//------------------------------//
// The Fifth 
// Story: A Dragonborn, Destiny, and Very Small Horses 
// by DarrParrot 
//------------------------------//


A Dragonborn, Destiny, and Very Small Horses: The Fifth 


Or


Being Torn Apart From The Inside


***


        (Darr-Ei's Note: I honestly do not have very much to say regarding recent events. Let it be known that many writing utensils and other writing objects were thrown in the publishing house. A few walls had to be replaced. I will not take any responsibility regarding my actions. Especially under extreme emotional duress. Do not print things without my permission.)


        (Publisher's Note: The following text is not to be taken as truth due to Darr-Ei's fanciful writing style. Certain parts of this literature may be taken as pure fabrication. Despite this dishonesty, we will keep it within our writing catalogue, simply for cultural relevance.)


        (Assistant Editor: I certainly do not condone Darr-Ei's actions. I would never do such a thing.)





        I looked deep within Luna's eyes and I saw pure defiance. The blue of her eyes had some unimaginable power. If I was in my rational mind, I would've been slightly more cautious. However, I was completely and utterly lost in the pure berserker rage I was experiencing. My heart was racing, my breathing was erratic, and I was hunched over, animal-like. I held my hammer in one hand, and my sword in another. She was at least 10 feet away from me head held high, matching my gaze. I could hear nothing but the vibrations of the blood in my ears. The screams of the terrified and wounded fell silent to me. I was concentrated on this battle ahead of me. 


        She inhaled.


        I noticed this and prepared my own lungs for the vocal onslaught they would produce; however, she was slightly more agile in her vocals. She screamed at me. 


        A massive cone of pure sound erupted from her throat causing immense vibration in the dust and air within it. This became a massive whirlwind of force and debris that was heading straight towards me. My reflexes became unnaturally fast, and time began to lose its normal pace. Even with time slowed, I realized I could not dodge to the side, nor could I use my thu'um to retaliate. I planted my feet on the ground and held steadfast hoping to stave off some of the force that her voice was producing. 


        This was terribly foolish.


        The wave knocked me off of my feet and lifted me into the air, propelling me backwards incredibly fast. The blast of wind disoriented me, removing any chance of thu'um use. My sword was knocked from my hands, but my hammer kept its place by my side. Her mouth was still open, continuing to exhale this whirlwind. 


        I suddenly hit the wall behind me. My entire body shook due to the impact. My ribs, I could tell, were bruised up, even with my armor on. I heard the entire wall behind me crack, despite its nature as stone. I bounced slightly off the wall, and I blacked out slightly. I fell prone to the floor. The whirlwind stopped.  I heard her voice.


        She laughed, a sonorous yet elegant tone. "Hahahaha! Thou art a common bandit, no skill, no patience, and nothing to guide you. I hath wasted mine time!" She advanced upon me, her horn... glowing. I felt my body being lifted into the air, covered in a purple glow. It seemed to me at the time that she was being overconfident. I was momentarily discombobulated. I felt my arms and legs being restrained invisibly. She simply smiled at me arrogantly as I started at her, uncaring. 


        By some stroke of the gods, she didn't restrain my mouth. I inhaled, and she looked at me as if I was about to say something, and I thought of a thu'um that might assist me. I was still berserk, yet my mind seemed to clear when I thought of draconic words. I recalled some words that might help. Ahraand Ahst Key, which vaguely translates to "wound at horse". I exhaled the words as loud as possible "AHRAAND AHST KEY". 


        A black smoke shot out of my mouth. I smelled sulfur and... death from the smoke. It spread and started to cover the entire fighting area. I heard her say, "What have you done, sorcerer?" and I could see her form outlined in the darkness I had corrected. My restraints disappeared as a result of her distraction and I grabbed my hammer in both hands. I prepared to strike her when I was distracted by something. I heard commotion on the floor above me. It sounded like more guards. 


