Sunset had not yet faced such a beast. And it wasn’t even behind a fog door! It was a regular enemy, and that made Sunset’s skin crawl to imagine what the boss of this area was.
She ducked and rolled under the demon’s fierce axe strikes. It didn’t matter how much estus she had; one hit from that and it would all be over.
She had already thrown three fireballs at the demon, but it did little to even singe the fur on its back.
“Well, what did you expect, dear?” Rarity had asked her. “This whole place is quite fiery. I doubt a spell like that would work.”
Sunset threw her sword forward and teleported past the creature’s legs, giving it a swipe through its ankles before rushing back and away from one of its axe swings.
Rarity stood from afar, pelting the taurus demon with bolts of blue magic, each one bursting on its hide and eliciting a roar of rage from it.
With a bellow that shook the ground beneath them, the demon turned around and charged towards Sunset, going at full speed, ready to trample her right under its hooves. Sunset did the most logical thing she could do and ran for her life, trying to keep out of reach of the creature as Rarity fired more magic at it.
We’re just making it mad. Sunset thought grimly as she aimed a slice at the demon’s right leg. However, its hide was too thick to effectively cut at, and her attack only drew a tiny bit of blood.
Rarity shot soul arrow after soul arrow, but the spells seemed to be only having a minimal effect of scorching its hide and leaving burn marks. The magician was quickly burning through her spells. Soon she would only have the utilities, like chameleon. And this beast still showed no signs of slowing down.
“Oh, come on!” Sunset tossed her sword high up and teleported to it as the demon’s axe crashed into the ground where she had just been standing.
Rarity fired another bolt of magic, this one far larger than the last few. It pierced through the demon and came out its front, staggering the beast for a second. That second was what Sunset needed as she began her descend, her target, the demon’s head. Aiming for a round spot on its head, Sunset poised her sword tip downwards and plunged it straight through its skull, feeling her blade sink all the way down and through something soft inside.
The taurus demon roared and took one step forward, then dropped its axe and sank to its knees. The fiery haired girl used this pause to get off before the whole monster fell to its face, the impact echoing across the entire cavern.
“Not bad, Sunset.” Rarity dusted her robes as she approached the demon to give it a kick. “Why, this place has enemies tougher than anywhere I have ever been. Even the capra demons outside took some getting used to.”
“Oh, is that what they’re called.” Sunset remembered the dead demons at the castle entrance. “You did all that? On your own?”
“Let’s just say magic works wonders against monsters here.” Rarity smiled and stretched a hand out to give Sunset a pat. “How have you been, dear? Not too bad, I hope?”
“I’ve been managing,” Sunset said, looking around. This entire courtyard looked to be a dead end. “What are you doing here? Applejack’s been looking for you, you know? She really wants her hat back. Says you have it.”
“Her what?” Rarity asked, looking a little perturbed.
“Hat.” Sunset drew a circle around the top of her head. “Really, why are the two of you even like this? What started all this.”
Rarity sniffed. “As if I would know.”
“Come on, Rarity.” Sunset sheathed her blade and folded her arms. “The two of you keep telling me contradicting stories. Either one of you is lying, or both of you are. Can I just get the truth here? I’m trying to help.”
“I am not lying!” Rarity said hotly. “Applejack still had her hat when I was locked in that tomb. I don’t know what happened to it.”
“She seems to think you stole it,” Sunset shrugged.
“Ah, ck, tuh, pfft,” Rarity spluttered. “As if I would steal something like that.”
“Well, she says she didn’t lock you in the tomb as well.”
“Lies! All of it! She shut that door behind me! I saw it with my own eyes!” Rarity pointed at her eyes. “I couldn’t believe at first, but there’s no denying it! Applejack isn’t what she says she is!”
“Nah, she isn’t who she says she is.” There was a flicker of lightning and Applejack landed down beside Sunset, her axe radiating electricity. She got to her feet and flashed a look of anger and betrayal at Rarity, at the same time, swinging her axe up and at the ready to kill. “My hat, Rarity! Ah want it back! This instant! Give it back!”
“I never took your hat!” Rarity raised her staff and its tip glowed a bright blue. “Why would I even want to take it?! It’s just a hat, dear. What need would I have of it? You on the other hand, you locked me in that dreadful tomb! Did you know how many spiders I had to fend off?”
“Aw boo hoo hoo,” Applejack said sarcastically. “Maybe ya wouldn’t have trouble with a few measly spiders if you could fight worth a punnet. Ah helped ya, Rarity, but ya went an’ turned the tables on me! Now gimme my hat!”
