//------------------------------// // Chapter 16: Bridges and Swamps // Story: The Equine Scrolls: SkyFiM // by FireOfTheNorth //------------------------------// Chapter XVI: Bridges and Swamps “Few enough reasons to pass through Marethal before the war started.” If there was any place in Horizon where it would’ve been ironic for a dragon to attack, it would’ve been the tiny town of Dragon Bridge. After all, it had dragon in the name! Who’d thought that was a good idea? Apparently nopony had been concerned that the dragons would return someday, except for whoever had written the Book of the Dragonborn, which I still hadn’t gotten around to reading. As we neared the town I could hear the roars and see pillars of smoke drifting up over the tree line. I was afraid of what we’d find when we actually made it to Dragon Bridge. “So, you’ve fought one of these before, right?” Steadfast asked nervously. “Two actually,” I replied, though I probably felt just as nervous as him. “Any tips?” “Don’t get eaten, don’t catch on fire, don’t let it land on you.” “Helpful.” “I kinda learn on the fly.” There was no more time for chit-chat as Dragon Bridge came in sight. The town seemed mostly intact, at least. Only a few of the thatched roof houses were on fire and I only counted one building that had been smashed to pieces. Hoofingar’s soldiers seemed to have been ready to defend the town, though only a few remained alive and bodies lay everywhere. Among them were the bodies of unicorns wearing a variant of Imperial armor I’d never seen before. A few of them also remained to fight, shooting fireballs and lighting up at the menace that threatened the town. The dragon itself was perched atop one of the larger buildings in town, spewing flames at the gathered ponies below. This one was a mottled gray, and seemed about a half a size larger than the ones I’d fought before. I swallowed nervously before galloping forward, my bow out and ready. The dragon hadn’t seemed to have seen us new arrivals to the fight yet, so I took advantage of our momentary advantage and snuck around one of the other houses until I was behind the dragon. I pulled an arrow from my quiver, steadied my breathing, and lined up a shot on the dragon. It was right on track for its head, but it flared its wings at the last second, and the metal tip sheared through the membrane instead. “WHAT IS THIS??” it bellowed, craning its neck around for a moment, “MORE MORTALS COME TO BE MORSELS??” It quickly turned back to the larger group of ponies and sent a Shout down to scatter them. As it turned toward Steadfast and me, I galloped off to another shelter, hopefully a less flammable one. I hoped Steadfast would follow my lead, but find somewhere else so we could divide the dragon’s attention. I jumped behind a rock, and was relieved to see Steadfast do the same. The dragon gave a quick jump and landed heavily, shaking the ground. As it began to approach Steadfast’s hideout, I charged the magic in my horn. As it grew close enough, I jumped out into the open and shot a blast of lightning into the dragon’s face. The bolt hit it in the eye and it cringed in pain, sparks arcing up its head. Its eyes shut against the pain, it sent a blast of fire in my general direction, lighting trees into pillars of flame. Though my tail was singed a bit, I managed to avoid most of the fire, ducking around to a new hiding place. As the dragon searched for me, Steadfast jumped out and charged in, slamming his warhammer into the dragon’s wing. Even from the distance I was at, I could hear the ancient bone crack. Growling, the dragon swatted at Steadfast with a foreleg and sent him flying, crashing through the roof of a house that was thankfully not on fire. No chance to check if he was okay, I pulled out my bow and shot an arrow at the dragon. Unfortunately, it just bounced off its spines and alerted it to my position in the process. <<>> the dragon Shouted, shattering the rock I was hiding behind. Cut in a dozen places, I ran, chips of rock falling out of my mane in the process. I reached the scorched center of town and quickly chugged down a potion of minor healing to fix my collection of wounds. The dragon soon caught up, smashing through a building to get at me. I drew out Calcion’s Cleaver, ready to fight the beast up close and personal. As it prepared to spew fire at me, it was suddenly hit in the side of the head with a blast of ice. One of the unicorns from before, though burned, had survived and was fighting back. A few more of them as well as Hoofingar guards trickled into the square, ready to fight for their home. The dragon seemed a bit confused as they all charged in at once, before giving a wicked grin and roasting the first wave in a single blast. The sickening small of charred flesh met my nose, and I recoiled before forcing myself to get back in and finish the fight. The guards were overwhelmed, falling left and right. As soon as I had a clear shot, I did the only worthwhile thing I could think to. <<>> The force of my Shout sent the dragon’s head whipping back, slamming into an anvil. But though I had broken spikes off its head with my attack, it was still mostly unharmed. And now, seeing I had the