Dovashy

by FriendlyTwo3

The Symbols and the Stone

Chapter 7

The Symbols and the Stone

“What was his wingspan if you had to guess?”

“Maybe ten meters? I didn’t get the best look at it.”

Fluttershy ducked underneath a thankfully small cobweb as she answered Twilight’s question. Twilight wrote it down onto a notepad labelled ‘field notes.’ The two mares rounded a corner leading to a staircase downward.

“How many horns did it have? And what shape?” asked Twilight. Fluttershy thought for a moment. Wincing inwardly at the events that transpired in Helgen just yesterday.

“Two big ones, I think,” she said unsurely, “Kind of swirly? And I think a few smaller ones around its face.” Twilight nodded and began writing. “It had these. . . giant talons. And it spoke with this big booming voice.”

“It spoke?!”

“Yes,” Fluttershy said, a little quieter, “When it landed, it said something to me. It sounded like a roar at the time, but,” she trailed off, trying to remember. “It’s like when someone is yelling at you from very far away. I don’t know what it said, but it was a voice.” She looked over to Twilight, who was writing furiously in her notebook. Fluttershy smiled slightly; she’d never seen anyone write that fast.

“Um, Twilight?” Fluttershy began, but it was too late. Twilight smashed her face into a dusty, millenia-old pot that had been hanging from the ceiling. The Unicorn winced and rubbed her nose. Fluttershy couldn’t stifle her giggle, and Twilight huffed. The two mares took only a few steps before they heard the deafening noise the pot made as it smashed into the ground. The noise echoed into the deep bowels of the Barrow, and the ponies froze. Everything went silent, and neither of them could breathe. After a few moments of utter quiet, Twilight began walking again. Fluttershy followed suit, albeit much more carefully.

Twilight’s horn was illuminated a bright purple, lighting the walls and ceiling. She couldn’t help but stare at the artifacts on the floor and hanging on the walls. Pots, fetishes, trinkets, and carved rocks dotted the hallways and corridors. Twilight wished she could bring all of them home with her, but her focus was on the ultimate prize. She’d heard about the Dragonstone in legends and old tomes, but wondered if it was truly real. It was just as much a legend as the dragons themselves. But now, to be looking for it herself; she couldn’t be more excited. And afraid. But mostly excited.

“Hey. . . Twilight? What is that?” Fluttershy asked shakily, pointing her hoof toward the distant end of the hallway. Twilight doused her light and looked. There was the faint flicker of orange light coming from around a corner. It was the light of a torch. Twilight felt a shiver run down her spine. Who would be lighting torches this far into the Barrow? And past the spider? And the webbing?

“Get your sword,” Twilight said grimly, “We’re not alone.”

Fluttershy knew Twilight would say that. She knew this couldn’t be easy. She swallowed and drew her sword. Then, she readied her flame spell. It worked wonders the first time she used it. She tried to reason with herself that if there are other ponies down there, they wouldn’t be friendly, and that her mission is more important. The Dragonstone could save lives, she told herself. This is for Skyrim, Fluttershy thought.

“Abandon your morals for the time being. We need to be savage if we’re going to survive.” Applejack’s words echoed in her mind.

She was ready.

Twilight set down her saddlebags and the mares began walking toward the light. They peered around the corner to find a well-lit room filled with coffins and pockets in the walls. Bodies- some wrapped, some not- lied in the pockets. Fluttershy felt her heart skip at the sight. Nothing moved, and there didn’t seem to be any signs of life.

“Maybe they moved on,” Twilight whispered. Fluttershy swallowed again, and followed Twilight slowly into the room.

“Watch out,” Fluttershy said, and stopped Twilight from walking directly into a pressure pad on the floor. Examining it, the pad would have activated a large metal door that would have slammed into them, piercing them with its rusty metal spikes. Twilight sighed.

“Thanks. Good eye.”

Just then, they heard a noise from behind them. It sounded like the creaking of an old wooden floor, and the sound of fabric on fabric. Then, before they had a chance to look, they heard a gaspy, guttural noise that sounded like someone being strangled. Fluttershy didn’t want to look, but couldn't stop herself from whipping around to face her would-be attacker. The sight cut her down to her core, and she could hardly fathom what she was seeing. She saw what resembled a pony, tall in size but lean in stature. It was deathly thin and its grey skin was falling off. What struck Fluttershy the most were the creature’s eyes. They shone a bright, piercing blue that dug into her very soul. It shouted at her in a deep, throaty voice. Behind it, three more crawled out from the pockets on the walls. Fluttershy readied herself, noticing Twilight doing the same.

