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I think I am starting to notice a pattern when it comes to what I end up dreaming about. Although the pattern is only really noticed in hindsight. Events leading up to a memorable dream are influenced by events of the day before it. But now? In the middle of winter? With only the occasional snowfall adding to the layers of white across the landscape, I am not entirely certain what caused my mind to dream up what it did.

Because the first thing my senses detected the instant my mind became lucid was not the muffled whistling of winter winds. It was the sound of rain. The spattering of rain against a window.

https://youtu.be/c1XOgrBz6sU?si=KEtYXQDV9GwEII0R

I was no longer even lying on my back in bed anymore. I was slumped in a sitting position. Upon an ornately designed iron bench facing a tall wide window that wrapped around the outer edge of a room. A room of dark blues. I was alone. But I was also aware. And aware enough to realize that I was not clad in just a fresh pair of boxers. I was wearing my full suit of enchanted winged armor. My helmet rested on the bench beside me with the familiar form of the Lunar Shield propped up against the other side. The hilt of the Celestial Sword stood above its scabbard on the backside. It was quiet. Very quiet aside from the soothing melody of rain constantly striking the window before me. It was a welcome way of starting my dream in quiet safety despite being armed and armored. But if I was also so aware... Where were they? Who was with me? "Hello? Anyone here?"

"Yes, my friend. Right here." A familiar voice replied from behind me. I looked back over my pauldron as I heard the tapping of hooves. I was all but certain Nightmare Moon had joined me that night, but it was instead the brighter side of the moon. Luna approached me with a smile while she glanced about at our surroundings. "My, what is this place you've dreamed up? It carries...a certain sense of elegance and refinement. Do you recognize these surroundings?"

She was not wrong. I could see some furniture along the walls that hinted at wherever we were being part of a refined society. Almost like a darker parallel of Canterlot itself. Instead of bright, it was subdued. Where one would have expected white, I saw blues. If Canterlot had ever been constructed to reflect Celestia, then wherever we were looked as if it had been designed with Luna in mind. It was so fitting for her to be joining me that night. But I still had to speak honestly. "I really wish I could say, but these surroundings... No, they don't ring a bell at all. I don't recognize it. And why am I in my armor anyway? Did you do this?"

"I did, but only out of sheer concern. The dream your mind was producing when I approached carried nothing familiar about it, so I granted you your weapons and armor just as a precaution. And even if you are not in any danger... To be fair, you don't look out of place with such a knightly visage about you." Luna replied as she stepped up beside me. I decided it was time to rise to my feet and pushed myself up, my armor's plating clinking lightly as I rose and approached the window before us.

My armored hand rested upon the glass panel as I gazed out at the vast open air ahead. My eyes narrowed. The rain only allowed me to see so much beyond the pane. But from what I could see... I was in...a city? A city of dark blues with an almost gothic design to the shapes of the structures ahead. I could not even see the sky. Where was I? Where had my dreaming mind sent me? "I don't know this place. Nothing out there looks familiar. And I have no idea what I might've gone through recently that would cause me to dream up a place like this from scratch."

I heard the familiar din of a unicorn's magic being channeled through a horn. I looked back and found my shield and helmet floating up to me with Luna's blue magic aura billowing around them. The Princess of the Night then said with a smile, "Then there is but one thing to do. Go out there and explore. Enjoy yourself, my friend. But be safe as well. I will be watching, so call for me if you need me."

She was right. Why dream of a new place if I would not explore it? I took the Lunar Shield and secured its clasps over my left arm while bowing my head to let Luna place my helmet upon me. Its ethereal plume flowed from the back once it was where it belonged. I bid my farewells to my friend and began to make my way out from the chamber we were in with Luna staying behind to appreciate the view from the window for a while longer. What would I find out there? Only one way to find out.

I strolled down the corridor before me with the darkly colored aesthetics all around me. And yet there was very little made out of wood. Even whatever furniture I passed had little in the way of wood. What materials besides stone and steel were used in the craftsmanship of all that was around me? I eventually came to something that divided the corridor I was in. An antique elevator forged from iron. Almost like it was meant to serve as one that closes like a cage, but had no bars or gates. There was a lever affixed to the ground on each side. Surely as a means of calling it up. I shrugged my shoulders and stepped on with the top being just above my head. I was surprised the ceiling was so low. "Let's see... Going up?"

There was a single lever hanging down from the top. A very unusual design. The lack of any buttons for operating the device only added to the vintage feel of the elevator. I took hold of the lever and pushed it to one side. The device shuddered for an instant, but nothing happened. Perhaps I was already at the top floor? "Oh... Going down then?"

I pulled the lever in the opposite direction and only then did I get results. The elevator shook for an instant. And then began to descend at a quick pace. I could hear the wheels and gears above spinning as it ran down a line of chains. I minded the sides of the elevator shaft and was especially careful to keep my armor's wings from touching anything beyond the perimeter of the elevator. But before long, the shaft ended with only a wall of dark bricks on one side. The other side reached out into the open as I beheld the vast city before me. Rain was pouring down constantly beyond the overhang of where I had just been. A grand city the likes of which I had never seen before. In reality or fiction. Vast, dark, and...quiet. Something felt wrong.

There was a somber beauty about the city that towered around me. The architecture... Somewhere between that of gothic and Victorian, unless they are one in the same. My armor's underlying bodysuit kept me dry and comfortable with only my face being splashed by the water. The scent of moisture was constantly in the air, but not that of moist earth. More like wet stone. And perhaps metal? I did not get far before finding that the water falling around me had to go somewhere. Great moats were before me that probably spanned the entire city. Bridges and roads stood over the moats with some having crumbled away to leave stone platforms along the path instead that could still be traversed if one was a good jumper. But I was not in the mood for such maneuvers at the time. I found a bridge that was still intact and strolled along it. And still... No one was there. Not that I blamed them, given the rain. But there still should have been at least someone out there with an umbrella in hand.

"Beautiful... But so sad too. What's wrong with this place?" I asked no one in particular as I walked down the middle of the bridge ahead of me. I gazed upon the distant towers. And I noticed something about the windows. Large and almost oval shaped, they did not appear to be made of a single panel. And the way the multiple panels were layered above and below each other... They almost resembled the body of certain insects. An admirable charm was in that design that I immediately liked. And yet... Why such a design in the first place?

https://youtu.be/KkVwuWH-woA?si=xQaeQB-Lr\_G8gLzb

Just when I was left wondering where everyone was, I stopped. There was movement ahead. I could not make it out that well through the gloom, but there was a form standing off to the side of the bridge. Perhaps someone was out for a stroll after all? I hastened my pace as my curiosity demanded I solve the mystery. The sound of the rain blanketing the area concealed the rattling of my armor as I approached. But I soon noticed that whatever I was approaching was a fair bit shorter than me. That build... Those four spindly black limbs with a smooth chitinous exterior... "Is this...Hallownest?"

It was a bug. Or at least I remember being told that is what the people of that fictional land are called. I had once again been transported into a world my mind had dreamed up entirely from scratch. The bug before me... They were leaning on the wall at the edge of the bridge while seemingly gazing out beyond the railing. There was a nail propped up against the railing. Or at least that is what they call the equivalent of a sword in that world... And resting on the bug's head and shoulders... Was that armor? A dark gray helmet and gorget? The helmet ended in two rising crests with the rear being shorter than the other. Was this bug a warrior? Or perhaps a sentry of the city around us out on patrol?

I had to speak up. I would get nowhere without answers. And the plague that drove the people of Hallownest mad no longer existed. Hoping that the armored bug before me would not respond with hostility, I drew closer and called out to him. "Um... Sir? Hello?"

The armored bug before me suddenly bowed his head as he seemed to flinch at someone approaching him without him hearing them coming. His hand almost instinctively reached for his weapon only to barely defy the urge. He then let out a sigh before speaking up with a somewhat noble tone, "Ah... Forgive me, sir. I was just...reminiscing. Can I help...you?"

He froze the instant he turned to face me. And I felt a sense of relief. There was not the slightest sign of that putrid orange in his round and seemingly empty black eyes. The sentry before me was free of infection. And he then spoke with a quivering voice while gazing up at me. "You... You're neither bug nor beast. Your armor... The shield you carry... Are you...the knight? The knight of a distant large who slew the light that plagued our dreams?"

"Word gets around fast in Hallownest, I guess... Yeah. That was me." I replied with a slight hint of amusement in my heart. Only to flinch when the sentry before me gracelessly dropped to one knee with his armored head bowed. I waved my right hand at him as I felt silly to be immediately bowed to. "Whoa, hey... There's no need for that. Come on, you don't..."

"No! No, this is the least I can do for you, sir knight! You know not what the infection has wrought upon our sacred kingdom of Hallownest! Oh thank you... Thank you! I too fell to the plague! I was but a husk forever marching the streets as a slave to the light! But then the light faded from my eyes... And I still lived! But...so many others..." The sentry began to all but weep at my feet. And I could see drops of clear fluid falling from his face that was clearly not the rain. Even bugs could still shed tears. The sentry's words became incoherent. He was just...overwhelmed.

"Hey... Hey, come here." I replied as I dropped to one knee and reached out with my armor's great wings, pulling the weeping sentry towards me. The poor guy began to just bawl with his head resting against my breastplate. He feebly clung to me while I did what I could to shield him from the rain. Even if just for a moment. I did not belittle the swordsman before me. I too had known what it meant to serve and with all the turmoil that comes from living through a crisis. He had the right to let his tears flow. And I said the one thing I could. "I am...so sorry I did not discover your home sooner. If only..."

The sentry in my winged embrace managed to compose himself enough to speak to me. But still through a quivering voice of one who had endured far too much while serving his kingdom. "No... No, you need not apologize, sir knight. Had you never arrived at all... I fear none would have still lived once the light faded from our eyes. So many fell and became still the instant the light faded. Dear Hallownest... She is so much...emptier now. We are still finding more corpses with every passing day. So many funerals... So many goodbyes... How will Hallownest ever heal from this?"

It was a question I did not have an answer for. But I had seen the signs. Near the end of my previous visit to that world conjured up by my dreaming mind, I had seen signs of healing. The distant village of the Weavers. And then the more bustling state of Dirtmouth on the surface. Hallownest was healing. Slowly but surely. And I needed to share this news with the weeping sentry. "It will. I've seen other places. Hallownest is healing. I don't know how long it'll take, but...the kingdom is healing."

We stayed there for a while longer. I did not release the sentry from my winged embrace until I felt him starting to climb to his feet. He let out a very haggard sigh with his hands grasping me at my sides for support. "If what you say is true... Then... There is still hope. Even if...the throne remains empty. The Pale King has still not returned to us. Even our queen has seemingly vanished. All we can do...is await their return. I pray they still draw breath..."

I could not comment on that. I knew nothing about the reigning monarchs of Hallownest. Even the few who I had come to know in Hallownest had barely mentioned them. But I did rise to my feet with my armor's wings folding behind me once again. The sentry, tears finally having ceased to flow, then stood at attention before me with a fist held to his chest. "Bah... Pardon the weakness of this lowly sentry. I... I needed this, sir knight. Had you not come along just now, I... I may have just thrown myself into the moat. Your kindness...was dearly needed just now."

My heart ached for the poor soul before me. I rested my right hand on the left side of his metal gorget and said, "Please don't... Your kingdom still needs you. Hallownest has lost too many already. It can't afford to lose you too."

The sentry's stance wavered as his fist tightened its coils. He breathed deep, arms lowering to his sides with a rigid stance. The sentry then bowed his head to me as he said, "That it has... I... I must not let the tragedies of the very near past consume me. If Hallownest is truly healing as you say, then I must do my part. With or without a king or queen to guide us. I shall...resume my patrol now, sir knight. Carry on. And know that our home is yours."

"Right... Carry on then. Be safe." I replied as I watched the sentry retrieve his nail in his right hand before hoisting it to his shoulder. He then began to march rather enthusiastically past me as he continued on down the bridge. I cracked a smile. Hopefully his spirits had been lifted enough.

Once again, I was alone. I stood there in the middle of the bridge to gaze at the vast city around me. And now that I knew I was back in Hallownest, it dawned on me that I was now underground. But then... Where was all the rain coming from? It appeared to be blanketing the entire city instead of a small area of it, so it could not be from an underground stream spilling out onto the city. Not to mention such a thing would flood the place into becoming an underground lake. What could possibly explain the fact that it was raining in a massive subterranean chamber?

I turned my gaze upward with the rain hitting my face. There was no one I could ask for answers. The only two individuals in Hallownest I could arguably call friends and companions were the ones known as Quirrel and Hornet. And the odds of me bumping into them at all were very slim. Hallownest was surely vast and those two could be anywhere. Resigning myself to my solitude, I continued on down the bridge. All I could do then was explore.

The constant sound of rain drenching the city of stone all around me was a somber combination of soothing and sorrowful. It was no wonder I had come across no one aside from that single sentry. The city's population had undergone a rapid decline. I remember when my first foray into Hallownest was on the verge of coming to an end. The plague was gone. The tragic Hollow Knight and I succeeded in destroying the mad light goddess who had brought the kingdom to ruin. But then I had to ask myself... What was left to save?

"Not many... Not many at all." I muttered to myself as that question played in my head. My memories of my visit to the village of the Weaver tribe did little to soothe my heart. The city around me was far larger than that secluded village of silken homes in the depths of that harrowing network of caves. The lack of people around me was so much more palpable than down there. I paused in the middle of the bridge and took in my solitude. The hollowness of our victory only truly sank in then. "Was it all for nothing in the end? Is this what failure feels like?"

A glimmer of hope continued to shine in the depths of my mind as I found the will to continue on. The sentry I had passed spoke of survivors. There had to be more out there in the city. I simply had not found them yet. And surely not many would want to be out in the rain for nothing. Perhaps the simple contraption known as the umbrella had not been invented in the kingdom of Hallownest just yet. Although I do enjoy a stroll in the rain now and then so long as it is not too cool. Summer rainstorms in particular are pleasant, but the water falling over the city at the time... Just barely tolerable. I appreciated my armor keeping it from reaching my body. Where was the rain even coming from? Perhaps I should have asked that sentry while I had the chance.

I finally saw the bridge reaching its end to another part of the city. And a particularly impressive tower stood ahead. It seemed to be the tallest in the city. Perhaps it was even one of great importance. A place of government? Was it where Hallownest's king and queen ruled from? And yet... At the center of the section of the city up ahead... Stag beetle mandibles?

My heart leaped into my throat. That silhouette... Could it be? I burst into a jog as I hastened my pace while still seeing no one around. That set of mandibles reaching up to the sky. It had to be. There was only one person in the entirety of Hallownest whose head has such a specific shape. Did a miracle happen when I was away? Did the Hollow Knight live again?

I drew closer. And my heart sank. The form I thought I saw was indeed that of the Hollow Knight. But what should have been white was instead dark stone. Just a statue of the noble martyr of Hallownest maintaining a vigil over the area. The Hollow Knight's likeliness stood straight up with the form of its armor and cloak wrapped around it. But it was not alone. Three identical cloaked figures stood around it in a triangular formation. But the faces... They did not match. They looked like masks. One with a single large teardrop hole, one with two sets of small holes with the top set being slightly smaller to the point of bringing to mind eyebrows, and one with three sets of eyes that appeared to be locked in a perpetual glare. I recognized the last one instantly. The face of Herrah. Hornet's imposing yet fair mother. And the other two... All three were present on the seal that I had to cleave through in the Black Egg Temple. The Hollow Knight and the three Dreamers stood before me while forever represented in stone.

A memorial. One surrounded by elegant iron lampposts with round bulbs that glowed a soft white light. And it was also a fountain. The four statues were standing atop a platform carved to resemble a flower with trails of water spilling out between the large petals. The basin below was designed to resemble an even larger flower with its great petals splayed over the edges. Such an elegant design. Hallownest's hero deserved such beauty. I gazed upon the likeness of my fallen friend as I circled the fountain. My throat tightened as my eyes began to warm. I was not ready to see them again like this. I still remembered our time together. My promise that they would live and be able to start anew. That their many years of silent suffering would not be for nothing.

And then to awaken and watch their body slump to the floor with their great white head split in two at the middle. Empty and hollow. I still remembered holding the two halves of their being in my armored hands. Trying to make sense of it all. Trying to understand why my promise turned out to be as hollow as my friend's remains. And so I asked one last time with tears escaping my eyes. "Why couldn't I save you...?"

I stood before the Hollow Knight's statue, their gaze meeting mine. But they remained forever still. I let out a profound sigh of longing with my gaze lowering. But it was only then that I saw it. Directly ahead of the Hollow Knight's statue's gaze on the front of the fountain's basin was a plaque. I could not resist my curiosity. I dropped to one knee with a rattle to read what was there.

"Memorial to the Hollow Knight. In the Black Vault far above. Through its sacrifice Hallownest lasts eternal."

My heart sank. The fountain was not a recent addition to the city. The vaguely weathered state of the stone. The presence of the three Dreamers instead of just the Hollow Knight alone. I remembered the tale told to me by Hornet of what happened following the initial attempt to seal the plague within the Black Egg Temple. The memorial before me was constructed during the following calm in reverence for those who gave all they had to seal away the plague forever. Only for it to have been all for naught. What cruel irony... A memorial constructed in remembrance only for it to become meaningless once it became clear the plan to seal the plague had ended in failure.

But now the plague was forever gone. Its source utterly destroyed instead of sealed. The memorial before me finally served a purpose. For the Hollow Knight did indeed sacrifice themselves to see to it that Hallownest would last eternal. Even if it was now a fallen kingdom just barely starting to claw its way back from the brink of ruin. I rose to my feet again and gazed upon the stone replica of my fallen friend. "It's OK... You did enough. It...wasn't all for naught in the end after all."

I stood there in silence with only the sound of water all around me. But then I saw it out of the corner of my eye. Something flew through the air and struck stone nearby. Then a quick flash of light running along a thin line. Seconds later, I saw a flash of red move through the air as someone landed before me. That head of smooth white ending in two long spines reaching upward and two empty black eyes gazing at me with an almost fierce gaze. And under that head was a slender black body covered by a billowing red cloak that bore a striking resemble to a billowing red flower in the wind. A thin line of light extended from the cloaked bug's hand as a weapon consisting of a single piece of metal was suddenly drawn into her grasp behind the rest of her. A weapon that appeared to be a type of sword with a ring pommel where its hilt took up roughly half of its entire length. A weapon she referred to as a needle. And all while never losing that dynamic pose as her cloak finally became still and limp.

