It was only a few seconds that the group had to walk through the abyss, but the absolute darkness was a terrifying experience for Twilight. however, as they exited to the other side, what she saw made her very soul shudder with horror. standing before them now was Vaermina, and Sahrot. however, this Sahrot was much different. he still had the same body and armor, but he was several feet taller, almost as tall as a building! he also seemed to be split down the middle, in two halves. the right half was a radiant, shimmering gold, and the left...was utterly terrifying. it was crimson in color, and in it's chest, a pitch black discoloration was emanating outward, traveling in long, snake-like tendrils about the rest of the left side, like some kind of disease. it was like looking at a void, as it slowly eats away everything in it's path. the red half wore an expression of pure rage, while the gold one seemed to be in agony. it was at this moment that Vaermina turned her attention to the recently arrived party.
"Ah, so you have finally arrived, I see." the Daedra said, sneering down at them. "And I see that you've made some new friends as well."
"Vaermina, this game has gone long enough! release Sahrot now, or we'll have to use lethal force!" Celestia commanded, glaring up at the Daedric Prince.
"Oh, maybe I will, once I find out what he's hiding." Vaermina stated. Celestia continued to glare at the Daedra, while Twilight puzzled over what she said.
'What he's hiding? what in Equestria is she talking about? questions for later, Twilight.' she thought to herself.
"I must ask, though, Celestia, why would you want to save this wretched soul?" Vaermina asked.
"Why? because he is our friend! he has helped us in dire times, and we have come to his aid in return." Luna replied.
"Hmm, so he did not tell you? did he not tell you of what he's done, of the amount of innocent blood on his hands?" Vaermina spat. "I may be the conjurer of nightmares, but I've not spilled a single drop of blood in all my existence. he did, however."
Celestia narrowed her eyes at the Daedra with suspicion. she did not trust the monsters' words, and Vaermina could see it in her eyes.
"Perhaps you can learn the truth from Sahrots' Knowledge. go ahead, ask him, for he cannot lie." Vaermina stated. with that, all three princesses slowly shifted their gaze to the silver colored aspect.
"Is it true? did you really did what she said you've done?" Twilight asked. she was having doubts herself, but she barely knew anything about Sahrot. she looked directly at Knowledge, who sighed heavily, as he prepared to give his answer.
"...yes, it is true that I have done many terrible things. I do have innocent blood on my hands. I have taken the lives of many innocent people." Knowledge stated.
The trio of princesses only stared back at him with expressions of shock, the most expressive being Twilight. however, one word was uttered that wavered over the air.
"H-how?"
It was not the word itself that had such an effect, but the voice of the one who had spoken it. all eyes shifted on Lucia, who was starting beginning to cry.
"It...was because I...was weak. very weak." another voice answered. it sounded just like Sahrot, and soon everyone present turned to the Will/Anger fusion.
"What do you mean?" Twilight implored, very much confused.
"I was...weak...I could not control the...the rage inside of me, a rage that f-festered for many years. it was something that I have tried to keep under control. you must understand, I did not...want them killed. but he, HE made me do it." Will said.
"Who is this he, you speak of, Sahrot?" Luna inquired.
"Oh, yes, please do tell us, Dragonborn, who has supposedly made you do these heinous acts?" Vaermina asked, a cruel smile on her lips.
"...the Dread Father has done this to me...foisted a veil of bloodlust upon my senses, made me wild...made me, g-go on a s-s-slaughter." Will stuttered. the aspect of Will started to buckle in the knees, as if collapsing from a great weight. the ponies looked at the fusion with both confusion and worry, while the child and Prince had expressions of horror.
"The Dread Father has ensnared you? this is bad, terrible, even..." Vaermina muttered darkly.
"Wait, what's going on?" Twilight asked, very much confused.
"What's going on is that we have a major threat on our hands. if what he said is true, then Sithis has corrupted his spirit, which means he is a threat to us all." Vaermina declared, flying into the air. with a flick of her wrist, the Daedra levitated the fusion of Anger and Will up with her. then her eyes glowed brightly, and all the other emotional aspects were lifted off the 'ground', and were veering towards the fusion, and a bright light formed around them all when they made contact. once the light died down, all that remained was a single being.