“I said I don’t have it!” Rarity hopped back as Applejack rushed towards her, her axe ready to strike.
“Wait, stop it, you two!” Sunset got between them and pushed them apart. “Just stop! You two shouldn’t be like this!”
“Ah want my hat back!” Applejack tried to reach for Rarity over Sunset.
“You locked me in a tomb! That’s unforgivable!” Rarity stood on the other end, her magic at the ready.
“Look, Rarity says she didn’t take your hat and you say you didn’t lock her in a tomb!” Sunset struggled to keep them apart. “Surely something’s amiss here! Come on! Just stop!”
“She’s the liar, Sunset. Would Ah ever lie to ya?” Applejack asked.
“No, she’s lying, Sunset. Lying is so below me,” Rarity scoffed.
Applejack pushed past Sunset and swung her Dragonslayer at Rarity, but the mage dodged it and fired a bolt of magic at her. It hit Applejack square in the left shoulder and sent her back a step.
With fire in her eyes, Applejack pulled her axe back as electricity began to radiate out of it. With a warcry, she dashed forward, her axe coming down hard and fast towards Rarity’s head.
“ENOUGH!” Sunset teleported in to intercept the axe and pushed Rarity back, using her own sword to deflect the blow. “Violence isn’t the way here. The two of you! We can settle this just fine without it!”
“Oh yeah?” Applejack raised a fist at the mage. “Tell her to give me my hat back!”
Sunset sighed and looked at her violet haired friend. “Rarity, do you have any idea what might’ve happened to Applejack’s hat?”
The mage shrugged. “She still had it when she locked me in the tomb.”
“Like Ah said, Ah did no such thing!”
“Stop!” Sunset had to hold her back again. “Rarity, when were you locked in the tomb?”
“Why, almost a month ago now.” She dusted her robes and stuck her tongue out. “She locked me in one of the tombs when we were looking for treasure in the Derelict Catacombs.”
“Well, ya made off with my hat when we stopped to rest at the Bronze Workshop!”
“Look, she couldn’t have taken your hat if you locked her up back at the catacombs,” Sunset said. There were quite obvious problems with both their stories.
“Wait, Applejack.” Rarity lowered her staff. “I never went to the Bronze Workshop with you. You had locked me away before that. By the time I got there, I was alone.”
“Some fancy lies ya got there, Rarity.” Applejack clenched her axe tighter. “And to think Ah once trusted ya. Ha.”
“No, AJ, something isn’t right here.” The more Sunset thought about it, the more fishy it began to sound. It sounded almost like someone else was involved in all this. “Rarity, are you sure it was Applejack?”
“Of course. She had that hat she’s missing so much. No one else wears a hat.”
“Well, Ah never locked her in any tomb. Hay, we went on after the Derelict Catacombs. Didn’t even stay long in that place.” Applejack folded her arms. “Ah ain’t no liar.”
“I think someone’s out to get you girls.” Sunset rubbed at her chin and frowned. “You both are my friends, okay? I trust you both. I trust you both are telling the truth. Do you know who might be doing this?”
“Ah’m willin’ to give ya this once chance, Rarity. If it really was you that took my hat though…” Applejack scratched at her hair. “Who would try to frame Rarity? And who would take my hat? Seriously.”
Rarity paused and looked up at the ceiling. “I’ve heard of stories of a shapeshifter. A female, who can change her form at will, but… I never thought they were true. They could very well be.”
“Great, more shapeshifters, huh?” Sunset sighed, remembering some of her adventures back in her world. “This place keeps getting better and better. So, can we move on, you two? Friends? I could use your help too, Rarity.”
“I… I guess for now.” Rarity flashed a look at Applejack. “But if I find out you’re lying-”
“Yes, yes,” Sunset interrupted, rolling her eyes. “You’ll give her what’s coming. Okay, come on. Rarity, we’re looking for a key of sorts that would open the big door in the castle’s foyer. Any ideas?”
“Oh, yeah…” Applejack fished in her pouch and retrieved an old rusted key. “Found it off one o’ them bull skull demons.”
“They’re called capra demons, darling,” Rarity corrected.
“Whatever.”
Sunset didn’t complain. She accepted the key from her friend and the three girls proceeded back up and out to the foyer, heading right for the large metal doors. The keyhole was small compared to the entire door, but once she turned it in its place, a loud click could be heard, followed by an old shuffling of gears, sounding like the door hasn’t been opened in eons, which was likely the case.
