• Published 10th Apr 2018
  • 8,324 Views, 320 Comments

Kulaas Ahrk Dovah - SkarinOfAtmora



While studying the Tree of Harmony, Princess Twilight Sparkle stumbles upon and releases an ancient evil hidden deep beneath the tree itself. Luckily, she also releases the only one who can stop it...

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4 - Dream of Mirrors

Skarin was a simple man with simple needs. He was never one for the life of luxury or comfort, settling down was just wishfull thinking. Even with all the riches he accquiered on his journeys, Skarin still prefered the wilds instead of a comfortable bed to lay on. The road was his bride.

So it was no wonder that on this night, laying in this exceptionally comfortable bed, Skarin could simply not fall asleep. It was just too comfortable in his room. Warm, clean, quiet. It was unbearable.

"Knew I should have slept in the forest... " he burried his head in the pillow. One would think the shocking revelations made not even a couple hours ago would keep him awake this night. If not for this heavenly bed they would but it was just too distracting. Skarin knew he should be getting the best and most relaxing sleep of his life, seeing as Elisif's bed in the Blue Palace couldn't come close to this one and it was made for a queen "No need to get excited now..." with a groan, Skarin got out of bed and walked out on the balcony. The city was asleep, that much was certain "Nice view." he leaned on the stone railing and observed the landscape that was bathed in the light of a full moon. He glanced down at his right hand, silently grateful they didn't remove Hircine's ring along with his gear. The beast was locked up for a long time and Skarin feared what might happen under a full moon.

The fresh air combined with a light breeze did him worlds of good, a smile slowly creeping onto his lips "Close enough I'd say." he sat down on the balcony and leaned against the stone wall "Ohhh yeah... That's more like it. " the cold and hard wall on his back made him finally able to relax but also brought back his thoughts from before. How were these ponies able to break the spell? Morganna said it was unbreakable. Once cast the recipients were stuck like that for eternity. And why did the back of his head hurt like someone hit him?

Anyway, did she put a fail-safe on the spell? Maybe to free herself and then the others? But if so, why did only Alduin and him get free? A cruel trick by fate, perhaps? At this point it was only guessing so Skarin made a mental note to ask Celestia what exactly happened. Right down to the tiniest detail. If there was a chance his friends could be saved like him then he needed to find a way.

Then there was Sheogorath, or Discord, as he is known now. What in Oblivion happened to him? The Daedra looked like an attempt to mix together dozens of creatures and somehow the worst case scenario came to pass.

"I resent that remark!"

Also, was he the only Daedric Prince left? A terrifying thought for sure but right now a very real one. Shame it wasn't Sanguine who greeted him, that guy knew how to party. Then again, he did get him to propose to a hagraven so there's that. At least Sheogorath appeared more... Friendly? Some of the strories Skarin heard about him were downright disgusting. If only these ponies knew how music was created they would never touch another instrument in their life.

Speaking of which, Skarin's first impression of them was not good to say the least. First, they somehow release Alduin, then they throw him in a dungeon and lastly the guards tried to kill him. To be fair, he did walk out of his cell and they were just trying to protect their princess in case he tried anything, but still, not cool. Also, not like they could stop him anyway.

As for the princess, well... Skarin didn't quite know what to make of her yet. She seemed like a reasonable being, considering their introductions were rocky to say the least. On the other hand he felt like she didn't fully comprehend just what they unleashed into the world, accident or not. Perhaps she was in some sort of denial? Come morning they will need to have a proper talk, not the crash course they were given by Discord.

And that left the final question, where in Oblivion is Alduin? Celestia wanted to keep this a secret from the populace but how long can she hope to do that? Word of a dragon destroying villages tends to go around pretty quick. Skarin didn't know if dragons were still around anyway. Sure they are immortal creatures but they can be killed, as Skarin proved over and over again and Delphine was pretty adamant about killing every single one. Wonder if Paarthurnax is still alive...

