Equestria's Unexpected Hero

by lightningcrash 300

Ch 3: Memories, Recovery, and Introductions pt.1

((Location: Dragon-borne Hall safe room, Solitude, Skyrim. Time: 7:45 AM))

With a violent jerk, my eyes snap open and I find myself gasping for air. The red-painted walls of the Museum safehouse come into focus as I frantically scan the room, trying to make sense of where I am. But something feels off, wrong even. This isn't where I fell asleep...or is it?

“Talon, are you alright?” I heard a woman ask from my right. Her voice was soft but commanding, and her words carried a slight hint of concern. I turned to face her, noting the fine lines etched into her features that spoke of a life filled with battles and triumphs. She was clad in a heavy suit of Steel armor, its weight evident in the way she shifted her stance. A gleaming Elven sword hung at her side, its blade imbued with potent magic that could exhaust an enemy while boosting the wielder's stamina. It was a valuable weapon we had acquired from a failed Thalmor assassin and it had proved its worth time and time again. “You weren't answering the door when your friends came by to wake you…” she added, her brow furrowing in concern as she looked me over.

I groggily rubbed my bleary eyes as I sat up in bed, the sheets sticking to my sweat-drenched skin. “Sorry, just a bit worried about tomorrow,” I mumbled as I swung my legs over the edge of the mattress and pushed myself upright. “Harkon's plans won't wait for us and Isran knows it. We have to stop him before it's too late.” My voice was barely audible, but determination coursed through me as I spoke.

As I stretched and yawned, my gaze fell upon the nightstand where my prized possessions lay. The intricate gold and malachite armor gleamed in the soft light, its detailed engravings catching the eye. Next to it, my trusty blade, Chillrend, stood proudly against the bedpost. Crafted from the same material as my armor, the sword's silver hilt embraced a beautiful ice-blue crystal, starkly contrasting the dark green stone in my armor.

This weapon held more than just physical value to me; it held memories of a time long ago. I had been gifted this sword over 500 years ago for aiding a farmer and his sons in protecting their family farm. it was lost at some point during my travels, but luck had recently brought us back together.

But what made Chillrend truly remarkable were its twin enchantments. With a single swift strike, it could freeze an opponent in their tracks and render them paralyzed for a brief moment.
Lydia's head shook slightly as she made her way towards the door, her footsteps echoing off the stone walls. "I Know Talon...but we've got this, okay?" Her voice held a note of determination, trying to reassure me. "We've already faced much stronger adversaries than some dusty old bat, right?" She teased, attempting to lighten the mood. "Or do I need to remind you about the fire-breathing dragon we took down just last week?" Her arms crossed over her chest as I hurriedly suited up. I could feel her unwavering confidence and trust in our abilities radiating towards me.

With a slight roll of my eyes, I secured Chillrend to my hip. "Seriously, they're like cockroaches lately...ever since the one in Whiterun," I grumbled to myself in frustration. The thought of potentially encountering three dragons on our journey to the shoreline weighed heavily on my mind. Before we could continue, I knew we needed sustenance; a thought further solidified as I recalled how long it took to restock the pantry after Tia's last visit here. "Shall we head down for breakfast before Tia devours all the sweets?" I teased with a bright smile, following Lydia out the door. The smell of freshly baked goods wafted through the air, tempting me with memories of past meals and laughter shared in this very kitchen. Despite the daunting task ahead of us, I couldn't help but feel grateful for these small moments of joy with my small family.

---

((Location: Ponyville General Hospital, Equestria. Time: 10:40 AM.))

As my consciousness returned, the chirping of birds broke through the fog in my mind. Slowly opening my eyes, I squinted against the brightness of the sun's rays. After a moment of adjustment, I was able to take in my surroundings: a hospital room, with soft mint green walls and a floor tiled in a warm brown and tan checkerboard pattern. The only furniture besides the medical equipment I was connected to was a wheelchair and a few chairs for visitors. A medical curtain hung by the doorway, offering privacy for patients. As I shifted my gaze, I noticed another bed pushed against the wall, empty and waiting for its next occupant. I gingerly glanced down at myself and winced at the sharp pain that shot through my right arm. it was encased in a white cast, stretching up to my elbow. The sight of it reminded me of the fight that had brought me here.

