//------------------------------// // Chapter 9 - Dominance and Hunger Part 2 // Story: The Dragonborn Chronicles: Part 1 - Ponies in Skyrim // by Barix123 //------------------------------// Dominance and Hunger Part 2         Rarity learned the spell as soon as she opened the cover of the book. She was now guiding her two friends, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy, to an unknown destination by a path marked with a violet guide light. It was towards the top of the city of stone, up a number of staircases. When the trio got the top they were met with a door. Right above the door read Vlindrel Hall, as it did on the key. She inserted the key. Opening the door they were greeted with a very cozy Dwarven style setting. Beginning with a short hallway it opened up into a living quarters and then separated into different smaller rooms. Before they could go any further a man dressed in steel armor approaches them. “Who or what are you and what are you doing here?” “We need a place to stay. We are friends of Barix, he gave us this key to use. If there’s nothing else we have work to do. Step aside if you please.” Rarity tells the nord housecarl as they proceed in the house.         The housecarl, or Argis the Bulwark, steps aside confused as ever. The three ponies make their way to the table taking a seat. “Ok darling, now can you tell us what happened in there?”         Pinkie tried her best not to look her friends in the eyes. The other two were getting worried that the worst possible thing had happened. After a couple minutes Pinkie finally spoke up. “I think you girls should see for yourselves. In the deepest part of the house you’ll find Twilight.”         Rarity and Fluttershy stare at each other in an uncomfortable silence. Pinkie puts her head in her hooves lightly sobbing. Her friends try to cheer the pink pony up a little before heading off. They walk down back to the abandon house. Once inside they walk further down into the depths of the building. Stepping into the cave they saw her. Twilight was laying down in the demonic prison with the burn marks adorning her body. They stare in horror at the site of their friend in such a state. Twilight herself was just barely able to make out the two figure’s in front of her as the canary and white mare’s. “Oh…girls…it’s you…. D-do you have any potions on you…magic doesn’t seem to work in here.”         It took a second for the request to register but once it did they both furiously searched their satchels for any kind of healing potion. Fluttershy was the first to pull a red healing potion out, gently lifting up the opening to her mouth. Twilight slowly swallowed the warm soothing liquid. Almost instantly some of the burns on her body healed. Now it was Rarity’s turn healing even more burns. The lavender alicorn could now see her friends in full and stand on all fours. Still a little weak she leans against the bars to hold herself up. “Thank you girls I needed that.” “Twilight dear, what in Celestia’s name happened?” “Well…” -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------         Barix dismounted Shadowmare. A tired Applejack stood next to him along with an exhausted Rainbow Dash who was currently wheezing on the ground. “Where are we?” Applejack was out of breath but not enough to hinder her speech. “We’re outside of a forsworn camp. This is where the priest is being held. Wait here I’ll be back.” Barix couldn't have sounded more serious. “Ah don’t think so. We came to help and we’re helpin.” Applejack was firm with her resolve. “Look at you. You’re tired, Dash can’t move, and I need to get this priest as fast as possible. stay here and guard Dash until I get back.”         Barix pull’s out his dragonbone sword and runs into the forest. Applejack, slightly bored having to watch over her friend, sits on the ground next to the recovering mare. “Ya know ya wouldn’t be in this mess if ya picked the Steed Stone like ah did.” Rainbow seemed to have enough energy left to roll her eye’s at the farm pony. An arrow shot down nearly missing both of them. “What the hay! Who’s that?!”         She looks up to see a forsworn aiming another arrow from high in the tree. AJ had just enough time to move her hoof up to her face before taking the arrow through her skull, deflecting it easily with her armor. “Great, just what we need. Don’t ya fret none Rainbow, I’ll keep this one busy until Barix get’s back.”         Shadow mare runs to the tree and kicks it hard. The sudden vibration sent the forsworn tumbling to the ground, an audible snap was heard as she struck dirt. “Why thank ya kindly fer the assistance, Shadow.” --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------         Barix was running through the camp slamming, cutting, and shouting his way past everything the forsworn had to throw at him. Nothing could stop him. It was the same way when he was heading off to defeat Alduin. He could do anything because he had something to fight for. The only thing was, it was a little different now.         He was coming up to a large skin tent when a Briarheart walks out of it ready to fight with two axes in hand. The humanized beast was currently running straight for Barix, but instead of raising his own sword, he put it back into it’s sheathe. Only when his enemy got close enough to swing a greatsword at, did he put his plan into motion. “TIID! KLO!”         