You slowly open yours eyes, cursing as pain courses through you.

”Stay still. I have done the best I can…” orders a voice from nearby. The tantalisingly familiarity of the voice sets your mind in motion, and you remember the recent events. You struggle to your feet, and makeshift bandages hang loosely from your frame.

“Drejtimi?” you call out.

”I am here.” The assassin turned savoir slowly approaches you, the look on her face utterly indecipherable. You try to move over to her but dizziness overcomes you, and you wince in pain as you collapse to the ground. ”I told you to stay still.” Drejtimi says blankly, hoisting your naked, defenceless body into an upright position.

“Where… what…” you question weakly.

”Relax. I shall inform you of the situation in a moment. Do not fear; if I wanted you dead you wouldn’t have woken up just there now.”

“And you wouldn’t have… freed me” you chuckle weakly.

”Indeed.”

As your tiredness dissipates and you come to your senses, you notice your new surroundings. You were located in a small clearing, surrounded by sickly looking trees. Your armour lay in a pile not 10 feet away, and you steady yourself.

“Where are we?” you question.

”We are a few miles away from what remains of the Hive. This is a safe spot, for now.”

“What remains? Have you checked on-“

”While you were unconscious I dragged you out of the cave and brought you here. After a few hours, I investigated the Hive to see if the… thing was still there.”

“I take it that it remains still?”

”Indeed. It seems to have killed every member of my kin. No-one remains down there.”

“While that is most unfortunate, forgive me if my sympathy is limited.”

”I would not expect and do not request sympathy. What’s done is done.” She speaks with an interpretable tone; a strange combination of acceptance and glumness. “And so I returned, waited for you to recover, and did my best to patch you up. I am afraid my efforts are hardly anything at all though.”

“Do not worry; I have a solution to my predicament.” Ignoring the excruciating pain, you hobble over to where you knew the bottomless box would be located. Reaching into its depths, you extract a single black sprite. “We’ll both be damned if this summons another demon.” You joke grimly, before crushing the humanity, sighing in relief as the breaks, burns and bruises on your body are undone.

”Ironic. The source of your respite is also the catalyst of the demon.” Drejtimi mutters.

“A double edged sword…” You remain on guard, just in case the demon should re-appear. When it fails to materialise, and your worries lessen, your curiosity takes over. As you examine your suit of armour, you begin to ask Drejtimi your burning questions.

“Now that we are clear of that demonic folly, I must know… why did you help me?”

”Why wouldn’t I?”

“We don’t share an amicable past, if I may remind you. You nearly assassinated Celestia, and I almost had you executed by my own hand.”

”Exactly.” Drejtimi laughs cryptically, compounding your confusion.

“I am beyond confusion, Drejtimi.”

”I tried to rob you of something innately precious to you, something you cherish more than your own life. And yet; you spared me.”

“I… Celestia swayed my judgement. She was the one who convinced me to spare you.”

”That is irrelevant. You could haven chosen to ignore her, and claimed your rightful blood trophy. But you sheathed your sword and set me free. For that… I was indebted. You showed true honour, and for that, I had to save you.”

“Your motives elude me, and your mind moves in mysterious ways. But... I accept your explanation, as insane as trusting a professional killer entails.” Drejtimi nods, signalling for you continue. “Another issue requiring resolving; how did you find me? I thought Celestia had agents tracking you.”

”Celestia can afford the best, but not even the best can keep up with a changeling. We’re good at what we do, and the pay reflects that.”

“And thus why did you track me? Was it intuition, fate, coincidence?”

”I had an unnerving sense of impending doom; that something was going to go bad for you.”

You collect your thoughts, from the moment Ajax betrayed you to the demon’s attack on the Hive. “Impending doom seems appropriate. I… I am grateful for your assistance. As mysterious as your motives are, without your help I would have died.”

”You are welcome.”

Silence descends as you tend to your armour, patching the serrated gashes with a handful of Oolacilian repair powder. When the armour is returned to its former glory, you don it once more, and take a well-deserved seat on a shrivelled tree stump.

”So what shall you do now?”

