> Applejack in Lordran > by Simbody > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > The Asylum > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Applejack was busy out on the farm, bucking apples to sell, when a storm started to roll in. Ah’ll just get this last bushel in an’ call it a day. Applejack thought to herself as the rain started to fall. Just as she was about to get in one last kick, there was a great peal of thunder. “Maybe Ah’ll just call it a day now,” she said out loud, getting ready to carry what apples she had back to the barn. As she headed towards the barn, there was a flash of thunder and a loud crack, and then everything went black. ~~~~ In the age of ancients the world was unformed, shrouded by fog... but then, there was fire... ~~~~ Applejack slowly became aware of her surroundings as she woke up. She was laying on the floor of the kitchen, in front of the fireplace where the cooking pot was. “Oh, hey sis. Ah thought you were still out in the orchard buckin’ apples?” Apple Bloom asked as she walked in. “Ah was... but then... Ah don’t remember how Ah got here,” Applejack said, sitting up. “You don’t remember?” Apple Bloom questioned. Applejack gave her head a shake, trying to remember what happened. “Hello? Sis?” Apple Bloom asked, waving a hoof in front of her sister’s face. “You sure you’re alright?” “Ah’ll be fine. Why don’t you go find Mac for me,” Applejack said, turning to look out the window. She was sure that a tree had fallen on her after being struck by lightning, but here she was, sitting in her kitchen with not even a scratch. When Apple Bloom left to find their brother, Applejack went back out into the orchard to investigate what happened. When she reached where she thought she had been she saw that there was a tree down, and that there was a spilled bucket of apples. “What in tarnation?” she said as she walked around the tree. What she saw after that made her speechless. There was a medium sized green orb, floating in the air above a puddle of dark red blood. The orb seemed to be the source of the puddle as it dripped little globules of the dark red substance. The sight almost made Applejack sick, but she choked back her nausea and stepped closer to the green orb. She reached out her hoof to touch it, but just before she made contact, the orb seemed to burst, and the puddle of blood quickly evaporated. Applejack quickly withdrew her hoof, she saw something strange. On the bottom of her hoof was what looked like a burning circle. “It is as we feared,” a voice said from behind her, making Applejack jump. “What the hay? Princess Luna?” Applejack asked, bewildered to see the princess of the night. The Princess of the Night gave a heavy sigh as she laid a hoof on the apple farmer’s shoulder. “That mark on your hoof is a phenomena that my sister and I had thought long extinguished. It is called the Darksign, and it brands the undead,” Luna explained. “Undead? But Ah feel fine,” Applejack said, wondering what the princess could be talking about. “Yes, but you did indeed die, the soul that you just reabsorbed proved that,” Luna said. “Soul? Wait, that was my blood?” Applejack questioned, remembering the deep red pool. “Yes, and that green orb was your soul. You absorbed it with the Darksign,” Luna said, confirming her fears. “But, if Ah died, then how am Ah alive?” Applejack questioned, fear rising in her chest. “The undead are reborn at nearby bonfires, specially made for their use, but any fire of significant size will due in the absence of one,” Luna said. “That explains why Ah was in my kitchen...” Applejack said. “I’m sorry Applejack, but you have to go now,” Luna said. “What? Why? Where?” Applejack said, throwing questions at the Lunar Princess. “I wish I could explain more to you, but it must be done quickly,” Luna said, her horn starting to glow. “Wait, what’r you doing?” Applejack cried. “I am sending you to the Undead Asylum, where you will be unable to harm any pony,” Luna said as she prepared to cast the spell that would send Applejack away. “What? Harm any pony? But I wouldn't hurt a fly!” she protested, but it was already too late, Luna released the spell, and Applejack was gone. Luna was left standing by the fallen tree by herself, “We’re sorry Applejack...” ~~~ And amongst the living are seen, the carriers of the accursed Darksign. ~~~ Dear Twilight Sparkle, It is with a heavy heart that my sister and I have to inform you that you’re friend Applejack has the Darksign, and will be taken to the Undead Asylum. I wish there was more that we could do. My deepest apologies Princess Celestia Twilight read the note over for what seemed like the hundredth time. “This doesn't make any sense!” she lamented to her assistant Spike, “What is this ‘Darksign’? And what is the Undead Asylum? For that matter, what is an undead?” It was at that time that Rainbow Dash happened to be flying by, and popped in to investigate. “What the matter Twilight?” she asked. “Rainbow Dash! Maybe you can make some sense of this,” Twilight said, passing the letter to her friend. “What...” Rainbow Dash questioned, dropping the letter. “I don’t know, none of this makes any sense, but I've been to Applejack’s and no pony’s seen her since last night,” Twilight explained. “I can’t believe this... how could she not tell you anything about this? Applejack’s our friend, and all the explanation we get for why she goes missing is that she had something called the Darksign? I’m not buying it,” she snorted. “I’ve been trying to figure out what to do all morning, and I just don’t know!” Twilight lamented, hanging her head. “I know what we’re going to do,” Dash said. “You do?” Twilight questioned, almost on the verge of tears. “We’re going to get the others and we’re going to march into Canterlot and ask Celestia what in the hay is going on,” Dash said. “But we can’t just barge into the Castle,” Twilight protested. “We have a right to know! Besides, you’re her student, you have special privileges or something right?” Dash asked. “Well...” Twilight trailed off. “Great! I’ll go get Pinkie, Rarity, and Fluttershy,” Rainbow said, taking off out the door to round up the rest of their friends. -- “Wha-Where am Ah?” Applejack asked as she awoke. She looked around and found that she was in some kind of cell, with what looked like two corpses in either back corner, and a large hole in the ceiling through which light filtered in. Applejack then took a look at herself, and was that she looked rather gaunt. Her hair was rather pale and her skin clung tightly to her frame. “What did the Princess do t’ me?” she cried. She was interrupted from her mild panic attack my the sound of some rustling above her followed by a corpse, much like the two in the corners, being dropped through the hole in the ceiling. She could barely see an armored head pull away from the hole before looking down at the corpse that had been dropped in front of her. It was odd, but Applejack felt that there was something special about the corpse that had been dropped and she tentatively stretched out her hoof towards it. As her hoof touched it, she could have sworn that she could see a slight glow about it. She looked the corpse over and found a key around its neck. She took the key and looked it over. She looked at the key, then to the hole in the ceiling, then back to the key. It then dawned on her that some pony was trying to help her get out of there. She walked to the door, and it occurred to her that it was clearly made for something about twice her height. She put the key to the lock, and found that it turned. She pushed the barred door open and looked down the gloomy hallway before her. She could make out the shapes of two more corpse looking figures, the only difference was that they were moving. One was in a crouched position, beating a sword hilt aimlessly against the ground, while the other was standing against a wall. Applejack noticed what looked like three glowing orange claw marks. The first of these claw marks, of which there were three, was just before her. She walked over to it and looked down at it. Upon closer inspection, she could see that it was actually three lines of arcane characters. “Ah sure wish Ah could read this mumbo jumbo,” Applejack said, running a hoof under the top line. As she did so, the letters started to morph and shift, changing into something that was comprehensible to her. This is a message sigil, they will help guide you... “That’s it?” Applejack questioned the orange writing, but as soon as her hoof left the text, it went back to it’s normal form. She went up to the second, which was close to the kneeling figure. She cautiously approached it, but the figure paid her no mind and continued it’s mindless task of beating at the ground. When she touched the second sigil, this one was a bit longer. You, and this creature before you are hollows. Most hollows are mindless undead who have long since lost their humanity. Some, like you, are not too far gone, and can retain your sanity. Kill this one, put it out of it’s misery... “Kill it?” Applejack questioned. The very idea that whoever was writing these messages wanted her to kill this helpless creature sickened her. “Hello?” Applejack called to the hollow. The creature didn't respond to her. “Hey! Ah’m talkin' to ya!” Applejack called in a firmer tone. The hollow continued to beat at the ground. Applejack went over to it and tapped it on the shoulder. This got a reaction from it and it turned its head towards her before standing up. At it’s full height, it was twice as tall as Applejack, though it looked rather frail. “Finally, my name’s-” She was cut off as the hollow swung the broken blade it held in its hands at Applejack. The blow didn't particularly hurt, the blade had only a few inches left to it, and what it did have was dulled to the point that it could barely be called a blade, but it caught Applejack by surprise. “What was that fer?” she snorted as she backed away from it. It didn't answer but it turned to her and began to shuffle after her. In a few steps the shuffle turned into somewhat of a run as it prepared to attack Applejack again. This time she didn't give it the change, and bucked it in the legs before it could swing. She didn't think it would have that much of an effect, but the hollow fell to the ground, unmoving. Applejack was sad that she had to kill the thing, but she felt almost good as something flowed from it to her. Applejack moved to the third sigil and read it. Unlike the land of the living, here, you’re strength will diminish with each action, and you will have to rest to replenish it. Try beating on this hollow and you’ll understand... Well, these sigils were nothing if not helpful. Applejack walked over to the Hollow and proceeded to start swinging her front hooves at it. After a few swings, the hollow was dead, and Applejack understood what the sigil meant; she felt unusually tired after the pummeling she had given it. After a few seconds though, she felt strength return to her limbs and she went farther down the hallway until she got to a room that had another hollow in it. There was also a sigil on the ground which she proceeded to read. If you hadn't noticed, you have been absorbing souls from each hollow you defeat. If you prove yourself, these souls will become very important... “Alright, now you’re just bein’ cryptic,” Applejack complained to the orange writing. She proceeded to kill this third hollow and she felt the souls flow into her. She proceeded into the next room and climbed up a ladder and into a courtyard. The courtyard was almost empty, except for a large door on the opposite side, and a small sword stuck in the ground in the center, buried in a small pile of fine white powder. Just in front of the sword was another sigil. Resting at bonfires will restore your health and estus. “What in tarnation is estus?” Applejack asked out loud. Giving a sigh, she sat down in front of the sword, but nothing happened. She sat for some time until she got sick of it. “How is this restin’? Ah don’t feel any different than before!” she snorted, kicking at the base of the sword, where there was a small pile of ash. At her touch, the ashes suddenly sprung into life and soon a little fire was burning brightly at the base of the sword, its tips curling around the mysterious blade. This time when Applejack sat down, she could feel something change. Her surroundings darkened and she found herself staring into the flames, their warmth coursing through her gaunt body. -- Twilight and her four friends walked up to the castle and were ushered inside by the guards. They were led to the throne room where Celestia was sitting on her throne. Her normally sunny visage darkened when she saw Twilight and her friends enter the room. Celestia waved off her guards so that they could be alone for the discussion that was about to come. “Twilight, I’m sorry to you and your friends about what fate has befallen Applejack, and if you follow me, I will explain to you why things must be as they are,” the princess of the sun said, beckoning them to follow her. Celestia led them to a tall tower where Luna was sitting, looking into what appeared to be a mirror and writing on it with an orange stone. “Sister, it’s time that we explained to them what happened...” Celestia said to her sister. Luna gave a sigh and turned away from the mirror and walked to join her sister. “Sit, this tale is a long one,” Luna said, bringing over some cushions for every pony to sit on. “Long ago, in another realm, there was nothing in the world, only fog, and barren rock,” Celestia began. “During this time, nothing lived, and nothing died. It was ruled over by nothing more than archtrees, and everlasting dragons. Then, came fire, and with it came light, but also darkness. From this first flame, they came, the first to claim the lord souls. Nito, the first of the dead; The Witch of Izalith, and her sisters of Chaos; and Lord Gwyn, and his knights. These three lords banded together, and with their combined powers, they took the surface from the immortal dragons, and ushered in the Age of Fire. However, there was a fourth lord soul, the Dark Soul, claimed by a being known only as the Pigmy. The Pigmy brought about the creation of humans, a race of bipedal apes that behave much like ponies, with the exception that they are full of darkness. When The First Flame was kindled, and the Age of Fire ushered in, it created a growing darkness in humans. Unknown to Gwyn and the other lords, the cause of the growing darkness was not only the spread and growth of the fragmented Dark Soul, but that the light from their world was being drawn off. Our world is what is drawing off their light. The events of their world correspond with those of ours. When the Witch of Izaleth created the flame of Chaos, Discord was created in our world. When Gwyn’s daughter, Genevieve was exiled from Anor Londo, Luna was transformed into Nightmare Moon. When the chosen undead linked the fire, you six became the Elements of Harmony. Our two worlds are interconnected, but one curse hasn’t been in our lands since the Darkness was unleashed upon Olicile.” “As you might have guessed, the curse is the Darksign,” Luna said. “It last appeared just before I was turned into Nightmare Moon. Back then, thanks to Gwyn’s foresight, we were able to rid ourselves of the Darksign.” “Now, it has appeared on Applejack,” Celestia finished. “Wow...” Twilight said. “Is there anything we can do?” Rarity begged. Celestia and Luna exchanged a look. “I have been guiding her, but as of yet, there is nothing more we can do,” Luna said. “Can we see?” Fluttershy asked. “You must tell no pony of this,” Luna said, going back to the mirror. The others crowded around her to look at the mirror. What they saw was Applejack being crushed by a grotesque monster many times her size. Fluttershy passed out, while Rarity averted her eyes, but Twilight, Pinkie, and Rainbow Dash continued to watch, as Applejack’s body disappeared, and their view shifted to a courtyard, where Applejack was now sitting by a fire, punching the ground. Luna sighed, “This is her fifth time trying to fight the Asylum Demon. She doesn't realize that she cannot kill it without a weapon, so she keeps throwing herself at it.” “There’s no way she can fight that thing!” Rainbow Dash cried. “Of course there is silly, she just needs to jump on its head, Pinkie said. “But... But, how did you know that?!” Luna questioned the pink mare. “It says it right in the walk-through,” she replied merrily. -- Applejack was tired of this ugly thing. It had smashed, crushed, and sat on her, seven times, and she was sick of it. “There’s no way to kill this thing!” she wailed. Then