> Kulaas Ahrk Dovah
>  by SkarinOfAtmora
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> 1 - Into the enchanted chamber
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ever since their discovery of the Tree of Harmony there was a nagging feeling in the mind of the young alicorn princess known as Twilight Sparkle. A feeling there was more to the Tree than meets the eye, some big secret that not even her mentor Princess Celestia knew about. As if the Tree was part of something much bigger than the Elements it held or even the box from the flower. Something was telling the young alicorn that this was just the tip of the iceberg. But what could it be? The scene was pretty straight forward: a magical tree, inside a magical cave, located near the old castle of the two princessess. There were no other stone corridors, no other objects in the cave, nothing that said Hey, I'm hiding something! and it was driving the young princess crazy.

"Aaaargh! This is so frustrating! " said princess threw her arms up in frustration after her hundreth time of inspecting the cave top to bottom "I know there's something else here! I can feel it! " she then dropped to her knees in defeat "If I could only find it..." a tiny pebble fell on her shoulder as if presenting itself as the major discovery but Twilight simply brushed it off her school uniform and sighed in desparation "Maybe the girls were right. I could just be overthinking it. " trying to reason with herself never went well with young Twilight and neither did now. Her passion for science and new discoveries lit up like a volcano and she rose to her feet with fire in her eyes "No! In the name of science, and proving my friends wrong, but mostly science, I will find this secret you're hiding Tree! " a new-found energy coursed through her, new strength pushing her forward "Even if I have to tear this place apart pebble by pebble! " stomping her hoof down she was ready to prove her determination.

CRACK

Looking down in surprise Twilight saw a large crack spreading in the stone ground beneath her.

"Uh-oh... " smaller cracks branching out "Nononononono- " as if answering her pleading the spreading stopped "Whew... " breathing a sigh of relief Twilight moved... A finger. Part of the floor crumbled down into a black abyss and the rest soon followed, taking a surprised Twilight with it. Somehow teleporting to safety slipped her mind but luckily she managed to summon a protection spell around her body as she fell down into the abyss along with the rocks.

To her surprise the abyss wasn't so abyssmal, more like a 10 feet hole beneath the surface. Landing relatively safe, she blinked a couple of times in confusion "Huh... Looked much deeper from up th- " she never finished her thought as her eyes widened in sudden realization. Directly in front of her was a root from the Tree of Harmony. Nothing strange about that, no, it was the fact that it led to a small tunnel! Like, barely big enough for Twilight to crawl through it. But...

"I KNEW IT! " jumping out of her rocky surroundings Twilight did a little victory dance, hands pumping overhead and hooves tap dancing below "I knew It, I knew it, I knew IT! Ooooh this is going to be my greatest discovery EVER! " her eyes practically had stars in them "I, Twilight Sparkle, will be the first pony to reveal the greatest secret of the Tree of Harmony! " stopping her victory dance she got serious again "Now I just have to find out what it actually is. " and so with a new-found pep in her step, Twilight bravely tackled the tight tunnel and followed the Tree's root wherever it may take her.

That was half an hour ago.

"Feels like I'm going in circles... " Twilight sighed as she crawled on through the seemingly endless tunnel, the only light provided by the soft glow of her horn. She was about to give up when another light joined. Literally a light at the end of the tunnel, a dim, light greenish one to be precise. There was also some strange buzzing sound "What is that? " finding relief that the tunnel was hopefully coming to an end, Twilight pushed on until she finally reached the end and could actually stand up. Her bones gave a satisfying pop as she finally streched out, her aching body finally getting some relief from the cramped tunnel she was in. Looking down she saw the light source and kneeled to inspect it "It's a glowing plant. " upon closer inspection she noticed something else "And it's humming. I've never seen anything like it. " she opened the satchel she always carried and pulled out a small paper bag "Better take a leaf sample and find out what it is. " as soon as she plucked a leaf of the plant, the entire thing stopped glowing and humming "That's strange... " with a confused look she placed the leaf in the bag and the bag in her satchel. Standing up Twilight noticed it was dark again so she cast a simple light spell to illuminate the way. It was so dark that she could only see a few feet in front of her but decided to march on nevertheless. First thing she did was step into a small puddle and groan "Horseapples... " she looked down at her hoof and promptly shook the water off and continued forward, still looking down to avoid more puddles, only to crash into something hard that sent her right on her butt "Really? It just isn't my... Day... " as she was raising her head to look at the obstacle ahead she realized it was a statue "Oh... My... Celestia... " mouth agape, eyes wide and realization struck "A statue of a pony! " jumping to her hooves she examined it more closely when her light illuminated the statue better "Wait... That's not a pony... " truly, it was not. 

The closest description she could give it was a monkey but it stood tall and straight like a pony would. Further examination showed something else "Female? " deducing that from the shapely figure and an obvious rounded chest. The statue was covered in dust and cobwebs, probably from being underground for who knows how long, and it was posed in a strange manner. The right arm was stretched out, open palm facing up as if it was supposed to be holding something. Twilight decided to remove at least some dirt from the statue to get a better look. Once she did it was once more confirmed that the statue was indeed that of a female. Her short mane, as Twilight guessed what it was, was reaching her shoulders and two small braids going around her head and tied in the back. As for the clothes it was a very revealing outfit, showing enough cleavage to give Rarity a run for her bits and even it's design looked masterfully crafted with a short cape on the back and a hood. Knee-high boots looked to be armored as were the long gloves on her arms and even the large belt looked strong. Twilight has never seen anything like it "What are you? " stepping back she looked around "Is this somekind of ancient temple? " her curiosity peeked she continued walking and soon another statue appeared before her.

This one also looked female but the clothes were rather... Concealing. From head to toe everything was covered except for the eyes under the hood. She did make out some sort of bird in the armor's design, a raven perhaps? There was also a bow and quiver on her back and a dagger on her lower back. And was that a tail? Like before, this statue held the same pose "Maybe they represent some ancient ritual... " mulling over the possibilities in her head, Twilight reached yet another statue.

This one was definitely male and on top of that, it looked scary. The armor, she guessed, was made of plates, large ones over his shoulders and thighs, a sword in it's scabbard on the left hip, and what Twilight assumed, hoped, was a helmet because the angry looking eyes and fanged mouth appeared hollow, almost demonic. The helmet was also plated around to presumably offer protection as if the scary face wasn't enough.

Taking a step back, Twilight looked at the creature before her and came to the same conclusion as before "The same pose on all three statues... " Twilight tapped her chin in thought "There has to be more to this. " turning away she put some distance between herself and the three statues. Turning back towards them her horn lit up and sent a powerful illumination spell into the air, shining a bright light in all directions. Satisfied with the result she looked around the brightly lit chamber in front of her "There! Much better! " ready to explore once more she bagan to turn around to see what's behind her "And now to-DRAGON!!! " Twilight screamed in horror when she came dangerously close to a wide open dragon maw. Scurrying backward she hit something hard which caused her to jump in fright and dashing towards the exit. While she was running for her life, Twilight glanced behind her to see if the dragon was following her only to stop in her tracks " By Celestia... " looking back at her "pursuer", Twilight realized the dragon was actually a statue. Not only that but the dragon looked nothing like the ones she knew. Compared to them, this one looked small, but much, much more terrifying. It's body was covered in long spikes that looked very sharp and deadly. The long tail was no different and even the claws on it's legs were looking deadly. Speaking of legs, this dragon had no front legs, rather, the wings were the front legs. Suffice to say this dragon sent a chill down her spine unlike anything she encountered before. Looking at it from a distance Twilight realized it was posed in a combat stance, facing off against a creature that resembeld the statues she first discovered. The left arm was holding up a shield towards the dragon while the right held a sword in what appeared to be mid-swing. Whate made Twilight's skin crawl the most was the fact that the knight's armor, she assumed he was one, appeared to be made of large bones, horned-helmet and all "What kind of pony... -being, makes an armor out of bones? " having seen enough Twilight's horn glowed "I have to get the Prinesses. " and with a flash, she was gone.




Meanwhile in Canterlot...

Inside the throne room, Celestia was holding her usual day court where her subjects could express their concerns, suggestions, complaints and most often than not, some outrageous demands. Today was no different as the nobles of Canterlot demanded lower taxes for nobility while increasing the ones for the general populace. Celestia wanted nothing more than kick them out on their pompus flanks but alas as Princess of Equestria she had to remain civil. She would list to their "fair proposal", say she will consider their proposition, but not actually do it, and then politely decline a few days after, starting this process all over again. In moments like these Celestia desperately prayed for some disaster to strike that required her immediate attention "Perhaps Spike eating too much gems and having a bad tummy ache. Yes, I suppose that is disasterous enough... "  she tought to herself and sighed quietly "I could relly use some cake right now... " as if answering her silent prayers, Twilight Sparkle literally popped into the throne room in a state of panic "Oh thank the Sun! " Celestia rose from her throne with a big smile and addressed her star pupil.

"My dear stu- " Twilight shot towards her mentor like a bullet and stopped only inches away before begining her tidal wave of an explanation.

"PrincessCelestia!IwasresearchingtheTreeofHarmonywhenIfellthroughthegroundandthenfoundatunnelthatledtothishuuugechamberwithstatuesbutthosewerenotponystatuesandtherewasadragonand-MMPF! " Twilights onslaught was silenced by Celestia putting her palm over Twilights muzzle "Mmmpffmfpmmpfffmpffmmmppff- " okay maybe not.

"Twilight? " Celestia tried to calm down the young mare who was now waveing her arms around, trying to explain something.

"Mmmmffppmpmpfff- " nope.

"Twilight? " 

"Mmpffffmmppmpppffff- "

"TWILIGHT! " not using her Royal voice, though not far from it, she managed to get Twilights attention "Twilight... relax, take a deep breath and start from the beginning. Okay? " the younger Alicorn nodded and when Celestia removed her hand from Twilight's muzzle she did just as told and began anew.

"As I was saying, I was researching the Tree of Harmony beacuse I felt there was something more to discover. " 

"From your sudden appearance and behavior I assume there was? " Celestia asked, her gentle smile still present.

"Of course! Oh and what a discovery it was! " Twilight was getting excited again but Celestia let her continue "You see, first I fell through the floor- "

"And injured your head apparently. " some noble tried to quietly be funny and caused some snickers.

"I heard that. " Celestia's quick glare was enough to silence the noblepony. Twilight, however, was oblivious.

"-and there was this tunnel so I decided to follow it. Once I did, it took me this huge dark chamber and after casting a strong illumination spell there were these statues- "

"Congratulations, you found an ancient pony ruin, good for you! Can we get back to what's important now? " the same noble from before was mere seconds away from being tossed out by Celestia herself until Twilight spoke to him directly.

"Those weren't statues of ponies. " this piqued Celestia's interest "In fact, the statues resembled no species known to Equus. " this got the crowd murmuring "Even the dragon statue was unlike any seen before. "

"Do you have any idea what they could be, Twilight? " this was a shocking revelation to Celestia. The discovery of a temple beneath the Tree could change everything they know about it.

"Well... I did get a good look at one... " Twilight said uncertanly "First I thought it was a monkey but then I remembered something from my early days in Ponyville. " it was as if Twilight was ashamed of what she was about to say "I was organizing the library books when I found one hidden under one of the bookstands. It looked very old and in bad condition... " Celestia almost immediately knew what book Twilight was talking about "It was written by Star Swirl the Bearded. The book's name was- "

"The Scroll. " Celestia finished with a hint of disbelief. Her conclusion caused an uproar among the nobles in the hall.

"That is preposterous! " one of the nobles screamed in outrage "The Scroll was written after Star Swirl went completely mad! A great mind for sure, but after he snapped he began to descend into madness! " the other nobles nodded in agreement " Tales of tall monkeys, yellow creatures with pointy ears and walking lizards? " Twilight's ears flopped aginst her head.

"Everypony please! I know it sounds crazy but I think he was right! " Celestia's heart felt for her young student.

"And talking cats? " this statement was followed by enormous laughter. Tears threatened to flow from Twilight's eyes but she somehow managed to hold them in "Oh oh! Or how about that world eating dragon? What was the name again? Alduin? " most of the nobles were rolling on the floor laughing and Twilight could no longer hold her tears. The most groundbraking discovery in years and this was how they treated her? Finally, Celestia had enough of their appaling behavior.

"ENOUGH! " her Royal Canterlot voice shook the walls of the throne room and everypony immediately stood to attention "Your disgusting behavior to your Princess is unexcusable! Get out of my sight! All of you! " the ponies rushing out of the room could have sworn Celestia's mane caught fire. The Sun Princess then hugged her young student and rubbed her back in a comforting manner "It's okay dear Twilight. Let it all out... " her calm motherly voice did manage to somewhat calm Twilight down.

"*Sniff* S-so... You believe me? " Twilight asked with her eyes red and puffy from crying, cheeks stained with tears. Celestia smiled reassuringly.

"Of course I do Twilight. " the young alicorn smiled "I do believe you found something, but for now let's not get ahead of ourselves, okay? This is a very, very sensitive topic so we must be one hundred percent sure before we go public with this information. " Twilight understood what was said but still wanted her mentor to fully agree.

"I-I understand. "

"Now, I need you to calm down, gather the Elements of Harmony and come back here so we can find the answers together. " this surprised Twilight.

"You're coming with me? " 

"Of course I am. " Celestia answered ever so gently "If this is what you say it is, then I want to see it firsthoof. " then she leaned closer and quietly added "Personally, between you and me, Star Swirl was my idol as a young filly so this will be fan-mare moment for me. " with a wink at the end Twilight finally smiled.

"I never figured you for a Star Swirl fan-mare. It's... "

"Strange? "

"Refreshing, actually. " Twilight answered "Makes you more relatable. " she finished with a cheeky smile to which Celestia playfully stuck her tongue out. After a short laugh Twilight put her game-face on "Anyway, I'll go gather the Elements and- "

BOOM

Snapping their heads towards the large wooden doors of the throne room the two alicorns saw Discord standing there with random confetti popping around him.

"Goooood morning Canterlot! " with a pop he appeared between Twilight and Celestia and hugged them tightly, smushing their heads together "Isn't it a beautiful day? Birds chirping, the Sun shining in the sky and nobles laughing their balloon heads off! " taking a deep, deep breath he exhaled it with great satisfaction "I love the smell of chaos in the morning! " he let them go and began inspecting his claws "So, what was that about? " he asked with a big, one-tooth grin.

"Nothing you should concern yourself abou, Discord. " Celestia answered sternly.

"Really? Cuz' I could have sworn I heard Star Swirl and scroll in the same sentence. C'mon Sunshine, I just know it's juicy! "

"Don't call me Sunshine, Discord. "

"Sunbutt then? "

"Discord! " a faint blush crept to Celestia's cheeks.

"Fine, don't tell me. " the draconequus huffed in annoyance and crossed his arms "But I will find out eventually. I'll just ask Fluttershy! " a sly grin spread on his muzzle causing Celestia to sigh in defeat.

"If you must know, Twilight may have made a big discovery today. " this got Discord's attention.

"Did she now? " he got rather close to the Princess of Friendship "Do tell. "

"W-well... I was doing research on the Tree of Harmony when I fell through the ground and foind this ancient looking chamber. " her explanation caused Discord's eyes to widen a take a few steps back.

"Sorry, what now? " Celestia suddenly grew suspicious of his behavior.

"And there were these- " 

"Statues? " he finished in an uneasy voice.

"Yes! And one was- "

"A dragon... " for the first time in a long time, Celestia saw Discord afraid.

"Yes! How did you... " now even Twilight grew suspicious and narrowed her eyes at Discord "Know? "

"Yes, how did you know? " Celestia joined in on the questioning but Discord didn't even looked fazed by it. Though what came next left both Celestia and Twilight shocked. Discord once again smushed their heads together and spoke very quietly and very omniously.

"Now you listen and listen good. Do not go back there. I mean it! "

"You knew about this? " Celestia tried to pull away but Discord wouldn't have it.

"I am deathly serious Celestia! Forget what you saw, bury the entrance and never speak of this again! " Twilight somehow managed to escape Discord's hug.

"We can't just forget this! This could be the gratest discovery in the history of Equestria! " the young mare said while raising her voice.

"What's gotten into you Discord? " Celestia was now convinced Discord knew something.

"Princess Celestia, I'm going to gather the Elements and meet you here as planned. " Twilight said with conviction.

"Listen to me Twilight! Don't go back there with your friends! You don't know what you're dealing with! " his warnings fell on deaf ears "I'm warning you Sparkle! "

"Warning her, Discord? " Celestia approached the draconequus with a deadly glare "You don't get to warn anypony. Now leave before I change my mind about your stay in Equestria. " her only response was Discord growling menacingly "Twilight, gather the Elements. Go, now. " the two still locked in a glaring contest.

"Yes Princess. " before she could teleport Discord had one last thing to say.

"You'll never get Fluttershy! " before vanishing into thin air. Twilight recognized Celestia's expression and intervened before something rash may happen.

"Relax Princess. He's not going to hurt her if that's what you're worried about. "

"It's not that Twilight. " Celestia's brows schurnched in thought "Discord doesn't usually act like this. Usually he would encourage us to look into this and laugh at the chaos it caused. But now... " she sighed and continued "I believe he knows more than he's letting on. If Dicord thinks it's a bad idea- " she couldn't believe she was about to say this "- maybe we should listen. "

"Then we don't bring the Elements... " Twilight said while rubbing her chin in thought.

"What do you mean? "

"He specifically said don't go back there with your friends, which would mean whatever is down there is tied to the Elements. " she began pacing "Which means if the Elements aren't there, we've got nothing to worry about. " Celestia could see some sense behind her logic.

"So what do you suggest we do? "

"The two of us go, maybe Princess Luna if she's awake, and some of your guards just in case. "

"Twilight, are you sure about this? " Celestia was feeling uneasy about the whole thing altogether.

"Princess Celestia, the statues I saw down there were posed in a specific way. L-like a ritual or something similar. " she looked her mentor in the eyes, filled with determination "For all we know, these beings could be the first to discover the Elements of Harmony. This could give us new knowledge about the Elements themselves. " Celestia chewed her lip in deep thought "Just a quick peek and we're out. Maybe we find a book or something that will give us answers. " this was not an easy decision to make and Celestia hated those. While this could shed more light on the Elements of Harmony and give answers to questions they couldn't even ask right now, it could also unleash an ancient evil upon their land. Star Swirl was deemed mad after publishing his book but the conviction and details he put into it always gnawed at Celestia for some reason. Madpony or no, she always thought there was something behind that book and now with Twilight's discovery she didn't know what to think anymore. What she did know was that Twilight will return there eventually, bless her curious heart, so Celestia decided to get this over with now to avoid potential future disasters. With a heavy sigh Celestia made her decision.

"Very well- " a big smile appeared on Twilight's face "-we shall go investigate. Go in and go out as quickly as possible. " Twilight's smile threatened to wrap around her head.

"Huzzah! Adventure awaits! " heads snapped to the new arrival who was stealthily hiding behind one of the stone pillars "We must make haste! " Luna strode towards the doors. Seeing nopony was following her she looked at her fellow princessess "What is the saying these days? We're burning daylight? " and with that she went outside to gather the royal guards.

"Well I guess Princess Luna is joining us. " Twilight said with a sheepish smile which earned her a raised brow from Celestia "I'llll go get my things. " and with a poof, she was gone.





Back in the ancient chamber once again, Twilight made use of her time and began scouring it for clues. She even discovered three more statues on the opposite side she didn't see before and many separate chambers all around. Celestia and Luna stood to the side with their respective guards and observed the sight before them.

"What does all this mean sister? " Luna asked while inspecting the statue of the female Twilight first discovered. The Princess of the Night wondered how the statues were so well preserved. She tapped the shoulder of the statue and found the stone to be solid, as if the statue was made just recently.

"I do not know Luna. What I do know is that this changes everything. " Celestia wondered if these statues were remnants of an ancient civilization that possibly preceeded them? But how is that possible? Even her parents pointed out that ponies, griffins and even changelings were present since the beggining. And not to sound rude but her parents were ancient so they must have known what they were talking about. In any case, this place was making her feel uneasy so she decided to end this little expedition.

"Twilight? It's time to go. " mentioned alicorn poked her head from behind a stone.

"Awww! Five more minutes? " she whined in a foal-like manner. Celestial could only giggle at her student's antics.

"I'm afraid time is up dear Twilight. We must go. " she motioned for Twilight to come along.

"Okay. " her ears dropped sadly and she made her way towards the Princessess only to stop in the middle of the chamber, right in front of the dragon and the knight "I just don't get. There's nothing here! No books, no pottery, no weapons no nothing! " putting her hands on her hips she continued "Either there was nothing there to begin with or- " her ears suddenly perked up "Do you hear that? " Celestia also perked her ears to hear better.

"Yes. It sounds like- "

"Bats. " Luna finished nonchalantly and on cue a giant swarm of bats flew out of one of the side chambers and went straight at Twilight.

"EEEEEEK!!! GET THEM OFF! GET THEM OFF! " Twilight flailed her arms wildly trying to shake off the swarm that passed around. While doing so she tripped but managed to catch herself with one arm on the dragon's maw and the other on the knight's shield. Steadying herself Twilight faced the Princessess "Now, I know you're gonna' say they're more afraid of me than- " she noticed their stunned expressions "What? "

"Twilight... What did you do? " Celestia asked short of breath.

"I didn't do anything. " came a confused response. Luna simply pointed her finger, signaling something was happening behind her. Twilight didn't need to turn around, she could already feel it. Enormous amout of magic was being released behind her, unlike anything she ever felt before. Slowly turning around anyway, she was met with a stunning display. Magical energy swirled around the knight and dragon, tearing away bits and pieces of stone to reveal something underneath. Now everything came together, Star Swirls book, Discords warnings the Elements of Harmony "Oh no... " Twilight was unconciously stepping back towards her mentor.

"What is happening? " Luna yelled over the loudness of the magic whirlwind before them, the royal guards drawing their weapons to be ready. Celestia knew what was happening but she refused to believe it. She refused to believe that they just unleashed an ancient evil upon their land to which, ironically enough, Discord warned them about. Twilight was in a state of shock to say the least.

"What have I done... " burying her face in her hands she began crying and Celestia hugged her tightly for some comfort.

"We have to stop it! " Luna yelled once again over the magic storm in front "Sister! We have to- " she couldn't finish as a new voice made itself present. It was more of a growl, one so terrifying and loud it shook the very air around them, sending shivers down their spines. And just as the growling ended so did the magical storm. Bits and pieces of stone still crumbling away from the statues, one stone uncovering a blood red dragon eye.

Then all Oblivion broke loose...
> 2 - Awaken
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

First thing he felt waking up was a draft of cold air. Not that he minded, it was actually refreshing. Sounds of water droplets hitting the stone floor in random intervals followed "Dungeon... " he said quietly. When he tried to move his arms he found they were chained to a wall as he felt resistance. He was on his knees, arms chained above him and bars infront of him "Damn it... "

"Princess! " an unknown voice caught his attention but since he was barely concious it mattered little to him "It's awake! " this got a quiet laugh out of him Guess I've been called worse... Still, where in Oblivion am I? slowly opening his eyes he found his suspicions confirmed. Cold, dark and damp Dungeon... But where? one thing he noticed about the guard was the golden armor but everything else was hazy Damned Thalmor got me. And I'm naked... well, almost naked. The one remaing item of clothing were his leather trousers but without his gear he might as well be naked. Then he heard footsteps echo through the dungeon, probably this Princess comig to see him "You better not try anything funny while our Princess is here! "

"Oh bite me you Thalmor bastard... " defiant to the end, a true Nord "Sovngarde Saraan... "

"Was that a threat? " a sword came to his neck, the guard's face obscured by shadow. And that's when he heard the most divine voice in his life.

"Calm yourself, Storm Hammer. " the guard quickly stood to attention which earned him a snicker from the chained individual "I thank you for your effort in guarding our guest- "Guest? Thalmor really have bad manners. Or a dark sense of humour. I'd say both..."-but I assure you I can take it from here. " he tried to see who the voice belonged to but it was too damn dark. By the dark sihoulette he confirmed it was a female but there was something strange about the helmet she wore. It was elongated and had a horn on the top, unlike any he'd seen before. Also, he could swear she had wings.

"If this is how you treat your guests... " he felt their eyes fall on him "I wonder how you treat your enemies, dear Kulaas... "

"Why, I simply send them to the moon. " she answered with amusement, though not quite jokingly might I add.

"Which one? " his question seemed to catch her by surprise as silence followed it.

"I'm afraid I do not understand. "

"It's simple, wench... " the guard was already drawing his sword but the Princess, not taken kindly to the insult, stopped him anyway with her arm extended "I asked which moon. Masser or Secunda? " more silence and confused looks followed "I thought Thalmor were smart. " said Princess turned fully towards him.

"Where do you think you are? " she asked.

"In a dungeon? " he answered in annoyance.

"Well, yes, but what I meant was, where. "

"Solitude perhaps? Know you Thalmors like to have your little gatherings there ever since you set foot in Skyrim. "

"What is this Skyrim you speak of? And why do you keep calling us Thalmors? " now it was his turn to stay quiet. Her tone suggested she had no idea what he was talking about and he could tell when a Thalmor was lying. This was definitely no Thalmor.

"You're not Thalmor? Got me worried there for a moment. " he sighed in relief. He could take on Thalmor but their hospitality was just atrocious. But he wasn't prepared for what she said next.

"No, we are not. We are ponies. " a long silence followed before he finally spoke.

"I'm sorry, WHAT? " his question was answered when the Princess finally stepped into the light and he was NOT prepared for what he saw. A being unlike any he had seen before stood before him, her equine looks confirming she was telling the truth. But unlike the equines he knew about, she looked beautiful. Dare he say like an angel? A weird thing to think about your captor, right? Her equine features toned down just enough to let the more human ones stand out. Her body was that of a goddess, or at least blessed by one. He also confirmed for certain now that she had wings and a horn. But what he was drawn to the most were her big magenta eyes.

"We are ponies and I am Princess Celestia, co-ruler of Equestria, a country on planet Equus. You are in the city of Canterlot, or as you said, in it's dungeons. We also have only one Moon that my sister raises at night while I raise the Sun in the morning. " a small smile followed her explanation to which she only recieved a blank stare "And who might you be? "

"You lost me at Equestria princess. " he was still staring at her What in Oblivion are you talking about?

"Show some respect you hairless- " Storm Hammer was ready to smite this arrogant creature but once again Celestia calmed him with a simple gesture.

"It's fine Storm Hammer. If I were in his place I wouldn't fare much better. " a smile graced her lips once more which he found soothing "We can go into details later, but for now, just tell me your name. " she continued to look at him with that warm smile and after a little thing he gave in.

"Skarin. That is my name. "

"Pleased to meet you, Skarin. " she hummed in thought "Skarin... A strange name indeed. You are not from Equestria are you? "

"It may be strange but it is mine. " and after rattling his chains a little he continued "And no, apparently not. I'm strating to think I'm not on Mundus either. "

"Is that your planet? Mundus? " she asked while inspecting him closely. She could see he was a warrior and a well experienced one at that, judging by the scars and very muscular body. Her guard made an astute observation about him being hairless, though not entirely. There was hair on his head, long and blonde, and his face but not all of it was covered. His chest was somewhat covered in hair and that was about it. His blue eyes were sharp and little wrinkles showed his age and experience. A blue leaf-like tattoo was painted on his right cheek.

"I guess you could say that, LAAS... " Skarin whispered the last part, hoping they wouldn't notice what he just did.

"I'm flattered you think I'm young enough to be called that. " another smile.

"Where's my gear? " not wanting to waste time he cut right to the chase. This time the guard answered.

"We have stored your weapons and armor in a safe location until we decide what to do with you, prisoner. "

"Some of my guards told me it was dangerous to let our guest-" shooting a look at Storm Hammer "-have his weapons with him. "

"You think my weapons make me dangerous? Good, keep thinking that. " the way he said it unnerved the two ponies in the dungeon but he then continued "Just tell me why I'm here. Did I start a drunken brawl in one of your taverns? I tend to do that a lot lately. " this question confused Celestia "Wouldn't know how I got there in the first place. "

"Do you not remember what happened? " she asked in concern.

"What did I just say? " he frowned at her.

"Perhaps this will help. " Celestia extended her arm towards him.

"What are you do-AAAAARGH! " as soon as she touched his forehead searing pain erupted in his mind and it all came back. The cave, the screaming, Alduin, Celestia, some others he didn't recognize and then nothing. When the rush of memories came back he was finally wide awake and gasping for air "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE? " he tried to lunge at her but the chains kept him in place. Celestia jumped back and Storm Hammer drew his sword ready for anything. Celestia knew what he was asking about and her face turned to sorrow. It was the exact same question he asked once he was freed of his stone coffin.

"I- " Celestia began but was cut short.

"DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT YOU DID? ANY AT ALL? " he was struggling against his chains and Storm Hammer, to his horror, saw them slowly being pulled out of the walls. These chains could hold minotaurs for Celestia's sake!

"Step back Princess, I'll handle him! " Storm Hammer raised his sword in preparation. The chains broke out of the walls and Skarin stumbled forward but quickly regained his footing.

"DO YOU KNOW HOW HARD IT WAS TO TRAP ALDUIN LIKE THAT? WHAT IT TOOK? "

"Please calm down- " once again Celestia was cut short.

"I will not calm down! And you can tell the guards behind that wall to either come out or get lost before I turn this place to dust! " Storm Hammer grinned in satisfaction.

"You can't use magic here. There's dampeners all around your cell. It's the most secure cell in all of Equestria! "

"Time to test that. FEIM! " in an instant his body became ethereal and Skarin simply walked out of his cell. Now the hiding guards ran out and attacked him to defend their Princess. If only they didn't go right through him and hit the cell doors which were charged with an electricution spell that promptly knocked them all out. Skarin was so taken aback by this development he stopped dead in his tracks and looked at the downed guards "Ooookay... " Storm Hammer was at a loss for words. Celestia decided to use this, let's say mishap, to try and calm the situation.

"If you would please calm down so we can talk like civilized ponies? "

"I am not a pony and I will not calm down! " his ethereal form faded and Storm Hammer saw this as his chance to strike. Before his sword could connect, a finger-snap was heard and he vanished along with his fellow guards. A voice followed the snap, one Celestia knew all too well.

"I'd do as the lady says, Skarin. "

"Discord. " she glared at the draconequus. Now she was certain he knew more than he let on.

"Do I know you, creature? " he was slowly reaching his limit for the day. He was this close to shouting the place apart.

"Of course you know me Skarin! And before you ask Celestia, your guards are in their beds sleeping like babies. " pyjamas appeared on his snake like body along with a sleeping hat and a teddybear in his hands.

"SPEAK BEFORE I-MMPF! " a large pacifier appearing in his mouth stopped Skarin from finishing.

"Yes, yes before you shout this place apart, yadda-yadda. You're getting repetitive, Dragonborn. " Discord smiled a toothy grin when Skarin spit out the pacifier and focused his glare on him.

"Dragonborn? " Celestia chimed in and looked at Skarin.

"My dear Princess Celestia, you are now in the presence of the one, the only, the legendary- " lights, camera, action! "Dragonborn! " Discord's voice now had an echo to it and he was wearing a tuxedo "Coming to you from the frozen land of Atmora, standing at an imposing 6'6'' and weighing in at 300 pounds I present to you Skarin, the Last Dragonborn! Thane to half of Skyrim and Harbinger of the Companions! Heart-throb of many young ladies-URK! " Skarin grabbed Discord by the throat and ended his little show "Also known for his charming personality! " he croaked out.

