Hollow Knight: Soul and Magic

Chapters

Prologue (Remastered)
Chapter 1 (Remastered)
Chapter 2 (Remastered)
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Nightmare's Night Part 1
Nightmare Night Part 2
Chapter 8

Prologue (Remastered)

No Mind to Think

Atop a spire with a single platform stood a lonely figure with a laughable size. Around it the area was bright thanks to the large sun in the distance. Before it stood a bug embroidered with a lavish shell, judging it as this small figure faced towards the sun. Everything it had gone through came to this moment, but why was it here?

The sun in the distance suddenly sprouted wings and began to fly towards the small figure. The little being was an odd looking bug, wearing a grayish-black cloak and wielding a sharp nail. The area rumbled around this little bug, but this bug stood firm. Instead, it drew its weapon, ready to take on whatever was coming for it.

A bright light flashed before a massive moth-like being, colored in glorious bright gray, roared above this speck. Without hesitation, this little being lept up and slashed at the massive being facing it. The moth retaliated by sending several swords in various directions to squash this little pest.

Without missing a beat, the little bug dodged and deflected any swords that would have been a fatal wound. The bug then let out a roar of its own but a blast of pitch black energy had struck the moth god with such intensity that made the entity angered.

“I WILL NOT BE FORGOTTEN AGAIN!”

Several balls of pure, bright, yellow energy formed around the little creature before launching themselves at their attacker. The little bug temporarily turned into a pitch-black color and dashed into the orbs, going right through them. But it was not ready for a sudden beam of light to hit it, causing the bug’s face to slightly crack.

The bug got back up and fired another volley of pitch-black energy that caused the massive moth to stagger. It fell onto the platform with a sea of black rising to meet it, tendrils sprouting out and latching onto the moth. The moth’s eyes glowed before dissipating into essence, traveling upward to stay away from the sea of void below.

Several platforms materialized in front of the little bug, allowing the creature to hop upwards in pursuit of the massive moth. A beam of light came out of the heavens above and hit the bug traveling upward. Another crack formed on its shell, but it still pressed on.

No Will To Break

The nicely engraved bug below just stared in awe as the battle continued, too enraptured by such a spectacle. How such a small creature could challenge something so massive and powerful but not be crushed by it. This was the life she was looking forward to for the longest time.

The little bug reached the top where its enemy awaited him, more enraged that this thing could challenge its mighty strength. Several swords levitated on one side of the area and began making their way to the other. The bug jumped over them and struck the moth with a few slashes before releasing a powerful slash that caused the great moth to retreat upward once more. More platforms appeared, the little bug using them to chase after the moth.

Several lasers were fired down upon the small bug, one striking it and causing a heavy crack in the shell. Nevertheless, the bug proceeded up the platforms with the sea of void following it.

No Voice To Cry Suffering

There was nothing but two small platforms for the bug to fight the moth god. Heavily damaged was the shell but the bug was not giving this zealous god its glory. With everything in its small frame, it threw its nail right at the moth, piercing the chest surprisingly easily. The moth let out a burst of light as the bug’s shell cracked open with the sea of void covering the heavens. A single ball of void coming from the bug fell to the sea below

Born of God and Void

Tendrils of void gripped the moth god as it did not have the strength to resist the pull. White eyes opened to reveal the sinister end to the god of light. For the long life that this being has had, it feared the very existence of its ancient enemy. Black, putrid, sharp claws gripped the face of the moth before tearing it to pieces. With all four of its skeleton-like arms, it slashed at the moth until it was reduced to essence. Said essence soon being consumed by the entity as it roared triumphantly for destroying its ancient rival.

The decorated bug that had watched the fight saw waterfalls of void come down from the heavens, swallowing the nearby areas quickly. Not fear, but in awe was this bug, staring at the fight above it. Then the void creature came down, wrapping tendrils around it in a sinister embrace, but the bug could only let out a sound of awe. Then…..the void consumed her

Elsewhere

In a place full of junk and water, left to rot without care, was a massive bug wearing a golden mask similar to the bug recently consumed by the void. However, the eye sockets of the mask leaked out streams of void as the creature seemed to be fighting or allowing the void to consume it. The creature looked at a pale flower, so delicate, so small, as more void streams came out of its eyes. Tendrils began to form out of them, inducing such agonizing pain to the bug as the flower glowed brighter.

The void spilled out faster in response as if it knew what the flower was attempting to do. It would not be denied the victory it had achieved after facing its enemy for eons of time. It would not be denied its right to consume what was rightful theirs.

After glowing bright, while the bug began to dim so dark, both the bug and the flower dissipated into white essence, stopping anymore void from leaking out. Thus…...it was done……

Or was it?

“Wake……...wake……..wake……..WAKE!” the small bug suddenly shot up as it had found itself unconscious on a cold brick floor

In front of it was some sort of vampire bug that was a tad smaller than the little bug. It made an unknown cry that only the little bug knew well, and it would have given it a grateful smile if it could. The bug got up and patted the red-eyed moth on the head before looking around.

It was dark, but not dark enough to need a lantern. It was nighttime thanks to the open ceiling and destroyed sections of this place. The stars were full in view which puzzled the bug very much since back at Dirtmouth, its temporary home, the stars were very faint to see. There was no ground to block the sight and it only made the bug stare in awe.

Then it felt a tug from its companion, having the nail that the bug had used in its previous fight in its mouth. It took the nail and gave a nod before walking around. Where was the moth god that it was fighting? Where was the embroidered bug that was observing the fight? Where was the tug of destiny to lead the bug on its journey? Where was the pale light of the Pale King that led it to defeating the threat once and for all? Where were the siblings that once helped it form the void entity?

As the bug began to think, it began to realize something was wrong. It shouldn’t have the ability to think at all, so why was it able to? Was this death? If it was, wouldn’t the void consume it and make it a shade of itself? Feeling for its shell, it hit the familiar hard surface with no cracks from the battle. This must be what death was like. Yet, it was made to be unable to think. Could death have broken one of the Pale King's machinations put upon the Vessels?

“Nyaa?” the flying bug asked to it

It shrugged, unsure how to answer this load of questions while they clearly were in a previous fight. Although the red-eyed moth was not in the actual battle, it was still a part of the bug before it. A long quest with the father that involved killing said father for the child to grow. It was not an easy fight but it was done without question. A ritual of fire and rebirth.

The bug took several steps through a destroyed wall, finding a forest that looked thick and darker than the structure. Not a good place to go-to for the average bug, but this bug had no fear. It continued into the forest, hearing the small sounds of tiny bugs and even the rustling of bushes. At one point, a much taller creature, made of wood, attacked from the bushes but one simple slash cut the beast down. For something of great size yet died so easily was pitiful.

The bug proceeded into a clearing where it found the stars shined the brightest. Looking up, there was one particular star that shone much brighter than the others. Too bright for even the bug to look at. But, then its vision began to blur, an overwhelming sense of fatigue before the bug collapsed. The moth instantly went to its master side, trying to wake it as it feared the creatures that laid in wait.

It wasn’t as powerful as its caretaker nor could it defeat the vast enemies its masters faced on its long journey. How could it fend for itself if its master were to die to nature right now? Its answer was something much taller than both of them standing over. The creature looked up in dread before it too suddenly felt fatigued and laid down on the ground. A shadow looming over them as whatever forced them to sleep would last quite a while.

The figure noted a small bushel of pale flowers nearby that had not been there before. It had seen this forest many times and knew every little nook and crack within the thick trees. Where had this bush appeared from? Was the sister involved with this new plant? Perhaps the student would like to investigate what this odd flower was made of to see if it could be used for medicinal properties.

But for now, a small shimmer came over the unconscious bugs as they began to levitate and follow the moving figure. Wherever they were going, it would be not what they had seen in Hallownest.

Author's Note

Alright, so here is chapter one. I do plan on making these chapters longer and just to inform any viewers, I am taking the more traditional approach to the Knight/Vessel/Little Ghost on this story. Not that I mind it having a will, I prefer how the Hollow Knight presents the character. Anyway, enjoy and I'll try to upload roughly every week or two

Chapter 1 (Remastered)

The bug slowly began to open its eyes, noticing that it was in some sort of prison. A wooden door with a small, barred window placed on the other side. The bug had been placed on a crude and uncomfortable bed, better than the iron benches it had slept on in the past. At least the bed seemed to have been made with feathers or some material to act as a cushion rather than the cold iron back at its home. Still, the sensation was odd since the bug had been used to just sitting in generally uncomfortable spots most of its life.

It noted there was an occasional drip of water was faintly heard in the corner as the bug got up. Was this prison that ancient where irrigation had worn out the stone over many years? It had seemed that this place hadn't been used since its inception or maybe it had been forgotten about. Yet, who captured the bug and its companion? Speaking of him...

It looked for its companion, not finding it anywhere around the room but it could feel roughly where it was. Before the bug could do anything else, the wooden door opened with a tall, at least to the bug’s standard, dark blue equine. Unlike any normal equines, which this bug had never seen, she had wings and a horn. She was decorated in regal items such as a crown and crest to affirm her importance. The bug just stared blankly at the equine, not blinking as she approached it.

The equine stood a few feet away from the bug, looking down at it with a wary look, “How did thee end up here, creature of the Void?”

The bug didn’t respond for it couldn’t without a mouth. Although it was surprising that the equine, who spoke with a feminine voice, knew of what the bug was made of. Had other Vessels made it out here but lost their lives? To leave Hallownest was nigh impossible. This made the equine a bit annoyed at its silence, “Did you not hear my question?”

This time the bug shook its head. It did hear the female's question but the bug had lacked a mouth to even speak for the Pale King made it so. Without words to speak, the Vessels would be less likely to be corrupted. The equine began to think, “You cannot speak? Mute by injury?” She got a shake in return, “I see, born without it?”

The bug nodded which made matters very complicated for the equine. Without a mouth to speak, there was only one way she could effectively communicate with this creature of the Void. A little magic always helped, “Very well, I will cast a spell to allow a better form of communication between us. I demand thee answer all my questions for the Void is not welcomed here.”

The bug gave no response before the equine’s horn glowed a dark blue, enveloping the bug for just a moment until a white barrier appeared and dissipated the spell. The alicorn gave a puzzled look, attempting the spell once more but was soundly rejected by the barrier. The barrier giving the lowest and most subtle hum after each attempt to bypass it. It was a barrier of great strength that only a mastery of magic could perform.

“It seems someone has put a barrier between us. Did thou cast it?” the alicorn questioned, getting a shake from the bug. “Strange, these types of spells are very difficult. Someone with great power must have put this barrier, but why?”

The bug was silent and looked absolutely still, not even showing any breathing or blinking. The female horse thought some more before she was left with one simple option, “In order for me to have any answers, I will have to break this barrier. If it destroys you, then so be it. It won't be the first time I had faced creatures made of Void."

The alicorn’s horn glowed a dark blue one last time before a beam fired out of it, hitting the white barrier on the bug. At first, the barrier held firm and rejected the attack like an iron wall. However, as the seconds ticked by with the persistent barrage of energy, the barrier began to crack. Under the harassment of such power, the barrier wavered before shattering, causing the bug to suddenly be engulfed by the barrier’s energy. A sharp flash ensued as the alicorn had to close her eyes. The hums of the shattered barrier fading from earshot as well.

When the flash stopped, the alicorn opened her eyes to notice the bug was strangely taller. About two or three times its original size with its block-like face being more round on the bottom with its ‘antlers’ being sharper and longer. It’s stubby arms now were longer, having hands with thin fingers. What was once a small creature that looked puny and weak now could stand easily over the alicorn princess. Yet, despite this growth, the bug was quite stunned from the effects of the barrier.

“Nnng...,” came a sound from the bug. Despite not having a mouth, a voice rang out from it in masculine tone as if it had one. Whatever spell the equine had cast, it seemed to have opened up a channel of communication between the two of them.

“The barrier prevented thy growth? For what purpose would the creator want to do so? Did they fear what thee would become?” the alicorn questioned, more puzzled than anything. What kind of logic would dictate that this creature needed to stay small and puny and not grow to its full potential?

The bug put one of its new, fully formed, hands on its head as if a migraine was occurring, “The….Pale King…..Huh?”

The bug was surprised as it could now talk, looking at its reshaped hands in surprise and wonder like it did not have before. Was all of its emptiness hidden behind a barrier now broken? For all of the enemies this bug had fought, not one could break this barrier. Its shell could be broken but this barrier was never affected by the many infected bugs back in Hallownest. Not even the Radiance herself.

“Pale King? Who is this Pale King?” the alicorn questioned further. She knew not of a Pale King in all her life nor any history of such an individual. Not a single pony or other species within Equestria's past held such a title.

The bug continued observing its new body, rising to its full stature. It flinched when it bumped its head against the ceiling as it realized that it was now too tall for this cell. “I…..He was…...my father….Our father…..All the Vessels.”

“Vessels? What are they?” More questions poured from the princess with a sense of wariness in them. It could not be helped as a bug almost twice her size now stood before her and began speaking of matters unknown to her.

“What I am….a creation to hold the Infection. Born to not have a mind or soul to corrupt but expendable if I..We fail,” the Vessel now explained, sitting back on the bed to find it now too small. It began rubbing the new face it had and noted how smooth and rounded it felt. Almost like another Vessel...The only Vessel to achieve a form like this.

The alicorn grew curious about where this Vessel had come from now that it had spilled out some information. But, she was getting off track, “Back to my original question, how did thoust get here?”

The Vessel took a moment to think back to what had caused it to end up in such a place. But what was here? It only remembered that shattered temple before it went unconscious and ended up here. A few memories of Godhome sprung forth and then the familiar roar of the Void. Flashes of the Radiance being tethered by tendrils before being shattered into essence like a pest.

“There was a….place. Godhome, as the Godseekers called it. A land stuck in dreams... I only remember my shell broke... If…you don't mind me asking, where am I?” the Vessel explained, its mind buzzing with all these past events in its head. The revelation of all it slamming into it at once. Like a hammer to a nail.

The alicorn was silent as the Vessel answered the main question to the best of its ability, earning her wary glance to drop as she could tell this was a lost soul. Well, a soulless creature, but a lost one at that. “Thou art in Equestria. The most peaceful kingdom of the land. I am one of its rulers, Princess Luna.”

The Vessel, by instinct, lowered its head and body to royalty. A behavior pushed into it from the very conception that even it did not know how. An instinct forged by God and driven by Void. “Forgive me, your majesty. I did not come here by my own will."

Luna let a small smile begin to form on her face before speaking, “I have more questions for you, however, they will be asked alongside my sister.”

“And what of my companion?” The Vessel uttered. Where had the little Grimmchild have gone to? Was it locked in another cell or had Princess Luna done something worse to it?

Luna’s face formed a frown, clearly showing her hesitation to answer a question, “The bug that holds nightmares? I believe it should remain locked for the safety of the kingdom. My own experience with that type of power has made me more careful of such things.

The Vessel rose again but kept himself slightly bent to just avoid the ceiling reminding it of his new height. “He is a part of me, a Vessel. I cannot go without him as our lives are now bound to each other."

The alicorn stood her ground firmly, “Until I or my sister allow it, behind bars it shall remain. You have no idea what kind of damage Nightmares have caused within these lands."

The Vessel went quiet, giving a slow nod as it relented. Luna’s smile returned before she turned around, “Come, my sister awaits.”

The Vessel followed the princess out of the dungeon. Upon exiting the cell, several equines in armor surrounded the Vessel with spears on sight. From a quick glance, the Vessel noted that each of them had a slight amount of fear behind their steely gaze as if they had never faced something like it before. A quick motion from Princess Luna forced the guards to lower the weapons so they could proceed. The entire trip through the winding hallways was a slow one, especially so with several guards practically glued to the Vessel. But once they reached the castle proper, the Vessel marveled at such a beautiful sight.

Clearly this castle was built with the best minds in hand with long hallways in bright colors. A checkered tile floor, many banners hanging from the walls, and stained glass windows that told stories. Only a land of great power and wealth could develop such luxuries. This was a much different experience compared to the White Palace, which was nothing but a white color ...Plus a lot of saws and thorns. Guards were stationed everywhere as a security measure, giving glares at the Vessel. By count, it seemed there were almost thirty of them, including the ones next to the Vessel.

A set of large double doors were opened with a long carpet leading into the throne room. The end of the room was elevated with two thrones upon it, one decorated in a fashion suited to Princess Luna and the other opposite. Sitting on the opposite throne, a taller alicorn with a pure alabaster coat and multicolored mane was visible. Her mane waved similarly to Luna's and she radiated a form of calming aura that permeated in the room. This must have been the other princess that Luna had mentioned.

Luna stopped walking as the larger alicorn rose to meet the new arrival. She walked with grace and calmness that it would seem like she had no fear in the creature before. Even though the Vessel was standing at her height so it could directly look into her eyes. Something felt off about the other princess that made the Vessel wary of her like Luna had been wary of him. The calming aura reminding the bug of the Radiance.

“Guards, you can lower your weapons. This void creature means no harm,” the taller alicorn spoke in a soft and motherly tone. Even so, authority also rang out from it that made the smaller equine guards relax their stances.

The guards closest to the Vessel broke off before taking posts to the side of the room. Luna whispered some words to the other alicorn, the Vessel assuming that Luna was revealing all she gathered from it. Minutes would tick by as the hushed whispers of the two Princesses were too low to comprehend. Luna would glance between her sister and the Vessel occasionally while the sister stared directly at it. Once the whispers ceased, the taller alicorn spoke with a gentle smile.

“Vessel, as I assume to call you, I am Princess Celestia, ruler of Equestria. From what my sister tells me, you did not come here in a natural way. Care to explain better?” the alicorn introduced herself with no form of malice evident.

The Vessel made a respectful bow before it began to speak, “As I have told your sister, your majesty, I only remember fighting the mortal enemy of my kingdom, the Radiance. My shell broke and…I….blacked out. I and my companion woke up in a ruined temple before we were captured.”

