Ashes

Chapters

Prologue: The Coming Storm
Cemetery of Ash: Part 1
Cemetery of Ash: Part 2
Firelink Shrine: Part 1
Firelink Shrine: Part 2
The High Wall of Lothric: Part 1
The High Wall of Lothric: Part 2
The High Wall of Lothric: Part 3
The High Wall of Lothric: Part 4
Firelink Shrine: Part 3
The High Wall of Lothric: Part 5
Undead Settlement : Part 1

Prologue: The Coming Storm

My phone rang at two o’clock in the morning.

I should have been asleep. Not only that, I should have been deep enough under that the happy chirping of my ringtone went unnoticed. But I wasn’t. And it didn’t. Instead, I stared at my fan and listened to the rain pattering against my bedroom window, debating whether or not I should expend the energy to roll over and reach for my phone. Then again, people didn’t generally make calls at two in the morning for a jovial chat. Eventually, the worry budding in my chest led me to cave and grab my phone.

A photo of Twilight was on the screen, with her number underneath. I yawned and swiped the green icon.

“Twilight?” I asked.

“Sunset! You’re awake? Awesome! I could use some help.” She sounded upset.

“Is something up?” I threw my covers off and tossed my feet over the edge of my bed.

“Do you remember that experiment I was working on the other night? Well, I was putting some finishing touches on it tonight and I completely lost track of time.”

“No kidding,” I said, glancing down at my alarm clock.

“I know, I know,” Twilight whined. “But I’ve got a serious problem.”

I slipped my feet into the cozy, bunny-shaped house shoes on the floor beside my bed and stood up. My body demanded that I stretch. I used my shoulder to pin my phone to my ear and happily reached toward the ceiling. “Hit me with it. What do you need?”

She hesitated for a second. “I just went out to start my car and something’s wrong with it. I think the battery might be dead. My parents are out of town this week and Shining isn’t answering his phone. I’m sorry I had to wake you, but I didn’t know who else to call.” She sounded like she was on the verge of crying.

“Easy, Twilight.” I tugged down one of the slats in my blinds. A wall of water poured down the other side, to the point where the streetlight in my front yard resembled nothing more than a blurry light. A flash of lightning made me flinch. I hadn’t been driving long, and the conditions made me nervous, but I couldn’t imagine leaving Twilight at school alone all night. “Do you need a ride home?”

There was a long pause on Twilight’s end before she muttered a simple, “Yes.” Another long pause. “Thank you.”

I smiled and rubbed my eye. “It’s not a problem. I’ll be there in fifteen. Just sit tight.”

“Thank you, Sunset. I owe you one.”

“Yeah. Yeah.” Chuckling, I snatched my wallet off my desk. It just barely fit in the pocket of my pajama pants. “I’m sure I’ll think of some way you can repay me. I’ll see you in a bit.”

The line went dead. I slid my phone into the opposite pocket and reached for the lamp on my bedside table. With the flick of a switch, it lit up my room enough to see without blinding me. Using the light, I opened my closet door and pulled my coat off its hanger. The studded leather felt stiff and a bit uncomfortable over my thin T-shirt, but at least it wouldn’t be ruined by the rain.

I exchanged my slippers for a pair of socks and tennis shoes. Before I left, I took a peek in the mirror. My red and gold locks looked like they’d been through a twister. It took a minute with a brush to tame it into a somewhat presentable form.

When that was done, I made my way downstairs through the kitchen, and to the laundry room. As I stepped out into my garage, I plucked my keychain from the hook. It had two keys and a unicorn keychain. A gift from Twilight. Or, the other Twilight. The pony version. It made me chuckle every time I locked my door.

Once in the driver’s seat, I adjusted my mirrors and tapped the button to open the garage door. The scene outside looked worse than it had from my bedroom. The rain was coming down hard. Just from here, I could see a deluge of water pouring down from my overflowing gutters.

“Celestia’s sake, it’s really coming down out there, huh?” I muttered to myself as I pushed the key into the ignition. It turned and the engine purred to life. Headlights switched on to reveal a wall of water blocking my way. I took a deep breath and pressed down on the gas pedal. As I cruised out from under the safety of my garage, the quiet interior of my car became a warzone.

Rain pounded down on the roof like cannonfire.

Explosions of lightning lit up the world.

Thunder rattled the very earth beneath my tires.

And here I was, a first-year driver, attempting to navigate the winding suburbs during it. Despite how often I’d done it, sitting behind the wheel felt foreign to me. The design of the seats, the placement of the levers and buttons. It all felt tailored to the human body. And even if I had one now, I still felt awkward in it. Even after a few years living in the human world, I guess I still had the soul of a pony.

The crack of thunder broke my introspection.

I could practically hear my driver’s-ed teacher’s voice in my head, berating me. “Both eyes on the road. Both hands on the wheel.” She had a point. This probably wasn’t the time to be losing myself in thought.

As I pulled up to the stop sign, I turned my windshield wipers up another notch. They were bouncing back and forth fast enough that it almost made me dizzy. But even with them turned up as far as they could go, the world outside my windows was blurred by water. The streetlights vanished everytime the lightning blasted. And in the brief moments of light, I could see the outline of the school ahead. After checking both ways, I let my foot off the break and started to roll forward again.

In a few minutes, I pulled into the school parking lot. It felt odd, seeing the lot like this. Usually, I could barely inch my way through the crowd of high school students flooding out from the building at the end of the day. Late at night, though, I could only see a single car. An old station wagon. The one that belonged to one of Shining Armor’s friends. The one Twilight used when she needed to haul her equipment.

I pulled in next to Twilight’s car and killed the engine.

I sat in my car for a while, listening to the rain. Closing my eyes, I tried to determine if the rain was slowing down at all. Didn’t sound like it. Instead, I pulled my coat tight and kept my head down as I opened the door. I slipped out as fast as I could and slammed the door behind me as I ran for the nearest door.

Despite the run only lasting for a few seconds, I found myself absolutely drenched by the time I made it into cover. After taking a moment to wring myself out, I opened the door. Twilight had propped the door open with a small wedge. I couldn’t imagine Principal Celestia would be thrilled to know that, especially with the miniature lake building up in the yard just outside. Just in case the water rose any higher, I removed the blockage and tossed it aside, letting the door close with a clank.

The hallways themselves were almost pitch black, lit only by the occasional flash from outside that managed to sneak in through the windows. I’d spent enough time in these halls that navigating them wasn’t an issue, but that familiarity did little to counter the eerie atmosphere of my school after dark. My brain kept telling me something was wrong, that I wasn’t supposed to be here. My phone’s light brought me a slim peace of mind, though, as I pulled it from my pocket.

“I’m here. Where are you?” I typed.

“By the gym. I’ve got just a few things left to finish up.” Came Twilight’s reply.

I clutched my phone to my chest and started towards the gymnasium. Each footstep against the linoleum rang like a church bell. Echoes bounced back from the empty classrooms, making it sound like a second set of footsteps were following me, trying and failing to match their stride to mine. The noise kept me glancing over my shoulder.

And my paranoia only grew worse as I entered the gym. Empty hallways were one thing. But the empty gym was another beast entirely. The large open space, like an abyss, left me feeling exposed. Wind howled and rain drummed against the roof, effectively deafening me as I stepped out onto the court. At the far end of the gym, I could see an open door with a small shape standing in it.

For a brief moment, I froze, a cold chill racing up my spine.

“Sunset!”

I exhaled in relief and knelt down, patting my knee. Spike’s claws clicked against the floor as he bounded toward me.

“Hey, Spike,” I said, scratching behind his ear. “You scared me a bit, there.”

“Oh. Sorry.” He gave an apologetic smile.

“Is Twilight around here?”

“She’s downstairs in the lab.”

“The . . . lab?” I asked, arching my eyebrow. “I didn’t know the gym had a lab.”

“It . . . uh . . . didn’t last week,” he explained, turning and bounding off back towards the door. I followed his adorable wagging tail all the way through the backstage area, toward a staircase leading down. I’d only ever been down here a handful of times, but I didn’t remember anything down here aside from old storerooms full of sports equipment.

Spike led me past a few of said rooms, until we reached one with the door open and a light on inside. With the sound of the rain now muted a fair bit, I could hear the clicking of keys on a keyboard, as well as the occasional huff of frustration.

“Come on, another error? I thought we fixed that already!” Twilight yelled at her computer screen as I slipped in. The purple-haired nerd sat at a worn down computer desk, dressed head-to-toe in her pajamas. She had her laptop in the center, with two other monitors on either side. The few gaps of empty space left on the desk were buried in snack bags and empty coffee cups. I cleared my throat, causing Twilight to jump in her seat.

“Hey, Sunset,” she said, twirling her chair around to face me.

“What’s up?” I asked, leaning against the door frame. “You ready to go?”

“Almost. I’ve just got to get through this last bit, but the system is giving me some trouble.” She sighed. “I’m sorry you had to come down here and help me like this.” She turned her head away and rubbed her arm.

“No harm done. It’s not like I was sleeping anyways,” I said with a shrug.

Twilight returned to her keyboard. I watched as lines of code and a few progress bars filled the screen. They didn’t seem to be moving anywhere fast. So, I decided to step inside. Turns out, I was right in my earlier prediction about the sports equipment. Although it wasn’t here now, I could still smell stale sweat.

I paced around the concrete storeroom for a while, careful to step over the masses of cables scattered across the floor. They ran all across the room, from Twilight’s desk, to a piece of junk that I think was a generator sitting against the far wall, to the large metal platform in the middle of the room.

“What’s this?” I asked, pointing down.

“What’s what?” Twilight asked. She peered over the top of her monitors and adjusted her glasses. “Oh, that’s my newest invention. Or . . . my next invention?” She shook her head. “That’s what I’ve been working on the last few weeks.”

“Oh.” I glanced back down at the metal disc. It looked a bit like a small stage. Several cables, each about as thick as my arm, were plugged into the side. “But what is it?” I asked again.

Twilight didn’t look away from her screen this time. “It’s an interdimensional gateway. Or that’s what it’s going to be, as soon as I can figure out what’s wrong with it.”

“An . . . interdimensional gateway?” Yeah, that sounded about right for her. Nevertheless, I felt a cold hand grip my stomach. “Twilight, you aren’t messing around with magic again, are you?”

I heard the typing stop. I glanced over to see Twilight with her hands in her lap, her head hung low. “No. Never again.” She sounded scared. And a little bit hurt. “But all of that . . . stuff that happened last year got me thinking.” She stood and stepped out from behind her desk to join me beside the metal stage. “I realized that this world is just one of so many. I wondered what other worlds might be out there. What could we learn from them?”

“That’s a . . .” I bit my lip. “That sounds like it could be a dangerous line of thought.”

Twilight turned to face me. She had a spark in her eyes that I hadn’t seen before. Something about it made me antsy. “I think I figured out a way to make it safely. I spent some time sifting over my old records. I managed to recreate the effect without needing magic. And using that, I can open a stable portal to another world. Without damaging either one.” She flinched. “Hopefully.”

“Twilight . . .” I sighed and ran my fingers through my hair.

“Sunset, I promise. I’ve put safety above everything else on this project. But I’m still a scientist at heart. I can’t look at a phenomenon like this and just throw it away.” She stopped and took a step back. “Or . . . or am I just losing it again?” Her eyes darted back and forth around the room before glancing up at me. “I’m . . . am I doing something wrong?”

I looked down at the machine, then back to the scientist almost cowering at my side. I couldn’t think of something to say. I mean, sure, this was dangerous. But I had been a magical researcher once, too. Eager to learn, to experiment. And plenty of that work had been just as dangerous.

“Just promise me that you’ll stop if things start getting out of hand again, okay?”

“Yeah. Of course.” Twilight nodded.

I put a hand on her shoulder. She looked at it, then back up at me. “Now, can you please finish up whatever you were trying to do? If we stay here too long, my car’s going to wash away in the storm.” I offered her the sincerest smile I could manage.

She beamed back at me. Her head seemed just a little higher, her shoulders a little straighter. I wondered how long that question had been eating at her. I understood. Not too long ago, I had been in her shoes. Part of me wondered if maybe she was starting to have nightmares, too.

“Oh, come on!” Twilight banged her fist on her desk, snapping me out of my daze.

“Still not working?” I asked, planting myself behind her and watching over her shoulder. Her computer spit error after error at her.

“No,” she muttered.

“Anything I can do to help?” I offered.

Twilight turned her head just enough to watch me from the corner of her eye. “Do you know anything about computers?”

“Nope,” I said confidently.

“Then I doubt it.” She groaned and threw her head back. “I’m sorry this is taking so long, Sunset. But I’ve got to get this data backed up. There’s weeks worth of research here that I can’t risk losing if something gets fried.” As though the universe itself were mocking her efforts, thunder crashed outside, causing the lights to flicker momentarily. “See?”

“And just what is this data you’re saving?” I asked. I may not have understood computers, but I did understand data.

“I had my first test run tonight,” Twilight explained, not taking her eyes off the screen. “I’ve spent the last six hours calibrating this thing in preparation. Lots of time spent tweaking long formulas and equations.” A loading bar appeared on her screen. “But, if I can incorporate that data, I should be able to create a functional portal.” She paused her typing as the bar started to fill. “I tried already, but the system lost power right in the middle of the test. I’ll probably have to sift through the hard drive later to look for corruption.”

I nodded enthusiastically. I had no idea what hard drive she was referring to. The only hard drive I could think of would be the one back home. At least, judging by the utter chaos I could hear from the world above.

More lightning. Louder thunder. This time, the lights flickered for several seconds before sputtering out. I heard Twilight yelp as she jumped up, knocking over her chair. Oddly, her computer was the one thing that didn’t seem to have lost electricity. I glanced back at the generator in the corner. It, too, still had its lights on, blinking in a vain attempt to ward off the darkness.

“No. Nononononono,” Twilight stammered as she grabbed a flashlight from her desk drawer.

“What are you doing?” I asked, taking a step toward her.

“I’m going to go check out the breaker. If we’re lucky, it’s just a tripped fuse and I can have the power back on before the generator dies.” Twilight didn’t give me a chance to respond before flicking on her light and sprinting out of the room. Spike followed on her heels.

“Guess I’ll just wait here,” I muttered, crossing my arms.

After a minute, I heard the sound of a sputtering engine. I watched as the lights on the generator blipped out. Twilight’s computer died, plunging the room into pitch blackness. In the dark, I could hear the slightest sounds of rain above, broken only by my occasional breathing.

And then the sirens started.

I felt my heart climb into my throat. In the short time I’d lived in the human world, I’d heard the sirens ring fairly often. But those were only drills. Something told me that this wasn’t a drill.

Before I could even think about what I should do, the world itself shook with thunder. The lights clicked back on and Twilight’s machine switched back on. A sound like a whirring engine filled the room, but it came from the machine itself, rather than the generator. I stood for a second, listening to it climb in pitch and volume. The smell of burning ozone filled the room.

My instincts told me to run. And I tried. But as I took my first step, I felt my foot snag on the thick cable bundle.

I tripped.

I barely even had time to realize I was falling before everything went blank.

I couldn’t think. I couldn’t hear the storm or the sirens. I couldn’t hear the machines. Everything around me ceased to exist as Twilight’s machine filled the room with a blinding bright light.

Cemetery of Ash: Part 1

As the light started to fade, I finally hit the ground. I just barely managed to get my hands out in front of me, catching myself before landing facedown in the dirt. My ears were ringing, my vision blurry. I tightened my grip on the ground, trying to steady myself. I felt sick as my fingers dug into the mud and roots beneath me. I spent several seconds huddled over, trying to catch my breath.

And once I did, I realized what was wrong.

When my vision cleared, I stood to take in my surroundings.

My initial thoughts weren’t mistaken. I was standing in the middle of a patch of mud and tree roots. I couldn’t hear any rain, but I could hear the wind. It was howling around me, and I could feel its cold touch through my thin pajamas. Above, the dark and stormy night had somehow given way to a cloudy, overcast morning.

At first, I thought that I might have blacked out. And while I was out, Twilight had dragged me out of the gym and onto the school’s front lawn. It would explain how I’d gotten outside and how so much time had passed without me noticing. But there was a problem with that theory.

It didn’t explain the tombstones.

I yelped and toppled backwards away from them.

Where did I even begin to try and explain?

In front of me, a pile of tombstones were all crammed together haphazardly. They looked abandoned, overgrown with pale growth and old enough that time had worn away any inscriptions they might have once had. But, as I looked around, I realized it wasn’t just the one pile. All around me, mountains of stone stood tall, their cliff faces formed from cut stone and graves.

I squeezed my eyes shut and took a deep breath.

“Okay,” I muttered to myself. “Keep it together, Sunset.” I held my breath for a few seconds, before exhaling slowly. And then I opened my eyes again and the cycle started all over again. I could feel my heart hammering away in my chest, could feel my throat close tight and my stomach turn.

Maybe I hadn’t blacked out after all.

I tried to think of what steps had brought me here. I’d been in bed, then I’d gone to the school, then Twilight’s machine . . . had taken me somewhere. I shook my head. Okay, maybe I did have an idea for how. Now I just needed a where.

I didn’t recognize anything around me. There were the aforementioned tombstones. Those weren’t helpful. In fact, they didn’t do much aside from run a chill up my spine. Besides them, the only other things around were bare trees and crumbling stone ruins. Above all of it, loomed a castle that would look more in place in Equestria than anything I’d seen in the human realm.

Then again, I had only seen a small portion of the human world. And I still had my hands and feet. So maybe this was just a piece of the human world I hadn’t seen before. That thought relieved some of the tension in my shoulders. It still wasn’t good by any stretch of the imagination, but it was better than ending up in a whole other world. Of course, I had no solid proof of that.Even so, it gave me the strength I needed to stand up and take a few staggered steps.

Behind me, and to either side, cliff faces blocked my path. But I could still move forward, into the valley before me. The scenery didn’t change much. Up ahead were just more ruins and more tombs. A graveyard, unlike any I’d ever seen in any world.

With my arms wrapped tight around myself, I stumbled forward. I could feel my shoes getting stuck in the mud as I trudged along. But that didn’t last long. After a few feet, the mud turned to cut stone, and then disappeared beneath nearly a foot of standing water.

I didn’t have much choice. I shuffled forward, dipping the edge of my mud-soaked shoe into the water. It was warmer than I expected. That is to say, it wasn’t freezing. My eyes darted around, desperate for something, anything that might have looked even the slightest bit familiar. And because of that, I missed the root lurking just below the water’s surface.

Another startled yelp tore from my lips as I crashed into the water, slamming my knees and palms against the jagged stone. I quickly pulled my hands from the water for inspection. The fall hadn’t been kind to them. Beads of blood were starting to form where I’d scraped them against the sharp stone edge.

But that wasn’t the end of it.

As I knelt there, sucking air through my teeth, I heard the sound of splashing.

I looked up just in time to see someone a few feet ahead, marching through the water. At first glance, they appeared almost human. At a second glance, it became clear that they really weren’t. At least, not a normal one. They had the same overall shape of a normal human. Two arms, two legs, a head. But there was something wrong with them. Most of their body was hidden beneath a ragged black cloak. The only parts of them that I could see, their arms and legs, looked . . . wrong. Their skin was paler than any human I’d ever seen before, with strange markings coiling around their limbs that faintly resembled cracks. They looked diseased, or maybe rotting, and moved with an odd, lurching gait.

As I turned to look at the empty graves around me, a cold dread gripped me.

It did kind of look like a zombie. I couldn’t deny that.

They staggered around, their heads on a swivel beneath their black hood. I could see their teeth, crooked and yellowed, constantly opening and closing as though they were struggling to speak.

A silver glint drew my eye downward. Down by its side, the creature’s broken fingers were wrapped tightly around the handle of a blade. I’d seen swords before. I remember watching the guards back in Canterlot as they trained in the yards below. But this was different. The weapon was as broken as its master. The leather on the pommel had rotted away, and the blade was snapped off after only a few inches of dirtied steel. There was a dark edge to the weapon, one that I could only see as dried blood.

The figure stopped only a few feet away from me. Despite how feverishly it scanned and how close it stood to me, it didn’t seem to notice me. I held my breath, waiting for it to grow bored and wander back the way it came. But it didn’t. Instead, it just stood there, perfectly still. Like a statue. I don’t think it was even breathing.

Whatever this thing was doing, I wouldn’t be able to wait it out. My lungs were burning, and it showed no signs of moving on. So I risked a slow exhale, followed by an equally slow inhale. Though the creature twitched, I still don’t think it noticed me. Only when I was sure it wasn’t coming towards me, I took my eyes off of it. I scanned around the water beneath me and finally found what I needed. A broken bit of stone, just large enough to fit in the palm of my hand.

I moved slowly, trying my best to keep the water from rippling. My fingers wrapped around the rock, dragging it back closer to me before lifting it out of the water. With a silent grunt, I tossed it as hard as I could into the bushes to my side.

And for a moment, my plan worked. The creature’s head lurched upward in the direction of the thrown rock. After a tense moment, it shambled forward into the thicket, searching right where the rock had landed. If I weren’t biting my tongue, I might have cheered.

Of course, only then did I realize how little my efforts actually meant.

Sure, I’d gotten the creature to turn its back to me. But aside from the howling of the wind, there were no other noises to cover up the sound of my waterlogged footsteps. I decided my best choice would be to stick with slow, quiet, low profile movements. To that end, I inched my arms forward. The scrapes on my palms burned as they drifted across the stone.

Once I’d reached as far as I could, I started to draw one of my outstretched legs forward. It moved in tiny increments, producing only the smallest ripples and the barest audible sounds. On my hands and knees like this, I crawled forward, but kept my gaze behind me, on the creature digging through the bushes.

I was so busy watching the first that I didn’t notice the second one approaching. Not until he hit the edge of the water just a few feet from me. The sudden splashing tore my attention forward.

The newcomer’s lanky form twitched. His hand tightened around his broken sword. His eyes were on me. I could feel them. I could also feel the hostility in his gaze and the raspy growls under his breath.

As slowly as I could, I raised my hands from the water.

“I’m not here to cause trouble—”

That was the wrong move. The creature hissed and started forward. Its awkward and uneven movements changed. They became more focused, more threatening. The thing moved like a wild animal chasing its prey.

It was on me before I could get to my feet. I felt the weight of its body slam into me, knocking me onto my back. Despite the sallow frame, the creature’s movements carried power. I could feel the weight of it on my chest, keeping my body pinned down. An emaciated, claw-like hand grabbed the side of my face and pushed me down, forcing my head beneath the water.

My mind raced. I kicked my legs and tried to push the creature off of me, but it didn’t budge. From the corner of my eyes, through the murk and foam of the water’s surface, I saw the creature raise its knife. Everything was a blur. It never even occurred to me to brace myself.

It brought the knife down, and I felt the cold steel tear through my right shoulder. I think I tried to scream, but all that came out were bubbles, only adding to the chaos of the scene. I don’t know if it was some sort of adrenaline rush or divine intervention, but I found my body reacting in my mind’s absence.

I felt my hand slide against something in the mud. Something rough and heavy. I grabbed on tight and pulled. I felt it slide free of the muck and put all of my strength into one last swing.

I felt a crack as whatever I had impacted against the creature’s skull.

Then I felt its grip loosen.

Taking advantage of the sudden slack, I pushed my attacker away and yanked myself up out of the water for a deep breath. My attacker lay slumped on his side. He had a sharp-edged rock protruding from his temple. From his wound, several dark red lines spilled out into the water, only clouding the depths further.

My stomach churned. If not for the adrenaline, I probably would’ve been sick. I had hurt ponies and people before. But this was something else. Watching the blood flow made me light-headed. I tried to tell myself that it was in self-defense. That I had done it out of instinct to survive, not out of malice. It didn’t matter how true they were, it didn’t wash away the bitter taste in my mouth.

But the growling behind me told me that I didn’t have time to think about any of that right now. I turned around just in time to see the first creature I’d encountered barreling down on me, his blade leading the charge.

This time I managed to shake myself out of my stupor in time to side-step his stab. I followed it up with a hefty shove, knocking him off-balance and sending him tumbling into the water beside his friend. He climbed back to his feet and came at me again. This time, he only made two or three steps before he tripped and crumpled to a heap on the ground.

Only when he was still, I finally noticed the cause of the sudden dive. He had a wooden bolt stuck in the back of his head. I looked up to where the shot had come from.

About thirty feet away, a man stood on a flight of stone steps. He appeared to be in the final stages of reloading his crossbow. I watched him load a second, identical bolt into his weapon. Unlike the thing that had attacked me, this warrior was dressed head-to-toe in battle-tested plate armor, with bits of chainmail hanging out in between.

I felt my sickness return.

I had barely managed to fend off one of those zombie looking things. But this new arrival was a different story. And here I was, tired, half-drowned, and with a knife in my shoulder. I only had one option left. In my head, I prayed to Celestia, wherever she might be.

“Please, don’t shoot. I need help!”

After a long silence, the soldier slid his crossbow onto his back and walked forward. I tried my best to look non-threatening. It wasn’t hard. After all, this soldier must have stood a foot and a half taller than me. Besides his crossbow, I could see a long sword at his side and a shield on his back.

I started to tremble as he drew closer. As he reached out toward me, I squinted my eyes, bracing for . . . I wasn’t really sure what. Could I trust this man? Could I even communicate with him? What if everyone in this land was as violent as the two that had attacked me before? I was so wrapped up in my thoughts, I didn’t notice him reach for the dagger lodged in my shoulder. With any warning, he yanked it free.

And in an instant, I was on my knees, screaming. With my good hand, I held the wound as tightly as I could, but I could still feel the blood seeping out between my fingers. A dark red stain spilled down the front of my shirt. My head started to spin.

The soldier knelt down beside me. Through the tears in my eyes, I could see him fish for something in one of the bags on his belt. After a second of searching, he produced a small bottle filled with gold-orange liquid. He popped the cork off the top and offered it to me.

“Here. Use this. It’ll help.” His voice was deep, but still soft enough that I could barely hear him over my own pulse pounding in my ears.

With my damaged arm, I tried to reach out and take the drink, but only succeeded in causing the damaged flesh to twitch helplessly on the ground. If the soldier noticed my struggle, he didn’t care. He made no move to help me, nor said anything to try and calm me down.

I was on my own here. I only had one choice.

Sucking a breath in through my teeth, I released the pressure on my wound. The pain renewed and my blood flowed more freely. In return, I could use my good hand to take his offering. My bloodstained fingers stuck to the glass as I took it from his hand. I could feel warmth radiating out from it. With nothing to lose, I pressed the glass to my lips and threw my head back.

The drink was . . . difficult to describe.

The consistency reminded me of cough syrup. Thick, sludgy, and sticky. But the taste was something I’d never experienced before. It reminded me of drinking hot cocoa on a snowy winter day, but without even the barest hint of sweetness. I could really only think of it like drinking pure, bottled warmth.

Like a hot cocoa, though, I could feel that warm, cozy feeling spread throughout my body. It soothed my aching muscles, dulled the pain in my shoulder, and even calmed me down a little. Most surprisingly, though, was that the effects weren’t just limited to pain relief. As the wave of heat passed over my wound, the bleeding slowed, then quickly stopped. Despite knowing better, I felt brand new.

“Better?” The soldier asked.

I stared at him, then glanced down at the bottle, then back at him.

“That was incredible,” I muttered, in awe of the concoction’s effects. He grabbed the bottle in my hand, but waited for me to release my grip before returning it to its pouch. “Sorry about the blood.”

He stood, turned his back to me, and started walking away.

“Wait!” I yelled.

He stopped and glanced back over his shoulder.

Questions buzzed in my head. Questions that I desperately needed answered. Where was I? What were those things that attacked me? Who was the man that had saved me? Just what sort of potion had he given me? But something told me that this stranger didn’t have the patience for twenty questions, and I really didn’t want to end up on his bad side. So I chose a more straightforward approach.

“Thank you,” I said, bowing my head.

I couldn’t see his face, but liked to imagine he was smirking behind his mask.

“Follow me. There’s a bonfire not far from here. We can talk while we rest.”

Without another word, he started walking again, back toward the ruins he had appeared from. I ran through the possibilities in my head. Right now, all I knew about this stranger is that he’d saved my life, and that was enough for me to trust him. So, after taking a moment to stand and steady myself, I followed.

He led me through what might have once been a castle courtyard. Crumbling stone walls still drew the rough outline of a building. A stone basin sat in the center of the courtyard. The rock was dry as bone. Another body leaned up against the centerpiece, but his armor was old and rusted, signaling that he must have been dead long before today.

