//------------------------------// // Chapter 4: Baby Issues // Story: Skyrim: tales of the Equestrian hero // by spawnzillafinalwars //------------------------------// "What do you mean? Sahrot, the baby isn't hurting anypony." Twilight questioned. "Not yet, but now we have on our hands a volatile baby, whose magical bursts could blast someone to ashes in moments. I only advise that you find a way to keep her magic under control." Sahrot replied. "I'm afraid that he is right, Twilight. for now, though, we will keep the child under close watch, until we have a way to curb the child's magical bursts." Celestia agreed. Twilight sighed in admittance, conceding with both Sahrot and Celestia. "Well, alright. but we still have a Crystalling to prepare for." Twilight said. "I'm sure the townsfolk would be dying to see the baby." "Alright then. hmmmm...does this place, by chance, have a library? I'd like to have a few looks at the tomes of this world, in order to be more familiar with this realm." Sahrot requested. "Yes, there's one just four flights up from here." Cadence replied. "Well, I'll be at the castle library, so if any of you require me, I will be there." Sahrot informed the group. he turned to take his leave, as the rest had begun to make preparations. Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Fluttershy were helping Shining Armor with his preparation, picking out several pure crystals, finding a Crystaller, and preparing the guards for presentation. the princesses have resigned in Cadences quarters, to help her regain her strength. Twilight and Pinkie Pie resided with the baby, watching over her. ********** Sahrot had found the library, and as he had walked through the doors, his breath was taken away. the entire library before him was enormous, and was filled to the brim with books. Sahrot could not believe what he is seeing, as his eyes ran over every detail within the chamber. he then spotted a mare putting away a few books, and figured that she was the librarian. he strolled over to where the mare was, and saw through further inspection that she was old. "Excuse me, but do you know if there is a book pertaining the history of Equestria?" Sahrot asked. "History books are down the hall, five aisles to the right, and at your left side." the mare responded, not even turning to look at the Argonian. "Thank you for your assistance." Sahrot stated, following her directions. when he had met his destination, he walked down the aisle, scanning the several books that were displayed. he stopped at a book titled 'The History of Equestria, and the Celestial diarchy'. "This book will have to do for now. I wonder what kind of history these ponies have." Sahrot said to himself. he walked over to one of the tables, and resided in one of the chairs, as he began to read the history of Equestria. ************ Celestia and Luna had rested Cadence to her bed, so she can rest for the Crystalling. Celestia had brought her niece a simmering cup of tea before she spoke. "This situation has grown far larger than expected. first, a being from another world has appeared in ours, and now an Alicorn was born." Celestia sighed, stirring the tea. "I would have to agree with you, sister. I especially am hesitant about that being. every time I am near him, I feel an ominous aura about him. as we were in the room, I tried to look into his mind, only to be blocked by some unknown power." Luna stated. Celestia stared at her in utter disbelief. "Luna, you know for a fact that mind reading is a forbidden practice. now you tell me that you tried to enter the mind of an alien?" Celestia said, speechless of what she had done. "I know that it was forbidden, but I just had to know what is in his mind. what if he was a scout, and he was working with an invading force? what if he had planned to take control of Equestria, and was plotting our demise?" Luna answered, confident that she was right. "...Luna, I know that you only did this to protect us, but you must also know that Sahrot has done nothing to harm any of us. from what Twilight has informed me, Sahrot is an individual who has been gifted with great power, and has used it to protect others. I am confident that Sahrot would not intend to bring us harm, and only seeks to return home." Celestia responded, shaking her head at her sister's actions. Luna sighed in, defeat, ultimately conceding with her sister. "Perhaps you are right, sister. I may have been rather irrational with my decision. I am sorry." Luna said apologetically. "I am not the one you have to apologize to, Luna." Celestia stated, looking out through the door. Luna sighed, nodding her head in understanding, as she slowly walked out the door, and to the castle library. ********** Sahrot