Black Iron, White Coat

by Blazer

Chapters

Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3

Chapter 1

Light.

Burning sunlight.

It burned through her eyelids, instinct making her squint and roll to make it go away.

A wave of achiness washed over her, eliciting a groan. Her throat croaked from disuse.

Water. I need water…

The unicorn rolled over, struggling to her hooves. Through half-lidded eyes, she navigated through the ruins to the pool of water. She gazed blearily into the water below her.

A reflection of a mare with a tousled purple mane and brilliant white coat stared back with a pair of vibrant blue eyes, looking equally groggy.

Without hesitation, Rarity lowered her head, taking a few gulps of the liquid. The water was cool and refreshing, quickly sating her thirst and soothing her dry throat. She hummed with satisfaction.

Straightening up, she stood there for a few moments, taking in the fresh air and the gentle breeze kissing her forehead.

Breeze? Am I… There must be a window open or…

The fashionista opened her eyes fully, blinking a few times to clear her blurred vision.

She was standing at the edge of a rectangular pool. Mossy stone remains of what appeared to be a temple of sorts surrounded her, while sunlight streamed through the roof—or where the roof would’ve been. A couple of doorways led out of the ruins, where grass swayed in the breeze that she felt earlier.

Wherever she was, it wasn’t the upstairs parlor bedroom she had lived in for the past several years.

“Wh…What?”

Adrenaline slowly made its way through her system as the shock registered. Her breathing quickened as panic beset her consciousness. Questions began flying through her mind in quick succession, multiplying in number as no answers could be brought to light.
Where am I?
How did I get here?
What is this place?
Was that water really okay to drink?

As she glanced about, Rarity’s mind began breaking down what she remembered from yesterday. Gem-hunting with Spike in the morning, going to the library to see Twilight and drop Spike off, picking up Sweetie Belle from school, making dinner for ourselves and then going to bed.

It seemed like a regular day to her. It didn’t seem like anything abnormal was found, or happened, for that matter.

So why was she here? And where was here?

Instinctively, Rarity booked it for the nearest doorway, on her left. Bursting through the threshold, she happened to glance down before she stopped dead in her tracks, narrowly avoiding a reckless tumble off of a sheer cliff.

Below her stretched out an enormous city, its mass so large, its buildings stretched out to the far horizon, where mountains jutted out angrily towards an empty sky. Heavy fog hid most of the smaller buildings below, but what she did notice were the ramparts. Massive walls separated the city into sections, although the unicorn could see no order obtained from their dissection.

She backed a few paces away from the edge before sitting down, her expression one of disbelief.

Was this even Equestria…?

She shook her head, dismissing the thought.

There’s got to be somepony around here who can help me. One step at a time, Rarity.

The unicorn took a quick breath before calling out, “Hello! Is there anypony here?”

The dull roaring of the wind whipping up the cliff was all that met her ears. Not giving up, she stood up on all fours, calling out again, “Hello! Somepony? Anypony!”

She returned to the doorway, passing through and deciding to go out the other entrance, nearer to where she had awoken. As she trotted over the uneven stone tiles, she wondered how she was even able to fall asleep on such an uncomfortable surface. And then she remembered that she had fallen asleep in her double-queen with the brand new royal blue comforters she had bought for herself the other week, with fresh, lavender-scented pillow cases thanks to a special detergent Rarity began using the other week.

She sniffed the air. It wasn’t the greatest smell in the world, but the rich, earthy scent from the stone and dirt gave the place a familiar, comforting air about it.

Rarity still preferred the lavender-scented pillows to stone tiling that almost smelled nice.

She emerged from the second doorway, looking about. At her hooves, a set of steps descended to a stone circle, surrounded by brick walls missing their top halves. Some fallen pillars and arches suggested that the area once possessed a roof, but it had probably collapsed and rotted, thanks to this place possibly being abandoned for millennia. A peculiar pile of ash sat in the middle of the stone ring, what looked to be a rusted sword poking out vertically from it. Ethereal strands of what she assumed to be flame, judging from the bright orange coloring, rocked back and forth at their own pace, ignoring the winds whipping up from the cliff's edge.

The unicorn approached the odd creation, her eyes looking the sword up and down. The handguard was a four-pronged plus sign, and a strange serpentine tail ran down the length of the blade. Although it was obviously rusted, the sword itself almost looked like a petrified lump of wood, or maybe even stone. Her eyes dropped to the pile of ash at the bottom of the sword. It looked to be that this was once a campfire of sorts, although the pile seemed to be larger than one of a single campfire.

Something in the ash pile caught her eye. Rarity looked closer at what she thought was a clump of ash, although upon further inspection, she was wrong.

It was a bone.

She inhaled sharply, holding a foreleg to her mouth to quiet the gasp.

There were more sitting under the sword, partially hidden by the pile of ash. Someone had used bones to fuel this fire. Wherever Rarity had ended up, she immediately did not feel like sticking around.

Fear settled like a rock in her stomach. The unicorn cursed herself for calling for help earlier. She whirled about, looking for another way out.

Wherever she was, she knew sticking around here was a bad idea.

She retreated to the small building where she had woken up. She stopped at the pool of water, a small smile managing to work its way onto her face.

This is just a dream, right? A nightmare?

Striding over to the water, Rarity splashed herself once, shivering madly as the ice-cold water ran down her snout and neck. The water not having the desired effect on her, she splashed herself again, shivering even more as the wind picked up, cooling the already-freezing water that made its way down the back of her neck.

She splashed herself again.

And again.

And again. She had to be sure.
This had to be a dream.

It had to be.

Her face was numbed, save for two streaks of hot fluids that burned her cheeks and stung her nose.

Wake up, Rarity.
But I am awake…
No! You must wake up!
I am awake!
No, you’re not—!
RARITY! YOU ARE AWAKE!

This… This is real.

Despair hit her like a tidal wave. She let out a pathetic sob, a hiccup accompanying it.

It wasn’t fair.

How had she ended up here? The answer eluded her, and the longer it avoided her mind’s eye, it made her more upset. What had she done yesterday that could warrant this? Nothing seemed out of the ordinary about what she could remember.

Rarity knew the answer would be there, but at the moment, it didn’t seem like it was. This doubled the hopelessness that already wracked her being. She doubled over, face in her forelegs. She shook relentlessly, her hiccups becoming more frequent.

How to get home? Where to start? Is it possible to get home?

She raised her head from her hooves, taking a shaky breath and an even shakier exhale. She sniffed deeply, dabbing her cheeks with the backs of her hooves.

No. She had to explore. The way home could be fifty feet away from her and she would die alone because she didn’t even have the will to take a look around. Slowly rising to her hooves, she rubbed her eyes furiously for a few seconds before starting off again, heading back out towards the cliff’s edge. Following the path, she hooked a right, leading to a large mass of grave markers and gravestones.