        I suddenly heard cries of pain from Luna. The dark smog ceased surrounding me and it started coming towards her. The smoke started to close in around her and she started writhing and trying to dodge the smoke. She seemed preoccupied and I used the time to think of an escape plan. The hole where I came in was still there and all of the guards were gone or unconscious. I started to run toward the exit when my inner voice stopped me. 


        "Stay. Kill her. Do not disappoint me child. I have brought you here as a vanguard of my wrath. Show them. Break them. They will bow in time to what they cannot feel."


        It held me in place. It directed back to where Luna was being assaulted by the smoke. I felt like I could not truly control my own body. It had directed as such. I would not be able to stop myself. I lifted the hammer, poised to strike, when suddenly a deep voice called out. 


        "Stop or we will be forced to use deadly force!" cried a guard wearing a set of large golden armor. His helmet had ram horns on each side of it, his armor was covered in spines, and it was adorned with spirals. He appeared to be a unicorn and was carrying a very large spear that was at least five feet long. It dwarfed him, to say the least. He was flanked by others dressed like him, wearing similar armor. They all carried various types of spears. At least half were staring at me, while the other half were looking at their princess nervously.  They seemed ready to assist her, but were cautious of my presence. "We are going to take you into custody for crimes against the well-being of Equestria and assault against a princess. Henceforth, you will be banished to the Everfree. Do not resist." The guard-captain spoke. 


        I thought on his words. Apparently, thinking was not a luxury I would have at this moment for, once again, the inner voice spoke through me. "I WILL CRUSH YOU. EAT YOUR ANCESTORS' BONES AND USE THEIR SOULLESS CORPSES AS PUPPETS THAT SPEAK MY TRUTHS.  COME TO ME AND BE BROKEN." I noticed the guards faltered slightly, and they glanced at each other. This is probably what they were thinking. 


        The situation had become desperate for the guards. A crazed beast had taken one of the princesses hostage, and was currently trying to kill her. They would have to defeat me. 


         This is when it all went to hell. His subordinates all ran to Luna and the guard captain charged me with his spear. I parried with the head of my hammer and he was knocked slightly off balance. I aimed for his neck with Luna in my left hand and raised my arm to strike, but was distracted by a guard that came from behind. I dropped my sword and I grabbed the guard-captain by the neck and turned my head to face the attacking guard.


        The  guard attempted to stab my leg, which I raised just in time for it to land under my foot. "Do not dare" I said, I stomped his spear in half, and in a second motion, roundhouse kicked the guard directly in the jaw knocking his helmet off. Since the guard was temporarily stunned, it gave me time to figure out what to do with the guard-captain I had in my other hand. I had an idea. I raised the guard-captain into the air in my left hand and I then swung him into the stunned guard which knocked both out. 


        I looked at the rest of the guards that were trying to free Luna. The unicorns with them were trying to use magic to free her. Every time they hit the smoke with magic, it would disappear and then reform. Interestingly, the smoke disappeared for longer each time, and I realized it would be gone soon, and I would have to deal with the guards and Luna.


        I leaped over the subdued guards and ran towards the remaining guards, hammer out, and sword brandished. The guards failed to notice me until it was too late.


         "Oh horseapp-" noted a guard as the hilt of my hammer hit him in the chin knocking him upwards. As he made his upward descent, the other guards heard the impact of my hammer and were distracted from their task of saving their princess. I grabbed the guard by his back hooves and slammed him into the ground. The guards all turned to face me and thrusted their spears simultaneously. I dodged backwards and grabbed the tips of two spears. I wrested them away from the guards and turned the points to the spears' original owners.


         I looked at the rest of the guards. 


        "If you wish for these two to survive, I would suggest you drop your weapons and cease your assistance of Luna" I said. The guards backed down and dropped their weapons. Just as they did so, the Shout around Luna ended. She was covered in gashes and was breathing heavily. My shout did exactly as I said it would. Her eyes were glazed over due to pain and fatigue. She looked at me, and collapsed. 


