Sanjuro, The Nerevarine, retells his tales in Morrowind, and of the best friend he ever had.
Sanjuro, the Nerevarine, has stopped the blight and saved Vvardenfell from the diseases. His tale however is a strange one and most bards don't tell it as it is. They tend to leave out the crazy for more believable heroic. They also leave out the one winged unicorn that traveled with him known as Twilight Sparkle. -- TES 3 Morrowind crossover.
Wait...you want to hear my tale! Why the hell do you want to hear about my adventures? I mean they are crazy. I'm talking about stuff that crazier then what comes out of a druggy that lace Hack-Lo leaves with Moon Sugar before smoking it.
What!? You still want to hear it. Ugg, fine pull up a chair and gather round, but fair warning this is going to be one crazy, but true tale.
– Day1(Darn Bosmers)
It all began when I first came to Vvardenfell, in the port town of Seyda Neen. I was a prisoner my entire life up to that point for a crime I still don't know anything about. I'm pretty sure it was made up to keep me a prisoner. For some reason Emperor Uriel thought it was a great idea release me.
However I learned that my release was not from the goodness of papa Uriel's heart. For some reason he want me, a Dunmer prisoner with almost no knowledge or skill of the outside world, to work for him. However I had little choice in the matter, being a prisoner an all.
The guard overseeing my release gave me a package and told me to take it to a man called Caius, in the City of Balmora. The package was nothing more then an encrypted letter. They also gave me a hundred septims and a small guide on how to get to Balmora from Seyda Neen.
I got one step out of the office an I knew it was going to be a long day. Almost immediately I run into a Bosmer that was a little off. I heard him mumble something about how the Imperials stole his ring but I didn't say for the details.
I went to the local trade-house and used the septims to buy me some food, a simple longsword and a Cuirass. The trader told me that it was as strong as the iron but lighter. Like the fool I was back then I bought it without a second thought, spending the last of my septims thinking it was a good deal.
As I left the trade-house I heard someone shouting. It was that Bosmer from before. The look of anger was spread a crossed his face. “YOU HAVE MY RING!” he yelled as he started to charge after me.
I had no idea what he was talking about but I wasn't about to find out. I ran out of that town as fast as I could. The guards just stood and watched the whole thing play out. I even think a few were laughing at me.
Outrunning the crazed Bosmer was easy, however I did not pay attention to where I was going. I was still on the road, or more properly the dirt path. However I didn't know if I was on the right one. It split coming out of town and I turned left.
Stopping I took out that guide I was given. The first words were “Take the right path out of Seydan Neen.” Not even an hour here and I’m already going the wrong direction.
“AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH”
The sound of someone screaming started to come from above me, but before I could look up I heard it thumb on the ground along with the unpleasant sounds of bones breaking and squishy parts being, well squished.
In front of me on the ground now lays a dead Bosmer is a fancy robe and an awesome cone shaped fur hat. That hat was calling to me, begging for me to wear it. It was almost hypnotizing and I found myself leaning over to grab it. I put it on my head and a swear for a moment I understood the meaning of life. If only I could remember what it was without the hat.
However it was not meant to be. I soon heard another scream as feminism as the first. It was ether going to be another Bosmer or a woman.
I looked up to see something small and purple, yes purple, falling from the say. Lucky for it, it landed in a swampy pond just a few yards from the path. However what it was was totally unexpected. From the swampy waters came out a small purple unicorn. It walked a few feet out of the water then fell onto its side.
At the time I didn't know what a unicorn was and I approached cautiously. As I got closer I noticed it was bleeding on its side. The wound was bad, blood was pouring out. The only thing I had on me was a sword, a piece of armor, my clothes, and the hat. Without thinking twice I pulled that hat off my head and pressed it on the wound to try and stop the bleeding.
What happened next only proved how awesome that hat was. Their was a quick flash of light and within moments the wound started to heal before my eyes. The unicorn also started to wake up. I took a step back giving her some room as she stood up.
She looked at me and it was easy to tell she was as curious about me as I was of her. What I didn't expect was for her to talk. “Um, hello” she said nervously.
“Hello. Umm.....the bleeding stopped” I said. I didn't have anything else to say and I wasn't quite up to date on how to act around others at the time.
“What?” she was clearly puzzled by my remark.
“You were bleeding real bad on your side. The hat made it stop.” I said showing her the blood soaked hat.
She then looked at her side and her eyes went wide. She then started looking around the area frantic as she looked for something. Something that would turn out to be very important to her. After a moment of her going in circles she looked up into the trees. She had passed through one during her fall. As she looked I saw a tears start to come to her eyes.
Her horn started to glow and in moment she had brought down from the tree the item she had been looking for. Her wing.
I told you it would be hard to swallow. Not only was it a small talking purple unicorn. It was a small talking purple unicorn with wings. Who just had one of them painfully removed.