"Let him go! " Celestia grabbed Skarin by the arm but he wouldn't budge. Now she finally realized how tall he was, even taller than her who was the tallest pony at 6'2''.

"Who are you? " Skarin growled at Discord who, strangely, began tearing-up.

"Y-you don't remember me? " he asked with tears already starting to flow. Suddenly he disappeared in a poof of smoke and reappeared besides Skarin "But we had so much fun together in the Blue Palace! " a hip-bone popped-out of nowhere into Skarin's hands "With you know who... " he whispered into his ear making Skarin drop the bone. Finally the Princess decided she had enough.

"What is going on Discord? " Celestia stepped in between him and Skarin "How do you know him? " she wanted answers and she wanted them now.

"Dammit... " Skarin huffed in annoyance "Why'd it have to be him? Of all the Daedra ever, why him? "

"Oh my dear Celestia, Skarin and I go a loooooooooo- " a smaller Discord presses the fast-forward button on a remote and speeds things up. There we go "-oooong way back. We go so far back I wasn't even Discord! " his body began shifting into something new and once it was done a man stood in front of them, shorter than both Skarin and Celestia "I was know as Sheogorath. " he finished with a wide grin "And now we really need to talk. " and with a snap of his fingers, they were gone.



Meanwhile in another part of the castle...

The memory was still fresh in Luna's mind, her hands still trembling. Never had she expreienced something so terryfing in her long life. The black dragon broke free of the stone encasing him and began thrashing around wildly. Twilight could have gotten seriously hurt, or even killed, hadn't the warrior in bone armor put himself between her and the dragon's sharp talons with his shield.

"GET AWAY FROM HERE! NOW! " Twilight wasted no time and ran as fast as she could towards her and Celestia. The dragon tried with another slash but once again the warrior blocked it, giving Twilight a chance to escape. The guards attacked the mighty beast but Luna could only watch as the dragon simply swatted away their guards like flies, leaving them barely alive in the process. The warrior then began shouting among the ensuing chaos.

"PROTECT THE STATUES! " his deep voice still reverberated in her head and left even more questions. What was so special about the statues? Why did he risk his life when one was almost destroyed by the dragons tail? She remembered casting powerful offensive spells at the dragon but they simply bounced off it's skin. The warrior's blade, however, managed to cut through it and the dragon roared in pain. It looked at it's attacker and spewed fire at him that engulfed him completely. In that moment Luna could have sworn the dragon spoke, almost as if it was an incantation.

"YOL TOOR SHUL! " it may just be her imagination but she would have to look into it. If it was indeed a spell then it was a very powerful one. And also very dangerous.

"THIS IS BETWEEN YOU AND ME ALDUIN! LEAVE THEM OUT OF IT! " Alduin. The name those nobles said at court. The world eating dragon. But how could such a small dragon eat a whole world? He was at least a dozen times smaller than the dragons she knew. Maybe it was figurative?

"The Scroll. " Luna came to the realization that Star Swirl wrote a book about this topic. She hadn't read it herself but it would appear her sisters and some of the nobles did. Alduin is mentioned in that book "It cannot be a coincidence. " Luna mentally reminded herself to find a copy and read it to help shed some light on the situation. As soon as the chaos started, it also ended.Alduin somehow managed to burrow through the tunnel Twilight came through and escape into the world. That was not a good thing.

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE? " he was angry, that much was clear. The way he threw away his helmet, his eyes burning with rage as he approached them. It felt as if another dragon was in the chamber with them "DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA? YOU JUST- " that's when Twilight used her magic to knock him out, with his own shield no less.

"I'm sorry... " that was the last thing Twilight said before fainting into Luna's arms. She was currently in the medical wing of the castle with her brother Shining Armor standing watch just in case. The warrior was carried of in a magical aura by her sister and placed in the dungeon for security reasons. Luna had a really bad feeling about all of this. She knew it was bad, but not how bad. Luna needed answers. Steeling her nerves and calming her trembling hands, Luna stood up and headed towards the library. If only Twilight was awake, the little mare knew her way around the library like Luna in the Dreamscape. This will take a while.



Medical wing...

Shining Armor was keeping a watchful eye on his little sister. It's been hours and he hadn't moved an inch. When the Princesses returned with gravely wounded guards, his sister and some unknown creature he had no idea what was going on. After a brief explanation by Celestia, Shining Armor decided to watch over his sister with one of the guards keeping him informed on the state of his injured troops. They were not in mortal danger anymore but were very lucky to have survived. From what Celestia told him, the mysterious creature saved his sister's life. He had to find it, well, him, from what Shining could tell, and thank him properly. For now, the only thing that mattered was his sister.
> 3 - Have a drink on me
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Skarin opened his eyes to find himself in a familiar place, one he was very fond of. Wooden walls and arches, rustic chairs and tables, a firepit in the middle of the large room. This place brought back so many memories.

"The Bannered Mare... " a sudden rush of adrenaline overtook him "Whiterun! " Skarin rushed towards the exit of the tavern. Celestia was puzzled by his sudden behavior but quickly surmized that this was a place familiar to Skarin. Perhaps his home?

"I wouldn't do that if I were you... " Sheogorath calmly staded behind him but Skarin didn't listen. He was home. At least, he thought he was until he opened the doors and was almost swept away by a powerful storm raging outside. Barely managing to hold on, Skarin took a glimpse through squinting eyes and saw nothing. Nothing as in no buildings, no trees, nothing. Just a vast emptyness of different colors swirling violently with the storm. It took all his strength to close the door shut which came as a surprise to him. He encountered storms before but non were this violent. Closing the doors, Skarin slid down and rested on the wooden floor at the entrance "What can I get you? " Sheogorath spoke behind the bar counter with a smile while wiping down a mug "Hungry, tired, or just plain thirsty? " Skarin glared at the Daedra who acted like nothing was out of the ordinary. Sparing a glace at Celestia, who summoned a barrier around her once he opened the doors, Skarin could swear he saw a vein popping. Deciding there was not much he can do, Skarin sighed and answered the mad Daedra.

"Thirsty. " rising to his feet he made his way to the bar and sat on one of the chairs, head propped up on his right arm.

"Nothing new there... " Sheogorath snorted, then looked at Celestia "Tea, my dear? " the princess lowered the barrier but kept a sharp eye on Discord... Or was it Sheogorath? What is she supposed to call him now? "With a nice slice of cake! Yes, yes, chocolate! " clapping his hands the Daedra continued "You two sit down, relax, have a little chat and I'll be right back! " and then he simply skipped away to the kitchen, leaving the two alone. Seeing that Celestia was still standing behind him, Skarin patted the chair next to him.

"Come, sit. " glancing towards the princess he ran a hand through his hair in exhaustion "There's not much we can do right now, trust me. He knows what's going on and we'll have to play this game of his to find out. "

"What is he hoping to accomplish with... Whatever this is? " Celestia asked, slowly nearing the free chair.

"Don't know and at this point I'm too tired to care. " pinching the bridge of his nose he sighed "Would you believe me this was not the strangest experience I had with him? " Celestia sat down, seemingly accepting that she was stuck here.

"This is certainly among my top three. " both shared a quick laugh before Skarin continued.

"I'm... Sorry for calling you a wench. " scratching his cheek sheepishly "Not because you're royalty but because it was rude of me to do so. "

"And I apologize for my guards calling you a hairless creature. " Celestia answered with a smile "It was a rough introduction to say the least. " they both shared a chuckle at the memory. To Celestia's surprise, Skarin extended a hand.

"Skarin, the last Dragonborn. Pleased to make your acquaitance. " Celestia, a little surprised by his casual offering, accepted the handshake.

"Celestia, Princess of Equestria. " exchanging smiles they withdrew their hands and an awkward silence followed. They could hear the mad god that brought them here humming a happy tune in from the kitchen. Couldn't he just snap his fingers and make the food appear? Meanwhile, Celestia was surveying her surroundings with interest, still not sure where they actually were. Deciding to end the silence she spoke "Where do you suppose we are exactly? The magic here doesn't feel like in Equestria . " humming a bit in thought, Skarin answered.

"The Shivering Isles would be my guess. "

"And where is that? " she asked, the location not familiar to her.

"That... is a complicated question. " Skarin looked around as well "It's his own realm within Oblivion. " Celestia still had no clue what that meant so he continued "Simply put, this is his home, so to say. An infinite plane that he controls completely, where he is most powerful, able to destroy us with a thought. Cozy, am I right? "

"You must be joking. " after Skarin remained silent Celestia's brows rose in surprise "Apparently you are not... " the thought of Discord having a realm which he controls completely sent a cold shiver down her spine.

"Drinks are ready! " sure enough, Discord, now back to his draconequus form,  walked out the kitchen wearing an apron and carrying their drinks snd cake on a platter. Setting the platter down on the bar he handed Skarin his mead and Celestia her tea and cake "Enjoy! " Skarin looked into the bottle with a frown. Bringging it closer to his lips he whispered into the bottleneck.

"FOH..." the bottle instantly got covered in a thin layer of frost. Nodding in approval, Skarin took a large gulp of the bitter liquid before sighing in satisfaction "Black-Briar Mead. " he said inspecting the bottle "Say what you want about Maven, but the bitch knew her mead. "

"How did you do that? " Celestia asked, ignoring the b-word.

"Did what? " Skarin asked while taking another sip.

"That! " she pointed at the frosted bottle "What kind of magic is that? I didn't feel any magic with the spell being casted. "

"It's not magic. " Skarin set the bottle down " It's a Thu'um, a Shout. "

"Technically it's magic. " Discord said, a large wheel of cheese in his hands.

"Not traditional magic then. " Skarin growled in annoyance at Discord "It's the language of the dragons and I, as a Dragonborn, have the power to wield the Voice, as it were. " looking back at the bottle he continued "A full Shout consists of three words but you can use one or two for varying results. Over time I learned that some Shouts can be spoken quietly to reduce it's strength as well and it turned out to be a perfect way to cool my mead or start a campfire without burning down a forest. "

"How does one learn these Shouts? " Celestia asked, intrigued by the prospect of learning a new form of magic.

"Intense training and meditation but some can go through their entire lives and only ever learn one. As for me, all I have to do is kill a dragon and devour it's soul. " he said the last part like it was a normal occurence.

"Killing a creature and taking it's soul!?That's barbaric! " Celestia was appaled at this revelation and wondered just what she got herself into.

"It's not like I wanted to be a Dragonborn. Fate decided it so. "

"You could have chosen not to. " Celestia argued back.

"Yeah, tell that to Alduin and his bretheren tearing Tamriel apart. " he looked at Discord "Speaking of which, where am I and what is going on? " Discord was about to speak when Skarin interrupted " And if you say I'm in a tavern having drinks, I will melt your head. " Discord pouted.

"Party pooper... " he mumbled but continued nontheless "You, my dear Dovahkiir-" Skarin raised a brow"-are where you always were. " Skarin's fists slammed on the bar.

"I don't have time for jokes! Alduin is free and Skyrim is in- "

"Equestria. " Celestia corrected, finally taking a sip of her tea. It was good tea.

"What about it? " Skarin asked.

"You are in Equestria, therefore, Equestria is also in danger. "

"You moved us? " Skarin glared at Discord "What in Oblivion were you thinking? " Discord looked offended.

"I never think and I resent the accusation! " he huffed in disadain but continued "What I can say is that I didn't move you, and you are still in Skyrim. " both looked at him in confusion "Just a lot later. " dozens of clocks appeared around him with the dials going crazy "Millions of years later actually. "

"So you're saying... " realization slowly set in for Skarin.

"Welcome to the future my friend! " Discord appeared to be dipped in chrome "Enjoy your stay! "

"How is that possible? " Celestia asked, not really sure how to take this revelation.

"Oh simple really. " a chalkboard appeared and Discord began writing "You see, Skarin and his friends decided to trap Alduin for all time with a powerful spell, they managed to do it but were also turned to stone in the process. And abra kadovah, millenias later, here we are. " he looked at the two "Any questions? " Skarin asked one.

"How did, no offence- " he said to Celestia "-this happen? "Skarin gestured to her as a whole "She's a completely new species! And on top of that she runs a kingdom! " Discord chuckled and decided to explain.

"You see, after your spectacular failure to defeat Alduin in Sovngarde- " he leaned towards Skarin "-cost me quite a septim on that bet-" then leaned back "-and then managing to turn yourself to stone things got stale for a while. " he began drawing on the board again "Skyrim awaited their hero, The Empire tried to patch thungs up with the Thalmor, Khajiit were high on skooma and so on. Nothing special. " suddenly the lights in the tavern dimmed, a whole new atmosphere emerged "But then... " Discord took a deep breath " Total and utterly amazing chaos started spreading throughout Tamriel! All of Nirn! Wars, destruction, disseases, just... MWAH! " both Celestia and Skarin were disturbed by his gleeful mood "It lasted for centuries. The best centuries ever in my life actually! " the lights brightened up "But all good things must come to an end. And so after centuries there was practically nothing left. "

"What did you do, Discord? " Celestia's tone suggested a rising anger in her. The last thing she needed today is to find out that Discord created a new world for his amusement.

"Well, Celestia my dear, for the first time in my life I did absolutely nothing. " this caught her by surprise.

"I find that hard to believe. " Skarin added.

"It's true! " Discord defended "Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye! " and he did just that to which Skarin facepalmed.

"I've known you a long time Discord. " Celestia glared at the mad prince "You really expect us to believe you didn't do anything crazy or chaotic when you had the whole world to yourself? "

"That's just it! By doing nothing I did the most chaotic thing ever! " he spread his arms wide " I let nature take it's course! " a fanfare with confetti made his revelation sound more grand but after a silence by Celestia and Skarin, only a cricket could be heard "Tough crowd... "

"A Kalpa... " Skarin said to himself.

"Exactly! " Discord clapped in agreement "Someone's gotta' do it! "

"What's a Kalpa? " Celestia asked Skarin.

"A new circle of life, a reset of the world, so to speak. " Skarin looked at the princess "Alduin is called The World Eater because his purpose was to eat a world that was nearing it's end and give life to a new one. But at some point in time he decided to rule over the world instead of fulfilling his duty. He was a tyrant to say the least but the Nords eventually rebelled and managed to defeat him. "

"Yet he still lives, as I've seen with my own eyes. " Celestia shuddered at the memory.

"Alduin is basically a god. " Skarin sighed "They couldn't kill him so they managed to send him forward in time, hoping the Last Dragonborn, me, will. "

"And you failed oh so spectacularly! How he threw you into that wall, ouch! " Discord laughed while Skarin gritted his teeth.

"Anyway, I failed so we had to think of something. Morganna, my friend and the smartest mage I know, came up with a spell that would turn Alduin into stone so he would stay trapped forever. " Skarin looked for his mead and gulped down the last of it "Guess that didn't work out either. "

"Two strikes! One more and you're out! " Discord said in a baseball uniform "Seriously though, we have a big problem on our hands. If Twilight Sparkplug hadn't found you we woulfn't be in this mess! "

"Why didn't you stop us? " Celestia fired back "You knew what it was she found and yet you did nothing but give us a vague warning! "

"It was a very good warning! " Discord shot back.

"And then you disappeared! " Celestia 

"I wasn't about to let Fluttershy go with you! " Discord pointed a finger at her.

"So it's fine if anypony else gets hurt? " Celestia rose to her hooves, knocking the chair over.

"I'm not a big fan of yours anyway! " Discord stuck his tongue out. 

"Why I ought to-"

"NAHLOT! " the tavern shook under the power of his Thu'um, the two stopping their argument in an instant "Pointing fingers will get us nowhere! " Skarin rose from his chair as well "Alduin is out there and we should focus on finding him! "

"And then what? " Discord asked with a raised brow "You're going to poke him with your sword and maybe he dies? "

"If you got a better idea, please, share. " Skarin answered with a glare.

"This is too much. " Celestia rubbed her temples in frustration "What am I going to tell my little ponies? "

"The truth. " both Discord and Celestia looked at Skarin "Try to ease them into it, no need for mass hysteria right away. " the princesses eye twitched.

"Ease them in? EASE THEM IN? " she was very angry right now "This is not a tax raise! We're talking about an ancient god that can destroy all life as we know it and you want me to ease them into it? "

"Oooh this is gonna' be good. " Discord said munching on popcorn.

"They need to be ready in case- "

"You fail again? " Celestia finished for him causing the Atmoran's blood to boil.

"Oooh snap! " 

"My failure is what gave you life! "

"Your failure is what is putting my ponies in danger! "

"Listen here you boneheaded horse-"

"What did you call me? " Celestia's mane and tail were catching fire and Discord decided it was time to step in. In a judge uniform.

"OK, OK, time-out! Both of you into your corners! " with s snap of his fingers both were back in their seats, a drink in hand "Let's all take a deep breath and relaxe. " Discord sat on the bar in monk clothing, sitting crosslegged "In... aaand out... in... aaand out... "  they didn't pay much attention to him "Now shake hands and make up. " no luck "Look, I know tensions are high and let's agree we are all at fault. The best thing for now is to stay calm, clear our heads and cooperate. " Celestia and Skarin shared a glace at eachother "It's crazy that I have to be the voice of reason here. "

"It's insulting, actually. " Skarin scoffed at the notion.

"I'll say. " Discord adeed with a toothy grin "Now, I suggest we all go home and sleep on it. We'll be smarter in the morning. "

"I don't have a home anymore, remember? " Skarin looked at the daedra with a scowl.

"Oh I'm sure our dear friend Celestia could let you crash at her castle for the night. " he looked at the alicorn "You've got a spare room there somewhere, right? " Celestia didn't answer "Right? " Discored pushed his question and Celestia sighed in defeat.

"I suppose accomodations could be made. " she couldn't refuse someone who was in need of help, pony or not. His manners aside, she understood how he felt. Everything Skarin knew is gone, the world is completely different to how it was in his time. Looking at his scarred body and the fact he eats dragon souls, she assumed it was a much more violent world than hers. That brought up the question of how will he integrate into society. Her ponies knew little about war, violence and death. Skarin's appearance alone changed her world more than anything in the last thousand years, who knows what his old ways would do to her ponies. She made a mental note to keep a close eye on him.

"If it's bothering you, I can sleep in the forest just fine. " Skarin was actually perfectly content with the option. Peace, quiet and fresh air. Just like home...

"No, no, it's fine. " Celestia reassured him with a smile "As I said, you are my guest and will be treated as such. "

"Excellent! " Discord clapped his hands in approval "Oh, would you look at the time! " he said looking at a wristwatch "It's almost midnight! "

"WHAT? " Celestia screamed in horror.

"Did I forget to mention time flies in Oblivion? Silly me. " he laughed sheepishly " Well, time to go to bed! Toodles! " he snapped his fingers and they were gone.



Celestia and Skarin appeared back in the dungeon and sure enough, it was dark outside.

"I have to find my sister. She's probably tearing up Equestria to find me. " Celestia said and began walking to the dungeon exit.

"Sooo do I go back to my old room or am I getting an upgrade? " Skarin asked while pointing at his cell.

"Follow me please. " Celestia rubbed her temples and continued walk.

"At your command, Kulaas. " Skarin gave a short bow.

"What does that word mean? Is it another insult? " Celestia asked in annoyance.

"It means princess in the dragon language. "

"Oh... I apologize for assuming. " she did feel bad about the jab.

"It's fine. We're all under a lot of pressure and I'm not on my best behavior. New world and all that. " they stepped out into the castle halls "Woah... " the castle was nothing like he'd ever seen before. Tall stone walls, stained glass windows, polished and expensive looking furniture, luxurious carpets. As he followed Celestia through the halls and up more stairs, Skarin was amazed at how maintained the castle was. You could practically see your reflection in the stone floor. The Blue Palace couldn't hold a candle to this place. He also noticed the obvious lack of guards "You don't have guards inside the castle? "

"We do, but I imagine they are all looking for me outside. " she hummed in thought "Probably for the best, who knows how they would react when they see you. We've been gone for 5 hours if I'm not mistaken but it felt like twenty minutes at the most. Did you know about the flow of time? " 

"I did. " then he quickly added "But it kinda slipped my mind. "

"Well, it was quite an eventful day after all. " she smiled at him, making Skarin smile as well. Finally she stopped in front of a door "This is one of our guest rooms. It should have everything you need inside. "

"Thanks, I appreciate it. " he smiled "But seriously, I can see you're not very... Thrilled, about me, so if this is making you uncomfortable I can sleep in the forest. "

"Absolutely not. " Celestia smiled in return "If I can help somepony in need I will not hesitate to do so. Even if they they are a soul eating brute. " she finished with a smirk. This got a small laugh out of Skarin.

"You're not so composed yourself, Kulaas. "

"Please, call me Celestia. " though she did find some strange feeling of power behind the word.

"Allright, Celestia. " the grin that spread on his lips made Celestia wince a little "What? " he asked confused.

"It's... " she struggled with the right phrasing "It's that wolfish grin. I find it very unsettling. " this statemen caused Skarin to go into a full on laugh leaving a very confused Celestia to stare at him, not knowing how much it reminded him of home.

"Next thing you'll tell me I smell like a wet dog. " he managed to say after calming down a little, a smile still present.

"Well, I didn't want to be rude, but you could use a bath. " it was true though, to Celestia he did smell like a wet dog. If she only knew...

"I promise to bathe in the morning. Right now I'm just too tired to care. "

"Then I won't be keeping you any longer. I will inform the castle guards and staff of your presence and also station one guard at your door should you need anything. " with a smile she bid him farewell "Goodnight, Skarin. "

"Goodnight, Celestia. " he responded with a curt nod and entered the room, closing the door behind him. By this point Celestia was exhausted, mentally and physically but she still needed to contact her sister.

"A small bit will do... " and so a tiny spark left her horn and in an instant a flash of light lit up the hall. Luna grabbed on to her sister with all the strength she had.

"TIA! We thought you gone! Did that creature hurt you? " taking a step back she looked at Celestia for any injuries "For if it did, we will bring down our wrath upon him! " Celestia couldn't help but smile at her sister.

"I am fine Luna, see? " a quick twirl proved there were no injuries "But we must talk, urgently. " her look became grim "And summon the guards and staff to the throne room, we need to inform them about our new guest. "

"Guest? Dost thou mean it's in there? " Luna pointed at the door behind Celestia.

"His name is Skarin, and yes, he is our guest. "

"We must speak with him at once! We demand answers! "

"Tomorrow, Luna. Let him rest, he has been through a lot. " Celestia led her sister away towards the throne room. On the way Luna noticed her sister appeared to be very tense and deep in thought.

"Tia, what is happening? " she has only seen her sister like this when war or some catastrophe was on the horizon.

"I will tell you everything I know after we speak to the staff. " Celestia stopped and looked at her little sister "And it's not good. "

"By your behavior, we feel as though we should fear it. " Luna added.

"And so much more... "
> 4 - Dream of Mirrors
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Skarin was a simple man with simple needs. He was never one for the life of luxury or comfort, settling down was just wishfull thinking. Even with all the riches he accquiered on his journeys, Skarin still prefered the wilds instead of a comfortable bed to lay on. The road was his bride.

So it was no wonder that on this night, laying in this exceptionally comfortable bed, Skarin could simply not fall asleep. It was just too comfortable in his room. Warm, clean, quiet. It was unbearable.

"Knew I should have slept in the forest... " he burried his head in the pillow. One would think the shocking revelations made not even a couple hours ago would keep him awake this night. If not for this heavenly bed they would but it was just too distracting. Skarin knew he should be getting the best and most relaxing sleep of his life, seeing as Elisif's bed in the Blue Palace couldn't come close to this one and it was made for a queen "No need to get excited now..." with a groan, Skarin got out of bed and walked out on the balcony. The city was asleep, that much was certain "Nice view." he leaned on the stone railing and observed the landscape that was bathed in the light of a full moon. He glanced down at his right hand, silently grateful they didn't remove Hircine's ring along with his gear. The beast was locked up for a long time and Skarin feared what might happen under a full moon.

The fresh air combined with a light breeze did him worlds of good, a smile slowly creeping onto his lips "Close enough I'd say." he sat down on the balcony and leaned against the stone wall "Ohhh yeah... That's more like it. " the cold and hard wall on his back made him finally able to relax but also brought back his thoughts from before. How were these ponies able to break the spell? Morganna said it was unbreakable. Once cast the recipients were stuck like that for eternity. And why did the back of his head hurt like someone hit him?

Anyway, did she put a fail-safe on the spell? Maybe to free herself and then the others? But if so, why did only Alduin and him get free? A cruel trick by fate, perhaps? At this point it was only guessing so Skarin made a mental note to ask Celestia what exactly happened. Right down to the tiniest detail. If there was a chance his friends could be saved like him then he needed to find a way.

Then there was Sheogorath, or Discord, as he is known now. What in Oblivion happened to him? The Daedra looked like an attempt to mix together dozens of creatures and somehow the worst case scenario came to pass.

"I resent that remark!"

Also, was he the only Daedric Prince left? A terrifying thought for sure but right now a very real one. Shame it wasn't Sanguine who greeted him, that guy knew how to party. Then again, he did get him to propose to a hagraven so there's that. At least Sheogorath appeared more... Friendly? Some of the strories Skarin heard about him were downright disgusting. If only these ponies knew how music was created they would never touch another instrument in their life.

Speaking of which, Skarin's first impression of them was not good to say the least. First, they somehow release Alduin, then they throw him in a dungeon and lastly the guards tried to kill him. To be fair, he did walk out of his cell and they were just trying to protect their princess in case he tried anything, but still, not cool. Also, not like they could stop him anyway.

As for the princess, well... Skarin didn't quite know what to make of her yet. She seemed like a reasonable being, considering their introductions were rocky to say the least. On the other hand he felt like she didn't fully comprehend just what they unleashed into the world, accident or not. Perhaps she was in some sort of denial? Come morning they will need to have a proper talk, not the crash course they were given by Discord.

And that left the final question, where in Oblivion is Alduin? Celestia wanted to keep this a secret from the populace but how long can she hope to do that? Word of a dragon destroying villages tends to go around pretty quick. Skarin didn't know if dragons were still around anyway. Sure they are immortal creatures but they can be killed, as Skarin proved over and over again and Delphine was pretty adamant about killing every single one. Wonder if Paarthurnax is still alive...

"Gaaah, too much thinking!" he scratched his head vigorously to dispell the thoughts  "I should get some sleep. Clear my head." shutting his eyes tightly, Skarin tried to force himself to sleep and surprisingly he succeded. Cold stone and fresh air, no better bed in the world.



Celestia's revelations to her sister left the blue alicorn in a state of shock. Somehow they managed to release an ancient evil that made Discord look like a puppy in comparison. They barely touched the thing! Well, Twilight did, but that's beside the point. The point is, things went south incredibly fast and they had to act quickly. The worst part will be telling Twilight what is happening. The young purple alicorn will surely blame herself for all of it. Luna still wanted to talk to their new arrival but after Celestia finally put her hoof down, Luna relented and decided to save their meeting for the morning.

After informing their guards and staff of their new guest, leaving out the parts about the potential apocalypse and sncient worlds, everypony got back to business as usual with Celestia deciding to finally retire for the night.

Speaking of the night, Luna could finally attend to her duties as the guardian of dreams, bringing peacefull sleep to all of Equestria. Going back to her room, seeing as night court was effectively canceled, she sat upon her bed and closed her eyes. A light glowed from her horn and when she opened her eyes again she was greeted with the familiar vastness that is the Dreamscape. She could see the dreams of everypony in Equestria and so free them of their nightmares.

As she traversed the Dreamscape Luna saw something. A nightmare. The strange thing was she couldn't see whose it was. Usually the pony in question would be visibly within the dream bubble but this time it was not the case. The bubble itself glowed an eerily read and black and the dream itself appeared to be a blur. Getting closer Luna inspected the bubble but couldn't manage to identify what the nightmare was about.

"Curious..." she took a step back and prepared to enter the dream. Whoever this nightmare belonged to, one thing was certain, it was the fiercest nightmare Luna has ever encountered. This pony needed her help and needed it fast. Her horn glowed once again but instead of a light transition Luna felt as if she was caught in a raging river. She struggled for control but no matter what she did, Luna couldn't stop herself from being flung around like a ragdoll.

Suddenly she hit something soft as a chilling cold enveloped her. Quickly standing up and hugging herself to keep warm Luna took in her surroundings. A snowstorm of which she never seen the likes of was raging around her. It was so cold here her teeth began chattering. The Crystal Empire sounded pretty warm right about now.

"H-HELLO!" she yelled over the harsh snow and wind "IS ANYPONY THERE?" nothing but the wind. Luna tried to walk through the storm but it was just too strong. Combined with the freezing cold it was almost unbearble. But that didn't slow down the Princess of the Night. Clenching her teeth and squinting her eyes she pushed forward, not really sure it was leading her somewhere. Luckily she didn't walk far when a small shadow began approaching through the raging storm. Trying to get a better, look Luna shielded her eyes with her hand but to no avail. It wasn't until the shadow moved close enough it turned into an actual figure that Luna realized whose dream this was. From Celestia's description it could only be Skarin, or in this case a younger version of him "B-b-by the S-stars..." she wasn't sure how the young of his species was supposed to look like but she was certain it was not like this. Standing before her was a child, not more than eight years old, dressed in only what could pass for a potato-bag and looked so malnourished he bordered on being a skeleton. The child looked at her, his expression devoid of all emotion "I-I'm h-h-here to help." she got no reply. She tried to reassure him again but heard something in the distance. Looking behind him, Luna saw a wall of shadows approaching very fast, getting louder and louder as it closed in on them. Before she could think, hundreds of what appeared to be Skarin's kind broke the snowy veil with a deafening war-cry and ran past them. Looking back at Skarin he lifted a wooden plank she hadn't realized he carried and charged into war along side his kin. Luna couldn't see who or what they were charging at before she felt the unplesant pull of this dream changing.

Managing to land on her hooves this time, Luna saw a completely different picture. They were in a fort of some sort, and she was about to witness an execution. And not just any execution. Skarin's head was already on the block, the axe in mid-swing. She knew she couldn't stop it but her instincts kicked in and she was already sprinting towards the soon headless Skarin. A thunderous roar filled the scene and the axe missed Skarin's head by only a hair. Looking up Luna faced the mighty dragon Alduin. Frozen in her tracks she could only watch as flame sprouted from it's mouth and enveloped her entierly. She shut her eyes tightly and raised her arms in defense but Luna could still feel the heat of the inferno.

Luckily it lasted no more than a second as the fires disappeared and the warmth was replaced by cold once again. This time she was in a large room, most likely an underground one judging by the cold and damp environment. A sickening crunch caused her to spin around and fall on her rump from the sight before her. A large beast, covered in thick black fur with long claws and very sharp teeth had just torn one of Skarin's species in two with it's bare hands. Another one was scurrying backwards in an attempt to flee but the beast saw him. It threw the body parts away and grabbed the escapee by the throat, lifting him up easily. It barred it's teeth and spoke in a spine-chilling voice.

"Eyes, lungs, pancreas. Many snacks, little time."

"NO! NO! PLEA-" the male's cries for mercy were silenced by the beast biting his head off. Luna averted her eyes from the disgusting act. She witnesed many horrors in war but this was something else entierly. Hearing what was probably a head being spit out onto the ground, Luna looked back at the beast to see it slowly transform into Skarin. A very naked Skarin. Luna felt herself blush after seeing his... Lower extremity. It would most certainly provide a glorious time in the bedroom.

"It's done." Skarin announced and on cue, a naked female entered the room, her body covered in blood, mane short and red in color.

