Twilight was terrified as she slowly approached the fallen creature. She had watched it mercilessly brawl with its red counterpart before nearly getting slaughtered. She had given the red creature a blast with her magic, hoping to disable it and keep the fighting from continuing. That plan backfired, ending with the creature in blue getting up and pinning the red counterpart to the ground. Not even moments later did it fall to the ground, spitting up blood and fell to the ground. Twilight had waited a few minutes, making sure it wasn’t attempting to plan anything. When the pool of blood near its head got larger by the second she had began to approach.

A small puppy had run up to the fallen creature, scratching at its helm and letting out whimpers of concern. Twilight gingerly trotted closer and closer until she could hear its ragged breathing. When it did not attempt to attack her, she trotted closer and gave it a gentle nudge, a pain filled groan being given in return.

A small, almost pathetic, growl emanated from the wolf next to the creature. Twilight glanced to the wolf pup, its small teeth bared at her. Ignoring the pup, her vision flickered towards Canterlot Castle, the structure shining gloriously as the sun began to rise in the distance. The hospital was the next location she looked towards, beginning to stress over what to do. The Princesses would be here any minute, but the creature could die by the time they got here.

The situation was starting to become dire, Twilight couldn’t let this creature bleed out in the road. Even if it was evil, with the injuries it had taken, it would be far too weak to attempt anything. Nothing deserved to die with such little dignity. Shaking her head, she had made up her mind. Her horn flashed, glowing with her magic. The glow covered the creature in blue, slowly lifting into the air. But something was wrong, the creature was barely levitating and kept sliding about as if it was a wet bar of soap.

The wolf pup had run over to her hooves, nipping at her and whimpering, trying to follow after or at least get on top of the creature. With a small pant, Twilight let the creature float back to the ground. A small huff escaped her, seeing as this was going to be rather difficult. Opting for the less magic consuming option, albeit slower and dirtier, she only grabbed the arms of the creature and began to drag him towards the hospital. The wolf pup lept onto the creature’s chest, whimpering and scratching at its chest plate.

“Come on! Come on!” She grunted to herself as she slowly dragged the creature towards the hospital. They weren’t even halfway to there before the sound of mist in the wind began to pick up. A baby blue swirl twirled around her mane, fluttering her bangs and startling her. Her vision snapped towards the creature she was trying to help, her eyes widening at what she saw.

The creature’s gloved hands, boots, and legs were all materializing into a fine mist, leaving only the blood streaks and pools of where it laid. A hollow gasp escaped it as the mist quickly consumed his body, lifting ever so slightly into the air as the last breath escaped the helm. The pup let out a whine as it backed away from the mist, whimpering and clawing at the creatures helm. It let out a small yipe as it felt the metal beneath it fade away, the helm of the creature soon disappearing after. All that remained of the fallen creature was a puddle of blood and a stunning swirl of mint green, a soft melodic hum emitting from the center.

Twilight couldn’t believe what she had witnessed, the creature she had attempted to save had quite literally vanished into nothing. No corpse, no armor, no blade or cloth. All that remained of the creature was this strange yet alluring ball of green. It seemed to almost pulse with life and warmth, begging to hold a form and be rid of the dreadful cold. She almost wanted to claim the strange object, to take it and relish the warming appearance it gave off, yet she cowered from it. Something about this energy gave off a powerful signature, one that could be felt by even the weakest of magic users. The feeling made her retreat slightly, stepping away from the entity.

She glanced around her, seeing several ponies gazing from their windows in mild fear. Twilight’s fear had passed minutes ago when she had began to drag the creature, concern and mild panic taking over her mind. Thousands of questions were racing her mind as she circled the swirling orb of energy. Was it volatile? Was it acidic? Would it eat away anything that touched it?

Her thoughts were cut off when a slight whimper broke her concentration. The pup from before was looking up at the orb. It gingerly lifted a paw, Twilight’s eyes widening as it reached forward. Before she could stop it, the pup’s paw when through the ethereal entity, completely intact and unharmed. It let out a small whimper as it pawed a few more times, almost begging the energy to bring the creature back. A somber breath escaped it as it laid down, not caring about the pool of blood beneath it. It almost seemed comforted by the entity.

Twilight turned to face the rising sun in the distance, silently wishing the Princesses would arrive sooner. She was lost for answers, something that tortured her to no end, and if they couldn’t give them, then they would be in for a world of the unthinkable.

