The sound of claws crashing against metal echoed across the open field. Out in the grassy plains, a terrifyingly large chimera reared up on its hind legs and brought one of its front claws slamming down onto the Paladin that stood before it.
Sunny Flare's shield held strong through, taking the full brunt of the impact with only minimal damage. She smiled up as she looked behind her at her fellow party member.
“Alright, just like we practiced!” Sunny explained, before turning back to the Chimera bearing down on her. She pushed up and away, tossing the Chimera's paw aside before rushing in and slamming the Chimera hard in the chest with her shield. The creature roared in pain as it stumbled back a step, paralyzed from the crippling blow. “NOW!”
Standing several feet behind Sunny stood Sunset Shimmer, magic flowing through her body as she prepared to cast her spells. As a Sorceress she was able to summon the elemental flames to her command, and weave them together with the unholy powers of darkness. Leylines were etched into the air around her, increasing her casting speed, and her Inner Eye was open to unleash power onto her foes. Everything was set in place, and Sunny had set the field for her.
Her eyes opened with a flash and she extended her arms out, power flowing through her body and into her hands as she aimed them at the Chimera.
“METEOR!” She cried out, the very heavens tearing open to her command. A flaming vortex of hellfire and darkness opened above the beast, and from within the opening fell a burning chunk of molten rock. Followed by a second, and a third. Her powers as a Sorceress allowed her to chaincast a spell three times in a row for no extra cost every three minutes, and it was best used on her most destructive spell.
The Chimera roared in pain as the molten rocks collided against its skin and exploded in a grand display of raw carnage. Three large damage numbers skyrocketed from the beneath the explosion as the beast's remaining HP was eviscerated into nothing. When the smoke finally cleared the beast wobbled on its legs for a moment longer, before falling over and crashing into the ground, exploding into a thousand glittering shards that vanished into the heavens.
“Nice! You've finally mastered the timing on that combo.” Sunny grinned, sheathing her sword. “With that you should have enough seals to upgrade the last ring you need. You'll be all geared up to take on anything endgame.”
“I've just been following your advice really, I'm still new to all of this.” Sunset chuckled. “I get the general idea of how the stats work, but this whole min/max and 'Best in Slot' stuff is still pretty foreign to me.”
“Ah don't worry about it, you've only been playing a month so far, I don't expect you to have stat weights memorized. Plus with the expansion two months away all the current builds will be outdated anyway.” Sunny shrugged, before giving Sunset a wink. “So till then, just listen to your dashing girlfriend, she knows what's best for you.”
Sunset put her hand up to her mouth giggling as a soft heat ran across her cheeks.
“I suppose you are my 'knight in shining armor' right now.”
“Ugh, I hate that phrase. I can only think of Twilight's stupid brother anytime I hear it, the dweeb.” Sunny scoffed. Sunset couldn't help but laugh at Sunny's reaction, which caused the girl to roll her eyes. “Whatever, we've got some time to kill before the others get on to go raiding tonight. You wanna do anything while we wait?”
“Hrrmm...” Sunset stretched her arms out, letting out a soft moan as her bones popped back into place. “Honestly I could use a bit of a break. I don't wanna wear myself out before raid time.”
“That sounds good to me.” Sunny smiled, pausing to think before looking around the environment. “I've got a nice spot in mind we can relax at.” She smirked and pulled a whistle out of her bag. She quickly blew into it, a loud ringing whistle echoing out into the air. There was a short pause before the sound of a horse whinnying echoed across the field.
From the heaven's quickly descended a large white pegasus clad in golden armor. The equine was frankly massive in comparison to the two of them, easily towering over them in stature. Sunset would swear to anyone that she was over how much it reminded her of Celestia, but it definitely crossed her mind every time she saw the beast.
“Hop on, its actually not too far from here.” Sunny said with a smile as she mounted the beast, before holding her hand out to Sunset. Sunset smiled warmly at the gesture and took her girlfriend's hand, using it as leverage to quickly mount the horse as well. Once on top she wrapped her arms around Sunny's torso and leaned in close.
With a whip of the reigns the horse let out another whinny before taking off into the sky.
“Whoa...” Sunset whispered as she stared out at the vista before her. On top of a tall cliff's edge she now stared out over the vast plains that she had just moments ago slew a Chimera in. Lush green grass stretched out as far as the eye could see, underneath a brilliant blue sky that had a small spattering of white fluffy clouds. To one side in the distance she could see a lush, tree covered mountainside rising off into the distance, and the other a large lake with beautiful plants blooming around it, all capped off by a majestic waterfall filling the lake.
“You know, it's easy to take the game for granted when you play it nearly every day, but the scenery really is just breathtaking.” Sunny sighed contentedly as she sat next to Sunset on the cliff. “They put all this effort into making such beautiful scenery, and then everyone ignores it by just teleporting everywhere they want to go. What a waste.”
“Hey, easier for us to find spots to hang out alone, right?” Sunset smirked, leaning over to rest her head against her girlfriend's shoulder. She snaked her hand over on top of Sunny's, sneakily lacing their fingers together. “I appreciate when we can have a moment to ourselves in the game, to just have a moment to sit back and relax like this.”
“We could always just do something together in the real world you know, and not stare at our computer screens like total dorks.” Sunny chuckled teasingly, giving Sunset's hand a soft squeeze.
“Well yes, we could, but we don't really have time to do that right now.” Sunset shook her head. “So while we have to wait and can't meet up in person anyway, it's nice to have this time.”
Sunny wasn't really sure what to say to that in response, so she just nestled into her girlfriend's embrace and enjoyed the scenery with her. A cool breeze blew across the field, rustling all the plants in a gentle sway.
“I have to admit, I'm really glad you've been enjoying yourself.” Sunny smiled, thinking back to the month they'd spent in-game so far. “I was really worried when you said you didn't care for MMOs, but you seem to be having a lot of fun.”
“Most MMOs don't have you in them.” Sunset chuckled teasingly. “That being said, yeah, the ones I've tried in the past never held my interest. Even if they started out good, inevitably they always became too much of a grind without much payoff. But I admit, Tales of Equestria has done a really good job of keeping the grind at a reasonable level. I'm not exactly happy with the monthly fee, but I definitely can tell the difference in quality that fee makes.”
“The quality of its player base too.” Sunny chuckled. “It's a lot easier to find welcoming players and experienced guilds who are willing to help and play with you too, if that's what you're looking for.”
