Sombra visits Skyrim

by Blackdrag-rose

14: Side of Chaos

"Wait a minute, your going to kill Princess Celestia?"

Raika had no idea it was her speaking the words, not until the being known as Discord looked in her direction and made eye contact with her while sipping from his goblet.

"Ah, you know of her." Discord remarked, taking a step closer as the guards came between the two of them, "Now gentlemen, either you stand aside and part ways or I'll be starting my own statue garden with the lot of you."

The guards, knowing the power behind his threat, looked over to their Jarl, who cast a weary glance over to the unfortunate soldier who had been turned to stone, before motioning for them to lower their weapons. The guards cast a quick glance between themselves before sheathing their weapons and moving to the sides, parting ways and keeping their distance from the false nord.

"Yes, I know about Princess Celestia," Raika replied, hesitating a second before she sheathed her own weapons, "She and her sister came here to Skyrim, to look for someone that they called Sombra. From what little I was told they wanted to be sure his evil was finally contained and destroyed."

Raika hated lying to people, as it was just another aspect that they associated with the khajiit's, but in her current predicament she saw no choice but to tell such a blunt lie. She didn't know much about the being that stood before her, but she was hoping that he couldn't tell that she was lying and would accept whatever story she was going to weave together. Maybe she could even convince him to leave the rest of the Stormcloaks alone, as he already expressed his disinterest in their war with the Imperials.

"I should have known she would tell THAT story again," Discord laughed, slapping his right knee with his spare hand as if something was funny, "the one where she and her precious sister had to 'defeat and seal away the stallion that enslaved the Crystal Empire'. Please, she told her beloved student Twilight Sparkle the same thing before sending her and her friends into harms way to make sure that Sombra was defeated. Oh, but the true story is much more complicated than that and you would have had to have been there to know what actually happened that fateful day.

Dear Celestia and I are age old rivals, a pair that have fought since the founding of Equestria and a fight that Fate has decreed must have a victor at some point. Each of us was given a single goal to fulfill, one that we could use every resource at our disposal to ensure that we succeeded. To make things more interesting and fair Celestia's sister, the angry mare known as Luna, was invited to join her sister in the game, so that the Sun and the Moon could tackle Chaos itself. Their goal was to reform me, to turn me from a being that existed to cause Chaos whenever and wherever I wanted at everyone's expense, into a being that would use my powers for the greater good of the world. My goal was much simpler, all I had to do was destroy Celestia."

"That still doesn't explain why you want her dead," Raika reminded him, hoping that he didn't lash out at her and turn her to solid stone like the poor guard.

"It is she who can control Harmony by herself," Discord snapped, the sound of lightning following his voice, "Our world is a place where Harmony is abundant, where the Sun is raised and set by one mare and the Moon is raised and set by a second. Where the 'power of friendship' can overcome anything and everything that chooses to interfere and where Love can overcome hate and fear. The Sun, the Moon, Love, and Magic; the four cornerstones that keep Equestria's Harmony in balance. All I have to do is destroy just one of them and the world will spiral into a realm of complete Chaos."

"Which is why you want to kill this 'Princess Celestia', isn't it?" Ralof inquired, causing the being to turn his gaze upon him.

"Right you are, and for that I won't destroy you...YET." Discord smirked, returning his gaze to Raika, "But after fighting for so long Celestia decided to disappear on me, vanishing to someplace that I either had not yet discovered or someplace that was protected from my sight. That's why she stayed peacefully in Canterlot from time to time, it was built by the unicorn named Starswirl the Bearded and charged with runes that would prevent me from entering for many years to come. Then, when I watched Princess Luna leave Canterlot after a year of silence, I decided to follow her and eventually discovered a place that I had never noticed before..."

"The Crystal Empire," Raika gasped, not in awe, but in dread for what the being was about to say next.

"Yeeessss!" Discord grinned, wider than any human creature Raika had ever seen before, "There I discovered that my enemy had forgotten about our struggle and was living peacefully with the King known as Sombra. Oh, they were madly in love with each other, but with the impending wedding I discovered a weakness in the empire's love barrier, that on a wedding day between two ponies the barrier would shimmer to the point where it was almost nonexistent. So I waltzed into the Crystal Empire and began to rain chaos everywhere, on anypony that I could find, before the Princesses came to fight me.

They were arrogant to think that I wouldn't be watching their every movement, waiting for the perfect time to strike out at them while they sulked in Canterlot and grew weaker. In their arrogance I cast down Princess Luna and delivered what should have been a death blow to Celestia had her foolish husband to be not interfered. Somehow the stallion saved the Princess from certain death, but he barely waited a second before striking out at me for ruining everything. His hate, his anger, and his sorrow were so strong that I broke his mind and unleashed the vile creature that everypony in Equestria came to fear."

"After dealing with him they sealed you away," Raika replied, having heard the fate of the being once already.

