The Knight took in a deep breath of the smoked filled air, the wolf in his pouch snorting and sneezing at the smell. He had long since passed into an area that was scorched by the flames, the sudden change of scenery nearly catching him off guard. But his years of fighting countless monsters had taught him to be observant. The thousands of swords, spears, and axes dividing his flesh and tearing open his insides had taught him to never let his guard down. Even now, his hand rested on the pommel of his sword, hand eagerly caressing the steel and itching for another fight.

His blood was boiling once more for battle, the empty pit in his stomach gnawing away at his insides as if begging for the souls of his fallen foes. Thoughts of rampage and bloodshed beginning to seep into his mind, a stray image of his sword held above the pup flashed in his mind. He let out a small growl and pressed his hand against his helm, doing his best to banish the thoughts.

The curse began to burn on his chest, the black ring pulsing with the urge to slay. While he had been imprisoned, he had no form of sating the hunger. He could only do his best to keep his memories and banish foul thoughts. The urge gone after a few years, only to return with hundreds, if not thousands, of years worth of hunger after slaying the hive of spiders, their petty souls only igniting the flames in his belly.

Both of his hands clapped against his helm as he began to clutch it tightly, gritting his teeth and his knees buckling. His mind began to warp and deter from his memories, things becoming blurry and unshapen. Feeling his hands leave his helm, he watched as they shakily began to go for his weapons, his legs feeling the urge to run as fast as they could to get to the nearest being and slaughter mercilessly.

A loud yipe of terror stopped him before he could venture on, his head snapping down towards the wolf pup in his satchel. He saw the tear-filled brown eyes of the fearful pup, its tail tucked against its chest as it curled up in a ball. In a moment, his thoughts calmed, hands lowering, and his legs once more buckling. Memories of his old life began to fill his mind, simple things.

His family, his children, the family pet. An old war dog, too elderly to fight any longer, laying across his lap as he gently scratched its ears, the loving whimpers as his hand left its head. He even began to remember faces of his friends, even if they were a tad blurry. For the first time since his curse, he could remember his old life properly. No chopped voices, no blurred motions. Just a crystal clear voice of his wife and a loving, warm lick across his cheek and the laughter that followed entered his mind.

He blinked in awe, a smile slowly forming on his lips. He glanced down at the pup once more, gently pulling it from the leather and holding it in front of him. The pup whimpered softly, its legs held against its belly and squirming to get away. He shifted it to a single arm and began to pet behind the ears, soft scratches and light pampers across its fur. The wolf pup slowly began to relax, leaning into his tender touch.

“I’m sorry for scaring you, little one...” He spoke as he stopped his scratchings and held it front of him once more. “Thank you, pup. You have given me a moment of clarity. As soon as I find your kind, I shall set you free.”

He placed the pup back into the satchel, the whimper gone and now replaced by curious sniffs. With his mind clear for a moment, he looked around his surroundings, noticing the moon and stars in the sky. The stars weren’t in their original place, but the moon still held the magnificent glow it always had. It gave him enough light to walk without aid of a torch. He searched his surroundings for any sign of life, footprints, signs, even a corpse would be useful at this point.

Luck was with him as he found a series of footprints going through the grey landscape, the small indents almost hidden by falling ash and soot. With hope in his heart, he began to jog along side the barely visible footprints. Should his luck stay, he would hopefully find others soon.

~!~

His running soon came to a stop as he found himself surrounded by viridian fields, the soot and ash of the forest never reaching past a few feet. The luscious fields tenderly caressed his boots as he walked, the moon illuminating the fields until they almost glowed incandescently. The soft winds gently pushing the grass in such a way that it appeared to be alive, dancing and cascading to a invisible song.

The sight alone almost brought a smile to his lips. Almost. He still had a mission, one that couldn’t be interrupted by a gorgeous view.

Pulling a set of binoculars from his satchel, he began to browse the area around the fields, attempting to find any source of life or even a hint at where the first linking fire would be. He groaned as he saw nothing but mountains and hills of grass in his view. Only a moment later did his eyes perk up.

‘A castle!’ He thought joyously as he spotted a structure hugging the side of the immense mountain in the distance. ‘Mayhap a king or queen may enlighten as to what kingdom I reside in. I pray that they shant yet be hollow.’

Putting away the binoculars, he found himself moving with increased speed, sprinting as fast as he could in the direction of the castle. It was the only lead he had found so far and he was going to take full advantage of it. That is, when he actually got there. He felt the pup in his satchel moving around, poking out its head and letting out small yelps as it bounced in the satchel. Unfortunately, while he did cover quite a bit of land in his dead sprint, he felt himself slowing down, his breath heaving, and his legs burning.