"Good." her voice was stern, determined "The hunt is over." a wolfish grin spread on her lips "Now we celebrate." she jumped on Skarin and the duo engaged in a passionate make-out session that Luna only guessed would lead to heated sex. Burying her face in her hands with embarassement, Luna prayed the dream would shift soon.

To her relief, it did, and by surprise she was met with laughter and music. Opening her eyes she found herself in a great hall, long tables filled with food and drink. Dozens sat around and enjoyed the festivities. She saw Skarin sit at the head of the table, a woman by his side, gazing lovingly in eacothers eyes. However, it was not the same one as before. This one had brown mane, a sigle braid on the left side. They looked happy.

"VAMPIRES!" someone barged through the doors and the mood shifted instantly. Swords were drawn, shields and maces raised high and the hall was empty within seconds. Luna followed them outside into the darkness but it appeared as though the battle was already over. Bodies littered the streets, blood and guts everywhere, fire consuming houses. Luna ran through the unfamiliar town she found herself in and tried to locate Skarin. Running down a set of stairs, she reached an old well and to her right in the distance a crowd had gathered. She sprinted towards them and pushed through to the center. What she saw made her gasp in shock, covering her muzzle. Skarin was on his knees, hugging the dead body of the woman he was sitting with near moments ago. All present had their heads bowed in respect. This woman must have meant a lot to Skarin. Even Luna shed a tear. The moment would not last as the princess could feel the pull coming again. But therevwas no time for that. Gathering her magic she unleashed a powerful burst of magic.

"ENOUGH!" her Royal Canterlot Voice boomed across the town, night turned to day, bodies disappeared and she was left standing alone. Or so she tought.

"Why are you here?" she turned around to see Skarin, dressed rather plainly in simple pants, shirt and leather boots. He was very aware of her presence now. Luna composed herself and spoke.

"We are princess L-"

"I know who you are and I don't care!" he said harshly "I asked, why are you here? Better yet, how?"

"If thou hadn't interrupted we would have answered!" Luna responed with a huff "As we said, we are-"

"Who's we?" there he goes interrupting her again, the nerve of some!

"We are." Luna said pointing at herself.

"You mean, I am." Skarin raised a brow.

"Tis' the royal we!" Luna looked to the side "We have trouble adjusting to these modern times..." Skarin threw his arms up in exasperation.

"Fine! Whatever! " he looked the princess with an expressiin that screamed frustration "Introductions! Please!"

"No need to be rude!" Skarin face-palmed. Giving s light cough Luna continued "We- I, am princess Luna of Equestria and diarch of the kingdom with my sister Celestia. I bring the night by rasing the moon and am also guardian of dreams." she motioned to him.

"Skarin, annoyed human." he answered with a slight wave and deadpan look.

"Human..." Luna mulled the word over in her mind "Could that be the name of thine species?"

"In a broad sense, yes." he answered shortly "Now, again, why and how are you here? Didn't your sister tell you to leave me be?"

"I was merely doing my duty as the guardian of dreams!" she fired back "We saw this nightmare and had to help the pony trapped in it!"

"Do I look like a pony to you?" Skarin gritted his teeth, patience wearing thin.

"The nightmare was clouded, we could not see who it belonged to."

"You should have left once you found out. My mind isn't a nice place to be." Luna bowed her head in shame.

"We tried... But thy mind is vastly different from ours. Twas' like being swept off by a raging river and chances of escape were low." Luna sighed and continued "We deeply apologize for intruding thy dreams without permission. Rest assured however, we had the best intentions at heart." Luna bowed to him after the apology.

"Apology half-accepted." he grunted in response "Were you someone else I'd find you in the morning and slit your throat." he offered a smirk at the end.

"You'd be dead before you woke up." she replied coldly which caused Skarin to laugh.

"Feisty! I like that!" he approached her and casually swung his arm around her shoulders "You have earned my attention! Come, let's take a walk."

"We thought you wanted us gone from thy mind?" she asked, confused by his actions.

"Oh don't get me wrong princess, I'm still pretty pissed." he turned her to face him "My vengeance will come." he could feel her stiffen a bit under his grip "Don't worry I won't hurt you... Physically at least." he let her go and continued walking through town.

"That's it?" Luna picked up the pace to keep up "Tia said the last time you were... inconvenienced, a much harsher reaction followed."

"You show guts girl." Luna frowned at being called a girl "And Nords respect having guts, man or woman."

"Nords?" Luna asked.

"Uhh... Sub-species of humans."

"Oh... As we have earth pony, pegasi, unicorns and so forth." Luna nodded in understanding. Skarin blinked in surprise.

"I guess so." what she just listed were creatures of myth and legend. Besides the earth pony anyway. Could more species from his time have evolved up to this point? "Right, I suppose you have questions." Luna nodded "Then hurry up girl! I'm trying to sleep here!"

"Do not call me girl!" Luna demanded.

"You look young, so therefore, girl." Skarin shot back.

"How old art thou?" Luna asked crossing her arms.

"I'm 46 years old." he answered smugly.

"So young... " Luna said in surprise.

"Young? Girl, the way I have lived I should have been dead by now. Even age would take me soon."

"How long do humans live?"

"If they don't get killed, and that's hard to avoid, I think it's sixty if you're lucky." Luna looked shocked "Why? How long do your species live?"

"It depends on the sub-species, as it were. Earth ponies are known to reach over two hundred years of age." Skarin's eyes nearly popped out it's sockets "My sister and I, alicorns, have lived for thousands of years." now it was her turn to be smug "So don't call me girl. Princess Luna or just Luna will suffice."

"Fair enough..." he had to admit she got him there.

"Though to be honest, you do look young, despite what you say."

"I accquiered the beast blood in my youth so it slowed my ageing." Luna raised a brow in question of the blood "Big, black, vicious monster?" she quickly nodded, trying not to think about a head being ripped off in front of her. Luna decided to quickly change the subject.

"I believe you said something about questions." Skarin nodded "Tell us, how were you encased in stone?"

"Don't know." he simply shrugged.

"Mayhaps you used the Elements of Harmony?"

"Elements of what?" Skarin had no idea what she was talking about.

"Powerful magical artifacts. They have various uses and effects but one of them is to imprison someone in stone." she explained as simply as possible.

"Could be." he answered "I don't really know. Morganna said she had a plan and all I had to do was stall Alduin. Maybe she found those artifacts and tried to harness their power. She did say it was a spell. Looks like it backfired since only Alduin and I were supposed to be affected." mentioning his friend brought up something else "Did you take the statues?"

"We will send for them in the morning." Skarin was about to go livid so Luna quickly continued "The statues of your friends are very old and we fear fragile as well. It will take time as the only safe method of transporting them would be, as the young say, the good old fashioned way."

"How long?" Skarin asked, anger slowly vanishing.

"We suspect a week at the most."

"Can't you just grab the elements, throw em' in a bag and release them back in the cave?" Luna frowned at his impatiance.

"It's not that simple. The Elements aren't simple objects, they are bonded to their bearers, living ponies." Skarin had a feeling where this is going "We fear the bearers aren't ready for this kind of revelation so it's best to-"

"Ease them in? Heard that one before." Skarin growled but saw Luna took a stance and wasn't about to budge. He rubbed his temples in frustration "Fine, do what you need. Just... keep them safe." Luna nodded in approval and understanding "Alright, next question."

"Are you a criminal?" she fired off in a heartbeat.

"No." he answered "Though you treated me like one. And what kind of question is that?"

"We saw in one of thine memories that thou would soon be executed. In our time twas' a punishement for criminals." she looked at him suspiciously "What did thou do exactly?"

"I was smuggling dunmer, argonians and other species out of Skyrim."

"A poacher?"

"They're sentient beings, like you and me." he answered, a little offended at being called a poacher "Long story for another time. The short version is this: a revolutionist didn't want any other species to inhabit Skyrim except the Nords. Others were either being killed or banished if they were lucky. I led a group to a safe passage out of Skyrim when the Imperial legion found us. I held them off until the group escaped and so wound up at the chopping block." Luna was about to ask something but Skarin interrupted "Did I do things I'm not proud of, yes. Do I regret them, mostly not. I did what had to be done. Some call me a criminal or monster while others call me a hero. It's not all black and white. And if you're wondering if I'm a threat to you or your subjects the answer is no. You be nice to me and I'll be nice to you." Luna nodded somewhat in understanding "Like I said, all of it is a long story for another time. Next." taking a look around, Luna finally remembered what she wanted to ask in the first place. Their walking was taking them back to the same hall this dream squence started and sure enough they ended up right in front of it.

"What town is this?"

"Whiterun, my home." Skarin said with a somber smile "Guess now I'll only see it in my dreams." Luna felt the hurt in his voice and spoke.

"Would you like to go inside?" Skarin quirked an eyebrow "We have some time left before you awake. It would do you good to spend the rest of your sleep peacefully and from what I saw this place is very dear to you."

"It's called Jorrvaskr, home to the Companios guild." he pushed open the doors "After you." Luna walked inside and was met by a familiar sight, the exact one as before only frozen in time "I am their Harbinger, or leader if you will." he said while sitting down the stairs, Luna deciding to join him "Turned this lot of mercenaries into the heroes of the people."

"All of them are... Companions?" there was a lot of people here. Skarin shook his head.

"No. But everyone that matteres to me is here. Well, mostly everyone." his expression became solemn "This was the night I proposed marriage to Lydia." Luna put a comforting hsnd on his shoulder and gave a smile in addition. Skarin smiled back but quickly resumed the conversation, trying not to linger on bad memories "Anyway, is there anyone here that looks interesting?"

"Who is that over there?" Luna's curiosity took hold as she pointed at a man sitting on a bench talking to someone and trying very hard not to be seen.

"That's Jarl Balgruuf, he rules Whiterun and it's lands."

"He looks as though he wishes not to be seen." Skarin chuckled at her observation.

"It's true. Otherwise his housecarl would kick his ass." Luna didn't know what a housecarl was but a good guess would be a high ranking servant.

"Is it not permitted for rulers to interact with their subjects?"

"It is. Getting piss-ass drunk is aparently not." Skarin looked around the hall for someone else to introduce to Luna, so to say. His fell upon the man sitting on his left "That there is Farkas." he said pointing at the mentioned man "And next to him is Vilkas, his brother. Legend has it Farkas has the strength of Ysgramor while his brother has his smarts. Since I joined the Companions, Farkas traveled with me the most. He's a good shield-brother." he looked at Farkas with a sad smile "And now he's trapped in stone." this got Luna's attention.

"He is one of the statues? Are any other here?" Skarin nodded in confirmation.

"Almost everyone." looking around Skarin found another and pointed a finger"See that shady character in the back?" Luna followed his finger and realized the shady character was trying to pickpocket someone "That's Saha'ra, she's a Khajiit, or of the cat folk if you preffer." Luna couldn't actually tell if she looked like a cat or not because she was covered from head to hoof in black. She did notice a tail however and what appeared to be a bird insignia on her chest.

"Is she robbing that man?" Lune said in accusation.

"Yep. But don't worry, nobody likes Nazeem. He's a dick." he looked at the man in disdain "A lot of folk lost their money and homes because of him. S'far as anyone is concerned, Saha'ra is not taking enough."

"Then why is he here?"

"Jorrvaskr is open to everyone. On this night, half the town was here to celebrate so he must've sneaked in."

"But why?"

"Free food?" Skarin shrugged and continued "Over there we have Yamato, a member of the Blades." Luna instantly recognized the armor from the cave but the human had no helm now. He appeared to be older than Skarin and had slanted eyes which was s stark contrast to the others present. His hair, tied down in a very short pony-tail, was showing grays as well as his goatee and moustache "One of the last of the true Blades. Also the most reasonable one. He swore his loyalty to me until death takes him." Luna was taken aback by this. Celestia had told her Skarin was some hero of legend but for someone to swear an oath like that was surprising "And last but not least, we have Henrik." he pointed at the man currently dancing on the table playing a lute and apparently singing. He didn't look like a warrior, most likely bard "Can't swing a sword to save his life but plays the best music in Tamriel." he shot Luna a look "Do not tell him I sad that. His head is big enough as it is." Luna chuckled at his remark.

"Mine lips are sealed."she looked around the hall for signs of another petrified friend of Skarin but couldn't decide on who it could be.

"Aaand that's it." Skarin scratched his head in contemplation "Morganna was in Winterhold on this day and I met Serana a few weeks later."

"You spoke of Morganna before. Frow what we-I understand, she is a powerful mage."

"Indeed. I can't do magic to save my life so I had to rely on her for all my magical and enchanting needs."

"And who is this Serana?"

"She's a vampire." he simply answred "A pure-blooded one at that, the most powerful kind."

"Vampire? Were those not the monsters that attacked on this very night?" Luna said in shock. She saw bodies of some on the streets, assuming it was them by their disturbing appearance. How could he be friends with one?

"Friendship is a commodity in Skyrim. True friendship is almost a luxury." that was a very depressing thought to Luna "I  trust each and every one of them with my life, Serana included." he looked at the night princess "Friendship comes from the strangest places."

"Indeed it does." Luna responded with a smile. Suddenly the room shaked.

"What was that?" Skarin jumed on his feet but Luna remained calm.

"That is the sound of you waking." Luna rose as well "Which means our time here has come to an end."

"Seems kinda fast." 

"Time appeares to flow faster in your dreams, hence why our conversation seemed like minutes where in reality hours have gone by."

"Interesting..." Skarin mused as the room shook once more.

"Indeed it is." Luna smiled "We bid thee farewell Skarin and shall see you in the morning." her form started to fade away.

"Right. Bye, I guess?" and with one last smile, Luna was gone "That was weird I'd say." he was left alone as the hall of Jorrvaskr began to disappear in a bright light as well. Skarin looked at one of the tables when a thought occured to him "Hmm... I wonder.. " quickly running to said table, Skarin grabbed a bottle of mead and took a large sip. It tasted like nothing "Dammit." the light eventually enveloped him and the dream was no more.
> 5 - More noise and other disturbances
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The events of yesterday were still fresh in Celestia's mind. How could they not be? They just released an ancient evil from it's prison, that kind of thing stays with your for a while. Luckily for them, they apparently also freed the only one able to stop the ancient dragon Alduin. Said invidial was the last Dragonborn by the name of Skarin, a pretty stubborn individual as far as the Sun Princess was concerned but that's what they got. Not mention the revelation that their entire world spawned from the ashes of Skarin's old one. With a heavy sigh Celestia took a sip of her morning tea, not really fully rested as the revelations weighed heavily on her mind last night.

"Good morning, sister. " raising her gaze upward, Celestia saw her sister Luna just entered the dining room for her dinner. Being the Princess of the Night makes you eat dinner early in the morning.

"Good morning, Luna. How was night court? " Celestia asked with a smile and put down her tea cup.

"Empty as always. " the younger alicorn replied with a frown and sat down in her chair. A maid earth pony immediately began filling her own cup with warm tea "Thank you. " taking a sip of the warm liquid she looked at her sister "With all the commotion going around I'm surprised noone came to inquire as to why that was. "

"It's for the better. " Celestia sighed deeply "Contrary to Skarin's believes, I believe it's best we keep this on the down low for now. "

"I disagree. " Luna said nonchalantly.

"Excuse me? " Celestia said in shock.

"The ponies must be informed on what is transpiring and we should begin preparing- "

"I will not start a mass panic right now, Luna! " Celestia said aghast at her sisters words.

"Then at least prepare our armies! " Luna said a little louder than she intended "Even Discord is scared of Alduin! " she added remembering how Discord tried to dissuade her sister and Twilight from going to that cave.

"And risk war from our neighbors? " Celestia slammed her hands on the table, making the servants in the room flinch. Taking note of said servants who were informed of Skarin's presence but not of anything else Celestia raised their hand to signal it was time for them to leave the room. Just as they made their way to the door, somepony from the other side barged in, a guard in golden armor, panting like he just ran a marathon.

"Princess Celestia! " the Sun Princess feared the worst. Is Alduin already attacking? "You need to come at once! It's about our guest! " Luna raised a curious brow but remained in her seat while Celestia jumped on her hooves.

"What is it, Storm Hammer? " she asked worriedly.

"It's best you come up there yourself! He can't be reasoned with! " the guards tone left no room for discussion and Celestia nodded with a stern look. She glanced at Luna who merely continued her breakfast "You're not coming? "

"I'm sure you can handle it, Tia. " she gave her sister a knowing smile "Off you go! " after her late night visit, Luna was convinced nothing serious was going on as Skarin left the impression of being a reasonable and kind man. Narrowing her eyes suspiciously, Celestia shot Luna one final look before teleporting Storm Hammer and herself to Skarin's room.

"What exactly is going on? " she asked once they appeared in-front of said room and heard a commotion inside.

"The maids were dispatched here per your request and well... Go in and see. " Storm Hammer motioned to the door and Celestia opened it without hesitation. The scene that greeted her brought a smirk to her as she immediately deduced what was going on. There was Skarin surrounded by four maids who were trying to drag him off to the bathroom.

"For the hundredth time, NO! " he shouted at the maids who were putting up quite a fight.

"For the hundredth and first time, YES! " they all shouted in unison while trying to pull his clothes off, his leather trousers and a white sheet he fashioned into a tunic once he woke up.

"This is the problem? " Celestia asked while observing the scene before her.

"He will not bathe your majesty. " Storm Hammer scrunched his nose to make his point clear. There was a certain scent in the air...

"Skarin? " Celestia caught the Dragonborn's attention.

"You! " he pointed an accusing finger "This is your doing! "

"Why yes it is. " she replied with a warm smile "It is customary that guests be bathed thoroughly by our castle's staff. "

"I can very well bathe myself! " he protested and shook off the clinging maids.

"I have no doubt a strong stallion like your self has little trouble with a bath- " Skarin's left eye twitched at Celestia for her sarcasm "-but you would not want to insult the throne, would you? "

"I am not a child! " there was no way he would be scrubbed down by someone like a little milk-drinker.

"Would you like me to bathe you? " Celestia's suggestion received chocked gasps from her staff.

"What? NO! " Skarin growled in anger "How's you bathing me making it better? "

"Watch your tone, monkey! " Storm Hammer said angrily but Celestia merely raised her hand to silence him.

"Are you perhaps insecure about your body? " it was time for some low blows "It is a well know fact that stallions have- "

"I don't need to hear that! " Skarin vigorously scratched his head with both hands. The staff on the other hand was shocked at their Princesse's behavior. She only got like this when she really wanted things to go her way "You know what? " Celestia raised a questioning brow "Fine! You-" he pointed at Celestia "-can bathe me! " Skarin then took his clothes off and stood naked in front of them in seconds.

"Size is definitely not the problem... " one maid said with a flushed face.

"We have more important matters to discuss anyway. " so he stood there, naked, arms crossed and an angry frown which quickly turned into a sly grin "What's the matter, Kulaas? Change your mind? " the Sun Princess was stunned. Not only did Skarin call her bluff, he had good coverage. Large coverage...

"No, of course not." Celestia regained her composure, though a slight tint on her cheeks was still present "I am a princess and I stand by my words. " she looked at her guard and maids "You may leave us."

"My Princess!" everyone protested but Celestia merely raised her hand.

"As I've said, I'll stand by my words." then she grumbled to herself "And this hole I've dug myself..." Celestia shook her head and looked at the maids "Have some clean clothes ready for him. I believe there are some minotaur garments available in storage." now her tone left no room for discussion and the staff bowed curtly and left the room, leaving the two alone.

"Now that that's over, you wait here. I'll be back shortly." Skarin turned to the bathroom doors and Celestia followed. Skarin stopped and sighed "Look, if anyone asks I'll say you didn't back down and you won't look bad in front of your staff, alright?"

"No. " Celestia said firmly "Staff or not, I gave my word. " Skarin eyed her curiously. She was stubborn he'll giver her that. Maybe she is a descendant of Nord horses? Still, Celestia stood firmly under his gaze and Skarin let out a deep sigh.

"And they call me stubborn... " with a satisfied smirk Celestia followed Skarin into the bathroom, or as he concluded once he entered, a bathhouse "Shor's bones... " what appeared to be a large yet shallow swimming pool was stretched out before them, steam coming out of the hot water, the tiles made out of the finest marble with intricate details engraved into it. The numerous taps spread around the pool were made out of gold and precious gems were embedded into them and sparkled lightly with dozens of candles providing light.

"You should see mine. " Celestia laughed at Skarin's dumbfounded expression "Come now, let's get you clean so we can talk about those important matters. " finally closing his wide open mouth, Skarin nodded and sat in the hot pool at the nearest entrance. Taking a breath, he submerged himself into the water, rubbed his hands along his hair to get some dirt out and then rose to his feet.

"There, done. " just as he was about to step out, a faint glow surrounded him and he was forcibly sat back into the pool "What are you doing? " he asked with annoyance apparent in his tone.

"I can hardly call that a bath. " Celestia said sternly with a frown on her brows "Your mane is all tangled up, there's still dirt everywhere and don't get me started on that smell! It's like- "

"A wet dog. " Skarin finished for her and crossed his arms, accepting defeat "Try as you might, you won't get that one out. " he noticed a hair brush being enveloped in the same magical glow and it floated gently into Celestia's hand. Taking a deep breath to ready herself for that mess on his head, she began brushing it and untangling every knot she could find.

"You should take better care of yourself. After all, you are a legendary warrior. " she commented in disgust after removing some sort of dead bug from his hair.

"I am sorry if my daily fight for survival is getting in the way of my personal hygiene. " Skarin scoffed and rolled his eyes "Ow." perhaps she pulled out a knot more forcefully than needed.

"Speaking of survival, you don't have many battle scars. " she commented while observing his back. His body really didn't have that many scars on it. Some cuts here and there but overall it appeared as though he only got into a fight or two.

"You don't have healing magic? " he asked in wonder.

"Of course we do but it does leave scarring. " Celestia answered and finally untangled a really messy part of his hair.

"Then you should work on it. " he raised his forearm "Watch. " after seeing what came next Celestia noted that his nails needed trimming. With a swift motion of his thumb he easily cut his skin and blood began trickling out. Then he put the same cutting arm over the wound and a faint yellow glow spread across it. Once he removed the healing hand there was no scar left.

"Incredible... " Celestia took his forearm and inspected it thoroughly. Pony magic only closed the wound but left a scar afterwards, in this case there was no signs of any wound even being there.

"You should know I'm really bad with magic. This is only basic Restoration magic so a more severe wound would most likely kill me. " Celestia was still staring at the wound, tracing her soft fingers along the affected area with her soft fingers. Before Skarin could let himself enjoy her touch more he pulled his arm back.

"You said you kill dragons. " she didn't know where this question came from. Sakrin nodded in confirmation "H-how many have you killed? " Celestia really didn't know why she asked that. It probably had something to do with the soul eating part of being Dragonborn.

"Don't know. I stopped counting after 40. " he answered nonchalantly and Celestia gasped in shock "It's not like I want to do this. " he spoke before Celestia could go on a monologue of how barbaric that was "I was given this gift and burden to carry and do what needs to be done. "

"We have dragons here as well. " this piqued Skarin's interest "They look nothing like your dragons, if Alduin is to go by, and keep mostly to themselves, collect treasure and sleep. "

"Lir. " he muttered shaking his head.

"If you come across a dragon here, will you kill him? " this was the question that would determine how the rest of their cooperation would proceed.

"I have dragon friends. " he answered simply "If they don't attack me, I won't attack them. " this answer satisfied Celestia.

"Good. " she nodded in approval "Because if something were to happen to my little Spike I will send you to the moon. " Skarin turned around with a raised brow "He's the cutest baby dragon I have ever seen. "

"You can't be serious. " he was more baffled at the baby dragon part than being sent to the moon.

"The moon is not that far away. " she replied with a sly smirk and doused him with hot water from above which she stealthily floated over.



Entering the dining room Celestia, with a dressed and very clean Skarin in tow, found Luna waiting for them. Seeing as introductions are in order she walked over to Luna who rose from her seat.

"Skarin, I would like you to meet my sister- "

"Luna." Skarin said simply and crossed his arms over his broad chest "Nice to meet you awake and in person." Luna curtly bowed though a small smirk was visible "Forgive me if I don't return the favor, girl."

"Tis' quite alright, oh ancient one." Luna replied sarcastically. It didn't take long for Celestia to put two and two together.

"You went into his dream. " Celestia said accusingly to her sister.

"Twas' an honest mistake as lord Skarin can attest to." Skarin raised a curious brow but said nothing "And We thought you bathed? What is that... That..."

"Wet dog smell?" Skarin asked in a deadpan voice.

"Exactly!" Luna snapped her fingers in realization "Could it have something to do with-"

"Don't." Skarin shot her a look which told her everything, leaving Celestia quite confused at the whole situation.

"Can somepony tell me what is going on?" she asked rather annoyed at being left out.

"Tis' not our place to tell and we are off to bed, as it were." Luna curtly bowed once again. This time Skarin nodded in return "As the youngsters say, see you later crocodile!" and with a light bounce to her step the Princess of the Night went to her chambers for a good days rest.

"That can't possibly be what they say." Skarin said while taking a seat.

"It's not..." Celestia felt a migraine coming on "I told her not to bother you but apparently my words mean nothing."

"It really was an honest mistake." Skarin leaned back in his chair and observed the luxurious dining room "I was having nightmares and she wanted to help."

"Then I assume you haven't slept very well." Celestia poured herself a cup of tea and offered Skarin the same. He eyed the liquid with suspicious eyes.

"Oh I slept fine. Like a baby." he raised a cup for Celestia to fill, the staff feeling rather useless after the bathing debacle so they remained still.

"You were not distressed?" Celestia levitated two sugar cubes with her magic and sent them in front of Skarin.

"My nightmares are my memories. I don't fear what I survived." he took a sip of tea "Could use a bit of honey."

"That's what the sugar is for." her dimple statement caused Skarin to stiffen.

"Sugar?" he quickly took one cube and inspected it thourougly. His behavior confused Celestia.

"Is everything-"

"Clear the room." Skarin said with an angered expression.

"Why would-"

"Now!" he said more forcefully, hoping Celestia got the message. Apparently she did and with a wave of her arm she sent the staff away "Do you know what this is?" Skarin asked while holding the sugar cube in front of her.

"Sugar?" Celestia looked at him quizically, not really sure where he was going with that.

"Not just any sugar, it's Moon Sugar." Skarin said grimly but Celestia still didn't understand "What I'm about to tell you does not leave this room, understand?" Celestia could tell he was not messing around. Just what was up with sugar that got him so riled up? Deciding to humor him she nodded and waited for his explanation "Moon Sugar is used to create Skooma, the most potent drug in existance. It's highly addictive and once you try it you're hooked for life." then he finished grimly "And a very short life it will be." this revelation made Celestia's already pale complexion even paler. She could tell Skarin was deathly serious about this and he had no reason to lie anyway. Besides, after everything she witnessed in the time of his awakening, she was sort of inclined to believe him.

"We-we use it on a daily basis and in large quantities..." she was horrified at the thought of feeding her little ponies drugs every day! Well who wouldn't be? 

"You can rest easy, Kulaas. In this state it's harmless." Skarin crumbled about half of one cube into his tea "Only after being refined a certain way will it become Skooma." taking a new sip he found the taste satisfactory "And seeing as you don't know about it I assume the Khajiit are long gone and the recipe as well." taking a slice of bread and a bowl of butter he began preparing his breakfast "Khajiits used it in religious ceremonies and are less affected by the substance as they also consume it on a daily basis in their sweets and what not. " Skarin then smeared some jam on his butter/bread combination and took a bite "Snowberry... My favorite. " he said quietly to himself, delighted his favorite treat survived this long. Celestia's ear twitched and made a mental note to have more cranberry jam brought to the pantry as well as freshly picked ones.



After breakfast was done Celestia lead Skarin through the castle to get him accuainted with it. One could easily get lost in the halls.

"This castle is huge. You could put two Blue Palace's in here and still have room for Jorrvaskr." Skarin commented in awe of the huge castle. A sudden pop to his right made him jump in fright and reach for his sword that wasn't there.

"Princess Celestia." a mare wearing a nurse outfit bowed to the princess "Miss Twilight Sparkle is awake." chuckling a little at Skarin's expense, Celestia thanked the nurse and with another pop she was gone.

"Let me guess, took you by surprise?" she asked with a sly smirk to which Skarin only grumbled in response "It eases my heart knowing she is alright."

"Did she get hurt?" Skarin asked, wondering what kind of a name was Twilight Sparkle.

"Fainted after knocking you out with your shield." this got Skarin's interest.

"I'd have words with her." he said calmly.

"I do not believe it would be wise." Celestia wasn't about to risk Skarin yelling at her precious student or Faust forbid hurt her in any way.

"Relax, Kulaas. I won't hurt her." he raised two fingers in a gesture "Dragon's honor." Celestia mulled it over a little before sighing in defeat.

"Should a hair fall from her head, there will be no place for you to hide." she said with a voice so cold it could freeze the Sun itself. Skarin got the message and nodded "Come." she suddenly grabbed his hand and teleported them to the medical wing. Upon arrival Skarin's head was spinning so fast he felt like puking "It takes some getting used to." Celestia told Skarin as the latter was covering his mouth, trying not to loose what little breakfast he had.

"You don't say..." he took a ew deep braths and looked around "Where is she?"

"In here." Celestia pointed to a door on their right "I will go with you as a precaution and so you don't say something unnecessary." the scowl on Skarin's brows told her he wasn't happy at being quiet but let it go for now. Upon entering the room Skarin saw the young purplu alicorn laying in bed and a white unicorn stallion sitting beside the bed on a chair.

"She looks young." Skarin commented to Celestia and got the attention of the two ponies in the room.

"She will be 18 soon." Celestia shot him a look hoping he got the message. The rolling of his eyes told the princess he understood "Twilight, how are you feeling?" she asked her student and sat on the edge of the bed. The white stallion jumped on his hooves and saluted "At ease, Shining Armor." the stallion nodded before looking at Skarin who simply nodded in return.

"Umm, much better now, Princess Celestia." she leaned her body to the side and spotted Skarin standing there, arms crossed and a slight frown oh his brow "Is that..." her ears fell flat on her head, frightened that he was here to chew her out for bashing him with his own shield.

"The name's Skarin. " he walked up to the foot of the bed, him imposing size making Twilight feel even more tiny. Celestia felt he wasn't going to do anything to hurt her precious student but was stll on her guard "So, I heard you knocked me out with my own shield." Twilight gulped loudly under his glare "Is that true?" looking at her mentor for help, Celestia nodded with a smile and squeezed her hand reasurringly.

"Y-yes..." she replied meekly and closed her eyes, waiting for some sort of vengeance.

"Well that's embarrasing." Skarin's features softened somewhat and he scratched the back of his head "Taken out by a young girl with my own shield no less."

"It is pretty embarrasing." Celestia chuckled lightly "The mighty Dragonborn, taken down by a little filly."

"You're enjoying this too much, Kulaas." Skarin said with a frown.

"You saved my sister." The white unicorn stallion spoke and got Skarin's attention. Skarin simply nodded in confirmation and Shining Armor extended his hand to him "If there is anything I can do, anything and all, you can count on me." Skarin eyed his extended hand before taking it in a strong handshake.

"Firm grip." commented Skarin.

"Captain of the Royal Guard." he said proudly "You?"

"Warrior of legends." Skarin replied smugly which got a confused look from the stallion. Shining looked over to Celestia who nodded in return.

"I'm looking forward to hearing about some of your adventures." Shining had a good feeling that the two of them would get along just fine.