“I'm kind of surprised you're not already in a guild.” Sunset said curiously, looking up at Sunny. “With how much you play I figured you'd have joined one long ago.”
“Ehh... I was part of a guild a couple months ago.” Sunny said hesitantly, kicking her feet out against the cliff. “It was kind of nice at the time. They kept up with most of the end game content so it wasn't hard to find a party for it. We'd raid, farm, it was great!”
“But...?” Sunset nudged her girlfriend.
“But, school happened.” Sunny waved her free hand in the air. “And they didn't exactly treat my suddenly tight schedule well. I couldn't make every raid night and what spare time I did have I could only do a few runs at most. They eventually stopped inviting me, completely replaced me, and I became an outcast in the Guild with everyone treating me like dirt, so I just ended up leaving.”
“I'm sorry that happened to you.”
“Eh, don't be. It's the nature of the beast really. I could've joined another guild if I wanted, but honestly I'm both pretty picky about any guilds I do join, and I need the time to be part of one, so I just haven't really looked for a new one. Plus I spent the last month helping you and your friends catch up with content and gear, and that's been more fun than my time spent grinding my face off against the hardest content.”
Sunny smiled lovingly at Sunset, and she smiled back. The two stared at each other for a moment before Sunny looked back out at the scenery, letting out a sigh.
“Still, I am a little sad about one thing.”
“What's that?”
“I never did get to beat the Siren Queen. Her fight came out right as I had to give up my free time. I got a couple tries at her, but I was never part of a clear run. She drops an item that lets you get your Best in Slot weapon in the game right now, and I really, really wanted that weapon.” Sunny leaned against Sunset as she explained. “We're so close to the next expansion now that it really doesn't matter at all but... I dunno, I kind of feel like I failed as a player for not trying harder to get it.”
“Hey,” Sunset squeezed Sunny's hand, “you're not a failure. Not having the time to play doesn't make you one.”
“Heh, I know that in my head.” Sunny shook her head with a sad smile. “Just... You know how it is at Crystal Prep, you've gotta be the best or what's the point? Things might be changing there, but it's hard to break out of that mentality when you've had it your whole life.” Sunny sighed again. “Maybe when the expansion comes out I can turn over a new leaf like we're trying to at school... But as silly as it may sound, I can't help but shake the feeling that I'll be leaving this expansion behind as a failure...”
Sunset went quiet as her brow furrowed in thought. She didn't like that her girlfriend felt like a failure, not when she was genuinely one of the smartest and most talented people she knew. Sunset knew how much Sunny took failure to heart, especially given that her Mother was the former Principal of Crystal Prep. Under the former Principal’s roof, failure was not an option.
Sunny drew closer to her girlfriend, drawing her into a hug and rested her head against Sunset's chest. The two of them sat there, quietly admiring the view, though it was hard for Sunset to focus. Her mind was too focused on what Sunny had said, and a plan was slowly brewing in her mind...
“Alright girls, listen up!” Rainbow declared, slamming her hand down onto the strategy table. “I know we usually pick a fight we know we can do and farm it for mounts, but I had something different in mind.” She straightened herself up and looked around the room.
To her left stood all of her friends from Canterlot High, to her right were the Shadowbolts of Crystal Prep Academy, and in the middle of the two groups sat Sunset Shimmer and Sunny Flare acting as the glue holding the two groups together.
“I went ahead and double-checked everyone's Armor Level, and as of today, all of us are wearing the strongest gear we can with the level of content we’re doing. So! I propose mixing things up today!
“We've proven that the twelve of us can work as a team to tackle any challenge the game puts forth before us, and so it's time we put that to the test! I say, it's finally time for us to take on...” Rainbow paused for dramatic effect, narrowing her eyes and grinning. “The Siren Queen!”
“Ain't that the hardest fight in the game?” Applejack asked.
“Yes! ...Well technically no, it's the second hardest. But does anyone here really want to fight 'The Ultimate Nightmare Moon'?”
“Isn't that the fight that took two months for players to clear?” Twilight asked in horror.
“The fight that ended up sending someone to the hospital from over playing?” Indigo Zap asked.
“The fight that caused several of the players to not be able to sleep from horrible dreams caused by it?” Fluttershy fearfully said, shivering in her spot.
“You'd have to be a no-life moron to want to even challenge that fight.” Sugarcoat said bluntly.
“Exactly. And the weapon you get for beating it is the same weapon level as the Siren Queen.” Dash said with a shake of her head. “So no, we're doing the second hardest fight in the game, which we're more than capable of! I have no doubt in my mind that by the end of the day we’ll all have the strongest weapons we can get, and officially have all of our gear be Best in Slot!”
“You do know that fight only drops one Siren Stone at a time, right?” Sugarcoat asked curtly.
“Or that we’ve only got two months before the next expansion drops and makes them pointless?” Pinkie added.
“Look! It doesn't matter how LONG we've got the 'Best in Slot' gear for, what matters is that we can say we've been Best in Slot! It's an accomplishment on its own! Something we'll be able to boast to other players about! It's about showing them that you're the best and earning their respect!” Dash slammed one foot on the table, pumping her fist up proudly at her speech.
“Oh I understand completely! If you want the respect of a bunch of sweaty, smelly nerds.” Sour Sweet hissed.
“Ugh.” Dash ran a hand down her face in frustration.
“I swear, every time your friend opens her mouth I can taste her ego in the air.” Sunny whispered, leaning over so only Sunset could hear her. Sunset snorted, covering her mouth as she giggled, quickly elbowing Sunny in the side with a playful glare.
“You're one to talk given the company you keep.” Sunset teased, gently nodding her head over to Sunny's friends.
“Hey, at least when Indigo boasts she can back it up. Dash is just a walking airhorn.”
Sunset snorted again, having to cover her mouth and turn her body away to not burst out laughing and catch everyone's attention. Once she had enough control to sit back up, she gently punched her girlfriend in the arm.
“I did not need that mental image!”
“You know I'm totally right though.”
“HEY! Quit flirting back there! I'm trying to give a motivating speech here!” Dash barked, stomping her foot on the ground in frustration!
“Pfft, we can flirt whenever we want, thank you very much!” Sunny sassed back with a smug grin on her face, making Sunset giggle again.
