Helgen and the Dragon
The Elder Scrolls V:
Dovashy
Chapter One:
Helgen and the Dragon
The cold air rolled in from the mountains. The birds and eagles screamed overhead, waking themselves up for the day. Not a single speck of blue could be seen in the vast, rain-kissed sky. This story begins with a cart. The cart held four ponies in the back governed by a single commander up front. The four ponies, whether intentional or not, had committed crimes against the province of Skyrim. The cart was making its way to the one of province’s most lawful cities, Helgen.
In the front-left of the cart sat a small Pegasus. Her mane was pink and dirty. It was ruffled from a slight scuffle on the southern border of the province. Her cheek was stained with a tiny bit of dried blood. Not from the guards tackling her, but from slamming into a tree, trying to get away from the guards trying to tackle her. She slowly opened her eyes, reemerging from unconsciousness. The light hit her eyes with an unforgiving force. A certain blue Unicorn noticed this.
“Hey… You’re finally awake,” the Unicorn said. The Pegasus blinked her eyes a few times and took a quick breath. She looked around for any sign of where she was. She had no clue. Being a rather young Pegasus, she began to panic. The Pegasus was quite shy by nature; someone who didn’t like to be around people. She lived in seclusion most of the time. Animals were her true friends. She’d never been or even seen combat until just a few days earlier; when the animals started to get… tense. They broke out in random scuffles whenever thunder could be heard. The Pegasus didn’t mind thunder too much- just the gods’ way of telling people to get back in line. But this thunder sounded… different. Even on sunny days the thunder could be heard rolling in from Skyrim’s borders. The Pegasus lived on the outskirts of the province, near the bottom right corner. Sometimes she heard news from couriers about strange goings-on from a city called Riften. Something about a… face-shifter and the ‘Thieves Guild…’ Something along those lines.
“Wha…? Where…?”
“You were caught in that Imperial ambush, like the rest of us… and that thief over there…” The Unicorn looked over at a skinny, light red Earth pony. The two glared at each other, the Unicorn with a bit more edge to her gaze. The Pegasus looked at both of them quickly, noticing the tension between the two. She didn’t like tension. That’s why she tried to sneak into Skyrim; to look for a more trained expert on animals. She wanted to relieve the hostilities throughout her home.
The cart continued to roll with its squeaky wheel into the city. The cobblestone road simply made the ride a whole lot bumpier. The Unicorn and the Earth pony continued to go back and forth at each other, much to the cart driver’s displeasure. The Earth pony made a much poorly-timed snap at another pony, who the Pegasus just now realized was riding in the back. She wasn’t just a pony, however, she was an Alicorn. Her hair was a misty midnight blue. Her coat, a piercing jet black. She wore light blue armor, which was incredibly dented and beaten. She had blood running down her neck and across her cheek. Her eyes were slitted and an electric light blue. Her wings were tied up and her horn was wrapped up in a slightly glowing material that the Pegasus recognized as an enchanted fabric that cancelled out magic. But most notably, however, she had a tight fabric tied around her head and covering her mouth entirely, preventing her from making any loud noises. This fabric was also stained with blood.
"Shut up! Do you even know who you're talking about? This is Jarl Nightmare Moon, the true high queen of Skyrim!”
The Pegasus was shocked to say the least. She had heard numerous stories of the heinous actions of Nightmare Moon, from waging war against the peaceful Imperials, to taking over half of the province, to even… killing the high king. This news alone could put the Pegasus in a sour mood. She hated killing and she hated death. Death was not something she feared (okay, not that much), but it was certainly something she could never tolerate.
The Unicorn took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. She suddenly looked so much calmer.
“Jarl Nightmare?” the Earth pony started, an astonished tone in her voice. “But if they captured you… Oh, Celestia… where are they taking us?” The Pegasus started to panic one again when she caught on to the situation at hand. In speaking of death, that was something that was about to come knocking at the door.
“Hey… Where are you from, cart thief?” the Unicorn said in a solemn tone.
“Why do you care?”
“A pony’s last thoughts should be of home,” said the Unicorn, looking the Earth pony in her eyes. The Earth pony began to shake slightly, a tear welling up in her eye.
“…Rorikstead… I’m from Rorikstead…”
The cart pushed two large wooden doors open, leading into the city. The Unicorn sighed at the sight.
“Helgen… I used to have a crush on a stallion here… I wonder if he still makes that cider with juniper berries mixed in…” All four of them looked around at the large towers and small wooden houses alike. “The Imperial walls always made me feel so safe…”
The Pegasus began to shake a little as well. It finally began to sink in. The grim truth that she’d been pushing out of her mind for ages. The thing she despised so much was finally coming back to bite her.