We gazed upon each other in silence for a moment. I was too downtrodden to offer any real enthusiasm with a greeting. And I think she too began to see the absurdity of her stylish arrival and quickly rose to a more subdued standing stance with needle in hand. Having been approached, I finally spoke with a quiet sigh. "Hornet..."

"Welcome back, Sir James." Hornet replied with a gentle and almost somber tone. She then turned her gaze to face the Hollow Knight's stone likeness. All while never blinking once. "You may have assumed so already, but this memorial... It is not in tribute to your triumph against the light alongside the gallant Hollow Knight. It was erected shortly after the Black Egg was first sealed years ago. When all of Hallownest truly believed the infection had been sealed forever. And now...it serves as a monument to our kingdom's greatest failure."

I had no words. I could only gaze upon the Hollow Knight's statue as the falling rain trickled down its face and through its eyes. The raindrops became tears as they spilled forth. I bowed my head with eyes shut. Only to feel a weight on my right arm through the metal plating of my armor. I opened my eyes and found Hornet resting her hand upon me while her blank black eyes gazed up at me. "It cannot be overstated... Always know that I am eternally grateful for what you did that day. For Hallownest. And for me... Bless you, Sir James. Bless you. Through the heroism of two knights of separate kingdoms, Hallownest lives on."

The cold ferocity I had come to expect from Hornet was entirely absent in her eyes and voice. She seemed tired. Far more mentally than physically. I gazed upon the memorial set before us again before saying, "I only found a single person since I got here today. A sentry on the bridge. He said... Is Hallownest truly healing, Hornet? Or...is this city completely empty?"

Hornet took hold of my hand and guided me along until we were finally out of the rain. A passageway under one of the city's many buildings provided shelter from the rain while the memorial fountain was still visible from our new location. Water still trickling down the horns of her white head, Hornet explained to me. "I know it may appear that the city is utterly deserted, but there are survivors still about. We have done what we can to pool our resources and band together in our time of need. The population of Hallownest has been...drastically reduced. The infection claimed far more than it spared..."

"Only time will fix this... And lord knows how much time will be needed." I replied while gazing out at the fountain again. We were both soaked in the rain while waiting for gravity to pull all the water still clinging to us off our bodies. The air was still thick with humidity even when away from the rain. A pleasant and cool humidity akin to a wet autumn day. I finally had the presence of mind to ask, "But anyway... Where are we? This city... It's sheer scale is impressive."

My question provided a welcome distraction to the darker thoughts in Hornet's mind. Her tone brightened ever so slightly as she turned her gaze up to me. "Ah... Your first time here, is it? You now stand in the great capital of Hallownest. Welcome, Sir James. Welcome to the City of Tears."

"Tears? Fitting... But does the city ever stop weeping?" I asked in some vague attempt to be witty. The situation was somber, but one still had to ask. How often and how long does the sky over the City of Tears weep?

Hornet let out a quiet grunt. I think my words almost got a laugh out of her. Even her blank black eyes narrowed slightly as the shape of her head hid a possible smile on the underside. "Never. The rain never stops. A great lake sits above the city. The Blue Lake, if I recall. And from there the water leaks down and through the cave ceiling above."

I scowled at that revelation. Cracks in the stone lakebed above results in water constantly leaking into the chamber below? But... My eyes went wide in concern. "Wait... But if that's the case... Won't the water gradually erode the stone between the lake and the city over time? Is this city doomed to be flooded when the lakebed gives out with the whole thing spilling in?"

"Yes! Yes, that was most definitely taken into consideration when the city was being built so very long ago!" Hornet replied before approaching the edge of the passageway to gaze up at the sky. I followed her and did the same, trying to see what I could without stepping out into the rain. "You can't see it from here, but an ambitious project was put into action. The ceiling has been greatly reinforced. And I do believe it will still be quite some time still before further adjustments need to be made."

"Right. Good to know. I'd hate to see the city get hit with another disaster after just barely surviving an apocalypse. The kingdom has enough problems to deal with already." I replied with a sense of relief in my heart. I was not going to ask for the specifics regarding the City of Tears' infrastructure. Although a little pleasant conversation had already done much for our emotions at the time.

At last, Hornet finally brought up the most obvious question she could. She turned to me and asked, "Now then... What brings you back to Hallownest, sir knight? Have you returned as a vassal for your kingdom of...Equestria, was it?"

That was a question I did not have an answer for. At least not without revealing to Hornet her nature as a product of my dreaming mind. I had to keep that information a secret from everyone in that world at all costs. But I was not entirely dishonest with my response. "No, I'm not here on any official business. I'm just...here. I don't know when or how I got here, but... I'm here now and that's it."

"You came as you went? Without knowledge of how it happened?" Hornet asked with some confusion in her voice. Not that I could blame her for being puzzled. She soon spoke softly, "I should have you know... When I awoke in Dirtmouth, I began to search for you. The Elderbug claimed you descended back into the tunnels below the town...but I found no trace of you. The trail went cold at the Black Egg Temple. I began to wonder...if you had simply been a ghost all along. A phantom that manifests unpredictably. A proverbial Ghost of Equestria."

That was an interesting conclusion for her to come to. And I was rather amused by Hornet's hypothesis. "I can assure you that I'm quite real. I'm no ghost, Hornet. I just...have my ways of coming and going to this world."

"Hm... Perhaps my kind are not meant to understand the ways of your kingdom. I shall not inquire further. But now that you happen to be here..." Hornet replied with a scowl in her eyes. Only for her to look out from the passage and up at the building on the other side of the memorial's circle. The tallest tower in the City of Tears loomed over us. "There is someone I believe you should meet before you travel anywhere else. There. At the top of the Watcher's Tower. I shall escort you, if you would have me."

"I would appreciate your company. Lead on, Hornet." I replied now that I had a task to focus on. The capital of Hallownest itself was that world's equivalent of Canterlot for sure. It would be almost fun to see what the city had to offer now that I had an intrepid local serving as my guide.

Hornet led me back out into the rain and past the memorial fountain. We did not stop, but we both bid the stone visage of the Hollow Knight one last glance before we stepped into the shelter provided by the base of the tower above us. But it was then that I happened to notice a quality about Hornet's vibrant red cloak that I had overlooked until then. It was not wet at all. Any water on it rolled off it effortlessly without soaking into it. My eyes widened in curiosity as I spoke up. "Your cloak... It's not made of cotton?"

"Silk. Almost all I carry were produced by the Weaver tribe." Hornet replied as she came to a stop and turned to face me. She pointed out her left arm with needle in hand to lift up one side of her cloak with it. Although she then added, "Even so, silk is still easily weakened if it becomes wet. This silk has been refined to resist moisture. And given the strength of Weaver silk, this cloak has served me well almost as a form of soft armor."

She was not wrong. I could not see any traces of damage on that red cloak despite having surely been in use for a very long time. Spider silk is often much stronger than it seems, so I could only imagine how strong Weaver silk is when faced with force. I lightly grasped the fabric between my armored fingers and slid my hand towards the edge. Even through my gauntlet, I could feel the subtle texture and strength of the material. "That is definitely silk. And it's a striking color too. Any particular reason why your cloak happens to be red?"

"Who can say? I did not choose the color. Perhaps it's meant to compliment the black of my body and the white of my face. Perhaps it is meant to serve as a warning to those that would seek to do me harm. Or perhaps it is meant to make me easier to see in the dark tunnels of Deepnest. I was but a child there at one time..." Hornet replied in some contemplation. It seemed like it was a rare thing for her to ever talk about that impressive piece of clothing. She then led me on down the corridors ahead. And it was there that I finally saw life.

Bugs were about, though clearly not in high spirits. Many resembled the various corpses I had seen, both still and reanimated. And unlike those, their round black eyes contained no traces of that orange light of corruption. They were all pure. I saw more sentries. They all wore the same armored uniform. Some even had wings that fluttered with a faint buzz while carrying long lances of sorts. Others still were large and bulky like beetles and carried larger and broader nails as a sign of their greater strength. I drew a lot of gazes from the many armored sentries, but they would either bow or display various salutes as we passed. They knew who I was. And I was not accustomed to such wordless honorifics. Even amongst the royal guardsman stationed in Canterlot back home. But I did take note of just how many sentries were present in the tower as we ascended flights of stairs while finally getting completely away from the rain. "There's quite the guard detail in here."

Hornet responded with a certain urgency in her voice. "There has to be. The Watcher's Tower is a place of importance. Even moreso now than it was before the kingdom fell. And the one who resides at the top... Let's just say he has taken up a role of leadership since the plague ceased to exist. He must be protected. And so the guard patrols this place diligently."

I was convinced by then that the Watcher's Tower was indeed the place where Hallownest was being governed from at the time. It was no castle, but it was still impressive. Especially once we began to trek through the largely deserted halls. The interior of the tower had weathered the march of time quite well with much of the furniture and upholstery having a distinctive burgundy hue that really caught my eye. "This shade of red everywhere... It feels...special. And I haven't seen it anywhere else in the city."

"It should. For it is the color that denotes nobility in Hallownest. You will only find this color used in places of great importance of decadence... Even if it no longer matters these days." Hornet replied as we took another elevator up once we had run out of stairs. Her tone though...

"Please explain." I asked in an attempt to get another conversation out of my guide. Just to help pass the time as we ascended the tower.

Hornet sighed before walking along with me at her side. "It should go without saying. Commoner and noble alike were victims of the plague. All that wealth, yet they still suffered the same. And now... The accumulated riches of the nobles means nothing in a fallen kingdom. But I suppose if there is one silver lining that has come out of this cataclysm... It is that the plague served as a great equalizer. The commoners and nobility now live and work amongst each other to bring Hallownest back from the brink. Everyone is doing what they can. It has been quite...heartening to see them look upon each other not as those above or below, but as fellow survivors who just want to live well again."

"I suppose the apocalypse does tend to bring out the best in people." I muttered as we continued along. We took a few more elevators up while passing through eerily empty chambers adorned with that noble shade of red. I was wondering if that burgundy hue was the equivalent of indigo from ancient civilizations from the world I once called home. But it also added to the gloom. With only the distant sound of rain splashing against the tower, the sheer emptiness was accentuated. The very few guards we passed did little to liven the mood.

We took another elevator up while bordered by a tall window gazing out upon the city. The sheer post-apocalyptic silence around us almost compelled us to just drink in the emptiness. Although Hornet did speak to me once we stepped off the lift. "We are nearing the top. It won't be long now."

I was in for a surprise that made me stop in my tracks. We entered a great chamber with beautiful and wide chandeliers of glass and dark metal hanging above. And at the edges were very elegant windows that I think bore the symbol of Hallownest. Have I described it before? An insect's body topped with a barbed crown reaching high and with six wings at the side? I suspect the chamber was a ballroom where parties were once thrown. But I did not see any signs of reverie. All I saw...were many corpses. Very large corpses of bugs that were clearly armed for battle with each having a large nail beside each of them that matched those carried by the burlier guards patrolling the lower floors of the tower. Large...round...and very likely a type of beetle. And atop their heads were three distinct horns set in an arrangement that I instantly recognized. "Atlas beetles?"

"The Watcher Knights. Elite guardians of the tower. All fallen...to the infection." Hornet spoke as she stopped to behold the remains of her people. I too came to a stop and shared a moment of silence with her. Not one of the Watcher Knights stirred. They had all been dead for some time. They clearly did not perish in battle. They fell to a putrid disease that devoured them from within. Hornet soon spoke softly, "When the Dreamers slumbered, the Watcher Knights stayed at their post to insure none would reach the Watcher and risk weakening the seal of the Black Egg Temple. But then the infection began to leak out regardless. And they too...fell to it."

Again with that term. Watcher. And I suddenly had an epiphany. I looked down at Hornet and said, "Your mom... Herrah. I don't fully remember the names, but... She mentioned three titles. A Teacher, a Watcher, and a Beast. And Herrah is the Beast. Is...the Watcher at the top of this tower?"

Hornet turned her horned head to cast her black empty eyes up at me. She then said, "He is. Let's be off. The Watcher awaits. And he knows who you are. I believe it would be best that the two of you finally meet."

Now I was somewhat excited to know I was about to have an audience with a very important figure in Hallownest's history. Hornet led me along with only the rattling of my sabatons and the distant sound of rain breaking that haunting silence. I kept expecting to hear thunder ring out at some point. For as gloomy as the atmosphere was, I could not help finding the sound of rain comforting. For the city was weeping. And tears are soothing.

We took another elevator up and soon came to another such elevator at the far side of the current story. Even more interior design reflecting that noble shade of red was everywhere. I marveled at how well everything around us endured the march of time, especially with the humidity in the air. Hornet turned to me as she stood upon the next lift. "This will take us to the summit. The last one."

"I don't think I've ever seen so many elevators in one building that are so out of sync with each other. Your standards in architecture is very different from my world." I said in an attempt to offer at least a little wit to the situation. Hornet did not respond and might have even been puzzled by my observations. Once we were situated on the platform, Hornet pushed the lever hanging from the ceiling in one direction. And with that, we were off to see the Watcher.

The elevator rose beyond the ceiling of the chamber and through a narrow shaft. And it was quite the view. From the bottom to the top was a tall window that gave us an impressive view of the City of Tears as we rose ever higher. I remained silent to drink in the atmosphere and listen to the rain splattering against the window. The elevator was also rising at a slower rate than the others we had used. Perhaps it being held on much longer and heavier chains slowed it down somewhat. But that just gave us more time to enjoy the view. And I spoke my thoughts. "The city is beautiful. Even now... After all it's been through."

Hornet returned my words with some of her own. "It truly is... It has always been a marvel of architecture and engineering. The shining jewel of Hallownest. I hope to see it shimmer like it once did..."

I allowed the two of us to bask in the sound of rainfall and said nothing. But I soon thought I felt some pressure on my right arm. I looked down and saw why. Hornet had placed her left hand upon the vambrace on my right gauntlet. Just to rest it there. And yet... It seemed like she was trying to say something. Or perhaps she was not even aware of her own actions. I glanced down at her and asked, "Does my presence comfort you?"

"It does." Hornet replied without hesitation. And that was all she said.

I began to worry for my companion. Hornet had been through more than I could possibly comprehend. Her life had only just started gaining some form of stability. I asked softly, "Is there anything I can do for you?"

"You are...kind to offer." Hornet muttered as I saw her head bow slightly. She stood there pondering the unexpected offer. Until she looked up at me with those empty black eyes. "Live. That is all I ask."

What a beautiful thing to say from someone like her. And I did not overlook the irony. "I will. Although... This is only the third time we've met. And I remember what happened the first time."

I think I felt Hornet actually grasp my right gauntlet's vambrace with her fingers. Firmly. I heard a harsh sigh from her before she spoke over the turning of the gears somewhere above us. "I have been...most furious with myself over that. I thought... I believed I was doing what I had always done. Protecting what little remained of sacred Hallownest from those who would seek to plunder it. Instead...I so very nearly doomed it to eternal oblivion. Had I slain you that day..."

I looked back on that day with an uncertain feeling. I was more annoyed with Hornet's aggression back then than anything else. All before I really knew what was at stake. And Hornet's realization reminded me that such a situation had happened to me before. "You're not the first to almost make that mistake... Someone else also tried to destroy me for the sake of their world. Only to discover long after the fact that my demise would've doomed their world instead of saving it."

Hornet's grasp on my arm tightened as I ever felt her fingers quiver through the layers of metal separating us. "Fools... All of us. I know not how you came to find Hallownest, but we were blessed that day... I can't overstate it enough. I am eternally grateful, Sir James. So please... Live. For your world. And for ours."

"I will. I have far too much to live for now." I replied as I thought back to the world I had come to love as my home. So many friends. And now a steadily growing family. I would be remiss to give that all up now.

Hornet once again turned her gaze up to me. And I looked down at her as well while she spoke. "I have been...cold for much too long. Hardened by solitude. A heart numbed from being surrounded by death. Companionship still feels alien to me despite the warmth it brings. And yet... You gave me something precious that day. Hope. It was the first time in...goodness knows how long that I began to believe salvation was possible. And then...you gave us all just that. Even now... Beholding you. Clad in sacred armor, blade and shield at the ready, and still the kind soul you were when we first met... You give me hope, sir knight. And...I welcome this feeling."

"I...give you hope..." I muttered as I felt my heart ache. I turned my gaze to once again behold the city beyond the soaked window before us. "You're not the first to say that... I miss her so much."

My companion and guide asked softly, "Who was the first that you gave hope to?"

Ember. My beloved future dragon queen. I longed for her so much as I stood there. "Someone...I am madly in love with. My little blue rose..."

"Then go to her. As soon as you can. Do not deny her the gift of hope for too long. It can...save oneself." Hornet replied firmly yet kindly. She may have had a heart of ice that was only beginning to thaw, but she still knew the value of love.

But I knew the relationship between Ember and I is not one-sided. We gain different strengths from each other. "She...has given me much too. She gives me courage. I saw war shortly before I found Hallownest. And...had she not been there with me... I don't think I would've had the courage to see it through."

Hornet turned her gaze up at me with unblinking eyes. "You gave her hope... And she gave you courage... Through the rigors of warfare. What a wondrous tale. I hope the two of you will have a wonderful future together, whoever this warrior woman may be."

"Oh she is a wonderful woman... A warrior princess. Kind of like you, come to think of it." I replied as a playful smirk spread across my lips. And I was reminded that it was not the first time I had found myself comparing Hornet to Ember. They would probably have quite the camaraderie if they ever met. Although I suspect they would meet with blades crossed first just to test each other in battle.

My companion grunted before turning her head away from me. Although her hand remained upon my vambrace for the moment. "Hmph. Do not attempt to woo me, sir knight. I am not so certain my heart is meant to be held in the hands of another. Stay with your...blue rose. For she gave you courage in exchange for hope before you and I even laid eyes upon each other."

I was not implying that I had eyes for Hornet. I was just making an observation to be funny. But... No. It was for the best that Hornet did not know that Ember was not my only beloved. Nor was she my first. She did not need to know that fact yet. Perhaps it would be best if she never knew. So I kept that truth buried in my heart. We had other things to focus on anyway as Hornet turned her gaze upward. "We're here. The Watcher awaits. Just be mindful of your manners. He has...been through quite the ordeal."