“Ugh, for the love of... Whatever! Just make sure you understand the fight before we get in there. I'm passing out the guide now for you all to study. We raid in 30!” With a swipe of her hand a copy of the fight guide plopped down in front of everyone for them to read. Sunset happily took her own copy and cracked it open, with Sunny taking her own copy nonchalantly.
“Funny how your friend just decided to change what we normally do to do this fight in particular.” Sunny said calmly, glancing at Sunset from the corner of her eyes.
“What? Why are you looking at me like that?” Sunset asked with an awkward smile, quickly turning back to her guide and trying to hide her face from Sunny.
“I'm just saying, isn't it a little convenient that we had a heart to heart earlier today about this very fight, and here comes your friend with the surprise announcement we're doing it?”
“You're thinking about it too much, that's all.” Sunset tried to laugh it off, waving her hand at Sunny. “Why would I plan something like this behind your back?”
“Oh, I dunno... Maybe because surprising your girlfriend with something she really wants is a rather romantic gesture, and she'd appreciate it a lot?” Sunny smirked at Sunset, raising her eyebrows with a hint of appreciation. Sunset felt her face flush at the look, coughing a little before looking away and focusing on her guide.
“Well if I ever plan anything romantic like that I'll be sure to tell you.”
“I'm sure you will.” Sunny chuckled, turning to her own guide to refresh herself on the fight, and Sunset made sure to intensely study the guide.
In Tales of Equestria, the metagame roughly divided classes into six roles: Tank, Healer, Melee DPS, Physical Ranged DPS, Magical Ranged DPS, and Support. A recommended party composition consisted of at least two of each, and for each person to be a different class.
Sunny Flare made up the group’s main tank; boasting the highest amount of defensive cooldowns and the ability to heal herself in a pinch as a Paladin, it only made sense for her to lead any offensive. Applejack was her co-tank, a Berserker, the tank best suited for DPS.
The Melee DPS consisted of Rainbow Dash as a dual-wielding Swordsman, preferring the combo-heavy and fast-pace nature of the class, and Indigo Zap as the high-impact, fast-footed Monk.
Sugarcoat and Rarity covered the ranged DPS slots, with Sugarcoat playing as the highly maneuverable Gunslinger, and Rarity as the elegant and flashy Spellsword.
Sunset and Twilight had naturally taken to the magic casting roles, with Sunset enjoying the Sorceress's attachment to Fire and Dark magics, while Twilight favored the Witch's affinity for the Arcane.
Pinkie and Lemon Zest made up the group's support, Pinkie brandishing a harp for her Bard tunes to bolster the parties abilities, while Lemon Zest's Gambler gave them RNG buffs at key points in the fight.
This left Fluttershy and Sour Sweet on healing duty, with Fluttershy preferring the nature-loving Geomancer, and Sour Sweet preferring the old-fashioned heavy mace and shield Cleric.
All together they were a rather formidable party, and only a couple of classes off from what was considered by the pros to be a meta-level team for the game. And while their teamwork was rather exceptional, it still had some kinks that needed to be worked out.
“Eeek! Get it off! Get it off!” Fluttershy cried, running in a tiny circle near the middle of the group with a ball of slime that had attached itself to her body.
The way to the Siren Queen fight was through a treacherous dungeon full of dangerous enemies. While nowhere near as difficult as the boss themselves, they still posed a formidable threat, especially to an unsuspecting party.
“Wait, what- FLUTTERSHY! GET AWAY FROM THE PARTY WITH THAT!” Sour Sweet roared at her co-healer, though by the time the message was received it was too late. The small blob on Fluttershy's body grew three times in size, before bursting with a loud pop. Pieces of blob shot out and quickly hit most of the party, instantly striking them with paralysis.
“Paralysis!? Ahhh sonnuva-!” Dash growled, her combo on the enthralled soldier before her being interrupted by static cling. It gave the zombified human an opening to tear into her in return. Sparks of electricity flew across the field as the mob of zombies drew closer to attack.
“Sunset!” Sunny called out, looking over her shoulder at her girlfriend. Sunset nodded in response, moving as quickly as she could despite the debilitating debuff.
“Dark Chain!” Sunset cried out, her hand enveloping in darkness as her spell activated, before tapping Sunny's back. The dark magic instantly filled the Paladin's body and Sunny grinned feeling the buff course through her. Lifting her shield, she rushed forward and slammed it into the nearest zombie's torso.
The effect was felt immediately as the thrall let out a grunt of pain and was instantly stunned. Dark magic then bubbled forth from the zombie's body, shooting dark chains from its back that struck each and everyone of its fellow thralls, spreading the stun to all of the mobs. The group of zombies groaned in agony as the dark chains held them in place, allowing the party a moment to shake off the paralysis and retaliate.
“Bulletstorm!” Sugarcoat cried out, having been far enough away from the group to not be affected by the stun. She rapidly fired her twin guns causing bullets to rain from the sky down onto the walking corpses.
“Arcane Rain!” Twilight cried out in succession, aiming her staff over the enemies heads. A large magic circle appeared above the enemies, a shower of blue lasers wrecking havoc onto them. One by one, the thralls' HP struck zero and shattered into pieces until only one remained.
“Axe kick! HYAA!” Indigo's foot twirled up into the air, before slamming down hard onto the last zombie's head. The corpse fell to the ground with a hard thud, before shattering into pieces like the rest of his comrades. Indigo put a hand on her hip, standing triumphantly over the fallen foes.
“Goodness, even the normal enemies are a step above average here.” Rarity huffed, fanning herself down from the exertion.
“I know right? We almost wiped out before we even SAW the boss!” Pinkie chortled, bouncing her way towards the boss door.
“Yeah, I wonder how that could have happened.” Sugarcoat snarked, glancing over at Fluttershy.
Fluttershy whimpered, fiddling with her staff out of embarrassment.
“Hey, come on now, we at least made it to the boss door didn’t we?” Sunset spoke up, trying to diffuse any growing tension. “And the trash mobs don’t really matter in the end as long as we can get to the boss.”
“Yeah! Besides, life's more fun with unexpected events!” Lemon Zest grinned broadly, casually strolling her way over to the boss door as well. Sunset couldn’t help but grimace at Lemon casually tempting fate.
“...That does not bode well for us.”
“Well, no one said this was going to be easy.” Sunny gave her girlfriend a gentle bump with her elbow and a wink. Sunset smiled back, feeling some of her optimism returning.