“I need to get back to Celestia. This demon would overpower me on my lonesome, and is too serious a threat to ignore.” You reply, before smiling darkly to yourself as you contemplate tearing that backstabbing hornet in two. If he’s hurt Celestia already, then there shall be no escape from you. You were prepared to hunt him to the end of the world, if that’s what it took…

”And to reach Canterlot, you shall need to reach the nearest pony settlement, being Dodge City of course.” Drejtimi flutters over to where you sat, turns her back to you, and points. ”Do you see that riverbed? Follow it, and it shall take you to the city within a few days.”

“Let’s not waste another minute!” You jump off the stump and begin heading towards the riverbed, but Drejtimi stands in front of you defiantly. ”There is no point in heading now, not when Celestia’s time is coming to a close.” She points towards the setting sun, and you contemplate.

“I hate to squander precious time like this, but… if you insist; I shall stay for the night.”

”A wise choice; these are dangerous parts to wonder through at night. In preparation of the coming darkness, I would advise collecting some wood…”

As Celestia’s sun slowly set, replacing the divinity of the day with the darkness of the night sky, you assemble a pile of gnarly sticks and construct a makeshift fire. You sit before it, with Drejtimi opposite you, and you feel a strange of sense of belonging. It’s not surprising, perhaps. Sitting before this bonfire brings you back to the times spent in Lordran… dark times yes, but simpler times. Your time in Equestria so far had been utterly chaotic, and you were thankful of this fleeting opportunity to spend time thinking…

”What do you think it is like to die?”

You jump at the suddenness of Drejtimi’s voice, which carried a monumental force in the dead quietness of this barren night.

“Why do you ask such a grim question?”  Drejtimi stares into the heart of the fire. “I have always been taught to be brave. To show defiance, to never fear… and so I do not fear death. I can only but wonder: what does it feel like when your time has come to an end?”

You yourself stare into the heart of the fire, suddenly stoic. “I have experienced death a thousand times over. I’ve been stabbed, crushed, burnt, eaten alive, all manner of things… but you what was the most cruel part? It was not the pain of dying… it was the fleeting moment of calmness. Every time, I thought to myself, “It’s finally over.” Only to be thrust back into the world, to continue fighting on… even when I thought I had reached my ultimatum, when I prepared my very soul for annihilation… I was coerced into another fight, another quest. My mind has come close to buckling under the pressure of living, and dying, and living, and dying… I just want a release. I’m tired of fighting.” The words flow out of you like an emotional river, releasing the pent up frustration and sadness within you, and Drejtimi looks at you with pity.

”Your pain is recognised, Solaire. I wish I could assist you in ending your torment but regrettably…”

“You don’t have to apologise… I do not wish to die now anyway. To do so might forever separate me from Celestia…” The two of you remain silent for a long time, leeching the warmth of the dwindling fire.

Finally, Drejtimi gets up without a word. “Where are you headed?” you ask concernedly.

”I am going to go find somewhere quiet. My people have moved on… and I shall move with them.”

This revelation causes you splutter in surprise and disgust. “There’s no need to die like this!”

”Solaire… hear me out. My life was spent in dedication to the Hive, and to the Queen. Without them… without my kind, I am pointless.”

“There’s more to life than servitude.” You plead.

”Perhaps for you. But without my kin, I am doomed to die anyway. I would much rather chose a passing on my own terms, than a humiliating, slow descent in decay. Please… let me enjoy the last privilege that I can.”

You gape at the changeling who returns the gaze remorsefully. “I… very well. I shall not stop you.”

Drejtimi nods. “Thank you for understanding.”

“I guess that this is our farewell… goodbye, Drejtimi. I wish we could have met under better circumstances. I bid you the best of luck.”

”I wish too that our meetings may have been more pleasant… and I shall return the luck to you. You’ll need it. You’ll all need it…” Drejtimi suddenly adopts a scared look and locks gazes with you.

”When I was near the demon, I could feel it… the most unnatural of things. That demon is not of this world… I do not fear anything… but what the demon shall bring to this land?” Drejtimi leans in closer, eyes wide. ”It terrifies me, Solaire. It is the end of all things. And so I can only ask… please save this land. Please.”

“I shall do as much as I can. That is all I can promise.”

”And that is all I can ask… farewell Solaire.” Drejtimi takes off into the night sky, and you know you shall never see your unconventional savoir again. A great sorrow overwhelms your heart, and as you turn back to the fire, a single tear falls down your cheek.

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