There was a particular eerie atmosphere, although she assumed that it accompanied all graveyards. However, this one felt much different. Partly because of how closely the grave markers were packed together. It almost didn’t seem possible for there to be any bodies buried beneath them, unless they were buried vertically, which wouldn’t make too much sense. It also lacked the organization of a proper graveyard, the grave markers haphazardly crowded and facing virtually every direction possible.

What unnerved her even more were the piles of bones that happened to be lying around. She didn’t notice how numerous they were until she had walked further into the graveyard. Bones almost carpeted some of the areas between the grave markers. Some of them even had rusted weapons lying in the mess.

A flicker of movement caught her eye. Whirling to get a good look at the source, Rarity spotted something scuttling across the ground. It moved in and out of the grave markers, making it rather difficult to spot. After a few seconds, it moved out onto the path ahead. The unicorn’s jaw dropped.

It was a skull of something she couldn’t quite put her hoof on; its empty eyes met her awestruck stare. After bouncing a few times over the cobblestone, it stopped at the feet of a pair of bone appendages. Two limbs reached down, firmly clasping the skull in rotting clutches. It raised the skull in front of a crumbling rib cage, eventually setting it on a vacant spine. Something clicked, and it patted its new head into place. Having seen the entire body of the strange creature, Rarity noted that the limbs were arranged in a manner not unlike dragons back in Equestria: Upright, bipedal, and with two arms for performing actions.

Bending over, it picked up a curved sword and a round target shield, its jaw clacking as it slowly advanced on the new arrival. Two more assembled in a similar fashion and joined the first, walking at a similar pace towards the unicorn.

Rarity backed away slowly, not wanting to make any sudden movements. She feared that they would rush her if she rushed trying to get away.

This was a mistake.

They charged, raising their swords high above their heads. Their legs made light clacking noises, like someone was dropping a bunch of sticks onto the cobblestone.

Rarity turned around, making a break for the doorway that she had come from. Nearly tripping up on the stairway back up, she turned left—back into the small building where she had woken up. Leaping over the pool of water, she thrust herself back through the door to the stone circle, but she forced herself to stop.

An enormous creature entirely covered in what appeared to be metal held its hand over the hilt of the sword stuck into the ash-pile. The ethereal flames flared momentarily, bathing the immediate area with a brighter orange glow before fading to its original intensity.

The arms and legs of the behemoth were arranged in a similar fashion to the skeletal abominations behind her, but the size was akin to that of a full-grown grizzly bear instead of an adolescent dragon. It carried a large rectangular shield with an elegant white tree painted onto its dented surface. A large sword handle jutted out from a sheath draped over its back, spinning a little bit as it bounced gently off of its shoulder.

It turned to face her, peering at her through metal slits cut into the cylindrical helmet. Screaming, Rarity turned back, heading back through the temple. She managed to get through the doorway to the cliff path—only to come face-to-face with the skeletons that had risen from the graveyard.

Petrified with fear, all Rarity could do was shake violently as both Skeletons and mystery creature inched their way closer towards her. She shut her eyes, holding her breath.

There was a metallic thud near her forelegs, making her jump back a little bit. The enormous shield she had seen the mystery creature carrying was now between her and the skeletons. However, this placed her directly proximate to the creature wielding it. From his back, he drew the massive sword with his right hand, resting it over his shoulder. As the metal rasped against the sheath, Rarity darted out from underneath him, making a beeline for the ruins. Her left shoulder clipped the edge of the stone doorway, sending a sharp pain shooting through it. Losing her balance, she rolled onto her side and into the pool with a muffled splash as she went under.

Although the cold soothed her burning shoulder, everything else was suddenly assaulted by icy daggers, prompting her to gasp.

Underwater.

Standing upright, she entered a violent fit of coughing, retching in-between and greedily sucking in air. She made her way to the edge of the pool shaking miserably. The sounds of clanging metal and bones hitting the ground could be heard behind her.

Recalling what was there, she sprinted through the second doorway to the stone ring. She glanced about, looking for somewhere to hide, or run further. She spotted a stairway near a well to the left that ran up along a cliff face. Rarity sprinted for the stairs, taking care to climb up carefully as to not hurt herself, as these seemed to be built for something a bit larger than her. She stumbled once or twice as she climbed, but it wasn’t long before she reached an area where the terrain leveled out.

A burst of flames stopped her progress forward, as well as what was behind the flames.

Two creatures similar to the skeletons turned to face her, although there was something dynamically different about them: Leathery, browned skin stretched over their bones, and a pair of glowing red eyes peered out from the empty eye sockets. These wore a scattering of armor that covered about half of their body, leaving their arms, torso and legs exposed. They also carried larger shields, and straighter, longer swords. A third one was situated farther up another staircase, readying a ceramic orb in its hand, a visible flame flickering on a linen wick.

Immediately, Rarity turned around, heading straight back for the stone circle. She descended the steps in a hurry, her left foreleg skidding off of a misstep on the stairs. She tumbled forwards, dropping off of the edge of the narrow stairway. Instinctively, she threw her forelegs out, her hooves frantically searching for a hold, although she knew that she wouldn’t be able to grab it effectively.

Something grasped her right foreleg in a painfully tight grip. She opened her eyes, blinking to remove the tears.

The unknown creature stared back at her with blackened slits.

Rarity’s vision faded to black, her scream echoing in her mind.

Black Iron, White Coat

A Dark Souls Crossover

The first thing Rarity could hear was a fire crackling, as well as a general warmth about her face.

Her eyelids fluttered open, her gaze roving her surroundings.

She was back at the stone circle, the warm glow of the orange flames dancing around its mossy surface.

She stared at the flames for a bit longer. The unicorn closed her eyes again, striving to remember.

The temple.

The cliff.

The creature…!

She sat upright, her eyes finding what she was looking for.

The creature sat a ways off near the cliff, sharpening its weapon with slow, but deliberate movements. Its back was to her, the massive shield hanging there at an angle so its head was still visible. Rarity’s eyes narrowed.

This is it... This is my chance.

She slowly stood up, careful to take slow movements as to not rustle the grass too much. The warrior glanced up from its work, but continued to sharpen its sword. Rarity grinned, taking a step back.

A quiet melodic ring went off as her back leg knocked something aside. Rarity glanced back, anger flaring at whatever had caused the noise. A peculiar round stone emitting a strange aura sat a little ways away from her leg.

She slowly turned to face the warrior who was now looking right at her. “Oh, dear…” she muttered under her breath.

The warrior slowly rose to its feet, using its sword to assist him. It slowly started towards her, taking long strides. Rarity slowly backed up in response, her fear flaring up.

