Sunset spent another few minutes there before finally rising to her feet and looking down the next row of buildings ahead. There were more ruins and vines, with a row of what looked like shophouses having swarms of tiny vines encasing their walls and counters. A few dead bodies were positioned against the structures, with ice coming out from some of them and creeping up around the place just around them.
Proceeding carefully, Sunset kept an eye on the bodies, knowing full well any one of them could suddenly decide to spring up and attack her. In this world, she couldn’t risk getting comfortable like that. She had to be prepared for everything.
Sunset crept along, but looked ahead and saw a glittering pair of ice golems up ahead, standing still and waiting. She did not like her chances with them, and crouched down behind a partially collapsed wall to plan. She searched her pack, finding her estus flasks, her crossbow, and some jars of blue elixir. Remembering how she and Applejack had used them to sneak past the black knight earlier, Sunset took out one of the six jars and drank down the viscous liquid.
Now almost entirely invisible, Sunset briskly made her way to the ice golems, slowing her pace as she got closer.
They didn’t seem to register as she moved along, her breathing stilled; she didn’t want to take any chances. If she could get by, she was going to.
Once she was a few meters away from them, Sunset allowed herself to breathe again, disappearing down an alley and away from the towering enemies.
And then there was a hollow, patrolling the path ahead and just as she had arrived beside it, her elixir's effect faded and the hollow’s attention was immediately on her, a sword already aimed for her face.
“Really?” Sunset deflected it and jumped to the side as it delivered a round slash where she had been.
Readying a fireball, Sunset lobbed it at the hollow, igniting its front as it ran in to attack her again. Dodging to the side to avoid its blow, Sunset released a combustion right in its face, the force of the blast enough to shatter the entire hollow, sending a wave of frost out from where it had stood. Sunset raised an arm to defend herself, but her upper arm had still been affected by the frost, her skin turning a light blue and feeling like it was on fire.
“I forgot they do that…” Sunset downed another estus flask. She had to be more careful here. Without her friends, she could only rely on her wits and reflexes once again.
She already missed Rarity and her long range spells, but there was nothing she could do but hope her friends were still alive somewhere in this terrible place.
Sunset Shimmer turned a few more corners, crossing two more streets and another bridge, all of them as deserted as the rest of the Hollow. There wasn’t much else to see besides another hollow and a golem, but she had dealt with them easily, using her star sword’s teleportation powers to get an upper hand on the battle.
The bridge was long, leading Sunset straight over the gorge below, its end unable to be seen from where she stood, a light fog preventing her from seeing far. It led her far out from where she had started, with the Hollow disappearing behind her and the end of the bridge still invisible to her eye.
It had all grown deathly quiet on her walk across the bridge, with not even the sound of rubble falling from the walls of the cavern around her, and that unnerved her.
Her intuition finally came to pass when she spotted a shape through the fog ahead. As she neared the figure, she realized it was a knight, its hands over the pommel of its greatsword, its blade tip dug into the ground. The knight’s visor was open, revealing the rotting face of a hollow, this one standing at least twice the size of Sunset. Ice caked over its shoulders and arms, producing spike like icicles, looking sharp enough to stab right through her armor.
This knight just stood there, unmoving, its arms still on its sword.
Sunset looked around, but it was a straight bridge. There was no other way past this except through the hollow knight.
“Perfect...”
Sunset hefted her sword and walked forward toward the frozen knight. She kept her blade in front of her face, while preparing to channel a pyromancy spell in her off hand. The frozen hollow tilted its head up, as if acknowledging her challenge, and pulled its mighty greatsword from the ground.
Sunset stopped. The hollow moved the titanic blade into a guard position and did nothing else. She took a few steps forward, expecting to leap out of the way as it swung its weapon at her, but it still made no attempt to strike.
“Huh.” Sunset wagged her sword in her right hand. “Aren’t you going to do anything?”
The knight still made no attempt to move.
After a minute of waiting for something to happen, Sunset tried to inch past it, hoping that perhaps the knight didn’t mean her any harm at all.
Unfortunately, as she moved right beside it, the hollow turned to face her with a groan and spun its sword in a wide arc. Sunset yelped and leapt back, dodging the hollow knight’s blade as it sheared through the stone floor where she had just been standing, sending debris up into the air.
