I blinked. The plasma had passed right through us, sinking into the earth. Then I looked at Fluttershy, and whatever sane part of my wreck of a brain seized up.
She was glowing. The last vestiges of the lightning strike had snaked up to Fluttershy, where it remained, lacing her forelegs. An eerie green light poured from her eyes, as invisible waves of incredible power poured from her very being. The trees themselves leaned towards her, losing their leaves, which circled around us in a strange, magical dance. It took my ragged mind a few moments to realized that the leaves were forming a dome around us. It had grown so thick that the sky was blotted out, leaving Fluttershy’s strange glowing eyes as the only light source remaining.
“Flutter...shy?” I gurgled, staring at her. She was so full of power, her strength so immense, that I... I began to like her? Yes, strange as it sounds, her power wasn’t oppressive or overpowering. It was calm and gentle, yet vast and immeasurably powerful, like the sea on a calm day. Playful, but not to be crossed. I shivered.
She fixed those glowing, energy charged eyes on me. Then she spoke, in a strange, thrumming, multi-layered voice. “Don’t be afraid, Bladesong. Help will come soon.” She smiled at me, gently. Chillingly gently, for it was not the smile of a friend, or even family. It was the smile a god would wear when observing its creations. Benevolence, and most of all, with an air of observation and curiosity about it. It was exactly what Fluttershy was doing. Actually, I could tell that this wasn’t Fluttershy. “Mother Earth, I Invoke Your Power With The Ancient Tongue! GAEA. TOLSEK DAAR JOOR, FAH ROK DREHLAAN NID VOKUL.” There was a brief moment of silence as the echoes of her voice died down.
Fluttershy extended her legs, and the strings of lightning arced off the tips of her hooves and into... myself? I expected pain. I expected to be electrocuted. I did not, however, expect to be healed. Fresh green sprouts burst from the ground, wrapping around my ragged limbs. More sprouts wrapped around my body, with a few more layers covering my midriff, which was completely torn open with some of the organs spilling out. Speaking of organs, I felt the most quaint of sensations where my guts had fallen out - a slight pressure, as though something was pushing the displaced organ. But something distracted me from the strange tingling. The sprouts on my forelegs were wilting. I watched, open mouthed, as the crisp green plants slowly turned yellow, then a brilliant orange, then finally becoming browned and fragile. The slightest tugs with my limb made the now dead vegetation disintegrate into little flakes. I wasn’t sure what I would see. A badly mauled leg, mutilated beyond recognition, perhaps? I had seen so much harm come to myself that I wouldn’t be surprised if my entire leg was dissolved or something. What I found shocked me... for the billionth time this day.
“It’s... perfectly healed...” I whispered to myself, marveling at the flawless recovery. Such healing abilities were unheard of. “How...?” I tugged at the sprouts covering my other limb. They, too, broke away, revealing an unblemished foreleg. As I lay there, dumbstruck, feeling suddenly returned to my abdomen. Somehow, without me realizing, my organs have been pushed into place, and my flesh had healed. And, once the greenery had crumbled away, I saw that my body was whole once again. Looking at myself, it was hard to imagine that just barely minutes ago, I was lying on the floor bleeding out from savage wounds.
“Take care of her, Bladesong.” Whaaat?! “Take care of this young mare. She plays an important part in your story.” The entire dome of swirling leaves started to wilt and crumble as she said those words, those words uttered by Fluttershy’s mouth but not Fluttershy’s soul.
“Who are you?” I managed to ask, lifting up my weakened body. Healed it may be, but the stress of nearly being eaten alive was still strong in my mind. I could barely stand up straight, let alone speak.
“Know that in your future endeavors, Mother Nature will be watching over you...” Intoned Fluttershy, the light fading from her eyes and the dome of leaves collapsing completely. She stood there, swaying for a moment. Then she landed on top of me, and I staggered, my newly reformed legs protesting at having to hold the weight of two ponies.
“AJ!” I cried, struggling to stay standing. “Pinkie! Iron Pauldron! Help!” This time, my shouts traveled far, right into the ears of my intended recipients. I couldn’t help but grin in spite of my condition when I saw a ball of pink barrel down the hill.
Pinkie looked like she was going to tackle me, but even she waited for AJ to load Fluttershy on to her back before she did so. “Bladey, we were so worried!” She said, holding me close. Maybe slightly too close. Her eyes were wide with panic and worry, and her mane was flattened. “We saw you fall, and we heard growling and howling, then Fluttershy rushed down before we could stop her, and there was the lightning and the thunder and-” I hugged her, and her hair slowly inflated.
“Shh... Everything is fine now. It’s okay.” I stroked her increasingly more bubbly mane, whispering softly. Surprisingly, she was really cuddly, considering the fact that most Imperials had really . “I’ll explain everything later, when we’ve settled down a bit and Fluttershy comes to, alright?” She nodded, and we smiled at each other.
