A knight who is in quite the pickle
Siegmeyer of Catarina shook his head in disappointment as he slashed his Zweihander down on the final basilisk who had so foolishly tried to ambush, curse, and kill him. He let out a long sigh as he walked towards the exit of the Great Hollow.
The journey towards the Great Hollow, the humongous hollow tree that stood proud in the filthy, muddy ruins of Blighttown was a challenging one. The swamp itself was filled with poison so strong and deadly that touching it would mean you could be infected with whatever disgusting things reside in that swamp. He had to learn that the hard way. If it weren’t for the Chosen Undead, he would have died the moment he stepped foot in that town.
But fortunately for him the Chosen Undead happened to be venturing to Blighttown when he was too. So as comrades they helped one another… or rather the Chosen Undead helped him for what Siegmeyer thought to be the third time. Sen’s Fortress, the Silver Knights in Anor Londo, and this. The Chosen Undead then went on to help him for a fourth time while traversing Lost Izalith. He was getting rather sloppy.
Walking out of the Great Hollow; Siegmeyer was greeted by something no man or undead had ever seen. It was a lake, a humongous lake split in two by a huge white sand shore. Almost tripping over his own feet, Siegmeyer slowly walked down towards the shore. He looked down at his feet and noticed he was walking on a branch… a humongous one at that. It was like a piece of the Great Hollow itself had died and fallen down, creating this “passage of nature.”
“Hmm,” Siegmeyer mused to himself, his Zweihander resting on his shoulder as finally reached the end of the tree branch. “I wish I could go for a swim,” he said as his armored boots touched the white sands of the lake. It was then that he heard scream—or rather, a roar of some sort. Turning his head to the direction of the roar, Siegmeyer widened his eyes as he noticed a giant Hydra floating over the lake, its menacing heads searching for its next prey.
“I suppose that swim will have to wait.” Siegmeyer shivered.
Inhaling deeply, Siegmeyer took a few steps forwards, taking quick glances at the Hydra while doing so. It was then, while turning his head to the wrong direction, that he noticed a rather pleasant sight. It was a bonfire.
“Huzzah!” Siegmeyer exclaimed as he ran towards the bonfire. “Finally I can take a well-deserved--.”
It was at this moment that Siegmeyer realized why so many people saw the knights of Catarina as clumsy. Tripping over his own legs, Siegmeyer fell to the ground and rolled down the small mountain of sand. Cursing underneath his breath as sand entered his armor, he closed his eyes and prepared for the worst… only to realize he had already stopped.
“That was rather unpleasant,” Siegmeyer grunted, slowly pushing himself up. “Oh, well, a knight must be prepared to face all sorts of adversaries! That includes mother nature and her creations!” he laughed, stopping himself to see if his loud laughter had not gotten the attention of the hungry looking Hydra.
“Now,” Siegmeyer said, turning around, “time to take a quick nap.”
Preparing to light the bonfire, Siegmeyer held out his hand. He could feel the flames enter his body as his hand almost touched the scorched blade. It was then that he heard rumbling behind him. Instantly turning around he held his sword at the ready and his Pierce shield up defend him from whatever weapon his adversary would be using.
“You fiend! Face me and… prepare for battle?”
Siegemeyer’s jaw dropped when he laid his eyes upon his “adversary”. In front of him stood what appeared to be a… horse? What was a horse doing in a place like this? How did it even get here? On closer inspection Siegmeyer noticed that this horse was rather small… perhaps it was a filly? Or perhaps it was one of those animals his dear little Sieglinde used to talk about.
A pony.
“How fascinating,” Siegmeyer said to himself. Placing his weapon and shield on the sand, he held out his hand to the pony. “My, my, aren’t you a fascinating creature,” Siegmeyer said, moving his hand closer to the shy animal. This was something he had ever expected to come across when he left his home to go on an adventure and discover the world. Every enemy he fought against mostly consisted of atrocities that did not deserve a place in the world. Memories of Lost Izalith entered his mind.
But this animal was so… cute. It was like nothing he had ever seen before. He was surprised he could even remember what kind of an animal it was. He seemed to be forgetting a lot of things lately.
“Come now, there is nothing to be afraid of,” Siegmeyer said comfortingly.
“R-Really?” the pony asked, slowly backing up. “W-Where am I?”
That was unexpected. That was a voice, and a rather feminine one at that. And it came from the pony.
The gallant knight of Catarina fell straight on his bottom as he scrambled towards the bonfire. “Are you cursed?” he asked, a hint of fear in his voice as he frantically searched for his weapon and shield… only to realize the pony who he had scrambled away from was now standing mere inches away from his equipment. “I need a nap,” Siegmeyer said to himself, smacking his helmet.
“Hello?” the pony asked, walking towards Siegmeyer. “Are you all right, sir?”
“I… am not sure,” Siegmeyer replied, shaking his head. “Is this the curse’s doing, or has someone bewitched me?”
“Curse? Bewitched?” the pony repeated in confusion, stopping when she stood—what she deemed to be—a safe distance from the strange creature that sat in front of her. “I’m not cursed, I think. And if I was bewitched I would have probably noticed.”
