“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