it hit her. The beast was far too strong for her to take on, even if all her friends were here, they would have a tough time besting it. So what if she tried to run away from it. Applejack pushed open the huge double doors and stepped into the room where she could see her soul sitting in the center. She rushed in and grabbed it before the monster could attack her, and she tried to keep as far away as possible from it. After backing up to a wall, she noticed a small, nondescript doorway on the other side of the room, so she dashed in between the monster’s legs while it readied to smash her, and bolted for the door. Upon making it through, a gate shut behind her, and finally, she was safe. She went down the short sloping path and entered a room with a bonfire in it. She rested at the bonfire, and felt better. If there was one thing that she did like about that monster, is that it made her appreciate getting away from it, and actually living. After that, she looked down a hallway and saw a hollow with a bow standing at the far end. It hadn't noticed her, but she could see that this wasn't like the first ones she had seen, it looked more alert. When she entered the hallway, it let loose an arrow at her, which she dodged before ducking into a small room. There was a sigil on the ground that she read. Applejack, grab your shield and bash that baddie! Oops, wrong game... “Pinkie?” Applejack asked the orange writing that seemed to be mimicking her friend. She didn't dwell on the thought though, and found a shield on a corpse. She strapped the small wooden shield to her left foreleg and tested out her stance. She found it easy enough to block while staying in her regular stance, but if she was going to be using her other hoof to attack, she would have to get used to standing on her back legs a lot. She peeked out and saw that the hollow was still firing arrows at the doorway. She put up her shield and charged at the hollow. As she neared it, it turned and ran down a side hallway. Applejack stopped to investigate the telltale glow that something was on a corpse on the ground. She looked it over and found a mace. She felt the heft of it, and decided that it would make a better weapon than her bare hooves, at least the front ones. She still had her legendary apple bucking skills that could take out these hollows no problem, but it left her worn out after only doing it twice. Applejack strapped the mace to her side where she could easily grab it and went after the hollow that had fired arrows at her. At the top of a short ramp she confronted it, and promptly bludgeoned it with her new mace, which took it out on a couple swift hits, rather than the pummeling that her hooves would take. After that, she saw something rather strange, a doorway blocked by fog. She walked up to the fog and her hoof went up against it like it was solid. She tested it a few more times to make sure, and found that it wouldn't let her pass. She then held out her hoof with the Darksign, and walked forward, and the fog parted revealing a large area that overlooked the courtyard where the first bonfire was at. Across from the doorway where she stood, through some metal bars, she could see an armored figure, laying in a pile of rubble. She walked around the side of the room and found that there was no way to get to the figure, so she went back to the bars. “Hey, are you alright in there?” she called to the figure. The figure either didn't hear her, or couldn't respond, because the only thing that answered Applejack was silence. She tried a few more times, but gave up and went back around the room to two adjacent stairways, on leading upwards, and one leading down. Applejack decided it was better to see if the latter lead to the bonfire, so she went down the staircase and found a bar door that was blocked from the side she was on. She removed the block and pushed the door open, and stepped into the courtyard. She went over to the bonfire and rested, not that she needed to. She was barely scratched since the last bonfire, with only one hollow to deal with, but she enjoyed the comforting warmth. After resting for a bit, she went back up the way she had come and tried to go up the other staircase. After just a few steps though, she heard something shift in the gloom ahead of her and an iron ball bigger than she was came rolling down the stairs. Applejack didn't have time to get out of the way, so she was flung to the bottom of the stairs by the iron ball, before it finally took out a wall and came to a rest. Applejack knew that something must be broken from the pain she felt, but was able to get up again without any problem. After taking a moment to catch her breath, she looked at the wall that the ball had taken out, and realized that it was the same room the armored figure was in. She walked into the room and approached the armored figure cautiously. She couldn't be sure if it was a hollow or not because of the armor, but she didn't want to get caught unprepared if it was. So, shield and mace ready, she stepped up to the figure. “Ugh... Hmm?” the figure said groggily. “Um, are you a hollow?” Applejack questioned. “What’s this? A talking horse? I must be going mad...” the figure said. “Hey!” Applejack complained, “Ah’m not just some figment of yer imagination, and Ah’m a pony.” “Well, I’m sorry pony, but I can’t help you. I’m done for I’m afraid. I’ll be hollow before too long. But, I do have something,” he said, as he slowly reached into a pouch on his belt and pulled out an emerald flask. “What’s this?” Applejack asked, taking the shiny bottle. “Estus, an undead favorite. It will heal your wounds. Now go, I don’t want to hurt you after I go hollow...” he said. “Alright...” Applejack said, putting the estus flask on the same belt as the mace. “But what about you?” But he was already gone, his body starting to fade. Applejack walked out of the room and took a look at the estus flask. She was still hurting from the iron ball, so she decided to take a drink from the emerald container. She felt her whole body fill with warmth as the golden yellow liquid went down her throat. The pain instantly disappeared, and she placed the flask back on her belt. When she got to the top of the stairs, she saw a hollow, and a door behind it. She quickly dispatched the hollow and opened the gate to see some of the landscape beyond.Aside from a small hill, the only thing around the place she was in, were cliffs and mountains. Applejack went to step to the edge of the platform, when she barely registered the fact that a hollow was aiming an arrow at her. She quickly jumped back and readied herself for a fight. Around the corner were three hollows, two holding swords, and the one that had fired the arrow at her. Applejack waited for the first hollow to shuffle around the corner before dispatching it with a couple blows to the head. The hollow crumpled to the ground just before it’s companion shuffled around the corner. Applejack decided to dodge around this one, and rushed around the corner to take out the hollow archer. Before it even had the chance to loose one arrow, Applejack had begun to beat away at it with her mace, until it fell to the ground, leaving only the last hollow to shuffle towards her. She waited until it was close, then blocked it’s feeble attack with her shield, causing it to recoil. As it was recovering, Applejack bludgeoned it, until she was sure it wouldn't get back up. Applejack paused for a moment, looking at her fallen foes. Before she had been sent to this strange place, the worst she could do to some pony, was give them a black eye; now, she had killed a dozen hollows, and she felt oddly alright with the fact. “There’s somethin’ off about this place...” she said to herself, reflecting on her new found killer instinct. After recollecting her thoughts, Applejack looked over her surroundings. To one side, there was another fog door, but this one was much larger, and lead to the area where she had fought the killer monster. On the other, was a smaller doorway, which led into a dimly lit room. She decided it was better not to take the risk, and cautiously trotted over to the smaller doorway. She peeked in, and saw a hollow wearing some form of armor, and holding a shield as well as a sword. She also saw a message sigil on the ground near this new type of hollow. Applejack decided to take caution with this armored foe, and put her shield up before tentatively stepping into the room. The hollow appeared to take notice of her, but made no move to attack her as she stepped fully into the room, mace at the ready. She crept forward towards the sigil, but halfway through the small room, the hollow put up it’s shield, and started to move to meet the orange pony. Applejack stopped and watched the hollow slowly approach her, until it was a few steps away, then it dropped its guard and swung it’s sword at her. Unlike the other hollows’ blows, this one jarred her arm as it met the shield, causing it to feel sore. After a couple more blows, Applejack’s arm was starting to hurt, and she knew she couldn't keep blocking this thing’s strikes for much longer. Applejack darted away from the hollow’s next attack, and rushed over to the sigil, hoping that the hollow would stay away long enough for her to read it. At the right moment, just as an opponent is about to strike, parry them, and they will be left open to attack. Applejack wasn't left to ponder the instruction, as the hollow was soon upon her. She waited until the hollow readied for an attack, then, instead of blocking the blow, Applejack swatted the blade to the side, leaving the hollow reeling, and open to attack. Applejack didn't want to take any more of a beating from the hollow, so she did a quick turn on her front legs, and bucked the hollow as hard as she could, sending it back a few feet before it landed on the hard floor with a thud. After dealing with that, she ran the action through her head a few more times, thinking hard on how it felt to deflect the blow. Applejack returned to the bonfire after that, and sat down to rest. After finding something that wasn't a hollow, and learning this new parry technique, she felt exhausted, and wanted nothing more to sleep beside the comforting warmth of the bonfire. > Firelink Shrine > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Applejack woke up from her slumber and stretched. It was only after she had a look around that she remembered where she was, and sighed. She had hoped that when she woke up, that all of the events of the past day would be just a bad dream and she would awake in her bed, like always; but, alas, she was still in the courtyard by the ever burning bonfire. Applejack went over her things before setting out for the day. She had her shield, her mace, her estus flask, and her trademark stetson, but other than that, she had no extra protection. Applejack headed up the nearby steps and dodged the iron boulder which had mysteriously returned, and quickly dispatched the waiting hollow. In this strange land, the bonfires seemed to be a double edged sword. They healed Applejack when she rested at them, but all the hollows she had defeated since, would return to where they had been, as if she had never slain them. After clearing the archer and the other two hollows on the balcony, she looked once again to the fog door. It loomed large in the archway, and led into the room where a giant monster no doubt waited for her. As she looked down towards the bottom, Applejack noticed a message sigil in front of the door. If you strike a foe from above, the force of the fall will add to the damage in a plunging attack. Applejack wondered what it meant, but figured she’d understand after the fog door. She pressed through the fog door, and found herself on a small balcony overlooking the room where the monster had killed her several times, but didn't see anything. Then, she looked down. The monster’s grotesque face was staring back at her. Applejack tried to jump back, but the fog door prevented her from going back very far. Thinking back to the message sigil, Applejack looked down at the monster, and took a deep breath, bracing herself before catapulting into the air above it. The monster seemed completely oblivious to the mace that was now descending on its head, until the very last moment, when it bent slightly forward. Applejack could feel some of the beasts back and shoulders give way beneath her as she came down on it with the added force of her fall, and she slid off of its back, and turned to attack the now wounded monster. She swung hard at the bulbous hind quarters of the monster as it was recoiling, and landed another hit before it started to slowly turn to face her. Applejack, with her new found weapon, and determined confidence, began to dodge the monster’s large demonic hammer, and started to lad serious blows against it while it was recovering from it’s overly exerting swings. One swing, however, managed to catch Applejack at the end of one of her dodges, and sent her sliding across the floor. She stood up, shooting pain in her side , and looked at the monstrosity. Something told her that it couldn't take much more, but neither could she. But she had one advantage it didn't. Applejack backed up to the corner as the monster lumbered slowly towards her, and quickly uncorked the emerald estus flask., taking a quick swig of the healing ambrosia. Corking it, Applejack darted out of the corner, and towards more open space as the monster turned to face her. She got up close, and renewed her assault on the grotesque beast, and worked all the way around it before landing three solid blows. After the third blow, the creature’s legs buckled, and it fell to the floor with a loud thud. Applejack stared in disbelief at the dead beast as it’s body dissipated into white fizzles of light. “YEEEEEEE HAWWWW!” she cheered, throwing her hat into the air. She had finally defeated the monster that had killed her seven times the prior day, and had quite frankly pushed her to where she was now. After catching her hat, and re-seating it atop her head, Applejack noticed a small yellowish white orb where the beast had been. Applejack grabbed the orb, and as she did, it turned into two different items in her hooves. One was a large golden key, the other, was something she had never seen before. The object looked like some kind of black crystal of some kind, oddly shaped, and pure black, save for a white outline. Applejack looked this strange object over and ponder what it could be, closing her eyes and racking her brains. “Humanity?” she asked out loud as the word came strangely to her mind. She shrugged and stowed this “humanity” and looked at the key. It was much larger than any keyhole she had seen before, and obviously was used for the large door on the far side of the room. She walked to the door, and inserted the key, before starting to push on the door. The door was heavy, and creaked as it slowly swung open. On the other side of the door was a small set of steps, before a hill that sloped sharply upwards, that had ruins of some kind on either side, before a steep drop. Just in front of her however was a message sigil, followed by another just ahead. Congratulations! The she moved up to the second one and read it. Now, go ahead. Applejack pondered why the sigils had so little to say, but followed their directions, as they had only helped her thus far. As she neared the top of the hill, the path began to narrow out, until she was standing on the edge of the cliff, looking over a huge valley, and a mountain range in the distance. Without warning, a giant raven swooped up from below Applejack, talons outstretched, and grabbed the orange pony in it’s powerful grasp. ~~~ ...In thine exodus from the Undead Asylum, maketh pilgrimage to the land of ancient lords... ~~~ Luna burst into the room that the remaining mane six had been sharing while they watched their friend’s progress. “She’s done it!” the dark alicorn exclaimed. Some of the sleeping ponies roused from their sleep, namely Twilight and Rarity. “What?” Twilight questioned while she rubbed the sleep from her eyes. “Applejack has made it through the Undead Asylum! And now she’s on her way to the Firelink Shrine! “The what?” Rarity asked “Come, I’ll show you,” Luna said, beckoning them to follow her to the mirror through which they had been watching Applejack’s journey. Rarity and Twilight arrived at the mirror just in time to see Applejack being dropped from above an old ruin be a giant raven. Luna was busy scribbling another message with the orange stone as they watched. They saw as Applejack read the message, and stepped up to a bonfire. “Um, Princess?” Twilight asked. “What is