Voice, it seemed to label me as the most important target. It lunged toward me, knocking aside guards in the process. Holding Calcion’s Cleaver in front of me, I waited until the last moment before jumping forward and sliding under the charging dragon. As I slid, I brought my sword up into the dragon’s underbelly. Sparks flew for a moment as metal met scales, but eventually my blade cut into flesh, and tore through the dragon. Feeling the pain, the dragon suddenly took off, flapping its massive wings heedless of broken bones to get enough lift to disengage my sword. I was dragged across the cobblestones a bit, bumping along until the dragon blade broke free. The dragon obtained just enough lift to land atop another building, its claws tearing the roof to pieces in its haste to spin around toward me. I found myself rolling to the side as flames threatened to end my life. Before I could get up, the dragon leapt from its perch and landed on the ground, looming over me. As it moved in for the kill, it flared its wings up and I saw an opportunity. <<>> My Shout slammed into the dragon’s wing, filling it with wind and causing it to spin over, rolling onto its back. As I crawled to my hooves, I kept an eye on the dragon as it struggled to flip back over. Steadfast suddenly came out of nowhere, smashing the dragon in the throat with his warhammer. He was a little worse for wear, filled with splinters, but he was alive! How much longer that would last had yet to be proven as the dragon struck back, flipping over and pinning Steadfast beneath it. Charging in to save my friend, I slashed Calcion’s Cleaver into the side of the dragon’s neck, pouring flames from my horn onto what I assumed was an ear. I was able to distract it just long enough that Steadfast could wriggle free. I suddenly pulled back as the dragon turned toward me, but it was too late. I was hit full on with the blast of its Shout. <<>> I was sent flying, tumbling end over end across the cobblestones, until I finally came to a stop at the edge of town. Looking up from the spot I’d come to lay, I could see a stone dragon head looming over me. Craning my neck, I could see the head was part of a much larger structure, a bridge to be exact, that spanned the length of a deep canyon. I had no more time to ponder the purpose behind the town’s name as I heard the dragon give a deafening roar. Flapping its wings, it rose high into the sky before it came careening back down at me. Leaping to my hooves, I tried to run out of the way, seeking the shelter the structure of the bridge provided. The dragon carried on, smashing through the stone supports to get at me, heedless of the damage it was doing to itself. It landed heavily on the stone bridge, which cracked and shifted beneath it. Chucks of stone fell around me as I tried to keep balance and remain safe from the dragon. Surveying my environment, I could see the path to the far side of the bridge was now blocked. The only way I’d be getting off this thing was through the dragon. I charged forward, my sword held in front of me. As the dragon lunged at me, I sidestepped and drew my blade across its face. Thrashing around, it knocked me into one of the bridge’s crumbling pillars. I pulled myself forward as the stone went careening into the icy river below. Again and again, I slashed my sword into the dragon’s side as it tried to crane its neck around at me. Shaking me off, it twisted around rapidly, its tail knocking away more supports. I sent a blast of lightning at its face before jumping off and running for the end of the bridge. My run came to an abrupt halt as the dragon pinned my tail to the ground. I struggled against its grip, but I was trapped, unable to escape. I began to slide backwards, both from the collapsing bridge and the dragon pulling me in. I twisted around onto my back, ready to stab my sword through the roof of its mouth if it tried to eat me. A blur of brown shot over me and landed atop the dragon’s head. Steadfast raised his warhammer high above his head before smashing it down into the dragon’s skull. Bone crunched and shattered, and the dragon’s skull caved in. Its grip on me diminished enough that I was able to pull free and gallop to the bridge’s end. When my hooves were back on solid ground, I turned back to the collapsing bridge. Through all the falling stone I couldn’t see Steadfast or the dragon. I feared the worst as the dust settled and my friend was still nowhere to be seen. Rushing forward, I searched the wreckage until I found him wedged under a large chunk of the bridge. He had made it most of the way and not fallen into the river at least, which was more than could be said of the dragon. Exerting my magic, I strained to lift the stone off of him, but it was just too heavy. Suddenly, other colors of magic joined my own and the stone began to budge. I turned to see a few of the beaten unicorns from before, lending their strength to help me. Once the stone was off, I pulled Steadfast out and began tending to his broken body. He was still alive, if barely. I reset any of his bones that had gone out of place before casting Healing Hooves on him. Under my magic, his wounds began to mend until his breathing