"Understood." I turned my gaze upward as the window before us was replaced by the dark stone of the tower's architecture. Only for the elevator to finally come to a stop at the very top of the tower with it being close to one side of the circular layout of the chamber. The ceiling was surprisingly low and felt...cozy. Almost like it was meant to be a private residence instead of a place open to the public. There were many tall candles lit and casting small bright glows about the place. There were piles of stone tablets in a corner with symbols scrawled all over them on one side. And there was an incomplete painting near the piles that appeared to depict the City of Tears as seen from beyond the windows encircling the tower's summit. Was the Watcher an artist?

We saw movement. Someone stepped into view while walking our way with what seemed to be a tray of tea carried in their hands. A bug like many I had seen. But this one looked quite dapper. His body was clothed in a suit bearing that same noble red I had seen throughout the tower on our way up. And there was a raised collar just behind his domed white head. One of the surviving nobles of the city? He eventually came to a stop when he noticed two figures there he had not noticed before. "Oh? We have guests?"

"Good day. Is your master in at this time?" Hornet replied with a wave of her hand in greeting. It seemed that she was well known around the city as one of its most capable sentinels. The dapperly dressed bug took no issue with his guest carrying a blade in her other hand.

"Ah, Miss Hornet! Yes, the master is in. And you're just in time for tea. Right over here." The fine fellow said with a rather posh accent before he walked past us. It turned out that Hornet and I had failed a spot check. The area directly behind us, the one corner of the residence we had not seen, sported an odd feature. A large vintage telescope that was peering out through a gap between two windows that looked design to slide open and shut when needed. And a darkly cloaked figure stood before it while clearly peering through the eyepiece with a hunched position. They blended in quite well with their surroundings. The bug with the tea tray in hand, who I had assumed was a butler, stepped closer and spoke up. "My lord. The tea is ready."

The figure straightened their posture to reveal their height being a head shorter than me. And when they turned to face us... Their face. Just like the one on the seal of the Black Egg Temple. A single large hole or eye in the middle of the white face of the bug before us. He spoke with a fairly elegant voice of his own, "Many thanks. I was getting rather parched... Ah?!"

Just as the cloaked figure started to reach for his cup and saucer, he froze with his single eye gazing upon us widely. His hands quivered, his voice caught in his throat, looking at if he had seen a ghost. "Heavens above... Void below... It's you... My goodness, you're actually here... The knight... The knight of a distant land who slew the source of the infection that plagued our dreams... I saw you that day... Mere moments before the seal burned away to nothing... Wielding power the likes of which Hallownest has never known to pierce that which could not be pierced... Just before...I awoke."

"The knight? You mean...THAT knight? The one that rumors and gossip have been chiming about ever since we...began to see again?" The butler replied with a hushed gasp of shock in his voice. He then turned to face me and asked, "Then...is it true, sir? Was it you who allowed my master to awaken from sleep eternal? That...allowed me to resume my duties?"

I decided to be brief with my response while Hornet allowed me to speak for myself. "I am. And...you are one of the three Dreamers, right? The Watcher?"

Our host began to collect his composure as his voice steadied. "Yes... I was but one of three. I am Lurien the Watcher. And...there are no words to convey the sheer awe I am experiencing now that you stand before us..."

Lurien stepped closer with quivering hands reaching out to me from under his cloak. Black and chitinous like Hornet's, he almost looked frail. I was getting very scholarly vibes from him while his humble butler watched in equal awe and respectful silence. Hornet watched without words as a witness to this important meeting. Seeing what Lurien was offering, I reached out to him with my armored right hand and found it being held in both of his as he shook it in greeting. "Forgive me if I seem to be uneasy... It is just so...indescribable seeing you here before me. I cannot state enough what a miracle you have bestowed upon Hallownest. And to me. We Dreamers were never meant to awaken. We were to slumber forever to keep the seal in place. Even if it was imperfect. And I... I was the most resolute in the project in keeping the seal intact. I was not convinced there were any alternatives. And yet... Here I stand. Alive. And awake. And Hallownest now rises from the brink of ruin. Free of the infection that nearly doomed it. All because of you, sir knight. Please. I must ask your name. Will you grant me such knowledge?"

He had such a humble air about him. Lurien was not like Herrah. He was not a leader of the people. Just a servant of the people. I spoke with the slightest smile on my lips, "I am Sir James of Equestria. Just don't ask me how I found my way to Hallownest. I just...don't have an answer to that. But I found that this land was in crisis when I arrived and I did what I could to help."

"James... Certainly not a name I have heard before. And it is a name I will remember forever. Welcome, Sir James. Welcome indeed." Lurien said as he gave my hand one final shake before clearing his throat. He gazed upon me while Hornet continued to remain silent. I did glance at Hornet for a second as I wondered why she was so silent, but my presence took precedence. "To think you did the impossible... The blade concealed in your shield... A light brighter than even the light that plagued our dreams. And yet... It has a...warming glow. I must ask... Have you seen them yet? Have you encountered Monomon since our awakening? Or Herrah?"

"I've yet to come across Monomon the Teacher. But Herrah is alive and well. Hornet escorted me to the home of the Weavers in Deepnest last time I came around here. I think it's a safe bet Monomon is fine if the two of you awoke with no problems." I replied while expecting Hornet to at least say something now that her mother was mentioned. But she remained silent. She was being remarkably patient to allow Lurien and I to speak.

"I see... Then Monomon likely stills resides within her archives deep in the Fog Canyon. Although communication with other sectors throughout Hallownest have been thoroughly shattered after the kingdom's near collapse. Reestablishing connections will take time..." The Watcher muttered contemplatively with one hand rising to the bottom of his white face to stroke the underside. But only for a moment. It was only then did Lurien clap his hands together. As if to send a signal to his butler. The dapper bug beside us went walking away with a brisk pace to the far end of the chamber while our host spoke with a nervous chuckle. "Ah... Forgive me. I have been a poor host. It has been much too long since I last had proper guests to entertain. Come, come. Over here. Let us all speak over tea."

Being a tea enthusiast myself, I could not say no. Hornet and I followed Lurien to something that was front and center in the chamber. A simple stone altar. I suspected it was a more recent addition. And Lurien was quick to explain its purpose. "This will do. The altar here... It was placed here to serve as my final resting place. Although now it serves as a table. Or a bench. Depending on what is needed from it."

I set aside the Lunar Shield to completely free up my left arm while propping the shield up against the side of the altar. I also set aside my helmet with Lurien taking an interest in how its intangible plume just disappeared when the helmet was not resting on my head. Hornet and I then took a seat in a row with Lurien between us. The butler soon returned with the same tea tray, but now with three cups and three saucers present on it along with a darkly colored teapot. He spoke up happily, "Here we are, my lord. One for the master, one for the mistress, and one for the dashing knight."

An opportunity arose as I considered the presence of that very specific nobly dressed bug. He was literally the only other person present when we had arrived. I asked softly, "Sir... You survived the plague too, right?"

The butler happily replied while pouring our tea one cup at a time. "Ah, that I was. Even with the master slumbering forever, I remained at my post. Even well after the infection had sunk its hooks into me. But I never strayed away. By some grace, I remained up here all this time. As if time itself had ceased to flow. And when the light left my eyes and I found myself still clinging to life... As I lived and breathed, the first thing I saw upon awakening was my master patiently awaiting me to come to my senses. And thus my duties resumed. For I have always been content to serve."

"And I cannot thank you enough for your many years of service, old friend. I pray we still have many more ahead of us." Lurien said while resting his hand on his devoted servant's shoulder. With our tea hot and ready, the butler left us alone to go tidy up at the far end of the penthouse. But while he and Hornet took their teacups in hand, I struggled a bit to delicately pick up mine. Lurien noticed my careful movements and asked, "Do you...need assistance?"

"I hope not... I've never tried holding a teacup while wearing these gauntlets. They're not designed for something this delicate." I grumbled while trying to figure out how to secure the teacup's tiny handle through the plating over my fingers. It is easy to forget just how cumbersome the plating on gauntlets tend to be. And I really did not want to have to rely on levitation magic for something so basic when I had hands to perform the deed with. After a moment, I finally got my teacup secured with my armored fingers while my other hand held its saucer just underneath it. "There we go. Now then..."

The three of us took a sip of our tea in unison. It was hot, but not quite enough to burn as long as we paced ourselves. And I was impressed with the flavor profile. A very earthy and rich flavor. "Mm... I think I notice the taste of...mushrooms. Maybe some root herbs?"

"You have quite the palate, sir knight. Yes, mushrooms are a common ingredient in our cuisine. Even in tea. And they are remarkably healthy for tea use." Lurien spoke while Hornet continued to remain silent. At least until the Watcher turned his attention to his other guest. "And Miss Hornet... What is your connection to our friend here? I take it you arriving with him is not mere coincidence."

Hornet hesitated for a brief moment as she lowered the teacup from her unseen lips. "I... I was the first person he likely encountered when he arrived in Hallownest. Once I had determined he was not there to plunder the kingdom's ruins, I granted him safe passage. By sheer happenstance, we have crossed paths more than once since that fateful day. I am serving as his guide for his first visit to the City of Tears for now."

It was so very tempting to mention how Hornet's first action upon meeting me was an attempt on my life, but I resisted the urge to poke fun at her for that. She was already deeply embarrassed by her actions that day and did not need to be reminded of them. So I mentioned her doing the exact opposite. "She saved my life last time. Before I found my way to the village of the Weavers, I ended up finding myself in the lair of a Nosk. If Hornet hadn't shown up when she did... Ugh... Don't even wanna go there."

Lurien reacted with a gasp of shock in his voice. I was surprised he even knew what a Nosk is. "A Nosk?! What a fiendish encounter... So few in Hallownest have any information on those beasts... But if what we know about it is true... Who did it disguise itself as?"

Hornet beat me to the punch. "It was I, Lurien. The beast was wearing my face. Complete with a false cloak of red. It was...unsettling to face that monster while it gazed back at me with my own reflection. But we persevered and slew the beast. Now there is one less Nosk stalking the depths of Deepnest."

"I suppose even the mightiest of warriors would struggle against a devious apex predator of a lair like Deepnest. I am most grateful you two heroes survived intact." Lurien said with a concerned tone. He was clearly not a fighter. Which got me thinking. Who even was he?

I decided it was as good a time as any to ask. "Lurien... If you don't mind me asking... How did you come to be one of the three Dreamers?"

"Sheer loyalty to the Pale King. My diligence was enough to earn me the honor of serving Hallownest eternally. Until I awoke when you came. Before then I served as the king's head of intelligence. The one who watched, if you will." Lurien replied with some pride in his tone. Truly a servant of the kingdom.

Pale King... For what little I had heard about the rulers of Hallownest, I had never actually heard of their titles. The Pale King? Someone I had not seen in person or in likeness. Curiosity struck. "The...Pale King? He had a specific title?"

Lurien cast me a glance of mild surprise. " You have never... Ah. I suppose Miss Hornet has not told you much of our reigning monarchs. Yes. The Pale King. He who founded Hallownest and who has ruled over us as a most blessed ruler. And alongside his queen. The White Lady. Righteous and just. And so very in love with each other. I pray you will be given the honor to stand in their presence someday."

"Pale... White... Hallownest seems to have a connection to a lack of color." I replied when I noticed the similarities between the titles of the king and queen.

"Not entirely. I am sure you have seen by now that white is a color not commonly seen in Hallownest. While a certain shade of red denotes nobility, white... It is the color that represents they who rule over Hallownest. That purest pale hue... So very few are permitted to display such color openly. Only those of the absolute highest prestige carry the colors of our king and queen." Lurien explained with some genuine admiration in his voice. He had nothing but fond memories of his king and queen. They must have been quite kind to him as well.

White to the people of Hallownest must have been like gold to most other cultures. Pure and devoid of color... I could see why it was looked upon with reverence. Especially after so long of a certain shade of orange serving as a sign of disease and corruption. Now that we had a real conversation topic to engage in over tea, I pried for more information. "And who besides the king and queen are permitted to where a pale banner?"

Lurien happily explained, "Very few. Only the most trusted of the king's servants and retainers were clad in pale garments. As were his most elite guards. And they all were assigned to the White Palace. Which you will not find around here. The only others who were clad in pale hues...were our greatest champions. The Five Great Knights of Hallownest. Mighty warriors and defenders of the kingdom, knighted by the Pale King himself."

The Five Great Knights... As a fellow knight, that term instantly got my attention. "Tell me more about these knights."

Hornet finally found an opportunity to speak as she looked past Lurien at me. "Allow me, Sir James. I have some history with the Great Five myself. I even received a spot of training from some of them at times when I was but a squire in my own right."

"I'm not surprised you're something of a knight yourself. Tell me then. Who are they?" I asked after sipping the last of my tea. Now that my cup was empty, I could focus entirely on Hornet.

The cloaked sentinel of Hallownest began to speak as Lurien went silent. "The Five Great Knights... While powerless to oppose the infection, they were peerless in battle. All clad in pale armor and pale in form generally, they became something of figures of myth in the years following the fall of Hallownest. Many no longer even remember their names. The common folk now mostly only remember their titles. The Fierce. The Mighty. The Kindly. The Loyal. The Mysterious."

I was thoroughly intrigued. My interest in knightly affairs had only grown since the day I was knighted myself. I was no longer a commoner admiring figures of legend from below. I was not a fellow knight on equal footing with these Five Great Knights and dearly wanted to meet them. But...were they even still alive? Did the plague claim them like so many others? "Where are the Five Great Knights now? Do they still live?"

Hornet lowered the teacup in my hand as she gazed ahead at the window far ahead of her. Lurien and I waited in silence. "I only know the location of one. And another, though his current whereabouts elude me. The rest...have scattered to the winds. Goodness knows whether or not they still draw breath."

A glimmer of hope bloomed in my heart. I asked with great interest, "Then...the one you know for certain?"

Hornet turned her head to gaze upon me with her empty black eyes. "Dryya. The fact that our queen still lives means that she too continues to draw breath. For Dryya also serves as the White Lady's handmaiden and guardian. None will harm our queen so long as Dryya still stands ready to defend her."

"Then the White Lady still lives! Is she well? Has she...taken refuge in her gardens far beyond the canyons and paths?" Lurien spoke up with sudden interest. He was a devoted servant of the crown and had every right to know.

"She has, Lurien. While unable to guide Hallownest while the kingdom was held in the infection's grasp, she is alive and well. Or at least she was...when I last ventured into the Queen's Gardens. It has been some time and I have been meaning to return to her and inform her of the infection's demise, but... Circumstances have interfered. But she should be safer now than ever before, so we need not fear her untimely demise." Hornet explained while I took comfort in knowing that one of Hallownest's mightiest champions was at their queen's side. I could only wonder what the Five Great Knights were even capable of. Perhaps even being on par with the Hollow Knight themself?

Lurien breathed a great sigh of relief. He even brought a hand to his chest beneath his dark cloak. "Thank heavens... Even should the Pale King never return to us... As long as at least one of our eternal rulers still live, Hallownest still has a future. I will look into arranging the restoration of communications with the Queen's Gardens once the situation in the City of Tears has further stabilized. We just do not have the manpower needed for such an excursion at this time."

While it was good to know Hallownest's queen was likely just fine, that still left the Pale King. Where had he gone? Why had he not returned? I had to ask. "But...the Pale King hasn't reached out yet now that the kingdom has been purged of the plague?"

Lurien bowed his head in somber silence. Hornet took note of his shift in mood and cast an aside glance at him while he spoke. "He has not... And many wonder when he will return. Hallownest thrived under his rule. But now... The people need guidance. And so I do what I can as a... An impromptu governor, if you would. I am no Pale King, but I know the ins and outs of how to run a city. Until the king returns, I will do what I can for Hallownest here in the City of Tears."

"From head of intelligence to Dreamer and now the local mayor... You'd had quite the list of careers." I said in an attempt to brighten the mood with some wit. And I succeeded. Lurien had to refrain from taking the last sip of his tea to let out a chuckle.

Hornet then spoke with more words of reassurance. Words that were warm in spite of her chilled heart. "Do what you can, Lurien. I have faith that Hallownest will rise once more. We must simply...endure. For the most taxing of times are behind us."

"That is...a very hopeful thing to say, Miss Hornet. Thank you. I will do what I can. We all will." Lurien said with a hopeful sigh before he sipped away at the last of his tea. Just in time for his butler to come over and top off our cups for another helping. The atmosphere was so comforting. Sipping tea in the glow of candlelight while the rain was coming down just outside the windows. All at the highest point of Hallownest's capital while in good company.

I looked around from where I was sitting and took close note of the state of the penthouse we were in. As well as the state of the tower during our ascent. It was in remarkably good shape after having spent...how long? I turned to Lurien and asked a most pressing question. "Lurien... How long has it been since Hallownest fell into ruin anyway?"

"That would be... That is... I mean..." Lurien stammered while even Hornet's eyes widened in contemplation. My question was prompting quite the unusual response from my companions. "I...do not know... I know for certain that much time has gone by. And yet...the passage of time has been...oddly kind to the kingdom itself."

Hornet then began to speak profoundly as she cast her gaze at us both. "I concur, Lurien... You appear to have not aged a day since the moment you entered eternal sleep. Even your butler remains spry. I know for certain much time has gone by, and yet... It is as if time slowed while Hallownest was in the clutches of the infection. If not having ceased entirely. Is it the work of the plague? Not only claiming Hallownest, but also locking it and all within it into an eternal stasis?"

I did not say anything, but I still recalled the conversation I had with the source of the plague shortly before I faced it in battle. The Radiance. That mad moth goddess of a blinding light. Her desire to reclaim Hallownest by force... Perhaps she really did lock the entire kingdom into a moment in time. Never fading or changing, forever bound by her putrid plague. Even those who had escaped infection remained untouched by time. Considering the effects of erosion constant exposure to moving water does, it would make sense that the architecture in the City of Tears would be as it was right when the plague arrived. Untouched by erosion. Unaltered by time. Truly, time had ceased to flow until very recently.

Lurien and Hornet began to converse over this strange phenomenon we had just been made aware of while I listened in silence. They shared hypotheses with Hornet describing her possible encounters with the phenomenon during her many years traveling around Hallownest after its fall. She was likely much older than me by then despite appearing and sounding to be a young woman close to my age. Yet another similarity between her and Ember. Perhaps it was my memories of Ember that conjured up Hornet in the first place? The comparison between the two of them was only growing more uncanny over time...

At last, Hornet finally rose to her feet after emptying her teacup a second time. Even I was starting to wonder if we were overstaying our welcome. She turned to us and said, "I do believe we have said all that we can. And I am rather famished. Shall we head down and find us a hot meal?"