"Gaaah, too much thinking!" he scratched his head vigorously to dispell the thoughts "I should get some sleep. Clear my head." shutting his eyes tightly, Skarin tried to force himself to sleep and surprisingly he succeded. Cold stone and fresh air, no better bed in the world.


Celestia's revelations to her sister left the blue alicorn in a state of shock. Somehow they managed to release an ancient evil that made Discord look like a puppy in comparison. They barely touched the thing! Well, Twilight did, but that's beside the point. The point is, things went south incredibly fast and they had to act quickly. The worst part will be telling Twilight what is happening. The young purple alicorn will surely blame herself for all of it. Luna still wanted to talk to their new arrival but after Celestia finally put her hoof down, Luna relented and decided to save their meeting for the morning.

After informing their guards and staff of their new guest, leaving out the parts about the potential apocalypse and sncient worlds, everypony got back to business as usual with Celestia deciding to finally retire for the night.

Speaking of the night, Luna could finally attend to her duties as the guardian of dreams, bringing peacefull sleep to all of Equestria. Going back to her room, seeing as night court was effectively canceled, she sat upon her bed and closed her eyes. A light glowed from her horn and when she opened her eyes again she was greeted with the familiar vastness that is the Dreamscape. She could see the dreams of everypony in Equestria and so free them of their nightmares.

As she traversed the Dreamscape Luna saw something. A nightmare. The strange thing was she couldn't see whose it was. Usually the pony in question would be visibly within the dream bubble but this time it was not the case. The bubble itself glowed an eerily read and black and the dream itself appeared to be a blur. Getting closer Luna inspected the bubble but couldn't manage to identify what the nightmare was about.

"Curious..." she took a step back and prepared to enter the dream. Whoever this nightmare belonged to, one thing was certain, it was the fiercest nightmare Luna has ever encountered. This pony needed her help and needed it fast. Her horn glowed once again but instead of a light transition Luna felt as if she was caught in a raging river. She struggled for control but no matter what she did, Luna couldn't stop herself from being flung around like a ragdoll.

Suddenly she hit something soft as a chilling cold enveloped her. Quickly standing up and hugging herself to keep warm Luna took in her surroundings. A snowstorm of which she never seen the likes of was raging around her. It was so cold here her teeth began chattering. The Crystal Empire sounded pretty warm right about now.

"H-HELLO!" she yelled over the harsh snow and wind "IS ANYPONY THERE?" nothing but the wind. Luna tried to walk through the storm but it was just too strong. Combined with the freezing cold it was almost unbearble. But that didn't slow down the Princess of the Night. Clenching her teeth and squinting her eyes she pushed forward, not really sure it was leading her somewhere. Luckily she didn't walk far when a small shadow began approaching through the raging storm. Trying to get a better, look Luna shielded her eyes with her hand but to no avail. It wasn't until the shadow moved close enough it turned into an actual figure that Luna realized whose dream this was. From Celestia's description it could only be Skarin, or in this case a younger version of him "B-b-by the S-stars..." she wasn't sure how the young of his species was supposed to look like but she was certain it was not like this. Standing before her was a child, not more than eight years old, dressed in only what could pass for a potato-bag and looked so malnourished he bordered on being a skeleton. The child looked at her, his expression devoid of all emotion "I-I'm h-h-here to help." she got no reply. She tried to reassure him again but heard something in the distance. Looking behind him, Luna saw a wall of shadows approaching very fast, getting louder and louder as it closed in on them. Before she could think, hundreds of what appeared to be Skarin's kind broke the snowy veil with a deafening war-cry and ran past them. Looking back at Skarin he lifted a wooden plank she hadn't realized he carried and charged into war along side his kin. Luna couldn't see who or what they were charging at before she felt the unplesant pull of this dream changing.

Managing to land on her hooves this time, Luna saw a completely different picture. They were in a fort of some sort, and she was about to witness an execution. And not just any execution. Skarin's head was already on the block, the axe in mid-swing. She knew she couldn't stop it but her instincts kicked in and she was already sprinting towards the soon headless Skarin. A thunderous roar filled the scene and the axe missed Skarin's head by only a hair. Looking up Luna faced the mighty dragon Alduin. Frozen in her tracks she could only watch as flame sprouted from it's mouth and enveloped her entierly. She shut her eyes tightly and raised her arms in defense but Luna could still feel the heat of the inferno.

