//------------------------------// // Chapter 32 // Story: Friendship is Scaleless // by Limescale //------------------------------// Aurelia stood knee deep in the tub’s cloudy water, her arms wrapped securely around the whimpering and thrashing Sif. The smell of wet fur, mixed with the stench of combat hung heavily on the air as she gently shushed and tried to calm the reluctant wolf pup. Beside them, Ciaran crouched with a small smile on her unmasked face, still not sure whether to laugh at the scene or shake her head at how ridiculous her prized students looked. “You truly couldn’t have waited a bit longer for your wolf to mature before taking her into battle?” The golden haired warrior asked as Artorias grudgingly approached with another bucket of water, a brush, soap and a heaping amount of scented oils. “So she’s back to being only my responsibility again and not ours? And yet you chastise me when I spoke similarly of Aurelia during her ‘morning greetings’?” The knight grumbled as he set his cleaning supplies down and began to whip up a pleasant smelling lather. “Aurelia has the good thought to not roll around on the bodies of the recently slewed. I daresay neither of us would tolerate it if she came home reeking of blood and covered in gore. The fact that she displays the energy and excitement of one her age at all hours of the day is natural.” Ciaran replied with mild scolding. Artorias dipped his head and thanked his trademark crested helmet for how it hid his features from view. “So is a wolf or dog’s desire to savor each kill. For one so young, Sif fought most admirably against the brigand hordes. I have no doubt she will serve as a most fine battle companion when she’s fully grown.” Artorias replied. A full minute or so passed before he felt the glare from his beloved and realized his error in speaking. “BOTH of them will. You said Aurelia showed considerable improvement in your sparring matches while we were away.” That seemed to quell Ciaran’s ire. Indeed she looked at the golden haired girl quietly struggling with her lupine friend and a blush colored her cheeks. “More than I expected, or hoped for. She’s taken both of our teachings to heart.” Aurelia looked up and winced as if embarrassed as Ciaran tousled her hair. “A fine knight of our Great Lord she shall make when the time is right.” Aurelia remained mute. The praise seemed unwarranted seeing as she’d only done what her mentors had expected of her, yet still, Ciaran’s uncharacteristic reaction spoke volumes of how far she’d come in her training, and how she’d excelled when so demanded. “Well for the present time, she’s proving a very apt animal wrangler, thankfully so.” Artorias said as he scrubbed soap over the brush and set to work cleaning Sif. “Try to hold her head still if you can, Aurelia, she got a bit carried away biting and tearing at each of the corpses we came across to make sure they were actually dead.” Aurelia wrinkled her nose as the brush was run through Sif’s dirty fur. The wolf pup whined and looked up at her friend with a wide eyed expression of despair, pleading to please be granted release from the horrible experience that was being forcibly bathed. Aurelia silently conveyed she was here to help her through the suffering, and that it would be over faster if Sif stopped struggling so much. Ciaran silently facepalmed. “I thought you were training her to use a sword instead of her teeth!” She replied. Artorias deliberately kept his attention on his work so Ciaran couldn’t have the satisfaction of seeing his annoyance. “Well she’s still a bit too small to perform stabbing actions. I did my best but these things take time.” He replied while Ciaran looked to the two identical greatswords propped against a nearby rock. “I can’t believe you honestly expect her to be able to wield an exact duplicate of your own weapon.” She said, rolling her eyes as Artorias finally looked up with a fresh expression of pride. “I can’t believe you expect Aurelia to be an expert at duel wielding while I’m trying to instruct her in the proper art of weapon and shield, yet that hasn’t stopped you, or her by your own account. Sif’s spirit is as adamant as Aurelia’s, I merely desire to focus it on a means that will suit us both in combat.” The knight replied as he picked up the bucket and drenched both girl and wolf in the scented water. “Besides, this way we’re killing two birds with one stone. Tomorrow we shall appear at Gwyn’s court with all of us smelling sweetly of victory! Or need I remind you of the number of times Aurelia’s used your own stealth techniques to get out of her own baths?” The little girl looked up in shock at Artorias’ snide comment. With a heavy sigh, Ciaran leaned over and whispered into her student’s ear. “Pay attention, Aurelia. This is what one subjects themselves to when pursuing a romantic relationship. If you value your own peace of mind, remember what you’re witnessing and don’t let yourself fall for anyone. Just keep close to your friends and don’t let anyone get closer to you, lest you have to deal with similar aggravation.” Aurelia looked up at her mentor, seeing Ciaran was now smiling snidely at Artorias as he shook his head. “Let us wait till tonight when these two are asleep and see if you still stand by those words!” He retorted. Aurelia caught what might possibly have been a wink in the shadow of his helmet, to which Ciaran clenched her teeth against a giggle. “A challenge is it? Fine then, let’s!” The Lord’s Blade smirked. While this convinced Aurelia that her mentors were just teasing each other the tidbit about being close to your friends sounded like good advice. Looking to the wolf pup in her arms, Aurelia smoothed back Sif’s wet fur and nodded she’d at least do right by her, keeping them close and always being there to protect them. *** The deadly flash of Sif’s blade slicing into the ground beside her brought the Chosen Undead back to the present, again making her look at her opponent for some sign, some difference that would indicate this was not the same soul she’d once been closer to than even her own parents. “Sif, please…listen to me!” She pleaded, being answered with another swing of the wolf’s sword. Frantically she rolled out of the way and cursed herself for not changing into a less heavy set of armor. From their regular sparring sessions and play time together she knew speed was a greater priority than protection when facing Sif, and right now the wolf was taking advantage of that tactical error every chance she got. “Sif! Stop this! I’m not going to fight you!” The warrior declared, making a show of laying down her sword and shield. Sif leaped back, eyeing her opponent as if debating whether this was a trick, or a sign her old friend had indeed gone completely hollow. “We swore we would never face each other in true combat….don’t you remember?” The undead asked, feeling her heart slowly rip in two as the wolf shut its eyes, too lost in her own grief and sadness to look at her. “You’re here because this is where Artorias fell…where I….I….” Now the warrior had to shut her eyes too against the pain.“You’re here because you believe you’ve failed him…just as I failed him. Maybe…maybe this is meant to be the punishment for our crimes.” She said while holding up her hands. “But there’s more than just us involved now…I’ve encountered others who’ve been touched by the Dark. I’m here because I need to help them…because together we can help them!” Sif’s lips drew back from her teeth. Her jaw clamped tighter around the hilt of her sword. “You’ve done right in guarding our…our mentor’s resting place…but now….now there’s a chance he can aid us from beyond the grave.” The wolf let out a strangled howl, shaking her head from side to side as conflict warred within her. “Sif…please…we don’t have to do this…” The giant lupine opened her eyes again. Hope briefly flared through the Chosen Undead’s soul that her friend would listen. Alas, Sif quickly revealed she was just checking her opponent was still unarmed and thus unable to defend against attack. The Chosen Undead moved as quick as she could, but the wolf proved faster, knocking her across the ruins with her sword and cutting deeply into her armor. The female crashed against a crumbling wall, the impact making her feel even more lightheaded as blood spilled freely from her wound. She reached for her estus flask, looking up to gauge where her friend was. Where Sif was, was charging in for the kill, aiming to send the undead back to the fires from which she had been born so many times before. “Sif…don’t do this….” The sword descended upon the wounded soul, she pushed herself to roll away, only to feel the cold steel bite into her