it Twilight?” Luna replied. “What’s happening to Applejack?” she questioned, watching some white streams of energy flow into her friend from the newly lit bonfire. “Why, she is leveling up. Spending the souls she has collected to strengthen herself,” the night princess responded. “She can do that?” Rarity questioned. Luna nodded, “Yes, you see, not only can souls be used to improve oneself, but they are also a form of currency, and many denizens of Lordran trade items for them.” “And where is Lordran?” Twilight inquired. “It’s very hard to explain...” Luna reluctantly answered. “What do you mean?” Twilight pried. “It is in another realm,” Luna replied. -- “So who r’ you?” Applejack asked the stooped figure sitting by the bonfire. “Well, what do we have here? You must be a new arrival,” said the lightly armored figure, looking the orange pony before him over. “Yeah, in case ya hadn't noticed, Ah’m not from ‘round here,” Applejack replied. “How did a talking horse get in the Asylum anyhow? Oh well, I don’t really care,” The sullen man replied. “Why does every one of y’all keep callin’ me a horse? Ah’m a pony!” she snapped. “Well, since you’re here... let me help you out,” the man said, seeming to ignore the sudden outburst. “Really? Ah’m trying to find a way back to Equestria, and maybe a fella like yerself could help me,” Applejack said. “What? You mean you’re not here about the whole Fate of the Undead prophecy?” the man asked, seeming to straighten just a bit. “What? Ah didn't know about no prophecy,” she replied. “Well, maybe ringing the bells of awakening will do something?” he mused. “The bell of awakening?” Applejack questioned. “Yes, there’s one up above, in the undead church. The other is far, far below, in the base of Blighttown. Ring both of them and something happens,” he said, staring off into the distance as he recounted the information. “Thanks, maybe Ah’ll find some answers after ringin’ those bells,” Applejack said. “Not much to go on, but I have a feeling that won’t stop you...” he said, as Applejack began to wander off. > The Undead Burg Pt.1 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Applejack had spent some time exploring the area around the Firelink shrine, meeting a man named Petrus, who gave her a copper coin, and finding a fire-keeper beneath the shrine, After trying to talk to the fire-keeper, Applejack decided to poke around a graveyard that lay around the other side of Firelink shrine. There were many tombstones around the graveyard, with some small collections of bones strewn about here and there, it looked as though the grave may have been larger as there was an abrupt ledge all along one side. As Applejack entered the graveyard, a pair of skeletons coalesced from two of the piles of bone, standing with curved swords raised, ready to attack Applejack. At first Applejack thought that these skeletons would be pushovers, but she soon felt the bite of their blades was far stronger than any attack she had dealt with since, and she soon found herself about to collapse from just two swings; The third blow cut especially deep, and she could feel the blood spilling out of her body just before collapsing into the dirt. In a few moments, Applejack found herself gasping at the Firelink bonfire. Applejack returned to the graveyard to get her soul, then hightailed it back to the bonfire, not even looking back to see if the skeletons were following her. After catching her breath from her flight, Applejack looked towards the one place she hadn't explored, a small set of stairs that led towards an aqueduct. She tentatively followed the steps, and when she reached the top, she took in the path ahead. One barely armored hollow was standing just ahead of her before some stair that clung to a cliff-side, while another with a shield stood farther back along a cliff, beside the stairs. Up above, where the stairs ended in a small plateau, was a hollow, that had yet to notice her, standing near another set of steps that led to a ledge along the side of the aqueduct. Applejack got ready to take on the first hollow by the stairs, and was shocked as the hollow above started throwing firebombs. The plumes of flame that they produced weren't close enough to be of any concern, but it would make getting up the stairs much more difficult. Applejack dealt with the first hollow without much trouble, but then, she had to get up the stairs to get rid of the bomber. Wherever the firebombs exploded, they would leave lingering flames, allowing the bomber some time to prepare another bomb to throw. In between the fire dissipating and the next bomb being thrown, there was a window for Applejack to rush by, and make it to the bomber, but she would have to time it perfectly, or else get caught in the flames. She waited for the right moment, then darted by and sighed inwardly as she heard the bomb explode behind her. She continued up the stairs and saw that there was a hollow that she had not seen before, wielding an ax, and turning to face her. Applejack quickly beat down this hollow and turned back to the fire bomber. She was just able to roll out of the way as it threw another firebomb at her. Applejack darted forward and bashed the hollow in the side of the head with her mace, sending it tumbling over the cliff and into the yawning canyon below and took a second to watch it fall before turning and climbing the stairs that led to the aqueduct walkway, and yet another hollow. Applejack was getting tired of the seemingly endless supply of hollows and slammed her mace into the new hollow, sending it tumbling off the aqueduct and into the canyon like its brethren. She looked down to see if the shield bearing hollow was giving chase, but it was just standing where it had been, at the edge of the canyon. Not seeing any other immediately life threatening situations, Applejack took a moment to recover some of her energy before walking to a small entrance in the side of the aqueduct. Poking her head inside she peered down the long hallway inside the aqueduct. To her left was a dead end with a large rat guarding a glowing piece of treasure, while to the right was a gate and another doorway. Not wanting to mess with the pony sized rat, she took the path on the right and tried the gate. The heavy door didn't budge, either locked or barred from the other side. Applejack turned around and to her right was a door way, she looked through; It let in light, but immediately in front of it was a wall that turned sharply to the right. She looked around the corner and saw a set of stair and the tops of buildings above. Applejack felt a wave of relief rush through her as she ran up the stairs, seeing this sign of civilization. Her heart sank as she reach the top however; she was able to see many buildings, and even a castle high above, but the buildings looked abandoned and in disrepair. She let out a heavy sigh and turned towards a sudden shuffling sound to her left. Two hollows were beginning to make their way towards the orange mare. Applejack steeled herself for a fight and raised her shield. The first hollow swung at her and stumbled back as it’s blow bounced off of Applejack shield. She wasted no time in bringing her mace down in a heavy blow to its torso, collapsing the shambling opponent. The second made a jumping attack and hit Applejack, cutting off some of the brim of Applejack’s hat and leaving a deep cut in her shoulder. Applejack let out an angry snort and smashed her mace into the hollows leg, causing it to stumble. She hit it again in the stomach, doubling it farther. She brought the mace up with both hooves and brought it down like a hammer on the hollows head, flattening it out on the ground. After taking a moment to let her breathing even out, Applejack took off her hat and appraised the damage. The cut had taken a portion of the brim off, making the hat look lopsided, but it was still wearable, so she placed it back on her head and picked up the missing hat scrap, tucking it under her hat. She crossed a small plank bridge and jumped back as a hollow threw a firebomb at her, igniting the stone where she had just stood. To compound the problem, another hollow broke through some crates blocking a door on her left, advancing on Applejack. She dashed back to where she’d felled the two other hollows, out of reach of the stationary bomber, and faced the other. It swung at her, but applejack parried and brought her mace into it’s side, letting it crumple to the ground. She turned to face the bomber, who was still mindlessly and diligently throwing firebombs in her direction. Applejack ran and jumped through the dissipating flames, landing in front of the hollow. It looked down at her as she spun around on her front hooves, just before it was catapulted off of the ledge it was standing in front of by Applejack’s buck. She watched it sail off into the abyss and turned to the door that the hollow had burst out of. She went inside and found a bunch of boxes and crate that she looked through, but found nothing. She left the room and went to a door across from it. This room was slightly bigger and had a set of stairs that led to a second floor. Under the stairs was a glowing bit of treasure that Applejack decided to investigate and found a large soul. She tucked it under her hat and went up the stairs and saw a doorway with stairs leading up to a bridge on her right. She went up the stairs and god a much better view of the castle and the upper level of the town. She was about to cross when a giant red drake landed on the bridge with a roar, before flying off towards the castle. Applejack’s heart was racing when the beast took off. She didn’t expect to see dragons, let alone have one land right in front of her. After making sure she didn’t have a heart attack, Applejack looked ahead of her, not eager to have any more surprises like that befall her. Ahead of her was a rooftop with a hollow standing off to the left. Farther beyond was a small room with a set of stairs leading up to another section of roofs and a hollow archer on top of the room. To her right was another roof with two hollows holding heavy shields and spears. Applejack decided that it was probably best to take out the archer, it seemed to be better equipped than the ones she had see in the Undead Asylum. She rushed across the bridge, passing the hollow to her left. A wooden barrier broke as a hollow smashed through it. Applejack ignored it and raced up the stairs, turning around and facing the archer. It was wearing chainmail, and had a crossbow aimed at her. She swore as the bolt hit her in the shoulder, the hollow firing before she could react. She ignored the intense pain and charged the hollow while it was reloading. She brought out her mace and hit it repeatedly until it finally gave way under her assault and fell. She didn’t have much time to celebrate as three hollows shambled up the stairs, cornering the apple farmer. Applejack raised her shield to block the first hollow as it swung. The second wound up for a heavy hit while the first recoiled. Applejack was faster though, and shot out between it’s legs, knocking it off balance and foiling it’s attack. The third turned around to swing at the orange pony before getting a pair of hooves in the stomach. Applejack smiled as the hollow crumpled and fell to the ground. But as she was recovering, the first hollow swung at her, cutting her across the back. Applejack cried in pain and backed up. Another hit like that and she might not make it. She backed up more until she felt one of her hooves slide off the edge and swing through empty air. She almost stumbled, but kept her balance and quickly grabbed her estus flask, taking a deep draught of the golden healer. She wiped her lips and grabbed the flask with her tail before taking her mace in hoof and jumping at the nearest hollow, bringing her mace down on its shoulder, staggering it. She quickly shifted focus and swung at the other, hitting it in the side. She delivered a couple more blows before the hollow collapsed. The other hollow had recovered by this time and was getting ready to bring it’s sword down on Applejack. She didn’t have enough time to dodge and felt the blade cut deep into her side, coming away red. She turned on her front hooves and bucked the last hollow with the last bit of strength she had. It proved enough and the hollow fell backwards. Applejack looked at the four hollows in front of her, vision beginning to blur from the tears forming in her eyes. She then looked at her side and saw her orange fur turning red around the wound. It hurt to move, but applejack crossed a little wooden bridge and limped into a room with an unlit bonfire in it. She went over to the bonfire and collapsed next to it, reaching out a hoof to kindle the fire and bring healing warmth to her battered and aching body. When the fire lit, she felt her body grow warm and closed her eyes, drifting off into a deep dreamless sleep. > The Undead Burg Pt. 2 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- "So, what is an undead?" asked Twilight. Princesses Luna was observing the mirror, watching over Applejack. "The undead are merely beings that are already dead but yet, they continue to live...Almost like a headless chicken. They are dead, really, and their bodies still operate but it is only a matter of time before they die completely. In this case, beings become hollows; Mindless, aimless creatures void of what they once were." explained Luna. Twilight went into deep thought at this explanation, split between figuring out how the undead existed and how a chicken could possibly survive without its head. She looked to the mirror and gazed upon a seemingly safe, sleeping Applejack. It was getting late and Princess Celestia had prepared guest rooms for the five of Applejacks friends. All but Luna, Twilight and one other mare had already retired for the night and Twilight decided it was time to rest as well. The pink maned, yellow mare stood waiting in the hall with an expression of concern on her face; They began to walk together in silence. “Is she alright? Have you found a way to help her?” Fluttershy asked after some time. More silence, the mare began to wonder if she should have asked anything at all when Twilight finally spoke. “Applejack looks fine. She's resting near the warmth of a fire and I've watched her defend herself from a lot of those creatures already” Staring at the floor, she continued “we can't hear anything through that mirror and the only way to contact her is with the orange soapstone Luna has but even that can't always reach her. It's like it lost it's abilities when Applejack left the Asylum...” “Did she...have to k-...hurt...anyone?” Fluttershy asked nervously. “Yes. You would never want to see it Fluttershy and you should never have to...no one should ever have to...” replied twilight looking at her sweet friend with sympathetic eyes. “it's not like her... A.J. Wouldn't hurt anyone like that. It's like the Darksign has changed her” “I-I don't know what that is” commented Fluttershy. “I don't fully understand it. I just know that it's important...anyway, we should really get some rest. Goodnight Fluttershy” said Twilight as they reached and entered the guest room. “Goodnight Twilight” Fluttershy said with a weak smile. As she lay there Twilight couldn't help but feel bad for Applejack. She was taken away from her home almost without warning and was sent into a world of pain and suffering while her friends, and more importantly, the one who sent her there was sleeping peacefully in a warm castle in warm beds. Sleep didn't come easy that night. --------- "...one for Twilight, and one for you, and one for Apple...oh...right" it seems Twilight was the last to wake up this morning, she could hear everyone chatting quietly, except Pinkie who was always loud regardless. "Oh Darling, don't you worry your pretty little head about that! You just go and make some lovely treats for our dear friend when she gets back, hmm?" Said rarity who had barely finished her sentence when an easily audible gasp of air was heard "OMIGOSH OMIGOSH OMIGOSH!" Twilight felt a breeze of air shoot past her and heard a muffled voice say "Ugh! Thank Celestia she's out of here!" It was obvious who said it. Twilight began to slowly open her eyes. "Rainbow Dash! Do not be rude! It is very un-lady-like" "Like I care about that" Rainbow mumbled. An irritated "hmph!" Could be heard as Twilight woke enough to speak. "What's going on girls?" Fluttershy walked over to Twilight and spoke up. "Umm...well, Pinkie woke us all up because she wanted to make us breakfast and then she remembered that Applejack isn't here" for a moment, Twilight also forgot. "And then Rarity