Celestia only raised a brow at the Vessel’s explanation, “Your shell broke? Wouldn’t you have perished?”

“Yes….but I remember being swamped by a sea of void before I woke up here,” the Vessel agreed as it explained

“Sea of void? Did this sea consume thy kingdom?” Luna now asked, her wary glance returning at the thought of the Void entering their world

“No...I made sure it didn’t. I have complete control of the Void. My father turned to the Void to fight off the Radiance, leading to the creation of the Vessels. Speaking of which., how do you two know I was made of Void?” the Vessel now posed a question to the two monarchs before it. Did the Void exist in Equestria like Hallownest?

The two alicorns looked at each other before Celestia answered, “You give off a cold aura around you. We all felt it the moment you walked into the room. Void is not unique in your kingdom, it can be found in many places. So long as life exists, the Void will be there. However, it never manifests into a single entity or a single body. It is feral and uncaring whether it consumes, destroys or aids. But for the Void to take form…”

“Void given focus,” the Vessel uttered. The phrase it once heard from a large but hollowed out husk of an ancient bug that held a pool of Void. The Vessel remember having gained newfound strength when it began strengthening its connection and embracing its darker side. The Snail Shamans wise words even resonated with it.

“We beg your pardon?” Luna raised a brow

The Vessel was silent, unsure how to explain what he had just said. Before either group could say more words, a red dust appeared next to the Vessel. The dust dissipated as a bug similar in height to the vessel stood in place. It’s cloak covered its entire body besides its head, having a bat-like design coupled with red eyes. It was Grimmchild, but he had suddenly grown so quickly. A form more familiar to the Vessel.

“Apologies your majesties. A troupe master as myself should never barge into interrogations like this but I do have the right to be questioned alongside my friend. It would be quite rude if I did not give my own testimony,” Grimmchild, with a much deeper voice, spoke. No longer a child...but a Father.

Luna frowned at the Vessel of Nightmare’s sudden appearance when he should have been in the dungeon. Her action of breaking the Vessel’s seal unknowingly had allowed this Nightmare to grow as well. Their bond must have allowed Luna's actions to help strengthen the Nightmare unintentionally. The aura he began to fill the room with was beginning to unnerve the guards slightly and a faint but wicked smile creased Grimm's face.

“Normally, you both would have been sent back to the dungeon for the possibility of being a threat in Equestria. However, I do not follow such matters anymore. It is clear that you,” Celestia said, pointing at the Vessel with her hoof, “are not wanting to destroy anything in my kingdom. However, I cannot let you go without safeguards in case you have an ulterior motive.”

The Vessel didn’t understand what Celestia meant by ‘ulterior motive’ since it had already done its main purpose in life. Were the alicorns worried about the Vessel’s void being out of control? The moment the Vessel thought on that, it felt a shiver and a brief moment of those final seconds against the Radiance. The Shade Lord, Void given Focus, the ancient enemy of the Radiance...

“We are not simple supporting characters of the main play, your highness. I, for one, do not seek to murder anyone or destroy any kingdoms. That is not my purpose, despite what your sister might think. My friend here is similar with the fact he was created solely to stop the Radiance. Without the Radiance, he has no reason to be a threat. As for my purpose, I am merely a reaper of fallen souls. Worn down kingdoms of days past who's souls linger,” Grimm countered, knowing full well that the Vessel was now lacked purpose.

Celestia and Luna turned around to whisper to one another. Grimm and the Vessel shared a look before turning back to the alicorns. Whatever they were discussing, it had to be about some sort of safety precautions. But what would they do? Put a seal on both of them? Bind them in chains to prevent their strength from spilling forth? Put them back in the dungeons when they couldn't even hold Grimm.

Turning back to the two vessels, Celestia spoke, “I have decided that you will be under the guidance and care of my most faithful student, Twilight Sparkle. Consider this a test of your true nature and what actions you perform in my kingdom will be reported to me by my student. So long as you do not harm my little ponies or terrorize anyone, you can walk about freely."

"A further note, Nightmare, I will be watching you closely. There will be no warning if I suspect any foul play about you," Luna added with a glare towards Grimm

“Who is this Twilight Sparkle?” Grimm questioned, finding his dirtied cloak more offending than the glaring Princess in front of him.

Upon his question, the double doors opened as the two vessels turned to face the new arrival. They were greeted with a much smaller, a bit shorter than Luna, pony with a light purple coat. Her mane was a darker purple besides one streak of pink that was only obstructed with a horn on her head. The moment she laid eyes on the two vessels, she froze in place out of fear.

“Death is a cruel mistress,” Grimm only uttered

Author's Note

This one was a lot more heavy-handed dialogue which should lighten up in the following chapter. How do you guys view this version of the Vessel? Who do you think the Vessel and Grimm will have a hard time getting along with?

Your feedback is highly appreciated

Chapter 2 (Remastered)

After some awkward staring from both parties, the purple unicorn finally got her nerves together and walked up to the two vessels. She tried her best to be friendly despite the rest of her body literally shaking in fear somewhat by the sheer aura overwhelming her, “Hello, my name is Twilight Sparkle. Student of Celestia and bearer of the Element of Magic.”

The ever so gentlebug Grimm gave a bow as a response. His manners had no waned despite being in a new land, juxtaposing his actual being. “A pleasure, Bearer of Magic. You may call me Grimm, King of Nightmares and Troupe Master.” This response got everyone in the throne room on edge as Grimm chuckled, “Calm down, I don’t bite. We don't seek destruction, We only appear when destruction has already happened."

Sensing the intensity rising among the guards, who now had their spears pointed at Grim, it spoke, “You may call me Vessel, or Ghost. A...friend once called me Little Ghost but I was much smaller then. You can trust I will not pursue any harm to anyone. I have fulfilled my purpose in my own kingdom.”

When introductions were properly ended, Celestia then began to explain “Twilight, I want you and the other Elements of Harmony to get these two acquainted within Equestria. They don’t mean harm to us but I do want reports for however much time they spend with you. In the meantime, I and Luna will try to find this kingdom that they came from and hopefully find them a way back. From what we know, they arrived here out of normal means.”

“You can count on me, Princess. I know just how to get them used to this kingdom,” Twilight smiled before turning to the two vessels, “You don’t mind if I ask a lot of questions about your kingdom and you two?”

Grimm responded, “Not at all, we are all friends here. Although, let it be on our way to wherever you are taking us. I am no fan of such brightness within this castle, beautiful as it may be.”

Vessel, better to call it Ghost, turned back to the princesses, “What of my equipment. May I have them back?”

Luna answered with a nod, “Yes, the guards will hand your blade and various items back to you on your way out. Take care.”

With the princesses’ blessing, the guards did indeed have Ghost’s nail and other items for it to take back. Twilight led them out of the castle, quite expertly since it had a lot of long hallways that reminded Ghost of the White Palace. He shivered at the thought, too many saws and spikes. His father must have been a masochist or some sort of sadistic to think that was a ‘worthy’ training course. How many Vessels fell to the machinations of that place?

Ghost looked up and suddenly stopped as it found itself back at the White Palace. The previous appearance of Canterlot Castle having just dissappeared around him with neither Twilight nor Grimm being within eyesight. It seemed to have been transported right back to the throne room as said throne was in front of him..with someone he knew. It saw the Pale King in front of it clothed in glorious white robes and radiating such pale radiance that it almost was beginning to burn Ghost's void eyes.

“F-father?” Ghost dropped to its knees, an emotion of longing and hope welled inside its chest. It was so overwhelming that it forced the void being to look straight to the floor and clutch its chest in pain. Like a searing wound boring itself into it.

The Pale King only gave a nod before speaking, “You have done well, my Vessel. Where many have failed before you, even the best, you have succeeded. The Radiance has been vanquished and the Void has been tamed by your very being. My gambit had paid off. However, your path is not done. More dangers will arise, especially those that could destroy Hallownest. What little that remains of it.”

“But Hallownest is ruined, what is there to destroy?” Ghost questioned of its father’s statement. Such a ludicrous thing as there was hardly a sane bug left that hadn't already been infected or killed off by its own hands.

“I have little time to say. Find the Godseekers, that is your new mission. They will know what to do,” The Pale King stated before he vanished in a mist of white essence. The pain fading quickly as the palace around Ghost also beginning to vanish as well.

Before Ghost could reach out to try and catch its father, it found himself back at the Canterlot Palace. Grimm and Twilight were looking at him in concern as he was actually releasing streams of Void from its eyes that began to make a small pool on the floor. Thankfully none of the guards noticed this occurring or they might have interpreted in the worst way possible.

Grimm was the first to speak after lending a hand to help Ghost rise, “My friend, are you alright? You began to space out. Moreover, I faintly felt the Wyrm's presence within this place.”

Ghost took a moment to rub the void tears out of its eyes. The black liquid being absorbed back into its body “I saw him…my father…The Pale King.”

Twilight raised a brow, one of her hundreds of questions began to form, “Who is the Pale King? Was he your ruler? Was he powerful? Tell me more!"

As they left the Palace and headed towards the station, with Twilight leading the way, Ghost began to explain, “The Pale King was a Wyrm, a godlike being that became a bug like us. He gave the surrounding bugs a mind of their own when they were no more than beasts. With his power, he created and ruled over Hallownest. But for all of his power and bringing bugs together, he angered an ancient god of the Moth Tribe. The Radiance was the name that it was referred to so my father made a desperate measure. He made a deal with the Void to create me and thousands of similar Vessels”

“Thousands of siblings?” Twilight asked in awe and wonder, paying for the tickets of the train without a second thought. The mare in the ticket office looking at the two Vessels with a terrified look as she took the money quickly and ducked under the desk.

Despite the looks they were getting from the locals, Ghost was too lost in his explanation and memories while Twilight was too enraptured with the story. Only Grimm felt uncomfortable with the stares they got but at the same time, he began to feel the essence of this place become so strong. A feeling that began igniting a certain desire within himself that he no doubt must abide. While Equestria may not be a dead kingdom, there was too much essence to ignore.

“Yes, thousands of failures. Cast down into the Abyss to die for their flaws. Only one of us was hollow enough for the Pale King to take with him. I escaped the Abyss and found my way into Hallownest, where the Vessel chosen to take the Radiance had failed. It was corrupted by the Radiance because our father loved it. He thought it was perfect...unlike the rest of us" Ghost explained further. It paused as it looked outside towards the clear sky momentarily before boarding the train that began roaring its horn.

They got onto the train and took their seats in the back. Being as discreit as possible and also being thankful that there were few other ponies within the train cart to stare at them. But Twilight was too shocked beyond belief that Ghost revealed how he was cast down to die by his own father. All because it wasn't perfectly hollow and only one of its kin was chosen to become the Hollow Knight.

“How horrible! No father should ever have to do that to their own children. No matter what mistakes occur within you, or what failures you make. That must have broken your spirits to be cast aside like that” Twilight argued, getting angry at the thought of such crimes

“You misunderstand." Ghost argued back, preventing the unicorn from letting her anger flare. "We were born without mind or voice. Unbreakable will to try and contain the Radiance. We were soulless bugs of void, empty shells holding an ancient power. We were no better than the mindless bugs," it finished with a sigh.

Twilight was confused by this information, “Then how did you get a mind and voice? Did you develop one after surviving or maybe its the magic from Equestria that allowed you become your own person”

Ghost was about to reply but Twilight's words stunned it momentarily. It looked at its hands once more and wondered if Luna had given him a gift at being able to talk and think. This had to be a just reward to destroying the Radiance. Although, it figured that it still owed Twilight a bit of an explanation how it and Grimm got here.

“I fought the Radiance in Godhome, empowered by the Godseekers. Just when the Radiance thought it had destroyed me, I used the Void to empower myself…..and I can’t remember anything after that. I woke up here and found myself having thoughts, then Princess Luna broke a seal to unlock my growth and voice,” Ghost explained further, “I believe this kingdom has some sort of effect on me like you said or maybe I had died.”

Twilight put a hoof to her chin in thought about all the information that she received. Did the peace of this kingdom have an effect on Ghost? He came from a kingdom plagued by infection and combat. Maybe a lack of magic prevented the Vessel from able to unlocking its own growth and becoming more powerful than before. As she thought, Grimm had decided to sleep and Ghost began to drift off again. The trip to Ponyville would be long, so it was a good thing they slept while they could.

You think you could escape us, God of Gods? Hoho stop the Void, you may have, but you only brought us to a new land full of gods. With this, we thank thee. Thou art so generous to have us serve you dutifully.

Ghost awoke to find itself on a stone bench with Grimm, but the area around him was Godhome, not the train cart. It got up and began to explore, looking for the main Godseeker herself. The other Seekers bowed to Ghost as it passed, knowing of its great power back in Hallownest. Although, they only did so because of said power or they would have looked the other way. Eventually, Ghost made its way to the peak of Godhome, where it had fought the Radiance for the last time.

Godseeker, the main one that had put Ghost through all the pantheons, was staring out into new scenery. Instead of the bright sun that was the Radiance, there was now a bright sun and moon. If Ghost had to guess, it must be a reference to Celestia and Luna. Just like how they were able to observe the Pale Lady despite her own power having waned significantly since the fall. Godseeker turned towards Ghost, looking well pleased and not infected by the void despite what happened earlier.

“God of gods, it is good thou hast come to us. New gods are in this land, so many for us to handle. Most are asleep, but we trust thee and God of Nightmares to awaken them. Hm…..What’s this? Thy mind is free,” Godseeker said in astonishment as she could feel Ghost’s newly freed mind and emotions. Being so attuned to the Vessel allowed Godseeker to glimpse into its now open mind while she hadn't before. A most curious thing.

But Ghost was not here to have idle talk. There was the words of the Pale King that had to be followed. “Godseeker, the Pale King revealed himself to me. Help me find him and stop these 'gods' that might be a threat to this land.”

Godseeker hummed as she turned towards the sun and moon in the distance, “We could, but the Pale King’s radiance is hidden. Our power is lacking in order to find him for we have been reduced despite thy power rising. Destroy the gods of this land and we may be able to find him. Attunement is the only way.”

Ghost raised a brow, but remembered that the Godseekers needed combat to have better attunement, “Wait, how am I here in Godhome while I’m sleeping?”

Godseeker giggled in amusement to Ghost’s lack of putting the pieces together, “Does thou forget we are attuned to thee, god of gods? No need for mortal shells when thy power is enough to shield us from these cringers.”

Ghost wanted to learn further, but a bright light blinded it and it awoke to find that the train had stopped. The sudden motion causing the Vessel to bump into Grimm’s side, awakening the King of Nightmares. Twilight was busy writing a letter while sitting on one of the nearby seats. When she saw them awake, she put away her letter and pen before getting off her seat.

“Before we head over to the library, I want you two to meet one of my best friends,” Twilight began before she began to consider the reaction her friend might have at the sight of just Grimm alone. She wasn't a fan of dark things and the Nightmare King wasn't helping his case. “Just.don’t scare her or the fillies.”

Ghost looked at Grimm with a knowing look, which Grimm looked confused, “What? Am I really that scary? Surely the children would love as I have the utmost experience in raising them. I'm confident your friend will warm up to me very quickly once they see I am not a threat.”

Ghost paid the words no mind as it too considered what would this friend would think of it. Naturally, it felt the mask keeping the shade contained but found a crack running down the middle. It must have been the scar the Radiance had afflicted it when the Shade Lord was summoned. No...It was the very last thing that happened before any memories were snuffed out.

Twilight led the way once more with the two in tow. Grimm kept himself a few paces behind to observe the town they were now roaming across. Bigger than the abandoned settlement of Dirtmouth and having much more life but too bright for him. Many of the locals, who had been going on their daily business, stopped to see the newly arrived creatures. Several of them running away in an instant. What would have been insulting to some was humorous for the Nightmare King as he let out a chuckle from these peaceful ponies cowering in fear from just his appearance.

After some time traveling down the road, and unintentionally scaring a lot of other ponies. A large field could be seen from the road they walked, including a red barn in the distance. This was unfamiliar territory for both vessels since they have never seen farms like this before. Then again, they were bugs from a different world.

As they got closer to the farm, they saw a trio of fillies of various species around something. Before Twilight could say anything, the trio of fillies revealed some sort of large board on wheels. At least, that’s what the vessels viewed it as, and the trio hopped onto it before taking off on the road towards them.

At first, the vessels saw that they were having fun on their new contraption, but their look of happiness quickly changed into one of terror as one of them tried turning a circular object. The object broke off and they were beginning to pick up speed. It was almost comical, if it wasn’t heading right for them!

“Look out!” one of the three yelled

Grimm instinctively teleported away in a mist of flame while Ghost grabbed Twilight and jumped off to the side. The rolling terror past them as Twilight looked in horror, “You got to stop those three before they crash.”

Grimm had reappeared by this point, looking at the speeding away cart with a neutral expression, “I’m afraid we won’t be able to c-...”

Ghost got into a crouching stance before several pink crystals formed around it, shooting off like a bullet as the crystals shattered below. Twilight, and even Grimm, stood there in shock as Ghost caught up to the speeding trio of fillies. While still holding onto momentum generated by the Crystal Dash ability, it grabbed each one by the scruff of their necks before grabbing its nail and smashing the cart down with a single strike. The purified nail would make easy work of the simple wooden structure, shattering it into pieces.

Once the cart was thoroughly pulverized, Ghost forced its momentum to slow down to a halt, landing on its two feet safely with the three fillies safe and held in one of the arms. They were fascinated with a being such as it, a simple mask hiding the shade beneath and being so tall compared to them. It wasn't everyday they got to see something stand on two legs or even look like a Vessel such as Ghost.

“Thanks mister, we thought we were done for,” the orange coated and purple maned filly said

Ghost gave a nod before getting down to its knees to make the size difference between them much smaller, “It was of no consequence. What were you three doing with that?"