picked up, causing him to cough. “Did we get it?” he asked when he stopped coughing. “Yes,” I replied, laughing, just happy that my friend was alive. “Is it dead? For good?” one of the unicorns asked, peering over the ledge. I cast a quick healing spell on myself before joining them at the edge. Admittedly, it was hard to tell. There was no sign of a body within the rushing waters. Either the dragon was dead and had been carried away, or it was just hiding and nursing its wounds. The other unicorns jumped back as jets of colorful flame suddenly spouted from the water, but I stood my ground, taking this as confirmation of the dragon’s death. The tendrils of fire continued upwards, intent on converging on me. I shut my eyes and braced myself for the rush of memories that was sure to come. Sure enough, images of this dragon’s life began to flash across my vision faster than I could follow. But with each that passed, I could feel my knowledge of FEIM grow in my mind. By the time the stream of consciousness had stopped, I had fully tapped into the application knowledge for the Shout I had learned in Hoovestengrav. I Shouted without hesitation. My vision wavered for a moment, but everything else remained the same. To be perfectly honest, I wasn’t sure exactly what it was my Shout had done. But judging by the gasps of the unicorns and other townsponies who had begun to trickle in, it had done something. I looked down at my hooves to find I could see right through them. Stunned, I looked at the new appearance of my body, which had taken on a spectral form. Though my outline still glowed slightly, I was for all intensive purposes transparent. “Whoa, that’s weird,” Steadfast said, waving his foreleg through me. Everything suddenly jumped back to the way it was and I took on my true corporeal form again. I had learned a new Shout to go along with Unrelenting Force, but how I was to use it was still questionable. One thing I knew was that if the ancient earth ponies had considered it important enough to preserve, it had to have some use. And I could always ask the Greymanes about it. “Who . . . who are you?” one of the townsponies, an auburn pegasus, asked. “Me?” I said, still hoping to avoid attention, “Oh, I’m nopony special.” “But you killed that dragon!” the pegasus insisted. “And what you did back there,” one of the unicorns said from behind me, “In all my days serving in the Ponytus Oculatus, I’ve never seen any magic like that.” “She has the Voice,” an elderly earth pony mare stepped in, “The ancient power of the great earth pony warriors. These are strange times we live in if the Equines have granted them to a unicorn.” “Listen,” I said, “I don’t know how I know how to use the Voice, it just comes naturally to me. And as for the dragon, I was just trying to help like anypony would.” “It seems that the Equines have picked a fitting vessel for their power,” the mare continued, seemingly heedless of my response, “For you have saved us all.” “I told you already,” I protested, “I was just doing what was necessary, what was the right thing to do.” “You have saved Dragon Bridge, well not the dragon bridge,” she said, cracking a smile, “But our town. We are eternally in your debt.” “That’s really not necessary,” I protested, blushing as they began to bow. “How can we repay you?” another pony in the crowd asked. Sighing as I realized there was no turning down their adoration, I accepted the situation. I took a look behind me at the wreck of the bridge. “There is one thing you could do,” I said. “Yes!” the auburn pegasus responded, so exited she began hovering. “Could I get some new directions on how to get to Whitetrot?” I said, gesturing to the bridge, “I don’t think this path will work.” ◊◊◊ ◊◊◊ ◊◊◊ “You know, that really was something back there,” Steadfast said as we trudged through the Marethal swamps, our alternate route. “Oh stop, not you too,” I said, “Besides, you’ve seen me use the Voice before.” “But bringing down that dragon? And the grace with which you took their praise? It’s no wonder the townsponies adore you.” I just sighed and shook my head. It appeared there would be no reasoning with him on this. Maybe if we lived long enough to fight a few more dragons, the awe would wear off for him. Sure it seemed impressive, but I saw nothing glorious in a fight that brought about unnecessary destruction. “A mare like you, why’d you ever leave home?” he asked. I stopped in my tracks and breathed heavily to control my feelings. It had been an innocent question, but thoughts of my home brought no joy to me, only feelings of sadness and anger. And I didn’t know if I was really ready to spill the beans on my past yet. “Hey,” Steadfast said, trotting up and putting a hoof on my shoulder, “Sorry, I know you don’t like to talk about your past. And if you’re not ready that’s fine. But someday when you are, just know I’m willing to listen.” “No,” I said, feeling surer now that it was time to get it out, “You of all ponies deserve to know. We’ve known each other for little more than a day, but I feel we’re becoming really close friends, and before we go any farther you need to know who it is you’re traveling with.” “The reason I left Unicornica,” I