"So, you're not mad?" Twilight asked meekly, gaining a little more confident after the exchange between Skarin and her brother.

"You, no." he looked at the young alicorn "I was pretty pissed and Shor knows what I could have done to you all if you hadn't knocked me out."

"That's... Good to know, I guess." feeling a little relieved Twilight asked her next question. Well, questions "Where is that black dragon? And who are you really? Why were you turned to stone? And-" a white hand over her muzzle, courtesy of Celestia, got the purple Alicorn to stop with the questioning.

"My dear Twilight, now is the time for rest. I promise I will tell you what is going on once you rest up." Celestia said in her warm motherly voice.

"Bfft I'mpf fffne." Skarin's brow rose in amusement. Apparently there was no stopping this motormouth.

"You need rest, Twily." Shining said firmly before looking at his princess "Your majesty, if it's alright with you, I would like to show our guest more of the castle. I think he would feel right at home in the guard barracks." Skarin actually liked that idea and after giving Celestia a hopeful smile, the princess nodded in approval.

"Have him back by dinner and do not leave the castle grounds." Celestia replied with a faint tease in her tone.

"You worry too much, Kulaas." she noticed Skarin called her that more often and the word had some strange power to it. She was beginning to like it.



Arriving at the barracks Skarin did feel right at home. Blood, sweat and steel were his area of expertise and it was showing right now, in the middle of his spar with Shining Armor. Once introductions were made, some of the guards wanted to see if he really was a warrior of legend like he and Shining claimed. And as all men do, a spar was arranged between Shining Armor and Skarin, after a lot of teasing, to find out the truth. As things were right now, Skarin was clearly the superrior fighter.

"Your footwork could go a long way." Skarin said with a smirk, deflecting a blow from Shining's dull practice sword. For someone of his size and build, Skarin was surprisingly quick and nimble, giving the shorter unicorn captain a rough time. Add the fact that Skarin had two to three times more experience, Shining felt like he was back in boot camp on his first day.

"There is one advantage I have over you." with a glow of his horn, Skarin's own sword got enveloped in the magical aura and torn out of his hand. Skarin looked at the unicorn captain in surprise "Unicorns fight using magic. You never said anything against using magic." Shining put the tip of his sword beneath Skarin's chin "And you gave away your lack of magical knowledge so I decided to use it to my advantage. I guess this means I win." he said confidently and Skarin smirked.

"I still have to adjust to you ponies using magic so easily." he pushed himeself onto Shining's sword "And you should know better than to trust your opponent. FUS! "as Shining was hit with some invisible, unrelenting force, he was sent tumbling back a good few feet before Skarin's foot was on his chest, somehow both swords in his hands, one at the unicorns throat and the other at the base of his horn "Yield." Skarin pushed the sword a little harder into Shining's throat.

"I-I yield." Shining croacked out and Skarin removed the swords and offered the captain a helping hand which the latter accepted.

"What in Tartarus was that?" Shining asked, his body still shaking from the imapct.

"That was a Thu'um, the language of dragons." he explained while leading Shining over to a bench to rest.

"I never heard dragons talk like that." the captain replied, wiping sweat of his forhead.

"Your's don't, mine do." he gave the two swords to a guard that came to collect them.

"Care to tell me more over a drink?" this caused Skarin to grin widely.

"Now you're speaking my language."



The day was nearing it's end and Celestia was thourougly exhausted. The nobles were their usual snobbish selves and with the lack of sleep last night, Celestia was ready to pass out from exhaustion. But fate would not have it as Storm Hammer, once again, slammed open the door that lead to her office. Celestia's face scrunched up in frustration, a migraine already in full swing. Rubbing her eyes she sighed in exhaustion, speaking before Storm Hammer even got the chance.

"What did he do now?" taken a little aback that Celestia already knew why he was here he cleared his throat, a smirk on his muzzle, as he informed his princess of the latest chaos their guest had caused.

"He started a drunken brawl in a tavern called The Bucking Bronco." Celestia's eyes widened in shock and then her expression quickly turned to anger. Wasting no time she teleported from her office right into the tavern where a free for all was happening. Her anger boiled over and she yelled using her Royal Canterlot voice.

"WHAT IN THE NAME OF THE SUN IS GOING ON HERE?" everyone froze in place upon hearing their princess, the temperature in the room rising as heat radiated from the angry alicorn. Luckily for them, her fiery gaze found Skarin who had two earth ponies in a head-lock, one under each arm.

"I can -hic- explain." he said with a slurr to his voice. The last Dragonborn was drunk as a skeever.
> 6 - Drunken lullabies
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The atmosphere in the Bucking Bronco was tense. Once Princess Celestia appeared in a flash of light and a shout of anger, all stopped what they were doing. They knew they bucked up and were in for an ear-full. Luckily for them, the current target of Celestia's fiery gaze was the strange newcomer that Shining Armor brought to their little tavern. All stood still and waited for Skarin's explanation.

"Well? " Celstia asked glaring daggers at the stupidly drunk Dragonborn.

"Well what?" he asked stupidly drunk in return, the two stallions he held in a headlock saying their prayers should Celestia decided to incinerate them along with Skarin.

"Your explanation! " she stomped her hoof in frustration, making the other occupants flinch. Shining Armor could swear he can see a vein throbbing on her forehead.

"Oooooh! That! -hic-" Skarin began laughing and squeezed the two stallions just a bit harder "We were just having a friendly drinking match, weren't we gentlemen? "

"Y-yes mister Skarin, sir!" the two replied in unison.

"You call this friendly? " Celestia gestured to the mess of a tavern that lay around her. Broken chairs, tables and noses were not exactly screaming friendly. Skarin simply shrugged and let the two stallions drop to the ground. Finally free from the Dragonborn's grasp they made a hasty retreat behind an overturned table.

"To be -hic- fair, I did warn you about tavern fights. " Skarin said holding up a finger to make a point, his eyes having troubles focusing on it. They did not have trouble focusing on a bottle of ale that was in his peripheral so he quickly snatched it and drank all of it. Now Shining definitely heard a vein popping.

"Where is Shining Armor? " her voice calling him made the Captain curse under his breath.

"Right here your Highness. " Shining slowly appeared behind Skarin who instatly lit up at the sight of his new friend.

"Slouching Armboar!" he slapped the Captain on the back, nearly sending him to the ground "Now this here is a fine -hic- warrior, let me tell you-"

"You will tell me nothing! " Celestia cut him off harshly and Shining flinched at her tone "We're going back to the castle before you two do any more damage! " her horn lit up, ready for teleportation but Shining quickly intervened.

"Um, your Highness? " Celestia shot him a glare "It may not be best for him to teleport right now, given his condition. " Celestia looked at Skarin who was searching for more bottles and decided he was right. No need for him to vomit all over her castle.

"You suggest we walk? " she asked with a raised brow and Shining nodded timidly "Very well. " she looked around the destroyed tavern "Where is the owner? Someone has to pay for all of this. " she then sent a narrowed glare at the Captain "I know how much I'm paying you... " Shining was about to respond when Skarin spoke up.

"Inkeep! " he called out and an old looking stallion peered over the bar counter "Take this -hic- fer' yer' trouble! " he then, to Celestia's shock, shoved about half of his arm into a pouch hanging from his belt. To clarify, the pouch was about the size of his fist "Where is it-AHA!" Skarin victoriously pulled out a diamond. A flawless diamond the size of an apple "I shall return -hic- to this fine establrgh-, esteblishhh, estamblshmnt, THIS fun place once more!"

"T-thank you, Lord Skarin!" the owner said, holding his retirement fund in his hands. Celestia curiously approached the owner and inspected the diamond. Her eyes immediately recognized the quality of the stone and her mouth parted in disbelief.

"Incredible..." she turned to Shining Armor "Please tell me you didn't steal from the Royal Treasury." Celestia knew they weren't dumb enough to do that but she had to ask anyway.

"Could we talk further outside? Our friend is leaving." Shining pointed to the door where Skarin was waveing goodbye and everyone returned it with a big smile, some teeth missing here and there...

"This stallion will be death of me... " Celestia said to herself and with an exhausted sigh followed a stumbling Skarin out into the dark streets. Good thing she already lowered her Sun so less ponies are likely to see this new drunken creature.

"We're merry men of Skyrim, so sturdy and so stout! When the day is done, when it's time for fun we'll drink and sing and shout!" they could still hear him though.

"How much did he drink? " Celestia asked, looking at the drunken Dragonborn, stumbling around in the dimly lit streets. Somehow he got his hands on another bottle of ale.

"He had two- "

"Only two? " Celestia asked in shock.

"Two barrels, your Majesty. " Celestia looked at Shining Armor in disbelief "I am not joking, if that is your next question. " she looked at Skarin who just hit a street light "And for your previous question, it's Skarin's diamond. "

"His diam- " she shot Shining a look, stopping their walk "You broke into the armory. " she stated accusingly but Shining, to his credit, remained calm.

"Skarin wouldn't let me pay for the drinks so he convinced me to grab his money pouch. " said Dragonborn continued his happy singing, completely ignoring the bloody nose the street light gave him.

"And why did you disobey my orders and leave the castle? " Celestia could let the money thing slide but this was another matter.

"With all due respect, Your Highness, I would do it again. " Shining said firmly which caught Celestia by surprise.

"Would you now? And pray tell... " she leaned in closer, her eyes trying to bore a hole through Shining's forhead "Why?"

"Your Highness, how much do you know about him? " Shining asked back and continued his walk, seeing as Skarin had trouble using his legs properly.

"Why does that matter? " she asked, not really getting how this had anything to do with her Captain disobeying a direct order. Shining helped Skarin to his feet and the Dragonborn continued on his merry way.

"We talked a lot before the fight broke out. " he looked at Celestia and the princess got caught off-guard by his sorrowful expression "The things he went through... I can't imagine anypony staying sane after all of that. " he glanced at the drunken Nord who didn't really remember how to get to the castle but continued bravely anyway "I've heard many war stories, many tragic stories and... If what Skarin told me, and I'm sure that wasn't even half of it, is true, then he needed this. " he gestured towards Skarin in his drunken stupor "He needed to forget, even for a moment, that the world isn't a dark place but can be a good place, a place of happiness, a place of joy. " Skarin was using a stick to fight off a rather aggressive cart filled with cabbage "I can't even begin to imagine what his world was like. " Celestia had to chuckle when the cart's door cracked open and Skarin was buried under cabbage "I do know this though. " Skarin was trying to get up but the cabbage was everywhere "He will protect this world until his dying breath. " he approached the fallen Dragonborn and helped him to his feet "He will fail, nopony is perfect, but he will get back up over and over again. That's the kind of stall-,man, Skarin is. He carries the weight of the world on his shoulders- " he slung one of Skarin's arms over his shoulder to support him "-but he can't do it alone. Not anymore. " Celestia, not even noticing it, was holding up Skarin from the other side "He clings to the hope of seeing his friends again. But if that fails, he will need new ones. " Skarin had his eyes closed, blindly taking steps and mumbling to himself "All he has ever known is gone. We need to help him adapt to this new world he's in. "

"Hehe... Cheese wheels... " both looked at the mumbling Dragonborn and shared a smile.

"You certainly think highly of him already. " Celestia said softly, her anger now completely gone and replaced with compassion and understanding.

"You wold too, your Highness. Just talk to him once he sobers up. " Celestia did feel ashamed for not talking much to Skarin. The same thing happened when Luna returned and things still weren't the way they used to be.

"I will remember that. " Skarin dropped the bottle he was still holding and it smashed into tiny pieces "How much did you drink anyway? "

"I didn't. " Shining replied with a smirk "I'm on duty, remember? "



Once Skarin was safely tuckered in his bed Celestia decided to indulge herself in one of her vices. She changed into her pyjamas and sneaked into the kitchen. With her horn providing the only light she opened the fridge and sat in front of it, taking a large chocolate cake into her arms and letting the cool refrigerated air refresh her tired features, extinguishing the light of her horn. After taking a bite from the sugary goodness with a fork, she felt herself finally relax after a very, very long day. But it was not to last as loud crashing sounds filled the dimly lit kitchen. Quickly turning her head, she saw Skarin, once again in only his trousers, holding a plate in his hands while dozens of others lay scattered and broken on the marble floor.

"Shhhh! The Princess might hear us! " he was still drunk apparently and Celestia raised an amused brow. Perhaps he didn't recognize her since the spell that made her mane look ethereal was gone as the day ended.

"We wouldn't want that, would we? " she asked with a chuckle. Skarin gingerly placed the one still unbroken plate back on the counter. At least he thought he did but the crashing sound gave it away "Come. Sit. " she patted the floor next to her. Skarin sat down next to the princess and looked at her cake.

"What is that? " he asked, sniffing the air and liking the smell.

"Chocolate cake, the greatest creation of ponykind. " she handed him a fork "Want some? " Skarin took the fork but immediately dropped it as he felt a burning sensation from it.

"Is that silver? " he asked while rubbing his hand. Celestia looked at her own fork in confusion.

"Yes. " she answered in confusion "Are you allergic to silver? " she asked, taking Skarin's injured hand into her own. A light reddish burn was visible on the palm.

"You could say that... " Skarin answered, her soft touch soothing the burn.

"I don't understand. " Celestia said in confusion, looking concerned into his eyes "We had silverware in the dining room this morning. You used it! "

"I guess Luna replaced it before we arrived. " he took his hand back, still feeling her soft fingers on his palm.

"How could she have known- " she stopped mid-sentence "From your dreams, isn't it? " once again Celestia berated herself for not actually talking to him.

"Celestia- " Skarin began and took a chunk of the cake with his fingers. Ignoring the invasion of her favorite cake, Celestia noted this was the first time all day he called her by her name "-if you want to know, just ask. " he ate the piece of cake and found the taste amazing "Greatest creation indeed. " then he took another.

"Skarin? " he looked at her, his mouth smeared with chocolate. Celestia giggled at the scene and wiped the excess chocolate off with a paper towel she prepared for herself "Why are you allergic to silver? "

"I'm a werewolf. " he replied casually, his wolfish grin a little unsettling to Celestia. She stood there, dumbfounded at his confession "See? That wasn't so hard. " he stole another piece of cake from her lap "And this ring- " he showed her his Ring of Hircine "-helps me control it better. So no worries about me going on a killing spree. " Celestia nodded slowly and Skarin was about to steal another piece of her cake she slapped his hand playfully.

"Manners. " she cut off a piece with her fork and handed it to a pouting Dragonborn.

"Anything else? " Skarin shoved the piece of cake into his mouth and Celestia's features scrunched up in thought "I'm an open book now, Celestia. " she looked at him in wonder "All and everyone I knew is gone. I have nothing to hide anymore. " he said somberly and Celestia felt a wave of sadness "I had to be careful what information I shared before, but right now, none of my enemies are still alive. Except Alduin of course. " he stole another slice from Celestia who was listening intensively "And a friend told me it would be good for me to talk about things. "

"Was it perhaps Shining Armor? " she asked with a soft smile which Skarin returned.

"Your Captain is sometimes wiser beyond his years. " Skarin then looked at her with appreciation "Thanks for not teleporting me here. I can't even imagine the mess I would make. " both laughed at that, seeing as he was loaded with ale.

"Well you look fine now. " this did intrigue Celestia as the man drank two barrels of ale. Where did it all even go.

"Part of being a werewolf I guess. " he scratched his cheek in thought, the one with the tattoo "It does get expensive if you want to drink and forget. "

"I imagine it so. " she looked at his tattoo curiously and reached to touch it "Is this your cutie-BY THE STARS! " she instantly retracted her hand as the tattoo felt cold as ice. Skarin winced at the touch and closed his eyes. Fearing she hurt him in some way, Celestia took his hands and squeezed them comfortingly "Did I hurt you? "

"No, it's... It's a curse. " he replied, focusing his attention on her soft hands "One I wish I could forget. " Skarin looked at a worried Celestia and smiled to ease her mind "The one responsible is long gone so no worries. But the mark still remains. " Celestia looked at him with a warm gaze, trying to offer some sort of comfort "You can touch it if you want. It doesn't hurt. " Celestia gingerly placed her hand upon the mark and it was indeed freezing. The curious thing was, the coldness was limited to the mark only, she could feel the borders of the mark stopping the cold like a razor, Skarin's skin both warm and cold at the same time. It was an unusual sensation "Hope I didn't get you into trouble with your guards. " he leaned into the touch, finding it very comforting.

"Why is that? "

"Walking down the streets at night with one Captain and a very drunk legendary warrior for protection. " he chuckled at a memory he just had "Though I can say I've had Elisif in worse scenarios. " now she was getting somewhere. True to Shining's words, Skarin was beginning to open up about his life.

"Was she someone special? " Skarin swiped another piece of cake as Celestia was distracted with his mark and the princess pouted in return.

"She was the High Queen of Skyrim. " he ate the piece of cake and wondered if this sugary goodness was made by the Divines themselves "And you could say she was special to me in some way. We did share... A bond. " he then looked at Celestia with a curious gaze that left the princess a little confused "That crown does look better on you than it did on her though. " Celestia then realized that she took off all of her regalia except for the crown. Wait, what was that about Elisif and the crown.

"I don't understand. You're saying this crown belong to a queen millions of years ago? " Celestia looked at him with an incredulous look "You must be joking. "

"I'm not joking. " Skarin laughed before shocking her further "I should know since I made it. " Celestia gave him a deadpan look.

"Now I am certain you are joking. " Skarin laughed once more and swiped the last piece of cake.

"There is an inscription inside, looks like scratch marks, doesn't it? " Celestia's eyes widened at this. She knew for a fact the inscription couldn't be seen unless she took the crown off. Then again, she did receive the crown from her mother a millenia ago. She took off the crown and examined the strange writing "It means strength, honor, justice. " he took the crown into his hands and examined his handywork "That is the language of the dragons. I made this crown for Elisif once she became queen. " he returned the crown to Celestia who carefully placed it back upon her head. She was a little more self-conscious now that she found out she was wearing the crown of a queen, forged millions of years ago.

"I suppose I shall commend you for such a fine piece you've made. " she bowed her head curtly and Skarin smiled.

"Then it feels only right to tell you how the crown came to be. " Skarin adjusted his position, leaning against the counter that was behind him and crossed his arms over his chest. Celestia floated another cake from the fridge to her lap.

"I am ready, oh great Dragonborn. " she said teasingly, he fork ready to dig into some more cake.

"Then let me tell you about a book I found called The Aetherium Wars. " and so Skarin's story went on for a couple of hours with Celestia carefully soaking in every word he said. It was truly a tale worthy of being written down for generations to read. It wasn't until the early morning hours that Luna stumbled into the kitchen before the staff began their daily routine and found the two asleep. Celestia leaning against Skarin's shoulder, her wing acting like a blanket to warm them in the chilly kitchen, a half-eaten cake on the floor and the fridge closed. Luna smiled at the sight and carefully levitating them to their respective beds, making sure not to wake them. Not before taking a picture though...



Celestia woke up the next morning feeling rather refreshed though a bit curious as to why she was in her bed. Did Skarin carry here here? She saw the Sun was up and berated herself for sleeping in this morning and having Luna carry out her part of the work. Quickly dressing herself she saw the crown resting on it's place by the vanity mirror. A small smile crept onto her muzzle as she remembered the story Skarin told her. Putting the crown on she was ready to take on a brand new day and headed towards the dining room. Once there she saw Luna was just finishing her break-, I mean dinner.

"Good morning, Tia. Sleep well? " Luna asked with a sly smirk which Celestia tried to ignore though a small smile was still present.

"Why yes I did, Lulu. " Celestia took her seat and a cup of tea was immediately brought to her by a maid "I suppose I have you to thank for that. You really are the guardian of dreams. "

"I merely carried you to your bed. " then her smile got wider "The good dreams came from our new friend. " Celestia's cheeks tinted with red and Luna's smile got even wider.

"I suppose he is an interesting individual. " Celestia replied sheepishly and Luna floated a picture over to her sister "Oh my... " her cheeks flushed even more once she saw the picture. It was a cute sight to behold, the two of them leaned against eachother, her wing draped over them like a blanket.

"Speaking of good dreams... " Luna rose from her seat and approached her sister. With a glow from her horn a dream bubble appeared and inside of it was Skarin, playing with a small girl. This revelation hit Celestia with a torrent of emotions.

"Is that... " she assumed the two were playing knights and dragons, with Skarin acting as the big bad dragon.

"His daughter. " Luna said somberly and Celestia now fully understood how much he actually lost "She is adopted but his daughter non the less. " she also wasn't ready for what came next "I witnessed his wife's death in one of his dreams. " Celestia's eyes widened in horror "Twas' the night of their engagement. " now this made it even worse "I talked to Shining Armor this morning. " Celestia was looking at the two playing, not a care in the world "He told me how Skarin finally met his sister and of the shortcomings he shared with him. " Celestia smiled warmly when the girl finally slayed the mighty dragon though the beast was not ready to yield just yet and countered with a fierce tickle attack. It warmed her heart to see Skarin in this light "Tia. " Celestia looked at her sister, her full attention given to the dark blue alicorn "I believe that Shining Armor is correct. Noone would stay sane after everything he went through. " Celestia nodded slowly "I suppose with a life such as his, you accept things go wrong and try to move on as more darkness looms o the horizon. " the Sun princesses features saddened considerably. That is no way for anyone to lead a life.

"That would explain his behavior with Twilight... " Celestia honestly thought Skarin would have a more violent outburst.

"Indeed. " Luna dispersed the bubble just as Skarin and the little girl were in the middle of their tickle fight "He needs friends, Tia. He needs someone to lean on. " then she added grimly "Otherwise I feel his life will come to a quick end after Alduin is dealt with. " and to make things even more dark "He has nothing here. No friends, no family, no place to call his own. " Celestia then looked at her sister with determination in her eyes.

"Then we need to change that. "
> 7 - Dragon Slayer
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Celestia's determination was at an all-time high after breakfast. After her conversation with Luna, the Sun Princess decided it was time to show Skarin that this world had so much to offer! Friends, places to see, things to do! Equestria had so much to offer and she was ready to show it to him.

So where the buck was he?

The first place she looked was his room but found that one empty. Next she visited the guard barracks but none have seen him. She even inquiered with her staff about his location but nopony knew where he was. Granted, the castle was big but it's simply not possible that nopony has seen him all morning. Could one of his Shouts render him invisible? After an hour of searching she decided to use her trump card: find him with magic and teleport to his location. She was once told by her sister how annoying that could be, simply popping in without question, and reserved that method for extreme situations. Having a Dragonborn roam around the castle qualified, right? Focusing on said warrior she disappeared from her location and reappeared in front of Skarin-

"Good morn-AAAAH!"

-who was mid-swing with an axe. Skarin barely managed to divert the axe and it embedded itself into the ground.

"What in Oblivion is wrong with you?" he yelled at Celestia who felt her heart racing a thousand beats per minute "I could've killed you!"

"What in the name of the Sun are you doing swinging an axe around?" she countered back with a yell of her own.

"Chopping firewood!" he pointed behind her and sure enough, firewood. She turned to him with a questioning gaze.

"Why?"

"To pass the time." Skarin simply shrug and removed the axe from the ground, putting it over his shoulder "Is there something you need? " a sly smirk appeared "Want to bathe me again?"

"As much as you'd like that-" Skarin chuckled "-I came here to ask you if you would like to accompany me on my duties today. " he looked at her in amusement and lowered his axe to the ground.

"Sounds delightful. " Skarin rolled his eyes and picked up a log ripe for chopping.

"After your little adventure last night I am sure word has already spread about you." Celestia explained and Skarin had to agree with her on that one "My little ponies will want to know who this new arrival is and as Day Court is about to begin it would be the perfect opportunity to show them."

"Show them what?" he asked with a raised brow.

"That beneath that gruff and hardened exterior is a kind, compassionate and proud warrior." Skarin thought her warm smile could melt ice "One which I would certainly like to know better myself. " the Dragonborn played with the log in his hands while thinking "Shining Armor speaks highly of you and my sister has made some valid points about your stay with us so I want to know my guest a little better. " she finished and waited for Skarin to answer.

"Alright." Skarin gripped the log tightly "Let's show them how kind I can be." and effortlessly split it in two before dropping the pieces to the ground. 

"Such theatrics will not be neccesary." Celestia rolled her eyes at Skarin's macho display and walked past him "I would suggest you bathe but we both know it will do no good."

"I could always transform. The smell would be self-explainatory then." Celestia stopped dead in her tracks and shot Skarin a glare.

"You will do no such thing, do you understand?" Skarin crossed his arms over his broad chest and grinned wolfishly.

"Woof..." Celestia looked at him unamused and continued on her way to the castle. She saw Log Splitter, the old Royal woodcutter earth pony, relaxing on a bench beneath a tree, looking pretty happy.

"Good morning, Log Splitter. A fine morning, is it not?" she smiled at the old stallion who was observing Skarin with a smile of his own.

"Indeed it is your Majesty." he greeted back "Aaah to be young again." Celestia chuckled at the old stallion.

"You'd be surprised at his age." 

"Whatever his age, the lad got here before I did." Celestia looked at Skarin who was putting his tunic back on. Luna must've shown her a memory of the dream since Log Splitter begins his duties at 7am sharp like everypony else and she slept until 8am.

"Truly?" she asked the old woodcutter who nodded in return.

"Found him already chopping away and he practically benched me!" he laughed aloud making Celestia chuckle as well "Then again, if you can break a log in half with your bare hands, why'd you need an axe in the first place?" the old woodcutter looked behind Celestia, the princess turning around to see Skarin with a sly smirk.

"So that old farts like you can keep their job." Celestia was about to give Skarin a piece of her mind when Log Splitter erupted in laughter.

"I suppose that's true. " Log Splitter got up from the bench and stretched his aching bones "If you ask me, you can come back anytime. My back appreciates it!"

"If Kulaas doesn't mind you slacking off." Skarin looked at Celestia who shook her head.

"Not at all. One must earn his keep at the castle. " she gave Skarin a teasing smirk to which the Dragonborn laughed.

"Well said, Kulaas. Now, let's see about that kindness." he cracked his knuckles and proceeded towards the castle.

"I'd hate to be on the recieving end of that kindness." Log Splitter chuckled and cracked his own knuckles, ready to get back on the job.

"He may not look like it but Skarin is a kind individual." just to prove her point, Skarin helped a young stallion with some crates that were way to heavy for him.

"Of that I have no doubt but to split a log of Equestrian Oak with his bare hands..." the old woodcuter's body shivered.

"What is so special about that?" Celestia truly didn't understand what the big deal was.

"Your Highness, I have never heard of a minotaur who could do that, let alone any other race. " Celestia raised an amused brow. Strength of the minotaur was known far and wide and Equestrian Oak was the toughest type of wood on Equus "Whatever he is, I'm glad the lad is on our side. " Celestia looked at Skarin who was calling for her to hurry up.

"As am I, Log Splitter."



Inside the throne room, Celestia sat on, well, her throne, and went over the list of today's requests that her assistant had prepared. As a surprise to nopony, most were concerning Skarin.

"So what do I do now?" Skarin asked from his chair to Celestia's right. The princess answered, eyes still glued on the scroll.

"You just sit right there and look pretty." Skarin scoffed and crossed his arms.

"That shouldn't be too hard." he looked around the throne room and noticed something odd " Are there usually so many guards present?"

"The nobility is corncerned for their safety around your presence." she said absentmindedly but noticed Skarin's look of confusion "The report does say you took down over a dozen stallions in The Bucking Bronco by youreslf."

"I'm a little fuzzy on the details." Skarin replied with a sly smirk.

"I'm sure you are." she gave him a look which only made Skarin feel even more proud about his last night endeavor "Remember, try not to antago-"

"Auntie!" Celestia's eyes shot wide open upon hearing the snobbish voice of her nephew.

"Buck..." the princess rarely cursed but this moment called for it. She loved her nephew dearly but this was not the right moment for Blueblood to meet Skarin. The Dragonborn looked at the source of the voice and found it belonged to a white unicorn stallion with amber colored mane that came through a side entrance. He wore a pristine white suit that would probably make him look naked to someone with bad vision. Blueblood had this high and mighty atmosphere around him that Skarin noticed right away Oh this should be good. the Dragonborn thought to himself. Blueblood approached the throne and bowed curtly "Good morning, dear nephew. What brings you to my court on this fine day?" like she didn't already know.

"It has come to my attention that there is a dangerous creature roaming around and by the Sun what is that awful smell?" Blueblood's nose schrunched up in disgust and he followed the smell towards Skarin "Is that the brute that started a fight last night?" he asked in disgust and Skarin looked back unnamused.

"His name is Skarin, dear nephew, and you will adress him so." but Celestia's words fell on deaf ears.

"What in Tartarus are you? A hairless ape?" Skarin's gaze narrowed at the young prince "Do you not have baths were you come from, creature?" Skarin leaned forwards in his seat.

"Blueblood." Celestia warned with a stern voice that went unheard once more.

"You allow such insolence in your presence, auntie Celestia? If it were up to me I'd have this, this brutish oaf locked up in the dungeons!" before Celestia could speak, Skarin rose from his chair, towering over Blueblood. The young prince didn't seem fazed in the least since dear auntie Celestia was here to protect him "Aren't you going to bow? You are in the presence of royalty!" Blueblood demanded and Skarin sort of bowed. He leaned forward to be eye level with the prince and spoke one word.

"Faas." as the word left his mouth, Celestia felt a feeling of dread wash over her, like she just witnessed her worst fears come to life. Her whole body shivered and her furred coat stood on edge. Blueblood on the other hand went stiff as a log. Skarin could smell a familiar scent in the air and looking down he saw Blueblood's pants getting yellowish in the crotch area. With a bloodcurling scream, Blueblood ran away, bursting open the main door of the throne room and running past the waiting ponies who were confused at what was happening And the weak shall fear the Thu'um...  Skarin grinned in satisfaction and sat back down.

"What did you do?" Celestia asked with apparent anger.

"I merely said hello in the dragon tongue.
" Skarin replied casually as ponies began swarming the throne room. Celestia didn't believe him for a second but it was not the time nor place to push the issue as the gathering crowd bowed in respect. Taking a deep breath and focusing her thoughts, Celestia put on her best smile and addresed the arrivals.

"Good morning, my little ponies. " the crowd greeted back in unison "I assume you are here to inquire about our new guest?" the uproar that followed reminded Skarin of an angry mob rather than nobles, who made up most of the crowd.

"Everypony, please!" Celestia yelled over their loud shouting "One at a time!" she tried to calm down the situation but with no succes.

"NAHLOT!" Skarin's voice shook the very throne room to it's foundations and the crowd was silenced immediately. Celestia looked at Skarin dumbfounded and he merely nodded his head. The voice of the dragons was powerful indeed. Turning back to the crowd, she saw one hand was raised up, almost like the pony was back in school.

"Yes, Fancy Pants-" Skarin had to hold back from erupting in laughter "-your question?" the mentiond unicorn, white coat and blue mane, wearing a black suit and top hat, steps forward and adjusts his monocle to take a better look at Skarin.

"H-hello there... Friend?" he greeted, his voice still shaky from Skarin's own "I believe it is proper to introduce one's self before conversation begins. My name is Fancy Pants." he tips his hat in greeting.

"Skarin, at your service." the Dragonborn replies with a nod and small smile which seems to ease Fancy.

"A pleasure to meet you." and Skarin actually believed it "Now, I have some witnesses who said you claim to be a legendary dragon slayer from millions of years ago. Is that true?"

"Aye." Skarin's reply caused an uproar once more but this time Celestia managed to calm the crowd by merely raising her hand.