yawned loudly as he closed the fourth history book he read, stretching his back to alleviate the aching he was experiencing. he then decided to move on from Equestrian history, and into Equestrian magic. he stood from his seat, and casually strolled through the aisles, picking through the many tomes that are to be read. he stopped at a book that was encrusted with crystals and gems, and upon further inspection, had a crystalline heart embedded into the front cover. the book itself was titled 'A Crystals' Heart: A Beginner's Guide to Crystal Magic.' he grabbed the book from it's resting place, and returned to his seat at one of the tables. as he sat down, he opened the book to the first chapter. it goes into detail of the basics of crystal magic, and a crystal is needed for the procedure. before he could ponder of what he could do with crystal magic, however, his thoughts were interrupted by a the sound of someone clearing their throat. he lifted his head to see the princess of the night before him. "Wow, you're quite the fast reader. you have read through four history books in less than an hour." Luna said, her tone somewhat off. "Princess Luna? what are you doing here? do you require my assistance?" Sahrot asked, raising from his seat. "N-no, there's no need for that. I only came here...to apologize to you." Luna stammered. "Oh? what for, exactly?" Sahrot questioned, his eyes narrowing. "Well, you see, back to when the child was introduced, I tried to read your mind. you were the very first being that we have ever met that was outside of this realm, you see, and I thought that you were possibly a threat. I realize now that it was out of my bounds for such an act, and for that, I have come here to tell you that I am sorry for trying to intrude you." Luna said solemnly, staring down at the ground. Sahrot was silent for a few moments, thinking about what the alicorn had done. 'She tried to enter my mind, and see what secrets that I have kept hidden from the world...why? why would she want to know? I am no threat to her, or any of the ponies of this world. I never presented myself as a threat, so why did she ever feel the need to do such a thing? hmmm...I will forgive her for now, but I will make sure that she will know that I would NOT tolerate such actions towards me.' he thought to himself. he sighed quietly, staring at Luna with a blank expression. "I will forgive you for what you have done, Luna. I know that while you may have overstepped your bounds, you have only done so to protect your loved ones. I take it that you have found nothing in my mind?" Sahrot asked. "Well, nothing that I could read, anyway. I was not able to read your mind because there was...something, inside of you, something that was keeping me out, pushing me away." Luna said. Sahrot did not know what to make of Luna's words, but was grateful that she did not see anything. "Well, at least you had seen nothing. but while I have forgiven you for what you have done, I will not forget." Sahrot said, taking his seat back at the table. "So, just make sure that you do not do something like that again. this is your warning." he stated. Luna nodded her head in acknowledgement. "I...I understand, Sahrot Strun. again, I am sorry for doing such a thing." she replied, eyes glancing down to the floor. "It is alright, princess Luna, as long as you have learned not to make the same mistake again." Sahrot responded, turning his attention back to the book. Luna in turn turned to take her leave, quickly exiting the library. she sighed quietly, as she had taken the time to contemplate the events that transpired. 'He could have tried to hurt me, or threaten me in any way, yet he didn't. why? I have overstepped my bounds, so it was completely logical for him to do so. perhaps I was truly wrong about him, and of what he does.' Luna thought to herself. she walked up the stairs, and back to her sister in Cadence's quarters, still thinking of what had happened. Sahrot, on the other hand, had pulled out another book pertaining to using Equestrian magic for beginners, and began to read it. he turned the page to a picture of a young filly using magic, and the page goes into detail of how magic would work for beginners. Sahrot read how magic would be conjured from a spiritual energy that resides in all creatures, and how it can be used to manipulate the world around them. he tested a spell that could be used as levitation, and found that he could not do it. he tried again and again, to no avail, causing him frustration. sighing in defeat, he put both of the books away, thinking that Tamrielic magic would be enough for him. he then recalled back to what Luna had said, something about her being blocked by some force within him. Sahrot pondered what this had meant for a moment. 