Sonata's Crazy and Wacky Adventure in Skyrim

by Sonata Blaze

18: More Dang Vampires

Sonata and her friends had the inn to themselves for the night, as Delphine and her assistant Orgnar allowed them to spend the night before they headed to Solitude in the morning. Sonata liked it that the former Blade was so willing to assist them at the moment, though she had to wonder if some of her power had exerted itself on the lady when she told her to search for Lord Grul. Her friends were thankful for the place to spend the night, so they didn't have to be out in the wilderness with Grul's orcs out and about doing whatever their master had told them to do next. None of them wanted to run into a group of orcs and have to get into a fight, in the middle of the night no less, despite their ability to deal with any threats they might face.

Sonata still found it strange that she and her friends had likely killed thirty or forty of Grul's men at this point, but there didn't seem to be an end to the amount of enemies they had to fight. She had seen an endless army of orcs walk out of a portal in her dreams, something she knew had not yet come to pass because the sky hadn't been set on fire or anything else she had seen in her dream. She also considered that maybe her enemy had conquered the lands of the orc before coming to Skyrim, hence the seemingly large number of enemies that she had her friends had to get rid of.

"So, is it true that our enemy is searching for something called the 'Siren Queen'?" Lorthan asked, merely because he was still confused as to what the orc was trying to do, "And, if that's what he's looking for, then why does he keep coming after you, Sonata?"

Sonata looked at Kree, Lydia, and Saerza for a moment, wondering if it was a good time to tell their companion the truth, but with Delphine hanging nearby she knew that it wasn't the time. She sighed and knew that she'd have to tell him something, otherwise she was sure that he would ask again and again until he had some decent answers to his questions.

"Yes, Lord Grul is looking for something called the Siren Queen," Sonata answered, rubbing the side of her head so the memories didn't come flooding in and ruin her mood, which her closest friends seemed to understand the gesture as her trying to stop a headache from overtaking her, "though we have no idea who that person is or where she might be at this very moment. As for why he's actively hunting me... well, I am the Dragonborn and it is generally the duty of such a hero to remove the evils of the land before they become a problem. He's making sure that everyone that can stand against him will be taken care of before he moves forward with whatever his evil plans are... whatever those happen to be."

She didn't want to say that she had seen the destruction of Skyrim in her dreams, something that would be sure to set off her friends as well and she didn't want a panic to start. There was enough to worry about thanks to the dragons, the increasing amount of vampires, and the cultists that wanted to eliminate her before she found someone called Miraak. She knew that she would have to deal with all of them at some point in the future, but she wondered if taking out Lord Grul might be in her best interests... considering that she was finding his forces everywhere she went in Skyrim.

"I see," Lorthan replied, sighing as he looked into the fire that they were sitting around, "None of the Council of Three has been able to figure out what Grul is doing, besides being a nuisance to the Stormcloak Rebellion and the Imperial Legion. I've already shared my suspicions that Lady Vespula might not be on our side, despite the fact that I have no evidence that she might have betrayed us, but its better to be open in this uncertain time. There's no telling whose an ally and whose an enemy anymore, not when Lord Grul might have the ability to corrupt people with the temptation of incredible powers."

"We need to take him out, before he goes to war with all of Skyrim," Delphine commented, adding her little bit into the conversation, though it was clear that she wasn't aware of the full extent of what their enemy was even capable of at the moment, "You need to get to Solitude as fast as possible... once the sun is up anyway."

Sonata sighed and stared at the fire, wondering what it would take to eliminate Lord Grul from Skyrim... though as she thought about it she glanced at her hand and remembered her true power, something that might very well be the key to ending the threat that Grul posed on everyone in the world.

---

Another hour passed before the five of them turned into the various beds for rest, though Lorthan remained outside the inn to keep watch for any threats that might be coming towards the small village. Lydia sat in one of the chairs and claimed that it would be the best bed for her, while Saerza and Kree shared the bed in the other room that was next to where Sonata would be resting. Sonata laid her head on her pillow and knew that the morning would bring something eventful in their lives, though she hoped that it would be a normal venture to Solitude and that they wouldn't have any problems getting there.

This time when she dreamed she appeared in the past, back when she and her sisters were in Equus, though this time she was resting in a cave that only she knew about... or that she had been the only one that knew about it until a certain day arrived. This cave was well hidden from the general public, as it had been built into the mountainside near the beach she usually rested on, though her magic allowed her to hide it from both her sisters and most unicorns. Because of the fact that many couldn't find the cave she had the opinion that no one, save for the alicorn sisters and their most powerful mages, could find out where she was resting at the moment.

When Sonata reflected on this event she had to mentally chuckle to herself, because she had been so naive to believe that she could have kept the cave a secret from the first pony she came to respect, despite what had happened between them later in life.

"So, you are the creature whose magical energy I have felt over the last seven days," a voice said, causing her to turn her head towards the entrance and spot a unicorn standing before her, though the robes and bells revealed that this had to be the one that she had been told about earlier, "I must say, you are definitely more impressive face to face than what I made you out to be in my head."