“Come on, push!” Sunset huffed as she put her weight into getting the door open.
“So… we’re great friends, huh?” Applejack asked as she helped out. “This Rarity and Ah. Back where you’re from.”
“Yeah. Best of friends along with the others.” Sunset nodded and placed her shoulder against the door. “This world seems to have split you all up. Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash weren’t getting along. You two weren’t getting along.”
Thoughts of Rainbow Dash sacrificing herself came back to Sunset’s mind as they fought to get the door open. This world was so broken. She really wanted to get back home and have all her friends back. She owed it to Dash as well. Her sacrifice would not be for naught.
“Phew, keep going…” Rarity stopped and fanned herself with a hand. “You’re doing great without my help.”
“Why you weak son of a-”
Applejack was cut off as the doors were suddenly easier to push once past a certain distance, opening with ease now and revealing a stony staircase that led down to a circular piece of land in the middle of a ring of lava. More banners hung here from rocky beams above and there was a large door on the opposite end, this one covered in fog. Two giant statues stood by the doorway, almost like ancient guardians of an ancient place. One was fairly bulky, while the other was quite slim.
“Perfect...” Sunset groaned. “See that? We’ve got trouble coming.”
“Nothing my magic cannot handle,” Rarity said proudly.
“How do ya still have any spells?” Applejack asked. “We ain’t sat at a bonfire yet.”
Rarity took out what looked like an estus flask, only this one glowed a bright blue.
“Ashen estus flasks,” Rarity said, drinking from the flask. “They help restore spell charges without having to sit at a bonfire.”
“What?” Sunset looked at her pyromancy flame. “There’s such a thing?”
“Yes,” Rarity said, putting the blue flask away. “You simple attune your regular estus flasks at a bonfire. Of course, that limits your regular estus flasks. It all comes down to whether you think you will need magic more, or healing more.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.” Sunset nodded.
The small group warily approached the fog door.
“Anyone know what might be a-waitin’ for us on the other side o’ that?” Applejack muttered.
Sunset shook her head. “I don’t know anything about this land short of what Twilight and the others have told me, and nobody mentioned anything about this place.”
“So we’re goin’ in blind then,” Applejack said grimly. “Not my preferred battle plan, but it’ll have ta do for now.”
The trio stood before the fog door, none of them too enthused about going in.
“So, who wants to go in first?” Rarity asked.
Sunset squinted through the fog. It was slightly transparent, and she could see a large round room ahead, though it was too obscured to make out of there were any enemies inside.
“Well, here goes nothing,” Sunset said under her breath and pushed through the fog.
Nothing happened.
“Huh?” She tried again, but it was almost like a wall of cotton wool instead. Really strong cotton wool. She couldn’t get past it. “That’s strange.”
“Here, let me try, darling.” Rarity attempted to walk through it, but was repelled as well. “Maybe we came the wrong way?”
“What other way is there?” Applejack pushed her axe against the door and looked around. “Uh… the way back’s sealed off…”
Sunset looked back to the entryway they had come from. As Applejack had said, a huge wall of fog had blanketed the large metal doors, now obscuring it from sight.
“Uh oh.”
Just then, there was a roar of fire as one of the statues by the door burst into flame, its entire body disappearing beneath a sea of red hot tongues of fire. With a crack of green energy, the bulkier statue on the right began to come to life as well, its gigantic arms pushing against the ground as it rose to a standing position, a low growl escaping its now gaping maw.
“Great, here we go.” Applejack readied Dragonslayer.
The flaming statue held out its arms, and torrents of fire gushed out of its palms. The three girls dived away as the flames blasted past, scorching the floor and walls with the splash damage.
Sunset did a combat roll, ducking behind a block of fallen masonry. The burning giant was stomping toward Applejack, who was backing away, unsure of how to attack it without getting burnt.
“I’ve got this one!” Rarity fired two bolts of magic at it. They impacted into the fire statue’s back, disappearing with a splash of orange.
It growled and turned to face her, its arms rising again to release streams of fire at Rarity. She yelped and sprinted away, though not fast enough to stop the hem of her robe being singed.
Sunset looked away from Rarity just in time to see a sizeable boulder flying at her.
“Ohshi-” Sunset said before the rock crashed into her, impacting all on her right side. Sunset’s sword went flying out of her grasp and she lay there on the ground, dazed and in quite a lot of pain. She didn’t know what had happened, but she couldn’t feel anything along her right side but a blinding stab of intense pain.