"Sahrot!" Twilight shouted, making her way to approach him. she was stopped, however, when a large wall of black flames blocked her paths.
"Do not interfere, pony," Vaermina growled, making the alicorn shiver. "I have only reformed him again so I can properly dispose of him."
"W-WHAT!?" Twilight screamed. she glared up at the Daedra, who glared right back.
"You heard me, pony," Vaermina spat, sounding completely serious. "He is a threat to all of us. if he lives, he will bring chaos and destruction to all that is!"
Twilight stared at Vaermina for a moment, pondering on what she said for a moment, before using a shield spell to help her move past the flames.
"I don't care what you say, Vaermina! Sahrot is our friend, and we would never abandon our friends in their time of need!" Twilight yelled back.
The Daedric Prince shifted her gaze to the Celestial sisters, who stared at her warily.
"I take it that you are of the same opinion?" she inquired.
"Yes, monster, we are." Celestia spoke, charging her horn. Vaermina growled, and was about to attack, until she was stopped by a voice.
"Vaermina, wait!" Sahrot yelled, gaining the Daedra's attention. "Please, don't hurt them. your quarrel is with me. just let them go, and you can do away with me in whatever way you wish."
Upon hearing his pleas, the Aspect of Nightmares smirked, and looked down at the ponies beneath her.
"You see? even your precious friend agrees with me, even if only because I could destroy your minds in an instant. it would be wise for you to heed his words, and leave immediately, or I-AARGH!" Vaermina was cut off from her speech as she felt a searing pain in her side. she glared hatefully at the midnight blue alicorn, who had a blade of pure light in her magical grasp.
"We will not monster! we will never abandon those in need!" Luna roared.
Vaermina immediately shot her hand out, and summoned forth a swirling black mass. she aimed it to the ground, and fired. as the black mass was descending, it began to mold, to take shape and grow. once it landed, formed into a massive Daedroth, covered in pitch-black scales.
"Destroy them." Vaermina said. the Daedroth obliged by roaring loudly at the ponies before it.
"NO!!" Sahrot yelled, fearful for his friends and daughter. he tried to squirm out of her hold, but the Daedra held fast, as she turned her attention back to him.
"They made their choice." she spat, as the princesses battled the monster. "And now I will deal with you."
Sahrot made a split decision, and shouted right into Vaermina's face.
"YOL, TOR SHUL!" he roared. Vaermina screeched in surprise and pain, as her head was consumed in flames. this allowed Sahrot to be free from her grasp, and he rushed over to the group immediately. with a thought, he conjured up a Daedric sword and shield, and leapt on the Daedroth's back, plunging the blade into it's shoulder. the Daedroth roared in agony, and shook violently, but the argonian wouldn't let go. with the beast now distracted, the three princesses were now able to gain the upper hand. Celestia and Twilight blasted it, and Luna was able to land the finishing blow by driving Dawnbreaker through the Daedroth's eye, burning it's brain. the Daedroth growled weakly, before collapsing to the ground. Sahrot slid off it's back, as it slowly melted into a black mass, and faded away. he looked at Luna with a curious expression.
"You seem to do well with a blade." he remarked.
"I've had time to practice." she replied, turning the handle to him.
"You're going to need that more than I will for the moment." he stated, pointing to Vaermina. Luna nodded, turning her attention back to the Daedra.
"Twilight." Sahrot addressed, gaining the young alicorn's attention. "Please watch over Lucia."
"I-I will." Twilight said, sounding nervous.
