Sunset’s body lay, unconscious, in a dingy and dark cave. She lay facedown against the wet floor, the water not high enough to endanger her in any way but enough to make her clothes uncomfortably wet. Next to her sat a rapier-like blade with the hilt and first third of the blade encrusted with gold ornamentation, along with its corresponding gold and steel-plated scabbard.

The cave was as silent as a grave, the only sound being the woman’s soft breathing. That is until the silence was broken by the clip-clop sounds of hooves on stone. A hooved steed resembling a fusion of a horse and goat made its way through the wet cave until it reached Sunset, stopping before her face with a small splash of his front hooves in the puddle before her. He bent down to sniff her head, letting out a small grunt of concern as he did so.

The woman riding on the goarse’s back reached out with one of her pale hands to pet his mane, offering a soothing coo in an effort to calm her steed. A small smile danced on her lips, the rest of her face covered by the dark grey cloak she wore. Her hand gently traced a path up his mane to his right horn, then over to the base of his left horn and down the mane on that side.

“Don’t worry Torrent, fortune is on her side. We found her here, after all.” She slid off Torrent’s back, her grey cloak parting slightly to reveal a light grey traveling dress with a white layer underneath. Her riding boots saved her from the splash she made landing in a puddle, although that quickly became moot as she kneeled by Sunset’s side. At all the motion Sunset stirred and looked up, her eyes half-lidded and clouded in confusion.

“...how strange.” The unknown woman’s voice was clouded with an aura of confusion as she peered down at Sunset. “She is not a Tarnished, but she has come to the Lands Between anyway. Warrior, come to the Gatekeep Ruins and you will find me. If you prove yourself in this fashion I will help you become Elden Lord.”

Sunset strained her eyes at the woman before letting out a groan of pain. Despite her wishes, the grip of unconsciousness held tight and dragged her back under.

A short while later Sunset finally regained her consciousness, letting out a small groan of pain and confusion as she did. She pushed herself up with her strange arms, allowing her to open her eyes without getting a faceful of water and dirt. Her yellow and red hair hung over her face, but she could see through it enough to take in the area around her.

Several meters in front of Sunset sat a small golden tree radiating magic and holy light. Next to the tree sat a short set of stone stairs heading up to an archway, hopefully, a way out. As Sunset got to her feet to investigate the archway, her foot bumped into the sword laying next to her. The woman raised an eyebrow before picking it up, studying it with a glance.

“Huh, this is the sword that that thing stabbed me with...” Sunset frowned and patted her stomach with her other hand. Her unblemished, not wounded stomach. “I thought that thing killed me...how am I alive?” Sunset’s frown deepened but she simply decided to shake her head and sigh. “No point in looking a Gift Deer in the mouth, as Celestia always said...”

Sunset noticed the scabbard hanging from her left side and rolled her eyes, sheathing the sword in one smooth move. On her right side was that knife she found, giving her the option of two weapons if her magic somehow failed her again.

With long but calm strides the woman made her way to the tree, noticing something small and glowing at the base. She carefully reached out with one of her hands, the other one glowing with a flicker of magic in case it was a trap. Sunset carefully picked up the small object, about the size of an avocado pit, and held it up to inspect it.

The strange item looked to be some kind of golden, glowing seed. It was wrapped in miniature branches and bark and radiated healing magic from deep within. While Sunset didn’t have a true name to put to the object, its function was clear enough by looking at it. She shrugged and stuck the seed in one of her pockets to study later.

Sunset’s curiosity now satiated, she turned towards the stone stairs, heading up them once she had drawn her golden sword. Within the archway was a large set of wooden doors lined with dark iron support. With gritted teeth Sunset forced the doors open just enough for her to slip in, albeit slightly panting from the effort.

“I really need to get into shape if every door is like this...” Sunset grumbled to herself.

Passing through the door brought her to a small dusty room, broken cobblestones, and other shattered objects lining the floor. On the right was another set of stairs leading up, so Sunset quickly made her way toward them, eager to get out of this dusty space. However, at the top of the stairs, the mage found herself stopping in place.