"I can vouch for Skarin's words." Celestia said, internally fearing what else he might've said. Fancy's face instantly lit up.

"Marvelous! " he clapped his hands in approval "Then would it be too much to ask of you to share some of your adventures with me at the Grand Galloping Gala?"

"The what now?" Skarin asked in confusion and looked at Celestia for an explanation.

"The Grand Galloping Gala is a yearly gala that anypony of importance attends. There is dancing, conversing-"

"Yeah I'm not going." everyone gasped in shock when Skarin cut off Celestia mid-sentence "If you want to hear stories, meet me later in a tavern so we can talk like men over a bottle of ale." Fancy Pants was taken aback by his behavior and looked to Celestia for help.

"He will be at the Gala." she said with a mischevious smirk.

"Hey!" Skarin protested but Celestia merely waved him off.

"Next question." She looked over the crowd and saw one of her guards had raiswd a hand. Well, anypony can partake in day court " Yes, Shatter Shield?" 

"Is it true you can breathe fire?" the young stallion asked and Skarin looked up.

"Yol!" a stream of fire escaped his mouth and dispersed above the crowd.

"That is so cool..." the young guard said in awe of the display.

"I thought I said no theatrics will be necessary." Celestia said scoldingly and before he could answer, a bright light and a popping sound filled the room. In front of them, on his hands and knees, appeared an orange unicorn stallion wearing the Royal guard, looking like he just went to Tartarus and back. Celestia jumped on her hooves and the crowd gasped in shock upon seeing the guard's condition.

"Y-your Highness! You have to come quickly!" the guard raised his head, eyes filled with horror "A dragon is attacking Baltimare!" gasps and murmurs spread through the crowd but all quieted down as Skarin kneeled before the injured guard.

"What did it look like, soldier?" he asked with a stern voice but the guard stayed quiet and observed this new creature before him. Only when Celestia put her hand on Skarin's shoulder and nodded to him with a smile, the guard took a deep breath and spoke.

"Scales b-black as the night, sir. A-and eyes red as blood." by the way Skarin spoke and carried himself, the guard addressed him with sir. A soldier recognizes a fellow soldier "First f-fire rained from the sky a-a-and then the monster swooped down on us. It-it-it..." the strain in his voice was apparent and Skarin heard enough.

"You did a good thing coming here." he squeezed the guards shoulder firmly "You get some rest, I'll deal with the dragon." Skarin rose to his feet and turned to Celestia "Give me my weapons and armor. "

"Is it Alduin?" she asked in worry and Skarin clenched his fists.

"No doubt about it."

"I will gather the guards-"

"NO!" all eyes turned to Skarin with angry looks. Who dares yell at their princess?

"You're not facing that monster alone!" Celestia shot back with equal determination.

"And I'm not letting you send more lives to their deaths!" Skarin pointed to the downed guard "This one's lucky he survived!"

"And it's fine if you die?"

"My life doesn't matter!" Skarin's words cut the princess deep. How could one not care about their life? "All that matters is my blade piecing through Alduin's heart! If I die in the process so be it but none shall risk their lives for me ever again!" Celestia looked at Skarin with eyes filled with sorrow. She knew he had lost much but to simply throw his life aay like this? That did not sit well with the Sun princess "Give me my gear, teleport me there and then get as far away as you can! Do you understand?" Celestia remained quiet "Do you understand, Celestia?" he was running out of patience. The last thing she needed was for Skarin to plow through her castle to get his weapons and armor.

"I understand." she answered and Skarin nodded "What you need to understand is that I will not stand idily by while a dragon burns my land and slaughters my ponies." she had no idea how close to home her statement hit Skarin. Perhaps it was a little nostalgia, perhaps her determination he found admirable, maybe a little of both but Skarin smiled at the princess.

"Just get me my damn armor." Celestia smiled in return, seeing as she won this round, and with a glow of her horn, Skarin's gear appeared in the hall and fell to the marble floor, the tiles cracking under it's weight. Fancy Pants tried lifting one of the gauntlets but found it to be extremly heavy.

"My word! How do you move in this?" Fancy had trouble holding one gauntlet. He couldn't even imagine how much the entire set weighed. Skarin, who had already put on the cuirass and leggings, took the gauntlet from Fancy as if they weighed nothing.

"You get used to it." he put on the gauntlet, then the other and stepped into his boots. Making one final check, he sheated his sword, took hold of his shield with the left and the helmet in the right hand. Looking back at Celestia, he gave her a questioning look, seeing she was still in her ornate robes "Please tell me you don't actually-" before he could finish, Celestia was illuminated in a bright light. The ponies had to shield their eyes from the bright light as where Skarin merely squinted. Once the light disappeared, Celestia stood there in full battle attire. Her armor looked to be made out of gold but Skarin knew better, deducing it was some kind of alloy or simply colored that way. The chest portion had a large gem in the middle, looking like a bullseye target but it probably served some purpose rather than to just look nice. Her wings were free of any kind of armor so her flying capabilities were at it's fullest. Deciding to ignore the legendary sword and shield she was carrying, Skarin had one thing to say "Damn..." she looked  stunningly beautiful yet deadly.

"Let's go. We have a dragon to deal with." Celestia said, her voice filled with determination.

"A warrior princess, huh? I can work with that." Celestia approached Skarin and offered her free hand which Skarin took firmly into his grasp.

"You're not putting your helm on?"

"You ever barfed inside your helmet?" Celestia shook her head "I did. It's not pleasant." Celestia chuckled while remembering how teleportation affected Skarin.

"Take young Apple Crusher to the infirmary. Make sure he rests well, he has earned it." the guards nodded as they helped their injured comrade to his hooves and Celestia and Skarin were gone in a flash.



When they appeared in Baltimare's suburban district they were greeted with death and destruction. Houses were still on fire, the able were helping the wounded and others mourned the dead.

"By the stars..." Celestia gasped in shock looking at the destruction Alduin had caused. Skarin put on his helm and reached inside one of his pouches.

"He's still here." he pulled out a pink gem and handed it to Celestia "Put it on the sword." Celestia did as instructed and a bluish mist left the gem and entered the sword, the gem turning to dust in the process "This should give you a few good hits."

"What was in the gem?" Skarin knew if he answered right now it would start a pretty heated argument.

"Later." he was scanning the clouds above, trying to locate the World Eater "Try to block with your shield as much as you can. You'll know when it's ready for bashing."

"How do you know all of this?" Celestia received the sword and shield from her father and knew how the shield worked but the sword remained a mystery.

"Later." he spotted a black shadow pass above the clouds "He's coming back! Run!"  he yelled at the ponies just as a terryfing roar echoed through the area. Alduin burst through the clouds and went for Skarin who put on his helmet.

"Dovahkiin! Sul hi dir!" Alduin roared as he descended towards the two.

"Bo grind zu'u lir!" Skarin yelled back and drew his sword. Celestia didn't understand what they just said to each other but was pretty sure some insults were thrown.

"YOL TOOR SHUL! as both dragons shouted the words of power, Celestia had to shield herself from the inferno that burned as hot as the Sun. It was magic unlike any she ever felt before. It felt so ancient, so powerful like it could destroy the world. She was glad that Skarin was on their side.

Once the flames stopped, Celestia lowered her shield and saw Skarin was holding out against one of Alduin's clawed wings, that was trying to crush him, with his shield and it looked like he had a hard time doing it. She also saw that Alduin was about to swipe at him with his other wing and Skarin was wide open. Arriving at the last moment, she raised her shield and met Alduin's wing. The force of the impact nearly sent her to the ground. Even though she fought many battles against many races, beasts, monsters and even dragons, this was on a whole other level. The shield did absorb the power of the impact and deflected the dragons wing but her entire body shook from the force.

"My father's shield will not save you, joor!" Alduin snarled and reared his tail back to attack.

"HRRRRAAAAAAAGH!!!" with a mighty grunt Skarin pushed back the wing that was trying to crush him and took a deep breath "FUS RO DAH!" the entire area shook from the power of Skarin's shout and Alduin staggered back a few feet. The house behind him was not so lucky as it was reduced to rubble. And two more behind it as well.

"Your Thu'um is strong, Dovahkiin! But just like before, mine shall prevail!" Alduin reared back as well.

"Get behind me!" Skarin yelled to a stunned Celestia who was frozen in place.

"FUS RO DAH!" barely reaching her in time, Skarin shielded her with his own body, the unrelenting force sending them flying backwards into a wall and Skarin holding Celestia tightly absorbed the impact with his back. For the first time in her life Celestia was scared. 

"Focus Celestia!" Skarin shook her shoulders but she was still shell shocked "Where's that warrior princess from moments ago?" out of the corner of her eye she saw her still remaining guards trying to hurt Alduin but ther spells and weapons simply bounced off it's tough scales "Hey! Look at me!" his words apparently reached her as she looked into Skarin's eyes "I know you're scared and that's okay. I'm scared too." she looked at him in confusion "Alduin is basically a god but you can't give up on me now! You can't give up on them!" he pointed at her guards who were being flung around like ragdolls "Your people need you Celestia! They need their princess to show them there is hope!" Skarin forcibly lifted her on her hooves "So get your head in the game and help me fight this beast like I know you can!" Celestia looked at Skarin, his features string with determination yet his eyes pleading for her to help him. It was just like Shining said, Skarin can't do this alone. And as long as there was breath left in her, he wouldn't have to. Summoning a power she repressed for a long time, Skarin had to let go of her as her armor grew hotter and hotter. Soon her mane and tail erupted into flames, her magenta eyes turned red and a whole new Celestia stood in front of him. She looked at Skarin with an expression filled with determination and rage.

"Let's end this." she said in almost a growl and held up her sword and shield. Skarin grinned widely and readied himself as well. Whistling to Alduin, Skarin got the dragons attention and spoke in the tongue of the dragons.

"Kulaas ahrk Dovah! Hin dinok Alduin!
> 8 - Moonchild
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

With renewed vigor, Celestia and Skarin charged Alduin head-on. The mighty dragon roared in response and swiped at them with his tail. Skarin slid under it and took his chance to cut at the tail with his dragonbone sword and Celestia flew over it, leaving her surprised when her sword erupted into flames as it struck the beasts tail. Trying her luck, Celestia pushed on and went to stab Alduin from above. The dragon was, unfortunately, very agile for his size and smacked the princess away with his wing. Skarin quickly rose to his feet after the slide and slashed the dragon's rear leg. Alduin quickly turned his head and tried to grab Skarin with his large maw but as he opened it to devout his enemy, Skarin showed his shield into Alduin's maw, effectively locking it in place.

"That actually worked... " Skarin said to himself in disbelief. Alduin was surprised as well and tried to crunch the shield to pieces but dragon bones were tough, even for the mighty World Eater. After being smacked away, Celestia quickly regained her balance by flapping her wings and did not expect to see what was happening. Alduin fiercely tried to either crunch or claw the shield out but with little success. Wasting no time, Celestia rushed Alduin with a mighty war cry and slashed on his right wing, the sword this time causing a fiery explosion. It seemed to do the trick as Alduin roared in pain but also crushed the shield with his teeth. Glaring at the princess he swung his tail once again but the princess blocked it with her shield, the force of the impact causing her entire body to shake. With Alduin distracted, Skarin continued his assault, holding his sword with two hands, but the strikes merely grazed the dragon's tough scales. Noticing the pest that was cutting him with a sword, Alduin shouted at Celestia.

"FUS RO DAH!" Celestia never felt such a force in her entire life as it flung her away like a rag doll, sending her crashing into a house and through the wall.

"CELESTIA!" Skaarin yelled in concern and rushed towards the princess and cleared the rubble off her as fast as he could "WULD!" faster than the wind, Skarin appeared by her side and helped her on her hooves "You alright? "

"We are barely scratching him. " she said through gritted teeth.

"Dragon god, remember? " Skarin said and looked at Alduin "I never said this was going to be easy. " Alduin rushed forward.

"Here he comes! " Celestia was ready for a fight but Skarin had another plan as he raised his sword at Celestia.

"Raise your shield!" Celestia quickly understood what he wanted to do and obliged "RAAAAAAAH! " bringing down the sword with all of his might, Skarin slammed the shield and it shimmered with a golden aura. Just in time as Alduin only a few feet away "NOW! " Skarin jumped to the side and Celestia bashed Alduin's maw with the shield. The stored energy from before was unleashed and struck Alduin with enough force to send him tumbling back.

"Now's our chance! " Celestia was ready to attack and flew forward with her sword raised high. Skarin smirked and got to his feet, thoroughly impressed by the princesses battle spirit. He charged the beast once more.

As all this was going on, the surrounding ponies were looking on in awe. Not only at their princess but at the strange warrior that fought beside her. Never had they seen such armor or even that kind of powerful magic. The unicorn's felt especially useless as their offensive spells did nothing but bounce off the dragon's scales. Probably the reason why their princess didn't use her own magic against the beast.

"We should help. " one of the guards said to the ponies present.

"And do what? " another questioned.

"Anything! Our lives depend on it! " the first one countered and some agreed with him.

"Just look at the bucking thing! " the second pointed at Alduin who was busy trying to fight off both Skarin and Celestia "Even the princess is having a hard time with it! "

"That is no reason-LOOK OUT! " Alduin suddenly appeared close to them and was about to snap his jaws at one of the guards.

"WULD NAH KEST!" a gust of wind knocked away the guard in danger and once he looked up he saw Skarin, sword in hand, keeping Alduin at bay as the beast closed it's maw on the sword "RUN! GET THEM TO SAFETY! " Skarin yelled and tilted his head towards the civilians. The guard stood frozen in shock, his legs giving out and whole body trembling. Alduin used Skarin's short moment of distraction and yanked his head back, taking Skarin's sword with him. Tightening his jaw he snapped the sword to pieces and went for Skarin again "RAAAAAAAGH! " to everypony's surprise, Skarin actually punched Alduin on the nose with his fist and it seemed to stagger the dragon "GO! " he yelled once more and continued punching the dragon. Others quickly came to the guards aid and dragged him away to safety.

"HYAAAAAAH! " Celestia came flying down from above and impaled her sword into Alduin's back. His pupils shrank and he let a painful roar shake the area around him. Alduin tried to shake Celestia off but the princess stood firm and tried to push the sword even deeper into Alduin's back. As she did so, another fiery explosion happened and this one appeared to do real damage as Alduin fell to his side. Celestia jumped off just in time to not get crushed by the dragon. Everypony thought it was over as the dragon was writhing on the ground in pain. But Skarin knew better.

Celestia flew at Alduin again, her shield glowing once more, charged only moments before by Alduin trying to scratch her with his claws. She bashed the shield into the sword and it was almost buried to the hilt in the dragons back. She felt pretty satisfied with the result but the victory was short lived. As Alduin was thrashing about on the ground, the damned tail, once again, found it's target and smashed into Celestia's back. The pain that shot through her was unbearable and she immediately knew why. Her wings had been broken. Falling to her knees she could barely breathe from the pain, her mane and tail no longer fiery and fueled by the ancient power she held within. Alduin once again reared his ugly maw and went right for Celestia.

"TIID KLO UL!" a strange feeling washed over Celestia, as if time itself was being bent by Skarin's shout. She felt time slow to a crawl yet somehow Skarin moved unfazed. Right into Alduin's incoming maw. Pushing Celestia aside, Skarin took her place and awaited the jaws of death. Celestia began to reach out to him but her whole body moved so slow she knew there was nothing she could do. Skarin merely gave her a small smirk as time resumed it's regular course and he was swept up by Alduin.

"SKARIN! " finally finding her breath, she yelled out to the dragonborn who was being used by Alduin as a chew toy. But the stubborn Nord wasn't about to give up. His armor was strong enough to provide him with one chance and he needed to make it count. Pulling out a dagger from his right, he stabbed Alduin in his right eye. The dragon immediately let go of his prey and began clawing at his head trying to get the dagger out. Sakrin fell to the ground and quickly made his way towards an injured Celestia.

"Are you alright? " he asked in concern but he already knew her wings were broken.

"Don't ever do that again! " Celestia punched him in anger and Skarin chuckled at her.

"No promises. " he looked at Alduin who was still trying to take out the dagger "We got him good. " his voice didn't carry a victorious note. Sure enough, Alduin finally got the dagger out, his eye bleeding profusely "But it's not over yet. "

"What does it take to kill this dragon? " Celestia was barely hanging on from the pain, her wings lying limply by her side.

"A dragon. " Skarin narrowed his eyes at Alduin "Listen- " he turned back to Celestia "-I can only do this once per day. Let's hope I can at least drive him away. " Celestia looked at him with a raised brow.

"Do what? " she asked as Skarin faced Alduin. He took a deep breath before...

"MUL QAH DIIV!" an ethereal red and blue energy encased Skarin's body and formed what appeared to be an ethereal copy of his armor and even draconic wings and tail. Celestia felt the power behind that shout and shuddered before it as Skarin ran towards Alduin.

"FUS RO DAH!" both shouted at the same time and the shock wave of the colliding Thu'ums sent tremors through the battlefield, leveling down more houses and sending ponies flying away. The unicorns among them managed to grab everypony with their magic and lower them safely to the ground. Meanwhile Celestia, guarded behind her magic shield, watched in awe as Skarin battled Alduin blow for blow, shout for shout. It was in that moment Celestia realized how powerful Alduin was compared to her. There she was, ruler and protector of Equestria, broken and beaten and yet Skarin somehow managed to hold his ground. Her magic would have no effect on him as she saw her unicorns's spells simply bounce off. She cursed herself for not listening to Discord, a thought she never thought she'd have, for not letting the cavern be and avoiding this mess in the first place. Yet, she felt hope in her heart and that hope came from watching Skarin fight Alduin. He was brought down but only to get back up again and continue his assault, never backing down even when Alduin managed to crack his armor. Then she noticed Skarin's face grimace in pain every time he hit Alduin with his right hand. It must be broken but he still fought on. She tried getting back on her hooves but the pain was too much and the rest of her body protested as well. She felt weak, useless, unable to protect her ponies and it scared her. What if only Alduin had awakened? They would stand no chance against the World Eater and she knew it. Perhaps they could subdue him with the Elements of Harmony but that was a long shot. Skarin and his friends tried it but it would seem fate was not satisfied with the outcome. She looked on at the battle and prayed to anypony or anything thing for Sarin to survive this battle. Not to win, but to survive. She needed him to survive...

"FO KRAH DIIN!" Skarin froze one of Alduin's legs to the ground and quickly climbed onto his back. With a mighty heave he pulled out the sword and jumped back down again "WULD!" the shout carried him forward and the sword found it's target and impaled itself hilt deep into Alduin's chest "RAAAAAAGH! " Skarin tried to push the sword even deeper but it would not budge. Alduin reared back and let out a mighty roar and the sky immediately went dark "Oh shit... " he looked at the scared ponies that were still watching the battle for some reason "TELEPORT OUT OF HERE NOW! " the ponies wasted no time and a unicorn grabbed hold of any earth pony or pegasi they could and vanished. Flaming rocks appeared high above and were plummeting to the ground. Skarin did his best to avoid them but there were simply to many. One meteor smashed into him and his ethereal armor vanished, the dragonbone armor cracking and falling into pieces to the ground. The impact sent him flying backwards and he landed face-first into the hard ground. Skarin turned on his back just in time to see another meteor about to smash into him. He crossed his arms to protect himself, fully knowing it wouldn't help much and made peace with his fate. However, he felt the meteor hit something and yet he was still alive. Cracking his eyes open he saw Celestia had crawled over to him and encased him in her protective magical barrier.

"Hello. " she smiled though pain was evident in her features. She was covered in scratches, her wings dragging limply behind her, some ribs were definitely broken and she even had cuts that were bleeding.

"Hi. " Skarin replied and chuckled "Nice weather we're having. " he waved his hand to the falling meteors.

"I shall have a talk with Weather Control about that. " Celestia laughed at Skarin's confused expression "Later. " she used his own words against him and looked at Alduin who was still trying to pry the sword out of his chest "What are our chances? " she asked though already knowing the answer.

"Slim to none. " Skarin grunted and rose to his feet.

"So there's still a chance. " Celestia smiled and rose to her hooves as well "And as long as there is one, I shall not fall. " Skarin laughed at her words and slapped her shoulder.

"Spoken like a true Nord! " she winced in pain and Skarin quickly waved his arms in front of him "Sorry! Sorry! " Celestia shot him a glare but then chuckled as well. Their attention was diverted from one another as a sword fell at their feet and hooves. It was Ceelstia's sword and it only meant one thing "Son of a- "

"LOOK OUT! " Celestia's warning came to late as a large meteor smashed into the ground in front and being no longer able to sustain the barrier both were caught by the shock wave and sent tumbling painfully back. Groaning on the ground they could hear Alduin approaching, the meteor storm apparently over.

"You insolent, disgusting, lowly- " Alduin's speech was cut short as a new voice spoke that shook the area around them.

"ARCHERS! FIRE!" Celestia knew exactly who it was. Looking to the source, she saw Luna with dozens of her Night Guard, and even Celestia's own among them, bows and flaming arrows being released. Each arrow found it's mark and small explosions occured with every hit "AGAIN!" another shower of arrows descended upon Alduin and the beat was being driven back "AGAIN!" as more and more arrows flew they formed a shade above the battlefield and rained down fire upon the World Eater. Wave after wave there was seemingly no end to the arrows and Alduin had only one option. He beat his black wings and ascended into the air. Opening his jaws wide he shouted one last time, putting everything he had into this last ditch effort.

"YOL TOOR SHUL!"

"BARRIERS!" Luna shouted in her Royal Canterlot voice and the unicorns formed a magical barrier that barely managed to repel the inferno. Once the flames disappeared, Alduin was already on the run and out of reach of the archers. Luna glared at the escaping dragon "Coward... " she quickly located her sister and Skarin and walked over to them. Luna knelt beside them and smirked "Next time, do not hesitate to wake me from my slumber, Tia. " Celestia laughed though it caused her pain. Luna slung one of Celestia's arms over her shoulder and helped her up to her hooves.

"I shall remember that, Lulu. " Celestia smiled in reply.

"We mellowed him out for you. " Skarin added from the ground he found to be very comfortable at the moment. Both Luna and Celestia laughed at his comment, the latter clutching her ribs in pain.

"Sure you did. " Skarin turned his head to see Shining Armor kneeling beside him and laughed to the Captain "C'mon, let's get you patched up. Don't want you bleeding all over my barracks in the morning. "



The medical wing of Canterlot castle was in chaos. The doctors and nurses were all over the place for one reason: their princess was injured.

"Would you all quiet down? " Skarin asked in annoyance causing Celestia to laugh. She was currently being treated by two nurses who tended to her wings. Magic aside, wings needed proper time to heal "I'm trying to get some rest over here! "

"Quiet you! " one nurse yelled at him with anger "Our princess is hurt! "

"And what am I? A sack of potatoes? " Skarin asked and raised his broken arm that merely received a simple bandage.

"Walk it off. " the second nurse said with a deadpan look and Celestia chuckled.

"Now now, my little ponies, be nice. " she looked over to Skarin with an apologetic smile "He did save my life after all. " the nurses looked at each other and then at Skarin "If it weren't for him I wouldn't be here right now." they seemed to be thinking something over before speaking.

"Thanks. " they said in monotone and Skarin frowned.

"It's nice to be appreciated. " he huffed and laid back in his berth.

"They're a little protective of me. " Celestia said before wincing at the pain from her wing. The two nurses began aplogizing immediately but a quick word from Celestia calmed them down.

"Really? I haven't noticed. " Skarin rolled his eyes and then examined his body that was covered incuts and bruises "This'll hurt like a bitch in the morning. "

"Language! You're in the presence of the princess! " one nurse scolded him and Skarin had to bite his tongue lest he shouted inside the medical wing. Skarin growled and raised himself with a grunt.

"You know what? Screw this! " he jumped off the medical berth, the nurses scolding him for his language again which he ignored. Celestia shot the nurses an angry glare and the two cowered under her gaze. She then looked at Skarin who was headed for the door.

"Where are you going? " she was getting off her berth as well, much to the protest of her entire medical staff.

"Out. " was Skarin's simple answer as he slammed the door open and proceeded down the hallway. Celestia quickly followed him, her medical staff hot on her hooves in an attempt to stop her.

"You're injured! " she finally caught up with him, much to the staff's objections "You need to rest! "

"I'll be fine. " Skarin took a sniff of the air which Celestia found odd "This way... " he said quietly though only Celestia heard it and followed after him to another hallway on the right "Besides, it seems the doctors have their hands full with you. "

"I will heal you myself if I have to- " the staff gasped in shock "-but please go back to your bed! " she pleaded with him but to no avail.

"No. " Skarin shot back and continued sniffing the air "Almost there... " he took a left, a dozen ponies in tow.

"I shall drag you back if I have to! " Celestia then shook her head in confusion "What are you searching for anyway? " they came to a large wodden door.

"This. " he took a deep breath "FUS!" he literally shouted the door apart from it's hinges.

"Was that really neccesary? " Celestia yelled at him as he stepped out into the dark courtyard, a large forest at the edge of it, only illuminated by Luna's Moon.

"Yes. " Skarin simply replied and Celestia could tell he was very, very angry.

"Skarin! Stop! " she grabbed his shoulder and turned him to face her. She quickly recoiled from the touch as she felt something unnatural was about to occur. A black mist began to surface from Skarin's body and he hunched over in pain. She and eveypony else could hear bones cracking and his form changing shape to something beastly. White fur began to cover his growing body, black claws protruding from his fingers, his mouth lenghtening and forming a beastly maw. As his body was transforming the ponies were taking cautious steps back and once he fully transformed they stod frozen in place of the monster in front. Skarin was no longer there and in his place was a huge white beast. They recognized it from old tales and myths. It was a lycan. A werewolf. Celestia looked at Skarin's new form, the beast panting from the exhausting transformation, and unlike the others stood her ground. Then Skarin let out a terryfiying roar that sent the ponies screaming in fear and into the castle. Celestia remained calm as Skarin looked at her, only his blue eyes remaining after the transformation, his razor sharp teeth on display. She took a carful step forward, then another and another before she was right in front of him. Her hand reached out and she placed it gently on his cheek. His features calmed down and he looked at her with an expression of pain and sadness "Please... Let me help you. " she smiled warmly and Skarin turned his head away "Skarin... " he roared in anger and sprinted on all fours towards the forest "SKARIN! " she yelled after him but it was no good. There was no stopping him and she couldn't fly after him since her wings were broken and casting magic could only anger him more. A flap of wings above her caught Celestia's attention.

"I'll take it from here, sister. " Luna flew after Skarin and Celestia nodded in thanks. She looked at the forest for a while longer as horrible sounds filled this quiet night in Canterlot. She feared the worst and was about to teleport to Luna's aid before her sister contacted her telepathically "I shall contanct you once he's done." this confused Celestia.

"Done with what? "

"Eating..." from Luna's tone, she could only imagine it was not pretty. Celestia took one last look at the forest before going back inside to give her staff a stern lecture on hospitality.



It wasn't until an hour later when Luna finally decided it was safe for her sister to arrive. Celestia focused her magic and teleported to Luna's location. She appeared in a clearing in the forest and saw Skarin's maw covered in fresh blood. He was sitting on his haunches and appeared to be somewhat calmer.

"What happened? " she asked Luna but to her surprise Skarin spoke first.

"Angry. Hungry. Healing" his voice was like an angry growl but she still understood what he said. Feeling what her next question would be Skarin spoke again "Wild boar."

"Weren't thou black in thy dream? " Luna asked and Celestia raised a curious brow. He looked scary enough as it is, she couldn't imagine how scary he would look covered in black instead of white fur.

"Kodlak died. I became alpha." he looked sadly at the ground an scratched at it with his claw.

"Skarin... " Celestia approachd him once again "Please tell me what is going on. " she looked at him sadly, her expression begging him to let her help. Skarin looked to the side and barred his teeth once more.

"Escaped. Again. " Celestia nodded in understanding.

"We'll get him next time. " she replied and Skarin turned to face her.

"Alone. You safe." he growled out and Celestia frowned.

"Alright, listen here you stubborn mut! " she poked him in the chest with a finger to both Skarin's and Luna's surprise "I am not some weak princess that needs saving! I have fought countless wars and fiends by the time you learned to walk! " Skarin's expression turned to one of shock and lisght mirth "So get this through your thick skull! You're not in this alone! You have me and Luna and all of Equestria behind you! " she pushed forward and Skarin scooted back a little "And if that won't be enough to stop Alduin then we request aid from the Griffon Kingdom! " Celestia continued her assault and Skarin scooted back a little more until he bumped into a tree "And if even that isn't enough then we call of of Equus to our aid! " she got right in his face now "And last of all, we're here for you. " her expression changed to a sincere, warm smile "I'm here for you. " Skarin looked to the side, feling like a child being lectured "If there's anything you want to talk about, please, feel free to come to me. " she cupped his cheek again "Because that's what friends do, right? " Skarin looked at her uncertain.

"We know thy past was hard. " Luna joined in on the conversation "But thou needeth to have a future as well. " Skarin's ears fell flat on his head "Thou art angry, we understand for we are too. " Luna looked at Celestia "It is as my sister said, we are here for you. " her horn glowed, a loud cracking sound was heard and a thick log floated over "So you can stay here and pout or we can make the best of your beastly form! " Luna grinned widely and Skarin chuckled though it sounded not so friendly.

"Funny. " Celestia looked from Skarin to Luna and began laughing. Soon Skarin joined in and was followed by Luna. After the laughter died down Skarin thought why the heck not and got into position of a dog waiting for the stick to be thrown.

"You want it? " Celestia asked teasingly and Luna wiggled the log in her magical grasp. Skarin decided to play along and barked, his tail wagging behind him "Alright. " Celestia nodded to her sister "Fetch! " Luna threw the log deep into the forest and Skarin ran after it, leaving the two sisters laughing.

"T'would seem we made an interesting friend tonight, dear sister. " Luna said through teary eyes.

"I have to agree. " Celestia replied just as Sakrin burst through the trees with the log firmly in his maw. Applying more force to his bite, he snapped the log in two "Though he does lack a certain finesse to him. " Celestia picked up another log with her magic and threw it into another direction with Skarin already chasing it "And I wouldn't want it any other way. "
> 9 - Starlight
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Their game of fetch lasted well into the night. At around midnight Celestia decided it was time for her to withdraw to her chambers for some much needed rest and inform her assistant to cancel Day Court and any other activities for tomorrow. Luna remained with Skarin while he roamed around the forest in search for a snack. The Princess of the Night was no stranger to carnivores so she had little problem with watching the white beast eat. She was actually surprised by his efficiency as no movement was wasted, the prey fell in seconds and in as little pain as possible.

"Dost thou often eat like this? " she asked as Skarin was busy chewing on a piece of wild boar, the third one tonight.

"No. " through the night both Luna and Celestia discovered his ability to speak was greatly hindered by his transformation. His sentences were short and on point. It wasn't as if the transformation reduced his intelligence, rather it changed his vocal chords and made it difficult for him to speak. It was also the reason why his voice sounded like a guttural growl since his mouth didn't move much while he talked though his black lips moved only a little.

"There is meat in the castle. "

"Like meat fresh." Luna's furred coat stood on edge as Skarin grinned wolfishly, his maw covered in fresh blood.

"Please do not do that. It is most disturbing. " Skarin only grinned wider and continued eating "You have a strange sense of humor, oh ancient one. " the white wolf let out a sharp exhale through his nostrils before sitting back on his haunches "Done? "

"Yes. Water. " Skarin sniffed the air and quickly found what he was looking for. Going into a quick sprint Luna followed after him through the air. They soon reached a small clearing with a little lake in the middle, the body of water no larger than thirty feet in diameter.