What?! Not crazy, well yeah that comes later after we leave Balmora...for the first time.
What's that? Her name? Well I'm getting to that.
– Day 1(My Boss is a Druggy)
We were off to Balmora. For some reason the, now one winged, unicorn was following me. She didn't talk much at first. Then we found the Silt Strider dock just outside Seyda Neen.
Things started to look up too. The Silt Strider caravanner gave me my first ride free for being able to grace her with the sight of a unicorn. That is when I learned what my friend was, and I learned more about her on the ride to Balmora.
Her name was Twilight Sparkle. Yeah a little weird but then again so is Sanjuro, my name by the way. Twilight did not have any idea what happened or how she got here. She was just enjoying a quite day reading a book then sudden falling out of the sky. Aside from that I didn't learn more about her on the trip. Not because she didn't want to talk about it but because I was puking over the side of the Strider. Seeing the caravanner poke at the exposed organs made my stomach turn.
It was almost sun set when we arrived at Balmora. It wasn't hard to find Caius house after that, however all the townsfolk and guards couldn't help but stare at Twilight as we passed by. We got to the house and I could smell something odd in the air.
I honestly thought for a minute I was at the wrong place when I entered the house. For starters it wasn't even a real house, just a single room. The place was also a mess. Empty bottles littered the room and belonging were spread out all over the shelves and table. It actually reminded me of my cell in the prison but with more stuff.
At the table was a man that was shirtless, pasted out with his head on the table. The stench of booze was heavy in the air and to anyone else would look like a drunken bum with problems. Not knowing ether at the time I went up to him and poked him.
“Hey mister, are you Caius?”
The man stirred from his sleep “he.. lif this ol man alun whou ye”
“What? umm are you Caius?”
The time the man got sat up. If his speech didn't give away his stat of being his bloodshot eyes did. This man was a mess. He just stared for a minute saying nothing.
“Um Sanjuro I don't think this is who you are looking for” Twilight spoke witnessing the events. The man turned to see Twilight and like everyone else went wide eyed. However unlike everyone else he started laughing.
“O gods Caius, you got to stop drinking so much. Now I'm seeing pink miniature unicorns.”
“HEY! I'm purple!” Twilight protested which only made Caius laugh harder.
Twilight however had it with Caius's antics. Her horn started to glow and in moments Caius was enveloped in a purple glow. Caius stopped laughing and became very worried when he found himself upside down in front of me.
“Sanjuro here was sent to find your and...” Twilight paused then looked at me “You know you never told me why you were coming here.”
“Hu? O right I have a letter for you. Odd though the letters don't spell anything.” I said handing the letter to Caius.
Still hanging upside down he took the letter and started reading it. He raised an eyebrow every now and then but something about the letter sobered him up, or more accurately, he stopped acting.
“It says here that you were released from the Imperial Prison and sent her to be a member of the Blades under my command. It also says that you lived a prisoner most of your life and that I'm to help you set up a covert identity during your stay on Vvardenfell.” he said folding up the letter.
“Hu” both Twilight and I said at the sudden change in Caius.
“Can you let me down now?”
“What, oh yes” Twilight said levitating the man over to his bed and ending her magic.
Caius came up to us and explained what he could about the letter. It turned out the old man was a spymaster of sorts and being a drunkard and addict was a cover...mostly. I was officially a member of the Blades, the Emperors Eyes and Ears, from that day onward. He told me the names of other Blade members that would help me any way they could and even gave me some septims to help get me started.
Twilight was a little lost. She didn't really know anything about me till that night. She was just following me at first looking for more information on where she was and what happened to her. Also I think she felt that she owed me a debt of some sort for saving her life back when she first fell from the sky.
So I told her of my past. How I was imprisoned in the Imperial Prison back in Cyrodiil. I didn't know why I was imprisoned but for some reason I got special treatment. One of the guards was assigned to teach me basic mathematics, another was to reach me literature. Not only that but the food I got was also definitely better quality and more frequent.
The story itself brought tears to Twilight's eyes. She started crying and gave me a hug, which was odd because normal horse legs don't bend that way. Caius listen to my story as well but did not remark on it in any way.
The last thing that was discuses that night was setting up an image for myself in Vvardenfell. Caiuse listed off a few of the guilds on Vvardenfell along with openings in the Imperial Legion. Twilight however insisted that we go to the Mage's guild first. “What better way to set up an image them by helping a Unicorn in need get home.” She had a point and even Caius agreed with her.
It was late by the time we had finished discussing what was going to happen. Cauis gave us a few extra septims and told of to stay at the local inn for the night. However he only gave us enough for one room. I didn't care. by that time i was too tired and only wanted sleep.
Cauis first assignment for me was to get Twilight home. If only I knew then what was in store for us.
