My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic belongs to Hasbro
Dark Souls belongs to From Software
Kindle the Bonfire
Chapter 1
by sirhim11
There was a loud crashing sound and I stopped. Moving to it, I glanced up at the trees. "Oh," I said, seeing a large, hairy, tusked monster before me, "wow."
It swung its giant club so I blocked it with my shield. I was flung back and my arm made a snapping sound, but other than THAT I was fine. After righting himself I jumped forward and brought my sword, named Zweihander, down on the beast's leg. I felt the blade penetrate as the monster's leg tightened to a knot. I tried to move away, but my shield was slowing me down as my broken arm twisted in an awkward angle and more pain shot through me.
With a mighty roar, the beast clubbed at me with its arm, knocking me over. I pushed myself to my feet seconds faster than the beast had time to regain his posture, and swung Zweihander which landed a blow on its forehead. The blade rebounded off and sent me staggering back. The blow dazed the monster and it shook itself to clear its head, giving me enough time to catch my breath.
The gargoyles would be in the air and out of reach by now after having heard all of this roaring. I was injured and no doubt more of the hairy, tusked things would come and investigate. I had to finish this swiftly or die, again.
The beast swept the ground with the club, taking my legs out from under me. The pain was terrible. I saw black spots in my vision and knew I was dying. I quickly pulled out and drained some of my estus flask which healed my worst wounds. The beast tried to stomp on me, but instead nailed its own foot on Zweihander.
It fell with a boom and struggled to get back up. I stood on numb legs and with both hands, brought the might of the sword down into the demon's back. The sword penetrated, slicing through the thick hide. Another ear splitting roar deafened me and I was grabbed. Then lifted up and thrown into a tree. I collided into it with a crack and I felt my ribs break. I hit the forest floor on my back with a thump and tried to regain my breath, which didn't come because nothing was supporting my insides. NOW I was dying, at least I could breathe without legs. With the last of my energy I drew my estus flask and drank. My stomach tried to gag the fluid out of me but it had already preformed its work.
I rolled over and lifted my tired and beat up body into a ready position. I looked for Zweihander and found that it was still stuck in the demon. I stumbled over to it and dodged its hands as I pulled out my sword. I then turned to the beast's head and began pounding it. White particles bled from the corpse and sluiced onto me. I could feel what remained of the monster's soul as it left this world. It had been terrifying and powerful, but now it was simply dead.
I checked the forest canopy and the surrounding area. Nothing visible, but the crashing of feet coming towards me signaled the need for action. I could hear more than one set, so finding my bearings and getting back to Anor Londo would have to wait. I hefted Zweihander and began walking out of the area.
The only reason I had come here was to get rid of the gargoyles that harass Anor Londo. They generally take sport in attacking anyone foolish enough to venture too close to the forest. Within the past few days the flying monsters had raided settlements inside the city, which required action.
It had once been a thriving ancient metropolis and had only recently been cleared of the insane and demonic, so keeping it that way was vital. I gave a sigh and kept trudging forward. It seemed as if any trace of my prey ran cold and all evidence of any disturbance had disappeared.
I believed my escape to be secure after the booming strides died away. A soft creaking sound and WAP!
I let out a strangled yelp as something latched around my neck and cut of circulation. It threw me to my back with my own armor pulling me down. I attempted to cut the bonds around me, but my armor was too bulky to bend in the necessary direction. The vines that ensnared my neck dragged me, if slowly, to a dark pit full of rustling plants.
No! I refuse to be plant food! I will not let something like that happen again! With that, an orange glow pulsed around the hand holding my sword. Lifting it, a ball of fire flew into the pit where it exploded. The vines writhed in pain and let go of me. I lifted myself back up and ran out of there.
"Uuuhhgghh." I said as I gulped for air.
I slowly pulled out my estus flask, wincing at the movement which stretched at my lacerated neck. Popping the cork off the bottle, I drank the liquid inside. When it touching my lips, the yellow fluid burned with an orange-red fire and scorched down my throat. It mended my numerous cuts and gashes within a few moments.
"Right, can't go back there." I said in between coughs.