I was wondering if something like a soup kitchen had been set up to feed the survivors of the plague. And I had yet to really see any of Hallownest's cuisine. With how sophisticated their society seemed to be after seeing some of the City of Tears, I was all for it. "Sounds good to me. I wouldn't mind a snack right now."

"Heading out then? It was a pleasure having you here, sir knight. But before you depart... A request?" Lurien asked while he remained seat. I had just placed the Lunar Shield back on my left arm by the time I turned to him. He began to reach for the hilt of the Celestial Sword and asked, "If I may... Your blade. May I see it with my own eyes?"

I saw no problem with Lurien's request and angled the Lunar Shield towards him to let Lurien draw my sword from it. He was no warrior or assassin, so there was no chance of him double-crossing us. "Go right ahead. Just be careful with it. The blade is...unnaturally sharp."

Lurien took hold of the Celestial Sword's hilt while I noticed Hornet's eyes sharpen into a glare. Perhaps it was just her old instincts telling her this was a bad idea. Letting someone you barely know hold your only weapon, let alone a weapon that can cleave through your own armor with ease, was a risky gamble. But I could see Lurien knew nothing about how to use a sword. If he did try to use it, let alone from a seated position, we could stop him.

With a gentle tug, Lurien pulled. And the blade of the Celestial Sword began to shine clearly as the base of the blade peeked over the top of the Lunar Shield. That alone was enough for Lurien to gasp. "Light..."

The Celestial Sword was slowly drawn from its scabbard until Lurien held my sword. The hilt rested in his right hand while his left held the blade near the tip. Its pure white blade glowed gently in the dimly lit penthouse. Lurien muttered while sliding his fingers up and down the blade, "It is warm to the touch... But not like the heat from an open flame..."

"It's the warmth of the sun's rays. I...don't think you or your people have seen it. Maybe you never will all the way down here. The sun is high in the sky above." I explained briefly while Hornet stood near us with needle in hand. I even happened to notice the butler peering out from behind a curtain over yonder as he too marveled at the glowing sword in his master's hands.

Lurien was very taken with the warmth being given off by the Celestial Sword. Stroking his fingers along its blade like a delicate treasure. "Resplendent... For so long, we bugs have long had a certain...wariness towards light. But this light... This light of the...sun, you say? It feels...comforting. Soothing. Bright and warm...yet not harsh. And the warmth... It is not the same as the glow of our Pale King. Tell me, sir knight. Is this the light...of another higher being?"

That was a term I had never heard of once in any of my previous visits to Hallownest. And I was left confused. "Higher...beings? I don't know what those are."

Hornet then spoke on Lurien's behalf. "They are...essentially gods. Powerful beings unlike most others. The Pale King. The White Lady. They too are higher beings. That is all you truly need to know about the term."

There was no doubt in my mind then. The Radiance herself was most definitely a higher being as well. Which would explain why the Hollow Knight and I struggled so hard against her. A being so powerful that they may as well have been truly divine in nature... And yet, she was slain in the end regardless. So not truly a de facto goddess, but close enough. And yet... The general description of a higher being... It fit. "In that case... Yes. The Celestial Sword there. And the Lunar Shield here. And even this armor I wear. They were forged by higher beings. Two sisters of immense power who rule over and guide the world of Equestria. So...yeah. They are."

Lurien was most pleased as he beheld Celestia's greatest gift to me. "Marvelous... Then...they have truly forged masterpieces. But what irony... A blade of light that destroyed the light that plagued our dreams... A light brighter than it... Perhaps the Pale King was wrong. He utilized the power of the void to try and combat the infection. Yet in the end... What was needed was a light that shined brighter. If only he could be here to see this..."

I allowed Lurien to examine the Celestial Sword to his heart's content. At least until he finally reeled his amazement in and carefully slid the Celestial Sword back into its scabbard. "Ah... Pardon my enthusiasm. I've kept you two heroes long enough. Just remember that if you need my services for anything, you know where to find me. Safe travels, heroes."

Hornet and I stood on the elevator lift and were sent down with Lurien and his butler bidding us farewell. We once again turned out attention to the towering window on one side to watch the rain come down over the vast city before us. I then spoke with a smile, "Lurien seems like a fine fellow. Good company too."

"He is a pleasant sort. And dutiful in his services towards Hallownest. For all the challenges he has faced since awakening, I believe Lurien is the right choice for guiding the City of Tears in its recovery." Hornet replied while we both did not look at each other. Although I was wishing I brought some more of that tea for the road. That was some good stuff.

Silence surrounded us that was broken only by the gears atop the elevator lift and the splattering of water against the window before us. The elevator was descending faster than it had ascended, but not by much. It would be a little bit before we reached the bottom. And I was in the mood for the scenic route instead of just teleporting us onto the other side of the window. I then thought of a new topic to discuss. "So then... Higher beings. I take there's not many of them?"

Hornet was prompt with her response. "No. There are very few and neither two are alike. Although I would say the Pale King has had the most profound influence on the people of Hallownest. For it was through his influence that they...gained minds to think. They were all just beasts until the Pale King granted them sapience."

"Then...you were all literal base insects before his arrival. He let you all become...people. A society. That is...noble." I replied as my mind wandered. I felt compelled to seek out the Pale King if I could. What tales did he have to tell?

I expected Hornet to respond right away. But she instead remained silent. Too silent. I then asked, "He sounds like a good king. And I know some very good kings."

"Good for you." Hornet said briefly. And almost...bitterly. Why such a tone?

I was concerned. And so I asked, "Hornet...? Is there something about the Pale King I should know about?"

"You are very keen to the inflections of my voice, Sir James." Hornet replied with a harsh sigh. She clearly was not used to someone being able to read her like that. But if I can read Maud Pie, I can read Hornet. She then said almost somberly, "My thoughts on the Pale King are...complicated. Perhaps another time. But most certainly not now. You have consumed enough information to digest for the day."

"Fair enough." I muttered while deciding to just drop the subject for the moment. Hornet had enough on her mind. I did not want to make her uncomfortable during a time of healing. So I tried to end the conversation on a kind word. "I hope you're healing nicely."

A softer sigh escaped Hornet's lips before she turned her gaze up at me. Her empty black eyes displayed a softer gaze as well when she spoke to me. "Continue to bestow upon me that sacred hope and my healing process will remain smooth."

"Consider it done." I replied while flashing my companion a smile. The rest of the trek back down the tower remained quiet and uneventful. Although Hornet and I did pause on the way down to give our respects one more time to the fallen remains of the gallant Watcher Knights. Such sturdy forms with great nails in hand... They would have surely been a force to be reckoned with in battle.

Hornet and I eventually reached the ground level and stepped out into the rain again. I turned to her and asked, "So then... Where to?"

"This way. I can already smell it on the wind." Hornet replied before leading me through the soaked streets of the City of Tears. There were no civilians about. Only armed guards carrying out their patrols. But then I started to notice an aroma on the air. Something that defied the rain around us.

It was as we trekked along that I stopped. I had heard it time and again through the rain after I first set foot out into the storm, but... There it was again. It kept happening and I could no longer ignore it. I stopped where I was and stood there in the rain. A sound pierced the constant splattering of rain around me. The wind? No, there was no wind so deep in that subterranean city. It sounded...like a voice. A choir consisting of a single singer calling out over the storm. Beautiful...yet mournful. Like a requiem of Hallownest itself. Hornet finally noticed I had come to a halt and approached me. "What's wrong?"

"Do you hear that?" I asked with a hushed tone. I could hear that voice clearly. But where could it be coming from? It sounded distant. Like it was being broadcast throughout the entire city with a sophisticated device. I turned my gaze upward and asked, "The singing? A voice?"

Hornet glanced about for a moment, but seemed confused. Her words revealed a mystery to me. "All I hear is the rain..."

Was I the only one who could hear that angelic call? It could not have been Luna's doing. I knew she was watching from somewhere, but was not her voice. And as I pondered the meaning of that call... It fell silent again. All I heard then was the rain. The song had ended and it was time for us to continue on. I pushed my thoughts of that phantom song to the back of my mind. It was only a curiosity instead of something we had to worry about.

Hornet led me into a vast open area on the ground floor of a building and I was surprised to find that it was bustling. Bugs of all shapes and sizes were everywhere while seated at tables. Commoner and noble alike mingled amongst each other. Like many cafeterias, everyone's voices mixed together to create a cacophony of noise that drowned out everything that was not right next to me. It was clearly a place meant to feed the people in times of crisis. "A soup kitchen?"

"They do serve soup, but that is not the only dish they offer." Hornet replied as she led me over to the kitchen. Many bugs dressed in some form of chef attire were at work in a kitchen towards the far end of the room. Rows of bugs were lined up with those at the front walking away with a tray in their hands every fifteen seconds or so. The kitchen was serving up food fast like clockwork. And I was liking the aroma in the air. It smelled like...mushrooms.

The workers handing out food served me and Hornet up a bowl of soup and...something on a plate. They gave me some funny looks, but did not ask questions. They had a line of more hungry visitors to feed lining up behind us. Hornet and I took a seat at one of the few empty tables remaining while I set aside my helmet and shield again. And that was when I realized what that slab was on my plate. "That's the biggest chunk of mushroom I've ever seen..."

"Mushrooms are a common food in Hallownest. And the Fungal Wastes just at the edge of town are overflowing with them." Hornet replied before lifting a spoonful of the soup to her unseen lips. There is nothing quite like the aroma of cooked mushrooms and I could not wait to get started. Everything was quite delicious despite the simplicity of the food being offered. I never expected to eat such a large chunk of mushroom before, but I loved it.

We were dining more for comfort than anything else. Hornet and I did not stay long and we had little to say to each other up to that point. The soup kitchen needed all the room it could get for any hungry survivors. We stepped back out into the rain with us both being in higher spirits now that we had full stomachs. I turned my gaze up at the great city towering around us and asked, "So then... Where to?"

"I have already taken you where I wished for you to go. There is nothing else in the City of Tears that I believe requires your attention. From here on out... You lead. And I'll follow." Hornet replied with some conviction in her voice. Eager to follow and defend... Oh Ember... Was it really you who inspired my dreaming mind to create that vicious little sentinel?

I felt like I was being a burden to Hornet. I did not want to waste her time when she had an entire kingdom to worry herself over. So I then said, "You don't have to follow me everywhere I go. Isn't there somewhere else you'd rather be? Or something you'd rather be doing?"

"Must I remind you what nearly happened the last time I was not at your side?" Hornet replied quite firmly. I had to take a moment to recollect my previous visit to Hallownest. When I awoke in the depths of Deepnest. I had to fend off...I believe Herrah referred to them as Dirtcarvers. And then I had to flee from...Corpse Creepers. All of which I handled rather handily. But then... My eyes went wide. And Hornet took note of my realization. "Exactly. You nearly ended up in the clutches of a Nosk. And I only barely arrived in time to force it out of its disguise. Imagine what would've happened had I not been there."

I did not even say anything. Even with Hornet at my side, that Nosk was a nightmare of an opponent. Something my experience and equipment were not designed for dealing with. The battle was a genuine struggle for both of us. Hornet then spoke with the same conviction as a moment ago. "I know much of Hallownest and the creatures that dwell within it. You do not. And while the infection no longer sows madness in the wildlife of this kingdom, many were still a threat well before then. You may very well meet dangers you are not ready to face. To that end, I shall remain by your side to see to it you return to your kingdom unscathed."

There was no denying Hornet's logic. She was right. Not only did I know nothing about what dangers awaited me in Hallownest. I was also far out of my depth. A human the size of an insect is inferior to said insects in every way. My enchanted armor was the only thing allowing me to keep up with the likes of Hornet. As long as our enemies had the element of surprise on their side, I was at an immense disadvantage. Going alone was not a good idea. I let out a sigh and spoke with resignation. "Good point... Thank you, Hornet. I'm glad you're here."

"I am merely returning the favor. Hallownest owes you much and I intend to repay you in kind. Now then... Where to?" Hornet replied as she stood ready to follow my lead with needle in hand. At least I knew I was safe in her company.

With no destination in mind, I simply began to wander. All with Hornet staying nearby. Strolling the streets and taking in the rainy atmosphere. It was all so empty aside from the odd guardsman making their rounds. At least my recent memories of that soup kitchen confirmed there were survivors out there in the city. They were just staying out of the rain. And possibly partaking in reconstruction projects.

My travels eventually took me under a building near the memorial square where the Hollow Knight's statue stood. The same one Hornet and I took shelter under at first. It seemed some of the towers in the city had passageways open under them that allowed people to pass under them instead of having to go around them. And my eyes glanced down to see a familiar symbol. That mark... The symbol of Hallownest again? And on a large circular plate on the floor? It looked more like a gate meant to open upwards. "Hm... This seems interesting."

"What of it? That is simply a cover to keep locals from falling into the Royal Waterways. Only those trained and equipped with the tools needed to maintain the waterways have the means to get down there." Hornet replied while she turned her gaze to a device set atop a metal pole nearby. A lock of sorts that was connected to the hatch?

"Royal Waterways... Sounds important. You don't mind if we go check it out, right?" I asked Hornet to at least try and be respectful. I was a guest and she was my host. If I was not supposed to be down there...

Hornet did not seem to mind at all as she said, "It was as I said. You lead and I will follow. And I do not believe there are many left who would object to you venturing down there."

Was that an attempt at some dark humor? I suppose the people of Hallownest had more important things to worry about now that they were recovering from their kingdom's borderline collapse. I cracked a smirk, but Hornet then turned to face the device on that pole next to the hatch. "However... You will need the correct key to unlock it first. And I do not carry one."

"Oh... That makes sense." I muttered before I stepped over to the lock device. There was indeed a slot for a key of sorts. And neither of us were carrying such a tool. And I knew of no such spells that could serve as a lock pick. I then turned to the hatch on the floor and held out my right hand to prepare a levitation spell, but backed down from that idea. "No... Bad idea. I shouldn't force it. Wouldn't wanna break it."

Hornet tried to be helpful and inserted the tip of her needle into the key slot before wiggling it around a bit to get the device to turn open. But to no avail. "Hmph... Locks are something I have never really had to deal with in my time..."

We could have just moved on, but the temptation of discovery compelled me to try and find a way into the Royal Waterways. I brought my left hand to my chin and rubbed it with my armored fingers in contemplation, the Lunar Shield coming along for the ride. But that was when it dawned on me. My left hand... Or rather the gauntlet that covered it. The one that held Luna's magic. Including her dream magic.

I gazed upon my armored left hand. And then back at the lock device. All around me... The entire world conjured up by my dreaming mind was an image spread across a fabric woven from dreams. If Luna and Nightmare Moon had complete control of the dream realm... What about me? Could I manipulate the world around me in the same way they do every night?

My eyes narrowed. I was certain I would never match the mastery of the two royal sisters of the night. But maybe... Just maybe... "Hang on. I think I have an idea here."

I reached out to the lock device and grasped it with my left hand. My left gauntlet's blue magic aura billowed over my hand. And seconds after that, a familiar phenomenon began to appear. Ethereal dream catcher sigils began to appear around my hand. Forming and fading constantly. Hornet's eyes widened as she watched in silence. I whispered while just trying to do...something with the magic in my left gauntlet. Trying to get a reaction out of the device before me. "Please... I just need you to cooperate."

I was attempting to just exert my will upon the world around me. We were inside my dream. A product of my mind. And since I was very lucid, I by all rights should have been able to influence the world around me. But then it happened. Something clicked and clacked inside the device. And the hatch on the ground suddenly and violently flung open to reveal the way down into the Royal Waterways. "Hey now! It worked!"

"Just...what did you do? A spell that turned the lock within to open?" Hornet asked as she took a closer look at my left hand as the magic aura around it faded. I had no idea how to answer that question without revealing the unfortunate reality of Hornet's lack of existence. But as her eyes gazed upon my hand, she thought of something else. "This hand... The one from which you produced a Dream Nail..."

A Dream Nail. It was as Hornet said during Hallownest's darkest hour. Right when I was left fearing I had just made a gruesome mistake. "It wasn't exactly a Dream Nail... I don't even know what a Dream Nail is. Why did you assume I had one?"

Hornet bowed her head as she took a moment to respond. "I... When you cleaved through the seal of the Black Egg Temple... Destroyed that which could not be destroyed while sustained by the Dreamers... Hope took hold of me like never before. I...placed all my faith in you. Perhaps even beyond reason. I believed that whatever it was you were capable of, you had a means of delivering Hallownest from the plague. And indeed... Just when I was certain that my faith was misplaced..."

My companion gently reached up and rested her hand upon my left gauntlet while it remained atop the lock device. "You did. I know not what this power is you possess that mirrors the function of the moth tribe's Dream Nail, but... You succeeded. I placed my faith in you and was rewarded handsomely. And to that end... May I see it one more time? That wondrous power that cut through the veil separating the waking world from the realm of dreams?"

What irony. We were already within the dream realm. Is such a thing possible? A dream realm within a dream realm? But I did not decline. I lifted my left hand and began to channel Luna's magic through it. Focusing and increasing its concentration. Until that billowing blue aura over my armored hand suddenly produced a wavering triangular blade of ethereal energy of bright pale hues. Hornet's eyes gazed in awe upon the blade extending from my hand. "Marvelous... And i must wonder... Come. Strike me with it. The Dream Nail was never meant to be a weapon. I'm curious of its functions."

"You sure about this? Let me try this first..." I replied with some uncertainty. Even if not a blade composed of deadlier elements, it was still a blade formed from magic attuned to the power of lightning and ice. I had to be certain the blade merged with my left gauntlet was not dangerous. I tried moving it through the pole beside us only to find it not reacting at all. I then cautiously held it over Hornet's head and brought it down. "OK, I think this will be fine..."

The instant my blade made contact with Hornet... Dream catcher sigil galore. I could see them all around us. But Hornet did not react at all as she stood there. Where they something only I could see? But then I heard her speak. Or rather... Hornet' voice did not reach my ears. I instead heard her voice in my mind. "What are you, sir knight? To possess such power... What drew you to Hallownest that fateful day? When you did the impossible... Clearly not of this world... There are mysteries surrounding you. And I hope to unravel them..."

Hornet then spoke while the dream catcher sigils faded away. "Hm... I felt...something. But no pain. No harm done. The Dream Nail is truly not a weapon... Hm? Why that stare?"