That wasn’t the only body we passed, though. Several more of the black-clad pale creatures were strewn about. Some had been cut to ribbons. Others had their heads removed. For the sake of my growing nausea, I tried my best to ignore them, to keep my focus on the soldier in front of me.

He led me out of the valley and onto another stone path. Unlike the paths before, this one opened up after a few steps, revealing a cliff side view that overlooked an endless mountain range. I dared to step closer to the edge, knocking loose a few stones and sending them plummeting hundreds of feet into the mist below.

The view reminded me of Canterlot. Looking out on a mountain range from a high enough point that you were looking down on snow-covered mountaintops. Of course, none of the cliffs I’d seen in Canterlot plummeted straight down into nothingness. I took a generous step backwards.

In a strange sort of way, though, behind the horror of it all, the scene was gorgeous. The strangeness of it all was something I had never seen in the human world. In fact, it reminded me more of the mountain paths in Equestria.

I didn’t have much time to admire the view, though. I hurried up the thin trail behind my companion. He was waiting for me at the end of the path, at the highest point of the cliff. On one side, the mountains of graves blocked our view, and on the other there was just the endless stone ocean.

Wordlessly, the soldier led me into a small alcove created by an overhang of crumbling tombstones. In the center of the alcove was a sword, the tip of its blade embedded into a pile of bone and ash. The twisted, blackened metal of the blade glowed with a faint orange heat. The soldier moved to the far side and sat down, using one of the headstones to lean back on. I was hesitant, but followed his example and sat down opposite him.

This wasn’t exactly the sort of bonfire I’d envisioned. Definitely not like the ones back in my . . .well, in the human world. Instead of a pile of firewood built up to feed the flames, there was just a pile of white ash with the occasional bleached bone poking out of it. But even with little to fuel it, the fire burned well enough to chase away the cold mountain air. I felt all the tension in my body start to fade.

My curiosity demanded to know more. It wanted me to study this new world, to learn all I could. Maybe I could even get some insight into a possible way home. But I couldn’t sustain myself on just curiosity. It didn’t take long before the sounds of the wind and the heat of the fire took advantage of my lack of sleep. Before I closed my eyes and drifted off to sleep, my last thoughts were of Twilight and my friends.

I would find a way home. No matter what.

Crackling flames. Howling winds. They were all I could hear.

I didn’t want to open my eyes. I thought that maybe, somehow, if I just kept them closed, I could imagine myself back home, maybe on a hiking trail. My friends and I would have stopped for the night, gathering around a fire to keep warm. We’d have laughed and talked deep into the night, like before. And I’d be sitting next to Twilight. Close enough that I could hear her soft breath as she fell asleep on my shoulder.

But I wasn’t home. My friends weren’t here. And the only breathing I could hear was my own. As much as I wished otherwise, I was stuck here, in this strange world. And I wouldn’t find my way home by just sitting here and wishing. There was only one choice. To keep moving forward.

I opened my eyes.

In truth, almost nothing had changed in the time they’d been closed. The fire burned weakly, but had not diminished. The sky overhead was still overcast. Cold wind still assaulted our cliffside hideaway. Strangest of all, the mysterious man that had brought me here hadn’t budged an inch.

I had definitely slept, though. I felt reinvigorated. And more importantly, my poor upright posture had left me with a serious ache in my neck. Planting one hand against the gravel, I stood. One hand went to rub my eye while the other stretched toward the sky. My jaw popped softly as it tried to work out a monstrous yawn.

“Are you rested?”

The voice sent a jolt through my body. I didn’t realize he was awake.

“Yeah,” I said.

“Good. The path to the shrine isn’t a long one, but we still have trials to face.”

I blinked at him. “The shrine?”

Though I couldn’t see anything through his helmet’s visor, I could feel his eyes on me. Instead of speaking, though, he pointed off into the distance to my right. I saw more mountains of graves. A path between them led into a large coliseum. Behind that, at the top of the next hill and dangling precariously over the cliff’s edge, I could see a ruin of sorts. A large, circular stone dome sitting in the shadow of a massive bell tower. The shrine in question, I guessed. It looked enough like a church or temple. Still, the dire shape of the building left me feeling a little hesitant about what I might find there.

“Is that it?” I asked, trying my best not to sound unimpressed. I don’t think it worked.

“According to the legends, that’s Firelink Shrine.”

“Sounds important,” I muttered under my breath. “What’s so special about it?”

He stayed quiet for a long time. Briefly, I worried that I might have insulted him somehow.

“Where are you from?” He finally asked.

I bit down on my tongue. It’s an obvious question. One that I wanted to ask him myself and one I knew I would have to answer sooner or later. I just wish it had been a little later. By then, maybe I would have an answer. “That’s kind of hard to explain.” My shoulders slumped. “Honestly, I’m not quite sure how to explain it.”

More silence. I couldn’t blame him. That was a terrible answer.

“I see,” he said. “There’s no shame in it. I don’t remember my homeland either.”

That wasn’t exactly what I’d meant. I remembered my home perfectly. Both of them, in fact. Still, I suppose it served the same purpose. How could I explain my situation to him? I’m a visitor from another world that got caught in an exploding teleporter. Even I thought I sounded crazy. And I lived it.

How could this man possibly understand that? Maybe if this were some technologically advanced world, I could make a little bit of sense. But here? In a land where swords and shields seemed to be cutting-edge, I didn’t have a chance.

“Judging by your clothes, I would say you’re a foreigner to these lands.” The knight reasoned. “But that’s about all I can say. I’ve never seen anything like them in any land. At least, not that I can recall.”

“Yeah.” I nodded. “That sounds about right.”

“Still, I thought even foreigners knew the story of Firelink Shrine.”

I shook my head. “Sorry. I don’t know.”

“Nothing to apologize for.” The knight grabbed a nearby tombstone, using it to lift himself up from the dirt. “Either way, it does not change our goals. I must make it to the shrine. And even if the curse doesn’t call you there yet, it’s probably one the only safe places left in this world. You can stay there.”

My eyebrow peaked. “Curse?”

The knight checked the buckles on his sheath. “You mean to tell me that you have no knowledge of the undead curse, either?”

My mouth went dry. Did he say undead? Like the things in the graveyard.

“I don’t.”

“Hmm.” He checked his hip pouch. From here, I could see the golden glow of his potion bottle. “It seems you’ve suffered quite a bit from the curse. But I can tell that you’re no Hollow. Strange.”

A Hollow? I didn’t bother to ask out loud this time. He was suspicious enough.

“Very well. Let us make our way to the shrine. Perhaps something there will patch those holes in your memory,” the knight said. “Let’s not waste any more time.” He grabbed his shield from where it was leaning against a grave. He grabbed the handle tight in one hand while he drew his sword with the other.

“Wait,” I said. He tossed me a sideways glance. “I still have a few questions.”

“We’ll have time for questions later. The Hollows will be rising again soon.”

“Can you at least tell me your name?”

Without a word, the knight marched off. He started down a second path, opposite the one that we’d come from. It was the path I’d seen from the cliff. The one that wound through the mountains of gravestones. I made a mental note to come up with a name. For now, I settled for referring to him as Knight.

I followed Mister Knight down into the valley. He moved slowly and kept his shield ready. Along the way, we passed more of those dark-robed creatures. Unlike the first group, these ones appeared whole and undamaged. Still, they didn’t move as we approached. They weren’t even breathing.

“Stop.” The knight’s voice was low, nearly a whisper.

In front of us was the coliseum area I spotted from our camp. Up close, I could see just how large it really was. Brick walls barred most of our path. Except, of course, for the large wooden doors.

But none of that was the reason we stopped.

One of the creatures – A Hollow, I guessed – was slouched against the door. Like the others around here, I couldn’t see any overt wounds on him. Which clashed with the bloody streak smeared across the door behind him.

“Stay back,” Sir Knight said as he took a step forward.

The Hollow twitched.

Despite the distance between us, I found myself involuntarily retreating.

Mister Knight took another step. Then another. In the blink of an eye, the apparently dead monster sprung to life. Knight seemed ready for it, though. He rushed forward with his shield up, catching the creature in the chest and ramming it back into the door hard enough to crack the wood. Before it could recover, the soldier swung his blade, cutting the monster from hip to shoulder. Blood sprayed across the door, its pattern almost identical to the first.

I put a hand over my mouth as the body split cleanly in two. I stumbled back from the violent display, only to stumble straight into a cold body. Whirling around, I found myself face-to-face with another Hollow. This one held a full-sized broadsword over its head.

I tried to move, but my body refused. My knees were numb.

Trapped, I could do nothing but watch as the blade came down towards me.

Then, a rough hand pulled at the back of my collar. I sprawled backwards. The words itself started to spin as I tumbled head-over-heels into the dirt. I heard metal clash against stone. I watched as the Hollow’s sword bounced off the stone where I’d been standing only a moment before. The recoil staggered the creature momentarily.

Before it could recover, my companion stepped between us.

The Hollow didn’t pause. It drew its blade back again then lunged for another attack.

Knight rushed forward to meet the attack. He knocked the sword aside with his shield and drove his own sword into the Hollow’s stomach. He twisted the handle of his sword and tore it out again with a spray of red. The Hollow hit the ground, but the soldier didn’t stop. He took a long step and brought his boot down hard against the creature’s skull.

Realizing what was about to happen, I squeezed my eyes shut.

But that didn’t stop me from hearing the thundering crack of bone and splattering of gray matter. Truthfully, closing my eyes might have made it worse, as my mind tried to imagine what it might have looked like.

“Are you alright?” Knight asked.

Turning my head away from the grizzly scene, my eyes crept open.

“I . . . I’m . . .” I wiped my tears away. “I’m sorry.”

“Did it hurt you?”

“No. I just . . . thank you for saving me. I don’t know what happened. I just . . . froze.”

Neither of us said anything for a few moments.

“Come on. We need to keep moving.” He put his sword away and offered me a hand. Hesitantly, I reached out and took it. I could feel warm blood on his cold metal gauntlet. “Here. Take this. It might be helpful in a situation like that.” He walked off towards the corpse, but I didn’t watch. He returned a moment later, holding the Hollow’s sword.

“What am I supposed to do with that?” I asked, looking the weapon up and down.

“I might not always be able to protect you. You need a weapon of your own.”

“I . . .” I shook my head. “I don’t know how to use it.” It was mostly the truth. I did practice a bit back when I studied under Celestia. But that was a lifetime ago. And back then, I had my magic to help.

“Hold it like this.” He took my hand and slid the hilt of the blade into my palm before trying to model the proper technique. It was heavier than I expected. Only a few pounds, I guessed, but still not easy to swing.

From there, we continued our journey forward.

Knight kicked a piece of the Hollow away from the door and pushed it open, allowing both of us into the coliseum. Just beyond the entrance, a messy stone staircase led down into a wide, open-air arena.

Like the rest of this cursed area, the walls were lined with tombstones. Unlike before, though, these ones weren’t quite as abandoned. Though I couldn’t read it, several of them still had legible text. Collections of half-melted candles were scattered around the room, a few of which were still lit. In the center of the building, a small pond had formed around a circular raised area. Upon that small stage seemed to be some sort of statue. A kneeling warrior wearing a crown on his head and an inhumanly large halberd embedded into the stone beside him.

As we reached the bottom of the steps, more of the arena came into view.

The first thing to catch my attention was the wall to our right. Or rather, the lack of one. A large chunk of the arena had collapsed into the abyss below. On the side opposite that, I could see a gargantuan tree. The biggest I’d ever seen, I think. Much like everything else in this world, though, it appeared dead. It’s dry, cracking roots climbed across the walls of the structure.

The strangest thing waited at the base of the tree, though. At first glance, I thought it might have been a coffin. That would have fit the theme of the graveyard around it, certainly, except that this one was the size of a bus. Even from this distance, I could see the ornate carvings across the mossy stone. I could also see that the lid was open.

None of it seemed to interest my companion, though.

He kept his attention firmly on the statue.

I followed him through the ring of water. As we neared the statue, a numbing dread passed over me. It wasn’t stone carved in the shape of a man. Rather, it was a man dressed in engraved steel armor. Much like a statue, though, he didn’t respond even as we moved nearer. Whoever this man was, he must’ve been dead. He didn’t breathe, and aside from the cloth bits and chains on his armor swinging in the breeze, he wasn’t moving. The only part of him that seemed to be remotely alive was a strange black sludge growing out the back of his armor. Aside from looking disgusting, though, it didn’t seem dangerous.

Strangest of all, this statuesque warrior had a blade run through his chest. A blade that I recognized. The same sort of coiled, blackened sword that had been embedded in our bonfire from earlier.

“What is this?” I asked.

“I don’t know.” Knight kept one hand on his sword.

Over the kneeling warrior’s shoulder, I could see another door, lit by two torch sconces on either side. “Look over there. Think that’s an exit.” Above the door, Firelink Shrine loomed.

“Only one way to know.”

This time, I took the lead as I hopped across the flooded ring and up another short staircase. This door looked far more ornate than the last. Engravings of symbols I didn’t recognize littered every inch of the metal gate.

Summoning my strength, I pressed my shoulder against the door.

It didn’t budge.

“Here, let me help.” Knight put his shoulder to the other door. Together, we both leaned into our respective side of the door. Nothing.

“Wow, that’s really sturdy,” I said, panting.

“It’s not just sturdy.” He turned and started back toward the kneeling warrior. “It’s locked.”

“Where are you going?”

“I think I get it.” He stepped around to the front of the kneeling soldier. “It’s a test.”

I tilted my head to the side. “A test?”

“Before we can get to Firelink. To prove that we’re worthy.”

I moved away from the sealed gate. “To prove that we’re worthy of what?”

“Of linking the flame.”

Linking the flame? Another of his old legends, I figured. Either that, or he was planning to burn something down. Either way, I didn’t like the sound of that.

From my perch at the edge of the arena, I watched my companion put his shield on his back, freeing both his hands to take a hold of the coiled sword’s handle. I heard him grunt and saw the blade slide out by about an inch.

Suddenly, my stomach twisted. “H-Hey, are you sure that this is a good idea?”

“We don’t have a choice. We need to get to that shrine.” He gave another pull. The blade slid out a little more. “And the only way we can do that is to go through the trial.”

“Maybe we should think about this a bit more?”

“You just keep your distance. I don’t know what will happen.”

“That’s what I’m saying. We should–”

With a roar of exertion, Knight pulled the sword from the kneeling warrior’s chest, delivering a sickening squelch as flesh tore and blood spilled out into a puddle at his feet. The coiled sword vanished in a burst of embers and flame.

A pained howl flooded the arena.

The kneeling warrior lifted his head.

Mister Knight jumped back. He slipped the shield off his back and drew his sword.

With a groan, the kneeling warrior stood. He reached out and took the handle of his halberd. Effortlessly, he tore it from the ground, sending a shower of stone and dirt into the air. He didn’t hesitate to use it, either. In the same motion he used to rip it from the earth, he brought the halberd down, causing the arena to quake.

I wanted to call out, to try and run. But my body betrayed me once again. I was stuck, unable to do anything but watch as the battle unfolded.

And a battle it was.

The warrior rose to his full height, over twice that of any normal man. His head snapped downward, focusing on his opponent.

Mister Knight didn’t wait for the colossus to make the first move. Instead, he charged in closer. For his size, the behemoth had decent agility. He lunged forward, leading with the tip of halberd, only for his prey to roll out of the way. The heavy blade crashed into the stone, sending a web of cracks across the floor.

Seizing his opportunity, Knight swung his blade. The blade cleaved through the ancient armor, embedding into the warrior’s skin, but stopped there. He yanked his weapon free and ducked beneath a horizontal halberd swing. Each opening, Knight responded with another cut. The damage was starting to add up. Thin trickles of blood were dripping from the giant warrior’s armor. Knight couldn’t keep it up forever, though. His movements were slowing, and his margin for dodging each attack grew smaller.

Then, it happened.

The colossus swung wide, forcing Mister Knight low. He rushed in, blade ready. Only, this time, the giant had learned his lesson. Be took a half-step forward, rushing Knight and driving his knee into the soldier’s chest.

At the last moment, Knight caught the attack with his shield. The clang of metal echoed through the arena. Despite catching the blow with his shield, Knight fumbled backward, clearly rattled by the attack.

And the colossus capitalized on it. He slammed his halberd blade down. Knight tried to dodge, but only barely managed to avoid the blade. Still, he was close enough for the resulting quake to screw up his footing. The large warrior tore the halberd back up, using the momentum to swing all the way around for another horizontal strike.

Off-balance, Knight couldn’t steady himself fast enough to duck.

In a moment of desperation, he threw up his shield.

The halberd slammed into his shield hard enough that I could feel it reverberate from where I stood. I heard metal crunch, and watched Knight lift off the ground as the force of the blow launched him backwards. He landed hard on his back. I could see his shield on the ground nearby, broken in two and dripping with blood.

“Knight! Get up!” I managed to scream.

It didn’t do any good. I could see the crumpled chest plate, and the blood dribbling from his helmet.

The colossus stepped forward, lifting the halberd over his head with both hands.

“No!” I couldn’t hear my own voice anymore.

I watched as the halberd rained down. Mister Knight couldn’t move.

The earth shook as the giant’s blade slammed into the ground. This time, along with the dirt and dust it kicked up, I could see the blood. When the dust finally cleared . . . I wished it hadn’t.

Where Mister Knight had been only a moment prior, now only a puddle of blood, flesh, and mangled metal remained. If I didn’t know better, I doubt I would have recognized it as ever having been human.

I tried to scream, but my voice died in my throat.

My legs finally gave way, dropping me onto my knees.

I was glad when the tears came and clouded my view.

But the battle wasn’t over yet. With its first target dead, the giant turned to me. I could do nothing but whimper and stare as it stood over me, its blood-stained blade gripped tight. It reached out one of its gloved hands toward me.

I tried to force myself to move. To crawl, even. Anything to get away from this.

I didn’t. My bones were like jelly, my muscles numb.

It’s hand wrapped around my throat, and as easily as a child playing with a toy, it lifted me into the air. My sword dropped from my shaking hand, clattering uselessly on the ground nearby.

For a moment, the towering figure only stared.

Then, it lifted me higher into the air.

And with a howl, it drove the tip of its halberd blade through my chest.

Nothing in my life could have prepared me for the first rush of pain, but it didn’t take long before it started to fade away. The edges of my vision went dark, and the rest blurred into obscurity. I could only see enough to watch the blood . . . watch my blood spill down the shaft. I tried to gasp for air, but only succeeded in gurgling out a mouthful of blood to join the rest in the pool below.

I must have stayed on that blade for hours. At least, that’s how it felt.

Everything felt so . . . cold.

The shock of movement brought me back momentarily. The giant swung his halberd hard, tossing me from the end of it. I think I hit the stone once before skimming right off the edge of the arena and into the clouds. I was too far gone to feel the rush of the fall.

Everything went white. I don’t know if it was the mist or if I simply lost consciousness. Bit-by-bit, my mind and body shut down. By the end, it was only one thought left, repeating over and over.

I’m sorry, Twilight.

Then, that too, faded.

Cemetery of Ash: Part 2

When I came to, I found myself someplace dark. A bleak, featureless abyss. I wandered the emptiness for I don’t know how long. No matter how far I walked I found nothing but emptiness in every direction.

No. This didn’t make any sense.

I was dead. A blade, though my chest. A fall. Right?

I closed my eyes, though it barely changed anything in the dark. My thoughts were hazy. Like insects, twisted and trapped in a web of static noise. Occasionally, I thought I could make out an image in the fog, but it never lasted long enough for me to get a good grasp on it.

I remembered a name. Sunset. I think that was my name.

At least I remembered that much.

No. There was more than that. Another name.

Twilight.

Something about it sounded familiar, but I couldn’t picture her face.

Cold started to creep into my body, numbing my hands and feet.

Twilight.

Twilight saved me, didn’t she?

Twilight. Twilight. Twilight.

The name repeated over and over in my head. My last thought had been of her. Of finding a way home to her. I promised.

My eyes snapped open. The endless dark was gone. Instead, I stood on a small overlook at the edge of a cliff. A bonfire crackled beside me, its heat chasing away a cold that I hadn’t noticed until now. A man dressed in armor sat beside me, staring into the flames.

I put my hand to my chest. Where the giant’s blade had cut right through me. No blood. No tears in my clothes. In fact, they almost looked cleaner than before, suddenly freed of the mud and muck that had stained it before. Nervously, I tugged my collar far enough that I could look down at my own body. Not even a scar to mark the wound.

“Was that . . . a nightmare?” I asked out loud.

“No.” Mister Knight shifted slightly. “You died. As did I.”

“What?” I shook my head. “No. I’m not . . . I’m dead?”

“You were dead,” he corrected.

“And now . . . I’m not?” I asked hesitantly, as though just pointing out the strangeness of the universe would somehow reverse it and drag me back to the grave.

“Such is the fate of the undead. Not even death will let us rest.”

“What?” I jumped up from my seat. “No. That can’t be right. I’m not . . .”

“You were dead. Now you’re not,” Mister Knight pointed out.

I started to circle our camp, my hand pressed to my forehead, searching for any other explanation for my resurrection. I didn’t look any different. Nor did I feel any different. Not like any zombie I’d ever seen in the movies before. But I had seen us both die. As much as I wanted to write it off as a nightmare, that didn’t explain how Mister Knight remembered too.

Maybe it was a hallucination. Like a fever dream.

Or maybe Twilight’s machine had caused some sort of dimensional visions.

I was desperate, but in the end, I couldn’t find any other explanation. Defeated, I slumped back down beside the fire. Mister Knight’s helmet turned toward me for only a moment before he returned his gaze to the fire.

“You should count yourself lucky.”

I crinkled my nose at him. “Why?”

“Not all of us come back whole.”

The way he said it made me queasy. I gave my body a quick inspection. Based on my observations, I appeared to have all of my parts. “I suppose you’re right. Dying’s bad enough, but at least I didn’t lose a leg in the process.”

Mister knight shook his head. “That’s not what I meant.”

“Oh.” I frowned. “What did you mean, then?”

“You saw those things down in the valley.”

I raised an eyebrow. “What did you call them? Hollows?”

He nodded. “This damned curse strips away everything. Your thoughts. Your memories. It leaves you a mindless husk. A Hollow.” He paused.“Tell me, do you remember your name?”

“Sunset,” I said. “What about yours?”

It didn’t cross my mind how inappropriate the question could be until it was already out. I couldn’t gauge his reaction behind that suit of metal he wore. But He didn’t answer my question. That was enough to make me understand.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered.

“Don’t be.” His words sounded melancholy.

Thinking about that darkness from before, I felt my stomach drop. Is that what I had experienced back there? My memories being stripped away? With a start, I realized what it had taken first: my memory of Twilight. Of the way she looked. Her face. Her smile. Whenever I thought of the time we spent together, there was just a gap where she should have been.

“What is so important about twilight?” Mister Knight asked.

My gaze snapped to him. “What?”

“Before you woke, you kept muttering about it.”

I closed my eyes. “Twilight is the name of a friend from home.” I curled up, tucking my knees against my chest and wrapped my arms around them. “Before I . . . died, I was thinking about her. About how I’d get home to her.”

“Sounds important.”

“She is.” My eyes opened. “She’s my closest friend. I saved her and . . . I think she kind of saved me, too. She’s probably worried sick about me. Just another reason I need to get home as soon as possible.”

“All the more reason we shouldn’t waste anymore time.” He rose from his seat and gathered his things the same way he had before. Similar to my clothes, Mister Knight’s shield and armor showed no sign of the destruction that the giant had rained down upon them. Strangely, though, they still retained their battle-scarred appearance.

“Hold on a second.” I jumped to my feet. Mister Knight stopped at the edge of our campsite. “We didn’t stand a chance against that thing. You’re just going to march back in there?”

“I made a costly mistake,” he explained. “But this time, I know what to expect. I won’t let myself be caught off guard like that again.”

“And what if that’s not enough?”

“It’ll have to be.”

He didn’t give me a chance to respond before continuing on toward the arena. Our path through the valley wasn’t quite so easy this time around. All the bodies we’d passed were back on their feet, waiting for us. Mister Knight side-stepped the first one, countering with a slash that took the Hollow’s head clean off. A second swiped at him, only for him to catch it with the hilt of his blade. A quick kick sent the Hollow reeling to the ground, leaving his neck exposed for the Knight’s heavy shield to slam down on it.

As the violence played out in front of me, I refused to look away.

Dying had changed something in me. Or maybe it just opened my eyes.

This wasn’t my home. The safety and security I’d grown so accustomed to in high school were gone. Even back in Equestria, a land where monsters roamed the lands, there were always heroes ready to step in and save the day. This world was different. Sure, I had the Knight to accompany me. In a way, he definitely fit the role of a hero. At least, from what I’d seen of him. But I couldn’t rely on him. And he couldn’t do this alone.

As I passed the dead Hollow, I knelt down and pried his fingers from its weapon’s hilt. A sword, broken nearly half a foot from the handle. In its current condition, it wasn’t much more than a jagged hunk of metal. But it was light and still carried a razor edge. The Knight had continued without me, seemingly oblivious to my stopping. When I caught up with him again, we were back at the arena doors. Instead of the tall wooden gate, we were met with a strange white mist filling the doorway.

We would have to deal with that later, though. For now, we had another pair of Hollows to contend with. The Knight killed the one nearest the door. And just as I remembered, another approached from behind. As I watched it crawl out of the grave toward me, I tightened my grip on my sword. It snarled as we squared up to one another.

I hesitated, leaving the Hollow to take a swing at me first.

With just a small step back, I avoided it. Without a pause, it brought its blade back the other direction. I muttered a curse under my breath and tried to take another step back, but my heel caught against something solid. Before I understood what was happening, I was staring up at gray clouds with a throbbing ache in the back of my head.

A snarl broke my daze. I sat up just in time to see the Hollow coming at me. As it came closer, I threw a desperate kick, catching it in the chest and forcing it onto its back. That bought me enough time to roll back and get to my feet.

“You okay?” The Knight asked. He stood behind me, his sword ready.

“Yeah. Don’t worry about me,” I said, hoping I sounded more confident than I felt.

Shaking off the daze from my head wound, I picked up my sword and steadied myself. Thoughts from another life came to me. I could still hear my instructor in my ear, berating me for my poor form and even worse footwork. I widened my stance and hiked up my grip as an idea came to mind.

Predictably, the Hollow charged at me again.

This time, I caught his sword against mine and deflected it. No time to back away now. I pressed forward as another blow came down. Our weapons clashed again. My sword twisted in my hand, pressing the flat of my blade against the edge of the Hollow’s and allowing me to slip in closer.

Its sword might have had the reach and heft to outclass mine, but here, at this range, those benefits became a hindrance. Meanwhile, I didn’t need a heavy swing to make my blade deadly. That didn’t stop it from trying to swing anyway. And there was my opening.

I didn’t hesitate to plunge the knife into its chest, straight through the heart.

Wounded, the Hollow started to fall. I threw my weight into my knife, using it to drive him to the ground with me on top. From here, it only took a single twist to put the monster down. I didn’t realize it was over until I felt the warmth of his blood splatter against my cheek.

I released my grip on the knife and fell backwards into the dirt. My breaths came slow and shaky, each one accompanied by a tremor. My hands were stained with blood. I had it smeared across my shirt and on my face. I understood what I had done. I had killed another living being, one that used to be human just like me.

It had to be done, I knew. The problem was just how easily I did it.

I didn’t hesitate. One quick stab and it was over. No pomp. No ceremony.

Just death and then nothingness.

Clanking footsteps walked up behind me. “Are you—”

“I’m fine!” I snapped before letting out a long breath. “I’m fine. It didn’t hit me.”

“That wasn’t what . . .” The Knight reconsidered his words. “Come on. We should keep moving. We still need to face the judge.”

“The judge?” I stared blankly down at the corpse beside me. With a shaky hand, I pulled my knife free. “You mean that big guy? I don’t suppose you thought of a better plan on the way down here?” I barked. Honestly, I couldn’t really bring myself to care right now, I was just hoping he’d be able to take my mind off . . . things.

“Yeah.” The Knight put his sword away. “Take these.”

He held out a burlap sack. Taking it, I set it on the ground next to me and opened it. Inside were five glossy black orbs slightly larger than an apple. At first, I thought they might have been cannonballs, but they were too light for that.

“Be careful with those,” The Knight warned.

I picked one of them up and rolled it in my hands. My bloodstained hands. “What are they?”

“Firebombs. I wouldn’t toy with them.”