As she backed away, she found the knight had returned to the spot it had been standing, resuming its guarded position, making no move to advance on her.
“So it’s a guard…” Sunset muttered to herself. At least this one wouldn’t follow her. But she needed to get past it and find Sisha.
Sunset edged out toward the hollow knight again, trying to see just how close she could get before it attacked. One step, then another step, then a step more, then-
With a crackle of ice, the hollow leaped forward, swinging its greatsword in a diagonal arc that would have split Sunset in two had she not rolled away backwards, almost dropping off the bridge in her haste to get away. The blade crashed into the ground, but the warrior withdrew it swiftly and returned to its guarding position.
Sunset rose to her feet, using her sword to prop herself up. Trying something else, Sunset aimed her sword high and threw it, disappearing into a flash of sparks. The knight raised its weapon and deflected her star sword just as she materialized at it, sending her back to the ground like a comet.
Sunset got up and shook the stars from her eyes, staring evilly at the knight. The only way past it was through it.
“Okay, mister knight. If it’s a fight you want, it’s a fight you’ll get. You ready?”
With a battlecry, Sunset pushed off her feet and ran right for the knight, her sword at the ready.
From its guarded position, the knight swung its weapon across the ground, just as Sunset had expected. Jumping, she kicked off its weapon as it scraped up more stone, then propelled herself for its chest, where she slashed at it twice before dropping. Its armor had barely dented, but Sunset didn’t give up yet. She ran along its ankles and slashed at them, though nothing she did seemed to affect the knight.
Raising its greatsword, the hollow knight plunged it down towards her, missing as Sunset teleported away, its weapon going right through the ground and cracking the earth.
Sunset took this chance to attack at its chest again, but it still did little to nothing against it, though she could see she was starting to push it back the more she attacked, so she kept it up.
The hollow swung at Sunset again, taking its greatsword in one hand and delivering a horizontal slice that Sunset somehow managed to flip over. She watched as the blade swept just past her face, cutting off a wayward lock of her hair.
Sunset hit the ground running and kicked the hollow in the face, causing it to stagger back, which then gave Sunset an opening to fire off a combustion at its front. The heat of the blast made the ice melt, and soon the ground below them was slick with water. The hollow glared at her with its sunken, luminous eyes, then crossed its arms before whipping them to the side, all the ice falling off onto the ground.
Sunset was used to the hollow’s speed by now, but it seemed that by shedding its coating of ice, the thing had become even faster, its greatsword nothing more than a gray blur in the air. As far as she could see, the blade didn’t appear to be sharp, in fact it was chipped and blunted in some places, but it didn’t matter. Sunset knew that getting hit by that thing would be like being hit with a car. Sharp or not, she’d probably either die, or be close to it.
Out of desperation, Sunset swung back at the hollow, hoping to get in under its guard and land a lucky hit. What she did not expect was for her sword to lock with the knight’s greatsword, pinning both weapons in the middle. The hollow gaped at Sunset and began to push. Sunset’s boots began to slide backward, but then she noticed something. For all its strength and speed, the hollow knight was not all that heavy, perhaps because the body in the armor was shrivelled and emaciated.
Gritting her teeth, Sunset shoved back, keeping her star sword locked against the greatsword. The hollow knight seemed to sense it was losing the contest and pushed back harder, but then Sunset suddenly let go of her weapon and slipped under between the hollow’s legs. The knight stumbled forward, teetering on the edge of the bridge, its greatsword dragging it down.
And then with a leap, Sunset planted her boot squarely in the hollow’s back with a solid kick. The melted ice water on the floor proved to be too slippery for the hollow’s feet to gain proper purchase, and the knight hung on the edge of the precipice for a few seconds, its arms windmilling and trying to gain its footing once again before plummeting straight down into the depths and out of sight.
Sunset carefully walked over to the edge and peered down, hearing a very faint thump below after quite some time. There was a bottom to this place. She hadn’t heard Applejack or Rarity hit the bottom when they had fallen off earlier and that gave her hope that perhaps her friends were indeed still alive somewhere in this place. That gave her the strength she needed to move on, and so she did.
But if they survived, then the red phantom...
She continued down the bridge, free of enemies for the rest of the walk ahead. Finally, to her relief, there was a bonfire right there at the very end, smack in the middle of the walkway.
