Applejack in Lordran

by Simbody

Perish in a Parish

Twilight awoke in the guest room of Princess Celestia's castle, her friends had gone home a few days earlier and the large room seemed so much emptier. After her studies at the old castle ruins, Twilight took the book with her as a reference if she needed it and walked most of the way home and hovered the rest. Princess Celestia began to lower the sun as she approached Canterlot indicating that she had been, to no surprise, studying the day away.

No clouds in the sky today, Rainbow Dash must be working extra hard, or at least some pony is. It's irrelevant Twilight thought gleefully.
I wonder how Spike is doing? Perhaps i'll do some visiting today, after all, I haven't taken a real break yet. She trotted past the mirror to see Applejack sleeping peacefully by the bonfire and proceeded on wards to Ponyville

...

Rain washed the window Twilight was staring through as the train neared Ponyville. This isn't the best weather for visiting...I'll at least go home for a while until the rain subsides.

Twilight thought about who to visit, Rarity was off the list for a while after her clear aggression. I should check on Fluttershy, i'll bet she's having a hard time coping with one less friend Twilight pondered.

The train arrived at Ponyville and Twilight stepped into the rain, very few ponies enjoyed the rain, there were some fillies and foals out splashing in puddles but unless they had somewhere to be, other ponies stayed in doors. It's only water, I know you can get sick after an extended time but what's really so bad? It's quite relaxing some times. Twilight thought as she continued towards home, Golden Oak Library.

Wow Twilight, you leave a library in Canterlot for a library in the Everfree Forest and now here you are in Ponyville, headed for another library. She smirked

"Hey, egghead!" A raspy voice shouted from above. Twilight looked up to find Rainbow Dash flying slowly above her.

"You have wings ya know? Use 'em!" Rainbow said

"Surely you realize that i'm not very good at flying...Unless you forgot" Twilight replied, rolling her eyes.

"Well excuse me!" Rainbow retorted "you'll never be as awesome at flying as me anyway, so I wouldn't blame you for not bothering to practice."
Twilight ignored her.
"Hey, come up above the clouds with me! it's much more awesomer and it's dry!" Rainbow dash suggested.

"'Awesomer' is not a real word Rainbow " Twilight shook her head.

"Oh please, as if I care about if it's a real word or not" Apparently restless, Rainbow barrel rolled above Twilight.

This continued for a few minutes, Rainbow Dash becoming slightly more irritated that Twilight wouldn't come up with her and Twilight irritated at Rainbows lack of diction.
"Did you even listen in school?!" Twilight snorted, visibly hurting Rainbow. She landed on the ground and stood in place while Twilight continued walking, drenched from the rain. She regretted saying that.

"...Why would you say that?" Twilight heard rainbow say, some distance away, in an obviously saddened voice.

Twilight stopped and turned, allowing her face to show regret. "I'm sorry, it's just that i'm-"

Rainbow's hurt turned into anger. "You know what Twilight? It's fine! I don't care, i'm the best flyer in all of Equestria! So what if i'm not as much of an egghead as you? I'm bucking awesome, which is something you aren't! I don't need a friend who'll insult me! I've lost one close friend already, what's the difference if I lose another?!" Rainbow hesitated a moment before rocketing into the sky above the clouds.

Twilight's stomach turned. Please tell me that did not just happen. She stared into the rainy sky where Rainbow disappeared. This is terrible...i know losing a friend is hard but losing two? Twilight finally moved, no longer paralyzed by emotion and somberly walked home.
Forget it, i'm not going home... Twilight thought sadly. Golden Oak library was within her view, Lights shining within, making it look warm and welcoming against the dreary, rainy night surrounding it; She turned reluctantly, walking towards the train station. I need to save Applejack...maybe that will fix this mess

...

Twilight sat in front of the mirror which was no longer following Applejack, it had stopped following Applejack when Twilight wrote her name with the white soapstone.