The bruises would have to heal on their own, but after braving rotting villages and swamps, burning pits of chaos and destruction, and magical atrocities that left more than physical wounds, I didn't mind. I stowed my flask and stepped through a thick layer of brush, this time a little more wary of my surroundings. I slowly but surely walked forward, trying to find a change in the scenery and spotted an opening in the dense foliage. I stepped through the wall of trees and vines ahead of me to see more than I anticipated.
The end of the forest bled out into a great plain, full of grass, trees and mountains. "Finally... time to find a bonfire." I told myself.
Nearby I saw a road sign looking over a highway intersection. I trudged up to the sign. It read:
North to Fillydelphia
South to Stalliongrad
East to Ponyville
"Huh," I said in a quizzical tone. They were all puns for horses. The sign was as high as my head, as if it were built for a shorter person. "Odd." I told myself. Who would name an established community after the equine race?
I picked my destination to be Ponyville, hoping that my beat up old self would be better off in more open areas. I didn't want to be caught in a cramped metropolis alley again. It was too narrow for my weapons of choice. As I walked I began to see the village on the horizon.
After a short while I noticed something. The clouds weren't moving. All of them remained completely still. I looked back and the clouds over the forest were moving just fine. This land was not at all like Lordran. My eyes wandered and I could see the sun shining in the noon-day light.
"...Praise the sun." I said wryly.
'Welcome to Ponyville' a sign declared. It was a ghost town, not a single living thing visible. I ventured further in. At least the place still looked pleasant, there were gardens growing, birds singing, and well kept houses all around... which didn't make any sense. Hollows were roaming the world and recreational activity still existed here? But nobody-
"EEK!" "SHH!"
That explained it. Hollows? No. They could only grunt and definitely couldn't shush each other. I didn't want to think the creatures were hostile, whatever they were.
"Fluttershy, it heard you!"
I hesitated. The feminine voice didn't sound ready to fight. It sounded afraid.
"I-I'm sorry!" another, softer voice quietly wailed.
I cautiously stepped forward, slowly edging towards the voices with my shield raised.
"What's it doing now?" the softer voice asked.
I heard a gulp, "I uuhh... I don't know... hold on a sec." whispered the other voice.
"No! Don't leave me!" wailed the soft voice. She was sobbing. The poor girl, I hoped she was alright. I rounded the corner of a house to find two… horses? No, PONIES whispering to each other in hushed voices.
"F-FLUTTERSHY, G-GET BEHIND ME!" shouted a blue pony with a rainbow colored mane and tail. She had some kind of symbol emblazoned on her... flank. It looked to be a cloud letting forth a rainbow colored lightning bolt. She also had wings, so did the other pony. What were they called...Pegasus? Pegasuses? Pegasi? Pegasi. They were PEGASI. And they could speak!
A yellow colored Pegasus with a pink mane and tail screamed and began to cower, placing her... hooves over her eyes. She had three butterflies on her flank, which looked very weird. I glanced at the not-cowering pony. It had a RAINBOW mane and tail? Both of the equines came up to about my waist, which explained the short highway sign at the crossroads. These creatures didn't look like they were able to fight the horrors of the world I knew existed. And they were terrified of me. Also, if they were ponies, why were they so small?
"YYYAAAHHHH!" screamed the rainbow pony as it tackled me.
"Ooooffff!" I gasped.
I wrestled the vicious thing off of me, but it refused to relent.
"AK! No! Wait! What are you-?" I began, but I was bucked backwards. I didn't feel anything. I slid a half meter and regained my posture. As the blue rainbow pony came for me, I raised my shield and reluctantly deflected the entirety of the creature away, wincing at the dull thud."Don't make me do this!" I cried.
"RAINBOW!" screamed a violet... unicorn. She had a six pointed star on her flank surrounded by more stars.
Her horn glowed, and... Oh. She was summoning sorcery.
I dove to the ground, out of the way of the spell and crushed a sign that was advertising cupcakes. What were cupcakes? It didn't matter. There was no magical explosion, but a shield that enveloped the ponies.
The purple one was powerful. The rainbow Pegasus had gotten back up. "You'll have to do better than that to keep me down!" She taunted.