“Can you shock them?”

“No,” said Twilight, not breaking eye contact with the creatures, “I used up all of my power and I have no potions.” Fluttershy swallowed and repeated Applejack’s mantra.

“Be savage, be savage, be savage,” Fluttershy muttered. The decaying creatures all held old dusty swords, and one had a large shield. Twilight thought of her plan of attack. Toast that one with Flames, avoid that one’s sword; how do I get past that shield? But her thoughts were cut short by a scream let out by one of the creatures as it barrelled toward Twilight. The Unicorn ducked but not before conjuring her Flame spell, which she used to blast the thing in the face, sending it flying backwards. To her horror, it simply rose, half of its face burned clean off and exposing the skeleton underneath decomposing skin. It paid no heed to its debilitating injury, and marched forward.

Two more rushed at Fluttershy, one with a longsword and the other with the shield. One swung at her, which she managed to block, but the other slammed into her, sending her to the floor a meter or two back. Fluttershy stumbled to her hooves to find the cadavres lunging at her once more. Closing her eyes, she shot out her hooves and blasted them with Flames. While one was struck in the face, the other hid behind its shield. Fluttershy poured all that she had into her blast, but her fire could not penetrate the wall of iron before her. Within seconds, she could muster her magic no longer, and her hoof was left smoking weakly. The creature jumped at her again, but was knocked aside by Twilight, who struck it in the side with her back hooves.

Fluttershy grabbed her sword from the ground and stood at the ready as Twilight lunged at the shield-zombie. Pulling a dagger from her robe, she brought it down onto the thing with all her might, but it did little to actually injure it. The creature coughed out a roar, spitting on Twilight’s coat. Another one jumped at Twilight, ready to plunge its sword into her back, but Fluttershy tackled it. Twilight inhaled deeply, her horn glowing a bright orange. It took only a second before she blasted the creature under her in the face with all of her fiery might. Slowly, the creature’s face melted until all that was left was a puddle of goo and bits of hair. The creature’s body fell limp. Twilight grabbed its shield and stood near Fluttershy, who had backed away from the creature she tackled. Three still lumbered toward them, drooling and muttering an ancient language.

“There’s a problem,” said Twilight, “I’m all out of magicka.”

“You what?!?” Fluttershy exclaimed.

“It’s okay! You still have yours, right?”

“No! I used it all!”

Twilight’s face dropped. “Oh. . . fuck.” Fluttershy looked around for anything, any advantage she could get. Then she had an idea.

“Twilight, the trap!” Twilight was confused, but only for a moment, then she nodded at Fluttershy. Both mares dived for the pressure pad, both being careful not to trip it, merely landing behind it. According to plan, two creatures sprinted at them in shambling heaps of armor and flesh, tripping the pressure pad and sending the massive iron door soaring at them. Neither reacted until they were both impaled with spikes and pinned against the wall. One of their legs went soaring into the darkness, and the two mares cheered before locking eyes with the final one. This creature hadn’t moved a muscle since it crawled from its former resting place. Its sword looked different than the others. It was less rusty, and had more elaborate runes etched into it. And in the light of the torches, it almost seemed to glow.

Fluttershy and Twilight were ready. The creature ran at them. Fluttershy swung her sword, but it ducked underneath and flipped Fluttershy over with its hoof. It swung at Twilight, missing her head by centimeters and digging into the iron shield. The shield crackled and vibrated. The creature ripped its sword away and kicked at Twilight, glancing the shield once again. Twilight tried to breathe deeply to regain her mana, but found it hard to concentrate. Again and again the thing struck her shield, digging further and further into the metal, before finally, with one mighty swing, the shield shattered into many little iron pieces. Twilight saw that they were all glowing blue, and were covered in ice. She couldn’t think for long before she swiftly dodged one more swing, feeling the weapon’s icy aura as it passed by her face.

The beast yelled as Fluttershy stabbed her sword into its leg. This was Twilight’s opportunity; she kicked the sword as hard as she could, but the creature’s grip held firm. It struck Fluttershy across the cheek with its unarmed hoof before stabbing at Twilight with the sword. Twilight dodged enough not to be stabbed in the heart, but the sword cut a shallow wound into her ribs. She let out a yell as the creature slammed into Twilight, sending her careening backward.