“Fire . . .” As I played with it, I could hear something inside it moving. Sand, I thought at first. But as I thought over the name, I realized it was probably a form of black powder. My cannonball theory hadn’t been too far fetched after all. It just so happened that they were the actual cannon, too.

“They’re volatile. Throw one hard enough, and they’ll explode,” The Knight said, kneeling down to my level. “I’ll get in close and keep him distracted. Meanwhile, you just keep your distance and toss a few of these.”

“Where . . . where did you find these?” I asked.

“On one of the graves.” He stood. “They were probably left behind by another adventurer or left there as some sort of burial gift. Either way, we can use them.”

“Yeah. Okay.”

“If you’re ready, we should—”

“Mister Knight?” I interrupted. He looked down at me. “Do you mind waiting just a bit longer? I . . . I think I need a minute.” Though he didn’t say anything back, he stood firmly in place and waited.

I wasn't entirely sure why I asked for it.

A minute. Five. Ten. Did it matter?

It wouldn’t change what I’d done. More importantly, it didn’t change what I still had to do. This was the first life I’d taken, but I knew it was far from the last. So, with the moment I’d requested, I did nothing more than just stare down at the body, at the sunken, vacant eyes that stared off into the void. I tried not to think. About it, or anything else.

I wanted to go home.

A soft whimper escaped me as the tears started to fall.

After a while, the Knight stepped past me, kneeling down beside the Hollow’s body. Wiping the tears – and the blood – from my face, I tried to turn away from him. Fortunately for me, he appeared more interested in the dead man. I watched him take what I thought was a golden bell from the thing’s belt.

I swallowed a sob before speaking. “What is that?”

The Knight tossed a glance in my direction. “I noticed it while we were . . .” He cleared his throat. “It’s a cleric’s chime.” He reached out his hand to show me his prize. I was right, for the most part. It appeared to be a handle with large golden bells on either end. The bigger end, the bottom, I assumed, had a trio of smaller bells branching off from the big one. They rattled in his hand as he showed them to me.

“Is that something we can use?” I asked.

“It explains why all of these creatures are staying around here.” He scratched a bit of dirt off the polished gold. “They must have been clerics before they lost their minds. It’s why they keep coming back here when they resurrect.” He sighed. “I doubt it will be of too much use here. Unless you know anything about magic?”

“Magic?” My shoulders straightened up. “This world has magic?”

He grumbled something under his breath. “I’ve come across clerics before in my travels. They use these sorts of things to channel the magic of their gods. Healing, mostly, but they’ve got other tricks, too.” He shook his head. “At the very least, it might be worth something to someone. I think we’d better hold on to it for now.”

Before I could stop myself, I blurted out: “Can I carry it?”

Even if it being magic-related was only a thin thread, it reminded me of home.

Of my real home.

“I suppose so.” He held it out for me to take. I obliged. “Can you use it?”

I shook my head. What were the odds that this world’s magic was anything like my own?

The Knight stood and offered me his hand. “We need to get going. If we stay here too long, we’re bound to be found out.”

“Can you tell me something, first? All of this . . .” I nodded towards the body near me. “Is your whole world like this? Just . . . blood and violence and death?”

He stayed silent for a long time before uttering a simple: “Yes.”

I could feel his eyes on me. Part of me wondered what he must think of me, a stranger that he’d saved more than once now. In a world this brutal, I must have been nothing more than a nuisance to him, and I really couldn’t blame him for believing that. Like it or not, though, I needed help and this man was the first thing in this world that hadn’t tried to kill me yet. If I wanted his help, I would have to learn to pull my own weight.

“Alright.” I took his hand, and let him pull me to my feet. After a moment of rubbing my thumb across the smooth gold, I slid the chime into my jacket pocket. The bell on the end stuck out and it jingled when I walked.

We stepped up to the fog wall that blocked our path. Though the roiling white clouds obscured anything on the other side, they didn’t appear solid and wouldn’t block our path. The Knight tightened the straps on his shield and armor. I adjusted the grip on my knife. Out of the corner of my eye, I could still see the occasional blood drop fall from the tip.

With a deep breath, we shared a glance and stepped inside.

The arena looked almost exactly how I remembered it, even down to the giant armored soldier kneeling at the center. The Judge, as my companion had called him. The only difference, he didn’t have the sword in his chest. As we started down the stairs, the Judge’s head lifted. He tore his halberd from the stone and rose to his full height, but stopped there. With a start, I realized that he was waiting for us.

“You ready?” The Knight asked.

“I’ll do my best,” I promised.

Apparently, that was enough for him. He put his shield up and stepped onto the arena. The Judge rocketed into action, his footsteps shaking the arena as he charged. As he drew close, he took a running jump and slammed his weapon down, narrowly missing my ally. Taking advantage of the distraction, I sprinted past the both of them, only stopping when I reached the opposite end of the arena.

The Knight danced around his larger opponent, sidestepping and rolling when he could, and throwing up his shield when he couldn’t get out of the way. With his larger weapon, the Judge could put more power into his swings, but couldn’t defend against the occasional slashes slipping past his defenses.

Something about the way the Knight moved caught my attention. Despite the heavy armor and shield, he didn’t seem to rely on them when he could avoid it. Instead, he slipped and weaved past attacks in ways that left me in awe.

I’d seen soldiers in my time. I’d fought a few of them, in fact.

This Knight wasn’t just some nameless footsoldier. Not with skill like that.

But even he couldn’t handle this fight on his own. I reached into the bag he’d given me and pulled the first of the bombs out. No fuse. No pin. What was it that he’d said? Throw them hard enough and they explode? From where I stood, the Judge had his back to me. I could see the black sludge dripping through a crack in the back of his armor. A perfect target.

Licking my lips, I took a few steps back and exhaled. Suddenly, I wasn’t so upset about Rainbow’s insistence that I learn softball. With a few long strides and a skip, I put my full strength into an overhead pitch. I felt the faintest hint of pride as it landed dead center.

The Judge impaled the bladed end of his weapon into the stone. Before he could pull it out, he was interrupted by a splash of fire across his back. Snarling, he turned his head towards me.The gaze was enough to turn my blood cold.

“Hey, I’m not finished with you,” The Knight roared. With a running jump, he brought his sword down hard, rending a deep gouge through the Judge’s chestplate. The beast shrieked and flailed. The Knight managed to duck under his halberd swing, but stood back up in time to catch a back-hand with his shield. Despite catching it, the force of the hit still sent him rolling back head-over-heels.

After taking the Knight out of commission, the Judge turned to me. Kicking up a few puffs of dust, he turned and sprinted towards me. I felt my muscles harden, rooting me in place as this freight train barreled down on me. I didn’t have time for the same fanfare as I slung the second and third bombs towards the giant. He swerved, narrowly avoiding the first, and swatted the second out of the air with his blade.

This felt familiar. My body freezing up, my weakened knees buckling beneath me, my weapon slipping through trembling fingers.

I was about to die. Again.

The monster launched himself into the air, bringing his weapon down in a single, two-handed strike. I couldn’t see anything aside from that sharpened tip. For a moment, I felt my breath catch, felt the pain as the metal tore through my flesh. My death played out before me in flickering memories.

The Judge’s swing rained down. But it didn’t hit me.

Crunching metal stirred me from my stupor. The Knight stood before me, his shield up and braced with both hands to catch the Judge’s final blow. Even from here, I could see the bloodied end of the halberd pierced through both the shield and the soldier’s arm.

“You . . .” was all I could sputter out.

“Sunset, focus!” The Knight growled.

Still trembling, I felt my fingers brush against something smooth sitting beside me. Another of the bombs. Gritting my teeth, I tightened my grip on the bomb and climbed back to my feet. With a scream, I pulled back and launched the bomb as hard as I could. It struck square against the Judge’s jaw. The fiery explosion knocked him back. His halberd ripped free from the Knight’s shield with a sickening sound.

Freed, the Knight tossed down his shield. Without anything to pin it in place, his arm fell limp at his side. His good hand reached to his belt and drew his sword. I could see his shoulders heaving as he tried to breathe through the pain.

“I-I’m sorry,” I said.

“Sorry isn’t going to get us through this,” he shot back.

“What are we supposed to do?”

“We stick to the plan, I’ll–”

Our conversation was interrupted by an ear-splitting howl. The Judge staggered back. A black, oily fluid started to leak through the cracks in his charred helmet and broken armor. The fluid did not spill across the ground, though. Instead, it curved inward and upward, forming a black geyser that rose higher than the arena walls.

“What’s he doing?” I asked, wide-eyed.

The Knight said nothing.

Tendrils of the black substance met and knitted together into a rough, bulky shape. The Judge’s left arm exploded through his armor as the limb stretched out into a long, disfigured claw. The darkness consumed the monster’s body from the waist up, forming itself into a massive, swaying serpent’s head. Two glowing red eyes watched the two of us from behind the slithering mass.

“Get back,” The Knight yelled. He only managed a single step forward before the serpent’s tail flicked around, knocking him aside and leaving a dent in his chestplate. The serpent head reared back and roared, shaking the whole of the arena with just its voice. The Knight lay nearby in a crumpled heap, unmoving.

I didn’t have much of a choice now. I had thought this beast giant before, but now it stood as tall as a building, writhing and screeching. Swallowing my fear, I leaned down, taking my sword and the final firebomb. The Judge did likewise, picking his halberd up from where it had fallen.

Without warning, the serpent head plunged downward, biting a chunk out of the floor where I had been standing only a second prior. Time slowed to a crawl. My heartbeat hammered in my ears. My body moved on reflex. I sprinted past the beast, ducking low to avoid a swipe from its claw. From behind, I pitched the last of my bombs into its back. The fire ignited, blazing up the creature’s oily skin.

The serpent hissed and flailed around towards me, but I was already moving again.

Its head twisted around until its glowing eyes were on me. Its jaw opened wide and swept across the arena. I threw myself forward, diving out of the way as its teeth snapped shut, crushing the stone inside to dust.

By now, the flames from my bomb had died down to embers.

I needed another plan. My fingers tightened around my knife.

It was desperate. Stupid, even, but I didn’t have many options. I would need to get in close, slip past its blade and claw and try to . . . what . . . I didn’t even know if my little knife could hurt this thing. I needed something stronger, something with a kick to it.

My thoughts were interrupted by a quiet jingle. The chime.

Maybe I wasn’t completely hopeless.

I pulled the chime from my pocket and studied it for a moment.

The beast wouldn’t wait for me, though. Its head came down for another slam. This time, I sprinted towards the body. It tried to catch me with its halberd, so I dropped lower, sliding across the stone. I didn’t make it though before its claw came down on me. It squeezed me like a toy as it lifted me into the air. It held me high enough that I was level with its beady red eyes. It graced me with a deafening roar. I was close enough that I could feel the heat of its breath as it painted me with specks of black spittle that burned through my clothes and into my skin. Wiggling my arm free from its grasp, I lifted my knife and hammered it down repeatedly against the claw, severing one of the fingers.

The monster shrieked and whipped its arm around, launching my body. I hit the wall of the arena, where I landed with a dry-sounding crack. Searing pain surged through my spine, knocking the wind out of me and forcing me to my hands and knees. Still, I could feel the smoothness of the golden chime still locked in my fingers. The Judge’s cries died down and I doubted it would take my offense kindly. I only had one shot at this.

I reached deep into myself, just as I had so long ago, calling upon my magic.

Just as Celestia had taught me.

I remembered the feeling of energy welling up inside me, gathering in my horn and waiting to be unleashed at my command. I couldn’t do it in the human world, but I had never forgotten how. This time, though, the energy started to gather in my hand. I could see sparks of lightning arc between the branching bells.

Grinning through bloodied teeth, I struggled to my feet.

The beast noticed me, lowered its head, and charged.

I pulled my arm back, just as I had with the bombs. Light flickered from the chime.

With a screech, the Judge leapt into the air. My broken body didn’t stand a chance.

With a primal howl, I lifted the chime above my head. Magic surged, filling my body with the intoxicating thrum of power. The chime in my hand glowed with lightning the color of the burning clouds against a setting sun. I poured every ounce of my strength, of my will, of my soul into one final swing.

The bolt of lightning rocketed forward, connecting with the serpent’s head before erupting in a blinding flash. The crack of thunder tore through the arena, the shockwave kicking up a storm of dust and debris as it rippled across the battlefield. And when it finally settled, I could see the fruits of my struggle:

The beast cowered on one knee, its serpent head slumped to the side, stunned. The way it was bent revealed the Judge’s crowned helmet at the core of the creature’s body. I held my knife tight as I stumbled forward. It tried to stand, to escape my slow advance, but its body still convulsed with magical energy. New black tendrils spawned, trying to fill in the holes that had burned through it.

But I was only focused on one thing. As I neared, the Judge’s helmet turned to watch me. It stared up at me, powerless as I lifted my knife. With a few deep breaths, I summoned my strength and brought my knife down, plunging the point through the helmet’s forehead.

The serpent gave one final roar before collapsing back to the ground. The oily substance melted into black goo. What little survived retreated back into the Judge’s body. I ripped my dagger out and stepped aside, allowing the once-great knight to fall face down into the dirt and muck. And there it stayed, lifeless and still.

Author's Note

Okay, so I wanted to take a moment here to address some things:

As some of you may have noticed, this story is a crossover with Dark Souls 3. I'm a huge fan of the game. During a recent replay while I was working on a different story, I had an idea for a crossover that would combine the two.

But there's a few things I would like to point out for readers as the story goes on: Dark Souls lore is pretty confusing. A good chunk of it is more theory based, time is strange and convoluted, and sometimes, the lore I reference in the story here might not line up perfectly with some theories out there. As I said, I'm a fan of the games and love the lore, so I've done my best to keep it intact as well as I knew how.

Some of you might also notice that there are things in the story that line up with the game's mechanics and some that don't. I try to put a narrative to certain points, such as resting at a bonfire, but its not always going to be perfect, and there are times when I'll have to put story ahead of game logic.

Anyways, I hope this disclaimer helps shape your expectations for this story, and I apologize if you decide that it isn't for you. Either way, I appreciate all of my readers that stop by and would love to hear what any of you think in the comments below, be it positive or negative.

Until next time,
Arkane

Firelink Shrine: Part 1

I stood in the center of the arena, studying the corpse of the fallen Judge. The black sludge dribbled out from cracks in his armor, scorching any stone it touched with a shrill hiss. Part of me wanted to be horrified by what I’d done. Another part felt a little pride in it. Most of all, though, I just felt numb.

My legs finally buckled, dropping me to my knees. My head hung low, forcing me to stare into the dust. This wasn’t my fear returning, weakening me and leaving me rooted to the spot. No, this was exhaustion. The same feeling I got while running laps in gym class turned up to eleven. The same blurry double-vision I got after staying up all night cramming for exams. But this wasn’t the schoolyard.

My head was empty, my thoughts blank.

Along with each breath, I felt a sharp stabbing erupt through my chest and the slick, bitter taste of blood in my mouth. I tried to swallow it down, but my muscles were paralyzed, stuck like stone and leaving me an unwilling statue. It took every ounce of strength I had left just to keep myself upright and my eyes open.

Eventually, though, the adrenaline ran its course.

My eyelids drooped close and I felt myself falling.

Before I hit the ground, something caught me. The resulting jolt let me peel my eyes open. I saw the rough shape of a man over me, his face darkened by the light of the sky behind him. He leaned my body against his own, where I could feel the cold touch of metal on my skin.

“Hang on. I’ve got you.” It was Mister Knight.

Through foggy lenses, I watched him take his orange flask and put the warm glass to my lips. Whatever liquid came out of the bottle only succeeded in drooling uselessly from the corner of my mouth. I felt the heat soak into my shirt as it spilled down my front. For the briefest of moments, I felt it sink deeper into my skin.

I tried to speak, but only succeeded in gurgling uselessly.

The Knight tried to sit me up, I guess hoping that it might help me to choke down the healing drink, but it didn’t. By now, the corners of my vision were consumed by darkness, but I could still see the Judge. The gruesome colossus got the final laugh, it appeared.

Then something strange happened. Even by this world’s standards: The Judge started to . . . dissipate. His broken armor, his blackened flesh, they simply evaporated into smoke and dust. Where the corpse had been, a swirling cloud of smoke now took its place. Rather than drift up and into the beyond, it streamed toward me, wrapping my broken body in its embrace.

I thought I must have been hallucinating. That my dying mind was trying to make sense of some phenomenon it didn’t have the power to see clearly. And the voices only lent more credence to my theory. As the tendrils of mist engulfed me, a cacophony of whispering played though my head, like a scratching at my skull. Closing my eyes only made the noise worse.

“What?” I heard the Knight say. “Where did . . .”

The whispering died down, and the Knight’s voice drifted to me from miles away, fading into a silent whine. I couldn’t hold on any longer. As my mind shut down piece by piece, my last few conscious thoughts turned to Twilight. I’d already forgotten her face. I wondered if I would forget something else about her. Our first meeting. Our friendship. Worse, maybe I’d forget the joy I felt whenever she was around me or . . . or maybe the way I felt about her.

Then, as the last embers of my life were scattered to the winds, A fire ignited.

The whoosh of a newborn flame, followed closely by a wave of warm air washing over me and a dim light that I could see even through my closed eyes. Was this it? Had I died again? It would explain the fading pain and the sudden peacefulness that I felt.

But then my eyes opened. I was on my back, watching clouds drift through an empty sky.

My core muscles stung briefly as I rolled onto my side.

I was lying beside a bonfire. Another pile of ash and bone, with a charred, twisted blade at the core. Rather than the cliffside alcove, though, we were sitting in on the raised stage in the middle of the arena. The Judge’s body was gone. Looks like I hadn’t just hallucinated that after all.

Mister Knight sat to my left. Without anything to lean back on, he was hunched forward, with one of his elbows resting on his knee. From the angle of his helmet, he wasn’t looking into the fire, but rather at the ground between his feet. His left arm was limp in the dirt, his metal-plated knuckles scratching into the dust with each breath. The dent in his chestplate appeared to be filling back in slowly.

“What happened?” Is what I wanted to ask.

Instead, I hung my head forward and gagged up a mouthful of dark blood.

The Knight’s helmet lifted only a few degrees to watch me choke.

When I was finished, I took a few deep breaths and spit out a final bit of pinkish spittle.

“You’re alive,” Mister Knight said.

“Yeah. I think so.” Sucking a breath through my teeth, I sat up. I made sure to give the mess I’d made a wide berth. “Did I die again?”

“No. It showed up just in time.” He motioned to the bonfire. “You should be feeling better soon.”

“I hope so,” I muttered. I went to rub the back of my neck and felt something poking out beneath my skin. With the slightest bit of pressure, whatever it was snapped back into place. My headache started to clear up, but I had no idea if the two were related. “After you saved me, when that giant snake thing tossed you aside, I thought you were . . .”

“I could say the same about you,” he said.

Curiosity compelled me to look toward the arena wall where I’d crashed. I was pretty sure I’d painted the bloody streak across the bricks with the back of my head. “Yeah . . .”

“You know,” his voice lowered, “I don’t recall you saying you were a cleric.”

“I didn’t.” I thumbed the chime in my pocket. “I mean, I’m not. I just . . .”

He glared at me, obviously waiting for me to explain.

“Look,” I said, “it’s a long story. To put it simply, I was desperate. I had no idea that would work.”

He grunted.

“I’m sorry.” I put my chin to my knees and hid behind my crossed arms. I wasn’t even sure what I was apologizing for. For saving us? Or maybe just for almost getting him killed in the first place. “I’ve never used magic like that before.”

“But you have used magic before?”

I shrugged. “A long time ago.”

The Knight stared at me, but said nothing for a long while.

I tried my best to ignore him. I felt gross. After sitting long enough, my pain subsided and Mister Knight’s arm, armor, and shield were all put back into shape. “Well, at least all your stuff is fixed,” I said just to break up the silence.

“Yeah.”

“Is that some kind of magic, too?” I asked.

“It’s the flame.” He nodded toward the fire.

“The flame . . . fixed your armor?” It sounded insane, but the more I thought about it, the more it started to make sense. Or, at least, the more it started to fit in with the rest of the crazy stuff that was going on around here. It had fixed the hole in my jacket shoulder before. It had also brought me back from the dead. Clearly, this wasn’t any normal flame. “This flame . . . seems like it’s really important.”

“You don’t know about the First Flame?” He made a noise that could either have been a scoff or a chuckle. “Where did you say you were from?”

“I don’t remember,” I said. Before he could say anything, I shook my head. “No. You know what, you’ve saved my life, what, three times, now?” I ran my tongue over my teeth. “You deserve the truth, but . . . it’s going to sound crazy.”

He waited quietly.

“I’m not . . . from . . . here,” I admitted.

“That much is obvious.”

“No, I mean that I’m not from . . . this world.” My finger drummed against the corner of my mouth. “I do live in a world full of humans, but they’re much different from anything I’ve seen here. There are no monsters, no curses, no magical flame. Just a lot of regular people living regular peaceful lives.”

“Sounds like a paradise.” Mister Knight said.

“It is. Kind of.”

He tilted his head to the side. “Why did you leave such a place?”

I frowned. “It wasn’t exactly by choice. That friend I told you about, Twilight? She built a machine, some big metal contraption, in her lab.” I waved my hands, trying to convey the size of the machine. “It was meant to take her to other worlds so she could study them and learn about them, but there was an accident. And next thing I knew, I was here, lying in a graveyard and getting attacked by Hollows.” I shrugged. “That’s when you showed up and saved me.”

When I finished my story, he nodded, but said nothing.

As the silence stretched on, I started to twiddle my thumbs. With the way he kept his face hidden behind the helmet, I couldn’t read him. I didn’t know if he believed me or just thought I was insane. Perhaps a little of both.

“The bonfires that litter this land are extensions of the First Flame, the primordial power that brought light and life to our world,” Mister Knight began. “Now, though, its power fades, and the curse of the undead draws us towards it in hopes that we might rekindle the power that built this land.” He held out his hand toward the fire. “To aid us on that journey, these bits of flame restore our strength, repair our gear, and serve as our guides as we struggle toward our fate.”

I blinked twice. “What?”

Mister Knight cleared his throat. “You asked if there was something special about these fires. The answer is yes. There is.”

“Oh.” After a second, my eyes went wide. “Wait, then does that mean you believe me?”

He shook his head. “The world you describe is preposterous to me. Nothing more than a dream cooked up by an overeager imagination. Still, it’s clear from your dress and your knowledge that you are not from this land.” He lifted his head and gazed up into the sky. “If this journey has taught me anything so far, it is that many things exist in this world that I would never have believed had I not seen them with my own eyes. Perhaps your world is among them.”

“I hope so,” I muttered. “I miss it.”

Grunting, he stood and snatched up his shield. “You won’t find your way home sitting here.” He raised a hand, pointing to the bell tower looming over the next rise. “Firelink Shrine is just beyond this arena. If there is a way home for you, you will be able to pick up the trail there.”

“If you say so.” I rose, feeling the bones in my back pop as I stretched.

“Sunset?”

“Yeah?”

“I appreciate your honesty.”

I scratched the back of my neck. “Yeah. Well, I’ve learned that honesty is usually the best policy and all that.”

“Here. You should have this back.” He reached into one of his hip pockets and pulled a small, rectangular object from it. I recognized the floral case instantly. He held my cell phone out towards me. “It fell from your pocket when I was trying to move you.”

Squinting at him, I took my phone. “Were you planning on keeping it?”

“After that stunt you pulled fighting the Judge, wasn’t sure it would be safe to travel with you without knowing anything about you. Thought this might hold a clue to where you’re from,” he grumbled. “But now that I know, I’ve got no use for it.”

“I see.” I tapped the button on the side of the phone. The screen lit up and flashed an error across the screen. Still, beneath the error, I could see a picture of myself sitting on a beach. Behind me, I could see the waves of the ocean frozen in time. A lanky, purple-skinned girl sat shoulder-to-shoulder with me. Both of us were smiling. I felt a burden slip from my shoulders as I recognized her face. “Twilight.”

“You alright?” Mister Knight asked.

“Yeah.” I pressed the phone screen to my chest. Even without the picture in front of me, I could remember what Twilight looked like now. After taking a minute to reminisce, I decided it would be best to turn my phone off and return it to my jacket pocket. “Are you ready to keep going?”

Mister Knight nodded.

Together, we stepped away from the bonfire, heading for the opposite end of the arena we’d entered from. Here, we were faced with the same door that stopped us before. This time, though, there was something extra. Lying just in front of the door, another coiled sword. The same sort that formed the core of both bonfires I’d seen so far. I vaguely recalled the one we’d taken from the Judge’s chest. This must have been it. The Knight put it on his back with his shield.

When he pressed against the doors this time, they opened with minimal resistance. On the other side, we found another graveyard. I’d grown numb to the sight of graves by now. At the very least, these ones appeared to be more organized than the rest. The lines of graves continued up the hill, up to the precipice of the cliff where the shrine awaited. Several more Hollows were scattered around the grounds, lying among the gravestones or looking wistfully over the cliff edges. Either way, they didn’t notice us or didn’t care enough to stop us.

As we neared the shrine, I got a better look at it. It was larger than I first thought, with the main building standing maybe two or three stories tall. Off the side, the belltower stood over three times as high. Another smaller tower sat on the right, with a bridge connecting them. Instead of a front door, the shrine had a massive stone archway that led inside. Two lit torches on either side of the opening shed their light inside. Even from out here, I could smell stale soot.

The Knight entered first. Once I was sure we weren’t about to get jumped, I followed him inside. The smell of ash grew stronger, until my eyes started to water. The front archway let us in on a stone balcony overlooking a large, circular main chamber. To either side a flight of stairs led to darker upper hallways. Alongside those, two more sets led down into the chamber. Across from us, five thrones of varying sizes took up the back of the room. The smallest looked to be made for a normal sized man, while the largest had a seat the size of a queen mattress. From here, I could see a man sitting on the smallest one, just to the right of the center throne.

Below, a series of rings formed steps down to the center of the chamber, a cold brazier. A woman in an ashen gray dress stood beside the cold hearth with her hands folded in front of her. Off to the side, another man sat alone on the steps, his head downcast. Similar to my companion Knight, he wore most of a plate suit that covered everything but his face. A red tattered cape hung around his shoulders, hiding most of a large two-handed sword he kept strapped to his back. From somewhere deeper into the shrine, I could hear rhythmic clanging.

“There are other people here?” I whispered.

“Like I said, this shrine calls to the undead. They gather here to prepare for their journey,” he said as he scanned the room.

“Then, these people are cursed, like us?”

“More than likely.” Knight started down a flight of stairs.

One we moved deeper in, more of the shrine came into view. Beneath the walkway where we entered, a tunnel bored back down under the cliff. From here, I could see another woman sitting, tucked away in one of the tunnel’s alcoves. Like the one near the fire, she wore a dusty dress. Unlike the other lady, this one looked ancient. At the end of the hall I could see another man. He appeared to be shirtless and swinging a hammer at an anvil. His smithing produced the metal clang that echoed through the shrine.

We shuffled past the hopeless looking knight. He didn’t bother to acknowledge us as we passed. As we reached the bottom steps, the stone floor gave way to an uneven layer of ash. I could hear it crunch underfoot as Mister Knight and I approached the woman standing at the center of the chamber.

Up closer now, I could see that, despite the silver braid running down the back of her dress, she was young, perhaps just a few years older than I was. The dirty gray dress that I had seen was in fact only a cape she wore. Her actual dress, black, lacy, and adorned in silver accents, reached down to the floor, dragging through the soot as she moved around. Her arms and hands were wrapped in leather, leaving only the fingers exposed. Strangest of all, she wore some sort of silver tiara around her head, but wore it low enough that it covered the top half of her face, including her eyes.

As we approached she turned her head toward us. Despite the jewelry covering her eyes, she seemed to be staring directly at Mister Knight. “Welcome to the bonfire, Unkindled One.”

Mister Knight and I shared a glance.

“I think she’s talking to you,” I said.

“Right.” He turned toward the woman. “You were expecting us? Who are you?”

The woman smiled warmly. “I am a Fire Keeper. I tend to the flame, and tend to thee.” Though she appeared young, she spoke with a soft, kind, and motherly voice. A voice that sort of reminded me of a Princess I once knew. That thought turned my stomach. As Mister Knight and the Fire Keeper spoke, I slipped away.

My thoughts lingering on home –my real home– I wandered around the shrine. Right now, it felt too large. I wanted to find someplace smaller. A little nook where I could slink away for a while to think. With that thought in mind, I pushed deeper into the shrine’s tunnels.