The dream blade on my hand faded as I allowed the magic in my left gauntlet to rest. She clearly did not know what I had just heard. "Hornet... If you have any questions for me, I'll answer them the best I can."

"Questions? About wha... Ah!" Hornet muttered before she took a sudden step back. Her empty black eyes went wide yet again. "Did you...gaze into my dreams? My thoughts?"

"There are mysteries surrounding me and you seek to unravel them. Right?" I asked with Hornet having nothing to say in response. I turned away from her and focused my attention on the hole in the ground before us. Ladder steps were on one side to allow people to climb out, but they were a bit small for me. Especially with my armor in the way of my fingers and feet. "Anyway... Shall we be off?"

"Yes! Uh... Allow me. I shall go first." Hornet replied before simply jumping down the chute without bothering with the ladder. I did not hear a crash or Hornet yelping in pain when she hit the bottom. Although the lighting down there was poor. I could only barely make out Hornet's white head at the bottom. I had to remind myself that I was in a world of literal insects and physics would play differently for much smaller and lighter creatures. I too was tiny even if I did not feel like it. After a moment, I heard Hornet's voice echo up through the chute. "All is well! Come on down!"

"OK! Make way!" I called back before hopping down the chute. I extended my armor's wings slightly to slowly my descent with them sliding down the cylindrical cute around me. I soon landed with a light clank with Hornet by my side. The air was filled with a very dank scent almost instantly. "Wait... We're under the city now. Doesn't that mean the Royal Waterways are...a sewer system?"

Hornet just stared at me when I said that. As if pondering how to reply for just a moment. "Yes...and also no? Perhaps when you see more of it."

https://youtu.be/zYtL7HnbETg?si=UEyfOUoZoPlycs5O

She ended up being correct. We did not go far before the large pipes we were walking down opened up into vast areas lined with manmade waterfalls with intrinsically designed metal grates or fences that bore the symbol of Hallownest on them. I was left stunned as we crossed a simple bridge spanning one of the waterfalls. "Even the sewers of Hallownest are majestic... They remind me of the waterways of Rabanastre..."

"Another kingdom your travels have taken you to?" Hornet asked in curiosity as she surveyed the vast chamber around us. The roar of rushing water echoed all around us. The pipes and tunnels of the waterways carried sound very well.

I decided to take a seat at the edge of the walls we were walking atop to just bask in the atmosphere. It felt less like I was in something as dingy as a sewer and more like some marvel of architecture and engineering. "No, not really... It's a fictional kingdom."

"Ah... So a kingdom of fantasy, yes?" Hornet replied while she took a seat beside me with her needle set upon the floor beside her.

"Yep... A final fantasy, to be precise." I said with a smirk. All while Hornet gazed upon me with unblinking eyes. My attempt at wit went completely over her head. I lost my smirk and turned my gaze out to the manmade cavern around us. "Anyway... Thanks for coming with me."

"Gladly. Although I never dreamed I would serve as a tour guide to a foreigner." Hornet replied with the slightest chuckle on her voice. And so we sat there while basking in the atmosphere. Although we were not entirely alone. Very small creatures floated about here and there with tiny antennae atop their heads and small yet plump circular lips. One even came floating over to us and observed us while looking rather cute. "Don't mind them. They have always been docile before the infection came."

"I see... Hello there." I said while reaching out to our guest. But upon making contact with the little creature, I was given quite the surprise. The little thing instantly inflated to massive size like a bloated puffer fish and ended up looking all the more ridiculous. I almost fell flat on my back from the startling change and let out a laugh as the bloated balloon of a creature began to drift away with little control over itself. At least until it suddenly deflated and went on its merry way. "Heh... Didn't see that coming."

"Very amusing creatures, aren't they?" Hornet said while I am sure she was showing a smile where I could not see it. I relaxed again while Hornet went silent. I had to wonder why she did not come down into the Royal Waterways more often if such majesty was there. Although given that locked hatch, I suppose there was no easy way into the waterways for the longest time.

I started to wonder what Luna was up to. The fact that was so lucid meant she was out there somewhere. For all I knew, she was very close by. I even looked over my shoulder to check behind us and found no sign of the Princess of the Night. As if sensing my thoughts, Hornet looked upon me again. And her gaze fell upon my left hand now that I had set aside the Lunar Shield for the sake of comfort. "You said your armor was bestowed upon you by the higher beings of your world..."

"Yeah... Although the magic contained in each gauntlet differs." I replied before I held up my armored hands to provide a demonstration. I channeled the magic in each, my left hand being coated in the billow blue aura of Luna's magic while my right was shrouded in the golden yellow of Celestia's magic. "My left contains the power of the Princess of the Night. The right carries the power of the Princess of the Dawn. Night and day. Cold and warmth. The moon and the sun."

"You carry the shadows on your left and wield the light in your right... Very meaningful symmetry. And each carry their own functions. Fascinating..." Hornet replied as she beheld the contrasting colors of the auras around my gauntlets. I soon gave them a rest and relaxed where I was seated again. Although Hornet then turned to me and asked, "If I may... What sort of world is your land of Equestria?"

"That's... Hm... Hard to describe, really... It's a world of magic. Where miracles are commonplace. A world where things our of sheer fantasy are possible. But it's also a world of beauty. A world of wisdom and innocence... A world unlike any other. I wish I could describe it better... Although it's a world I hope will always be the way it's supposed to be." I replied with a sigh of longing. So much had happened in so little time. I was just glad I was able to make a difference in the fate of the world I loved.

Hornet seemed to understand I could not think of more to say and respected my following silence. It was not like she would ever see it for herself. Now it was my turn to find something to say. "So then... How's your mom?"

Hornet cast me an aside glance in curiosity. I doubt many ever asked her about Herrah. But she still spoke honestly. "She has been well. And she has asked about you from time to time."

"She did leave quite the impression on me last time..." I replied while still remembering how she slaughtered one of her own subjects to project me at first encounter. Menacing, yet fair. I then asked, "You only got to speak to her for the first time in...so long after the plague vanished, right? Did your reunion go well?"

My companion let out a sigh before she spoke. "Our reunion was...complicated. I was relieved...yet cross with her. I never asked to be born as part of a bargain between Hallownest and Deepnest. But she understood my frustrations. We spoke and bonds were reaffirmed. I have never been one to wear a crown and my mother understood. Now that she had awoken, my mother was able to resume her rule over the people of Deepnest while I could continue in my service to the kingdom. So in the end... I am grateful I was still given life and was able to find myself."

I began to reach out to Hornet, but resisted that urge to comfort her directly. She still felt too cold to accept any affections. But I still found the words I wanted to say. "I'm glad you and your mother were able to patch things up. I get the situation surrounding your...conception wasn't ideal. Born due to the existence of a plague... But you're here now. And you're a champion in your own right. Now that the plague is gone... You can be you, right?"

"Hmph... Kind words. Yes, I suppose my story has entered a new chapter, hasn't it? I may be a princess of sorts, but I believe I will continue to serve as a knight for Hallownest. Even if I have yet to be officially knighted." Hornet replied with some confidence in her voice. And I empathized with her. I served Equestria with sword and shield in hand well before I was knighted.

After a while longer of savoring the scenery, Hornet and I finally fetched our gear and continued onwards. Back into the pipes we went. And before we got much further, we were greeted by a particularly odd sight for a sewer system. I stopped and stared at what was piled in a corner of a chamber between the pipe tunnels. "What the..."

Furniture. Piled high before us was a small mountain of discarded stuff consisting mostly of furniture. And fancy furniture at that. Most of it bore that red hue denoting nobility in Hallownest. And just... How?! How did it even get down there?! "Wha... Who did this?! How do you even flush a sofa?! Or a wardrobe?! That's some Johnny Test shenanigans right there..."

Hornet herself tilted her head to one side as she beheld the bizarre sight of something that really did not belong down there in the Royal Waterways. "A riddle for the ages. I honestly forgot that these junk piles are even down here. I suppose any scavengers would appreciate taking these home, but it would take someone more frugal than I to try and haul these out of here."

"They do look like they're still in good shape, if nothing else. Pretty dry too..." I grumbled before we carried on. Maybe someone tried looting some of the buildings in the City of Tears and stored their stash down in the waterways out of reach where water does not flow. And I was left wondering why such pipes were even there when water was flowing elsewhere. It felt more like they were passageways for the workers charged with maintaining the waterways. And there were strange valves and contraptions here and there that added to the engineering marvel of the place. The humidity was high and the smells around me... Until my train of thought of thought was interrupted after we descended a couple of levels in the pipes. "Hornet?"

"Shh. Listen." My companion whispered while holding her needle before me to stop my progress. We both listened. And I was astonished with how well sound traveled through the pipes. There was...something reaching our ears. But how do I describe it? A sort of...gargling sound? A raspy snort? Whatever it was, Hornet was not happy to hear it. "Trouble. I advise you draw your blade, sir knight."

"Got it." I promptly drew the Celestial Sword from its scabbard with its pure white blade casting its glow along the dimly lit tunnels around us. We then continued on down the pipes with the tunnels becoming more spacious until I saw something ahead. Something standing nearly my height. And it was clearly the source of the sound reaching our ears. "Whoa... What's that?"

It... It looked like a type of white worm. A few rows of stubby appendages lined its sides while it stood on two spindly black legs like most bugs. It had no eyes, but it did have a very pronounced pair of round and plump lips on its head. It looked rather silly from a glance and did not seem to notice our presence. The apparent lack of eyes meant it was likely blind. It stumbled about a bit, almost as if in search of something. Or someone. I asked softly, "Bad news?"

Hornet stood ready with needle in hand as if she was anticipating the entity to suddenly rush us. "Yes... The flukes. They have long since made the Royal Waterways their home. And they have been nothing but trouble. All attempts to integrate them into Hallownest's society have failed. Be on your guard."

Flukes... There are numerous types of flukes in the world. But judging by what I was seeing... The flukes of Hallownest were clearly based on the parasitic flatworm variety. I was instantly filled with cautious revulsion. And yet... The fluke ahead of us did not look dangerous. No claws or fangs to be seen. Nor anything like a stinger. I glanced down at Hornet and asked, "Shall I go first?"

The way Hornet looked at me... There was some scheming going on in her head, I just knew it. She then stepped aside and said, "I suppose that would be wise. This is your first encounter with the flukes, so a hands-on approach would teach you much."

"Good point. Excuse me then." I replied as I began to approach the fluke with shield raised. Hornet kept her distance and observed. The clanking of my sabatons blended in too much with its strange snorting for it to hear me coming. Once I was maybe twenty paces away, I stopped and decided to try communicating with the creature. "Uh... Excuse me? Hello?"

The fluke suddenly stopped and turned its body while going silent. It clearly could not see me and was trying to determine the direction my voice had come from as it echoed around us. I then spoke again, "Sir? Ma'am? Hello?"

That was all it needed. The fluke suddenly came scampering my way on its spindly legs while its little stubs flailed about excitedly. Almost like it was...happy to see me. Even its snorting had resumed in a rapid and excited fashion. And with those big bloated lips... I immediately assumed it wanted to give me a big smooch. And getting smooched by a parasitic flatworm sounded just... Ick. No thank you.

"Hey hey hey hey hey, back off! I don't take kisses from just anyone!" I shouted as I was bum rushed by the overly affectionate fluke. It kept trying to push its way through the Lunar Shield, but was thankfully lacking in strength. It would never overpower me. And yet... My instincts were telling me that the fluke's amorous advances were not what they seemed. I had to assume the worst. And with one last shove to get some distance between me and the fluke, I cleaved the soft fleshy creature in two at the waist with a swing of the Celestial Sword. "Phew... That was easy for... OH DEAR GOD WHAT IS THAT?!"

While the bottom half of the fluke's body fell limp on the floor, the upper half... Oh god, I was not ready for that! It started to float in the air while constantly dripping white blood from its fresh wound. And it was showing me exactly what was hidden in its lips. Several massive fangs had extended out of its lips while the bisected fluke was now letting out a constant...sound that was a fusion of a hiss and a scream that just triggered all sorts of horror in me. It began to float towards me with its fangs gnashing...only for its lower half to suddenly come to life and charge me on its two spindly legs like a ravenous hound! It even sounded the part with its prior snorting sounding like the barks of a dog while a new fanged maw had formed where it had been connected to its upper half! I turned and bolted away from the twin halves of the insidious creature and shouted, "Oh no no no no HORNET!!!"

My companion all too readily intervened. She jumped over me and came down hard with an impaling stab on the much swifter lower half of the fluke, killing it instantly with a stab from her needle. She then hurled her needle at the slower floating half and impaled it with her needle's pommel held by one of her threads, causing the creature to instantly burst into white blood before her needle was pulled back into her hand. The tunnels became quieter once again as I stumbled forward while trying to catch my breath. "Oh my god... Oh my god... I wasn't ready for that..."

"No one ever is when they face a fluke for the first time. Wretched vermin... They were putrid enough before the infection ever reached them." Hornet grumbled as we beheld the mangled remains of the fluke's lower half. I should not have been surprised. Cut a worm in two and the two halves will likely become entirely separate creatures. As my nerves began to settle, we continued on. And sure enough, there were more. Several flukes wandered about as we entered the larger and deeper tunnels of the waterways. Although Hornet then turned to me and asked, "More of them. And there are likely more still further down. Shall we head back?"

Having become aware of what horrors the flukes were hiding, my instincts were demanding that I run away. The flukes were equal parts horrifying and disgusting. And yet... They were putrid vermin in need of a thorough extermination. One side of me was demanding I get away from them while the other was telling me to kill them all. With fire. Revulsion or aggression. Fight or flee. Which to choose?

I was determined to not let these abominations scare me off. And as I pondered my next move... A certain...excitement filled me. I was determined to ignore my own disgust and focus on what needed to be done. And to that ended, I asked Hornet a question. "Hornet. Are the flukes...how you say...sapient?"

Hornet looked up at me with eyes wider than usual. And her response was brief. "Uh... Come again?"

I then tried to clarify my statement. "I mean if I were to kill one of those things topside, would I have to worry about being arrested for murder?"

My companion gave me a much more cockeyed stare as her tone carried a very curious yet worried tone. "Where are you going with this?"

"Answer the question, Hornet." I replied with a growing sense of anticipation in me as I tried to psyche myself up for the inevitable.

Hornet relented and finally gave me a proper response. "I mean... No. The flukes are too...base, so they do not fall under the jurisdiction of... What happened to the crest on your helmet? Why is it gray?"

"It is?" I asked before trying to see my own reflection on the glowing blade of the Celestial Sword. And sure enough, there it was. The Element of Humanity had taken on a gray hue with the twin dove shapes now resembling the fierce forms of twin falcons. And I was filled with a certain...glee when I recognized it. "Nice. That means my little friend here gets it. Here, hold this for a minute. Be right back!"

I detached the Lunar Shield from my left arm and passed it to a very confused Hornet. I was not going to need it for what came next. Readying myself and defying my own disgust, I then rushed ahead on my enchanted sabatons. All while Hornet called out to me in shock. "Wait! Where are you going?!"

https://youtu.be/lleYg8hHuQ4?si=iDQkFIDWxlRclilW

"Pest control, baby!" I shouted back with my voice reaching the flukes far ahead of me. They all stopped with their snorting and faced my direction as I rapidly approached. I had a job to do. And I was not going to let those disgusting freaks scare me off! "OK then... Plan B. Senseless violence. EAT DIRT, SLITHERING SPAWN OF BEELZEBUB!!!"

I charged with the Celestial Sword pointing forward, my right gauntlet's golden yellow magic aura surging around the blade. Cutting the flukes down was a bad idea, so I had a much more effective idea. To destroy them with magic fire! One after the other, I fired off orbs of golden flames that struck the scuttling and snorting flukes with each exploding in flashes of fire. And sure enough, if the flukes were blown apart into more than one piece, the flames engulfing their bodies would insure they would stay down. The sounds of fiery burst echoed all through the pipes and tunnels of the waterway as I went on an extermination spree against the foul flukes! Haha, that's the stuff! Burn, baby!"

The hunt was on! And I was pumped up! One by one, I went rushing down the tunnels blowing flukes to kingdom come with blasts of cleansing golden fire! And the flukes, blind as they were, could not determine that I was not trapped in there with them. They were trapped in the tunnels with me! They charged me excitedly only to get blown apart with their flaming remains burning away in my wake. I eventually came to a large chamber that turned out to be a dead end with no flukes, so I made a big sweeping u-turn around the walls to not have to slow down. But Hornet had finally caught up to me and tried to get in my way with arms spread wide. And there was no sign of the Lunar Shield with her. She no doubt left it behind because there was no way she would be able to move around gracefully while lugging around a shield as big as herself. "Halt! What's gotten into you?! Cease this madness!"

"Hey! No stopping the pain train!" I shouted while trying to get by the much nimbler Hornet. But she was quicker than I was and kept hopping about to block me from leaving that chamber. But I had to keep going! If I slowed down for too long, I would become too relaxed, my drive would leave me, and the flukes would live to see another day and continue to infest the Royal Waterways. I basically resorted to marching in place with my armored feet rapidly tapping the floor like a child desperately in need of a bathroom visit. "Outta the way, Hornet! I got a job to do!"

"What's even come over you, sir knight?! This isn't like you at all! Explain yourself!" Hornet demanded with wide eyes filled more with confusion than worry. Not that I blame her. Even as I write this in recollection, I do not know what was up with me that night.

Desperate to keep my disgust pushed down by my ravenous desire to destroy the putrid and dangerous flukes infesting the tunnels, I started to have a little too much fun in trying to keep myself hyped up. And Hornet could only stare at me in confused silence as I rambled. "I'll tell you what's wrong here! I'm full of rage! And mushrooms! Spirit, pride, heart, and soul! And rage! And mushrooms! Spicy mushrooms! And rage towards the disgusting flukes! The only good fluke is a dead fluke, right? SO LET'S MAKE THESE FLUKES GOOD!!!"

".....You're scaring me right now." Hornet muttered as she stared at me with the roundest eyes I had ever seen on her face. And with her having stopped trying to block my way with her arms now hanging slack at her sides, I took the opportunity that had been presented to me and bolted past her. That snapped Hornet back to her senses. "Hey! Get back here!"