The creature stopped, blackened slits still staring straight at her. To her surprise, it dropped to one knee, letting go of its sword. It stood to its full height again, holding both hands out, open palmed. To her even greater surprise, it spoke.

“Don’t worry; I’m not here to hurt you.”

His muffled voice was deep and masculine, indicating he was male. His words were tinged with an accent that seemed familiar to that of Canterlot, where every word was cleanly annunciated and softened the hard vowels.

Although the voice was certainly comforting, as well as its message, Rarity kept her guard up, backing away a few more steps.

The creature stopped his advance. “Wait. Don’t leave.”

Rarity stopped retreating, but her gaze was still through a scowl.

“It’s dangerous out there; I think we both know that.”

There was a pause. “Can you understand me?”

Rarity slowly nodded, still scowling at him. He lowered his arms, letting out a hearty laugh.

“Hahaha! Well, isn’t that something!”

The unicorn crouched low, her horn glowing. The creature’s arms shot back up, palms open again.

“No, no! Wait! I’m not going to hurt you. Why do you think I saved you earlier? Why I didn’t let you fall off the cliff?”

Rarity knew what had happened. Her trust, however, had to be earned by her terms, not something circumstantial.

“How do I know you won’t try to grab me if I get close?” Rarity asked.

The warrior appeared to have felt the ice in her voice, as he replied cautiously, “How about this… I’ll stay over here, and you can stay near the Bonfire. Just… please, don’t run. It’s too dangerous to be running about Lordran alone.”

Rarity’s brow raised, her curiosity piqued. “Lordran? Is that where we are?”

The creature nodded. “But of course. You didn’t…?” He trailed off. “Well, assuming that I have never seen something quite like you, I would make an assumption of my own to venture that you’re not from here, are you?”

Rarity remained silent.

The warrior knelt, his armor clanking as he did.

“Erm… What is your name, Milady?”

The unicorn’s consciousness stifled a quiet scream of excitement. Milady? What a polite creature.

“Rarity.”
“My, what a beautiful name.”
“And yours?”

The man held out a hand. “Black Iron Tarkus. Knight of Berenike.”

Did he say knight?

Rarity figured that maybe she had gone back in time, although the name “Lordran” did not ring any bells. She could be in a whole different realm altogether, or one of the alternative universes that Twilight had rambled on about.

Her thoughts drifted back to her friends, a frown working its way onto her face.

If only they were here.

“What seems to be the matter, Miss Rarity?” Tarkus ventured.

“It’s of no concern to you,” Rarity snapped.

The knight sat back, holding up his hands. “I apologize, Miss. I meant no offense. I just saw your expression, and I had to ask.”

There was another long pause before Rarity put an inquiry forward. “So… Why are there Skeletons and those… zombie creatures running about? Is that just commonplace in Lordran?”

The knight shrugged. “Well, they are now. Lordran was not always like this.”

“What do you mean?”

Tarkus sighed. “Well, you are certainly in for a long story.”

***

“So, without you feeding your humanity to these… Bonfires, as you call them, Gwyn’s Age of Fire would end?”
“Yes. That is why our curse was seen as something necessary—it forced us to kill each other and feed our humanity to these flames: In the hope that Gwyn’s Age of Fire would be kept going as long as possible. It was the Gods' will.”
“How horrible…”
“That was only the beginning.”

Rarity’s ears fell back. How could it possibly get worse?

“With our curse, there comes a side-effect to our Undeath. Every time we die, we lose a little bit of ourselves to be revived.”

Like an ocean wave washing over a mound of sand… Rarity thought.

“Once we lose ourselves entirely, we turn into what you saw on the stairs. We turn Hollow. And our only instinct after that… is to kill anything that comes near,” Tarkus explained.

“Oh my…” was all Rarity could manage.

The knight gestured to the area surrounding them. “That is why I am here. My kinsmen and I were told of a legend: If we were to ring the bell of Awakening, we would discover our fate as Undead.”

Rarity gulped. “And what was that fate?”

“Our fate is to surpass the Gods that have forsaken us by slaying them.”

The unicorn winced. It sounded so... barbaric. Always about killing. “So how are you going to do that? That sounds impossibly difficult…”

Tarkus pointed to a top of a massive mountain the distance, its top nearly touching the clouds. “Well, I know that to get closer to these Gods, we had to reach the city of Anor Londo, which is just over that peak. And to do that…” He pointed at a castle sitting on the mountainside a little ways down, “We needed to get through Sen’s Fortress, which protects the only access to Anor Londo.”

Rarity thought for a moment. “But… where are your kinsmen? Aren’t you supposed to be with them?”

“I was. But now…”

The unicorn bit her lip, unsure if she wanted to know why he was alone.

“It was that accursed fortress. It was full of traps and foul serpent warriors. Despite the best efforts of my fellow knights, we were ill-equipped to deal with such adversity. It was a slow process of our numbers thinning over the years, until I watched the King of Berenike himself march into the fortress for one final push, along with much of our remaining warriors. After he disappeared, it wasn’t long until the other knights Hollowed from hopelessness, and I was forced to retreat here.”

“Oh…”

Tarkus shook his head. “I’m sorry to have burdened you with my story… but I feel that this is the only way I can gain your trust.”

Rarity shook her head in response. “No, I appreciate your willingness to share so much about yourself… even if it opens up old wounds.”

A muffled chuckle emanated from Tarkus’ helmet. “No wounds will hurt me. I am Undead.”

As the knight continued to laugh at his own joke, the ringing laughter sent a chill down Rarity’s spine. How long had he been alone, fighting to pass through Sen’s Fortress? The man’s fortitude stunned the unicorn.

If it had been her, she would have lost her sanity much sooner.

Pity stabbed her heart repeatedly, making her feel sad for the knight rather than scared for her own life. However, there was one more thing she needed to see.

“May I see your face?”

Tarkus looked up. “My face?”

Rarity nodded. “Yes… I promise not to run if you’ll just… show me.”

There was a short pause before Tarkus replied, “Very well. Although, I must warn you, I am cursed. My features may have… deteriorated a bit.”

There was another pause before Rarity nodded again. “I understand.”

Without hesitation, the warrior plucked his helmet from his head. The unicorn couldn't help a sharp intake of breath as she studied his features. His skin was leathery, but more red than brown like the soldiers she had seen on the staircase. However, his eye sockets were still empty, and what appeared to be the remains of a nose, where only a vacant hole remained.

“Satisfied?” Tarkus asked, his voice level and patient.

Rarity nodded quickly. The warrior set his helmet back on, leaning forward. “Well, I think it’s time you tell me a little about yourself, Miss Rarity.”

The unicorn smiled. “Of course.”

Author's Note

The start of another crossover. This time, of my most recent obsession: Dark Souls. This should be much better, since much of the canon is sort of open-ended save for some of the lore and backstory. Only thing is I only have the ending really written out, and that's it. We'll see how this rolls.

