Flame of Disparity

by Cinders of War

Chapter 7: Lake of Silence

When Sunset Shimmer had finally gathered the will to move on, she came across a fork in the path. To the left, there was an elevator of sorts, while on the right, there was a dark and creepy staircase, leading much deeper underground.

The choice was simple.

“Nope!” Sunset said out loud as she walked into the elevator. “Not going deeper. Nope. Sunlight, here I come.”

She’d had enough with the dark caves and catacombs. Too much of it reminded her of what had just happened back in the skeleton’s chamber. The only thing she had left of her shy friend was a golden medal of sorts she had found after the battle, close to where the skeleton had fallen. Sunset decided to keep it to remember her sacrifice, unsure if they would get to meet again in the future.

Looking around the iron cage she was in, Sunset was unable to locate any levers or switches to send the elevator up.

“That’s odd…”

She walked around, feeling the sides of the metal elevator, thinking maybe there was a secret button or something. As she crossed the middle, Sunset felt something shift under her weight. Thinking the elevator was about to collapse, Sunset held on tight to the side, but thankfully, the lift only started heading up; the sound of chains grinding against metal could be heard from above.

She looked down, only now noticing the button was under her feet.

That’s a strange way to control this…

Heading up, Sunset watched the old catacomb bricks slowly turn into a cave wall, the man made structures now behind her. Much to her excitement, the girl soon noticed light rays coming down from above.

Oh, finally… Above ground, here I come!

The lift finally came to a stop inside a large metal structure resembling a bell, the metal contact resounding a single loud, but soothing ‘ding’ across what looked like a lake, just in front of the lift.

“Ooh, what do we have here?” Sunset stepped out, glad that she was once again able to see the sky. When she had first arrived, it was dark, but right now, the sun was shining down on her through a thin layer of fog, warming her up.

The lake ahead seemed peaceful enough. The waters didn’t ripple, nor did there seem to be any forms of life, at least, from what she could see. A mountain range stood to her left, rising high into the clouds, while the left side had a gash in the ground, likely leading back down to the catacombs below if she fell in, which she had no interest of doing.

The girl walked to the water’s edge, looking in to check for monsters. Surprisingly, she couldn’t see anything lurking beneath the surface.

“It is really safe?” Sunset couldn’t quite believe it.

She checked a few more times before finally sitting down, sighing with relief, an idea on her mind.

The water looked more or less clear and clean, so Sunset decided to rid herself of the stench she’d been carrying around. She started with her armor, removing her greaves and gauntlets before doing away with her regular clothes, which she held out in front of her, only realizing now that they were really worn out.

“Maybe I should get some new clothes too…”

Leaving all her gear by the shore, Sunset waded further into the water, stopping when it reached up to her waist. It was cold, but not nearly as cold as the water back in the Underscale Ruins. Not wasting anymore time, the fiery haired girl began to wash herself, smiling as she began to feel clean at last.

One eye kept a close watch around the area, just in case there were any monsters or people about. She didn’t want to be caught by surprise, or worse, killed. Her sword was by the shore, so if something were to show up, she would have to run for it.

Sunset hit herself for thinking so negatively. Come on, Sunset. What have you let this world do to you?

Still, she couldn’t stop the nagging feeling at the back of her head. Finally deciding not to take her chances, Sunset began wading back to shore, heading first for her weapon; her blade was definitely more important than her clothes in this world, though she obviously didn’t want to be running around naked.

Just as she picked up her sword, she heard a splash and turned around, coming face to face with some kind of fish monster holding a trident, skipping straight for her.

“Aah!” Sunset stepped back, almost tripping over one of her greaves, but righted her stance just in time to swing her weapon at the creature.

Her first strike cut thin air, but her second one broke its weapon in half. The fish monster lunged for her, its mouth opening, revealing rows and rows of sharp teeth, resembling a shark’s.

One hand had grasped her left arm, while the other, much to her annoyance and disgust, grabbed the side of her body, just under her right arm, its huge webbed hand touching something it shouldn’t be touching.

“Gross!” Sunset kicked out at it before lifting her blade tip towards it, lodging her weapon through its head. “How dare you!”