Luckily it lasted no more than a second as the fires disappeared and the warmth was replaced by cold once again. This time she was in a large room, most likely an underground one judging by the cold and damp environment. A sickening crunch caused her to spin around and fall on her rump from the sight before her. A large beast, covered in thick black fur with long claws and very sharp teeth had just torn one of Skarin's species in two with it's bare hands. Another one was scurrying backwards in an attempt to flee but the beast saw him. It threw the body parts away and grabbed the escapee by the throat, lifting him up easily. It barred it's teeth and spoke in a spine-chilling voice.

"Eyes, lungs, pancreas. Many snacks, little time."

"NO! NO! PLEA-" the male's cries for mercy were silenced by the beast biting his head off. Luna averted her eyes from the disgusting act. She witnesed many horrors in war but this was something else entierly. Hearing what was probably a head being spit out onto the ground, Luna looked back at the beast to see it slowly transform into Skarin. A very naked Skarin. Luna felt herself blush after seeing his... Lower extremity. It would most certainly provide a glorious time in the bedroom.

"It's done." Skarin announced and on cue, a naked female entered the room, her body covered in blood, mane short and red in color.

"Good." her voice was stern, determined "The hunt is over." a wolfish grin spread on her lips "Now we celebrate." she jumped on Skarin and the duo engaged in a passionate make-out session that Luna only guessed would lead to heated sex. Burying her face in her hands with embarassement, Luna prayed the dream would shift soon.

To her relief, it did, and by surprise she was met with laughter and music. Opening her eyes she found herself in a great hall, long tables filled with food and drink. Dozens sat around and enjoyed the festivities. She saw Skarin sit at the head of the table, a woman by his side, gazing lovingly in eacothers eyes. However, it was not the same one as before. This one had brown mane, a sigle braid on the left side. They looked happy.

"VAMPIRES!" someone barged through the doors and the mood shifted instantly. Swords were drawn, shields and maces raised high and the hall was empty within seconds. Luna followed them outside into the darkness but it appeared as though the battle was already over. Bodies littered the streets, blood and guts everywhere, fire consuming houses. Luna ran through the unfamiliar town she found herself in and tried to locate Skarin. Running down a set of stairs, she reached an old well and to her right in the distance a crowd had gathered. She sprinted towards them and pushed through to the center. What she saw made her gasp in shock, covering her muzzle. Skarin was on his knees, hugging the dead body of the woman he was sitting with near moments ago. All present had their heads bowed in respect. This woman must have meant a lot to Skarin. Even Luna shed a tear. The moment would not last as the princess could feel the pull coming again. But therevwas no time for that. Gathering her magic she unleashed a powerful burst of magic.

"ENOUGH!" her Royal Canterlot Voice boomed across the town, night turned to day, bodies disappeared and she was left standing alone. Or so she tought.

"Why are you here?" she turned around to see Skarin, dressed rather plainly in simple pants, shirt and leather boots. He was very aware of her presence now. Luna composed herself and spoke.

"We are princess L-"

"I know who you are and I don't care!" he said harshly "I asked, why are you here? Better yet, how?"

"If thou hadn't interrupted we would have answered!" Luna responed with a huff "As we said, we are-"

"Who's we?" there he goes interrupting her again, the nerve of some!

"We are." Luna said pointing at herself.

"You mean, I am." Skarin raised a brow.

"Tis' the royal we!" Luna looked to the side "We have trouble adjusting to these modern times..." Skarin threw his arms up in exasperation.

"Fine! Whatever! " he looked the princess with an expressiin that screamed frustration "Introductions! Please!"

"No need to be rude!" Skarin face-palmed. Giving s light cough Luna continued "We- I, am princess Luna of Equestria and diarch of the kingdom with my sister Celestia. I bring the night by rasing the moon and am also guardian of dreams." she motioned to him.