She went to the young girls' side and cast a shield spell over them, tensing up for what's to come next. Sahrot and the Celestial sisters went to battle with Vaermina herself. Celestia summoned a twin set of blades, each blazing with the power of the sun, and slashed them across Vaermina's arm. Luna did much of the same with Dawnbreaker, leaving a deep gash in her leg. Sahrot opted to use a combination of destruction magic and shouts, launching several incendiary attacks into her side. Vaermina roared in fury, and sent a volley of spikes at Luna. the lunar princess was able to dodge and slice through most of them, but ended up with a few cuts and nicks. with a flash of her eyes, she summoned a bed of black tendrils, which managed to ensnare Celestia for a moment. she managed to hack away the tendrils, but not before she was struck in the side by a powerful bolt of lightning. she cried out in pain, and slumped to the ground, the electricity locking up her muscles.
"CELESTIA!" Twilight cried out, rushing to her side. Lucia followed close behind, and soon they were at her side. Lucia prepared a healing spell, which helped ease the pain, allowing Celestia to breathe regularly.
"It's alright, Twilight, I'll be fine." Celestia said softly. "Just take care of the child."
At that moment, Sahrot was with them now, and with a much more powerful healing spell, he was able to get Celestia back on her feet.
"Thank you. now, lets get back to the fight." Celestia said calmly, before taking off. Sahrot rushed back into the battle, sending more destruction spells Vaermina's way.
Vaermina was not in a good position against her opponents. under the combined might of a solar princess, her lunar sister wielding a weapon of one of her hated enemies, and a dragonborn, she won't be able to last much longer until she is forced out of Sahrot's mind. so, with a flash of her eyes, the entire landscape changed with a lightning strike.
**********
A huge bolt of lightning descended from the sky, blinding everyone in its' vicinity. it faded away as soon as it appeared, however, replaced instead by a quiet night in some unknown swamp-like area. the princesses looked around the area in confusion, wondering where they were. Lucia stuck to Twilight in fright, worried of what might happen next. Sahrot, however, stood quietly, his eyes transfixed on something in the distance. the others noticed this, and followed his gaze to find a cottage near a large river. curious, they were all about to approach him, until a huge mass of shadows caught them in it's clutches.
"Nrrgh, what?! how did this happen?!" Luna cried out. she tried to swing Dawnbreaker at the darkness, but it was quicker, smacking the lunar princess in the face, causing her to momentarily drop the blade. Luna shook her head, and tried to reach for it, only for it to fade out of existence.
"Oh, you won't be needing that anymore." a dark voice chuckled.
"SHOW YOURSELF, DEMON!!" Luna yelled, snorting in anger when she was responded by cackling laughter. Twilight on the other hand was trying to call out to Sahrot.
"Sahrot! Sahrot, what are you doing?!" she cried, trying to gain his attention. the argonian did not move, however, still keeping his eyes on the cottage ahead.
"He cannot hear you, fool. he is under my spell, now." the dark voice answered. with that, Vaermina herself materialized out of the ground, standing next to Sahrot. she rested a hand on his shoulder, and looked to the cottage as well.
"Perhaps, I should bring it closer. after all, what fun is watching a show in the distance, when one could get close in all the chaos?" Vaermina whispered darkly. she stretched out her hand, and the cottage was immediately close, so close that everyone present was almost next to it.
"Let the first act begin." Vaermina spoke, before fading away once more.
With that, a rustling was heard in the nearby shrubbery. from there emerged a group of humanoid figures clad in dark leather robes, ten total. the ponies watched with suspicion and worry as the hooded figures made their way to the cottage door, before stopping. they huddled together for a moment, seemingly discussing their next course of action, before dispersing. six of them hid by the sides of the cottage, while the other four made their way to the front door. one of the four walked up to the door, knocking it rather loudly. a commotion was heard within the cottage, and a faint light could be seen from one of the windows. a figure approached the door, the light growing lighter, until it stopped, and receded back, the light growing dimmer. the figure at the door seemed to grow impatient, and knocked on the door, even louder then last time. a voice was then heard from the inside, calling out to the beings outside.
"I do not know what you are doing here, Thalmor, but you are not welcome here." it stated, sounding deep and gruff.