“Jus’ gettin’ our cutie marks,” the yellow one with a red mane answered with confidence

“Your what?” Ghost questioned in confusion. What in Hallownest was a Cutie Mark? Was it a Spell of Binding or one of the many charms that Ghost acquired when pursuing its goal?

“Our markings that show everyone what we’re talented at. Say, where’s yours? You don’t look like you have one, in fact, you don’t look like you are from around here,” the white one said, observing Ghost. She began poking his void body and finding it quite a strange feeling. No heat or cold radiating from it and no fur or skin unlike them.

“We are most certainly not, children. We have come to this kingdom under some odd circumstances that we are still wondering ourselves,” the voice of Grimm was heard behind the trio

The three turned around to face Grimm, one of them being nervous, another looking in awe, and the last having a neutral expression, “Are you some sort of magician?”

Grimm merely chuckled, despite his appearance and the aura he was emanating. The fillies were an odd bunch already to have any form of bravery to him while others would cower in fear, “No, no. Much more. The Nightmare Heart seeks to sustain itself and I am its vessel through the use of my troupe.”

“So yer’ a performer?” the yellow one asked, not taking Grimm’s words very seriously

Grimm mused in response, “Yes, I am a performer. Sadly, I am lost without my troupe with only my companion to keep me company.”

Twilight galloped over, looking content the three fillies were alright, “Thanks again, Ghost. I have never seen anypony go that fast save for the pegasi.”

Ghost gave a nod. It was not that much of a challenge since he had dealt with much worse obstacles. It looked over to the fillies, “And what might your names be?”

“Scootaloo,” the orange one said

“Applebloom,” the yellow one added

“Sweetie Belle,” the white one finished

“We are the Cutie Mark Crusaders!” all three announced, doing a pose that only made Ghost remember the Five Great Knights of Hallownest. Many of them perishing while only Ogrim was the only Knight still alive to lament his fallen friends. But, despite that, he seemed to keep a cheery mood and did not lose any of his battle prowess.

Ghost got up to do a short bow to the CMC, “You may call me Ghost, the Vessel of Hallownest. One of the last living vessels left alive and trained under many of the Nailmasters.”

“So you’re a knight!?” Scootaloo said, right at Ghost’s feet with wide eyes of curiosity. The little orange pegasus wrapped her hooves around its leg and wasn't taken aback by the body made of void.

Ghost simply replied, “In a manner of speaking, yes. But never officially.”

“Teach us your ways oh wise one. Teach us how to be knights as well,” Sweetie Belle said, all three of the crusaders prostrating themselves with Twilight’s not as amused by their antics. It wasn't the first time they tried to get someone with any form of renown to teach them.

“Absolutely not! Applejack, Rarity and Rainbow Dash would never let you three train under a stranger,” Twilight argued, fearing the three of her friends getting angry for Twilight allowing this to happen. Well, maybe Rainbow Dash, but only because she was a bit more reckless than the former two.

Grimm only chuckled as he saw an opportunity arise, “Oh but why not, Twilight? They are just wanting to learn how to defend themselves in case something terrible happened. I teach my children how to fend for themselves all the time. It wouldn't be right to deny them the opportunity for self-improvement.”

Ghost gave Grimm an annoyed look with the Crusaders crowding around it, “Grimm, they’re children. They shouldn’t have to face terrors like what was in Hallownest. Even the most minor bug would be too much for them.”

This response made the crusaders hang their heads low in sadness before they pulled the ultimate trump card, the cute eyes trick. Ghost, when he wasn’t introduced with thoughts and feelings, would be able to simply stare at them without blinking. Now, he was beginning to feel a bit guilty for letting these three not learn from him. He was their savior, and he was a child when he took on his quest, in vessel standards. What was the difference between it and the three little fillies before him who simply wanted its expertise in combat? Although they lacked any actual arms to wield a nail properly.

After a minute of silence and exposure to the ultimate trump card, Ghost sighed in defeat, “I’ll teach you three something. Just some nail techniques because I’m sure the Nailmasters wouldn't be opposed for their lessons to be passed on. But this is only between us.”

Twilight facehoofed while Grimm was amused that Ghost’s newfound feelings were being twisted into a weakness, “As long as they don’t get hurt. Whatever happens to them will be your responsibility, Ghost.”

Applebloom pulled on Ghost’s cloak to get his attention, “I got to show you to my family, Applejack would really like to meet you,”

Ghost gave a nod before the crusaders, with Twilight, led the way to the farmhouse. As they walked, Ghost gave Grimm an annoyed look, making the Nightmare King smile mockingly. What was Grimm thinking under those red eyes of his?

“Why couldn’t I just be a shade in the Abyss?” Ghost thought to himself

Author's Note

Okay, there is chapter two. So we have the CMC and Grimm causing a little havoc for our dear Ghost, what a new life he's having. We also got the Godseeker and Pale King make an appearance.

What do you guys think will happen down the line? How did you like the chapter? Leave a response below to let me know

Chapter 3

Being led to the red barn after a few minutes, both vessels waited outside as the CMC and Twilight went inside to get a specific someone. It wasn't anything special to the normal eye but to the bugs, it was strange. It reminded them of a storehouse before the collapse came and the colors were strange to them. Paintmaster Sheo might had found something worthwhile out of it while Ghost was used to more bleak colors. While they waited for their previous company, Ghost took a moment to look at Grimm before speaking, "Grimm, I was contacted once more by the Godseekers."

The Nightmare King hummed with one of his hands resting under his chin in thought. Their presence never left Ghost despite everything that happened before hand. It could be that their attuned power allowed them to circumvent any form of demise. “So it is. Were they the ones who sent us here?

Ghost shook its head, “No, how we got here is still a mystery to me. The Godseekers only said I brought us here, but I don’t recall how. Ever since I felt empowered by their attuned strength and became the Shade Lord, I cannot recall the exact moment that led us here.

“Was it an item? Was there anything you can remember from Godhome or before that might have brought us here? I severely doubt the Godseekers alone would do this nor would I consider you to do this yourself, companion. After facing you in Godhome myself, I believe something happened afterward,” Grimm replied.

Ghost thought back to Godhome, all the beings from Hallownest he had fought, and even before that. It remembered one of the Five Great Knights giving it a quest to deliver a flower. After it had delivered that flower, the knight had vanished from existence. Flowers grew around a grave which Ghost had taken some to give to his closest compatriots. Although the flower was such a delicate thing that it had to avoid any hurdle or the flower would be destroyed.

Some were receptive of the gift while others denied it for various reasons. One of the ones who liked the gift was Godseeker, “Grimm, do you know anything about a Delicate Flower?”

The Troupe Master’s eyes lit up at the sound of that name, his scarlet fire rising either in rage or delight, “Ah yes, the Delicate Flower. That small thing yet holds so much power to wipe one’s existence at will. I believe you had given one to Godseeker, yes?”

Ghost nodded with Grimm only thinking more, “Perhaps the flower itself had caused Godseeker to lose her physical form. As a result, it might have sent us here in random instead of simple death. After all, you had entered the Dream Realm through the Godseeker herself which then led to Godhome. The flower must have prevented the Shade Lord to be unleashed upon the world.”

“How does that explain Godseeker being in my mind?” Ghost questioned in uncertainty to Grimm’s hypothesis

“Unsure, the flower was a strange one. I had only encountered it a few times in all my years and rebirths. Different kingdoms once spoke of it but I paid it no mind.” Grimm was saying before he found himself suddenly being tied up in a firm rope

Ghost was about to draw its nail before it too was tied in a strong restraint. Looking down at what was holding its arms down, it was quite puzzled that they were bound by simple rope. But for how simple it was, it was a very strong hold. Their captor appeared above the two tied vessels with a frown.

“Now y'all better listen up, changelings. Show yourselves befawe ah make y'all,” said the assailant with her thickly accented voice

Grimm gave a deadpan look to the pony that was threatening them, contemplating on simply dematerializing to show how ineffective the rope was, but he wasn’t that type of bug, “It seems that we are forever bound by the technical advancement of the dreaded rope, oh woe to us.”

Ghost looked at Grimm with a similar look, “If you were trying to be subtle, at least do a better job than aggravating the local populace.”

“Aggravating the local populace? Oh my friend, you amuse me with every word you can say. I remember when you couldn’t talk. It feels like yesterday when you arrived at my troupe,” Grimm sighed in fondness of such memories

The assailant was a bit confused on the vessels’ conversation, revealing herself to have been a light orange pony with blond hair. Her mane and tail were neatly tied into a ponytail coupled with a stetson, “What’re y’all talking about?”

Thankfully Twilight had come out of the barn. Her expression turned to shock and worry, “Applejack! Those are the new visitors.”

The assailant, named Applejack, gave the vessels a look over before sheepishly chuckling. Proceeding to untie the firm knot the vessels were in, “Ah’m sorry. Ah thought you were Changelings.”

Dusting themselves, Ghost was the first to speak, “I didn't think other bugs from Hallownest were around. They only ever took the form of a grub when I was on my quest. What are these Changelings?"”

“They are a breed of insects in pony form that can take the appearance of any pony. Although, they do have to watch out for issues such as size, weight, and they cannot take the form of a creature that isn’t quadruped. At least, not that I know of,” Twilight began to explain

Applejack finished the explanation quickly, “And their queen is the most evil one of them all. She tried to have her entire hive invade Canterlot durin' a wedding. Good thing we put a stop to em'. All six Elements of Harmony. Ah’m one of them, the Element of Honesty.”

“I do not ever lie to my guests or friends, you have my word. As a troupe master, I take blame for all the problems within my troupe. You may call me Grimm,” Grimm did his signature bow

“Just refer to me as Ghost, or Vessel. Although, Ghost is much simpler,” Ghost gave a short bow which Applejack returned by taking off her stetson before bowing herself

The Element of Honesty lightened up with a smile before turning towards the barn with the red house next to it, “Come along ya’ll. Ah got to show ya my family. As ya know, this here is Sweet Apple Acres. Best tasting apples for many generations thanks to the family technique of bucking the trees.”

“Bucking the trees? Why would you do that instead of simply grabbing them?” Grimm questioned before the group followed Applejack

“Family tradition and if ya do it jus’ right, ya can knock all them apples in one hit,” Applejack answered, opening the door for the rest to enter

For Grimm and Ghost, they had to bend down a bit just to enter the home. They were met with a cozy home for a small family, something Ghost never got to experience his entire life. An elderly green mare was sitting on a rocking chair while a much younger and tougher red stallion was looking at them. Unlike the others, the elderly mare and red stallion did not freak out at the sight of the two vessels entering their home.

Applejack was the last to enter before she began to make introductions, “Alright. This fine mare is my Granny Smith and that big softie is my brother, Big Mac.”

“What? Who said my name?” the elderly mare asked, looking around but not spotting the group at the front door

“Such is the state of old age. For not the power of the Nightmare Heart, I would be food for maggots,” Grimm muttered to himself, keeping it low to avoid anyone besides Ghost from overhearing him

“Wait a second, there were a group of fillies that got themselves into trouble. One of them was named Applebloom,” Ghost spoke, his mind beginning to put the gears together

Applejack gave a nod before saying, “That’s mah little sis. She and her friends can’t keep themselves from plowing into trouble. Finding their cutie marks and all.”

“Eeyup,” Big Mac added

Twilight was making a few notes on that letter of hers before teleporting it away, “So far so good with everything. Anything unusual happening around?”

Applejack put a hoof to her chin to think for a few moments, shaking her head, “Nah, nothing ah couldn’t handle. Ya thinking we got more critters like them?”

“I don’t know. But if these two are here, who knows what else arrived,” Twilight shrugged before turning to the vessels, “Let’s head back to my place. On the way back, you’ll get to meet another one of my best friends. All I can say is I hope you two like parties.”

Once again leading the Vessels, Twilight took them from Sweet Apple Acres all the way back into town. As usual, ponies were staring at the two vessels with suspicion and fear, even with their designated pony chaperone. The trip itself would be peaceful besides a pink blur bouncing around the area before stopping in front of them. To say this pony was hyper...was an understatement.

“Hi! I haven’t seen you two around here before, in fact, I have never seen anything like you! Are you from another kingdom full of death, infection, and dark endings?!” the pink pony said, making both vessel’s eyes widen with how accurate she questioned their former home

Twilight sheepishly pulled the mare away from the vessels, giggling in nervousness, “That’s Pinkie Pie for you. She says a lot of things that often don’t make sense. Many things that I can never explain.”

“Maybe it’s better it stays that way,” Ghost could only mutter, finding Pinkie’s question too close to how Hallownest was, too close for Ghost to not have suspicions about what Godseeker had mentioned

The pink mare then took out a couple of cupcakes out of the ethereal plane of, quite literally, nowhere. Both vessels looked at Twilight to have any form of explanation or excuse to describe what just happened but the purple unicorn stayed silent. While Grimm had the ability to eat such foods, Ghost was not as lucky. This, of course, got the attention of the Nightmare King, grabbing the second cupcake without hesitation.

Ghost had a straight face as this all occurred to him, “Why did you take my cupcake?”

“You have no mouth, therefore, I will gladly give these cupcakes to my children” Grimm answered, earning a sigh from Ghost

“You have children?” Twilight questioned, sceptical that a Nightmare such as Grimm would be able to have such offspring

“Are they small and cute looking versions of you?!” Pinkie Pie also questioned, more excited at the prospect of seeing miniature Grimms roaming about Ponyville

The Troupe Master only chuckled amusingly, “Of course my friends. They learn well from their father, and they don’t bite back. Would you care for a child, Miss Sparkle?”

Whether Grimm knew it or not, most likely he was purposely toying with the eggheaded purple pony, Twilight easily misinterpreted what he meant. Her face was lit up in a bright red, quite noticeable with sundown occuring around them. She looked like her brain was literally destroyed with Grimm’s monkey wrench thrown into it. No words came out of her mouth besides very small sounds. Her body visibly shook, trying to hold down the nerves that were shaking violently with such a question.

“Grimm, I think you caused our guide to have a panic attack,” Ghost pointed out, “I don’t think she understood what you meant by your offer.”

The Nightmare King blinked a couple of times before getting the hint Ghost was trying to convey, “Ah, yes. Apologies, Miss Sparkle. What I meant was no form of courtship since I am unable to do such acts. What I meant was a fun joke, no strings attached. It seems I have forgotten that different species interpret what I say much differently.”

“Aw. I wanted to see a little version of you so badly,” Pinkie Pie whined slightly, literally deflating into a puddle while Twilight was recomposing herself

After a few short breaths to reassure herself, the Element of Magic finally spoke, “You’re forgiven, Grimm. Just know not to ask that to anypony or they will get the wrong idea. At least give the context to what you mean so nopony interprets what you mean to actually mean courtship. As you know, pony courtships-”

The vessels just stood there, listening to Twilight Sparkle ramble on about how pony society viewed relationships. There were clear social taboos that was common sense to the vessels. Even if they didn’t know this, what they were prevented them from such taboos. Sadly, this wouldn’t stop the unicorn from explaining everything in fine detail.

Grimm’s eyes narrowed in annoyance after a few minutes of information thrown in his face, “I believe we get the idea, Miss Sparkle. You can stop explaining right now, please.”

Twilight stopped mid sentence, blushing in embarrassment that she had rambled for too long, “Excuse me. I tend to get ahead of myself when explaining the finer details of how Equestrian society works. Especially with creatures like you two not familiar with Equestria.”

“And I throw the best parties in the world. I wouldn’t be the Element of Laughter for no reason,” Pinkie Pie added once more

Ghost was looked at the sun setting, being reminded of his fight with the Radiance in Godhome. He knew he had slain the former goddess of the moths, but the sun would always remind him of that battle. As the sun fell and night rose to take its place, Ghost was reminded of Dirtmouth. Ponyville bared a vague resemblance to that town Ghost had encountered after leaving the Abyss. Oh how Elderbug would probably be less downcast in a place like this, full of life and no infection.

“Well, it was nice to meet you two. Tomorrow, I will invite the rest of our friends for your Welcome To Equestria Party! Don’t be late!” Pinkie Pie gave her farewells before bouncing away from the trio

“Goodbye Pinkie, see you tomorrow.” Twilight turned to the two vessels with a bit of a conundrum, “I don’t think I have enough space for the both of you, unless you two don’t mind sharing a bed with each other.”

Grimm only chuckled at such a thought, “No need for that. I prefer the outdoors where the night shows the beauty of the stars above. I’ll let my compatriot have the indoor rest,”

Ghost gave a nod, “Thank you, I never actually slept on a bed. The only places I have ever slept on were benches made of iron.”

Twilight grimaced at the thought of resting her body on cold iron benches. How could someone like Ghost deal with such an uncomfortable rest? Oh, wait, he mentioned he had no mind to think or a voice to voice his frustrations. But now he had one, he deserved to have a proper rest like everyone else.

The trio would end up in front of a large house that looked more like a tree than a proper home, at least, to Hallownest standards. Windows, doors, and even a balcony were built into the tree as opposed to using the tree to build a home from scratch. Not a bad way of using nature for a good shelter, and it stood out compared to the rest of the town.

“Quite impressive of a home you have, Miss Sparkle,” Grimm commented

Twilight smiled a little bit at the comment, “Oh, this wasn’t all me. Some of it was built before I moved in, I just added the extra parts.”

She opened the front door with her hoof, allowing Ghost to enter while Grimm stayed outside to observe the stars. As the two entered, Grimm thought he saw some mist flying by above them, his eyes narrowing with suspicion.

The savior of Hallownest had to bend down to enter the home properly, but once he past the door, he could stand straight. It was quite cozy in here, with so many books and necessities. Rows and rows of books dotted the living room portion of the tree home. On the far side were some stairs that must lead to the second floor.

Twilight led him up the stairs into a locked door far from the other rooms that either were study rooms, a room for her to sleep in, or a room to an unknown creature Ghost had yet to meet. He heard snoring from the room but he knew not to awaken anyone sleeping or feel their wrath. Either way, Twilight unlocked the door and revealed a small, but hospitable guest room. Ghost looked at the bed and found it…small for his size.

