Equestrian scrolls I : epic pony tales

by Sanguine Eyes


Chapter 3: Hello Everypony...huh? [remastered v2.0]

Hello Everypony... Huh?

End of day 1
        Twilight struggled and strained finally making it to her hooves, even with her excessively shaking and weak legs.

        "Ah! you surprise this one, You do not look strong enough to stand on your own."

        Twilight looked back with a sarcastic ‘gee thanks’ look as she sat back down. She could not believe that it had been 200 years. She hoped desperately that 200 years had not passed back in Equestria. But if this arch mage Taara was anything like Ra'Shala lead on she would not have any troubles, or at least so forced herself to believe.

        Twilight’s belly growled, but more than just some audible sound it felt like it had been so long since she had eaten that her belly was full of dust. The sensation was painful and desperate. "Does anypony have anything to eat around here?"

        The big man Baldir laughed loudly and Ra'Shala looked down at her. "Any...pony? This one takes it there are only ponies where you come from?"

        Twilight flinched a little in thought. "Ah..um...yes mostly just ponies where I come from. I suppose that's not the norm around here?" She bit her lip trying to roll about a word for it.

        "Not lest you are from the Shimmering isles beasty and even then...heh!" The other men called the carriages to a halt and started pitching a few tents. "We make for camp here, someone give the stupid Daedra horse something to eat."

        Caught between anger, fear, and sadness Twilight felt a little more inclined to stick with the feline woman Ra'Shala than with all the large human men. "Um...Ra'Shala was it? Do you have anything edible?"

        The woman looked over and smiled warmly "Yes little pony, This one has apples, some spare wine, and horker meat." She placed each in front of Twilight as she spoke them aloud.

        "Um...th..thank you. I will just go for the apples..." The apple in front of her magically raised and came to her where she eagerly ate it. "Um...hey, thank you very much for all you have done for me. I am very grateful"

        The woman smiled warmly and happily "It is no problem. This one knows what it is like to be in a strange land where no one knows much about your kind or even trusts you. Ah! Please forgive this one, she forgets to ask. What is your name little pony?"

        Twilight smiled continuing to hope that Ra'shala would be a friend she could keep for a long time. "I am Princess Twilight sparkle.."

        All at once every man in the small group burst out laughing. Baldir at their lead. Surprisingly even Ra'Shala was holding back some from snickering, but she shook it off "Two things this one recommends to you while you stay here in Skyrim. I know it may seem a little insulting but try not to refer to yourself as a princess, to the common eye you will appear a beast of burden. And second This one suggests you just call yourself Twilight, or something else. The Nords of this land are not the nicest, and I have witnessed a surprising amount of unneeded deaths sparked from what they deem silly names or even a diminished physique."

        Twilight grimaced. Where these people such barbarians as to literally kill someone just because they had a silly name. "Talos save us, aye beastie and just what is your royal linage, oh great and majestic sparkly unicorn beastie?" Baldir gave a gravely exaggerated bow as he spewed his lines with sarcasm so think that the other men nearly choked on it as they were thrown into a laughing fit.

        "I am a princess! I am the princess of Friendshiiiii...p..." She only just realized how much more silly that would sound to these meat headed men who right on queue burst into an even heartier laughter.

        "Ra'Shala, you were right. It was a good idea to spare this little beast, forget your jester friend this thing is ten times as hilarious." Twilight was understandably very insulted but she figured the culture here was just destined to make her angry. So she just decided to cuddle up in the cold air with the still not yet awakened spike and try to get some sleep.

        "This one does not care. Despite how silly it sounds, it is a wonderful idea, friendship." Ra'Shala's smile looked very authentic and her voice rather happy and sing songy, also unlike the men she was not pointing and laughing which she was not too surprised about. Ra’Shala seemed far more kind. "and do not mind the Nords, they are headstrong even if a little bit racist."

        "I have been meaning to ask, I can clearly tell that you and the men here are different species, I have many races in my world, but I am wondering, just how many races are there on this world?...back home we have the three main races and a surplus of sub races and other kingdoms each with its own race." She smiled looking up at her new friend.

