//------------------------------// // Power of the Moons // Story: Skyrim: Secrets of the Moon // by themonkeyknight //------------------------------// Luna and the girl ran until they could run no more, both of them gasping for breath. Luna looked back at where they had left Mikal and was surprised at how far they’d gone.  The swirling clouds did worry her, though she didn’t know why.  She turned back to the girl and saw her breathing had steadied. “Are you ready to go on?” she asked.  The girl nodded. “My village isn’t too far from here. Come on!”  The two continued up the path, walking now.  Luna looked up at the sky, marveling at the stars moons, and shimmering ribbon of color...which made her wonder where that mass of clouds over the redoubt had come from.  She was shaken from her thoughts when the girl called out to her.   “Hurry, Luna! I can see Karthwasten!” Luna couldn’t help but smile. The girl was so joyous compared to before that she seemed an entirely different person.  Luna ran to catch up to the girl.  When they reached Karthwasten, Luna looked around at the empty village. Three houses and other buildings formed a semicircle, and up the hill was what appeared to be an entrance to a mine. At first she wondered where everyone was, then remembered; it was late, of course the residents would be inside. The girl ran up to a house standing in between the other two houses.  Before Luna could stop her, the girl knocked on the house’s door four times.  While the girl was waiting for an answer, Luna had moved so that she was standing behind her. After a time, the door opened, revealing a man in miner’s clothes and sporting a day-old beard.  Hanging on his belt was a pickaxe.  He saw the girl first. “Fjotra?” “Papa!”  Fjotra wrapped her father in a hug. The miner, shellshocked, slowly returned the embrace, as though he couldn’t believe his daughter was back. Eventually, reality caught up to him, and he strengthened his grip on Fjotra, never wanting to let her go. “Oh, Fjotra! I never thought I’d see you again!” Luna watched the whole exchange, a smile on her face as she watched father and daughter reunite. The father finally looked up, expecting to see the fanged Argonian that said he would get Fjotra back. Instead, he saw one of the group that took his daughter.  “Forsworn!” A whinny from Shadowmere roused Mikal from his half-sleep. He sat up straight in the saddle and looked around. Shadowmere had stopped on the incline that led to Karthwasten. In fact, they had stopped right outside the village. “Shadowmere, why…” Mikal’s voice died in his throat when his eyes fell on the reason for Shadowmere’s halt. Every man in Karthwasten was belly-down on the ground, each of them struggling to grab a weapon just out of reach. Crimson red energies assaulted their bodies, forcing them to the ground in a way similar to Dragonrend. Mikal spotted Fjotra trying to help her father to no avail. In the center of it all was Luna. She was floating a foot off the ground, surrounded by a pale green barrier.  Her arms were flung out to the side, and her mouth was open in a silent scream.  Luna’s hair looked like a piece of the midnight sky itself. What really caught his attention was her eyes. They were pure white, blank as the Void, and blazed with power. It was then that Fjotra spotted him. “Mister! Please, help my papa!”, she begged. “Fjotra, what happened?” “Papa saw Luna and thought she was with the people that kidnapped me!” Mikal blinked, then swore. Of course. The armor they had taken off the corpse. “He shouted at her, and then attacked her! She kept backing away, but he wouldn’t stop! Right before Papa hit her, she screamed and threw her arms out to the side. The next thing I knew, the moons were glowing, and -” Mikal cut her off. “The moons?” He looked up, and sure enough, the two moons were glowing. Mikal looked back to the the men, then to Luna’s barrier. The colors were the same as the moons’ colors. Was Luna...using the moons?  “Stay with Shadowmere, hatchling.” He advanced, but as soon as he stepped inside the village, the red energies attacked him as harshly as the other men. Damn! She can’t tell friend from foe! Mikal fell to a knee and struggled to rise, visibly shaking with the effort. A Shout. I need a Shout. “WULD!” The Shout worked as intended, blasting him forwards, but the intensified pull of gravity on his body worked against him, stopping him all too soon. Unprepared for the sudden halt, he tumbled onto his belly. Once more, he struggled to rise, then Shouted again. “MUL QAH DIIV!” Ethereal Dragonbone Armor faded into existence around his body.  He stood this time, albeit shakily. The Dragon Aspect’s power was giving him a dovah’s strength, easing the task of resisting the spell, and he slowly but surely made his way towards Luna. Luna found herself in what appeared to be a meeting room. In the center of the room was a table, and standing around the table were three horse-like creatures. One had a pure white coat and a mane flowing with color and power. The second had a pink coat and tri-colored mane of pink, yellow, and purple. The third and final had a lavender coat and violet mane with a pink streak. Each creature had a horn and wings. All wore some form of regalia. Judging by the body shape, were female as well. “I’m sorry, Princess Celestia. I can’t find any trace of the wormhole that opened up and took her.” The speaker was the third creature. For whatever reason, the fact that she spoke did not startle or surprise Luna. In fact, all three seemed familiar to her. “Discord’s