"Then be afraid, Hornet! Be very afraid! For I am the Fluke Flayer! He who flays and slays the fiendish flukes!" I cackled as I charged down the tunnels to search for a path I had not taken yet. And sure enough, I found more flukes in no time. But by then, they must have heard the sounds of carnage echoing through the pipes. And once they heard my sabatons clanking, they all started scuttling with rapid snorts while trying to run away from me! But they did not get far as I once again rained fiery explosive death upon them all. "The Fluke Flayer's in town! And he's open for business!"

Once again I rushed into another larger chamber that had only one way in or out. Several flukes had been herded into it and were reduced to burning chunks of flatworm flesh in a matter of seconds. Hornet once again managed to catch up to me before I could head back out. She may have been quick on her feet, but there was no keeping up with the speed of a stallion. Starting to look and sound out of breath while my enchanted armor kept my stamina up, Hornet shouted in exasperation. "You... You lunatic! Just who do you think you are?!"

"I am so glad you asked, Hornet!" I laughed as I started to make my way back towards the only way out of that chamber. I was having too much fun by then and just had to deliver the one punchline I could think of as I charged past her. "LEEROOOOOY JENKINS!!!"

And Hornet...completely missed the point of what I just yelled as my battle cry echoed throughout the entire sewer system. "No you're not! And who is this Sir Leeroy anyway?! Hey! I'm talking to you! Get back here!"

"No can do, Hornet! The Fluke Flayer doesn't take breaks when he's on the job!" I laughed as I once again resumed my flaying spree. Back and forth, lower and lower into the pipes I went while frying every fluke I came across. By then, my voice and the sounds of carnage that came with it were well known to the flukes as they panicked at the sound of my approach. But they never got far. Seeing those wretched creatures getting blown apart in bursts of fiery fury just filled my soul with a bizarre and perverse glee. There is just something so satisfying about exterminating diseased vermin in the most excessive means available.

I once again came to a stop in another larger chamber after zigzagging on one level. And in that time, Hornet managed to catch up to me without alerting me to her presence. And she reacted quite strongly by bringing the flat of her blade down onto my helmet with a clank! "Enough of this! Compose yourself, sir knight! You've gone too far!"

Striking me with the flat of her needle's blade did minimize harm and mostly just rattled me. And yet... A strange miracle occurred when I was dealt that blow. "Ow! Hey, I'm not the enemy here... Wait! Hornet! That hit just jogged my memory! I finally remember the rest of that song now!"

And Hornet just... That stare like she was a deer in headlights only made the situation so much funnier in hindsight. She had no idea how to take my responses. "I beg your pardon?"

"Yeah! That song! The one I couldn't quite remember around a hundred and thirty chapters ago? Now I can sing the rest of it!" I replied as I kept myself fired up to finish what I had started. Although I am still not sure what compelled me to mention anything about chapters at the time...

Hornet's eyes sharpened just slightly to show a strange kind of panic as she stood alert before me. "You are not about to start singing."

I replied while giving Hornet the freakiest smile I could muster. "Telling me not to sing only makes me wanna do it more."

"You will not! I won't let you!" Hornet shouted as she took a more aggressive stance with flashes of her threads whirling around her for an instant. What was she going to do? Tie me up in spider webbing? Knowing she was going to resort to more extreme methods to contain me, I simply used a teleportation spell to suddenly place myself a distance behind Hornet. I looked back with a cheeky grin as Hornet flinched before looking over her shoulder at me with such panic in her eyes. "You mad bastard! DON'T YOU DARE!!!"

"You better believe I'm mad! I'm mad at the flukes! For existing! And you know there's no stopping the Fluke Flayer!" I cackled before rushing off down the tunnels with a song in my heart. A song that was about to come out as a dirge for the vile flukes! "Now then... Where was I?"

Yet more flukes came into view before long as they desperately tried to scamper away from me. That was when I began to sing the song I had just remembered. "Oooooooooooooh nobody likes me, everybody hates me, I guess I'll go eat worms!"

Somewhere in the back of my mind, I knew Hornet could hear me wherever she was. And I giggled to myself as I imagined her reeling in disgust as she wondered if I was actually feasting on the corpses of the flukes I was frying with magic fire. "Big fat juicy ones! Eensie weensy squeensy ones! See how they wiggle and squirm!"

I cannot even begin to imagine what was going through the vile simple minds of the flukes as I launched orb after explosive orb of golden magic fire at them. I even tried to line up the timing of the lyrics to match the moments a fluke was blown apart. "Down goes the first one, down goes the second one! Oh how they wiggle and squirm! Up comes the first one, up comes the second one! Oh how they wiggle and squirm!"

I soon came to a series of pipes that were more narrow than those I had seen so far. Ones that were lined with some kind of pink slime. Definitely a sign of something new. And sure enough, there it was! A fluke so engorged on goodness knows what that it had lost its limbs and was big enough to take up the entire circumference of the tunnel! And instead of letting out the sounds I had been hearing up to that point from the flukes, this one came sliding at me with a long and deep whistle of sorts. Or at least that is how it sounded to me. Utterly disgusting. And with nowhere to run or hide from me!

I grinned at the fluke sliding my way at surprising speed with no chance of missing. Instead of firing off an explosive blast to fry it, I went for a much more direct approach. I engulfed the blade of the Celestial Sword in Celestia's golden fire and charged while singing the last verse of the flukes' dirge. "I bite off the heads and suck out the juice! And throw the skins awaaaaaay!"

I think that was the point the giant fluke realized it had made a mistake and started to slow down. But it could not even turn around to run away! And so I came charging in, jumped forward, and plunged the burning blade of my sword deep into the disgusting beast! "Nobody knows how fat I grow on worms three times a daaaaaay!"

The fluke's insides instantly began boiling on the flames of my sword. It let out a long deep cry before it utterly burst like a balloon with its steaming hot fluids adding to the slime coating the pipes around us. But it did not splash onto me, thank goodness. Although I then happened to notice that I had stopped at an intersection. The pipes went off in four directions right there. And out of the corner of my left eye, I saw another big brute of a fluke down the pipe beside me.

It just sat there... Staring. And while probably sweating buckets over what it had just witnessed. Or at least heard. As for me... Seeing that there was more vermin to destroy, I suddenly turned my head to look at my next target so rigidly that I swear I heard a whip crack somewhere. All while giving the fluke a most fitting greeting. "Com'ere sweetheart!"

The fluke responded with a wavering panicked groan as it desperately tried to wiggle backwards away from me. And seconds later, it too had been reduced to boiling fluid splattered along the pipes. And then the next one. And the one after that. Cackling and having more fun than I had any right to, I continued on my extermination spree while Hornet was certainly and desperately trying to chase me down while having no idea where I was in that maze of pipes.

It eventually reached the point where I ended up gong so deep in the waterways that I was no longer rushing through pipes. The metal tubes were eventually replaced with tunnels composed of dark stone bricks. But there were still flukes to flay, so it was business as usual for me. Until I eventually went rushing through a low passage with water coming up to my knees. The passage led to a much larger chamber that seemed to be a natural cave. And at long last, I came to a stop as I looked up. And there was only one thing I could say. "Aw hell no, there aren't enough nopes in the world for that thing..."

I think I had come across the queen of flukes. Or fluke broodmother... It... It was just that. An utterly massive fluke several times my size with no limbs to be seen. Just hanging from the cave ceiling by several thick strands of stretchy goo. Its body was covered in several pairs of lips. And it... I heard a vaguely feminine voice coming from it as it gargled and mumbled with a worrying fluid spraying from all those lips. Until... Something came out of those mouths.

More flukes. Tiny flukes with plump lips and short bodies that floated through the air on dark flaps of flesh that appeared to let them glide through the air. But those tiny mouths most definitely held many gruesome fangs. Thank goodness the flukes were too blind to see me standing at the bottom of the chamber. Now knowing that the massive fluke above me was the source of the infestation in the Royal Waterways, I had a job to do. And I was going to be thorough about it.

I pointed the Celestial Sword above me and conjured up an orb of pulsing white solar magic that was as big as my head. The cave was big enough to contain the blast without risking a cave-in. And even if there was a cave-in, so be it. That thing had to die. I launched the orb up there and had it stop right under the fluke broodmother. I then turned and ran knowing it would only be a moment before it detonated and vaporize everything in that cave. "See ya!"

By some miracle, Hornet had managed to catch up to me and was wading through the tunnel ahead of me. But we were both in danger by then as I went splashing towards her. "No! Get back! It's gonna be big!"

"Big?! What?! What's... WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!" Hornet started to ask before we both heard and felt it. A distant blast that shook the entire cavern. And with that blast came a wall of water filling the entire tunnel! Hornet and I were swept off our feet and carried right back out the way we came with us both yelling in surprise. We washed up on the shore with the wave receding. And then... Calm. The deed was done. The infestation was gone. And I could finally relax. What a ride!

"Woo...! That was something else." I laughed a bit as I finally had all the reason in the world to calm down. I sat up beside Hornet. Who then sat up much more rigidly than me. And when she turned her head to look at me... Her eyes were rounder than ever before as she gazed upon me in silence. And I could not even begin to read the emotions on her face. "Uh... Hornet? You OK there?"

No she was not. Hornet stood up and began to repeatedly and rapidly swat me on my armored head with the flat of her blade in utter frustration. All while I tried to shield my head with my hands while laughing in confused amusement. "You lunatic, you dunce, you utter... What came over you today?! What happened?!"

"Ow, ow, ow, knock it off! It was either run away in disgust or fight it to clear out this infestation, all right?! Choose your poison!" I shouted back while finding Hornet's aggression to be more funny than startling. She was merely annoyed with the ride I had just taken her on.

Hornet finally calmed down enough to stop beating me over the head with her needle. She seethed with a harsh sigh as she said, "Please at least tell me you were not actually eating the flukes you were hunting... They are not an ideal food source... At least that crest on your helmet looks better now that it's white again."

"Really, Hornet? Hell no! That was just how the song went and it was kinda fitting given what the flukes look like!" I said with a laugh. I did not even want to know what flukes eat. Especially with where they were living at the time. "Besides... You can't say I didn't do something productive today. Clearing out infestations is always a good thing, right?"

My companion grunted while probably rolling her eyes at me. She turned her head up and said rather loudly, "Yes, I suppose you did. And all it took was for you to unleash genocide upon the flukes!"

"And nothing of value was lost." I replied while getting a reluctant chuckle out of Hornet. I then got back on my feet and even summoned the Lunar Shield back onto my left arm with a flash of teleportation magic. "Anyway... It looks like we went pretty deep here... Shall we head back up?"

Hornet flexed her neck a bit before leading me on our way. "Yes... This way... I just never imagined you were even capable of such lunacy."

"Hey, I'm not a Gemini for nothing." I retorted with an attempt at wit. Which went over Hornet's head as usual. Not that I would ever expect a subterranean kingdom to have any knowledge of astrology.

Bit by bit, we went back up the pipes. There were ladders that connected each level, but they were a bit small for me to use. Especially when in full armor. I had to resort to using the teleportation spell to get myself back up. As for Hornet, she found it much more expedient to leap from one wall to the next with some impressive dexterity. All we heard aside from the sound of water dripping from the ceilings of the pips were our own footsteps with Hornet commenting on the situation. "It would seem the Royal Waterways are going to be much safer from now on. Absurd as your methods were, I must confess you did a good thing for the people of Hallownest yet again, sir knight."

I then smirked down at my companion and asked, "Does that count as an apology for smacking me over the head so many times?"

"You will get no such thing from me just yet!" Hornet barked while sounding like she was trying to hold back a laugh. But I still let out a snicker as Hornet tried to maintain a facade of annoyance with me. Although she did let out a grumble as she added, "No. You will get no apology from me anytime soon... Not now that I have that accursed song stuck in my head!"

I could not resist the urge. "Oooooh nobody likes me, everybody hates me, I guess I'll... Uh..."

Hornet very suddenly raised her needle and pointed it at my face. And good lord, her empty black eyes were very wide and round. "One more lyric and it will be I who hunts down the Fluke Flayer. Understood?"

"Yes ma'am." I retorted with an uncertain giddiness in my heart. I was not about to test Hornet. Was that a bluff or a legitimate threat? Best not try her...

I remained silent for a good while after that as we made our way back up through the winding maze of pipes. But as we passed another intersection where the pipes branched off in four directions, I paused. Something about my sense of direction was telling me something. Hornet soon noticed and looked back at me. "What is it?"

"That way... I didn't get very far down this path before I noticed there were no flukes and turned back. We haven't explored it yet." I explained as curiosity came calling. Now that the flukes were most likely all gone, it was much safer to proceed.

"Hmph... So be it. As I said, you lead and I'll follow." Hornet replied before we made our way down the one pipe I had not explored quite yet. And much like the lower levels of the Royal Waterways, the pipes were eventually replaced with chambers of stone bricks.

We continued on for a while, rising higher to upper levels where small ladders would have taken us. But I soon started to notice a smell that I had not noticed in the waterways before. Something...foul. Very foul. "Ugh... Oh god, that's... Hornet, please don't tell me that's what I think it is."

Hornet was...oddly quiet as she began to shield her face with the ruff of her cloak. I looked down at her upon noticing the delay in her words. "Uh... Hornet?"

"What? You told me not to tell you." Hornet replied in a snide manner that got a laugh out of me. Only for her to then say, "But yes... It's most definitely what you think it is. We are in the Royal Waterways after all."

https://youtu.be/TCMDWCzLN7A?si=99xbY6-r\_lBeukkr

"The sewers, Hornet. We are literally in the sewers. Now I know that. But why did it take this long for... Gah?!" I very nearly reached out to the wall of the tunnel we were in only to stop myself just in time. There was something caked on it. Something that gave off a powerful stench. Something...brown. "Oh man... Gotta watch my step."

There is no other way to describe it. The walls were caked with...fecal matter. Moist and festering fecal mater. But why?! Why so much?! We were not even in the pipes anymore! It could not have gotten splattered all over if not part of the pipe network! I even tucked my armor's wings closer against my body just to insure they would not clip the walls as we continued on. Hornet did not openly complain, but I could see her still trying to shield her nostrils. Wherever they were on her face.

The floor was the one section of the floor that was thankfully free of anything we did not want to touch. We continued on out of sheer morbid curiosity. All with those walls of dark bricks smeared with more and more fecal matter. Just what happened to me the previous day that made me dream up such a... I got it! Now I know! That rock soup! Limestone Pie really did spike it with something! No wonder she was giving me that sadistic grin when I was about to taste it! I am never eating that stuff again if she is the one cooking it! Next time, I will probably dream of being stuck inside a septic tank. Where all the tank's contents come alive and form a single entity that sings opera or something...

And eventually... We came to a much larger chamber that spread out like a vast tunnel off to the left and right. And filling it...was more fecal matter. From the walls to the floor, the stuff was everywhere. Down the tunnel were great stone archways that had been defiled by the literal mountains of excrement. But the strangest thing was that... Those mountains. They were spherical in shape. Too spherical to be natural. And as that stench assailed my nostrils, I could only stammer in disbelief at the putrid sight. "Hornet... This is wrong... No, this is an entirely new level of wrong..."

"You can say that again... My word, I am most fortunate to have never stumbled across this area in the few times I have ventured down here..." Hornet groaned with there being no escape from the fumes. Although there was one way through. Another passageway was on the other side of the tunnel. But to reach it... We would have to wade through the sea of excrement. And I was terrified of the possibility that it was much deep than it appeared. Hornet peered ahead and said, "There's a way through over there."

"Yeah, I see it. Let's...um..." I grumbled as I looked down at what was waiting for us. There was a short drop that we could step up from, but still... I had managed to avoid coming in contact with the bodily waste in the tunnels and I was not about to start now.

Hornet look up at me before finally pointing her needle to our destination. "After you, sir knight."

I desperately stalled for time while wearing a very forced smile. I response to Hornet's offer as I all but bowed to her, "Ladies first, madam."

"Ah, but I insist. Who knows what dangers await? The gallant knight should lead." Hornet replied as she too started to speak with a facade of elegance that did not quite fit the shrewd sentinel before me.

I was not swayed and tried to persuade Hornet yet again. "But m'lady, your mother will have my hide if I stepped out of turn. Please, do lead."

"I will put in a good word with her for you. You are just doing your duty on my behalf, sir knight. Please. Do lead. I am oh so frightened of what dangers may await." Wow, Hornet was really milking it by then. I never knew she had such a sense of humor hidden under that frigid exterior.

We bantered back and forth for a bit longer with neither of us wanting to be the first to take the first step into that sea of raw sewage. Until finally it was my turn to continue the debate. But I had given up by then. I looked down at the floor of putrid waste and said, "I ain't touching that."

"That makes two of us. If we're not going to proceed, then we must turn back." Hornet replied while finally dropping that charade.

Retreating seemed like the wisest choice... But I felt determined to find a way through. I think the two of us had mostly gone nose blind by then anyway, so the stench was not getting to us that much anymore. If only we had solid ground to walk on... Or if there was a way to freeze the waste into an icy solid that...

Eureka. I wasted no time in putting a solution into use. I clenched my left hand into a fist as I channeled Luna's ice magic. And in a flash of bright blue, it formed before us. A long stretch of enchanted ice spread atop the sea of sewage and reached the passageway at the far end. I smirked at Hornet and said, "There. Shall we?"

"Well now... Aren't you a clever one, sir knight. But...is it safe?" Hornet replied while poking the floor below us with her needle.

"It should be. Although it is ice, so... It might be slippery? Mind your step." I explained before Hornet made the first move. Ladies first indeed. She hopped down and landed gracefully and took a few steps to show she had good traction on the surface. Perhaps that ice magic is not as slick as natural ice since it does not melt easily. No water or slickness. Its properties are probably closer to dry ice.

I hopped down as well and was expecting to slip. But no such thing happened. That icy walkway had plenty of friction. So we continued on across the moat of literal waste. Only for Hornet to stop as we reached the middle of it. "Wait... Do you hear that?"

A strange rumbling... But not from the waterways itself. We glanced around with my eyes going wide as the sight of something off about the sea of sewage. Something...big was burrowing through it just under the surface. And I nearly panicked at what this meant. "Oh no no no no no no no no no I don't wanna do this... Please please please don't make us have to deal with a sewage mole or anything... Go away, go away, go away please..."

Hornet stood ready with her needle in hand, clearly not wanting to fight while being ready for the inevitable. "I have never heard of such a thing. But who can say if it's a threat..."

I was not even sure if whatever was just under the surface knew where we were. the trail of upended bodily waste went under and around the bridge of ice we were standing on. Only for it to come to a stop just under the far end of it. And then... Clonk. Right into the bottom of the bridge.