As his feet slowed, he put his hands onto his knees and rested, his heavy breathing making the pup snort and sniff, shaking its head in disgust as it smelled his old breath. Gulping to try and water his dry throat, he stood up and slowly began to walk towards the castle.

“Blasted... Throne...” He huffed as he walked. “I hath forgotten.... what it was like... to exert myself.” He continued his trek, only stopping occasionally to give himself a breather. ‘Next chance I get, I shall bring myself back to my full stature. I would stand nary a chance against any beast bigger than a horse!’ The thought brought out a small amused snort as he walked. Fighting a mear horse to get to the fire, preposterous!

~!~

Twilight had taken Rainbow Dash to the hospital as she was still in no condition to fly, and just incase her wings began to act up. Then it was a quick flight back to her home in the library. She burst through the door, startling her dragon companion. Ignoring his yelp of surprise, she darted upstairs and began to scribble with almost insatiable vigor. Just as Spike had waddled upstairs, he found a scroll forced into his claws with only the words “Send it!” being told to him.

After he gave the scroll a swift breath of fire, he turned towards the panicking mare and cleared his throat. “Twilight? What’s going on? I haven’t seen you this frazzled since the Changeling Invasion.” He asked.

His voice temporarily snapped Twilight out of her stress induced daze. She turned to Spike, seeing his eyes filled with worry and she softly smiled. Taking in a deep breath she calmed herself down and began to slowly pack supplies into a saddlebag.

“It’s... Just something that has caught my eye Spike. An incident has occurred in the Whitetail Woods. As I was overseeing what happened, I found something that... That just didn’t sit right with me.” She informed earning a groan from the infant dragon.

“Oh great, what is it now? A gelatinous blob wants to eat all of Equestria? A land squid wants to enslave the land walking race?” The last one made Twilight quirk an eyebrow at Spike, even though he ignored it as he continued on his tirade. Spike turned around in place, walking out of the room, still ranting about weird and odd monsters that may want to destroy Equestria. She gathered up quills, a few journals to take notes, and a variety of books describing old legends, structures, and other related topics. A loud belch drew Twilight from her packing as Spike once more strode into her room with scroll in claw, still speaking of the monsters that could possibly attack.

“-Giant furry Hydra wearing a pink spandex suit, Pony sized snakes with thousands of tails-” He was cut off by Twilight taking the scroll from his claw and reading what it had to say.

“Dear Twilight, this is very unsettling news as I or Luna do not recall any structure of your description ever being built inside of the Whitetail Woods nor the creature you described. But whatever resided inside appears to be willing to kill or destroy without a second thought. We both will be arriving shortly to accompany you to the forest to find this creature and odd building. Signed, Princess Celestia.” Twilight hummed worriedly as she slipped her saddlebag on and strode down the stairs. She quickly settled onto the couch near the front door and nervously tapped her hooves together.

“Ooooh, this isn't good. Whatever it is, not even Celestia knows of it!” Now Twilight was beginning to fill with dread. She knew that this could only lead to trouble, on what scale she didn't know. Spike worriedly looked to Twilight from the stairs as he walked down. Puffing out his chest, he walked over to Twilight and sat by her, giving the most confident grin he could.

“Well don’t worry, Twilight! Even if it is a giant furry Hydra wearing a pink spandex suit, I won’t let anything happen to you!” He stated proudly, bringing a smile to Twilight’s face. She wrapped her wings and hooves around the drake and nuzzled him.

“I know Spike, and I know that Hydra wouldn't stand a chance.” She mused, earning a smile from Spike. With the mood lightened, Twilight began to calm down. Her breathing slowed to its normal pace and she could think clearly for the time being. “I am sure that it’s not going to be too big. But I fairly sure it’s not going to end up being another old Tyrant trying to reclaim his rule again or an invasion from shape-shifting bugs.”

The two chuckled at the thought, easing the tension a bit more. Until a loud scream ripped them from their thoughts. As Twilight stood to get to the door, it splintered violently as a bipedal creature was blasted through it, a loud angry bellow following its entrance. Spike and Twilight both let out shrieks as it slammed down in front of them, a rogue blade narrowly missing Twilight’s hooves. A sickeningly wicked laugh echoing into the library. They looked towards the sound, seeing a crimson shaded creature, bipedal as well, standing in the doorway.

~!~

The knight had slowly worn himself down to nearly collapsing, having not found a safe place to rest since he had awoken. His legs felt heavy and his arms hung limply at his sides. Even the pup in his satchel had fallen asleep. But Goddess Caffery was gazing lovingly upon him as a village had come into sight. The unburnt thatched roofed, unbroken buildings told him this was a place that had yet been hit by the curse. He prayed to the sun that they were friendly enough to allow him to stay, even if he had to rest in a barn he would be content.