She was going to die.
The Unicorn scowled at a blue Pegasus walking behind their cart. The blue Pegasus was wearing gold and dark blue armor from the neck down. Her hair was messy, though a clean messy. It was up in a neat ponytail. It was also an array of different rainbow colors.
“General Rainbow Dash. And the Wonderbolts are with her. Damn Pegasi…” At this the Pegasus looked at the Unicorn with a shocked expression on her face. Her teal eyes were wide at the Unicorns words. The cart finally came to a halt in front of a wall, much to the Pegasus and the Earth ponies’ confusion.
“Wait,” said the Earth pony, panicing, “Why are we stopping?”
“Why do you think?” asked the Unicorn rhetorically, “End of the line.”
The Pegasus simply wanted to scream. The only honest reason she could give for not fearing death all that much was because she’d never really contemplated it. In her eighteen years of life, she’d never thought about death. The only reason she ever had to grief for lost souls was when one of her many pets passed away. She never had too much contact with her family after she turned sixteen, but that was because she moved out to find a life of her own. She hated the bustling streets and crowded corners of Ponyville. She never really thought of home all that much. It didn’t take too long to move to the opposite side of the forest that separated her province and that of Skyrim. But right now, she wouldn’t mind heading back home. Right now, she realized she couldn’t push death away any longer, because it was just a few minutes away.
All of the prisoners hopped off the cart. “The Imperials love their damn lists,” said the Unicorn. The two Imperials in front of them were in fact holding lists. There was a dark orange Pegasus and a lighter orange Earth pony. The Pegasus was wearing steel armor. Her hair was a hot magenta. It was cut short and spiky. Her eyes matched this color. The Earth pony had a lighter orange coat. She was wearing leather armor. She had blonde hair that hung down to her knees. It was tied together at the end. The Earth pony looked down at her paper, then back up at Nightmare Moon.
“Jarl Nightmare Moon of Windhelm,” she said. The Pegasus noticed that the Earth pony had a very thick southern drawl. Nightmare Moon stepped forward and turned left toward a large crowd, “It’s been an… honor, Jarl Nightmare,” the Earth pony said with a slight edge in her voice.
“Colgate of Riverwood.” The Unicorn copied Nightmare Moon’s action. The Earth pony then spoke the red Earth pony’s name. The red Earth pony lurched forward.
“No! I’m not a rebel! You can’t do this!” She shook her head a little and galloped past the Imperials. The orange Pegasus yelled to the hidden archers on the rooftops. They all released their arrows into the Earth pony.
The Pegasus gasped and hung her head. She could easily see the blood spilling out of the arrow wounds. Her breathing quickened as the orange Pegasus looked back at her and all the others. She very audibly asked if anyone else felt like running. The Pegasus shook her head, oblivious to the rhetorical question.
“Wait,” the Earth Pony said, “You right there… Step forward,” she said to the Pegasus. The Pegasus shut her eyes tight and slowly and shakily took two steps forward. “Who… are you?” said the Earth pony, looking back at her list. The Pegasus ducked her head a little.
“My… My name is… Fluttershy… of Ponyville…” The Earth pony looked at her list one last time.
“Captain,” she said slowly, looking at Fluttershy again. “She ain’t on this list.”
“Forget the list,” the captain said. “She goes to the block.”
“Yes, ma’am,” said the Earth pony, giving a small salute. She looked at Fluttershy one last time with an apologetic gaze. “I’m truly sorry, Fluttershy. At least it’ll all be over quick,” she said slowly. “Follow the captain here.” Fluttershy closed her eyes. She had given up. It was futile. No amount of nervousness or shyness would get her out of this. She had surrendered to inevitability. It was either that, or it was the Earth pony’s kind words. She solemnly did what she was told, taking her place next to the Unicorn, who she had just learned was named ‘Colgate.’
The light blue Pegasus faced the tall Nightmare Moon. Nightmare looked at her with a strong glare. The general wasn’t moved, however. “Nightmare Moon,” she said simply. Her voice was surprisingly higher pitched than one would expect from her demeanor. “Some ponies in Helgen may call you a hero. But a hero doesn’t use a power like the Voice to murder the high king and usurp his throne,” she said, her brow furrowing to intimidating levels. Nightmare Moon tried to say something, but her voice was incredibly muffled. The general got right into Nightmare’s face. “You started this war! You plunged Skyrim into chaos, and now we’re going to put you down and restore our peace!” The orange Pegasus looked over at a magenta Earth pony in a hood as the general backed away. She whispered something in her ear. The Earth pony started to speak their last rites. About commending their souls to the gods and goddesses.