"I was...arrogant to think that they could not find the Elements of Harmony," Discord spat, standing just a few steps in front of her now, "but that is another story for another time. Now tell me, where are Princesses Celestia and Luna?"

"Solitude," Ulfric answered almost immediately, causing Discord to cast a look his way, "I have heard rumors that two female nords, one named Tia and one named Luna, were heading in that direction. Maybe you'll find them there."

"No time like the present," Discord shouted, tossing the goblet away, which turned into a small pile of dust, "Do spread some chaos for me and Sheogorath to enjoy."

Before any of them could respond the being turned into a pink cloud and flew through one of the open windows in the back of the palace, that had somehow been opened. Raika and the guards took a moment to relax in case Discord suddenly returned, but when it was clear that he was gone they breathed a sigh of relief. Raika's moment was short lived, as she remembered that her new friends were in danger and needed to be warned immediately.

"You have the look of purpose in your eyes sister," Ralof said, patting her on the shoulder, "Go, find Sombra and his allies before that...monster can."

Raika nodded before tearing her way out the door and across the grounds of Windhelm, barely noticing the guards that she passed before she was halfway across the stone bridge outside the city. She could have sworn that she heard something about a serpent shaped dragon heading off towards the west, though she had no doubt about who it was. She climbed up the hill that Kynesgrove laid in the middle of and was quite pleased to find that her Equestrian friends were right where she had left them.

"Guys...I've got...bad news..." Raika huffed, trying to catch her breath as soon as she came to a stop.

"We know," Luna replied, obviously trying to control her emotions, "We, and by that I mean Tia and myself, were hoping that our ancient struggle wouldn't follow us into this world, but it seems that we were wrong. The Spirit has followed us into Tamriel, so we must complete our mission before he completes his. Raika, we need to get back to Riverwood as soon as possible."

"There's a carriage outside Windhelm," Raika recalled, also catching that Luna couldn't call Discord by his name, "but why didn't you call the Spirit by his actual name?"

Luna's gaze back told her everything she needed to know; that the moment they spoke Discord's true name Sombra's remaining memories would resurface. Raika was dreading the day that the evil Sombra, the one that Celestia and Luna came to make sure never awoke again, broke through the barriers. His hatred alone was powerful enough to take over an entire empire, so it made her shudder at the thought of what he would do in Skyrim.

--------------------

Getting a carriage wasn't too much of a problem for the group, though finding Lydia after Discord's appearance took quite a few minutes of their time. The ride to Riverwood, on the other hand, ended up taking most of the afternoon away from them, though it gave Raika plenty of time to consider what Discord had said. Discord didn't come to Skyrim to hunt Princess Luna, King Sombra, or even the mage known as Trixie down. He came with the express purpose of destroying Celestia.

If the being of chaos was going to chase Celestia to the ends of Skyrim then they needed to stop the dragon threat before he managed to interfere. They needed to talk with Delphine, who Raika still hated with a passion, and learn everything that she knew about the dragons and the fact that they were coming back from the dead. From what she already knew the mad woman was certain that the Thalmor were behind everything that was happening, but Raika couldn't come to the same conclusion without compelling proof. The type of proof that, if shared with the leaders of both factions in the war, could spell disaster for the Thalmor and their agents throughout Skyrim. She liked the idea that she could turn both the Imperials and the Stormcloaks on the Thalmor, but knew that it was an impossible dream.

When the carriage finally arrived in Riverwood Raika was the first to jump off, followed closely by Luna and Trixie, leaving Celestia, Sombra, and Lydia to do whatever they wanted. The patrons inside the inn looked up as the three of them entered the building, but quickly returned to their drinks as they made their way across the floor. Delphine's business partner looked at them as they entered Delphine's room, barely wasting a moment before he closed the door behind them. Within moments the three of them were walking down the stairs to Delphine's secret hideout, to which Trixie was surprised to find under an inn.

"Ah Dragonborn," Delphine greeted, turning round to see them, "I knew you would see reason and come seeking..."

"Look, we don't have the time to listen to you rant," Raika cut her off, "Skyrim is, unfortunately, host to yet another creature from Equestria and he's hunting one of my friends down. They won't leave until we deal with the dragon problem, which we cannot solve until we find a way to kill that blasted black dragon. You were telling me about this great plan of yours that involved the Thalmor."

"Ah yes, the Thalmor are holding a party in their embassy," Delphine replied, appearing irritated that she had been cut off, "I have an associate that can smuggle some weapons and armor into the embassy before the party begins, but once your in you'll have to make due with whatever else you find. All you need to do is make your way to the main study, look around for whatever evidence you can find, and get out of there before they catch onto you. Once your out of the embassy we'll meet up somewhere safe so we can plan our next move. Any questions before I leave to make the arrangements for your invitation?"