That... Hornet and I both cracked up. Just the sound it made when whatever was down there tried to burst out of the stuff only to slam its head into the underside of the bridge so hard that I was sure it knocked itself out! "Pahahaha...! That sounded like it hurt, dude!"

We then continued on our way across the ice bridge. Only to suddenly hear that burrowing sound again. Whatever was under the bridge had regained its bearings and moved out from under it. We watched and waited as the sewage on the surface churned and stirred. Until...something came out.

Something...or someone burst out of that sea of sewage and went rocketing high into the air while I had to throw up my shield to block any waste particles that got flung everywhere in the process. But Hornet... Instead of preparing for battle, her stance instantly relaxed. The being that came down before us and landing atop the sea of sewage, showing that it was much denser than it appeared, was...not a beast at all. It was a bug. A round and sturdy looking bug that must have been some kind of beetle. And as it began to enthusiastically pound his chest, he let out...quite the battle cry.

"FAAAAARFUNDAAAAAAA!!!!!"

https://youtu.be/fhJF9laF3RE?si=YUi3prmTCjTmYzbD

https://youtu.be/Avjga7CKfxw?si=7gwOVTjjff1fqFR6

I stared in disbelief at the rather hulking bug before us. One that had just been burrowing through the sea of sludge around us. While not much of it clung to his armored form, he still reeked of the stuff. And as he reached down and scooped up more of that sludge into his clawed arms... No. Oh hell no, I could see what he was doing. And I was having none of it! "Oh no no no no no! Not here! Anywhere but here! No way!"

The bug before us had enough sense to stop at the sound of my words. I could see that it was forming a huge ball of dung so it could throw it at me. And I had already seen enough. I abruptly turned around and marched back down the bridge of ice while waving dismissively at my opponent. "I'm out, I'm out, I'm not having this! I'm not gonna deal with crap getting chucked at me for anything!"

It was then the bug behind me called out with a voice I was not excepting. One that was filled with a...knightly nobility. "But...but sir knight! I hereby challenge you! Come, face me!"

I instantly turned around and shrieked across the dung chamber in sheer disgust. "FIND SOMEONE ELSE THEN!!! I HAVE STANDARDS!!!"

"You never change, Ogrim..." I heard Hornet say before she came rushing after me. She too was not in the mood for any sewage shenanigans. She came hurrying up behind me as I marched furiously away from the arena of raw waste and back down the tunnel we had approached from. "I can't fault you for this. I've had enough of the Royal Waterways for one day myself."

"The nerve of the guy... Who the hell fights with raw sewage as a weapon?!" I grumbled loudly while just so offended over what I had just been faced with. I felt so filthy for just seeing such a thing. But I soon started to notice a sound. Footsteps that were not ours. "Oh no... He's not following us, is he?"

Yes he was. That bizarre bug had followed us into the tunnel and was jogging after us. His voice called out again as I turned back to see him approaching. "Wait! Wait, sir knight! Forgive me! Perhaps I was being too overzealous! We need not duel if you would rather..."

"Please... Please, that's close enough. I can smell you from here..." I pleaded while holding out my hand to signal him to stop. It was then that I got a good long look at the bug before us. He was definitely a type of beetle with that round sturdy torso. And everything but his clawed arms were coated in a layer of metal armor. His shoulders bore pauldrons with round designs that complimented his round form. What looks like a pair of pincers reaching up from his head were actually a pair of fuzzy antennae. A dark gray fluffy loin guard hung just between his legs that matched the colors of his arms and exposed face. His eyes were bright white as opposed to most other bugs I had seen. Eyes filled with a bright and jovial temperament. But upon closer inspection with his armor... It was a shade of reddish brown. Until I realized that every last bit of it was encrusted with rust! Given the high humidity of the Royal Waterways and constant exposure to...whatever was in the raw sewage he often burrowed through, it was no surprise his armor was in such a sorry state. But it was still a full suit of Hallownest's style of plate armor. Who was this mighty beetle?

But what he said next in response to my pleas... The armored bug before us responded with such pride in his jolly voice. "Ah, so you can! It is such a heroic odor, is it not? One I wear well!"

"Heroic od... You DO realize you were just swimming through a sea of fecal matter, right?!" I almost screamed in disbelief! He was shameless! What was wrong with that weirdo?! No bug I had ever met up to that point had such a passion for...dung!

Hornet had nothing to say at all. She was just standing there and watching the two of us converse. But that armored bug then let out such a pleasant and hearty laugh as he replied, "Ahahaha, that I was! Dung is a humble element that I have mastered in ways others can only dream of. For I am the Dung Defender!"

How shameless... I was at a loss for words. There was no getting that guy to understand how utterly wrong his philosophy was. But then... I noticed something. He was clearly a beetle. One who had been frolicking in a sea of dung. With mountains of that dung sculpted into large and perfectly round shapes. I glanced down at Hornet while she glanced up at me. "Dung beetle?"

Hornet narrowed her eyes in exasperation as she confirmed my suspicions. "Dung beetle."

Now that the cat was out of the bag, I knew better than to try and debate the dung beetle's enthusiasm for...literal fecal matter. As I pondered what to even say to the jolly fellow before me, he finally happened to notice my companion standing beside me. "Ahaha, and who do we have here but little Hornet! How long has it been, lass? I haven't seen you in...feels like years!"

What a conflicted feeling I was getting... The dung beetle before me was exuding such a pleasant and inspiring aura in bitter spite of the putrid nature of his element. I would like him a lot more if he did not absolutely reek of sewage. Hornet, still defying the stench of dung all around us, spoke to her old acquaintance. "Yes, it has been quite some time, Ogrim. And you seem to be well even after all that has happened."

Ogrim, was it? Interesting name for an armored dung beetle. I finally decided to speak up. "So, uh... Ogrim, right? What's with the rusty armor?"

Ogrim happily replied with a heroic pose of sorts, his clawed arms resting on his hips. "Ha! There's an explanation for that, sir knight! Perhaps introductions are in order. "For I am Sir Ogrim! One of the Five Great Knights of Hallownest! Many have even labeled me as the Loyal Ogrim. And I can see that you too wear a knightly visage as well! Tell me, sir knight. Your name?"

No way... No way in hell. The dung beetle before me was one of the Five Great Knights I had only just been informed about a couple of hours ago? A knight...who wields dung? Whose idea was it to knight that guy?! What did the other four Great Knights have to say about him?! And yet... Ogrim carried with him such a dignified presence. His voice and the tone it carried... It was by far the most knightly voice I had heard in my entire life. Despite his putrid methods and overwhelming odor, he was truly a knight in all the ways that mattered. Repulsed as I was, I could not bring myself to dislike him. I then introduced myself to the fellow knight. "I am...Sir James of Equestria."

"Sir James! A name I will remember for eternity! What brings you to sacred Hallownest? An ambassador for your kingdom? Is that why you are in the company of little Hornet? She's always been quite the firebrand, hasn't she?" Ogrim replied while I declined his offer for a handshake. He just could not stop letting out the occasional chuckle. He was just so...happy. So pleasant. It really was such a shame he reeked as much as he did.

There was no way I could explain my presence in that kingdom of dreams. So I worded my response carefully. "I... To be honest, I don't really have a way of explaining how I even got here. This is my third visit to Hallownest and... I just come and go as I do. And so far, Hornet has been a consistent companion who has be aiding me as a guide of sorts. And we've been watching each other's back in battle when the need arises."

"Ha! I would expect no less from our own Princess Knight! The lass picked up quite a few tricks when she was trained by the hive!" Ogrim laughed while Hornet stepped back to avoid any direct contact from the affectionate dung beetle. Princess Knight though? I suppose Hornet got that name from being a princes of Deepnest. The Weavers certainly viewed her as one.

There was one question I still had on my mind. Even if he was a dung beetle, Ogrim was still one of the Five Great Knights of Hallownest. He had better things to do than wallow around in what amounted to a massive septic tank beneath the kingdom's capital. "Quick question, Ogrim. What're you even doing down here? I mean I get you're in your element, but... Why is one of the kingdom's greatest champions spending all his time down here?"

That was when Ogrim's sunny disposition began to dim ever so slightly. He even seemed hesitant to reply. "Ah, that... I assure you I did not abandon my duties. It was just that... When the kingdom of dear Hallownest fell into ruin... There was no throne to serve. No people to protect. So I slunk away into the Royal Waterways where I felt most comfortable... That was why I was so excited to finally face you in a duel, sir knight. I...needed some action, as it were! Especially when my only neighbors have always been the flukes. And they...would rather eat me than engage in polite conversation.

Uh oh. I saw that smirking glance Hornet gave me. And she responded most fittingly, "Well then, you need not trouble yourself with the flukes any longer, Ogrim. For the Fluke Flayer here brought swift extinction to the flukes just a short while ago."

"Fluke...Flayer?! Oho, so you are?! Were those your battle cries I heard echoing through the tunnels not even an hour ago? My, such passion in your voice! And such a jaunty melody too you sang! How did it go again?" Ogrim asked with Hornet's smug stare suddenly being replaced with wide open eyes of horror. I then smirked at her, knowing how she did not want to hear that song again. But I showed mercy and shrugged my shoulders to imply I had already forgotten the lyrics. Ogrim then sagged with his arms hanging at his sides. "Ah... So sad. I was hoping you could teach me. It sounded like such a ballad for razing an infestation of fiends that blight an ecosystem like here in the waterways. Do teach me if you ever remember!"

"You know what? I just might. I bet you have an impressive singing voice yourself." I replied while Hornet looked uncomfortable at the thought. With that booming and passionate voice of his, I am sure Ogrim could even sing opera if he wanted. Although he would need a thorough bath beforehand if he did not want to offend the audience with his mere presence.

Although Ogrim chuckled as he dismissively waved an arm between us. "Ohohoho, perhaps I would! But the finest singer of the Five Great Knights has always been Ze'mer. Such silken and mystical melodies she could sing... Ah, how I long for my companions... If only we could have done more against the plague...

Hornet began to reach out with a reassuring hand, but only barely stopped herself from making contact with Ogrim at the last second. They were more than acquaintances. They were brother and sister in arms. "You did what you could, Ogrim. We all did."

Ogrim turned his attention to me as his voice lost some of his booming enthusiasm. "That we did... Oh Sir James... If only you could have seen Hallownest in its prime. The Pale Court would have welcomed you with open arms as an envoy of your kingdom of...Equestria, was it? Our glorious king would have been most eager to meet you... But the infection... Taking root in the afflicted not through bacteria, but through our thoughts and dreams? We knights have always been able to protect against the physical! But a formless enemy... How dos one defeat such a foe?"

It was time to tell Ogrim what he needed to know. What everyone in Hallownest needed to know. I steadied my nerves, ignored the odor around us, and spoke. "Well you don't have to worry about that anymore, Ogrim. The plague is no more. The Hollow Knight and I saw to that ourselves."

The sullied knight before us lifted his head and stared with wide white eyes in total silence for a good moment. He blinked a few times before asking, "I... Ah... Surely I misheard you just now. I seem to have heard you say that the infection...no longer exists? But that... That can't be... Can it?"

Hornet then spoke up to give her side of the story. "It's true, Ogrim. I was there. I witnessed the moment this knight cleaved through the seal of the Black Egg Temple with power the likes of which Hallownest has never seen. Even while the Dreamers still slept. And now... They live again. Awake and well. Lurien and Herrah, I have seen and spoken to. Monomon is most likely alive and well too. And there in the Black Egg Temple... I saw it. The traces of infection fading. The Hollow Knight... They perished in the end, but Hallownest... It lives again, Ogrim. I have seen it. Our kingdom is healing. There are even survivors. Lurien now does what he can atop the Watcher's Tower to govern the people in their time of need. So please, old friend... Come to Hallownest's aid. We need you. Please."

Ogrim just stared in utter disbelief at us. And then directly at me. "Sir James... Is it true? Does my kingdom live again? Do the people...need me?"

I finally smiled wholeheartedly at my fellow knight. Seeing such an inherently jolly fellow lose that positivity in his voice was a true tragedy. He needed to know that hope still reigned in Hallownest. "Yes. I saw the City of Tears. I've seen Dirtmouth. Hallownest is healing, Ogrim. The people need their heroes again. So you better get up there right away... Hey?!"

I should have seen that coming. Ogrim grabbed my right hand between his clawed arms and gave it a very hearty shake. And as he spoke... He laughed...but also cried. "Ahahahahaha! Then...it is true! Hallownest lives again! It wasn't all for naught in the end! Blessings upon you, Sir James! Many blessings indeed!"

I pulled my armored hand away from Ogrim and did my best not to wince too much as I gazed upon it. Yep. He definitely contaminated my gauntlet with...everything he had speckling his body. Although Ogrim then enthusiastically brought an arm to his chest and spoke boldly. "In that case... Then yes! Duty calls! I shall head topside at once! The Loyal Ogrim stands ready to serve as always! Just...give me a little while. I must go and say my goodbyes to a...dear friend. But then! Then I shall ascend to the City of Tears! The Watcher's Tower is where Lurien still resides, yes?"

"Uh... Yeah! Yeah, that's where Lurien is! We even shared a spot of tea with him, so I think he'll be happy to see you... Maybe." I muttered as I wondered what horrors Ogrim would bring with him into the City of Tears. Unless a long soak out in the rain would wash the sewage from him.

Ogrim then took a bow to Hornet and I to say his farewells to us. "My, it has been ages since I last shared some hot tea... But enough talk! Duty calls! It was a joy getting to meet you, Sir James. And always a pleasure to see you too, little Hornet! May we meet again soon! In happy times!"

And with that, Ogrim was off. He went jogging back down the way he came and back into that massive dung chamber. Only to suddenly let out a yelp followed by awkward laugher from him. Hornet and I got curious and went over to check on him. And I honestly had to stifle a laugh when I saw Ogrim rocking around on his back. Right on the ice bridge I had left behind. "Huh. I guess that ice really is slicker than I thought. You need a hand there, Ogrim?"

"Ahahaha, this is nothing! We beetles do have a weakness when it comes to ending up on our backsides like this, but I have a means to get out of this! Behold!" Ogrim chuckled while looking like he was really stuck. That almost perfectly spherical torso of him did come with a disadvantage. Only for his to suddenly tuck his head and limbs in to turn his rusted armor into a ball! And with that, he went rolling down the path of magic ice with growing speed and out of sight down the path beyond that dung chamber. All while letting out that familiar battle cry. "Faaaaaarfundaaaaaaa!!!"

"I bet he's fun at parties." I said with an entertained smirk. Putrid as our surroundings were, Ogrim did a lot to lighten the mood with his boundless optimism. He would do much to bring hope back to the survivors in Hallownest once his infectious laughter reached their ears again.

"Quite. Of the Five Great Knights, Ogrim was arguably the most beloved by the people. I don't believe I need to explain why. His return to duty will do wonders for the kingdom's morale." Hornet replied before she happened to notice me eyeing my right hand. The one that was now contaminated my Ogrim's putrid touch. I started to smirk and glanced at Hornet out of the corner of my eye. You then immediately shot down any schemes I was considering by raising her needle. "Touch me with that hand and I'm cutting it off."

"Yes ma'am." I replied with my giddy smirk still not fading. But now it was time to get out of the waterways. Ogrim had satisfied my curiosity and I just wanted to get back to the surface and rinse myself off in the rain. We hastily made our way back the way we came to try and find our way back to the entrance to the Royal Waterways. But not just yet. I started to head down the tunnel first only to notice Hornet was not with me. She was still standing at the entrance to that massive dung chamber. Looking over her shoulder at it. "Hornet?"

She did not immediately respond. But when she did, Hornet turned to look at me and spoke with a ponderous tone. "Ogrim... He hasn't aged a day from when I last saw him... Truly, it's as if the plague halted time itself."

https://youtu.be/rSLUJTvxlhU?si=487U2uaLnwTlqO1U

"Then that means everyone hear still has many years left in them, right?" I replied while noticing that Ogrim definitely did not sound like an elderly veteran. He was very spry and had a lot of life and youth in him. Hornet then led on as we made out way back into the pipes of the Royal Waterways. But we eventually came back to the waterfalls where we had stopped to rest before. And I immediately took the opportunity to wash my right hand off in the rapids. Hornet waited patiently while I was on my knees. But as I looked at my wet armored hand, a thought came to me. "So then... Ogrim. He's the 'Loyal' of the Five Great Knights, yeah? What about the rest? You know them as a fellow knight yourself, yeah?"

"I have never been officially knighted myself, but I may as well be one given my years of service to Hallownest." Hornet replied as we continued on. We now had something to converse to pass the time. And Hornet shared that information freely. "Fierce Dryya. Kindly Isma. Mighty Hegemol. Mysterious Ze'mer. They, along with Loyal Ogrim, make up the Five Great Knights of Hallownest. Easily on par with even the Hollow Knight itself, they have always been Hallownest's greatest champions. The fact that Ogrim is still alive and well gives me hope that we may yet see the other four return as well. And they will surely be more than pleased to meet you."

My memories went back to when the Hollow Knight fought alongside me against the Radiance. All while back in their prime. What a force to be reckoned with. The Hollow Knight was truly my equal, keeping up with me blow for blow as we did battle against that mad light goddess. And each of the Five Great Knights were just as capable? Even the silly Ogrim? "I...want to meet them someday."

"I hope you will as well. It would do them well to meet Hallownest's savior." Hornet spoke calmly as we finally reached the chute leading back up to ground level. In a matter of minutes, we were back out in the rain. But I just stood out there in the rain with my arms and wings spread wide. Just to get any lingering traces of the stench of sewage off my armor. That odor was sticking to us with even Hornet joining me. "Mind if I join you?"

We just stood there in the rain with the City of Tears not having many out on the roads. They were still staying home to rest and recover from the apocalypse they had only narrowly survived. But what to do now? All I could think of was finding a place to relax after that excursion into the Royal Waterways. As well as likely send what little time I had left in my dream trying to end it on a pleasant note. "Hornet. Where would one go around here to relax after a long day?"

Hornet turned her gaze up at the sky for a moment before she suddenly snapped her fingers in inspiration. "The Pleasure House. Come with me. I suspect we will even have the place all to ourselves."

"Pleasure? That's not a brothel, is it? Never mind, lead the way." I replied with Hornet giving me a cockeyed glance for a second. But we did not get far before I stopped again. My eyes scanned the sky. That voice again... A melody mixing with the call of the rain. "Who are you...? Why am I the only one who can hear you?"