dimension hopping, but we haven’t heard back from him yet.” “Shiny and I haven’t found anything either. We’re looking through Sombra’s journals and records; many dark creatures and beings are recorded in them, but none are like the one that appeared through the wormhole.” The white one closed her eyes, as though in thought. “I see. Cadence, Twilight, thank you both. Even though you haven’t found anything, you tried. That helps me greatly.” Now Luna had all their names. But what were they talking about? Someone was taken from them? “It seems now we are waiting for Discord’s message. Let me know when -” A flash of white energy cut her off. Floating above the center of the table was a scroll. The lavender one’s - ah, Twilight’s horn glowed magenta, encasing the scroll in the same color. The scroll floated over to her, and she unraveled it, reading its contents. “It’s from Discord. He’s found her, but because of some beings called daedric princes, he can’t snap her out of that dimension. She’s safe; a native named Mikal found her and is helping her. Discord says for now he’ll watch and listen, then ‘accidently’ run into them. Disguised of course.” “Anything else?” Celestia asked. Twilight read more of the scroll. “He says to say hello to Fluttershy for him.” Twilight quirked an eyebrow. “He also says that if a cyclops triangle appears and asks for him, the check’s in the mail and he’ll get his goat at the next Chaotic Beings Anonymous meeting.” Celestia laughed at Discord’s last written statement. “Well...if nothing else, she’s safe and Discord knows where she is. Go back to the Crystal Empire and Ponyville. Twilight, tell me when Discord sends in his next report.” Twilight and Cadence nodded, then left the room. As soon as the door closed, Celestia’s posture slumped, her head lowering and her smiling fading. Luna’s heart ached for the white equine. She may not have known exactly who Celestia was, but she wanted to tell her that everything would be fine, and that she’d find who she was looking for.  “I swear...we will find you, sister. We will find you and bring you back home.” Tears gathered in her eyes.  “We’ll bring you home, Luna.”  At that moment, the room faded, and Luna’s vision went dark. “Mikal! I think she’s waking up.” The pale Argonian looked behind him to where Shadowmere was following. The dark horse’s steps were careful, making sure that Luna did not fall off, and Fjotra sat in front of Luna, holding Shadowmere’s reins. Sure enough, the Breton was stirring. Mikal stopped, Shadowmere drawing level with him then doing the same. “Nnggh...hm? Where…?” “You’re awake. How do you feel?” Luna looked down at the Argonian, who was regarding her with concerned eyes. “I’m fine.” She looked around. “Where are we?” “The road to Markarth.” Mikal crossed his arms and shifted his weight. “I must say, I am impressed. Most wouldn’t be conscious for far longer than you were.” “I was unconscious?” Mikal nodded. “For a day and a half. Enmon, Fjotra’s father, apologizes for attacking you. His wife, Mena, dressed you while you were out. Now only a complete idiot would call you a Forsworn.” He hesitated, looking away from Luna then back at her. “What do you remember?” “The last thing I remember was Enmon attacking me...and a dream of some sort. But it’s sketchy.” Mikal nodded, accepting her answer. “The body rejects any memories that it doesn’t like. Combine that with the backlash my Silence spell caused and the magicka hyperexhaustion you suffered from that spell...I thank the Divines you aren’t comatose.” “Is Luna going to be okay?” Mikal looked to Fjotra, then smiled at her. It seemed that Fjotra had taken a liking to the Breton. “As long as she doesn’t use any kind of magic for a day or two, she'll be fine. Now,” he said cheerfully. “Let us be off to Markarth.” Mikal turned back to the road and focused his magicka. A swirling sphere of darkness congealed in his left hand. Thrusting his hand forwards, the Argonian cast the spell towards the road. Bluish-white energy swirled in a sphere. It cleared, revealing an unearthly creature. A horse’s complete skeleton stood on the road. Its hooves and tailbone had fire surrounding them, and the same fire streaked from where its mane would’ve been. The eye sockets shone with an otherwordly light. Every part of the skeleton horse was a deep purple.  “This is Arvak, a horse I found in the Soul Cairn.” Arvak turned to look at the others, and Shadowmere snorted in response, unimpressed. Mikal chuckled at Shadowmere, then climbed onto Arvak. He dug his heels into Arvak’s ribs, and the skeleton horse took off, Shadowmere following close behind. Not two minutes after they had left, a white-haired young man materialized into existence, right on the spot where the horses had stood. “Oh, poo. Missed them by a few minutes. Oh well. Guess I’ll explore for a bit, and who knows? Maybe I’ll find some chaos…or make some!” He cackled, then snapped his fingers and disappeared. A group of five traveled North towards Markarth.  Their armor and weapons clanked and jangled as they went down the trail. All looked as though they were about to fight a powerful enemy. The one walking point remembered the instructions they had been given: Kill the Vampire Lord known as Mikal, whom was traveling to the Dwarven city. He looked at the sun. They would arrive at Markarth by sunset. Turning to the others, the group leader shouted at the others to keep moving, they were almost there. As they went, each of them mentally prepared for the battle. A group of five traveled North towards battle.