“A talking pony, and I thought I had seen it all,” Siegmeyer said to himself, shaking his head. “But I guess that is what one can expect when they venture into unknown territory. Am I right, little pony?”
“I guess you’re right,” the pony trailed off, looking up. “Whoa, it’s like we’re underneath an ocean,” she said, awe-struck at the breathtaking scenery of Ash Lake.
Siegmeyer gave her a confused look, though his helmet prevented her from seeing the confusion that was written all over his face. Why had he gotten so scared of a timid creature like this? He was a knight of Catarina! He was the world’s greatest adventurer! He was… a father. A father of a beautiful daughter who he left behind because of his selfish needs. He was a husband to a beautiful wife.
“Oh, my dear little Lin,” Siegmeyer said to himself, his lower lip quivering as he lowered his head to stare at his leggings. “What have I done? I wanted to go on an adventure, explore the world. But why? I do not know the exact reason. At first I thought it was because I getting lazy. Then I thought I did it because I was not living up to the task that was bestowed upon when I became a knight of Catarina. But now I realize… that I was running away from my fate. Your fate. Our fate. For to be Undead is to be cursed, cursed to wander the lands as a soulless vessel.”
Siegmeyer let out a long sigh as he tapped his index finger on his shin. What was he supposed to do now? He wanted nothing more than to go on an adventure. But going on said adventure meant he had to leave his family behind once more. His little Sieglinde… knowing her she would probably follow him to the end of the world. He regretted his decision of not taking her with him when he first left his home in Catarina. He should have taken her with him. She was like him. A knight, strong and proud. They would have stared into the face of death itself and would not have cowered in fear, but would laugh and rush into battle.
That is what could have been. But instead he chose to travel alone, with no one to assist him on his journey through Lordran. While he did meet some rather interesting figures along the way and tended to forget about a lot of things, the thought of his daughter never left his mind. Whenever he fought he thought of her, whenever he took a quick nap he dreamt of her, she was always in his mind, for he loved her with all of his heart.
“I am a fool,” the knight finally stated. “I am the biggest fool to ever walk these lands. I had everything, but I chose adventure over my own family. My wife, my daughter, what have I done?”
The pony looked at him with a rather curious expression. She could see that there was something wrong with him—even though she guessed the creature’s gender, because of his low, yet calm voice. It obviously had something to do with his family. While it’s considered rude to get involved with other people’s business—especially family business, she decided to try and start a conversation.
“I’m sure they understand,” she said.
“Understand what?” Siegmeyer said, laughing to himself. “That I am nothing more than a spineless coward who keeps running away from fate. We all die, little pony, even you. But truth be told… I do not want to die. I thought that running away would prevent me from dying—or at least postpone the eventual outcome. But as I said before: we all die, no matter how hard we are in denial. We all die… and come back.”
“Well that seems like a bad thing... or is it a good thing? Dying and coming back, I mean,” the pony said, laughing nervously. “I’m Fluttershy, by the way.”
“Little pony,” Siegmeyer said, chuckling to himself. “For an outsider returning after death would be a dream come true. But in all honesty, immortality is a living nightmare. I have had my own share of experiences with death. And so has my daughter. My wife will eventually follow. I am Undead, and so is every last inhabitant of Lordran by now. You are lucky you ended up with me. At least I am reasonably sane… but for how long, I wonder.”
“But… but I don’t understand,” Fluttershy said, confusing written all over her face. “Why would you… what are you… why? Why do you… die?”
“Why do I die?” Siegmeyer repeated. “For it is the way of life. We live and we die. There’s nothing more to say, really. I have had my fair share of adventures. But I think this will be my last. For when I die… I won’t be coming back as the man you see before you, little pony.”
“But why is that? You said that if you… die, you just return.” Fluttershy remarked.
“It is… hard to explain. But know that once you become Undead, you will lose all of your humanity and eventually go Hollow. You will become an empty vessel that thirst for souls to fill up the emptiness where once your own soul was. You will thirst for more and more, but your thirst will never end. You will always want more, and eventually you won’t even recognize your own family anymore. They become fuel for your hunger, and you will take their souls without hesitation,” Siegmeyer replied.
Fluttershy raised an eyebrow at the knight. “But… then that must be the reason you left, right?” she asked, getting the knight of Catarina to look at her with wide eyes. “The way you just told that… it sounded like that’s the real reason you left. Because you love your family. You didn’t want them to get hurt, so you left, knowing that you would be protecting them. You poor thing,” she cooed, walking towards the knight and placing a hoof on his shin. “It must have been very hard for you, hasn’t it?” she asked.
Siegmeyer lowered his head in shame and solemnly nodded. “Do you know what it feels like to leave the ones you love behind, without giving them a proper explanation as to why you are leaving? For I do. It feels like the very essence of your soul is being ripped apart from the inside. You feel like crying but yet you cannot force the tears to come out. You feel like taking your own life yet you do not have the strength to pick up your sword. You feel like dying but you can’t.”
