//------------------------------// // One // Story: Flight to Dreadlands // by Prince of Cavia //------------------------------// Drunken Plans - Marketplace at Sun Tower - Falling Sun - Return “Cheers for the best pirates in Tamriel!” The tavern was filled with laughter. By one of the tables, a group of four was sitting, drinking whiskey, laughing and generally having a good time. One man was standing next to the table, a glass in his hand. He was a handsome Imperial, tall, with black hair. He smiled and emanated confidence. “Yes, cap’n. We are the best,” said one of the men sitting at the table, a fat, balding older Imperial with glasses. “Yes, Malvery. We are,” the captain responded. “However…” Malvery continued, “as much as I love drinking whiskey with your lot, I started to wonder if our tour of the taverns of Cyrodiil might end with us running out of money sooner than we expect.” The captain started considering this. “But the Archduke gave us a big reward for getting rid of that Awakener cult.” “Half of which is already spent,” said an Imperial woman sitting next to the captain. She was quite pretty, with short blonde hair and a very pale skin. “You always need to bring me down to the ground, right Trinica?” said the captain. “That’s because I love you, Frey,” she said. Frey leaned down and kissed her. “Malvery’s right,” said a young, red-haired Breton girl. She hugged the old man with one arm, and raised a cup with the whiskey in the other. “I say, let’s fly to New Cyrodiil. A whole new frontier. We can be explorers!” “That… might be a good idea, Ashua. How about you, Silo. Do you have any ideas?” The Redguard looked at the captain. He was tall and muscular, with a visible scar on his arm. He was the only one of the crew that wasn’t drinking alcohol. Frey know that despite his stoic demeanor, he still enjoyed spending time with them. “We might go to Hammerfell, help beat down the Sammies,” he said. “Yeah, I heard that things had heated up over there. I hope Murthians are faring well.” “All the enslaved tribes had risen up in rebellion. I reckon that Sammie rule is coming to an end.” “And good riddance,” said the captain, and swung another slip from the bottle. He sat down in his place, and hugged his girlfriend. “And you, where do you want to go?” “I’ve been thinking about traveling out of Tamriel.” “Trying to find Akavir?” “Perhaps. The Great Storm Belt is getting weaker, so airships could fly into the Panthalassic Ocean again.” “And fly where exactly?” “There are rumors of different continents. Maybe if you found a new navigator, we would be able to find them.” “This time find one that isn’t a creepy vampire,” Ashua interrupted. Frey looked over his crew. Truth to be told, as much as he liked not being a wanted criminal anymore, he was starting to get a bit bored. You could only party for so long until the sky starts calling to you again. “You know, I will think about it. Maybe we will find a trace of another valuable artifact?” “As long as you don’t start another civil war in Cyrodiil, I’m in,” said Malvery. Others agreed. Far away from Tamriel, on the ocean, there was a large tower. At the bottom of the tower, there was a town, built on ramps added to the giant structure. Above this town, there were several holes in the tower’s wall, with smaller ramps and docs for the airships. In the lower city, a lone Unicorn mare was walking. She had a light blue coat and bright yellow mane. She had a backpack, and was walking through the marketplace. The marketplace was busy with activity, with many Unicorn ponies and Soldavi humans walking around. The Unicorns of the Sun Tower had a very good relationship with the human nations from the nearby Sol Dawn Archipelago. “Hello, Stellar Reflection. What can I do to you?” asked an old human from one of the stands. “As usual,” the mare said with a smile. The human trader took out a few dried plants and a few crystals on the table. Stellar gave him several coins and took the ingredients into her backpack. “How are you, Stellar? Have you become a full-fledged mage yet?” “Not yet. The Abbess still wants me to complete a few tasks. She says I have potential, and the tasks will not be challenging for me.” “In my opinion, you should already have your title. Look at me. Last year, I barely was able to walk with a cane, and now look!” the human said, walked out of his stand and did a little dance. Stellar giggled. “I’m glad that you’re okay. How are you, by the way? How is your daughter?” “She feels great. Little Tai is a healthy boy. I'm sure he