“ALRIGHT LADIES LISTEN UP!” Dash shouted, slamming one of her swords into the ground. “This is the real fight! Remember the video and the transition into phase two! Tanks stay in front, healers in back! That means you, Fluttershy!”
Fluttershy whimpered again before nodding her head.
“The most important thing to remember is not to panic! She’s going to throw everything she can at us and it might seem overwhelming, but if you keep a clear head you should be able to manage! And be sure to save the Overdrive bar until the very last moment!” Dash slammed her sword against the ground again for dramatic effect before pointing it at the door. “Now let's show that Boss who’s BOSS!”
The group let out a triumphant cheer before storming into the boss room together. The arena was a large circular area in a nearly pitch black room with the floor dyed a deep sea blue, and a thin layer of water that sloshed back and forth. Blue flamed torches began to light up all around the arena one by one, revealing the large underwater dome they now found themselves in. Sea life and coral could be seen just outside the thick glass, casting ominous shadows over the room as they swam by the faint sunlight in the distance.
A haunting melody swept over the arena next, a low pitched aria that began to grow in intensity as the gravity of the Siren Queen began to loom over them. Two shadows rushed a circle around the arena, as a third larger shadow swooped over their heads. The three figures swam down over the edge of the arena, before emerging on the other side in their full resplendent glory.
To the left and right were the Queen's henchmen, two large shark-like sirens, one colored purple, the other blue. And in the middle stood the Siren Queen, as yellow as the sun and snarling at the party that had dared to trespass into her chambers. A red gem shimmered from each of their chests, the very stones the party was looking to steal for themselves that day.
“Alright everyone, I've started the countdown! On my mark, we unleash hell!” Sunny Flare called out to the group, taking her position up front.
Everyone prepared themselves for the battle as the timer counted down. Fluttershy and Sour Sweet were quickly casting defensive buffs on everyone in the party, while Lemon Zest was rolling her ethereal dice for the best combinations. Pinkie began playing her harp, her soft melody washing over the party and enhancing their stats. Several of the DPS readied their weapons, activating their pre-fight damage buffs as needed.
Sunset chanted quietly before casting a spell over Sunny Flare. A dark aura washed over the Paladin before fading away, linking the two of them together. Now every time Sunny took damage, Sunset's next attack would grow more powerful as a result. Sunny gave Sunset a nod and the two smiled at each other, before focusing back onto the boss.
“Three... Two... One... GO!” Sunny roared, rushing forward. Her shield launched out, striking the Siren Queen directly and boomeranging back to her as the giant fish roared out in retaliation.
Dash immediately rushed forward next, her whole body flashing with each buff popping off, before her twin swords began carving into the side of the siren's body. Indigo Zap launched herself straight into the air, letting out a battle cry as her fist came slamming down onto the Queen's nose, before immediately launching into her opening combo straight onto the boss's face.
Magic rained from the heavens as Twilight and Sunset unleashed a barrage of spells onto their foe, while bullets and spectral slashes rushed forth from Sugarcoat and Rarity. Applejack was ripping into the siren's other side while Pinkie was channeling a song to increase everyone's critical hit chances. Lemon Zest struck gold with a critical roll of her dice, unleashing a huge damage buff on the entire party while her own sharpened cards flew through the air like boomerangs, and even the two healers managed to unleash some damage once they couldn’t buff or heal the party anymore than they were.
The entire spectacle only lasted a few seconds but the damage dealt with their opening play was impressive, leaving the boss covered in a cloud of smoke as the barrage came to an end.
Sunny raised her shield up, knowing that the next move was a powerful tank buster. She popped a defensive cooldown, ready to take the blast head-on when she heard someone still striking at the boss. She turned her head and saw Dash still dancing and twirling with her blades, hacking into the boss as much as possible.
“RAINBOW DASH! YOU'RE IN RANGE OF THE CLEAVE!” Sunny cried out desperately. Dash paused her slashing for just a moment, looking at Sunny confused.
“I'm what?”
THOOM! A powerful breath of searing hot magic erupted from the Queen's mouth straight onto Sunny Flare and Rainbow Dash. Sunny grit her teeth as she soaked the damage, her health bar nearly depleting from the excessive damage, but it was a tank's job to block fatal hits like this.
Dash, on the other hand, was flattened like a squirrel on the highway.
“Seriously!? In the first minute of the fight!?” Sour Sweet smacked her face in frustration. “We only have three battle rezzes to spare, Dash! And you just wasted one of them!” Fluttershy quickly expended her battle resurrection spell, causing Dash's body to teleport and resurrect next to her.
“Ugh...” Dash grumbled, standing up and rubbing her head. “Look, sorry alright? I thought I was out of the way! I was more worried about doing damage than where I was standing!”
“Well your damage doesn't mean ANYTHING if you're dead, IDIOT!” Sour pointed over to the Siren Queen. “Now get back in there and try not to die this time!”
“Yeah yeah, I'll be more careful this time, geeze.” Dash grumbled before rushing back to rejoin the fight.
The Siren Queen roared, unleashing an undodgeable AoE that ripped across the arena, blowing everyone back a few feet and causing massive damage. Fluttershy fumbled with her controls, but managed to spew out an AoE heal alongside Sour Sweet. The real battle had barely just begun.
The Siren Queen battle wasn't an easy one, but it was far from being the most complicated fight the game had seen. She always started the battle with her most powerful move, a cleaving tank buster that even the most hardened tanks were pressed to survive through.
From there she had her room-wide AoE, a burst of loud screeching sound that damaged all it came in contact with. She would occasionally drop acidic puddles on top of players, turning parts of the field into damage zones. She would fire large orbs of magic that did splash damage at random targets, meaning everyone needed to avoid stacking at all times. She would hit a player with a powerful debuff that if not cleansed would turn them into her thrall for a solid minute.
Meanwhile, her two henchmen would continuously circle the room, tethering to players at random and giving them a targeted debuff. One would reduce the player’s maximum health, making them more susceptible to the Queen's damage, while the tether would also create a line where the henchmen would dash across the room and damage everyone in their path. The other would apply a similar debuff, but increased how much damage the player would take instead, and if the player marked with this debuff was hit by the dashing siren, a room-wide AoE of high damage would explode out.
And this was only the first phase.
Though there were a couple of mistakes that caused some intense damage to go out, the group of friends were fairing remarkably well against the Siren Queen. A second death went out when Lemon Zest had been marked with the damage up debuff and ran the wrong way, causing her to get hit by the dashing siren. Pinkie was quick to the draw and quickly used up her battle rez on her fellow support, the fight continuing in stride.
