as he got to his feet and leveled his greatsword with the stallion, who retreated a few paces. “Let me fix my mistake” Lex said before rushing forward.

“Oh hell no” The stallion said as his wand began to glow. He was unable to finish his spell in time before Lex had driven three feet of steel through his torso. “Y-you missed again” The stallion said as he coughed blood.

“You say that” Lex replied as he changed his grip on the weapon and prepared to rip it skyward. Once again, his plan didn’t go accordingly as the caster finished his spell and the pair vanished in a flash of light.

Author's Note

Hey guys, sorry for the wait.
So i am trying out something new with the whole using Images.
Let me know if you like or not.

Also let me know if you want me to continue to have the MC continue to vocalize the spells he is using