“And so, a lost lamb wandereth in.”

I nearly jumped out of my skin as the old woman beside me sprang to life.

“Oh. Sorry. I didn’t mean to intrude on you,” I sputtered.

“No need to be so timid, Young One.” She smiled at me with a toothy grin. “Have you come seeking aid on your journey? I’ve lots of little things to ease the burden of a weary traveler.” With a decrepit hand, she motioned to a pile of supplies beside her chair. Some strange purple moss, a few of the firebombs I’d used against the Judge, bones, a small assortment of weapons and shields, and what I thought might have been a dried up, gnarled hand.

“Oh.” I fought the urge to take a generous step back. “I’m afraid I don’t have any money at the moment. Perhaps I’ll return later.”

“What use is there for coins in this land, Child? Bring me souls.”

“S-souls?” This time, I did take a step back. “Look, I’m alright for now, thank you.”

“If that is thy wish, Child. Know that I will be here when you return.” She gave a soft cackle. That was enough for me to turn my back and walk away. I kept my arms crossed over my chest, feeling my skin crawling as her gaze lingered on me.

Once past the strange . . . I guessed she was some sort of shopkeeper, the tunnel widened into an underground cavern. The stone path beneath my feet became a bridge over the rough, uncut rock of the rest of the room. A few candles set out along the path provided a few flickering lights to guide me. At the end of the bridge, a set of stairs on either side led down into the dark.

Before that, though, there was one last person in my way. A large man wearing a thick pair of pants with an apron and some heavy leather boots and gloves. He was hunched over an anvil, hammering away at a damaged sword. His exposed chest revealed an impressive display of muscles, but also a fair share of burns that wrinkled his skin. His bushy gray beard and ponytail shook with each swing of his hammer.

I tried to sneak past him. With him lost in his work, it should have been easy. But, as I passed, he brought his hammer down one final time and let it sit there. His head snapped up towards me. He had a strong jawline and hardened features. I braced myself, fearing that I’d somehow angered him with just my mere presence.

“Well, well, a newcomer?” His voice, low and deep, reminded me of coarse gravel.

“Y-yeah,” I said, nodding.

“Tis’ a pleasure. I am Andre.” Despite his rugged appearance and booming voice, I found myself growing less rigid with each word.

“I’m Sunset. Nice to meet you,” I said with a slight smile.

“Well, Sunset, I’d wager you aren’t from around these lands, are ye?”

My smile faded. “That obvious, huh?”

The smith chuckled and pointed toward me with his hammer. “In all my years a’ smithing, I’ve never seen armor like that before.”

I tugged at my jacket collar, pulling it tight. “It’s not armor.”

“Ah? Apologies, I meant no disrespect.” He cleared his throat. “Tell me, have y’ come to these lands in search of the Lords of Cinder? It will be a toilsome journey. And with gear like that, yer not liable to make it far.”

“Lords of Cinder?” I asked with an arched eyebrow.

The smith frowned. “Ah. When I heard the bells tolling, I had assumed . . .” he shook his head. “Tell me then, Sunset, what brings a young one such as yerself out to this shrine?”

“It . . . wasn’t on purpose.” I frowned. “I got lost. A friend brought me here hoping that I might be able to find a way back home.”

Andre sighed. “I am afraid I would not be much aid to you in that endeavor. I am but a simple smith, I know little of magic and maps.” He straightened up. “You speak as though your journey ahead will be a difficult one. In dangerous lands like these, y’ best be prepared before you set out.” He stayed quiet for a time. In the silence, I could feel him looking me up and down, studying me. “Y’ be needing armor and weapons for your task. Allow me to smith them for you. Tis’ my purpose, after all.”

“R-really?” I didn’t care much for his offer. As likely as it would be that I needed his assistance, I didn’t relish the idea of fighting often enough that I would need a personal smith to supply me. Still, it was a kind offer and, though I hadn’t known him long, Andre seemed to be a decent man. He made me feel like I had a place here, that I should have been welcome in this place. It wasn’t exactly a high bar to be the most welcoming person in the shrine so far, but it made the darkness a little bit brighter. “That’s kind of you to offer. Thanks.”

With my acceptance, he returned to his smithing, filling the shrine with the sound of hammer striking metal. This time, when it echoed through the shrine, the sound brought with it a hint of hope and comfort.

After speaking with Andre for a bit, I finally made my way down one of the stairs. As I stepped off, my foot splashed into a puddle. I sighed, but pushed on toward a pile of tombstones nearby. I sat on one of them that had tilted over. A column of light poured down from a hole in the stone ceiling, offering me a little more light than the candles could muster. Here, I closed my eyes and leaned back against the rock wall.

My eyes opened when I heard a splash beside me. I turned to see Mister Knight standing there.

“Hey,” I said, waving at him.

“I see you decided to take a tour of the shrine without me.”

“You seemed busy,” I said with a shrug.

“I brought you something.” He offered me a leather satchel, similar to the one he wore on his belt. It had a long leather strap on it, similar to a purse strap from my world.

“What’s this?” I asked.

“Open it.”

After a second or two of fumbling with the buckle on the front, I flipped open the satchel to find two bottles fit snugly inside. One green, one gray. It took a while before I recognized the long, wide-necked silhouette.

“Your healing potions?” I asked, looking up with him.

“Not mine.” He patted his hip, where his own satchel hung.

“These are . . . for me?” I felt my grip loosen. “Thank you. I’ll keep them close.” I hung the leather strap on my shoulder, allowing the satchel to hang at my hip, just like Mister Knight’s. “Are you sure? Given how you’re the one playing frontline, I would have thought you might need them more.”

Mister Knight glanced down at the floor. “About that . . .”

My throat dried. “Listen,” I started, “I know that I haven’t been the most useful traveling companion. I mean, you’ve had to save me, what, three, four times now? And I’m really sorry for that.” I closed my eyes. “I want to start pulling my weight. But it’s been so long since I handled a sword, and even then I never used it to kill. But I’ll do better. I promise.”

“Sunset.”

I took a deep breath. “Yeah?”

“I’m afraid this is where we part ways.”

Author's Note

Heyo, back with another note here. And something that I should have said back at the beginning of this piece. This is a side project that I'm working on while my editor is working on other things. I do try to look over it myself, but I'm also an idiot, so there's a lot that I miss. Let me know in the comments if you see some errors and I'll fix them.

Firelink Shrine: Part 2

“What?” I asked through dry lips. My whole body felt numb.

“I said that this is where we must part ways.” Knight didn’t move. From just the tone of his voice, it was impossible to tell what he must have been thinking behind that helmet.

“But . . .” I lowered my head. “Why?”

“You’re trying to find your way home,” he said. “That’s not something that I can help you with. I don’t know anything about traveling to other worlds. I wouldn’t have a clue where to start looking. To that end, I think you’d be better off finding someone else to help you.” He sighed. “Besides, I’ve got my own quest to see through.”

I couldn’t blame him, obviously. I was just some kid he found struggling out in the wilds an hour or two ago. I had just been a stepping stone on his journey. He had his own reasons, his own task set out ahead of him. But still, I couldn’t help but feel abandoned. I suppose that’s what I deserve for getting my hopes up.

He turned and started to walk away. “I wish you the best on your quest, Sunset.”

Splashing turned to footsteps as he climbed the stairs back up to the shrine proper. I didn’t even tell him goodbye or thank him for the help he’d already given me. I felt hollow, sitting alone in the dark. In my jacket pocket, my thumb ran across the edge of my chime. Even after what I’d done to the judge, I was still a liability in this world. I couldn’t rely on other people. I’d have to find my own way home.

Andre’s hammer rang though the quiet shrine, each slam like the ticking of a clock, counting the seconds that passed while I sat in the dark, my legs tucked up against my chest. I stared down at the pool of dark water below, watching the light glow against its surface. I couldn’t bring myself to think. I’m not sure how long I sat there. Even though it felt closer to an hour, the light spilling in from above never moved.

What am I going to do? I thought.

The answer’s simple. We do the same thing we did last time.

I clenched my fist. Sitting here wouldn’t do me any good. This wasn’t the first time I’d gotten lost in a foreign world. I thought back to my first days in the human world. Learning to walk upright, to interact with the other humans around me. This time would have to be easier than that. At least this time I didn’t change species . . . I think.

I leaned my head back and let my shoulders slump.

There would be hardships ahead. But I had someone waiting for me at home.

Someone that I wouldn’t dare disappoint by dying here.

With a new resolve, I climbed from my seat and followed the path back up to the shrine. Andre nodded at me as I passed. He seemed to be hammering a metal plate of some sort. It didn’t look like a weapon. Next, I passed the old woman. I could feel her gaze on me, but did my best to ignore it. That brought me back to the main chamber. Compared to the more cramped tunnel, the vaulted ceilings of the shrine made me a bit dizzy.

“Excuse me?” I approached the woman in the black dress. What had she called herself? The Fire Keeper? “Excuse me, Fire Keeper? Can I talk with you for a second?”

The woman gave no response. She didn’t even react to my voice, as though she couldn’t hear it. With her choice in headwear, I might have believed she were blind. But definitely not deaf. She had been speaking with Mister Knight earlier. “Excuse me?” I said again, reaching forward and tapping her shoulder. Still nothing.

Guess that settled that dispute. I was being ignored. Not much of a surprise. Other than Andre, no one at the shrine had struck me as particularly friendly. Still, she hadn’t done that to Knight, so why me?

“Young Lady,” A voice said from above.

I glanced upward. There, sitting on a throne much too large for him, sat a man. At least, I think it was a man. When I first walked into the shrine, I might have mistaken him for a corpse or a hollow. Even now I wasn’t too sure.

“Are you talking to me?” I asked, pointing at myself.

“I am.” He motioned for me to come closer with an emaciated hand. “Come closer. I wish to speak with you.”

Without many other options, I hurried up the stairs and followed the hallway around until I was standing behind his throne. I stepped carefully over a row of half-melted candles and hopped down onto the platform that held his throne.

Getting closer, I found that my mistaking him for a corpse wasn’t too far off the mark. The old man sitting in front of me was shriveled and burned-looking. His charred skin blended in with his dirtied robes and tarnished crown. The man looked like a dead king, returned to life, sitting upon a rough-hewn stone seat cushioned with a thin, torn stretch of fabric. The man kept his hands folded under his chin, his sunken eyes watching me as I tip-toed around to the front of his throne.

“Yes,” he said as he looked me up and down. “Thou’rt the companion of the Unkindled.”

I glanced around the shrine. “The Unkindled?”

“That knight who stood beside you when thou first entered this shrine?”

“Oh.” I rubbed the back of my neck. “Kind of. It’s a . . . long story,” I lied. “Anyway, did you want to talk to me?” Something about the way he looked at me felt . . . odd. I did not think this man would hurt me – or that he would be capable, given his frail appearance. But I couldn’t shake the chill that came to me as I met his corpse-like gaze. I didn’t mean to insult the man, but I got the sense that he understood my mindset.

“There is no need to fear me, Young One. I am Ludleth of Courland.”

I hoped he didn’t expect me to recognize him.

“Nice to meet you, Ludleth. I’m . . . Sunset.”

“Sunset?” His ancient brow raised. “A worthy name for one such as yourself.”

I took that as a compliment. “You called me up here to speak with me, didn’t you?”

“Yes. I did.” With a crooked finger, he pointed down to the Fire Keeper. “I wish merely to ask your forgiveness on behalf of the Fire Keeper.” I turned to look down at her. “Treat her not with discourtesy. She is much like thee. You are prisoners, both. She cannot speak, but to her own ash.”

I didn’t understand half of what he meant, but I got the gist of it. She wouldn’t be talking to me, no matter what I did. And quite possibly, that she couldn’t. I turned back to the old man. “Right. I’ll keep that in mind.”

“With that sorted, I should ask a question of thee, Young One.” The old man turned his attention back to me. “Thou are not unkindled. You do not carry the scent of ash on you. Nor did the bells did not ring to foretell thou’s arrival. What has brought thee here before me?”

“I . . . I’m lost. I came here hoping to find a way home.” He didn’t seem to be a bad guy. I suppose there was no harm in giving him some kernel of the truth.

“I see. From what world does thou hail?”

What world? He couldn’t have known, could he?

“I don’t remember,” I lied.

“Then thou are afflicted with the curse after all. Yet, you did not come here seeking the Lords of Cinder?”

The Lords of Cinder. Those were the ones Andre spoke of, too. “I didn’t.”

“It is rare for an undead to find their way here without such a call.” He frowned. “But I suppose it is not unheard of. But I sense that thou’s situation is not one that I can call myself familiar with. I offer this advice to thee, if thou are willing to hear it?” I turned back to him. “Follow in the unkindled footsteps. That fate may not belong to thee, but it may act as but a stepping stone to the proper path.”

I shook my head. “I don’t even know where to start.”

“Lay thy hand upon the flame. It knows where to take thee.”

I glanced over my shoulder and down at the fire crackling at the center of the shrine. My brow furrowed as I turned back to Ludleth. “How do you know all of this?”

The old man smiled through cracked lips. “It was a path that I too once traveled.”

It was rather vague and didn’t instill me with a great deal of confidence. But still, I didn’t have much room to judge. After all, I was hiding the truth from him, too. With a nod, I bid Ludleth farewell and climbed back up onto the ledge behind his throne. From there, I made my way back to the bonfire at the center of the room. I stepped up beside the Fire Keeper. She still paid me no mind.

As I stood beside the flame, I could feel the aches in my body fade away. Hesitantly, I reached out a hand toward the coiled sword at its core. I could feel the heat wafting off the blaze, but it did not burn, even as the flames licked at my skin.

“Sunset.”

I turned toward the tunnel at the back of the shrine. Andre stood in the opening, his arms crossed over his bare chest.

“Setting out already?”

My hand pulled back from the fire. “Yeah . . . I think.”

“Prithee, join me at m’ workshop. I have somethin’ for y’.”

He started back toward his workshop, and I followed. While I followed, I got a good look at the smith. He stood taller than I thought, towering over me by half. I could see that the scars that covered his chest stretched all the way around to his back. He walked with slow, heavy footsteps that reminded me of a monster from back home.

As we approached his workshop, he stepped over his scattered tools and beckoned me to follow. After maneuvering past, I joined him in his shop.

“I’ve a gift for y’,” he said, pointing toward one of the makeshift shelves nearby.

Sitting on the shelf was a new outfit. Actual armor, by the looks of it. A chestplate, leggings, and boots. Mostly dark brown leather, covered with straps and buckles. Bits of chainmail were visible through gaps in the cloth. A metal plate was strapped over the shoulder. Instinctively, my hand moved to that same shoulder on myself, where the first hollow had impaled me with its knife. There was no mark left of the wound, but I still remembered it.

Strangest of all, the armor appeared sized to fit a smaller, more petite figure. Like mine.

“Andre, what is this?” I asked, eyes wide.

“No insult to the smiths of yer homeland, but that armor yer wearin’ couldn’t stop a stiff breeze. Figured that, if yer truly plannin’ on journey’n around these parts, y’d need something a little better. Y’ look like ye can handle leather, so I prepared somethin’ light.”

I let out a harsh breath, somewhere between a laugh and a sob. “Andre, I don’t have any money, I can’t–”

“I didn’t do it for a coin, Miss. Was an old set I had lyin’ around. I wasn’t gettin’ any use of it. But it might do y’ some good.”

“You’re . . . you’re sure?” I asked again.

He nodded. “Get changed while I find ye a weapon.”

Andre kept his back to me while he searched through a collection of weapons. After a moment’s hesitation, I took my jacket off and set it aside. Next, I slipped my shirt off, followed closely by my pajama bottoms. I took a second to familiarize myself with the new armor set before I slipped it on. It was heavier than anything I was used to wearing, but didn’t seem to restrict me much. I tightened the straps and belts and fastened Mister Knight’s satchel on my hip. I could hear the bottles inside rattle and see a bit of light shining out through the gaps in the bag.

“Y’ finished?” Andre asked.

“Yeah.” I nodded, even though he wasn’t looking at me.

He came back to me carrying a dagger in his hands. “Didn’t seem right to hand y’ a sword bigger than yerself. Hope this’ll do.”

I set my broken sword down beside my pajamas and took the dagger from Andre. It was pristine, the blade sharp and shimmering in the shrine’s candlelight. The weight felt similar to my old weapon, but the balance was better. Probably a result of being designed to be this short.

“Y’ can leave your things there.” He pointed to the shelf where I’d taken the armor form. “I’ll keep it here for y’.”

“Andre.” I smiled. “I don’t know how to thank you for all of this.”

“If y’ want to thank me, y’ can start by not gettin’ yerself killed out there.” Together, we returned back to the front of his shop. He settled himself back at his anvil and grabbed his hammer.

“Any last minute tips before I set out?” I asked.

He thought for a second before he started hammering again. “These weapons and armor are sturdy enough, by and large. But should chance impel them break, bring them to me. I’ll hammer ‘em back into shape. They take no pleasure in breaking, I assure y’.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.” I took a few steps back toward the main chamber before stopping. “Thanks, Andre. I don’t know what I would’ve done without you.”

“Of course.”

As I walked down the hallway, he shouted after me.

“Prithee, be careful. I don't want to see m’ work squandered!” His hearty laugh echoed through the tunnels, bringing a sense of lightness to the dark, cramped space. I couldn’t help but crack a little smile.

With my new gear, I returned to the bonfire at the center of the shrine. The old lady still creeped me out, the Fire Keeper and the hopeless knight sitting over on the steps both still ignored me, and Ludleth appeared to be lost in thought. But I felt better than ever. I didn’t hesitate as I pushed my hand into the fire.

At first, I didn’t notice anything happening. After a moment, though, the soot around my feet started to shift. Air suddenly whipped around me like a localized twister, kicking up a dust storm from the ash and soot around me. It blocked out the view of anything around me. My eyes stung and I struggled to breath.

With a howl of pain, I pulled my hand away from the fire. Instantly, the wind died and the dust fell still. I took a moment to wipe the dust from my eyes. “Ludleth!” I cried. “I don’t think that worked.” I brushed myself off and looked up toward Ludleth on his throne.

Only to find that there wasn’t a throne there anymore. As was the Fire Keeper, the bonfire, and the whole of Firelink Shrine. Or, more likely, I wasn’t at the shrine anymore.

While I spat a few times trying to get the taste of ash out of my mouth, I couldn’t help but wonder if magic like this would be able to get me home. Problem was, that wasn’t my magic. Something else had taken me here. The Flame, if I had to guess. At least, that was the most I could gather from Ludleth’s explanation. But maybe, if this flame really could control magic like this, maybe I could get it to send me home.

Either way, that didn’t matter for now. I didn’t know enough to hazard a guess whether or not my theory had any plausibility. For now, I just needed to keep moving forward and trying to find out whatever I could along the way.

And the first step toward reaching that goal would be figuring out where I’d ended up.

Obviously, this wasn’t the shrine – it was far too small for that – but the rooms shared a similar aesthetic. Dark, stone rooms with tree roots growing all around. Melted, extinguished candles were scattered around the room, along with more than a few piles of bones. Cobwebs and torn fabric banners hung from the ceiling. What little light managed to slip into the room did so through the boarded windows or through the holes in the roof. Cold braziers, rusted chains, and carved gargoyles lingered overhead.

The only way out of the room was through a rotting wood-and-iron door behind me. With no other options, I made my way up the short staircase, listening to my footsteps echoing through the empty space.

I rolled my shoulders as I stepped up to the door. With a hand on each side of the door, I pushed forward with all my might. The tower itself shook as the doors parted, raining dust and pebbles down on my head. Still, the doors opened without problem, revealing sunlight on the other side. I could hear the whistling wind as I stepped out onto a stone courtyard of sorts.

I could scarcely believe the sight that awaited me on the other side.

Through those doors, I stepped out onto a wall. I had seen the castle walls in Canterlot, but this put any of those to shame. These walls must have been hundreds of feet high, complete with battlements. The room I had found myself in was only one of over a dozen towers that lined the defenses.

I stepped up to the inner edge of the wall. A staircase beside me led down to another courtyard similar to this one. Beyond that, I could see a city. Stone buildings stretched up from the ground, standing nearly as tall as the walls themselves, interconnected by a series of cobblestone roads. From where I stood, I could see what almost looked like a church, complete with a large stained-glass window in front. All across the city, spires jutted up like spikes, their steeples decorated with tattered, blood-red banners.

At the core of the city, I could see two castles connected by a stone bridge. The towers stretched up into the clouds, forcing me to shield my eyes against the sun for a better look. And they were massive. Forget Canterlot Castle, the whole city could have probably fit into one of these castles.

But as beautiful as the sight was, a profound sense of dread gripped me.

This city was dead.

The stonework, though it still contained traces of its former glory, was crumbling and on the verge of collapse. The cobblestone streets below, wide enough for two carriages to pass side-by-side, were empty. No sounds could be heard, save for the howling of the wind as it rushed through the empty buildings and shattered windows. And a thin layer of fog over the whole scene only added to the eerie atmosphere. The only sign of civilization I could see remaining was a lone torch hanging on the wall, still burning.

As I went down the steps to the lower courtyard on the roof of this particular tower, I could see more signs of abandonment. Furniture was scattered across the area, broken and rotted. Weeds grew up through the stone, nearly up to my waist.

But something else grew amidst the weeds. Tall, tree-like structures. Or, at least they resembled trees near the base: a series of twisted roots and rotting growth. But at the top, where branches should have been, were bodies. At first, I thought they might have been lashed to the trees, like some sort of twisted crucifixion. That alone was enough to bring the taste of bile to my tongue. When I looked closer, though, I found that wasn’t the case. They were not attached to the trees, they were the trees. The roots sprouted out from what once might have been a leg. Arms, outstretched to the heavens became branches, spawning their own upward-leaning limbs. Their skin was dry enough to mistake for bark, and their mouths were open, as though they were trying to scream.

And at the center of this courtyard, amidst the death and decay, sat a bonfire.

It was like some sort of twisted joke. Here, amidst a literal forest of corpses, was my place to relax and recuperate. Choking back my disgust, I approached the bonfire. Unlike the others I’d seen since arriving in this world, this one was cold. I stood for a moment, hand on my chin, thinking of some way I could light it. I didn’t have any matches or a lighter. The torch hanging nearby could work, but it seemed bolted into the stone. Perhaps with enough strength, I could have pried it off.

While I was considering my options, though, my body seemed to move by instinct. I reached my hand forward and touched the coiled sword at its core. That was enough, its seemed. The bonfire burst to life, the flames consuming the pile of ash to create a healthy flame. It burned bright for a moment before dimming into the same low-burning flame I’d seen on all the others.

I had no reason to think that touching a bonfire would somehow set it alight. Even now that I’d done it, I still wasn’t sure how. Maybe that had something to do with this Flame that everyone’s been talking about. Or maybe it was simply reacting to my presence. I didn’t know. By this point, I had seen so many strange and confusing things in this world that I had stopped really questioning the logic behind it.

I took my seat beside the fire and closed my eyes.

I wasn’t tired. No, instead, I laid back and stared up into the dusty golden sky and let my thoughts go wild.

“This sucks,” I said to nobody.

This world was . . . surreal. It had beauty in it, but it also had some of the most horrifying sights I’d ever seen. It didn’t help that I could still see one of those terrifying corpse-trees in my periphery.

But forgetting about this world for a second, what was I going to do about getting home? Andre was unbelievably kind and helpful, but he told me himself that he would be no use when it came to getting home. The Fire Keeper wouldn’t —or couldn’t— tell me anything helpful even if she knew. The old lady made my skin crawl.

The only one who seemed to know anything was Ludleth.

It was at this point that a realization hit me. I had left the shrine. I’d left my stuff there, and left everyone I know in this world there. Which meant that I had no way of knowing how I was going to get back. Or even if I could get back.

I could feel the color drain from my face.

“Oh, shit.”

Author's Note

Hey. Sorry for the long time between uploads. Started a new job recently and it's definitely not easy. But, I've finally had time to sit down and right a chapter.

Thanks for reading!

The High Wall of Lothric: Part 1

“Okay, Sunset, don’t panic. Panicking right now would not help,” I muttered as I buried my head in my hands. Maybe whatever magic had whisked me away hadn’t taken me very far, and that I might be able to find my way back to the shrine. Or perhaps there might have been some way to teleport back . . . somehow.

My heart raced.

You know what, what did it matter if I couldn’t get back? Sure I’d never get those pajamas back, and —shit, I wouldn’t get my favorite jacket back either.

Damn it.

Anyways, aside from my jacket, it wasn’t like I particularly needed to go back. Aside from Andre and Ludleth, none of the people there had been any help. And I got the feeling that those two couldn’t help me get any closer to my goal than they already had.

Which meant I was on my own to figure this out.

I stared into the bonfire as I wondered what my next step should be.

I knew next to nothing about this world. Perhaps there was some great sorcerer that could help. Or a magic artifact. Or there was nothing, and I was trapped here until Twilight could come rescue me. She was probably working like mad to fix her teleporter right now. Any second, she’d come strolling through a portal to whisk me away like my knight in nerdy glasses.

A quiet sigh slipped through my lips.

I hoped she was okay.

With that thought lingering in my head, I climbed to my feet. I could sit here until the day I died, but that wouldn’t bring me any closer to finding a way home. And with no information to go on, it was going to take a while to track down some leads. Which meant I’d better get started searching sooner rather than later.

I should start by surveying the area.

Beside the bonfire, a section of the battlements had collapsed, allowing a view of the city beyond. I had gotten a decent glimpse of the city earlier, but now I needed some lay of the lands, perhaps find a landmark or two where I could start my journey.

The pile of loose bricks shifted under my feet as I climbed onto the collapsed section of the wall. I made sure to keep a firm grip on the more solid section of wall beside me to keep me from slipping. I was only at the edge of this tower, so a fall onto the staircase below wouldn’t kill me. It would still probably hurt though.

Earlier, I had called this a dead city. That wasn’t entirely true.

Sure, the streets weren’t bustling with crowds. Sure the masonry was falling apart. And sure there were corpses all along the walls that appeared to be growing into trees. But that didn’t mean the place was abandoned. As I looked over the ivy-wrapped buildings below, I could see the occasional light. A flickering torch here or a lit brazier there. Signs of life. Or, at the very least, signs that some living thing had been through here recently.

Now, as for landmarks.

Either of the castles would be the first obvious choices. But, as far as I could tell, that would require me to go down into the city to try and navigate through the streets. I also couldn’t rule out the possibility that someone still lived in that castle, and probably wouldn’t take kindly to me intruding on them.

First, I decided it would be best to visit a couple of places in the city, to see if I could learn anything that might be useful. Keep my ear to the ground. That sort of thing. The first building in the city to catch my eye was that church-looking one just below.

Well, I called it a church, but a cathedral would be the more appropriate term. Tall spires that looked like they sat atop vaulted ceilings, and a big stained-glass window right in the center of its facade.

It looked important, which meant that it was just as good a spot as any to start my search. Now the only issue was how I would get down there. I leaned forward to try and peer over the edge of the staircase below. I retreated back on to stable ground immediately when I realized just how high up I actually was and how dizzy it made me.

Okay. So, I should probably avoid taking the fast way down.

From what I could tell, the tower I was on didn’t have any stairs or paths that led down into the city, only ones that led to other towers along the wall. The best bet would probably be to start at my destination and draw a path back to where I was standing.

Beside the cathedral was a massive courtyard with what seemed to be an equally massive pyre in the center. From that courtyard, I looked at the buildings around it. I would be able to get down to street level if I could make it to those rooftops. And those rooftops look like they might connect to the wall a little further down—

I froze.

I was right. The rooftops did connect to the wall, or at least was close enough that I could make the jump. But on the little stone platform that connected them, I could see something. It was difficult to discern what exactly I was looking at from here. It was some large, gray . . . thing. Whatever it was, its odd pattern of spikes and smooth edges told me that, whatever it was, it wasn’t a building. I suppose it could have been a statue of some sort, like a gargoyle, but my gut told me that wasn’t the case.

My path would take me right past that thing. Still, it was the only way down from the wall I could see that didn’t involve making me a mess on the cobblestone below. Those rooftops connected to that tower, and that tower was connected to another tower by the paths along the wall, then a third, then to mine.

At the next tower, I could see another of those statuesque creatures. With how close this one was, I could pick up a lot more detail. It was lying on its side, as though it might have fallen from the top of the tower and crashed there. The destroyed section of the wall below it led some credence to that theory.