arm and make her drop her estus flask. Her vision swam as more of her blood stained the ground, joining that of the others who had died here at the wolf’s blade. “Lord Gwyn…why?” The sword was raised again. Sif whimpered in sorrow yet did not let her poise falter. The sword fell to put an end to the Chosen Undead. And then it crashed hard against the surface of a magical force field. *** Being one who’d sadly been on both the giving and the receiving end of deception, Trixie had a healthy habit of always being suspicious of folk. She’d lied to build up her own mystique, and been lied to by many a traveling show manager before successfully breaking out on her own. As such the unicorn knew everypony had a reason to hide something, to always keep a little bit of themselves carefully hidden and guarded well. Even if this was a land far removed from her home, there was no reason to believe the residents of Lordran were any different. Thus when Alvina had demanded the Chosen Undead meet with her alone, Trixie knew that could mean nothing good. After listening to their conversation in full, she had even more reason to suspect the human was being lead into a trap. Unfortunately the undead’s immediate departure had given her no time to warn the others, not that she could with Alvina keeping a close eye on them. That meant she’d have to investigate this on her own, a chance to finally prove her title of ‘The Great and Powerful’ was more than empty banter. Trotting carefully through the dark woods, Trixie kept her horn lit and her eyes focused for any possible movement. Even if she felt brave enough to be walking through this cursed forest without protection, that didn’t mean her resolve wasn’t prone to faltering every now and then. She still had no idea what other nasty surprises were waiting amid the trees, nor what the Chosen Undead may have encountered at the end. Coming to the lake, the unicorn got some small clarification to the second query, and immediately wished she hadn’t. The little mushroom children were standing around the blackened bodies of their larger counterparts, lying lifelessly in the water with steam still wafting from their scorched hides. Remembering the Chosen Undead’s ability to wield fire magic, Trixie felt sick. She’d initially taken the human at her word because it offered an opportunity for her to finally prove the oh so mighty Twilight Sparkle had made a mistake, that she’d finally slipped up in trusting a wanted criminal. Except then of course she’d made a total mess calling out Seath, and nearly destroyed Ponyville in the process…again. Noting how the mushrooms children had their caps tilted down as if mourning the deaths of their larger counterparts, Trixie thought further back to when she’d possessed the alicorn amulet, yet another time she’d selfishly tried to beat her rival and ended up causing similar amounts of hardship and tragedy. Trixie ran from the lake, not wanting to dwell on any more of her own past errors nor witness what tragedy had befallen others in the present. She was out there to try and turn herself around, to demonstrate she could actually do something right if she just put her mind to it. Soon the unicorn came to the same divide that the human she was tracking had come to. Upon hearing the sounds of battle, with what sounded like the howling of some tremendous beast coming from the ruins across the stone bridge, she wasted no time in running in that direction. Now, despite discovering how outmatched she was upon coming face to face with Sif, Trixie still felt a surge of pride that she’d managed to arrive in the nick of time. “Hey there, wolfie. The Great and Powerful Trixie apologizes for interrupting, but she has cause to want to try and keep this human alive for the time being.” She grunted before expanding her force field to drive Sif back. The wolf proved to be a heavy but manageable load, at least as long as she remained confused by the appearance of a second opponent. “You aren’t hurt…erm…too badly are you? Miss Aurelia?” Trixie said, feeling her nausea rise again as she turned and felt her hooves step into the sticky puddles of the Chosen Undead’s blood. Still in the midst of fading out of consciousness, the warrior could only choke out one word… “Est…Estus….” Trixie looked down and noticed the glowing flask. Remembering how it had healed Seigmeyer’s wounds, she snapped it up in her magic and pushed the undead’s faceplate open to press it to her lips. The weak cough, followed by the pained cry as the Chosen Undead suddenly sat up with renewed strength almost made up for Sif trying to finish what she’d started by driving her sword between the two. “Trixie figured Alvina couldn’t be trusted. Who is this? Another underling of hers ordered to wipe out what her so called hunters could not?” The unicorn scowled as she threw her barrier up again and grit her teeth. The Bellowing Dragon ring around her leg may have helped amplify her magic, but the sheer reverberation from each strike of the wolf’s blade still cut through her so sharply that her defenses seemed pointless. “Worse…Sif is no mere resident of Darkroot. She was placed under the care of one of Lordran’s greatest warriors, the Knight Artorias. Under his tutelage and care she learned to become as much of a legend as he, accompanying him into many battles and forging her own name as a protector of Gwyn’s kingdom.” The warrior replied, her voice cracking as if strained by sadness. Noticing Sif likewise wince as she continued to try and break through her barrier, Trixie felt her sickness worsen. “And…why exactly is she here now?” The unicorn dared to ask before finally having to drop her barrier and run lest Sif succeed in introducing her blade to Trixie’s face. “More to the point what the hay is her deal with wanting us dead?” Chugging as much estus as she could, the Chosen Undead hobbled back to her feet, clutching the wound in her side as the flames slowly healed it. “This…I think…is the spot where the Knight Artorias fell in battle, consumed by the Dark and slain by an…unworthy soul. As his loyal companion, Sif wishes to maintain the sanctity of this place against all defilers.” The warrior choked as she scrambled to retrieve her shield and sword. Trixie blasted the wolf with her magic while frantically backpedaling around the perimeter of the coliseum. Her own powers were proving sufficient to keep Sif from getting close enough to attack, but thanks to both her size and her fighting spirit, Sif was not going to go down that easily. “And just…ergh…how do you know so much about this beast? AIEEEE!” The unicorn demanded, then screamed as Sif vaulted over one of her blasts and executed a midair spin. The gleaming black blade in her mouth came close enough that Trixie could feel the threads of her hat fraying from the sharpness of its wake. Had she not had the foresight to then run forward and under Sif, the wolf’s second spin attack as she landed would no doubt have found its mark and finished Trixie off. Feeling she’d healed enough to move again, the Chosen Undead broke into a sprint, covering the distance across the coliseum in record time and doing a heavy roll to get under Sif as well. “Sif was not Knight Artorias’ only student. He trained another, hoping to continue his legacy with both a companion and an heir. Over the many years they trained together both charges were treated as and became as siblings…till fate sought to cruelly tear them apart!” The warrior’s eyes burned behind her helmet, wetness trickling down her cheeks. Above them Sif brought her blade down to drive her opponents from under her. The undead held Artorias’ shield over her and Trixie and felt her arm nearly break from the impact of the wolf's weapon. “Wait, are you saying…oh Faust you can’t mean…” Trixie cringed as Sif’s blade smashed the undead’s shield again and again, trying to knock it out of her grasp. “You have got to be having a laugh at Trixie’s expense!” The Chosen Undead let out a silent cry as the handle of the shield nearly cut through her fingers under the force of another blow. She struck out with it, hitting Sif on the side of the face and making her jump back again to let the two rise from their cowering position. “Were I to be granted one wish it would be that I could answer that truthfully.” She replied mournfully, dropping her shield and yanking her helmet off. “Sif! Look at me! Please, look!” The wolf growled more of the black vapor around the hilt of her sword, her eyes snapping closed as she tried in vain to disobey. She had no doubt as to her opponent’s identity, but that didn’t mean she had the fortitude to look upon the same face she’d long since consigned to being a memory of