And once they had a handle of the mechanics, dishing out damage in return wasn't an issue. Soon enough, the group had pushed their way through the boss's first phase.
“EVERYONE! BEHIND ME!” Sunny shouted, slamming her shield into the ground and bracing herself as magic wings erupted out behind her. The group quickly stacked within the magic field that had been erected as the two henchmen flew up into the sky and the Queen gathered a large amount of energy into her stone.
With a loud shriek, magic exploded forth from the gem, bathing the entire room in arcane magic that evaporated the water on impact and charred the glass of the dome around them. The searing arcane magic hit the party like a truck, only barely surviving thanks to the Paladin's protective zone. With the short reprieve the healers were free to get everyone back to full as the phase transition began.
“Phase two, people! Look alive!” Dash called out as the Siren Queen herself left the arena. The two henchmen sirens that had always been out of reach and circling the arena finally entered the field, taking the Queen's place as the main fight now.
“You got this babe.” Sunset grinned, patting Sunny on the back.
“Here's hoping. Most groups I've seen actually end up wiping on Phase two.” Sunny said nervously, re-adjusting the grip on her weapons.
“Hey, we've got this.” Sunset reassured her girlfriend, giving Sunny's clenched hand a gentle squeeze with her own. “We've got your back and we know you can handle this. We're going to take care of this fight like it was nothing.”
“Always were one for the bright side, weren't ya?” Sunny chuckled, giving her lover a smirk.
“One of us has to, given our names.” Sunset smirked in return, before leaning in and giving Sunny a quick peck on the lips. “Go get em.”
“Yes ma'am.” Sunny laughed, rejuvenated from Sunset's support. Slapping her sword against her shield in a show of intimidation, Sunny charged forward and launched the assault on the first of the two Sirens.
In Phase Two, it was necessary for both of the tanks to keep the two Sirens separated at all times, but they also needed to be downed at about the same time. If one was defeated first, the other one would devour its dead comrade and become an unstoppable killing machine instantly wiping the party. Splitting the party in half was the best solution for this, having a group of six tackle each siren independently.
With two bosses on the field the damage output had nearly doubled, with both having their own tank busters and room-wide AoEs. The phase was a veritable healing check as players did their best to deal with all of the incoming damage.
The two sirens not only kept their debuffs from the previous phase, but they had a plethora of new ones that they were tossing at the party like free candy. The dash mechanic from the previous phase was still in play as well, with that siren jumping out of the arena from time to time to target a single player to dash straight through, and would do so multiple times. And one player still had to make absolutely sure they avoided the dashes at all costs.
Damage puddles quickly began to pile up around the room, followed by tornadoes that would toss players straight up into the air, and even AoE pushback roars to try and get the players into these danger zones. They would toss huge orbs of damaging magic that the players had to stack together to diffuse the damage, and the rest of the time they had to remain separated to prevent splash damage from a random single-target attack.
It was a chaotic, fast paced dance that the girls were struggling with. Rarity had the unfortunate pleasure of meeting one of the tornadoes up in person, before being knocked back into a damage puddle and smashed directly with an attack that had been meant to be split amongst the party. Sour Sweet cursed under her breath as the last of the parties' battle rezes were used up.
Somehow though, through the chaotic dance and keeping up with their damage, they found themselves striking the final blows on both of the henchmen just seconds apart from each other. The cries of the two sirens echoed in the arena as the gems on their chests cracked and shattered, before their large forms hit the ground with a heavy thud.
The shadow of the Siren Queen loomed over the arena as she returned to the fight, looking down at the sight of her fallen minions.
“Goodness, does this fight never end!?” Rarity panted from exertion, watching as the Siren Queen began to sing once more. The bodies of the two henchmen were floated up into the air from her song, and their bodies moved towards her.
The Siren Queen's song grew louder as the bodies of her minions were sucked into her gemstone. An aura flashed around the Siren Queen as her power was boosted, and she roared out across the arena, signaling the transition into Phase Three.
“Hard part's out of the way at least.” Indigo boasted, wiping the sweat off her chin with a grin. “We've already dealt with everything Phase three will throw at us, there's just more of it now! If we've made it here, we've got a real shot at winning this!”
“I'm not sure how much more I can handle.” Fluttershy wobbled on her feet.
“Come on girls, we can do this!” Twilight said enthusiastically, turning to her friends. “Look how far we've managed to come together! We've worked together as a team, using the power of our friendship to get us through every hurdle! I know we'll be able to get through this, because we have each other!” Twilight's rousing speech caused each of her friends to look at each other with a smile and nod. She was right after all, they had been through so much and were so close to their goal! They could do this!
With their spirits high and confidence soaring through them, the group let out a hearty cheer and rushed forward, intent on finishing the fight all of them had started together!
And almost immediately, a poorly timed tank buster cleaved through the party and killed half of them.
“Seriously!?” Sunny cried out incredulously.
“Oh come ON!” Dash smacked her face, running her hand down it.
“Oh... That's... Not good.” Twilight grimaced.
“Guys, focus!” Sunset cried out. “The boss only has twenty percent of its health left! We've still got this, we just have to keep fighting!” Sunset was just as nervous as everyone else with their chances of winning now, but she wasn't about to give up for good just yet. They were so close to winning! Her plan of having them beat this fight for Sunny was right in front of them! They just had to push it with everything they got!
“Look, you all just keep doing the mechanics and I'll keep you idiots healed up!” Sour Sweet begrudgingly said, focusing on keeping Sunny alive. “My mana's surviving somehow, so just HURRY UP and KILL this thing already!”
The Siren Queen roared out as the fight continued, bearing down hard on Sunny Flare, the girl constantly popping her defensive cooldowns to survive. She only had so many of them, but keeping her HP as high as possible was priority.
“Divinity!” Sunny cried out, crossing her sword and shield as light enveloped her body, quickly healing her for a chunk of her HP. “I don't have a lot of mana left! I can heal myself one more time tops!”
“Got it!” Sunset said, before focusing on the boss. She bit the bottom of her lip nervously as the boss's HP was ticking down far slower now. What they needed was some serious damage to make up the difference of having half the party downed like this. This pace would be fine if they still had both healers, but without, they were going to have to think of something.