"You expect me to do this alone?" Raika asked, surprised that the woman would have her do something so dangerous by herself.

"Yes, I do," Delphine replied, crossing her arms, "Look, I know you have some decent friends that are willing to follow you to the end of your quest, but if I were to send in more than two of you I'd be risking the operation. Even acquiring a second invitation would be hard, even if you had someone else that would be willing to follow you into the embassy."

"Might I suggest sending Sombra in with you?" Luna spoke up, catching them both by surprise, "He's in the stage of his memories where he's recovered most of his former life, so as the royal postures and when is the best time to excuse yourself. He could prove to be the perfect distraction, giving you the chance to make your way through the embassy to find whatever information you'd be looking for. Then, when the guards come and break up the party, he could follow the group outside and slip away unnoticed with his Shadowstep ability."

"Oh for the love of Talos," Delphine moaned, taking out a sheet of paper and making a note as to what she needed to know about Sombra, "Fine, I'll try to get my hands on a second invitation, but don't get your hopes up."

The three of them remained in the hidden area of the inn while Delphine left them alone, giving Raika time to finally ask Luna what was bugging her so much.

"Luna, there's something I need to tell you." Raika said, turning to face the Princess of the Night, "While I was in Windhelm I managed to converse with the being your guys call Discord. He told me, my brothers and sisters, and my Lord Ulfric Stormcloak that he came to Skyrim to settle an old grudge between him and Celestia. Luna, he's here to kill your sister."

For a moment Luna said nothing, allowing Trixie to show her own surprise by wearing a shocked expression on her face, before she said anything. What Raika was expecting was some sort of rage and explosion that would bring her back to her days as the Nightmare, Queen of Knights, that she had been told about. What Raika got was laughter as Luna held her sides, almost as if she thought that what Raika had just told her was outrageous.

"Forgive me Raika, it was mean to laugh at you," Luna said, wiping a tear away from under her eye, "but to be honest and blunt, Discord lied to you."

"WHAT?!" Raika exclaimed, "But he told this story about the two of you fighting him and running away from him until he found you in the Crystal Empire."

"Calm yourself Raika," Luna said, patting her on the shoulder as she tried to hold back more laughter, "Discord told you that story so that you and your allies would cause some panic, which in turn spread chaos, while he was around. The more chaos he creates the greater his influence over the world becomes until he begins to change everything to suit his...unusual lifestyle. Trust me on this Raika, all he cares about is spreading chaos and making sure that we can't undo the damage he's caused. My guess is that he's only here to spread chaos and bring the rest of Sombra's memories to the surface, which would distract Celestia from our quest."

"Do you think Sombra will even go through with this?" Trixie innocently asked.

"I know he'd do it if Celestia asked him to," Luna replied with a smile, either from the laughing she had done or the plan she had in mind, "and I know just how to ask her."

--------------------

The following morning Sombra and Raika approached the woman named Delphine, after dropping some armor off at Delphine's assistant for Raika's mission. Raika was pleased that Delphine had managed to secure a second invitation to the Thalmor's party, an invitation that bared Sombra's name on it. He honestly had no idea how Celestia, his love and joy in this harsh place, had convinced him to go with Raika to this party, nor did he had any idea how to act as a diversion for her to get away. All he was going to do was join her in the party area, hopefully find something that could distract everyone else, and then get away before someone noticed him.

"Your lucky Dragonborn," Delphine said, patting a stack of fine clothes sitting next to her, "It wasn't as hard to acquire the second invitation as I made it out to be. Now, if you two will put these party clothes on and get on the back of the carriage we can get this party started."

Sombra sighed and picked up his stack of clothes, hesitating to remove his steel armor and sword, but knew that the Thalmor would stop him the moment he entered if he was armed. Within seconds his armor laid in pieces around him and the sword was leaning against the wall of the mill, though the clothes somehow fit perfectly. Trixie, having gathered her own moving caravan for the escape route somewhere down the mountain, was ready to stash the equipment that they didn't need in some crates. Lydia, not receiving her own invitation, was forced to stay with Trixie, to act as her bodyguard in case any guards inquired why they were on the road. Luna and Celestia would be joining them, acting as sentries to warn Trixie in case the guards came or Raika and Sombra came up to leave.

"I hate to leave my armor behind while I'm in enemy territory," Sombra remarked, dropping the pieces into a crate, "but I really hate to leave you alone while our enemies are hunting us."

"I'll be fine Sombra," Celestia said, pecking a kiss on his cheek real quick, "The four of us will be waiting by the cave exit that Delphine somehow found and connected to the embassy. Its impossible to get into the embassy that way, but it should serve as a great escape point for the two of you. Get into that embassy and do whatever you need to before getting back to us."

"I will my sweet Celestia," Sombra replied, catching a barfing glance from Delphine, "Never doubt the power of our love."