EDIT: Added some stuff about dragon anatomy since I'd say for this iteration, the Ponies know nothing about humans, and words like "humanoid" wouldn't be in the Equestrian dictionary. It'll be a bit confusing, but bear with me, since this is written in the first person of Rarity.

Chapter 2

“You said that?”

Rarity fidgeted in place. “Yes. In my craze to gain Trenderhoof’s approval… I may have gone completely overboard.”

“Did you follow through?”

The unicorn held her head high. “Of course! I dove straight into the mud. Head-first.”

Muffled laughter emanated from the blackened slits in the knight’s helmet. Although the humor was at her expense, Rarity deemed it worth it to hear Tarkus’ mirth rather than his hollow chuckles from before.

“My, I think I would very much like to share an adventure with you and your friends,” Tarkus sighed, after he had sufficiently calmed himself.

Rarity gave a sad smile. “That would be something.”

They stared at the bonfire in silence as they returned from their emotional high, once again coming to grips with reality.

“Despite all of this bad luck, I’m glad I still had enough good luck to have met you. I would be in a much different situation otherwise."

Tarkus bowed his head. “As am I. I would not have asked for a better acquaintance to have appeared in front of me. In fact, Miss Rarity, I’d go as far to say that you’ve saved me.”

The unicorn cocked her head. “I beg your pardon?”

The warrior turned to the bonfire. “I had already been alone for so long, and thrown myself against that deadly castle so many times, I nearly lost all hope in my abilities. I do not think I would have stayed sane had I not met you. I would have surely hollowed were it not for your company.”

A chill ran down Rarity's spine at the word "hollowed." That didn't stop a genuine smile from spreading across her face. “You’re quite welcome, Mr. Tarkus.” Her smile was quick to fade. “I just wish we had met in better circumstances.”

The knight shrugged. “We cannot dwell on what we wish could happen, nor what has already happened. If we truly want something to happen, we must make it so.”

The unicorn sighed. “Indeed. Except I haven’t the slightest idea where to start on getting myself back to my home.”

“Mmm. About that, Miss Rarity…”

The fashionista raised her head. “Yes?”

“There are plenty of individuals who may have a way of getting you there. Ones who are educated in sorceries that have the ability to do virtually anything within our grasp of reality,” Tarkus explained.

“Continue,” Rarity replied, already intrigued.

“Although I haven’t heard of any sort of spell to suit your need of returning home, there is a place where you may be able to find it.”

“And where is that?” Rarity inquired.

“The Duke’s Archives. It’s situated above the eastern edge of Anor Londo. Inside is a wealth of information gathered by Seath the Scaleless.”
“You mean the Everlasting Dragon that helped the Gods?
“Yes. He wanted to find the secret of immortality, so he looked into studying magic and sorcery to extend his life and live forever, akin to his brethren. Although I’m not sure if he found what he was looking for, he certainly found numerous other spells that are not common knowledge among even the greatest of sorcerers. That is why it was called the Duke’s Archives: It was a massive library containing all of the secrets which Seath had unraveled involving soul magic. I daresay Seath was the greatest connoisseur of magic Lordran had ever seen.”

“I suppose Seath wouldn’t mind helping little old me, right?” Rarity ventured.

“I’m not quite sure myself,” Tarkus replied. “But the only way to find out is to get there and ask.”

Rarity bit her lip. The idea of returning home sounded appealing, but getting there would be a difficult excursion, if it was even remotely possible. And, unlike Tarkus, she was not cursed, and would stay… deceased if she failed.

Her desire to return home overrode all logic. There would be nothing she wouldn’t give to see her family and friends again.

“Miss Rarity?” Tarkus asked, worried by her silence.

“I thank you for this information,” Rarity replied. “No doubt I have been spared countless hours aimlessly wandering this place.” She gave Tarkus another warm smile. “I find myself indebted to you yet again, Sir Knight.”

“So you’re leaving for the Archives, then?”

The unicorn rose to all four hooves. “Of course! With Celestia as my witness, I will make my return home inevitable! Even if I have to stake my life on it!” Rarity proclaimed.

“Quite noble of you, Miss Rarity. However, I will admit that I have seen many knights as noble as you fall in great numbers in Lordran,” Tarkus mused. “This place is unforgiving as it is forsaken.”

There was a moment of silence as reality returned, dampening the atmosphere. Just as hopelessness began to set in again, Tarkus stood up. “That is why I will accompany you to the Archives.”

The unicorn looked up, eyes still watering from her crushed hopes. “B-but I thought you had given up?”

“I owe you my life, and much more. As I have said earlier, you have given me more than just life; having died countless times and to still stand here, I seem to have an excess of that.” The knight chuckled at his own joke, but upon seeing that Rarity did not find it amusing, he immediately continued. “But what you have granted me is another chance for me to achieve my goal: To surpass my Hollowed brethren and survive the trials of Sen’s Fortress.”

Tarkus extended his hand to her. “It would be my honor to provide escort to the Archives, in exchange for saving this old knight’s pitiful soul.”

The answer was a no-brainer.

The unicorn placed her foreleg in the massive hand.

“I humbly accept your guidance and company, Sir Tarkus.” Surprise registered on her face when the knight pulled her towards him as he touched his helmet to her hoof.

“Upon my honor as a knight of Berenike, I swear to protect you with my life.”

Unable to take the fact that she had just lived out a childhood dream, Rarity fainted.

"Are you sure you're alright, Miss Rarity? You just fainted without explanation."
"It's... Hard to explain. You see, I've, erm, dreamed of a day where I would enjoy the escort and company of a brave knight."
"I still fail to see what is so extraordinary."
"Knights and chivalry are all but gone in Equestria. Hearing wonderful tales of heroic knights whisking helpless damsels to safety was what I grew up with. And now,” Rarity sighed, batting her eyelashes at the sky. “I have such a knight that wants to protect me!” She turned to face Tarkus again. “Do you sort of understand what I’m getting at?”

If she could see Tarkus’ face, a brow would surely have been raised. “How… peculiar.”

The unicorn stood up. “Regardless, I think I am just about ready for that escort, now.”

The knight reciprocated, his armor clanking as he rose. “Your escort awaits, Milady,” he boomed as he gave a small bow.

“Ooh!” Rarity squeaked. “You’re going to make me faint again!”

“Something tells me that this is going to be a very, very long journey,” the knight grumbled.

Leaving the bonfire, Tarkus set off for the stairs that Rarity had attempted to flee up earlier, the massive aqueduct looming above them. The unicorn noticed that Tarkus walked at a regular pace—one without caution.

“W-wait, there are—!”

“Not to fret, Miss Rarity,” Tarkus interjected. “If you’re talking about those creatures that stopped you before, I’ve already taken care of them.”