happier times. Rubbing her gauntlet across her teary eyes, the Chosen Undead fixed her friend with a desperate glare. “It’s me! No trick, no illusion.” Sif whimpered pitifully as she bit down on her weapon. Losing her master had been bad enough, watching his grave be left to tarnish and crumble over time was worse, not being able to die along with him had been a pain no loyal companion should have to suffer. But this….this was living proof of how little the gods of Lordran cared for their people. Sending the one soul she loved as her own packmate, not as a savior like in Oolacile but as one who sought to take what little sacredness remained of Artorias’ memory, and use it to condemn herself to the same fate... Sif howled again in anguish around her sword. She could not falter now! She could NOT let this happen! The anger at how cruel the lot she’d been dealt had to be used to save what remained of her family, and grant them rest! “Sif…Sif STOP!” The Chosen Undead commanded. With tears glittering in the moon’s cold, unfeeling light, the wolf charged again, adamant that this would be her last service, if not to Lordran than to those she loved. She would give her friend and packmate a warrior’s death, free her from the bonds of the wretched curse. Then the wolf would throw herself onto her own sword, and finally be free of the pain of her failure. *** “Hey, has anypony seen Trixie around?” Fluttershy looked up from where she was bandaging one of the Forest Hunter’s smashed legs to see Applejack glancing at every soul gathered around her. “I’m sorry?” “Trixie. Ah thought somethin’ seemed to be missin’ from this delightful scene. Just did a quick head count an’ noticed we’re down a unicorn.” The orange mare said with concern. “Pinkie, Discord, either of you see where that darn showpony went?” From where he was carefully poking at every plant and tree with a stick, the chaos god shrugged. “I confess my attention has been elsewhere, namely trying to see what else around this place is an actual motionless piece of fauna and isn’t plotting to subject us to death via a thousand thorny pin pricks the instant our proverbial backs are turned.” Discord wistfully replied as he carefully prodded a vine hanging from a nearby tree. To his dismay the vine promptly whipped itself up from its static state and snapped at him with the serpentine head he now saw was attached to the end. As if that wasn’t ridiculous enough, the vine hanging next to it proceeded to attack in the same manner, as the body both were attached to proceed to pull itself off the tree and drop to the ground. “As you can see the results have so far continued along in the same vein as before.” Discord sighed as the two headed reptilian monster snapped and hissed at him. “Although to be fair, the looks of some of these cretins adds some much needed comic value. HA!” The reptilian abomination reeled back as Discord brought out his camera and blinded it with the flash. It then found additional cause to flee as a ball of confetti exploded against its flank. “Well as the trend of RPGs go, the uglier it is, the more XP you get from it!” Pinkie said as she ran after the creature. “Hey don’t run off! You’re a random encounter! This is literally your whole purpose for being! Oh come on, I just need a little more so I can level up again!” Watching the pink pony chase the bizarre reptilian around the trees, one of the knights sighed in lament. “Even as you mend our wounds your allies seek to bring harm to Darkroot. What madness is this that causes you to stand by such blatant dishonesty?” He asked disdainfully. “They only do so because neither you nor anything else in this world seems to leave us any choice. We tried to be nice, we agreed to leave peacefully, we did everything else to show we’re friendly, and you still responded with violence.” Fluttershy replied as she fastened the bandages and packed away her supplies. “Really Mr. Forest Hunter, how can you expect anyone to not retaliate against you when you won’t even give them a chance?” The knight glowered at the pegasus, he moved as if to strike her for her stupidity, then groaned as he remembered his lower body was still too injured to allow him to move. “All of us have given souls a chance, and all of us have thus been betrayed.” He said while pointing to his fellow hunters. “Arbor’s name and art have both been tarnished by the very one who first discovered them. Seath has done as much to foul the reputation of sorcerers everywhere as he once did to make them a shining example of what intelligence and power could make possible. Sten was once renowned as a fine thief, a secretive but noble soul whose services were much sought after, till the undead were forced down into Blighttown and robbed him of home, family and his reasons for living.” Fluttershy nodded sympathetically as she continued to listen. “Alara did seek to prove herself as equal to the great archers of our lord Gwyn. In return Hawkeye Gough himself, icon to all of her creed, abandoned Lordran and his followers, and her besting of the legendary black bowman, Pharis, did naught but cast her as criminal and exile in the eyes of the populace. Oh yes, equine, we have all seen how trust can only lead to loss and sorrow when betrayal inevitably comes. Shiva’s treachery against our own Lady Alvina only proves we are right to treat all souls as threats to be exterminated! How can you believe any differently?” The yellow pegasus dipped her head under the force of the knight’s demand. She looked to Discord as he tried to photograph some bizarre hybrid of a frog and a manta ray that had ambushed him from behind. The hybrid continually tried to whip the chaos god with its obscenely long tongue, Discord in turn responded by summoning a bulletproof glass box around himself and snickered as the frog-ray’s tongue smacked harmlessly against it, allowing him to keep snapping pictures of the farce. “Because I’ve trusted and been betrayed too, only unlike you I believed that a soul can occasionally falter….as I’ve done many times before. I gave them another chance, and they in turn proved they’re good at heart.” She said, feeling a stronger ember of confidence be fanned within her soul, much to the knight’s dismay. “Your naivety is saddening truly, but in the end only you shall suffer for it.” He grunted as he sat up and tested the durability of his bandages. “In return though, for attempting to make up for the failings of your party, I will at least stand by Alvina’s command that you all be left to experience your own tragedies without our interference.” Shaking her head, Fluttershy rose and slipped her saddlebags back on. “We shall see. Right now, try to go easy on your legs. They should be fine with a few days of rest.” The pegasus said. “Yes, speaking of rest, you look like you could do with a break from all the medical duties yourself. Why don’t you go stretch your legs for a while, young equine? I’ll be more than happy to keep an eye on these bounders!” Siegmeyer replied from his position standing watch over the hunters. Nodding her thanks, Fluttershy walked with heavy steps to Discord, watching as he dismissed his box and dodged the lashing tongue of the frog-ray, allowing him to grab the offending muscle in his eagle talon. “Yes hold it right there! Just one shot where I don’t have to worry about reflection from the glass!” The flash of the chaos gods’ camera went off again and the poor amphibian hybrid croaked as its vision swam with spots. “Hmmm, still with the darkness of this surrounding area and all that black on your body the over all scene looks kind of dull. Maybe if we tried giving you a more tie-dye look?” The frog-ray croaked again as its dark red splattered body was suddenly awash in a rainbow of garish inky colors. “Hmm, and since this tongue of yours isn’t really up to it’s normal function what if we turned it into a kazoo streamer?” Discord snapped his tail and giggled as the frog-ray’s mouth meat became a long strand of colored paper. The hybrid attempted to let out a third croak but instead the high pitched honk of a kazoo came from its mouth instead. “Yes, excellent! Oooh I should box you up and take you home to Tree Hugger! Give her something else to fixate on so Fluttershy and I can go back to our regularly schedule together time…and…ooooh.” The flash of Discord’s camera capturing highlighted that the pegasus in question was now standing next to him, and staring at him with disapproval. “Ermmm…but I won’t…because I respect she wouldn’t like that…and….I’ve upset her enough as it is….and….ummm…erghhhh…” The chaos god sighed and snapped his tail again, restoring the frog-ray to normal. “Look just scram okay? You stop trying