Today was, well it was different. One moment I was enjoying the comfort of a good book, the next I was falling through the sky. It happened so fast that I didn't have time to react. I still wasn't use to flying and now...now I never will.
I should be thankful that I landed in the soft waters of a marsh and lived and not hard ground which would have killed me. However my right wing got caught on a tree branch during my fall. The force of my fall ripped it clean off. I know I’m sounding morbid, even for Discord, but I should have bleed out and died in that swamp.
The only reason I'm alive is due to the kindness of a stranger. A creature that goes by the name of Sanjuro. He is what the “people” here call a Dunmer or Dark Elf. He is a little awkward with his talking, like he never talk to anyone before. I didn't realize how true that was till later when he told me about his past.
Anyway Sanjuro saved me with a healing spell of some sort, didn't even leave a scar. He clams it was the doing of a hat he had. It looked more like a fur bag then a hat, Rarity would have fits if she found out somepony used it as a hat. The strangest thing was their was no magic on the hat, active or residue.
Sanjuro was getting ready to leave, continuing down the path he was on before I fell from the sky. I decided to follow him, at first just to find out where I am. It was when we came to a small town that I was sure I wasn't in Equestria anymore. Not only did all the “people” look like Sunjuro but they were treating me like some mythical being that only the privileged and blessed get to see. I guess this is what it feels like to be you.
That got under my skin a little but not as mush as the other comment. Miniature! Every single one of them keep calling me a Miniature unicorn. I have yet to learn how tall their version of a unicorn is but it must be tall. Sunguro himself is a little taller then you, INCLUDING your horn to the height.
Anyway I followed Sanjuro to a place called Balmora, were he was to meet a man named Cauis. I don't trust Cauis. He's a snake and it pains me to say this but I think he could teach Chrysalis and the Changelings a thing or two about spying with just the little display he put on today. I shudder to think of what he is capable of doing when serious.
Lastly getting home. I'm going to think of something its just, I don't know how but I'm actually on another world. As we left Cauis place I got a glance at the night sky. What I saw was, I still don't believe it. TWO MOONS! I just I kinda lost it their for a minute. Sanjuro didn't notice me jumping. He was really tiered by that time and I know the only thing he wanted then was to sleep. He is sleeping right now as I write this.
Sorry I can't be more detailed as I'm running out of space.
Whats that..your joking right...please tell me your joking...your not joking. Sigh
Anyway, disregarding that disturbing question, listen up because the next part is the start of my real first adventure on Vvardenfell. Tell me have you ever heard of the Unicorn Ring? No, that is not surprising. What about the Mentor's Ring?
– Day 2 (It was a Tomb)
“YOU ATE ALL THE RUSSULAS!!!” Twilight yelled as she discovered our mushroom bag a little lighter. I couldn't help myself, those Shroom's are good eating. As to why we are out looking for mushrooms...well.
All I remember is that me and Twilight joined the mages guild. However something happened and Twilight used her magic to not only erase the memory from my mind of the event but also all the mages in Balmora. The next thing I know I am being asked by a khajitt to go fetch her some flowers and mushrooms for my first guild duty.
Anyway, I soon found a love for the mushroom that is a Luminous Russula. They may smell a little funny but they taste so good. It's like a spongy sweet roll that glows in the dark. However there was a down side to this tasty mushroom. They tend to make me sleepy, very sleepy. Twilight didn't even get to finish scolding me for eating all the Russulas we picked before I passed out from the effects.
It was some time later that afternoon when I awoke. However I wasn't in the swamp but rather a small corridor with a door on both ends. The walls were smooth and were a yellowish brown color, I think. There were a few torches on the wall but the lighting was horrible.
Twilight began to check on me as if she was a healer. She first put her hoof to my head to see if I had a fever. After finding none she gave a sigh of relief but then put her hoof to my neck. She said she was “checking my pulse”. Still not sure what a pulse is but she started freaking out and going on about mine being too high.
She was worried, I mean really worried. Her words were starting to slur together as she tried to talk. I thought she was going to pass out if she kept going on like she was.
How I calmed her down was not so graceful and looking back it is one of the few things I wish I could take back. See I was still working with only the knowledge I had gained while I was imprisoned. And I remembered how the guards would calm down prisoners that got the same way that Twilight currently was. So I slapped her across the face while yelling “CALM DOWN!” I didn't have the passion behind it that the imperial guards had however.
Twilight then slowly looked up at me. Tears started to fill her eyes as a look of being betrayed crossed her face. Before I could say anything she bolted down the corridor going deeper into the building we were in. Her sobs echoing through the halls.
For the first time since getting out of prison I was contemplating on weather what I did was right or wrong. Part of me was saying yes, she was going to hurt herself if I didn't do anything, another side of me was wondering that maybe there was another way.
“Help!”