The fashionista glanced about, not seeing any traces of battle save for some smoking patches of grass charred by the flames she had seen earlier. Rusted weapons and cracked wooden shields were scattered about.

“Where are the…?”
“I moved them off of the cliff. It felt wrong to leave them there."

A quiet, “Oh,” was all the unicorn could manage.

The duo continued up the staircase, approaching the waterway. At the base of the last staircase before reaching the aqueduct, Tarkus held up his hand. “Wait here. I shall return.”

Rarity nodded as Tarkus climbed the stairs, entering a doorway that opened into the wall of the aqueduct. There were a few moments of splashing followed by an unnaturally loud shrieking of an unknown creature. After a few more seconds, Tarkus’ voice carried over the constant roar of the water. “Miss Rarity! Come quickly!”

Fear sprang up inside her abdomen as she cantered up the steps, passing through the doorway. She turned to the right, met by only the long empty hallway of the aqueduct’s interior.

“Over here!” Tarkus called from behind her.

She whirled about, holding back a scream as she did.

An enormous rat lay across the water’s path, trailing red into the canal. Bits of fur were falling off in various places, exposing pale, blood-crusted skin. Its enormous eyes were rolled back, exposing solid white broken by numerous veins crisscrossing the eyeballs. A rift was cleft into its head, blood still trickling out of the wound.

“Do not fret, Miss. It is quite dead.”

Gingerly stepping over the corpse, Rarity edged over to the knight who was kneeling over another corpse, except this was one of the creatures that was guarding the stairs earlier. In its hand, which was raised above the water, was a tightly-rolled scroll.

“It’s a spell, albeit a soggy one. But I assume you know all about those, being a unicorn.”

“To an extent, although I’m limited to levitation and some simple barrier spells,” Rarity admitted, although she felt quite proud of having acquired the latter from Twilight. However, she felt neither of those would help her here.

“Excellent! Then we may have a use for this, yet.”

Tarkus pried the fingers open, carefully removing the scroll from the shriveled palm. He opened the scroll slowly, revealing a symbol that resembled an arrowhead.

“This looks to be a scroll of soul magic, the most basic form of sorcery we have in Lordran.” He rolled it up again, handing it to the unicorn. A blue aura enveloped the object, prompting Tarkus to pull back his hand quickly in slight shock. A muffled chuckle could scarcely be heard above the running water. “My, my, Miss Rarity. You are full of surprises.”

“Levitation; like I said!” Rarity exclaimed, taking offense to the knight’s surprise at her competence.

Tarkus bowed his head. “My apologies, Milady.” He stood up, lifting his shield. “However, as gratuitous as our luck may seem, I would caution you from using that spell too often, for soul magic draws on the spirit, as far as I know.”

Rarity nodded. As little as she knew of this magic, she needed no more explanation.

The two left the aqueduct by way of another doorway on the left wall. Again, Rarity was left to wait alone as Tarkus went ahead to clear whatever lay in wait. This time, she sat at the bottom of a stairwell leading out of the waterway, the only source of light being a strip of partly-cloudy sky peering down at her through the stairwell’s entrance up top.

She soon found herself doubting the likelihood of succeeding, which she justified as something obvious. There was little doubt about the possibility of grievous injury, if not death. So far, this “Lordran” had shown little mercy for her hesitation, as well as her curiosity. What lurked around every corner urged her to stay put and wait for help, but Rarity knew that inaction would only put off the inevitability of death for so long. She knew she and Tarkus had no choice but to push on, for both of their sakes.

Her eyes drifted to the scroll still levitating in her magic. Fear seeped into her limbs, initiating an involuntary fit of nervous shivers. Soon, she knew that she would eventually have to pull her own weight. As strong as she believed Tarkus was, Rarity forced herself to think of the unthinkable: If Tarkus fell, would she be able to defend herself? It was a scenario she would rather not face, but it was something she had to at least consider.

The scroll crumpled slightly as Rarity’s magical grip tightened. She determined it was better to cross that bridge when she came to it; she did not need any more stress than what she had on her plate at the moment. She wondered what Twilight would do; the lavender unicorn’s solid reasoning had sorted out dozens of logistical problems that the fashionista had encountered not only in her business as a dressmaker, but also in more life-threatening situations. A pick-me-up from Pinkie Pie wouldn’t have hurt at that moment, either; to laugh at the problems and have the willpower to believe that everything would turn out fine, despite any and all circumstances. Combined with the fortitude of Applejack, and the gung-ho attitude of Rainbow Dash, there would be little to stop them. And if anypony was to take a fall, Fluttershy would be there to…

Reality returned, instantly evaporating her wishful thinking. She was alone.

The unicorn sighed shakily, holding back a sob. At this point, seeing any familiar faces would be welcome, be it somepony that she thought was the most unpleasant of all her acquaintances.

Even hearing Discord's voice would be welcome at this point.

“My, my. Somepony’s had it rough!” Discord mused.

Rarity whirled about, searching for the source of the voice. “D-Discord? Where…?”

“I’m here. Calm down, Rarity,” Discord sighed, the voice now directly behind her.

Instinctively, the unicorn turned about and grasped the Draconequus with her forelegs, hot tears spilling over her cheeks. “Oh, my goodness! Thank Celestia, you’re here!”

“Why thank her? I mean, it’s sort of her doing that I was able to get here, but I’m the one sticking my neck out for you.”

Rarity released Discord from her embrace, wiping away the tears that blurred her vision. However, when she looked upon the demigod, she noticed something odd about Discord’s appearance: His entire body was glowing gold, as if he was outlined by sunlight.

“Discord? You’re glowing…”

“Yes, yes. I know,” Discord mumbled, waving a hand dismissively. “Just listen up, since I’ve got some—!”

“Oh, dear, you would not believe some of the things I’ve seen, what I’ve been through!” Rarity gushed, relief flooding her body. “It’s just so good to see a familiar face! I can’t begin to express my gratitude for you coming to get me! It’s just that—!”

“That’s just it, Missus Crocodile Tears. I’m not here to bring you back.”

The unicorn immediately fell silent. The Draconequus took the opportunity to continue.

“The way things work in this world, I cannot use magic as I normally do.”

“But… But I thought you had the capacity! You teleport wherever you wish with a snap of your claws!”

“Although I’d normally be able to bring you back without a hitch, this isn’t Equestria, which is practically overflowing with magic. This place, however… It is starved of it. It is as if the very air thirsts for it, and steals it away before I can put my own magic to use. Any spell I attempt more complex than levitation is immediately drained of its output."

The unicorn's frown deepened. "So... I'm stuck here...?"
"Unfortunately,for the moment. I'm not even sure how you and your friends ended up here..."
"Wait, friends? You mean...!"
"Yes, yes. Twilight and the others are somewhere around here as well. However—!"