"Skarin, annoyed human." he answered with a slight wave and deadpan look.

"Human..." Luna mulled the word over in her mind "Could that be the name of thine species?"

"In a broad sense, yes." he answered shortly "Now, again, why and how are you here? Didn't your sister tell you to leave me be?"

"I was merely doing my duty as the guardian of dreams!" she fired back "We saw this nightmare and had to help the pony trapped in it!"

"Do I look like a pony to you?" Skarin gritted his teeth, patience wearing thin.

"The nightmare was clouded, we could not see who it belonged to."

"You should have left once you found out. My mind isn't a nice place to be." Luna bowed her head in shame.

"We tried... But thy mind is vastly different from ours. Twas' like being swept off by a raging river and chances of escape were low." Luna sighed and continued "We deeply apologize for intruding thy dreams without permission. Rest assured however, we had the best intentions at heart." Luna bowed to him after the apology.

"Apology half-accepted." he grunted in response "Were you someone else I'd find you in the morning and slit your throat." he offered a smirk at the end.

"You'd be dead before you woke up." she replied coldly which caused Skarin to laugh.

"Feisty! I like that!" he approached her and casually swung his arm around her shoulders "You have earned my attention! Come, let's take a walk."

"We thought you wanted us gone from thy mind?" she asked, confused by his actions.

"Oh don't get me wrong princess, I'm still pretty pissed." he turned her to face him "My vengeance will come." he could feel her stiffen a bit under his grip "Don't worry I won't hurt you... Physically at least." he let her go and continued walking through town.

"That's it?" Luna picked up the pace to keep up "Tia said the last time you were... inconvenienced, a much harsher reaction followed."

"You show guts girl." Luna frowned at being called a girl "And Nords respect having guts, man or woman."

"Nords?" Luna asked.

"Uhh... Sub-species of humans."

"Oh... As we have earth pony, pegasi, unicorns and so forth." Luna nodded in understanding. Skarin blinked in surprise.

"I guess so." what she just listed were creatures of myth and legend. Besides the earth pony anyway. Could more species from his time have evolved up to this point? "Right, I suppose you have questions." Luna nodded "Then hurry up girl! I'm trying to sleep here!"

"Do not call me girl!" Luna demanded.

"You look young, so therefore, girl." Skarin shot back.

"How old art thou?" Luna asked crossing her arms.

"I'm 46 years old." he answered smugly.

"So young... " Luna said in surprise.

"Young? Girl, the way I have lived I should have been dead by now. Even age would take me soon."

"How long do humans live?"

"If they don't get killed, and that's hard to avoid, I think it's sixty if you're lucky." Luna looked shocked "Why? How long do your species live?"

"It depends on the sub-species, as it were. Earth ponies are known to reach over two hundred years of age." Skarin's eyes nearly popped out it's sockets "My sister and I, alicorns, have lived for thousands of years." now it was her turn to be smug "So don't call me girl. Princess Luna or just Luna will suffice."

"Fair enough..." he had to admit she got him there.

"Though to be honest, you do look young, despite what you say."

"I accquiered the beast blood in my youth so it slowed my ageing." Luna raised a brow in question of the blood "Big, black, vicious monster?" she quickly nodded, trying not to think about a head being ripped off in front of her. Luna decided to quickly change the subject.

"I believe you said something about questions." Skarin nodded "Tell us, how were you encased in stone?"

"Don't know." he simply shrugged.

"Mayhaps you used the Elements of Harmony?"

"Elements of what?" Skarin had no idea what she was talking about.

"Powerful magical artifacts. They have various uses and effects but one of them is to imprison someone in stone." she explained as simply as possible.

"Could be." he answered "I don't really know. Morganna said she had a plan and all I had to do was stall Alduin. Maybe she found those artifacts and tried to harness their power. She did say it was a spell. Looks like it backfired since only Alduin and I were supposed to be affected." mentioning his friend brought up something else "Did you take the statues?"