Twilight's sudden cry ripped me from my thoughts and I rushed down to see what was the matter. What I found was a man that was covered from head to toe in some black clothing looming over top of her. He had a dagger in hand ready to cut Twilight down as she coward in the corner.
I saw a metal object sticking out of one of Twilight's front legs. Something inside me snapped and a drew my sword to attack him. However he knew I was there. As I took my first swing the man lifted his arm up to block it. My sword should have cut his arm in two, but that didn't happen. Instead my sword broke in half. The top section flew off into the corner of the room.
“You N'Wah!” The man shouted as he turned and started to swing at me.
I dodged the first few swings, not gracefully mind you. I was even using my broken sword to help deflect the dagger. However this man was definitely more experienced then me and it was only a matter of time before his blade found its way into my shoulder.
I yelped in pain as the dagger pierced my skin. He took the moment and pinned me up to the wall. I took one last swing out of desperation. The sword just glanced off his clothing, it didn't even cut it.
“Nothing personal, just business.” he said as he pulled the dagger out. The final blow was coming and I closed my eyes. However it never came.
I opened my eyes and saw the top half of my sword sticking out of the mans chest, a purple glow surrounding it. The man fell and I could see Twilight in the corner of the room, shaking.
“I...I....I..” she said repeating in a state of mental shock.
I needed to calm her down, and I wasn't doing what I did last time. I was trying to think of something, anything I could do to help calm her down. There was only one thing I could think of. I was a little reluctant to do it too because back in the prison the only one who did this was a crazy man. And he did it with the rats.
I knelt down, gave her a hug and started scratching behind her ears. It was a weird feeling for me, it was all warm and fuzzy both on the inside and out, and I liked it. It also seemed to be helping Twilight as well. She was no longer shaking and soon I heard a soft snore as she feel asleep.
“Why isn't that touching?” A deep, raspy, and hollow sounding voice came from behind us.
I slowly turned to see what was there. What I say was the top half of a man in a robe, everything below the waist was missing and was tattered and torn at the waist. His head and hands were nothing but bones. But the most amazing thing about him was that he was see through. What I was looking at was a ghost.
“Awww. It was just getting good too” the ghost said.
“What do you mean by that.”
The ghost was surprised by my response. He started to rub his eye sockets with his skeletal hands.
“Can you hear me?”
“I can see you.”
The ghost floated there in silence for a moment. Then it waved for me to follow it. I set Twilight's head on the ground and followed the ghost deeper in. It lead me to a room that had a few urns in them. The ghost went over to a specific urn however.
“This Urn contains my ashes. However it also contains a ring. One that may be able to help your unicorn friend.”
“How?”
“I'm afraid that she will have to learn on her own.” with that said the ghost disappeared.
That's right. I slapped a unicorn across the face, survived an encounter with a Dark Brotherhood assassin, hugged the unicorn, talked to a ghost, and received a power artifact...all because I passed our from eating shrooms. What, you don't believe me. I told you before I started this was a crazy but true story.
Anyway the next day was probable one our most depressing yet memorable days on Vvardenfell.
–
Day 3 (Breakdown)
The day started as a quiet walk from the tomb to the road north of Pelagiad. Twilight was depressed to say the lest. The killing of our assailant did not bode well with her. Mainly because she was the one who killed him.
I on the other hand was thinking about how to cheer Twilight up. I may not have known her very long but something about her being sad made me upset. One thought was to giving her that ring I found. The ghost did say it would help her get home. But then the though of my prison life came to me. The sight of prisoners coming in with the hope they could escape and when they couldn't they became even more miserable then what they were coming in. I do not want to see Twilight like that. So until I could find our more about this ring I keep it hidden from her.
It was almost noon when we made it to the road north of Pelagiad. The flowers we were suppose to find were there. And after an hour of traveling down the road we had gathered most of what we needed. The last thing we needed to get were the blue petals of a Stoneflower.
We found the Stoneflowers next to a pond further up the road. However their was something else there. In the pond, splashing about with its tiny arms and huge head was a guar. In my ignorance I ignored the possible threat of the guar and went to pick the flower. Thinking if I didn't bother it it wouldn't bother me. I didn't make it far before I found myself unable to move and rapped in a purple light.
“What are you thinking!” Twilight hissed trying to remain quiet.
“Getting the flower.”
“What about that thing in the water, I...” Twilight started to say before her eyes started to water.
“Twilight are you alright?”
She finally broke down
“NO! I'm not alright! I'm trapped in another world! One of my wings have been torn off! I have no idea how I got here or how to get home. I'm at the complete mercy of strangers in a strange land...and...and...” she fell back on her hunches as the tears started to flow. The purple light around me faded as well.
“At first it was exciting.*snif* I got lost in the excitement of it all. *snif* New culture, creatures and even magics to learn about. But now after yesterday, I don't know anymore. *snif* I...I need my friends.” she cried as she pushed her face into her hooves.