Words couldn’t describe the fear that was coursing through Fluttershy’s veins. She couldn’t move. She couldn’t breathe. She shook out of control and had to grit her teeth nearly to the point of cracking to keep herself from running. An Earth pony suddenly stepped forward, interrupting the priestess’s speech. She glared at him and let the captain push his head down onto the block. A larger stallion held an axe high. Fluttershy turned away as the axe came down right onto the Earth pony’s neck with an audible CRACK! A tear welled up in Fluttershy’s eye. She didn’t turn back to see the damage done. Her poor little stomach wouldn’t be able to handle it. Her shaking simply increased. The muscles in her legs simply failed to work. Her bravery simply didn’t show. She was simply terrified. The words spoken by the captain didn’t help either.
“Next, the yellow Pegasus!” Her heart sank into her gut. She felt like she could crumble right then and there. The tear that remained hidden behind her eyelid fell and slid down her face. She continued to grit her teeth, lest she look like a complete and utter weakling. She wanted to run home. Back to her mother and father and make everything better, but that wasn’t an option.
She began to walk forward with what little muscle she had, when that familiar thunder was heard. This simply made Fluttershy want to collapse more. Various mutters could be heard from the crowd. General Rainbow Dash calmed them and told them to carry on. Another yell was heard to get Fluttershy to the block. She gritted her teeth even harder as she tried to move her legs. She slowly, ever so slowly began to walk forward toward her doom. She felt like she was about to vomit. Her fear knew no bounds. She began to think of all of her little animals that wouldn’t ever see her again. They wouldn’t know to feed themselves, for they all thought that she would be back in a matter of mere days. She wasn’t coming back. It was her fault for trying to sneak into Skyrim.
It was all her fault.
She was pushed down rather forcefully by the captain. Her blood stained cheek smashed hard against the stone slab. She could feel the gooey warmth of the previous victim’s blood on her cheek and neck. Knowing of the inevitable, she closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and thought about home one last time…
A long and COLD gust of wind hit her with incredible force. Various shouts of fear and confusion emitted from the crowd. Screams of ‘Dragon!’ and ‘Monster!’ could be heard by the deaf. Fluttershy opened her eyes to see that the headscolt had been knocked over. Her life had been spared by one of the most unlikely of saviors:
The dragon looked at her with its beady red eyes. Her own eyes widened as the demon’s gaze shot right through her. She quickly stood up and began to run, but was knocked over by another gust of wind. The dragon had fired some sort of blast at her. It didn’t do much to her. It pretty much knocked her to the ground. To most, it would’ve been a simply loud roar, but to Fluttershy, she could make out a distinct word. She couldn’t quite pin what the word was, but it burrowed deep inside her. It ate into her brain and crippled her senses. She slammed her hooves to her head as the word finally exited her brain.
“You! Fluttershy! Get up!” Fluttershy looked up to see Colgate, her magic restraints somehow gone. “We’ve got to get out of here! Let’s move!” She grabbed Fluttershy by the ear and pulled her to her hooves. The dragon’s roars could be heard from behind. The town was already destroyed. Fires rose from the buildings, death covered the streets, and screams were extinguished. Fluttershy and Colgate dove into a large stone tower just as a gout of fire threatened to burn them both. Colgate quickly shut the door. Fluttershy held her chest as she panted without relent. A quick force grabbed her shoulder and yanked her to her hooves once more. She turned around and backed up quickly as she saw Nightmare Moon glaring her down.
“Jarl Nightmare! What was that thing? Could all the legends be true?!” Nightmare turned around.
“Legends don’t burn down villages,” she said in a calm, silky voice. It was now that Fluttershy realized that she wasn’t wearing the gag anymore. Colgate turned to Fluttershy and back to Nightmare.
“We can trust her. I see something in her.”
“Then she comes with us,” Nightmare said, starting toward the staircase. “Come on! You first!” Fluttershy was incredibly confused to say the least. Colgate gave her a forceful push toward the stairs, much to Fluttershy’s displeasure. Her fight-or-flight response kicked in, however, causing her to unintentionally agree to this command. She bolted up the stairs as fast as possible. Halfway up the stairs, another loud bang could be heard. She looked to her right and her heart sank into her hips. The dragon was about three inches from her face. He gave off a slight breath, easily blowing Fluttershy’s hair back. His eyes widened slightly and he flew off, much to Fluttershy’s confusion. She looked down at the ground below. This was the only way out. Nightmare and Colgate alike shouted for her to jump. There was a small building adjacent to the tower that looked safe enough to land in. She reared back to jump, but she heard a loud crack. Looking up, she could see the roof begin to fall on top of her. With a loud gasp, she bolted out of the hole in the wall and rolled into the other building. She shook her head vigorously a few times to relieve her dizziness. Looking back up at the tower, she noticed that the hole had been completely covered up, preventing Colgate or Nightmare from continuing on.