Twilight heard a scream as she saw Fluttershy stab directly through the thing’s chest. The creature yelled and swung at Fluttershy, but she avoided it, grabbing the creature’s hoof. Letting out another angry scream, Fluttershy twisted its hoof until Twilight heard an audible snap. The hoof was twisted into just the right place before Fluttershy used its own weapon against it, and stabbed it directly through its jaw and out the top of its head. The light in its eyes faded as it went limp and Fluttershy stumbled backwards. Twilight’s mouth was open as she watched the killing unfold.

Nursing her wound, she went to Fluttershy, who was hyperventilating. Her eyes seemed glazed over, and she was shaking violently.

“Fluttershy. Hey, Fluttershy. Look at me. Are you okay?”

After a few moments, Fluttershy snapped out of it, and the shaking stopped. Her breathing slowed to a normal pace, and she looked at Twilight.

“You’re hurt,” said Fluttershy looking at Twilight’s side.

“I’ll be okay. It just drew a bit of blood,” Twilight said, shivering. “Its weapon was enchanted with Frost. I’ve never actually been hit with an enchanted blade be--fore.” She winced as she spoke, noting the wound glow blue a few times before settling into what appeared as a normal wound. It didn’t cut very deep, but enough that it may require a few stitches. Fluttershy rose to her feet and looked at the dead creature, slumped over with two swords sticking out of it. Black bile leaked from its wounds.

“What are they?” Fluttershy asked, almost afraid to pull her sword from its back.

“They,” Twilight began, walking over to her saddlebags, “Are Draugr. I’d only heard stories. I guess a lot of legends are coming true lately.” Digging through her bags, Twilight pulled out a small first aid kit and began to treat her wound, being careful not to let Fluttershy see what she was hiding beneath her robes. Thankfully, Fluttershy seemed preoccupied with slowly pulling her sword free from the Draugr. She used a bit of old faded tapestry hanging on the wall to clean her blade. She examined the Draugr a bit, noting the sword hilted against its jaw and sticking out of its head. Again, Fluttershy had lost all sensibilities and slaughtered her foe, just like with the spider in the cave. She couldn’t really remember killing this thing. She could almost picture it, like a dream that threatens to fade away, but she couldn’t actually see herself doing this. She thought about this. What was pushing her in these times of crisis? Could it be her allies getting hurt? That seems to be what spurs her into flying into a rage, but what is making her do this?

“C’mon,” said Twilight, waking Fluttershy from her thoughts, “It shouldn’t be much further.” Fluttershy looked at Twilight and nodded. The two headed through the doorway that led further into the crypt.

Fluttershy was lost in thought when Twilight spoke. “You said you’re from Ponyville. I’ve never heard of that.”

“Huh? Oh, it’s not in Skyrim,” said Fluttershy quietly, afraid to rouse anymore Draugr, “It’s to the southeast, hidden in a forest. It’s a town of Pegasi like me. We lived off the land.”

“I’ll have to visit someday. Tell me about yourself. I feel like I should know more about my bodyguard,” said Twilight with a hint of smarm. This caught Fluttershy off guard.

“Oh, I’m not that interesting. I just grew up a boring little kid in Ponyville.”

“That can’t be all,” said Twilight, “To my knowledge, you arrived in Skyrim in the back of a prison wagon.” Fluttershy blushed, and looked at the floor.

“I couldn’t afford the toll into Skyrim so I snuck in. My animals were sick and needed medicine that I could only get here.”

“When are you going back?”

Fluttershy found that one hard to answer. Just earlier she made up her mind to stay in Skyrim, but she hadn’t quite thought of how to get her animals their medicine. She could take it back, but she didn’t have enough time. The dragon could strike again at any moment, and she had to be there to help.

“I don’t know,” she said after a moment.

“Well,” started Twilight, “If you want I could help get you the medicine. I’m good friends with the priestess in Whiterun and she’s the best there is in that field.”

“I don’t know how i could get it home. I can’t go back. Not yet.”

“Skyrim has the fastest mail service in all of Tamriel,” said Twilight, “They can find anyone, anywhere, within days of being tasked with their package.”

“I suppose that explains how I was pardoned so quickly,” said Fluttershy, giggling quietly. “I have a friend who lived near me. I could mail it to her.”

“See, no problem,” Twilight said, “And I have to ask. Where did you learn that move you pulled on the Draugr? Where you twisted its hoof?” Fluttershy paused, stopping her movements briefly before continuing.

“I don’t know,” she said quietly, “I’ve done a lot of confusing things these past few days.” Her brow furrowed, her thoughts again returning to her actions.

“I hope you figure it out. Skyrim has a way of changing its people.” Twilight paused. “Hold up, I see a light at the end of the hallway.”