She knew she could deal out some serious damage, take out a huge chunk of the boss's HP, but it would come at the cost of her sustained DPS. It was worth a shot, wasn't it?
And it seemed that Twilight had same idea, her long staff tapping the ground twice as she began to glow with arcane power. She let go of her staff as it began to hover in the air before her, crossing her arms and rapidly chanting. Sparks of magic began to erupt all around her and multiple, massive arcane circles drew themselves behind her.
“ARCANIC ANNIHILATION!” Twilight bellowed, her voice carrying the weight of her magical power. From each of the magic circles behind her fired gigantic beams of arcane energy, slicing and cutting through the air with intense power. The beams struck the Siren all at once, erupting into violent explosions with each hit that then broke apart into smaller beams that rained back down onto the boss.
Shockwaves flew through the arena from the raw intensity of Twilight's assault, Sunset even having to lift her arms up to block some the winds from her friend's full potential being unleashed. When the winds calmed down and the magic faded, a huge chunk of the boss's health had been taken with it...
But so too had the aggro table.
Twilight wobbled on the spot, exhausted from her exertion. She froze as a giant shadow loomed over her, looking up in realization that the boss was now hovering directly above her.
“...Oh no.” She whimpered, as a wall of searing hot magic smashed down directly on top of her, the tank buster flattening her like a pancake.
“Hey! Get back here! My taunt's not off cooldown yet!” Sunny barked and yelled at the boss, desperately trying to get aggro back with her attacks. The boss didn't seem at all interested though, turning to face the next highest threat before her, Sour Sweet.
“...Oh sunnova- THANKS TWILIGHT!” Were the last words out of Sour's mouth before the boss proceeded to make her also explode in an eruption of magical fire.
“Oh this is going south fast...” Sunset hissed to herself quietly, wincing at two of her friend's going down back to back.
“Hey! Look at me! LOOK AT ME!” Sunny clanged her shield loudly, her taunt finally off cooldown. The boss turned back to Sunny now, the tank now her main target again. Magical fire returned to raining down onto her, her shield lifted up to block the attacks.
“Look you two, just don't take anymore damage, alright!?” Sunny grimaced, turning to look at Rainbow Dash and Sunset, the only other party members that had been left standing. “The boss only has eight percent of its health left and I don't have the mana to heal myself anymore, so just do as much as you can while I've got her distracted!”
“You got it!” Dash said with a nod, re-adjusting the grip on her blades before dashing forward, intent on unleashing one devastating combo onto the boss.
Sunset herself jumped back, realizing that she was going to need a moment to properly time her skills together to unleash her maximum damage in one hit. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, chanting to herself as she unleashed her spells.
Leylines quickly began to etch themselves into the air around her, increasing the speed of which she could cast her spells. She focused on unleashing her inner eye, creating a focus to channel her magic into and increase its damage immensely. The raw power of fire and darkness weaved through her body, ready to unleash devastation upon her foes.
“DASH!? WHAT THE HELL!!” Sunny yelled, causing Sunset to open her eyes. Dash was on the ground next to Sunny, who was yelling furiously at the unconscious swordsman. Sunset groaned internally, but stared up at the Siren Queen who was bearing down on Sunny with a grin.
With the timing of the fight, the next attack had to be another Tank Buster, and there was no way Sunny was going to survive it. But more than anyone, Sunny had to be the one to survive the fight! The entire point was for her to get her hands on the Siren Stone and finally get her Best in Slot weapon! This entire plan hinged on Sunny standing victorious over the Queen, and if she died now...
No. Sunset wouldn't allow that. Sunny was going to survive long enough to get the final blow in. She would make sure of that.
“HEY! UGLY!” Sunset yelled out to the Siren Queen. “LEAVE MY GIRLFRIEND ALONE! METEOR!”
“Sunset!?” Sunny turned to the redhead in disbelief, before looking up and watching the very heavens themselves tearing open at Sunset's command. A flaming vortex of hellfire and darkness ripped apart the space-time continuum, and from within rained down three gigantic molten rocks, bringing destruction in their wake. The Siren Queen roared as the molten magma struck her body, exploding in huge shockwaves that rippled across the arena and cracked the very ground beneath her. Raw destruction was rained down upon her once more, and the heavy ticks on her health bar showed this.
It wasn't enough to bring down the Siren Queen, but it had done its job. The Queen's eye flashed red and looked at Sunset, her new target clear.
Sunset panted heavily from her spot as her magic began to fade, the leylines vanishing, and a grin plastered to her face. The Siren Queen moved across the arena, quickly looming down at Sunset with murder in her eyes, just as Sunset had planned.
She stood up straight and spread her arms out, closing her eyes as she accepted her fate. This was an acceptable sacrifice to make her girlfriend's dream come true. There was no doubt in her mind that Sunny Flare was going to be able to finish off the last of the boss's HP with what little remained, and they'd be able to celebrate a job well done together.
The Siren Queen's mouth opened, roaring with the searing flames of her magic, aimed straight at Sunset Shimmer. With a loud roar, the powerful breath came crashing down onto Sunset, washing over her completely and utterly, the pure raw destruction that even a fully prepared tank could barely survive enveloping her.
And yet... There was no pain. There was no heaviness to the fire, no dread from being incapacitated. The magical flames flickered away and Sunset opened her eyes, realizing she was still standing perfectly safe. Her mouth opened to question what had just happened, when her eyes fell down and widened with shock.
A white tether was attached to her, covering her body in a magical aura that transferred all the damage she was supposed to take, to...
Sunset lifted her eyes up quickly, just in time to watch Sunny's sword and shield fall to the ground, soon followed by the purple haired girl herself. Horror filled Sunset to her core as she watched her girlfriend's ragged body fall, smoking from the searing flames that had been meant for her.
“SUNNY!” Sunset cried out, rushing past the boss and falling down to her knees in front of her fallen lover. She reached out and tried to pick her up, shaking her shoulders. “Sunny! Sunny why!? Why did you do that!? I was supposed to take the tank buster so you could finish her off!”
“Heh...” Sunny responded weakly, opening her eyes weakly to look up at Sunset with a smile. “What? And just let my girlfriend die when I know I can prevent it? Don't be silly babe, of course I took the hit. I would trade my life for yours... Any day...” Sunny tried to lift her hand up to reach out to Sunset, but her body was simply too weak. As Sunny's hand fell, Sunset quickly caught it, squeezing it tightly as she lifted it up to her face.
