//------------------------------// // 1. End of the Line // Story: The Scrolls of Equestria // by AleneShazam //------------------------------// “Hey!” Go away. “Wake up!” No, mom! I don’t wanna wake up! “I’m not your mother you silly colt!” Wait, what?! I opened my eyes, blinking in the sunlight. I was in a carriage. Not the fancy kind, mind you, with the gold and embellishments and whatnot. This carriage was the kind that was simple and rickety. Every rock and hole on the ground made the cart creak in ways that did not instill much confidence. The landscape which the carriage was crossing through was rough and hilly, and heavily snowed upon. Not exactly ideal traveling conditions, either. I saw that the carriage was pulled by two stallions, wearing traditional imperial army garb. There was a sudden crack, and I was sure I jumped at least ten feet into the air. As I settled down again, I heard laughter behind me. I turned around to see the source of the laughing. “Hey there!” Giggled a pink earth pony. Imperial, probably. Did I mention that I’m a pony? An upstanding dark unicorn, at your service. None of that fancy southern deerfolk nonsense, just a regular old unicorn. Now that I think about it, I wasn’t able access my unicorn magic then. I reached up to my forehead, only to feel some sort of ring. A ring of suppression, no doubt. But anyway, the pink pony. She had a pink coat, with an mane of a deeper shade of pink. Speaking of her mane, sweet Celestia it was crazy! It just seemed to bounce everywhere whenever she moved her head. I certainly don’t recall seeing anyone with anything like it before. Her cutie mark was three balloons. Spirits know what that means. “You’re finally up!” She giggled again. “I guess...” I mumbled, trying to remember why I was on this crummy cart again. “So... why are we on this cart again?” I instantly regretted saying that, as the pink imperial just seemed to deflate. Literally. Her mane turned flat, and even her coat seemed to desatu... desature... dim. “Pinkie Pie does not like to think about the reason. Pinkie Pie has been... bad.” She wilted further, immediately making me feel bad. “Pinkie has been convicted of murder...” A lavender unicorn piped up beside her. Her mane was, like Pinkie Pie, a darker shade of her coat. A bright sash of magenta ran down her mane. “Framed, of course, but I think the pressure has gotten to her... My name is Twilight Sparkle, by the way.” Her face saddened. “We should get to know each other before we are... put down...” “Woah woah woah wait. Put down?!” Oh no. Oh no. What have I gotten myself into?! “As in... executed?!” Twilight nodded sadly. “I’m afraid that’s the way law works, darling.” A white unicorn with a curly purple mane said said. “You get caught, you go to the block, as they say.” Oh no oh no oh no. “Rarity, what’s the problem with you?” Said a scaly cyan pegasus with a... woah. A rainbow mane? Those are rare, belonging only to a few argonian pegasi. “Can’t you see you’re scaring poor Fluttershy?” She pointed at a shivering butter colored pegasus. “Plus, I’m sure we’re gonna turn out just fine. You’ll see! Rainbow Dash guarantees it!” Was that bravado or real confidence? I wasn’t sure. I turned my attention to the cowering pegasus. The most striking feature of this little mare was that she was a cat - a khajit pegasus. They were rare outside of their homelands, and absolutely freakin’ adorable. This ‘Fluttershy’ was no exception. Except for the fact that she was clearly having a nervous breakdown. “We’re all gonna die we’re all gonna die we’re all gonna die we’re all gonna die-” Tears were streaming down her face and she was huddled up in a ball. I’m not sure what happened afterwards. I sort off walked over to her, nuzzled her, and scooped her up in my forelegs. Then I whispered soothingly “Shhh... it’s going to be fine, trust me. Just calm down.” while gently patting her head. I’m nothing like that normally, so even I freaked out internally when I realized what I was doing. However, it seemed to work, as she slowly calmed down and looked up at me. Then she smiled at me, and whatever hardness I had in my heart just melted helplessly at the freakin’ adorable smiling little kitty pony. Although