If there was a thing that everyone involved on the current dilemma could agree, was the fact that they all didn’t deal well with something like repairs. It was required and something at this point was vital if they ever wanted to go ahead and find more secrets about the land they were traveling through, but it was so boring to simply lie around and wait for more things to be created, no matter how custom made or how great the final items could be.
Although Sunset had lived a life of mostly comfort, she was always doing something with her time, from studying everything she could about either the pony or the human world, to making plans and putting them in action, but this was beyond those two situations because, well, she couldn’t do any of those things.
In the land of Lordran there was a lot of silence and stillness, which in turn either made you be careful of every corner, never knowing what could be waiting for at each street, or in the case of the trio of warriors that had already cleansed the road, it was quiet and calm. With no real danger around them and how the stress had left their bodies after gruesome battles and tenseness of not knowing what awaited them, made Sunset, Madeleine and Solaire feel lethargic and tired. For the first time since Sunset had arrived at that cursed land, she was, if not at peace, at least satisfied with what she had accomplished and was taking a deserved break from it all.
She may be already dead, but her brain was working, which meant that she needed to take a break from the constant battle mentality she had been on since she landed in Firelink Shrine, so taking a break from the constant walking and worrying felt nice for a change. It also helped that she was surrounded by other people that used the time to either work on their craft, like Andre who was creating something new for her with the remnants of the Titanite Demon. Others, like Oswald, spent his time talking with strange shadows, figures of other undead that were on the border between the worlds, clearly more pilgrimages that were crossing between their world and that of Sunset’s.
Seeing the shadows moving as if they were only a small part of a being, hidden in darkness as if they were ghost, well, it didn’t sit well with Sunset. While what she had learned back at Equestria could be considered important, seeing the kind of magic and power found here in Lordran was a little strange and disconcerting. She always thought that humans weren’t able to use magic or that they were incompatible with it. Her defeat at the hands of those girls at CHS showed her that she was wrong. Well, that was something to keep an eye and try to study now that she had the chance.
Madeleine and Solaire were also taking a break alongside her, with the female knight reading a small book that she had with her, probably had it stashed somewhere inside her own long white immaculate coat. Sunset asked her what it was and the other knight simply smiled before going back to her book. Sunset was slightly offended at the way Madeleine had ignored her, but the white knight stood up and showed Sunset the book she had on her hands.
She said that it was an old story, about a witch that found a young thief. She said the story was funnier than dramatic and that in a way it reminded her of her life before she arrived at Lordran. The redhead didn’t know how to take what she had said, but decided to leave Madeleine to her book. After all, she knew how annoying it was to have someone interrupt you while you were reading. Still, there was something that kept nagging at her.
While Solaire was also bizarre in the way he was so chivalrous and optimistic, to Sunset he reminded her of ponies he had met back at the castle, or at least some of them. He reminded her of those teachers she had back then, those that were always smiling and encouraging her. It was nice and heart breaking at the same time, mainly because it made her remember all the dumb things she had done in the past and the way she had step on them. She had wasted so many opportunities that it was a miracle that she was still in one piece. Well, she was dead, so maybe that was her punishment then.
With one last sigh, Sunset left the underground road, the place where the Titanite Demon had been defeated. There were other places that were unknown to her and apparently interesting and safe, like the other road they haven’t walked. Apparently there was a door that couldn’t be moved, so that was interesting at least.
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If there was one thing that Twilight knew didn’t change from one dimension to the other was the presence of her friends and that of Spike at her side. What did change in fact was the fact that everyone was different with very few exceptions; Bon Bon and Lyra were always ‘Best Friends’ no matter the dimension apparently, always being with each other. Also Muffin was there, still a klutz, but as friendly as her pony counterpart, so it was nice for the newly crowned Princess of Friendship. Probably the only thing that differed from her life at Ponyville was the fact that there was a boy at her side right now that was listening to her. Well, listening was probably a little too much considering neither of them had said a word.
“I think… things were a lot easier before the dance.”
“Life was a lot easier before that night in general.” While she hasn’t had a chance to really get to know Flash, beyond the fact that he was a nice guy and wanted to help her, she knew talking with him was probably a good idea. After all, they have gone to the prom together, but after the tragic ending of it things simply fizzled out. There were more things to think about, like the fact Twilight was now trapped in the human world, that she had to find a way to go back while living in a world completely alien to her, and, oh right, the fact that Twilight had been part of the assassination of Sunset Shimmer. What a great way to start a conversation.
“Yeah, well, I guess we all need to keep on living now; look, Twilight, I… I don’t blame you, you know? That night it was crazy and I… god, I don’t know what to say.” Flash put a hand over his face, the awkwardness and hint of desperation clear on his voice, his body tense and his mind lost. That’s when he felt it, a hand over his shoulder.
“I know… but I thank you for telling me that,” Twilight didn’t have a smile, not the one she showed when they did that music number, or the night of the prom when he saw her with the dress made by Rarity. This time it was just a little bit of sadness in her eyes, one that couldn’t be dispersed by mere words, but maybe it would be forgotten for a while as the two embraced at the front steps of Canterlot High.
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Reading was something that she hadn’t done in a long time. Now that she thought about it, it was not something that she used to do at all, or at least when she was a mere witch. Back in those days, she enjoyed nothing more than to stroll around and hold bags and bags of new stuff. Nice clothes, bags, hats and more used to be what filled her calm days, not sitting around with a nice book, but well, things change after all.
Madeleine was calm for the first time in a long time. Sure, Sunset still had to find the next bell while dodging the meddling stupidity of the serpents, but beyond that everything was nice and quiet. She smiled knowing that her other sisters were doing their part to see the redhead be crowned as the Princess of Lordran.
Rubbing her eyes slightly with the back of her hand, Madeleine, for the first time since she arrived at this world, took the masquerade from her head and put it safely on the table. While the houses in the upper Burg were not the safest, they had been thorough with the removal of undead to be able to use one piece less of armor. As she did that, Madeleine looked for something inside of her coat and after a few seconds of rummaging around, she took out a pair of black, glossy glasses that were as elegant as they were practical. It was almost like good old times when instead of a lance she used to wear stilettos with guns on them. Truly, elegance had changed since those days.