tried to cheer her up and Pinkie ran off and-" "It took her long enough" interrupted Rainbow. "What did I just tell you?!" Rarity squealed in irritation, stomping her hoof on the floor. "Girls! Cut it out! You're not helping the situation!" Twilight asserted. "Well maybe if some pony would-" "RARITY! Stop!" Shouted Twilight, Rainbow stuck out her tongue and Rarity glared in return. This day was not going to be good. After a moment of silence, Twilight looked at Fluttershy. "Now, what were you saying?" "Oh! Nothing. It's alright.." "Please tell me" said Twilight in a soft voice. "Well...okay." Replied Fluttershy. ---------- Applejack woke to the comfort of a fire and was content to lay there just a little longer; She then noted that what she was lying on was hard, very hard. Applejack reluctantly opened her eyes to find that she was still in the nightmare of a world. She sighed heavily, wishing she could be back with her friends and family. "Ah reckon they been out lookin' for me all day since Luna 'visited'" Another sigh. She looked at her surroundings. The small warm bonfire sat comfortably in front of her, there were barrels, and bags throughout the room and even a staircase along the wall that was destroyed near the top; She didn't think she could climb up it. There was, however, a ladder nearby that hung from the other side of the broken staircase though it was too high to grab. Looking outside one hollow could be seen, the one with the crossbow she defeated yesterday. Or was it today? She didn't notice the sun go down but surely it had been a days worth of hours. Perhaps this was close to the worlds equator and so the sun was visible more often, It wasn't a big deal. After some deliberation, Applejack came to the conclusion that it doesn't matter what she does. She could lay here forever in the warmth of the bonfire and nothing would change. But she would be alone for the rest of her life...if she ever died. That thought confirmed her original conclusion, even if she ran out and died a hundred times, she would just come back here and all of those things would just come back. "Heh, nothin' matters, this place is a joke! Ah can do anything I want and there ain't gonna be no consequences" A strange form of confidence rose within her. A careless confidence. Just like Dash thought Applejack. It then occurred to her she hadn't eaten since she had arrived, she didn't feel hungry either but maybe that's because she had died to soon to feel hunger. "Twi would be fascinated by this place...I ought to stop talkin' to mahself" she grinned and began to leave the room with the bonfire still burning Applejack stood just outside and looked left. There was a tower blocking some of her view but she could she a house nearby which connected to another door-less structure and noticed two hollows on the roof. She noticed this was also connected to the area she was now. In front of her was just a few buildings and a massive stone wall in the distance. To her right were the hollows she had already dealt with. They hadn't noticed her but she wasn't going to take that chance. Not that it matters, she mumbled. Applejack walked curiously towards the hollows on the roof and noticed there were actually three of them. As she neared the small stone wall at the edge of the roof she was on, they took noticed and threw something at her. Applejack quickly backed away as the object hit and exploded on the edge of the wall; more fire bombs, she heard shuffling behind her and turned to see that the action got the attention of a couple of hollows. She braced herself, shield and mace ready. > Soap, Stones, Mirrors and Magic > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Twilight stood on one of the many balconies of Princess Celestia's castle, overlooking the green hills and plains that stretched far into almost every direction, clear skies allowed the sun to beam over all of Equestria that was now visible. Ponyville was visible on the horizon but Twilight wasn't here for the view. The orange stone Luna has used can go through the portal...maybe if I cover myself...No, Twilight, that obviously won't work She rolled her eyes at herself. Perhaps there is a certain property the stone has which allows it to work with the mirror that way...maybe it's just magic; As I'm sure every pony knows, magic does exist...UGH! What am I going to do?! Twilight shook her head at the floor in irritation. "What's the matter, princess?" A warm, familiar voice came from the archway behind her. "Oh! Princess Celestia! It's very strange to hear you say that!" Replied Twilight. Smiling softly, Princess Celestia said "you earned the title of princess and because you are no longer my student, it is only right for me to call you princess! But you do seem conflicted." Twilight could only manage a small chuckle. Carefully, she considered the best way to explain what was on her mind. Ah ha! she concluded to herself. "The orange stone that I saw Princess Luna use, can go through the portal and so I have tried to think of ways that I might use it to get myself through the portal!" "An un-wise idea" came the voice of Princess Luna from around the archway. Luna stood next to her sister, both in the archway, facing Twilight; Luna's face gave an impression of a warning while Celestia's seemed calm. Luna spoke. "The orange stone is merely meant for relaying messages to other worlds, even the messages don't always make it to the intended world and are often seen in many worlds at once. Using it to travel could tear you apart! The emphasis placed on those last words startled Twilight more so than the words themselves. "She simply means to say that using the orange stone to travel to Lordran-" Lordran! Twilight stored that name for later research. "-is very dangerous because the message is split and copied many times and travels to many places at once. Isn't that right?" Celestia finished, looking to her younger sister. "Yes sister." Replied Luna, not returning her gaze but staring intently at Twilight. "There is simply no way to travel there!" Princess Luna exclaimed. Princess Celestia gave an unusual look at her sister. "Come, Luna, we have things to discuss" Princess Celestia commanded before turning and entering the castle. Luna briefly hesitated, opening her mouth as if to speak to Twilight but turned, instead, and followed her older sister. "What?..." Twilight asked no pony. what...was it a bad idea to bring that up? Princess Luna must know something for her to be so...defensive! although a feeling of unease had set in, she continued to think of a way to help her friend. The wind blew softly through her mane and sun shone brightly around her, idle thoughts began to dominate her mind. She saw trees and birds, ponies and the guards among them, she gazed at the castles' infrastructure, its walls, the statues and buildings... Statue! Portal! Mirror! Of course! A feeling of elation exploded within Twilight as her epiphany came to her; I can build a portal with the mirror to...Lordran! Just like i did to get back to the human world! Genius! Twilight complimented herself and bolted into and in through the castle halls to the room where the mirror sat. Oh! I really need to research- oh, what's happening now? Twilight stepped closer to the mirror, observing Applejack sneaking past a small tower. Intrigued, she stayed to observe. ------------ A sudden stab of pain in her mane pushed Applejack forward almost toppling her down a set of stairs; A sword thrust into her chest just a second later. The pain was paralyzing and she could only lay on the stairs as she watched her own blood drip down the stairs to the feet of a hollow. Darkness. She opened her eyes and found herself back at the bonfire where the ladder still hung high above her reach "GOSH DARN IT! THAT BUGGER GOT ME GOOD AND WHEN I GET BACK OVER THERE...!" Applejack shouted angrily at the room around her, she growled and stomped her hoof on the ground. A loud pop echoed in the room, as if someone popped one of Pinkie's balloons at the end of a long hallway. Applejack stopped to listen and felt tingling in her hooves, the feeling quickly went up her legs and into her torso up to her head. She instantly went from anger to fear as she felt her body shifting somehow, changing. Panicking, she started onto her hind legs and backed up against the wall, falling onto a small pile of bags. The feeling stopped. she felt fine again but her heart was racing and her eyes were darting around the room for some clue as to what just happened, but there was nothing. She stood up, staring into the bonfire, trying to catch her breath. Somethin' ain't right thought Applejack as she wiggled her bare toes on the cold ground. Woah! what the hay?! Toes? I have toes? she flailed her hands in fright And hands! And fingers! "I'm a Human!" she finished her thoughts aloud, becoming suddenly self aware of her new body. "This ain't natural, I ain't supposed to be no Human!" she recalled what Twilight had told her about Humans after her first time through the mirror. Humans could do a lot of things ponies couldn't. They didn't have magic and they couldn't fly but they can hold things in their hands, they write with their hands instead of their mouths and they can use a lot of tools a pony never could! After a moment to calm down, Applejack accepted her new body. Let's see how to use these here uhh...legs and arms, I think. She thought before clumsily walking back towards the bonfire, the suddenly warmer and more enticing bonfire. ----------- Fascinating! Even in Lordran ponies can become human, although I don't understand how! And unlike the portal I went through, Applejack didn't get any clothes when she became human... remembering that, she decided it was time to leave at that point. Twilight entered Celestia's library and began searching the shelves for any information referring to Lordran starting with the "L" section, of course. Twilight turned to the doorway, no one was there. A cold chill ran through her as if a pair of eyes had the intention of piercing her skin. She ignored the feeling and began to search. ... No luck. Nothing with Lordran in the title could be found, she began searching randomly as different possible locations came into her mind. The feeling of being watched rarely went away since she started looking and she was getting a little panicky because of it. The sound of hoof steps came from the library's entrance, Twilight anxiously ran towards the entrance and jumped around the corner, prepared for anything, and saw Rarity with a look of surprise on her face, levitating two plates of food. "My goodness darling! You startled me! Were you expecting someone?" Rarity said, still surprised. Twilight relaxed her tensed body. "No, sorry, I feel like I've been watched ever since I came in here so I wasn't sure what to expect!" The feeling of being observed faded as she said this. Interesting "Well dear, I was looking for you earlier and I had a feeling you might be here, and hungry, so I decided to visit with a delightful entree made by yours truly!" Rarity smiled gleefully at her culinary success and laid their lunch on a barren chess table nearby, pulling up a seat for herself and Twilight. The dish contained some oats, fruit, and a mixture of unknown items which were, of course, decorated to look almost too nice to eat. That didn't stop Twilight from eating it but Rarity had felt the need to view her work prior to eating it. "Hey...you realize that...you can just eat...your food and make...it again later...since you like to look...at it so much!" Twilight spoke in between bites of her food. "Yes dear, I know, however I would never allow beauty to go un-noticed, especially if it is something that will never be seen again! Such a waste." Rarity considered her words Before eating her food. They ate quietly for a while and as time passed, Twilight began to feel uncomfortable again. Apparently Rarity also felt it because she began to look behind her and all around the room. "Mm!" Rarity swallowed her food. "Have you been speaking to Rainbow Dash today?" She inquired. "No, I haven't really spoken to anyone today." "Oh! Do I ever have a story for you! Today, I was shopping in the market for a few items that Sweetie Belle wanted to try cooking; Mind you, I knew quite well what she had on the list that I should not get, nor did I leave her unattended while she cooked, but I digress." Twilight nodded, chewing her food. "I was waiting patiently in line when I noticed Rainbow Dash and another Pegasus were racing through the sky, which is really nothing new. I continued my shopping and noticed them again but they were much closer to the ground!" making it sound very dramatic. "They swooped around the roof of a nearby building and came so close to the ground that they startled a poor old mare! oh, Twilight! you should have seen the absolute terror in her eyes!" Rarity stood from her seat and stared wide eyed at Twilight, who moved back a little, as Rarity exaggerated her story, moving with her words as if to re-enact the event. "She flailed her old frail arms in the air, dropping all of her bags! Eggs splattered everywhere on the ground! The poor darling had no idea what was going on! I just had to help her and so I decided on the best thing to do! I helped that dear old mare pick up her things and even gave her my eggs, after all, owning a boutique means I don't have to worry about affording eggs and the like. I was struck in awe! How could that Rainbow Dash ever be so inconsiderate?! Actually, now that i think of it, she's been nothing but rude to every pony the last couple of days. When i see her again-" "Rarity..." Rarity didn't stop talking. "You can be sure she's getting an ear full from me for her unacceptable behavior! That Pegasus-" "Hey! Listen!" Twilight tried to interrupt. "Thinks she's all that and a stack of hay! well let me tell you! she is not-" *Smack* Rarity stopped, mouth gaping. "D-Did you just...hit me?!" "Yes but you wouldn't-" Twilight started. "Why you little! Argh!" Rarity hurled herself over the chess table at Twilight, knocking the plates of food off the table and landed face first on the ground, hind hooves still on the table; Twilight had quickly back stepped out of the way of Rarity's lunge. "Rarity! Why are you being so aggressive?" Twilight inquired. Rarity stood, preparing to pounce at Twilight. "You hit me!" Rarity shouted "I came here to visit you, I even brought food that I cooked and this is the thanks I get?!" Rarity jumped towards Twilight but was caught in the air by a dark blue force field. Princess Luna stood in the library entrance. It was her who held Rarity aloft. After a futile effort to free herself from the princesses grasp, Rarity slumped in defeat and let out a sigh. Princess Luna released her and watched her leave the library, head down, mumbling something inaudible. "Thank you princess...I don't know what's gotten into her, she isn't normally like that" Twilight explained. Luna did not reply immediately. "I heard Rarity's story of generosity and have decided to inform you that you may find that which you seek in the old castle of my sister and I. You braved the dangers before the old castle with your friends but now you are alone. The ever free forest is no place for any pony like yourself." "I can fly you know! I'm an Alicorn now!" Twilight reminded Luna. "You still fly poorly and would likely have trouble on your own, regardless, I advise you not go alone and since your friends will not help you, then you should not go." Luna did not express any emotion and instead looked to a nearby window before leaving; The sun would soon be going down. Unsure of what to think, Twilight gave up looking in this castles library, deciding to travel to the old castle in the morning. -------- She stood before another fog door and put her hand onto the, surprisingly soft, fog and walked through without hesitation. I don' see the point of these fog thingies anyway, it ain't any more dangerous on one side or the other She was used to her new legs now and even figured out that her Human arms could swing harder and faster than her hooves, with that said, they aren't as strong on their own which she discovered punching and kicking bags and boxes around the bonfire; Applejack smiled at the thought of the bonfire which she couldn't get out of her mind since she became Human. A snapping sound was audible from behind and Applejack immediately turned, shield raised, in time to block a bolt. She eyed two hollows atop the tower she came from. You ain't gettin' me this time! she ran over to a ladder she spotted next to the tower's entrance and began to climb. A bolt narrowly missed her as she reached