        "This one does not know all, but she does know much. As you see, these men are Nords. Nords claim to be the first humans, they live her in Skyrim which they took as their own from when they came from Atmora. And then there are the Imperials to the south in Cyrodiil who run the empire, the dark elves to the east in Morrowind but they are scattered from the eruption of red mountain, the Bretons to the west in Daggerfall, below that there is Hammerfell, land of the Redguard, they are just more humans. South of Morrowind is Blackmarsh home to the argonians, they are the lizard people of Tamriel. Oh yes, Tamriel is the continent we are on. On the southernmost part of Tamriel is my homeland, Elsweyr.  Either sandy or full of jungle it is as beautiful as it is dangerous. And then there is Valenwood to the west of that and the Summerset isles off the coast even further south west. The other two elf races live there, but there is more and were more races of man and mer to this land...but only the Argonians and the Khajiit are real natives to this land. But you can read all that I don't know in the library at the college. The collection there is massive, just don't abuse the books. Urag may be ancient and feeble for an orc but he has lit my tail on fire twice for dropping his books on the floor."

        She chuckled happily as Twilight's hopes soared. This land sounded like it was jam packed to the brim with knowledge and history. Had she not been stranded here and still in great pain she would have been hopping around in joy at the thought of being on the way to such a place as this college of winterhold. Not to mention, it sounded even more vast and well preserved than the royal canterlot library. Which she knew had time spells in it. "Wow. There is so much to your world, I can't wait to get to the library and hear all about it."

        "Likewise this one believes that Taara will wish to hear the history of your land. This one believes you two will become good friends." Smiling warmly the Khajiit chuckled a little thinking of the small clashes the two would have and how quickly they would get over it. She knew that Taara had very strong opinions, and even though it was easy to make her angry she would get over it quickly so long as those sort of things were just let go. Twilight was certain to step on her toes at some point.

        Fires lit and the two conversed happily for a bit of the night before Twilight fell asleep. The bitter cold was warded off by the fire and by a mage's cloak Ra'Shala happily pulled from the loot chests and draped over twilight and Spike.

Morning of day 2

        Twilight yawned and looked up groggy, pained, and sluggish, a grand improvement over the day before. The sun had hardly raised and yet the carriage she had fallen asleep in was bumping around roughly on the stone roads. She had slept right through the cleanup and start of the day.

        "Good morning princess beastie..." One of the men laughed as he set a copper and moonstone circlet on her head. Though to her surprise she felt suddenly stronger.

        "Wh..what? what is that?" Twilight was unsure whether she should touch the thing or just accept the boost in power, it would help her in this rather rough time.

        Ra'Shala stepped in nudging the laughing nord. "The Nord was just playing a joke on you don't worry..."

        "No… I feel stronger. This crown, is it giving me power?"

        "Keen princess. Yes, this one believes the crown given to you is enchanted. It is one of the magics of this land. A magic to make things better basically as this one has learned it is a simple art that enhances anything you desire in various ways. You will know more of it later I am sure."

        Twilight nodded and looked to the north. It was already snowy where they were. She wondered when they would arrive at Winterhold. Twilight was a patient Pony, but she was not quite in a position where she wanted to see how much time she could spend doing anything but trying to get home.

Ra'Shala plopped another apple and a small piece of bread in front of Twilight and in turn she smiled happily eating most of it but turned her attention to spike who had still not waken up. She was growing more and more concerned, but the night previous she had learned of the mages of Winterhold and held hope that one or two of them would know how to help the dragon.

Mid day of day 2

        "Hey! wake up you daft beastie!" A sudden and heavy thud on the cart woke Twilight from a nap she had not noticed she had slipped into. The thud shook her and reminded her just how sore she was.

        "We are here oh princess of friendship. Now kindly get out of sight. Your arch mage is in that giant building over there, I think .I am not sticking around to find out where she is. You four! make sure that you get the money from all this and see how much that bitch was paying to get a talking purple horse from the damned Thalmor." The others Nodded  and quickly darted about taking the cart deeper into the city as Baldir went into one of the first buildings on the right.

        Hopping down from the cart and straining to stay on her hooves she continued on with her new Khajiit friend. This world looked so painful and hard. Everyone in it seemed to have to work extra hard to achieve any form of success or happiness and it could be swept away in the blink of an eye.
        
        Despite the world feeling so painful, the city here was amazing. Half of it was old and nearly in ruins, only patched up here and there. It looked as though it had weathered an immense story, the likes of which she personally had never seen. But then the other side of the city looked like it was brand new, more than brand new, about a tenth of the way into the city right about where the main structure which she believed to be the college they all spoke of, the ground stopped being dirt snow and stone, and what looked like a giant dock started. Separated into 8 groupings with drastically different architecture for each area the city expanded over what Twilight only got a small glimpse at and so she guessed was a massive harbor under the immense city.

        "This is amazing! Ra'Shala, there is so much variation in each area. Its like ten small cities from all over the world inside one."