That last word, friend. I remembered the ghost had called me Twilight's friend but I actually didn't know what a friend was at the time. And now Twilight was on the ground crying needing a friend. I was quiet for a moment trying to understand what Twilight had just said. I didn't actually understand what a friend was. However my attention was soon grabbed by a more interesting turn of events.
The guar had taken notice of Twilight's outburst. But it didn't charge us. Actually I didn't know what to expect of the creature at the time as I watched in walk up to Twilight. Twilight still was crying in her hooves and didn't notice the guar appropriating.
It was right on top of Twilight, she still hadn't notice it. Then it happened. Twilight became the victim of a guar's tongue. It was quite a site to see being that the gaur's tongue was half the size of Twilights body. If Twilight didn't notice it before she, did after the first lick the guar gave her.
Why the guar did what it did, I don't honestly know but they say that gaur are empathetic creatures. Maybe it felt sorry for Twilight and wanted to cheer her up. Maybe it felt like Twilight would be a good companion of sorts. What ever the reason was behind the guar's actions it got Twilight to smile again. After the fifth or so lick I could hear Twilight, and she sounded better.
“Stop” she said while trying to hold back the laughter. The guar surprisingly stopped at her command then laid down next to Twilight. It let out a howl or growl of some sort and twitched its head a few time. The howls were more excited then hostile tone to them.
We were both trying to figure out what the creature was doing. Whether this was normal for a guar or not we didn't know. Twilight however remembered why we were here in the first place.
“Get the flower.” she told me while keeping the creature occupied.
After getting the flower I turned to see that Twilight was now on top of the guar, riding it. How she was even staying on its back without sliding off was amazing to say the lest. Maybe it has something to do with her hooves. Come to think of it, I never did ask how she was able to pick things up with them.
We were now heading back to Balmora, Twilight riding on the back of a guar. I was walking next to it lost in thoughts, trying to wrap my mind around what happened back at the pond. However it didn't take long before Twilight started to talk.
“Sanjuro, I'm sorry for what happened back there. Its just that everything been happening kinda fast and the seriousness of my situation just caught up with me. I just want to say thank you. Thank you for sticking with me.”
“It was nothing. Besides your not the only one that was thrown into a strange land you know nothing about.”
She gave me a smile. “Your a good friend you know that.”
I stopped. The weight of her words hit me like a ton of bricks. I had to ask her a question that my mind just couldn't answerer on its own.
“Twilight...what does it mean to be a friend?”
Both Twilight and the guar stopped and looked at me. Both had the same surprised expressions on their faces. Looking at me like I was some kind of mindless twit.
“What, I never learned what a friend was back in the prison.”
First off since I can't send these letter to you till I get back I got a blank journal to write these letter to you. That way they will be nice and neat when when you do get to read this. However I'm still only going to use one page(front and back) per letter.
The last few days were...testing to say the lest. Still haven't found a way home yet but I have become part of a group called The Tamriel Mages Guild. As the name implies they are a group of mages that offer their services to other for a fee. However being a members has benefits such as access to knowledge deemed as “to dangerous for citizens” and by law can only be in the hands of guild members. I hope to find a way home through the Guild, if not however I will however be learning more about this worlds magic so that's a plus.
Actually joining the guild was a bit embarrassing. They didn't care that I was a unicorn which was odd considering the reactions I've been getting from other “people”. I won't go into details but I just want to say some of the mages were looking and poking at places they really shouldn't have been. And I ended up using the memory spell to erase that memory of all the mages in the Balmora guild hall.
Also I forgot to mention that Sanjuro has been ordered to help me get home so he too is helping me with the mages guild. We had to do a task first before we became members of the guild however. The task was simple enough, to gather some alchemy ingredients, namely a group of mushrooms and flowers. It started off well till Sanjuro decided to pig out on a type of mushroom that made him fall into a coma. I ended up dragging him to through a swamp with my magic.
This next part is hard for me to write but I need to get it out.
I found shelter in a near by structure that was build into the hillside. It was better then the swamp. However later I would discover this was a burial site. Sanjuro woke up some time later. I was checking up on him when I notice his pulse was way to high, almost double what it should be. I started freaking out about his health. He then slapped me a crossed the face and yelled at me to calm down.
It felt horrible. The closest thing to a friend I have and he slapped me for being concerned about him. Without think I ran deeper into the tomb. That was a mistake.
Deeper in the tomb was another “person”. He was dressed completely in black, his armor was well made and to the untrained eye may have looked just like clothing. He it looks like some of brother's profetion has rubbed off on me.
Anyway this “person” in black wasn't like Sanjuro. This one was out to hurt other. Before I new what was happening he threw a dart at me which logged itself into my front leg. I screamed as I backed away only to hit the wall behind me. The “person” in black came up to me with a dagger ready to kill me. I was sure of it.