"We will send for them in the morning." Skarin was about to go livid so Luna quickly continued "The statues of your friends are very old and we fear fragile as well. It will take time as the only safe method of transporting them would be, as the young say, the good old fashioned way."

"How long?" Skarin asked, anger slowly vanishing.

"We suspect a week at the most."

"Can't you just grab the elements, throw em' in a bag and release them back in the cave?" Luna frowned at his impatiance.

"It's not that simple. The Elements aren't simple objects, they are bonded to their bearers, living ponies." Skarin had a feeling where this is going "We fear the bearers aren't ready for this kind of revelation so it's best to-"

"Ease them in? Heard that one before." Skarin growled but saw Luna took a stance and wasn't about to budge. He rubbed his temples in frustration "Fine, do what you need. Just... keep them safe." Luna nodded in approval and understanding "Alright, next question."

"Are you a criminal?" she fired off in a heartbeat.

"No." he answered "Though you treated me like one. And what kind of question is that?"

"We saw in one of thine memories that thou would soon be executed. In our time twas' a punishement for criminals." she looked at him suspiciously "What did thou do exactly?"

"I was smuggling dunmer, argonians and other species out of Skyrim."

"A poacher?"

"They're sentient beings, like you and me." he answered, a little offended at being called a poacher "Long story for another time. The short version is this: a revolutionist didn't want any other species to inhabit Skyrim except the Nords. Others were either being killed or banished if they were lucky. I led a group to a safe passage out of Skyrim when the Imperial legion found us. I held them off until the group escaped and so wound up at the chopping block." Luna was about to ask something but Skarin interrupted "Did I do things I'm not proud of, yes. Do I regret them, mostly not. I did what had to be done. Some call me a criminal or monster while others call me a hero. It's not all black and white. And if you're wondering if I'm a threat to you or your subjects the answer is no. You be nice to me and I'll be nice to you." Luna nodded somewhat in understanding "Like I said, all of it is a long story for another time. Next." taking a look around, Luna finally remembered what she wanted to ask in the first place. Their walking was taking them back to the same hall this dream squence started and sure enough they ended up right in front of it.

"What town is this?"

"Whiterun, my home." Skarin said with a somber smile "Guess now I'll only see it in my dreams." Luna felt the hurt in his voice and spoke.

"Would you like to go inside?" Skarin quirked an eyebrow "We have some time left before you awake. It would do you good to spend the rest of your sleep peacefully and from what I saw this place is very dear to you."

"It's called Jorrvaskr, home to the Companios guild." he pushed open the doors "After you." Luna walked inside and was met by a familiar sight, the exact one as before only frozen in time "I am their Harbinger, or leader if you will." he said while sitting down the stairs, Luna deciding to join him "Turned this lot of mercenaries into the heroes of the people."

"All of them are... Companions?" there was a lot of people here. Skarin shook his head.

"No. But everyone that matteres to me is here. Well, mostly everyone." his expression became solemn "This was the night I proposed marriage to Lydia." Luna put a comforting hsnd on his shoulder and gave a smile in addition. Skarin smiled back but quickly resumed the conversation, trying not to linger on bad memories "Anyway, is there anyone here that looks interesting?"

"Who is that over there?" Luna's curiosity took hold as she pointed at a man sitting on a bench talking to someone and trying very hard not to be seen.

"That's Jarl Balgruuf, he rules Whiterun and it's lands."

"He looks as though he wishes not to be seen." Skarin chuckled at her observation.

"It's true. Otherwise his housecarl would kick his ass." Luna didn't know what a housecarl was but a good guess would be a high ranking servant.

"Is it not permitted for rulers to interact with their subjects?"

"It is. Getting piss-ass drunk is aparently not." Skarin looked around the hall for someone else to introduce to Luna, so to say. His fell upon the man sitting on his left "That there is Farkas." he said pointing at the mentioned man "And next to him is Vilkas, his brother. Legend has it Farkas has the strength of Ysgramor while his brother has his smarts. Since I joined the Companions, Farkas traveled with me the most. He's a good shield-brother." he looked at Farkas with a sad smile "And now he's trapped in stone." this got Luna's attention.