I felt quite guilty for lying to her, as we all knew inside that we were doomed. But if I was going to die, might as well do something good before that happens. “Well... that was... unexpected.” Remarked an orange earth pony. Judging by her features, she was probably nordic. “Name’s Applejack.” She added, noticing that I was looking at her. “...I don’t believe you’ve told us your name yet, actually.” She looked expectantly at me, and so did the others. Sighing, I hesitantly told them my name. “Bladesong...” I mumbled. “My name is Bladesong.” Now I’m not a shy pony, not at all, but my old granny was real superstitious like, and she used to tell me that names had powers. ‘Don’t tell ponies your name unless you have to.’ She used to say. I guess it engraved itself in my head over the years. It happens, mind you. It does. “Well Bladesong, welcome to the carriage for the soon-to-be-executed.” Applejack glanced at Fluttershy. “Of course, we’ll figure something out. I hope.” “Why there it is. Helgen keep.” One of the carriage-pullers said, pointing at a distant structure. “Heard the General is there today.” “Wait, General Golden Shield? The greatest military genius of our time?!” Rainbow Dash suddenly sprung up. “Shut up, prisoner.” The soldier laughed, but quickly changes his mind when he saw how dejected Rainbow looked. Criminal she may be, but she was still a pretty filly and our soldier here had a soft spot for girls. “But yes, it is indeed the empire’s war hero, Golden Shield himself.” Rainbow’s eyes widened in astonishment. “Wait... if Golden Shield is there...” Twilight thought for a moment. “We’re just... well, mostly just petty criminals! Why is somepony as important as Golden Shield present?” “Hah! Petty criminal?!” The soldier cackled, before coughing as he tried to recover from choking. “You know who’s in that carriage at the back?” The ponies in my cart, including myself, looked at where he was looking. There, at the back of the line of carriages, was the most ridiculously fortified prisoner carriage I’ve ever seen. “That is old Blizzard Stormcloak himself.” “What?! THE Blizzard Stormcloak?! The leader of the stormcloak rebels?!” Twilight gasped, triggering a wave of chattering between the prisoners. Fluttershy just cowered, just as before. What have I gotten myself into? All I did was cross a border! “But... but...” I stammered. “All I wanted was to visit Skyrim! Why...?” “Wrong time at the wrong place, partner.” Applejack sighed. “That’s why. Life is unfair.” The bitterness in her voice was unmistakable. Here was a pony who had gone through more than her fair share of hardships. It was only from Applejack’s sadness that I realized how upbeat I was, despite the fact that I was getting the chop. Hysteria, I guess. What is hysteria anyway? Maybe it was a way of my body to deal with the crushing revelation. “It’s going to be fine! Aunty Pinkie knows it!” Pinkie, somehow, ‘teleported’ from the back of the cart to the front, and was giving me a friendly noogie. “A dragon will come swooping from the skies and save us!” She grinned widely. Now she, she was definitely hysterical. And mad. I think. The entire cart fell silent at her absolutely random comment, and remained as such until the carriages entered Helgen. Such was the power of the awkward silence, as my old friend... what’s his name? I forgot. Before we knew it, we were herded off the carts and into what seemed like the town square. And placed in the center of the square was... My blood froze. The executioner’s block. “Is that red dye?” Everyone stared incredulously at Pinkie. “What?” “Pinkie... that’s the... chopping block.” Rainbow Dash whispered. “End of the line.” It was then that reality caught up with my delirious mind, and the seriousness of the situation crashed down on me like an avalanche. We’re gonna die here. I don’t want to die. I’m still young- I wanna see my parents again- I... I don’t want to die alone. “Oh. But it’s going to be fine! The dragon will come and save us!” She said adamantly. Rainbow just sighed and stared at the block with sadness belying her age. Just then, an imperial (Imperial as in occupation, not race, of course.) soldier walked up to us, and pulled out a piece of