“I know I didn’t have a bed for someone of your size, but this is the best I can do for now,” Twilight apologized for the lack of having something sufficient for the vessel

Ghost shook his head, putting his Pure Nail down before slowly resting himself on the bed. He had to bring his knees up a bit to fit comfortably, but at least it was better than an iron bench. He turned towards Twilight, trying to give off a look of gratitude, but it only came off as a blank look, “Thank you, Twilight. Hopefully tomorrow isn’t as...problematic.”

Twilight only smiled back, “Ah, it’s no biggie. It’s what ponies should do for each other, even for other creatures. Goodnight.”

Ghost let his eyes close, before a bright light appeared in front of him. The same familiar light that had landed him in Godhome. Indeed, he was in Godhome where the Godseekers were murmuring with one another.

“God of gods, you have discovered quite a few of the gods of Equestria. A shame that you didn’t attune them yet, we were expecting combat,” Godseeker said with some dismay, but held her respect high

Ghost answered back, “Combat wasn’t necessary. They were being nice to me, just like some back in Hallownest.”

Godseeker gave a hum at Ghost’s reply before her eyes narrowed, looking behind Ghost, “Begone foul creature! You dare enter the land of gods? Thoust a cringer in the splendor brought forth by the God of gods.”

Ghost turned around, instinctively drawing his nail as a set of dark blue hooves began to materialize. A blue light shined from the intruder, Ghost’s nail readying to attack.

Author's Note

Alright. There is the next chapter. Leave a comment and/or any predictions you might have for Ghost and Grimm's adventures in Equestria. Stay tuned for the next chapter

Chapter 4

Ghost’s eyes narrowed as the intruder materialized in front of him. He just saw dark blue hooves at first but as the mist formed into a proper pony, his stance was relieved. He quickly put his nail on his back as the mist fully formed into the Princess of the Night. Her horn shined a blue color until her form had materialized before shutting off entirely.

“We weren’t expecting thee, Goddess of the Night,” Godseeker’s eyes still were narrowed with hostility at the lunar monarch

“I was not expecting a dream like this. This is no normal dream,” Luna replied back, looking around Godhome, much to Godseeker’s dismay

Ghost sat back on the bench with some relief that he wasn’t going to be fighting at this very moment, “Luna, what are you doing in my mind? Last time I remembered, you don’t own a Dreamnail,”

Luna was taken out of her exploration of Godhome confused by Ghost’s question, “As Princess of the Night, it is my duty to watch over the dreams of everypony in Equestria and banish the Nightmares.”

“So you can just waltz into anyone’s dreams?” Ghost questioned further, feeling insecure about his mind being probed more

“Normally, yes. Yours, however, was much harder. I had to use a strong spell just to break through your mental defenses. I thought it was your control of the Void that allowed you to resist my entrance but I see it was something else,” the lunar princess answered, looking at Godseeker

Godseeker relaxed, taking Luna’s explanation as a compliment, “We pride ourselves in serving the God of Gods. Our strength comes from his attunement.”

“Attunement?” Luna raised a brow

Godseeker giggled, giddy to explain the process. This would be good for the Godseekers, and maybe, yes, she could have the God of Gods tear apart the Goddess of the Night! Then, once he was done, he could unleash his fury upon her shell….

“Godseeker,” Ghost’s voice broke Godseeker out of her stupor, her shell lighting up in a bright red with her thoughts

“Forgive us! We had let thy power overwhelm our senses,” Godseeker bowed down, hoping for punishment for such lewd thoughts, “Attunement is achieved when the God of Gods faces off against all opposing gods and defeats them in combat. Their strength becomes his and ours, and after defeating the most powerful of gods, the God of Gods unleashes his true form!”

“True...form?” Luna narrowed her eyes after the explanation

“Yes, true form. Did we stutter? Behold!” Godseeker exclaimed with ecstasy

Godhome lit up like a solar flare, blinding everyone inside before the scene was changed to the peak of Godhome. Luna could see the sun and the moon in the distance, her and her sister’s assigned roles in Equestria. However, there was one larger sun above them both, so large that it made their stars look like dwarfs. Before she could question the Godseeker on this larger sun, the sun had sprung wings and began flying at them!

“This is a memory,” Ghost broke the ice, looking across from Godseeker and Luna to spot himself, a much smaller version of himself

“A memory? Is this what you spoke of earlier?” Luna asked, remembering when she had interrogated Ghost upon his first arrival, and also breaking the spell that had stunted his growth.

Ghost was silent for a few moments, looking at his smaller form and how it drew its nail without thought and without fear, “Yes...This was my fight against the Radiance.”

“His final test to prove himself the God of Gods! Observe!” Godseeker added as the large sun had turned into a gigantic moth

The power it emanated was enough put Luna on edge, such power that not even her older sister could wield. How could Ghost fight against a threat so powerful without losing the will to fight? How could he have won against this being? Did the Void really make him that powerful or was the Godseeker at play?”

The fight for Little Ghost and the Radiance played exactly as Ghost remembered it. Using all his strength to damage and destroy the enemy that had destroyed his home. The multiple attempts of the Radiance to run away from Little Ghost and kill him from far away. The sea of void that rose to follow them and consume them. But, the one thing he couldn’t remember what happened when his shell broke.

Then they all saw it, Little Ghost’s shell breaking, his void body plunging into the sea of void with the Radiance being surrounded by it. The void rose and a disturbing creature of pure void appeared with its unsettling eight white eyes. With its multiple arms, it easily crushed the Radiance before consuming Godhome. This was the Shade Lord, the very epitome of death and destruction of all life.

“Oh great Shade Lord, destroy our shell and consume us once more with thy power!” Godseeker broke Luna’s thoughts with her prayers of punishment

The Lunar Princess was visibly shaking, seeing what Ghost could do was deeply striking fear into her heart. He did this for his kingdom, but would he do it for Equestria?

Ghost had a hard time expressing his own fear thanks to how Vessels were made. His eyes closed, his head hung low to think on the possibility of becoming the Shade Lord once more. No! He could not let that happen. If he were to, he needed a back up plan to make sure the Shade Lord never arose again.

“We see thy fears have manifested greatly. Be relieved, the Shade Lord was only summoned because the God of Gods had achieved his full potential. Then, it was uncontrollable, but with the God of Gods achieving more power thanks to thee, he shall be able to control it,” Godseeker assured, regaining her composure after almost losing herself then

Luna regained her composure before approaching Godseeker with narrowed eyes, “Are thee sure of it?”

Godseeker nodded, “We have served many gods. This one will be eternal, and we shall be forever attuned with him. But we have said enough, the attunement must take place!”

“What?” Ghost looked shocked, knowing what Godseeker meant at that moment

The whole area lit up again before the trio found themselves within an arena. Luna was seated next to Godseeker while Ghost was in the middle of the arena. The other Godseekers were making a roar of applause to Ghost when they laid eyes on him. Luna looked around at the others, noting their wrapped bodies and golden masks were nowhere as pretty as Godseeker herself.

The Lunar Princess turned to Godseeker in confusion, “Who is the Vessel facing?”

Godseeker hummed for a few moments, gathering all the thoughts of her compatriots before turning to the alicorn, “She who has been hiding in nightmares. She who the kingdom fears. She who was thought to have banished.”

Before Luna could question further, although Godseeker made it evident who she was talking about, the sky darkened. It became nighttime in Godhome, but not by natural causes. The moon rose above all of them with a specific mare-looking feature on it. Just as Ghost was wondering what could be the meaning of it, a pitch black split formed into the moon itself. This split began to expand, releasing blue mist all around the arena intensely.

A figure could be vaguely be seen in that expanse of mist, one looking a lot like a mare. The mist stopped before gathering itself on the opposing side of the arena. Tall, dark hooves formed first, followed by a regal body similar to Celestia. Great black wings came after before a head was formed, coupled with a blue helmet. The rest of the mist seemed to form a mane and tail for the new pony in the arena.

“Behold! Queen of Nightmares!” Godseeker said ecstatically, the rest of her followers roaring in applause

Ghost instinctively took out his nail and narrowed his eyes. He didn’t know who this Queen of Nightmares was, but she awfully looked a bit like Luna. Was this Luna’s alternate form similar to Grimm? But how could that be? Grimm was the Nightmare King, the only one to take power from the Nightmare Heart. Could it be the Nightmare Heart had other vessels in other worlds?

“Godseeker, how does Nightmare Moon exist when she has been banished from me?” Luna questioned the religious nutcase

Godseeker seemed confused that Luna would even question how that was possible, oh well, “We are able to summon gods in their prime form to challenge the future God of Gods. Even in death or banishment, they will return when the God of Gods challenges them.”

Ghost waited for the new alicorn to make a move, but she was preoccupied with looking at her surroundings. She couldn’t believe she was actually existing separated from Luna herself since she was a part of Luna. Her face showed her confusion and awe that she was now living once more. However, she was now in an arena surrounded by bugs that wanted her to fight this tall bug.

Ghost decided that he had enough time to wait for his opponent to do something, so he made the first move. He extended his hand outward and let out a blast of void energy that raced towards Nightmare Moon. The alicorn was able to notice him attacking and swiftly sidestepped the attack before firing a magical beam at him. Ghost’s features went turned into void itself as he charged into the beam, his void body absorbing the magical energy without injury.

When he was close enough, he let out a slash. Unlike his normal nail swings, his attack reached much farther than normal. Sadly, due to Nightmare Moon’s height being just as his own, his attack hit her right in the chest. The most he did was leave a single scratch on her breastplate which only infuriated Nightmare. It was then that the sky lit up with several of the stars overhead heading downwards to Ghost.

The first two were way off target, impacting several feet away from Ghost. Their concussive force left parts of the arena littered with craters as more fell down from the night sky. Ghost found a few heading towards him, running around to avoid their impacts. One was close enough to knock him off his feet before Nightmare Moon stopped her assault.

As Ghost got up, he felt something about to slam on top of him. His instincts took over as he dashed away, watching Nightmare Moon land where he had fell. Quickly getting up, Ghost sprinted right for Nightmare Moon. The alicorn began firing rapid fire shots of magical energy in his direction.

Springing upward, Ghost jumped into the air to avoid the initial blasts before sending himself downward with a void powered attack. His attempt hit right on, landing him a hit right on Nightmare Moon’s backside with his Descending Dark. The initial hit knocked the Nightmare to the floor before the blast dealt heavy damage. The alicorn teleported a short distance away, her face evident with pain from Ghost’s successful attack.

“Glorius! Thee may be holding back, God of Gods. However, you show strength with your restraint. Destroy her! Show the Nightmare your true power!” Godseeker seemed to be lost in the fight

Luna moved away from the Godseeker, finding her taste for violence nauseating. Nightmare Moon proceeded to slam the floor with her hoof, sending a shockwave and debris at Ghost. Ghost dashed through the shockwave but was pelted by several of the debris. Not letting the pain stop his momentum, he fired off another Shade Soul.

After the attack had hit its target, Nightmare Moon broke into a fine mist, moving about the arena to reposition herself. Ghost took this moment to get a good hit in before she could recover. Getting right under the mist, Ghost took a large gulp of air before releasing an Abyss Shriek. The sheer force of the scream forced Nightmare Moon to reform herself.

The Nightmare was panting in exhaustion and pain. Her body was shuddering and her legs looked ready to give out at any moment. However, her eyes shown defiance to surrender or even losing this battle she clearly could not win. A nail was right at her neck, threatening to end her life then and there.

Looking up at the wielder with anger, Nightmare Moon could only lose that anger and it be replaced with fear. Those soulless void eyes were bearing into her dark heart, showing her something that was making her confidence be torn to shreds. She swore she saw something in those eyes that was much more horrifying than her attacker before her. The nail left her neck and was raised in the air.

Luna looked away as she heard the sound of a sword swipe, not wanting to see her evil past beheaded in front of her. However, she expected the sound of a body hitting the floor, but she only got the sound of mist rushing out. She opened her eyes to look and see Nightmare Moon still in one piece but the mist that formed her was shooting out of her explosively. Before she could question Godseeker on what was happening, Nightmare Moon exploded into mist while leaving her armor behind.

Godseeker looked upwards as a light shined above them. Their surroundings changed to that of a long and dark hallway. Statues were hidden under darkness’s cloak, preventing the eyes of the living from seeing their beauty. A light shined in front of them with one of the statues sparkling. Walking closer, Ghost and Luna noticed the statue now enlightened.

The statue was exactly like Nightmare Moon. All her features were accurately depicted to the smallest feather. She had that overconfident grin while appearing on her back legs in a pose. A plaque was at the bottom of the statue. At first, it was empty but once the statue was brightened by the light, the plaque held words.

“Shunned Goddess of the Night.”

“Is Nightmare Moon truly dead?” Luna finally questioned, getting the feeling these statues were not just for show

Indeed, a power was emanating from Nightmare Moon’s statue. Bits of dark mist flowed out of said statue but did not form into anything. Was this some sort of summoning device for Godseeker to use?

Godseeker was amused by Luna’s question, her giggle noticeable, “Oh Goddess of the Night, in Godhome, nothing truly dies. Gods will be fought here for eternity, so long as we are within your lands. The God of Gods can fight all the gods whenever he chooses.”

“So she is trapped here?” Ghost also asked, looking at the statue of Nightmare Moon warily before trying to look at the unlit statues around

“Yes and no. There is a power at play. Perhaps the Nightmare King can be of assistance,” Godseeker answered with uncertainty

Luna’s eyes narrowed at the statue for a few moments, a pout square on her face before she relaxed. In ways, she was glad that her darker self was now put somewhere that wouldn’t haunt her for the rest of time. On the other hand, was Grimm connected to Nightmare Moon like Godseeker alluded to? Both were Nightmares and Godseeker called Moon a Queen.

While Luna was busy thinking about Nightmare Moon, Ghost had explored the Hall of Gods to see if any of the ‘gods’ from Hallownest were here. He looked at each statue, finding their forms more akin to pony appearances and none of them had any form to bugs. Then his mind went to the few ponies he met, did they have a statue dedicated to them?

Twilight, Applejack and Pinkie Pie, bearers of the Elements of Harmony. From the sound of it, they had to have a statue dedicated to them. Looking around at the various statues that he could see, he did find one that vaguely resembles the body appearances of the mares he met. But, the statue had six of them, so who were the other three? Were they the rest of the Elements of Harmony?

“Still so many gods to find and fight. This attunement will be the greatest we have ever partaken in. Seek them out, God of Gods. Then we shall see if the Pale King can be found. We await you in your dreams,” Godseeker said to Ghost as a bright light began to shine above them

Ghost could only look up before Godhome disappeared from him and he opened his eyes to see the wooden ceiling of Twilight’s home. Whoever the other three ponies were, he had to find them to see what Godseeker had planned in terms of their fight. Thankfully, Godhome was not a place where mortal beings were killed and even then, Ghost wouldn’t want to hurt these peaceful ponies. He had no reason to kill them and all those who were civil with him back at Hallownest he never killed.

His thoughts were distracted with the smell of something being made downstairs. Must be Twilight making herself something to eat. Thankfully, or not, Ghost didn’t need to eat or drink to maintain his health. Being part of the void made him invulnerable to hunger and thirst, but that meant he couldn’t enjoy the finer things in life. Did he ever wish to have a mouth so he could taste said items?

He got up from the bed before fetching his nail and making his way downstairs. Making his way down the stairs, he spotted a small figure sitting on a chair. Much smaller than Twilight but not too much smaller. This new creature was purple with green scales dotting its body. Ghost did not know what kind of species it was due to his only knowledge being of bugs. However, the creature looked in his direction and its eyes shrunk in fear.

“Twilight! We have a monster in our house! It’s an Eldritch!” the creature exclaimed in a terrified and male voice

Twilight turned to look at Ghost, patting the creature on the back to calm him down, “Don’t worry, Spike. He’s not going to do anything to you. Ghost, this is Spike, my assistant. Spike, this is Ghost, a newcomer to Equestria.”

Spike peered up from behind Twilight, his eyes narrowing in caution, “Newcomer huh? Where are you from?”

“Hallownest,” Ghost answered simply

“Never heard of it. Is that some sort of Changeling hive?”

“No, we don’t have Changelings. We have beetles, spiders, mantises, and various other bugs. Well, we did, but most of them are dead,”

Spike hummed for a few moments before relaxing, “Alright, then maybe you came from a whole different land. Did you come alone?”

Ghost was about to answer before a puff of rest mist appeared next to him. Grimm, as usual, appeared with a bow towards the small dragon, “Pleased to meet you, Spike. I was just sleeping underneath a window when I overheard you chatting with my dear friend. Call me Grimm, or Master Grimm, either works.”

Spike was stunned for a moment as his eyes scanned Grimm intently, “Are you supposed to be some sort of vampire.”

Grimm chuckled in amusement with that sort of comparison, “It appears I share a resemblance. But no, I am not exactly a vampire.”

“These two arrived here under some mysterious reasons and the princesses wanted me to let them get acquainted. So, they are under our care until further notice,” Twilight summarized to Spike, the small dragon nodding

“Alright, sounds good to me. Hey, you got a nice cloak there, where can I get one for Nightmare Night?” Spike asked, pointing at Grimm’s dark cloak

Grimm’s eyes brightened quite a bit at the dragon’s words, “Did you just say...Nightmare Night?”

Spike nodded eagerly, “Yeah, one night out of the whole year where everyone dresses up. There’s some myths around the event to scare the younger ponies but mostly, it's just a time to have fun.”

Ghost looked at Spike before saying, “You do realize that Grimm is a nightmare, right?”

Spike’s eyes widened before he pointed at Grimm, “Y-you are?”

Grimm nodded, “Yes, my friend. However, I will not hurt you, I only seek to prolong the Heart of Grimm. So long as you don’t go to destroy it, we are on the same side. But to answer your previous question, I can make you a cloak like this if only you join my troupe.”