Sunset trotted toward the bonfire, igniting it with her hand and slumping down in front of the warm, welcoming flames. She felt like she had just run ten miles, and without anyone to talk to now, she felt as if the bonfire was her only friend in this cold, dark place. She looked down at her star sword, which was reflecting the firelight. The blade remained as sharp and flawless as ever, something which Sunset was grateful for; she had no idea what she would do if her weapons chipped or dulled in the midst of combat.
Sunset stayed stretched out in front of the bonfire for a long time, pausing only to drink some estus and immediately refilling the flask from the fire. She wasn’t wounded, but after all that had transpired she felt that she had earned a drink of something, and estus was all she had. Sunset stared into the flickering orange tongues and thought of Rarity and Applejack. Of Rainbow Dash. It was only because of them that she had made it this far, and she wished she had done more to show her appreciation for their aid.
Eventually Sunset Shimmer had enough of brooding and slowly rose to her feet. She wasn’t finished down here yet. There was still one thing left to do.
Leaving the bonfire behind, Sunset turned and set her feet on the path forward. She entered another part of the city, this one having only a few rows of buildings, all of them just as run down as the rest of the Hollow earlier. Whatever Sisha had caused down here, she surely succeeded in giving this place a name it deserved. It was cataclysmic indeed.
Sunset encountered a few signs on the way there. Orange soapstone signs. It had been quite some time since she had last seen any and it made her wonder who had left these here.
“Woman ahead, therefore, I’m sorry…” she read the first one aloud. “What is that supposed to even mean?”
There were more on the way ahead, each one just about as cryptic as the last.
“Woman ahead, try thrust. Weakness: Rolling.”
“Boss ahead, therefore time for sadness.”
“Amazing chest ahead.”
“Be wary of liar.”
“Try holding with both hands… Huh.” Sunset still didn’t understand most of them, but she could somewhat figure just what was expecting her.
She had not been walking for very long when she discovered a fog gate ahead of her, tall and imposing, spanning from the top of a broken archway to the ground. There was no doubting that Sisha, the Immolating Force, lay beyond this fog gate. Despite being as well equipped as she possibly could be for this fight, Sunset was nervous. This would be her first time facing down a Flame of Death on her own, with no help from anyone else.
You got this, Sunset. You’ve got this. You can do this. Everyone’s counting on you to get back home. You can do this...
Apprehensively, Sunset reached a hand through the fog and stepped forward.Inside, the arena was an expansive rocky ground, complete with a single tree close to the middle, its leaves all fallen away long ago. The edges dropped off into the chasm below and there was another stone-carved archway on the other end, also shrouded in fog.
In the middle was a woman seated by the tree. She had long brown flowing hair, billowing in the wind and slightly covering her face. The most surprising feature about her was her skin. It was pale and quite flawless, which Sunset found odd, seeing as she was supposed to be a hollow. Perhaps it was the Flame of Death she now carried that made her look more… human.
She wore nothing except for a brown rag of a loincloth, which barely covered her lower body, and a greatsword lay by her side, its blade hollow through the middle.
Sunset was not sure if Sisha had noticed her yet. The Flame of Death did not seem to have moved since she had entered the arena.
“You have come, bearer of the Flame of Life,” she suddenly spoke, her eyes opening to reveal glowing blue orbs. “I have been waiting for you.”
“You knew I was coming?” Sunset kept one hand on her sword, knowing trouble was coming, though Sisha was already different. She didn’t seem mad like the other two.
“We all do.” Sisha got up, her long hair dangling down nicely, just enough to cover her chest. The greatsword now in her hand, its blade wasn’t all that long, but it was wide. “The pull of your flame is strong. With it, imagine all the power we could have.
“I have spent centuries just waiting for the bearer such as yourself to arrive here. I have long since come to my senses after mastering my control over this Flame of Death I possess. Four journeyed to the Abyss, taking the flames for their own. We were promised power, power beyond anything we had ever known and it was true. The Flames of Death are dark powers, born right out of the Abyss, capable of wiping out all life if we so choose.”
“That’s what you did, isn’t it?” Sunset looked up at the cavern roof. “The Hollows, the Underisle above us, this was all your doing?”