        This is it. Time to kill her. Just another job. I resolved to myself. I quickly switched the spears around to the blunt side and knocked out the two guards I was holding hostage. The rest of the guards tried getting hits in, all of which I skillfully parried. My two spears were spinning clockwise, deflecting jabs and cutting spear shafts. My blades were flying incredibly fast. So fast I could not even see them. I could only feel the cutting and disturbance of the wind. And then the voice took over.


        (Publisher's Note: We have debated as to whether or not we should keep the following in the text. We have decided it should suffice as Darr-Ei's penance. We apologize to the families of the fallen guards. May they rest in peace.)


        I hate to write this. I have been told to. I have resolved to inform those who read this book of what happened in the castle that day. 


         The voice moved me. It made me aim at the guards. I began to lose control and I started acting aggressively. I would actively block and slash at the guards. At first I would simply aim for non-lethal blows, but the voice controlled my actions further. I aimed for their throats. They were skilled enough to block most of my blows, uncoordinated as they were due to rage; however, the remaining guards began to tire. Their blocks would become lazier and they would miss. 


        One guard in particular tried to thrust at me and I leaped forward and slashed his throat. Blood poured from the wound and he fell. The voice filled me with euphoria when he died and it pushed me further, penetrating deeper in my mind. It filled me with incredible power. I looked at my body and it was glowing a deep blue. 


        I felt my throat contort to form the words "Su Grah Dun" and my arms became a whirlwind of dismemberment. The guards could not stand my onslaught. Blood sprayed all around me, coating the spears, and my armor. The screams of the dying guards penetrated my ears, and were silenced. 


The voice stopped me.


        "You have done well. You have killed those who wish to cease the events set in motion. I will reward you in time, in Tahlvedimaa. You will become powerful and we will rule. Set upon them with fury and no mercy."


        I looked at the maimed bodies of the guards. The bloody bent spears dropped from my hands, and I fell to my knees. I looked around me. My hammer was lying a couple of feet away and so was my sword. I picked both of them up and looked at what I had done. The guard-captain was still unconscious. I listened to the environment around me to see if there might be any reinforcements.  The castle was oddly silent except for a thrumming deep within my mind. I felt I could hear joyous laughter somewhere deep in my brain. I saw Luna, still asleep. The wall was still destroyed and it was a bright day outside. I suddenly wondered why no one was even coming in to see what was occurring. I got up and walked to the wall. 


        Outside encompassing the entire castle was a gray film. The sky above me was a wintry gray as well. It was as if it was about to snow, yet the sun still shone from somewhere. I walked to the edge of the film just on the borders of the castle. I touched my hand to it. It was cold and my hand could not penetrate it at all. I looked around and went back to Luna. The voice spoke. 


       "No delays. No more. None whatsoever. Kill her. Show them. Do what I tell you."


        For the last time today, I raised my hammer into the air. 


        And then, brightness flooded my vision. I heard a voice behind me. "WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!". I heard someone start running towards me and I turned around just to feel a sword punch through my stomach and out through my back. I looked down, at the blade piercing my armor and my gaze was directed upwards to see a man in golden armor. He had a horsehair crest on his helmet and a huge black axe upon his back. The blade currently impaling me was gray and... carapace-like. It was spiny. It was abhorrent. Looked barely plausible as a blade. (Assistant Editor: Well, I will admit my blade is rather disappointing. This does not change the fact that I ran you through with such a blade.)  (Darr-Ei: Bastard.)


        Anyway, as I was saying before my narrative was interrupted. My blood started to leak through my armor and I began to feel weaker. The bastard pulled the blade out and I heard him sigh. "I feel we could've been allies, if you weren't completely batshit" he said. He shook the blade clean of blood. I fell to my knees and began to breathe heavily. The rage the voice left me in was fading. So was the resistance to pain. 


