//------------------------------//
// 26: Nature's Fury 
// Story: Nightmare Moon Crashes the Oblivion Crisis 
// by Blackdrag-rose 
//------------------------------//

	"So, where to next?" Nightmare asked as she and Shadow stepped outside the chapel, after collecting the pair of gauntlets that once belonged to the original Divine Crusader.

"We're heading to a shrine of Kynerath that sits outside the Imperial City," Shadow explained, shifting his robe around a bit, so that he could keep the armor he was wearing hidden better, "According to Sir Juncan the priestess in charge of the shrine is supposed to know where to find the Boots or the Crusader, the next piece that we will be recovering. After that we'll be heading to Leyawiin, where the Mace and the Shield of the Crusader are supposed to be waiting for the worthy to find them."

"And the reason your not wearing the Helmet?" Nightmare inquired, knowing that it was the first one they had picked up and Shadow had yet to put it on, as if he was waiting for something to happen.

"It... just doesn't feel right to put on the Helmet just yet," Shadow admitted, letting out a sigh as they left the city and returned to the road, "I'd like to have all of them before I place that one on my head. Also, I think this belongs to you."

Nightmare looked at the necklace he was handing her, the one that Luna had summoned to hide her identity while they were on the road, but she merely accepted it without a word. Then, before they moved on, she conjured the chest that the necklace had been removed from and returned it to the collection, before closing it shut and banishing it once more. She honestly had no idea what Luna was thinking when she used the necklace, taking the amount of power they had into consideration, but the deed was done and now Shadow knew the secret that only Pandora knew... which made her wonder how long it would be until Rend knew as well.

"So, what happened in that Oblivion Gate?" Shadow asked as they walked, as he was curious as to what had happened to his companion, "Why were there two of you?"

Nightmare was silent for a few minutes, because she had no idea how she was going to explain that she and Luna were essentially two separate beings sharing the same body, but then she got an idea that she believed might actually work.

"A mere side effect of traveling through the Shivering Isles," Nightmare explained, using the best excuse she could come up with in such a short period of time, "Think of Luna and I as two sides of the same coin, though when I entered the Shivering Isles I was separated into the two beings that you inside the Oblivion Gate. It seems that I might have gained the ability to separate Luna from myself inside one of the Daedric Realms, which happened to catch the two of us by surprise."

"And why were you arguing with your alter ego?" Shadow asked, wondering why Nightmare and Luna would have been at odds with each other, though he had the feeling that Nightmare wasn't telling him everything.

"We got into an argument as to why we had separated from each other like that," Nightmare told her companion, because it was the truth about the subject, "that was just a simple disagreement. Trust me on this Shadow, if Luna and I had actually been disagreeing on our views we would have been fighting each other with our alicorn powers... which could have destroyed the Oblivion Gate on accident I think."

What she failed to tell him was that a battle between alicorns had serious consequences for the area surrounding them, as she was sure something had happened to the area surrounding their old castle. It still annoyed her that she had lost her fight with her sister, but she was beginning to see that it had enabled her to visit this world in its time of need and aid its heroes. Equus might forever remember her as a villain, but Nirn, she was sure, would remember her as a hero that aided the group chosen by the late Emperor.





When they finally arrived outside the Imperial City Shadow had them circle the area, as he was making sure that there weren't any Oblivion Gates that needed to be closed before he figured out what to do for the next artifact of the Divine Crusader. To Shadow's relief, and Nightmare's annoyance, there weren't any gates that needed to be closed, which allowed them to begin the hunt for the person that Shadow needed to speak to. It took him some time to figure out that the Shrine of Kynerath was further to the south than he had originally realized, much to Nightmare's amazement considering that he could find a wayshrine for each of the Divines and hadn't known where Kynerath's shrine was located.

As they approached the shrine Shadow nodded to the priests and priestesses that tended to the area, though it was clear that he was looking for someone that could tell him where they needed to go next.