~!~

Twilight had blocked off the area where the orb laid, the object of interest keeping many of the Ponyville residents from walking the streets or even leaving their homes. She had been gathering as much information on the orb with whatever minor experiments she could try at the moment. She had found very little through her tests. Her first discovery was that the source didn’t seem to fade nor flicker. Second; the warmth that it emitted was purely psychological, like a hug from a friend or remembering a fond memory. Finally; melodic tune that came from the center appeared to change and fade, as if someone was singing and couldn’t remember the tune.

She would have continued, but a familiar sound of a flying Chariot stopped her. Her vision snapped to the sky where a golden Chariot gracefully flew through the air, the royal guards’ eyes straight forward as they came in for a landing. A small plume of dust escaped into the air as the chariot made contact with the ground, the Guards tensing up as they saw the pools of blood across the ground.

The Princesses themselves were horrified and confused as they stepped off of their chariot, looking to Twilight. The purple mare looked ragged and worn, her eyes carrying bags and bloodshot. Celestia and Luna rushed over to her, Celestia wrapping a wing around Twilight in worry.

“Twilight, what has happened here?” She asked in concern, her eyes flickering between each blood streak and pool. Twilight nuzzled into Celestia’s fur, a soft, exhausted sigh escaping her. She had calmed herself considerably through her work, the effects of no rest and extreme stress beginning to weigh heavily onto her mind.

“Two creatures appeared, fought through the streets...” She spoke tiredly, stopping a moment and turned towards the glowing, mint green orb. “That is all that remains from their brawl.” Celestia and Luna tore their eyes from the gore and locked their vision on the vibrant light. The hypnotizing bouncing and swirling stealing their attention. “I was hoping one of you knew what it was.”

Luna and Celestia looked to one another and shook their heads, neither of them ever seeing something like this before. They broke away from one another, approaching the oddity before them with great caution. Twilight explained in detail the events that had conspired before they arrived, from the details of the creatures to the fight. She finished by speaking of what she had found of the oddity.

“That is... A rather curious tale.” Luna spoke, circling the glowing object with grand suspicion. “What I wish to know... Is where does this wolf pup come in?” Her blue hoof pointing at the sleeping canine, curled into a ball and resting next to the glowing orb. Twilight sighed and shrugged.

“I believe it to be the creature’s companion. It displayed dependant and fearful tendencies when the creature had fallen to the ground.” Twilight spoke. Celestia sat close to the object, her horn alight as she attempted to make sense of the strange object.

“It holds no malevolent magic as far as I may tell. But something feels strange about this energy. As if it holds the mortality of another. The will to continue and endure.” Celestia spoke, Luna coming closer with interest. Twilight strode to Celestia’s side as Luna’s own horn glowed. Not a minute after did she backpedal and gaze upon the glowing orb with a new awe.

Twilight and Celestia both looked at her in wonder, Luna turning to them with a look of shock. “This... Whatever this is, carries the memories of another!” Luna exclaimed, the shock spreading to Twilight and Celestia.

After a moment of silent awe, Celestia walked towards the object, gesturing towards it with her hoof. “Would it be possible to somehow access it? To look inside and see what this creature has done?” She asked.

“I do not know, sister. The object itself appears to be be made of no magic, or at least none I have ever seen. But it may be possible for me to worm my way inside, step into the memories themselves as if they were dreams.” Luna said, taping her chin with a hoof. Twilight stepped forward, a look of worry on her features.

“Are you sure that is wise, Luna?” Twilight asked, gaining the attention of both Alicorns. “We don’t know what this creature has done, or even what it is! You could be traumatised!!” Luna stayed silent, considering Twilights words. There was always a risk of dreamwalking, no matter the pony or creature. Of course she couldn’t truly get physically injured, but the real issue was getting out. Navigating the memories of this creature would be difficult, she did not doubt this, but it was the only way to discover who and what this creature was before it died. Steeling herself, Luna stepped towards the object, her igniting to prepare the spell.

Celestia wrapped a wing around her sister’s shoulders, gazing at her with concern. “Luna, you do not have to do this. We may find another way to-” Luna stopped her with a raised hoof.

“I know it may seem rash, but this is our only choice for the moment. With the strange structure in the now burnt forest, coupled with this recent brawl of creatures unknown, it would be foolish not to explore every option.” Luna nuzzled her sister, attempting to calm her worries. “And I shall be careful. I may be younger, but I am not naive.”

Celestia gave her sister room to work. The guards stood vigilant on both sides of Luna, preparing to deal with any pony that would dare interrupt the princesses. Twilight was beginning to bite her hooves as Luna’s horn glowed brighter with each passing second. Finally, a blinding flash filled the sky and Luna slumped the ground, her eyes closed and her breathing steady. Celestia quickly went to her sister’s side, propping her onto her side.