"Starswirl the Bearded... flattery will get you nowhere with me," the Queen replied, turning her full attention to the stallion as he approached her, more in interest than anything else.

"I didn't expect it to, so I merely made an observation," the unicorn commented, looking around the cave for a moment before turning his head back to her, "Tell me, when was the last time you walked among ponies? A month ago? Half a year ago? Maybe even a year ago?"

"I've never walked among ponies before in my life," the Queen answered, glaring at the stallion for a second, trying to figure out why he would ask such a silly question to begin with.

"So that means that there are at least three of your kind near the settlement," Starswirl said, a small smirk appearing on his face, "I noticed two other creatures, both with magical energies that are identical to your own, walking through the settlement a few days ago, looking around as if they were studying the way it had been built. Originally I thought that they might be visitors from one of the other villages in the surrounding area, but the necklaces they wore, with a ruby pendant, told me that they were different from the ponies I was living with. I studied them from afar as they studied the settlement, only to come to the conclusion that they were taking orders from someone and that, in turn, lead me here."

"Congratulations, Starswirl the Bearded, you've found the secret hiding place of the Siren Queen," the Queen replied, mentally screaming to herself that both Adagio and Aria had been found out by the stallion she had sent them to spy on, "Now, leave me to my rest... before I blast you into the wall and leave your body imprinted there."

"I have no doubt that you would try that, but I did not come here to fight you," Starswirl commented, causing the Queen to raise an eyebrow, "I came to invite the leader of the ponies I noticed to a stroll through the settlement, so she can get to know her neighbors... though you'd have to shrink to a more suitable size."

The Queen stared at Starswirl for a moment, studying the stallion to see if he was actually being serious or if he was pulling her tail, before she started to chuckle. She had sent Adagio and Aria to study Starswirl, because he was all that she was interested in, but they had, in a strange twist of fate, alerted the stallion and had brought him to her. Her magic began to gather around her, though instead of striking the stallion where he stood, which she suspected might begin a battle that might end in a draw, she began to shrink in size as her body changed shape. She had long since wondered what it would be like to walk among ponies, so she had created a form that she had figured that she would never use for as long as she existed.

An arctic blue coated mare, with a light blue and dark blue colored mane and tail, appeared where the Queen had been standing, though she wore the same pendant the other Sirens wore and had a musical note as her Cutie Mark.

"I shall take you up on your offer, Starswirl the Bearded," the Queen replied, her voice toned down to fit a normal mare's voice, though she had aimed at the younger sounds instead of going for an older voice.

"And what would I call you by, instead of using the title of the Siren Queen?" Starswirl asked, which made the Queen see the error in creating the form to begin with, "Hmm... I see you don't have a name for this form. How about Sonata Dusk?"

"That... is agreeable," the Queen replied, a smile appearing on 'Sonata's' face as she trotted up to the stallion.

Together the two of them left the cave and ventured to where the settlement laid, to which Sonata began the process of removing herself from her past so she could return to the present.

---

Sonata sighed as she pulled herself from her dream, not wanting to see anymore of what she and Starswirl had done after he had found out her hiding place. He was one of the few ponies that she had respected, until Adagio and Aria forced his hoof and had the three of them banished to a world that had no magic. Despite what Adagio and Aria believed, and they were set on the fact that she and Starswirl had been bitter enemies, Sonata had actually developed a friendship with the stallion. She had tried, at one point before their banishment, to help him develop several spells that might actually bridge the gap between the Sirens and the ponies, but that was in the past and she was forced to live with what was happening to her.

Speaking of which she pulled herself out of the bed she was sitting in, her mind returning to her being worried if they would be able to make it to their destination without Lord Grul attacking them... again anyway.

"I managed to have a carriage come by the inn and pick the five of you up," Delphine told her as she walked out of her room, spotting her companions getting ready for the journey, "you should be able to arrive in Solitude by late evening at the earliest, but you might be able to reach the city faster if your lucky."

Sonata merely nodded her head and had some of the breakfast that had been prepared before she had awoken, though her mind was on the fact that she had dreamed of Starswirl for the first time in almost a thousand years. She had bottled up her past self the moment she and her sisters had been banished, though now everything was slowly returning to the surface once again. She noticed that her friends noticed that there was something different about her, though as she turned her gaze back to her hand she summoning a small spark of lightning for a few seconds. She also noted that the longer she stayed in Skyrim the more power she regained, which would make it easier to deal with her enemy when the time came.

When she finished with the meal she gathered her weapon and rejoined her friends, to which they left the inn and spotted the carriage that Delphine had promised them would be there. The driver stared at them as they climbed onto the back of the carriage, though once they were on board they began their journey towards Solitude.