Weakly digging in her pack, through what looked like her blood and something more chunky and meaty, Sunset produced an estus flask and quickly gulped it down before closing her eyes. In no time, strength had returned to her body and she could move once again.
“Close one there, Sunset, but look out!” Applejack scrambled to her and threw them both out of the way as a wall of fire streaked across the battlezone, going all the way down one side and into the lava.
The more bulky golem walked through the fire, its green glow ominously lighting up its carved face as it trudged forward, its powerful arms swinging by its side.
“Really?” Sunset retrieved her star sword. “Two of them? Like one isn’t hard enough.”
More fire came from behind the stone golem, forcing Sunset and Applejack to get out of the way.
Rarity leapt in from the side, her staff firing off another bolt of blue at the statue. It cracked the stone as it hit, but that was about it. The golem roared and took a big swing forward. Sunset threw her weapon up in the air to avoid it, then landed down on the golem’s back, holding tightly onto its supposed neck.
“Woahhh!” Sunset shouted as the golem swerved back and forth, trying to shake her off. Its arms reached for her, but being made of rock, it didn’t have the flexibility to reach her. She clung on for dear life, but Sunset could not figure out a way to damage it, even from this close distance. She couldn’t even take one hand off to use her sword.
As Sunset was struggling to stay on the golem like a bucking bronco, Applejack took advantage of the monster’s distracted status and swung a mighty two handed chop at its ankle. The axe met stone and for a moment, it looked as through the stone would hold.
But then the golem’s ankle crumpled inwards, and a torrent of sulfur-smelling gas gushed out. The golem stumbled and went down onto one knee, taking Sunset with it. Sunset used her combustion spell on the monster’s head, scorching the rock but otherwise not doing much.
“These things have got to have a weak point!” Sunset cried out as the golem swatted at Applejack.
The cowgirl defended and then leapt at the golem, her axe charged with electricity. With a vertical slash, Applejack shattered two of the statue’s fingers, safely dodging its attack.
Rarity unleashed a torrent of small blue orbs at it, taking the golem’s attention while Sunset dug her blade into one of the golem’s eyes. Green energy and gas puffed out and she took it as a sign to stab her sword even deeper in.
However, Sunset had to get off fast as a jet of flame came for her from behind. She felt the ends of her hair catch on fire and she had to quickly put it out as she got a safe distance away.
The fire statue came through the flames, twin fireballs in its hands, ready to strike.
“We need to split their attention.” Rarity raised her staff. “I will draw the fire one away. Sunset, you and Applejack must deal with this one!”
“You be careful!” Sunset yelled and blocked one of the rock golem’s swings, her arm unfortunately giving way under the strength of the impact and bending at an impossible angle. “Aaah!”
She quickly slid away from her attacker and got another flask out of her pack as Applejack moved to engage it with her electric axe.
The cowgirl beat a fist against her chest, the dashed forward with a powerful overhead slash, weaving under the statue’s arm and cutting at its torso. The attack shattered a portion of its abdomen, revealing a cluster of green pulsating veins, each of them beating and moving like the statue was actually a living organism.
With her arm healed, Sunset saw her opening and threw her sword right at it. She missed the cluster, but her sword still lodged itself in the golem’s torso and she teleported to it, immediately conjuring a combustion pyromancy in her left hand and letting it loose against the green glowing veins.
The stone golem roared in anguish and took a step back, allowing Sunset to regroup with Applejack. The flaming golem must’ve felt the rock one’s pain, as it came charging towards them, with Rarity still launching magic at its back.
Sunset threw her sword in an arc over the incoming flame golem, and teleported right to it. Applejack rolled, narrowly avoiding a massive fist that came down with the intent of crushing her. She then recovered and brought her axe smashing down on the stone giant’s wrist. The rock there cracked as well, releasing more vapour.
“Ah think their joints aren’t as strong as the rest of ‘em!” Applejack shouted. “Try attackin’ there!”
While Sunset tried to get back to the stone golem, the flame one intercepted her path with a jet of fire, burning a line across the battlezone. While the stone one was easy to hit, Sunset had no idea how to get close to the fire one without being burnt. She could always get in what attacks she could, then step back to heal the burns, but she only had one estus flask left and she wasn’t about to waste it like that. There had to be another way to deal with this golem.
Rarity stopped by Sunset and fired a magical spear at the golem, sending it right through the golem, tearing through the fire and cracking the stone beneath it.
“Ranged attacks work wonders against this one,” she said. She took out an ashen estus flask and drank down the cyan contents. “And I’ve got plenty of spells left for you, you foul demon!”