Sanjuro however heard my scream and came to help me, even if it was a failed effort. He had a sword but it was worthless for the most part. It broke in two upon hitting the black armor. Sanjuro was then pinned to the wall and was about to be killed and I just reacted.
I didn't mean for it to end this way...I didn't even realize what I did till it was too late. I killed him Celestia. I grabbed the broken part of Sanjuro's sword and ran it through with my magic. I don't remember what happened after that other then waking up the next morning in that room.
The walk from that tomb to the road where the flowers grew was a quiet one. We almost gathered them all without incident. The last flower we needed was by a small pond, in the pond however was a creature. I'll be honest I don't really know how to describe this creature with words.
Sometime I wounder in Sanjuro has any common sense. I can understand the not having knowledge of the outside world from being a prisoner his entire life but you don't go getting that close to a wild creature you know nothing about. I didn't want to see him get hurt so I grabbed him with my magic. Then he asked if I was alright.
I broke down. I started going off about all the wrongs. How I lost my wing, and how I’m now trapped in another world. Then I started to realize how I had gotten caught up in the excitement of learning the new things about this world that I didn't truly realize how bad my situation was. Trapped in a strange land with no way home, and without my friends.
I was weeping Celestia, more then ever before. I don't know how much time past but it turned out that my outburst or my crying didn't go unnoticed. The creature that was in the pond came out and walked up to me. I didn't even notice it. The next thing I knew it started licking me as if it was a dog. In fact it was the similarity of its action to a dog that helped me calm down a little.
Anyway after I got it to stop licking me it was wanting me to get on its back so I could ride it. I did as Sanjuro went and picked the flowers. Its back was oddly comfortable despite the very leathery hide.
It was on the walk back to Balmora that I found out something new about Sanjuro. Though in all honesty I should have seen it come being that he was imprisoned his whole life up till a few days ago. He didn't know what it meant to be a friend. I was speechless for a good five minutes as my brain was trying to register the fact that someone didn't know what friendship was.
I told him what I could. That a friend is someone you can rely on to be by your side. To help you through a hard situation or just to make you laugh. However I don't think words are going to be enough to get the point acrossed to him. It looks like I got a student to teach in the ways of friendship now.
I'm almost out of room but I can get one last thing in. I am not leaving the city of Balmora again without more knowledge about what to expect in this world. Their are only a few books in the mage guild hall but there is a book store close by. I don't think I have to tell you what I’m planing to do tomorrow. I just hope Sanjuro can handle it.
Right now I bet your all confused. “Mages guild? I thought you a warrior?” We'll I am a warrior and I can fight with the best of them! But I haven't got to that part yet. Now shush and let me tell my story.
Lets see. Where was I...
– Day 4(Meet the Blades Part 1 - The Mentors Ring)
When one mentions a unicorn the first thing that comes to your mind is a majestic horned horse that symbolizes purity. However after meeting Twilight the first thing that comes to mind is books. Yes books. That purple mare is crazy over them.
Why do I bring this up. Because the next day after we get back from or guild initiation task she goes and spend all our money on books. Now back then I didn't actually have the full understanding of how to handle money so I didn't get angry over that. What I did get angry about was the fact that Twilight was making me carry all of HER books back to the guild hall.
For some reason Caius was at the guild and was just leaving as we approached. He was shirtless like before(I honestly think that man doesn't own a single shirt), waving around a bottle, and acting drunk. He was good at it too.
He bumped into me, on purpose, and hard enough to knock the tower of books out of my hand. Twilight gasped and with reflexes that rival a khajiit, caught most of the books in a magical aura before they hit the ground.
“Sorry about that.” He said slurring his speech. “By the way I think you dropped this.”
He handed me a piece of paper then left.
Anyway once we got back to the hall she started reading the books. Trying to gain some understanding of the world she was now thrown into. She would get so absorbed into the books that she literally didn't notice the world around her. I mean Ajira, the hall alchemist, cut some of her fur to use for potion making and Twilight didn't even notice. The only time she did notice the world around her was because one of the mages touched one of her books and she sent them flying across the room with a blast of magic. it was a little frighting to say the lest
So what did that leave me to do. Well at the hall nothing. The guild hall tends to be a very boring place. So I decided to look at that paper Cauis had given me.
It slipped my mind on our fist meeting but there are others in Balmora that might be of assistance. As I have overlooked the fact that this is also your first time out in the real world.
The first is Nine-Toes. He is one of the best hunters in the area and is probably the only one of us in Vvardenfell that is “normal”. He can offer up info on local wildlife and other dangers in the wilderness.
Next is Tyermaillin. He is a healer of sorts, mainly works with potion making but also knows quite a bit about magics as well. He can help you with anything magical related, though me may not be as knowledgeable as the mages guild. Also DO NOT TAKE TWILIGHT TO HIS HOUSE! You may never get her out if you do. Also he has a “different” accent then most. It may be hard to understand what he is saying.