Celestia nodded and watched the pair, now clothed in the appropriate attire for the party, climb onto the back of the carriage before Delphine nodded to the driver. The driver got the horse to start moving and soon the carriage was disappearing up the side of the mountain, where they knew the embassy was supposed to be. After a few minutes of waiting Celestia climbed onto the back of Trixie's caravan and they got underway, following the carriage's path for some time until they had to diverge from it. Celestia hoped that Sombra and Raika would succeed and get back to them as quick as possible.

--------------------

Sombra sighed as the carriage passed through the golden gates of the embassy and came to a halt in front of the set of stairs that would lead them inside. Raika, on the other hand, let out a huff before jumping off the carriage's back and landing on the soft snow that waited below her, only to turn around and smirk at him. As Sombra climbed off the carriage he noted that the snow was barely coming down at the moment, with the potential to turn into a snowstorm later on. He thanked the fact that he remembered most of his time in the Crystal Empire, memorizing the weather patterns when he wasn't busy in the Crystal Library. If the storm actually came later on then it would provide decent cover for Raika to move around.

"Your invitations please," a guard said, suddenly appearing beside them before they could even reach the stairs.

"Sure thing," Raika replied, producing her invitation as Sombra followed suit.

"Let's see here," the guard said, snatching Raika's invitation almost immediately, "'Elenwen, First Emissary of the Aldmeri Dominion to the Kingdom of Skyrim, Requests the pleasure of the Company of Raika Snow-Heart at a reception on 28 Heartfire, 201 at the Ambassador's Residence. Regrets only, Formal Attire Requested.' Ah, all this seems in order."

Raika forced a smile as she accepted the guard returning her invitation, angry that Delphine had somehow discovered her last name without her even telling the woman. Not many people outside the Stormcloaks knew her last name and it seemed unlikely that Delphine had found one of her brothers or sisters to ask them. She'd have to ask the woman how she discovered her last name later, gulping as she watched Sombra hold out his invitation for the guard to take.

"Now you sir," the guard continued, gently taking the piece of parchment before reading, "'Elenwen, First Emissary of the Aldmeri Dominion to the Kingdom of Skyrim, Requests the pleasure of the Company of King Sombra at a reception on 28 Heartfire, 201 at the Ambassador's Residence. Regrets only, Formal Attire Requested.' Wait, your a King?!"

"Yes," Sombra gently said, taking his invitation as soon as the guard offered it to him, "I take it everything is in order?"

"Oh, yes your majesty," the guard replied, bowing before him as he gestured to the front door, "Please, don't let me keep you and your fetching companion waiting any longer."

Sombra nodded to Raika and moved towards the door, barely pausing before she stepped in front of him and opened the door so they could enter the building. As soon as they were inside they were greeted by another elf, only this one decided to make small talk as she welcomed them to the party. Before either of them could practice their cover stories, that they had spent a good deal of time practicing before getting on the carriage, the elf excused herself so she could deal with the elf that was passing out the wine. Raika heard a joke ending as the elf walked away and as a group of people laughed aloud she caught one voice that sounded familiar, one that she recognized almost immediately.

A voice that filled her with a sense of dread.

"Well look who it is!" Discord said, stepping out from a group and taking a sip from a cup of wine, "Sombra, King of the Crystal Empire. The last time I saw you was when I decided to crash your wedding day. Boy were you pissed off at me, so much so that you snapped and struck out at me with your Dark Magic. For a while I thought we'd destroy each other, but lucky for me the Princesses saw fit to turn your gaze towards them. Ah, I'm sure that brings back some good memories for the both of us."

Sombra lowered his head for a moment and Raika knew that he'd be experiencing a rush of memories, no doubt the ones that Celestia and Luna were dreading the arrival of. For a moment nothing seemed to happen to him, but as she watched she noticed that strands of pure magic, purple colored magic, began to gather around his eyes. Strands that began to weave themselves together until he had a small wave of dark energy coming off of each of them, with an eerie green color surrounding his now red eyes. The only other thing she noticed was that several of his teeth grew to points.

"Yeeesssss," came the eerie reply, with a voice that sounded like something scraping on a crystal's surface, followed by what seemed like laughter from a being that enjoyed torturing others.

Raika knew that, in that instant, Skyrim was utterly screwed.

Comments

[dangerbrony]

Good times. Hopefully this isn't resolved in a single chapter because I have been looking forward to this. Keep it up.

[Sonata Blaze]

Discord lied? . . . Course he lied. Almost nothing that guys says is true.
And ah yeah, the King of Darkness has finally risen. I have been waiting for this moment since the beginning.

[Vigilant of Stendarr]

Stendarr preserve us again, the Tyrant has awakened from his slumber.

[Moon loving Changeling]

Alduin is now the least of the worries.

[Slendrake]

6998902
Screw Stendarr, praise be to Sheogorath so that we all may have cheese!