The fire golem responded by slamming both its arms into the ground, sending out a fiery shockwave. Rarity shrieked and dove behind a pillar. She peeked out; her hair was smoking.
Sunset, however, had bigger problems. The rock golem seemed to have realized that she and Applejack could hurt it, and was hanging back, and throwing pieces of fallen masonry at them. The chunks of stone slammed into the walls near them, and it was only through a combination of good reflexes and lucky instinct that kept them from being smeared across the floor or thrown into the lava.
“You’d think it would run out of stuff to throw,” Applejack shouted as another chunk of stone exploded dangerously close to her. “Any ideas?”
Sunset gritted her teeth. She looked at the stone golem, which was winding up for another throw, then to the flame golem, which Rarity was still dueling with. The spellcaster seemed to be holding her own for now, but Sunset knew that the flame golem would eventually get in a lucky hit, or Rarity would run out of spells.
“Just one,” Sunset said, sprinting out from behind cover, ignoring Applejack’s shout of concern.
The stone golem immediately saw her and angled its rock throw to compensate, but Sunset was not running toward it. Rather, she was rushing the flame golem. By the time the rock was in the air, Sunset was sliding baseball style under the legs of the flame golem.
CRUNCH.
The stone golem’s thrown projectile smashed into the flame golem right in the back. The behemoth of fire stumbled and fell over, shaking the ground as its body hit the floor.
Rarity looked astonished that her opponent had been felled, but regained her composure quickly. Holding her staff high, she summoned five crystal blue orbs that hung over her head before streaking toward the fallen golem like five icy blue spears. All five soul spears struck home broadside of the flame golem, which was struggling to get up. One spear struck it in the leg, and there was an audible cracking sound from within the flame. The rest of the soul spears slammed into its flank.
Sunset glanced back to the rock golem. It seemed to have finally run out of stones to throw and was rumbling over to its fallen brother. However, it was at that point when Applejack chose to charge out from behind the pillar she had been hiding behind, raising her Dragonslayer high above her head for a mighty high-to-low chop. She brought the axe down with all her strength onto the stone golem’s cracked ankle, shattering the stone in an explosion of shrapnel and electricity.
As it dropped to one knee, Sunset took this chance to attack its exposed abdomen again, striking at it with her sword, trying to chip away at the rock above, breaking more of it and revealing more of its glowing green veins, while her left hand used multiple combustions on it. The veins began to combust and the fire spread through the statue’s insides, lighting even its eye holes on fire.
Applejack and Rarity added their attacks in as well and soon, the stone golem’s chest was completely shattered, revealing a pulsating green heart, half burnt now by Sunset’s fire.
“Yeah, get some!” Applejack bellowed, leaping over the golem’s weak swings and burying her axe blade into the golem’s heart.
The golem stiffened and turned its carved head to look down at its ruined body. Then with a final groan, it fell apart into a pile of rocks and pebbles.
“We did it! We won!” Applejack cheered.
“Not so fast.” Rarity pointed to the flame golem as it rose to its feet again. “That one’s still up.”
“We’ll just have to do it again.” Sunset readied her star sword. They knew where to hit now. All they had to do was find a way past the flaming aura.
With a roar, the flaming golem charged at them, but as the girls dodged its run, it didn’t stop at them. Instead, it headed right for its fallen brother and stopped there.
“Get some magic goin’ at it, Rarity, while it’s distracted!” Applejack clapped her on the back.
She fired off another two bolts, but to their surprise, the boulders of the fallen stone golem began to rise and meld into the flame golem, heating up to the point of turning into molten pieces of rock. Each one joined to the golem, making it larger and more bulky like the stone one. Its flaming aura was now gone, replaced with a shell of molten armor, its fiery eyes burning through its new helmet.
“Oh dear.” The mage lowered her weapon in surprise.
The molten golem approached them, swinging its new massive burning arms at them, forcing all three girls to get out of the way and far enough. Magma flew from its swing, landing on Applejack’s right arm and searing right through her skin.
“Aaah!” She dropped her axe and fell back, using her other hand to wipe it off.
“Applejack!” Sunset was by her side, digging around her bag for her last estus flask.
“No, keep it!” Applejack pushed her arm away. “It isn’t like the lava. Not so bad. Kinda just like hot coal. Hurts, but at least Ah’m not meltin’. Save it for somethin’ worse.”