Fluttershy ran down the stairs and into the street. That orange Earth pony from before ran up to her. Her face now had an intense burn mark on the side that covered her ear and cheek. She had blood covering her nose and chin. It trickled down her neck. She had ash covering her face, neck, and chest. “You doin’ alright, sugar cube? Stick with me if y’all wanna stay that way!” she yelled over the noise. Fluttershy quickly nodded. The Earth pony nodded in agreement. She put her hoof on the poor Pegasus’s shoulder and pushed her toward a hole in a building. She quickly ran through it, following the Earth pony’s instructions on how to get through without burns. A large piece of wood fell from the top floor and threatened to crush Fluttershy. The Earth pony grabbed both of her shoulders and used her back to shield the teenager.
She pushed the wood off of her back and gritted her teeth. Fluttershy started spilling out soft, pitiful “Thank you’s” and the like. The Earth pony shook her head. “Ain’t no time for this! Git a goin or we’ll both die!” Fluttershy complied and ran accordingly. “Stay close to the wall!” the Earth pony shouted. Fluttershy looked back at her in confusion, but was knocked to the ground unintentionally by the dragon’s wing. As she looked up, she could see the dragon looking toward a group of guards. It inhaled and let out a furious stream of fire, causing Fluttershy to put her hooves over her head and curl up in a defensive position. The dragon flew off. The Earth pony grabbed Fluttershy once again and dragged her to her hooves. “We gotta git ta the keep!” Fluttershy looked at her and then to where the Earth pony was looking. She was looking toward a large stone building.
The heat in the town was now starting to become unbearable. Fire was laid in the streets, not a single building remained unscratched, and not a single pony remained untouched. The dragon laid absolute waste to a once proud city. Destruction surrounded Fluttershy and the Earth pony. A tear ran down her face as she saw a small colt holding his bloody mother. She felt herself forced to the stone building. The Earth pony swung the door open with incredible force. Fluttershy ran inside and the Earth pony followed, slamming the door closed. A loud crash was heard. The Earth pony tried to open the door again, but to no avail. Fluttershy collapsed onto the ground and held her chest. She coughed loudly as she tried to catch her breath. The Earth pony heaved her chest as well. The air around them felt hot and sticky. The dragon could still be heard outside and thee danger still felt ever more present.
“Just… Just take… a quick breather…” said the Earth pony, “…in here…” She led Fluttershy to a room deeper into the keep. It had two tables, each stained with blood. The two sat down at the cleaner of the tables. They found it incredibly hard to calm down with the death that was still happening. Nevertheless, they did start to regain their composures. “Here,” said the Earth pony, taking out a small dagger, “Let me git them binds off yer wings.” She reached over and carefully cut the rope that held Fluttershy’s wings to her sides. Fluttershy stretched her wings out a bit, unknotting one of the muscles. She thanked the Earth pony yet again.
“We gotta git outta here. C’mon. This way,” she said, standing up. Fluttershy complied. The Earth pony walked toward a weapons rack and picked up a sword. “Here. Take this. Yer gonna need it,” she said handing the sword to the teen. Fluttershy started to panic yet again.
“Why am I gonna need this?! Nopony else is gonna be in here, right?! I don’t wanna hurt anypony!”
“Fluttershy,” said the Earth pony, holding the poor Pegasus’s shoulders, “If we’re gonna git outta here in one piece, we need to be able to defend ourselves. Abandon your morals for the time being. We need to be savage if we’re gonna survive.”
Fluttershy looked down at the sword. She closed her eyes and pressed her forehead to the flat edge. She started to shake. With a loud CLANG, the sword fell to the ground, followed by Fluttershy. She fell to her knees, shaking all the way. Incredibly soft sobs emitted from her lips as tears fell freely down her face. She pressed into the floor hard to somehow relieve herself of her stress. Her tears dampened the stone floor as she continued to cry. The Earth pony returned to her side.
“Fluttershy… It’ll all be okay. There’s a secret exit at the back of the keep. That’s how we’re gonna git out,” The Earth pony said comfortingly. Fluttershy heaved her chest and stomach a few times and slowly wiped her nose. She looked up at the Earth pony.