Time around Barix slowed drastically. He did as well, but not nearly as much as the Briarheart in front of him. Using his lessons on unarmed combat from the brotherhood he was easily able to disarm, dismember, and decapitate the enemy within seconds. once done he entered the tent to find a man in a robe on his knees with his hands tied behind his back. “You there. Are you here to kill me, the mighty Logrolf.” “No I’m here to rescue you, in a sense.” “Rescue? What do you mean? When I was taken no one knew where I was located.”         Barix had to think for a second on how to reply. He knew how to get the priest on his side. “Boethiah sent me.” “Boethiah? Wait...of course! Molag Bal’s alter. Quick cut me loose.” Barix did so. “Now I’m off to Markarth. Move out of my way, I have a task to complete.”         Logrolf rushes out of the tent. A flash of light coupled with a soft bang sound alerted Barix that a spell had been cast. Walking out the tent he didn’t see the priest at all. Must of teleported away. Taking a sniff in the air he noticed that the only forsworn left in the camp where near- “Applejack! Rainbow Dash!”         Barix ran as fast as he could to the entrance. The two mares ran were hiding behind the carcase of a dead Shadowmare that was full of arrows while continuing to be shot at repeatedly by forsworn. “FUS! RO! DAH!”         The shock wave flowed out of Barix, the sweet surge of power flowing through him like the blood rush as a werewolf. It sent the tree climbing enemies, along with the tree tops in the path of the shout, far off into the horizon. Where they’ll land only the gods can tell. Noticing that no more arrows were being shot at them AJ pushed the dead horse off her seeing Barix standing there. “Having fun?” “Yeah, ah love hidin under yer dead horse while bein pelted by arrows. Are ya done yet?” “Yes now we just to go back to Ma-” “BEHIND YOU!”         Dash yells out as a Briarheart and two other forsworn came up from behind Barix. It was a surprise even to him that he didn’t have time to even react. He got knocked down by a mace to the head. The Briarheart took control over Barix, zapping him with a lightning spell. The two grunts had both the mares on the ground. Having Barix in the ground they couldn’t do much at all. “You will pay for what you have done to my people worm!” The leader yells out as he readies another spell, frost type by the smell of it.         Barix knew he had only one choice but was doubting on unleashing it. He looks towards AJ for some advice. Seeing her face and the expression she had was all that Barix needed. His eye’s turned a dark green as he let the deadly beast inside come forth.         As the Briarheart was about to release his spell, a shadow hand came up from the ground. it grabbed hold of both his hands and ripped them off with the force that could rival that of a dragon tearing at his limbs. Two shadow swords manifested themselves in front of the grunts, getting shoved right threw their chests then moving up from there cutting the heads in half vertically. Barix grab’s his enemy by the ankle lifting him off the ground as he got up. There wasn’t much left of him as them tree truck that he was smashed into held most of his blood. Barix takes a look over his shoulder to see that the farm pony had at some point covered both her and her friends eye’s, most likely to hide the sight of what Barix had done to ones about to kill them. “I have to leave now but I won’t leave you unprotected. Find your way back to Markarth when you can.” “AJ I think it’s fine now.” “NO!” She held her friend even closer than before. “Trust me you don’t want to see him like that.” “Barix is gone.” An unfamiliar voice was heard by the mares. They look, well Applejack looks and Rainbow pushes her hoof out of the way, to see a spectral being. “I am Lucien Lachance, and I will help you get back to Markarth.” “...Ok. Dash can ya move?” “A little, But I’m still pretty tired.” “Ya can ride on mah back until ya gain some strength. We’d better move. Don’t want ta be out at night do ya?” ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------         Inside of the Markarth homestead, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie were making a picnic to take back to their trapped friend in the abandon house. Pinkie’s hair was still down but now she had a tiny smile on her face, signaling that she was feeling better. Rarity was just adding the last pieces to the indoor picnic as all three friends were talking. “Oh I just know this will bring a smile to Twilight’s face. Hopefully those three won’t take so long.” Rarity said. “Knowing them it won’t be, but still, the sooner the better.” Pinkie replied with some hurt still in her voice. “Are you almost done in there Fluttershy? We don’t want to keep our dear friend waiting.” Rarity called to her friend in the other room. “Yes, almost.” She was gathering a couple more healing potions and some napkins for the meal.         Someone, or rather something, starts banging on the main door to the house in a fury to get in. The two mares in eyesight of the door stared at it scared of what was going to come in. Argis stands to look at the door in question. He motions for them to hide. “Do you know of an emergency exit?” Rarity says, mimicking Fluttershy’s normal tone of voice. “There isn’t one for this house. If it comes down to it, I will hold them off as you escape.” “What about you?” “I don’t need to explain myself to you why I do things. Just know it is because I am loyal to Barix.”         The bangs stop and everyone freezes. Organic statues are all that take up the space in the house. The door is knocked down by one more hit. “RUN!” Argis didn’t last very long.