to attack me and I won’t have any more cause to antagonize you? Got it?” The frog-ray was all too happy to run off, leaving Discord to sigh and rub his eyes. “Forgive me, my dear Flutters. In my defense though, everything around us does seem keen to keep provoking me first!” To his surprise, Fluttershy nodded and wilted onto her haunches. “Yes they do. Honestly, I..I don’t know if I even have the right to criticize you at this point. Even when I try to be nice to someone from this world they remain adamant that I’m still their enemy so why should I bother?” She said while glancing back to the Forest Hunters. Discord followed her and shook his head. “Well…while I can’t speak for these ungrateful louts….nor do I wish to concede that Sunbutt may have had the right idea for once…but if we were to just take me as an example, you did prove yourself the better mare by being so nice to me. I mean the fact that letting you down makes me feel terrible, so much so I actually DON’T want to cause chaos is a testament in itself.” Discord sighed as he watched the frog-ray disappear into the darkness. “You shouldn’t judge yourself by the standards of those that are too pigheaded to see sense. Heh, pig headed…now there’s an idea!” He grinned. “Should anyone continue to speak ill of your kindness I mean!” Though Fluttershy knew she shouldn’t encourage Discord, the thought of him giving the Forest Hunters a little payback for their lack of gratitude did bring a chuckle to her lips. Unfortunately the momentary respite was all too quickly shot down when Applejack came bounding up, looking very worried. “Okay girls, we got a problem! Ah can’t find Trixie anywhere, nor Miss Aurelia! They’ve both just vanished!” The farm pony exclaimed in alarm. “Worse, I also lost that funny two headed lizard creature in the underbrush. Seriously, for a being that can’t even decide which direction it wants to run in, it managed to move pretty damn fast.” Pinkie complained as she trotted back to her friends. “And I was so hoping I could get enough to drop another point into my perception! Get advanced warning of nearby threats….erm…or is that a different game I’m thinking of?” Applejack ignored the comment as she pushed her Stetson forward. “Girls, we gotta find those two! Even if Trix still makes me suspicious she don’t deserve to be out here alone and unprotected in these woods! Not to mention we ain’t gonna fare too good without Aurelia giving us at least some heads up of what else is lurking out here!” “Right!” Futtershy declared, before realizing a serious problem. “Uh…though, where should we start looking if we have no idea where they’ve gone to?” Applejack’s confidence faltered as she tried to think of a response…until she looked to the ruined tower on the horizon and noticed Alvina’s silhouette in the window. “Ah dunno, but Ah think someone else here might!” The farm pony replied as she galloped to the tower. Inside Alvina continued with her habitual feline grooming, licking and cleaning her fur while staring up at the moon as if trying to seek some manner of peace from its light. She had hoped the Chosen Undead would see sense, that this quest of hers was folly and that she'd be happier staying here. It had honestly hurt the kitty to see one she’d grown fond of set off to certain despair, if not death. Still the wheels of fate determined what course things were to take, and for all her otherworldly status, she was as much a slave to their command as all others. As such when the sound of hooves echoed through her sanctum’s walls, the kitty merely hung her head and turned around to greet the strange foreigners. “Ah thou dost cometh. How fares ye?” She said as Applejack lifted the brim of her hat and narrowed her eyes. “Much better now that we’re not bein’ attacked by yer ‘family’.” She said while snorting. “Got a question for ya, Miss Alvina. Yah wouldn’t happen to know where Aurelia got to by any chance? Ah noticed you and she steppin’ in here for a chat.” Alvina’s ears wilted. Indeed it seemed the Chosen Undead had not been lying when she mentioned the ponies would be quick to notice her absence. “Trixie, the unicorn that was with us, has also gone missing.” Fluttershy replied as she stepped up behind Applejack. Alvina’s eyes widened and she hissed in lament. “T’was the Chosen Undead’s standing that she complete the business that brought her back here. Mine offer of respite and familial comfort were received like sour milk. I could do no more to sway her from her own misery.” The feline said. “If thine friend has proven fool enough to follow her then that is her own grievous error. I can naught but tell thee not to do the same.” Applejack glowered at the feline’s tone. “An why’s that? We ain’t partial to jest givin’ up on our friends without good reason!” She said with a mild note of threat. Alvina grumbled and sat herself down on the window sill. “What lies at the end of the Chosen Undead’s journey is truth. Truth of how the legend of those she loves hath been fabricated. Truth that her family, her friends and all that dare to trace her in her line are as cursed as she. Truth that she shalt find no comfort nor reprieve on this quest of hers, only death; her body forever given to the edge of the sword and the cruelty of fate!” The kitty growled, flashing her jagged teeth at the equines. “And such truth shalt meet thee as well if thou seeks to follow!” Applejack arched an eyebrow, her resolve unaffected by Alvina’s dire words. “That a fact huh? Funny, you use the word ‘truth’ a lot, yet Ah can sense you ain’t telling it to us in whole.” Alvina hissed, Applejack merely lowered her head in threat. “Ah bear a little gift known as the Element O’ Honesty. It lets me know a few things about the truth as well, especially when those around me are tryin’ to hide it! So let’s try this again, shall we? Where is Aurelia?” The orange mare stated plainly, yet with a subtle hint that she wasn’t going to stand for more evasive answers. Alvina hissed at a lower volume, her ears betraying her own turmoil. “Mine words to thee are born not of malice. Enough hath destruction and despair been visited upon us all. No more do I wish upon any soul.” She nodded as Applejack kept glaring at her. “Thine acts against my family do attest that thou art a strong collective of souls. My hopes for thee are as high as they were for the Chosen Undead, and unto thee I extend the same offer of sanctuary.” The farm mare snorted in annoyance. “Still not hearin’ an answer to mah question, Alvina!” A deep glower crossed the kitty’s features, reminding Applejack of how Rarity’s cat used to look the first few times she met her. “I bid thee, do not such a hope shatter with foul disproportion! Mine kinsmen need thee now more than fate needs to enact its merciless intent. Follow in the quest of the soon hollowed no further!” Teeth were bared on both sides as Applejack took another step forward, and Alvina leaped from the window sill to block the tower’s rear exit. “You know we can’t do that. Not when we got ponies dependin’ on us, and most certainly not when those same ponies are now lost amid the woods. Either tell us where Aurelia an' Trixie have got to or step aside!” The farm pony commanded. “Yeah, don’t give me a reason to practice my pet grooming skills again!” Pinkie intoned while drawing scissors and an electric razor from her mane. “Opalesence didn’t take too well to my last attempt…even though she did look adorably silly when I was finished with her…but then Rarity nearly had a heart attack so I decided it’d be better to try a different hobby.” Alvina hissed louder and backed away, keeping herself firmly between the door and the ponies. “I extend mine hospitality to thee because thou art strong and kind to travel with a most unfortunate soul. Will thou still deny me when to do so is to make certain that no rest shalt ease thine souls in their rotten state, that forever will thou be tormented by thine own howls of lament joined with the howls of the hollowed and the damned?” She demanded, watching the equines like a hawk, until she felt her rear bump up against another obstruction that should not have been there. “Yes, yes, and…well, yes to the rest of your questions. You want to keep enticing ‘poor unfortunate souls’ into staying here with you rather than face their destinies, that’s your misguided decision, just as it’s ours to follow them regardless of what the outcome may be.” Discord stated with a glower. “Or are you going to continue standing here in our way and reveal what a hypocrite you are in letting two of our number march to their doom while preventing the rest of us from trying to help?” Applejack nodded in agreement. “Ah’d like to