“I’m sorry… It’s just…”
“I know, sugar-cube, I know. We just gotta stay calm,” she said with a smile. “Nopony should be in here anyway. Just in case, we need some kinda weapon.”
“…Okay…” The Earth pony offered her hoof, which Fluttershy took. The Earth pony stood her up and patted Fluttershy’s ash-covered shoulder.
“By the way, m’name’s Applejack.”
“…Hi.” Applejack chuckled and started toward the door. Fluttershy slowly picked up the dirty sword and solemnly followed her savior down the stairs.
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Oh my god... This has all my yes. Five mustachioed spikes for you
2791636 Why thank you sir! I shall enjoy these new mustachioed dragons you have so gracefully befallen onto me!
In other words, thanks.
2791648 I am a madam, but the thanks are appreciated, and duly noted.
Lastly, would you like an editor, my good sir?
2792037 I do believe I should enjoy that proposal, milady!
This seems interesting to me. As far as your artistic license goes... I think that's a good thing. I mean lets face the truth here. Many have played the game before and run through beginning more times than we care to count. So not just copy and pasting the intro, is plus as far as I am concerned. You covered the parts that needed to be covered anyways.
2792326 Exellent, I am willing to start on this excerpt today, through google docs. Simply PM me the deets. Until then I bid thee good night.
You are Dovashy! The Flutter born ! [I'm a terrible person]
2793103 Dovashy, Dovahshy,
Naal ok zin los vahriin
Wah dein vokul mahfaeraak ahst vaal
Ahrk fin norok paal graan
Fod nust hon zindro zaan
Dovashy, fah hin kogaan mu draal
Well, first thing is first.
Yeah, that, but from the cute and how much I want to hug Fluttershy right now.
Next, Rainbow Dash as Tullius? Well, didn't see that coming. And finally...well I get the feeling Alduin is still going to be the usual bad-ass dragon he always is.
Having said that, excellent opening, and I look forward to seeing more. Best of luck!!
2791648 Hmm im interested in where your going to take this, though i can say to you i never was a fan of the empire , with the slavery from morrowind, and daggerfall, and the complete demolish of any of the feats of the hero in oblivion, and the slaughter of the blades honestly i feel whatever the empire stood for died when they surrendered to the altmari demion at the end of the gold tower concordant. :P But your choice.
This is great! I cant help but hear them speak as if they were the real characters in the game. Especially nightmare moon (aka) jarl Ulfric
Legends dont burn down villages.
You make me want to join the Stormcloaks now.
I hated them when Ulfric was king. Now, Nightmare Moon is queen. I must join the rebellion!
2796802 Huzzah! The night shall last forever!!
Wait... now that I think about Moon's intentions in the show... should Nightmare Moon have been Harkon, the Vampire Lord from Dawnguard?
Well, too late.
2793919 Is Tullius a good guy or is he a jack ass I forget?
2799836
He's a bit of both, same with Ulfric. I'll be honest, in Skyrim's Civil war, there were reasons to like and hate both sides. The Empire was genuinely trying to keep stability, trying to protect everyone, and build their strength during the peace to kick the Dominion to the curb later. However, the Dominion was hunting and killing people for Talos worship, and were doing internal control on the Empire, so it's position and mandates were suspect.
Then we have the Stormcloaks. I understand they rose up to fight the persecution, and in their eyes, the Empire all but abandoned them when they needed it most, none more so than Ulfric himself. He has been tortured by the Dominion, only for the Empire to surrender and ultimately make his sacrifice meaningless. He is part charismatic leader, part ambitious soldier. In a way, his rebellion is key to making the Empire finally crumble, but at the same time, his faction also are no better to Elves than the Dominion is to them. So, it's kind of a trade off, Empire has no such prejudices, but conversely, I can see why the Stormcloaks are that way too.
It's up to the player, what THEY see as a lesser evil...though if you join the Stormcloaks, at the end of the last mission, you can not only kill the General, but Ulfric as well. So you could end the war with YOURSELF as the Stormcloak ruler, and it's implied you might elevate to High King, as you're a true Dragonborn. In either case, it really depends on how YOU see it. No one is truly good or evil in Skyrim, save the Dominion and The Dragons under Alduin.
2799980 Meh I'll join Tullius
The only question is: Imperial or Stormcloak?
This is amazing! Although I've played the opening of Skyrim many many times, you made it seem like a whole new adventure
I can't wait to see how this is going to turn out.
Oh, lawdy.
We're going to practically replay Skyrim, aren't we? Please don't do the side quests...
Small colt or her bloody mother.