"What's going on here?" I asked, "I don't even know who or what I'm fighting! Why would I want to harm you?"
"What?" cried the rainbow pony, "Do you really think we're gonna believe you?"
But it seemed that the words had struck the unicorn and she hesitated.
"Do you see me speaking to you?" I said in exasperation, "If I had lost my mind- WAAHHH!"
I was covered in a blue sheen of energy, lifted into the air, and thrown into one of the buildings. I crashed though the wall and into a room, leaving a large hole in my wake. The familiar cracking sound of ribs two, three, and four took the breath from my lungs. Two ponies hiding under a table screamed and fled up a flight of stairs.
There were more of them? That was good, right?
"Ouch." I said as I picked myself back up from among the rubble and into a sitting position.
I looked to see another unicorn dressed in dark, stylish clothing and a violet-blue mane and tail with a long, sinister dagger strapped to her back. "How do you like THAT, you ruffian?" she exclaimed.
The rainbow Pegasus flew toward me with a wary look on her face. "Why is it so important that you can speak?" She asked.
"If I had lost my sanity I would be foaming at the mouth, jabbering wildly, and killing you!" I managed, clutching my injured side.
"It's kind of right!" said a Pink pony who was aiming some kind of multicolored cannon at me. She had balloons for a flank mark. I didn't know how that worked, what were the pictures supposed to be?
"Am Ah to reckon that y'all are takin' its side now?" asked a coppery orange pony with a blonde mane and tail with freckles on her cheeks. She had three apples for a mark.
I groped for my estus flask again. I felt rather hungry now that food was on my mind. Whatever those cupcake things were, they had looked appealing. Though I could really use a couple of apples...
"I'm not saying anything other than he looks hungry!" stated the pink pony that had a ridiculous smile on her face.
Wait, how did she know that? Not important.
As the ponies kept arguing, my mind wandered, "What are female horses called?" I asked to no one in particular.
"How do you know if it only eats plants? It could also eat meat!" gasped the mare with the dagger. My question had been ignored, or just not heard.
"They're called mares, right?" I asked again. Meat sounded good as well. But if I wanted to make allies, refraining from talking about meat might be important. I brought forth my estus flask and drank. I was almost out. That was bad.
The rainbow Pegasus gasped, "Its eating fire!"
"Oh, yes. Om nom nom. Actually I'm drinking fire." I said.
That ended the ponies' conversation.
I was encircled now. The six mares were ready for an attack. They looked so afraid...
The end of the world as they knew it has happened, why wouldn't they be frightened of me? A very uneasy silence reigned for a few seconds.
"...I am no 'it.' I am a 'he,' and I mean you no harm." I said, aching all over.
All the ponies were silent, worried, and terrified. The yellow mare was shaking.
The violet unicorn gulped, "W-Well, what do you want us to call you?"
I stood up and bowed slightly. "I am Sir Lawrence of Anor Londo. It is a pleasure to make you acquaintance."
"Pfffff! Hah hah hah! What a silly name!" The pink mare giggled.
"Pinkie!" said the violet unicorn as she face-, err... hoofed.
I turned to the pink mare, "Your name is 'Pinkie'?"
She giggled. "No silly-willy! I'm Pinkie Pie!"
Because JUST Pinkie would be out of the question.
Pinkie Pie gestured towards the rainbow pony, "And this is Rainbow Dash!"
Pinkie Pie pointed to the violet sorcerer, "Along with Twilight Sparkle," then to the other unicorn. "Rarity," Then moved to the blonde mare, "Applejack," and then to the wide-eyed quaking Pegasus, "Aaaaand Fluttershy! That's us!"
Outside the hole in the building I could see more ponies coming out of their houses in curiosity. When they saw me, they gasped comically rushed inside. I came to the assumption that this land wasn't hit as hard as Lordran had been with the undead. I slumped in relief; it was always good to find sentient living creatures.
"You alright, sugar cube?" asked Applejack. My posture was giving me away and I quickly straightened myself. At least they were swift to make friends. Even if the 'friend' they refer to looks as bad as any demon.
"I'm fine... No need to worry." I told the six innocent, fragile creatures, "Where can I find a bonfire?"