• Published 17th Jul 2013
  • 1,326 Views, 54 Comments

A Housecarl's Journey - Crysis Commander



Though Lydia has sworn to guard the Dovahkiin with her life, his constant mistreatment of her is beginning to take it's toll. After a battle with an unknown mage, she is sent to Equestria. How will she get home?

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Chapter II: First Encounter

The motley colt looked up sheepishly at Lydia. "Um...hello."

"By the Eight, child, what are you doing here?!"

Pip looked away, lightly kicking the ground with a hoof. "I just wanted to come along. I've never been on a real adventure before, and since you wouldn't let me, I sneaked into your bag last night while you were asleep. I'm sorry."

Fuming, Lydia started to say something, but placed her hand on her mouth before she could. She began to pace back and forth, livid that she now had another mouth to feed and another annoyance to worry about. Again, she tried to say something, but her words caught in her throat when she saw the tears falling down the young colt's face.

Lydia's heart sank. "H-hey. Don't cry, little one. Please don't cry."

"How can I not? I knew you didn't want me along, but I came anyway. I ruined everything," said Pip, attempting to wipe the tears from his muzzle.

You've certainly done it now, Lydia, she thought. To her surprise, the familiar sensation of moisture pooling in her eyes came to her. As much as she tried to hold it back like she did with the Dovahkiin, she couldn't hold them back now. Seeing the poor, innocent soul before her in such a state was too much for her to bear. She knelt down and gently wrapped her arms around Pip, holding him close to her.

Pip was taken aback at first, but soon returned the embrace. "Please forgive me, Miss Lydia. I didn't mean to ruin your adventure."

"No, Pip. I'm sorry for overreacting. I guess a bit of company on this journey would be nice," said Lydia, ruffling the hair under Pip's bandanna. Confused, Pip pulled away from the hug and looked at Lydia curiously.

"You mean...I can come along?"

"Well, considering that the book says that once you enter the Valley of Trials, the only way out is to pass through, I guess you'll have to join me."

"Don't worry, Miss Lydia. You can count on me!" said Pip, giving a little salute. A low rumbling sound caused the colt's expression from one of determination to one of embarrassment. He lowed his hoof from his forehead to his stomach.

Lydia chuckled. "I take it you're hungry?"

"I-I guess so," replied Pip, his face a light shade of crimson. His face flushed even deeper when he felt the gentle touch of Lydia's hand on his head.

"Then perhaps this is as good a spot for lunch as any."


A light breeze whistled through the grassy meadow as the human and the pony sat down to eat. Upon opening the knapsack, the aroma of fresh fruit, vegetables, and mead filled Lydia's nostrils. With a smile, she took an apple from the bag and handed it to Pip as she took out a bottle of mead for herself.

"So tell me, Pip, do you like living in Ponyville," asked Lydia, opening the bottle and taking a long sip.

"It's a nice town, but it gets boring, sometimes."

Lydia giggled a bit. "I can imagine." She took another sip of her mead. "I was never one for the peaceful life. The very idea of not seeing all the world had to offer never sat well with me."

"Really?" Pip asked eagerly, "I feel the same way!"

"You're an interesting one, Pip, I'll give you that."

Pip looked stunned. "I...I'm interesting? How's that?"

"For one, it seems that you seek the same thing I do: excitement and adventure. That's an admirable trait in one such as yourself." She reached over and placed a hand on the colt's head. "I think you'll make a great adventurer too, one day."

The young colt was at a loss for words. This creature - this...human - was telling him that he could be a great adventurer, something he longed to be for as long as he could remember. Accompanying the redness in his cheeks, a weak smile formed on his lips, growing by the second.

Before Lydia could say anything, Pip walked over and hugged her torso. Lydia was surprised to see him act in this way over such a small observation, but she decided not to say anything.

"Thank you so much, Miss Lydia. You're the first pon - er, creature to say that I could become what I've always wanted to be," said Pip.