        He turned to his right and I followed his gaze I saw her. The white one. She cantered over and greeted the golden adorned man. She looked at her sister still unconscious. She grew visibly worried. "I fear that he is done. Despite what you have seen, he has committed far greater atrocities" he told her. She looked at me and then shook her head. "This was not supposed to be correct. I have looked into his eyes, and have seen no darkness this deep or irrational."  


        "Well you didn't look hard enough apparently, Celestia." said the gold-one as he raised his axe, preparing to kill me. "Oh, and lizard-man? My name is Valus Gwynbormah Volfaal. Valus for short. Know this in your death." 


        Celestia, as was her name, raised her hoof to stop him, when I was taken by the voice. My consciousness was forced back into darkness and I had no control over my body. I realized that I was looking through its eyes, through mine. Celestia seemed visibly disturbed and the golden one stepped back, poised to strike.


        I started to see tendrils of pallid blue light emanate off of myself. I heard it speak, but it wasn't how people normally speak. It seemed to emanate from all corners of the room. The room began to grow icy cold. 


"CELESTIA. You have forgotten. They all have. Your dominion has been left bereft of thoughts of me and the original land. You mock it in plays. You symbolize it in ways it was not meant to be seen as. You sought to escape what you could not know. The questions would've been asked. As all have. Few remember the Tahlvedimaa for what it was. "


        Its voice was awful. It was a throaty whisper, full of malice, distaste, and oddly enough, apathy. It was strangely mesmerizing. You simply wanted to curl up in a ball and simply stay there. Its voice told tales of dark places and horror. It was absolutely terrifying.


         Celestia spoke up. "I do not understand what you are talking about. However... Tahlvedimaa sounds familiar."


        Suddenly, her eyes widened in revelation. "The winter land... No! How are you here?!"

        It began to laugh. Hard. It kept laughing until the noise began to shake the room. All went silent. The golden one stood rooted to the ground this entire time. Perhaps out of fear. It began to scream.
        "I HAVE EATEN AND I HAVE TRAVELED DEEP WITHIN PLANES UNSOUGHT.  THE UNSEEN HAVE SPOKEN TO ME AND I TAUGHT THEM MY TRUTHS AND THEY SAW ME FOR A GOD. THEY SPOKE OF THE WHEEL, THE TOWER, AND THE SPOKES BETWEEN. I HAVE EATEN A DREAMER. THE ENDING OF THE WORD IS ALMSIVI."
        Celestia's mouth grimaced in pain due to its incredibly loud voice, and due to the odd nature of its statements. The golden one shouted "Enough of this insanity!" and tried to decapitate it.
       It grabbed the axe and threw it into the wall. It got up and threw the golden one into the wall. "This body cannot hold my glory." It said.
        I felt my body start to convulse. Even without control of my body I could still feel. I felt my bones start to bend and I began to feel an incredible heat from within. The area around me began to glow hot. My skin was on fire and my ribs were being destroyed. I saw a blue left arm suddenly appear from within mine and tear through my arm. I screamed in pain from within my own mind. This eventually started to happen to all of my body parts. The blade flew out of my body and stuck itself into a wall. 
        The room began to shake and Celestia retreated backwards and her horn began to glow. Luna suddenly appeared on her back still asleep. Valus quickly ran to her, as if to protect her. 
        I eventually started to see lights form around my vision. I couldn't breathe as hard. My vision began fading just as I saw a blue horned head appear from within my chest tearing my heart apart. It tore out of my body and I fell to the ground. The creature began walking towards them. The two took on a more defensive position as it approached. It turned towards me and its faceless visage twisted into an unnatural grin. I gasped and could no longer breathe.


That is presumably when I died. 







        
         
        







 (AUTHOR'S NOTE, NOT DARR-EI: This was a pretty fucking fun ass chapter to write. This should make things easier to write. I was mad concerned about the fight scene and how that will work out. I think it turned out decently enough. Next chapter will prolly explain why Celestia and Valus (Sir gold motherfucker) are bros. We'll see. Next chapter might be soon or far.)