The pony squeaked with pure delight, ignoring any further comment from Discord.
"Oh, thank goodness! I'm not alone!"
"I'm not finished."
"Do you have ANY idea of how horrible it feels?!"
"Actually, I do; thousands of years worth. Now—!"
"Thank Celestia, they're here! I just need to find Twilight!
"Are we really doing this?"
"She'll know what to do. She'll have a plan to find the others."
"Can we not? It isn't exactly the most appropriate—!"
"Ohh, I do hope she's alright! I barely lasted a few minutes alone, myself!"
"Miss Rarity!"
"Yes? Sorry, did I miss something?"

Discord's legs began to evaporate. "As I said earlier, this place is starved of magic; it's sapping Sunbutt and Full Moon's magic that keeps me here." He leaned closer. "Listen, just hold on until evening; Luna will visit you tonight while you dream, and she may be able to work something out with you, then."

"Wait, could there be a way to get back?" Rarity asked, feeling a little better about the whole "never returning home" business.

"I can't think of anything, but the Princesses may try and pull something. They're persistent ones; I'll give them that."

Rarity nodded, still brimming with hope.

"Oh, and one more thing," Discord's head bobbed up and down, now missing its entire body.

"I wouldn't stay with that gentleman you've paired with."

A chill ran up Rarity's spine as the demigod vanished, leaving her with those words. A few moments passed as the fashionista waited in silence, hoping for the chance that Discord could reappear.

"Ohhh!" She stamped a hoof in frustration. "Why does he have to be so cryptic!"

"Am I being cryptic?"

The unicorn whirled on the knight standing behind her. If she could see his expression, she judged that it would be one of bewilderment.

"Oh, n-nothing! Just... Erm, reminiscing about something somepony told me the other day!"
"Did you remember a way to get home?"
"Aha, silly me! I've already forgotten what it was!"
"Huh? Oh. Pity."

There was a long pause before the knight turned on his heel. "Let's keep moving. There's a bonfire up ahead."

As the knight clanked back up the steps, the unicorn sighed, not exactly knowing why Discord left her with that. An uncomfortable mixture of doubt and suspicion echoed deep into Rarity's mind.

She shrugged off the feeling with some effort. All would become clear when the visit from Luna came.

Chapter 3

Celestia's eyes snapped open as the goddess bolted upright, sweat glistening on her furrowed brow. Although the cool air of her private quarters soothed her face, her heart still raced at a speed possibly detrimental to her health. Her breathing was pained, and her throat ached with dryness.

"My, you look terrible... As always. Hahaha!"

Casting a frustrated glance at the draconequus leaning against the far wall of her dormitory, the Princess grasped a pitcher of water in her magic, attempting to pour herself some relief for her throat. A few drops splashed onto the end-table upon which the glass sat as her magic flickered, making her grip unstable.

"Allow me."

Celestia felt the pitcher gently remove itself from her grip. It danced about for a few seconds before filling the glass the rest of the way. The Princess' magic reached out a bit too eagerly, snatching the glass from the end-table. Catching herself and reapplying her restraint, Celestia took a dainty, albeit lengthy, sip. Some of the liquid dribbled down her chin, eliciting a laugh from her company.

"By all means, no need to restrain yourself for my sake, Sunbutt."

Slowly lowering the glass, the Princess couldn't help a sigh of relief as the water eased most of the dryness away.

"How long was I..."
"A day. I ran a whole day and night cycle for the both of you, since there was no one around to do it."
"Luna...?"
"She's still asleep. I wouldn't wake her, though."

The Princess stopped herself from getting up. Her maternal instinct was overridden by her calm logic; both she and Luna needed their rest.

Discord crossed his arms, his uninterested gaze meeting Celestia's concerned one. "You're welcome, by the way. I managed to tell Rarity that you and your sister are looking for a way to bring her and her friends back."

"You didn't... You didn't see anypony else?"
"No. I thought they would all be together, seeing as how we homed in on their magic essences, but I didn't see the others. Rarity didn't even know they were in the same dimension as her."
"Goodness... This is troublesome indeed."

Discord stroked his beard with a griffon claw. "There could be multiple realms within those realms, for all we know. I could feel that the others were... How to say this...? 'Far, yet near.' There seemed to be an unseen veil or other that kept me from seeing them." He shrugged. "Not that I care to think about it that much."

The Princess' expression softened momentarily; she knew the small bit of good in Discord was twisted in a knot of worry for Fluttershy.

"Far, yet near... Maybe Rarity will know something about this."
"I doubt she even knows how she got there."
"Did you ask her?"
"There was only time for me to ask what you told me to ask, so no."

The Princess slumped back into her bed. She wondered how this had all started in the first place; the Elements of Harmony disappearing overnight into a nightmarish, magic-starved world filled with deadly creatures. Although they had faced the dangers of Equestria with little hesitation, Celestia felt this new realm was a different kind of danger.

The Princess closed her eyes for a moment. She knew she was in for a series of sleepless nights.

The gentle roar of the bonfire sounded more like wind than flame. The unicorn doubted she would ever get used to the ethereal fire; it waved slowly about, like seaweed moving in rhythm with the ocean's push and pull, but not taking notice of any wind that made it into the ruined tower. Pale sunlight streamed in through the doorway, making sleep pretty much unreachable.

Worse still, her excitement to finally meet Princess Luna and potentially get home was keeping her awake, her mind running through the multiple causes of what stranded her here.

An artifact?
An ancient spell?
A freak magical accident?
A curse...?

She shivered at the last option, recalling Tarkus' condition. However, as much as it seemed to coincide with this place and what was going on, it didn't line up with how she was pulled from Equestria. Something like that didn't exist back home, as far as she knew.

Could it?

The unicorn sat up, staring across the bonfire to the doorway, where the knight sat. He leaned against the wall nearest to the door, his gaze focused one something outside. There didn't seem to be anything out there, however, judging by the way his head roved back and forth while his eyes scanned the buildings outside. His hands were relaxed, but still touching the sword hilt.

The massive blade had its point in the ground, the hilt coming up just above the knight's waist. Nicks in the edges betrayed the true age of the weapon, as it was highly polished and well maintained. It didn't match the armor, which looked rather dirty and battered in comparison.

Discord's words came back to the unicorn, echoing in her ears. She frowned.

Whatever made Discord distrust Tarkus was beyond her. She initially doubted that Discord knew what he was talking about, and solely misjudged the knight for who he was. The more she thought about it, however, the more her opinion of Tarkus began to shift, as well as poke holes in her own theory.