will grow up into a great man one day. Actually, I will stay here for a few more days, then I will sail to New Aravale, then catch a caravan to Wirewood and stay there for some time. I will be the best grandfather every!” “That’s great. Say to you daughter that I wish her the best. I will bring you the potions tomorrow. Say, how…” “Wait… what’s happening to the sun?” someone shouted. Stellar looked, and indeed, the sun started to set many hours before the afternoon. Soon, beels started to ring. “Emergency in the tower. I gotta go!” shouted Stellar. She levitated the bag on her back and started galloping towards the tower. In the depths of the Sun Tower, a very old mare with white coat and pink mane was galloping. Abbess Sunrise, the custodian of the tower and the leader of the Unicorns living here, ran towards the main chamber. She was in the scribe room, writing about new ways to use healing magic, when she felt it. Thung of the High Magic, the ancient art, lost after ponies fleed the Old Country. She looked in the window, and her feelings were confirmed. The sun moved, led by an powerful, unknown force. The sight filled the Abbess with terror, and she shouted for alarm immediately. She arrived at the main chamber. Mages of the Sun Tower, powerful Unicorn mares that dedicated their lives to defending and healing others, gathered there. Other than them, there were many novices and apprentices that studied the art of Light Magic. In the middle of the chamber, there was an emblem of the sun crawled into the floor. On the wall, there were paintings of the former leaders of Sun Tower. Sunrise looked at the portrait of the First Abbess. Many said she was very similar to her, but she didn’t see this. Seeing that there were enough Unicorns in the chamber, she walked to the center, and looked towards the sun. The large windows were opened.  Her horn started glowing. The horns of other unicorns started glowing as well. She shoot a beam of light upwards, to the very center of the chamber. Other unicorns also shoot beams, adding their magic to perform the most powerful spell available to them, possibly the most powerful spell that still exists. The sphere of Light Magic in the center of the chamber was getting larger. Abbess reached towards it with her magic, and a bright beam shot out of the sphere towards the sun. Abbess felt the colliding forces of High Magic. She hasn't felt such power for many, many years. She always hoped she would never feel it again, yet it was here, and was attempting to bring down the sun. Abess increased the force of her magic. Sun started to slow down. Other unicorns were struggling, pouring their magic into the sphere, hoping their power will get the sun back into its place. The air in the chamber started vibrating with the sheer power of magic gathered inside. Sunrise attempted to wrestle control of the sun from the attacker. Even with all her power, she struggled. Fear started gathering in her mind. Suddenly, the weight that was bringing the sun down was lifted. The sun jerked in the sky. Sunrise took control of it, and put it in its correct place.  The magic sphere in the chamber disappeared. Sunrise heard a few unicorns tumbling down from sheer exhaustion. The spell they prepared today was far more powerful that what they used usually to guide the sun into the sunset and sunrise. Her head started to feel light. Soon, two apprentice mares ran towards her, helping her stand. “What in Sun’s name was that!” shouted one of the mares. Abbess Sunrise looked at the sun, and then towards the gathered unicorns. Fear was in her eyes. “It… has returned…” Far away, in a land that was long considered lost and dead, a powerful magical whirlwind started to disperse. The sun went back into its place, pulled by powerful magic. After a few moments, it looked like nothing happened here.  The attacker looked towards the sun. So she had survived, she thought. She looked beyond the giant magical shield. The surrounding territory was green and lush. In the distance, there was a flock of birds flying. It was unexpected. After the Calamity, and with such a long time passing, the world should have been either a dark, frozen wasteland under the eternal moon, or a scorched, hellish desert under the eternal sun. Yet, it seems that ponies were persistent, managing to survive despite the fall of their civilization. The attacker turned back. The magical clouds were still covering it, but they started to fade. Light started to shine down on the great city. The tall crystal spines were glistering.