"Not until we have acquired what we have set out for. we have reason to believe that your son, Silent-Foot-Shadow, is a worshiper of Talos. if you turn him over to us peacefully, then there will be no harm brought upon you. if not, we will have to use force. lethal force, if necessary." the lead figure, now identified as a Thalmor, spoke.
"What madness do you speak of, elf? none of my family worship any gods but our own, and Talos is not one of them. even if my son was a believer, we would not hand him over to the likes of you." the voice responded.
"If that is your answer, then you are a fool. we will have your son, even if we have to kill your family to get him!!" the lead Thalmor cried out.
He extended his hand to the door, as flames began to form in his palm. the figure then stepped back, as the flames shot from his hand to the door, bathing it in it's heat. the door was left badly damaged, and reduced to rubble as the figure kicked it to pieces. the Thalmor peered into the darkness for a few seconds, before he heard a low whistling sound. he turned too late, as an arrow struck him in his left temple. he fell to the ground, dead. the other three Thalmor immediately jumped into action, storming into the house, releasing fire balls everywhere. soon the entire room as ablaze, revealing a lone male argonian, a bow and arrow at the ready. he fired an arrow at a Thalmor preparing to fire a lightning spell, hitting him square in the heart. the Thalmor clutched the arrow in his hand, gasping, before falling to the floor. the argonian was not able to fire again, however, as the Thalmor next to him was able to fire a lightning bolt straight into his chest. the argonian dropped to his knees, taking in ragged breaths as he tried to stand up. he was almost on his feet, until he was kicked down by the Thalmor. the elf then bent down to the argonians' level, holding a dagger to his throat. the argonian could see the features of the elf, noticing that he had a short beard.
"This is what happens when you try to stand in our way, lizard." he said, snarling. "But don't worry, you'll join your family soon enough."
"...heh...heh heh...I believe that you are sorely mistaken, you pointy-eared bastard." the argonian said, smiling smugly.
"Hmm, let me guess, they were able to sneak out from the back? how fortunate, that just makes this whole ordeal easier. like I said, you'll be seeing them sooner. except for your son, of course." the Thalmor stated, grinning darkly at the argonian.
He then drove the dagger into the argonian's left hand, causing him to cry out in agony as it was pinned into the floor. the Thalmor then stood up and left the burning house with his comrade, leaving the argonian to try pulling out the dagger from his hand, as the cottage collapsed around him. he looked at the Thalmor in anger and desperation, before he was finally smothered by the flaming debris.
**********
The ponies watched the scene concluding, standing in horror by what they witnessed, as well as confusion. what is it that they were witnessing, and why? however, Lucia was thinking differently from the rest.
'Is...is this what I think it is?' Lucia thought, trembling slightly. 'Is this the thing father was talking about? why he never...talked about his parents?'
she was not able to ponder further, however, as the scene changed from the burning cottage, to a blurring scene of trees racing by. in the center were three individuals; a slender, curvier argonian, indicating a female, as well as what appeared to be a much younger version running alongside her, holding something in her arms. following behind them was a young argonian male, holding in his hands a bow and arrow, as well as a small sword on his side. they kept on running, until they came to a clearing. the adult female then turned to the young male, speaking to him in a language the ponies did not understand. she then pointed to the right side urgently, and the young male nodded nervously. he then took the younger females' hand, and bolted in that direction. the adult now stood alone in the clearing, stood with her hands to her sides. she then held up one hand, which was immediately bathed in a blue light. the argonian's eyes seemed to glow the same color for a moment, until she cancelled the action, dispelling the faint light. she then reached from under her garment, pulling out a dagger. she made her way to the left side of the clearing, making drag marks along the way, before she hid in the bushes. soon after, the remaining Thalmor were entering into the clearing as well. they looked around for a bit, trying to locate any sign of their direction. one of them spotted the marks made by the female, pointing it out to the rest. they soon followed the trail of marks, much to the females' satisfaction. she picked up a stone, and tossed it to the far left of their position, gaining their attention. two of them split off into that direction, with the argonian following silently behind them.