“It’s not a simple circus if that’s what you were going to ask,” Ghost clarified before Spike could ask about it, “You’re better off having someone make a cloak like his.”

Grimm gave a scoff and turned away from the trio, “I am quite insulted that you would dare have someone ‘make’ an imitation of my cloak. Only my troupe could earn items such as these.”

Twilight had her hoof under her chin, “Well, Rarity is one of the best fashionistas in town. She makes some really good clothes that rival the most expensive ones.”

Grimm’s head turned towards Twilight while his body was facing away from her, his eyes burning scarlet fire, “Show me this Rarity you speak of.”

Author's Note

There is the next chapter. Finally, some actual action and more important stuff being said. I'll be working on toning down the exposition and focusing on making the story more fun to read. I hope you guys enjoy

Chapter 5

A short breakfast with Twilight and the group was off to visit Rarity. Whether Grimm was really upset over the small insult that Twilight unintentionally said or the fact that someone could make his look so trivial was a mystery. Either way, it looked like steam was emanating from Grimm’s head in the cool weather. A bright sunny day to contrast Grimm’s dark colors. At least Ghost somewhat blended with both day and night thanks to his appearance.

As the group walked through Ponyville, they were rushed by the CMC clad in gray capes and armed with wooden swords that resembled Ghost’s nail, “Mr. Ghost, look at what my sister created for us. Now we look like you.”

Twilight couldn’t help but giggle at the sight of the crusaders taking Ghost’s appearance, “I don’t think Ghost has time to teach you three anything. At least after we get him and Grimm to meet Rarity.”

Sweetie Belle smiled before bowing to the group in a comical fashion, “Let us lead the way. It’s only fair we do so.”

“Yeah, and maybe we’ll get our helpourteacher cutie mark this way,” Scootaloo added

Without any arguments against the three fillies leading the way, the group followed them. A few short minutes later, they were coming upon a large building that stood out from the rest. It was probably the tallest building within Ponyville, having a fine point at the end. To the vessels, it seemed like it could be a small tower from a quick glance, but the colors made it harmless.

Sweetie Belle went ahead and knocked on the front door, waiting for a few moments before she heard hoofsteps coming from inside. A couple of moments later and the door was wide open revealing another mare that Ghost vaguely remembered from Godhome. She was much different from Twilight and bore more of a resemblance to Sweetie Belle. That alabaster coat of hers coupled with her purple mane was quite unique. She also seemed to be wearing glasses and having some sort of measuring tape around her neck.

“Oh. I thought it was another customer. I see you brought your...er...visitors, Twilight,” the alabaster mare stated, unsure what to call Ghost or Grimm

“They’re not visitors sis, they’re our friends. Ghost is going to teach me and the girls how to swordfight,” Sweetie Belle replied with annoyance at her sister’s ‘proper’ attitude

This made the mare bawk in astonishment before she shook herself out of her stupor, “No, a lady does not participate in fights. At least, she doesn’t go out looking for them.”

Ghost, having a feeling that there was going to be some tension between the sisters, decided to cut in, “I didn’t want to but they were eager to learn. I won’t be teaching them too much, just the basics. You have my word on that.”

Rarity looked up at Ghost for a few moments, seemingly analyzing him from head to toe, “You’re that swordmaster the girls talk about. I appreciate what you did for my sister and her friends. Although, that cloak of yours has seen some better days.”

Looking towards Grimm, she seemed to analyze the Nightmare even more so due to the more complex appearance of the Nightmare King, “Although I do not care for the colors, it matches your eyes quite well. Is that eyeliner on your eyes or is that...natural?”

Grimm seemed to take whatever compliment he got with pride, giving his traditional bow to the unicorn, “All natural, my little pony. The scarlet flame does not accept charlatans.”

Twilight spoke up, “Rarity, if you aren’t too busy, I was showing these two around and I wanted to show them how great your apparel is around the town. Grimm was so eager to see what you how to show.”

This got the fashionista’s attention, her eyes glittering for a moment as her pride rose. Putting a huff to her mane to fix it up, she spoke in a more gracious tone, “But of course, all you had to do was ask. I would love to show these visitors my accomplishments. Do come in.”

Applebloom snickered before whispering to the vessels, “She’s a bit of a fanatic with cleanliness. Last time, mah sis accidently kicked up some dirt in her mane an’ she was furious.”

Grimm gave a deadpan look with a sigh, “Oh I do dread those types. I’ve dealt with too many from all my travels.”

“What places have you visited? Can you tell us?” Scootaloo questioned, her pitch raising as her eyes were now glued on Grimm

The Nightmare King chuckled in response, “Another time, little one. My stories will be long and boring for your youthful mind.”

At the very least, the vessels shook off any dirt from their cloaks before proceeding inside, followed by the others. Inside, Grimm was quite impressed with what he saw. Multiple mannequins with either full dresses or costumes on display with some being prototype. Ghost seemed to care less about the dresses per say, his mind too focused on earlier events. It was then that Ghost noticed that Rarity was using that measuring tape to check his dimensions.

“Before you ask, darling, I’m just having your measurements on in case I come up with anything for future plans. But first, you need a new cloak. That one seems to be fitting you a bit petite,” Rarity said, finding measuring Ghost’s height an issue and having to resort to magic

Ghost looked at Twilight, the mare smiling bashfully while her eyes avoided contact, “How would I be able to pay this back?”

Rarity scoffed before levitating a book over with a feather pen, writing the measurements down quickly, “Free of charge, darling. The material needed to remake your cloak will be less expensive since I assume you only care for simplicity, yes?”

Ghost only nodded, feeling the hooves of the fashionista touching his void body underneath. His senses wanted to explode out of his system, a feeling he never had before. Whether he knew it or not, his mask was beginning to lighten up in a red color as he looked downward. He took a quick glance to notice Rarity was practically under his cloak. Looking at the group, Twilight had the fillies’ eyes covered with paper while Grimm was busy inspecting the rolls of material around the boutique.

“Thin frame, so nothing too heavy or wide. Oh, your body is so cold darling. You need to cover yourself up more before you freeze. Wouldn’t want you looking like a popsicle during the winter,” Rarity said after coming out of Ghost’s cloak with the proper measurements

Grimm’s hands laid under his chin, looking at Ghost in every angle, “Scarlet would be perfect for him. It suits his eyes and mask quite well if say so myself.”

Rarity stopped for a moment before looking at Grimm with one eyebrow raised, “As much as I would love to agree with you, Master Grimm, I think a lighter color would be better. A contrast to your fabulous dark scheme.”

Grimm turned around in a playful manner, head raised while one of his hands was on his heart, “My dear, you are flattering me. I will admit I had my doubts from Ms. Sparkle’s words, but I am beginning to be impressed.”

Rarity proceeded to double check her measurements, making sure to account for a margin of error in case she missed a few centimeters. Her eyes looked over Ghost before stopped at the Pure Nail on his back, shining so brightly like a diamond. The alabaster mare trotted over to get a closer look of the weapon the void entity wielded.

“Darling, would you mind if I inspect your weapon?” Rarity asked, “I need to account for the fact it will be on your back when I make your new cloak.”

Ghost gave a nod while his blush died down. Removing the nail from his back, he held it out to the mare as she looked at the unique swirl design on the blade itself. No amateur could have made such a fine piece. Only a master could ever pull off the designs this weapon had while maintaining the integrity. Rarity felt the blade from hilt down to the edge with her hoof, feeling a chill run up her spine.

Suddenly, the fashionista sprung up with a bright look on her face, “Yes! I know exactly what to do.”

Twilight tilted her head to the side, “To do what?”

Suddenly, the entire group was being pushed out of the boutique as Rarity had a glint in her eye. A look that Twilight knew when her friend had a dash of inspiration needed to conceive some of her best dresses. Before the group could even question what was going on in Rarity’s head, they were outside the boutique.

“I’m terribly sorry for having to stop our little meeting so soon. Come back tomorrow and I will have something to show you,” Rarity said before closing the door

Twilight took a moment to recollect herself before dusting herself, “Well, that’s Rarity for you. The only two you have yet to meet is Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy. I think Dash is currently maintaining the weather and Fluttershy shouldn’t be too far away.”

“But we wanted some sword lessons!” the voices of the CMC rose in protest

Twilight was going to respond before Grimm took the initiative, “Ms. Twilight, I believe we can work on a compromise. I will go with you to meet this Fluttershy while my friend gives these three their well-deserved lessons. We must always think of the children first.”

Twilight gave it some thought, finding it a bit hard to accept since she preferred both vessels came along. But, if Fluttershy got along with Grimm enough, then surely she could get along with Ghost. With the CMC occupied with their ‘lessons,’ that would make this process go a lot smoother without any problems arising.

Looking at the three fillies below her, she saw their eyes wide and glued to her for an answer. Those young eyes of theres were making her heart hurt a bit if she were to deny them their request. Ghost was giving the lessons so it should be fine. He was a capable individual, but she worried how the town would react.

“I’ll let you three have Ghost for the time being, but keep it out of the town. I don’t want complaints to reach Mayor Mare,” Twilight reluctantly agreed, giving them a warning

The three fillies began jumping up and down around Ghost, their little capes flapping due to their movement, “Yay!”

Then they dragged the poor vessel towards Sweet Apple Acres while Twilight and Grimm could only watch. After they disappeared out of sight, the Nightmare King and Bearer of Magic proceeded to the outskirts of Ponyville.

Ghost looked up at a surprisingly well kept clubhouse situated on a tree. There weren’t anything like this besides the web-made homes in Deepnest. The fact the CMC had their base of operations in a secret area of Sweet Apple Acres was a bit surprising. He didn’t spot it on yesterday’s trip.

Speaking of the three fillies, they had disappeared into the clubhouse to ‘retrieve some training gear’ as they put it. He didn’t see what they needed unless they were fetching some dummy targets for them to practice on. That thought made him think back to Kingdom’s Edge with Oro’s practice target that secretly was a trap.

“I wonder if Oro ever made amends with Mato,” Ghost muttered to himself before he heard sounds coming from inside the treehouse

CLANG!

Ghost raised a brow, that he didn’t have, before going up towards the clubhouse. What were those three fillies up to? He used his Monarch Wings to easily get up towards the door, bending down to open it and enter.

What he found was the Crusaders crowding around something. Scootaloo had a metal bell in her hooves, being bent either from falling or something. The other two were holding their wooden amateur swords in their hooves tightly.

“What’s going on?” Ghost finally inquired as he came closer

“It’s...Ah don’t know. Looks like you,” Applebloom answered, having the Crusaders back up to show something that made Ghost recoil in shock

On the floor unconscious was another vessel. This one had horns that mainly focused on one side of its mask while leaving the otherside with one small horn. It also had a cloak like Ghost but it was a bit longer than usual. It almost looked like vines compared to an actual cloak. But, there was one single feature that identified this vessel, the back portion of its skull missing.

“Broken...Vessel?” Ghost could only utter

Ghost carefully bent down next to his unconscious brother, lifting the vessel onto his lap while tracing the back portion of the mask. He could feel the essence of life still coursing through the injured being. The body was intact, and the mask would heal.

“I don’t understand, you said that you and Grimm were the ones to arrive,” Sweetie Belle said, moving closer to Broken Vessel

Ghost was silent as he traced his fingers over the vessel’s mask slowly, looking for any hints of damage. Thankfully, the fillies didn’t use an actual weapon to damage the mask or there would have been some consequences. The world around Ghost seemed to fade as he looked at Broken Vessel, thinking back to those days in Hallownest

Ghost blocked a strike from his opponent, nail clashing against nail in furious battle. His opponent was not one to underestimate. Looking directly into his opponent’s eyes, if Ghost could, he would be disgusted with what he saw. Eyes filled with orange puss of infection that gathered from the back of the skull. Yet, in that corrupted essence, he saw a glimmer of his opponent’s former self.

Ghost wacked his opponent’s nail away before delivering a decisive strike at the infection itself. His nail struck true, easily piercing the orange flesh as his opponent began to scream in agony. Infection began pouring Broken Vessel before the infection on top of its head exploded. The rest of Broken Vessel fell down onto the floor.

Ghost turned to walk away but looked back at his former brother. The last remnants of his kin reached out to him with what little strength it had. The emotionless void eyes began to leak void tears while reaching for its brother desperately. Ghost turned and approached the slowly dying vessel. Grabbing ahold of its hand, Ghost knelt before his fallen kin.

The dying vessel touched Ghost’s mask before slowly letting its appendage rest against the floor. The void eyes emptied slowly upon its death. Ghost kelt there emotionless, still holding the hand of its brethren.

“Mr. Ghost, why are you crying?”

Ghost rose his head as reality took him out of those memories. He looked at the three fillies, their faces scrunched up with concern as they looked at their teacher. Ghost reached up with one of his hands to feel his mask. Liquid void touched his hands, embracing them in their cold aura to confirm that he was crying.

“It’s…a long story,” Ghost uttered softly

His attention turned back to Broken Vessel. The being beginning to stir in his arms, void eyes opening to look up at Ghost. At first, the vessel did nothing but then it looked at the CMC. Dashing off of Ghost’s lap, it grabbed its smaller nail and went to defend its brethren from these beasts.

It aimed for the white one, the one that had discovered it first before the orange one attacked it. The nail rose to strike the creature while it had no time to react. It was a perfect shot.

ClANG!

The vessel looked surprised as another nail was now blocking the attack. A much larger nail that had to belong to its brethren. Broken Vessel turned towards the wielder silently. Ghost looked at his brethren before shaking his head at the actions.

“You don’t have to hurt them, they were just afraid,” Ghost put a protective arm around the CMC while holding his nail

Broken Vessel stopped to look at the three creatures. Shaking violently in Ghost’s arms, their eyes small and their teeth clenched. It contemplated on Ghost’s words for a moment due to how contradictory the creatures acted.

Ghost put down his nail and reached a hand out towards Broken Vessel. The vessel lowered its weapon as it saw Ghost extending its hand like it had in the past. Ghost had comforted Broken Vessel’s final moments in the past. Those thoughts resurfaced as the vessel tried to push them down due to its upbringing. But it failed...

Its cloak shuddered as it dropped its small nail. Taking small steps toward Ghost before breaking into a sprint towards him. Vessel brethren embraced each other along with their void eyes leaking profusely.

The CMC looked at each other, smiling that they had unintendedly reunited lost family together. They looked at their rears to see any marks form themselves but to their disappointment, nothing came through. Surely something this good would have had some fruits for their labor.

“Thank you...All three of you,” Ghost finally said, getting his composure together once more and wiping the tears away

“Coo,” Broken Vessel said as well, confusing the entire group

“What did it say?” Scootaloo asked confused

Ghost shrugged, “I have no idea either. This is one of my brethren, a vessel like me.”

Sweetie Belle began poking at Broken Vessel’s exposed skull curiously, “He looks really hurt. What’s his name?”

“He doesn’t have one,” Ghost answered, “But we can’t go around calling him Vessel.”

Broken Vessel looked between his brother and the new creatures in confusion. Name? Why would it need a name? They were vessels after all. Vessels didn’t need a name. The yellow one with a red mane then raised her hoof to speak.

“Ah got it! We call him Coo since that’s all he’s sayin’,” Applebloom stated, getting confused looks from the group, “What? It makes sense.”

“I don’t think Coo is a good name. I think Shorty is a better one,” Scootaloo retorted, looking at Broken Vessel for approval

Broken Vessel, the newly named Shorty, looked at everyone first. It was quite small compared to the rest of the beings in the room. So, the name wasn’t wrong persay.

“Wait a minute. Why don’t we have Shorty join us as an honorary member. Mr. Ghost, can he stay here?” Sweetie Belle asked, looking at the taller vessel with hopeful eyes

Ghost shrugged before looking at Shorty, “I don’t know. You girls aren’t bothered he just attacked you?”

Scootaloo sheepishly twiddled her hooves, “Well, we kinda attacked first. He just spooked us when we were looking for stuff. Sorry about that.”

Shorty was silent, walking around the clubhouse and picking up its nail on the way. If its brother was here, maybe its other siblings were here too. If these creatures were so kind to accept his brother into their ranks so quickly, then why shouldn’t he join them too? Whatever land they were in, there were questions that needed answers.

Reaching an appendage out towards the CMC, Shorty gave an affirmative, “Coo.”

Author's Note

Another update, hooray! Siblings reunited. Leave a comment down below and I will confirm one thing for all of you, expect a Nightmare Night chapter closer to Halloween.

Chapter 6

While Ghost and the CMC went towards Sweet Apple Acres, Grimm accompanied Twilight to the outskirts of the Everfree Forest. During their whole trip, Grimm was humming a tune, his cloak occasionally moving with the cool breeze grazing them. Twilight took glances at the Nightmare King during his tuneful song. His voice was so hushed that it came out quite raspy like ponies who had a bit too much to smoke. Another noticeable part about the Troupe Master was his eyes lighting up during certain portions of his song.

“Grimm,” Twilight began, breaking the Nightmare’s focus, “Where you are from, what are Nightmares to bugs?”

Grimm stopped walking for a moment, halting all his momentum to think on Twilight’s words for a few moments, “To answer that question, Ms. Twilight, I would have to tell you the tale of the Grimm Troupe. But, the time is not right for me to speak the very poem that describes us.”

“Us? Where are the rest of the troupe?”

Grimm sighed, acting somewhat somber at the question, albeit dramatic. “In the Nightmare Realm, awaiting my return.”

Twilight grew more curious, teleporting her journal to her and flipping the pages until she found what she desired. Presented the page to Grimm which held a rough drawing of Nightmare Moon, “Do you think the Nightmare Realm can influence ponies into becoming Nightmares?”

Grimm looked closely at the picture with his spindly fingers under his chin and his eyes squinting to take in every detail. Clearly a creature as tall as Celestia from the mere look of it and her eyes were much different. The sharp iris alone was interesting but nothing that he can recall right away. He pulled back and shook his head, “No, she clearly does not belong to the Nightmare Heart. A true Nightmare would bow to the Nightmare Heart and preserve its existence.”