“Twilight, please go gather some pillows and blankets. We do not know how long this will take and I do not wish for her to awake with a sore.” Celestia calmly instructed. Twilight nodded, trotting over to her home. When Twilight came back, Luna began to let out groans and quiet whimpers in her coma-like state. It was when they placed her onto a folded blanket and pillow did she begin to thrash and scream.

“What is happening!?” Twilight shouted, attempting to keep Luna from flinging herself into the sky with her wings. Celestia’s eyes were wide as she attempted to calm her sister.

“I do not know, I have never seen this before!”

~!~

“DIE YOU FOUL MONSTROSITY!” Luna heard a masculine voice bellow out as she watched through the eyes of another. The blade plunged deep into the chest of a putrid animal, flesh decayed and rotten as it flopped to the shoddy wooden boards that served as the floor. “Blasted beast...”

Luna was in shock, she had been inside these memories only a few minutes and the creature she shadowed had already slew thirteen creatures, all that looked of the same species as the creature. Pushing herself from this particularly gory memory, she sifted through the memories, glancing at which ones would give her what she wished to know.

She began to dread how long she was to be in here before a specific one caught her eye. The look of a creature, obviously feminine, smiling at her. She gently tapped the memory with a hoof, feeling herself wear the body of the creature as the scene before her played out. The memory was fuzzy, as if she needed spectacles to properly view the sight.

“Artemis, do you truly have to leave?” A woman’s voice spoke, the feeling of a loving hand caressing Luna’s cheek became apparent. She felt her own hoof, or hand in this case, move to touch the loving hand.

“I am afraid I do, my love. The call of battle has once more sung my name, but I promise that I shall be home once more. For you and our children.” The voice of ‘Artemis’ spoke, Luna’s vision going down to look at the lover’s belly, plump and round from her pregnancy. “And much gold and spoils I will bring home to you.”

“I care not for objects of desire, just return to me.” Despite the blurred imagery, Luna could tell tears were dripping down the woman’s face.

“I promise my love.”

The memory faded away, Luna feeling a wave of sorrow beginning to follow the end of the scene. She felt her hooves clutch against her chest, a scream of agony tearing into her hearing. Her eyes quivered open as she saw the gloved hands clutching against his chest. They moved hastily as they began to tear of the armor and rip away the clothing under. A gasp of despair and gasping of pain filled Luna’s ears as she saw a blackened ring searing its way onto Artemis’ chest, the agonizing feeling transferring to her as the pain nearly tripled. She felt his gloved hands digging at the mark, attempting to swipe away or at least dull the agony of the brand.

When it was finished, she found herself huffing in sync with Artemis as he gazed down at the marking, a whimper escaping him. “... No... No!” She heard him muttered, tearings filling her vision. “I can’t be cursed...” The memory faded out as his mumbling continued progressing down a more angered and depressed. Luna tried to catch her breath before the feeling of being thrown filled her senses.

Her eyes opened to see a wall of rock rushed towards her, bones smashing audibly as her vision was filled with stone and dust. Her ribs felt as if they were shattered, breathing becoming labored with each short breath. Her vision clouded as she felt her legs and arms push herself up, hoof going to blade as she turned around, seeing an immense being. It was covered head to toe in steel, chest plate looking as if thousands of souls were screaming to escape, massive blade and shield in each respective hand. Glowing red eyes peered down at her, loud labored breathing filling her hearing.

The creature hovered above the ground, bag of weapons jingling and clanking as it bounced in the air. The overwhelming feeling of horror began to overtake Luna as she found herself having a hard time standing. She barely had a moment to react before she saw the terrifying monster rushing towards her, blade held out like a lance. She felt the blade pierce through her, a synchronised scream of pain and anguish as they were pinned to the wall. She found Artemis’ hands struggling to pull himself off of the blade, to be feel of the agony only to find himself ripped from the wall and flicked off of the blade as if he was a toy.

~!~

Luna let out another scream of pain, writhing in throes as she thrashed about violently. Her hooves planted against her stomach, pushing as if she wanted to be rid of something. Celestia could only watch and attempt to comfort her sister as she squirmed. Plenty of ponies had walked out of their homes or peeked through their windows to see what was happening, to get even the smallest idea of what may have been happening. They were quickly shooed away from the scene by the guards and Twilight, being told to leave the Princesses to their work.

Celestia’s eyes were filled to tears as she held her sister in her hooves, the whimpering of her sister piercing her heart like a knife. She prayed that the anguish would be over soon, that her sister would have a respite. She wish was somewhat granted as Luna fell limp, her breathing almost stopping completely. Worry only filled Celestia’s heart as Luna’s breathing began again, this time, steady and slow. This strange occurrence had been going on throughout the hours. her breathing would pick up in pace only to stop and begin again, slower.