As for the creature itself though, it appeared long and almost serpent-like. Down the length of its neck, stony spikes protruded from the skin, all the way down to its back. Two massive wings sprouted from where its arms should have been.

Something bothered me about this.

It definitely looked like a statue. Its skin was rock-like and only a few shades lighter than the brick beneath it, but the way it was laying looked too natural. A statue would have been rigid, it wouldn’t have its head lying flat on the ground if it had fallen like that. I thought back to the last thing I might have guessed to be a statue. Maybe this things was a real monster after all.

Stranger than that, though, I couldn’t shake how familiar it looked. Long neck. Wings. A tail draped across the tower behind it. I had an idea of what I was looking at, but I needed to get closer to be sure. Which meant I’d need to cross the segment of the wall between my tower and its.

I had stalled long enough. I double checked my gear and gave one last glance back at the bonfire before leaning down and sitting on the broken section of the wall. From here, I inched closer to the edge and slid down onto the stairs below. It was a shaky landing, but I managed to keep my balance.

These stairs led down to the next segment of the wall. I couldn’t deny that I felt a little impressed by just how large these battlements were. On one side, a wall of stone complete with those small slits to fire arrows through. On the other side, a smaller wall that led to a cliff-like drop into the city below. Between the two edges was a path that, though maybe only about a hundred feet long, was as wide as a suburb street. I could imagine a battalion of soldiers marching across it as battle raged around them.

The marvelous sight was, of course, marred by more of those odd corpse-trees. These ones weren’t alone though, and were surrounded by a pile of actual corpses. Hollows, like the ones I’d seen back at the shrine. Instead of black robes, these ones were dressed in peasant garb, with sackcloth robes and rope belts. Most of them were cut to pieces, leaving them and the ground around them bloody.

I recognized that handiwork.

Wide, deep cuts made by a rather decently-sized blade. A few more unclean cuts that looked more like they were caused by sheer blunt force than a clean cut. The same way it looked when Sir Knight had smashed a hollow with the edge of his shield.

I suppose I shouldn’t have been surprised. Ludleth had said something along the lines of the bonfire putting me on the flame’s path. If that’s what Sir Knight was doing too, then it only made sense that we’d end up in the same spot. Still, the blood was drying, meaning that he’d come through here a while ago. And that was, of course, assuming that it even was Sir Knight. It looked the part, yeah, but I somehow doubted he was the only soldier around here capable of a massacre like this.

I gave the carnage a wide berth as I hurried over to the next tower.

As I neared the stone creature’s head, I realized a few things. I was right about its skin being stone or stone-like. But at the same time, the rocky scales were peeling away in the winds, revealing bloody muscle beneath. Which meant that this thing was alive at some point. That thought led me into the second realization. Up close, I could see the sharp teeth, the scales, and the lines of soot at the edges of its mouth. A result of its fire breath.

All things I’d seen on dragons back in Equestria.

Which meant that this dead creature was also a dragon.

I know it might have gone by a different name here, but there was no denying that, to any Equestrian, this thing was a dragon. The knowledge that these existed here only added another layer of complexity to this world. Fighting my way through an army of zombies was one thing, but trying to fight a dragon sounded like suicide.

Beside the dragon’s head, a set of stairs led down into the tower innards. Beside them, another set went up to the small courtyard at the top of the tower. For the sake of getting to the cathedral, I needed to go down. But I couldn’t deny my curiosity to go up top and get a better look at this dragon. Maybe I could find some clue as to what brought this great beast down, which could come in handy if I ever found myself face-to-face with one. Well, with a living one.

I kept my head down as I inched up the stairs. The hollows below might have been dead, but up here was a different story. I could see one of them stumbling around the courtyard. It was dressed like one of the peasants, but carried a broken sword in one hand. In the other, it held up a lantern. It moved that lantern back and forth as it swept the area. Luckily, it hadn’t noticed me.

If I had some sort of range attack, I could take it down before it noticed me. I briefly considered the chime strapped to my belt. Given what that dusk-colored lightning bolt could do to the judge, I could only imagine the devastation it would wreak on a smaller foe like this. However, the last time I’d used it, I’d been left with a magical migraine, just like I did when I first started training with my magic as a foal. I would have to save that for an emergency.

Which meant that I had to handle this fight the hard way.

I kept my knees bent, my body low, and my steps light as I rushed forward from the tops of the stairs. He had his back to me, giving me every opportunity to cut him down quietly with my new knife. That plan went immediately out the window as I stepped onto a loose brick. It tilted underfoot, knocking me off balance and sending me stumbling closer toward the dragon’s body. I slammed my foot down, hoping it might stabilize me.

My foot came down hard on the dragon’s tail. The stone scales crackled underfoot, as though I’d smashed a porcelain pot and were stomping on the pieces. The crunch echoed through the silence.

Startled, the hollow turned toward the sound.

I drew my knife and rushed forward, ready to counter anything it threw at me.

But it didn’t. It didn’t raise its weapon to threaten me, nor did it try to get away. Instead, it raised its lantern, took a deep breath, and unleashed a hellish shriek that they probably could have heard all the way on the other end of the city. Adrenaline surged through me. I tightened the grip on my knife and swung. The hollow’s scream stopped abruptly as its throat blossomed open.

It dropped its weapon and clutched weakly at its neck before dropping to its knees and slumped over. I swallowed the bitter taste in my mouth and wiped my knife clean on the leg of my armor. Killing was getting easier, and I really wasn’t sure how comfortable I was with that.

I didn’t have time to linger on that, though, as a series of growls behind me caught my attention. At first, I thought I might have been mistaken earlier and that the dragon was somehow alive. I turned to see that it wasn’t the dragon that had made that noise, but a trio of hollows that were sitting and leaning against it. I raised my knife as the three of them rose to their feet.

These weren’t normal hollows. Unlike any I’d faced so far, these ones were dressed in armor and carried unbroken swords. Their armor was nothing too impressive, mostly leather linked together by tarnished chain mail.

I didn’t have time to think, I simply reacted. I sprinted forward, closing the distance before the hollows could fully rise and drove my knife toward the nearest one. The blade punched through the rusted metal helmet and rotting flesh of its temple with ease. As I pulled my blade out, the hollow collapsed into a heap.

A similar tactic wouldn’t work with the others, though, as they raised their weapons. I jumped back once and then again, putting some distance between me and the remaining two attackers. My gaze swapped back and forth between them as I formulated a plan.

Then my back erupted with a searing pain. I stumbled forward, my free hand instinctively reaching back to find the cause. My fingers fumbled up against a wooden shaft protruding from just beneath my right shoulder blade. I glanced back to see a sniper standing on a ledge above, casually loading another bolt into his crossbow.

I turned back to the two approaching hollows. I would have to deal with these two first before I could worry about the archer. I didn’t like that plan, but I didn’t have much choice. I twirled my knife around, switching to an icepick grip. Instead of wait for the hollows to arrive, I hurried forward to meet them.

I ducked under the first swing and closed in before the second. The hilt of the hollow’s blade collided with my knife before getting pushed away. I twirled, using the momentum of my first swing to drive my elbow into the hollow’s jaw, cracking it and numbing my off-hand in the process. It tumbled backwards, turning this fight into a one-on-one.

First, I jumped back in time to watch another bolt sail past me. That bought me a few seconds before the next shot. Seconds that I could use to even the odds of this fight. The hollow charged and swung high, so I dropped low and slid my knife along its side, splitting its armor open. I brought the knife back around and buried it deep into the hollow’s neck. The wound showered me in sticky blood as I pulled free.

Before I could stop to catch my breath or even wipe my face, I rushed over to the hollow I’d knocked over earlier, knelt down on his chest, raised my blade above my head, and brought it down with both hands, driving it through his dead heart.

That only left the archer.

I put all my focus into dodging his next bolt before waiting back to offense. I took the stairs up toward him by threes. Rather than use my knife, I lowered my shoulder and rammed him, knocking his crossbow aside and slamming him up against the wall. While he was stunned, I grabbed him by the collar and heaved with all my might, throwing him over the edge to land with a sickeningly wet crack beside his dead allies on the level below.

I watched for a moment, waiting for him to move again. The rapidly growing pool of red around him told me that he probably wasn’t getting back up. Still high on adrenaline, I scanned the area. At the top of the steps, another corpse sat. I didn’t wait for it to move and took action, running up to it and slamming my knee into its face, cracking its nose and painting the boarded-up door behind it with a splash of red.

The last one hadn’t moved, but I hadn’t wanted to take the chance.

Now though, with my foes thoroughly slaughtered, my pulse finally fell back into the double digits. The shock wore off, leaving me to process what I’d just done. I felt a twinge of pride, but unfortunately it was buried beneath a mountain of disgust. I could taste the stale blood that had splattered across my lips.

Tears welled in my eyes. Partly from the shame of just how easily I had taken to killing, but also in part due to the searing pain currently burning down my right arm. I reached my good hand back and wrapped my bloody fingers around the bolt shaft. Closing my eyes and gritting my teeth, I yanked at it. The bolt slid out about an inch.

A scream tore from my lips, driving me to my knees.

I waited for my breathing to calm and for the pain to ease up just a little. The latter didn’t seem like it would be happening anytime soon. So, instead, I bit down hard on the handle of my dagger, tightened my grip, and pulled. The bolt’s resistance finally gave, accompanied by the sound of ripping flesh.

The leather handle of my knife stiffed my cries. I pressed my hand against the wound, but I could feel the blood seeping through my fingers. With what little control I still had of my right arm, I dug into my bag and pulled out the green flask. The bottle felt warm to the touch, and I could see the orange light glowing from inside.

I popped the cork and tilted my head back as I drank greedily. The rush of warmth enveloped me, dispelling my pain and stopping the bleeding, just as it had done before. I didn’t know what this potion was, but by Celestia it certainly was a lifesaver.

Glancing down at the bottle, I couldn’t help but notice that the glow had dimmed considerably. It was still there, just weak. I had refilled it once, now I just needed to figure out how. But that was a task for another time. I climbed back to my feet, put the bottle away, retrieved my knife from where it landed and slipped it back into its sheath.

Beneath the wind, I could hear voices whispering.

I glanced around, looking for their source, but found nothing.

For now, the ordeal was over and I could finally inspect this dragon.

Author's Note

Howdy.

New chapter for you. I didn't want to set a normal schedule for this since it's more of a side-project, but I still need to do better than a few months break. Consider this my apology. Let me know what you think in the comments below. All criticisms welcome.

Thanks,
Arkane

The High Wall of Lothric: Part 2

After several minutes of wandering back and forth, studying this dragon’s corpse, I finally came to the conclusion that I was wasting my time here. I had seen a dragon or two in Equestria. I had also seen them in books in the human world. Neither of these things helped me decipher anything about this particular dragon.

Worse, I couldn’t find anything that would’ve killed it.

I stepped over the spiked tail coiled around the plaza as I made another round. I figured that, for a weapon to kill a dragon this size, it needed to be big and powerful enough to punch through the armor and hit something vital. And while there were a few spots where the scales had started to rot, none of the patches were big enough to hide a wound that size.

Which brought me to my next logical conclusion: poison. A smaller weapon coated with a potent enough poison could hide amongst the damaged parts of the body while still being powerful enough to kill. I had never heard anything like that in Equestria. Human mythologies did, but they weren’t exactly the most factual accounts.

Did this world have poison so potent as to kill a dragon like this?

Surely such a thing would have left some indication. Sure, the scent of rotting dragon burned my senses and the veiny, raw strings of meat visible beneath the skin were stomach-turning, but those were things I would expect from a corpse left to rot under the sun. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

I briefly considered that it may have simply succumbed to disease.

Regardless, I had failed at my objective. I had found nothing to help me fight off a dragon if such a thing would come to pass. What I had found instead was a series of existential questions.

Everything I had come across in this world was dead. The bare, root-looking plants grew out corpses, the hollows were comparable to rotting zombies. Even I was dead. I shuddered at that thought and a gnawing sense of emptiness at my core.

This world felt dead and hopeless.

Twilight had built her machine to learn about other worlds.

But what did a world like this have to teach? What lessons could I learn standing here, staring at the countless bodies piling up around me? Even this dragon, one of the mightiest of beasts to ever have existed in either of my homeworlds, was nothing more than another corpse here.

What chance did I have? What was the point?

I slipped my hand into my pocket and ran my finger over the edge of my phone. I still had a purpose. I still needed to find my way home. But what would become of this world? Was it doomed to linger on like the hollows that inhabited, shambling and pointless? Was this the way it had always been? Looking at the castle in the distance and the city around me, I couldn’t believe that.

I wouldn’t find my answers here.

I pushed my growing sense of dread aside. I needed to keep moving.

I wiped my eye with the back of my hand and began to descend the tower.

As I started down the first set of stairs and onto the second, I did my best to avoid the dragon’s empty gaze. That second staircase brought me down into what I thought might have been some sort of break room for the soldiers that once guarded these walls. Without sunlight or torches, it was difficult to see. Tables and chairs were scattered around, covered with rotten food and weapons. A few chairs and empty boxes were smashed open. The floor, though stone at the edges of the chamber, had sections of close-knit wooden crossbeams that groaned as I put my weight on them.

And of course, like everything else, corpses were strewn about the room. Some, more fresh and still bleeding, others dry as bone. I tried not to look directly at them.

The exit at the other end of the tower led out to another section of the wall. One I needed to cross. The only problem was, a chunk of the wall had collapsed. The metal bars that were probably once a gate had been crushed and bent by a large pile of stone, rendering the passage blocked. Instead, my path forward was a ladder at the center of the room that took me down to the next level.

I felt each wooden ladder rung bend under my weight as I climbed down.

At the bottom, I found another table, more chairs, and a doorway filled with sunlight. Outside, I found myself on a lower section of the wall. Ahead of me, I could see two paths, both of which led to the next tower. A staircase to my left led back up to the top of the wall. According to my mental map, that was where the destroyed door should have led.

To the right, the lower path continued. At the end of it, I could see a set of stairs that skirted past the next tower, taking me directly onto the section of the wall after it and then to the next tower that I needed to get to. The right path also had more than a few bodies decorating it. More soldiers.

Speaking of which, there was another hollow soldier in my way. This one carried a shield and spear. He laid on his back, gut split open, staring into the sky with a vacant gaze. Normally, I would have ignored him, but this wasn’t a normal case. He was lying on the floor directly in my path and the space was too thin to skirt around.

With no other option, I shuffled closer and tried to step over with a single long stride. Walking over the body of a dead man sent a chill up my spine. That chill turned to frozen terror as a dry, leathery hand wrapped around my ankle. Before I could stop myself, I let out a hoarse cry. The dead soldier was stirring. He’d let go of his spear in order to grab me.

And he wasn’t the only one. The bodies at the end of the lower path were also starting to shift. They were all still in various states of putting themselves back together . One was trying to stuff blackened intestines back into his stomach. Another reattached his arm. A third pushed the split halves of his face back together. It looked like something out of a horror movie. Even worse, the first two to reform reached down to pick up crossbows from the bloodstained floor.

I needed to get away before they started firing.

In my panicked state, I didn’t think to reach for my dagger. Instead, I turned toward the hollow holding me in place, pulled my arm back, and let loose a straight right punch into his nose. I could feel the front of his skull shatter against my knuckles. Messy, and I hurt my hand a bit, but I was able to pull myself free. I dove out of the, taking cover behind the stairs. I heard a series of soft clinking as the two bolts bounced off the stone. The soldiers came after me, while the archers reloaded. One versus over half a dozen.

I decided I’d be better off heading up top. At the very least, it would give me some breathing room while I figured out my next move. I took the steps by twos and stopped at the top for a brief moment to take in my surroundings. A few more hollows were wandering the ramparts aimlessly. I could see the gate to the next tower just ahead. Only one thing stood in my way. Another hollow. One of the sentries that held a lantern in his off-hand. The last one in that uniform had alerted half the city. Last thing I needed was reinforcements.

I slipped the knife from my sheath as I barreled towards him. I was about halfway between the stairs and him when he finally saw me. He opened his mouth, revealing broken yellow teeth and black gums. He let out a scream. This time, though, something interrupted him.

Another scream. More of a roar, actually. Hellishly loud. The whole of the wall quaked at the sound. I dropped my knife and grabbed my ears as I fell to my knees. The sound rattled my soul. And I wasn't the only one. The hollows around me dropped their weapons and held their heads, too.

Somewhere, beneath the incessant ringing in my ears, I heard —or perhaps more felt— a rush of wind, like a bird flapping their wings. For a moment, the sunlight vanished as a dark shape soared overhead. I had a pretty good idea of what it might be. As soon as I could bear it, I pulled my hands away from my head, snatched my dagger, and was back on my feet.

I made it a few steps closer to the game when something slammed into the tower, something massive, by the sound of it. It knocked loose stone and shingles from the places, and even sent me and the hollows scrambling to stay up. For a moment, I was worried the wall might have collapsed.

As I pushed past the cowering sentry, my eyes flicked upward.

I was right. A great beast waited on the top of the tower, his stone scales blending with the clouds of dust he’d kicked up in his wake. A dragon. Except this one was very much still alive. Its black eyes swept the wall as he reared his head back.

My eyes went wide and I hurried to the gate.

The dragon’s jaws opened, unleashing a wave of heat that smelled of sulfur and burned my eyes. But that was nothing compared to what came next. I threw myself into the rusted gate. It fell open under my weight, sending me crashing to the hardwood floor just inside the doorway.

I heard the dragon’s breath hitch.

No time left.

I laid flat on my stomach, throwing my hands up over my head.

Then, with an earthshaking roar, the giant beast unleashed a torrent of fire over the whole section of the wall. I squeezed my eyes shut, trembling as the wave of heat washed over me. Immediately, the chill of the morning air vanished and I could feel sweat around my collar. I felt the skin on my hands start to blister. I struggled to breathe.

Then it was over. The heat lingered only a moment more before the cold wind chased it away. I didn’t dare look behind me yet, instead clawing at the floor in front of me, dragging myself deeper into the tower. When I had put several feet of space between myself and the gate, I finally turned to witness the aftermath.

The entirety of the wall’s section became a hellish wasteland. The stone, once tarnished, was now scorched black or molten. The hollows’ bodies were nothing more than charred husks, shriveled, forever frozen in the midst of a silent scream.

Even I hadn’t escaped the cataclysm unscathed.

The backs of my hands were bright red with a few blisters bubbling across their surface. Safely hidden within the tower, I reached into my bag. This time, I pulled the blue potion from its slot. Though the shape of the bottle matched its counterpart, this one appeared an ashen gray color with a blue light shimmering inside. More importantly for my sake, the bottle was cold.

I popped the top and spilled a bit of the liquid inside onto my hand. It didn’t have the same healing properties as the orange flask, but that didn’t matter right now. I just needed something freezing. I sat there for a minute, switching off between shaking hands as I administered treatment.

By the time the bottle ran dry, my hands still hurt, but at least they’d stopped sizzling. I hesitated as I put the empty bottle back in my bag. There was still a bit left in the orange flask. It had healed worse wounds, surely it would be able to heal this, too. I watched the shimmering light inside swirl through the green glass for far too long before shutting my bag.

My hands were bleeding and the pain made me want to scream, but the wounds weren’t life threatening. At least, not immediately. As desperately as I craved relief from my seared skin, I knew in the back of my mind that I should save what little healing I had left for a more serious affliction.

“Stupid dragon,” I said to the empty room.

As if it heard me, it howled and unleashed another wave of fire. I still felt the heat, but at least this time I wasn’t close enough to burn. For the moment, I was safe from the threat of being burned alive. Now it was time to discern what other dangers this room might have for me.

Luckily for me, there weren’t any hollows. Good thing, too. I doubt they would have sat idly by and waited for me to recover before trying to kill me. In fact, there weren’t even any bodies.

The room was split into two levels, an upper warehouse and a lower barracks. The upper floor, where I was currently standing, was missing a large stretch through the middle. The gap was too wide to jump, but I could see another gate on the other side. A staircase in the corner led down to the barracks.

On the lower floor, there were more tables and chairs, similar to the last tower. Rusted metal plates and bowls were scattered around, empty, save for dust and a few bits of stone debris.

Around the edges of the room, crates, barrels, and a chest were stacked haphazardly. Well, they might have been stacked neatly at one point, but the number of broken containers had ruined any semblance of organization.

I poked around at a few of the crates as I made my way around the room. Tucked away in the back, behind crates of armor so rusted that a stiff breeze would cut it in two, I found a ladder. It was rotten and missing a few rungs, but was still better than nothing. I set it up against the side of the second floor opposite from where I’d come in. It was just tall enough to reach.

As I stepped onto the first rung, I found my eye drawn to the last stack of containers I’d neglected to search.

“Haste makes waste, Sunset,” I reasoned to myself. “What if there’s something we can use in there?” Thoroughly convinced by my own logic, I stepped down and walked over to the last pile. As expected, the crates were broken and filled with rotting junk. However, at the front of the stack, a lone chest waited.

Unlike everything else in the room, the smoothly carved wood was unblemished. An unrusted chain hung from the edge, pointing away from the chest in a straight line. The locks on the front were open. All I had to do was open it up and whatever was inside would be mine. I knelt down in front of it and ran my fingers along the finish. If Workshop class taught me anything, it was that this was a fine piece of furniture, something that was definitely out of place in a rundown tower like this.

I slid my finger under the lip and lifted—

Then froze.

I took a generous step back and watched the chest. Perhaps the constant adrenaline rush that was this world had finally gotten to me, because I swore that I saw the chest move.

And after a minute or two of observation, I saw it again. The lid of the chest lifted slightly, as though something inside were pushing on it. In some weird way, it reminded me of the way a human’s chest would rise and fall when they took a breath. But that couldn’t be possible.

An idea came to me. One that woodworkers all around the world would hate me for. I grabbed my knife and pressed the point into the wood. With a quick pull, I ripped the pointed tip through the wood, carving a small line down the side of the trunk.

A trickle of blood spilled from the cut.

The hair on the back of my neck stood up. I stumbled back in time for the chest to spring to life. It lurched forward, the lid and base of the chest opening and snapping shut like the jaws of a vicious beast. If I hadn’t moved, it would have taken my head clean off.

Next . . .

I wasn’t even sure how to describe what happened next. The chest . . . lifted off the ground as a body uncurled from beneath it. This body was . . . vaguely humanoid. Two feet connected to two legs connected to a central body, except the limbs were too long and too thin.

And then there was the obvious difference: the head.

In place of any normal human head, this thing had the treasure chest. At first, I thought it might be some kind of creature wearing the chest like a helmet, but I was wrong. Its neck connected directly to the bottom panel of the chest. That theory went further out the window when the chest flipped open to reveal fleshy pink gums and two rows of jagged, pointed teeth. Two long, leathery arms reached out from the maw and grabbed at me.

I swung my knife at the outstretched hand, severing two of the fingers. The monster recoiled briefly before throwing its weight forward with a twirling spin-kick. I dropped to the floor, letting the things sail over my head with a noise that almost sounded like laughter. The moment it landed, it started again, hopping and dancing around me in a circle, assaulting my senses constantly with that soulless, lifeless laugh.

I took a step toward me, drawing back its leg and swinging it forward like a pendulum. I ducked as it connected with the wall behind me, smashing through the stone with ease. I countered with my knife, opening a deep cut down its leg as it pulled back.

It continued to dance as if it didn’t feel the pain, but I could see the blood trickling down its leg. I knew I’d hurt it. And every attack it threw at me, each kick, each slap, I narrowly avoided, some close enough that I could feel the wind as its strike whizzed past. I did what damage I could, opening little cuts all across its leathery body. By now, generous puddles of blood were starting to gather in the places it repeatedly stepped.

The fight wasn’t one-sided by any stretch, though. As exhaustion set in, my limbs grew heavy and my dodges came slower. Meanwhile, the creature hadn’t slowed down at all. Its attacks still came frequently and with devastating speed. Given what I’d seen it do to the solid stone walls, it would only take one hit to put me in a grave.

Nevertheless, our dance continued. It swung, I dodged, I cut. Until finally, it unleashed one final desperate attack. Stretching its arms out wide, it rushed forward, as though about to try and hug me. If I tried to move to either side or take a step back, its wide grasp would catch me for sure.

That left one option.

Flipping my knife around to a reverse grip, I hurried forward to meet it halfway. As it swung its arms inwards, it only managed to catch a lock of my hair as I slipped underneath it, sliding through its legs. It may have cost one of the red stripes in my hair, but the maneuver gave me exactly the opening I needed.

I plunged my knife into the back of the creature’s knee, burying the blade up to the hilt. When it tried to pull away, I yanked the blade, cutting deep into its flesh, nearly severing its leg and forcing it down onto its knee. Pulling free, I brandished my knife and leapt onto its back, digging the knife into its muscle again and again. I felt warm blood ooze onto my skin, but I didn’t stop until the beast finally slumped to the side.

It unleashed one final death rattle that sounded a bit like a braying mule.

“I . . . really . . . don’t like this place,” I said between panting breaths.

A hearty roar shook a layer of fine dust from the ceiling.

“Glad you agree with me.”

Like the judge before it, the creature’s body vanished in a swirl of white mist. Again, I heard the legion of voices whispering in my ear, but I barely even registered it. Instead, I flopped to the ground and threw my weight back against the wall. My eyelids were too heavy to keep open.

Slowly, I started to catch my breath.

Dragons, zombies, giant oily snake judges, and now whatever that thing was. I prayed that this world had no more surprises for me, but I somehow doubted that. My head lolled to one side.

I told myself that I was waiting in case the dragon left.

He didn’t, but that was not the real reason for my hesitation.

I was exhausted. Not in a tired sort of way. I didn’t feel the need to sleep. Rather, I just wanted a second to gather myself. It was a bit disheartening, honestly. None of the two, three fights I’d been in could compare to the judge. After all, I hadn’t died this time around.

Still, I had only left the last bonfire less than an hour ago. In that time, I’d made it . . . probably about a hundred feet? Maybe two hundred? Hardly impressive and definitely not something I should have needed a break to recover from. I was no stranger to struggling. I had been Celestia’s student. I had changed species and figured out how to be human. Those things caused me years of difficulties.

Maybe I was just going soft. I blamed Twilight. Both of them.

But that was enough moping.

I put a hand against the wall to keep me steady while I stood. The bones in my back and arms popped as I stretched. I made my way to the ladder, but stopped when I noticed something on the ground. Where the chest-beast had fallen, there was a weapon on the floor. An axe, to be specific.

I picked it up for a quick inspection.

Basically, the axe was a long metal pole that ended in a blade the size of my head. It was heavier than it looked, and the blade had a strange dark haziness to its edge.

I glanced down at my dagger. It hadn’t survived the last fight unscathed, with the blade itself bending and the tip snapped off. It had served me faithfully for the first leg of my journey, but until I could get it fixed, it wasn’t going to be of much use. I bent it back in shape enough to slide it back into the sheath before picking up the axe.

It didn’t really fit my style, but I would make it work. Somehow.

I slipped the axe through a leather loop on my belt and started up the ladder. It wasn’t the most comfortable place to keep such a weapon. The shaft constantly clanged against the back of my leg and the weight threatened to pull my pants down around my ankles. Luckily, I only needed to keep it there while my hands were busy.

When I reached the top of the ladder, I removed the axe and carried it by hand. I tried to open the gate, but it just rattled in the frame. I felt my stomach drop. It hadn’t dawned on me until just now that some of these doors might be locked. If the last door had been locked, that dragon would have burned me alive. I tried not to think about it, but couldn’t keep my hand from shaking as I pulled open to bolt on the handle. This time, the door swung open freely.

I inched through the doorway. Above, I could see the dragon’s spiky tail hanging over the tower’s edge. I crept down the stairs and tip-toed past a hollow soldier that looked dead enough. It only should have taken a few steps to reach the last tower, but I decided to take it slowly and cautiously.

Then, I heard heavy, familiar footsteps.

I recognized the metal-sounding crunch of plate armor boots.

For a second or two, I felt relief wash over me. I’d managed to catch up with Mister Knight. Now, he could protect me while I journeyed, searching for a way home. My foolish hope was short-lived. It was indeed a knight that stepped out from the tower to face me, but it wasn’t my knight. This one was taller, wearing a cape. In his right hand, he carried a longsword, and in his left, a long metal shield. His armor had a similar design to my old companion, but thinner, designed for a more lithe combatant. That’s not to mention that, by my calculations, he stood a whole head taller than Mister Knight.

“I don’t suppose you’re another kind knight here to save me?” I asked, tightening my grip on my weapon. He didn’t react, but I could feel his eyes lingering on me through the gap in his helmet. Slowly, I reached down and wrapped my fingers around the smooth gold surface of my chime.

