Chapter 5:
The Barrow and the Decision
“You should take these. I know they’re not for you, but everything helps,” said Twilight as she handed Fluttershy a stack of books. The two ponies had sat down at the table in the wizard’s room, which had been cleared off. Fluttershy looked through the books. There were five of them. Three had a symbol of a flame on the covers, and the other two symbols of birds.
“What are these?” asked the Pegasus, looking at them all.
“Spell Tomes. Just crack open one of them and you’ll instantly learn a spell. It’ll take some practice to master the spell, but they should come in handy in a jam anyway,” explained the wizard. “These three are called Destruction Spells. They’re mostly used for combat. Fire, Shock, and Frost.” Fluttershy held one in her hoof, examining it.
“There are no credits. Who made them?” she asked, scratching her forehead. Her iron helmet lay neatly next to a pile of notes.
“I made these ones. Only a master wizard can create their own Spell Tomes,” Twilight said with the slightest smirk. “Nopony really knows who created the originals. Some say they were made by the Greybeards. Others say they were created by the first dragons themselves.” Fluttershy nodded in understanding. She picked up one of the other tomes, this one being the color yellow with the symbol of a bird on the front.
“And those are Restoration Spells. Healing and Upper Ward. Healing is sort of self-explanatory, and the Upper Ward, if used, will act as a sort of shield. Though that kind of shield is used for blocking magic and spells.” Fluttershy nodded once again. She looked up at the wizard one last time. Closing her eyes and, holding the book as far from her body as possible, she opened it. The tome started to glow a soft yellow as the Healing spell merged with her hooves. It evaporated into the Pegasus’s body and surrounded her in a soft yellow glow. Fluttershy’s eyes widened as the knowledge of the spell wormed its way deep into her memory and subconscious.
The spell was now one with Fluttershy.
“Cool, huh?” asked Twilight, leaning forward, “I miss the days when I would learn new spells.” Fluttershy looked at her hooves, which had finally returned to their natural color. Needless to say, she was shocked. As she examined her body to make sure she was unscathed, her hooves started to glow once again. She backed up again only to realize that this glow felt… oddly comforting. She felt content, and most of all, she felt like she was in top physical condition. She gazed upon this glow when, viewing it from a different angle, her hooves themselves weren’t glowing. They had small, golden orbs hovering above them. The orbs spun around gently, offering a calming appearance. Fluttershy watched as the balls of light danced before her.
“Huh… It’s… It’s already so powerful…” whispered Twilight from across the table. “I can feel it from here… I would’ve thought for sure… How…? How is it…?” She tilted her head and leaned toward the spell. Her shoulders were lowered and all signs of defense were lost. Fluttershy slowly lowered her hooves, causing the spell to dissipate. “You… You should… read the others on the way…” The wizard stood up and loudly cleared her throat. “Let’s get moving. We won’t be gone for more than a day. Got everything you need?” Fluttershy looked up quickly and stood up, nervously nodding. “Good. Hand me those saddlebags and put the books in. We’ve got plenty of food.”
Fluttershy looked over at the table. On the right side lied a white saddlebag which looked to be filled. Obviously with food. The Pegasus carefully put the remaining four tomes in the empty saddlebag and hauled the heavy thing up. She eased it over to Twilight, who carefully threw it over her back. She held herself in place for a moment, as if to adjust herself to the newfound weight. After a few seconds, she stood straight and nodded. Fluttershy forced a smile, but when Twilight exited the room, the smile disappeared altogether. The warrior grabbed her helmet and put it on, admiring how strong it made her feel. She checked her sword and bow. Both were still firmly in place.
She was ready for adventure… More or less…
With a final bow to Jarl Cadence, she was off to meet Twilight outside, as instructed. The Pegasus forced a smile and exited the palace. “Ready?” asked Twilight.
“I… I suppose so…” Twilight patted the Pegasus’s shoulder in a playful matter.
“Then let’s be off,” she said with enthusiasm. The tone in her voice also comforted Fluttershy as well, and it seemed to work… be it very subtly.
The wizard and the Pegasus walked through the town. Twilight pointed out landmarks and noticeable things as they trotted down.
“…That right there is the Shrine of the Sun Goddess… Oh! And over there is Jorrvaskr, the home of the Companions!” Fluttershy stopped dead in her tracks at the mention of her… friends. At this she realized her shoulder still smelled faintly of wolf’s blood.