the top, she raised her shield again, blocking a shot from each and slammed her mace into the skull of a hollow, its bones crunched and blood spewed onto her weapon. The remaining hollow resorted to using its sword and made a stab at Applejack, she swiped the sword away with her shield and ended the hollows existence. Applejack did something she hadn't considered doing, she took the hollows sword and armour, placing it upon herself in a not-so-perfect fit. she swung the sword to get a feel for it and observed her surroundings. From here, she could see a vast view of the surrounding land, a castle was visible and it was apparent the tower she stood on is a part of the outer wall of said castle. She could observe the area she came from and even the area she may yet go. Applejack descended the tower ladder and walked along the wall. It was very wide but many bricks had crumbled and fallen off. she approached the other side of the wall and looked up at the tower; No hollows, Applejack relaxed and quickly tensed again but there is a bulky, furry, horned, bone-like weapon wielding giant about to leap off the tower! Applejack's eyes expanded indefinitely as she turned completely around and sprinted towards the previous tower. This creature was huge! Its footsteps made the wall shake and it was quickly catching up to her. Mysteriously, the doorway was blocked by fog that she didn't have time to go through, she eyed the ladder and began to climb it. The creatures weapon slammed against the tower as she reached the top making her stumble forward. Applejack walked over to the ledge, the creature was staring straight up at her, waiting for her to come down, but she didn't; Instead, the creature jumped up onto the tower with Applejack, she fell back startled, got to her feet and prepared her weapons for her inevitable demise. She dodged swipes and smashes, slashing her sword at its legs at every opportunity but it didn't seem to be effective. After a tiresome few minutes of fighting she took a break and a sip of her estus, just enough time for the creature to bring his weapon from underneath Applejack and send her flying off the tower onto the bridge below. The crushing pain of both the blunt attack and the fall paralyzed her. She saw it coming, it was undeniable. "I'll be back" Applejack whispered and the demon jumped from the tower and crushed her beneath its weapon. -------- It was difficult to see through the dark even with her horn lighting the way. Twilight carefully walked along the overgrown path through the Everfree Forest; The night grew darker still as clouds converged over head and thunder began to sound throughout the sky. She hastened along the path, regretting the fact she was too anxious to wait like she had decided earlier. The deep rumbling of thunder and flashes of lightning made Twilight panic inside. It began to rain, making it nearly impossible to see ahead, especially at her speed; she noticed she had begun to run and consciously made an effort to calm down. Just giggle at the ghostly... she said to her self with an uneasy chuckle. The sky continued to explode with light and noise, sounding more violent than before. Twilight looked up to the sky, blinking so as not to allow the rain into her eyes; she heard the thunder again and a flash of light. ------ She was back atop the tower with one decapitated hollow and the others corpse slipping off the edge. She was still Human, although she noted when she had died that she was a pony and whatever she did turned her Human again, which she certainly didn't mind, she felt powerful...vengeful. I have never, in my life, felt this way about any pony but this ain't no pony and I don't feel no pity doing these things. She glared at the tower across the wall, that disgusting creature was perched on it, waiting for round two and a round two he'll get Applejack thought bitterly. She descended the ladder and walked towards the opposing tower feeling no fear. The creature stirred and glared at Applejack who, in turn, bolted back towards her original location on the previous tower. This must have irritated it because she heard the loud crash and felt the shake of the creature landing on the wall but didn't turn back to look. She made her way to the tower just as her foe arrived at its base; It stared up at her again. Applejack glared angrily back, wielding her sword in two hands "Be gone, foul beast" she growled and leaped above the creature, plunging her sword deep into its skull! blood splattered, it flailed and screamed in agony, causing Applejack to lose her balance and fall onto her back, behind the creature, her sword remained embedded in its cranium. Applejack immediately held her mace as the thing turned to face her, she smashed its ankle, it fell to one knee, she smashed its stomach, it curled over and she smashed the hilt of her sword, driving it deeper into the beast. It wailed a deathly scream and, in a flash of light, dissipated into nothing and her sword clambered to the stone floor. A burning sense of accomplishment consumed Applejack as she came to the realization of what she just defeated, panting, she smiled and yelled triumphantly! "YEEEEEEEEHAWWW!" She hadn't felt so much adrenaline since beating the Flim Flam brothers in that cider making contest! She collected her gear and strutted confidently to the tower where the beast once stood. ------ A sound was audible, first, quiet and slowly grew louder; Much louder. Heavy rain pounded the rocky path and trees, Twilight flinched her ears in irritation at the volume of the noise, she shivered, clenching her eyes shut. She opened her eyes suddenly and panicked as she tried to look around. "Oh no, oh no, oh no, oh no!" Twilights heart raced as she she rushed to her hooves and toppled onto her side. "I can't see!" She panicked, squirming in the dirt "I can't see!" She darted her head around hoping to see something, anything, but there was only light grey. Twilight began to sob "I'm sorry Applejack! I tried to save you but I failed...*sob*... I can't help you without my vision.." "Twilight" a voice said. Twilight's ears perked and she reflexively looked for the source of the sound, which she did not find. "It's okay Twilight, you haven't failed anyone" the voice was louder this time. there's no harm in looking around even if I am blind she consoled herself, she looked around again and she saw! A dull grey figure was standing some distance away, slowly walking closer. She couldn't make out the shape but the voice sounded familiar. "Fluttershy?" She asked the figure, no response. "I'm so glad you're here! I thought I went blind because everything around me was grey and then I saw you and now I'm so happy that im not actually blind so I can continue to the castle ruins to help Applejack and I'm sorry for-" Twilight rambled on as the figure drew closer and became significantly larger as it did. "Continue your journey twilight" Fluttershy's voice didn't sound any closer. Twilight rose to her hooves, awaiting the creature's approach. It growled, it had bright green eyes and as it drew closer, bared its claws and teeth. "Timber Wolf!" Twilight shouted as if anyone could hear her, she shut her eyes and her horn lit up, the wolf exploded into sticks and fragments. It seems this one was alone, extremely uncommon for any wolf. Twilight opened her eyes and processed what had occurred; she heard Fluttershy encourage her to continue, she blew up a timber wolf and discovered that she can, in fact, still see. She repulsed the thick grey fog from around her, noticing that there were no wolf remnants on the ground. Puzzled, Twilight stumbled along the path through the fog and rain which subsided considerably. Twilight made it to the bridge before the castle and although it was tied on both ends, she didn't trust it. "I'm glad I'm an alicorn" twilight said aloud. She cautiously flapped her wings and hovered along the bridge, in case she didn't stay in the air, she would much rather land on a bridge than fall into a ravine. She made it safely across and proceeded to the castle whose entrance was blocked by giant trees. "I don't recall any trees here the last time I visited..." Twilight said, confused; she attempted to uproot a tree with her magic but she couldn't even grip it. She walked to the tree and looked up, she wasn't confident enough to fly over it. Her hoof attempted to touch the tree but simply went through it, Twilight gasped and, after a moment, walked through the tree as if it weren't there at all, like an illusion. She wasted no time and headed for the library remnants. -------- To her left was a bridge and another part of the city which by now was more of a castle, to her right was a balcony lit by beautiful sunlight which, quite honestly, Applejack hadn't seen in some time. She trotted over to the balcony and found that there were two wide, but short, stair cases on either side of the balcony which led to another larger balcony and something standing there, staring into the sky. Applejack felt comfortable in the sun but was uneasy about this strange being, it was shaped like a human but looked different somehow; She decided to investigate...cautiously. It was a lovely area for sure, the balcony had an excellent view of the outer walls of wherever she was, a few mountains and many, many clouds below. Applejack Stood on her hind legs and awkwardly walked closer to the figure, shield raised; As she approached the figure turned it's head towards her and spoke. "Ah, Hello! You don't look hollow, far from it! In fact, you don't look human either, more like...a horse!" the figure said This has to be a human Applejack thought "I ain't no horse! And just who are you?" "I am Solaire of Astora, an adherent to the Lord of Sunlight." Applejack lowered her shield and dropped back down on all fours. "Now that i am undead, I have come to this great land, the birthplace of Lord Gwyn, to seek my very own sun!" Applejack produced a confused expression upon her face "Do you find that strange?" Applejack nodded "Well, you should! No need to hide your reaction. I get that look all the time! Hah hah hah!" He sure sounds happy to be here. Applejack decided not to bother thinking about what an "undead" was or who Gwyn is. That's what Luna called me before she sent me here... she looked back at Solaire to see him staring into the sky again. "Oh, ah hah! So, I didn't scare you?" Asked Solaire "Nah" replied Applejack "I have a proposition, if you have a moment. Why not help one another on this lonely journey?" Solaire suggested. "Yeah, okay" Applejack said, a little surprised "This pleases me greatly! Well then, take this." Solaire handed a white stone like object to Applejack who held it curiously. "Use this, to summon one another as spirits, cross the gaps between the worlds, and engage in jolly co-operation!" Solaire said enthusiastically "Of course, we are not the only ones engaged in this. But i am a warrior of the sun! Spot my summon signature easily by its brilliant aura. If you miss it, you must be blind! Hah hah hah!" was that an insult? Probably not she thought. He was far too pleasant to have meant any harm. "Hey, are you Comin' too or not?" She asked as she turned to leave. "Oh. I will stay behind, to gaze at the sun. The sun is a wondrous body. Like a magnificent father!...If only i could be so grossly incandescent." "Alright then" Applejack said before turning again and heading up the stairs. ----- *THUMP* A book slammed on the ground in front of Twilight, startling her "AHHHH!" She stared at the mare who tossed the book. "Princess, I know you're the princess of the moon and darkness and that Nightmare Night is probably your favorite night of the year but can you be just a little less scary?" Twilight suggested with a polite false smile. "I am sorry princess Twilight, I certainly do not mean to scare you. Perhaps it is just who I am." Replied Luna "Yes, well, perhaps it is. What is this book?" "This book is that which you have been seeking. It is a brief history on the short time that Lordran came in contact with Equestria. Despite the relatively short time we were connected, the undead curse still managed to seep into our world." Princess Luna explained. "We were able to keep most of the curse out of our land and simply did away with any pony who had been affected by the curse." "You just abandoned them?" Twilight asked "No, not truly. Although they were sent to Lordran we were still able to contact them by building that mirror in our castle. With it, we were able to help the doomed ponies understand where they were. Be it fortunate or no, Applejack will not see any other pony such as herself as the curse has been contained far more than a thousand years ago." Twilight was mildly intrigued by this information as well as the book at hoof. "Take this" Luna said, pulling out a white stone, very similar to the orange one she knew about. "This white soapstone is similar to the orange stone in that you may write on the mirror, however, it has significantly different effects." Said Luna "What does it do?" Twilight wondered "Do what you are best at, young princess, read and again, you shall find what you seek." Princess Luna exited the library without waiting for a response from Twilight, who watched her leave before returning to her new found book. She started to read, or study, probably both. ... ...worlds became separated and so the great minds of Lordran devised a simple and easily manufacturable item to navigate between worlds, The white sign soapstone "I guess that's what this is then" Twilight continued to read many creatures threatened those within Lordran from hollows once human, to hollowed animals, demons and even drakes and dragons. It is this reason the white stone was necessary Fascinating twilight thought to herself and continued to read. ------- are they blind? Applejack asked herself. well, I suppose bein' dead n' all ain't no good for their eyes.. She was walking across a damaged bridge, bricks were scattered about, pieces of its side walls were missing and there were big black spots in places too, as if something stained the stone. The single, shielded hollow still hadn't noticed her despite the fact the she was walking straight towards it, there were other hollows in the distance and a staircase leading down just behind this hollow. Applejack stood on her hind hooves and prepared her shield and mace, the hollow turned to face her but didn't look at her, instead it observed the sky above her. Confused and unconcerned, Applejack started to swing at it. *SWOOSH* A very loud sound, like that of a giant bird emitted behind her, she turned to face the noise and saw a dragon flying towards the bridge, mouth gaping open. She gasped in terror, turned and dropped to all fours, running for the staircase. The stairs were within her reach when she was set ablaze by the hellish fire the dragon sent forth. The pain was even more horrific than the sight of the dragon, she felt her fur scorch her skin, her eyes burned, she couldn't feel her tail at all and all she could do was scream in agony. She reflexively began rolling on the ground, unable to see her surroundings, she tumbled down a set of stairs and crashed violently against a wall. The fire no longer burned upon her. Her body ached, stung and burned all over, she didn't open her eyes but rested instead. If Rarity could see me now, I bet she'd die just lookin' at me. Heh Applejack managed to think, before passing out. ------- Although there were many threats and many reasons for the use of the white soapstone, the greatest threat to Humanity remained: itself! "What the hay is that supposed to mean?" Twilight wondered allowed Red sign soapstone and red eye orbs. In addition to summon stones created to help one another, there were also red summon stones to hinder others on their journeys. At first, no one realized the red signatures were a bad thing, it was just another color, but over a surprisingly short period of time it became widespread knowledge that the intention of these signs was that of a dark heart. Time passed and only those brave or foolish enough to willingly summon a foe would even look at these blazing red signals; as a result, and as is inevitable, a new form of assaulting others was created, The red eye orb. This was similar to the red stone but the orb did not wait for someone to accept the fight, it was far more invasive and, when used, would search for nearby worlds to invade. This caught many a traveler off guard. Years later a blue eye orb would be created to protect those who have been plagued by the red eye orb, as described in chapter 6-2 -------- Applejack awoke an unknown amount of time later, she slowly opened her