The fish creature went still and collapsed atop the fiery haired girl, almost making her wish she didn’t do that. The slimy feeling on the creature on her bare skin raised all the hairs on her body.

Sunset grumbled and closed her eyes as she pushed away from the dead creature, feeling the slimy sensation travel down her body.

Gross gross gross gross…

Once she was free, Sunset Shimmer quickly splashed some of the water over her body again, getting rid of the slime before getting her clothes back on.

She hadn’t thought about needing a towel until now, but seeing as she didn’t have one, she simply placed her clothes back atop her body; the fabric instantly began sticking to her skin.

After donning her jacket, Sunset got to equipping her armor, fastening the leather straps tightly before venturing on, looking for a way across the lake, and watching out for more fish monsters.

Pushing locks of wet hair out of her face, Sunset was ready to continue. She walked along the side of the lake, spotting what looked like a little shack sitting close to the water’s edge. It was a place to start.

Only closer, did Sunset notice more of the fish creatures, lurking just on the shoreline, their heads and fins barely sticking out, but there was no mistaking those slimy white features Sunset had just seen.

The girl hoped to head around them, sticking as close to the mountains as she could. Unfortunately, she had caught their attention as two more fish creatures lumbered out of the water towards her. One had a trident, like the one before, while the second one had a harpoon of sorts.

Sunset sidestepped the first one, grabbing the trident’s shaft with her offhand before stabbing forward with her own weapon, injuring the creature in the chest, allowing black blood to ooze out. The second one engaged her, thrusting its harpoon forward. Sunset ducked low and rolled forward, before getting to her feet, cutting up at the creature as she rose. The fish man shuddered for a second before falling in two.

It was gross, but Sunset was surprisingly getting very used to it. That frightened her. Hopefully when she woke up or returned to her world, that wouldn’t take effect. She had no intention of turning into a cold-blooded killer.

The first fish monster recovered and swiped at her with a slimy hand, knocking Sunset in the back of her head, sending her sprawling to the floor. Sunset spun around and lifted her blade just in time to block its bite, its mouth latching on to her sword instead.

Twisting it at the right angle, the force the fishman was exerting dropped it down on the blade, easily cutting its soft slimy head in two, splattering more goo on Sunset’s face.

“Ergh… Gross.”

Sunset swept the head off and crawled away, back into the water to wash the slime off her clothes. It was probably only going to get slimed again, but it was a sacrifice she would have to be constantly taking if she wanted to be slime-free.

The small hut wasn’t too far away now. Only one more fishman stood in Sunset’s way, which she easily dispatched with her sword. Alone, these creatures proved almost no threat. Together, however, they were a lot more dangerous.

Now that she was closer, Sunset could see past the thin fog, noticing the rugged old features of the hut. Part of the roof was broken and there was moss growing along the sides, where an anchor was sticking out of one wall, embedded in the floor inside.

Sunset swung the door open and peered in. With part of the roof missing, the place was well-lit, letting the girl know that there were no fish creatures here. The shack, unfortunately, contained nothing except for a large rusty switch and a small bell. Remembering the bell from earlier, Sunset decided to pull the switch.

At first, the lever barely budged, but after three more tries, it moved a little, then more and more as Sunset finally managed to lean all the way back, pulling the switch as far as it would go. Just under the bell, a small metal ball seemed to rise along a panel before disappearing into the metal shell. Only when Sunset heard the single ding did she know that the ball had reached the top. The sound seemed to travel across the area, sounding off with its single pure note before fading off into the distance. Whatever these bells were for, Sunset didn’t know, but she couldn’t deny that they made a lovely sound, even if it was brief.

“So… What now?” she asked herself out loud, not seeing anything else to do in the shack.

Returning outside, Sunset decided to press forward, following the shore for a little more. One more fish creature hopped out of the water, but Sunset was ready, spinning in a circle and cutting out, separating the fish’s head from its body. It was sickening to watch, but Sunset didn’t stay long, instead, continuing out looking for a way to proceed.