“I wish I could understand how you feel,” Fluttershy sadly said. “But I can’t. As much as I would like to help you, I feel like I can’t do much at all. The only piece of advice I can give you is to treasure the memory of your family. If what you say is true then they are the only thing keeping you… alive,” she gulped. “I’ll stay and talk for a little more if you’d like me to. It’s not like I have anywhere else to go at the moment.”
Siegmeyer shook his head, waving a dismissive hand at the timid pony. “No, no, a timid creature like yourself should not wander off in a place like this. You should go out and see the world for what it is and… spread your wings? Oh, my, I cannot believe I did not notice those beautiful set of wings you have, Fluttershy,” he said.
Fluttershy blushed a deep shade of red. No one had ever said something like that to her before. “Thank y-you,” she replied. “Your armor looks very beautiful as well… at least, I think its armor, because of how cold it felt when I touched it.”
“It is indeed armor,” Siegmeyer laughed. “Some people make fun of it, others respect it! But I have always worn this armor with pride. I became a knight of Catarina and I’ll die as one!”
“I think it looks really nice,” Fluttershy complimented.
“Thank you for your kind words… but I feel as if it is time for you to leave, Fluttershy,” Siegmeyer sadly admitted, lowering his head up to the point he could no longer see the timid Pegasus.
“Oh… so you don’t want to talk?” Fluttershy asked, her eyes filled with sadness.
“It is not that I do not want to talk,” Siegmeyer replied. “But it is because I am afraid. Afraid that I might hurt the last person who I got to share my last words with.”
“But I’m not the last ‘person’. I’m sure that if you talk to your family they will welcome you with open hooves,” Fluttershy retorted, smiling at him. “You’re really nice, especially since your armor is so big and scary looking… at least that’s what I thought when I first saw you. Sorry.”
“No need for apologies, dear,” Siegmeyer replied, looking up at her. “You have been very kind to me, even though we just met. You are a true friend. I would give you something, but…” he trailed off, searching his armor. “Oh, look at this!” he said. He held out his hand to Fluttershy.
Fluttershy sniffed his hand and looked at the item in his palm. She looked up at the knight of Catarina, smiling at him. “I… I can’t accept that… can I?” she asked.
Siegmeyer smiled at her. “Of course you can. This pendant has little meaning to me now, but I want you to have it… as a memory of the time we spent here. I know it probably seems weird to you but… I always give the people who helped me things that used to belong to me. As a token of appreciation.”
“You do?” Fluttershy asked as she watched Siegmeyer put the pendant around her neck.
“Yes,” Siegmeyer replied. “There is one friend of mine… he helped me proceed through my journey. He assisted me whenever I was in trouble. Sen’s Fortress. Anor Londo, Blighttown, and even Lost Izalith. He helped me proceed, and I always gave him something in return. I consider him to be my closest friend. A warrior worthy of the title of knight! A true hero! A… chosen hero.”
“He sounds like an amazing… person, was it?” Fluttershy replied.
“He is,” Siegmeyer replied, smiling to himself. “By the way, where did you come from? I did not see you walk into this place. So I am curious,” he said, crossing his arms.
“Oh, well I come from Equestria. It’s a really beautiful place full of nice ponies and animals. I take care of animals, and I really like spending time with them. I also like spending time with my friends.”
“Oh, so you do not come from Lordran?” Siegmeyer asked. “That’s good to hear.”
“Really?” Fluttershy replied. “But in all honesty I have no idea how I ended up here. All I remember in bumping into something. And when I woke… well, you know what happened after I woke up.”
“I do,” Siegmeyer replied. “Dear Fluttershy, this knight of Catarina expresses his greatest gratitude towards you. You are a very kind person—or should I say, pony—to be around. I thank you for taking the time to comfort me in these dire moments. And I bid you farewell.”
“Farewell?” Fluttershy asked, raising an eyebrow in confusion at the knight.
Siegmeyer nodded his head and reached for his side. He pulled out a crystal and held it to his chest and whispered a chant to it. He looked up at Fluttershy and smiled underneath his helmet. “Goodbye, Fluttershy. Long may the sun shine upon your soul.”
Before she could reply, Fluttershy was enveloped in a white light and suddenly vanished into thin air.
Siegmeyer nodded to himself before resting at the bonfire. “Time for a quick nap,” he said as he closed his eyes. “I wonder how my little Sieglinde is holding up.” he mused to himself.
The knight of Catarina closed his eyes and let out a soft snore. Within minutes he fell asleep. He was going to wake up and meet up with his little Sieglinde. They would be reunited once more and would never walk away from one another. Father and daughter would be together again.
Only one of them would not be the same as he was before.
For that is their curse. Everyone’s curse.
Hollowing.
Author's Note
Hello there! First and foremost I would like to thank all of you have decided to take the time to read this story! This is the first entry in my brand new series: Fluttershy Comforts. It will focus around Dark Souls and Bloodborne, and Fluttershy comforting/talking to several of its characters.
A quick heads up to the people who are readers of my story “Papa Gehrman” and who have read my other one-shot “Lord of Cinder” note that these stories are in no way connected to Papa Gehrman or Lord of Cinder.
If you have any suggestions as to who Fluttershy should comfort next then please don’t be afraid to let me know!
That is all.