"Thirsty? " Luna asked while kneeling at the edge and taking a handful of the cool liquid.

"Dirty. " Skarin merely walked passed her and submerged himself in the water, the surface taking on the red color of blood as it was removed from his fur. Luna made a mental note not to drink anymore water from this source in the future. After about thirty seconds, Skarin reappeared in his human form, the water cascading down his sculpted body while the moon illuminated him from above. It was also noted that somehow his trousers reappeared which Luna thought were destroyed when he transformed. Luna felt her cheeks getting red at the sight before her.

"Feeling better? " she asked just as Skarin blew his nose in a most disgusting manner, making Luna's blush fade instantly, and let himself fall back into the water.

"Much better. " Skarin sighed in content as he floated on the water's surface "I know there's meat in the castle but I feel you ponies are squeamish when it comes to eating meat. "

"Thou art right. " Luna sat down on the green meadow and watched Skarin with a light smile as the Dragonborn floated on the surface like a wooden log "Though we do have griffon ambassadors come to our Court. That is why we have it in stock. " Skarin smirked as he remembered the perfect response.

"I'll remember it the next time I'm feeling hungry. " Luna looked at him quizzically as Skarin chuckled to himself.

"T'was not that funny. "

"Sorry. It's just something my friend once said. " to Luna's disgust, Skarin leaned his head to the side and took a sip from the bloody water and then resumed his floating.

"That can not be sanitary. " Luna's face scrunched up and she stuck out her tongue in disgust.

"Many things I do are not considered sanitary. " Skarin laughed as Luna shook her head "I once ate a giant's toe. " this almost caused the princess to loose her dinner.

"Why would thou do that? " her dark blue coat turned an interesting shade of green.

"It has alchemical properties. " Skarin simply shrugged "Speaking of... " his hand dove below the water and he caught some sort of kelp. To Luna's shock he brought it to his mouth and ate it "Hmmm... Tingly. "

"That's Eel kelp! " Luna yelled at him "Hast thou eaten more it could have electrocuted you! "

"Well I guess it sparked my curiosity. " Skarin said with smirk which only earned him a deadpan look from Luna "Relax, it takes a lot more than vegetables to kill me. "

"So we've heard. " Luna crossed her arms and looked to the side though a small smile was present on her lips. The two remained in silence for a while, enjoying the peace and quiet the night gave them. It was after a good five minutes when Skarin spoke.

"It's a beautiful night... " Luna heard this and it brought a warm smile to her lips. She gazed up at the night sky she had created and felt pride in her work. The Moon shone brightly and the sky was covered in stars that twinkled with a special glint.

"Thank you. " Skarin looked at her with a raised brow "Not many appreciate our night. "

"Your night? " he asked in confusion and with a sly smirk Luna looked up as her horn glowed with magic. To Skarin's surprise the stars began moving and the Moon rotated in place.

"We bring the night while our sister brings the day. " she then raised her dress just enough for Skarin to see the cutie mark on her flank "Tis' our special talent. " Luna looked at the Dragonborn whose mouth was wide open in shock "A cutie mark represents a pony's special talent and each one is unique. " Skarin observed the mark which was a black spot with a crescent moon on it.

"That's a damn impressive talent..." Skarin said in disbelief, making a metal note to ask about these cutie marks.

"Praise our name, oh ancient one! " Luna said with a laugh, making Skarin laugh as well and a devious thought come to his mind.

"All praise Moonbutt! " his joke caused Luna to stop laughing.

"Tis' not funny. " she said with tinted cheeks.

"It is from where I'm floating! " Skarin began laughing until he felt a drop of water on his forehead "Oh crap... " there floating above him was a large volume of water encased in Luna's magic.

"What is our name? " Luna asked with a mischievous smirk. Skarin looked at her with a sheepish smile, not able to help himself.

"Moonbutt? " the magic disappeared and the ball of water splashed down on Skarin, submerging him below the surface. Luna nodded in satisfaction and rose to her hooves, only to feel a sudden chill run up her spine "Hey... " she slowly turned and saw Skarin looking at her with a wolfish grin "FUS! " her eyes widened and ears fell flat on her head as a wave of water charged at her and drenched her from head to hoof. Meanwhile, Skarin was laughing in satisfaction.

"You dare attack us? " Luna said in mock anger and pointed a finger at Skarin "Thou shall pay for this treachery, dragonfoal! " and so in a battle with magic and shouting the two sent water at each other until they managed to dry out the small lake completely. As they ran out of ammunition, both broke out in laughter at their child-like behavior, not having such fun in a long time. Luna dried herself with a simple spell while Skarin refused "Thou will catch a cold. "

"Cold? It's so hot here you're lucky I'm not walking around naked. " Skarin scoffed and sat down on the grass, a light breeze bringing the cold he so desperately wanted.

"Truly? " Luna asked with a raised brow as she sat next to him.

"Yes. " Skarin nodded in confirmation and resumed his observing of the night sky "Skyrim is not know for it's beautiful weather. " Luna merely nodded and noticed a somber smile pass on Skarin's face "Can I ask you something? " Luna quietly nodded "Where is the other moon? " this caught Luna by surprise.

"Other moon? We do not understand. "

"There used to be two moons. "

"Truly? " Luna asked in surprise. For as long as she can remember there has only been one moon. Her Moon.

"Hmm... Guess it's one of the many things that changed over the years. " Skarin said somberly and closed his eyes "Wonder what else changed... " after a moment of silence Skarin spoke again "Will she be alright? " when he did not get an answer he looked at Luna "I mean Celestia. Her wings got broken. "

"In a few days, yes. " Luna smiled at how Skarin showed concern for her sister "Wings need proper time to heal. "

"Good, good... " he nodded before adding "She's a fierce warrior. "

"One could not tell by her appearance, no? " she smiled at Skarin who chuckled.

"Honestly, I thought she was just a pretty face. " Luna smirked slyly at his words "How wrong I was proven... "

"Thou thinks our sister is pretty? " Luna thought she would get a rise from Skarin but his response surprised her.

"Yes. " Skarin answered simply and looked at Luna "I recognize beauty when I see it. Celestia is no exception and neither are you, for that matter. " Luna smiled bashfully at his compliment.

"Flattery can get thou everywhere. " she said teasingly and smacked his shoulder.

"Will it get me out of the Grand Galloping Gala? " he asked with apparent hope in his voice which caused Luna to laugh.

"And pray tell, why? "

"I don't like parties. " as soon as he said it, a pink mare in a small village felt her sense going off "Besides, last time I went to a party with royalty a lot of people died. " Luna placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"We assure you, the Gala will be a peaceful event and thou will have fun. " she then squeezed his shoulder tightly, sending a warning glare towards him "This event means a lot to my sister so watch thine behavior. "

"Yes ma'am. " Skarin nodded and Luna smiled back.

"Excellent! And our sister will be glad you attended. " she pulled her arm back and stretched herself, giving a satisfying moan.

"Why's that? " Skarin asked while looking at the stretching alicorn, wondering if Dibella herself blessed the sisters with their figure.

"Have you not noticed she has taken a liking to you? " Luna asked in wonder as Skarin shrugged.

"Not really, no. " he answered simply and continued looking at the sky "I feel she's like that with everyone, being a benevolent ruler and all that. "

"We have known our sister for a millenia! " Luna said with a laugh and continued "While she is kind and gentle to everypony, Tia is going above and beyond to make thou feel happy and comfortable. "

"Really? " Skarin asked with a raised brow.

"Of course! The relationship thou have with our sister is something stallions have tried for years and could not achieve. " she said with mirth in her tone "And it took you mere days. "

"Guess being a legendary warrior trapped in stone gave me a boost in that department. " Skarin chuckled to himself as Luna shook her head.

"Tis' more than that. She sees something that thou, apparently, do not. " Skarin raised a curious brow "A kind and brave soul but also a very pained one. She sees a stallion that tries so hard to carry the world on his shoulders, trying to save everypony yet forgets to save himself. " Skarin looked away as that statement was pretty true "One who desperately tries to act strong but deep down needs his friends to support him. " images of his companions flashed before his eyes "In way, Tia sees part of herself in you. " when Skarin looked at her Luna continued "We were once banished to the Moon, by Tia no less. " Skarin's eyes went wide in surprise but Luna raised her hand from him to stay quiet "Twas' a dark time and we do not blame her for that decision. However, she was left alone to rule Equestria, to rule over night and day. Even after our return we saw she tried to act brave for the sake of us and our ponies. But it was too much to deal with. " Luna's expression turned to one of sadness "She told us she was ready to give up at one point but she found reasons to carry on. Her student Twilight Sparkle was one of them. " Skarin smirked at the mention of the young lavender alicorn "It took time, but we managed to bring our beloved sister back from the abyss she had almost fallen into. Tia fears you might take that final step after Alduin is dealt with. "

"I will not kill myself if that's what she's afraid of. " Skarin scoffed, though comforted by the fact Celestia cared for his well being.

"Mayhaps not. But like thou said, all thou knew is gone. " Luna looked at the night sky "This world is very different from the one you left behind. Peace and harmony rule Equestria, not blood and steel. In thine restlessness, thou may try and find dangers to conquer and monsters to slay that would ease the pain of loss. " Luna looked back at Skarin who was amazed by the wisdom the princess holds "Tia is trying to show you that there is reason to live here, beyond fulfilling thine destiny. " a smile graced her features "New friendships await beyond the horizon. We heard Shining Armor has taken a liking to you. " Skarin smiled at the mention of the Captain, a fine warrior indeed and a good listener "Perhaps the opportunity to start a family? Something that was violently taken from you before? " Skarin looked at the ground, images of Lydia and Lucia flashing before his eyes. He liked to think that at least Lucia lead a long and happy life after his imprisonment "Who knows, perhaps the mare that would win your heart is in the castle right now. " Luna finished with a sly grin.

"You don't mean- " Skarin began skeptically.

"Why, Tia of course! " Luna said as if it was obvious which made Skarin burst out laughing "We do not see anything humorous in that. "

"Please! Celestia and I? What do we possibly have in common? " Skarin continued chuckling as he picked out random strands of grass.

"Truly? " Luna asked incredulously "A legendary warrior and a warrior princess to begin with. " Skarin rolled his eyes "Both stubborn as mules. "

"Oy... "

"Brave, kind, compassionate and experienced more than anypony should in their lifetime. Should I go on? " Skarin raised an un-amused brow "Very well. You challenge each other in many unexpected ways. Actually, thou are the first guest of the castle to be bathed by a Princess. " Luna was well informed of that particular morning apparently.

"I told her I could bathe myself. "

"See? Stubborn. " Skarin gave her a deadpan look "And even after telling her thou will face Alduin alone she followed you into battle. "

"She was pretty badass in that battle. " Skarin had to give credit where credit was due.

"Indeed. " Luna nodded in agreement "It also eases our mind that thou do not hide anything. Like an open book ready to be read by anypony. Many have tried to court our sister while hiding selfish intentions that were hard to discover. All Tia has to do, as thou had said it, is ask. All you have to do is to return the favor. " 

"You make some fair points, but still, she's a princess and I'm a warrior. It would never work anyway. " Skarin looked back at the empty hole that was once a lake and threw a rock in it he found lying on the ground next to him.

"Is it not the warrior who saves the princess and they live happily ever after? " Luna asked with a smile and Skarin laughed.

"I was the one who needed saving today. "

"Meh, potato, tomato. " Skarin looked at her with a raised brow but Luna ignored it "The point is, do not let status affect what you feel. "

"Why do you think I feel anything besides friendship towards your sister? Or the other way around? "

"I have a hunch. " Luna answered slyly and Skarin shook his head in disbelief.

"You have a hunch... " he rose to his feet "Well then, Princess of the Hunch, what does your hunch tell you about Alduin? " Luna rose to her hooves with a determined expression.

"He will fall to our united blades. " then it changed to one of happiness  "And after that, we shall celebrate the union of a warrior and princess! " Skarin shook his head and chuckled.

"Then how about a wager. " he said and extended his arm "If there is a wedding, I will walk around Canterlot in a dress of your choosing while singing songs of love. "

"And if there is not? " Luna asked with a raised brow.

"I will get to address you as Moonbutt in Court for three days. "

"One. "

"Two. "

"Deal. " Luna shook his hand and both nodded in agreement.

"It's pretty late. I should get some sleep and you should go spy on ponies dreams. " Luna frowned at his explanation.

"It just so happens we guard ponies from nightmares. " she said in mock hurt.

"Then make haste, girl. The night's not getting any younger. " Skarin said with a smirk and Luna chuckled.

"Of course, oh ancient one. Just, one question before we leave... " she placed her hand on his shoulder, her horn beginning to glow in preparation for the spell.

"What would that be? " Skarin asked as a mischievous grin appeared on Luna's lips.

"Can thou lick thine genitals as a werewolf? " Skarin looked at her in disbelief, feeling a laugh coming up and with a flash, they were gone.
> 10- Anything goes
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

That morning Skarin woke up later than usual at around 10am. The battle against Alduin took a toll on him so the Dragonborn decided to rest a little longer. It was actually pretty strange how an all-powerful dragon like Alduin operated with such patience, stealth and strategy. Skarin remembers a time when noone in Skyrim saw the beast for months and then suddenly he appears out of nowhere. Most would think he'd just swoop down from the sky and burn everything to the ground but Skarin believed that Alduin reveled in the fear his absence caused. Where is he? What could he be planning? It was partially true that Alduin enjoyed toying with his prey but another reason was that he lost a lot of his original power once he abandoned his duty as World Eater and decided to rule over Tamriel with his brethren. 

But back to the matter at hand as Skarin descended the seemingly infinite stairs from his room towards the dining room for some late breakfast. Along the way he noticed the staff of the castle was trying to melt into the wall in fear whenever he passed by some of them. It brought a satisfied wolfish grin to his face. They should fear him after the little stunt he pulled last night and he'd do it again if they act like an ungrateful lot towards him. He saved the life of their beloved Princess, and she saved his in return, and all he got was a "Walk it off." and a bandage for his broken forearm. The fracture wasn't completely healed yet, though greatly accelerated by his beast blood, and it was like an annoying stinging sensation.

The castle guards on the other hand were a different story. The ones who didn't know what transpired on the battlefield gave him the stink eye as he passed, because of his transformation last night, but the ones who arrived with Luna to drive the dragon away stood to full attention and saluted a fellow soldier. They were briefed on the events by Celestia, after rushing to the medical wing to find their Princess Canterlot voicing her displeasure of Skarin's treatment to the medical staff. Some even got a visual reminder in the form of today's newspapers but we'll get to that. Anyway, Skarin returned their greetings with a salute of his own and continued towards his destination with a satisfied smile, instead of a wolfish grin.

After finally reaching the dining room, and after asking for directions several times, Skarin opened the large doors and saw Celestia, Luna, Shining Armor and Twilight Sparkle sitting at the table. There was no food on it, only drinks, and by their reaction Skarin figured he interrupted something important. He also noticed Celestia's wings were still bandaged and healing.

"I'll come back later. " Skarin offered apologetically and began closing the door.

"Wait. " Celestia called out to with a tone that left no room for discussion "We need to talk. " Skarin sighed, entered the room and closed the door behind him.

"Look, if it's about the bar fight, it might've started because of an arm-wrestling match. " Skarin said sheepieshly and Celestia looked at him in confusion.

"No, it's about something else. " before she could continue Skarin spoke up again.

"The transformation? " he scratched his cheek in thought.

"No, but thank you for reminding me. " Celestia had a smug smile on her muzzle and Skarin face-palmed.

"Walked right into that one. " Shining Armor added with a smirk. Deciding to get things rolling, Luna called attention to herself.

"It is about this. " she then placed a book on the table and Skarin looked at it from a distance.

"A book? " he walked towards the table and picked the book up "What about it? " there was something written on the cover but Skarin couldn't read it. Not because it was an old book but he didn't understand the language. He sat down and began listing through the pages "I can't read this... " he said to himself but everyone heard it just fine.

"You can't read? " Twilight asked in shock and almost jumped to her hooves. Skarin rolled his eyes at the young alicorn.

"I can read just fine. But your letters are completely different from mine. "

"Tis' strange. " Luna said in thought and took the book from Skarin's hands "We speak the same language even though we are eons apart. "

"Just tell me what's the book about. " Skarin leaned back in his chair and began massaging his slowly healing forearm. Celestia noticed that and looked at Skarin apologetically.

"I once again apologize for the behavior of our medical staff. " she said sincerely and Skarin nodded in return "My sister and I shall ensure that it never happens again. "

"Don't let them near me again and we're good, Kulaas. " Skarin then looked at Luna holding the book "Speak, girl. " Luna raised an un-amused brow but opened the book and began reading nontheless.

"And the Scrolls have foretold, of black wings in the cold- "

"That when brothers wage war come unfurled. " all eyes were on Skarin as he cut off Luna and continued by himself  "Alduin, bane of Kings, ancient shadow unbound, with a hunger to swallow the world. " he looked at Luna with an annoyed expression "I know the prophecy. Someone must've found a book from my time or something and translated it. "

"This book- " Celestia began speaking "-was written by Starswirl the Bearded after he read a mysterious ancient scroll. " Skarin's eyes went wide "Starswirl claimed he saw images of an ancient world and that Alduin would return to finish his job. " Celestia's features saddened "The scroll vanished before anypony else could confirm his claims."

"Elder Scrolls tend to do that..." Skarin added and got odd looks "That's what he read. Elder Scrolls are ancient and powerful artefacts that deliver prophecies and what not. Sometimes they disappear with no reasonable explanation." his expression went grim " Rest assured that whatever he saw is true and count himself lucky he survived. " all attention was on Skarin "Besides going insane, which I doubt he did since he wrote a book, an Elder Scroll can easily render you blind or even kill you. " a look of shock passed around the gathered ponies "I've read three myself, actually, and lived to tell the tale but I believe it was because fate had other plans for me." he looked at the royalty gathered around him "You should've listened to him."

"But he was proclaimed mad after he wrote it. " Twilight continued and Skarin's gaze shifted to her "He became the laughing stock of the scientific community and his constant ramblings were bordering on insanity. Ancient world eating dragon, hairless apes- " Skarin glared at the young alicorn whose ears fell flat on her head "H-he didn't know what you were! "

"The point is- " Shining continued to tear Skarin's gaze from his sister "-the book is infamous and most have even forgotten it exists. It was regarded as a breaking point of a mad stallion and everything about it was just a figment of his imagination. Shows what we know... "

"We were hoping you could tell us more about it. " Celestia said, levitating the book towards her with her magic "But seeing as you can't read our alphabet we should first correct that. " her horn began glowing softly and Skarin felt like someone was gently poking his head.

"Stop! " he raised his hand and Celestia stopped immediately with a confused look on her face "I prefer to read the old fashioned way. " Twilight's ears perked up.

"You do? "

"Yes. I also preffer nobody entering my mind all willy-nilly. " Luna looked away and whistled innocently "So if there's a way to translate the book by normal means then I'll gladly read it. " he looked to Twilight "Is there a way? "

"Yes! You simply write out your alphabet and I can use a simple translation spell to translate the book for you! " the lavender alicorn was shaking from excitement. She's going to translate a book from Equestrian into an ancient language nopony has ever heard of!

"Don't get too excited, you're not off the hook yet. " Skarin sent a stern look to Twilight which made her shrink in her seat "Now tell me, what exactly did you do? " Twilight was squirming in her seat, feeling her answer might enrage Skarin for it was a stupid one.

"I-I accidentally touched you and Alduin. " Skarin remained quiet "It's the truth! "

"She's telling the truth, Skarin. " Celestia joined in "Some bats scared her and in her stumbling she fell upon you and Alduin. "

"It can't be that simple. " Skarin rubbed his temples in annoyance "Did you cast any kind of magic? " Twilight shook her head "Had any thoughts of magic? " once again, no "Did any of you do anything? " the table shook their heads together and Skarin sighed deeply.

"Do you have any idea what might've transpired? " Luna asked and it was Skarin's turn to shake his head.

"No idea. Like I said to Kulaas, I can't do magic that well. I'm limited to basic healing spells to heal small wounds and that's about it. " he looked up to the ceiling in thought "What I know is that Morganna fashioned some kind of powerful spell to trap Alduin and I. Maybe she found those Elements you speak of and used them but miscalculated the effect. " he looked at the table once again, his expression an angry one "That's why I was pissed when you released us. I saw the spell being cast and my friends turning to stone before my very eyes. "

"If they truly wielded the Elements, the we have no doubt they will restore your friends. " Luna said with a comforting smile.

"My sister is the Element of Magic. " Shining spoke up proudly "If there's anypony who can figure out how to save your friends, it's her. "

"Thanks Shiny. " Twilight said bashfully and tried to hide behind her mane like one of her friends does.

"Good to know. " Skarin nodded and looked to Twilight "Now, about that alphabet... " Twilight squeed in excitement and a scroll and quill appeared from thin air. After some initial trouble in writing down the Tamrielic alphabet, Skarin handed the scroll to Twilight who easily wrote down the Eqestrian alphabet.

"I'll have it translated in no time! " she said excitedly and examined the scroll "You'll see! It'll be easy as- "

"PIE! " all heads turned to a guard that opened the door "Uhhh, my apologies, your Majesties and lord Skarin, but I am looking for private Apple Pie. We're having mandatory drills and I can't seem to find him. " the guard bowed before the princesses in respect.

"Private Pie was sent on an important mission per my request. " Shining spoke up "Return to the barracks, Swift Stream, I'll be there soon. " the guard nodded, bowed and left the room.

"You have no idea where he is. " Skarin stated matter of factly.

"Nope. " Shining shrugged his shoulders and got a few laughs "Pie is a good colt but he tends to disappear every once in  awhile. Family issues. " everyone nodded in understanding "Oh, you made the headlines. " Shining slid over this mornings newspapers over to Skarin." the Dragonborn looked at the picture, completely ignoring the lettering, and smirked. It was a picture of him punching Alduin straight in his ugly maw.

"I'm keeping this." Skarin said as he rolled up the newspapers "And Twilight will teach me how to read your writing as a way of making up for releasing Alduin." he looked over to the lavender Alicorn who nodded timidly and resumed the translation of the book. The possibilities if they could find actual books from Skarin's time are endless!

"Well, now that that's cleared up, let's talk about the Gala preparations, shall we? " Celestia said smilingly and looked at Shining "Is Cadence coming? "

"She's nearing Canterlot as we speak. " Shining proclaimed happily and Celestia nodded.

"Excellent! Twilight, what about your friends? " the young alicorn's eyes were glued to the scroll with the alphabets and some mumbling was heard "I'll take that as a yes. " Celestia chuckled and then looked at Skarin "As for you- "

"Still not going. " Skarin stood up from the table "Actually, I'll be going right now. "

"Skarin! " Celestia called sternly.

"You can't make me, Kulaas!" he said over his shoulder "I'll be at the barracks should anyone need me!" and with that he was out the door.

"Oooooh! That stubborn-" Celestia couldn't even finish with how frustrated she was.

"I'll talk to him." Shining got up and followed Skarin to the barracks. Celestia sighed and rubbed her temples in frustration.

"The Gala is tomorrow and his appearance would disperse many of the concerns our little ponies have." the Sun princess said with a heavy sigh.

"We may have a solution to thine problem, dear sister." Luna said with a sly smirk.

"Why do I feel this information is going to cost me?" Celestia knew her sister to know that this kind of information came with a price but Luna simply waved her off.

"Do not worry, Tia. The results will be payment enough and also aid to our own amusement." after taking a moment to consider it, Celestia nodded.

"Alright, tell me what you had in mind, Lulu." and as Luna began explaining her plan Celestia's expression went from amused to shocked and then to a downright furious blush "Luna! You don't actually expect me to do that!" then her expression turned serious "Will it work?"

"If it does not, then our title is no longer Princess of the Hunch!" Celestia raised a questioning brow to which Luna responded with a sly smirk "Trust us, it shall work." Celestia looked a little uncertain but desperate times called for desperate measures.

"Very well. But if it does not work I'll have words with you. " Celestia glared at her sister who simply shrugged "I have an appointment with the doctor about my wings. After that I shall test out your... Plan." 

"Ummm, Princess Celestia?" both sisters looked at Twilight who had a small blush on her cheeks "I have translated the book so please give it to Skarin." Celestia took the copy that had an unfamiliar writing on it and smiled at the young alicorn in appreciation.



It was an hour later when Celestia arrived at the guards training grounds and found a peculiar sight. Skarin was holding a shield as another one was pressed against it and a dozen stallions were pushing back. It appeared to be some kind of strength exercise where you'd have to push back your opponent over a line drawn in the ground in order to win.

"Hello, Princess Celestia." Shining Armor greeted once the Princess stood next to him "What did the doctor say?"

"My wings are healing at a fast rate and the doctor said I could even fly tomorrow. " Celestia said happily and actually thought about going flying just for fun since it was decades since she had last done that.

"Guess being an alicorn has it's advantages." Shining replied with a smile and continued observing the exercise.

"And what is going on here?" Celestia asked while watching her guards struggling against Skarin.

"Well, the guards wanted a rematch from the Bucking Bronco brawl and I thought this would be a good way to do it." Shining answered with a smirk.

"It would appear you trained your guards well, Captain." Celestia said proudly "They have the mighty Dragonborn on the verge of defeat." she said while looking at the line on the ground behind Skarin's right foot.

"Actually..." Shining began sheepishly "Skarin's line is over there- " Shining pointed at another line about 13 feet behind Skarin "That's the middle one- " then the one by Skarin's foot "-and lastly the guard's. " and another that the last in line was already stepping on "The shields meet in the middle and you have to push the opponent back to cross their line." Celestia watched in amusement as Skarin held off a dozen stallions, each one dripping with sweat and brathing heavily while Skarin looked like he had the time of his life.

"Put some back into it! " Skarin yelled at the stallions "Wouldn't want to look bad in front of your Kulaas!" 

"YES , LORD SKARIN, SIR!" came the unified response followed by a loud laugh from Skarin.

"HAHAHA! THAT'S THE SPIRIT LADS!" the he pushed the line back some more.

"Why do they call him Lord?" Celestia asked in confusion.

"He technically is, or rather, was." when Celestia remained quiet Shining continued "The way Skarin explained is thar he held the title of Thane which is a title granted to somepony of great importance by a Jarl, who governs a certain part of the country, back in his world. "

"I remember something similar from the early days of Equestria." Celestia pondered in thought "Most of the nobles in Canterlot are descended from holders of such titles."

"It's similar, but not quite. " Shining took a breath and continued "While our nobility became noble because of wealth, Skarin was granted the titles beacuse of his heroism and great deeds towards the populace. " he looked at Skarin who was taunting the guards to do a better job "Only one had something to do with him being a Dragonborn but that was more of a final point added to his already big score."

"Wait, you said titles." Celestia looked at Shining "How many did he have?"

"All of them." the Captain simply replied and Celestia's mouth parted slightly in shock "Nine titles for nine provinces. Guess you could say he was Thane of Skyrim. " he finished with a chuckle "And to think most of our nobles got their titles in, let's say, less honorable ways."

"I know of many noble families who escaped our judgement by only a hair in the past." Celestia growled out "And now their descendants think they run this country and can do whatever they please. "

"To be fair, there are a few good ones." Shining said remembering Fancy Pants and then continued "But finally, the reason they call him Lord is because they respect him as a fellow soldier and after yesterday, a hero. " Celestia had to agree with the last part and made a mental note to try and re-establish Skarin's title should he wish so.

"RAAAAAAAH!" with a mighty push, Skarin overwhelmed the stallions and sent them over the line, falling on top of eachother in a heap of entangled limbs.

"Guess the rematch is over." Shining chuckled and clapped his hands "Alright everypony, take five and then it's formation drills!"

"YES SIR!" came the reply from the pile of stallions trying to untangle themselves. Skarin looked down at the stallions with a smirk.

"You did good. Almost had me for a moment." the stallions perked up at the compliment and Skarin then looked at their audience "Anyone else feels like challengeing me?" all head shook no except for one.

"I am." shocked gasps filled the training grounds as all eyes turned to Celestia "I challenge you, Lord Skarin." said Dragonborn quirked an amused brow before picking up the shield from his opponents and throwing it to Celestia who easily caught it.

"Then by all means, Kulaas." he bowed curtly and walked to the center line.

"Your majesty I beg you to reconsider-" Shining began only for Celestia to interrupt him.

"Do not worry Captain, for I have a plan." she said with a reassuring smile and walked towards Skarin.

"If you say so..." Shining sighed as the two stood infront of eachother.

"Don't think I'll go easy on you just because you're a princess." Skarin said while stretching his arms. Celestia watched his muscles move under his skin, his sweat glistening in the morning Sun and felt a blush creeping onto her face.

"I would be most insulted if you did." she said in a huff "Not only will I best you but you will attend the Gala if I do." it was time to set Luna's plan into motion.

"Is that a fact?" Skarin looked at her with a smirk.

"It is." she answered sternly.

"Alright, we'll see about that." there was no way Skarin was going to that Gala.

"Shields at the ready!" they heard Shining yelling from the sides and got into position, shields against eachother. The spectators were already making bets on who would win and the support was split 50:50 "BEGIN!" at Shining's command the two pushed against their shields but didn't budge from the spot.

"I thought you weren't going to take it easy on me." Celestia grunted as she tried to push Skarin back.

"And I thought you'd at least trYYYYYYYYYY! SHIIIIIT!!!" out of nowhere Celestia pushed Skarin back with everything she had until he barely stopped himself from crossing his line "That was close." said Skarin while looking at the line mere inches from his foot.

"Fact." Celestia said with a sly grin.

"And what happens if I win?" Skarin was sure she'd be weaker than this, considering her injuries and all.

"Well, what do you want? Gold? Land? Status?" then she leaned in just close enough to whisper in his ear with a sultry voice "Me naked on your bed?"

"What?" it was that short second of distraction that Celestia needed. His dumbfound look told her it was time to strike and with a mighty push Skarin was thrown back over his line. Shocked expressions appeared on all faces as Celestia grinned at a downed Skarin whose mouth was slightly parted in shock.

"See?" Celeatia blew part of her mane from her face "Fact." she extended her hand to Skarin.

"That was a dirty trick, Kulaas." Skarin said with a frown and accepted her helping hand.

"Oh please. Warriors banter all the time." she said with a roll of her eyes.

"I could have just let you phase through me." Skarin stated matter-of-factly.

"Now that would be cheating." Celestia replied with a knowing smirk and tapped Skarin on the nose "Make sure to wear something nice for the Gala tomorrow! " and with a twirl on her hoof Celeatia made her way to the castle with one thought on her mind Luna is a genius!  she giggled to herself as she remembered Skarin's shocked expression. Then a few images flashed through her mind and she was grateful her mane hid a furious blush. The last thing she heard before entering the castle was Skarin's cry of agony.

"THAT'S TOMORROW!?"
> 11 - Pat a cake
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

For a legendary warrior who is supposed to stay in the best physical shape as possible, Skarin has a really bad habit of skipping his meals. Once he followed Celestia into the castle, complaining about  going to the Gala along the way, Celestia gave him the book that Twilight translated for him. Skarin took the book and went up to his room to leave it there so he doesn't lose it. He has a history of losing important items, like a certain staff of madness for example... Anyway, once in his room, Skarin took a peek at the first few pages and here we are 10 hours later.