“The Nightmare Heart? Is it another being? Is it the king of the realm?” Twilight asked after teleporting her journal away with her mind tingling for more answers. How different Grimm's version of nightmares compared to Nightmare Moon would be great to report back to Celestia. It might just be the main piece of knowledge needed to prevent any future nightmares from forming.

“More than a being, inquisitive one. The Nightmare Heart is the very thing keeping me alive and my troupe moving through lands and time.” Grimm explained simply before his eyes lit up once more, “Tell me, Ms. Sparkle, how do Nightmares work in this land? Do they serve a higher master or are they selfish in their endeavors?"

“They’re corrupted versions of ponies. Not sure exactly on their nature but there are many speculations. The most believed notion is that a pony falls under dark magic that leads them to negative emotions and desires,” Twilight explained, partially shrugging through her explanation

“Mere emotions lead to one's corruption?” Grimm rose a brow at such a silly notion as simply being negative to be evil. "Emotions are part of a creature's life. I see no reason how feeling any form of anger or sadness would result in one's corruption."

Twilight shook her head, “Not in that way, it’s letting those negative emotions control you that lead you to become a Nightmare. That’s what happened to Princess Luna."

“Oh? Surely a princess like her wouldn’t dare let that happen,” Grimm muttered, finding this topic most interesting about the younger princess that held such anger towards him.

Twilight’s tone got a bit more serious then, almost as if Grimm had stepped on a taboo subject. “Wrong. She got jealous that all the ponies would be thankful for Celestia’s daylight and sleep during Luna’s moonlight. She felt unloved and forgotten and it eventually consumed her to the point she tried to trap Equestria into eternal night.”

Grimm let his unnoticeable lips form a scary smile, almost enthralled at the idea of this Nightmare Moon. “Perfect for the scarlet fire to reign freely across the land. A shame I could not meet this version of the princess soon enough. She could have been useful for the Hearth.”

Twilight stopped before turning to the troupe master with shock and anger in her eyes, “She wasn’t the same after that, Grimm! She became the very opposite of who she is right now that made ponies hate her for a thousand years. Her own sister had to banish her to the moon for said thousand years to keep Equestria safe. It’s only now that she is welcomed and loved.”

Grimm placed one of his hands on his heart before his eyes closed and his smile disappeared, “Forgive me, Ms. Sparkle. I was only expressing myself in a humorous manner. I didn’t mean any of it. No matter if Luna personally objects to my existence, I will gladly give her my sympathy.”

Twilight’s features relaxed, sighing that she had let herself somewhat vent at the Nightmare King, who was probably enjoying the negativity already, “Grimm, I have to ask, how did you become a Nightmare?”

This time, it was Grimm’s turn to look stupefied and astonished by such a question. His eyes dulled slightly while he began fiddling with his cloak. What was his life before he became the vessel for the Nightmare Heart? He was a moth, so was he part of the Moth tribe of Hallownest? Grimm found himself unable to answer Twilight’s question as he only found himself looking into blurry memories.

“I….I do not know. All I remember is becoming the sole vessel for the Nightmare Heart. But it does not matter as that could be many ages ago since then. I have my purpose,” the dark moth uttered in a low tone

Twilight felt a pang in her heart for having not only talked down the Nightmare King but also causing him to realize that he had no memories of his past. Ghost could at least remember everything he saw in Hallownest, and she would need some more info on how he was created, but Grimm had little memories. Yet, he acted like he didn’t need his past.

“Grimm, I’m sorry for asking about your past,” the purple unicorn softly spoke before putting a hoof on Grimm’s leg to give him some sort of comfort.

Grimm hummed at the apology before continuing to walk down the path. There were trees all around them now, boxing them in on a single dirt path. The sunlight darkened as its rays were blocked by the shields of leaves. While the duo traveled, a young tree stood out from the massive bodies around it. It was still quite young but it rose just above Grimm’s horns and had a sickly appearance to it.

Grimm’s eyes turned towards the young plant, walking over to it which diverted him from the path. Twilight stopped to wonder what Grimm was going to do with such a young tree before she gave a gasp as it caught on fire. One of the Nightmare King’s hands was out and had snapped before the flames occurred resulting in his involvement with the burn.

“Grimm! We need to put out the fire or the entire forest will be on fi-,” Twilight began to panic before a single finger silenced her lips

After a minute of burning, which surprisingly didn’t spread to the grass and other trees, Grimm snapped his fingers again to reveal the young tree was now a lantern. Four branches formed a claw-like design, reaching upwards as if to snag at the heavens above. The whole lantern was charred black but the wood looked clean and healthy compared to its former self. The interior of the lantern was hollowed out and opened for some sort of purpose.

“Such youth should not be extinguished for it has not reached its potential. Now, I have given this tree a purpose to the Nightmare Heart. Even a discarded thing, whether creature or plant, can dream,” Grimm uttered with satisfaction, snapping his fingers again as the lantern disappeared in a mist of red

He turned back towards the purple unicorn to find her staring at him in amazement. She hadn’t seen much use of pyrokinesis other than the few displays from Princess Celestia. The fire that Grimm released did not feel like welcoming flames, but more of flames that wanted to swallow everything in sight. All that in a snap of Grimm’s fingers. What more could he do with a simple snap? Not even a hint of magical aura was visible on his hands when he snapped unlike those that formed around unicorn horns.

“Ms. Twilight, I hate to be rude, but you’re staring at me too long for my liking. Shall we head to your friend’s residence?” Grimm said, wanting to get a move on with this meeting so he could return back to other matters. Almost as if he had something coming to mind shortly after making the lantern.

Twilight stayed silent for a few moments before giving a nod, resuming back down the path with Grimm in tow. The rest of the way was silence between the two as neither Grimm gave an explanation as to why he made a lantern nor Twilight wanting to know the process.

The duo finally got to a wooden cottage that was nestled comfortably next to a source of water. A small bridge allowed for anyone to cross the small body of liquid without getting their limbs wet. The sound of animals could be heard if one listened intently enough. Clearly, the owner was attuned to nature from just the location alone. It almost reminded Grimm of how peaceful Greenpath was without the infection. The memories of the many that had fallen showing lush nature growing predominantly without too much intrusion.

Twilight took the initiative to knock on the door softly. Grimm stared at the door expecting this Fluttershy to open the door with some sort of comment about his appearance. What he got instead was a quick glance of a yellow pegasus mare before the door shut immediately. Twilight knocked again, the door opening once more with the pegasus mare taking one glimpse of Grimm before shutting the door.

“Fluttershy,” Twilight began, “He’s not going to hurt you. Despite his appearance, he isn’t violent.”

The door creaked open with the yellow mare’s blue eyes looking over at Grimm hesitantly before turning to Twilight, “Um ...if you say so.”

Fluttershy opened the door fully and walked out to get a full view of Grimm. He looked down at the yellow Pegasus, bending down and extending one of his hands towards her. His scarlet eyes peered into Fluttershy’s blue, “A pleasure to meet you Ms. Fluttershy. You’ll find I am not aggressive towards anyone. Master Grimm, leader of the Grimm Troupe. At your service.”

Fluttershy hesitantly shook Grimm’s hand with her hoof finding it quite warm to the touch, “Are you a bat? A bug?”

“Oh no, I am a moth. Where I come from, bugs have sentient minds and don’t devolve to base instincts. At least, they used to.” The troupe master replied, “It’s easy to mistake my appearance.”

Twilight looked content that nothing had gone wrong with this small exchange so far. Taking a pen and paper with her magic, she began to make small notes for later. Then a thought came to her head, “Oh, Fluttershy, why don’t you tell Grimm about the animals you take care of? I think he'll find that interesting with how many animals you take care of."

The yellow pegasus bashfully looked away, “I don’t like to brag, but I do have an affinity for many animals. Much more than all the ponies in the kingdom. They consider me their only friend."

The Nightmare King’s eyes glowed bright at Fluttershy's self-description. How perfect of a creature to care for the child...for the ritual. “Do you now? Then can I entrust you with something I hold most dear? He shouldn’t be a problem with you and even I can’t take care of him all the time. A small drawback to my form of existence if my need to perform certain..tasks..to prolong my lifespan.”

This perked Fluttershy to look at Grimm without any sort of fear, instead of being replaced by curiosity and wonder. Twilight didn't mention anything about more animals or even children for that matter. Did Grimm keep this a secret until he found someone trustworthy to the task. “Where is he? He isn’t a huge animal is he?”

“No, he is not. He can be a curious little one. But, from what I have heard, you can handle him quite easily.” Grimm let one of his hands-free of his cloak before snapping.

The mares would find a gathering of red mist in front of them before it formed a solid base. A bug about a fifth of their size, dragonfly-like, appeared. It was similar to Grimm but the colors were dulled out, sporting only grey and black. Its eyes were pitch black, almost void-like. Four thin strands formed its wings, flapping lazily to maintain altitude over the ground. It let out a little sound that sounded something quite youthful.

Fluttershy’s eyes sparkled as the Grimmchild came towards her and nestled itself into her mane, “He looks like you.”

The troupe master could only chuckle, “Yes he does. Take good care of him for his future will be bright under your care, if you so choose. His potential will be great so nurture him well."

“I will, I promise you that,” Fluttershy smiled at the towering bug, earning another bow from him before he turned away

“Ms. Sparkle, I believe it is time that we go back,” Grimm stated with some ominous tone

Twilight cocked her head to the side with a questioning look, “We just got here and you want to leave already?”

“Only for this meeting. There are a lot of things on my mind, and probably in my companions. Especially one intrusive princess trying to probe his,” Grimm narrowed his eyes seemingly at the sky for now reason. Oh she was a bit of a crafty one but he knew Luna would try such a manner ever since the first time.

Both mares’ eyes widened at this revelation, “Princess Luna was in Ghost’s dreams? How did you kn-”

“I’m a Nightmare. Just as she can visit other dreams, I too can visit. My bond with my companion allows me easy access while she has to force her way in. Too bad she made a messy trail behind her, amateur.” The Nightmare King answered back, “Make sure you write her a letter about that before I deal with her myself. This will be my first and only warning.”

Before Twilight or Fluttershy could respond, Grimm had dissolved into a fine red mist that dispersed quickly. Both mares blinked for a couple of moments until Fluttershy spoke, “Since you’re here, would you like to help me with the animals?”

Twilight gave a smile and a nod before proceeding inside Fluttershy’s cottage.

Later that night…

Grimm appeared in the middle of Ponyville with the improvised lantern in one of his hands. He inspected the ground to be sure it was firm enough to hold the lantern without fail. Once he felt satisfied, he plunged the lantern into the ground causing it to flash with a red light. The ground around it scorched into black color and held the lantern upright. Grimm let his crooked smile form on his face while dusting off his cloak with whatever dust he had accumulated.

Even discarded can dream. See what the ritual brings.

“One last touch,” Grimm mused, snapping his fingers once more

The lantern turned back into a normal tree while the ground also returned to normal. Perfect, the ultimate disguise until the Night of Nightmares arrived. All he had to do was wait and the grandest performance would commence. Whether or not Princess Luna heeded his warning would not matter after tomorrow. The ritual would commence.

Author's Note

Sorry about the shorter chapter, I found myself procrastinating a bit and I wanted to move onto the main part. Expect the Nightmare Night to be split into multiple chapters, especially with Ponyville's fastest pegasus to show up.

Nightmare's Night Part 1

It had been at least a few days since Ghost and Grimm arrived in Equestria and already things seemed to be turning. Grimm had secluded himself after he had met Fluttershy, not wanting to speak with anyone for some reason. Not even Ghost knew what the Nightmare King was up to and Twilight had no reason to assume bad intentions. None of the locals had a clue of the whereabouts of the troupe master.

Luna had visited Ghost a couple more times while he slept despite the warnings Grimm made Twilight right in her letters. Luna either hadn’t taken Grimm’s threats seriously or felt confident she could fend him off in the case he followed up. Ghost hadn’t been able to meet Rainbow Dash yet, but her statue seemed to hint at what she looked like. A statue of Luna and Celestia were visible now, but Ghost relented from challenging them. A little more time to get used to Equestria and he would challenge them even with Godseeker demanding that he challenge them at this moment.

Speaking of which, he found his new cloak to be quite comfortable and fitting. Rarity had done an incredible job with making almost an exact replica of Ghost’s original cloak. Of course the fashionista took her spin on it, making it quite long where it reached past Ghost’s knees. Instead of the dull dark grey, it was replaced with a brighter white color. She also added some swirls into the cloak and put in various pockets to hold Ghost’s items when he wasn’t using them. A very handy piece of wardrobe.

The past couple of nights had also been quite long for the vessel. While Grimm was on a sudden absence, Ghost had found himself assisting the residents of Ponyville to get acquainted with the populace. The ponies didn’t mind his help and some of them even requested his aid for additional days, but there were a few that preferred the vessel didn’t get himself involved. Celestia had even requested Ghost come to Canterlot to serve as a part-time guard during a diplomatic meeting. He refused kindly since he had too many other odd jobs to fulfill and his presence alone would make other kingdoms very suspicious. A void entity like him would probably cause outrage or a war since he was made of death itself.

But now Ghost looked around a Ponyville that had set up many activities for their Nightmare Night festival. He already saw ponies dressing up in various forms that Ghost had no idea what they were. He never saw things such as chickens, witches, or even goblins. He recognized a few ponies trying to look like bugs, but that’s all he could see. Stands of food, candy, and merchandise were all set up for this evening. So this was what creatures did for a festival.

A single tap on his leg broke Ghost’s concentration. He looked to his side to find Twilight dressed up as some sort of robed pony with a fake beard. The robe itself practically covered her entire body besides her front hooves and head paired with a large hat. Ghost rose a brow at Twilight’s choice of a costume and she looked at him expectantly. Ghost was silent as he studied the costume up and down, but never gave an answer.

“Do you not know who Starswirl the Bearded is?” Twilight finally asked him with disappointment in her voice

Ghost gave an annoyed sigh in response, “Twilight, I’ve only been here a few days and you expect me to know Equestrian history front to back?”

“Have you not been listening when I give you those lessons at night?” Twilight questioned further

Ghost sweatdropped, “I...kinda fell asleep all those times.”

Ghost was laying on his temporary bed with his face into the pillows. Next to him was Twilight spouting off something from a textbook she had in her house. Ghost wasn’t paying attention due to today’s activities involving hauling a lot of apples due to Big Mac feeling under the weather. Then it was acting as a literal scarecrow which was a killer on Ghost’s knees and finally, assisting Rarity with a new line of clothing she gained inspiration for.

“And that is Equestria’s history in a nutshell. Any questions?” Twilight suddenly said, making Ghost only give her a thumbs up before falling asleep

Twilight’s face made a pout but she let it go once she remembered how much Ghost was trying to fit into Equestria considering where he had come from. Her eyes looked around the festival to see the locals enjoying themselves. Ever since Twilight helped Luna get more in touch with modern Ponyville, Nightmare Night has been great. Speaking of Luna....

“Twilight Sparkle, Ghost, is it not a good night for the festivities?” the Lunar Princess said as she landed next to them

She looked around for a few moments as if expecting someone to appear, “Where is the Nightmare King? I would expect him to be joyful tonight.”

Ghost and Twilight shrugged in response as the former responded, “He disappeared a couple days ago. I haven’t seen nor talked to him since he met Fluttershy.”

“A shame. I was hoping to speak with him,”

A good amount of the locals gathered around something planted in the center of town. When Ghost looked over to see what they were looking at, his eyes widened to find a Nightmare Lanturn. He swore there was a tree there and not a lantern that could summon the Grimm Troupe. It’s black claws reaching upwards as if attempting to grab whatever was above it. There was a bit of red essence slowly pouring out of it as well.

“Twilight, where did that lantern come from?” Ghost questioned, grabbing the unicorn by the shoulders with a serious look on his face, which was just his normal expression

Twilight recalled her time with Grimm and the tree he had turned into said lanturn. He had used his magic to create it and now it was in Ponyville, “Grimm made it.”

As if on cue, the sound of an accordion could was being played in a tuneful song. One that was recognizable to Ghost but to the average creature, it sounded like a circus melody. The lantern seemed to glow brightly but was still unlit until a brief red smokescreen appeared. Forming from it was Grimm, arm drawn back as if ready to strike the lanturn. With one swift movement, he struck the bottom of the lanturn.

Sparks flew off from Grimm’s attack and latched themselves onto a small pile of coal. The sparks seemed hot enough to start a scarlet flame, igniting the whole lanturn. It was encased in flames so bright that one could feel its warmth from a great distance. The crowd of ponies let out a collective gasp as the lantern illuminated Grimm. His features appearing more threatening and scary than ever.

The Nightmare King stared into the flames for several moments until he turned towards the crowd of ponies with the accordion still playing in the foreground. His scarlet eyes were so bright that it rivaled the lantern behind him.

“Good evening, my little ponies. Tonight I have prepared a special performance for you. Feast during this beautiful evening, decadence, no madness - all this should be familiar to you, the inhabitants of the lasting kingdom of Equestria.” Grimm began with a bow as the lantern behind him seemed to roar with fiery light, “But what if you add a little flame to this romantic landscape? The flame, which will start to grow from one small scarlet spark, and engulf the minds of all living things? Let's not waste any more time. I introduce myself as Master Grimm and my troupe!”

Upon this declaration, the fiery light exploded as the night was filled with scarlet fire. The ponies around Grimm began to cower and run away. The moon became blood red as cloaked figures rushed out of the fires being spread by the lantern. Their masks bore little resemblance to Grimm but they did have a dark aura about them. Small, medium, and large versions of these cloaked figures spread about Ponyville. Their cackling only terrifying the local residents while the troupe master watched without a word.

Luna was staring at the whole scene playing in front of her before a scowl formed and her horn lit a dark blue, “Nightmare King, your facade ends here!”