Twilight gone to get a nurse or doctor to help Luna incase the worse happened. Celestia could only hope Luna would find what they were looking for soon.

~!~

Luna had been experiencing what she could only call death over and over again. Her body would grow cold, her vision would fade, and she would die, only to be reborn again at what Artemis called a bonfire. These strange fires never extinguished, brought upon strange comfort whenever he would rest at them, and posed as a place of rebirth for when he was vanquished.

Luna had learned much in this Artemis’ mind. He was a knight of a proud and powerful army, held a loving family, and carried plenty of hatred towards the monsters he fought. She could barely handle the sheer amount of will that Artemis possessed, the odd strive to continue his fight. She also had learned how his life was forbidden from ending. He did not age, he did not thirst, he did not hunger. He only tired.

She felt the years that had passed each time she entered a memory, the amount of pain he endured with each passing hour, no matter how long he rested, he would be in for more pain than any other could handle. She had long since stepped out of the memory sequence that she was trapped in, feeling much more than she ever wished. She walked along the scattered memories, nothing in order, all in fragments.

Whatever this creature was, he had been alive for years and years. She would dare say he lived longer than she or her sister, even longer than Discord or Changelings. And so many times had he fallen, his struggle becoming harder and harder with each death. She believed if it hadn’t been for this Shanalotte woman, he would have become one of the monsters he strived so hard to kill.

Despite the amount of horrors and slaughter he faced, he met several interesting characters. Vengrel, Benhart of Jugo, Creighton, Pate, Gilligan, Melentia the hag, Cale, and the foul murderer Navlaan. Some good, and some bad. All gave him aid somehow. Each name bringing up a different emotions ranging from happiness to anger. But this wasn’t what she looked for. She was seeing why he was in Ponyville and who the other creature he killed was.

She finally stumbled upon this memory after hours of searching, the only true intact memory thus far. Taking in a deep breath she strode forward and walked into the memory.

She felt her hooves grasp a blade and shield, eyes fading in to see a horror of which she had never seen. A creature made of bone and darkness, hundreds of skeletons attached to monster’s lower half, each grasping to get away and live a life after death.

“And now.... Be one with the Dark.” This monster, Nashandra, spoke, reaching a hand out. The response she got was a hefty ball of pure flame hurled into her fact, the cascading flames forcing a scream of a wretch from her. The monster raised its hand and spewed forth a beam of blackened flame, digging into the ground and attempted to sear the Knight in half. A deft roll to the side evaded the beam, only bringing about a feeling of rage in the knight.

The fight was over quickly, Nashandra falling and fading away, only to be consumed by Knight Artemis. The memory faded briefly to a point where the same structure that Twilight described laid before her. The immense stone walls opened and she stepped inside, sitting upon the throne in the center and watching as the doors shut with a loud slam. And then... Loneliness. A neverending darkness was all that continued.

A whimper escaped Luna, the feeling reminding her of her imprisonment on the Moon. A feeling she never wished replicated. Luckily for her, the memory faded to a more recent occurrence. the stone doors opened, and she witness everything.

Where the Knight got his pup, the spiders he had slain, the forest he had burned, and the other creature, which he called a Dark Spirit, that had attacked him. The wound that had claimed his life. A mighty warrior, fallen by a slash of a poisoned blade.

She watched as he fell to the ground, coughing and vomiting up blood, feeling the foul mixture of bile and blood force its way out of her throat. His frantic movements of trying to save himself as the poison shredded his insides, the pitiful whine as he could no longer stand and fell to the ground. The cold numbness that slowly set in. Out of all the deaths she had endured, all the pain she had faced, all the monsters that she had watched be slain by his hand, this was the most terrifying feeling she had encountered yet.

The feeling of a victory being tarnished by a underhanded trick, the feeling of helplessness when her limbs gave out, the feeling of defeat as the darkness set in. The utter sadness to have come so far only to be slain so easily. It was heart wrenching. Stepping out of the memory, she felt herself gag at the taste still lingering in her mouth. She had learned all she could about this Artemis, from who he was to why he was fighting in Ponyville. But she had yet to see was his reason for fighting so endlessly.

Why did he continue on this journey? Why did he wait so long in that tomb of stone? Why was he so determined to find these flames and ignite them? This she had yet to find. But she knew that once she was out of this place neverending of pain and torture, she would eventually meet this Artemis. He would soon rebirth and he would come to claim his souls, this would be when they would meet.