"I'm hungry..." it was like a sudden moment of clarity hit him as he finished his reading "Skipped lunch again. " to be fair, Storm Hammer came to inform him lunch and dinner is being served but Skarin didn't like the guy so he ignored him. Deciding it was time to get something to eat, Skarin followed the way his nose pointed him to and reached the kitchen in no time. Opening the fridge, a genius invention from his stand point, he found nothing that interested him. Sure, there was some meat but after thinking it over a little, Skarin decided he wanted a little taste of home "Sweet rolls it is. "

Gathering all the ingredients, surprisingly easy, Skarin began kneading the dough while whistling. After that was done he had to let it sit for a while so Skarin opened the fridge once more and tried to find something to drink. He spotted a lone bottle of what looked like mead and stretched his hand towards it-

"The Princess might hear you. " the voice had just a hint of a teasing tone to it and Skarin knew exactly who it was and smirked.

"Then it's a good thing I'm not stealing cake. " he grabbed the bottle and closed the fridge, turning towards Celestia as he did so. "Otherwise I'd- " Skarin stopped dead in his tracks as his eyes fell on the most magnificent creature he had ever seen. Celestia stood there, leaning on the door frame in a silky white night robe that clung to her curves. Even in the dim light of the kitchen, Skarin could tell she was wearing nothing beneath and the gown gave him a generous look at her cleavage. What struck him the most though, something he foggily remembered from their last kitchen encounter, was her mane and eyes. Gone was the multi-colored mane and in it's place was a bright red, one that ended with an even brighter blonde at the tips. Her normally magenta eyes were now a bright red that matched her mane.

"Is something the matter?" Celestia asked with a raised brow and slowly walked towards the dumbfounded Skarin.

"You look... Different. " his answer made Celestia tilt her head to the side in confusion but it soon clicked.

"Oh, yes, you were a little..." she tried to find the right words. "Under the weather the last time you saw me like this. " Skarin was still staring.

"You look good. " his eyes never leaving hers.

"I know. " she said cheekily and snatched the bottle from his hand. "Apple cider this late? One might say you have a problem, great Dragonborn. "

"I ate the last cake. " he answered with a smirk and Celestia visibly stiffened. "That's why I'm making something in return. " he showed her the dough on the table covered with a cloth. "Pot and kettle, is it? " Celestia pouted her lip before playfully smacking him on the chest.

"You can cook? " Celestia lifted the cloth to see what was underneath.

"Sort of. " Skarin opened the bottle and tried this cider as Celestia called. He found it to be to his liking and drank some more. "I'm not just good at stabbing things, you know. "

"That is good to hear. " Celestia pulled up a chair and sat down with Skarin doing the same. "Why are you here so late anyway? "

"I got hungry. " he replied simply and went back to inspecting Celestia's mane. Suddenly she became very self-conscious about her looks and blushed slightly.

"What? "

"Why the illusion? This looks way better. " Skarin noticed she was twirling a lock of mane with her finger in a bashful manner.

"Well, many years ago at the beginning of our rule, one of the advisors suggested it since ponies were a little skittish around us. " she looked at him with a small smile "Not many see me like this, you know. "

"Then I consider it an honor. " Skarin nodded curtly, making Celestia giggle "I wish to say not many see me like this-" he looked down to his half-naked self. "-but I think Skyrim has seen more of me than it should have. " Celestia chuckled along with Skarin and could only imagine what sort of shenanigans he got himself into. No other way to know but ask, right? Or tease a little.

"I assume most of those times were all in the good name of mead? " Skarin rolled his eyes but couldn't exactly deny it. "Can you tell me more? " Celestia rested her elbows on the counter, not realizing she was pushing up her chest and giving Skarin a good look. Skarin suddenly found the table to be very interesting.

"The drunken adventures of the Dragonborn. Sounds like a fun book to read. " Skarin then quickly scooped up the dough and went to the oven, lest his eyes fall out. Celestia looked at him oddly but didn't think twice about what the cause was. "Now how do you operate this? " Celestia chuckled once again and joined Skarin in front of the oven.

"Here, let me. " for some reason the dials and buttons were positioned low and Celestia bent forward to turn the oven on. Now Skarin had a good view of her rump, and what a rump it was.

"She's doing this on purpose, right?" Skarin thought to himself as his gaze lingered a little too long. Once the oven was on, Celestia rose up and took the dough, poured it in a mold and place it in the oven.

"How long does it need to bake? " she asked innocently, Skarin's position once again giving him a good angle at her chest, making his eye twitch.

"Seriously?" Skarin sat on the floor and leaned on the counter, hoping the tiles would cool him off "I'll know when it's done. " he then tapped his nose to clarify. Celestia soon joined him and together they watched the dough slowly bake inside the oven.

"That nose of yours must come in handy. " Celestia was now intrigued and waned to know more. Luna said that all she had to do is ask, heck, even Skarin said so. As for her statement, Skarin scratched his cheek sheepishly.

"Yeah, but it can also lead to some... Embarrassing situations. " now Celestia was really intrigued and turned to face him fully, an eager smile on her lips.

"Oh? Please do tell. " when Skarin didn't respond she pouted. "Please? " and the puppy eyes finished him off.

"Alright, fine. " Celestia immediately perked up and Skarin sighed in defeat. "So, I was in this village called Rorikstead, had myself a mead- "

"Naturally. " Celestia interrupted with a cheeky smirk. Skarin narrowed his eyes but continued.

"And I met this young couple who knew who I was. " Celestia nodded and clung to every word. "They were getting married the next day and wanted to have me as a guest of honor. " he took another sip of the cider. "We got to talking and I agreed to attend so all's fine, right? " Celestia nodded. "It's when I bid farewell I made my mistake. "

"What did you do? " Celestia leaned closer.

"I said Oh, and congratulations on the baby. "

"Well that's nice. " Celestia didn't think it was that embarrassing. Perhaps he smelled the foal on them. Many ponies get married after the foal is born-

"She didn't know she was pregnant. " Skarin said making Celestia blink in surprise.

"Oh... "

"He didn't know. "

"Well still- "

"They were saving themselves for marriage. " Skarin said with a raised brow and now Celestia understood.

"Oh my... " she covered her muzzle, a slight chuckle escaping her.

"As you can imagine, harsh words were spoken. " Celestia nodded, eager to hear the rest. "Her lover, sitting two tables away, didn't like that. Neither did her father and three brothers running the inn. " Celestia tried very hard to suppress her laughter. "And so a fight broke out and I'm just standing there in the middle of it wishing I hadn't opened my stupid mouth. "

"W-what did y-you do then? " it was harder and harder to not laugh in Skarin's face.

"I did the only thing I could. " Skarin took a longer sip of his cider. "Downed my mead and ran." the image of the mighty Dragonborn running caused Celestia to laugh whole-heartedly as Skarin played with the bottle in his hands. "I went back a year later " Celestia stopped dead in her tracks with wide eyes and another laugh tugging at her lips.

"You didn't! " Skarin nodded and continued.

"The girl and her lover got married instead. Folk say it was a beautiful ceremony. Even the kid was born. " Celestia saw him chuckle to himself. "Guess what they named him. " she blinked in confusion.

"Isn't that a hard guess? The only Skyrim name I know is- " then realization dawned and new laughter was forming. "It can't be... "

"Yep. There's a little Skarin running around Rorikstead. " at this point Celestia exploded into laughter, clutching her sides as Skarin got a little red in the cheeks. In hindsight, it is a pretty funny story if you're the one hearing it-

*SNORT*

Celestia suddenly stopped laughing and Skarin stared at her with wide eyes. She had her hands over her muzzle, ears flat down and a look of embarrassment overall. Skarin's wolfish grin began to spread.

"What was that? "

"You heard nothing! " Celestia threatened with the cutest pout Skarin had ever seen.

"It was like a- " Celestia's hand was over his mouth in moments, causing him to chuckle.

"Not. A. Word. " Skarin slowly nodded, the motion causing one of her fingers to go over the cold mark on his right cheek. Celestia slowly moved her hand away, but the finger remained on the mark. "I assume this has a much darker story behind it. " Skarin, on again, found himself enjoying her warm touch. "Would you... Mind telling me? " looking into her eyes, Skarin was greeted with a deep concern and genuine empathy from the princess. She wanted to know more about him and for some reason, Skarin felt he could tell her anything. He hadn't felt like that since Lydia.

"It's not a pretty story. " he moved his head away but Celestia remained firm.

"I'm a big filly. " she said with a warm smile and Skarin sighed, in defeat once again.

"Far to the north of Skyrim lies Atmora, the land of men and thousands of years ago, a civil war broke out. " Celestia nodded slowly, not really sure where this was going. "Many of my ancestors boarded ships and sailed south in search of a new land, far away from the war. One of those ships crashed on a deserted island right in the middle and left the people stranded. The island was a frozen wasteland but they soon found out they were not alone. " Skarin took a deep breathand continued. "There was Wisp Mother, a monster with powerful ice magic and my people stood no chance against her. Normally, they would all have been killed but this Mother was a cut above the rest. You see, she decided to enslave them, and this- "he pointed to the mark. "-is how she does it. A curse that let her command us with only a touch. " Celestia was about to speak up but Skarin continued. "You might ask, why didn't you fight back? In the beginning, she managed to form a small army to protect her so all resistance was cut down swiftly. "

"But you escaped. "

"Aye. "

"How? "

"A last stand lead by my father. Live or die. " Skarin closed his eyes "He delivered the final blow but upon her dying breath, the Mother summoned an ice spell so powerful it froze everyone who was on the island. " his eyes opened and Celestia saw something new in the Dragonborn. Pain. "My mother and older sister protected me from the blast with their bodies as a shield. At that time, seeing the spell, I didn't think it would do much but it seemed fate had other plans for me. "

"Skarin... " Celestia had no words to say. She couldn't even imagine what it must've felt like to see one's entire race shrouded in ice.

"I found the Mother dead, my father's makeshift blade still impaled into her. She may have been dead but I wasn't taking any chances. " he then looked at his hands "For two days I tried to make a fire by rubbing sticks. I ground my hands to the bone until a fire finally sprung up and I burned her frozen corpse. In that moment I held hope that maybe I could thaw my people but to no avail. There was nothing for me there anymore so I made a raft and hoped for the best. I don't know how long I was out on sea until I landed in Skyrim and Kodlak found me. "

"You spoke of him before. Who was he? " Celestia placed her hand onto Skarin's in comfort and the latter smiled softly.

"He was one of us. I saw the mark on his cheek and was surprised someone managed to even escape the cursed island. He recognized mine as well and took me in, raised me as his own son. " Skarin smiled fondly "Guess I started to see him as a father after that. " no words were spoken when Celestia pulled Skarin into a hug which he returned.

"I am so sorry. " she said softly, a small tear escaping her. This vulnerable side to Skarin was a surprise to Celestia but not an unpleasant one. It takes a lot to be this open about something so tragic. Skarin has been through a lot and everypony deserves happiness in their life. She heard Skarin sniffle.

"The sweet roll is done. " he pulled back and Celestia saw his cheeks were tinted much like her own. She smiled warmly and booped his nose.

"Then let us see what the great Dragonborn cooked up. " Celestia wanted to get the pastry herself but Skarin beat her to it.

"Oh no. No more. " Skarin even patted himself on the back mentally for being a gentleman. He sat the mold on the counter and flipped it over, the shape not like the one he'd prefer but the smell spoke for itself. He cut a piece and handed it to Celestia. "Careful, it's hot. "

"Thank you. " Celestia took a piece with her fork and blew on it a little. Taking the bite into her mouth she found it tasted good. Not as sweet as she would like but good nontheless. "You know what this needs? " she asked with a raised finger. "Whipped cream! "

"What now? " Skarin asked in confusion as Celestia ran to the fridge and bent down. "Of course it had to be on the lowest shelf." Celestia took the container, shook it and went back to Skarin. Pouring a good a amount of cream onto the pastry she took another bite.

"Try it now. " she sprayed a little onto Skarin's piece and the nord shrugged before eating it.

"Not bad. " Celestia beamed at him before taking another bite of the sweet roll. Skarin had to smile at the princesses antics and had to admit he was enjoying himself. If only not for his big stupid mouth. "So, about that laugh- " he never got to finish as Celestia sprayed whipped cream all over his face. She tried to remain stoic but the scene just got to her and she started laughing again. "This means war. " Skarin snatched the container from her hand and promptly sprayed a hefty dose on her head.

"You have assaulted a princess of Equestria! " Celestia proclaimed while giggling. "Thine punishment shall be- " another dose of cream was now sprayed on her face.

"You talk too much, Tia. " Skarin grinned victoriously and Celestia smiled inwardly when he called her Tia. She liked that. However, she will not go down without a fight. Her horn glowed and the fridge door sprung open. From inside a dozen whipped cream containers levitated out and pointed themselves at Skarin.

"It. Is. On. " Celestia said with a menacing grin and Skarin gulped.

"Crap. "



Unknown to Celestia and Skarin, two figures also in search of a midnight snack were listening in on their conversation and occasionaly peeked inside. Now that a war was fought inside the kitchen, they even dared to speak up.

"Well? What dost thou think, dear niece? " Luna asked with a hint of pride.

"There is deffinitely something there. " Cadance said with a critical eye directed at probably the two most powerful beings in Equestria, now acting like foals. "Are you trying to take my position from me, auntie Luna? " Cadance asked with mirth.

"Nay, dear Cadance. " Luna shook her head. "For we are now officially, the Princes of the Hunch! " Cadance tilted her head in confusion. "And our coronation shall be grand!"
> 12 - Brighter than a thousand Suns
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Today was the big day. Preparations for the Grand Galloping Gala were in full swing and Canterlot Castle was filled with ponies decorating the ballroom, preparing food and drink, organizing the tables and the musicians were tuning their instruments to be pitch perfect. It was the most prestigious event in all of Equestria and to be invited was considered a great honor.

"Damn you Celestia." Skarin groaned while a tailor was taking his waist measurment. Yeah, he got tricked into attending and from what he knows about Equestria's alcohol, Skarin wouldn't even be able to get properly drunk.

"Sir, I need you to stay still so I can take your measurments." the old pony tailor said with a huff and moved up to Skarin's chest. "I would also ask you to refrain from taking our Princesses name in vain." the stallion almost ran out of measuring tape.

"She tricked me, okay?" Skarin admitted, making the old tailor scoff. The tailor moved to Skarin's bicep which the nord flexed a little to give the old pony a hard time.

"I'm sure she did." the old pony didn't even flinch. "I'll be taking two inches away."

"It's true! She-" Skarin then stopped, thinking that if ponies start gossipping about how Celestia basically offered herself up to him would lead to problems. "You know what, nevermind."

"There is no shame in being bested by the Princess." the tailor said calmly and got to work on measuring Skarin's back. "I realize it must be emasculating for a big stallion such as yourself to be bested by a mare-"

"Hey! I've been beaten by women before!" Skarin proclaimed proudly. "Each and every one of them was a strong warrior and I feel pride in their victory." the old tailor raised a curious brow.

"Truly? Then I apologize for assuming." the tailor said calmly and got his quill and parchment from the table to sketch out a quick design. "It takes a true stallion to admit defeat."

"Nords take pride in their strong women." Skarin stepped down from the slightly raised podium he was on and pulled his simple shirt back on. "Lydia was one such woman."

"Lydia, sir?" the tailor asked without raising his gaze from the parchment.

"My late wife." Skarin answered somberly and the tailor suddenly stopped sketching.

"I am sorry for your loss." Skarin nodded back his response. "And I also apologize for misjudging you. I assumed you were just a big brute who loved drunken brawls and the heat of battle."

"That's because I do." Skarin replied with a chuckle. "But I'm also full of surprises."

"Indeed." the old pony replied. "If you ever wish to talk about your late wife I can lend an ear. I am a widower myself." Skarin nodded and extended his hand which the old pony took.

"You can count on it." they released the handshake and the tailor got back to sketching. After a couple of quiet moments he nodded in satisfaction.

"Well, I have the basic idea sketched out." he then showed Skarin the design. To Skarin's relief it was a simple black tuxedo with a white shirt underneath and not one of those extravagant rainbow barf, frilled attrocities he'd seen Canterlot nobility wearing. "I would only require your help on the boots, as you call them. For obvious reasons." tapping his hoof on the marble floor to emphasize that ponies don't wear boots. Sure, some wore decorations on their hooves but nothing like humans did.

"No problem, ummm..." it just dawned on Skarin that he had no idea how this elderly tailor was called.

"Smooth Operator, sir." Skarin blinked a few times. "And I assure you I was one in my younger days." Smooth said with a knowing smirk and Skarin chuckled.

"Never doubted it old-timer." Skarin teased in good fun. "About the boots, how about making shoes instead?"



In another part of the castle, Celestia was trying to decide what dress to wear for the gala. Celestia was inside her closet, which could double as a small apartment for somepony, and looked at dress after dress. The princess was wearing only a crop top and black lace panties so she made sure to put a Do not distrub sign on her door.

"No." she threw a pink dress over her shoulder and it landed on the growing pile of dresses and gowns in the middle of her room. "Too tacky." a frilly garment went flying through the air. "Ugh, too old." a pricless antique gown landed in a freshly watered flower pot. The solar alicorn groaned in frustration as she looked at the growing pile behind her.

Why was this so hard? Usually she would go into her closet and just picked the first dress that caught her eye and be done with it. Apply some accompanying make-up and she was ready for the Gala. It was frustrating really, she'd been at this all morning and the Gala is drawing closer.

"What is wrong with me?" Celestia asked aloud and threw another expensive dress like it was yesterday's garbage. "I mean, look at this one!" she raised a perfectly good light pink colored dress with her cutie mark acting as a pattern on a darker section and a golden buckle in the same shape. "It's beautiful! I even wear it for other occasions and yet..." yep, this one also landed on the discard pile. "I'm running out of options." she sat down in defeat and rubbed her temples in frustration.

"Then you're in luck, Tia."

"EEP!" Luna's sudden appearance made Celestia jump. "Luna! Don't scare me like that!" Celestia put a hand over her rapidly beating heart. IN contrast to Celestia's half-naked form, Luna was more covered and wore a set of gray sweatpants and matching hoodie.

"I can see you're nervous, sister dear." Luna sat down beside her sister. "Tell me what ails you." she asked with a kind smile.

"The gala is mere hours away and I have yet to pick a dress." Celestia sighed in defeat and violently snatched a designer light blue gown that cost more than a house from it's hanger. "What do you think of this one?" she presented it to Luna like it was a plain old shirt.

"Well, I think it's-"

"Wrong!" Luna barely dodged the silk ball as it went flying through the room. "None of these are any good! Why is that Luna?" Celestia looked desperately at her sister for answers.

"Hmm, could be because you wore all of them already?" Luna hummed in thought but Celestia shook her head.

"That's not the problem." Celestia pulled down a beautiful deep V-cut red coctail dress. "See this? Wore it a thousand times." Luna once again dodged a projectile. "That's not the problem. I wore every single one of these a thousand times and I never once had trouble picking one for the gala."

"I see." Luna tapped her chin in thought when she suddenly smirked knowingly. Her hunch just kicked in. "Tell me, oh my dear sister, do you think this gala is somehow different than the others?"

"What do you mean?" Celestia blinked a couple of times.

"Oh I don't know." Luna acted all coy. "Mayhaps because it's the first gala that young Twilight attends as an alicorn and you want to look your best for your precious student?"

"Please. I love Twilight like she was my own daughter, but we both know she would try and color coordinate with me two months in advance." Celestia chuckled at the thought of her student going haywire about matching dresses.

"Indeed." Luna nodded in response, her smile growing bigger. "But what about you color coordinating with somepony?"

"What?" Celestia guffawed at the thought. "Who could I possibly coordinate with? Need I remind you I'm painfully single? And that reminded me I don't have a date for the gala, yet again, and now I want cake." Celestia pouted and Luna couldn't help but giggle at her sister.

"Then let me rephrase." Celestia looked at Luna with a raised brow. "What if you are trying to coordinate with someone?"

"Someone?" Celestia tilted her head in confusion. "Don't you mean somepony?"

"Come thee on, Tia." Luna rolled her eyes and waved her arms in exasperation. "Somepony is a pony, someone is a..." she urged Celestia with her hands to think and it paid off.

"Oh." Luna swore she saw a lit-up candle appear above Celestia's head. "Oh, you mean..." Celestia's cheeks tinted a little.

"Yes, we do mean." Luna nodded.

"But... Why?" Celestia suddenly stood up and looked at her sister. "I don't... I mean... What?" she walked past Luna who rolled her eyes but was still smiling triumphantly. "Skarin? Why would I try to coordinate with Skarin?"

"Well, this is his first gala." Come now Tia, you can do it.

"So? I didn't coordinate with you after you returned from the Moon." Celestia pointed out but Luna wasn't the least bit fazed.

"Beacause thee were not trying to impress us." Luna wiggled her eyebrows. Celestia looked at her with a mix of confusion and uncertainty. Luna facepalmed at her sister's dumbfounded expression. "Motherbucker why is this so difficult?"

"Excuse me?" Celestia was taken aback by Luna's choice of words.

"Thou art trying to impress Skarin!" Luna suddenly yelled which made Celestia take a step back.

"Am not!" the alabaster alicorn defended.

"Truly?" Luna then picked up a random gown from the pile that was now between her and Celestia. "What would Skarin think of this one?" the gown was perfectly fine to be honest.

"He'd think it's way too frilly and the color doesn't match my-" Celestia suddenly slapped her palms over her mouth.

"Got thee." Luna smirked triumphantly and tossed the gown through an open window. "I am not the Princess of the Hunch for nothing."

"The what now?" Celestia asked after uncovering her mouth.

"Not important." Luna waved her off and got closer so she can put one arm around Celestia. "What is important is that you make Skarin's jaw drop."

"But, why?" Celestia looked at her giddy sister.

"Trust us, you want to impress him. You want him to notice thee." Luna booped Celestia on the nose. "Why else would thee wear nothing but a night robe for your visit to the kitchen?" Celestia's cheeks flushed red from embarrasement. "And don't even bother telling us that's what you normally wear to sleep."

"I was in the middle of changing and I heard something in the hallway-"

"Please. One can smell Skarin from a mile away." Luna rolled her eyes. "But back to topic, I believe I have the solution to your problem."

"You do?" Celestia asked hopefully and Luna nodded.

"Indeed. I just so happened to run into Smooth Operator who was on his way to make Skarin's suit." Luna then pulled out a parchment from her pocket and showed it to Celestia. "He was kind enough to make me copy." Celestia stared at the sketch and the gears were slowly turning in her head. Was Luna right? Was she really subconsciously trying to get Skarin to notice her? Well, she did enjoy his company and she had to admit to herself they did share some tender moments recently.

"Are you suggesting I have a-a-a crush on Skarin? I am not a little filly!" Celestia defended herself but Luna chuckled victoriously.

"Oh my dear, deeeear sister. Trust me on this." Luna then got a mischevious twinkle in her eye. "I will make sure his eyes never leave you."



The Grand Galloping Gala was in full swing. Song and dance filled the ballroom while the waiters expertly weaved through the crowd to serve food and drink. Equestria's greatest musical ensable was giving their best performance on this very night.

All of these festivities were lost on Skarin. True, he was not as miserable as he thought he would be but his mind was someplace else. With every fiber of his being Skarin was preventing himself from jumping off the balcony and transforming into a werewolf to rush towards Ponyville and intercept the squad that was transporting his trapped friends. This felt like an unnecesary distraction but there it was. Skarin tried to enjoy himself, if even a little.

He had to admit the food was good but the drinks left something to be desired. Nothing beats good old nord mead. Skarin also vaguely remembered meeting Twilight's friends before Fancy Pants came to collect on his promise of hearing stories about Skarin's adventures. The stallion was kind enough and Skarin had no problems with answering his questions. Skarin was in the middle of telling Fancy Pants about the time he trapped Odahviing when Shining Armor announced his arrival with a light cough.

"Captain! You made it!" Skarin firmly shook Shining's hand and the stallion smiled in return.

"Glad to be here."

"Just in time too! I was just telling Fancy how I captured Odahviing!" Skarin put an arm around the white stallion who chuckled.

"It is quite the story Captain."

"I'm sure it is." Shining replied. "But there is somepony I would like you to meet." Shining then extended his arm and Cadance emerged from the crowd and took her husbands hand. "Skarin, I would like you to meet my wife, Mi Amore Cadenza." both Fancy and Skarin bowed curtly.

"A pleasure to meet you." Skarin held out his hand in what appeared to be a handshake. Fancy looked a little irked at the display but Cadance didn't mind.

"Likewise. And please, call me Cadance." Cadance was pleasantly surprised when she offered her hand to Skarin who slowly raised it and gently kissed it. "Oooh, a gentlestallion!" Cadance giggled and withdrew her hand. "Shiny! You told me Skarin was lacking in the manners department!"

"Really now?" Skarin raised a curious brow.

"Hey, you started a brawl at a bar." Shining raised his arms in defense.

"Fair enough." Skarin nodded and took a sip from the glass he forgot he was holding.

"So, Skarin." Cadance eyed the nord with a look. The three males didn't notice the music slowly getting quieter. But Cadance did. She was counting on it.

"Uh-oh." Shiny knew what the look meant.

"Are you here by yourself or do you have a date?" Cadance asked and Skarin shook his head.

"Just me." Skarin's reply gave Cadance a beaming smile just as the music completely died out.

"That is great news!" Cadance said giddily which left Skarin a little dumbfounded. "Because your date just arrived!"

"My what?" Skarin had no idea what Cadance was talking about but didn't get to ask more since the announcer decided to inform everypony of their latest guest.

"M-m-mares and g-gentlestallions!" the pony stuttered as if he were in shock and Skarin slowly raised his gaze towards the staircase that lead down to the ballroom. "I-I present to you, Princess Celestia!" everpony gasped when they saw the princess slowly descending the stairs. All but Skarin who was left breathless.

Celestia slowly descended the stairs, making sure to put an extra sway to her hips. Instead of wearing a wide gown like everpony else, Celestia's curves were hugged by a strapless and slim black dress with a deep V cut that had a golden edge which accented her cleavage even more. The dress went down all the way to her hooves with the left side having a long slit that showed the cutie mark on her thigh. Gone was the usual royal necklace and the crown she always wore, replaced by a black shawl that went over the shoulders and behind her neck, hanging low between her wings and exposed back while at the front it curved around her breasts. But the attire was not the main reason the crowd was left speechless. For the first time in a thousand years, Celestia appeared in public without her enchanted mane and magenta eyes. Neatly combed red mane bounced lightly with every step and her tail swished in rhythm to her walk. Celestia's red eyes briefly looked over the gathered ponies before settling on one particular individual.

Celestia slowly walked towards Skarin as the crowd parted to let their princess pass. Some mares had to slap their husbands upside the head for staring at Celestia's swaying hips. Once she reached her destination, Skarin finally released that breath he was holding.

"Good evening." Celestia smiled at the nord, acting like she didn't just take his breath away.

"Hi." Skarin said in a high-pitched voice. He quickly cleared his throat and spoke again. "I mean, good evening." Celestia chuckled at his little slip-up and Skarin felt his heart skip a beat.

"You look beautiful auntie!" Cadance hugged her aunt who returned the gesture.

"Thank you Cadance. You look beautiful as well." Celestia then whispered to Cadance quietly. "This was Luna's idea."

"Best idea ever." Cadance whispered back and released the hug. "Well?" Cadance nudged Skarin. "Compliment your date."

"You look..." Skarin couldn't find the words. If not before, Skarin was now sure Dibella somehow blessed Celestia with divine beauty. "Umm..."

"Why thank you." Celestia giggled.

"Ask her for a dance." Cadance once again elbowed Skarin.

"Princess-" he didn't get to finish as Celestia raised her arm.

"Please, it's just Celestia tonight." the crowd gasped in shock. This was outrageous! There is a certain etiquette that needs to be folowed! You can't just-

"Oh get over it you prudes!" all eyes turned towards the musical ensamble to see Pinkie Pie standing on a chair in their midst. "It's time to dance! Guys, music!" the group hastily picked up their instruments and began playing for a slow waltz. "Eh, it'll do." soon all eyes were back on Celestia and Skarin.

"Well then, Skarin." Celestia got closer to Skarin and offered her hand. "Shall we?" Skarin took her hand and kissed it just like he did with Cadance.

"Lead the way, Celestia." Skarin let Celestia lead him to the dance floor. As they embraced and began the slow dance Cadance nudged her husband.

"Oh, umm, would you like to dance, Cady?" Shining asked nervously, as if Cadance would refuse him for some reason.

"I would love to, Shiny." and so two more joined in. Starting to feel pretty dumb at this point for staring for so long, other atendees decided to dance as well and leave their snide remarks for later. As everpony finally joined in on the floor, a certain dark blue alicorn was collecting her bet from a certain Daedric prince of madness.

"Told thee. Princess of the Hunch."
> 13 - The impression that I get
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The clock was nearing midnight but the gala showed no signs of stopping. As the drinks flowed everypony got more and more relaxed and soon it turned into a real party. The band gave up on classical music and performed Equestria Billboard hits for the past two hours. Shining Armor was at his limit and his hooves hurt like all Tartarus but Cadance wouldn't let him leave the dance floor. Even Princess Luna joined the dance floor at some point and took turns dancing with the Mane 6. It was truly a gala to be remembered, even though Discord made a scene...

Skarin watched all of this from a bench on the large balcony with a bowl of snowberries, or rather cranberries as they were now called, in his hands. He was never one for dancing or fancy gatherings. Getting drunk with his friends at a tavern and sing songs of love, glory and battle was more of his forte. Oh how the Bannered Mare would warm them through the harsh Skyrim winters as mead flowed in rivers throughout the night. Skarin could still clearly remember Jarl Balgruff being dragged out by the scruff of his vest by his housecarl Irileth every time and Henrik's lute blessing their ears with the most beautiful notes you could hope to hear in Skyrim.

Still, the joyous song and dance that was happening now in Canterlot reminded Skarin of the old days. At times like this it felt like everything was right in the world. It was at a night like this in the Bannered Mare that he and Lydia stopped dancing around each other and finally acted on what was in their hearts.

But what was in Skarin's heart right now?

He only knew Celestia a couple of days whilst he spent almost two years travelling Skyrim with Lydia. Were these feelings of admiration something more? Celestia was a kind and benevolent ruler but also a great warrior. The way she handled herself against Alduin was enough to put the finest warriors of Skyrim to shame. Rising up despite the odds. Fighting until her last breath if need be. He liked that in a woman.

But Skarin also knew it could never be. Celestia was a princess, she lived in a different world than him. As a princess she fought her battles in court while Skarin took up the sword and stormed for the battlefield. Some say opposites attract but it was a similar case with Elisif and that relationship ended fairly quickly. Skarin needed to quell his growing feelings of affection lest he lost a friend in the process. It was a shame since he truly enjoyed her company but he needed a clear head with Alduin on the horizon.

All these thought plauged the nord as he slowly chewed on his cranberries. He was so lost in thought he didn't even notice Luna sitting next to him.

"Enjoying the festivities?" Skarin jolted and finally noticed Luna was there. "Lost in thought?"

"As much as I can I suppose." Skarin smirked. "And yes, you could say I am lost."

"Mayhaps we can be of assisstance to guide you back on the proper path." Luna offered and stole his bowl of cranberries, taking one and tossing it into her mouth. "So, what's up doc?"

"What's up doc?" Skarin couldn't help but laugh.