emphasize the ‘may’ part of the outcome. Still gettin’ the sense that you ain’t entirely convinced of what will happen, Alvina.” She took another step forward, staring the cat square in the eyes. “You sure you ain’t holdin’ anythin’ from us?” Finding herself getting boxed in Alvina growled like a rabid beast. “Mine family wait just outside. Thou beckons a terrible retaliation in demanding more of me!” A clattering arouse from beyond the tower’s entrance, followed by the thud of something being hit hard and the grunt of pain as a body hit the ground again in reaction. “Dreadfully sorry for that, but Miss Fluttershy did request that you refrain from using your legs for any vigorous activity. Oh come on now, let’s not sour our relationship when you’re still on the mend.” More clanking of armored forms moving to defend their mistress was heard, and answered with more conks and whacks as Siegmeyer dissuaded them from their actions. “Sorry again, but I must insist you stay down and let yourself heal! Would be a dreadful shame if you broke something beyond repair and I had to put you out of your misery.” The knight politely cautioned as groans of agony echoed through the forest. Seeing they needn’t worry about being ambushed from behind, the ponies turned back to Alvina. “This doth bode most badly. My words and hopes do fall upon but deaf ears and witless minds. Again fate seems adamant that I mind the chain it binds me with and allow more souls to be lost.” She said, no longer sounding angry but just sad. “So does that mean you’ll let us pass so we can find our friends?” Applejack queried. “Or do I have to see how you’ll look with a Countess Coloratura cut?” Pinkie suddenly popped up beside Alvina, her electric razor buzzing in readiness. Alvina promptly turned herself transparent, and apparently intangible as the pink pony ended up falling through her. “What…OW! Hey that’s cheating!” Pinkie protested. “Indeed…though very clever.” Discord said, biting his tongue as Alvina returned to her perch on the window sill and changed back to a solid, physical kitty. “What fools we have, what wretched fools we have.” She sighed. “Very well, if it is to mock all that the seeds of time hath revealed then I can do naught to stop thee. Beyond this tower lies the path to Sir Artorias’ final resting place, and the guardian entrusted to him by Darkroot a many years ago. The Chosen Undead struck there for the solution to traversing the Abyss. Most likely she now lies dead amid the graves, united with her loved ones in defeat. Be gone on thine path join her, and leave us in peace!” She said, closing her eyes and looking away. Applejack almost felt sorry for being so harsh, but then she contemplated how much precious time the feline had cost them and her resolve hardened again. “Thank you, we’ll do jest that. Come on girls!” The farm mare said as she galloped out of the tower’s rear exit. “Right behind ya! Whoo hoo, precious XP here I come!” Pinkie declared while charging out. Discord signaled for Fluttershy to follow, but the yellow Pegasus instead turned to Alvina. “I…uh…your hunters should be fine in a few more days. I made sure I got them all bandaged and treated to the best I could manage.” Fluttershy said meekly as the cat stared at her with what might have been curiosity. “I appreciate you calling them off, and helping us. Please know, we’re sorry it had to work out this way.” She meekly scurried out the exit, leaving Alvina to twitch her tail in thought. “Even amid the most steel hearted of souls a beacon doth radiate hope. Faint slivers, choked by the darkness, yet still they shine…” The feline muttered. “Yeah that’s Fluttershy for you. Maybe if you’d take a moment to study how she deals with other folk you might find things won’t always turn out so tragic.” Discord rolled his eyes. “Course look who I’m talking to. Since when have cats ever admitted their mistakes?” He flashed out of existence. Alvina turned and looked ponderously at the moon while licking her paws. “When indeed….would now be too late?” *** Too late indeed seemed to be the new order of the day, or night, for Trixie; specifically whether it was too late for her to run and try to get help, as she now had to admit she was definitely not up to the task of dealing with Sif. Blood oozed from numerous cuts on the unicorn’s body, a result of the wolf’s strength and swordsmanship proving superior to her own magical defenses. She’d done her best, but as she’d secretly feared, her best simply wasn’t good enough. Had the Chosen Undead not been there to drive back her ‘friend’ (Trixie still couldn’t believe the warrior actually had an amicable history with what was clearly a deranged beast) things would no doubt have turned out even worse, not that they were turning out all that great anyway. Biting against the agony of her wounds, the unicorn pushed herself back onto her hooves. Sif mercifully had her back turned to her, having been forced to abandon her attempt in dealing Trixie a fatal blow after the Chosen Undead had carved several deep gashes in her hide. The wolf’s retaliation had been swift and merciless, and the female undead wasn’t looking all that steady on her feet after bearing the brunt of it, but at least she’d bought Trixie a little more time…to do something…hopefully. Wobbling as she grew light headed from blood loss, Trixie frantically looked around the coliseum. The entrance was now blocked by some manner of impenetrable fog wall, a bizarre natural phenomenon apparently that bore the appearance of a harmless bank of dense mist but behaved like a wall of solid rock (and Trixie had some nice bruises to prove it from when the wolf had knocked her into it over and over again). There didn’t seem to be any other exits from the ruined structure so that meant escaping would also entail climbing, something she was hardly in any condition to do. Grinding her teeth harder to bear her pain, Trixie dragged herself closer to the crumbling walls. They hardly looked sturdy, a few good kicks, or maybe a magic blast (if she could manage it) could probably knock them down. Failing that, it looked like several of the stone bricks had slipped free of the failing mortar, perhaps she could use them to make a crude set of steps. Except of course, where was she to go from there? Sif had proven she was faster, and at her size clearing the ruins to pursue her opponents would be foals play. Trixie couldn’t hope to reach her friends before the wolf caught up with her, even if Sif did have another foe to contend with. Indecision tore at Trixie’s soul along with the sting of her wounds, her mind too wracked with the severity of her condition to settle on a course of action. Behind her the clash of blade smashing against blade mingled with the grunts of exertion and the howls of anger. Sif charged the Chosen Undead, the Chosen Undead held up her shield and felt her arm break in a few more places as the wolf’s inertia drove her clear to the far side of the coliseum again. The two former friends locked eyes, one silently pleading for the other to please stop, to show they hadn’t yet forgotten the one soul whom they shared a bond of absolute trust with. The other merely whimpered, either in some manner of apology or to show her actions were hurting her just as much. She then broke away and bowed her head, silently exclaiming that this is how it had to be. Lordran, the gods, fate, or whatever power was responsible had deemed the two could not stand by their childhood oath. Their story needed a fittingly tragic ending so all forces involved demanded either one or both of them die at the other’s blade! Artorias had been spared no mercy so neither his noble battle companion nor his prodigy would be shown any either. Feeling she could do nothing to subvert this course of events, the Chosen Undead looked to Trixie as she parried another swing of her opponent’s sword. She may have been helpless but another party, unknown even to the primordial serpents, seem to think the ponies could accomplish what all other souls could not. Through her tears and her sorrow, the Chosen Undead conveyed that she really needed the equines to prove themselves true of their apparent anomaly status, if not for her, than for Sif! Though her vision was growing hazy as her own blood continued to stain the ground around her, Trixie caught the silent plea for help. Despite the pain wracking her every nerves, the unicorn knew she couldn’t let it stop her now. “Just….ngh…hold out, Miss Aurelia. Trixie…ngh…Trixie shall get assistance!” She stated while lighting her horn. Sif halted her attack and turned at the sound of stones being pulled free and stacked atop each other. Seeing her other opponent