The shore seemed to go on and on, but after another six minutes, it seemed to end, dropping off into the deep end of the lake. Sunset looked around, looking for a path, or at least a direction for her to go in. To her left, a row of mountains kept her from proceeding, nor were they low enough for her to climb. There really was no way forward.

“How odd…” she rubbed her chin with an armored hand. “Perhaps I could swim across…”

Then she shook her head. No way was she going to be swimming with these gauntlets and greaves, plus her sword wasn’t light. If she swam out there, she would probably just sink straight to the bottom and drown alone, never to be found again.

“Ookay… maybe I’ll just… go back to the start…”

Sunset remembered the other side of the lake and seeing no other way forward from here, it was worth a look. The walk back was easier, lacking the groups of crazy fishmen trying to kill her, allowing her a peaceful walk by the lake.

It was strange, doing something like this. It felt like it’d been ages since Sunset could do something as normal as walking along a lakeside. Spending too much time in this place had made her forget what normal life was like; this was a good reminder of things to look forward to when she could finally leave this world behind.

You can do this, Sunset. You’ll return to your normal life once you get through all this. You will. Hold on to that.

Arriving back at the point where she had taken a bath, Sunset went around to the other side of the lake, following an even narrower path alongside another row of mountains.

Two more fishmen waited for her on shore, which she easily dispatched before they could touch her. Along the way, something new stood in Sunset’s way. It was a fishman, or at least, it looked like one. The only differences is that this one was of a darker purple colour, and stood at least four times taller than Sunset.

Great…

It lumbered towards her, waddling on its long slender legs like some kind of crazy duck. Sunset cut at its hand as it reached out to her, causing it release a gurgled high pitched screech, echoing around the lake.

Without warning, it threw its body at her, just missing the girl as she lunged for the side, splashing face first into the shallow waters.

The fish giant kept going, slithering and skidding in the water like a snake, before standing up about five meters away.

Sunset didn’t wait for a second attack. Instead, she turned and ran, rushing forward, ignoring the cold as it clung to her like a coat. There were worse things than freezing to death right now, and besides, she couldn’t permanently die, at least according to Twilight.

She heard the fish giant chasing after her, its footsteps getting louder and louder behind her. Sunset didn’t dare turn around to see, instead, picking up her speed, pushing past her limits.

Perhaps if she could get somewhere safe, a building or a cave, maybe the monster would forget about her and leave. It sounded like a terrible plan, but she didn’t know what else to do.

Then she spotted a shack, just like the one on the other side of the lake.

Not thinking twice on it, Sunset hightailed for it, diving through the doors, finally turning around and raising her sword.

The big fishman lumbered outside, partially visible from the hole in the roof. It seemed to be walking into the wall outside, likely trying to get in, but luckily, to no avail.

Sunset took this time to sit down and catch her breath, but kept her sword at the ready. After a few minutes, the giant seemed to give up, turning around and walking back down the shore.

“Finally…” she breathed, resting her head on a knee. She didn’t know how she was going to kill that thing, but at least it was gone, for now.

Standing up, Sunset straightened her tattered clothing and inspected the shack she was in. Just like the first one, there was a bell at the back, sitting behind a lever.

“Here goes nothing.”

Sunset gripped the switch and pushed with all her might, watching the lever budge slightly, moving at an extremely slow pace.

“Come on!” she said as she put her back into it, pushing harder.

Soon, the lever reached the end, the mechanism clicking below her feet before the small ball was sent up the bell.

Sunset closed her eyes, waiting for the peaceful sound of the bell to ring out, which it did in a second, sounding off the ring across the landscape, fading in the distance.

If it meant anything, the bells were probably the most peaceful things in this world. Maybe the only peaceful things.

Still, like the first hut, nothing seemed to happen. These bells put questions into Sunset’s mind.

“Who placed these here and what are they even used for?”

Seeing as she could do nothing else in the shack, the girl headed back out, wandering around the lake’s shoreline, unsure of where to go now. The other side of the lake was a dead end and so was this one.

Sunset was about to go back to the start of the place when she heard the sound of water moving, or more accurately, the sound of something moving through the water.

She peered through the light fog and true enough, she could see the shape of some kind of ship start to get closer to the shore.