began, “It’s because I-I’m a blank flank, a nopony. No cutie-mark to speak of here. I left to escape that life, to get a fresh start, to find a life where I wouldn’t be constantly looked down upon.” Steadfast just stood there, taking it in. It was hard to tell exactly what he thought. “Listen, I understand if you don’t want to be friends anymore-” “Are you crazy!” he cut me off, “Of course I want to remain friends with you!” “Really?” “Yes! And don’t worry that you don’t have your cutie-mark yet. I mean, look what you’ve been able to do without knowing your destiny! And I don’t even know the half of it yet! Why, you’ve probably accomplished more in the past few weeks than most ponies do in their lifetime. You’re not a nopony, don’t you ever think that.” “Not having a cutie-mark hasn’t stopped you so far, and it won’t so long as you don’t let it. Besides, it’s not like a picture on your flank controls your destiny. I mean, look at mine!” I did, and though I had seen it before, I had never thought about it. Permanently part of his coat was an illustration of a hammer and anvil. “My special talent is smithing, but did that stop me from joining the Companions and becoming a warrior? Of course not. You can’t let your cutie-mark or lack of a cutie-mark define you. You have to define yourself, and make your own destiny.” “Thanks,” I told Steadfast, my spirits lifted by his rough, yet inspirational speech, “Thanks for everything, your support, your reassurance, everything.” “Hey, what are friends for?” he asked. “More than I ever imagined,” I replied, wrapping him in a hug, gifting him with a rare display of physical affection. Though I’d taken him by surprise, he quickly recovered and returned my hug. He tapped me on the shoulder as I was about to pull away. “I think maybe you should turn around,” he said, his stare fixed on something behind me. I quickly let go of Steadfast and looked behind me. Rising up out of Marethal’s putrid swamp water were three scaly tendrils that towered up above us, each ending in a spiny head. “A hydra,” I gasped in awe. The books I’d read on dangerous creatures really hadn’t done them justice. But, hydras mostly lived in the Bat-pony homeland of Bracken-Swamp, what was one doing in Horizon? “You have hydras here?” I asked Steadfast, slowly backing away. “Maybe one or two,” he said, also backing away from the towering creature gazing down on us with six eyes, “I’ve heard stories, but I didn’t think they were true.” The hydra would wait no longer for us to discuss its presence. Giving a bloodcurdling screech with all three heads, it lunged at us. I was lucky, only one head came my way. I easily jumped out of the way in enough time, and the hydra got a mouthful of mud and grime instead of pony flesh. I blasted fire at the head as it recovered, scorching its scales and getting through to burn the flesh beneath. His warhammer gripped in his mouth, Steadfast hammered away at the two heads that had pursued him, giving them nasty wounds before they drew back. We regrouped as all three heads rose up above to get a better vantage point. With the sucking of mud and swamp water, the creature began to pull its massive body from the swamp, slamming a heavy claw down on the land. Steadfast and I ran as it heaved itself up, keeping to what little shelter the skeletal trees of the swamp provided. The hydra managed to make it up onto the land and soon caught up with us, forcing us to fight it again. This time Steadfast got the one head, and I got two. <<>> I Shouted at the head I had burned previously, sending it whipping out of the way so I would only have to deal with one head. I pulled out the Axe of Whitetrot and Calcion’s Cleaver as it got closer. Once it was in range I swung my war axe into its face, burning the flesh as it cut. My sword came next, stabbing it in the eye and sending sparks into its brain. The head convulsed a bit before it was out for the count, just dead weight for the hydra to carry around. The charred head had recovered by this point and came swinging at me to get revenge on the other head I had killed. I jumped as it tried to chomp me, getting the height I needed for a killing stroke. I whipped out Calcion’s Cleaver as I fell, cutting straight through the hydra’s neck. The head rolled away as I landed heavily on the ground. I turned to help Steadfast where he was holding back the final head’s snapping jaws, but turned back when I heard a rustle behind me. The neck of the head I had severed was convulsing, and I watched in horror as it split into two necks, a fresh head sprouting at the end of each one. “Note to self: don’t cut their heads off.” I dodged the first head’s swing at me, but was forced to jump nearly into the mouth of the second one. I took advantage of the situation to stab my sword up through the roof of its mouth, into its brain. Unfortunately, that opened me up to an attack from the other head, which came swiftly. The head suddenly jerked back as Steadfast jumped atop it. Taking a quick glance over to where he had been standing a moment ago, I saw the hydra’s neck ended in a pile of mush. Pulling my sword out, I focused on the final remaining head. Steadfast was doing a pretty good job