“O-Oh… Them…”
“What?” asked Twilight, turning to face her friend, “You’ve heard of the Companions too? I thought you weren’t from around here…”
“I… Well, I ran into them on the way here… One of them offered me a chance to join…” said Fluttershy, pacing back and forth.
“Really? You should take them up on it. Any warrior would relish the chance to be with the Companions,” said Twilight. She continued her way through the town, with Fluttershy in tow. The gate opened due to Twilight’s magic and they were truly off to Bleak Falls Barrow.
The path away from Whiterun was exactly how Fluttershy remembered it. There was the small slope leading away from the gate, the archways, and various farms. As the two mares passed one of the farms, they noticed a large pile of blood. This was in fact where the giant had been slain just ten short minutes prior. The mere thought of that fight set off a chain of thought in Fluttershy’s head. The Pegasus ducked her head and started to think.
Could she be a warrior? There really was no clear clue that she couldn’t be. If she had something… some sort of killing machine deep inside her, could she access it? If the situation called for it, could she step up and become a true warrior?
Soon enough, the farms, the fields, and Whiterun itself were out of view. The two mares were on a path in a forest, much resembling the path from Riverwood. In fact, this WAS the path to Riverwood.
“U-Um… Twilight? I think we’re going the wrong way…” said Fluttershy, lowering her head a bit and turning away. Twilight smiled.
“Bleak Falls Barrow is just past Riverwood. It’s almost in view of the little town,” she said, thinking a bit. “Come to think of it… I haven’t been in Riverwood in years…” Fluttershy looked up at the Unicorn. Twilight seemed to be lost in thought. “I… I used to have a friend in Riverwood… But for the life of me I can’t remember her name…”
“Was she an Earth pony?” asked Fluttershy, half expecting the answer.
“I think so. Most ponies from Riverwood are Earth ponies. Ah, well, it’s no big deal right now. Right now, we just need to focus on Bleak Falls Barrow, right?” A slight blush came over Fluttershy, and she hoped her helmet covered it. She looked away so as to not make her nervousness evident.
“Mmhm,” was all she managed to stifle. The two mares continued their trek to Riverwood. The next few minutes were long and quiet. The breeze flew gently past each of their ears and made a quiet cooing noise. It relaxed Fluttershy’s much racked-up nerves. As she looked over to the Unicorn, she noticed a large bead of sweat coming off of her cheek from her forehead. She seemed to be straining. Fluttershy pondered on this for a moment and after a minute or two asked what was wrong.
“…It’s nothing. Just these… Spell Tomes…” Fluttershy moved a little closer to the wizard.
“Oh… U-Um… D-Did you want me to hold the saddlebags?”
“No… Nah, I’m fine. You just focus on fighting. I’ll focus on getting into the place. But, um…” answered Twilight with a sheepish smile on her face. She quickly wiped the sweat drop away and looked toward the path.
“Yes?”
“Could you maybe… Open a few of the tomes?” Fluttershy quickly nodded and unbuttoned the left bag. Pulling out a red one, she looked at Twilight, who now wore a slight expression of relief. The Pegasus asked which one that one was, to which Twilight answered as ‘Flames.’ With a long sigh, Fluttershy opened the book, once again holding it away from her body. Twilight moved back a bit as the book melded into Fluttershy’s arms. The light dimmed and peace was restored to the forest. The armored mare thought all was fine, until a furious stream of fire shot from her hooves. To say a shocked expression came over her would be an understatement. She stood on her back legs as the flames shot into the sky. The blaze was intense to say the least. Even Twilight, who’d prepared for this a moment earlier, was ducking for cover. A loud squeal came from Fluttershy, whose eyes were shut tight as the fire continued to shoot from her hooves. It didn’t disperse, it merely got stronger. With a loss of balance and continuous push from the spell, the Pegasus fell on her rump. Twilight yelled her name, hardly making a noise over the loud sound of crackling fire. Emerging from her hiding place, she ran to the side of the fire stream. Fluttershy continued to scream her high-pitched scream from under the blaze. The wizard’s horn suddenly lit up a rich purple as a violet half-sphere appeared over the flames. It stopped the blast from moving further than her own height. The half-sphere started to move down until it eventually made its way to two yellow hooves. The heat of the blaze eventually ceased and the fire was no more. All that remained were two smoking hooves and a very terrified looking Fluttershy.