Twilight was correct, Fluttershy thought, as they entered yet another large room, it wasn’t far at all. This room had a blue glow about it, and she could see that this was because the light from the sun was cascading down into the room. The ceiling was so high up that she couldn’t see it. Looking around, Fluttershy noted the moss and fauna growing in this cave. Twilight gasped and began trotting into the chamber quickly. Fluttershy was nervous and didn’t think moving very quickly was a good idea, for something might see them. At the center of the chamber was a large podium made of stone and decorated with metal, flanked by a large, flat, stone wall. The wall had strange runes engraved onto it, but it was little concern for the mares. Beside the wall was a coffin, sealed shut. Atop the podium was Twilight’s prize. She recognized it from her informant’s notes and from the textbooks. Here it was, a massive stone tablet covered in moss and bugs, the Dragonstone. Twilight couldn’t contain her excitement as she wiped away the greenery.

“Yes! Yes, yes yes!” Twilight exclaimed. She tried to lift it with her hooves, but found that it was absurdly heavy. Then she tried to lift it with her magic, but still struggled.

“Damn,” said Twilight inwardly, “It’s bound to the podium. Something keeps it in place.”

She began examining the podium as Fluttershy began walking toward the large stone wall. The engravings on it were like nothing she’d ever seen before. They didn’t translate to any language she knew or even recognized. But as she walked closer, something changed. She couldn’t hear Twilight muttering to herself anymore, but she didn’t seem to care. She was focused on the wall. One of the carvings, eye level with her, was different than the others. It stuck out to her and she couldn’t avert her eyes. Her peripheral vision went dim as the rune grew clearer and clearer. She could hear whispers, and the whispers grew to chanting. She heard the voices of a thousand long-dead warriors as she walked closer and closer to the rune. It called to her. It tempted her. She could feel its power; she could feel her own power rising, boiling, bubbling to the surface before. . .

Fluttershy was snapped out of her trance, hearing nothing but the echoing of what sounded like an earthquake. Before her, the wall was no more. It was merely a pile of rocks and boulders. The loose stone and grass before her had been lifted and blasted out of the way. Twilight was recoiling in fear. Fluttershy looked to her, confused and afraid. Twilight backed away.

“You. . .”

Twilight was interrupted by the sound of metal hitting the ground. The coffin beside the wall was now open, and from it crawled another Draugr. But this one was big, easily towering over either mare in both size and stature. It was adorned with black, runic armor and carried a massive black axe that shimmered a brilliant blue. Fluttershy and Twilight both readied themselves for another duel. Fluttershy spread her wings, glad that this was a room big enough that she could use them. The Draugr roared and charge at Fluttershy, its axe barely missing her as she flew into the air. This one swung faster and much harder than the others. Twilight began to charge, but Fluttershy stopped her.

“I can distract him! Gain your mana!” Though Twilight was still slightly afraid of Fluttershy, she knew this was good advice, and backed into the shadows, focusing her mind.

The Draugr swung at Fluttershy again and again, narrowly missing her each time. Fluttershy’s wings weren’t very strong, and soon she had to land. She was still quick, and the Draugr missed again. Visibly frustrated, the Draugr charged at the Pegasus with all its might, and Fluttershy was caught by the tail. She screamed as the Draugr swung her around and slammed her into the stone wall. It slammed its hoof into her chest and picked her up again, throwing her against the podium. Fluttershy could hardly stumble to her feet, barely noticing the Draugr charge again. It smacked Fluttershy with its hoof, sending her flying. She landed in a patch of moss, and saw her horned helmet land next to her. One of the horns had been broken off. Fluttershy ground her teeth. The helmet Applejack gave her was broken, and now this creature was going to pay.

Fluttershy flew at the Draugr, but it dodged her, grabbing her again by the tail. Summoning what magicka she had left, Fluttershy slammed her hooves into the Draugr’s foreleg, casting Frost into it. The Draugr let go, but Fluttershy continued her icy assault, blasting the Draugr in the face with ice-magic, before succumbing to fatigue and letting her hooves fall to the floor. The Draugr was hardly phased, and used both of its hooves to slam Fluttershy into the far wall. Fluttershy heard a deep snap, and pain shot through her body. It was a pain worse than anything she had ever felt before. She tried to ge up, but couldn’t move. She could only lay on the ground. She looked up to see the Draugr jump into the air, ready to cleave her in two with its axe. Fluttershy tried to roll out of the way, but her broken body wouldn’t allow her.