Grimm was preoccupied with looking after the Grimmkin, who were searching the whole area for any flames, to pay attention to a rapidly approaching Lunar Princess bent on taking him out. It was only when he felt a blast of energy impact him from behind that he turned towards Luna, “Ah, Princess of Dreams, I was hoping you would show up. Isn’t it beautiful? My Grimmkin collecting the flames of your kingdom to f-”

Her answer was another blast of energy that Grimm swiftly blocked with his cloak. He narrowed his eyes at her, slowly circling the Princess with one arm in front of him and one arm behind him, “Rude. I would think a princess like yourself would find my scenery appealing.”

“By letting out more Nightmares and terrorizing my subjects?” Luna spat back, her wings were unfurled and she didn’t look like she would accept Grimm’s explanation

Ghost finally snapped out of his stupor before turning to Twilight, “Twilight, get the rest of the Elements of Harmony, this is going to get ugly very fast.”

Twilight gave a nod before she ran off to gather her friends. Ghost, meanwhile, drew his nail and slowly approached the brewing fight. He stood beside Luna before narrowing his eyes at the Nightmare King, “Grimm, what are you planning?”

The corrupted moth only smiled his crooked smile but still had his guard up, “Why, my ritual of course. This land is teeming with essence that the Nightmare Heart needs to prolong itself. In fact, I felt so much essence here that I believe the Heart could feast for eternity. Of course, that requires that Nightmare Night stays for eternity too, which means…”

“Putting Equestria in a perpetual loop,” Luna finished, a threatening tone hidden under her calmness

“Bingo! I knew you were as smart as you looked Princess, but I have no time to idly chat. The Heart has come, and the feast shall begin! Behold the night that shall never end, the longest show in all of history.”

The more fiery red mist spouted out of the lantern as a series of tents materialized behind Grimm. The troupe master retreated inside them as his Grimmkin floated around Ponyville. Two large bugs stood outside the tents harmlessly, looking around them with neutral expressions. A bipedal bug that was quite muscular was playing the accordion at the entrance of said tents.

Luna was ready to go after the Nightmare before a hand stopped her, “Princess Luna, I don’t think you are capable of taking on Grimm on your own. Let me at least help.”

The Lunar Princess looked at Ghost before giving a nod, “Yes, you are right. We should wait for the Elements to properly banish Grimm from Equestria. I trust that you know his weaknesses and how to best him in combat.”

Her statement got a concerned look from Ghost which confused the Princess, “What is the matter? Do you care for the Nightmare’s safety after what he is trying to accomplish?”

“Yes,” Ghost admitted, “I don’t think Grimm is exactly at fault here. Call me crazy, Princess, but Grimm wouldn’t want this land to be stuck in a loop. It’s the Nightmare Heart that wants him to do this. He’s just a vessel, following the orders of the being he holds within him.”

Luna had a look of disbelief as Ghost explained himself, “Being a Nightmare is a choice. He made his and he must pay for it. I too once was a Nightmare because I had let my emotions control me. I paid my penance but now it is the Nightmare King’s turn.”

“Maybe on your world, but in mine, some of us didn’t have a choice. Some of us were made out of forces you consider evil without our permission. Events we had no control over that forged us to what we are. I will help you defeat him but I will not let you banish him,” Ghost stoically held his ground by planting his nail stubbornly into the ground

It was then that the two were joined by the Elements of Harmony. Ghost recognized five of them while the last one was still an enigma to him. A bright blue pegasus with a unique rainbow mane. They all were staring at the large red tents that had appeared out of the ether instead of speaking. The bright red tents that were daring the outsiders to enter.

“The Elements of Harmony are here, good. We will take down the Nightmare King and banish him back to where he belongs,” Luna stated, much to Ghost’s protest against her intentions, “It does not look like we will have to fight the smaller Nightmares thankfully.”

“What in tarnation are they?” Applejack questioned as she saw one of the smaller Grimmkin moving about the town and searching every square inch with a wooden staff with a single spark of scarlett flame on top

“Grimmkin, servants of Grimm. They collect the fires of kingdoms mainly the dead spirits or lingering Nightmares. They won’t harm us unless we try to take their flames from them,” Ghost explained, grabbing his nail and placing it on his back again

Luna was confused by this explanation, her eyes following the Grimmkin Novice that was searching through trash bins, “They collect nightmares as well? What for? Wouldn’t it be more productive to leave the nightmares alone?”

Ghost turned towards the tents before walking towards them, “Let’s just say that the Nightmare Heart hates competition.”

As the party went towards the tents, Grimmchild poked out of Fluttershy’s mane out of curiosity. The little bug began sucking in a lot of air which seemed to be filled with red essence and gulped it down. The little bug let out a small burp before burrowing back into its caretaker’s mane. Speaking of Fluttershy, she was shaking and sticking right next to Applejack for security.

“Whoever we are going to fight, he’s got an awesome circus! It would be twenty percent cooler if he went all black,” the rainbow maned pegasus stated in her tomboyish voice

“Dash, I highly disagree. Grimm has better tastes than a pure dark look. Too bad he didn’t get to see the cloak I made for him. He would have looked fabulous in it,” Rarity replied

The party stopped in front of the muscular bug that held a makeshift accordion that looked a lot like a bug. He said nothing as they looked at him. He only played his bug-like accordion while moving side to side. He wore a mask similar to the Grimmkin but he stood out quite a bit from the others.

“Fancy instrument you got there, can I play it?” Pinkie Pie asked with an outrageously large smile

The figure continued his playing and movement as if not hearing Pinkie directly, “Mmm...Speak to Master.”

“But I was asking you.” the pink mare emphasized by poking the bug’s chest

“Mmm...Speak to Master.” the bug reaffirmed without missing a beat

Ghost grabbed Pinkie by the scruff of her neck before she got into a back and forth, “Don’t try with Brumm, he’ll say that phrase until you get annoyed.”

The party continued inside the tent where the lights now dimmed. It was still quite bright thanks to the multiple scarlet torches arranged inside the tent. Now they were walking down a long hallway towards the main chamber. Said chamber was completely void of light unlike the rest of the structure. But as they approached, a drumroll began to play and spotlights were moving about the chamber.

When they entered the chamber, the spotlights focused several feet in front of them were a flash of red essence occured. Grimm formed once more, giving his signature bow to the party that was only here to do one thing.

“Ah, the whole entourage is here. I’m quite enamored more and more, Princess. Are all eight of you going to stop the ritual you so happen to be partaking in?” the Troupe Master chuckled while having his back turned towards them

“Ritual? When were we par-You gave Fluttershy your child on purpose,” Twilight was confused before she realized Grimm’s previous actions, “This has to do with whatever you couldn’t explain to me earlier.”

“Yes! Celestia’s student is quite astute. Now is the time I give you the nature of the Heart of Grimm and my troupe. Ghost is quite aware of it since he was the last participant,” the Nightmare King stated while slightly turning his head towards them

Luna looked to Ghost with an accusing stare, “You participated in a Nightmare ritual? Did you not think of the costs?”

Ghost held his hands up in defense as he found himself being in the crosshairs of Luna more than Grimm, “I didn’t have a mind back then. I just accepted the task without question. That and my home was literally dead so there wasn’t anyone I cared for at the time.”

“Yes, he is correct. Ghost played his part perfectly but now all of you will play yours. But first, a little poem or would you rather prefer song?” Grimm now turned to face the eight intruders

“Oooh, a song! Let’s go with that!” Pinkie Pie nodded vigorously

“Pinkie!” her other five Elements criticized but it was no use, the pink mare had given Grimm an answer

All light was extinguished besides the spotlights that shone over Grimm. A snap of his fingers made the whole chamber turn into a different scenery. Instead of red, the whole arena was now golden in color. Grimm was replaced with a simple looking young moth that stared up at the Radiance. Grimms voice could be heard as the party looked at the scenery before them.

When flame burns bright inside one’s mind
Bright kin heed the call across lands and time
A spark of red lights is the darkest dream
Visions dance and flames do speak

The moth suddenly turned towards a red flame that beckoned for it to follow. The moth did so despite the other moths trying to have him focus back on their sun goddess. The moth ventured outside of his home towards a darker side of the area. The moth so enraptured by the flame leading him that he didn’t bother to question where he was. The flame entered the moth before the scenery disappeared.

Grimm now approached the group as the music continued. In between his fingers was a small spark of flame. Grimmchild poked out of Fluttershy’s mane despite the mare quivering at the approaching Nightmare King. The rest of her friends were ready for a fight but Grimm was not yet ready for one.

Scarlet nightmares are so bright and wild
Burn the father, feed the child

The little flame Grimm held was sucked up by Grimmchild where the small bug doubled in size and now was flying above Fluttershy. Grimm led out a crooked smile before his song resumed.

Your realm’s a part of perpetual loop
So prepare the stage and meet the Grimm Troupe!

A snap of Grimm’s fingers lit up the arena once more but with the group being surrounded by Grimmkin of various sizes. Instead of attacking them, the Grimmkin seemed to be situated like an audience about to watch an act. They floated there staring at the eight fighters that would go against their master. Hanging lamps were filled with scarlet fire as the whole chamber now felt like a stage. Grimm held one of his arms in front of him while backing up slowly from the group.

“Dance with me, my friends. The crowd awaits. Prove that you are worthy of a starring role,” Grimm uttered as the audience now were murmuring

“Are we stars in a performance? A dance no less?!” Rarity’s eyes glittered at the thought of being the star in front of these Nightmares, despite the fact that Grimm was not looking like he was dancing at all

Ghost drew his nail and readied himself for Grimm to make the first move. Luna, Twilight and Rarity had their horns glowing with their magic. Applejack crouched low with her forehooves in case a sneak attack was coming. Rainbow Dash was flying above the group with her hooves tapping together, ready for a brawl. Pinkie Pie disappeared offscreen, like, no seriously, she somehow got into the black borders of the scene. Fluttershy shook off her fear for the moment and gave Grimm...the Stare!

The Nightmare King blinked a couple of times as he was feeling like someone was trying to scare him, but failing to do so. He drew his front arm back before slashing towards the group. Ghost went in front of the attack to block it with his nail and parried the second strike. But it was when Grim went into the air and rained down scarlett fire below him.

A magical barrier protected the group as Grimm reappeared on the other side of the arena. Ghost expected him to open his cape to fire off scarlet bats or cause the floor to erupt in spikes. He was not expecting Grimm to slash the ground, causing the ground to shockwave towards the group with pillars of fire erupting afterward. This forced the group to seperate or they would all be either hit by the shockwave or the fiery pillars.

Multiple magical blasts were fired back at the Nightmare King, bouncing off of his cape pitifully. Grimm’s cape struck into the ground as spikes appeared in half of the room. Within a split second, Ghost sprang forth and slashed at Grimm before the spikes sprang upward. While the ponies seemed to have no effect on him. Thankfully his strike caused the other vessel to break apart into many smaller bats before reforming.

“Ready yourselves,” Luna warned the Elements of Harmony while preparing to defend herself

Ghost put his nail in a defensive position while he awaited Grimm to strike once more. It was clear that Grimm had learned a few moves compared to their previous fight. He squinted his eyes as a bright light shone behind him to the point of blinding him. Grimm raised a brow as the Elements of Harmony began to float in the air before an energy fired from them.

An rainbow energy impacted Grimm and sent the Nightmare King back several feet. By the time the blast ended, he was shaking in weakness. However, all the ponies were surprised that the vessel had not been encased in stone nor banished to the Nightmare Realm.

“What is this sorcery? The Elements failed?” Luna questioned, a bewildered expression visible on her face

A laugh began in the tent as the Grimmkin audience clapped in approval. Grimm disappeared in a puff of red smoke before appearing in front of the ponies with his eyes glowing brighter, “Ah! So you did not disappoint me as I hoped. Good, but this was merely a dance, the true fight will begin.”

A snap of his fingers and Ghost’s Dreamnail was yanked from his cloak to Grimm’s claw. The vessel inspected the ancient weapon closely, feeling the warmth of dream essence filling it. He began to leak Nightmare essence into the weapon. A red beam was produced that flickered like fire so violent that it almost burned the face of the wielder.

“A beautiful weapon, but it holds a grand purpose for tonight,” Grimm uttered as he stabbed the floor with the Dreamnail

The whole arena shook like an earthquake before bright lights blinded all the inhabitants. When their sight returned, they were in front of Godseeker who looked quite confused by their sudden appearance.

“We see thee have brought many crin-...Oh, Goddesses of Harmony,” the Godseeker murmured before bowing before the ponies

“What is she talking about? We aren’t gods,” Rainbow Dash questioned to everyone, expecting an answer

No one answered as Luna shook a bit, feeling an overwhelming power in the area. A red flash of energy sparked in the sky before a large cocoon-like structure appeared with features that looked like multiple faces. A split opened up as the figure of Grimm was noticeable, burning scarlet fire seeping out of the cocoon.

“This is it, The Nightmare King himself,” Luna said in a whisper as fire engulfed the area and scarlet eyes opened

Author's Note

Sorry for the delay on this chapter. I have plans to have part two out by Halloween so stay tuned in for that.

Nightmare Night Part 2

The area was becoming scorched in scarlet flames as the figure of Grimm slowly floated towards the group. Unlike his previous form, the Nightmare King replaced many of his dark colors with various shades of red and his sharp edges were sharper. The horns on his head extended further and the aura he gave off was one of fear and rage. Either the King of Nightmares was this powerful or Godhome allowed him to have no shackles.

“The Elements worked before, they should work again,” Twilight said aloud, looking towards her friends to confirm her plan

Before they could focus and blast the Nightmare King with their beam, they found themselves suddenly yanked into the ground. Scarlet appendages held the six Elements down as the Nightmare King began his attack. Teleporting close to the remaining two combatants then taking a swing at them with his sharp claws. It was practically the same attack from earlier but faster and more orbs of flame fired.

Thankfully the orbs weren’t aimed towards the Mane Six. Since they were currently incapacitated, the Nightmare King focused on the only combatants that could hurt him directly. He reappeared above them before dive bombing with a trail of flames behind him. Luna and Ghost avoided the attack but were unable to land any counter attacks.

The Nightmare appeared away from Ghost and Luna before opening his cape to fire double the amount of fire bats. They were easy to avoid thanks to their pattern and Ghost took the initiative to land a strike. Jumping through a gap in the attack to slash at the Nightmare King before he disappeared. His attack did little damage but it was damage on the being at least.

The Nightmare appeared above the duo once more before the ground beneath them began to glow in scarlet flames. Ghost’s eyes widened before he pushed the Princess out of the way to tank the full hit. The flames themselves covering his entire body and seering his void body. What nerves he had were on overdrive with the amount of pain he was feeling at this very moment. Enough to force Ghost to his knees before using some Soul to heal himself.

“The Nightmare King is clearly toying with us. From what tales I have heard about powerful Nightmare entities, they could corrupt us if they truly wanted to,” Princess Luna commented, her horn glowing brightly as she braced herself for an attack

Ghost finished healing the damage he had taken, readying his nail to block or strike, “That’s not how the Nightmare King works. We’re only continuing his ritual whether we like it or not.”

“Come again?” the Princess questioned

“This fight we are in is to simply destroy his old body to replace it. Death and resurrection tied in one. Dance, die, and live forever,” Ghost said simply before he saw red mist form ahead of them

On cue, the Nightmare King charged at them immediately with slashes. Ghost blocked each slash quite expertly giving Luna an opportunity to fire a magical beam. Being so close, the beam had hit the Nightmare in the face. Recoiling in pain, he disappeared only to reappear and fire off another volley of fire bats.

Luna put up a magical shield in front of them both but unlike Grimm’s previous form, the fire bats caused several cracks within the shield before breaking it entirely. The intensity of the attack was enough to temporarily send the princess back. Ghost had not time to check on her since the Nightmare King began sending fire orbs in every direction. Dodging and weaving through the barrage of flames, Ghost unleashed a Shrieking Abyss.

The attack was enough to cause the Nightmare King to split into multiple bats like his lesser form but it only lasted for a second before he rematerialized. Ghost had faced this god before, but clearly the Nightmare King had gathered much more strength. Before, Ghost was the main catalyst to the ritual which allowed him an easier fight. Now, he was facing the Nightmare King when he had devoured much more essence in a magical land.

While Ghost continued to square off with the Nightmare, Luna got back up with a grunt. She turned towards the Mane Six and used her magic to dispel the scarlet tendrils holding them down.

“Princess Luna, are you alright?” Twilight Sparkle asked with concern

The Lunar monarch gave a nod before turning towards the fight, “I am fine. But the Nightmare King is quite strong, possibly too strong for me.”

Rainbow Dash looked ready to brawl with the Nightmare King by taking a few practice punches with her hooves, “Once we hit him hard enough, he’ll go down just like the rest.”

Luna was silent but gave a nod. Twilight and her friends made their formation by linking their hooves together and blasting harmony at the Nightmare King. Ghost jumped out of the way since he had no clue if it would have an effect on him. The beam struck the Nightmare King but it didn’t look like he was being sent into the Nightmare Realm. Instead, red mist poured out of him for a moment and went out of the arena before he turned his attention to the group once more.

“That didn’t work, what else do we got?” Ghost questioned, having several scorch marks on his mask due to the attacks he was hit with

“That’s all we got besides brute force. How did the Elements of Harmony not work on him?” Twilight answered before looking towards her friends in confusion

Godseeker had been silent while observing the fight in front of her until she heard the ponies question how their ancient relics did not defeat the Nightmare King, “Silly goddesses, the Nightmare King will not be defeated by such easy methods. Combat is the true way to defeat him. All thee has done is spread his Nightmare influence with your magic.”

What she said was true with the fact the Nightmare King continued his relentless assault of attacks on the group. The mist that had flown out of him made its way to the Hall of Gods before entering a specific statue. The blue mist combined with the red mist and the statue ignited with a fierce glow. The statue broke in an instant and the mist made its way up towards the arena.