eyes and shivered; it was a lot colder than she ever really noticed. She started to get up from the ground and but lost her strength when she felt a tearing pain along the side she lay on. She tried again, rising slowly, and the tearing pain returned, she had never felt this feeling before; Applejack gritted her teeth and pushed herself off of the ground with all of her strength. She stood, screaming as a result of the sever pain she endured and the new burning feeling on the same side. Applejack looked at the ground where she recently lay, severely nauseated by the sight on the ground, she saw patches of her fur and skin, black and glued to the ground and drops of blood on the ground around her. "Damned dragon!" She cursed, noting that she ripped her wounds open merely by getting up and was bleeding, though not an alarming amount it was still a concern as she had nothing around to cover it with. She observed the damage the dragon had done, patches of black, red and orange consumed her body; burns, blood and her remaining fur. The thought of being in such a state caused her to lose balance for a moment. Applejack walked towards a door way leading to what was likely to be a staircase, as opposed to going back up with the dragon or through another doorway to what seemed a dead end. She trudged down a small set of stairs, she noticed the rest of the staircase was broken, a large chunk missing, and a ladder she had just passed. The room below contained crates, bags and a bonfire. Applejack examined the distance of the gap, under normal, not-roasted-by-a-dragon, circumstances she would be able to jump the gap and get down the stairs; she realized she couldn't get up the same way and elected to investigate the nearby ladder. The ladder did not reach the floor, it was still in a compact position; Applejack kicked the ladder down and proceeded to climb down the broken stairs, she had no strength to clench a ladder. She was almost crawling now, inching her way towards the bonfire. She lost balance and toppled down the remaining few steps but managed to get back to her feet and continue to the fire. Applejack lay next to the bonfire and let the fire comfort her, she felt her body tingle and a feeling of warmth traveled through her. She felt better...she looked better, no more burns or scars, It was truly magic to her, despite knowing many unicorns. Applejack rested her eyes and relaxed her body and dreamt of home...friends...family...Princess Luna. She scowled. > 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. > The Storm Before The Calm > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- The red phantom spun with its two swords held out, narrowly missing the human Applejack met a few minutes ago and slicing a small gash on Applejack's chest. The human immediately retaliated, slashing with his katana as fiercely as humanly possible, breaking through the phantom's guard. Applejack took time to drink from her flask as the phantom lost its balance and staggered backwards. The human sheathed the katana and rushed towards the phantom with a dagger, grabbing his head and stabbing the knife into its throat several times successively and let it fall to the ground where it dissipated like mist. Applejack relaxed, observing the "mist" of the phantom pour into a black crystal that the human was holding. Eh, it's probably just some crazy magic from this place Applejack thought, disregarding the scene. "You can call me Anon." the human said. Applejack nodded, replying "Alright, Anon, i'm Applejack." "it's a pleasure to meet you. You uh...didn't do so well in that fight, I guess it isn't something you do often?" Anon inquired curiously. "i'm sure I could teach you a thing or two, give you advise at the very least." Anon continued Applejack contemplated for a few moments, it would be false to say that she hadn't fought before, Equestria isn't all planned weather and crystal ponies! Well, maybe some of it is..."well, I can fight just fine with my bare hooves but-" "Speaking of hooves!" Anon interrupted. "I think you could use these, though I have no use for them because of my delightful black crystal." He walked closer and presented the thing known in Lordran as humanity and laid it onto the floor in front of her. "Crush it with your hoof and you will become a human." Applejack's pupils dilated, finally realizing how she had become human before. She stared at for a moment and crushed it under hoof, she closed her eyes, once again feeling the tingling start in her legs and proceed throughout her body until it reached her head. She opened her eyes, looking over her human form. Anon clapped once, gleefully, at the sight. "Wonderful! now, tell me, prior to coming to Lordran against your will, what did you do on a normal day?" "I bucked things, every day." Applejack grinned facetiously "Wut?" Anon asked, intentionally miss pronouncing the word, Applejack giggled, clarifying that she bucks apples on a farm; Anon nodded. After some conversation, Anon concluded that the best thing for human Applejack to use was a blacksmith's hammer "It's about as blunt as you, so it should do nicely" Anon joked. "ha! I've got a large, unused hammer that i'm just itching to try out!" Applejack retorted humorously. Anon beckoned to Applejack, "Let's see what you can do." ----------------- Fluttershy's sandwiches were really good! Fluttershy had left earlier, it was easy to tell she was still worried about Applejack, she only looked at the mirror once and immediately averted her gaze, requesting to eat in the dining hall or anywhere except the mirror room. Fluttershy had been keeping herself busy the past few days, making sure everything was perfect for her animals and stocking up on everything she might need in the next four months; she stated that her storage areas, being her cupboards, drawers and general storage spaces, were almost over flowing; clearly trying to keep her friends absence off of her mind. poor thing. Twilight had been watching Applejack interact with a human male since then. Lordran was amazingly dangerous, it wasn't very surprising that all of its inhabitants have died at least once! It was getting dark and Twilight would soon be retiring for another night, not feeling much closer to freeing her friend. In her peripheral vision, Twilight noticed movement like that of some pony levitating an item near her satchel, she elected not to look until the movement ceased; Twilight walked over towards her satchel, noticing her book on Lordran was missing, peaked around the corner of the only entrance to the room, catching a glimpse of a blue translucent tail. It was pretty obvious who the culprit was but Twilight wanted to know why she took the book. She cautiously followed Princess Luna to a room deep within the castle, a place in which she would likely not be disturbed. Twilight stayed outside, listening on the princess; she heard the ruffling of pages and, eventually, the sound a portal makes when someone walks through it. Twilight pushed the door ever so slightly with her muzzle and saw a small black orb floating in front of Princess Luna, who looked rather impatient. The orb expanded, a face appeared; whoever was on the other end was not of the same species and seemed to either be wearing a mask of some sort or had very pointy facial extrusions. Only its head and shoulders were visible, it was wearing a white piece of clothing on its body and, assuming it was not a natural part of its body, had a "necklace" and "mask" with multiple long, pointy pieces sticking off, reminiscent of a rose except the "thorns" were much longer. Said pieces were a dull golden color as opposed to the beings pale white face. Its hair was difficult to see but it almost reached the beings shoulders and was either white or light blonde. I have no idea if that's male of female Twilight thought, eyeing the being in the orb. It Spoke. "Good eventide, Princess Luna. Dost thou need help?" The being asked The voice sounds like a young boy or maybe a female? "Good eventide, Gwyndolin. yes, what doeth thou know about 'the first flame'? I stumbled upon it in this book from the last time our worlds connected" Princess Luna inquired. Its name is Gwyndolin, well, this really doesn't help! I choose girl. Gwyndolin is a girl until proven otherwise! Twilight continued to listen into the conversation. By the sounds of it, Princess Luna was looking for a way to "cure" the dark sign, mentioning something about "the flame of humanity" or some metaphor like that, and Gwyndolin, regardless of the Princess's attempts, denied any possibility, becoming slightly more agitated per suggestion. "Gwyndolin! I know this is the key to solve this issue! Hath thou no faith? Hath thou no will?" Princess Luna exclaimed, prompting a response from Gwyndolin. "what-chya doin'?" The high pitched voice made Twilight's ears retreat to her head. She glared at pinkie who, with no consideration to potential circumstance, almost yelled into Twilight's ear. "Thous hast a visitor Luna, I must be gone." Gwyndolin stated, dissipating the black orb and ending their meeting. ---------- Applejack stood alone before a large fortress with three gates separated by pillars, she had never been here before but the gates were open. She stepped cautiously inside, observing the architecture of the very first room. It was only really a few pillars and stairs, nothing fancy. *Click* Applejack felt her foot sink into the floor a little, a tile had gone into the floor slightly. She heard some mechanism begin to operate and promptly received three large spear like objects into her chest and stomach, dying before she touched the ground. Consciousness returned. "Woo! who don't love an itch of sudden death?!" Applejack said very sarcastically, getting upon her hooves. "Lets see here... got a mace and sword for my pony self, a good ol' hammer for my human self and a shield to boot!" A quick inventory check and she trotted back towards the fortress. She carefully looked around for the pressure plate and any other traps, walking past them and up the stairs. She almost walked head long into a tall lizard thing resting on one of the pillars, it noticed her and she immediately attacked it. It was almost dead when she noticed a second one begin attacking her, saving the other lizards life; they died quickly enough and Applejack walked into the next very large room. there was a thin bridge structure with another of the same above it going in the opposite direction. Crossing a bridge isn't normally an issue, unless there are large axes swinging ever so close above the bridges. Applejack carefully timed passing the first of the three swinging axes, observing the darkness below that she would fall into should she be hit. She got past the second axe as well but the third one proved to be too much, not because it was faster or larger or anything like that but because something used magic to electrocute her as she tried to walk by, stunning her long enough for the axe to hit her and knock her into the darkness below; except it wasn't darkness, it was a very thick black substance. She slowly got up, barely able to move from the electricity and giant axe in her side, looking around she noticed the entire floor was made of this thick stuff. she spotted an exit and began to move and maybe if this wasn't a place where death could happen ever few minutes, she might not have heard something else moving through the gunk, she might not have had to worry about a large headless demon jumping at her with the intent of impaling her with its weapon easily twice her size. But this is Lordran and she did have to worry about that, be it good or bad, she didn't have to worry for long. Applejack opened her eyes again to see the bonfire before her, she began to laugh, a lot. She began to ROFL all over the place, burning herself on the bonfire a time or two which only induced more laughter! She calmed enough to stand, she decided to use some of the humanity Anon gave her, the tickling encouraging her fit and walked across the bridge again towards the fortress, still giggling like a mad mare. She entered the fortress, by passed the pressure plate and got the attention of both lizards. Her giggling intensified as she backed up towards the pressure plate, luring the lizards to stay back on to the trap. *Click* Applejack stopped on the pressure plate, shield raised, giggling more as the trap shot two of its spears into one lizards back, killing it, and the third spear into the remaining lizard who fell forward in front of Applejack. Her eyes dilated significantly at the opportunity presented before her; a long, outstretched neck just waiting to be severed from the body it was attached to. Her giggling turned into outright laughter as she swung her sword at the lizards exposed neck with all of her might, cleaving it clean through its flesh and spinal bones. She groaned euphorically as the deed was finished. She glared at the corpses, smiling in a way reminiscent to Pinkamena. I've gone buckin' nuts! She continued to smile and giggle, running past the three large axes without fear or hesitation, only slowed by a lizard on the bridge who's sword collided with Applejack's shield and was promptly shoved off of the bridge. She murdered another lizard and made it to the second bridge which still had three large axes but a magic using lizard awaited the other side. Applejack bolted by the axes, dodged a bolt of lightning, punched the lizard in the face, because why not? and shoved him over the edge as well. She did not hesitate to enter the next room and begin assaulting another lizard resting on a wall, however she was unable to. Activating another spear shooting, pressure plate mechanism, tends to prevent someone from doing anything but dying. Applejack couldn't agree more with herself as she fell to her knees, still smiling, eye twitching, and death consumed her again. Applejack woke, once again, to the bonfire. Thankfully, her senses had come back seeming to have skipped one life time. Applejack sighed. I need help... Serious, professional, help... She was, of course, referring to summoning someone and not her mental position. She absorbed another bit of humanity and sat, waiting for a summon sign. > The Bright Side > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Princess Luna stared blankly where the black orb had been, it was obvious that Princess Luna knew they were there so Twilight and Pinkie walked in. "Did you really have to yell?" Twilight asked Pinkie, responding with a quiet "sorry". Twilight shook her head. "You shouldn't have followed me Princess Twilight" Gah! that Princess title is still so foreign! "Sorry, but I noticed you taking my book about Lordran." Twilight stated. "Yes, I hoped you would not notice so soon. I suppose investigating was a reasonable response to such an act." Princess Luna admitted, still staring in the orb's previous position. Pinkie, for some reason, was smiling intensely. "Soooooo...Who was that? She didn't look very pretty, she looked spiky, like 'ow don't put your face on my face, it hurts!' right? I hope its not your special some pony! Its okay if she is but--" Pinkie began. "His name is Gwyndolin, he isn't my "special some pony" and that is not part of his face, he wears a mask and collar." Princess Luna retorted, giving Pinkie the stink eye. Twilight intervened, holding up a hoof. "Hold on, how can you be sure its a he? I mean, it sure didn't sound like a he, maybe a he going through puberty but-" Twilight was interrupted by Pinkie "PUBERTY?! but isn't she like, an all powerful moon god or something?! I don't know any moon god like things that haven't passed puberty! I only really know one moon controlling pony, person, thing anyway but MY POINT STANDS!" Pinkie shouted and smiled childishly at Princess Luna Princess Luna was mildly disgusted by Pinkie's reaction. "Thou art an ignorant mare aren't thee Pinkamena Diane Pie?" Pinkie and Twilight were immediately confused. Who calls her that anymore? Thought Twilight. Princess Luna continued matter of factually. "I asked Gwyndolin himself! He was born a male but due to his interest in the moon and stars, his father raised him as a female." Pinkie rolled her eyes and responded. "Well it doesn't matter what she was before, she is a she now and she will do she things and be a she doing them!" It was Twilight's turn to be irritated. "Can we not emphasis every gender related word?" Twilight asked irritated "And just because it was raised as a girl doesn't mean it has to sound like a girl!" "The only ones I know that have an obsession with the moon and stars are both female and so Gwyndolin is female. That's my final answer!" Pinkie continued Princess