"He is one of the statues? Are any other here?" Skarin nodded in confirmation.

"Almost everyone." looking around Skarin found another and pointed a finger"See that shady character in the back?" Luna followed his finger and realized the shady character was trying to pickpocket someone "That's Saha'ra, she's a Khajiit, or of the cat folk if you preffer." Luna couldn't actually tell if she looked like a cat or not because she was covered from head to hoof in black. She did notice a tail however and what appeared to be a bird insignia on her chest.

"Is she robbing that man?" Lune said in accusation.

"Yep. But don't worry, nobody likes Nazeem. He's a dick." he looked at the man in disdain "A lot of folk lost their money and homes because of him. S'far as anyone is concerned, Saha'ra is not taking enough."

"Then why is he here?"

"Jorrvaskr is open to everyone. On this night, half the town was here to celebrate so he must've sneaked in."

"But why?"

"Free food?" Skarin shrugged and continued "Over there we have Yamato, a member of the Blades." Luna instantly recognized the armor from the cave but the human had no helm now. He appeared to be older than Skarin and had slanted eyes which was s stark contrast to the others present. His hair, tied down in a very short pony-tail, was showing grays as well as his goatee and moustache "One of the last of the true Blades. Also the most reasonable one. He swore his loyalty to me until death takes him." Luna was taken aback by this. Celestia had told her Skarin was some hero of legend but for someone to swear an oath like that was surprising "And last but not least, we have Henrik." he pointed at the man currently dancing on the table playing a lute and apparently singing. He didn't look like a warrior, most likely bard "Can't swing a sword to save his life but plays the best music in Tamriel." he shot Luna a look "Do not tell him I sad that. His head is big enough as it is." Luna chuckled at his remark.

"Mine lips are sealed."she looked around the hall for signs of another petrified friend of Skarin but couldn't decide on who it could be.

"Aaand that's it." Skarin scratched his head in contemplation "Morganna was in Winterhold on this day and I met Serana a few weeks later."

"You spoke of Morganna before. Frow what we-I understand, she is a powerful mage."

"Indeed. I can't do magic to save my life so I had to rely on her for all my magical and enchanting needs."

"And who is this Serana?"

"She's a vampire." he simply answred "A pure-blooded one at that, the most powerful kind."

"Vampire? Were those not the monsters that attacked on this very night?" Luna said in shock. She saw bodies of some on the streets, assuming it was them by their disturbing appearance. How could he be friends with one?

"Friendship is a commodity in Skyrim. True friendship is almost a luxury." that was a very depressing thought to Luna "I trust each and every one of them with my life, Serana included." he looked at the night princess "Friendship comes from the strangest places."

"Indeed it does." Luna responded with a smile. Suddenly the room shaked.

"What was that?" Skarin jumed on his feet but Luna remained calm.

"That is the sound of you waking." Luna rose as well "Which means our time here has come to an end."

"Seems kinda fast."

"Time appeares to flow faster in your dreams, hence why our conversation seemed like minutes where in reality hours have gone by."

"Interesting..." Skarin mused as the room shook once more.

"Indeed it is." Luna smiled "We bid thee farewell Skarin and shall see you in the morning." her form started to fade away.

"Right. Bye, I guess?" and with one last smile, Luna was gone "That was weird I'd say." he was left alone as the hall of Jorrvaskr began to disappear in a bright light as well. Skarin looked at one of the tables when a thought occured to him "Hmm... I wonder.. " quickly running to said table, Skarin grabbed a bottle of mead and took a large sip. It tasted like nothing "Dammit." the light eventually enveloped him and the dream was no more.

Author's Note:

Number 4 is done, woohoo!:pinkiehappy:

Sorry, I just had to put that Venom reference in there.

Also, as of publishing this chapter, the story has 945 views and a like/dislike count of 47/4! Dayum! Let's keep them numbers growing! Or at least keep the comment section alive. I like talking to you! :twilightsmile:

Next-up is chapter 5 - More noise and other disturbances! See you then!:moustache: