//------------------------------//
// Emerald Fields Inn, Part 1 
// Story: Elder Scrolls V 1/2 : Equestria 
// by Swordoath 
//------------------------------//


"Hello?" called Dorian as he opened the wooden door, walking in with Ice Strider. It was just getting to be sunset, and they'd arrived at the Emerald Fields inn. At a glance, the building was nothing special. It had a fire burning in the hearth, tables set with plates some kind of Sweetrolls, and a barkeep tending to the mead barrel behind him. The barkeep, a crystal pony with a jagged grey mane and a coat the same shade as a glowing mushroom, was wiping out some mugs behind the counter. 

"Jus' a sec'- Woah!" exclaimed the barkeep as he saw Dorian, dusty brown eyes widening. "We don' let in no pets."

"Excuse me? He's a friend of mine." Ice Strider stuck up for her companion."

"I am? Hm. Well, yes, I am." Dorian spoke, considering the thought. He was friends with a few members of the Kajiit caravans back in Skyrim. Why not with a pony? It was the same principal.

The barkeep reeled momentarily, at his speech, then regained some semblance of composure. "Well, I guess you can stay. You two be wantin' a room?"

"One each, please." said Dorian, reaching into his coin purse. "I trust you take gold coins?"

"If ya' mean Bits, then yeah." Said the barkeep suspiciously. 

"Ah. Only have Septims. Precious gems?" Dorian inquired.

"You have gemstones?" asked Ice Strider, surprised.

"Of course." Dorian said, letting a few stones of garnet trickle out of his coin purse onto his palm.

"Those'll work." said the barkeep quickly, snatching them from the Imperial's hand. "The two rooms on the left are all yours. Lemme know if you'll be needin' somethin' t' eat."

"Thank you." Dorian headed into his room, and began stripping down his equipment, and changing into a belted tunic and boots. He may as well rest comfortably, if he were resting at all. The ebony armor was annoying to wear constantly, but offered the best available protection. He sat down on the bed, checking his supplies. He was a bit low on stamina potions, but he rarely used them anyway. Satisfied, he went to the door so he could get some food, but was stopped by Ice Strider. 

"Oh, wow. I thought the black plating was part of you." She said without thinking. She blushed a bit and rushed on, "Not that it looked bad or anything. And neither does that, you look good in that too- I mean, you look okay, not good looking. I should shut up now." She looked down at the floor, cheeks reddening further.

"Was there something you wanted?" Dorian asked the bashful mare.

"Oh, right. The bartender left us out something to eat. Said he had to check on something down stairs."

"Ah. Well then, let's eat."

The barkeep had left him out a plate of various vegetables, along with a couple of apples and one of those odd looking Sweetrolls. Yet no meat. This was understandable- the horses in Tamriel were generally herbivorous, though they can eat meat if they absolutely must. Being in another world, he assumed the food would taste different. So it didn't surprise him in the slightest when he began eating. Ice Strider only poked at her food after the first bite.

"What's the matter?" Dorian asked her, rubbing at his eyes.

The shimmering pony frowned. "Something in the food tastes bad. I don't like it."

"It does?" Dorain asked, blinking sluggishly. 

"Yeah. I'm not so sure we should- Dorian?" She asked. Dorian had just fallen backwards off the bench, unconscious. 

"Dorian! Dorian, wake up!" Ice Strider nudged him, then shoved him a bit in attempt to rouse him. "Please wake up!"

"He ain't wakin' up no time soon, little filly." Spoke the barkeep. He was now dressed in some kind of metal cuirass, and had a knife in his left hoof. "Now come along quietly, or your sleep'll be a lot longer."





Dorian woke with a throbbing headache, almost as bad as when Sma Guenvere had challenged him to a drinking contest. He never did get that staff he was promised. He made to move his hand to cradle his head, but found them bound together behind his back. His legs were similarly bound at the ankles, and his wait was tied to what he assumed was the back of a chair. Concentrating his slowly returning energy, he opened his eyes. He was greeted with the face of the barkeep, who's grinning mouth was short a few teeth.

"Would ya' look who finally woke up?" He said, turning to a winged pony to his left. "'Bout time he did. I was beginin' t' think we killed the damn thing."

"Heh, good thing we didn't, right boss? Told you I could brew a mean poison, eh?"

"Shut up, Wax."

Dorian struggled against his bonds, and, realizing his efforts were in vain, asked his most pressing thought: "What did you do with-"

"That filly friend of yours? She was a real mess to deal with. Broke boss's teeth and everything." Wax said.

"I said shut up. She's fine. For now."

"What do you want?"

"We wanna know where you got all those gems. High market for those babies, and we want 'em all."

"They aren't in a place you'll know of."

"Is that so? Well, we might as well turn you over to the High Priest's forces. Sure they'll wanna know 'bout the one who killed their scout."

They must've seen me take that dragon's soul. Damn. thought Dorian. "There's no need for that. Perhaps we can strike up a different deal? I could give you some gold, you return my other things, and my associate and I both leave you be."

"How 'bout no? I think the reward we'll get out've the guard'll be better than that."

"Ah. Well then, I suppose I'll have no regrets doing this." Dorian drew a deep breath. "Yol, Toor!"

A gout of flames briefly erupted from the Imperial's mouth, setting the false barkeep on fire. He screamed, and Wax dumped a nearby bucket of water on his superior's body. Unfortunately for him, he threw the bucket with it.

"Why I oughta..." growled the crystal pony, hoof over his burned side of his face, bucket atop his head.

"No, I don't think so." grinned Dorian. 

In that moment, Ice Strider smashed the barkeep across the side with a metal pan. Wax yelped, and drew his sword from his sheathe. He didn't have time to even swing it once before she did the same to him, twice for good measure. 

"And don't you ever threaten anypony again!" She half-yelled at the two of them, hitting the barkeep again over the head when he groaned in pain.

"Wonderful!" Dorian praised as she untied him. "Absolutely amazing! How did you escape?"

"Easy," She said, untying the knot on his ankles. "The only guard they posted to watch me decided to eat some of that food from earlier. He was out like a light in seconds. These guys were dumber than they looked."

Still smart enough to capture us, though. Dorian thought sullenly. Never before was he so easily beguiled. Despite the colorful look of this world's inhabitants, it was as dangerous as Skyrim. "Now, we should find our things and leave before any more of his henchmen show up."

"Right. I had to sneak past a couple of pegasi to get down here, so be ready for a fight."

"Pega-what?"

"You know... ponies with wings."

"Ah. Well, in that case..." Dorain let the violet glow of conjuration fill his palms, and with the release of the magic, faintly glowing lavender swords of a wicked design appeared in them. "Take one of their weapons. The knife, preferably. It's less cumbersome than that greatsword."

"But... Can't we leave them alone?"

"Best case scenario, yes. I'm not the sneaking type, but I'll try my best."

"Promise?"

"Akatosh as my witness, I promise."

"Aka-what?" She shook her head when he made to answer. Ice Strider took a deep breath, and exhaled. She took the knife out of the sheath of the barkeep. "Okay. Lets go."