"Do you think there's an ambush?" one of them said quietly.
"Of course not. they're nothing but bipedal lizards, they aren't smart enough for that." another one answered.
"Are you stupid? two of our own were killed off already, there's no telling what might happen." the first one retorted.
The other made to reply, but instead cried out in pain, clutching his left leg.
"What's happened to y-" the Thalmor began, but was silenced as a blade a driven into the back of his skull, killing him instantly. the female argonian silently laid the body down. the other one, however, collapsed to the floor, unmoving. the argonian swiftly moved back into the shrubbery as the other Thalmor rushed in to investigate the commotion. upon seeing the two corpses, they immediately stuck together, preparing for a fight. they weren't expecting to hear two of their comrades crying out in pain, clutching their legs, then falling dead seconds later. the argonian female silently chuckled at their consternation, and slowly made her way through the shrubbery quietly. soon she was back in the clearing. still holding onto her dagger, she made her way to the direction of the young ones, until she heard a sound behind her. she turned around too late, as a pale green orb of light quickly slammed into her back, causing her body to freeze. she fell to the ground, still as a statue, as the remaining Thalmor made their way towards her.
"I must say, that was a good plan you had there." one of them said, approaching her steadily. "Unfortunately, it wasn't good enough."
he bent down and picked up her dagger from her grasp, and inspected it with intrigue.
"Hmm, I must say say, this is a high quality poison you have on this dagger of yours. it must very potent, for it to kill off my men so easily." he remarked before he turned his attention back to the argonian. "I wonder how it would effect an argonian? how about we find out?"
With that, he quickly jabbed the dagger into her chest, causing her eyes to dilate in shock. he stood up from his position, holding his hand up in the air. his hand then glowed a faint blue, and his gaze locked towards the left.
"Ah, I see that you were also trying to divert our path as well. clever." he stated.
The argonian did not reply, as her vision was starting to darken, her blood running cold. the Thalmor noticed this, and smirked down at her.
"I guess you argonian aren't much better at resisting poison." he stated derisively. "Oh well, at least you will see your husband very soon. that's one thing you could at least look forward to."
he then left the dying argonian to her demise, as he and his associates trudged onward in the direction of the remaining argonians.
**********
The scene ends, and the princesses were now left stunned. with what had just seen, they were beginning to mull things over, putting things together in their heads. however, the scene changed yet again, this time revealing the young argonians. they appeared to be in a clear pathway, and in the distance was a small settlement. the young male stepped out of the darkened canopy, and into the moonlight. the princesses gasped at what they saw, while Lucia's heart cold. the young argonian looked identical to Sahrot, only two feet shorter, and with no visible scars. he appeared to smile with relief when he saw the settlement, and he led the younger female in that direction. however, they weren't able to make it far until they heard the faint sound of a twig snapping. young Sahrot immediately turned his attention behind them, drawing his bow out, and notching the arrow. he then whispered to the young female next to him, motioning his head in the direction of the village. the girl nodded her head nervously, before turning around and running. as soon as that happened, two of the Thalmor emerged, spells at the ready. Sahrot immediately shot the one closest to him, lodging the arrow in his throat, killing him almost instantly. he quickly notched another arrow and fired it into the other ones' chest. he was shocked, however, when the arrow barely pierced into the vest. a light blue hue shimmered in the area the arrow struck, and faded away in a second, as the arrow fell to the ground. the Thalmor only smirked at the young argonian, before shooting his hand out at a certain direction, and fired a light-green orb. Sahrot turned to the direction where it flew, and he gasped in fear. the orb was headed right for the young female. as soon as it struck, she had little time to turn around. now she laid on the ground, completely immobilized. Sahrot was not able to turn around in time to see another green orb smack into him, making his body freeze as well, and he fell to the ground, helpless. the Thalmor looked down at him with a sneer, before turning around to his two other cohorts.
"Go get the girl." he said simply. they obliged, and made their way to the young female, grabbed her, and made their way back.