“But! But it wasn't supposed to end like this!” Sunset whimpered, tears straining at her eyes. “You were supposed to stand victorious at the end! You were supposed to finally get the weapon you always wanted! That was how this was supposed to go!”
“Heh, Sunset... I didn't need the weapon, I wasn't even thinking about it.” Sunny's eyes dimmed as a soft smile spread on her face. “I just wanted... To play with you.”
Sunny's eyes closed as her body went limp, and Sunset stared in shock down at her girlfriend's body. Tears streamed down her face and her shoulders shook, squeezing her eyes shut as a violent sob racked her body.
The Siren Queen loomed in closer behind her, the very gravity of the boss weighing down on Sunset. Sunset grit her teeth, the heated sting of her tears burning her eyes. She gently placed Sunny down on the ground and stood up, not even turning to face the monster.
Her body shook, and a dark aura began to envelope her, the last act of the buff she had placed on Sunny at the beginning of the fight, increasing the power of her next attack immensely. A small ding echoed across her mind as well, informing her that with Sunny's sacrifice, they had collected enough energy to trigger an Overdrive.
“You just made a huge mistake.” Sunset menacingly growled, turning to look at the Siren Queen, her teeth baring. With all the fury of Celestia's burning sun, Sunset conjured forth her final attack. “Overdrive: Phoenix's Rage.”
A powerful fiery aura erupted from around Sunset's feet, radiating sparks of energy as a new aura engulfed her completely. Her eyes flashed brightly as power channeled through her entire body, and the build up energy of everyone's sacrifices combined in her body.
Fiery wings and a tail erupted from her back, lifting her into the air and bringing her eye level with the dreaded siren. A quick twirl, and Sunset was flying off around the room, igniting flames on the floor beneath her from simply passing by.
The Siren Queen roared out, a wave of magic echoing across the entire room, racing straight for Sunset. The magic passed over Sunset without her even blinking an eye. Engulfed in the phoenix's flames, the searing heat of arcane magic felt like nothing more than a tickle.
Sunset completed a full circle of the room, the entire floor now radiating blazing fire as she made one last turn to the center of the room. She turned to face the boss, who looked at her with a displeased growl. Sunset lifted one arm out in front of her, held her hand up, and simply snapped her fingers.
The entire arena erupted with a pillar of fire, engulfing everyone and everything within the inferno. The Siren Queen roared in agony, the flames eating away at every last inch of exposed flesh on the creature. The Siren writhed and wriggled against the flames, unable to do anything but be burned alive in the horrific heat of the inferno.
The flames slowly vanished and Sunset descended to the ground, landing on one knee as her wings and tail faded away. She panted heavily, feeling the exhaustion of the fight taking over her. She lifted her head up, looking at the remains of the Siren that still floated in the air, still burning from the flames. The Queen writhed against the flames, letting out one last whimpered roar, before finally falling to the ground and hitting it hard, shattering into a million glass-like pieces.
A victorious jingle echoed throughout the room from her accomplishment, the sound that she truly had won. She stood up and turned her attention to above her, watching as something glistened and fell slowly towards her. She held her hand up and a bright red gemstone floated down into her hands.
One Siren Stone, as promised for defeating the Siren Queen.
Sunset stared at it quietly, realizing the weight of what she held in her hands. She was the first one to get her stone, and soon enough all of her friends would get theirs too...
She squeezed the stone in her clenched hand. She knew exactly what she was going to do with this stone.
With the fight over and the girls resurrected, they found themselves once again sitting around the strategy table, though significantly more tuckered out this time.
“That fight sure was something, wasn't it?” Applejack chuckled, looking around at her friends. “Ah'm impressed we actually managed to beat it on the first try, if even by the skin of our teeth. With practice we'll be survivin' that fight no problem!”
“It certainly leaves one exhausted, I'll tell you that.” Rarity sighed dramatically, fanning herself from her exertions. “I don't think I've worked up that much of a sweat in any of the other fights!”
“It was actually a lot of fun, outside of the whole 'everyone dying' thing.” Sugarcoat said, even smiling for once.
“Yeah, we kicked major butt that fight!” Indigo cheered, slamming her fists together. “Next time though I'm getting higher damage numbers than you Dash!”
“I doubt it.” Dash chuckled, waving her hand with a grin. “No one here can hit bigger damage numbers than I can.”
“Oh yeah? You wanna bet on that?” Indigo growled, getting up in Rainbow's face.
“Oh you KNOW it's on!” Dash pushed back, already feeling her second wind coming back. “I'll beat you any day of the week!”
“I wonder what's taking Sunset so long?” Twilight asked curiously, looking over at the flap of the tent. “I thought she'd have been back by now.”
“Probably just got lost finding the right NPC she needs to trade the stone to.” Sunny said with a shrug. “He's not exactly in the most obvious spot for new players.”
“Oh, I guess that makes sense...” Twilight nodded, quietly fiddling with her thumbs as she bit her lip. “So uh... You're not sad, are you?”
“Sad? About what?” Sunny asked Twilight confused.
“You know... Not getting the Siren Stone? And... Sunset getting it first?” Twilight tried to ask as carefully as she could.
“Oh, that.” Sunny laughed a little. “No, I mean, I'm glad she got her weapon first, really. She earned it. I know you guys set this up for me to get my weapon, but we can always run the content again another day, it's not like it was life or death for me to get it now or something.” She shook her head with a smile.
“Besides, I'm more happy to be able to play together with Sunset. I've loved this game for so long, it's finally nice to share it with someone I love.” Sunny looked over at their gathered friends, the rest of them trying to calm down Indigo and Rainbow who were furiously butting heads together. “And with our friends as well, of course.” She rolled her eyes at that. “Took them long enough to finally try my favorite game. I'm glad they came around though.”
Twilight couldn't help but smile at Sunny Flare, glad that she was happy as part of the group now.
“I'm back!” Sunset's voice finally called out, the tent flap opening to reveal her. “Sorry that took so long, I kinda got lost figuring out which NPC I needed.” She chuckled softly, Sunny giving Twilight a 'I told you so' look which Twilight snickered at.
“Oh, oh! Does that mean you got it?” Dash said, instantly forgetting about her feud with Indigo and zipping over to Sunset. “I wanna see it! I bet it looks super cool too!”