The room was steeped in a serene silence, only broken by the gentle chirping of birds perched on a nearby tree. Through the open window, I could see a bustling community of winged creatures going about their daily activities. Some were gracefully soaring through the air, while others worked together to transport objects from one place to another. In the distance, a group of carefree people played with a ball, their laughter echoing through the tranquil landscape.

“Oh! You're finally awake.”

As the door creaked open, a warm voice pulled me out of my dazed state. Turning to face the newcomer, I was struck by their appearance. it was a middle-aged mare, or at least that's what I assumed based on her delicate features and pristine white fur. Her hair, a light pink hue, was neatly tied in a bun adorned with a nurse cap that added an endearing touch to her appearance. Her eyes were a soft shade of blue that seemed to invite you in. Dressed in a loose-fitting set of baby blue doctors scrubs, she exuded an air of calm professionalism. A closer look revealed the absence of both horn and wings, making her just a regular...pony? Horse? I couldn't quite place it

’I faintly remember being told something about this by Tia last time we talked…gods, that was a LONG time ago though…’ I wondered to myself, before shaking my head. ‘something to ponder or ask about later.’

“Yeah…sorry for the wait, I guess.” I joked, chuckling a bit, only to wince in pain. “Ngghh…but in seriousness…thank you guys for patching me up…that was admittedly not my best idea…but it was not my worst either.” I admitted as I pulled myself up a bit to properly talk to the mare as she went about checking the equipment I was attached to.

“You can say that again,” she stated with a sharp edge to her voice, her tone laced with concern and anger. “You’re lucky you escaped with as little damage as you did.” Her scolding tone turned into a litany of injuries: “Four fractured ribs, two broken ones, a dislocation of your right arm, and three separate breaks in said arm…not to mention the bruising to your back.” Her frustration boiled over as she demanded, “What in all of Tartarus possessed you to challenge an Alicorn to a fight? And without any means of defending yourself, no less? Are you insane?!” Her eyes flashed with worry and fear for his well-being.

My gaze dropped to the floor as I braced myself for the verbal lashing that was coming my way. Despite feeling angry and defensive, I knew deep down that I had done the right thing by intervening. After all, if I hadn't, what could have happened to that poor girl? But that wasn't my nature - getting aggressive or raising my voice in a situation like this. Especially not when it was the doctor's job to ensure the well-being of others.

"I apologize, Miss...but I couldn't just stand by and watch as that...creature took that girl's life," I spoke softly, my voice trembling slightly with emotion. "I know I may have caused stress and worry for everyone, and for that, I am truly sorry. But I couldn't just stand back and do nothing while someone's life was at stake. It goes against everything I believe in." My words were firm and resolute as I settled back into the hospital bed.

We spent a full minute gazing intently into each other's eyes, my steely gray-blue meeting her piercing cool blue. The tension between us was palpable, like two opposing forces locked in a silent battle. Finally, she broke the stare and let out a resigned sigh, a small shake of her head indicating defeat. But even in that moment, I could see the fire still burning behind her eyes, ready to rage at any provocation.

"At least your heart is in the right place, I suppose," she said with a small hint of frustration. Her words carried a weight of worry and caution, like a mother scolding her child. "But I need to tell you this now: do NOT make this a regular occurrence. Alright?" I gave a hesitant nod, feeling guilt settle in my stomach like a lead ball. It seemed to satisfy her for the moment, but I could tell she was still holding back frustration and disappointment. "Good. And I apologize for raising my voice, but let me also add that I am grateful for your help in stopping Nightmare Moon." She paused, her expression softening as she gazed at me with concern. "However, you need to take better care of yourself. We don't want to see you stuck here in the hospital for more than a few weeks again, do we?" The reality of her words hit me like a bucket of cold water, bringing my racing thoughts to a screeching halt as I realized the gravity of my actions.

“I…what? How long have I been in here?” I asked, a bit worried. ‘Just how fucked up WAS I after the fight?!’

Her lips curved into a sad smile as she reached for the chart at the foot of my bed. With a delicate touch, she flipped through the pages. "You've been out of it for about a month and a half," she paused, turning to face me with a sympathetic gaze. "It was mid-August when you were brought in, and now, it's the beginning week of November." The weight of her words hit me like a ton of bricks, suddenly realizing just how much time had passed while I lay unconscious. "You were in very rough shape when the princesses and other girls brought you here," she continued, her voice filled with concern. "While your minor breaks, like your arm, have healed nicely, we need to keep you here for another month or so to ensure that your ribs and back heal properly without any complications." My heart sank at the thought of being stuck in this place for even longer, and I let out an annoyed groan, causing her to chuckle softly.