Sadly, with the moon still high in the sky, it meant the populace was asleep and resting. ‘No matter...’ he thought. ‘There has to be a inn somewhere inside.’

He wandered through the streets, glancing back and forth between houses. His feet carried him aimlessly through the town as he walked over the dirt and cobblestone roads. He nearly gave up trying to find a place to rest for the night until a roaring reverberation pierced his skull, sending him to his knees. A powerful scream escaped his lips as the noise died, but mild fear filled his heart as he stood up. He had heard this deafening noise before, the sound of a Phantom, a Undead much like himself, tearing their way into his world to slay him for his soul or a prize from their covenant leader.

He quickly took the pup from his satchel, fearing its demise if the fight become more than he could handle, and placed it gently on the ground near a flickering lamp. As it only slept on, he drew his sword and shield, striding away from the pup to avoid hurting it should he be ambushed.

His vision flickered from area to area as he searched high and low for the invader. A loud snap drew his attention to the large tree behind him, only to see a set of lit up windows and a short door. The sight caught him off guard a moment before he felt a growing pressure against his back. Time seemed to slow a moment before he felt himself being thrown against the wooden door, only to go straight through it, barreling inside of the odd building.

As he slammed into the ground, he heard the cackle of the invader, the menacing voice eating away at his courage. The fear he once held was now overtaken by rage from being toyed with. He slammed his hands into the ground, forcing himself up and turning to glare at the phantom.

The invader was the spitting image of a malicious fighter. The black hood covering the head barely showed the face of a grinning woman, armor of bone and steel covering her from her chest to her feet. The only flesh showing, beside her face, was the golden cuffs that adorned her arms, each ring giving a sinister glow from the etchings upon them. A deadly Varangian sword cackled with with lightning in her right hand as a Royal Kite shield rested in her left and a Falchion sheathed on her hip. A chime and bow were the last things upon her form that he noticed.

“You want a fight then? The thou shalt have it!” The Knight shouted as he grabbed his blade that was embedded in the floor, tearing it out and charging at the phantom. He rammed his shield against hers, forcing her out of the entrance and out into the street. As she staggered backwards, he lunged with his sword, attempting to get in the first strike. The woman deftly rolled away, skidding to a halt as she readied her blade, a twisted grin forming on her lips.

Her dodging only fueled his rage more as he ran after her, swinging the broadsword in his hand with alarming speed. An ear-shattering clash filled the air as the blade made contact with her shield, leaving a deep marking in the steel. He felt his blade being pushed away for a moment before the woman’s own blade slammed against his side, leaving a savage gash to bleed through his armor and sending bolts of electricity through his body, partially numbing his senses.

The wound made him stumble backwards, vision flickering slightly as he walked. A chuckle escaped the woman in front of him as he shook his head and readied his blade again. He prepared for another charge at the woman, digging his boots into the ground, but before he could, she charged forward herself.

His eyes widened as she held her blade high, readying for another damaging slash. Twisting his body as quick as he could, he rolled to the side, watching as the blade narrowing missed his throat. Seeing an opening, he lunged forward, feeling his blade slip between the metal bone covering her form. The blade pierced her flesh, digging deep into the meat of her side, and was ripped out to the side allowing sickly pools of blood to form by her feet. Despite the wound being fatal to any other person, her being a undead gave her the resilience of a angered dragon. A gift in the eyes of some, a curse to many others.

An angered snort escaped the woman as she glared at him, ignoring the wound on her side completely. She turned on her heels, to face the knight once more, opting to chuck her shield to the side and pull the falchion from her hip. Getting into the proper stance to fight with two blades, she let out a war cry and charged at the knight. He felt his arm go partially numb as her blades clashed against his shield, the electricity of her sword being conducted through his arm.

The fight raged on as the two continued to fight through the streets, exchanging blows and wounds as the night went on. He would give her a savage slash across the arm, only for her to give him an even worse one across the leg. The fighting slowly became a fight of attrition, to see who would slip up first.

The knight watched the Woman carefully as she danced around him, the blades in her hands acting as her partner as they waltzed to his demise. His blade and shield were beginning to feel heavy in his hands as the fight went on, his slashes slowed and his movements sluggish. He needed to end the fight quickly. Giving a loud cry, he lunged forward, attempting to slash at her. He was stopped as she bashed herself into his shield, breaking his guard and surprising him.

She gave a hard punch against his helm, sending him into a daze, only for him to feel the pain of a thousand suns as she plunged her Varangian blade into his chest, puncturing his armor. the blade pierce out his back, his flesh and organs screaming in agony as he felt the power of a ferocious thunderstorm coursing through his being. He felt his knees buckle as she left the blade in, using her boot to kick him off by his helm and to the ground.