She quickly stumbled through the fluctuating memories, dodging and maneuvering around to get out of this place and be rid of the awful thoughts. She just had to find her entrance, and in this place, it would not take long to find. The problem would be getting to it. As she began to get closer to her exit, a sensation overwhelmed her. As if, the place she was in was beginning to pulse and send off a signal.

Her eyes widened as the sound of a heartbeat began to beat into her ears, the sound of clanking coming from the distance. The feeling of anger and hatred brewing in the deepest parts of the void she resided in. The combination of all these signals began to add up as she got closer and closer to her exit. “He’s coming...” She whispered to herself as her pace began to pick up. Her vision slowly began to blacken as she started sprinting towards the exit, feeling her hooves slowly numb. She had to escape before Artemis claimed his souls. She dared not think of what may happen should she reside inside when he claims what is his.

~!~

Luna had stopped moving altogether, aside from her shallow breathing. Her state had become more and more worrisome by the minute. She constantly haphazardly moved, her breathing becoming erratic, mild dry heaving and much worse following the hours. Celestia had never left her side as the nurses and doctors did all they could to keep Luna comfortable and calm. Luna had long since been drenched in a cold sweat, her expressions shifting through pain and terror as she did her job.

Twilight’s friends had arrived on the scene not long after the sun came up, questions of concern and alarm being arose as they arrived one by one. The sun was halfway through the sky by the time Luna had calmed, her expression turning to one of sorrow and her breathing reached a normal pace. Plenty of ponies had stepped out of their homes, despite the warnings of the guards, to see what was going to happen to their princess. Faces of worry and concern was seen throughout the gathering crowds, one particular white and brown colt looking especially worried when he looked on at the Princess.

And for a brief moment, Luna’s breathing stopped. When her breathing did not pick back up, Celestia began to panic as the alarmed medical staff rushed to help and keep the Princess alive, a unicorn doctor getting to her first and straightening her neck.

“Somepony grab the lung pump! We hav-” His shouts were stopped by a deafening, blood curdling scream. Despite the commotion, the Doctor placed the mask over Luna’s muzzle and began to pump air into her lungs, vision snapping up towards the noise. A lone diamond dog was sprinting through the streets, screaming in horror as it ran. Ponies backed away from the mutt as he stopped in front of them, the two guards running to the front of the crowd to defend the populace.

“Ponies must help! Ponies must help! Monster in tunnels! Killin’ everything!” The Diamond dog rambled, shouting and raving as he kept looking over his shoulder. “Please, must help! Monster going to kill us all!”

“Now hold on, Dog! What are you ranting about!?” The solar guard questioned, taking a step forward. The Diamond dog looked over his shoulder once more before turning back to the guards, wringing his paws nervously.

“M-Monsters in tunnels! Burst of flames, killing everyone! Don’t know where is came from, maybe dug too deep, but it is-” A almost silent thwip filled the air before a arrow pierced through the diamond dog’s skull, greymatter and bone flinging forward as his body slumped and limply hit the ground. Screams erupted from the crowd, several ponies backpedaling to avoid the growing pool of blood.

The guards looked at one another, eyes wide with shock. They turned to scan the area before a loud clanking filled the air. All eyes, even Celestia’s and Twilight’s, were fixed in the direction of the noise, the clanking growing louder and louder as a lone shadow began to take shape. Tall, bipedal, dripping with red. A deep and enraged growl filled the air as the figure became clearer.

Baby blue cloth, dented steel plating, blood covering almost every part of the body. Bow in one glove, seething flames in the other. The creature continued on his stride, even as the guards drew their swords, definitely keeping his pace. He only stopped when he was only a few yards away from the crowd of ponies, replacing his bow to wield a maroon blade.

Labored breathing filled the air, loud enough to dwarf the whimpers of cowering citizens. A moment of silence stilled the actions of all, aside from the doctor. The Guards dared not move incase the creature held some hidden plan. Several ponies flinched as a hand was slowly raised and and pointed behind the ponies. “I believe...” A gravely, scratchy voice rasped. “That you are guarding something that belongs to me.”

Author's Notes:

Alright! New Chapter! Yay!
Anyway, to explain the hole soul thing, I believe that the green mists left behind are what make an undead a undead.
So when these are lost, they begin to hollow and lose memory, but when they are regained, they retain and strengthen their minds. Just a little explanation.
Also, next Chapter going to be from Artemis'(Told you he'd have a name!) P.o.V.
Oh yeah, to clarify, yes Luna experiences every little thing when she examines a memory.
Also, this!

Because it's funneh.