“…Fluttershy…?” Twilight asked, her lungs still taking in the lost air. The poor Pegasus started to shake, her body simply holding too much stress. Slowly, she got to her hooves. Twilight repeated the teenager’s name. Fluttershy quickly looked to her.
“Huh?!” Suddenly, she realized that she was still in the real world and blushed. With a sheepish smile and a nervous chuckle, she lowered herself a bit. Her frown returned.
“I-I think I’ll wait to open the other ones… I-If you don’t mind…” Twilight chuckled to herself. She continued to walk down the path.
Later…
“Here’s the mountain,” said Twilight, stopping in her tracks. Fluttershy looked up to said mountain and her jaw went wide. The mountaintop was a pure white, snow covering the rocks. The sounds of wind whistling could be heard and it chilled both mares to the bone. Through the thick fog and snow, a dark black structure poked out. Through the whiteness, Bleak Falls Barrow could be seen.
Fluttershy gently grabbed Twilight’s forelegs and flapped her wings. As the two mares floated up the mountain, they could make out more and more of the looming Barrow.
The structure seemed almost ghostly in appearance. The coal black archways were a sight to behold, as they towered over even a giant. The bright white snow did little to hide the darkness and shadow the Barrow presented just by sitting there. Though it seemed ages old, and it probably was, it seemed impenetrable.
Fluttershy set Twilight down at the top of the steps. The doorway into the old crypt loomed over the two mares’ heads just as the archways did. The only thing more inviting about the doorway than the archways is that not much snow made its way to it. Slowly, Twilight pushed the door open. Ever so slowly, and with the loudest, most painful creak, the millennium old door moved into the darkness. The two mares peeked inside. Twilight turned to Fluttershy.
“Uhm… Warriors first?”
Fluttershy never saw much scariness in the dark. But this place… oh, this place made her feel like a nursing foal again. The slightest movement took an immense amount of energy. With a squeak and a mumble, Fluttershy took a step inside. Her mind commanded her to go back. Her body resisted and told her to exit the crypt. But just as she contemplated listening, the door creaked once again. The teenager turned around just in time to see the doorway to the outside world- her last chance of freedom, close. The only light in the crypt was now just a hole in the ceiling, making both mares somewhat visible. Fluttershy heard a deep sigh from the purple Unicorn.
“There. It should get at least a LITTLE warmer in here.” In the back of her mind, Fluttershy scolded and screamed at Twilight for closing that door. But she knew if the door had remained open, the cold would only get worse. So she remained quiet. Twilight walked forward just a bit.
“The Dragonstone should be interred in the main chamber.”
“A-And this is the main chamber, right?” Fluttershy quickly asked, wishful thoughts in her mind.
“Of course not,” Twilight said, raising a violet hoof in the air and pulling a large blue hood over her head, “The main chamber is below us. We’ll have to—” Suddenly, Twilight was silenced by voices. Distant voices. Echoey voices. “Hold up.” She peered around a corner. By this point Fluttershy was cowering in her boots. Twilight lowered herself and crept deeper into the chamber. Fluttershy followed the wizard’s lead and inched up to a toppled column. Peering over the top, she saw something she wished she didn’t have to see.
In the corner of the chamber was a tiny campfire, surrounded by three gruff-looking ponies. Two male, one female. They wore hastily-stitched fur tunics and scarves. The female munched hungrily on a piece of steak.
“Two Earth ponies and a Unicorn,” whispered Twilight, igniting her hooves with a dim fire, “The Unicorn looks skilled, so I’ll come up behind him. You distract them.” She turned to Fluttershy as she said this. Fluttershy’s eyes widened even further.
“A-and kill them?” she whispered, a bit of a quiver in her boots. Twilight looked over at her.
“Well. . . We could just knock them out. . .” Fluttershy quickly nodded her head violently, almost shaking off her helmet.
“Y-Yes, yes, yes!” she whispered, “We can just do that!” Twilight looked at her, with an eyebrow raised.
"Alright," Twilight said, arching jer back slightly. She put down her bags as her horn lit slightly.
"Remember," Twilight whispered, "you take the two males."
"Okay," Fluttershy said with a stammer. Twilight counted down from three. With each syllable spoken, Fluttershy's heart raced harder. Twilight spoke the final number and ran out fast toward the trio. Fluttershy ran out as well. With a grunt, Twilight shot an orange ball of fire at the grime coated mare. The bandit ducked just in time to dodge the attack and lurched at the wizard.