parchment. “I will read out your name, race, and I want you to acknowledge me, do you understand?” A halfhearted mumble was all he got, but hey, we’re criminals sentenced to death, how enthusiastic could we be? “Twilight Sparkle, Highborn unicorn. Rainbow Dash, Argonian pegasus. Pinkie Pie, Imperial... Imperial earthfolk.” He looked up from his list. “I’m sorry to have to execute a fellow Imperial.” “Don’t worry, silly! A dragon will swoop down and try to gobble us up, but accidentally help us escape instead!” Pinkie answered, smiling sunnily. “Erm... yes. Ah...” The soldier, confused by Pinkie (can’t blame the guy, really.), resumed his reading. “Applejack, Nordic earthfolk. Rarity, Duskborn unicorn. Flutter...” He looked up, and his eyes widened. Struck by her adorableness, no doubt. “Fluttershy, Khajit pegasus. And...” He frowned. “You. We don’t have your name down, only your crime. Who are you?” “Does it really matter? I’m going to die anyway.” I sighed. Fluttershy broke into tears, sobbing about wanting her ‘Angel’. “Yes. Regulation.” The soldier was visibly pained from watching Fluttershy cry, but his duty came first. Bloody duty. “Name?” “Bladesong...” I muttered, surrendering to the ‘imperial might’. It was no longer force of habit that stopped me from telling them my name. I didn’t want to go down in history as ‘Bladesong, the unicorn who was executed for crossing a border’. Even if it meant not going down in history at all. “Right. Bladesong, Duskborn unicorn. And... of course. Blizzard Stormcloak, Nordic earthfolk.” The soldier said, before turning to a more elaborately armored mare. The commander, I think. “Commander. I think that’s it.” Even in the last moments of my life, my military knowledge wouldn’t fail me. I’m so proud of myself. “Bladesong, follow the commander to the executioner, please.” the soldier said, somewhat regretfully. It was like he truly didn’t want to see this happen. It restored some hope in me. Not all hope. Just some. “Psst! Remember, have trust in the dragon!” Pinkie whispered to me. I pointedly ignored her. I would not succumb to delusional beliefs, not in the final hours, heck, minutes of my life. I strode to the chopping block, head held high and proud. The message was clear - I’m not afraid of you. The executioner chuckled, before properly positioning me on the block. “You got guts, kid. Shame to see you go.” He laughed menacingly, then hefted his massive, killing axe. I closed my eyes, preparing for the end. You want me? Come get me, you stupid hunk of metal! It never came. Instead I heard an almighty roar and an explosion like the apocalypse. Heck, now that I think about it, it WAS the apocalypse. I opened my eyes, only to close them again. A dragon? REALLY?! Pinkie was right?! “Guards, FIRE!” I heard the commander shriek, and arrows whistled as they flew through the air. I opened my eyes, to see what was going on. The dragon, with spiky black scales, was perched on top of a tower, roaring triumphantly. Dead soldiers were strewn across the streets. Then it stared straight at me. “YOL!” It was the only sound I heard, before a white hot fireball left the dragon’s maw and streaked towards me. “Bladesong! Run!” I heard someone scream. Was it Rainbow? Or was it Twilight? I forgot. But run I did. I ran like a maniac, barely evading the fireball and the burning rocks falling from the sky, most probably conjured by the great beast. “Into the keep! Now!” I obliged without hesitation. Stumbling into the stone structure, I tried to blink the soot from my eyes and inspected my burns. Not too bad, I suppose. I turned to the girls, who had also taken refuge inside the keep. “So... what now?” I asked, careful not to step on the wounded stormcloaks lying on the ground. “We need to get out of Helgen, that’s what.” I turned around to find a stallion with an electric blue coat and silver mane. He smiled crookedly. “Blizzard Stormcloak, at your service.” “You’re Blizzard Stormcloak?” Rainbow asked, skeptical. “I was expecting someone... less shabby.” Blizzard Stormcloak jokingly cuffed her over the ears. “Respect your elders, lass. And we have to move. This tower won’t last for long.” As though on cue, the top floor wall burst open, revealing