of keeping it busy by holding on to the back of the head, so I pulled out my bow and tried to follow the beast’s wild thrashings. Many of my shots went wide, but some managed to sink into the hydra’s flesh, enraging it more. I really hoped Steadfast didn’t get thrown off, or that a stray arrow hit him, but so far the Equines were smiling on us. One final arrow pierced the hydra’s eye, sinking into its final brain and killing it. The beast’s body collapsed, and the head fell to the ground, sending Steadfast rolling into the swamp. Cleaning my blades along the way, I trotted over to where he had fallen in and helped him out. “Y’know,” he said, “This is gonna be some story to tell.” “I’m so happy we’re traveling together,” I told him with a laugh. “Me too,” he said, “But can we at least try to avoid life or death situations from now until we get to Whitetrot?” “It’s a deal,” I said, patting him on his soggy back. ◊◊◊ ◊◊◊ ◊◊◊ Steadfast was all dried off by the time we got to Whitetrot. As we travelled, we traded stories, both of events recent and in our foalhoods. I found myself opening up to him as I hadn’t to anypony since I had entered Horizon. It really was good to finally have somepony I could pour out my past to, and who was willing hear it. As we entered the city, I removed Jurgen’s war horn from my saddlebags and passed it over to Steadfast. Now was the time for him to present it to the Companions and become one of them himself. It was going to be a pretty big day for him, and I wished him the best. He entered Jorrvaskr triumphantly, the horn hanging around his neck. A few of the Companions turned to look at him as he pranced through the mead hall. Surprise registered in their eyes as they realized what exactly he had brought back with him. I followed at a distance as I watched my friend approach a table set aside from the others. “You told me it was pointless when I proclaimed my personal quest years ago,” Steadfast addressed the Circle, composed of the Companions’ leaders, “I’ve never been happier to stand before you today and present the relic you thought I was wasting my life searching for. Behold Jurgen Sky-whinny’s war horn!” A tap on the shoulder distracted me from my friends’ acceptance into the Companions. Behind me stood a courier wearing the uniform of Whitetrot. “Excuse me Thane Sapphire,” the courier said, “But Faniar Fire-stone wishes to speak with you in Dragonsreach.” “Right now?” I asked, looking back over at Steadfast. “He seemed very excited and wanted you to come immediately.” I gave a sigh before turning away toward Jorrvaskr’s door. “All right then.” Leaving Jorrvaskr, I climbed the steps to Dragonsreach. Faniar would need a pretty good explanation to excuse pulling me away from Steadfast’s confirmation and the party that was sure to follow. Bursting into the keep, I made my way as swiftly as possible to Faniar’s study. “What did you want to speak to me about?” I asked as I entered the room. It was messier than usual, with books stacked all over the desks, chairs, even the floor. Papers covered in scribbles of draconic were hanging everywhere, and the large map of Horizon on his wall had markers stabbed all through it. Faniar himself rushed around the room, levitating half a dozen books and papers, and just as many quills, scratching down notes on everything. “It’s fantastic, amazing, I’ve never seen anything like it!” he babbled, a smile stretched across his face. “What?” I asked, becoming curious of what could make this normally calm stallion so excited. “That dragonstone you brought me was invaluable!” he exclaimed, “It told the location of every dragon burial site in Horizon!” “And that helps how?” “It also contained an intriguing prophecy that leads me to suspect the dragons weren’t just gone, they were dead, and now something’s bringing them back.” “How is that even possible?” “I don’t know. It’s just a theory, and the only way to prove it is to get out to one of those burial sites and see if I’m right.” As Faniar began to rush around the room stuffing things into his saddlebags, suddenly Steadfast trotted into the room. “What’s going on?” he asked. “What are you doing here?” I asked him, “I thought you were being accepted into the Companions?” “It’s done. I’m a Companion now and forever,” he reached into his saddlebags, “Here’s Jurgen’s horn for you to bring to the Greymanes, just as promised.” “I hope I’ll still see you around sometimes,” I said, breaking the silence that had begun to drag on. “Try all the time,” he said, “Where are we going next?” “You’re . . . coming with me? But what about the Companions?” “Just because I’m a member doesn’t mean I’m tied down to Jorrvaskr. I’m free to adventure wherever, and with whomever I want.” “That’s great. I’m glad you’re coming along.” “So,” he asked again, “Where are we going?” “We’re going to find ourselves a dragon,” Faniar said, slamming the dragonstone down onto his desk. Level Up Health: 160 Stamina: 140 Magicka: 160 New Perk: Sturdy Stance [Blocking] -- Blocking now absorbs twice as much damage and stagger is significantly reduced. Dragon Soul collected New Quest: Empty Tombs -- Accompany Faniar to investigate the ancient dragon barrows of Horizon.