"I was reading up on modern speech and this phrase was mentioned." Luna said nonchalantly. "Come now, tell me what ails you." Skarin remained quiet but when his eyes caught Celestia being approached by some noble asking for a dance, his body stiffened a little. "Ah, woes of the heart."

"There are no woes of the heart." Skarin looked away from Celestia, missing the part where she turned the stallion down and then looked in Skarin's direction. "I assume this was your doing?" Skarin tugged on his sleeve, alluding to the fact that only he and Celestia wore black to the gala.

"Are you suggesting I asked Smooth Operator to see the design of your attire and then matched my sisters to it?" Luna guffawed. "Preposterous!" Skarin chuckled at Luna's antics.

"Well, for what it's worth, you did a good job." his eyes returned to Celestia who accepted a dance from Twilight Sparkle, the younger alicorn all giddy about dancing with her teacher. Or maybe it was the wine, who knows...

"I know." Luna tossed another cranberry into her mouth. "But thee art avoiding the question." she pressed on and Skarin sighed.

"Look, I know you think Celestia and I are meant to be, but we are not."

"And, pray tell, why?" Luna rested her chin on her hand, the arm propped up on her thigh.

"It's as I've said. She's a princess and I am a common warrior." Luna rolled her eyes at that cliche excuse. "What more could I give her than she already has."

"And what can she do with all she has if there is nopony to share it with?" Luna retorted.

"Then may she find someone who is suited for castle life." Skarin rose from the bench and rested his hands on the balcony railing, his gaze admiring the dimly lit Canterlot streets. "My place is out there." Luna stood up and placed a hand on Skarin's shoulder.

"And it can also be here just as well." Luna smiled. "Skarin, you may think you will never be enough but trust me, you are, and so much more."

"I'm sure there's someone better."

"Somepony better?" Luna laughed once again. "You gifted a kingdom to Elisif and made her queen! If that's not husband material then we do not know what is!"

"Celestia told you about the crown?" Skarin asked with a raised brow.

"We're sisters. We talk about everything."

"Then she also told you Elisif ended things shortly after." Luna waved her hand dismissively.

"That is her loss." she leaned on the railing and looked at Skarin. "But Tia doesn't need a kingdom, nor riches or titles. She needs somepony she can be herself with." her gaze then trailed off in time to see Celestia turn down another noble. "These snobs know nothing of our sister. All they care about is their gain should they wed my sister. Fortunately Tia is too smart to be fooled by all the lies and false smiles but with you..." Luna looked at Skarin again. "With you she let's herself be Celestia, the same mare she is with me. No princess facade or diplomatic answers. She snorted while laughing in your presence for Moon's sake!" now both of them chuckled.

"It was pretty cute."

"Cute?" Luna placed a hand over her heart in shock. "I didn't think you knew the meaning of the word."

"I'm full of surprises." Skarin smiled brefly before looking back to the horizon.

"Don't let this slip away." Luna said somberly. "As much as I would like to see thee parade through Canterlot in a lace dress I truly do wish for my sister's happiness." Luna pushed off the railing. "And as your friend, I wish for yours as well." and with that, Luna rejoined the festivities, leaving Skarin alone with his thoughts once again. Thoughts that told him not to pursue this further, to focus on Alduin and freeing his friends and most importantly, make sure nothing happened to Celestia-

"Huh." the way Celestia sneaked into his mind as a top priority told Skarin how much he already cared for her. But in order to do that he needed to let her go. It was for her own good.

"A wonderful night, is it not?" this time Skarin didn't startle. This time the voice calmed the storm in his heart. "My sister truly outdid herself tonight." Celestia joined Skarin on the balcony railing and together they admired the night sky.

"Aye." his eyes glanced at the goddess to his right. "That she did." they stood in silence after that, just enjoying being near each other. A cold breeze suddenly washed over them and Celestia shuddered. Before she could say anything, Skarin's jacket was already draped over her shoulders, her wings flattening on her back on instinct.

"Thank you." Celestia blushed slightly at his wonderful gesture.

"So." Skarin was not sure how to start the conversation so he decided to go with the most overused topic ever. "You never explained the Weather Control department." Celestia blinked in surprise, thankful that Skarin started the conversation since she had no idea what to do! Why was she even out here?

"Oh! I apologize." Celestia replied as other thoughts raced through her mind. "Well, you see, the Weather Control department controls the weather!" she chuckled nervously and mentally slapped herself. It was in the name! What else could they possibly do? This is not how she imagined it to go. Celestia just wanted to talk to Skarin alone but why was it this awkward? They never had trouble before so why now when the scene is picture perfect? The two of them on a moonlit night, standing on a balcony overlooking the city and the Grand Galloping Gala behind them.

"I see." Skarin also felt the awkwardness of the situation. He did feel joy when Celestia arrived and chased away any thoughts other than her. Suddenly the insecurity and fear was gone and Skarin lived in this moment with her.

"And you never told me about that gem." Celestia just casually mentioned it but to her surprise Skarin stiffened.

"I... Don't want to talk about that." if Celestia didn't know him any better she would think Skarin is hiding something. But if these past days proved anything it was that Skarin wasn't hiding anything and was an open book. Celestia concluded that she would probably not like the answer to that question at all so Skarin spared her the details. For now, at least.

"And the sword and the shield?" maybe the weapons would fare better.

"Oh, that I can answer and it won't scar you for life." Skarin chuckled and confirmed Celestia's assumption about the gem. "The sword is called Dawnbreaker. Made by the daedric prince Meridia to aid their chosen one in slaying the undead." Celestia smiled when the conversation finally felt normal. "And the shield is Auriel's shield. Seems like it was stolen from my home after my imprisonment."

"They were both yours?" Celestia turned fully towards Skarin and he did the same to her.

"Aye, a long time ago." Skarin could feel his breath hitch as he observed the goddess in front of him. Her red mane gently swaying in the breeze and eyes watching him with a mix of curiosity and excitement. "I gave the sword back to Meridia since it's their's anyway and I stopped using it once I met Serana."

"The vampire?" Celestia asked and moved just a bit closer. You know, to hear him better.

"The sword tends to explode from time to time. " without noticing it, Skarin moved closer as well.

"I can see how that could be a problem." an inch closer once more.

"I also prefer my sword be the same as my women." and again.

"And how's that?" their faces just three inches apart, feeling the other's breath on their skin.

"Only mine." almost there...

"I see." Celestia stared at his lips.

"Want to do something fun?" Skarin did the same.

"Yes." Just take me already!





"THIS IS NOT WHAT I HAD IN MIIIIIIIIIIND!" Celestia screamed and held on for dear life to Skarin's white fur as he raced through the forest on all fours like a wolf. Her wings were still not at full strength and Skarin made her promise not to use magic. "NO! NO! NO! NO!" against her protests, Skarin made his way towards a large tree and began climbing it. Celestia pressed herself againts his back as hard as she could to avoid any branches but Skarin made sure that not even a leaf would touch her as he made his way up. "AAAAAAAAAH!" Skarin's guttural chuckle reverberated throughout her body and she would be lying if she said it wasn't a pleasent feeling as her body vibrated from the sound.

"Relax." Skarin's growl reached her ears but she didn't care. She wanted off this ride!

"Just put me down!" Celestia yelled into his fur but Skarin would have none of it. They soon reached the top of the tree and Skarin jumped off towards another tree top and then another and so on. "Please put me down!" Celestia begged him once more and suddenly felt they were descending rapidly. Her heart was pumping like crazy as wind rushed around her ears. Even though they jumped down from at least 60 feet, Skarin landed without so much as a hitch. Celestia was still clutching his fur and wouldn't let go until she felt ground beneath her hooves.

"We're here." once again, Skarin's voice went through her body like a shock and Celestia felt herself shuddring at the sensation. Feeling that Skarin was now walking at a slow pace Celestia dared to open her eyes.

"It's beautiful." they were at the little lake Skarin and Luna visited yesterday. The stars reflected perfectly in the calm water making it appear like a mirror. The water was crystal clear as Luna made sure to clean it the day after their visit. "Luna never told me about this place." Skarin continued to walk at a slow pace before reaching a place on the grassy field that seemed suitable for him. He lowered himself to the ground and Celestia finally let go of his fur and slid off. "Good boy." she teased him and scratched behind his ear. Taking a few steps towards the water, Celestia knelt down and scooped a little water out with her palm. Taking a drink from it she felt the water refreshing her parched throat and soon she took another.

"You like it?" Skarin, who was now back to human form, sat down a few feet behind her.

"I do." Celestia admitted and joined him. "We could have walked, you know." she shot him a look which made Skarin laugh.

"I apologize. It's just..." he scratched his head in thought. "The conversation on the balcony felt strange and I thought perhaps a change of scenery was in order." Skarin decided to completely ignore the part where he had to use all his strength to keep himself from kissing her.

"It was strange, wasn't it?" Celestia did pretty much the same and now both were looking away from each other. "But I do admit this place is beautiful."

"It is." Skarin nodded. "About the running..."

"Yes?" Celestia's head snapped to Skarin and she looked alarmed. Did he feel her shudder on top of him? Did he mind?

"When we reached the forest I remembered how Lucia liked to do that." Celestia's naughty thoughts moved away instantly and she took Skarin's hand in a comforting manner. "Guess I thought you might enjoy it too." Celestia smiled at the mention of his daughter. She could tell he loved her very much and was a little embarrased that a filly wasn't scared to ride on Skarin's back while she screamed like one.

"Well, next time it would be nice if you warned me and not just scoop me up from underneath." she finished with a giggle and Skarin nodded.

"I'll keep that in mind." he turned to Celestia. "Soooo wanna' do it again tomorrow?" Celestia laughed and punched his shoulder playfully.

"Not even in your dreams!" okay, this felt more natural. They were finally joking and laughing. "But be serious now, why did you bring me here?" Please say you had ulterior motives.

"Well I brought us here to have some privacy." Skarin answered and Celestia felt her heart skip a beat.

"Y-you did?" she felt a heat rise to her cheeks.

"Aye. Because now is the time for you to tell me an embarrasing story about yourself!" Celestia blinked in surprise Horsefeathers! "And I didn't want the whole gala to hear you." And maybe I also wanted to finish what we started on that balcony.

"What?" Celestia laughed and shook her head. "I will not be telling you an embarrasing story about myself! I have an image to uphold!"

"Come on! I can't be the only one to embarras himself in this relationship!" Skarin laughed and Celestia's ear twitched. Relationship? "It's only fair." Celestia sighed in defeat.

"I suppose so." she then poked Skarin's chest. "But then it's your turn!" To take off your shirt... No! Bad Celestia! Very bad...

"Deal." Skarin fully turned towards Celestia and sat crosslegged. By the Divines she is gorgeous...

"Alright... Ahem." Celestia was already blushing. "Promise you won't laugh too hard!" Skarin nodded, a goofy smile on his face I could get used to this side of her. "Alright, so..." Skarin's full attention was on her. "While I was studying magic under Starswirl the Bearded, he asked me to answer a question. But I wasn't paying attention because I was thinking about a delicious cake I had the day before. I got startled and got up so fast I knocked over my chair and said chocolate cake." by the end her face was so red she covered it with her hands.

"That's it?" Skarin said disappointed and Celestia removed her hands and looked at him in complete shock.

"That's it! I was the laughing stock of the university for a week!" Celestia crossed her arms under her chest and huffed. "It was very embarrasing, so there." Skarin chuckled to himself and tried not to stare at her ample chest.

"Fine." Skarin's answer made Celestia nod quickly. "I'll just ask Luna." Celestia's eyes suddenly shot wide open and she tackled him to the ground.

"No! Please don't!" oh yeah, that was the face of pure embarrasement. The fact tha she had him pinned down by his shulders and was basically stradling him did not help matters. Still, they didn't move from their position, Celestia even inching closer and closer. "Skarin..."

"Celestia..." his arms were already rasing themselves to hug her and press her against him as he kissed her with all the passion he had. But it was just not meant to be because a butterfly decided now was the right time to land on Skarin's nose. Skarin went cross-eyed and Celestia couldn't help herself but laugh. She fell to the side and continued doing it as Skarin shooed the butterfly away from his nose.

"I-I'm sorry." Celestia said through fits of giggles. "For tackling you, I mean."

"Stupid butterfly." Skarin said to himself and rubbed his temples. Luckily, at least in his opinion, Celestia didn't hear him and slowly her giggles died down.

"Well? I shared a story, now it's your turn." Celestia laid on her side and propped her head on her hand. Skarin decided to do the same and looked at her beautiful red eyes. He could just stare at them for hours.

"Alright, alright. My stories are better anyway." this earned him a playful kick from Celestia. "And before you say anything, yes, this story also starts with mead."

"As all the good ones do." Celestia teased playfully.

"Did you know that I got married while I was engaged to Lydia?" now this was not what Celestia expected to hear and recoiled slightly.

"I'm sorry, what?" Celestia truly tought she heard wrong.

"I know it sounds bad, trust me, I was there." Skarin tried to calm her down as she eyed him suspiciously. "So, it was my bachelor party and at the bar I met this guy called Sam..."

And as the story went on, Celestia's worries were washed away and replaced by ever growing laughter as Skarin told her the story of how he married a lovely hagraven. Soon the lake and forest echoed with Celestia's laughter as Skarin told of even more of his crazy adventures. It was the right call to come here. It was peaceful, quiet and the scenery was breathtaking. If you looked across the mirror-like clear lake from the other side, it would look like Celestia and Skarin were floating in the stars, the Moon suspiciously shining a light only on the two of them...
> 14 - The Wolven Storm
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Even though the Canterlot Gala was happening that night, Luna did not shirk her duties. After her conversation with Skarin she enjoyed the festivities for a while longer until she bid her farewell and retreated to her chambers. The fact Skarin and Celestia disappeared shortly after her departure didn't escape her so she secretly enchanted her Moon to shine on the pair, wherever they may be.

Taking off her dress and putting on her light blue pajamas, Luna got into position and entered the Dreamscape. It was a rather calm night as not many nightmares had to be dispelled and come sunrise, Luna descended into the so called family dining room. It was rather small compared to the dining room they used when having guests, but no less comfortable and it emanated with the feel of home. The staff knew of their little gathering spot and the table was already set and filled with food every morning before Luna arrived. Like almost every time, Luna arrived first and poured herself a cup of coffee. Taking a deep inhale of the aroma she sighed in content and took her first sip, enjoying this moment of silence before the others arrived. Luna sat down on her usual spot on the table and awaited the first arrival. After a couple of minutes the door opened.

"Morin'..." Cadance yawned upon entering, followed by her husband Shining Armor.

"Good morning, dear niece." Luna chuckled at her niece's tired expression." Good morning, Shining Armor."

"Good morning, your Majesty." Shining was wide awake and ready to take on the day with newspapers in hand. "Seems our friend made the news. Again." Shining handed the newspapers to Luna as Cadance fell into her chair, head on the table, and awaited for her husband to get her some coffee. Luna looked at the cover and a smile split across her lips. The cover featured a picture of Celestia and Skarin dancing with the headline The Princesses new robes.

"I will be keeping this." Luna tore out the front page and folded the picture before placing it in her pocket. "Did you two have fun at the gala?" Luna asked the married couple just as Shining sat down with two cups of coffee.

"My hooves still hurt." Shining replied.

"We haven't danced like that in a long time." Cadance smiled at her husband and downed her cup of coffee. Shining took the empty one and placed the other in front of her. "Thank you, honey."

"It always lifts my spirits when I see you two." Luna commented and took a sip of her own coffee. "Gives me hope for one more love to prosper."

"Why are you so convinced Princess Celestia and Skarin are meant for each other?" Shining Armor asked and was met with compassionate looks from the mares. "What? I don't see it."

"Oh honey." Cadance stroked his cheek gently. "Thank the stars I made the move on you." Luna chuckled at the jab and Shining looked confused.

"What? What'd I say?" the captain looked between his wife and Luna, clearly confused on why they were pitying him.

"Call it a mare's intuition." Luna said.

"Or a hunch." Cadance winked at her aunt who smiled in return.

"Speaking of..." Luna looked to the door and sure enough Celestia walked in, still wearing her dress from the Gala.

"Oh." Celestia stopped in her tracks when she saw the three looking at her. "Good morning." Celestia greeted curtly and wide grins spread on Luna and Cadance's lips. Ignoring their teasing grins, Celestia acted like everything was fine and sat down at the table. "How is everypony this fine morning?" she got no reply, instead Luna and Cadance grinned wider while Shining was trying to deduce what was going on. "Well, I fell great, thank you for asking." Celestia took a piece of toast and some butter. "The Gala was lovely."

"Aaaaaaand?" Luna asked and leaned forward, as did Cadance.

"I also happened to talk with Skarin." Celestia spread the butter on the toast and reached for some jam. She was craving cranberry today for some reason.

"Aaaaaaand?" this time Cadance leaned forward, eyes wide with excitement.

"And we had a nice chat." Celestia replied. "We almost kiss-" the alicorn almost choked on her words and Cadance was trembling, barely able to contain her excitement. "I mean, we took a walk to a secluded lake-" the princess of love squealed loudly. "Oh my..." Celestia finally gave up on trying to act all coy as her cheeks flushed and she covered her face in embarrassment. Cadance couldn't contain her excitement any longer and practically jumped on her aunt.

"I AM SO HAPPY FOR YOU!" Cadance hugged Celestia tightly before jumping back on her seat and looked at her with excitement. "I want all the details!" Luna nodded in agreement, very much enjoying teasing her older sister but also genuinely happy for her.

"Nothing happened." Celestia defended and took a small bite of her toast. "We had a lovely chat under the moonlight-"

"You're welcome." Luna smirked.

"-and then we walked back to the castle." Celestia finished and took another bite of toast.

"I sense there is more to it, auntie." Cadance pressed on. "Your heart is all aflutter and your cheeks are red!" nothing escapes the Princess of Love in the matters of the heart. "We need details!"

"I concur." Luna added and took another sip of her coffee.

"We almost kissed a second time." Celestia smile sheepishly and Cadance was about to explode from happiness. "But then a butterfly landed on his nose and it was so funny I fell off him and-"

"Hang on! Fell off him?" Cadance gasped. "Why were you on top of Skarin in the first place?" this just got better and better.

"W-well, I told an embarrassing story about me and Skarin told me it was lame and said he'd ask Luna about a better one." Celestia shot her sister a warning glare but knew it wouldn't work. Skarin was bound to find out about her growing a beard at some point. "So I kind of tackled him to the ground and..." Celesta's cheeks flushed once again as she recalled the event.

"It's just like something from a romance novel." Cadance sighed dreamily and slumped in her seat. "Isn't that right, Shiny?" the stallion smiled at his wife and nuzzled her cheek.

"Whatever you say." Shining then looked at Celestia. "Where is Skarin anyway?"

"I believe he went to visit Steel Hoof, our blacksmith." Celestia answered. "He wanted to ask him if his armor was salvageable.

"Well that's not a romantic end to this story." Cadance huffed. "I was expecting something like a good night's kiss."

"Skarin was a gentlestallion and escorted me to my chambers." Celestia's words peaked Cadance's interest. "And you can't get a good night's kiss in the morning, now can you?"

"Then why are you still in your dress from the Gala?" Luna asked with a raised brow and the question made Celestia all bashful.

"It was already morning and I was too excited to sleep." she covered her face with her hands again. "By the stars I'm acting like a filly."

"Dawww..." Cadance cooed and stroked Celestia's red mane. "I think it's adorable." Cadance turned to Shining with puppy eyes. "Isn't she adorable, Shiny?"

"That's my boss." Shining deadpanned and Cadance stuck her tongue out. Just then a groggy looking Twilight came in.

"Good morning everypony." she yawned and sat down on the free spot next to Celestia. "Oh..." Twilight noted the black dress her mentor was wearing. The white alicorn blushed slightly as the rest of the table snickered. "A-anyway, I was told to deliver this letter to you." Twilight handed a white envelope to Celestia. "The mailmare asked me to deliver this since she's really busy today." Celestia inspected the envelope and saw it was from one of the guards Luna sent to retrieve the statues of Skarin's friends.

"Thank you Twilight." Celestia smiled and opened the letter. "Tell me, my dear student, how was... The... Gala..." Celestia's voice grew more distant as she read the letter and her expression soured. "Oh... I see." her sudden shift didn't go unnoticed by Luna.

"Tia? Is everything alright?" Luna asked with a worried tone.

"Yes." Celestia replied not so confidently and put the letter down on the table. "If you'll excuse me, I... I have to go." Celestia stood up and slowly walked to the door. She reached for the knob but hesitated to turn it.

"Let me see that letter." Luna reached out and Twilight handed her the open letter. "Dear Princess Celestia. We regret to inform you that... Oh. I see." Luna's brow furrowed before her gaze landed on her sister. "You should go tell him." Celestia nodded meekly and finally opened the door and walked out.

"What's going on?" Twilight asked with her head tilted in confusion. Luna sighed and began reading the letter from the beginning for everypony to hear.

"Dear Princess Celestia. We regret to inform that we will not be able to safely transport the statues to Canterlot."  

Cadance and Shining immediately realized why Celestia became so distraught. Twilight still didn't understand what the fuss was about.

"Their extraction from the cave proved more difficult than expected and took much longer than initially planned. The tip of the sword of one statue was broken but the body remains unharmed. I strongly urge you to send Sir Skarin to Ponyville to inspect the statue and perform further studies there as well. Our specialist fears that moving the statues too much might cause them to crumble. With regards, Happy Trails."





Celestia dragged her hooves across the marble floor. She knew Skarin had to go.

Celestia didn't want that. She wanted him to stay with her for a while longer. It was a selfish and foalish desire but her heart ached at the thought of him leaving. The option to follow him to Ponyville was also out of the question, there was too much work in Canterlot and she couldn't leave Luna alone. Celestia knew of the burden that ruling alone brings, she carried it for a thousand years.

So wasn't it time to be a little selfish? Did she not deserve some happiness in her life? Even if this pursuit turned out fruitless at least she would not regret it.  

"Better to love and lose, than not to have loved at all." Celestia said to herself and even though she didn't love Skarin, the words resonated with her. She was drawn to him and liked to spend time with him and if last night proved anything it was that there was something more between them.

With a heavy heart, Celestia accepted the fact that Skarin has to go and that he will go without her. But by the stars she will give him something to think about before he leaves, consequences be damned! She will make him want to come back to her!

Stopping in her tracks Celestia closed her eyes and concentrated. Her horn began shimmering and her body was slowly covered by that same light. The glow quickly faded and Celestia stood there in a new dress that didn't leave much to the imagination. Taking a deep breath Celestia steeled her resolve.





Skarin and Steel Hoof stood in front of a table and deep in thought. Two experienced blacksmith stared at the pieces that littered the crafting surface with furrowed brows.

"Tis' bucked up." Steel Hoof stated and picked up a piece of the broken bone armor.

"It's not that bad." Skarin did the same only for the piece to fall apart in his hand.

"I've seen shattered glass in better condition." Steel grabbed the handle of the sword with a broken blade. "And butter knives."

"A world eating dragon tried to eat me. Give it a break." Skarin rolled his eyes and looked at the fractured helm.

"S'a miracle ye' lived." Steel Hoof tried to lift the heavy shield but his old back said no.

"Can you fix it?" Skarin looked at the old blacksmith.

"Me? Yer' the one that crafted the bloody thing!" Steel Hoof picked up a piece of ebony metal that held two pieces of dragon bone together. "Ebony? Dragon bones? Are ye' mad?" he threw the piece back on the table. "These things don't exist here!"

"Don't you have something similar?" Skarin crossed his arms and the blacksmith sighed.

"No. Closest we have is miles away in durability." Steel Hoof crossed his arms as well. "Wish ye' had more of these materials. Would'a love to work with 'em."

"Hmm..." Skarin's brow furrowed. "I may have some..." Steel Hoof's ear twitched. "I had a vault, let's call it that way, where I stored materials and treasure. And before you ask, it's enchanted so nothing can decay inside."

"Do you know where it is?" Steel Hoof asked with anticipation but Skarin shook his head.

"The land changed so much over the millennia that I don't even know where to begin looking." Skarin cracked his neck, making the old stallion wince. "The vault was in Whiterun, my home. Gods know where it is now." Steel Hoof wanted to ask something but then he suddenly bowed and Skarin knew who was behind him.

"Good morning, ancient one." he said without even looking back.

"I am not that old." a different voice giggled behind his back and Skarin turned around.

"Celestia?" Skarin looked at the smiling alicorn and did his best to keep eye contact. She's doing this on purpose.

"Good morning, Skarin." she greeted him before turning to Steel Hoof. "And good morning to you as well, Steel Hoof."

"Good morning, Your Majesty." the old stallion said without raising his head, lest he looked somewhere he shouldn't.

"I thought you would be sleeping by now." Skarin said and Celestia's mood shifted.

"Steel Hoof." the old stallion finally raised his head. "May we have a moment alone, please?"

"Certainly." the blacksmith excused himself and went to another room. Skarin looked quizzically at Celestia who was fidgeting.

"Celestia? What's wrong?" Skarin asked in concern. Was this about last night? Was she uncomfortable about the whole situation?

"Skarin. I..." Celestia played with her hands, not really sure how to begin.

"Just tell me what's wrong. Is it about last night?" Skarin's question caused the princess to look up suddenly.

"No! No, last night was amazing!" she blurted out before blushing. "I mean, I had a wonderful time last night."

"Then what is it?" Skarin pressed on, secretly happy Celestia wasn't here to tell him to stay away from her.

"A letter came this morning." she said meekly. "It was from the extraction team." when Skarin heard that he became immediately concerned.

"Did something happen?" he took a step closer and Celestia looked away. "Was a statue broken."

"Just a tip of a sword." Celestia answered and Skarin relaxed a little. Metal can be reforged, flesh and bone could not. "They say the statues won't make it to Canterlot and that you should meet in Ponyville." Skarin breathed a sigh of relief and laughed.

"You had me worried there for a moment, Kulaas." Skarin was about to pat her shoulder, like one would a friend, but he retreated in the last moment as it would feel awkward. "So what are we waiting for? To Ponyville!"

"I can't go with you." Celestia said quietly and Skarin's enthusiasm disappeared instantly.

"What?" the warrior looked at the princess.

"I must remain in Canterlot." Celestia looked back at him and Skarin could see it in her eyes. Celestia wanted him to stay.  

"It's just one day." Skarin tried to reason. "We can even teleport there." both chuckled.

"I'm sorry, but I must stay." Celestia repeated herself even though she desperately wanted to go. She wanted to be there to see the joy on Skarin's face when his friends are finally released from their stone prisons. Maybe she'd even participate in those famous Skyrim parties Skarin always tells her about.

"Can't Luna handle things here?" Skarin pushed for her to come with him. He wanted Celestia to meet his friends and maybe even take her to dinner afterwards. But a more pessimistic part of him told him it was probably for the best. They're not to be and that was final.

"I have shouldered the burden of ruling alone for a thousand years." Celestia said somberly. "I wouldn't want anypony to experience it even for a day."

"I see." Skarin replied and both fell into a long silence. Thoughts swirled in their minds on how to travel to Ponyville together. It would be a short trip but Celestia truly couldn't pass this burden onto Luna. Skarin on the other hand was battling with the urge to simply walk away or to throw Celestia over his shoulder and walk to Ponyville. It's a shame he decided on the former. "How long is the walk to Ponyville?"

"You don't have to walk." Celestia felt her heart ache but this was the expected outcome. "We have a train."

"Train?" Skarin raised a curious brow.

"A steel carriage that runs on steam." Celestia explained quickly.

"Riiight..." then an awkward silence fell upon them. Skarin was scratching the back of his head and Celestia was staring at her hands. Why did they have to dance around each other like this? Maybe if they acted on their feelings sooner then this wouldn't be so hard.

"A guard will escort you to the station. He's already waiting at the castle entrance." Celestia suddenly blurted out. "The first train leaves in an hour and you should arrive in Ponyville come night fall."

"Thank you." Skarin nodded and shuffled in place. "Well, I guess this is goodbye." he smiled weakly.

"I guess it is." Celestia replied in the same manner and extended her hand. To her surprise Skarin hugged her and she immediately embraced him.

"Thank you. For everything." Skarin didn't know why he suddenly hugged her. He didn't care, it felt right.

"I look forward to meeting your friends." Celestia pulled back and smiled at Skarin. "Just don't let Serana bite any of my little ponies."

"Don't worry." Skarin chuckled. "Got her favorite drink right here." he tapped the veins on his wrist.

"That is disturbing." Celestia deadpanned, even though he told her that Serana fed on his blood on occasion. Guess mixing werewolf and dragonborn blood was a treat for vampires. "Take care."

"I will." Skarin said his final goodbye and walked past the princess. "I'll be back as soon as I can! You still owe me a rematch since you cheated!" Celestia laughed at his challenge.

"It. Is. On!"





Celestia didn't return to the dining room. Instead, she opted to take a walk through the gardens and calm her mind. Just as things were getting good, Skarin had to leave. It was like something from those cheesy romance novels her niece Cadance liked so much.

Her walk didn't take long though. Celestia still had to run Day Court and so with a slow and heavy walk she made her way towards her room to get herself ready for the day. Once she reached her destination, Celestia closed the door and leaned on it. She sighed deeply and tried to think of any reason to avoid Day Court today.

"What's that noise?" she looked towards her large closet where it appeared somepony was rummaging through her clothes. Guess that's a good reason as any to cancel Day Court, right? Celestia carefully approached the closet and saw her sister throwing clothes around. "Luna? What are you doing in my closet?"

"Packing thy clothing for your trip." Luna replied as select underwear, shirts, pants and dresses floated towards multiple suitcases.

"What trip?" Celestia raised a brow.

"To Ponyville." Luna replied nonchalantly.

"I am not going to Ponyville." Celestia replied and the levitating clothes stopped mid-air.

"And pray tell, why?" Luna crossed her arms.

"I cannot leave you to attend to both of our duties." Celestia argued and began pulling out the clothes from the suitcases.

"Please." Luna rolled her eyes and snatched the clothes from Celestia's hands. "We can handle the day to day affairs while you are away."

"Luna." Celestia snatched back the items from Luna. "I am not going."

"Don't make this harder than it has to be, sister." Luna repeated the process.

"Luna, I know what it means to rule alone-" and again...

"For a thousand years! I think we can manage a day!" Luna raised her voice and put an end to the clothes snatching by throwing them into a suitcase and closing all of them. "Now listen here, sister!" Luna poked Celestia with her finger and the older alicorn looked shocked. "We had enough of thine and Skarin's prancing around each other! This is the perfect opportunity to get closer and buck like wild-"

"Luna!"

"Oh grow up!" Luna rolled her eyes. "Now I am telling you as your younger and much wiser sister." the dark alicorn got up close and personal. "Thou art going to Ponyville and thou are going to have fun. We shall handle Canterlot and niece Cadance and Shining Armor are here to assist us should the need arise." Celestia's resolve slowly crumbled. "Tia, thou hast literally worked for a thousand years. Consider this a mandatory and overdue vacation." Celestia looked away and tried to explain to herself that she indeed was long overdue for a vacation. "If thou just so happened to grind Skarin's pelvis into dust-"

"Again! Luna!"

"Thine posterior is superior." Celestia rolled her eyes. "So, do we understand each other?" Luna smiled and Celestia did the same.

"Yes, ancient one." Luna smirked at her sister's jab which she clearly picked up from Skarin. "Just one problem with your plan. The train already left." Luna rolled her eyes.

"Whorse please." before Celestia had the time to scold her sister for using foul language, Luna snapped her fingers and Celestia was teleported to the Friendship Express along with her luggage. "Now go make me some nieces and nephews!"