“Alas, I had given in to the power, yes.” Sisha looked down like she had regretted her actions. “My home and beyond, I had consumed them in an almighty fire. I had broken the plates of the earth, I had caused an unimaginable catastrophe. I now see my error, and that is why I have waited for you, bearer of the Flame of Life.”
“Why, what am I to you?” Sunset asked wearily.
“While mine causes death and destruction wherever it goes.” Sisha stretched out a finger at her. “Yours gives life. Yours heals what is destroyed. I want it. I want to right what I have wronged, but I can only do it with your flame.”
“Even if I did want to give it to you, I can’t. It’s within me. If I am to die, I simply come back.”
“Ah, the power of life… Yes… Its pull is strong. I could feel it from beyond.” Sisha inhaled deeply and smiled. “With it, there is so much I could do. I could heal this land. Make it inhabitable once again, destroy the accursed roots of chaos, right the minds of those still living here. I must have your flame. You will give it to me.”
There we go…
Things were back to the way Sunset knew. Sisha wanted her flame, just like Doland and Drawgren. Sisha was just more polite about it.
“I can't give it to you,” Sunset said, slowly reaching for her sword. “I'm sorry about what happened here, but I need my Flame to get home.”
“But you must.” Sisha stretched her free hand out, palm facing up. “My home can be reborn. My people. Your flame is the only way.”
“I… I cannot. I am sorry, Sisha.” Sunset looked at her own reflection in her sword. She couldn’t part with the flame. Not this close to the end. Though, she couldn’t just leave as well. She needed Sisha’s. “And… I need yours.”
Sisha looked down at herself and started laughing. “Funny, isn’t it? You need mine and I need yours. Ah, if only we were able to trade flames. Alas, Flames of Death bond with the user till death. I suppose that is the Abyss’ sick way of making your choice stick.”
That statement made sense. She had already defeated Drawgren and Doland. While Flames of Death could die, she had been told that if she were to die, her Flame of Life would just bring her back.
Sisha stopped laughing and raised her greatsword, its tip now pointed at Sunset’s chest. “Then there is only one way this ends, bearer of the Flame of Life. With me prying your flame from your cold hard body.”
Sunset swallowed and readied herself. She had known it was going to go down like this anyway. There wasn’t much more she could do to prepare herself for the fight.
“Your flame will be mine.” And Sisha sprinted off from her spot under the tree, her elbow pulled back behind her shoulder, ready to sink her blade into Sunset’s chest.
Sunset deflected the attack, then dodged to the side, but Sisha was fast, already turned towards her and swinging her sword once again, pressing the fiery haired girl quickly into the defensive.
For as skinny as Sisha looked, she must have been remarkably strong to be able to use a greatsword like that. It must have weighed a ton, but she was swinging it around like a toy. Sunset stepped away and away from each of Sisha’s attacks, occasionally blocking them with her sword, but she was slowly getting closer and closer to the edge.
And then she was pushed over as Sisha rammed her greatsword into her, knocking her right off the edge. With a shriek, Sunset thought fast and threw her sword up, spinning it high above the battlefield. In an instant, she stopped falling into the depths and now fell towards Sisha, who had been caught in a moment of surprise. It was all Sunset needed to get in a good strike, cutting Sisha across her quite perfect back.
The hollow screeched and wobbled forward, the gash of red across her pale white skin a stark contrast as rivulets of blood began to spill out of her.
“My, my…” Sisha crashed to one knee and turned her head to look at Sunset. “It has been ages since I have been wounded like that… You are a remarkable young woman, bearer of the Flame of Life.”
“I just want to get home,” Sunset told her plainly. That was really all that was driving her to press on. The want to be away from this world, to be back with her friends.
“And I too will stop at nothing to get my home back.” Sisha stood up, strength still running through her body. “So this is not the end just yet.”
She ran to Sunset again, her greatsword already swinging in both hands, slashing through the air as Sunset leapt away, a piece of her gauntlet’s cloth shredding away as Sisha cut dangerously close. Unlike the hollow knight’s sword, Sisha’s weapon was honed to a deadly keen edge. Sunset wasn’t sure if her armor would hold up to a strike from that blade. She didn’t want to try it.
Sunset rolled under another swipe and slashed at Sisha from behind, hoping to replicate her earlier success. However, Sisha saw the blade coming and knelt down, Sunset’s strike whipping over her head harmlessly.