Rarity fired a soul spear at the golem, this time, able to crack its armor on impact. The molten rock steamed and hissed, but dark cracks went along its sides. Sunset knew it, it could be defeated. She just needed to catch it off guard and avoid touching its body, at least not for too long.
“Come on, the three of us can take him!” Applejack picked up her weapon and did her best to fight the burning pain.
“If you can distract it, I think I can finish it off.” Sunset took a few steps back, then ran around the perimeter of the battlezone, keeping an eye at where the molten golem was looking. “Rarity, do you have more of those big spear ones?”
“Soul spears?” Rarity glanced at her staff. “Just one.”
Sunset returned her focus to the golem. “Good enough. Get ready.”
Applejack went straight for the golem while Rarity went in the opposite direction, firing more spells at it. The golem went for Rarity, chucking molten rocks at her from its new armor, forcing the mage to run for her life. Sunset continued to approach the golem’s back, waiting for her opening. She would only have one shot at this, so she had to be sure she could do it.
The molten golem turned and swung an arm across the arena, taking out a chunk of the floor and sending debris flying out towards Rarity.
“Aah!” The mage dodged to the side, rocks dropping down behind her as she ran for her life, trying to keep herself from being crushed.
“Ah gotcha!” Applejack came in under the golem and spun in an arc with a devastating slash at the end, lodging Dragonslayer deep into its leg armor. The molten rock cracked and hissed steam, falling apart and revealing parts of its leg inside. The fire aura it had earlier had disappeared, allowing the cowgirl to slash at its actual body inside.
The molten golem bellowed and kicked back, hitting Applejack in the side of the head and sending her to the ground, incapacitated.
“AJ!” Sunset watched as she didn’t get back up. It was now or never. “Rarity, do it!”
“R-Right!” She stopped running long enough to fire off a soul spear, which streaked right for the golem.
As it impacted the statue on its chest, it went right through, cracking more of its shell. Sunset threw her sword high, then teleported to it in a shower or sparks, falling now towards the golem’s back. As the soul spear emerged through it, more of the armor shattered, allowing Sunset a high speed stab right into its back. With the shell weakened from Rarity’s attack, Sunset’s sword went right through the molten armor, spraying burning rocks and steam at her, the heat immediately eating away at her skin. She ignored it as her star sword went right through the golem’s back within its armor, cutting right into the stone and through its skinny frame.
The golem’s orange veins inside pulsed brightly for a few seconds, then went dark and stopped moving. Ripping her sword from its now defunct heart, Sunset leapt off its back and teleported to a safe distance as the golem’s form collapsed into a pile of molten rubble, which quickly began to cool to match the flame golem’s rubble within.
“Oh man, glad that’s done with…” Sunset spun her sword, then slid it back into its sheath. “Everyone alright?”
“Ah’ll live…” Applejack held her burnt arm and gave Sunset a thumbs up.
“My robes…” Rarity looked at her attire, which had a few scorched holes all over. “It’s ruined! And my hair!”
“Oh, quit your jabberin’, Rarity.” Applejack slapped a hand to her forehead. “There are worse things that can happen then gettin’ a few holes in your shirt.”
“I’m free to worry about how I look, don’t I?”
“Ya should be thankful ya didn’t lose an arm or a leg!”
“Oh, you girls…” Sunset sighed. But at least they weren’t trying to kill each other at the moment. Sunset vowed she would help them find whoever was responsible for turning them against each other. She could think of a few names, but until she could find them in this world, they were all still just theories.
The fog gate at the end of the room had dissolved, revealing a flight of steps that led, as Sunset had guessed, further down into the depths of this place. It just kept getting deeper and deeper. Out here, it was already sweltering. She didn’t know how much worse it was going to be down there.
A bonfire had appeared just beside the entrance, which the girls didn’t mind using. It was always nice to heal up wounds and refill estus flasks.
“Phew…” Rarity leaned against her staff and fanned her face with a hand. “So… The Cataclysm Hollows, hmm? I must say, I’ve heard plenty a tale of the place, but to think I would actually get to set foot there. Truly a marvel.”
“Yeah, Ah have to say… This is a long way from home.” Applejack took out Dragonslayer and looked at her reflection in its blade. “Who knows what treasures they might have down there. The Hollows have been untouched for years, no doubt.”
“Ooh, I do hope I find some precious jewels down there. Imagine how much they’d sell for.” Rarity rubbed her hands together anxiously.
Sunset smiled. It was nice to see her friends excited, but at the same time, she was worried. Rainbow Dash had given her life when they went to face Doland at the High Cathedral. She hoped neither of her friends here would end up the same.