'Was this an affect of the curse? no one is able to read my mind because the curse is preventing them from doing so?' Sahrot thought. he sighed, grateful that the princess saw nothing, but is still angry with himself for receiving the curse. he decided not to think too much of it, and left the library, having read enough of the books there. he proceeded back to where Twilight and Pinkie Pie was, and entered the room. what he had found there had baffled him; the baby was flying around the room, carrying Pinkie along with her, as Twilight was trying to make sure she and the rest of the room was not blasted to pieces by the baby's magical fluctuations. Sahrot quickly casted a ward to prevent a beam of magic from striking him. the child giggled as she fluttered about the room, to the dismay of her rider. upon seeing Sahrot, however, the baby stopped midflight, her wings quickly folding back, as she flopped into Pinkie's arms. the child bore an expression of fear, as she stared frightfully at the armor-clad Argonian. Twilight was confused at what had frightened the child, but upon turning around, she found her answer. "Sahrot! I thought you were at the library. did you find anything interesting?" Twilight asked. "Well, I did find a spellbook for basic magic, but I was not able to cast a spell." Sahrot grumbled. "Oh, well, everpony doesn't quite get to use magic on the first tries." Twilight comforted Sahrot. the Argonian then turned his attention to the child. "I imagined that the baby was quite a handful." Sahrot stated, chuckling. "Yeah, she was. I never thought I'd get this much active in taking care of a baby." Twilight responded, shaking her head. the baby hid her head into Pinkie's arm as the Argonian approached her. "I'm guessing this is the first time she has seen me?" Sahrot inquired. "I guess that would explain why she had been frightened by you. strange though, I would have figured she had seen you. you aren't exactly hard to miss, you know?" Twilight stated. Sahrot simply shrugged in reply, as he backed away from the child. "Whatever the reason may be, I just don't want to scare the poor thing. however, I did want to talk to you." Sahrot said. "Oh? well, what is it that you want to talk about?" Twilight asked. Sahrot said nothing, only motioning her to follow him. Twilight sighed, and proceeded out of the door with him. they stopped at the stairs, in which Sahrot had explained his situation to Twilight. "So, there appears to be a problem between me and princess Luna. earlier, when I was first introduced to the princesses, Luna had apparently tried to read my mind. she was unsuccessful, but that means that I cannot trust her, and perhaps Celestia as well." Sahrot elaborated to Twilight, who was flabbergasted and confused about the information. "But, why would she try something like that? mind reading is a form of magic that is largely shunned upon. it just doesn't make any sense as to why she would do that." Twilight whispered. "She had explained that it was because she had seen me as a possible threat, so she had somehow tried to enter my mind without anyone knowing. yet, she had told me this information when I was at the library. as to why, I can only guess what had led her to do so. I told her that I had forgiven her for her actions, but has ultimately lost my trust." Sahrot responded. "Well, I just hope you don't hold it against her." Twilight conceded, sighing. she looked up at the clock hovering over the crib, her eyes widening as she saw they were late. "OH NO! we're going to be late for the preparations!" Twilight exclaimed, rushing out of the door. Pinkie followed after her, with Sahrot running close behind her. the child giggled and cooed, as she had once again spread her wings, and took flight, with Pinkie Pie holding on to her. "Twilight, I'm going airborne!" Pinkie yelled. Twilight turned her head to see what she was talking, and saw Pinkie Pie clinging on to the baby. with a sigh, she conjured a sphere of magic to contain both the baby, and Pinkie Pie. with the child contained, the group has now entered the Crystal Heart area, with Twilights' friends and the princesses waiting. "We're here! gotta say, she's a REAALLY strong flier." Pinkie exclaimed. Cadence only smiled, as she used her magic to separate Pinkie from the child. Pinkie exhaled in relief, as she was placed next to Twilight. the child, no longer having her companion, started to sniffle. her eyes began to tear up as she was being pulled down. then, out of the blue, she screamed, which was so loud, it reverberated throughout the area in shockwaves. everypony had covered their heads, and the screaming was painful to Sahrot's ears, as he covered them to muffle