To the naked eye, the room she found herself in seemed like an abandoned mausoleum, with two stone sarcophagi sitting on opposite sides of the room. A strange imp statue sat next to an archway on her right, while another archway sat across the room. However, to a powerful mage like her sat not one but three magical auras.

One was bound to the archway on her right, a barrier spell that manifested in a fog-like wall. Tendrils of magic connected it to the imp statue, obviously the key to the door. But in the middle of the room sat a much more powerful source of magic, one that felt almost familiar to her despite having never seen it before.

It was a small golden glow, almost like a weakened coal in a fire. However, despite that, it radiated healing magic, like the seed but to a much higher margin. Despite her usual borderline paranoid nature, Sunset felt like she had to touch it, to draw the power to help her on her quest.

“Well, let’s hope this doesn’t kill me...” Sunset shook her head, ignoring the rippling of her hair caused by this.

Sunset stepped over to the magical embers and reached out with her free hand as well as her magic, seeking something to connect to. With a pulse of light, the embers sparked into a full bonfire of magic, giving Sunset a sense of warmth and peace while she stood next to it. Like her past wounds were no longer an issue and nothing could harm her while she was there.

“It reminds me of the campfires Celestia would light when we would go camping.” Despite herself, Sunset found herself smiling slightly at the memory. “Hopefully there are more of these...campfires out in the world. I doubt I can truly bring this one with me.”

After taking a moment to enjoy the comforting feeling the Campfire brought, Sunset stood up straight and made her way to the archway out. A small passage through the archway led her to a short set of stairs lit by a scattered hooffull of candles with white flames.

Aside from the five steps, the room opened up into a massive circular room ringed by sealed-off archways and torches sharing that same white flame. In the center of the room was a large dais made of marble, ringed by a half-dozen columns each with its own torch. In the center of a dais was a slightly raised part that radiated magic. Looking up showed a lack of a ceiling, just the columns raising up into the darkness.

“Hooves crossed that this is the way out...”

Sunset stepped onto the dais and put one foot on the raised part, which effortlessly was pushed down by the force of her step. A lurch went through the dais before it lifted up, carrying her up toward the darkness. Sunset crouched instinctively but despite her paranoia, the journey upwards was as calm as it could be.

Within seconds the dais passed through a perfectly-sized circular area with just enough room to let it continue its journey upwards. Its resting place was almost a copy of where she was before: a square room with marble columns now surrounding the dais. However, instead of the room being ringed by bricked-off archways and marble columns, this one just had the marble columns.

On top of that, there was a much longer set of stairs leading up to one side of the room, which Sunset quickly made her way to. Up top sat a large iron door flanked by two of those white-flame torches. Sunset reached out to push the door, only to find that it didn’t budge in the slightest. With a frown she examined the door, tracing its sides with one finger to find the hinge.

After a few minutes of prodding and poking Sunset slowly lost her patience. Her eyes and hand glowed with magical light before she punched the door. With all the magic flowing into her fist it was like a small train hit the door, crumpling the metal around her fist and knocking it from the hinges bound to the ceiling.

Once the cloud of dust settled Sunset stepped into the bright light of the outdoors, having to shield her eyes with one hand after so long in the half-light of the torches. Even though she had to squint to see it, the sight she saw was a welcome one to the darkness of the caves.

Before her lay a lightly forested grassland, populated by a ruined castle several hundred meters to the right. Bits of ruins far more ancient did poke up here and there from the ground but almost blended in with the normal rocks and boulders at first glance. In the distance a large castle loomed over a set of cliffs surrounded by fog, a broken stone bridge sprouting from it like a damaged branch. While the supporting columns of the bridge still stood strong, many pieces of it in between were missing, making it unusable.