Sisha jabbed her sword at Sunset, who hopped back and almost fell over. She windmilled her arms and stumbled a few steps. She swung her star sword, but Sisha simply leaned back and the stroke fell short.
“You have no chance against me, bearer of the Flame of Life,” Sisha said as the two of them circled around each other. “I have seen your weapon, and as long as I can see it, I know the reach of your strikes. Your defeat is inevitable.”
Sunset and Sisha sidled around the tree in the center, neither of them making a move to engage the other. Sunset suddenly threw her sword at Sisha, but the Flame of Death moved her blade into the star sword’s path and blocked it just as Sunset teleported to it. Sunset broke the lock and spun around, hoping to catch Sisha off guard. But her foe was no so easily shaken, and Sisha simply took a step back and Sunset’s carving stroke missed.
Sisha’s right… Sunset thought as she backed away, putting the tree between them once more. She knows how much reach I have. I either have to get in close, which I don’t think is a good idea, or catch her by surprise. And Sunset didn’t have much left in the way of surprises. Just her pyromancy flame, a useless crossbow, and five jars of…
“Blue elixir…” A spark went off in Sunset’s head. If Sisha’s main tactic was focused on knowing the length of her sword, then Sunset might just have the means to turn the tables.
Gathering the flame in her left hand, Sunset flung a fireball at Sisha, who, as Sunset expected, dodged back out of the blast. However, this gave Sunset the time to reach into her pack and pull out a jar of the elixir. She dribbled it liberally over the surface of her sword, coating it from hilt to blade in the liquid. As she watched, the star sword began to fade from sight, until the only thing left was the portion of the grip where she had been holding it.
“Alright, Sisha,” Sunset grinned. “Let’s see how you take to this.”
Sunset threw the empty jar at her opponent, who slashed the glass container out of the air. But in that moment, Sunset had closed the distance and swung her newly invisible sword at Sisha. The hollow looked up, but was astonished to see nothing, even as she raised her weapon to block. But she held the guard too far up, as if defending from a longer sword and Sunset’s strike hit home. A scarlet spray went up and splashed onto both Sunset and Sisha’s faces.
“Impressive…” Sisha said, her hand touching the new cut on her shoulder.
Drawing back, Sunset spun around and drove her star sword right through Sisha’s abdomen, all the way to the guard, then removed it from her with a spray of blood.
Sisha stumbled back, clutching at her gut, but the smile she had never left her face, which concerned Sunset.
“I will admit, turning your sword invisible was a good trick. However…” Sisha swatted away Sunset’s sword. “You forgot about one thing. An invisible object, when covered in blood, becomes visible once more.”
Sunset looked down at her weapon and truth be told, she could see its outline from the blood that coated it.
“Yes, and I think it is time to cast away the notion that you are on equal par with me.” The blue in Sisha’s eyes seem to glow brighter. “Do you know why they call me the Immolating Force?”
Sunset was suddenly knocked back by an explosion of blue fire, chilling her bones as she rolled to a safer distance.
Where Sisha once stood was now a blue fire, though the hollow could still be seen within it, whatever magic that was making her beautiful now gone. Instead, a shriveled body now stood there, the only rag that she had worn burnt away. Her hair remained, but now swirled around her in a mess.
“And now you will die.” Sisha’s voice had taken on a double-tone. With a wave of her fiery hand over her greatsword, its hollow blade was filled with flame, which then extended way past the tip of her sword, becoming a much longer weapon. “But I wonder, will your invisible weapon even matter now?”
Sisha pulled back her sword and swung it in a horizontal slash, forcing Sunset up in the air as the flaming blade reached out way beyond where she was standing. Almost immediately, Sisha cut down vertically, and reacting as quickly as she could, Sunset lifted her sword to block it, but the fire still partially made it past her star sword and its icy fire burned at her left upper arm, scorching through her gauntlet and skin.
“Aaah!” Sunset fell and grabbed at her burning arm, but she had no time to stop and swiftly rolled away from another vertical slash.
“Yes, flee, run,” Sisha said with a smile as she swung her blade again. “Your flame will soon be mine.”