        "This one has even more reason to believe you will be great friends with the arch mage, Taara has only just recently finished the restoration project here. Winterhold was once barely a town. Two dozen people at most lived here and mostly in the college. But Taara remade the city and now it thrives once again."

        There was a sudden flare of power that brought Twilight’s senses back to her and made her flinch. Looking over to see a woman clad in simple robes. It was clear she was important, not form her appearance but by the sheer massive magical energies within her. She was not elderly but old, as old or older than the Nord Baldir. But she was so well composed and it was obvious just by looking at her, she was once a very beautiful woman.

        "Ra’Shala? Is that you? Oh finally someone other than a brainless Nord comes to visit." Ra'Shala smiled happily and gestured for Twilight to join her. Quickly plopping the still unconscious spike on her back she trotted up as fast as her body would let her, and the woman's eyes widened.

        "Well Taara, the bone headed Nord as you requested this one call him, was running his raiding parties on elven caravans illegally entering Skyrim. The trade manifesto had your name on it, so, um, this is … well... Princess Twilight from Equestria as this one has been lead to understand."

        Twilight gave a polite bow as her heart filled with a mixture of emotions both negative and positive. Hope and fear, this woman would either save her or keep her as some sort of study subject or experiment. Or worse. However, she was also a beacon of hope for the young alicorn as what was likely her only way back to Equestria. "You must be the arch mage, my new friend Ra'Shala has told me so much about you. I can't wait to learn more."

        Taara looked blankly at the little alicorn before smiling. "Wow they weren't kidding when they said it was something I had never seen before. Well then, hello ...um.. Prince. I am archmage Taara Silvershield, one of the three." The way she said ‘one of the three’ seemed to imply that it meant something very important, even legendary.

        Twilight’s heat skipped a beat at Taara’s first comment, she was being sold to the archmage as an oddity. Quickly trying to cast her fears and doubts aside she remembered a rather important detail, Twilight quickly raised Spike up with her magic. "I don’t mean to pressure you or ask for help right away but, can you help my friend? He hasn't woken since I first came into this world. I think something is wrong with him can you please help?"

        Twilight held her breath in hope and Taara looked Spike over with intense curiosity.

        "Why this is utterly fascinating, a dragon… in its infancy." She picked him up and turned him over in her hands. Twilight's heart filled anew with hope and fear.

        "He's a baby dragon yes, but don't you have dragons here? How is he fascinating? and can you help him?"

        "It’s fascinating because Dragons are not born. They were created by Akatosh. They are immortal beings that cannot procreate at least not to my knowledge. How have you come across and infant of their species?"

        Twilight shrugged. "He hatched from an egg and has been with me ever since."

        "Fascinating, as are you as well little princess. I imagine it should not be too strange that I find a baby dragon AND a sentient talking horse." She focused and her fingers lit up with a deep blue glow just before she poked Spike in the belly. Instantly his body lit up in runes, the same exact runes that she saw back when she was sealed away for 200 years. The image of the strange magic haunted her and she resisted the primal urge to back away.

        "You see, dragons are incredibly resistant to magic. so it's very unlikely that he took well to whatever it was that sealed you two away. It's like a cheap paint while you were a sponge and he was a rock. You absorbed the magical energies when you were sealed away. He was just coated in it. Sure it still sealed him away but as you could just be rung out by opening the box and breaking the seal you have to magically scrub the seal off of this guy” She chuckled as she flared her power a little more. “Here you go, he should be fine now."

she held spike out in her hand and overturned it letting him plop straight onto the ground with a hearty splat.

        "Whaaaaa! Twilight!! Wh...what happened?" Spike weakly looked about struggling to haul himself onto his feet.

        "Shhh Spike we are kinda stranded right now, don't panic too much we will find a way home dont worry." She hauled him onto her back and looked back up at Taara.

        Twilight held back tears of relief seeing that Spike had been returned to her free of harm. She breathed in deep and stepped out onto the metaphorical ledge of her mind, preparing herself to take a risk. "Thank you so much arch mage.I am very very grateful. But, please allow me to come into your college, I need to find my way home, and I would be overjoyed to learn as much from you of this world as I can, and will in turn share what I can about my own magic and my world. This world is frightening and dangerous. I will be honest, it scares me. But you have helped me a great deal, and I will be ever happy to share the magic of friendship with you."

        Taara smiled getting the feeling she would like this small purple horse so long as it did not break into such emotional requests too often. "aye, that can work. Though in the meantime it's been a while and I'm sure you have had a long trip, so! as per tradition in new friendship, let this old Breton show you the wonderful magic of alcohol."