Luna ignored the comment but Twilight's jaw dropped, taking a moment to respond "Pinkie! don't be sexist! You do realize that there is a Stallion in Canterlot who does nothing but observe the stars right? Astrology? You know?" "Oh please, he's probably a she too." Pinkie stated, not even making sense anymore. "Ohohoho" Twilight giggled, gritting her teeth. "I swear if Celestia was here she'd banish you to the moon for more than a thousand years!" Princess Luna scrunched her face and glared at Twilight. "No offense!" Twilight said, forgetting about the Princess. "Did you see her tits?!" Pinkie blared out. Princess Luna nearly fainted. "Pinkie! Sweet Celestia! I did not notice anything about its chest but I did notice a tentacle or two flick by during the conversation." Twilight said, surprised by another of Pinkie's ridiculous comments. "OH MY GOD, GWYNDOLIN IS A MEDUSA, COCKATRICE, BUFF--" Princess Luna encased Pinkie in a dark blue, sound proof bubble. Rubbing her head, Luna continued. "Twilight, it really doesn't matter what gender Gwyndolin is does it?" Twilight, also recovering from the pink noise maker agreed, stating that it certainly wasn't helping to save Applejack. Apparently Luna's spell was only sound proof one way, Pinkie stopped blabbing, presumably mid rant. Sadness grew in her eyes and her hair deflated shortly thereafter. Princess Luna expelled the bubble, freeing Pinkie. "Guys...i'm going to go home now...Talk to you later Twilight." Pinkie said sadly as she walked past the two Princesses. "Aww, Pinkie. Applejack will be fine, I promise!" Said Twilight "As do I!" Princess Luna agreed, shouting out to Pinkie but she simply kept walking away. After some time of silence Princess Luna stated that she had a plan to save Applejack but she was unable to tell Twilight in fear that her sister might find out. Twilight left, understanding, and returned to the mirror ---------- Applejack approached the fortress yet again but this time she didn't enter alone. She sat on the stairs for an unknown length of time basically hoping a summoning sign would show up. As luck would have it, one did! Applejack approached it, curious as to what the person she would be summoning looked like. She stood in front of the sign and a faded image appeared, it was Twilight! Applejack gasped in amazement at her friends image standing before her, she quickly touched the sign and stepped back expectantly. A few seconds passed and a ghostly white phantom slowly rose from the ground, bringing up its head to see its summoner. "Twilight!? Well i'll be! Is that really you?" Applejack said excitedly. Twilight nodded, smiling and hugged Applejack. A hug from a ghost doesn't feel as warm as a hug from some pony else. Applejack noted. Applejack stood there in amazement, gawking at the fact that her friend, Twilight Sparkle, was actually here in Lordran, helping her get through this mess! she almost shed a tear. Twilight waved her hands in front of Applejack to get her attention. Applejack shook her head rapidly "Yeah, sorry sugarcube, how have you been?" Twilight gave a thumbs up. "Not in the mood to talk?" Applejack asked, a little confused. Twilight smiled, shrugged and mouthed the words "I can't talk" pointing to herself and shaking her hand as if saying "no". "Huh. Well that's okay I guess. At least you're here!" Applejack exclaimed, catching the gist of Twilight's message. They began to walk into the fortress, Applejack shoved Twilight aside abruptly, Twilight looked at Applejack from the ground questioningly. "Sorry sugar, this here place is riddled with traps." Applejack demonstrated by stepping on a pressure plate, allowing the spear shooting mechanism to shoot onto the bridge. Twilight nodded and continued through the room, killing the two resting lizards. At the first bridge with axes above it Applejack explained to Twilight that she had to be quick to get across, Twilight sprinted across but was clipped by the last swinging axe and fell into the black gunk below where she was promptly squashed by a large demon. Applejack shook her head and went back to summon Twilight again. Twilight died many times on both bridges and had been shoved off so many times, she basically knew her way through the black gunk below. they eventually made it past and waited at an arch that led to the outdoors; Twilight rested in the hall, Applejack beckoning Twilight to continue. "Come on! We've made it farther than I ever did on my own!" Applejack stated, stepping just outside the arched doorway. "I'm sure we can-" Applejack's sentence was cut off by a large boulder she didn't notice was heading for her. Twilight would have gasped, she faded away instead. Each time they tried, they slowly got farther through the fortress. Death was more of a side effect at this point but Applejack was running low on humanity. They eventually made it to the top of the fortress but there were still many dangers between them and the tunnel in the wall attached to the very top of the fortress. Applejack found another person to summon and Twilight died from an explosion shortly after, the new phantom and Applejack continued. ----------- Twilight watched the mirror happily as Applejack and the other phantom proceeded swiftly along the top of the fortress. Confident that Applejack will not be needing her help, she elected to visit Ponyville again. ... It was a sunny day with very few clouds in the sky. The grass was a vibrant, lively green, a light breeze could be felt as Twilight hovered along the path to Ponyville, slowly getting used to her still fairly new wings. It wasn't easy to keep her balance in the air, her body would constantly rise and fall as though she were bouncing in the air trying not to put in too much or too little effort. I've never actually noticed what any Pegasi look like when they hover. Do their bodies remain stationary or bounce like mine? Twilight pondered. The division in her attention made her lose her balance, falling slightly but regaining the lost altitude. She looked down as she hovered along, amusing herself watching the air currents from her wings remove the dirt beneath her. I bet if I did this at home, Spike would be asking me to "sweep" the floor all of the time! Twilight looked around. I should be about halfway to Ponyville. She concluded. She saw other Pegasi gliding through the sky, Twilight wanted to give that a try. She beat her wings harshly, trying to gain altitude, temporarily losing her balance each time her rise climaxed; She began to glide. Oh! This is quite nice! I can easily see Ponyville from here and the extra breeze is very refreshing! I should go find some books on aerodynamics later. Twilight wobbled through the air as she glided across a field, obviously not used to being the subject of changing air currents. She slowly descended upon the path to Ponyville again as she neared a small bridge, landing just before it. As she crossed the bridge, Rainbow Dash landed on the other side, waiting for Twilight who felt a little uneasy from their last encounter. Rainbow waved. "Hey Twilight. What's up?" she said, trying to sound excited. Twilight put on a smile. "Hey Rainbow, I was just headed towards home to check on Spike, I haven't seen or heard from him since I left." Twilight passed Rainbow, Rainbow followed along side her. "Oh, yeah, that's cool...So...Is everything cool now?" Rainbow inquired. "What do you mean?" Twilight asked, genuinely curious. "Between us! I thought that writing that letter to you might clear things up a little..." Rainbow said with her head down. Twilight did not recall receiving a letter. "I didn't get a letter, did you put an address on it?" Twilight asked, figuring she didn't. "Uh...no, I just basically wrote your name on the envelope and sent it off." Rainbow said hesitantly. Twilight shook her head with a smirk, The letter was probably at home. They rounded the corner of a house and began walking through the market, Twilight's stomach turned a little more upon seeing Rarity. It seemed Fluttershy was shopping with Rarity though they seemed to be just browsing. "Hey Rarity!" Twilight was surprised to hear Rainbow say her name with a positive tone, looking to see how sarcastic she was being, Twilight was more surprised to find a genuinely happy expression on Rainbow's face. Rarity Returned the greeting in the same positive tone. "Hello Rainbow! How have you been? I see you've kidnapped Twilight from her heroic journey" Rarity joked, nodding at Twilight. "Yeah, something like that. Hey Fluttershy." "Hello!" Fluttershy smiled. "Weren't you guys mad with each other the last time I saw you both?" Twilight questioned Rarity and Rainbow. Rainbow nodded, encouraging Rarity to explain. "Yes, dear, we were quite upset with each other but Rainbow here decided to come visit me at home and I, with my completely open heart and mind, listened to her please and forgave her for her wrong doings." Rarity said, pointing her noise skyward as the story progressed. "Slamming the door in my face twice and calling me a dirty horse isn't really what i'd consider 'open'." Rainbow said, grinning sarcastically. Rarity chuckled. "Well, maybe I didn't tell the story exactly as it was but the point is we apologized and forgave each other." Rarity said to Twilight and Rainbow nodded in confirmation. "Also, darling, did you receive the message I sent you? I addressed it to your residence but I don't believe you have been home since!" Rarity continued. "No, I haven't been home yet. Rainbow said she sent me one as well, without an address." Twilight and Rarity looked towards Rainbow who looked away pretending to be distracted. The four mares walked together towards Twilight's house, talking about what they had been doing since Applejack "went away" as Fluttershy put it. Rarity had been trying to create things such as foods, dresses, hats, she even tried painting but she didn't have the patience. She didn't have much patience at all recently and accidentally let it out on Sweetie Belle a couple of times. Fluttershy kept herself busy, as Twilight already knew, taking care of her animals and stocking up on supplies, she even went so far as to start taking care of other people's animals, including Opal, which due to Rarity's short fuse, turned out to be a bad idea. Rainbow couldn't really get her mind off of it especially after that rainy night with Twilight. She tried to cope by being competitive about everything. She said she was just angry that she couldn't help Applejack and felt restless, which is kind of understandable. Pinkie wasn't around at the time so no pony really knew how she was coping. They reached Golden Oak Library, Rarity and Rainbow said their goodbye's to Twilight saying they had other errands to run. Fluttershy stayed with Twilight a while longer. Fluttershy grabbed two envelopes off of a dining table and brought them to Twilight. "You have mail." Fluttershy said, envelopes in her mouth. Twilight levitated and opened the first letter. Hey Twilight, I just wanted to drop you a line to say I'm sorry about freaking out the other night. I was out of line. I realize there is no excuse for my behavior, but just to add a little context, I'd like to share with you that I am not dealing with the loss of Applejack very well. I am not a complete ass; rather, I was under a lot of stress. I just feel so helpless you know? I want to go through that mirror myself with AJ and just...I don't know. I hope that when you receive this, I will be in a better mood. But I understand if you don't feel comfortable having me around for a while. Again, I'm sorry! Your friend, Rainbow Dash. Twilight put the letter back into the envelope. That was nice of her. Totally unlike her, but nice. She walked over to the table and took a seat, pulling out the second letter. Dear Twilight, Where do I even begin? Please allow me to apologize for how I acted in the library a few days ago. My behavior was extremely inappropriate, immature, and lacked the respect you deserved. I suppose hindsight is always 20/20. It was embarrassing, but I know that nobody appreciated my poor behavior. In the future, I have every intention of curbing my thoughtless actions and learn to adjust my behavior befitting the environment and situation. I hope you can forgive me for what I did and put this matter behind us. I treasure our friendship and all the things we've done and been through. And hopefully, what transpired can become one of those incidents that make our bond stronger than ever. Again, I am sorry for my actions and I hope that we can put this matter behind us. I look forward to seeing you again. If you have any thoughts in this, please feel free to share; I promise to listen before I speak. It’s the least I could do if you’re willing to forgive me. Sincerely, Rarity. Twilight smiled at how thoughtful Rarity had been while writing this. She lay the letters down on the table. I forgive you both. "Would you like something to eat Fluttershy?" Twilight asked politely. She had just noticed that Spike wasn't home. "Yes, please! I'd really appreciate something. Anything will do!" Fluttershy replied in her soft voice. Twilight went into the kitchen to prepare a meal of some sort. ... Later that day Fluttershy had walked with Twilight to the train station but had departed as the train arrived on its way to Canterlot. Twilight boarded the train, happy to have had such a nice visit, though it did feel strange, all things considered. ... Twilight stood before the mirror again just as Applejack was grabbed by two pale, thin, tall, monsters with long wings. She was dragged high into the air, Twilight panicked a little, thinking they might drop her friend. She relaxed when she saw that they only brought her to the other side of a large wall and into a new city where the sun shone bright and cast a golden glow across the land; it was beautiful! Oh, i'd like to be there! I should write my name on the mirror. Twilight did just that and watched Applejack spot and use the sign. The sights and sounds around Twilight faded. > Night Fall > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- The sun shone brightly across the city, never rising or setting. A golden light highlighted everything that faced the sun. Anor Londo looked like a beautiful place to live and although no activity was noticeable, if felt like the land was prospering! Applejack, a Human, and Twilight, a Phantom, sat on a ledge enjoying the magnificent view. There was a very large castle directly in front of their vision but there was still so much to see despite it. There was no real point in having Twilight around as there was no immediate danger. "It sure is nice to have you around again Twi." Applejack said, knowing that her friend couldn't reply. "It gets real lonely in this place, i'd have gone crazy if it wasn't for you and Anon!" Applejack neglected to mention two specific incidences. "Nothing here seems to be very interested in conversation..." Applejack sighed, Twilight put her hand on her friends shoulder, trying to console her It seemed peaceful here. Perhaps because the sun actually shone. ... Applejack was vaguely aware of a distant sound and slight vibration. Twilight poked Applejack to get her attention, and shrugged in a questioning manner. "Yeah I did feel something, I don't remember what it means though" Applejack told Twilight, looking around. She saw a phantom like the one her and Anon had fought before but this one was blue and held a katana! Twilight and Applejack stood and prepared their weapons as it got closer. Applejack jogged towards the blue phantom, Twilight stayed back and shot magic at the blue phantom. The phantom dodged Twilight's magic with little effort and began engaging Applejack slashing and rolling from Applejack's attacks and Twilight's magic. The phantom slashed at Applejack's leg, barely cutting it and turned for Twilight, who began to back away at the phantoms approach with Applejack sprinting close behind. The phantom managed to hit Twilight once but, in turn, was hit by Applejack. The phantom followed Twilight wherever she went, staying in front of her and keeping its eye on Applejack. "This human looks just like Anon" Applejack said aloud, still fighting the phantom. The phantom smiled in reply, it was indeed, Anon. Another vibration was felt and shortly thereafter, a red phantom came rushing towards the trio, catching Applejack and Twilight's attention long enough for Anon to slash at both of Applejack's legs, cutting her down to the ground. The red phantom quickly neared, Anon ignored it and headed for Twilight who was near a ledge, just as Anon had intended. Twilight shot her magic furiously but it was too easy to see coming and Anon was