“Heh, hold on there Dash.” Sunset chuckled, pushing the girl back a little. “I had to make sure I got the right weapon as well, you know? And I knew exactly which one I wanted the moment I got my hands on the stone.” She turned to look at Sunny, who looked up at Sunset with a confused look. Sunset held her hand out to Sunny, who looked at it for a moment before taking hold of it and being pulled to a standing position.
“I thought about it, and I knew exactly what I needed to do.” Sunset looked into Sunny's eyes, smiling and feeling a heat on her cheeks. Sunny blinked in confusion again as Sunset took a small step back and held out her hands.
In her arms spawn a sword and shield set meant for Paladins, colored solid white and decorated with red gemstone linings and a large red gemstone in the middle of the shield and hilt. The weapons were as elegant as one could imagine, and beautiful in every sense of the word.
Sunny's eyes went wide at the weapons, realizing what they were.
“...I... I...” Sunny stuttered, at a loss for words.
“I wouldn't have been able to get in the last blow without you Sunny, so in my mind, you earned this weapon as much as I have.” Sunset smiled, stepping closer to her girlfriend. “And I know how much more this weapon means to you than it would to me, so, I wanted to make sure with absolute certainty that you were the first one to get it.”
Sunset gently lowered the weapon into Sunny's arms, who clutched onto it like it was the most precious thing in the world.
“S-Sunset... I...” Sunny mumbled again, staring at the pristine blade and shield. Her mind couldn't keep up with the feelings overwhelming her mind and body, or even process what to do or say.
“I hope you like them. Go ahead and try them on.” Sunset smiled, urging her girlfriend on. Sunny didn't need to be told twice, and the weapon quickly vanished from her hands before materializing onto her body. Shield in one hand, sword in the other, it really was everything she had hoped it would be. Her smile was bright and tears burned at the edges of her eyes.
“...I... I...” Sunny shook her head before softly laughing. “I need a moment, be right back!”
Sunny then stood still as a statue, only slowly moving from the gentle action of breathing. Everyone looked at Sunny in confusion, as the symbol for AFK quickly appeared over her head.
“Where the heck did she run off too?” Dash's confused voice came through the headset.
Sunset stared at her computer screen, just as confused as her friends. She picked up her phone and saw that it had been several minutes since Sunny's character had gone AFK in the game. She was contemplating calling her girlfriend just to see what exactly was going on.
“Honestly, what a way to ruin such a romantic gesture!” Rarity groaned into her mic next. “How do you get something so sweet and then just disappear like that?”
“Ugh, gag me with a spoon.” Sour Sweet snarled.
“I'm sure whatever happened it was important guys, just chill out.” Sunset chuckled, putting her phone down. “Her mom probably just dragged her away or something, it’s no big deal.”
Sunset was the first to admit that she had kind of hoped for a bigger reaction upon seeing the gift, maybe a hug and a kiss, but it was an online game after all, real life always took priority. She'd wait a few more minutes before calling, maybe shoot a text her girlfriend's way and see what was keeping her.
Or, that was the plan until she heard her doorbell ring.
“Was that your doorbell Sunset?” Fluttershy spoke up.
“...Yeah, yeah it was.” Sunset chuckled, suddenly getting a feeling she knew who was at the door.
“...She did not.” Rarity said in her 'shocked but loving it' voice.
“Let's find out!” Sunset laughed, taking off her headset and placing it down onto her computer desk. She pushed back with her roller chair and stood up, walking the few feet over to her front door and pulling it open.
Sunset was instantly set upon by the turquoise beauty at her front door, wrapping her arms around her neck and pressing her lips against hers. Sunny's lips were soft and warm, and always tasted absolutely amazing. Sunset couldn’t help but softly moan into her girlfriend's embrace as they stumbled backwards into her apartment, the messy embrace leaving little time for proper balance. Realizing finding her footing was a lost cause, she stumbled backwards to where she knew her couch was, and fell backwards onto it, her girlfriend tumbling with her.
Sunny kissed Sunset deeply for a moment longer, before finally pulling back, letting the two of them stare into each other's eyes and giving them a moment to catch their breath.
“Did you really race across town just to get here and make out with me?” Sunset couldn't help but laugh.
“What? Not satisfied with my decision to return your affection?” Sunny purred softly, closing her eyes and leaning in to gently brush her lips against Sunset's.
“Mmm, no, not at all. I just hope you weren't too reckless in getting here, you made that trip in record time.” Sunset shared a soft kiss with Sunny.
“Hmhm~ Have I ever told you how amazing you are to me?” Sunny asked, her face hot and flushed as she gently caressed Sunset's face.
“What can I say? I would do anything for you.” Sunset smirked back, wrapping one arm back around Sunny's neck and the other caressing down her hip.
The two leaned back in, passionately kissing once more as the two shared their love for each other with more than just words.
“Oh for the love of,” Dash's angry voice barked from Sunset's headset, “could you two stop making out already so we can do another run!?”
Author's Note
Was it obvious that I play a Healer main in FFXIV? I feel like it was obvious 
Combining the themes of "Pre-existing relationship" and "Journey" was really difficult for me. I can do one or the other really well, seeing as I've done both kinds of fics before. But together at once? Within a 15k word limitation? That was a struggle for me.
I spent a solid week thinking of possible ideas and mostly drawing a blank before I stumbled upon the idea of it being a Video Game Quest, seeing as we know Sunset plays video games. And the decision to have it be a preexisting relationship with Sunny Flare was inspired by my friend Kul, who always had Sunny as his favorite character, even if he's not doing fandom stuff anymore heh.
I was originally gonna have the story be a lot more "actual video-game" with the logic, and it was in the first draft! But then I decided to go the more "Anime Video Game" logic and and not break the immersion until the very end of the fic, which was a far stronger story in the end. And adds a little bit of humor to the comedy when you remember everything is in-game lol
And obviously my main inspiration was FFXIV, but I ended up throwing a bit of WoW and SAO in there for good measure. And seeing as Humanland takes huge inspirations from Equestria (Equestria Land anyone?) it wasn't that far of a stretch to imagine there was a video game that used the Equestrian lore as part of its Mythos!
Sugarcoat: That still doesn't explain how Sunset was able to trade away an end-game raid tier weapon. The devs don't allow that due to real money transactions.
(An equestrian magic spark flies out of Sunset's computer)
Sugarcoat: ...Cop out.
(My only real regret is not finding a good way to somehow pun about them both being named after the Sun)