The trip to Riverwood was relatively uneventful. There was the odd wolf here and there, nothing I couldn’t handle. We came across that weird guardian rock thing, where I touched the warrior stone and made it glow. But aside from that, we traveled in silence.
I was mulling things over, mostly what happened to Fluttershy. AJ and Iron Pauldron obviously trying not to disturb me mulling things over. And Pinkie... well, she was in her own little world, bouncing happily along the path. She’s a strange one, I’ll give you that, but really, she has a good heart. She’s also smart when she wants to, and deadly if she must. A true wild card, that. She usually means well. Just needs to rein in her enthusiasm, is all.
We made it to Riverwood by midnight. The night sky was inky black and Luna’s night was in full splendor. The village was quiet, save for the occasional hoot from owls and the clucks from the odd chicken or two. It seemed absurd to think that just a few hours ago a dragon had sacked the nearby keep of Helgen. It was so... peaceful. Untainted by outside influence.
“It’s nice...” Fluttershy had pretty much recovered from her ordeal, and could walk on her own. “It’s really quiet.”
AJ cleared her throat. “Well, maybe you three should follow Iron Pauldron. I’ll go hit up Big Mac and... discuss things.” She coughed at the term ‘discuss’. “Keep em safe, Iron.” She flashed a grin at the soldier, and walked off in the opposite direction, towards a large farm house next to a grove of fruit bearing trees.
“Right then... You guys, ready to meet Uncle Anvil?” Iron asked, walking up to a house with an attached forge. He took a deep breath, raised a hoof, and tapped on the door. When no one answered, he whipped around and slammed down with his powerful hind hooves, smashing down the door and instantly turning the remains into a wooden missile flying at terminal velocity. It punched through the thin back wall of the house and the crumbled door and walls fell into the river. Iron Pauldron stared in surprise at the ruined entrance.
“Nephew... why in Celestia’s name are you demolishing my house in the middle of the night?!” A gray Nord spluttered as wood dust spread across the inside of the house. “And... oh, hello. Why do you have two beautiful mares with you?” He grinned. A cream colored mare emerged from the wreckage a few moments later and slapped who I assumed to be Anvil across the head. His wife, I suppose.
“Uncle Anvil. I, ah, apologize for the door.” Iron Pauldron scratched his head in embarrassment. “I... knocked.” He blushed. “Too hard. Military training and all, I suppose. Sorry.” He laughed uneasily.
“It’s... fine, I guess. Doors can be replaced, and walls can be rebuilt. But you! Why are you visiting, in the dead of night? I thought you were up at Helgen? And who are these? Your friends?” His questions came as a barrage of words, nearly knocking Iron Pauldron flat.
“Woah, Uncle! Slow down!” Iron chuckled. “One thing at a time. So, Helgen. Yes, I was stationed at Helgen. Note, was. In truth, Helgen was sacked.” His face turned serious and his normally warm eyes hardened.
“What?! By who? Stormcloaks?!” Anvil cried, worriedly.
“No. By what. By a dragon.” Anvil laughed, but was silenced by a stone cold gaze from Iron Pauldron. “You laugh, but you have no idea what we’re up against. It can soar through the sky, torching anything that gets in its way. As far as I can see, It’s impervious to both the best of our arrows, and the magic of our spell casters. It was only after our resident swords master Bladesong here,” He pointed at me. “Stabbed it in a kink in its armor, that we could finally escape from it. It was... death incarnate. That’s the only thing I can use to describe it.”
“My sword was made of tempered imperial steel, and it barely made a dent in its scales.” I added, and the group fell silent. Somehow, they had the crazy idea that he was the leader here, just because he could sword fight better than most. “But that thing wasn’t completely impervious. As long as you hit it where it counts, you can definitely bring one down.” I smiled confidently, and the rest of the ponies smiled with me. Yeah, something about crowd men... crowd mentala... mentality? Crowd mentality, is that when you’re the leader amongst ponies, you pretty much control everything that goes on - even impose your own feelings upon your group members.
“So... we know that they’re tough, but not invincible.” Anvil said, slowly. “...If that dragon comes down here, I don’t think Riverwood will survive. To have firepower strong enough to lay down a beast like that, good old fashioned steel won’t work. We’ll need those fancy elven things, maybe even dwarven or orcish.” He thought about the fighting men in the town. Enough to count with only one to ten. “The manpower, too... We need help from Whiterun.” He decided. I smiled, glad that he finally came to the decision. From the beginning I could tell that Riverwood would be helpless against that flying brute.