At once, the two of us sprang into action.

He swung his sword at me in a wide arc.

I threw up my axe, catching his blade against the shaft.

But that didn’t stop him. The force of his swing knocked me back. He followed it with a second. Then a third. Each hit rattled me, loosening my grip on my weapon. He still didn’t stop.

As his fourth swing came at me, I slid underneath it, trying to counter with an upswing of my own.

The head of my axe slammed into his shield.

He didn’t budge, while I fumbled the grip on my weapon.

It was only a moment of weakness, but that was enough.

He swiped me with his shield, catching my cheek and knocking me to the ground with a splatter of blood. He followed with a heavy boot to my chest, knocking the air from my lungs with a gruesome crackle.

I laid back against the stone, staring at the bleak sky as I struggled to breath through the taste of blood. Above me, the knight slid his shield onto his back and grabbed his blade with both hands. He hefted the blade over his head, the polished metal catching the pale sunlight and casting the blade in a divine glow. With a thunderous force, he rained his weapon down on me.

My fingers scraped against the stone until they felt the metal handle of my axe. I threw it out in front of me, using it as a shield. The knight’s blade crashed down against the shaft, bending the metal weapon under the force of his swing. He didn’t stop there, lifting his weapon for another swing.

I didn’t have much of a choice.

The bells on my chime rang out as I funneled my magic through it.

The air around us grew hazy. In a moment, with a sound like thunder, the air exploded, cracking the stone beneath me and throwing the knight away. As his weight lifted from my chest, I sucked in a breath and rolled to my feet.

My lungs burned as I tried to breathe.

The knight didn’t give me a moment to recover.

I’d grown used to fighting the mindless hollows. They came at me, swinging whatever weapon they could with reckless abandon. It was simple to slip past their defenses and end them with a quick, clean cut. But this enemy was something new. It watched me, studied me, and as it swung again and again, it searched for any to draw blood.

It came at me with a wide sweep. I tried to jump back, but the two-handed blade had a longer range than I expected. The end of the blade cut through the armor beneath my ribs, carving a deep wound into my side. I was ready for it the next time. When its blade sailed past me, I hefted my axe and swung. It caught my weapon with its shoulder pad, absorbing the brunt of the swing at the thickest point of the armor.

I wasn’t used to the axe’s weight.

The slight redirection was enough for me to stumble.

And I was repaid with a metal-coated punch to the face, driving me back down to the stone with nothing more than a blackening eye to show for my efforts. As he stepped forward, I flowed another surge of magic into my chime, creating another explosion to push the knight away. This time, the spell left me more than a little dizzy.

To call this bad would be an understatement.

Everything I’d fought so far was nothing more than a mindless drone.

But this was different. This was a knight, probably on par with the one that had saved my life. I didn’t stand a chance in a fight against him.

Simply put, I was outmatched.

On my back, staring into the sky, I caught something out of the corner of my eye.

Something that just might get me through this fight in one piece.

An idea came to me.

I climbed back to my feet. By now, the knight had taken his shield back up. He stalked toward me, head low, grip tight on his weapon. I could see my own blood dripping from the end of the shimmering blade.

“You’re pretty good,” I gasped.

The knight said nothing.

I held my axe tight in one hand and my chime in the other. I waited for the knight to close in. He did so cautiously, keeping his shield between me and him. I could see his helmet tilted downward. He was looking at my chime.

Perfect. I just needed him to get a little closer.

A little closer.

One more step.

The instant his metal heel touched down against the stone, I stepped forward. He threw up his shield as I raised the golden chime out in front of me. One last blast of magic. He dropped his sword and held his shield with both hands as the wave of force tore past him. This time, he managed to stay on his feet, but my plan was already in motion.

Before he could react, I sprinted past him into the tower and slammed the gate shut behind me. The rusted lock gave me a bit of trouble, but it eventually snapped into place. Just in time, too. The knight approached the gate, and when it didn’t open at his push, he just glared at me.

I grinned back.

That just seemed to make him angry. He lifted his shield and threw his full weight into the door. The rusted metal bent beneath his weight.

My smile faded. I didn’t have much time for this.

This tower seemed to be a warehouse of sorts. Crates, barrels, and chairs were stacked up around the room. A staircase led down to another level equally as dark and cluttered as the one I was one. In the shadows below, I could see figures shifting. Hollows, by the looks of them, but dressed differently than any I’d seen so far.

They didn’t matter right now, and luckily, they seemed to ignore me.

Another slam. The grinding of metal reminded me just how little time I had.

To my right, I found what I needed. A staircase, leading up to the roof. I slid my chime and axe back into their holsters as I ran. I reached the top of the stair and nearly tripped over a bonfire.

That was handy. Or would be, assuming that I was able to pull this plan off.

I put a hand out toward the bonfire. The moment it lit, I forgot about it. I needed to focus.

From here, I could see the next tower over. And more importantly, the dragon standing on top of it. I bent down and scraped a stone off the floor as I moved to the tower edge. After taking a moment to test the stone’s weight in the palm of my hand, I took a step back and prepared myself.

Beneath me, I heard the metal gate crash open.

I’d hoped it would last a little longer than that. Oh well.

I listened to the heavy metal footsteps as they started up the tower stairs toward me.

That was my cue.

With a running start, I chucked the rock as hard as I could.

It bounced off the next tower before tumbling down into the city below.

Not quite. I grabbed another rock.

This one sailed too high, rolling off the tower roof and off into the empty abyss on the outside of the wall.

I heard the knight’s footsteps right behind me.

One more chance.

Come on, Sunset. You didn’t come all this way just to die here. Well . . . die again.

“Not helping,” I whispered to myself.

I took a deep breath. Another running start. Another grunt of effort as I launched the stone with all my might.

And it landed square against the side of the dragon’s head.

I gasped. I’d done it. The dragon turned toward me. His black eyes zeroed in on me.

The elation of victory only lasted a moment. Then, all I felt was pain as a blade pierced through me. I felt the point slide into my back, through me, before tearing out through my stomach.

Time slowed to a crawl. I glanced down to see a bloodied chunk of metal sticking out of my abdomen. The taste of blood and metal filled my throat and my eyes started to water as my body went numb.

The pain reignited when the knight pulled his blade free.

And as the weapon tore free from me, there was nothing left to keep me standing. I dropped to my knees, then tumbled forward. I managed to twist around just enough for my back to hit the wall before I slid down into a seated position.

With each echoing beat of my heart, I felt a fresh gout of blood pour out of me. I put a shaking hand against my belly, but it couldn’t stop the bleeding. The warmth of my blood felt oddly nice against my cold flesh.

My eyes flicked up at the knight standing over me.

Maybe it was the dizziness from the blood loss, but I couldn’t help but think about how superior he looked.

He wouldn’t be looking down on me like that for long.

I heard the dragon roar on the tower behind me.

My pale lips curled into a weak smile.

I flinched as the roar of dragon flame rushed over my head. I could feel the heat against my skin. If I weren’t in shock, I probably would have felt my skin blistering like I had with my hands earlier.

But whatever wounds I would suffer, the knight would take far worse.

I watched as the flames consumed his figure. I could see his silver armor blacken and melt. The man inside screamed as the heat seared his skin. I watched him roast with a sick smile on my face. The smell of burning flesh mixed well with the taste of my own blood.

Then, after a few seconds, the flames died out.

I watched the knight drop to his knees and collapse, his armor, liquified enough that I could see the blackened skin and scorched bones beneath. I’d say that it turned my stomach, but I wasn’t sure that was possible with the hole that was currently in it.

Speaking of which.

My numb hand fumbled at the bag on my hip. I plucked the glowing orange flask from inside and opened it. I pressed the warm drink to my lips . . .

And watched it slip from my lifeless fingers as I slumped over.

The High Wall of Lothric: Part 3

“Sunset?”

I twisted and turned, trapped.

“Wake up, Sunset.”

She sounded so sweet. It made me feel small in the best way. Like I was a child again, hearing my mothers voice calling to me, beckoning me into her loving embrace. My heart beat like a drum.

“Here. Maybe this will work.”

I heard the scraping of metal and was enveloped in a blinding light.

I put up a hoof to block out the light while my eyes adjusted.

A mare stood by the window. Tall, regal, coated in white fur and a golden regalia. Her bright rainbow mane fluttered behind her in the nonexistent wind. She spread out her godly wings to try and protect me from the sunlight beaming in through the window behind her.

“Whoops. Didn’t mean to blind you,” she said.

“Celestia?” I whispered.

Sure enough, it was her. She stood over me, the great horn on her forehead awash in a golden glow. Her smile warmed me more than any ray of sunlight could ever dream.

“Good Morning, my little Sunset,” she said.

I struggled with my bedsheets, trying to sit up. “Celestia, what’s going on?”

“I told you that I would be waking you up at dawn for your first day.”

“Well, can’t you move dawn back an hour or two?” I asked through a yawn. “I’m still really tired.”

“I am afraid I cannot,” Celestia explained with a chuckle.

The softness of her laughter gave me butterflies.

Celestia waited patiently as I crawled out of bed. I tossed my hind legs over the edge of the bed, putting my hooves flat against the floor as I stretched. I made a few unladylike growls of exertion before finishing with a long, relieved sigh.

“Well, I guess I can’t stall anymore,” I joked as I slid out of bed.

As I stood beside Celestia, I realized just how small I really was. At my current size, I hardly stood as tall as her knees. She turned and started toward the door, and I had to gallop to keep pace with her.

With a flash of her golden magic, she pulled open my bedroom door. Together, we stepped out onto the purple and gold carpets that lined the hallways of Canterlot Castle.

“So, what’s my first lesson?” I asked, practically bouncing alongside Celestia.

“In due time, dear Sunset,” Celestia said over her shoulder.

As we walked, I watched out the window. From this high up in the castle, I had the perfect view of Canterlot. A fresh blanket of snow covered the many shops and restaurants of the city. The mountain stood over it like a guardian. I could see the sunrise on the horizon. It was late enough to hear the birds singing their tunes, but still early enough that the hustle and bustle of city life had yet to begin, leaving me in the perfect moments of peace in between.

Celestia’s voice roused me from my thoughts. “I know you only recently passed your entry exam, but I thought we could begin today by going over the types of magic you’re most comfortable with. That will allow us to establish a good baseline. Don’t you think so?” She glanced down at me.

I started skipping. “Whatever we do, I’m going to ace it,” I promised.

I made it a few more steps before pausing.

Celestia had stopped moving. She froze mid-step, though her mane continued billowing. Outside, the sun reversed its course. It sank below the edge of the city, plunging the landscape outside back into night.

No. That wasn’t right.

This wasn’t nighttime. It was darker. No stars lit the sky.

I gasped as I noticed the abyss encroaching. Line by line, I watched the snow-covered shops and homes fall into the void. I tugged on Celestia's foreleg, but she didn’t move.

Meanwhile, the darkness crept closer, swallowing up the golden castle gates.

Then the courtyard.

Then the lower levels.

And then there was nothing but darkness.

I felt myself falling. I screamed and reached out to hold on to Celestia.

But she was already gone.

I smacked the back of my head against the stone and screamed.

My reply came in the form of a nearby dragon’s roar.

Massaging the newest bruise on my scalp, I sat up. I was sitting beside the bonfire on the tower roof. That one that I managed to light just before the knight . . .

My throat went dry.

Before the knight killed me.

I supposed that I really shouldn’t have been shocked by it. It wasn’t the first time I’d died here. Still, that peace, that numbness that accompanied each death . . . it probably wasn’t something you ever got accustomed to.

I pulled my knees up to my chest.

In my head, I quickly ran through a list of my recent memories. Mister Knight finding me in the graveyard. The judge. Firelink Shrine. The wall. The dragon. The evil knight. There didn’t seem to be any gaps. Of course, if there were, I wouldn’t remember.

I needed a better system for tracking my journey.

More importantly, though, I still remembered Twilight. I could picture her face, imagine her voice. And the rest of my friends, too, of course. I wouldn’t want to leave them out of it.

I was lucky, it seemed. I’d avoided losing memories.

Now that I was sure that I was all here, I needed to check my gear.

My flasks were back in my bag. They were glowing again. My dagger had straightened back out into a usable condition. The cleric’s chime looked newly polished. The sinister-looking axe I’d received from that strange treasure-chest monster leaned against the wall nearby.

My armor was good as new, and when I lifted it up to take stock of my body’s condition, I found no trace of the wound that led to my previous death. I ran my fingers across my abdomen’s smooth skin. In my mind’s eye, I could still see the cut, could feel the blood spilling over my fingers and pooling around me. It made me light-headed.

Drawn by some sick curiosity, I turned.

There, by the wall, at the edge of a colossal scorch mark, I could see a bloodstain. My bloodstain. I could only describe the sight as surreal. Despite the puddle having already dried, I couldn’t help but feel a chill as I realized just how much blood covered the ground. Too much. Looking at it made me sick. I thought by now that I could tolerate the sight of my own blood, but apparently not.

I turned away and tried not to think about it.

I needed something to distract my mind. I reached into my pocket and found my phone. After holding the lock button for a few seconds, the screen lit up. I spent a moment admiring my background on the lock screen.

I typed my birthday into the digital keypad, opening up the rest of the phone.

Instinctively, I scrolled through a few apps. Most of them didn’t work. Shockingly, this medieval world of dragons and knights didn’t have cell coverage. I was still able to pull up a few songs that I’d saved directly. Good to know for the future, but not the best use of my limited battery.

I opened the camera next. I spent a minute or two scrolling through. I hoped that seeing all these photos of happier times would improve my mood a bit. Unfortunately, I met with the opposite result. Seeing all of my friends and I, at parties, at the beach, at school . . . it made me long for those moments. It also reminded me that I might never see such times again.

“Don’t be such a downer, Sunset,” I said to no one. “I will see them again.”

With a renewed vigor, I climbed to my feet.

I just had to keep reminding myself exactly why I was fighting. For the sake of my friends, for the sake of seeing my world again.

I walked down the stairs and into the tower. This was the tower I needed. There was a walkway about halfway down that led out to the city’s rooftops. From there, it was only a short journey down to the ground and over to that cathedral I’d seen from the wall.

Inside the tower, I waited. It dawned on me here that I wasn’t the only one who came back after death when I noticed the knight from before. He was back on his feet, with armor and weapon both restored. I hid behind the doorway and waited until he patrolled out onto the wall to spring over to the stairs on the other side of the room.

Like the top floor, the second one down was an absolute mess. Tables, chairs, crates, barrels, and all sorts of wooden things were piled around. There were also a few hollows around.

The first one stood at the bottom of the steps facing away from me. They looked different from the ones up on the walls. These ones were dressed with black shawls around their heads. Their outfits left much of their cracked, blackening skin exposed.

I was getting tired of fighting hollows.

Instead, I crouched as I descended the bottom half of the stairs. I gripped the haft of my axe tight and snuck into arm’s reach. With a silent grunt, I lifted the axe up and brought it down. It split the hollow’s head in two and continued down through most of his chest. His rotting skin practically fell apart against the axe’s dark edge.

I tried not to look at the aftermath, but got a pretty good idea of the damage I had caused when my axe got stuck. My attempts to remove it were interrupted by a hiss from behind.

Whatever training I’d gotten in my younger years, it was starting to come back to me. My body seemed to move purely through muscle memory as I drew the knife from my belt, swung around and caught another knife against the flat edge of the blade.

Another hollow stood behind me. He’d probably been hoping to catch me off-guard like I had to his friend. Fortunately for me, their dead bodies snarled and groaned like wounded animals as they moved.

I knocked the hollow’s blade aside, opening him up for a kick to the chest.

My opponent flew backwards, crashing into a pile of barrels and splitting a few of them open in the process. A dry, gray powder spilled out through the cracked wood. It was the kind of powder used in cannons. The hollow started to rise, but I pinned him down with my knee and plunged my knife between his eyes.

It felt easy. The knife slipped through their flesh like butter.

I wanted to be bothered by that, but I wasn’t. I wanted to be disturbed over getting sprayed with blood every time I killed, but I wasn’t. The violence and killing were coming more naturally now, and I didn’t like it.

Maybe I was just numb to it.

Maybe dying had simply sapped the empathy from me. Was that a part of the undead curse? To deaden my emotions and strip away my humanity? Would I become like them? Mindless and bloodthirsty?

I closed my eyes as I ripped my axe from its bloody stump.

Something warm and wet splashed across my cheek as it pulled free.

At the other end of the room, I saw another doorway. Through it, I spied the walkway I’d seen from the first tower. Despite not being in the dark for very long, I had to squint when I stepped outside. Sure enough, to my left, I saw another dead dragon. A duo of hollows knelt beside it, bowing in reverence to the fallen beast.

As I approached, their prostrations turned to cowering. They put their heads to the ground and covered themselves. I thumbed the pommel of my knife as I watched them through narrowed eyes. I didn’t like leaving them here. Hollows were strange and unpredictable. If I left them, maybe they would try to attack me from behind.

I took a step back, shook my head, and pulled my hand away from my weapon. What was I thinking? They were no threat to me. With a shuddering breath, I turned away and started to climb down toward the rooftops below. As I made my way down the half-rotted rungs of the ladder, I could see the dragon’s long neck hanging off the building beside me.

It looked suspiciously similar to the other two, but I tried not to think too hard about that.

Stepping off the bottom rung, I landed on a rooftop of dusty brick. After a few steps, the ground changed, turning from brick to pale blue shingles. They were slick with dust and awkward to walk on. The only bit of traction I could get was when I stepped on the dry vines that had grown up and over the building’s walls.

Another group of six hollows were gathered on the highest point of the roof. They were formed into a circle, bowing fervently to one of the corpse-trees that had sprouted from a crack in the building.

Between them, the duo at the dragon, and the hollows up on the wall, I was beginning to wonder if this wasn’t just a dead land, but a land that welcomed death. These hollows worshiped the dead. Perhaps they envied the dead, hoping to appease them or join them.

I didn’t know what to think. It was strange and unsettling, like many things I’d witnessed in this world.

I did my best to avoid them, instead keeping my distance and skirting around the edge of the roof. It was a slow process, and I nearly fell to my death once or twice, but I eventually reached an overhang where I could climb down to the next level.

Taking a second to steel myself, I sat down at the edge and allowed myself to slide off feet-first. I dropped a solid four or five feet before hitting a wooden awning. I felt one of the not-so-solid planks crack under the force of my landing, but the whole of the frame stayed intact.

I dropped down again, same as I had before.

This time, though, I was aiming for a balcony. I hit the solid ground with a grunt. The tile I landed on wobbled, twisting my ankle and sending me stumbling into the stone railing. I caught myself, but wound up staring down into a deep pit between the building and the base of the wall. I groaned, watching a few bits of debris bounce down into the dark.

Behind me, two torches hung from the wall on either side of a large stone archway. Inside, I could see tables and chairs, lined up across the room. Shelves held bits, baubles, and books. Marching around the room, I could see another knight. Unlike the previous one that had killed me, this one carried a spear and a much larger shield. Just watching him lug that hunk of metal around was making my arm sore. Luckily, he hadn’t noticed me yet, allowing me to duck out of sight before he got any closer.

I listened for the sound of his metal footsteps, only to realize that I could hear a second, louder set of footsteps. If I closed my eyes and listened close, I could track them coming up from the courtyard below. After sneaking a peek around the corner and seeing the knight had his back to me, I rolled past the archway and over to the other side of the balcony.

I was on the second floor of the building, allowing me to look down upon the courtyard. It was . . . well, to put it simply, it looked like the aftermath of a battlefield. Dozens of suits of armor were scattered around the courtyard. They were huddled together, in groups of five or six, all sitting, all with their heads down.

Or, at least, that would have been the case if they had heads.

From this distance, they looked almost like empty suits rather than corpses. Broken weapons and bent battle standards were scattered around the courtyard. More of the empty suits were gathered around a central fountain, which held a statue depicting a man holding a sword.

Fires raged at every corner of the courtyard. I could see more hollows, patrolling and watching from balconies all around.

But, at the far end of the courtyard, I could see a flight of steps leading up out of the courtyard and through a larger archway. Over the small wall, on the other side of that gate, I spied the cathedral that I’d seen from above.

But it was more than empty suits of armor that blocked my path.

From here, I could also see the source of the heavy footsteps that had drawn me here. I’d say he resembled a knight, but not like the other ones that I’d come across. In fact, he more closely resembled the judge I’d helped battle outside of Firelink.

He was tall. Too tall to be human.

Unlike the judge, whose sleek physique resembled a living statue, this knight wore shining silver armor with enough bulk to make him look fat. Tattered scraps of blue fabric waved off him as he patrolled. Two spiky, silver crescents protruded from his back in the shape of wings.

To match his enormous size, he carried a halberd bigger than I was.

I was having enough trouble with the smaller knights, but this giant was in a completely different league. His insane bulk might let me outrun him, but that wasn’t a chance I wanted to take if I didn’t have to. I would have to turn around and see if I could find another way. Maybe one of the houses here had a path that would take me around.

Then my eyes started to water. Below me in the courtyard, a fire blazed. The column of smoke was enough to bother my sinuses. But that also gave me an idea. Above, on the walls, the wind blew hard enough to dissipate the smoke. But down here, trapped between buildings, the smoke swirled and roiled like a sea.

If I could keep low, I could use the smoke to cover me.

That could work. And, worst-case scenario, I would just have to run.

Now, I just needed a way down. The entryway to the building behind me was a no-go. Not with the knight waiting for me there. But a short hop over the balcony rail would get me onto the roof of the next building. From there, I could slide down onto a lower balcony. That might have been close enough to drop down the rest of the way.

I waited for the patrolling spear-knight to turn his back and climbed up onto the railing. The gap between the buildings only measured maybe two or three feet, but if I missed . . .

I swallowed hard and stepped onto the other side of the rail.

It took a second for me to find my resolve before jumping.

I hit the roof and slipped onto my hands and knees. In my scramble to steady myself, I kicked one of the shingles away, only to hear it shatter on the ground after a brief time.

Okay. First part done.

I scampered across the rooftop until I was over the next balcony and dropped.

Another of the crossbow hollows stood watch here.

Maneuvering myself over him, I let go and slid down off the roof.

The hollow looked up just in time to catch a boot to the face,

He flopped to the ground under the weight, making him an easy target to finish off with my axe. I picked myself up and dusted myself off.

From here, it was still a decently sized drop down into the courtyard.

Still, it didn’t look far enough to kill me. Hopefully.

I took a deep breath and sort of skipped in place to get my legs ready for what came next. Before I could psyche myself out of it, I hopped the rail. I managed to slow myself by grabbing onto a windowsill, but that didn’t stop me from hitting the ground hard enough to make my body numb.

I tried to break my fall with a roll, which left me down on one knee amidst a squad of empty armor suits. I held my breath as the giant knight passed a few feet away from me. The cloud of smoke between us was decently thick, and the red parts of my hair kind of resembled the shredded banners around me.

The winged-knight swept his gaze over the battlefield, but didn’t spot me.

I waited for it to move on to the next section before running.

Careful not to disturb any of the armor around me, I pulled my collar up to cover my mouth and nose from the smoke and took off running. I made it about halfway across the courtyard before dropping down over the ledge to the lower section.

Here, I pressed myself against the wall, closed my eyes, and held my breath. I felt the earth shake as the winged-knight stepped up to the ledge, scanned the area, then turned and continued his patrol. That gave me just enough time to reach the stairs and dive through the gateway to get out of sight before the knight came around for another lap.

I pressed my back against the wall.

Then a crossbow bolt sparked off the wall just inches from my face.

Looks like I wasn’t out of the woods just yet.

To my right, a crossbow hollow was reloading. He finished just in time for me to knock the weapon of his hand with my own. He reached for the blade on his belt, but wasn’t able to draw it before I buried my axe in his shoulder.

The hollow gasped and sputtered as it collapsed into a pool of blood.

Now, I had a moment to breathe.

And just in time, too, because the sight that greeted me when I stepped forward was . . . breathtaking. I found myself standing on a stone pathway that ended in a flight of stairs. At the bottom of those stairs was a four-way intersection. Ahead, another flight of stairs went up. To the left, a bridge-like walkway that led to the front steps of the cathedral. To the right, a flight of stairs led down to another courtyard. One that looked like it led through the base of the high wall.

I stood in awe for a moment. This was the first part of the city that I’d come across that didn’t look dead. Gardens lined the pathways. The beds were overgrown with grass and weeds, but also sported large golden bushes the color of autumn fire. Vines and ivy were wrapped around the stonework, carpeting the headless statues and fences along the path with a lurch carpet of greenery.

Sunlight spilled through the buildings, forming thin rays of light that only cast the sight in an ethereal glow and served to highlight the cool colors of the cathedral’s stained-glass window.

I descended the stairs, hearing and feeling the soft cushion of crunching leaves beneath my boot. I closed my eyes, and could picture myself walking through the parks back home, feeling the cold wind on my face and the warm sunlight on my skin.

When I hit the bottom step, I opened my eyes again.

I was standing on a broken cobblestone street, staring up at the decrepit, yet hauntingly beautiful monolith of stone that was the cathedral. It was hard to judge its size from up on the wall, but here, as I craned my neck to see the entirety, I realized just how massive the structure really was.

The cathedral wasn’t the only thing of interest here.

There were more bodies.

Sure, some were the knights and soldier hollows that I’d seen already, slain by the sharpened edge of a blade. But there were others, too. At first, I thought they were merely some sort of empty suit, like the armor up in the courtyard. As I got closer, though, I saw that wasn’t the case.

They were dressed in black cloaks covering every inch of their skin, save for their hands. Between their weathered fingers, they clutched gnarled, weathered staffs, each of which had a golden incense burner hanging from it. Their bodies were motionless on the ground, crushed beneath the weight of a heavy, shell-like rock chained to them.

The shape of their bodies suggested that they had carried those stones for years. I briefly wondered why. Were they prisoners, chained to drag the weight of their sins with them wherever they went?

Or were these burdens self-inflicted?

I turned and walked to the top of the descending staircase opposite the cathedral. More of the stone-laden corpses. All kneeling in death, all holding their staff tight.

Believe it or not, I was growing used to the sight of bodies.

But these were different.

They weren’t cut down like monsters, just left to suffer and break under the weight of their chains. I wiped a tear from my eye before I even realized I was crying.

Here, one final thing caught my eye: a fog wall.

At the bottom of the stairs, blocking the threshold of the gate, a wall of rolling fog blocked the path. I’d seen one before, back when Mister Knight and I had returned to challenge the judge. I found myself drawn to the wall’s white glow.

Before I realized what I was doing, I was descending.

As I neared the fog, I heard the sounds of battle on the other side. Clashing metal. Crunching stone. Cries of defiance and monstrous roars. Someone was in there, fighting something big.

I turned, looking back at the cathedral at the top of the stairs.

That was where I needed to go, but . . .

Someone was in trouble. They needed help. I couldn’t just turn my back on that.

I’d seen how cruel this world could be. I’d seen what happened. What if Mister Knight had never saved me? What if I’d been left alone in that graveyard to be slaughtered by those hollows? I had to do something. I adjusted my armor and checked all of my gear one final time before reaching out toward the fog.

And then recoiled.

It was freezing cold.

The last one hadn’t been like that.

Still, that didn’t change what needed to be done.

I squared up to the wall again. I pushed my hand through, ignoring the numbing cold up my arm as it slipped through. I closed my eyes and took a step. The cold enveloped me for a moment before I opened my eyes.

My jaw dropped.

I was standing in another courtyard at the base of the city wall, made entirely of cracked and uneven stone. The wind carried a winter chill with it now, along with a healthy dusting of snow and ice. In the center of the courtyard stood another giant knight.

This one wasn’t the same as the winged-knight, though they shared some visual similarities. Large, decked out in full silver plate. He had the bulk of the winged-knight, too.

Except, this knight was even bigger, easily the size of a building.

And this one was definitely not human.

The beast moved on all fours, dashing around on his hands and feet like a rabid dog. Admittedly, for his size, he could move fast, too, charging from one end of the arena to the other in only a few seconds. An aura of frust emanated from him, coating the stone around him in ice. In his hand, he held a mace the size of a small car.

Luckily for me, he seemed preoccupied with something.

A single knight stood in opposition to the snowy beast, panting and hunched. I recognized the familiar battle-scarred steel armor, the longsword, and kite shield. I felt a chill run up my spine, and it had nothing to do with the cold.

I reached into my pocket and pulled the chime free.