Sunset ignored the pain and jumped clear over the next attack. She threw her sword towards Sisha, teleporting to it and delivering two quick cuts to her body. Lines appeared across her chest, but that was it. The fire around Sisha flared out and Sunset found herself falling back, the front of her armor burning away from the intense cold.
Not letting it faze her, Sunset charged for Sisha again, dodging to the left to avoid another flaming slash, then cutting her across the left arm before teleporting back as the Flame of Death’s fore aura radiated out again.
Sunset knew she could do this. If she could be quick on her feet, she could do it. She could win.
Sisha seemed to notice this too, and swung her blade at the air. Three bright blue fireballs leapt from the burning sword and flew at Sunset.
Sunset dived under the first fireball, rolled away from the second, but before she could get her bearings, the third fireball smashed into the ground next to her, sending the girl flying up into the air on fire.
“Aaagh!” Sunset landed hard on her back, half her face burning and in pain. She scrambled away, clawing at the ground as she dug her arm into her satchel, searching for an estus flask.
“Just accept your defeat and relinquish your flame.” Sisha’s foot stepped down on her right leg, breaking something. The flames around her twisted and writhed, burning down against Sunset’s back with its icy fire. “My home will be returned to all its glory, young one. And you will provide me the means to do so.”
“N-No…!” Sunset squirmed, trying her best to pick up an estus flask in her pack.
She had to get home. She had to.
Feeling her fingers wrap around it, Sunset gripped her sword tighter and swung an attack at Sisha’s waist. The Immolating Flame grunted, then deflected the attack, sending Sunset’s sword spinning away in the air.
Sisha only realized her mistake a second too late as Sunset disappeared from under her and reappeared beside her sword, quickly downing the estus flask her other hand had wrapped around.
Instantly rejuvenated, Sunset ran back into the fire and slid under Sisha’s next swing, cutting upwards and wounding her chest again before teleporting to safety before her fire could reach her.
Sisha launched another flurry of fireballs at Sunset, but this time she dodged behind the tree in the middle, allowing the fireballs to burst upon her shelter. She sprinted out from behind the tree, her sword already in motion, though at the last second, Sunset let go of it, allowing the sword the fly past Sisha and embed itself in the ground behind her.
Sunset warped to her sword, but instead of striking with it, she used it as a pivot and swung her body around like a door on a hinge, her left hand readying a combustion. However, Sisha was not so easily caught off guard. Using her right hand, a blue fireball flickered to life, and the two fireballs, orange and blue, smashed into one another, blossoming in a brilliant conflagration of crimson and cyan as both exploded in an awesome display of flaming destruction.
Sunset felt the heat of her own spell and the chilling burn of Sisha’s magic splash all across her front, igniting her armor and freezing it at the same time. She was thrown away and hit the archway above the fog gate. Sunset fell to the ground in a heap, opening her eyes in a daze and still feeling as though she had been pounded by a massive flaming hammer on her front. Sunset wasn’t sure, but she had a bad feeling she had broken a rib or something in the collision. Sharp spikes of pain made themselves known on her torso.
Estus… have to drink estus…
Sunset’s hand floundered around in her bag. She didn’t know how badly she had managed to hurt Sisha with her stunt, but in case Sisha had fared better than she, Sunset knew she had to get back in fighting shape before the Flame of Death decided to deal a deathblow.
There was a bark of laughter, then Sisha was suddenly looming over Sunset’s prone form, a grin plastered across her rotting face like one of the gashes Sunset had caused on her body.
“What good can you do against me, bearer of the Flame of Life?” Sisha pressed her sword’s tip into Sunset’s neck. “You do not even know how to wield your flame. How do you hope to win? Just relinquish it to me and make it easy.”
“N-Never…” Sunset whipped out an estus flask. “I need… to get home…”
“Your home does not concern me.” Sisha pressed her sword down as Sunset downed the estus.
Sunset choked as blood and estus spewed from her open neck, but miraculously, some estus had made it down and as soon as the orangey-flavoured drink hit her stomach, Sunset felt herself immediately revive, her neck wound closing up and her chest pains ceasing. Using that split moment of surprise, the girl hopped to her feet and swung her weapon at Sisha, but the Flame of Death had already moved to intercept, her burning sword clashing with Sunset’s star sword in a lock.
“Look at you…” Her grin somehow widened. “I admire your will to return to your home, but you know there is no way you can win. I do not know how you defeated Drawgren and Doland, but you shall never defeat me. Just give up. Make it easy.”