Weak whimpers escaped him as he felt his own blood pooling beneath him, the grin of the phantom beginning to blur in his fading vision. He watched in defeat as she stood over his body, blade raised high. “May the gods damn your blackened soul...” He sputtered, blood splattering from his lips. While the words were meaningless to an undead, the meaning still remained.

His eyes clenched shut as she began to bring the blade down, only to be stopped when a deafening crack filled the air and the phantom was launched away from him, sent tumbling across the ground. The knight opened his eyes to see the Phantom laying only a few feet away from him, a smoldering circle left on her back. His eyes followed the direction it came from, seeing a wide eyed purple unicorn staring at them, shocked, her horn slightly glowing. Shaking his head, he turned over as quick as he could, ignoring the coursing pain in his body, and grabbed his Broadsword.

He lifted himself up and glared down at the phantom as she slowly began to get up, groaning from the bolt of magic that burned its way into her back. He gave a hard kick to her side, flipping her over, and pressed his boot against her throat.

“I hath been given a second chance, wench. And I shalt not waste it.” He quietly hissed at her, seeing the anger behind her eyes for the fight being interrupted. She fought against his weight, attempting to push him off or at least stagger him, but she was for naught as he raised his blade.

The phantom looked like she was about to speak, but he silenced her as his blade was hammered into his her skull, the obscene sound of bone cracking and flesh tearing filling the air. The woman fell still as her hands limply slide off of his boot to the ground. He held his blade in place until he felt the phantom begin to fade, the red mist swirling around his heels and sword as her body faded off into nothingness, bound to return back to her own world. A sough of hunger escaped his lips as the soul of the Phantom, along with the souls she held, were taken and devoured by his own. The faux feast sated his internal hunger, for the moment at least.

Picking up his blade, he felt his chest heaving and his legs shaking. He had nearly fallen again, had his journey postponed by some foul invader! The thought brought upon anger, but that was overtaken by the feel of deep pain within his gut. He let out a cry of agony as he collapsed onto the ground, his blade falling from his hand as he put a hand over the bleeding puncture in his armor.

“Blasted witch...” He hissed as he saw his own blood pooling along the ground. His eyes flickered to where he had left the pup. It must have awoken during the fight and hid, as he did not see it anywhere near where he had left it. Reaching into his satchel, he pulled out his Estus Flask, an undead favorite. The glowing liquid inside emitting a warmth through his gauntlet. He lifted his helm, only slightly, as he brought the flask to his lips, relishing the slight bitter sweet taste as the regenerative liquid was poured down his throat.

A groan escaped him as he wiped his lips and felt his body quickly fixing itself. The slashes sealed themselves, the fractured bones in left arm mended and knitted back together, and the hole in his abdomen slowly closed up, the internal damage healing slightly slower than the rest of his body. After a moment, he felt better than he had in a few years. He gave a relieved sigh as his body was back to normal, standing up to stretch his aching limbs.

With blood no longer leaked from the cuts and gashes in his armor, he began to search the area around himself. Taking in his surroundings and gingerly moving to gather his dropped weapons. Sheathing the blade and placing the shield onto his back, he moved towards one of the lampposts and searched area, pushing aside bushes and looking around corners of buildings.

He let out a small grunt as he did not find his wolf companion nearby. As he took a step back, a peculiar feeling overcame him. A hand went to his stomach as the feeling got worse and worse. He gagged a moment before a harsh and painful cough escaped his lips, blood splattering across the inside of his helm. His eyes widened in fear before he pulled off his left glove, staring in horror at the black ink beginning to course through his veins. ‘Poison...’ Was the only thought that entered his mind before he frantically began to search for something inside of the satchels, desperately trying to find an antidote.

The world around him slowly began to fade away, his center of balance almost completely gone as he tried his best to remain standing. His search was for naught as he finally succumbed and fell to the ground, sputtering and hacking up more blood than had been spilled during the fight. His body slowly began to go numb as he could no longer feel his fingers or feet. His vision began to vanish completely, the last thing he saw was a small grayish blob scampering towards him and whimpering filling his fading hearing.

Author's Notes:

The great part about this being a story is I can actually embellish the fight scenes and give a more realistic take on them.
Red Phantom was given by Raybony! Give this guy some love and thank you to everyone else who contributed a phantom! I will look for a place for your Phantoms to invade in the later chapters!
And incase you are wondering who Goddess Caffery is, she is one of the many gods that are upon the Name Engraved ring. I don't know much about her, other than she is the Goddess of Fortune.

Raybony's Phantom:
Armor: Black Hood, Dark Grieves and chest, Engraved Gauntlets.
Weapons(Used): Vargarian Blade, Magic Falchion, Royal Kite Shield, Poison.

((Also, next Chapter is going to be mostly Pony.))
(((R&R and please point out any mistakes)))