"Sir, the young female was carrying this in her hands." one of them said, holding out the item in question.
It was an egg, about the size of a mans' head, with a light blue color, with grey splotches all over the shell. the other Thalmor took it into his hands, inspecting it for a moment.
"An interesting egg you have here." he said, scratching his beard. " I wonder what will happen if I drop it?"
Sahrot immediately tried to get his body to move, but he could barely even shake his body.
"Oh, don't even bother trying to move, Silent-Foot-Shadow. that spells' going to keep you down for a while, now." the elf said. "And as you may guess, we can't exactly let your family live, seeing as how they're witnesses. I must say, you have a quite a formidable family, even took out a lot of my men,but I digress. I'm going to make you a deal. if you come with us quietly, with no problems at all, we'll leave the egg alone. after all, its only an egg. if not, however, then it's going to be smashed. what do you say?"
Sahrot moved his head slightly, trying to turn his head to face the young female.
"Hmph, I'm guessing that you're wondering about your sister, and what will happen to her? well, that's simple. she's a witness, and we can't have any witnesses." the Thalmor said, motioning to the other Thalmor, who nodded and turned his attention to the young female, pulling out a shortsword from it's scabbard.
Sahrot was now shaking desperately, trying in vain to get up and save his little sister, but couldn't even move his legs. he watched in fear and despair as the Thalmor raised the blade over her sisters' heart, poised for the lethal strike. he couldn't bear to watch, and so he closed his eyes and prayed desperately in his mind for someone to save them.
SHUNK.
THUD.
Sahrot slowly opened his eyes, dreading the worst had come true. he was instead greeted by the Thalmors' body, as it slumped to the ground in front of him, an arrow piercing through his heart. it was only a few more seconds before a second one holding his sister was shot down as well, leaving only one left. it was at that moment that several argonians emerged from the foliage, each wielding a bow, their arrows pointed straight at the Thalmors' heart. one of the argonians, a limber female, walked forward to the Thalmor, holding out her hand. the elf snarled, and handed it over the egg to the female, who gave to one of the others to guard. she then bent down to pull Sahrot to his feet, the spells' effect having worn off. as soon as he got to his feet, Sahrot immediately turned around and punched the Thalmor hard in the jaw, knocking him to the ground. he pulled out his sword and held it to the elf's throat, glaring hatefully into his eyes.
"What did you do to my mother and father?! where are they?!" he yelled.
The Thalmor stared back into his eyes with a cold sense of cruelty.
"Dead." was all he answered.
As soon as that word was uttered, Sahrot appeared to be utterly shocked, speechless by that word. his eyes had visibly shrunken as he started to stare lifelessly into the Thalmors' eyes. his dark chuckle was what snapped Sahrot out of his apparent trance. his expression contorted into one of unadulterated wrath, and he violently threw the Thalmors' body to the ground, and jumping right on top of him. with his sword, he drove it deeply into the Thalmors' chest, driving through it's resistance almost instantly. this caused the elf to cry out in pain. Sahrot pulled the blade out, splattering blood over his pants, before stabbing him again, this time through the sternum, shattering the ribcage. Sahrot kept on driving the blade in and out of the Thalmor's body, not stopping even after the elf was long dead. soon, his entire front body was drenched in blood, the elf's body a mutilated, torn fleshy pulp. Sahrot was breathing heavily, as he raised his sword to strike one more blow to the elf, until a pair of hands held him back
"PLEASE, BROTHER, STOP THIS!!" his sister cried out, holding his hands at bay. the older argonian tried to struggle for a moment, until he turned to look at her. she stood behind him, holding his bloodied hands with her own. her once clean hands, now stained with the blood he spilled. at that point, his anger withered away, locked inside his heart. now, he was left with overwhelming, paralyzing grief, as his eyes stung from the tears that flowed like rivers down his face. his sister grabbed him in a tight embrace, and he hugged her back, comforting her as best as he could, given the situation. it was a vain effort, because their loss was too much to bear for them.
They had lost their home.
Their innocence.
Their family.