A short distance from Sunset sat another one of those Campfires, glowing with radiant light. Next to it stood the first bipedal creature that Sunset could recognize as a similar creature to herself, whatever she was. It was cloaked in white, somewhat concealing the leather armor it wore underneath. As Sunset slowly approached she couldn’t help but notice the same carrion smell of blood on him, albeit old and long dried.

Sunset first touched the Campfire, enjoying the feeling of comfort that it brought her. Then she approached the stranger, who looked up at her with its blank white mask. Its gloved claws (hands?) rubbed together, making the stench of blood all the more strong.

“Ah...Tarnished, are we? Come to the Lands Between for the Elden Ring, hmm?” Its voice was raspy but undeniably masculine, like a colt who smoked way too many packs of cigarettes. Sunset felt the hairs on the back of her neck prickle up at the sound of his voice.

“What are you talking about?” Sunset angrily retorted, her fist balling in frustration. “What is a ‘Tarnished’?” She almost spat the last word in distaste.

The figure let out a sarcastic laugh, shaking his head slightly. “Why, that would be you my little lambkin. A warrior outside of Grace returning to claim the title of Elden Lord. However, just like many of your kind, you are maidenless. Without guidance, without the strength of runes, and without an invitation to the Roundtable Hold...you are fated, it seems, to die in obscurity. What a pity...”

Sunset felt her cheeks grow hot. “What does me having a marefriend have anything to do with my strength? I doubt I need this ‘Roundtable Hold’. I am Sunset Shimmer, after all, the protege of Princess Celestia Solaris, and I have the strength to claim this power despite your lack of faith.”

“Perhaps. Perhaps not. Regardless, take care to listen to kind Varre’s words, my little lambkin.” Varre pointed to the Campfire behind Sunset, making the woman raised her eyebrow a little. “That golden light, Grace as its often called, is what gives life to warriors like you. Sometimes it points in a specific direction, which is known as the Guidance of Grace. It will lead you on the path that a Tarnished like you must travel.”

Sunset narrowed her eyes at the mysterious figure. “And where should it point, Varre?”

Varre shrugged, pointing again at the Campfire. “That is for you to see, Sunset Shimmer. Take a look and tell me where you see it point.”

Sunset frowned but turned back to the Campfire, seeing a faint golden light radiate from it up in a crescent, pointing forwards towards the castle. “I see it pointing towards those cliffs up there.”

“Ah, Stormveil Castle, home of Godrick the Grafted.” Varre let out a scathing chuckle. “Then that is the path you should take, Sunset Shimmer. Madienless you may be, but perhaps the Guidance of Grace may save you. I wish you luck, my little lambkin.”

Sunset shuddered at the nickname but stepped forwards off the little cliff, preparing to head toward the shell of a church. As she walked she heard the heavy hoofsteps of a large hooved creature, making her whip her head in that direction. It sounded like a creature easily the size of an Ursa Minor, putting a large bit of concern through her heart.

Ahead of her pacing around was a large horse the size of Princess Celestia wearing golden armor, with a bipedal creature easily twice her size on its back. The creature was also wearing heavy golden armor and held a large golden halberd the size of him in its right hand as easily as her holding her sword. On the other hand was a large golden shield covered in roots, almost as big as Sunset herself. As Sunset paused it turned its head towards her and pulled on the reins, stopping the horse in its tracks.

“Uh...hi?” Sunset gave an awkward wave to the figure. The aura the creature gave off was a menacing one, not helped by the ring of crucified humanoids around it. The base of their crucifixions had been stuck to the ground and stone, but the timing of the figure meeting Sunset was impeccable.

With a speed almost impossible for a creature of its size, the bipedal figure used the reins to have the horse swing around to face Sunset and charge. Sunset quickly summoned a shield in front of herself for protection, only to have a low sweep of the halberd shatter it and send her flying backward. Sliding backward on the grass on her back, Sunset wasn’t able to defend herself from the return swing of the halberd. Her eyes widened for a moment before the halberd came down on her head...