too close, he merely had to shove Twilight to send her over the edge. I've been doing a lot of falling lately... Twilight thought before re-discovering the feeling of death. By this time the, clearly a human female, red phantom had gotten to Applejack's position where she lay on the ground, praying for a quick death. The red phantom passed by Applejack completely, sights set on Anon. Am I seeing things or was that Princess Luna? Applejack questioned herself, turning onto her back to watch the two phantoms assault each other. The red phantom, Princess Luna, assuming it was her, was using a lot of lightning magics and attempting to keep the fight on the ledge, since Anon had no ranged weaponry; that is, until Anon stretched out his arm and shot lightning towards, but missing, Princess Luna. The electric battle continued for a few minutes, rarely would one hit the other until Princess Luna gained an advantage. Forgetting about Applejack, Anon walked backwards, attempting to lure Princess Luna away from the ledge and tripped over Applejack, falling on his back. Princess Luna held Anon down with her foot, next to Applejack. Anon's fear was replaced by anger and again by understanding, Princess Luna had mouthed something to him and electrocuted him with a heavy bolt of lightning, ending the blue phantoms existence. "Are you going to kill me now?" Applejack asked the red phantom of Princess Luna. It smiled, shaking its head and mouthed something along the lines of "you'll be home soon". Applejack had no reply to that, what plan could Princess Luna have? Princess Luna got down on one knee and faded away. Less petrifying than jumping to your death I suppose Applejack thought, beginning to drag herself towards the distant bonfire. ---------- My consciousness returned to me, I lay next to a bonfire in the grass, back at Firelink Shrine. The fire must be linked? I gather that must be the thing that Frampt was talking about before he left me for talking to that other guy...jealous much? I tilt my head to view the bonfire, knowing quite well what linking the fire would do to me. I would need to sacrifice my soul which is something I certainly will not be doing, even if it is the answer to solving the undead problem. of course, it doesn't have to be me that links the fire but who knows when someone else... I have a villainous epiphany! I will trick someone into linking the fire! I smile mischievously as I consider who to cremate. I could use that depressed warrior over there in the silver armour, ever since I came here he has only told me how futile my efforts are. There used to be a female cleric and one of her guards here but I had to practice my attacks on someone, right? Mister golden armor is dead, fire keeper is caged in, Laurentius went nuts and tried to murder me in a swamp... The guy with the big hat wandered off again, Griggs seems like a nice guy and... Patches, yes, that's right, I still need to get my revenge. I stand on my feet and walk over to Patches. "Oh, you again! Fancy that." Patches says as I approach. "You know Patches, i'm on my way to a place called "the kiln of the first flame" and I figured you would be interested in coming along, after all, it is a very old and unvisited place, it probably has a lot of expensive trinkets you could pick up" I suggest to him, he shakes his head. "No, no, i'm not looting anymore, i'm a simple merchant now. Fighting to the death for items isn't really my thing!" "Oh, I understand friend." Intentionally putting emphasis on the word, I enthusiastically continue. "I hear that the sword of Lord Gwyn is in there, it's said to be so powerful it could strike down any foe in just a single strike!" Patches looks at me intently. "That's the treasure i'm looking for and if I knew someone was willing to sell that...well...i'd pay barely less than my life for it!" I've clearly grabbed his attention. "That sounds like quite the prize." Patches smiles politely and looks away. "but I don't see why I should go with you." This is going to be too easy. I think, conjuring an innocent plead. "Aww, Patches, I don't think I can do it on my own! I might be strong but you! You're a quick thinker, you know just what to do in tight situations! I might permanently die if I go alone!" I carefully emphasise the thought of my demise, hopefully convincing him to come along. Patches stands, smiling and nodding his head. "Well, I suppose I can lend a friend a hand can't I? After all, I am Trusty Patches!" We walk to a large square hole in the ground, and Patches hesitates, asking if they really need to jump. I mock him in a voice of false concern saying "Well little buddy, if it makes you feel better, we can hold hands and jump together." Surprisingly, that's exactly what he wanted...So we held hands and jump. Our fall slows and we gently drop onto a platform leading to the door of "the kiln of the first flame" which opens as we approach. Patches and I fought only a few knights on our way to the actual kiln and entered, Patches was caught completely off guard to see Lord Gwyn and quickly realized he was about to fight a god. ... Gwyn was defeated, Patches and I were still alive but it was clear that Patches was irritated by a lack of one godly sword. "Alright, I didn't expect that at all!" I say innocently. "I think we should rest at this bonfire and we can search the area or go back when we're rested. Don't you agree?" I ask. Patches does not reply, he moves towards the bonfire and I walk backwards towards the entrance, without his knowledge, as he does so. Go on... Patches reaches the fire and puts his hand over it to kindle it. His arm catches fire, he is shocked as the fire spreads up his arm and along the floor, quickly consuming him and the surrounding area. I gleefully watch from just outside the kiln as everything within is engulfed in flame. > Harmony > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- The flames of the kiln burned hot and magnificently, knowing there was no escape, Anon stood smiling, arms outstretched, awaiting the wall of fire that would soon engulf him. ---------- Applejack lay on the ground in Anor Londo, taking in the sunny view, thinking about how Princess Luna, the one who sent her here, was promising a way out; It didn't make much sense but if she could leave this place, she wouldn't complain. The sound and smell of fire became noticeable, Applejack couldn't see any trouble in front of her, she turned around to see that nothing was wrong with the building behind her either. She soon spotted a large wall of fire expanding towards her, Terrified, Applejack got up on all fours and ran for the elevator that lead to the bridge towards what was likely Anor Londo's main building. As the elevator neared its stop, Applejack impatiently jumped off and ran down the spiral stairs, bolting onto the bridge outside. The fire wall had consumed the wall of Anor Londo and was quickly catching up. Applejack continued running, she passed one gargoyle thing, which seemed completely oblivious to the quickly approaching threat, she passed the large elevator mechanism halfway between her origin and destination. Dodging the bat wing demons, she made it to the stairs and saw the fire wall was already consuming the central elevator. *Smack* Applejack had run head first into a giant guard who was very upset at how rude she was for not excusing herself, but there was no time for apologies, she dashed into the large hallway, not really sure where she would go, as the walls and floors behind her began to burst violently into flames. There was no pain. ---------- Twilight rushed to write on the mirror with the white soapstone, Luna stopped her. "What do you think you can do to help her against a wall of fire?" Luna inquired. Twilight stared wide-eyed at the Princess. "I don't know?!" Twilight squealed, bringing her attention back to the mirror, watching the building around Applejack burst into flames and her friend consumed shortly there after. The mirror went pearl white, not even showing a reflection. Twilight and Luna held their breaths. *Plop* Applejack's unconscious, uninjured body flopped through the mirror, onto the floor in front of the mares. "It is done!" Princess Luna states happily. "The dark sign is no longer on her! She is free again!" Twilight was quite happy to hear the good news. I can't wait to tell my friends! They quickly levitated Applejack and brought her to the nearest medical center. ----------- Applejack's mind woke, she kept her eyes closed. Wherever she was, was comfortable. She knew she was laying on her side on something soft, there was light shining upon her closed eyes and she felt the warmth of blankets and something else on her. What is that? She wondered, keeping her eyes closed. Wait, didn't I die in a wall of fire? Her eyes snapped open, she blinked several times, forgetting sunlight was shining directly on her. When her eyes adjusted, she began to look around; She was in a room, no doubt, it was well decorated and consisted of bright colors which was something she had forgotten existed. Hearing soft breathing nearby, she looked over her shoulder to see a very vibrant color on top of her. It took a moment to recognize Pinkie. Aww. Applejack smiled. Pinkie was asleep, sprawled on top of the bed, two of her hooves around Applejack as though she were a giant teddy bear. This was fine with Applejack, she was just glad to be alive; She carefully touched Pinkie's hoof to make sure she wasn't dreaming. Applejack looked around as far as she could, she saw Rainbow Dash sleeping, slouched on a chair, Fluttershy wrapped herself in a cocoon of blankets on a nearby bed and Rarity was sleeping on her back with a sleeping mask on. Twilight wasn't visible but she was sure to be here as well. Pinkie, still asleep, began to climb onto Applejack, her face came excruciatingly close to Applejack's which became very uncomfortable very quickly. Applejack shoved the pink mass off of her with quite some effort; Pinkie rolled over, almost falling off of the bed, mumbled something about "she's a she." and slowly opened her eyes. Blue eyes met green, blue eyes widened and was accompanied by a grin. Applejack prepared for a scream of excitement but to her surprise Pinkie whispered! "Hey Jackie!" Pinkie said tiredly. "Appy Jackie." Applejack raised an eyebrow. "New nickname for me huh?" She asked. Pinkie nodded. Pinkie lightly bopped Applejack's nose saying, "It's a work in progress." Gee, I could get used to tame Pinkie. Applejack thought, giggling at Pinkie, bopping her back. "Hey! watch it, you're disturbing my slumber...Rawr!" Pinkie joked quietly. Applejack jokingly gasped in fear. "Oh no! Fear the wrath of Pinkie!" Encouraging Pinkie to be silly. Pinkie's smile faded a little. "You know, I really missed you...every pony missed you and we were all so caught up in wanting to help you that we forgot to help each other..." Applejack was speechless. "But it's okay now Jackie, you're here with your bestest buddies again." Pinkie's smile returned Is this real? I don't think i've ever seen Pinkie be so...sincere. I mean, she always wants to see every pony happy and she cares about others but my disappearance must have been really hard on her! Applejack smiled in appreciation, unable to form a proper response for some time. "I missed you all too. You wouldn't believe how dull Lordran was." Applejack explained. Pinkie giggled. "If it was anything like living on a rock farm, I think i would believe it." Applejack decided it was best not to inform her of the vast amounts of death in Lordran, wouldn't want to spoil her child like mind. "Yeah, it was something like that." Applejack replied. "I should get up now, maybe i can surprise every pony with breakfast." Applejack suggested, moving to get out of the bed but was stopped by Pinkie. "Oh, no, no, no! You've been gone too long! I think we need to treat you! And Twilight, she totally deserves breakfast in bed too!" Pinkie said excitedly, getting off of the bed and carefully waking everyone except Twilight, saying "Shh!" as they woke and whispered her idea; Every pony agreed. Fluttershy walked over to Applejack. "Hey Applejack, I'm really glad to see that you're okay! I saw some of that stuff in the mirror and it was horrible!" Fluttershy spoke softer than usual, likely still tired. "It's okay sugarcube, I'm fine, i'm sure i'll forget all about it eventually." Applejack reassured Fluttershy. I will certainly not be getting over that. She thought to herself. Rarity and Rainbow came over as well, both expressing there happiness of Applejack's safety, naturally, Rainbow was trying to act cool about it saying "I knew you'd get through it, not a doubt in my mind!" Rarity knew the difference. The four ponies left the room, Twilight still sleeping. Applejack then came to two realizations. First, she had never eaten anything throughout her journey and she didn't remember feeling hungry. until now, that is. Second, She does not have her hat! She doesn't remember ever having it in Lordran either, but if she did, it was probably gone the first time she died; Finding a new one might not be easy. She had almost forgotten about the dark sign, did she still have it? Applejack looked, no, she could see, or rather, not see, that the fiery glow of the dark sign had faded away. ... Fluttershy poked her head into the door way, checking to see if Twilight and Applejack were awake; Twilight was still asleep. The other ponies walked into the room and Fluttershy nudged Twilight, telling her breakfast was ready for her. Princess Luna and Princess Celestia entered the room as well and made their way over to Applejack. Applejack sat up against the headboard of the bed and observed the breakfast her friends made. There was a bowl of oats, a well decorated assortment of greens and flowers, some water to drink, and one sugar cube. Twilight hopped into bed with Applejack, also sitting with her back against the headboard as Rarity levitated their breakfasts onto their laps as gently as possible. "Now, Pinkie, don't jiggle the bed! You wouldn't want to burn your friends would you?" Rarity warned Pinkie who responded with a resounding "Nope!" Princess Celestia spoke up. "i'm sure we're all wondering Applejack, what happened in Lordran?" "With all due respect, I don't think Applejack's ready for that Princess." Twilight suggested, receiving an agreeing nod from Princess Luna and Applejack. "Yeah, Princess, i'd really like to just enjoy my breakfast and friends for a day before I try remembering that...but that Darksign thingy is gone!" She shoved her hoof out for everyone to see. "This is most pleasing!" Princess Luna Announced. "We shall be back to visit thee tomorrow Applejack, am I correct sister?" Princess Celestia nodded in reply, saying "I am very proud of the three of you, Applejack, for your bravery, Twilight, for your un-ending will and Luna, for successfully freeing one of our own from the undead world! I am very proud of you all!" The princess said warmly. "Feel free to stay the night here if you wish!" Princess Luna finished and turned to leave. "Have a wonderful day Applejack!" Princess Celestia said kindly, also turning and leaving with her younger sister. "OH! Here's your hat Jackie! Applebloom found it outdoors after Princess Luna visited!" Pinkie tossed the hat at Applejack, making her flinch but managing to make it land atop her head. "Thanks! What am I going to tell Applebloom?" Applejack asked. No pony had any real suggestion but the suggested solution was "You're the element of honesty, tell her the truth. If you don't want her to know something, tell her that." This suited Applejack well. Twilight and Applejack ate their breakfast together, the other ponies left for their own breakfast and it was just the two of them. They discussed Lordran and how it could have been so dead, how Anor Londo looked so lively when it clearly was not. Twilight tried to describe Gwyndolin to Applejack, explaining that the only reason Anor Londo was sunny is because Gwyndolin cast an illusion over the entire city to make it look safe. "Well, it certainly worked! Say, is Gwyndolin a guy or girl?" Applejack inquired. "Ha!" Twilight levitated her spoon, pointing at Applejack. "Pinkie, Princess Luna and I had a very heated discussion about that and for the love of friendship, do not ask Pinky about it! You really don't want to know what she said...All in all, we didn't decide. Princess Luna says it's a he, Pinkie thinks it's a she and I think it's an it." Twilight explained. "An it? Like, no parts or something?" Applejack asked, slightly joking, to which Twilight replied, "It's best not to think about it." They ate in silence. Applejack was home at last