Lydia smiled. She briefly return the embrace before returning to her feet.

"You're welcome. Are you finished eating?"

Pip nodded.

"Then let's get moving, shall we?"

With a light chuckle, Lydia patted the little pony on the head, picked up her knapsack, and continued on her way, Pip not far behind.


Some time later, the feeling of the air began to shift. Sensing that something wasn't right, Lydia held out her arm, signaling for Pip to stop. He obeyed.

"What is is, Miss Lydia?" he asked curiously.

Dropping to one knee, Lydia reached down and put her hand to the earth. Though the lush grass brushing against her skin felt as normal as grass can be, she knew that something about the ground was wrong. She grasped a hunk of dirt and held it up to her eyes. Not seeing anything suspicious, she tilted her hand to allow the earth and grass to fall back down. Something in the fallen ground caught her eye. The small specks mixed in with the dirt could only be one thing...

"Sand," said Lydia.

"Sand? What does that mean?"

Lydia returned to her feet and wiped her dirty hand on her breastplate. "It could mean a number of things, but what it probably means is that we're drawing nearer to the first trial."

"What do you think we'll have to do? Will there be monsters?"

"I'm not sure, and probably," Lydia replied with a sigh.

She looked back to Pip, and to her surprise, found a confident smile on his muzzle. "Let's show them what we're made of," he said.

"And so we shall," concurred Lydia.

With this, the two of them continued on their way, speculating what the valley had in store.


The air became more arid and hot. Beads of sweat trickled down Lydia and Pip's faces as they forged onward. Through the heat waves in her vision, Lydia could make out that they were approaching a hill.

I'm guessing that the first trial lies beyond there, Lydia thought. She picked up her pace, eager to see her first obstacle.

Upon reaching the peak, Lydia gazed at the seemingly endless ocean of sand that lay only a few feet beyond the bottom of the hill. The grassy meadow didn't gradually lead into the sand; there was a clear point where the green turned to the beige.

Lydia took a deep breath, held it for a few seconds, then exhaled.

Time to see what I have to do, she thought.

In her state of concentration, Lydia hadn't noticed that Pip had gone ahead of her to the dividing line. She was snapped out of her trance by Pip calling her name.

"Miss Lydia! Take a look at this!"

Descending the hill, Lydia could see that Pip was standing next to an obelisk a bit shorter than herself. She approached it and noticed that at the top, a message was engraved in the smooth, obsidian rock:


Every foe has a weakness. Make them suffer for it.


"What do you think it means, Miss Lydia?"

"I'm not sure, really," she replied, "but I think it has something to do with this trial." She again took a deep breath and exhaled, the familiar anxiety of uncertainty starting to kick in. "I guess we'll have to find out."

Lydia stepped forward, her boot sinking into the sand a good few inches. Pip followed suit, his hooves making small but noticeable impression in the sand. The two battled against the wind, trudging against the force that felt as though it was cutting them to bits. Standing behind Lydia, Pip wasn't having to fight for every step as much as his companion. Lydia, on the other hand, was taking step after painstaking step against the full force of the storm. Her head was turned to the side and her hand raised to shield her eyes from the desert's onslaught.

Then, just as suddenly as it started, the flurry of sand stopped, allowing the duo to survey their surroundings. To their surprise, the grassy green field was no longer behind them, nor anywhere in sight.

"Miss Lydia, which way are we supposed to go?" asked Pip, uneasiness evident in his tone.

Before Lydia could respond with some sort of reassurance, she heard a low yet clearly audible rumbling sound. What was odd about this noise was that it seemed to come not from anywhere around them, but from beneath them.

"Pip...did you hear that?"

"I did, but-"

Pip's words were cut short as a terrifying, muffled screech came from beneath the ground they stood on. In one fluid motion, Lydia grabbed Pip and dove away from their former spot just as a long, snake-like creature burst from the sand.

Lydia gazed at the gargantuan beast. It's body resembled that of a worm, but the mouth was a gaping hole filled with long, serrated teeth.