The driver apparently had been told to avoid any of the cities besides their destination, because they bypassed Falkreath altogether and used the road that went around it. They didn't go into the Reach, mainly because their driver mentioned that he didn't want to be ambushed by the Forsworn that called the area home, so they went through the area of Rorikstead instead. Once they passed through the small settlement they came to an area that was inhabited by bandits, to which Sonata growled and used another element, that of wind, to blast every bandit away from the carriage. She didn't want them to be delayed by the enemies that rested along the road, so blowing them backwards was about the only thing she could do at the moment.

When they finally reached the stables of Solitude, roughly halfway through the afternoon, Sonata noticed a large force standing before the gates of the city, though none of the soldiers looked like the Imperials, the Stormcloaks, or even the Orcs. They found a large group of vampires standing before the gates, though by the look on Lorthan's face Sonata could tell that it wasn't one of the Council of Three that was behind this. She knew of one other powerful vampire that had the ability to pull something like this off, which told her that Lord Harkon had grown tired and was now attacking people for fun.

"Kill these invaders," Sonata growled, lightning crackling around her left hand as the vampires turned towards where they were standing, to which she leveled her hand with one of them and struck him with a lightning bolt.

Lyda roared and charged forward, swinging her battleaxe as cutting one of the vampires in half before turning towards another target, which Kree stayed at the back and used her arrows to take out the enemies that lingered in the back. Saerza summoned flames into her hand as she approached the vampires and charred the arms of those that attacked her, opening the way for Lorthan to cut them down while they were distracted by their injuries. Sonata stayed at the front and struck at whoever came at her, with either her lightning or her sword, though she also had to dodge the attacks that they threw her direction.

One of them reached for her and tried to smack her with his weapon, but Lydia leapt in front of the weapon and slammed the vampire into the ground, though Sonata kept the enemy alive as her friends tore apart the rest of them.

"Who sent you to destroy Solitude?" Sonata asked, pressing her sword against the vampire for a moment, "Who do you work for?"

"Lord Harkon... has signed... your death warrant," the vampire coughed, blood erupting from his mouth as did so, "We have orders... to capture you alive... and turn you over to... He who wants you. Then this world... will burn..."

Sonata growled and drove her sword into the vampire's chest, making sure to burn the body to ashes once she was done with him before turning to her friends. Lord Grul might not have personally sent the vampires to destroy Solitude, but he was apparently allied with the vampire lord that had sent them. The Council of Three was going to be interested in hearing that Harkon had betrayed the whole of Nirn, though Sonata really could care less about whatever he had been promised in exchange. Once she was done with the black dragon, and had stopped the dragons from destroying the world, she was going to track down Lord Harkon and kill him like the dog he was.

Then, once Harkon and whoever sent the cultists were dead, she would turn her attention to Lord Grul and show him just how unwise all of his actions were. And then she'd rescue her sisters, wherever they were.

Comments

[HB_DS2013]

Barring the Imperials and Stormcloaks, everyone else is out for Sonata. I wonder if this means that sirens can shapeshift?

[Crazy the Clone]

My guess is that either Serana comes to assist, the Dawnstar decide to help out, both, or the Dawnstar come to hunt her down for something about vampires. In any case, Sonata's getting pissed...That ain't healthy. For her enemies, I mean.

[Aria Blitz]

7418236 I believe that the Sirens were depicted, in their pony state anyway, as being earth ponies. Their siren magic might allow them to shift if the need surfaces. I think its possible that they can shapeshift.

7418380 The Dawnguard might not like Sonata because she's 'allied' with the Council of Three, though they might also listen if she tells them that she's been marked for death by Lord Harkon. Serana could likely blow a fuse when she hears of what her father did.
On the other hand Grul has to be slowly understanding that Sonata isn't someone that he can mess with, not when we have no idea what her true powers are or how destructive she can be.

[HB_DS2013]

7418666 Only earth ponies?

[Aria Blitz]

7418672 I've only seen them as earth ponies, but that doesn't mean that they can't be unicorns or pegasi. I think it depends on whoever writes a story based around them.

[Blackdrag-rose]

So... when does Sonata snap, track down Lord Grul, and then kill him?
Its going to be sometime in the future... of that I'm sure.

[Crazy the Clone]

7418666

Heheh. I'm imagining Sonata as a Sea Pony or whatever they were called. Shoo be doo~!

[Aria Blitz]

7419071 Aye, I do believe that was what they are called. Though their Siren forms are depicted as half pony and half fish, so I guess that actually works.

[Vigilant of Stendarr]

Harkon proves that he's not an ally of Nirn... though to join forces with Grul, that only makes the situation worse.

[Just Sandy]

does the thin with lord grul actually exist in skyrim or did you add simply for the sake of a more interesting story?

[Adagio Shimmer]

So the vampires have a death wish and Sonata is more than willing to grant it... very interesting.
Death to Harkon and his followers!

[Pinkie Glimmer]

Well, Harkon is dead the moment Sonata gets her hands on him... and we'll be roasting his body over an open fire!