Discord would not likely be joking in circumstances as desperate as these. As little as he seemed to care for them, he always meant the best, especially after befriending Fluttershy. In that moment, she also began to doubt Tarkus, as well. Beneath the title of "knight of Berenike," he was nothing but a man on the brink of self-destruction, and despite the fact that her presence had pulled him back, there was no telling how much more suffering it would take until he finally...

She shivered, unwilling to even finish the simple thought of the unthinkable. More possibilities crowded into her head as she wandered her own thoughts and began to pull from her experiences. Rarity remembered stories of ponies who lived outside of Equestria who would beset you with a harrowing plight and ask for help. They would bring the clueless passerby to an ambush and foalnap them, then sent the unlucky victim across the sea in a slave ship and never to be seen again.

Rarity shook her head.

No, the knight's vow earlier seemed genuine.

Even though everything logically pointed to him being potentially traitorous: The fact that Rarity did not know the surrounding area; that Tarkus could be leading her away from her goal; the possibility that Rarity was not in chains at the moment simply because he could possibly not afford to take any chances and wanted her unharmed for potential enslavement.

Both of these were ignored simply because she couldn't believe it herself.

It felt wrong to pass judgement on him like that.

The knight seemed too interested in Rarity's personal life and sharing his own at the same time. She felt that Tarkus was a lonely man, and was simply enjoying his newfound company. And even though Tarkus seemed fine at the moment, the unicorn had a feeling that it was only temporary. Not to mention the grand city that they had been traveling through for the entire day was completely void of its populace, save for the occasional undead soldier that shambled up and down the ruined streets. If there was a business in enslavement, it did not make itself known, as there didn't seem to be anybody alive who could be interested in such a commodity.

And with that, she was back to square one of her reasoning.

However, before she could start her thinking process again, the knight began to hum a haunting melody. His voice was deep and low, scaling the hills and valleys of the notes with some noticable effort, but he effectively hit them. Rarity did not stay awake long enough to hear it. His baritone humming eased her mind, and draped her under the blanket of unconsciousness.

The Alicorn princess watched as the world around her began to blur into a swirl of color, her darkened bedroom darkening further into a bottomless void.

She was not alarmed by this change; it happened every time she dream-walked.

This dreamwalk was very different, though. She would cross borders she hadn't crossed in millennia, not since she first learned how to do so. That was the night she learned that there were other places out there. Other worlds filled with creatures that no imagination could possibly create.

Her eyes glowed fiercely as she poured what little strength she had recovered into the spell. She watched as her surroundings began to materialize once again. A tiny ray of light pierced the darkness, illuminating Luna's indigo figure. The ray grew into a beam, which expanded into an all-encompassing whiteness, the void around her slinking back in the presence of this contrast.

Unfazed by the sudden burst of brightness, the Princess continued forward as her eyes adjusted, the light seeming to fade almost immediately. Figures, initially blurred, quickly sharpened into the outlines of fairly large stone buildings.

Luna's jaw tightened briefly. What kind of creatures lived here if they rivaled her in size? By Equestrian standards, she was fairly tall; only a head shorter than her sister, but the doorways suggested that they could stand more than just a few hooves taller than her. Gazing around at the architecture, she noted the red coloration and long, straight lines combined with the occasional rounded tower or dome roof. Overall, it was foreign; nothing she had seen before, but not completely alien or otherworldly.

There was little doubt that she was not in the dream of a pony. And she was sure this was the same place that Rarity was.

A bloodcurdling scream cut through the air, chilling Luna to the bone. Despite her brief shiver, her wings flapped once, sending her into the air with a sudden gust of wind. Although the sound was haunting and awful, she still knew what a dream was, and that both she and the dreamer could not be harmed by the contents of the vision.

Another scream--this time, from her right, just below her. One of her wings brushing a rounded chimney, she dipped into a tight turn, tucking her wings as she approached the ground. Kicking off of the wall, she galloped into the tight alleyway, eyes roving the surroundings.

Brick walls surrounded her, creating a passageway almost eight feet wide. Rooftops blotted out rectangular cuts of sunlight above her, leaving little of the fading rays to illuminate the tight corridor. Just ahead of her, two upright figures were wrestling with each other, although one was humongous compared to the other.

"Help! Help! Someone! Please! Auuugh!"

The undoubtedly female voice belonged to the smaller of the two figures, who was shoved against the left wall by a shoulder. Her pleas were silenced as the larger individual jabbed what looked to be some sort of trident at her middle.

"Cease your struggle."

The pointed tips glowed bright blue, the glow almost seeming to be sucked up by the female, whose struggle almost intensified for a couple of seconds. As the artificial light faded, so did the female's resistance. She stopped moving entirely, only her lips moving to speak slowly, her tone autonomous.

"Yes, sir."

The larger figure suddenly noticed the newest arrival, the hood swiveling in Luna's direction. The Princess squinted at the strange sight--the creature was not hooded, but the head was more like a strange helmet with a flat top slightly wider than the rest. Six slits were arranged in two vertical rows of three, from which two glowing blue orbs stared straight back at her.

"You. Such light..."

The trident was lifted again, this time pointing in Luna's general direction. The Princess bristled at the movement, her horn aglow.

"You will join us in the Archives. You'll make a fine subject for my studies..."

Luna's eyes narrowed, her mouth opening to reply.

"Blood and vinegaaar!"

The masculine roar filled the tight space, shocking the Princess into silence. Before she could turn around, something pressed hard on her flank, then released. A dark shape sailed above her, something catching some of the stray sunlight and reflecting it downward into the gloomy passageway.

A massive sword--even longer than Luna's body--glinted dimly in the fading sun. It stretched back past the creature's head and appendages by what seemed like miles, further emphasizing its length. It appeared to be in pristine condition, the dark metal polished to a fine, mirror-esque finish. The blade cascaded down in a long arc, heading straight for the larger figure, who adjusted the trident to point towards the male creature instead.

A bright blue light burned into existence before shattering as something slammed into the enormous masculine creature, but the momentum carried the massive weapon he was carrying straight down--cleaving the sorcerer in two. The man crashed into the ground in front of the female, who was still standing completely still. He rose for a second, but failed to right himself, collapsing.

And just like that, it was over.

There was a short period of silence until the distant ringing of bells and blaring of horns started to build, as well as the clanking of armor coming closer and closer. Luna clicked her tongue in annoyance before willing her form to vanish, unsure of how this world would react to her presence. Just before her snout disappeared, something darted up to her face.

"Wait!"

A blast of blue aura filled the narrow corridor as the Princess defended herself with a hastily-erected barrier. A strange appendage with five individual phalanges appeared against her shield, along with a heavyset, masculine face. In that brief flash of light, Luna got a good glimpse of the aggressor: Bold, craggy features dominated the man's clean-shaven face. Thick brows, thick chin and wide jaw gave him a strong, confident appearance. His hazel eyes gleamed brightly in the fading artificial luminescence, full of disturbingly clear recognition. Their surroundings swirled around them, the setting changing to a different part of the dream. As it slowly began to settle into a new place, the man spoke.