a vicious (and hungry) looking dragon. The girls and I could only watch as the soldiers on the top floor was incinerated by the black monstrosity, armor and all. Then it flew away, throwing up dust and ash with every flap of its giant wings. “Through the hole. Go! I’ll follow once I’ve secured my soldiers!” The six mares, led by yours truly, rushed up the stairs and leapt out of the hole made by the dragon. Fortunately, it was too busy snatching up soldiers to notice the intrepid band of ponies sneaking along the rooftop of a neighboring house. We safely clambered down back onto the streets, only to realize that we didn’t know the way out. “Uh...” I scanned for any signs of an exit. “Hey, you! Prisoners!” A voice sounded nearby. It was the soldier with the list, the one actually with a shred on conscience. For once, I was actually glad to see him. “Come with me if you want to live!” For a moment he had a very strong accent that I just couldn’t place. How strange. He led us down behind a building, and was quietly creeping down when the dragon landed almost directly in front of him. Luckily the dragon was only interested in grilling a soldier on the opposite side of us, so we were able to sneak by undetected. “Get to the keep, don’t stop for anything!” He pointed at a fort-like structure. “Going underground is our best bet!” He pulled out a bow and aimed at the flying dragon. “I’ll cover you. Go!” We made a beeline for the keep, stopping only to dodge fireballs or falling brimstone. We were just beyond a portcullis when a black leathery wing swept us off our feet. We landed in a crumpled heap, dazed and out of breath. The dragon towered above us, glaring at us with its blood red eyes. Then... it spoke. “Dovahkiin. Hi nis iliis nol zey. ILIISNI NOL ZEY!” It was unlike anything I had seen, or heard. Aside from the fact that it was a DRAGON, its voice was... impressive. It reverberated deep within my body, shaking my bones and making my eyes jiggle in their sockets. It roared, jolting us from their pain induced stupor... and making us scream like little fillies. Then it raised its tail, and sent it crashing down like a cascade of condensed darkness. “GET OUT OF THE WAY!” I roughly shoved the girls out from under the tail, before rolling to the side myself. I steadied myself before glaring up at the black serpent. “Hey you! Why don’t you pick on someone your own size?!” I picked up a nearby sword and gripped with in my mouth, something I’m not at all used to as a unicorn. But the sword felt right in my mouth. I was born to wield swords, with magic, or with my own bloodied jaws. Even my name had the word Blade in it. “Come on, you overgrown lizard!” I growled though a mouthful of sword handle. “Let’s see what you can do!” I launched myself at the dragon, burying the blade hilt-deep into the cursed beast’s leg. It screeched and kicked out with a massive clawed foot, throwing me halfway across the courtyard. I picked up another sword from a nearby corpse - it’s a wonder how many of those were littered around at the time - and staggered to my feet. That strike would have killed a normal pony. Why didn’t I die? I’m not sure, even now, but I know that I was the only one standing between the girls and a massive dragon. My not dying apparently provoked it to open its mouth, either to spit fire, or speak some more, but was cut short by an arrow straight to the eye. Blood spurt from the wound, splattering the ground with crimson. Screeching with pain, the scaly brute flew off to tangle with less annoying prey. We looked back, and saw the soldier who’d promise to cover us, notching another arrow into his bow. His mane was ragged and his coat was stained with soot, but otherwise he seemed to be fine. He knelt down to inspect us for any sort of injury.