Sunset sat up with a gasp, one hand holding her head. She had died, she was sure of it, but somehow she was sitting next to the Campfire she had found only minutes previously. Varre was still staring down at her quietly, rubbing his hands together. It took a minute but Sunset was slowly able to calm her breathing.

Somehow I came back from death...if what Varre said is true and this ‘Grace’ is what’s keeping me alive, where did this power come from?

Sunset slowly stood up, checking herself over for any wounds or scrapes. Surprisingly she found none, almost like time had rewound itself to bring her back to where she once was. She could still hear the knight and steed patrolling the area, its size and armament making it a very audible presence.

Once more Sunset went forward to the church, but this time used a simple cantrip to make her footsteps silent. With the aid of the spell, she snuck over to the church, holding her breath the entire time. The grass tall enough to reach her hand while crouched was soft, a familiar but strange feeling considering she always had a coat of fur as a buffer before.

As Sunset entered the church proper she let out the breath she was holding, relaxing slightly. The inside of the building was non-existent, with the ceiling and much of the walls long since broken away. Inside was no floor - instead, grass and other small plants grew up from the dirt. The columns that once supported the ceiling still stood, however, despite no longer being needed.

In the middle of the broken building sat another Campfire, one Sunset eagerly raced towards. As soon as she grabbed it she nearly fell over in relief, the tension of dying still racking her body. Once she looked up she noticed she wasn’t alone: a solitary person sat by a campfire tucked away in a corner. Sitting with him was what almost looked like a Saddle Arabian, albeit covered in bags rather than silk.

The figure was dressed in a red cloak and hat studded with gems and was playing a mournful song on a stringed instrument. As Sunset approached he stopped playing and raised his head, looking at her with golden eyes. The rest of his face was hidden by a cloth from his nose down, making his expression unreadable.

“Hello there.” The figure greeted her, his voice old and tired. “You are a Tarnished, I can see it. And I can also see...that you're not after my throat. Then why not purchase a little something? I am Kale, purveyor of fine goods.”

Sunset nodded and took a seat by the fire, enjoying its true warmth as the night and cold slowly began to settle in. “I am Sunset Shimmer. I will admit, I still do not understand this title of ‘Tarnished’, sounds almost like an insult.”

Kale chuckled, a good-natured one instead of Varre’s mocking laugh. “I suppose it is an insult, truth be told. It refers to a warrior who lost the sight of grace and was banished from the Lands Between, either losing it themselves or having an ancestor who lost it.”

Sunset frowned and rubbed her chin in thought. “Huh. I don’t think I have an ancestor from these lands...” She raised an eyebrow as she thought and turned back to the merchant. “Where do you fit in? Are you a Tarnished as well?”

“No, no.” Kale shook his head, waving a hand over his instrument. “I am of a nomadic people, selling wares as I travel. Tell me, are you new to the Lands Between?” Sunset simply nodded her head. “This land has been tainted by madness since the shattering of the Elden Ring. It's only warriors like yourself who keep things from drying up entirely. Let's say you're a very welcome customer.” He let out another almost hacking cough-laugh.

“I see.” Sunset frowned and shook her head. “I do not have any money at the moment, but may I lie by the fire and sleep a while? Once I do have some coin I’ll make sure to come back and purchase something.”

Kale shrugged and waved a dismissive hand. “Go ahead, take your rest. Just make sure once you head out in the morning you come back in one piece. After all, every customer counts.”

Sunset joined Kale in his dry laughter as she curled up, using an offered sack as a pillow. It wasn’t her room back in Canterlot, but she felt she could trust Kale to not kill her in her sleep. Once she gained the power she could feel this world held she could sleep in the bedding she felt she deserved, for now, she could slum it. With a yawn, she curled up and drifted off to sleep.

Author's Note

Today Sunset 'meets' Malenia, talks to the creep known as Varre, and learns that she can come back from the dead! Well, with the memories of dying but eh, hogwash when compared to the benefits!

Also pro tip: You don't have to try to fight everything! Just like Sunset learned with the Tree Sentinel! Be smart lol