"Who are you? You look... familiar."

The Princess' hackles slowly lowered, although her guard remained up. "We are Pr... Call us Luna. Who are you?"

The spinning around them ceased, revealing the inside of a blacksmith. A set of bellows disappeared into a bright red flame, the coals starting to die down somewhat. Various tools, tongs and bits were spread out on a table beside it, just past a massive anvil almost the size of Luna, as well as a smaller anvil about the size of her head. Two vats were situated next to those, one filled with water, while the other was filled with a darker liquid. Past the cobbles of what appeared to be the "smithy" was a bed with an itchy-looking blanket, as well as an (thankfully) empty chamber-pot.

As the Princess drank in the remainder of the humble interior, the man in front of her rubbed his chin with a coal-smudged hand.

"I... I swear I could have seen you somewhere..." The man quickly broke his stare, shaking his head. "My apologies; I am old, and my facilities fail me from time to time." He gave a slight bow, his right leg extended forward. "I am Tarkus of Berenike."

As he introduced himself, the Princess inspected this "Tarkus." He wore a simple white shirt with a small parting at the collar, tied together by a series of leather strips. A large, brown apron stretched across most of his form, dropping all the way to the top of his knees. A pair of heavy boots covered the remainder of his lower limbs, while a pair of thick gloves now covered his hands. Everything except for the shirt was scarred and blackened from heavy use. However, the wound on his chest was still apparent, the blood leaking down the front of his apron.

"Tarkus of Berenike... You're wounded..." Luna started.

"Oh, it's nothing too dangerous." Tarkus pulled down the collar, revealing a sort of brand--a lone circle that almost seemed to glow a dull red. "If I do bleed out, I'll be back without a hitch.

"By... By what means have you procured such devilry?!" Luna demanded, her discomfort beginning to show.

"It is a curse bestowed upon us by the Gods," Tarkus stated simply. "Why or how, we do not know. But it is the way things are, now."

The Princess' eyes narrowed. "F-fine, but earlier, you said you recognize us. How is this so?"

The man scratched his half-combed mop of jaw-length hair. "Well, maybe not specifically you, but one of your... kind, for lack of a better term."

"Our kind... Then, you mean..."

Over the crackling of the kiln behind the two, the alarms and cries had completely died down. Luna glanced back, unsettled by the sudden silence. "What was that, out there? In the alley?"

Tarkus crossed his burly arms. "That... That was a Six-eyed Channeler."

Luna turned to face him again, fixing him with an expectant stare. "Yes?"

"They've been abducting our women and children through magic; either through coercion, or bending their will to their own. What people have heard is that they take their victims back to the Duke's Archives, back in the capital city."

"What happens there?"

"Experimentation, torture, or worse. No one really knows. What we do know is that our king turns a blind eye to our predicament, as we are left to defend ourselves against Seath's followers."

Luna frowned, concern registering on her features. "Have you...?"

Tarkus perked up. "Have I lost anyone?" He chuckled. "No. I was lucky enough to have lost my family before this started."

The Princess' frown deepened. "Regardless, we are sorry."

"So, why are you here, then?"

Taken aback by the sudden inquiry, Luna took her time with her answer.

"We... I am looking for somepony. Somepony like me."

"Does she have a purple mane? Well-combed, well-kept, with a marble-white coat and sky-blue eyes?"

The Princess was taken even further aback at the flawless description of the unicorn in question. "So you've seen her?"

"I've met her. She is... a wonderful individual, I must admit," Tarkus chuckled.

"How... How is Rarity?" Luna asked, relief flooding her mind.

"She's a lively one. More lively than anyone I've known for a very, very long time."

The Princess couldn't help a quiet giggle. "She can be quite the drama queen."

"Yes, yes she can. Do you know she fainted when I offered her my protection?"

Luna shook her head. "It is worse than we thought!" She declared with mock concern.

Tarkus smiled, and for a moment, Luna felt a warmth from him that she hadn't this entire time, almost as if he was glowing with heat. Gazing at his face, she recognized it as legitimate happiness. A mirthful moment of respite for someone who had been alone for so long.

Which was what worried her.

"So, I assume you know her position?" She inquired.

"We are heading to the Duke's Archives; our only hope lies in the magic compiled there."

Luna's brow furrowed. "Isn't that where...?"

"The experiment, torture and other horrible unmentionables are?" Tarkus nodded. "Yes; you see, it is all experiments in magic, which is an ever-evolving science here."

"Yes, as it is in our world," Luna admitted.

"Then you realize it is the only place where we could find a possibility of getting our unicorn home."

Luna winced as he said, 'our.' After a short pause, she began again, "When you get there, will you..."

Tarkus cocked an eyebrow. "Will I what?"

Luna gulped. It was a rather rude question to ask, but she didn't have an eternity to stick around.

"Will you be able to let her go?"

Tarkus stiffened visibly for a moment, his eyes widening slightly. In that instant, the stalwart confidence of the weathered, experienced blacksmith faded. His mouth wavered for a moment before he let out a steady exhale.

"Of course. I wouldn't have it any other way."

The Princess' gaze hardened. "Promise me."

Tarkus straightened up, the warrior-esque fire rekindled behind his eyes. He placed a fist on his sternum, his voice projecting slightly more than usual in the tiny smithy.

"I swear on my honor as a knight of Berenike."

Luna's wings opened up, almost brushing some of the equipment on the nearby tables. Her eyes blazed white-hot with energy, small bursts of electricity and magic darting out from her horn and mane.

"Princess Luna of the Solar Sister Diarchy accepts your oath, sir knight. May our favor guide your blade, and light your path."

Tarkus' eyes widened for a moment in childlike awe before returning to their hardened, weathered selves. He gave a silent nod, as did Luna.

There was a brief pause as the two drank in the similarities of each other's worlds, impressed with each other's familiarity of such procedures, as well as each other's appreciation for the values held within them.

Luna smiled before taking a few steps back. "We take our leave, Knight Tarkus."

The smithy began to fade, as did Tarkus' form. Black plate armor materialized over the heavy boots and heat-scarred apron.

"As must I, Princess."

As the vision began to fade, Luna watched as Tarkus was enveloped in the still-conjuring suit of armor. Just as his face began to disappear, she noticed something off.

His eyes darkened before disappearing entirely, as if receding into his skull. Twin pits as dark as the deepest twilight stared back, devoid of life or emotion. There was a brief glint of something red before the rest of the helmet appeared--and Luna's vision disappeared, leaving her alone in her darkened bedchamber.

Luna exhaled deeply, feeling as if she had just emerged from a deep body of water.

One down. Six more to find.