I did not want to worry Hornet, so I was more discreet in my observations. I hurried along after her as we passed under the Watcher's Tower and passed several guards on patrol and minding their posts. Until we emerged from the passages under it with a particularly grand structure ahead of us. Not as tall as the Watcher's Tower, but much bigger across. I suspected it was a great complex with multiple features. Perhaps like a mall. Maybe there were restaurants and theaters inside. Perhaps even housing like an apartment complex.

Hornet led me up a flight of stairs as we passed even larger guards that carried a shield along with their impressive nails. They were even clad in armor that bore the red of nobility. But instead of denoting noble blood, the red likely served as a sign of rank. These mighty looking guardsmen were probably the elites of the force and their placement around that great structure likely served a purpose.

We entered through a doorway and found ourselves in a cramped foyer that only led to an elevator. But on the wall to our left displayed a portrait of sorts that was bordered by bouquets of flowers that had long since dried out. It portrayed an elegant and feminine bug with a head of long blond hair draped in a red gown. A dancer or even a celebrity who was striking a pose. A poster for an upcoming performance? Or rather...a performance that was never given the chance to happen? I had to remind myself that everything I was seeing around me had been left untouched by time and that the portrait before me was a relic of long ago.

We stepped onto the elevator while Hornet sent it up. The gears and wheels above us clacked away as we rose quickly. We passed several floors with Hornet not making the elevator stop until we reached the top. "Almost there. This way."

We were greeted by a counter off to the side. Hornet then was about to leave her needle upon the desk, apparently out of instinct, but refrained and held onto it. It appeared to be a receptionist desk for holding onto the raincoats and belongings of those who were there to partake in whatever services were just beyond. Piles of papers that seemed to be programs for planned performances were set on and around the counter. Another indicator of the passage of time and the state of ruin the City of Tears was still in and would be for a good while...

I decided to do the sensible thing and left my helmet and shield on the counter since they would just get in the way now that we were entirely out of danger. Only the sound of muffled rain reached our ears. We were entirely alone. Just the way we wanted after a long day. But while Hornet started to ascend a flight of stairs, I paused. That sound again... That voice. I could hear it again. It was distant...but also near.

There was another way forward. A passage leading deeper instead of higher. Hornet noticed me looking past the stairs and asked, "What is it? The bathhouse is above us. This way."

"I know, but... Do you hear it? That voice again. Over here..." I muttered as I felt compelled to investigate. I went deeper. Past curtains until I entered what could only be described as a lounge serving as a small theater. A stage was set before many scattered cushy seats. Very many bouquets of dried flowers were scattered all over. To have seen such a place in its prime... The theater was dark and dim. A literal shadow of better days. But the voice... It still echoed around me.

https://youtu.be/Tf6hdUPHytw?si=15PAHUJqqiofg1wy

I drew closer as I noticed ethereal dream catcher sigils forming around my left gauntlet. Luna's dream magic was responding to something. With no other way to get closer, I stepped up onto the stage. And there before me... Fading into view was...her. The starlet featured at the entrance down below. She floated before me as her elegant voice reached my ears unobstructed. Her feet never touching the ground with a hand held over her chest, the beautiful bug before me was held aloft by impressive and elegant pink butterfly wings. But she was also transparent... Was I witnessing a ghost? A spirit bound to their final resting place? A phantom of the theater?

The performer before me... I knew she could see me. And I was compelled to stay a while. I dropped onto my knees and beheld the ghostly singer as my voice caressed my ears. And in seconds... The tears came. Oh how they came. That song... So elegant... So beautiful... And so mournful... It was all I could hear and my tears would not be restrained. The song I was hearing... There was no other way to describe it. The song of the ghostly starlet before me was Hallownest's requiem.

I was not alone for long. Hornet followed me in and soon stepped up onto the stage beside me. She looked around and asked, "Why are you in here? No one is around. What do... Why... Why do you weep?"

I turned my gaze to Hornet with tears cascading down my face. She could not see or hear the song echoing through the chamber and across the city. The dream magic in my left gauntlet must have been the only thing allowing me to hear beyond the veil of life and death. Unable to bring myself to speak with my throat clenching, I weakly held out my left hand with dream catcher sigils forming and fading around it. Perhaps if she held it?

Hornet understood my gesture and dropped to her knees while setting aside her needle. She rested her right hand in my left. And her eyes went wide as that beautiful and tragic melody reached her ears. Then when she turned her gaze forward... One word escaped her lips in a stunned whisper. "Marissa...?"

Marissa... A lovely name for sure. And like me, Hornet too began to weep in ways I had never seen. It only took seconds for her empty black eyes to start profusely shedding tears. Hornet knew the singer before us. Perhaps she even attended some of her performances in that very theater. And now... Just a shadow of bygone days. But to hear such beauty again from beyond the grave... We could only watch and weep in silence as we graced the dearly departed songstress with our presence.

The song filling the theater was a melody without words. Just a beautiful crooning call that stirred great sorrow in our very souls. Hornet and I gazed upon the songstress as we did all we could to not interrupt her performance with inelegant sobs. The tears flowed incessantly as we struggled to respectfully remain silent. Until at last the chamber fell silent as the song came to a close. I finally turned my gaze to Hornet while she did the same. To see one with such a frigid heart with her eyes so wide in stunned disbelief with pure clear tears pouring down her hardened white face... Hornet needed to see and hear that melody. It was good for her soul.

Hornet then surprised me as she beheld my face looking so pained with fresh tears still soaking it. My companion lifted her left hand with her cloak still shrouding it and wiped away my tears with that vibrant red cloth. "Thank you... I needed this. I...so dearly needed this."

I was still unable to speak. My throat clenched too tightly. So I could only nod. We turned our gaze to the ghostly starlet before us as she took a bow. And then... She spoke. "I can't thank you enough for being here... It has been to long since I last graced an audience. No, do not applaud for me. Your tears are applause enough. To see such tears... Tears of cleansing and soothing... It has been too long since my melodies touched the hearts of my audience so deeply."

She was certainly right about that. I felt no shame for the tears I shed. And neither did Hornet. There we were. Two warriors armed and armored. And we were weeping all the same. I asked with my voice returning to me, "Marissa, was it?"

The songstress happily replied, "Yes, it is I. I have always been a songstress of renown. Many flocked to this theater from all over Hallownest to hear my performance. So many tears were shed. Tears of joy. Followed by a thunderous applause every time. But then..."

Marissa's tone darkened. And she bowed her head while she floated before us. "My audience...who had once been so captivated by my voice... They began to depart. Their tears ceased to flow. Their hands no longer applauded. The eyes that once wept so freely instead were filled with tiny beacons of an alien orange glow... I called and I sang...but my melody no longer reached them. They all departed...and never returned. Until today. When you two graced me with your presence. And showed how moved you were with such beautiful tears. Here...in the City of Tears."

"This city does indeed weep, Marissa... We all...must take a moment to weep now more than ever. And your voice...has always done a marvelous job at aiding those tears into spilling forth. Thank you... For every single performance you have given us." Hornet replied as we both bowed our heads to the dearly departed starlet. Only then did Hornet release my left hand from her grasp. She whispered to me carefully, "She's gone..."

"I can still see her. She's there. And...she's singing again." I whispered as Marissa began to perform an encore. Not necessarily for us. I believe...she was singing for Hallownest itself. Hoping her calls would be carried on the winds for all to hear. Hornet and I all too reluctantly departed the theater. We had wept enough by then.

Just when we were about to climb the stairs near the entrance to the theater, Hornet paused with needle in hand. She gingerly reached for me and touched my left hand again. "Your left gauntlet contains a wondrous power. To see...and hear the dearly departed... The realm of dreams is closely tied to the departed souls of the living. Or at least that is what they say..."

I decided to tell Hornet what little I could about my armor's origins. "That...is a power unique to one of the beings who forged this armor. The Princess of the Night. She's fluent in dreams."

"I wonder if your princess will ever make contact with Hallownest... But enough delays. I think we most desperately need a moment of rest. This way." Hornet replied before leading me up the stairs. A great window stood before the stairwell. And once we reached the top, we stepped into a chamber filled with warm steam. Indeed, a shallow pool of familiar white milky water sat before us. But the chamber was so much larger than I initially saw from the entrance. Much like the hot spring Quirrel and I enjoyed together in the depths of Deepnest, identical sculptures of bug faces with curved horns and gaping mouths stood clustered together with that soothing water spilling forth.

https://youtu.be/URbejDtBUA8?si=u8VxaNzhFZveU7hT

"These again... So this isn't a bathhouse at all. It's a hot spring...built into the cave wall? I didn't notice how close this building is to the edge of the city." I muttered as I wondered how many such hot springs there were around Hallownest. And with how identical they were to the ones in Deepnest... Who crafted them and when? They must have existed well before the City of Tears was even built if the bathhouse was constructed around one.

Hornet let out a long sigh as she basked in the steam around us. Although the steam was not contained enough for the bathhouse to serve as a sauna. I went looking for a safe spot to leave my armor and cast the spell that caused it to liquefy and slide right off my body. I was soon clad in just my boxers, but Hornet was not oblivious to me. I found her staring at me with very wide eyes. She must have seen the entire process. "Your armor...melts off?"

"With the right magic, yeah. It's always in a liquid state when not in use. It also allows the armor to be fully repaired if damaged. I don't know where they got the idea to have the armor be liquid metal when not in use, but it's really ingenious." I replied before stepping over and into the tub. That wonderful warmth felt so wonderful against my bare feet as I went feeling around for the deepest part to sit down in. The pool was clearly design for bugs over humans, seeing as how most bugs are rather short. But I found

at I could lean back to lie down and let the water all but cover me.

But then it was my turn to be surprised. While I was distracted with my own enjoyment, Hornet was preparing herself for a hot dip in the tub. And when she stepped my way, I looked at her...and was left speechless. I had never seen Hornet without her iconic red cloak before. Her body was slender and only vaguely feminine in build. Nothing but a black chitinous exoskeleton covered every inch of her body. And with how her white head contrasted the rest of her... I was surprised at just how long her horns were. Maybe it is just me, but I swear the entire length of Hornet's head from the tips of her horns to the bottom of her face is just as tall as her entire body. She looked top heavy without her cloak. Hornet was mildly startled that I saw her coming, but her unease was replaced with curiosity when she took notice of my puzzled stare. "What?"

"I... Huh... I guess I really didn't know what to expect how you looked under your cloak." I replied before turning my gaze back towards the ceiling above. Hornet gingerly stepped into tub and took a seat by me at the deepest part. She then leaned back to submerge herself more fully and let out an impressive sigh of relaxation. I asked after letting out a yawn, "Long day?"

"Very long day... But a fulfilling one at that." Hornet sighed as she brought her hands to her face and washed what was left of her tears from it. I could see her eyes close as she became still beside me. "We needed this..."

It was then I felt it. The faintest trembling through the very fabric of reality. My dreaming mind was beginning to stir. At least I could not have picked a better way for my dream to end. But Hornet and I still had time. And I wanted to spend it well. I soon noticed something odd about the water we were in. It was not simply soothing. It felt...restorative. Like it was actively healing any physical exhaustion in me. I thought back to my previous encounter with Quirrel and said, "Quirrel said these hot springs have healing properties... I didn't really believe it last time, but now that I've worn myself out after an adventure down there... I think I actually feel it. I'm not just refreshed. I'm...recharged. If that makes any sense."

"Ah... You can feel it, hm? True. The hot springs of Hallownest, as few as they are, do carry miraculous properties in their waters. Because it is infused with soul. An arcane force that exists in...everything. The force of life itself. And through it, wounds are healed. Exhaustion leaves the body." Hornet replied in explanation. It was an interesting bit of trivia about the world my mind had dreamed up. Although why did she know about the existence of 'soul' while even Quirrel did not?

I had to know more. Especially now that our time together was short. "But...where does the soul come from in these waters? It exists in more than just living creatures, right? Is it abundant in the earth itself?"

Hornet finally sat up and looked down at me once she got comfortable. "True. Soul exists in everything that lives. But...it goes deeper than that. Quite literally. There are strange structures around Hallownest that also contain soul that can be extracted. And I assume they soul deposits are drawn from the same source of as these hot springs. Something deep... Primordial. Remnants of a time long before Hallownest even existed. Perhaps even before the Pale King himself came to be."

"The rabbit hole just keeps going deeper, doesn't it? Maybe the truth will never be known." I muttered before I happened to notice something about Hornet. The way the water reacted to her... That white soul giving the water its milky hue. While it was soothing me, Hornet appeared to be...absorbing it. I could see it responding to her presence in a more obvious manner. "I guess the soul likes bugs more than my kind. It's putting on a show."

"Hmph... No, it's not quite that. While soul exists in everything and everyone...and while it does heal all... Higher beings are the only ones who can utilize soul in a variety of ways." Hornet spoke almost hesitantly. And I immediately realized there was something she had not told me. Something important.

If Hornet was absorbing the soul in the water... I sat up beside her while our eyes met. I chose my next words carefully. "But...you're not a higher being. Herrah isn't one, right? So...neither are you."

"No. I am not. At least on my mother's side." Hornet replied cryptically. It started to dawn on me. Hornet had spoken very little of her parentage outside of the queen of Deepnest herself. Or the circumstances resulting in her birth. I still remember what she told me during my first visit to Hallownest. An origin story oozing with political scheming and machinations.

I decided it was best to not prod Hornet for information she was not comfortable with divulging. I turned my gaze away from my companion and said, "I won't ask. You don't have to tell..."

My words were interrupted by a new sensation. Hornet's chitinous fingers grasping my hand under the surface of the water. And very tightly as well. I turned to look at her as she gazed unblinkingly back at me. "I told you of how I came to be. How if my mother was to serve as a Dreamer, she would need an heir to lead Deepnest once she fell into eternal slumber. And that heir...came from the Pale King himself."

My eyes widened as my breath was caught in my throat. Hallownest's princess knight. The title was not without meaning. Hornet...was literally the child of the Pale King. But... To tell me something known to so few so readily... I asked softly, "Why tell me this?"

I felt Hornet's grasp under the surface of the pool loosen only to tighten again. I felt the world around us quiver again. We did not have much time. "Because...I trust you. And that is not something I say lightly. Our time together has been brief and our encounters few. But it is as I said. Your presence...comforts me. Your earnestness... Your sincerity... It tells me I can entrust you with much."

I responded the only way I could. "I won't tell a soul if you don't want me to."

"Thank you. But yes... My father. The people of Hallownest know him as the Pale King. I am...a daughter of Hallownest. A princess of Hallownest. Even if an illegitimate heir. I have always been a bastard. But I will always serve Hallownest however I can. For it is my home. And its people are mine." Hornet replied with gentle conviction in her voice. Along with a hint of bitterness.

It was such a dark concept for me to comprehend as a father. Gladesong was born out of love between Fluttershy and myself. As will all of my future children. But for Hornet to have been born from what amounted to a bargain between kingdoms for political motivations... It sent a chill through my body as my gaze lowered. "I'm sorry... You... No one should ever be born from such circumstances. You should have been loved by your parents."

"And I was." Hornet replied with words I did not expect. My eyes met hers while Hornet gazed at me with an unexpected calm in her voice. "Yes... My parents held no love for each other. But that did not mean they held no love for me. My mother always adored me. And when we were reunited after she awakened from what should been eternal slumber, she eagerly sought to restore our bond. She was grateful that I did not have to replace her. That I could follow my own path instead of becoming her replacement."

That was good news. I do recall my previous encounter with Herrah. She and Hornet had a healthy relationship from what little I saw that day. But that still left the other side of her origins. "And...your father?"

Hornet's gaze wandered as she let out a sigh. "He... He was ashamed of what had to be done. You know he already had a queen. The White Lady had always been his bride. But there were times during my childhood where I had to be kept under his watch. And while he was distant at first... He came to view me as his own. He was kind to me. He began to take me out to partake in various festivities. And the queen... She never held any ill will towards my mother. She... She raised me once my mother fell into eternal slumber. And she always adored me. For all intents and purposes, I am indeed a child of Hallownest's true sovereigns."

At least there was a silver lining in the situation. I then asked with Hornet's hand grasping mine, "Then...you're still on good terms with your father?"

She said nothing at first. Until Hornet spoke without looking at me. "It is as I said before, Sir James. My thoughts on the Pale King are...complicated. Another time. Please don't make me say more. It...hurts."

Hornet looked pained. And I was not going to pry for further answers. Her origins were a complicated mess. I considered my options before I spoke next. "Is there...anything I can do for you?"

The princess of Hallownest bowed her head before asking, "You will grant me anything I ask?"

"Name it. If I can, I'll make it happen." I replied as I felt the world tremble again. For all I knew, we only had a minute or two remaining.

Hornet's grasp tightened even more around my hand. She trembled before asking, "Will you...hold me? Let me be...vulnerable?"

Yet again... The parallels between my companion and my beloved Ember were palpable. And I said to her what I would have said to my beautiful blue rose. "Yes. I'm here. I'll keep everything away if you'll let me."

And with that... Hornet took a deep breath and slumped into my arms. So light... So frail almost. And I held her. That frail yet mighty princess as she let out a raspy wheeze as her defenses crumbled. "I did not ask for this... I did not wish to be born from a bargain... To be a tool..."

"You're not... You never were. I know it probably feels like you were, but... You're loved. And respected. Don't feel like you're less than you are, your highness..." I whispered back to her while Hornet tucked her head atop my shoulder in whatever way the shape of her head would allow. She had been through so much. When was the last time she truly got to let her guard down?

"Don't call me that... Please... But...stay here a while... Just let me be...fragile for once." Hornet whimpered as new tears fell. And so we stayed there in the hot tub. The fragile princess in my arms as I cradled her. Until finally the walls of consuming white closed in around us. All while she was oblivious to them.

I felt the sensation of warm wetness be replaced by a dry softness. My eyes drifted open to find myself back in a bedroom I was not entirely familiar with. It was a cold and dry winter morning. And there in my arms was the form of my newest beloved. Maud Pie. Slumbering like the stones in the earth.

My thoughts drifted. I know she is nothing more than a product of my dreaming mind, but... Hornet. The kingdom of Hallownest. What a tale my dreams are weaving for me to experience. I hoped I would not be kept away from them for too long. I was eager to see more of what there was to learn about that fictional kingdom.

But for the moment, I just wanted to go back to sleep. And so I lowered my head back to the pillow and basked in the warmth coming from Maud's powerful body. Just one more hour...