As the group fought, the moon in the distance had gotten closer before splitting open to reveal Nightmare Moon once more. Her appearance looked exactly the same except for two minor differences, her horn looked more like a spike and her armor was a darker violet. The fight between the ponies and the Nightmare King stopped as Nightmare Moon made her entrance.

“I am free of that prison you have subjected me too. Hm, another Nightmare to take my place?” the tall alicorn questioned

The Nightmare King narrowed his eyes towards Nightmare Moon before switching targets and firing scarlet bats at her. With the Nightmare Heart literally in the same area, the auras of both Nightmares were overflowing. Their nightmarish flames of night and scarlet clashing against one another while the combatants below could only watch.

“Hm, it seems the essence of the Nightmare King has given rise to the Queen, fascinating,” Godseeker uttered in awe

Ghost looked at the two battling Nightmares before he turned to the Nightmare Heart. If Nightmare Moon was rejuvenated via the Heart, then what’s to say that even with banishment, they won’t come back? If Ghost had a chance in ending this before it got out of hand, then he would need to take out the Nightmare King.

“Princess Luna, you and the Elements should leave. I’ll end this right here,” Ghost stated firmly, looking to Godseeker

The religious bug knew what Ghost had planned before bowing. While bowed, the crest on her shell was glowing before a single beam fired towards Ghost. He caught it with his nail with the blade going from pale white to a bright yellow.

He watched the Nightmares fight each other, sending attacks of flame or magic back and forth. He looked at his enhanced nail and felt the power within it thanks to the Godseeker. The power of the previous gods of Hallownest, a taste of the Shade Lord. His void eyes looking at his reflection on the weapon where his features seemed to warp into the multi-appendaged entity that he was in a previous life.

He set aside that feeling and ran towards the embattled Nightmares. His nail was glowing quite brightly with the power he had received. He had begun to sprint to close the gap much faster while preparing to strike the nearest enemy.

The Nightmare King had his back turned to Ghost while blocking several magical blasts from Nightmare Moon. he was unaware of the approaching attack behind him until he felt a slash hit his back. The empowered blade was enough to cause him to dematerialize into multiple bats once more. Nightmare Moon glared down at the Vessel but was answered with a Shrieking Abyss that sent her retreating for a moment.

Both Nightmares appeared on either side of Ghost, firing their respective attacks at him. He jumped over the bats and blasts while using his Monarch Wings for extra mobility. He flew over the Nightmare King first before dive bombing him with a Descending Dark. The Nightmare King attempted to reposition but the attack landed as he teleported.

Ghost found his target on the other side of the arena. The Nightmare King attempted to fire endless fire orbs at his opponent but forgot that Nightmare Moon was firing at him. The magical blasts were enough to force him to reposition again. He repositioned in the middle of the arena to set the floor aflame but his scarlet eyes only saw the shadow of a blade over him.

Ghost’s nail was brought above his head before dropping it down on the Nightmare King. With a combination of his previous battles empowering him and the void under his command, the weapon struck true. A deep cut was on the Nightmare King’s chest which fired out scarlet mist explosively.

The only sounds that were heard was an ear piercing shriek before the whole field flashed in scarlet light. The Nightmare Heart glowed as the figure of the entity dissipated. The leftover mist lingering the arena traveled over to Nightmare Moon and entered her form. Before anyone could raise a question to what was occuring, the arena faded.

Everyone woke up to find themselves in Grimm’s tent once more with the Troupe Master standing above them. He lost the extra red and went back to his darker exterior.

“Well fought, well fought. I am quite impressed that you completed the ritual like that. Empowering your own blade and attempting to seal me away with the Elements of Harmony? Too bad only one of those worked out,” Grimm said simply while extending a hand to Ghost

Ghost warily grabbed Grimm’s hand and was hauled upwards where the Grimmkin were gathered around. Luna and the Elements readied themselves for a fight, but were genuinely surprised when the Grimmkin clapped. With their stubby little cloth arms they clapped with approving expressions.

“Did Ghost not kill you?” Luna questioned, looking around in confusion of the clapping Grimmkin

The Troupe Master nodded, “Oh yes, I perished but was reborn with the Grimmchild. Such is my nature to die and reincarnate. Even with all of Hallownest’s strength, my friend could not banish me. Neither could the Elements.”

“S-So...the Grimmchild was just another body for you?” Fluttershy asked hesitantly, noticing that Grimmchild was nowhere to be seen

“Yes, shy one. It was a vessel.” Grimm stood up and opened his cape to address the crowd, “The ritual is complete, return home my friends. I shall see you in a year's time.”

Just as they entered, a rip in the sky allowed the Grimmkin to float off and leave the ponies alone. The tent shuddered before dematerializing entirely, leaving the dirt of Ponyville untouched. Grimm closed his cape and the portal collapsed, the Nightmare Lantern going silent and lacking any flame.

Luna turned to Grimm with a frown, “You attempted to put Equestria in danger to fulfill your own ritual. How could you do that to those who received you with decency?”

The Nightmare chuckled before looking at Ponyville returning to their festival without the Grimmkin terrorising them, “Lunar Princess, I work differently than you. I simply had to be the catalyst to finish a necessity. If I had stood by and watched this wonderful night go along, I would be starving myself to death. Although, I feel…..different.”

“Different? How?” Ghost raised a brow while Grimm put a hand under his chin to think

The Elements of Harmony had returned to Ponyville leaving Grim, Luna, and Ghost to watch over the town. Grimm looked at the moon while he thought on how to answer such a question. During his release to the Nightmare Heart’s control, he felt a part of himself being absorbed into something, no, someone else.

“I believe that I am now tied to another Nightmare. Why she tied herself to me, I have no clue. Something you two will have to question, although, I do admit that I find her action very resourceful,” Grimm finally answered, “But let’s not think on that. I believe I should leave for the festivities.”

Grimm disappeared in a puff of smoke and reappeared on top of Ponyville’s town hall. The sound of music was playing once more for his liking. The ponies beneath him flinched, expecting the Grimmkin to invade once more, but were surprised when the Nightmare King began to sing again.

“Shadows dream of endless fire. Flames devour and embers swoop.”

The lights around the town turned to scarlet red while Grimm began to play around with his pyrokinesis. Making various animals out of the orbs in front of the various ponies. Fear was replaced with awe as his song continued.

“One will light the Nightmare Lantern. Call and serve in Grimm's dread Troupe.“

The flames came together to form the tale of the Grimm Troupe, the very first ritual to take place. A long tradition of gathering the souls of the dead to feed the Heart. The current master stuck in a perpetual loop of death and resurrection

“Dance and die and live forever, silent voices shout and sing! Stand before the Troupe's dark marrow and burn away the Nightmare King!”

The flames took the form of the Nightmare King fighting different combatants that looked like the Elements, Ghost, and Luna. Replaying the battle that had been done in Godhome for the ponies to see. Their victory now ending the night peacefully.

Some of the colts and fillies began to ask Grimm to perform some other tricks in his sleeve. The Troupe master obliged them while the rest of the town performed their traditions. Various games, contests, and food being the main stars of the night. The moon becoming brighter with the happiness of the town.

Grimm then looked towards a specific direction, staring directly to the borders of this realm before his eyes glowed red brightly, “Happy Nightmare Night.”

A snap of his fingers and the scene turned to darkness.

Author's Note

Ok, there we go. Not gonna lie, I was heavily procrastinating on this chapter. Thankfully I was able to get it out with a decent length, although I originally wanted it longer. Happy Halloween/Nightmare Night.

I will be taking a break to get my creative mind back in order so goodbye for now

Chapter 8

The following couple of days had gone without much fanfare and no new threats seemed to have arrived since then. Since the incident on Nightmare Night, Princess Luna had effectively put Grim under house arrest until further notice. Much to the Nightmare King's chagrin, he was under house arrest in Twilight's home rather than any abode of his choosing. The reason? He and Ghost had been there temporarily and the dungeons were not an area he would choose. Especially with two, very angry, alicorns keeping an eye on him over his ritual...a ritual the locals thought of as a simple performance.

"How much more of this boredom must I endure?" Grim grumbled to himself as he stared blankly outside the window. A book firmly in his hands but he could not even read the language of this land. Despite all the nightmares having been absorbed by the Heart, he learned nothing of substance. For such a primordial being, his knowledge was limited, which meant he had to learn in one way.

The door in the room opened up suddenly with an enthusiastic voice of a purple unicorn behind it, "Are you ready for your first lesson on Equestria's customs, Grim? I am so glad Princess Luna gave me the opportunity to teach you about our history ."

"The feeling is not mutual, Sparkle," Grim merely replied. He looked downwards to see that there were at least a few guards in front of the main door of Twilight's home. Did the Princess of the Night sincerely think a few equine guards were going to stop the Nightmare King? He could easily just turn into a swarm of bats and fly out of this tree to anywhere he so pleased.

Why didn't he?

"I don't see why I am getting roped into this," Ghost's voice spoke out as he entered the room. He did nothing wrong and he was being put under house arrest just as much as Grim. If anything, Ghost was the sole reason the Nightmare King didn't go overboard with his ritual practice and reincarnation.

Twilight had an answer for that. "You did tell the Princesses that Grim was under your care. So by definition, you are responsible for his actions as much for yours. Plus, it was my idea to keep you here."

"How come?" Ghost would have raised a brow if his mask could barely allow expression.

"So I can document everything about where you came from and I'll share everything I have about Equestria. Consider this an official and recognized cultural exchange program." Twilight said

Grimm muttered, "By being forcibly restricted to one location. The Princesses might as well have locked us up again."

"In their defense, you two showed up out of nowhere and considering Ghost is made of the Void, locking you up would not have been on their minds. If it wasn't for the fact the Princesses found you harmless eventually, this is the best-case scenario."

"Then where do you want to begin with?" Ghost questioned. His knowledge of Hallownest was limited to whatever his adventures had uncovered through his sole prerogative. Pieces of what Hallownest was like came to mind and he did know a decent amount about the Pale King, his father. Other than that, he only knew of the few bugs still left behind there and what was left over since the Radiance's infection.

Twilight brought over several notebooks and pencils before looking expectantly at the duo, "What can you tell me about the Pale King?"

"Ah yes, the Wyrm." Grimm mused

"He was a dragon?" Twilight asked

Ghost shook his head, "From what I gathered, he could change form. Supposedly, every 'dead' of his current form would lead to a new form taking shape. He had great power within him and is the reason why Hallownest was able to become the kingdom that it was. At one point, bugs all were under one influence and without any free thought but his intervention allowed society to spring from his power."

Twilight scribbled a few notes, whispering lowly before looking upwards, "So...he was your ruler and god?"

"Depends if you consider strength like that godlike," Grimm answered before snapping his fingers to produce a flame. "I have the power granted by me through the Nightmare Heart. The Pale King has his own strength that none truly know but his actions gravely angered the previous power before him. The Radiance everyone calls it."

"I assume it was your enemy," Twilight murmured. The story seems to add up so far but the idea of a being changing forms after every death made her wonder if anyone had similar strength in Equestria. She wasn't confident either of the Princesses could do such a thing. "Please continue."

"The Radiance was an ancient god of the moths. When the moths broke from her shining light, it was deeply wounded and enraged against the Pale King. It used its power to infect bugs in a trance-like state where they were no better than thralls. I had to kill many of them just to stop the Radiance," Ghost explained.

Grimm nodded, "Indeed. that's how I was brought to Hallownest and met you. In a way, the Radiance made a red carpet for my arrival. How lovely of it to do so."

Twilight scribbled a bit more while her mind was boggling at the idea of a god coming to take revenge. How astounding it must be and...how dangerous Hallownest must have been. "So your father angered a god and the citizens had to pay for it? What happened next?"

"My creation. I should say, the creation of all Vessels," Ghost answered. "All other methods seemed to have failed and my father could not stay trapped in his palace forever. So..."

"He made a deal with the devil," Grimm finished. "I had been using my ritual for quite some time then but it seems that even the Pale King so wisdom in using a Vessel. Bodies were made from the Queen while the Void filled the very essence and souls."

"How many?" Twilight asked inquisitively

"Thousands," Ghost answered. His eyes broke from Twilight's gaze as he could recall the many empty shells and masks just littering the graveyard. His estimate was way off but what did that matter?

Silence befell the trio as even Twilight stopped writing. There was Ghost, Coo, and a mention of a Hollow Knight. That was three named Vessels that came to mind, but did that mean the rest of the Vessels were gone? Dead? Corrupted? She considered just avoiding the question altogether but something nagged her to ask. "Where are they now?"

Ghost's answer was as bad as it seemed, his lifeless void eyes looking back at Twilight's purple.

"Gone."

Everfree

The day was bright and the birds merrily chirped amongst the trees. Squirrels roamed amongst the ground to search for fallen nuts or anything edible to store. The grass waved to and fro while the clouds littered the sky above them. The occasional insect searched for its next meal while predators kept to themselves. But unfortunately for all these creatures, one other had seemed to arrived to their environment. Staggering one step at a time with labored breathing while scanning for any form of shelter.

It had no idea had it arrived here but it remembered being chained up with the most traumatizing pain coursing through its body. It had done this for the sake of the kingdom...it's father's kingdom since the moment it had been created. Out of the thousands of its brethren that had been created, only this one was viable to contain the disease. It had been a powerful creation of the king, so powerful to stand higher than the knights. It was the perfect vessel...or so everyone thought.

Deciding to rest against one of the trees, the figure used a sharpened sword as a makeshift crutch since its body was so close to giving out. Despite all of its strength, it had not stopped the infection nor did it even save the kingdom. It failed at everything it was supposed to be. A mind that should have not had the ability to think, a heart that had no warmth, no feelings of guilt or bonds to hold it back. Yet...it failed at all this.

Did it...have a bond the Radiance exploited? It must have. The moment with the Pale King looking over Hallownest came to present itself before the being. No wonder it was doomed from the start. Just one moment, one moment to even have some semblance of a familial bond was enough to doom an entire kingdom.

"Father...where are you now?"

The figure gave a heavy sigh as his body leaned against the tree, the nearby creatures running in all directions as if it were devil spawn. In truth, they weren't far off. Despite the blessings and gifts given to it, the cloak it wore was battered and withering. The sword that it once used was cracked yet holding up strong despite the structural damage. One arm was completely missing due to the infection having corrupted it beyond saving. It could maybe use what little strength it had to repair it, but would it be worth it? What would the Pale King say at it's sorry state now?

Would he be disappointed? Angry? Disown it like the rest of its brethren and look for a new heir? But, even worse, was there a Hallownest left to rule? Did the Pale King still live? All of these questions burrowing themselves deep inside the figure's mind as it looked towards the sky. It had never seen such a thing and it looked beautiful. Nowhere near the beauty of the White Palace yet it was beautiful nevertheless.

As if on instinct, the figure reached out with its one remaining arm to no avail. It could not reach the sky but it still wanted to experience it nevertheless. Although, with its mind currently set on the sky, the figure noted that he felt quite strange in this new scenery. Energy flowed so easily through the land as if the Pale King's strength had spread far. Yet, this was not the Soul that it once knew. It seemed much more balanced and did not require the essence of creatures. Where did this come from?

"Could I....use this?"

It seemed so. It flowed so easily and without the figure to do much at all. With a small amount of meditation, a faint glow overlapped it and almost all of its pain began to fade away. Strength ushered itself back as the figure was able to push itself back onto its feet. It looked once more at the stub of its severed arm and considered using this energy to heal itself further but such an injury would unlikely be impossible to heal. That would require being in the presence of the Void. This land seemed unlikely to hold such a dark energy. So full of life without even a taint of darkness.

It looked around itself once more to wonder what direction it should head towards. Whatever forest it was a part of, the figure had no clue where the exit was. Following the essence of this magic would not being useful either since it permeated everywhere. Whichever direction it went, it had to lead somewhere. So thus, it took a step forward with its regained strength and wandered in a random direction.

But it would not be long for it to be stopped by a pack of timber wolves. Despite being an vessel made out of the Void itself, the wolves defiantly growled and held their ground. The figure got into a slightly crouched position with its sword pointed towards the pack as if awaiting an imminent attack. Instead, the pack of wolves began to circle around the being, gnashing their teeth and snarling to intimidate their intruder. However, only one party was going to walk away out of this alive.

Whatever land it was on, it would create a tale of its own. This land would come to know this figure as...

The Hollow Knight

The past several hours wore through as Ghost and Grim were taught the basic alphabet of the Equestrian dialect. It was a lot easier than expected but considering one was a primordial being of Nightmares and the other Void-spawn, learning such knowledge was not impossible. However, the two were growing increasingly annoyed at Twilight's very methodical explanation of everything. Even to the tiniest of details when they were not necessary.

"And that is the first lesson, courtesy of me." Twilight finished by closing the book with a proud smile. Oh joy was she going to go through Equestria's history and myths in the following days after learning a little about Hallownest. More questions still posed her mind but there were gaps of knowledge that could not be filled by Ghost. "Any questions?"

"Not really, it's very straight forward unlike Hallownest and the lack of records before the Pale King," Ghost replied.

Grim added, "Even the leftover souls of intelligent bugs hardly know. Quite a conundrum that is. Oh well, such is the ways of empires and kingdoms. They rise, they fall, and many take their place. I've seen so many in my travels."

"Speaking of history," Twilight mentioned, her horn lighting up momentarily as a few books came off from the shelves. "Let's go over the early history of Equestria. I'm sure you'll find it fascinating."

"Not like we have a choice in the matter." Ghost shrugged as he prepped himself for a long history lesson of Equestria. He was beginning to already miss not having a mind to think nor the ability to speak. Things were much simpler back then.

But at least Equestria didn't have to deal with the Radiance.

Author's Note

Well, look who returns to give this story an update. I decided I'll be updating this story again, but don't expect my updates to be frequent as this chapter is on the shorter side. I prefer at least double this length or more but I am very rusty so, got to loosen it up.