had not succumbed to her wounds, the wolf growled in lament, and duly charged at Trixie to finish her off. The Chosen Undead groaned as she slumped to the ground, feeling like she’d just fought off an entire legion by herself. Knowing she had no time to rest, the warrior dropped her shield and sword and began tearing off her heavy armor as she forced herself to pursue the wolf. Her body screamed as if to remind her she had several deep gashes and numerous broken bones of her own from where Sif had stepped on her, head butted her and, of course, repeatedly hit her with her sword. She forced herself to run anyway. Having now stacked enough stones to reach the top of the surrounding wall, Trixie took a deep breath and began to climb. Each step cut into her like a bed of sharp knives, but the sound of a beast about to strike from behind gave her all the incentive she needed to keep moving. She made it to the second step, her hooves wobbled trying to support her weight and her head ached from the exertion of her magic. A biting wind sliced through the holes in her cape as Sif’s blade swung to deliver another blow. Amazingly the Chosen Undead found the energy to jump onto the wolf’s back, grabbing the scruff of her neck and yanking on it hard so she missed. The third step was reached. Trixie’s body celebrated by exploding with pain. Every movement seemed to tear her flesh open further, every pulse of her heart pushed more of her vital life fluids out onto the ground around her. Behind the unicorn, Sif howled and struggled with her former friend, trying to see if it could buck a load off its back as easily as an equine. The fourth step slowly made its way under Trixie’s hooves. She could swear the air almost smelled fresher now, beckoning her to try and bear the pain just a little longer so she could ascend just a little higher. Steeling her own will, the Chosen Undead drew back then drove her sword into Sif’s neck, giving the wolf more cause to howl as the flaming chaos blade immediately burned every layer of flesh it cut through. She dropped her own sword, wrenched her head back and grabbed the undead with her jaws. The female promptly lost her grip on her weapon as several hundred square pounds of pressure drove each of the lupine’s teeth into her body, anchoring them firmly so Sif could easily tear her off and throw her to the ground. Ignoring the screams of horrid torture behind her, Trixie pulled herself onto the fifth and final step. Her muscles ached with exhaustion in addition to their damaged state, yet the void of the forest outside the coliseum opened before her. It was going to be a painful drop onto the ground from here, but assuming she could muster just a little more magic, she might just make it. She was going to make it! Emboldened, Trixie lit her horn, fighting against her weariness and injuries to cast a spell on herself. All unicorns were taught the basics of levitation as part of their school course, how hard could it be to focus the magic on oneself rather than an object? She only had to make it work for a short descent. She could do this. She would do this! Trixie took a deep breath and prepared to jump, her horn flared from the rush of adrenaline! Cold. Sheer, frigid, razor sharp cold suddenly sank itself through the unicorn’s cape and back, penetrating her flesh and cleaving through her spine with ease. Too stunned to register any pain, Trixie looked down and her breath died in her throat as her barrel was torn open from the inside. The tip of Sif’s giant blade elegantly revealed itself to spill another pool of the unicorn’s blood. Flapping her jaws mutely, Trixie turned to see the wolf clinging to the steps, having managed to retrieve her blade and launch a sneak attack while the unicorn was distracted with sizing her jump. Growling in bitter victory, Sif hoisted the impaled pony away from the wall and slammed her onto the ground, making sure that this time, Trixie wasn’t getting back up. She felt no satisfaction in the kill, only the resignation that it would be one more soul who could not steal from the grave of her master. At the very least it allowed her to delay having to do the same to her friend for a few more minutes. Sadly that was a delay that the Chosen Undead did not hesitate to make the wolf regret. Unable to do anything to save Trixie, the warrior instead drew the tracers Ciaran had given her from her pack and lunged at the wolf. Sif could take a lot of punishment, but the undead knew that the many years of battle had still taken their toll. Sif had revealed as much when she first approached her, unable to hide the way she favored one of her front legs over the other. The undead rolled under the wolf and buried both blades into that other leg, making Sif howl once more in agony. Kicking wildly at her opponent, the wolf vaulted for the wall, swinging her blade around to dislodge Trixie and send her sailing out of the coliseum. With one opponent down, Sif spun and faced her friend, whimpering as she felt her injured leg buckle under her weight. “You never did fully recover from that wound did you, Sif?” The Chosen Undead declared as the wolf limped away from her. “I did exactly as our…nghhh….as Artorias commanded. Changed your dressings daily, made sure you had water and food, built a fire everyday so you'd be warm and slept by your side so we could keep each other safe. It might have been enough to make you battle ready again after a few weeks but to a keen eye it was obvious you weren’t back to full strength.” Bitter tears ran down both combatant’s faces as they stared at each other. Sif wobbling on her remaining three legs while the Chosen Undead held her tracers at the ready. “I don’t fault you for this show of loyalty to the one who raised you like his own child. It’s more than I can say I’ve done for his memory.” The warrior said, her words coming off as a self-inflicted stab at her own failings. “All the years I rotted in the asylum, the perils I’ve subjected myself to in order to hold onto my own humanity, the…the souls I’ve killed to accomplish what I’ve been charged with…I thought that was my punishment for not living up to the expectations of our family, to atone for my own sins. I took comfort in the knowledge that no matter what I did, at least you wouldn’t have to be involved. Guess that proves I really am a mindless fool for thinking fate would grant me such any such favor…” Sif sniffed and shook her head wildly in an effort to dash away her tears. She had to expect that her old sparring partner would know what weakness of hers to exploit but trying to amplify the crushing guilt she felt at this tragic reunion was almost too much for the wolf. “By rights I should kill you for what you did to that pony. She only got involved to protect me, not to come and rob our masters’ grave!” The Chosen Undead spat before letting her head wilt, along with her weapons. “But killing Artorias to free him from the Abyss was hard enough for me. I can’t do the same for you if you’re truly adamant about preventing me from trying to at least help those who don’t deserve to suffer as we have suffered.” The warrior looked at her tracer swords and let them fall from her hands. “If you wish to stop me, you’re going to have to kill me, Sif. If you have it in you then please let it end for both us. I’ll go hollow and you…” The Chosen Undead choked up as she found the thought unbearable. “Just grant me the mercy of knowing I was felled by my friend’s blade, that at least my existence was ended by the one I still call sister and friend….” Weakly, the female dropped to her knees, bowing her head so Sif had a clean shot at her neck. The wolf whimpered, her vision blurring from more tears. She shut her eyes, clamped her jaw down on the hilt of her sword. This was the moment of truth, the final test to see what she really valued above all. Her sword felt heavier with each second, her resolve to deal the killing blow weakening. Could she do it? Was one more life too much? “Please Sif…I forgive you.” The Chosen Undead whispered. The wolf’s leg throbbed with maddening pain. The limp it gave her was going to seriously throw off her strike. If she did this wrong she’d be condemning her packmate to an even more painful death…yet if she just turned and ran away….abandoned Artorias’ grave after so many years of standing by her vow as his guardian…taking the one thing her packmate most likely came for due to her own selfishness…? With an anguished, bloodchilling howl, Sif channeled all the rage she had left in her and charged her friend. *** “Are you absolutely sure this is the way they came?” Fluttershy asked as the party trekked through the dark woods. From where she was