Fluttershy stood, shaking in her boots staring at the two stallions. They glared her down, weapons in hoof. One sprinted toward her and swung his axe at her. With a yelp, Fluttershy ducked. Seeing a golden opportunity, Fluttershy rammed her head forward and butted the bandit in the ribs. His armor was that of thin leather, so he felt the full of the steel helmet. With a yell, he collapsed. Fluttershy stood straight and looked on as he held his ribs on the ground. She started to spew apologies, but was cut of by a sharp pain in her right foreleg. She looked down to see the other bandit gnawing at her hoof. She stood on her hind legs and brought herself down to stomp on his head. She backed up a bit to see him unconscious. Hearing a yell, she looked up to see the first one galloping at her, a crazed look in his eye. With a yelp, she threw her hooves forward and closed her eyes. All she heard was a painful screech and the thick crackle and roar of fire. She opened her eyes to see the stallion on the ground in a burning heap of meat and limbs. With a loud gasp, she ran to him. She put her hooves on him and tried to shake him awake. He didn't stir. And she felt no pulse. He was dead. Fluttershy had killed a stallion. Tears welled up in her eyes as she thought about what she had just done.
"I'm sorry . . . I'm so sorry . . . "
She didn't have much time to dwell on it though as she felt something hurl into her. Looking at what had hit her, she saw that it was the third bandit, bleeding from the nose. She too didn't move at all. Fluttershy knew this mare was dead as well. She quickly threw the body off of her and stood up.
“Oh, gods . . . “
Twilight approached the armor-clad Pegasus, huffing out breath. She looked down at the now deceased bandit.
“Been a long time since I’ve been in a fight,” she said, touching the bandit’s neck. She felt no pulse. Looking up, she looked at the stallion unconscious on the floor and the pile of dead skin and ash that was once a fellow pony. “You don’t seem the killing type.”
“I’m not,” Fluttershy whispered, another tear running down her cheek. Twilight stared at her, a blank expression on her face.
“You’re not a warrior, are you?” Twilight asked. Fluttershy ducked her head. “I thought not. Why did you agree to come with me?”
“Well,” Fluttershy started, wiping her face with her wing, “I, um. . . I didn’t.”
“Oh,” Twilight whispered. “I suppose I never gave you a chance to respond. Turn back, Fluttershy. I can handle this.”
Fluttershy stared at her for a moment. She wanted to agree. To turn back and go back to Riverwood. To tell Applejack she did it and go home. Forget any of this ever happened. But something stopped her. Perhaps it was the fear of traversing this foreign land alone again. Perhaps it was the feeling of loneliness in the wide open territory.
But Fluttershy knew it was something more. She knew what she could do know. She burned a stallion alive. She disposed of him before he could lay his hoof upon her. Imagine what she could do know to a spider. And Applejack said her cousin could provide her with sword training. Fluttershy’s father was a warrior, and, as much as she hated violence, she looked up to him. A part of her always wanted to be like him. And now she had the opportunity. She could get the Dragonstone and get her training. She could defend herself and her animals so much better. And who knows? Perhaps Twilight could offer her training with this magic she now possessed.
“No,” Fluttershy said as Twilight began to walk away, “I mean, uh. . . I’m coming with you. I want to help.”
“Are you sure?” Twilight asked, “I can handle this.”
“I want to help you. Who knows what’s down there?” Fluttershy said, walking closer to her. Twilight looked down at the floor. Fluttershy was right. Anything could be down there. Twilight hadn’t been in a true fight in years. She almost lost her life to the bandit a minute ago. She could definitely use another pair of watchful eyes. And Fluttershy had toasted a full grown stallion with her eyes closed just now.
“Alright. But stay close to me. Watch your hooves. There’s bound to be traps down there.”
“Okay,” Fluttershy said, bracing herself for what was about to come. She knew this was her first step. In that moment, Fluttershy knew what she was to become. In that moment, Fluttershy knew that agreeing to enter the Barrow was her leaping point to becoming like her father. To become a warrior. To be strong. She wouldn’t be a pushover anymore. She wouldn’t be weak anymore. She’d get the Stone, receive her sword training and her magic training, and would then join the Companions. And when allowed, she would find that dragon that burned Helgen to the ground. She’d find the beast that killed so many people and make him pay. Then, and only then, would she return home. Back home, she had a single friend, an old mare who would look after things if Fluttershy was away. Her animals would be fine.
She was going to return home a hero, whether Skyrim liked it or not.