With a familiar twitch of magic, lightning coursed through my fingers, stretching out into a javelin bolt. In front of me, Mister Knight took off running as the colossal knight lifted his mace. Whatever the thing was planning, it opened itself up perfectly.

I took a running start, and with a shout of my own, launched my spear.

The lightning bolt crashed into the snowy giant’s chest dead center, knocking it onto its back. Mister Knight stopped running and turned to see who had just saved him. I offered a simple wave in return.

“Sunset?” I heard him ask.

“In the flesh,” I said back, my voice teetering on the edge of laughter.

“I . . . What are you . . .”

The courtyard rumbled as the giant recovered.

“Kill this thing, then we can talk. Deal?” I asked, forming another bolt.

Mister Knight stared at me for a moment before turning back to face the giant.

“Deal.”

Author's Note

Welcome back.

The High Wall of Lothric is so much longer than I thought it was going to be.
That's kind of intentional, I guess. The first level is kind of a slog when you're playing the game. Suppose it only make sense. This is her first playthrough, after all.

The High Wall of Lothric: Part 4

The giant charged.

Mister Knight and I split, each sprinting towards different sides of the arena.

It took the beast a second to skid to a stop, redirect to face my ally, then charged again.

While it’s attention was off me, I charged another bolt and let it fly. It struck square against the beast’s back, and I could see the electricity discharge across its armor. It staggered, unable to stop itself as it charged shoulder-first into the wall, shaking loose a few of the bricks from higher up and scattering ice dust into the air.

Mister Knight took advantage of the momentary pause to climb up onto the giant’s back and start hacking away at where my bolt had torn through the armor. He got three solid strikes in before the giant recovered and shook him off. He hit the ground and rolled out of the way of the beast’s mace.

It howled and charged again.

I sparked another lightning bolt, but dropped it instantly. My chime fell to the ground as I buried my head in my hand, grinding my teeth to ride through the pain. I’d hit my limit for magical strain, meaning I couldn’t do anything as the giant's charge gained on Mister Knight.

Just as the beast caught up, it raised its mace and swung.

Mister Knight turned and met the beast’s charge head-on.

Just as they were about to collide, Mister Knight hit the ground, sliding beneath the giant’s bulky frame and narrowly avoiding being flattened. The mace slammed down hard enough to rattle the city and crack the stone even wider. At first, I thought it had missed, only to realize the giant had other plans. It used the head of the mace as a weight to keep it balanced as it turned its charge back around toward Mister Knight.

The poor soldier was back on his feet, but couldn’t react fast enough to dodge the second charge. He put his shield up in time to catch the giant’s full strength swing.

The echo of cracking metal filled the air as Mister Knight toppled backwards, head-over-heels. His shield landed nearby, the metal warped and cracked beyond use.

The beast rose on his hind legs, and I prepared my ears for a horrible roar.

Instead, I heard the sound of whipping wind as the beast started to inhale.

I didn’t know what it was planning, but I knew that Mister Knight wouldn’t survive it. I snatched my chime from the ground and summoned my magic again.

Visions flickered in front of me.

I saw my dream. My bedroom in Canterlot. Celestia.

The thudding pain in my head dulled for a moment. Just long enough for me to line up my shot. I loosed the lightning bolt, and it exploded against the giant’s head with a crack of thunder.

I gave a silent cheer.

That changed the instant the smoke dissipated, the beast now had a deep black scorch mark on the side of its head, and I had certainly garnered its attention, but I hadn’t staggered him this time.

He turned to face me and unleashed his pent up breath.

The winds whipped into a frenzy as he howled his icy breath at me. My eyes went wide and I tried to use my arms to block my face, but I couldn’t escape the wall of sheer cold that overwhelmed me.

The icy winds ripped right through my armor.

In under a second, my arms were numb, followed closely by the rest of my body. I dropped to my knees and heard the crunch of ice as I landed. My arms fell limp at my sides, forcing me to face the full strength of his frozen fury.

My mouth and throat dried.

My vision blurred as ice crept over my eyes.

I couldn’t breathe.

Then it stopped.

I looked up to see Mister Knight standing on the beast’s back. This time, he stood closer to the head, plunging his sword into the gap between the giant’s head and shoulders. The beast reached for him, but he jumped down, slashing and stabbing at whatever openings the plate armor gave him, like a wasp, stinging at the giant as it swatted uselessly at him.

Slowly, painfully, I uncurled my hands from my chest. I pulled at each of my gloved fingers, trying to maneuver my numb, shaking hands. It felt surreal, watching my arms and fingers react to my commands without being able to feel them. After a bit of difficulty, I pulled the glove off and tossed it aside. My blackened fingers curled.

With my hand freed, I reached down for my bag, for the warm potion inside.

I fumbled with the buckle. I heard Mister Knight yell, followed closely by the sound of smashing metal as the giant slammed his mace down. I couldn’t afford to lose my concentration now, though. I swallowed hard, but didn’t look up.

Eventually, I undid the buckle and grabbed the orange flask.

One quick swig sent its warmth radiating through my body, bringing some sensation back to my frozen limbs.

I tried to stand, but my foot couldn’t move. I glanced down to see it stuck to the floor with ice. All around me, icicles stuck up from the ground, all tilted toward the wall, protruding from a sheet of ice an inch thick. I twisted around to see the trail of ice continue up the wall. Icicles hung from the overhang, each one several feet long with a razor-sharp tip.

I slipped my potion back into the bag as I yanked my feet out of their frozen trap with a sound like shattering glass. My first step, I felt myself start to slide. I reached out to the wall nearby, using it as leverage to stand.

A savage roar echoed through the courtyard.

On the other side of the courtyard, the giant had finally managed to snag Mister Knight. He held the soldier in one hand like a toy. He cried out as the giant tightened his grip and swung him around.

“No!” I cried out.

I tried to move, but only succeeded at slipping back to where I started.

I tried to call for my magic, but the migraine burning through my head stopped that.

I tried reaching for anything else I had. My axe. My knife.

Nothing.

I could do nothing but watch as the giant slammed Mister Knight into the earth.

From where I stood, I could see that a few parts of his armor buckled under the force. As the giant lifted his mace, Mister Knight tried to crawl away. In his last moments, he turned to me. I hand outstretched toward him, as though I might somehow take his hand from across the courtyard.

A crunch of metal and stone rang in my ears as the mace slammed down.

A spray of blood filled the air.

I started to shake.

My vision blurred.

“Come on then!” I screamed. “What are you waiting for?”

The giant’s head snapped toward me. He lowered himself to the ground and crawled forward, like a cat stalking prey. I crouched down to match him.

I only had one shot at this.

I tossed my axe aside. Right now, it would just get in my way.

The giant slammed his mace and roared before lowering his head and charging again. As I tightened my grip on the wall, I put one foot against it. I started to sway back and forth. I had to be ready.

Watching the beast charge me played havoc with my nerves. Every fiber of my being told me to run, to scamper, to get the hell out of his way. Every fiber but one. One part that knew I had to do this. I found that piece deep in my soul and held tight.

The ground quaked beneath me.

The ice rattled overhead.

The beast closed in.

Twenty feet.

Ten.

Five.

Time slowed as I closed my eyes.

I stepped forward and pushed myself off the wall. I felt my boot lose traction on the ice. Even with my eyes closed, I felt the world tilt before my back hit the ground. The force of my kick kept me moving forward, gliding across the ice.

I felt the ground explode around me as the giant sailed over me.

My thoughts were drawn to a movie Rainbow had shown me once, to a scene where the hero dodged a train by laying between the rails on the track. As the gargantuan beast barreled past me, its arms and legs slammed down inches from me with enough force to shatter the stone floor.

I hit the edge of the ice patch, causing my slide to become more of a tumble.

The world behind me exploded as the giant rammed full-force into the wall where I’d been standing. Stone and ice exploded, covering both of us in dust and snow. I heard a crackle, followed by the sound of splitting metal and flesh.

Dusting myself off, I turned to admire my handiwork.

My plan had worked flawlessly. The giant had landed with enough force to damage the wall, sending a lightning-shaped crack up two or three stories. Between the damage and the quake, the icicles shook loose, raining down on the giant, their needle-like tips cutting through metal and body alike.

The giant laid still, a dozen bloody icicles protruding from his back and head and a growing red puddle beneath him. Before I could turn away, I heard what sounded like a long sigh. I felt a cold wind rush past me.

I hadn’t expected the giant to live.

It tried to pick itself up, but its tired limbs collapsed under the weight, sending it crashing back down into a heap. The blood loss would probably kill it sooner or later, but I didn’t want to take that chance.

Ignoring a cold mist that emanated from the beast’s maw, I stepped forward, putting my boot on its head.

It tried to struggle, but was too weak to fend me off.

The bells on my chime tinged softly as I drew it from my pocket.

Pain split my head. A thick cloud of fog obscured my thoughts.

But beyond that veil, a fire burned.

I thought of my homes.

Of Celestia.

Of Twilight.

My desire to see my homes again swelled. But there was something else.

I thought of Mister Knight, bloodied and broken.

I felt furious.

My teeth ground as I lifted the chime.

Lightning crackled through the gold, sending a shock up my arm and sending a spike through my brain.

I didn’t care.

I tightened my grip and demanded that my body push through the pain.

Blood trickled down the front of my face.

My lighting crackled into the shape of a spear.

I lifted my weapon . . . and paused.

The beast looked up at me. Begging. Pleading. And as I watched, I realized. Behind that wild, feral look, I still spied a spark of humanity. He wasn’t asking me to spare him. He was begging me to finish him.

I obliged, plunging my spear into his head.

The beast finally fell still.

My lightning dissipated. The chime dropped to the floor, landing in the blood.

I heard the whoosh of flame behind me and turned to see a bonfire. Staggering towards it, I touched the blade and felt the flame explode to life. But I wasn’t done yet. I made my way over to Mister Knight’s body.

Most of his armor had been shredded by the sheer force of the giant’s mace. Gathering what little strength I had left, I took his hands and started to drag him closer to the flame. His armor was even heavier than it looked. I probably pulled a muscle trying to drag him, but I couldn’t feel it regardless.

His belt caught on the lip of a flagstone. I gave a hearty tug to pull him free, but only succeeded in pulling his gauntlets off, revealing a pale-skinned, dirty hand. I glanced down at the gauntlet in my hand and tossed it onto his body. Kneeling down once again, I took his hand and started to drag again.

The moment my fingers touched his leathery skin, an image flickered in my head.

A young, red-headed girl, standing at the front door of a log cabin, waving.

With each pull, the image renewed, growing slightly clearer each time.

She wiped the tears from her eyes.

She looks just like her mother.

I dragged Mister Knight to the edge of the bonfire and dropped him. My strength finally failed and I collapsed onto the stone beside him. I had to crawl to my normal spot sitting opposite him.

My eyes closed and I let the exhaustion finally overwhelm me.

Author's Note

Sorry, just a short one for you guys this week.
Work has been something else.

Firelink Shrine: Part 3

My eyes closed. I lowered my head. To any casual observer, I must have been asleep. But I wasn’t. I couldn’t. Despite my exhaustion, I wasn’t able to sleep. Still, just sitting beside the fire, listening to it crackle and pop, feeling its heat against my cold skin.

Across from me, Mister Knight started to breathe again.

It was slow at first. Raspy. Kinda sounded like a zombie, if I’m being honest.

More than likely, it was the sound of him struggling to breath as his crushed body knitted itself back together. I could feel the same happening to me. The black patches of frostbite on my skin returned to their usual tones and my migraine petered out.

With nothing to do, I couldn’t keep my mind from wandering.

I thought of home, and the people and ponies waiting for me, of course.

I wondered how I would get home.

But the most concerning thoughts pertained to Mister Knight.

I could only imagine what he’ll be thinking when he wakes up.

Would he be thankful to me for helping him fight? Maybe he’d be upset that he died trying to save me again? After how we’d separated back at the shrine, I can’t imagine he’d be happy to see me again. Or maybe . . .

Maybe he wouldn’t remember me at all.

I hadn’t thought about that. If the curse took more of his memories . . .

I shook my head. I didn’t want to think about it. In the attempt to avoid thinking about that, I stumbled directly into an even worse thought. If Mister Knight had revived already, then that meant it wouldn’t be long until the big knight returned, too. Or did it not work like that?

Beneath the pile of debris, I could see the giant still.

He didn’t appear to be breathing.

Still, it warranted a closer look.

I crawled to my feet and walked over to the half-buried corpse. Even up closer, I couldn’t see breathing. My eye twitched as my boot stuck to the drying blood, but I moved in closer still. Close enough to touch the fallen beast.

It had no light in its eyes.

I knelt down and put my hand on its helmet, just a few inches from my lightning’s scar. Despite the beast-like howls and wild movements, its eyes still looked human.

“You poor thing,” I whispered, petting it like a wounded animal.

Then the debris shifted.

Adrenaline surged through me. I jumped back and reached for my dagger. But it wasn’t the beast returning to life that had caused the shift. Instead, the beast’s body had started to disperse, disappearing into a cloud of white mist. As parts disappeared, the rubble collapsed into the open space.

I remembered the judge doing something similar after our fight outside of Firelink. The chorus whispered in my ear as the mist drew towards me. Unlike the last time, though, it started to coalesce in front of me as well. It swirled into a vortex, forming a mote of light.

Hesitantly, I reached out and touched it.

The moment my fingers brushed the edge, the world around me vanished.

I wasn’t standing in the courtyard at the foot of the high wall anymore. Glancing around, I seemed to have been transported to some sort of vaulted marble cathedral. Rows of empty pews on either side of me only landed more credence to that theory.

At the end of the center aisle, I saw three figures standing.

First, a tall, robed man. He wore a helmet that obscured his face and a crown upon his head that resembled a tangle of tree roots. His robes, accentuated with gold chains and jewels, flowed down to the polished marble floor. Two swords hung at his waist.

Kneeling before the robed man were two silver knights.

One was thin and lithe, with a silken veil covering her face.

The other was taller and of a stockier build.

I couldn’t hear them speak, but I saw the robed man dismiss them with a wave of his hand. The two knights rose and walked towards me. I didn’t bother trying to move as they stepped through me and out the large set of double doors.

I followed them outside.

Here, I saw a icy-white, moonlit city. Freezing winds blew, carrying with them a dusting of snow. Tall white buildings stretched up in every direction, building upon each other in a chaotic, yet mesmerizing pattern. The architecture, I could only describe as beautifully mystic.

Irithyll.

The name echoed in my head as I closed my eyes.

And when I reopened them, I was standing back at the high wall. The giant knight’s body had disappeared completely. The flickering cinder of light in the palm of my hand was the only remaining evidence of it.

As I closed my fingers around it, the light vanished.

But it wasn’t gone. I knew that much.

With that problem taken care of, I returned to the bonfire.

It didn’t take long before Mister Knight stirred. He sat up, groaning. After taking a moment to scan the area and check his gear, he turned toward me.

“Morning,” I said, waving at him.

“Sunset.”

Well, he remembered me at least.

“You alright?” I asked. He shook his head. “Right. Sorry. Kind of a stupid question.” I shrugged. “Do you remember what happened?”

“I remember . . .” He rubbed his helmet. “I was fighting that beast.”

“Vordt,” I corrected.

Mister Knight glanced over at me. “What?”

“The knight you were fighting. His name was Vordt.” I wasn’t a hundred percent sure how I knew that name, but I did. I assumed that maybe it had something to do with that light I’d touched.

“Right. I was fighting Vordt. Then you showed up. Then I got my head smashed in by a giant mace.”

I frowned. “Sorry about that.”

He turned his body to face the fire. “Care to explain what you’re doing here?” Between his completely neutral voice and hidden face, I didn’t have a clue whether Mister Knight was happy to see me or not.

I shrugged. “Following the flame, I think.” I paused, giving him a chance to interject, but he said nothing. “After we parted ways at the shrine, I tried asking around for information.” My finger traced a line in the dirt. “The old man there —I think his name was Ludleth— advised me to ‘follow the flame’ and that doing so might help me find my way home.”

“That’s a bad idea,” Mister Knight said.

I clawed angrily at the stone with a finger, bloodying my nail. “Well, I didn’t exactly have a lot of options after you left me alone at the shrine.” It came out kind of harsh. Harsher than he deserved, probably.

Mister Knight looked away. “You should go back.”

“And do what, exactly? Sit at the shrine and hope the way home just falls into my lap?” I shook my head. “No way. This path Ludleth put me on may just be a fool’s errand, but at least I’m trying.”

“It’s also exceptionally dangerous.”

My eyes narrowed at him. “What does it even matter to you?”

“You’re better off searching on your own,” Mister Knight said. “The path you’re on will lead you to the Lord’s of Cinder. And the Lords are too far beyond you. You won’t stand a chance against them.”

“Maybe,” I muttered. “But that isn’t your problem anymore, is it?

He sighed. “Damnit, Sunset, you don’t get it.”

My teeth clenched. “Oh, I get it. It’s dangerous. That’s why you left me at the shrine. You didn’t want me to get in your way. I get it. But I’m not out here with you. I’m out here on my own. So you go do your thing, I’ll do mine, and we don’t have to bother each other anymore.”

We both kept quiet for a long time.

“Sunset?” Mister Knight finally asked.

I raised an eyebrow. “Yeah?”

“I didn’t leave you at the shrine because I was worried you’d get in my way.”

“Then why did you?” I huffed.

“Like I said, following this path you’re on will put you up against the Lords of Cinder. Same as me.”

“Yeah?”

“The Lords of Cinder are some of the most powerful creatures in this world. Champions of legend. They were the ones that succeeded where tens of thousands of other undead failed. They were powerful enough that their souls kept the Flame burning for ages. And the things you’ve battled so far? They’re nothing compared to the dangers that lie ahead.”

My head tilted to the side. “What’s your point?”

“I didn’t leave you because I was worried about me. I left because I didn’t want to drag you down this path with me. It’s . . . It’s not a path you come back from. It’s one you take when there are no other paths available to you.”

I felt my anger diminish. “You’re trying to protect me?”

He nodded.

“Then tell me, what other path am I supposed to take?” I sighed. “I don’t know anything about this world. Everyone at the Shrine was either rude or unhelpful. Right now, following this path is my only option.”

He lowered his gaze into the fire. “Nothing I can say will sway you?”

I shook my head.

Another long silence.

This time, I broke it. “I guess this means we’re headed down the same path, then?” I averted my gaze. “You’ve seen what I can do. My magic, your strength? If we’re going the same way, it would be easier if we went together. Don’t you think so?”

He hung his head. “I think you’re making a mistake.”

“That’s the best way to learn.” I grinned.

“Fine. You win.”

“Good.” I leaned back on my hands. “Besides, I owe you for saving me. The least I can do is help.”

“We’ll see if you still feel that way after a few more deaths.”

With that, he stood. I heard him grunt in pain as he hauled himself up. Blood still covered his armor.

I reached out toward him. “Maybe we should rest a little longer? You still seem to be hurt pretty badly.”

“We can rest back at the shrine while we resupply for the next leg of the journey.”

I jumped up. “We can go back?”

I could feel him staring at me out of the corner of his helmet. “Yeah.”

“Good. I was worried I wouldn’t be able to retrieve the stuff I left there.”

He reached out toward the bonfire. “Come over here. Stand close.”

I did as he commanded. He reached out and took my hand as he extended the other out to touch the coiled sword. The flames grew and scattered cinders around us. The world vanished in a cloud of dust and ash.

When the dust settled, we were back in Firelink.

Nothing had changed since we stepped out. The flame still swayed, the Firekeeper still tended to it, the forlorn knight still sat on the stairs, Ludleth still rested on his oversized throne, and everything still had a layer of ash covering it.

“Welcome home, Ashen One,” the Firekeeper said in gentle, motherly voice.

“We’re here to rest for a moment,” Mister Knight said back.

She bowed to him as he passed. I followed hurriedly after.

“Good to know she’s nice to someone around here,” I muttered.

“What was that?” Mister Knight asked.

My cheeks reddened. “Nothing. Just being a little upset about being ignored last time. After you left, I asked for her help. She just pretended I wasn’t here.”

I heard Mister Knight hum. “Strange. The Firekeeper serves the undead as a guide. I don’t know why that wouldn’t include you at this point.” He led me down the tunnel, toward Andre. “We should speak to her before we leave. See if we can clear that up. If we plan on challenging these Lords of Cinder, we’ll need her help. In the meantime, though, there are a few things I’d like to check.”

As we approached Andre, Mister Knight turned and continued down the stairs. The blacksmith and I nodded to one another as I passed. Down the stairs, we approached the pile of gravestones I’d been using as a seat the last time I was here. A blanket had been laid out near it, covered with a wide assortment of strange goods and weapons.

A man squatted at the edge of the blanket. He wore a strange headdress, a strange amalgamation of a mask and hood. It reminded me a bit of an oversized hat, pulled down over his face, with two holes cut out for him to see out of.

“Oh, hello.” The squatting man said. He sounded small and uncertain. Mouse-y was the first term that came to mind. “You’re back. And in one piece.”

“Greirat,” Mister Knight said.

“Hey now, don’t look so glum. I’m here to keep my end of the bargain.” The small man motioned to the spread of goods before him. “I’ve got any trinkets you need.” He turned and looked at me. “Just don’t don’t ask where I got them.”

I liked to imagine that he winked at me under the hood.

Mister Knight started to pursue the selection. I, meanwhile, found my attention drawn to a spear leaning against the wall. It was a simple design. A wooden handle, tied off at the end with a short metal tip. It brought my mind back to my days in Ponyville, watching the Royal Guards march around the castle with their own spears not too dissimilar to this one. My training with them had included blades, but mostly centered around spears.

I felt drawn to it.

“Sunset?” Mister Knight asked.

“Yeah?” I returned, pulling myself away from the spear.

“Anything catch your eye?”

I glanced briefly at the spear. Despite my familiarity and training, I could make do without it. I still had my axe. Besides, it wasn’t like I could have afforded it anyways.

“Not really,” I finally admitted.

“Right.” Mister Knight returned his attention to Greirat. “This shouldn’t take me too much longer. Why don’t you go make sure you’re ready to depart?”

“Yeah. Sure.”

I turned my back to them and walked back upstairs.

“Hey, Andre.” I waved.

He stopped swinging his hammer momentarily. “Ahh, we’ll met, Miss Sunset. Tis good to see y’ in good health.”

I chuckled. “It’s nice to be in good health.”

“I suppose so.” He pointed his hammer at me. “How’s the armor holdin’ up?”

It took a second to answer. As armor, it didn’t stop much. Blades still seemed to cut through it just fine. Not like it really mattered, though. Would any suit of armor be enough to stand up against a force like Vordt?

Still, it was a gift.

“It’s comfortable. I like it well enough. Not sure it’ll stand up to some of the crazy things I have to fight out there, though.” I pointed over my shoulder. “Pockets are nice, though.”

“Aye, armor like this isn’t likely to stand up to more fearsome foes.” He sat back on his stump and crossed his arms. “In situations like that, it’s simply best to stay out a’ their way. Thinner armor like that should keep y’ light on yer feet.”

“Yeah. It’s pretty easy to move in. Thanks, Andre.”

“No need t’ thank me, so long as ye keep safe.”

I snapped my fingers. “I almost forgot, there was something I wanted to show you.” I tugged the axe of my belt and held it out for his inspection. “What do you think?”

He reached out, but paused. “May I?”

I nodded, allowing him to remove the axe from my grasp. I was a bit surprised at just how light it seemed to be for him, as he held it with only one hand. The longer he examined, the more his brow furrowed, and the more I started to worry.

“Is something wrong with it?” I asked.

“Where did y’ find this?” He asked, his jovial attitude all but vanished.

“I ran into this creature. I thought it was a treasure chest at first. When it died, this was left behind.” I rubbed the back of my neck. I couldn’t shake the feeling that I’d done something wrong. “Why?”

“It resembles a plain axe. The like y’d find all across the lands. But . . .” He ran a leathery finger across the edge. “There’s something dark in it.”

I glanced down at the weapon. “That sounds bad.”

“Aye, possibly.” Without taking his eyes off the weapon, he turned it. “The dark’s a sinister thing. It preys upon the weak and hopeless.” His eyes flicked up toward me. “It is a dangerous thing. And one to be wary of if y’ plan on keeping this axe.” Finished with his exam, he offered the weapon back to me.

I stared at the axe. As I ran my gaze along its silvered edge, I couldn’t help but feel an uneasiness wash over me. I had lost myself to darkness before, once. I wasn’t keen to face a nightmare like that again.

With a trembling hand, I reached out and took the weapon. As I wrapped my fingers around the cold metal, Andre put his hand over mine. At first, I was afraid. His hands were strong and his grip tight, but there was a gentleness to his touch. I met his gaze. His features were softened.

“Be careful out there, Miss Sunset. Neither of us want to see you go Hollow.”

“I . . . I will.” I nodded, and he released my hand.

I stepped away from the smithy and Andre returned to his work.

“You finished?”

I jumped at the sudden voice behind me. I’d been so lost in thought that I hadn’t heard Mister Knight approach.

“What?” I blinked a few times. “I mean, yeah. I think so.” Mister Knight had a few new items on his person: a sack of firebombs, a second quiver of larger bolts beside the first, and a spear in his hand. “You got a spear?” I asked.

“That a problem?” It sounded like a genuine question.

“Not really. It just doesn’t seem like your kind of weapon.”

He glanced down at the spear. “It isn’t.”

“Oh? Then why did you . . .” I trailed off as he held the spear out toward me.

“I saw you staring at it earlier. Are you familiar with how to use it?”

“Yeah.” I took the weapon from him. The smooth wooden handle just felt right. I gave the spear a quick twirl, which wasn’t quite so easy without my magic. “Back in my world, most soldiers carried one.”

“You were a soldier?”

I scrunched my nose. “Not really. But I did train with them.”

“Good. If you’re going to be accompanying me on my journey, you’ll need to be well armed. Consider this an investment.” He turned to walk away, but stopped as I spoke up.

“Hey, can I ask you a kind of weird question?”

The Knight nodded.

“How are you with the dark?”

He looked around the shadowy undercroft. “Doesn’t really bother me.”

“That . . . isn’t quite what I meant.” As I spoke, I leaned my spear against the wall and held up my axe. “I was speaking to Andre about it. He says the axe has some sort of dark energy.”

“Yeah.”

I raised an eyebrow. “You knew?”

“Of course. Didn’t you?”

I shook my head. “I knew there was something strange about it.”

“Is it a problem?” He asked.

“No. Maybe. I don’t know.” I sighed. “Andre made it sound like it was evil.”

“Many would agree with him.”

“And you?” I asked. “What do you think about the Dark?”

He put his hand over his heart. “Those who follow the Lord of Sunlight seek to banish the dark in all of its forms. But that is a never ending battle, for it resides within all of humanity.”

“So, not evil?” I asked with a shrug.

“The Dark is home to many terrible things. But in the end, it is merely a part of who we are as humans. The power it grants us is hardly good or evil. It is merely a tool to be used.”

“If that’s how you feel, then do you want this?” I offered the axe.

He took it. Like Andre, one hand was sufficient for him to hold it. “It’s a fine weapon. Are you sure?”

“Yeah. I don’t need it anyway, now.” I picked up my new spear. “And failing that.” I tapped the dagger and chime on my belt. “So, are we ready to set out now?”

“Almost.” He motioned for me to follow him into the main chamber. I thought we were heading for the bonfire, but then he turned and walked over to the stairs where the Firekeeper sat.

As we approached, she rose. “Welcome, Ashen One,” she said warmly. “Speak thine heart’s desire.”

“I have come to ask for your assistance,” Mister Knight began. “In the old tales, the Firekeepers helped draw out the strength of the undead. Can you do similarly?”

She nodded gently. “Ashen One, to be Unkindled is to be a vessel for souls. Sovereignless souls will become thy strength. I will show thee how.” She offered him her hand.

“Hey, hold on a second.” I tapped Mister Knight on his shoulder. “Souls? Are you sure that’s a good idea?”

“Why not?”

I stammered for a second. “I mean, that just sounds really . . . questionable.”

“Their strength is what will allow us to fight our stronger foes.” He turned his attention back to the Firekeeper and took her hand. Where they touched, the air started to shimmer with dark energy.

“Kneel,” The Firekeeper said. In her gentle voice, it sounded more a request than a demand. Mister Knight did as he was told. “Take nourishment from these sovereignless souls.” I heard a sound like a driving wind, and the magic between them stopped. Mister Knight stood again.

“You alright?” I asked.