“Oh wonderful…just perfect…” I grumped, before muttering. “I could have spent those years in Skyrim learning restoration, but NOOOO, you just HAD to focus on destruction and conjuration magic instead Talon, way to fuck yourself on that one….”

“Now now, none of that mister. Just lay there and try to relax alright?” She chided. “I'll have something for you to eat brought out to you soon, I'm sure you'd like some actual food before the night is out after being asleep for so long.” she teased, only for her suspicions to be confirmed by my stomachs rumbling at the mention of food, much to my embarrassment. “That answers that, I'll be back soon.” She chuckles before shutting the door behind her as she leaves.

As the quiet crept back into the room, I looked back out towards the horizon outside the window, listening to the tune of little songbirds as I could feel myself drifting back to sleep.

---

((Location: Haafingar Hold Wilderness, Skyrim. Time: 4:58 PM))

'First chance I get, I'm going to find this Elenwen woman, and I'm going to shove Chillrend so far up her-!’ I started to think as I plunged my blade into the chest of a Thalmor soldier, only to have to jump back to avoid an Ice Spike shot by a Justiciar. “Lydia! Lulu! Deal with that jackass!” I called back, not paying attention to the mage while I sent an Ice Spike of my own into the shield arm of another soldier who was fighting my friend and ward.

She was dressed up in a set of heavy bronze armor we had acquired from a Dwemer ruin, she didn't wear the helmet, letting her pink hair flow freely as she ducked under, and batted away the strikes of the soldier with her heavy tower shield. “Thanks Talon!” She shouted out as she drove her own sword into the now defenseless soldier's chest.

Her blade was a special one. A Daedric artifact known as Dawn Breaker. Just like her armor, the blade was of a dwarven design, the pommel was a round guard with a white gem in the center that glowed with a bright sunlight-like glow. While most Daedra are to not be trusted, even avoided, Merida was actually one of the few that I think I actually liked. Her domain being that of light and life, she utterly despised the undead and those that would create them, something that Tia and I completely agree with.

“For fucks sake…” I heard Lydia mutter from behind me, the sound of our clash fading, giving way to the cool arctic wind. Fresh snow started to fall onto the would-be Thalmor assassins' cooling bodies as we started to wind down after the surprise ambush. “When will they get the hint to leave us the hell alone?” she asked, dumbfounded while she whipped the blood off of her sword with a bit of snow and a small cloth she kept in her belt pouch. The woman beside her was no less dumbfounded but was more irritated than anything.

“I don't know, but the first chance we get, we need to deal with this Elenwen woman.” She grumbled to herself, sheathing her own blade which seemed to be untouched by the same blood.

The sword was about two and a half feet in length, with a double-edged blade that gleamed in the moonlight, the razor-sharp edge only visible as a dark red outline thanks to the light. The hilt of the blade was circular and ornate, featuring an emblem of a raven with wings spread over a black backdrop. Above the emblem, a moonstone gem was embedded, which had been engraved with a starburst pattern, the symbol for Nocturnal, the Daedric prince of darkness, shadow, and luck. Matching her blade, she wore a rather form-fitting and sleek set of black armor, on the chest there was the same emblem placed upon the sword, though it was mostly hidden by her cloak. Despite how thin it seemed, and the fact it looked like it was made of simple leather, it was a very durable set of armor. It also had a hood and face cover, but it was currently down, giving a perfect view of the dark tan-skinned, blue-haired, ‘Breton’ woman with piercing cyan eyes which were currently glaring down at the corpse of the justiciar between her and Lydia.

“Don’t worry sister, we’ll be sure to handle that little issue when we have a free moment,” Tia spoke up, carefully stepping around the body of the one who had tried to get her. “As much as I'd prefer not to have to go through this as often as we do…we must also be careful. We don't want them to convince the legion that we are working for the Stormcloaks, right?” she asked, hand resting on her hip.