The last is Rith. While I may act the part of a drunk, She is a drunk. However despite her drinking she is one of the best warriors I know of. If your looking to learn a thing or two about holding your own in a fight you may want to meet her. If not don't even see her.
Now that I look back on it. It was very suspicious that Caius gave me leads for gathering general info at the same time Twilight was looking for it. However at the time I saw it as something to do that wasn't being board in the guild hall.
I was going to start with Nine-Toes. However he was out, hunting. He left a sign on his door saying so. How he never got rob is beyond me. So I went to the next place on the list, Tyermaillin's.
Tyermaillin was a High Elf. Tall. However unlike most his speech was, like the note said, different.
“Hello?” he said as he opened the door to his house. Caius didn't lie about his accent. It was hard to understand at time. The accent was deep, almost too deep for a normal High Elf. Also a lot of his words he would start with a “Va” or "Vo" instead of the normal sound a word was suppose to make.
“Caius told me to-”
“Ah, so your the new brother.”
“Brother?”
“Yeah. Your still new but over time you will start to see us as family....a very dysfunctional family but we serve the Emperor better then most. Come in.”
The house was a lot like Caius house. Just one big room, however Tyermaillin's was a little bigger and clean. That and the bed and tables where of a nicer quality.
“Caius's note said that you could help me with magic”
“Ah, well actual spell casting, no. I work more with potions and enchantments”
“Enchantments?”
“Yes enchantments.”
“What is an enchantment?”
“Your joking. Surly your joke” he said. I just gave him a blank stare “Your not joking.”
“Soooooo...what is it?”
“Well an enchantment in simple terms, is a spell infused within an object. Very useful for any one as they let you cast magics with little to no understanding on how magic work. Just point and use. Also, very easy to tell if an object has been enchanted because they glow.”
“They glow, like this?” I said as I pulled the ring I had found a few days before out of my pocket
“Yes a lot like tha...wait a minute. Let me see that ring.” Tyermaillin came up and grabbed the ring from my hand before I could say anything.
“This...This.....THIS IS AMAZING! I CAN'T BELIEVE I'M HOLDING THIS!” he shouted as he started jumping in the air with joy. He even did a little dance to go with it. In the end the whole spectacle lasted for about five minutes.
“Sorry about that” he said as he started to regain his composure. “But this ring is any mage's dream come true. I still can believe I'm holding”
“Whats so special about it, other then it's enchanted?”
“If I wasn't filled in about your situation beforehand I would have...ah never mind that. This ring, known as the Mentors Ring, can amplify anyone magical prowess by a significant margin.”
“So it makes ones magic stronger?”
“Unimaginably so.”
“That is nice to know....Can I have the ring back?”
“But...Fine here you go. Just be glad we are brother. Now to the why you are-” Tyermaillin didn't to finish as the door swung open. In came a Redguard woman wearing the traditional Morrowind Bonemold armor and an eyepatch over her left eye. On her belt hung a saber and in her left hand...a bottle of whiskey.
“Hey Tyermy! Caius said we got a new...Oi! He's already here.”
“O dear” Tyermaillin said with a look of dread upon his face.
The next thing I new the woman came up to me. Look me over with her one eye intently. The smell of booze was heavy on her. And unlike Caius, she was in fact a drunkard.
“Test time. DODGE!”
The next thing I saw was her fist. Then everything went black.
-------------------
“Uh. What happened?” I said as I started to wake up. I was standing upright for some reason as well which only added to the confusion that I was already feeling.
“Bloody hell!” The Redgaurd woman said from my left.
“Not possible!” Tyermaillin gasped as if he had just seen a ghost.
I then found myself falling. Apparently Tyermaillin and the Redgaurd woman were carrying me somewhere. I'm guessing they were expecting me to remain knocked out longer then I was by their reactions. Which was letting go of me and letting me fall flat on my face
I groaned in pain a little before picking myself off the ground. The first thing I noticed is that I was still in Tyermaillins house. The second thing was that both Tyermaillin and the Redgaurd were staring at me with their mouths hanging open.
“What was that for?”
“How in bloody hell are you awake?!” the Redgaurd woman said. She sound a little angry too.
Tyermaillin must have noticed the sudden mood change from the woman and stepped in to try and calm her down.
“Rith, just calm down. Remember he was brought into the Blades by the Emperors order. The Emperor wouldn't..”
“I bloody know that!” The woman now known as Rith interrupted. “But that was a direct bloody hit! I can't even recover from a blow that bloody fast! And he just...he didn't even bloody dodge it! Its like he has never bloody seen combat before.”
“Caius did say he was a special case. Even by the Emperors standards.”