“Yes! That’s what the bells are for!” she realized when the large brown ship pulled alongside the shore, stopping a good distance in the water.

Knowing she would probably encounter more enemies on the way, she spun her drake sword into her hands and readied herself for the worst.

Just as she got waist deep in the cold water, two fishmen burst from the shallows, waddling towards her with tridents in their hands.

“Why do you guys keep harassing me?” Sunset complained and swung her sword a few times, cutting off one of the first fishman’s hands.

It gurgled at her before lunging for her, tossing its trident aside. Sunset ducked and just as it flew over her, she cut up with her sword, her blade starting from its head and ending between its legs. The two halves of the fishman fell beside her, drenching the girl in its slime and blood.

“Gross…” she spat, but didn’t have enough time to react as the second fishman jumped into her pushing her to the water.

Sunset’s head splashed under water as the fishman thrust its trident down toward her. Thankfully, the tips missed her face, lodging into the earth next to her face, but unfortunately, trapped her, preventing her from rising back up for air.

Not yet. You’re not done just yet!

Kicking at the creature’s arms, Sunset gained enough space to swing her sword. She couldn’t see very clearly, but she felt her blade cut into something soft. Deciding it was close enough, Sunset pushed on, cutting as far as she could until the blade reached thin air. A few seconds later, half the fishman’s head fell into the water beside her, dyeing the immediate surroundings black with its blood.

Fighting for air, Sunset pushed the trident away and launched to her feet, taking in a deep breath as her head burst to the surface.

“Too close…” she mumbled as she took time to gather her strength.

When she was ready, the fiery haired girl proceeded on, nearing the ship that had appeared. She noticed the side had wood jutting out from the hull, just like some kind of built in ladder. Seeing as it was right there, Sunset placed her hands on the wooden extensions and made her way up.

When she reached the top, Sunset noticed the deck was empty. There were no barrels, crates, not even a living person or creature.

“Hmm… How odd.”

Deciding to check below deck, Sunset plodded along, keeping her sword raised, ready for anything.

Going down the deck steps, the girl noticed that the bottom held racks and racks of spears, almost like it was meant to equip an army.

Ignoring them, Sunset headed along the wooden hull, looking through the gloom, wishing she still had her torch. She had gotten used to its brighter light that her own aura barely lit the room now.

Then as she arrived at the end of her path, she spotted something familiar. Something white and smokey, blocking a doorway in a wooden wall.

“Ugh… Not again…” Sunset groaned aloud as she stood before the fog door.

She knew what was coming, but it didn’t mean she was going to like it. Before pushing through the fog, however, Suset Shimmer noticed a faint glow by the corner, just under a rack of spears.

“Oh? What’s this…”

She lifted her sword and smashed the rack, sending wood and spears clattering to the floor.

There was a white glow of a soap sign, just sitting there with the words, ‘Pinkie Pie’, scribbled down.

“Pinkie Pie?” Sunset read aloud, happy to see a familiar name.

Wasting no time, she took out her white sign soapstone and held it out to the sign, resonating with it.

Not too long after, a shape rose from the floor, spreading her arms to the side before jumping up and down excitedly.

“Hi there! I’m Pinkie Pie!” she waved and shook Sunset’s hand. “I’ve been waiting her for quite some time for someone to challenge this boss!”

“The boss?”

“Yeah, every area has a boss, didn’t you figure that out already, silly?” Pinkie chuckled. “This one’s is particularly tough. I just fought it the day before yesterday, and boy, did I take a while! Though, I have trained a bit since then, so maybe not!”

“You have?” Sunset liked where this was going. “So what do we have in store?”

“Oh, nothing, really,” Pinkie waved a hand. “Just a squid.”

“A squid, huh?” It sounded easy enough, but then again, nothing so far had been easy. “Well, I could use the help. Shall we?”

“Righty-ho, miss… ummm… what’s your name?” Pinkie frowned. “Did I forget your name?”

“Technically, no,” Sunset told her. “You see, I’m from another world of sorts. Back home, you’re one of my closest friends. I’m Sunset Shimmer.”