Glancing down at his hands, he drew in a deep breath. “I feel better than I have in a long while.”

“Alright, well, I guess that wasn’t so bad. Now can we—”

“Can you do the same for her?” Mister Knight asked the Firekeeper. A cold dread gripped me as I realized that I was the ‘she’ he was referring to.”

“That isn’t necessary!” I nearly yelled.

Despite lacking vision, the Firekeeper seemed to appraise me. “Of course. I serve thee, and will do as thou bid’st.” She stepped forward, reaching her hand out toward me.

I stepped back in kind. “Hey, I . . . I don’t have any souls to give right now.”

“Of course you do,” Mister Knight said.

My eyes darted back and forth. “I don’t think so.”

“You brought down the giant . . . Vordt. The souls he carried will give you strength.”

“The . . . souls?” I stared blankly at him, hoping it would prompt a response.

He lowered his head. “I suppose such things are not common in your world.” I nodded. “I shall do my best to explain, then. A soul is an immaterial part of all living things. When we kill something, like the giant or those hollows back on the wall, we absorb a bit of that soul.”

I thought back to my arrival in Firelink. The old witch in the tunnel had offered to trade me her wares for souls.

“These souls are used as a currency in these lands, where coin no longer has value. It requires some arcane knowledge, but these souls can also be transformed into strength. The more souls you gather, the stronger you will become. It is simply the way of this world.”

His words didn’t put me any more at ease. Still, Mister Knight hadn’t led me astray so far. I suppose he deserved a bit of my trust. He had died for me after all. With a deep breath, I stepped forward and took the Firekeeper’s hand. Her skin was smooth, yet cold as ice.

“Kneel,” she said. Maybe I was imagining things, but she didn’t sound as gentle ordering me around. Nevertheless, I did as she asked and dropped to my knee. I felt an aura of magic where we touched. “Take nourishment from these sovereignless souls.”

For a moment, I felt weightless, not just in body, but in mind. I heard a chorus of whispers calling out from the shining brightness all around me. A white mist flowed from me, spiraling into the dark energy in the Firekeeper’s fingertips.

Then it was over.

I blinked a few times as the Firekeeper stepped away.

“Did it work?” I asked. I felt . . . light, energetic, like I’d just woken up from a long, restful nap on a day off. Serene, I supposed would be another way.

“Here.”

Mister Knight tossed my spear to me. It felt . . . lighter?

“So, now what?” I asked.

Mister Knight walked over to the bonfire and put his hand over the sword.

“Now, we get back to work.”

The High Wall of Lothric: Part 5

When the haze settled, we were back in the courtyard, standing and staring up at the high wall. I almost expected the giant to come charging at us from some unseen place, but it appeared he was well and truly gone. I thought about that little light I’d taken from him. Maybe that kept him from coming back?

While I stared at the pile of debris and contemplated, Mister Knight started walking toward the outer gate.

“So, how come he didn’t come back?” I asked.

Mister Knight kept walking. “Couldn’t say. Just be grateful.”

I ran to catch up with him. “That’s all you have to say? Aren’t you curious?”

“Curiosity doesn’t mean much to me anymore.” He stopped, crossed his arms, and studied the gate. It stood almost the height of the wall itself. It appeared to be solid metal, meaning that neither of us would be able to move it. We might be able to slip through a crack in the door where tree roots were growing through, buckling the metal.

“Hold on, you’re telling me that you’re not curious in the slightest?” I asked, putting a hand on my hip.

“I’m telling you that spending the energy to question it is pointless.” He turned to look at me for the briefest of seconds. “Even if I do find an answer, it won’t be long until I lose it again.” What’s the point in learning when you’re just bound to forget it all?”

“I guess.” I chewed my tongue.

“Besides, I don’t think I was ever much of a scholar.” He tapped the blade hilt at his side.

“You could’ve been both,” I suggested.

Before he could say anything, he was interrupted by the sound of machinery cranking in the walls around us. The gate inched open, nearly blinding me with the sunlight behind it. As they reached the end of their arc, they grinded to a halt.

“You ready?” Mister Knight asked.

I tightened my grip on my spear. “Yeah.”

Without another word, he started walking again. I fell in line just behind him.

At one point, the gates might have led out over a bridge and into the countryside. Now, though, they only lead to a dead-end. I stood at the edge of the broken bridge and hazarded a glance downward. Far below, I spied another bridge, ruined and collapsed. The height difference made me dizzy.

“I guess we’re not going this way,” I muttered.

Mister Knight reached into his pockets and pulled out a banner. I watched him stroll over to the wall and snap off a piece of the roots growing across the stone. As he returned, he wrapped the banner around the wood, forming a crude standard.

“What are you doing?” I asked.

“What the priestess asked of me.” He hoisted the flag over his head.

“Priestess?”

“At the cathedral up there.” He nodded back toward the courtyard behind us.

I figured he must’ve meant the cathedral I saw from the wall. I didn’t know who this priestess was, but who was I to argue. I sat down several steps from the end of the bridge. As time passed and my boredom grew, I found my eye drawn outward, to the land.

I saw the bridge from earlier, reaching out from some unseen lower part of the city. If this flag didn’t somehow help us out of this bind, that would probably be our next destination. It wasn’t much better, though. Even from here, I could see that the bridge had collapsed in several places along the path, but at least they were smaller gaps to clear.

Beyond the collapsed bridge, I could see a forested plateau. Among the land’s greenery, I could see plenty of spires and collapsed ruins. In the center of the island looked to be a small town. Beside it, a tower reached into the sky, almost high enough to match us here on the city bridge. Some of the buildings still looked intact. To the right, I could see a large structure. It reminded me of Firelink with its tall spires and bell tower.

Beyond the plateau, a mountain range formed the horizon. Those snow-covered peaks might very well have been the same ones I’d seen from Firelink. Maybe we’d find our little shrine somewhere out there in the forest.

The most curious sight laid to the left, against the mountains. Though a cloud of smoke or fog obscured the land, I thought I could see the faint outline of a castle.

The longer I looked, the more uneasy I felt.

I couldn’t deny that the view was beautiful. But the land looked . . . wrong. It wasn’t just the buildings and bridges that had collapsed. It looked as though the earth itself was cracked and falling apart. The worst part of it all, though, was that it didn’t look destroyed. It wasn’t some great beast or violent calamity that had passed through.

No.

It was simply withering. Like a flower. Or a corpse.

That thought made my skin crawl.

“How long are we going to wait here?”

“As long as we need to.”

I drummed my fingers against my spear and pursed my lips.

“What exactly are we waiting for?”

“Them.”

With a clatter, he tossed the banner down.

“What are those?” I asked, scampering backwards.

In front of us, crawling up from below, appeared a . . . creature, some . . . unholy blend of mosquito, bat, and a man. Its bloodied claw scraped against the stone as the first one hauled itself up onto the bridge. Another followed close behind.

I went for my spear, but Mister Knight stopped me.

“Sunset, wait. They’re not dangerous.”

“How sure are you about that?” I asked as a third and fourth came scrambling over the rock.

“They’re messengers. Like the ones in the stories.”

The first two grabbed the knight by his arms. A third one grabbed him from behind. All three flapped their leathery wings in unison, lifting him off the ground. He didn’t try to resist.

“I don’t know what stories you’re talking about,” I said, backing away.

Two of the demons circled me in opposite directions, forcing me to turn constantly between the two of them. One of them lunged. I raised my spear in front of me, blocking those long, raking claws with the shaft. While I was distracted, the second one rushed from behind. It wrapped its claws around my chest. Before I could even register what had happened, it lifted me into the air with its wings.

I squirmed in its grasp, but the flailing allowed the second demon to slip close, where it helped restrain me. I felt the ground beneath me vanish as they carried me higher. My body tensed as they hauled me over the broken edge of the bridge. I went from scrambling to escape to scrambling to hold on as the stone beneath my feet turned to forest miles below.

One of them hissed in my ear.

“Look, just don’t drop me,” I said, white-knuckling my spear. My two escorts shared a glance.

Over the next few minutes, I sailed through the air, a mouse, trapped in a hawk’s talons. In my desperation to escape and then hold on, I’d somehow lost track of my companion and his escorts.

They carried me over the second bridge I’d seen from the front gate. Below me, I could see a giant stone creature of some sort, pacing back and forth along the destroyed remains of the bridge. On my flight, I also saw another dead dragon lying in the rubble.

The demons carried me over the collapsed sections of the bridge. They stopped above the last section, where the bridge connected to the broken landmass beyond. Their descent took us to a tower overlooking the gate. From here, I could see the knight sitting beside another bonfire.

“Hey!” I called out. I tried to wave, but that just made one of the demons hiss.

“Oh, good. I was worried they dropped you,” he shouted back.

I flinched. “Don’t give them any ideas, Ashes, they don’t like me as it is,” I howled.

My escorts hissed in agreement as they hovered about ten feet over the bonfire. I looked up at them, some smart ass remark on my tongue. I didn’t get to say anything before they dropped me. I landed feet-first on a pile of discarded bricks and tumbled face-first onto the stone walkway, only to land sprawled at Mister Knight’s feet staring up at him.

“Assholes,” I muttered, rolling onto my side in an attempt to catch my breath.

Mister Knight crouched down beside me. “You did try to stab them.”

I held my stomach. “You’re an asshole, too.”

“What did I do?” He said with a tilt of his head.

“You could have told me that was going to happen.”

In what was hopefully a show of remorse, Mister Knight dragged me over to the bonfire and dropped me. I laid on my back, staring up at the hazy, afternoon sky. The heat from the bonfire seeped into my aching body.

“You alright?” Mister Knight asked.

“I think so,” I said. I closed my eyes for a moment. “Think I might have broken a rib on the way down.”

“I’m sure you’re exaggerating.” He paused. “Would you like me to check?”

My eyes snapped over to him. “I’ll live. Thanks.”

He shrugged. After another moment of silence, he spoke up. “What did you call me?”

I raised an eyebrow.

“When they were carrying you, you called me . . . Ashes?”

I clicked my tongue. “Did I?”

“You did.”

“Isn’t that what everyone else calls you?”

“Ashen One?”

“Yeah.” I nodded. “That one.” I sat up. “Is that a problem?”

“Do you know what it means to be an Ashen One?”

“I . . .” I frowned. “There’s a lot of things I don’t know,” I said. “Look, if you don’t want me to call you that . . .”

“I have no problem with it.”

“Then . . . why did you ask?”

He seemed to consider the question. “I was merely curious if you knew.”

With a sigh, I shuffled closer to the fire. I didn’t know much of anything about this world. I’d heard so many refer to him by that name, and they spoke it with a sort of reverence. The thought had never crossed my mind that it might have been some sort of insult.

“Tell me,” I said.

He looked up from the fire. “What?”

“We’re going to be traveling together, working together. Might be helpful for me to learn a bit about the world.”

He stood and wandered over to the edge of the tower. From here, I couldn’t see much of the area around us over the brick walls. But from where he stood, I imagined he could see the whole valley in front of us. As he stood with his back to me, I couldn’t deny the slimy suspicion that I’d somehow offended him.

“We serve the flame,” he said matter-of-factly.

“Is that . . . the royal ‘we’?”

“We, as undead, exist to serve the flame.”

I pursed my lips. “Maybe that’s a good place to start. What is this flame?”

He shifted his weight to his other foot. “In the beginning, the world was shrouded in darkness. The great arch dragons ruled the world. Until the day the First Flame appeared.

“Creatures of all sorts came crawling from their holes, drawn by the magnificent power it held. Of them, four creatures claimed the power of the Flame, imbuing their souls with great power.”

“But what was it?” I asked.

He didn’t turn to look at me. “I have no idea. Not sure anyone really does. All we know is that those that claimed that power became the Great Lords. The First of the Dead, the Witches of Izalith, and the Lord of Sunlight. And with the power they found, they ended the reign of the dragons and brought about the Age of the Gods.”

Already, my head was spinning. Souls. The same things Ashes made me use to strengthen myself. These ancient heroes used that power to fell dragons. I think I understood, even if I didn’t quite realize it yet. Still, one of those names gave me pause.

“Who is the Lord of Sunlight?” I asked.

For the first time since his speech began, Ashes looked at me.

“Gwyn.”

“Can you tell me about him?” I couldn’t help but make the comparison in my head. A Lord of Sunlight? Was he anything about the Lord of Sunlight that I knew? I didn’t doubt that Celestia could put down dragons, but it didn’t seem like something she’d do.

“He was the greatest of the lords. With his lightning, he tore the dragons from the sky and used their strength to build a kingdom in his image. His subjects worshiped him and worshiped the Flame.”

Lightning? I snuck a glance down at my chime. Could it be?

“Though his kingdom prospered, his reign could not last forever.”

“What happened? Did something attack them?”

Ashes shook his head. “The Flame started to fade.”

“Like it is now?”

I couldn’t help but feel my questions were grating on him.

“Not quite.” He finally turned and returned to the bonfire. He stared into the flames as he spoke, as though he were addressing it directly. “Gwyn sacrificed his soul, his power, to keep the Flame burning. But his sacrifice only delayed the inevitable. The flame started to fade again. Then the curse appeared.”

My hand reached up to my breast, where the burning symbol was carved.

“Eventually, an undead rose, strong enough to slay the gods and take their souls. He brought them to the Flame, and used that strength to keep it burning.”

“But it didn’t work.” I didn’t ask it as a question.

Ash shook his head. “Not forever. The cycle has repeated countless times. A champion rises, gathers the strength of the great souls, and offers them to the Flame as kindling. The world prospers, but the Flame eventually starts to fade again.”

Questions swam through my head, but I bit my tongue and let him continue.

His voice dropped nearly to a whisper. “This time . . . things are different.”

“How so?” I asked, the pain in my back all but forgotten.

“The undead chosen to link the Flame . . . abandoned his duty.” He glanced up at me. Even though I couldn’t see his face, I sensed an aura rife with sorrow and dread. “The prince, Lothric.” I followed where he pointed, up to the castle we’d just left.

“Has that ever happened before?”.

“I can’t say.”

“Okay, we’ll, even if he doesn’t do his duty . . . does that mean there’s nothing that can be done? What’ll happen?”

“The undead curse grows stronger.” Ash shook his head. “Then rise the Lords of Cinder.” I recognized that name. The ones we were meant to hunt. “The Lords were beings who used their power to feed the Flame once before. They were to use their strength to fulfill the role of the undead. But they too, have now abandoned that path.”

He hadn’t been kidding around when he called them powerful. I tried to imagine a being strong enough to bring down Celestia, to bring down the sun. Was such power even feasible? Still, that wasn’t the question at the forefront of my mind.

“What about us? You? The Ashen One?”

“We . . .” Hanging his head, he stared at the floor between his legs. “We came back next. The ultimate expression of the curse’s desperation.”

The way he spoke about the curse almost made it sound alive.

“How so?”

“Because . . . we already failed.”

I glanced around. “We did? How?”

Ash shook his head. “The Lords of Cinder were the ones who linked the Flame. The Ashen . . . we were the ones who failed. The ones who weren't strong enough.”

It finally dawned on me just how badly I screwed up. The Ashen were the ones who failed? And I’d called him that— Many people had called him that directly to his face.”

I turned away, feeling the shame burn my cheeks. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”

“What do you have to be sorry for?”

“When I called you that, I didn’t . . . I didn’t know what it meant.”

“You . . . you don’t have to apologize.”

“I do.”

“No.” He shook his head. “It’s the truth. It’s what I am.” With a sigh, he craned his neck upwards. “It’s one big cruel joke. I don’t remember my past, my name, my family. All I remember is that I failed. It’s the one piece of my history that this damned curse hasn’t taken from me.”

“But it’s not who you are,” I muttered. I wasn’t sure if he heard me or not.

“It doesn’t matter. It doesn’t change what I have to do.”

Shaking, I raised my fist and slammed it down, rattling my spear next to me. “It absolutely matters,” I shouted, jumping up to my feet.

Mister Knight jumped at my sudden outburst.

“Just because we screw up, doesn’t mean that we’re a failure,” I said, my breathing growing heavy. “Maybe you failed before, but that doesn’t mean you’ll fail again.” I plopped back down. “Believe me, I know. I’ve screwed up a lot of things in my life, too.” My lungs burned, forcing me to draw a shaky breath. “I can’t change the wrong I’ve done. I can just keep going and hope that I can redeem myself from it.”

“What are you saying?” He asked.

What was I saying? I wasn’t even sure at this point. I just know that I could feel my anger boiling in my chest. I was furious. But there was something else there, too. Something hidden beneath the anger. I felt grateful. For the first time since I’d landed in this Celestia-forsaken world, I understood why. I had a purpose, a reason to be here.

“That we can’t give up,” I finally said.

“You don’t have to be a part of this–”

“That’s why you tried to stop me before, isn’t it?” I asked, my gaze shooting toward him. “You’re scared that you’re going to fail again. And you don’t want me to get dragged along with you?”

I stared at him, daring him to deny it. He didn’t.

“Well I don’t want you thinking like that anymore.” I skirted around the edge of the bonfire and sat down beside him. “Especially now that I’m here with you.”

“Sunset, this isn’t your fight.”

“No, it’s yours.” I closed my eyes and put a hand on his shoulder. “But I’ll be damned if I’m going to make you go through it alone. It doesn’t matter what you say. I’m here. I’m going to help you.”

“Even if you put your own life at stake?”

“Of course. It’s what friends do.”

I stretched out my hand towards him. He refused to meet my gaze.

“You’re crazy, Sunset.”

“Maybe. And maybe a little crazy is what you need on your side, huh?”

I stood for a minute or two, my hand outstretched. It felt more than a little awkward, but I couldn’t change my mind now. “So, are we doing this or what?”

“On one condition.” He glanced up at me.

I raised an eyebrow. “What’s that?”

“I want you to keep calling me Ash.”

I frowned. “Did you listen to anything I said?”

“Yeah.” I could feel him watching me from under his visor. “But I know what I am. I know what I’ve done.”

“But–”

“Let me speak,” he barked. I stopped talking. “You’re right. But that doesn’t change what I am. But that’s not my point. Whenever I hear that name, it reminds me of my failures, it reminds me of what I am. And it reminds me that things are going to be different this time.”

A smile crept across my lips. “That’s the spirit.”

I moved to draw my hand back, only for him to reach out and take it.

Grunting, I pulled him to his feet.

Undead Settlement : Part 1

Ash and I stepped up to the edge of the tower. From here, we could see down the staircase leading down to the main part of the bridge. A little further than that,we saw the end of the bridge, where it connected to the broken landmass beyond.

Below, on the bridge itself, I could see overturned carriages and the half-rotted bodies of a dozen hollows. Some knelt with their arms stretched skyward. Others were shuffling mindlessly through the carnage. One of them was leaned up against the gate that led off the bridge, his arms tangled through the metal grate.

“There are a lot of them down there,” I said, drumming my finger on my spear. “Think we can fight our way through?”

Ash put an arm out in front of me. “We might not have to. Take a look.”

With the sound of grinding metal, the gate crept open. The hollow leaning against it stumbled backwards, tripping over the small flight of stairs and landing hard on his back.

“What’s going—”

A hair-raising howl echoed through the empty sky. A four-legged figure came bounding out from beneath the gate. At first, I wasn’t sure what I was looking at. From this height, all I could see was greasy, matted gray fur. It dawned on me soon enough that I must have been looking at a dog of some sort. A very poorly kept dog, if the tangled fur and bald patches were anything to go by.

I watched as the dog pinned the fallen hollow to the floor. Even from here, I could hear the snarling, gargling, and ripping flesh. It didn’t take long before the hollow went limp and the blood pooled around him. Two more equally monstrous looking dogs charged out through the gate before it started to close.

We watched as the few hollows still capable of rational thought tried to flee, only to be ripped apart as soon as they turned their backs. Not that they could have made it too far anyway, based on the destruction I’d seen flying in.

“Are we just going to stand here and watch?” I asked.

“What would you suggest instead?”

I frowned. “I don’t know. Rescue them? Anything aside from just stand here and watch them get slaughtered?”

“Then turn around. Don’t watch.”

I smacked him on the shoulder. “Why don’t we help?”

Ash shrugged. “There wouldn’t be any point.” He turned away from the bloodbath below. I guess he didn’t really want to see it either. “Those hollows down there are already gone. When that happens, when they just shut down, then they’re too far gone. They might as well have just sicced their dogs on a graveyard for all the good it’ll do.”

“I still don’t like looking at it.”

“Then don’t.”

“You know that’s not what I meant.”

“Then by all means, Sunset, go down there and help.” His voice was barely a whisper, but the force behind it still made me hesitate.

“Fine, what do you suggest?” I tried my beast to ignore the sounds of carnage.

Ash sighed as he sat down on a broken section of the wall. “We wait until the hounds move on or until their master calls them back. Then we’ll see if we can slip through without drawing too much attention.” He patted the space beside him.

“I’ll stand, thanks,” I said.

“Suit yourself.”

I walked over to the wall opposite him. It was still intact enough to lean against. I rested my spear on the wall beside me. Closing my eyes, I tried not to think about what was happening just a few feet away. It wasn’t very successful. Without the scenery to occupy my mind, the noises took center stage.

I heard tearing and barking.

But the breaking point was when I heard a voice. My breath caught in my throat. It was faint, almost imperceptible . . . but it was there. I couldn’t understand what he was saying, but he sounded terrified.

“Did you hear that?” I blurted out, straightening up.

“No.”

“A voice—“

“No,” he repeated, more forcefully.

Careful not to fall, I leaned over the wall beside Ash. Below, hiding behind one of the overturned carts, I saw a hollow. He was huddled in a ball, making noises that almost sounded like weeping.

“Ash, one of them is—”

“He’s not.”

I looked at Ash, then back down at the man. One of the dogs was sniffing around on the other side of the cart, painting the ground red with the blood and bits hanging off his muzzle. Up closer now, I could see the sharp teeth.

“Fine. Guess I’ll do it.” I bit my tongue. With one swift motion, I snatched my spear and took a running jump over the ledge. My sudden flight snagged as Ash caught my arm.

“Are you insane?” He asked flatly.

“I’m here to help. That includes them, too.” I nodded toward the hollow below.

Ash sighed. Without another word, he released his grip, dropping me. I slid down the wall’s slight incline until I hit a ledge, then jumped. The overturned carriage rattled as I landed on top. The noise got the nearest dog’s attention.

Under normal circumstances, I could never imagine hurting a dog. But this monster, this thing, was no normal dog. Insects and strange growths were tangled in its fur. What I originally thought were bald spots, we open wounds, revealing the animal’s bloody innards. If I’d eaten anything recently, the sight alone would have been enough to make me sick, let alone the smell.

The beast swiped at the carriage, its viscous-looking claws carving deep gouges into the wood. My spear wasn’t long enough to reach from here, meaning I’d have to drop down to fight the dog on equal footing. The other two dogs were still busy feasting near the gate. It would be now or never.

Taking a deep breath, I threw myself from the top of the carriage. I hit the ground and rolled to try and break my fall. I stopped sharp, using my footing to twist back and swing, catching a set of rotten jaws on the spear handle. It gnawed on the wood in an attempt to reach me.

With a heft, I knocked the beast aside, breaking our stalemate and forcing it away. It sped off, out of reach of my weapon, and made a wide turn before charging head-first back at me. I dropped low and tightened my grip. It took a running leap at me, just as it had the first hollow.

Perfect.

I pushed forward, bringing the sharpened tip of my spear up and straight through the beast’s belly. It yelped as the spear-tip slipped through its ribs and out the back. I held it aloft for a few seconds, until it stopped moving completely. Only when I was sure it was dead, I tossed the body aside and wrenched my spear free.

I didn’t have time to relax, though.

My little show had caught some unwanted attention and now the last two dogs were running towards me. I flicked the blood off my spear and readied for round two. As if sensing my intentions, both animals skidded to a stop.

For a long while, we stood, staring at one another. They snarled and barked, but kept out of my range. For my part, I kept my spear steady, watching and waiting for the slightest hint of an advance.

Their next move caught me off guard.

Without getting any closer, the dogs split up and started walking opposite directions. One left, one right.

They were trying to flank me.

Good to know they were still smart enough to do that.

I tried to back away without breaking my defensive stance. I needed to keep them at a distance, at least until I had a plan to put them down. Of course, that window closed immediately when I heard another growl behind me.

I turned to look at the new sound.

It was an instinct, driven purely by a moment of panic. It didn’t occur to me how bad of an idea it was until I’d already done it. The instant they were out of sight, the hounds charged.

Alright, cadets, listen up! Today, we’re going to learn a very important lesson!

Time seemed to slow. I recognized the voice of the memory immediately. One of the guard captains responsible for training new recruits back in Equestria.

Some of you have been asking about the spears. Well, today, I’m going to show you. All of you, come at me.

I remember asking the same question. That sparring session served as a better lesson than any classroom could hope to teach. I felt my muscles tighten and my senses sharpen as the memory replayed.

I twirled my spear through the air, whipping the blunt end around like a club to catch the first dog in the chest and sent it sprawling into the dust face-first.

And that is why the Royal Guard carries spears.

As the second dog lunged, I swung through, carrying the momentum of my first strike through while lifting the weapon over my head in a pirouette. The pointed tip carried that momentum straight down, smashing the second dog’s skull flat against the floor while splitting it open from the top.

In a situation like that, there is no better weapon.

I glanced over my shoulder to see the third dog coming at me. I pushed down on the weapon’s shaft and yanked it free. I pulled with more than enough force to rip the weapon free, using it to slam the butt of the spear into the third dog. I couldn’t see it, but I could feel bones break against the blunt strike.

A sword is great, a fine weapon . . .

The first dog had recovered and was making for me in a straight line. I side-stepped its lunge and plunged my spear into its side, carving open the scars along its flank.

But master the spear . . .

It was back to a one-on-one fight. The dog that tried to sneak up on me was now limping around me in a circle. I sensed hesitation from it. Good. That meant it was my turn now.

I took a step forward, only for the dog to turn tail and flee.

Not on my watch.

With a running start, I pulled back and launched my spear as hard as I could. It sailed through the air before landing in the dog’s back with a sickening squelch. The beast fell limp on its side.

To master the spear is to master the battlefield itself.

I doubled over, hands on my knees and a smile on my face as I panted. If I ever made it back home, I would have to thank the instructors. And heck, maybe I’d even attend a few lessons, polish up on my skills.

The hair on the back of my neck stood as a sound interrupted my reminiscing.

The patter of paws on the stone behind me. I grabbed at my dagger and twirled around to face the new challenger. It was already in the air. I raised my knife, ready to defend myself.

Then something struck my assailant, and it dropped harmlessly to the ground.

I recognized the bolt in its neck as one of the ones Ash had purchased back at the shrine. I glanced up at him to see him loading another bolt. Once the weapon was reset, he slipped it onto his back and climbed down the same way I had.

“I had it under control,” I said, wiping a loose strand of hair out of my face.

“I know you did.” He motioned toward my spear. “That was an impressive display.”

“What can I say?” I shrugged. “I had good instructors.”

“Clearly.” Ash nodded. “Training like that isn’t something a normal soldier receives. Who taught you?”

“I had a few different teachers.”

Ash crossed his arms. “You don’t strike me as much of a soldier. An aristocrat, maybe? I understand that sometimes they’re trained as a sort of hobby.”

“Sort of.” I shook my head. “I was a . . . student.”

“A student?”

“Yeah.”

“What kind?”

I retrieved my spear, then paused. A student of Celestia. It wasn’t difficult to say. I remembered Celestia. But then, why did it sound so wrong?

“For Celestia.”

Ash crossed his arms. “Celestia?”

I nodded. “My mother. She was the leader of our kingdom back home.”

“So you’re a princess?” Ash asked.

I froze. I . . . I wasn’t a princess. Had I . . . Why did I say that?

Ash put a hand on my shoulder. “Hey, are you alright? You’re looking a bit distressed there.”

I shook my head. “Just a bit homesick.”

It wasn’t completely a lie.

“Right, we can save the talking for later. Right now we need to keep moving.”

“Yeah.” I nodded. “First things first, let’s go check on that Hollow, make sure he isn’t hurt.” Ash shook his head, but motioned for me to lead the way. I did so. But as I walked, my mind and heart raced. I could picture the regal alicorn in my mind’s eye, but I was missing a crucial piece of information.

Was she my mother? No, that didn’t feel right. A caretaker, maybe? Possibly just a close friend? What was my relationship with Celestia?

The answer was on the tip of my tongue, but I couldn’t shake it loose.

I couldn’t remember.

Well, shit.