I may be the only one with enough patience for this...oh cheer up, I might get to see Applejack again It must have been ten minutes and nothing had happened, eventually, Twilight felt an indescribable feeling, and all of the sights and sounds around her quickly darkened after only a few seconds.

Her hearing came back first, she heard a sound she had never heard before, it sounded as though it came from her! Her eyesight returned, she looked up and was in a damp, dark room; The room was empty, save for three large rat corpses, a ladder leading upwards and an archway which looked to lead to a ledge.

Whoever summoned me didn't wait around. I guess I should find them. Twilight thought, shivering from the cold.
huh, well, what do you know? I'm a human! A ghostly white human! Questions began to run through her mind.
Should I have brought clothes? Can I still use my magic? If I catch the flu here, will I be sick when I go home? Does my lack of clothes make my waist look big? She knew how to find the answer to most of those questions but the rest would remain unanswered.

The summoner has died...how would I know that? Twilight began to fade from Lordran.

"What?" Twilight questioned, pondering how she knew of this persons death.

------

Applejack stared blankly at the flask of yellow liquid on the picnic table. There was no telling how long she'd been sitting there, head laying on the table, as the weather never changed nor did the sun rise or fall; It could have been ten minutes or two hours. Her ribs were still rather sore from recent events. She had died many times to make it this far; giant, poison rats, an armored bull, a rather well thought out arrangement of lifeless soldiers and an ambush of anorexic corpses overwhelmed her many times but she made it to this lovely picnic table. There was a fog door nearby that Applejack dreaded to go through if only because she would have to bypass the aforementioned obstacles.

Applejack rose from the picnic table, returned the flask to her side and trotted towards the fog and pushed through, hoping she wouldn't have to face another giant monster, which she didn't; She was on a thin bridge like structure above the area she tangled with an armored bull. she crossed the bridge and explored her surroundings, she found many dead hollows along her little journey. Applejack was grateful that she didn't have to fight but it was quite strange for these creatures to already be defeated, since she hadn't been here yet.

A cathedral stood before her, doors wide open and more dead hollows inside. She could see a figure in the distance that didn't seem to be dead, perhaps this one survived? or perhaps this one killed the others. Upon nearing the being, it stood and turned to face Applejack. It wore a hood.

"A horse?" The figure questioned.

"I ain't no HORSE!" Applejack growled.

The figure removed its hood to reveal the face of a human male. slowly, the human said "An angry, talking, horse..." grinning mischievously.

"Stop calling me that! I'm-" Applejack started.

"I know quite well what you are, pony! Now, if you will explain to me why you are here, it would be greatly appreciated!" The human aggressively replied.

He did that to irritate me! Applejack was taken aback by the human's response, forgetting his request.

"Why are you here pony? You have no aura and I did not sense your arrival which means you aren't here to fight... So, why are you here?"

Applejack tried to think of a reason but she only knew one thing "i'm cursed. I don't know where I am or why i'm here, I just know I died at home but I didn't really die and Princess Luna sent me here. That's it."

The human nodded thoughtfully "Have you been a human before?"

Applejack and the human began to converse, they sat on one of the cathedral pews as their conversation continued. He explained humanity, what it is and how it works in Lordran. He explained the little he knew of the curse and that although he had been cursed, it was because he traveled here and not because of death.

They began to speak about the groups, or covenants, that exist within Lordran when a dark sound was audible from some distance and a vibration was easily felt.

"Get up, prepare your weapons." The human exclaimed. "We are being invaded"

"By who?" Applejack inquired.

"That doesn't matter...There's the intruder." The human drew a katana and pointed to the cathedral entrance where a red figure with a red aura stood, two swords in hand.

------

Noises began to fade in, Magic shooting and hitting something solid, the sound of metal cutting metal, a groan.
Twilight's vision quickly returned, she saw an armor body collapse, a blue bolt of magic flash towards the killer, hitting a pillar.