“Are you alright? No one hurt?” When we nodded mutely, he stood and ushered us towards the keep. “Come along, before the dragon returns.” We entered the keep courtyards, where a few soldiers were making a last stand. “Iron Pauldron!” One of the soldiers called. “Get the civilians to safety!” That was the last thing he said, as a fireball engulfed him and he went down. The list-guy, who we now know as Iron Pauldron, pulled out a key from his belt and opened a door to the keep. “This is the barracks, you can gear up inside and then we can find a way out. Go!” We piled inside just as the door was slammed shut by some supernatural force that shook the entire building. Just in case, I tried the door. It wouldn’t budge, as I predicted. Whoever (or whatever) shut that door must’ve been adamant on keeping us inside the keep. Iron Pauldron cleared his throat to gain our attention. “We’re safe... for the moment. This keep was built to withstand all but the strongest of enemies - bandits, trolls, even giants... but clearly not dragons.” He walked around the room, looking through chests and weapon racks, picking out gear that wasn’t completely bust. “Right, unicorns and pegasi, come here, I’ll undo your bindings.” He pulled something like a lockpick from his pocket, and fiddled with my ring of suppression for a bit. It came of with a little click, and he moved on to the next unicorn. “In the meantime, you can go pick your gear.” I nodded, and knelt down in front of the selections of weapons. There were daggers, war axes, swords, battle axes, and a variety of other miscellaneous weapons. “You should take the swords, Bladey!” Pinkie Pie chirped, just randomly appearing in front of me. “You’re good with them!” “Yeah, you were awesome back there! You just stabbed that dragon, right in the knee!” Rainbow Dash said, picking up a pair of steel wing blades. “Hmm... Well balanced, sharp edge, long reach... perfect.” “I did, didn’t I?” I smiled, levitating an imperial sword. It was quite well forged, a simple but effective blade of imperial steel. “You sure know what you’re doing.” Applejack remarked, choosing steel studded horseshoes as her weapon of choice. “I wouldn’t have the courage to go challenge a dragon like that.” “Uh huh.” I wasn’t really listening, mind you. I was picking which sword to use, the traditional steel sword, or the imperial steel sword. “That was awfully brave of you to save us, darling.” Rarity said, fluttering her eyelashes. She picked out a bow and inspected it from all angles. “Oh, this looks absolutely smashing!” “Why, thank you.” I muttered, lifting the regular steel sword and weighing it mentally. A tad lighter than the imperial steel sword. “Do you think it’s fine if I just go with my magic?” Twilight asked nervously. “I’m not that good with other weapons... maybe I should take a dagger, just in case? Oh, it’s so hard to decide!” “Have faith in yourself.” I told her, before giving the imperial blade a test swing. Yes, definitely better. It could hit hard with lots of precision. “Hey, Bladey, does this make me look fat?” Pinkie asked. “No Pinkie it doesn’t make you look...” I looked up. “SWEET CELESTIA! Pinkie, what are you doing with that thing?!” Pinkie was hefting a massive battle axe. It was at least twice her length. “I’ve been using battle axes since I was small! Actually, want to hear a song I wrote about it?” Pinkie bounced around the room in excitement and broke into song. Music somehow sounded from a hidden source. “I used to live around an axe~ My friends would call me a hack~” She tripped and the music cut off abruptly. “Oh my... Pinkie, are you alright?” Fluttershy poked Pinkie with a tentative hoof. “Um, Fluttershy? Why don’t you have a weapon?” I asked. “I... I’m...” Fluttershy hid behind her mane. “Imapacifist.” She whimpered adorably. “It might not be safe for you in the outside world...” Iron Pauldron overheard our conversation, and dropped in. “I’m sorry...” Did I mention that she was adorable? “It’s fine. It’s fine. I’ll defend her if the need arises.” I stepped in, always glad to play the role of the gallant knight in shining armor. “You’ve seen me fight. I’m more than capable of protecting another pony.” “...It’s your choice.” Iron Pauldron shrugged. “But we’ve got to get going, before the dragon decides to visit us once again.” “Where to? Not even my magic or Applejack’s bucking can break down the door.” Twilight asked. “Underground. I remember that there’s a underground passage leading to a path to Riverwood. It’s perfectly safe, unless I’m much mistaken.” Iron Pauldron said. “Come on, time is a wasting.” “Let’s go, girls. I’m sure everything will be just fine.”