“We’ll go.” I said, much to the surprise of Iron Pauldron and Fluttershy. “It started with us, it might as well end with us.” My voice was completely without any hint of weakness. Since when did I grow balls? I have no idea.
“Bladesong... are you sure?” Iron asked, concern in his eyes. “You just survived what I’d chalk down as one of the most traumatic events in the era. And you’re leaping into more adventure?”
“We’re in Skyrim now, lad!” I laughed brazenly, the way I figured heroes should. “What’s the point of life without the clashing of steel on steel, the taste of strong mead, and the touch of fine mares?” Fluttershy blushed.
Anvil and Pauldron stared at me for a moment, studying my face. Then they split into grins. Anvil slapped me on the back. “Said like a true nord! You know, if I didn’t know better, I’d say the Dovahkiin just possessed you and instilled you with nordic valor!” Pauldron just smiled and nodded approvingly.
“Blade! Fluttershy! Pinkie!” I heard a familiar southern accent, and sure enough, AJ came running up the stairs into the ruined house. “I got it down - you all can stay here and work the farms!”
“Well, forget that notion, AJ, at least for a while.” I grinned. “We’re heading to Whiterun to petition the Jarl for more troops.” Her jaw dropped. “I... understand if you don’t tag along. I mean, you do have the farm to care for.”
She snorted at that, and waved a hoof in response. “I may be a farm pony, but I’m still a nord. And a nord strives for adventure!” She smiled and placed a hoof on my shoulder. “I’m going with you.”
I smiled. Our party was complete. Except for one thing. “Fluttershy, I never explained what happened back there, when you saved me from the wolves.” That.
“Oh, um. I don’t remember much.” Fluttershy mumbled. “Just telling the wolves to-”
“I thought I could fight the wolves. I was wrong. I was in the process of being feasted upon alive when Fluttershy here came and told them all to fuck off.” I put it bluntly, rather more rudely than normal. “It worked, and the little varmints buggered off. But at that point I was too damaged to salvage. Or so I thought.” I thought about what I saw.
“You... called down lightning. But not just regular lightning. It was the embodiment of nature. You absorbed the power, Fluttershy, and your body was temporarily hijacked by a nature spirit. You healed me, the spirit left, and the rest is history.” I finished lamely.
“What? But I... I...” Fluttershy stared at her hooves, as though expecting them to morph into wooden talons. “I’m not a nature spirit.”
“Of course you’re not, Fluttershy.” I reassured her. “But do me a favor, and hold out your hooves, like so,” I stretched out my forelegs, followed by Fluttershy. “Now, I want you to focus, and concentrate your energy in your hooves.” She shook her head, signifying that she had no idea how to do such a thing. “...Think about it as trying to pee through your hooves.” I said finally, to the great dismay of just about everypony.
“...WHAT?!” AJ screeched. “Sugarcube, that’s just WRONG.”
“Please at least try - it’s vitally important.” I insisted, staring into Fluttershy’s eyes. She stared at me for a moment, her crippling shyness threatening to take hold. Then she nodded, and held out her hooves once again.
Then the most unexpected thing happened. Pinkie stepped up to Fluttershy, placed her hooves on top of Fluttershy’s, and closed her eyes. “The machinations of Sheogorath allow this pony to unlock her true potential.” She intoned. Then she stepped away, winking at Fluttershy. “I think you’ll find that peeing out of your hooves is much easier now! ...What? I’m just sticking with the metaphor!”
Fluttershy, however, nodded her thanks and closed her eyes in concentration. Peeing out of her hooves... She heard a gasp, and opened her eyes. There, she saw green balls of energy float around her hooves. She screamed, swinging her forelegs around to dispel the balls, only to find that the energy tracked her hooves.
“Fluttershy, calm down.” I said, smiling. “This is your power, Fluttershy. Speaking with animals is only the first step. With this energy, you can manipulate nature itself. Try it. Just think about what you want to happen.” Fluttershy seemed rather taken aback by this - she had never thought she had that kind of power inside her.
Looking at the ruined wall, she pointed a the hole with a glowing hoof. Instantly, a tree sprouted, followed by another, and another, and another, until the wall was repaired with a living barrier of trees. She was about to turn to the door when she collapsed, the green spheres spluttering out. “I... what?” She mumbled.
“That was druidic magic, Fluttershy. I recognized it from a few books I’ve read about magic.” I said, still grinning. “Congratulations, you’re now a druid - a being blessed with nature magic.”
“So... weak...” Fluttershy moaned.
“You’re just tired, Flutters!” Pinkie smiled. “Take a nap!” She booped Fluttershy’s nose, and Fluttershy just curled up into a ball. Fucking adorable as shit.
“Well then. I think we leave at sunrise.” I said, grinning. “This is gonna be one hell of an adventure.”
Then I collapsed from sheer exhaustion.