surveying the scene ahead, Applejack lowered her hat as if paying her respects to something. “Much as it fills me with dread, Ah think anywhere there’s dead bodies and signs o’ carnage is a pretty good indicator.” The orange mare sighed. Approaching her, Fluttershy felt her stomach turn at seeing the little mushroom children setting their charred parents in the middle of the lake, presumably as some manner of burial ritual. Behind her Discord uneasily toyed with his beard. “Fascinating. Once this would’ve given me cause to laugh uproariously at the sheer irony. Now, however….” He looked to the yellow pegasus and sighed. “Well, if it was anything like how the rest of this infernal forest has been treating us, I’d have done the same! I just…would try to tell myself it’s not funny.” Fluttershy winced and quickened her pace. “Let’s just try to find Aurelia and Trixie.” The party respectfully left the fungi to grieve and continued through the trees, coming to the same branching pathways leading across either side of the cliff face. “Oh darn, which way should we take now? Split up maybe and check both routes?” Pinkie Pie asked. Applejack studied the ground, checking for hoof prints or some indication of the souls who had come before them. “Hmm, Ah ain’t partial to leavin’ any of us more vulnerable than we already are…but if we really have no choice…” The farm mare scratched her head. Behind her, Pinkie Pie pondered and then grinned. “Oooh wait, I know! Let’s flip for luck!” She held up a bit coin. “This usually works when you come to a branching pathway during a dungeon crawl. Let’s say heads we go left to that round building across the bridge, tails we go right to where the sound of that waterfall is coming from!” The bit was tossed into the air and flipped several times before landing on the ground with the image of Celestia’s noble visage facing up. Applejack cocked an eyebrow as if questioning the result, before her ears turned to pick up the commotion of battle, and trouble coming from the coliseum. “Well it certainly sounds like that’s the right direction. Huh, nice work, Pinkie.” The orange mare galloped off, followed by Fluttershy. “Always helps when you’ve got the experience of past games to fall back on.” Pinkie giggled as Discord picked up the coin and arched his own eyebrow. “Wait a minute…this is one of those special edition bits that was issued after Princess Luna’s return. The kind that has her head on one side and Princess Celestia’s on the other!” The chaos god exclaimed, much to Pinkie’s mirth. “Exactly! When you make your own luck, you’re never wrong! Not to mention from the architecture and the location that building is probably a boss arena, and boss arenas always have tons of sweet loot!” Discord got a funny smile on his face. “I have to admit, every so often you do impress me, Pinkie.” He said, before a horrified scream sent both jumping out of their skins (one a little more literally than the other). “OH DEAR FAUST, TRIXIE!” Pinkie turned and ran for the bridge. Discord followed as soon as he had his skin back on and zipped up. Both pulled up by their fellow party members and joined them in gaping at the gored body of the blue unicorn, lying in another pool of her own blood beside the coliseum entrance. “Trixie, no, no, NO! What happened to you?” Applejack cried as she dropped to her haunches and began checking the unicorn over. Flutteryshy took a moment to force the bile back down her throat before shrugging off her saddlebags and digging out medical supplies. “Applejack, move over…I…I need to try and stabilize her!” She said, placing one hoof on the unicorn’s neck and shivering as she detected a very weak pulse. A packet of salts and powder used to stop bleeding was torn open and sprinkled hastily over Trixie’s wounds. It did the trick of snapping the unicorn back to wakefulness from the pain of her raw flesh being subjected to more torture. “Trixie!” Fluttershy cried as the showpony screamed and thrashed about on the ground. “Please, hold still! I need to treat your wounds!” Blinking and moaning as every tiny movement brought fresh agony, Trixie turned and coughed weakly. “F-Flutter? App-plejack? Pinkie?” She whispered, each word seeming like a tremendous effort. “You…you found me?” Fluttershy nodded softly, begging her eyes to not tear up as she pressed a sponge like pad to Trixie’s barrel, then another to her back. “We did. Just don’t move. I’m patching you up.” She said in a choked voice. Telling herself to remain strong, Applejack reached over and rested a hoof on the unicorn’s shoulder. “Trixie, what happened? Who did this to you?” Her friends’ voices swam about like a muted symphony to accompany the blurry kaleidoscope of her vision. “W-Wol…Wolf….in there…” Trixie pointed to the coliseum as the sounds of combat continued to ring clear and dreadful from within its walls. “Fr…Friend of…Aur…elia….Heh heh….called her friend….tried to k-kill….” Narrowing her eyes at the strange fog filling the entrance, Applejack rose and pressed her hoof to it. The white mist proved as impenetrable from the outside as it had from the inside, even when the farm pony turned and bucked it with all her might. “Ow. Well somethin’ definitely don’t sound right in there! We gotta get inside!” Applejack ran off to look for another entrance as Fluttershy frantically tried to mend Trixie’s wounds. “S-Save her….them….couldn’t save them….urgh….wasn't…wasn't…good…enough…” Trixie tried to move, to make it easier for Fluttershy to reach the open hole in her stomach. “Trixie don’t! I need…” The sickening sound of wet entrails hitting the ground was heard as Trixie’s barrel was torn even further and her intestinal tract spilled out. She offered up a pitiful moan as she collapsed again. “Discord I need an IV hook up, a blood pack, needle, thread and gloves now!” Fluttershy ordered. With a snap of his tail, the chaos god had the needed medical supplies ready and waiting. The pegasus wasted no time in gloving up and beginning to very delicately wind Trixie’s intestines back in, only for the unicorn to slap her hooves away. “Don’t bother…too la…late for me. Just...hope I go as….T-Twi…to the bonfire….” Trixie’s voice was barely audible now. “And…s-sorry…sorry for…everything….” The unicorn’s eyes slipped closed as her head flopped lifelessly against the ground. “Trixie….TRIXIE!” Fluttershy yelled as she again checked for a pulse. “Trixie!” Pinkie Pie ran forward to try and help. Inadvertently her hoof alighted upon the unicorn’s cutie mark… A sudden scorching sense of heat shot through the pink mare’s hoof, making her pull it away and behold the glowing ring now adorning Trixie’s flank. Slowly the ring turned black…and Trixie’s body vanished, leaving behind the same glowing bloodstain and epitaph that told Pinkie all she needed, and absolutely did not want to know: “No….” Pinkie whispered, just as Applejack came running back. “Hey guys, Ah found something. There’s a pile o’ rubble far on the left that I think we can climb to get in an…an….” The orange mare broke off upon noticing there was one less individual present than when she’d left. “What happened? Where’s Trixie?” Pinkie sniffed as she felt her own eyes watering. “She’s…she’s….” The pink mare looked back the way the part had come and she felt a spark ignite in her cold body. “She’s at the last bonfire! Look…uh…you’ll have to let me go get her. We’ll be back as soon as we can!” Pinkie ran off back across the bridge, leaving her friends even more bewildered. “The last bonfire? What the hay does that…” Applejack was cut off yet again by the sounds of bodies being subjected to a brutal beat down. “Never mind, we gotta get inside the coliseum!” Both ponies made short work of climbing over the rubble while Discord simply teleported inside the ruins. By chance this allowed the latter to materialize in the perfect spot to take the final swing that was meant for the Chosen Undead. “What the…hey! Seriously, is this just the standard means of greeting folk around here?” The chaos god asked while staring at the sword that had bifurcated his body. He pushed it out and his flesh sealed back together like play-doh as he turned to regard the now very confused Sif. “Huh, well now aren’t you a larger than life being. Guess when Trixie cried wolf out there she wasn’t faking it!” Sif leapt back, stumbling slightly as again her injured leg failed to support her on the landing. She growled menacingly as her opposition again increased. “Aurelia!” Applejack cried as Fluttershy hastily lowered her to the ground. “Oh Faust not you too!” The farm mare made to run over to the severely beaten warrior, only for Sif to leap between then and try to strike her with her