The killer looked as if it were made of thick, heavy bone, it became clear that the bone like stuff was armor as it noisily ran past Twilight. She spied a blue light in her peripheral vision, looked and rolled aside, avoiding a magic bolt from the floor above. Twilight followed the being, it raced up stairs out of view; Twilight was almost crushed by a flying armored corpse, the result of the being's aggression. Stepping over the corpse, she continued to follow into a narrow corridor. This creature is not slowing down Twilight thought as they rounded another corner.

Slow Down- Oh my gosh! Twilight attempted to say, She saw the creature spin, Swinging its massive sword and dismembering multiple thin, nearly naked, disgustingly ugly, beings. Blood spewed onto the walls and floor, the Creature bolted back towards Twilight and halted next to her, preparing to attack again. Twilight panicked.

They just keep coming! Twilight thought as she blasted foe after foe with her own magic, not considering that she was using a wooden object in her hand to cast her magic and spray firing into the thin hallway as her ally stabbed any who got close. Eventually the disgusting creatures had been defeated. Twilight relaxed, a blue bolt hit the wall next to her, startling her. her ally of an unknown species ran towards the caster and attacked, killing it in just two hits.

They stopped to rest in a large room, Twilight took the time to recognize her human form. So humans can use magic, but not on their own. How interesting that I never noticed my body when I was summoned. The creature took off it's helmet revealing a human female with pale skin, blue eyes, short brown hair and a thin face.

"Hello there friend! it's nice of you to join me. I am Dusky Star, but you can call me Dusk. well, you Could call me Dusk" Dusk smiled politely.

Twilight tilted her head, confused Could? I can talk! Twilight attempted to say but realized she made no sound.

"You must be new to this. you are a phantom, you aren't really here and you can't talk but you can still interact with the things around you" Dusk explained, still smiling.

Twilight nodded.

"Follow me!" Dusk said, putting her helmet back on and jogging down a hallway. Twilight followed until they reached a small foggy archway atop a platform. Dusk got to one knee, touched the ground and stepped back; Twilight wanted to ask what she was waiting for but she was literally unable to. It hardly mattered because a few seconds later a golden light puddled on the ground and from it, another golden being who raised his arms high above him as he rose as if he were stretching from a long slumber. The being looked like a Human but she couldn't tell because he was wearing armor, he carried a straight sword, round shield and his chest armor depicted a sun.

Dusk waved to the Human and entered the fog door, Twilight observed both Humans go through the fog by placing a hand on the fog and walking through, She did the same. Upon emerging from the fog, she was surprised to see a large Gargoyle assaulting the two Humans; They were clearly on the roof of a large building. She watched as the golden one slashed at its legs and block swings from the gargoyle's dangerous looking tail, although the gargoyle's attention was focused primarily on Dusk.

I should be helping! Twilight realized, still standing in the doorway by the fog, and began to shoot magic at the enemy. A second gargoyle abruptly crashed on the roof, knocking the golden human backwards, and shifted it's attention towards Twilight. Twilight squealed as it walked closer, using her magic as rapidly as she could, until it was close enough that it swung it's giant weapon towards her, she rolled and fell onto the slope of the roof, close to the edge.

Not good! Twilight thought. The gargoyle hovered over the ground and charged towards her, she avoided direct collision but it's tail swung forward knocking her off the roof to her demise. This place sucks was her final thought before hitting the brick far below.

She toppled over onto her back when her consciousness returned. Staring wide eyed at the ceiling. "i'm going to need more practice" Twilight exclaimed to herself.

"Oh dear, what happened?" A gentle voice spoke near Twilight, who tilted her head to see the speaker.

"Hello Fluttershy, I was just in Lordran; Well, not really but sort of. It's pretty dangerous" Twilight giggled.

"That sounds awful! I brought some lunch for both of us, I know you're very hard at work trying too help our friend and I wanted to say thank you by making sure you ate properly!" Fluttershy enthusiastically brought a basket and sat by Twilight.

Author's Note:

4 chapter released at once!

No, Dusk is not from Oolacile. I didn't notice that until I wrote the Gargoyle fight. it's actually a friends Gamertag!