If not for what little I knew of them, I wouldn't have thought the two were sisters since their temperament and appearance were vastly different. In the beginning, when they were put under my watch, Celestia, er- Tia as she preferred, was cautious, but kind and trusting. Luna on the other hand…she did not trust me one bit, hell, there were a couple of times we got into verbal fights that…sometimes moved to actual ones. But in the end, after a heart-to-heart and an…unfortunate state of affairs involving a temple to Vermina, the Daedric prince of nightmares and dreams. But appearance-wise, where Luna had tanned skin, her pink-haired sister's skin was a pale, fair white. Giving her the appearance of a Nord with oddly colored hair.

They obviously weren't human. Well, Lydia and I knew that at least. But we were not going to openly share that. It was better to just let people think what they knew as the truth was just that.

“That's something we can talk about later, right now we have a vampire to slay, and after that, Aurien wants us looking for another artifact.” I chimed in, drawing everyone's attention. “For now though, pick up anything light or important looking that you can find, then we’ll get these elves off the road.” I instructed before helping my three friends deal with the corpses.

---

((Location: Ponyville General Hospital, Equestria. Time: 12:00 PM.))

I could feel something nudging me, bringing me back from my nap. Giving a bit of a yawn, I slowly opened my eyes to see the nurse from before was back, her hand on my shoulder, indicating he was the one to have woken me up. Beside her was a small metal table on wheels with a food tray atop it.

“Sorry for the wait, sir. Unfortunately, the kitchen was a bit…empty, I had to wait until lunch to bring you something.” she explained, setting the tray of hospital food before me. “On Top of that, I had to send some messages before I came back, I hope you rested well.”

Smiling a bit, I gave a small chuckle. “It's perfectly fine Miss…oh, right. Sorry, but I don't think I caught your name during our…discussion. My name is Talon.”

She blinked a bit before facepalming. “Right, sorry about that, that was rather rude of me. Red Heart, my name is Red Heart, I'm one of the Head Nurses here at Ponyville General.” she introduced herself, taking my good hand when I offered it to shake.

“A pleasure to meet you, Miss Heart, though I wish it had been through different circumstances.” I joked, getting a slight glare from the mare…and a small smile.

“Indeed…and though I'd like to stay and chat, I have a few more patients to check up on.” she said, giving a small nod before making her way out of the room, and leaving me to my meal.

---

((Location: Castle Volkihar cathedral, Skyrim.))

‘I couldn't think straight.’

There was screaming all around me, but I could not hear it. All I could hear was the ringing.

‘This can't be happening.’

My vision was stuck on the growing puddle of crimson beneath the shattered steel armor, I felt numb...

‘This isn't real, it can't be. Not again!’

I finally looked up, Tia was just batted away into a pillar by that… that…

I could finally hear something other than the ringing…his laugh.

“You…”

I picked myself up, I no longer felt numb, I could feel a dark chill building up inside me. He just slammed Luna into the statue of Molag Bal.

I took a step, my vision was red, redder than the blood draining away from…from Lydia.

“It's a pity she had to die so young…such a pretty face…ah well, can't change anything now…barely any blood left in her to turn her into a thrall…” Harkon spoke, his voice dripping with venom and mockery before a wicked look graced his face. “Altho…I could always make her a different kind of thrall..” he leered mockingly, an orb of sickly, pale blue light appearing in his hand. Necromancy.

“Don't you DARE TOUCH HER!!!!” I roared out, the red blinding me completely

There was the sound of ripping and crackling…and my entire being could only register the blinding red and the bitter cold.

---

((Location: Ponyville General Hospital, Equestria. Time: 6:00 PM.))

I jolted up out of bed in a cold sweat, my eyes wide as I awoke from reliving one of the worst memories I’ve ever had during my travels, tears streaming down my face as I sat there, pulling my legs close to my chest, not even caring about the pain it caused as I hugged myself close, trying to banish the memory, but could not succeed. All I could focus on was the laugh, and the shade of red that the setting sun had made the room.

“It’s all my fault…it's all my fault…” I muttered to myself between sobs, eventually finding myself passing out from exhaustion.

The next morning, I was greeted once again by Red Heart who had brought me breakfast, and the news that sometime today I'd be having a small group of visitors.

Author's Note:

ugh..sorry for flip-flopping between past and present. I'll do my best to try and limit it if it becomes too much for you guys. Also, a small heads up, the next chapter may take a bit longer than a week cause I wanna try and stick in character with the mane six as best I can. hope you enjoy, peace out!

Comments

[lightningcrash 300]

working on a new chapter, but considering what had been mentioned in the last chapter in the flashback section, I've added the 'death' tag just in case.