“I can’t… I won’t…!” Sunset pressed harder, doing her best to ignore the seething blue flames eating into her armor and skin from Sisha’s sword. Her journey couldn’t end, not here, not ever until she was back home with her friends.
There was a brief sensation from Sunset’s chest. Something warm, something… comforting.
“Sunset Shimmer…” a voice rang in her ears.
Her sword began to pulse a light orange, flickering in and out of existence. Sisha saw it too and stepped back to assess the situation.
Sunset knew this sensation. She had experienced it quite some time ago in a much different circumstance, but she knew it. It was the feeling of home. Of her real home. Of Equestria.
“Take it, Sunset Shimmer. Take your power. Use it.”
The warmth within her spread out across her body and Sunset’s eyes suddenly shone a bright orange as her ears moved themselves to the top of her head and her hair grew out at the bottom into a long ponytail.
Her star sword transformed into a weapon of gold and silver and its blade ignited into an orange flame to match her eyes.
“No…” Then her shocked expression resumed her wide smile from before. “Bearer of the Flame of Life. Let us see which flame is stronger then. Yours or mine.”
She didn’t give Sunset any chance to maneuver away, but with her own flame powering her weapon now, the girl lifted her blade and parried Sisha’s away, the blue flame unable to reach past her own orange flames.
Sisha leapt into the air and swept her weapon across the arena, her fiery weapon extending until it covered most of it. Sunset jumped up and threw her own sword, which became like a flaming disc as it struck Sisha. The Immolating Force deflected it, but Sunset had already teleported to it, spinning back and slashing Sisha’s left arm off. The limb flew in the distance and landed beside the tree, dancing on the ground for a second before coming to a stop.
Sisha growled at Sunset, then advanced, trading blows with her as each of them tried to gain the under hand. She knocked Sunset down with the next swing and jumped up to deliver a devastating plunging attack, but Sunset teleported to the side as her blade stabbed deep into the ground, creating fiery pillars across the arena.
Sunset weaved between them as they erupted beneath her feet, blocking two as she made her way closer to Sisha.
The Flame of Death snarled at her and removed her greatsword from the ground to continue attacking her. Sunset deflected her attacks and then stepped back and spotted her opening. With a push of her left leg, Sunset dashed for her opponent and thrust her blade forward as hard as she could and just as Sisha was about to slash at her again, Sunset’s flaming blade went through the hollow portion of the Flame of Death’s sword and sank through her rotting flesh, emerging through her back in a fiery storm, spreading out from her like the tentacles of an octopus.
Sisha’s gasp brought the entire cavern into silence as her icy flames were extinguished, leaving her as a regular hollow, her greatsword clattering to the floor.
Sunset too, returned to normal as she withdrew her star sword from Sisha’s chest, its gold, silver and fire fading as well.
“I am sorry, Sisha,” she said to the hollow as she fell to her knees, her hands cradling her injured chest as shadow began to pour from it. “I wish there was another way, but I have to return home.”
Sisha looked up at Sunset, no hint of anger or regret in her eyes, even as her body began to crumble into ashes.
“Then go, bearer of the Flame of Life. Your conviction will surely lead you to victory.”
Sisha laughed, an eerily melodic sound in the silence. And then Sisha, the Immolating Force, was no more. In place of where she was, was a blue flame, the thing which Sunset had come all the way underground to find.
Sunset clasped the Flame of Death in her hands, wishing there had been another way. All Sisha wanted was to return her home to its former glory. If there was another way, Sunset would’ve liked to help her, but she needed both her flame and Sisha’s. It had to be done.
Sighing deeply, Sunset looked out to the other archway, which the fog had left once Sisha had been vanquished.
Flame of Death extinguished. Now to go on.
The archway led Sunset to a set of steps leading down into a round room with nothing but a bonfire in the middle of it. Reaching her hand out, Sunset was soon transported away from this place. The Cataclysm Hollows was not a place she would ever want to return to, not just from hating underground spaces, but also for the weight she had received here.
She felt she now owed it to Sisha to make it home, for denying her her chance to save her own home. Through Sisha, she had received the third Flame of Death and so to honour her noble cause, Sunset vowed she would return home. She would.