“No!!” screamed Twilight, jumping in front of Fluttershy. Her hooves were alight with purple electricity, and she blasted the Draugr with all her magical might. The undead creature was sent flying backwards and into the opposite wall. With her magic spent, Twilight collapsed. Fluttershy felt a tear run down her face. She called Twilight’s name, but Twilight didn’t respond. Holding back a pained sob, Fluttershy looked toward the Draugr only to watch in silent horror as it began to move its arms. It wasn’t dead, and Fluttershy felt her heart skip. She looked around, hoping that there was anything that could help her survive. She found nothing but Twilight’s saddlebags, which had a small red bottle poking out from one of the pockets. Fluttershy squinted. Was that. . .?

A healing potion.

Weakly, Fluttershy began to crawl toward the potion, which was just a few meters away. A few long, painful meters. Every muscle in her body protested, but Fluttershy continued onward, crawling slowly toward her goal. She could hear the Draugr moving, but this only spurred her onward. Every movement, no matter how miniscule, was utter torture. She crawled, one hoof after the other, feeling fiery arrows of pain piercing every fibre of her very being. Tears streamed down her face as the potion bottle came closer and closer. She could hear the Draugr rise to its feet, and heard it begin to walk closer to her. She couldn’t afford to look. She just needed to press forward. She screamed, only one meter away. The Draugr was getting closer, roaring pained, guttural roars. After an eternal struggle, Fluttershy grabbed the bottle, tore the cork out with her teeth, and drank every last drop, hearing the Draugr trudge forward. When it was finished, Fluttershy could feel the bones in her spine moving back into place. Torn muscles began binding themselves back together, and scrapes and bruises faded. She wasn’t even closed to fighting strength, but the potion gave her all she needed to rise to her feet and look the Draugr dead in the eye. It was only a short distance away. Fluttershy stared fearfully at the Draugr, the pain from her injuries subsiding slightly. In her mind, she begged to fly into another fury. She hoped that at any moment she would awaken to find the beast dead at her hooves, but no such thing came.

Tears continued down her face. She could hardly move. Her back was still broken. But she had no other choice. She focused herself, channeling any magic she had left within her soul, and cast it aside, directly into the unconscious Twilight. Twilight glowed with a golden aura as Fluttershy funneled every ounce of her being into the Healing Spell. Fluttershy knew she couldn’t win this one. Hopefully Twilight could.

Twilight awoke only to watch Fluttershy collapse into an unconscious husk. She saw the Draugr, now unarmed, moving closer to her slowly and weakly. Twilight struggled to get to her feet. She looked to her sides, and then back to the Draugr. She knew what she had to do, but she didn’t want to do it. Twilight found solace in that there were no witnesses to the following events. Twilight took a few steps forward, letting the robes fall from her purple-coated body. Beneath them were two large, beautiful, fully feathered wings that flared as soon as they were uncovered. The Draugr noticed Twilight all too late, as the Alicorn flew into it, sending it careening into the wall. It rose and swung weakly at Twilight, but she dodged it, and slammed into the creature again. It stumbled backward, but Twilight grabbed its head and flew directly upward. With a scream, Twilight spun around and threw the Draugr with all of her might against the ground, shattering the decaying body into pieces. Twilight landed and stumbled, watching the light fading from the Draugr-king’s eyes.

With a loud sigh, Twilight’s shaking legs failed to support her, and she fell. Unbeknownst to her, Fluttershy was awake long enough to see the Draugr die. Fluttershy wanted to be amazed at the fact that Twilight was an Alicorn, but she couldn’t find the strength within herself to feel anything at all. Both mares fell unconscious almost simultaneously, hearing the sounds of distant thunder coming from the world above the Barrow.

Comments

[PrinceOfDoom]

Deliciously fun series!

My guess? Enchanted comic all over again. Except its an enchanted video game.

[Little Tigress]

It's alive!!!!!

[AdverseFlower95]

Twilight was interrupted by the sound of metal hitting the ground. The coffin beside the wall was now open, and from it crawled another Draugr. But this one was big, easily towering over either mare in both size and stature. It was adorned with black, runic armor and carried a massive black axe that shimmered a brilliant blue. Fluttershy and Twilight both readied themselves for another duel. Fluttershy spread her wings, glad that this was a room big enough that she could use them. The Draugr roared and charge at Fluttershy, its sword barely missing her as she flew into the air. This one swung faster and much harder than the others. Twilight began to charge, but Fluttershy stopped her.

I found a little mistake here.

[FriendlyTwo3]

8976864
Oh jeez, I never saw that! Thanks for letting me know!

[Chrome Masquerade]