"What brings you to the Altar of Kynareth, my child?" one of the priestesses, an imperial Nightmare noticed, asked the moment Shadow entered the area near the shrine.

"I have come seeking the Boots of the Crusader," Shadow said, cutting to the heart of the issue in seconds, "and I was told that someone here knew something about where it was last seen."

"You would seek the holy relic Kynareth has bestowed upon the world?" the priestess replied, which was swiftly followed by a nod from Shadow, "Then you must prove yourself worthy. Kynareth's creations guard her relic, and you must pass the test before you may be granted the boots."

"And what test would that be?" Nightmare asked, curious as to whether it was one that would require some fighting or if it was specific to the goddess herself.

"I cannot say what it will be, for I do not know." the priestess admitted, sighing for a moment as she turned back to Shadow, "Kynareth herself will decide in what manner you shall be tested. All I can do is direct you to the Grove of Trials, and remind you to heed Kynareth's teachings: fear and respect Nature and all Her Creations. Its located not far from here, to the west. Nestled within the Great Forest, it is a place many would overlook. I warn you that it is unwise to take anyone with you. You should go there alone."

Shadow and Nightmare shared a look with each other, knowing that Shadow would have to do this one alone, but Nightmare was curious as to what the test would be and knew that she could slip into the shadows and watch from afar.

"Very well then, I accept the test of the Goddess Kynareth," Shadow said, knowing that this might be the only chance he had at getting the next artifact of the Divine Crusader.

"Then proceed directly to the Grove, as your test has begun." the priestess replied, beckoning in the direction that Shadow needed to head in, "Kynareth may choose to guard you along the way; that is up to her. Good luck."

Shadow nodded and turned to Nightmare for a moment, though he was just in time to watch her fade into the shadows on the ground around them, which told him that she would be watching in case he needed some extra assistance with his trial.  As he walked in the direction that the Grove was located in he already knew a piece of the puzzle that many would have overlooked in their haste to finish the test. The priestess had said to respect and fear Kynareth's creatures, which essentially told him that the test wasn't about fighting his enemy, but rather respecting them in some manner. He knew that Nightmare was going to be disappointed when she learned that this wasn't about fighting for once, though at the moment he decided to focus on the matter at hand.

When he reached his destination he stopped before a clearing that had a massive stone sitting in front of him, though he could clearly see the outline of an entrance of some kind. He looked around for a moment, spotting the smoky mist that he had come to associate with some of Nightmare's abilities, which told him that his companion was close at hand. He waited for a few seconds before a large bear, one larger than most he had seen across Cyrodiil, walked out into the open area and stared at him. The bear growled at him, though Shadow made no move to pull out his greatsword and strike at the creature as it walked around him, as if it was studying him.

There were several instances where the bear came close to him and cut into his legs with its claws, but still Shadow made no move to draw his weapon as he let the bear do whatever it wanted. Eventually the bear grew tired of what was going on and growled once more, before turning around and disappearing into the wilderness around them. Shadow remained where he was standing, waiting to see if anything else happened, before the outline he had seen opened up before his eyes and revealed the path he needed to take to recover the artifact he had come for.

He walked into the hidden vault and found two spriggans standing guard over the Boots of the Crusader, though as he collected them and put them on he was glad to find out that the creatures didn't attack him at all. When he walked back outside the cave he spotted Nightmare stepping out of the shadows, though she didn't seem annoyed that there wasn't a fight.

"So, respect and fear nature's creatures... I'm going to have to remember that one," Nightmare commented, sighing for a moment before she looked to the southeast, "I guess our next destination is Leyawiin?"

"For the Shield and Mace of the Crusader," Shadow confirmed, though he made no attempt to hide that he was excited for the prospect of gathering all of the artifacts for the first time in a long time, "and then we'll see about finishing off the Divine Crusader's enemy."

Only three more artifacts remained before he and Umaril would fight, though he was confident that he would emerge victorious in the coming conflict.