“Ooh, I’ve always wanted a close friend!” Pinkie bounced around excitedly. “You can be my close friend here too!”

“Sure, I’d like that,” Sunset closed an eye as the pink girl wrapped her in a crushing hug, lifting her feet off the ground. “Woah, easy, easy.”

“Yaaay! I have a best friend now!” Pinkie let her go and bounced around her in a circle. “Come on! Let’s go kill this boss!”

The girl reached behind her back and into her pink hair, returning with a curved silver sword.

Same old Pinkie Pie… Sunset smiled to herself. It was nice to see something familiar in this world.

Then she walked on, pushing through the fog, ready to do combat.

As Pinkie Pie had said, there was indeed a squid ahead, wriggling at the far end of the area. It was of a sickly green colour with at least twelve tentacles, thrashing around the ship, making Sunset wonder how it wasn’t sinking yet.

“Hello again, Mr. Galleon Kraken,” Pinkie said in a low voice as she joined Sunset through the fog door. “We meet again, and I shall be your doooooom!”

She ran at the monster first, spinning like a tornado as the kraken shot a tentacle out at her like a spring. At the same time, the girl cut along the tentacle, wounding the beast as it shot another one out. Pinkie simply stopped and kicked off the first tentacle, sailing high before cutting down hard, cutting the entire piece of flesh off the kraken, earning more of its roars.

“See? Not so hard, is it?” she took a second to flash a big smile to Sunset before running straight for its central mass, where two red eyes shone back at Sunset from the darkness of the hold.

Sunset ran for the creature, watching as her energetic friend zipped around like a speed demon, constantly on the attack, cutting at the creature like it was sushi on a plate.

Sushi on a plate. Nice one, Sunset.

Arriving at one tentacle, Sunset drew back her arms and strike, but before she knew it, the entire mass of the monster shuddered and bubbled, like it was melting. Then it started fading into the wood of the ship in white sparkles, fading from existence.

“No way…” she said to herself as Pinkie landed with a roll, stopping by one of the hold’s pillars.

“All done!” the happy girl beamed as she threw her curved sword up and caught it with her other hand behind her back, stuffing it back into her hair. “See? Was that so bad?”

Sunset couldn’t find the words to describe what was going on in her head right now. Up until this point, she’d had so much trouble getting around, but right here, before her eyes, Pinkie Pie had defeated the area’s boss all by herself. Sunset didn’t even get the chance to attack the kraken once.

“What, hello?” Pinkie waved a hand in front of Sunset’s face, getting her attention back. “Ah, there you are, Sunset Shimmer. I thought you left your body or something. You know, something crazy like that.”

“Oh, sorry, Pinkie, I kinda spaced out,” Sunset rubbed at her eyes as she sheathed her sword at her side. “But… wow, Pinkie. How did you… How did you do all that?”

“Do what? Win?” she shrugged. “I don’t know. You just do it!”

Sunset forgot about trying to understand her. She should’ve known that it was hard to explain most of what Pinkie did.

“So, what now? Is there a way out?” Sunset looked around.

Then she noticed Pinkie was starting to disappear, fading like the Galleon Kraken had.

“Oops, time for me to go back!” Pinkie looked at her feet. “Well, glad to know you, Sunset Shimmer! I hope we get to work together again in the future! See you, new best friend!”

Then she was gone, completely disappearing from sight, leaving Sunset alone.

“You can bet I’m looking forward to working with you again,” she smiled to herself and began to look around.

The hold of the ship was a dead end, leading right into a wall of wood, likely the front of the ship.

What now? Sunset scratched her head. If she couldn’t go forward, then-

Then there was a rumble all around her, making the girl fall to one knee. The whole ship seemed to shudder around her. Sunset was afraid it was going to collapse and sink, but after a few more seconds, she realized she had nothing to worry about.

The ship was moving through the waters of the lake and it was likely taking her to her next location. She didn’t really want to know what else this world had in store for her, but she hoped Pinkie Pie would be around to help her out more. This was one thing she was never going to forget when she left this world.

If she could leave this world.

Author's Note:

Achievement Unlocked: Galleon Kraken - You defeated the Galleon Kraken.

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