By the gods...that thing could swallow me whole, thought Lydia.

Despite the worms lack of eyes, it turned to face Lydia. The same ear-shattering cry from before exploded from it's mouth, blasting Lydia and Pip back several yards.

Scrambling to her feet, drew her sword and stood in front of Pip, her gaze focused on the monstrosity that stood before her. Though she dare not show it or admit it to herself, she was scared beyond her wits. Not only did she have to defend a child, she had to fend off a beast she had never seen before all by herself. Her breathing quickened, her pulse raced, and adrenaline started to flow through her veins.

Stand up straight, woman! Show no fear! Worthless coward!

The Dragonborn's words echoed through Lydia's mind. What she couldn't understand was why her own voice joined in with the Dragonborn's, mocking her and taunting her in her mind. During this entire mental battle, Lydia was oblivious to the worm now coming straight for her.

"Miss Lydia! Look out!" exclaimed Pip.

When she didn't react, Pip knew that there was only one thing he could do. He started galloping away from Lydia, shouting and flailing like mad.

"Hey! Over here, ugly!"

Before the worm reached Lydia, the worm turned it's attention to Pip. Seeing that he would be a much easier target, it leaped into the air and plunged back into the sand. Seconds later, Pip heard the scream of the beast again and turned to see it soaring through the air once more, speeding towards him.

Pip's eyes widened. This was it. He was done for. In his state of shock, he didn't feel himself being picked up by Lydia and narrowly missing the worm's vicious maw. Coming back to reality, Pip looked up to see Lydia, her eyes fixated on him.

"Are you okay, Pip?" she asked.

"Y-yes. I'm fine."

The creature let out another screech before slithering back into the sand.

"How are we going to defeat it?" Pip asked, fear heavy in his tone.

Lydia opened her mouth to say something, but all that came out was a muted croak. Again she tried to speak, but she couldn't find the words nor the ability to talk.

The patch of sand in front of them sunk in some followed by the worm emerging, it's teeth barred. A slight hissing sound came from it's mouth accompanied by a few drops of saliva that hit the ground below.

Before the worm could strike, a ball of fire hit it from the side. It howled in pain; the flames left a large, charred area on it's skin.

Lydia and Pip looked towards the source of the fireball to see a cloaked man darting towards the worm; in one hand, he held a writhing orb of flame, and in the other hand he held a dagger. Another fireball shot from the man's hand, hitting the worm once more before it retreated back into the ground.

Shaking his head, the man turned and began to walk towards Lydia and Pip. As he got closer, the flames in his hand died out.

Lydia prepared herself for a fight. Whoever this person may be, there was no telling if he would be helpful or if he was simply another part of the trial that she had to smite. When the man was within range of her attack, Lydia cried out and lunged at him. Before she could bring her sword down on him, the man stepped to the side, avoiding Lydia's attack completely and causing her to fall to the ground. As quickly as she lunged, Lydia turned on the ground and swung her sword at the man's legs.

The man jumped over Lydia's blade. After it had fully been swung, he stepped on the blade with one foot and kicked Lydia's face with the other.

Lydia fell back to the sand, staring at the sky. The familiar taste of her own blood entered her mouth. Before she could get up to continue the fight, the man got on top of her, his dagger held to her throat.

"You get off her right now!" exclaimed Pip. He took a step towards the man.

"Don't take another step, little one, or I'll slit her pretty throat," the man replied, his voice a smooth, almost calming baritone.

Not wanting any harm to come to Lydia, Pip obeyed. Even though he couldn't move any closer, he stared at the man with a vicious look.

"Who are you?" Lydia asked.

With a slight chuckle, the man pulled back his hood. His forest green eyes stared back into Lydia's. His long black locks hung about the sides of his face.

Lydia knew of only one type of people that had similar facial features as this man. When the realization dawned on her, she gasped.

"You're...you're a..." she stammered.

"Yes. I'm a Nord," he said, "they call me Borick."