blade. “Ack, hey! Outta mah way you!” Applejack ducked under the swish of the wolf’s sword then turned and bucked Sif in the face before she could draw back. “You got a lot to answer fer!” Sif growled and reeled from the impact of the pony’s hooves. Blood oozed from her nose as she regained her balance and snarled. “Flutters, see what you can do about Aurelia! Discord and Ah need to see to it that this monster pays fer what she jest did to Trixie!” Discord happily summoned a hunting hat and shotgun as Applejack ground her hooves in the ground. “Yer goin’ down wolf!” The orange mare cried. “Yes, down on the floor of Twilight’s throne room to be precise, as her new all natural fur rug!” Discord followed as he racked the slide of his weapon and took aim. “NO!” All heads turned as the Chosen Undead painfully dragged her broken body from where she’d been thrown into the wall again. The injury she’d dealt Sif had turned out to be more harmful than beneficial, as it had indeed made it harder for the wolf to deliver a clean killing strike, forcing her to instead keep hacking and knocking her friend about, hoping she’d eventually expire. “Please don’t…..don’t hurt Sif.” The female undead pleaded, prompting Applejack and Discord to look at her as if she were insane. “Aurelia, this…this wolf jest killed Trixie!” Applejack protested. “Yes….ngh…because I’m…I wasn’t strong enough to act first….” The warrior cringed. There didn’t seem to be any part of her body that wasn’t currently shattered or cut to ribbons, yet still she forced herself to move, using her own desperation to dull away the pain. “She’s here for the same re…ngh…reason I am. To try and save the last thing dear to her….that fate….ngh…fate hasn’t forcibly taken.” Sif whimpered again as she backed away. “Please….she acts only to guard Artor…ngh…Artorias’ grave….to make up for his failure….grgh…and my own!” The undead continued. “For both our sakes….spare her….help me convince her it doesn’t have to be this way!” Applejack turned from wolf to human in disbelief, convinced that now she truly was in the land of the loonies. “You want us to spare her after she just murdered an innocent soul in cold blood?” She demanded. Despite the mind breaking agony, the Chosen Undead managed a weak scowl. “You…ngh…welcomed Seath in despite him doing the same….arrrgh…you showed me mercy when I have the blood of many more on my hands….can you not extend it to one who….graaagh…acts only out of loyalty and devotion to their loved ones?” Discord joined Applejack in checking if their ears were working properly. What they were hearing was nothing short of madness. “Trixie is dead!” The orange mare argued. “Well…technically no….she’s undead now. Or rather she will be shortly...hopefully. Assuming Twilight succeeds in her part, there’s still a chance that’ll only be a temporary inconvenience.” Discord pointed out while standing his gun on the ground and leaning on it like a cane. “Also, while I agree the circumstances here are different to what came before, I suppose this does smack just a bit of hypocrisy. I mean between me, Gilda, Starlight Glimmer, Seath, Aurelia here, and most importantly, my darling Queenie, why exactly can we extend forgiveness to all of the above but not to this being?” Applejack flapped her jaw, trying to come up with a response. She shot a death glare at the wolf, who promptly growled and raised her sword, preparing to fight anew. “Sif….” Fluttershy carefully stepped forward and positioned herself between her friends and the lupine. “Sif…stop.” The wolf lowered her ears as she found herself ensnared by the pegasus’ trademark stare. “Aurelia is right, we don’t want to fight you or harm you. We just need to know what’s going on so we can help our friends.” Sif clamped her jaws around the hilt of her sword, yet still it began to rattle as her resolve began to crumble. “Please, put down your weapon and let me fix your injuries. I promise I won’t let anything bad happen to you until we hear your side of this story.” Fluttershy said, gently and sympathetically. “Flutters, what are you doing??” Applejack asked. She tried to run forward but Discord held her back. “Putting Aurelia’s claim to the test obviously. If Sif really is acting only to protect this very extravagant grave site then we’ll hopefully get a repeat of what happened with Manny Roar…if not then…well…” Discord raised his gun again. “Fluttershy won’t need to worry about putting herself in danger I promise you that!” The yellow pegasus approached Sif, who in turn kept backing away as her sword drooped further from her jaws. “If Aurelia is your friend, if the two of you have a history together, then surely you don’t want it to end like this. Talk to me, show me how I can resolve what’s wrong between you. I don’t want others to make the same mistake I nearly did!” The pegasus' infernal stare continued to worm its way into Sif’s mind, slowly coaxing her to give up, to do as Fluttershy commanded and finally lay down her blade. She whimpered something around the hilt and Fluttershy nodded softly. “I’m sure it may seem like there’s you have no choice, but that’s why we’re here. Someone, somewhere has gotten us involved to try and provide an alternative, to see to it no one else has to die if we can help it. All I ask is you trust us…” The pegasus pleaded, feeling her heart ache as the wolf’s tears began to flow uncontrollably. The giant sword finally proved too heavy to hold onto and Sif let it fall from her mouth. Her legs buckled under the weight of her own guilt and the wolf collapsed in silent sobbing. Letting out a relieved sigh, Fluttershy reached out and patted the whimpering wolf on her side. “Shhhhhh…it’s okay. We’ll get you both patched up and then you can be together again, just like you once were.” Sif’s eyes shot open. She beheld the Chosen Undead reaching out to her with a likewise teary eyed expression of relief. Seeing all the cuts and broken bones the human was suffering from, all of her own doing, Sif howled to the moon in despair. With a sudden strength she got up and limped to the wall of the coliseum, leaping over it and running off into the forest. “Sif!” The female warrior cried. Fluttershy promptly got up and pulled up the hood of her robes. “I’ll go after her. She won’t make it far with that bad leg and the wounds on her body.” The Chosen Undead made to get up but the pegasus shook her head. “No, stay here and rest. You’re too injured to come with me.” Fluttershy spied the estus flask lying forgotten on the ground and snapped it up. “I promise, I’ll talk to her and convince her to come back with me. One way or another we aren’t going to lose your friend!” The warrior coughed feebly as she used the last bit of her strength to take the flask and drink the entirety of its contents. “Th-Thank you.” She whispered before letting herself succumb to unconsciousness. Fluttershy did one last examination to make sure she’d be okay and then took a deep breath. “Discord, Applejack, keep watch on her. I’ll be back as soon as I can!” The orange mare uneasily stepped aside for her friend. “You sure you’re going to be okay out there, Flutters?” She asked as Fluttershy made for the coliseum entrance. The pegasus shivered in apprehension but still nodded. “Rainbow Dash was brave enough to find Scootaloo and convince her to come home to me. It’s time I pay that service forward for someone else, prove that I am indeed worthy of being the Element of Kindness.” She said while checking her saddle bags. “Wait for me, I’ll be back.” Discord felt a hard lump form in his throat as Fluttershy prodded the fog gate and it dissolved away into nothingness, letting her step out and vanish into the darkness of the woods. “Girl literally does not know her own strength. Meekest soul in Equestria, yet she still listens where the rest of you turn a deaf ear and can tame even the wildest of hearts with but a look.” The draconequus sighed as he summoned a chair and sat down to watch over the slowly healing undead. “Suppose that means you’ll be buyin’ her an extra special gift come next Hearts n’ Hooves day?” Applejack queried as she slumped onto her haunches. “Well nothing too big, she does have limited space in that cottage after all, but I’m sure a nice necklace would suit her, or maybe a cute hat for when she’s out feeding her animals or maybe a decorative archway for her garden? She does have the loveliest orchids outlining the fence, something in a nice purple would match them perfectly and…” Discord suddenly stopped and glared at Applejack. “Wait a minute…just what are you implying there!?” The farm mare sighed and covered her face with her hooves. “We truly are lost in a mad, mad, mad, MAD world!”