out the sound. the screaming had ceased, but in the process, the Crystal Heart had stopped rotating, and started to crack. the cracks had grown larger, until the Heart was completely broken. it shattered into several pieces, its shards falling into a pile around the column. the ponies gasped at the sight of the now destroyed Crystal Heart, fear growing in their hearts as they thought of the possible consequences of this action. Applejack approached the crystalline shards with worry apparent on her face. "Ah reckon that this will make it hard to do the Crystalling." she stated. "Its worse than that. without the Heart to keep away the snow storms, all of the Crystal Empire will be buried underneath a blizzard of ice and snow!" Twilight explained. she pulled away the curtains around the Crystal Heart to reveal dark and ominous clouds reaching their way to the Crystal Empire. "But...wait, didn't King Sombra take over the Crystal Empire, and that the Crystal Heart was gone as well. there was no snow storms then." Applejack stated optimistically. "The Crystal Heart wasn't gone back then, it was still there. King Sombra had just merely hidden it." Twilight interjected. "I'm afraid that Twilight is right, Applejack." Celestia conceded. "Hah! big deal, these clouds are just like any other I've dealt with." Rainbow exclaimed. she was about to fly toward the clouds, until a magically influenced curtain obstructed her path. "That is where you are wrong, Rainbow Dash." Celestia said. "The weather in this region has a will of its own, and cannot be controlled, even with our power." Luna explained. Sahrot listened in on the group, and upon hearing of the incoming danger, had promptly stepped outside of the curtained area, eyeing the storm currently looming over the borders of the city. Celestia had seen him walk away from the group, so she, along with Twilight and Luna, had followed him. "Sahrot, what are you doing?" Celestia questioned. Sahrot had said nothing in reply, only staring at the storm, now reaching the furthest of buildings. "...I will be able to stop the storm." Sahrot spoke suddenly. Celestia bore an expression of surprise, then confusion, at Sahrot's words. "What do you mean, Sahrot?" Celestia inquired. "I am the Dragonborn, princess. I know of powers that no normal mortal being would come to know. no storm, however large or powerful, can ignore the will of the Dov." Sahrot replied. he moved away from the group, and entered a central plaza. there, he halted the trio from approaching further, telling them to stay where they were. "Stay there. you would not want to be near me, if you value your hearing." Sahrot stated. "Wait, Sahrot wh-" Twilight started, but was cut off when Sahrot spoke. "Lok, VAH KOOR!" he shouted. with that, a thunderous boom had erupted from Sahrot's voice, echoing across the plaza. Twilight had to cover her ears at the sudden noise, as she started hearing a ringing sound. Sahrot then looked back to the storm, which the three princesses had done the same. what the alicorns had seen astonished them. the storm clouds had begun to retreat back to the north, vanishing from view. Celestia stared at Sahrot, awed by the Argonians' performance. 'This individual has the power to overcome the mightiest of storms, and by merely shouting. what kind of power does he have?' Celestia thought to herself. Sahrot turned around to the group of ponies, now joined by the rest. "W-what happened!? we heard a booming sound, and it was right here!" Cadence asked, worried. "There is no need to worry. I have pushed back the storm, and have prevented it from entering any further for some time." Sahrot explained. "What? h-how? a storm as powerful as that could not be held back, even with alicorn magic." Cadence questioned. "There will be time to explain that later. right now we must focus on finding a way to repair the Crystal Heart." Sahrot stated. he turned toward the crystal tower, a thought running through his mind. "Is it possible that there is a spell to fix the Heart?" Sahrot asked Twilight. "Its worth the shot. how much time do you think we have before the storm comes back?" Twilight inquired. "About an hour at most. you should turn your attention towards finding that spell." Sahrot responded. Twilight nodded her head in agreement, and she, along with her friends, rushed towards the library, in hopes of finding a way to repair the relic. the royal sisters did not leave, and instead had taken flight. "We will keep the storm at bay, in case it forms sooner than previously thought. will you join us?" Celestia asked. "Of course." Sahrot stated. the princesses then flew to the outskirts of the Crystal Empire, towards the few remaining storm clouds, with Sahrot following close behind.