I just watched as the two continued to converts about me as if I wasn't their. It was all really confusing at the time and was giving my a headache. Then again the headache could have come the hit I was recovering from, or Rith constantly saying “bloody” all the time. She has a strange fascination with the word.
Sometimes I wounder if going back the guild hall and trying to take on of Twilight's books would have be easier on me. That way I could have at lest prepared myself for the incoming pain.
The two continued to talk about how I should still be unconscious or how the Emperor requested me to be a member of the Blades. Ether way I wasn't getting anywhere here so I decided it was a good time to leave.
“Hay! Where the bloody hell are you going!” Rith yelled at me as I started to leave
“Somewhere else to-”
“No you bloody don't! You failed your bloody test! And no member of the Blades is not going without the basics of combat on my bloody watch.” she said as she approached me.
Before I knew what was happening she had grabbed me by the collar of my shirt and started dragging me away. I tried to break free at first but Rith's grip was like a vice. After a minute or two of struggling I finally gave up knowing that she wasn't letting go nor was I breaking free. Maybe this is why Cauis never had a shirt on.
She drug me outside and around to the back side of Tyermaillin house into a small enclosed yard. Aside from a single crate in the corner, which had a few bottles both empty and full on it, the yard was empty. Not even grass grew in their. It was just a dry dusty plot of land.
As soon as we entered the yard Rith let go and looked at me with an expressionless look.
“This is how things are going to bloody go. I'm going to be bloody training you. From what I have bloody seen of you, you wont stay bloody alive for long here. You wont do any bloody good to the Emperor if you get your bloody self killed. So the next few morning I want you here at sunrise and your getting trained.”
I was about to ask what the heck was going on. I had no idea what was actually happening at the time and just wanted to leave. However I was compelled to listen and stay, I still don't know why but I'm going to calk it up to “child like curiosity”. Thats what Twilight called it anyway.
Rith suddenly got a wicked grin across her face after she finished talking. She walked over to the crate and grabbed one of the bottles that were over their.
“First lesson, learning to bloody dodge. NOW GET OUT OF THE WAY!”
She then chucked the bottle at me. Time seemed to slow as I saw that bottle fly towards me. I can distinctly remember the bottle flipping six times as it flew through the air. Then the bottle hit me, square in the forehead. It broke and the booze stored inside spilled all over my face.
I fell backwards. That was twice today that I have been hit in the face by Rith. However unlike the first time I didn't blackout immediately. As I laid on the ground I could hear Rith let out a sigh. I heard her say one last thing before things faded to black.
Fine, fine, however before you go let me at least emphasize one thing that any Dunmer knows to be true. Vvardenfell IS NOT like the rest of the Empire!
Day 9(Rats in the House)
The next few morning were roughly the same. I would be dragged by Rith to her training yard. The first day Rith gave me a suit of bonemold armor and a “good” sword and started teaching me the other fundamentals of combat such as striking and stances.
The training itself was not all that bad. It did start of ruff, and I would be sore by the end of the day, but I started to pick up on thing quickly. Well quickly with everything but dodging. I ended up picking up a shield from Rith as well. Which I mastered handling and blocking incoming blows within that same day. I myself still still find it weird what I was able to master blocking with a shield in a day but still can't dodge out of the way of an incoming blow, slow or fast.
Twilight didn't even know I was being drug off for training the first two days. And even when she came out of the trace with the books, I don't think she knew why I was being drug off. She mostly stayed at the guild looking for a way home even after her book reading trance was over. However once she did come out of her book reading trance she gave Ajira a scolding about shaving her fur off. I wasn't there but from what I heard Twilight gave a display that would make Daedra cry. Ajira still cringes a little remembering that day.
The guar that Twilight had ridden back from our mushroom trip had been waiting outside the walls of Balmora. When we returned after that trip we left it thinking it would go back into the wild. Instead it wait outside the walls patiently for Twilight to return. Why, we didn’t know, maybe it just liked us that much. In the end Twilight ended up being the owner of the guar and she named him Fox. Odd name but Twilight liked it.
It was the fifth day of my training now. It started like the others, Rith would come down into the mage guild and dragging me out of my bunk. However this time Twilight was following me. She found it funny how I was being dragged away. She also said something about cheering me on today as well, it was almost like she knew something I didn't. However this morning Rith didn't drag me to her house but instead another house just a street over from her own house.
“Alright, here is the bloody deal. Its bloody test day. So lets see how well that bloody training did you. This house has a bit of a bloody rat problem from what I have been told. Your going to bloody fix it by killing them bloody rats. Now in you go,” Rith said as she started to pushed me in.
Before I knew what was happening I was trusted into the house. The only information I had was I needed to get rid of some rats. Ok, no problem. They can't be that bad, the biggest I had seen back in the Imperial prison was about the size of my hand, some slightly bigger. The thought of training just to catch rats made me wonder about Rith's test, but no sense and backing out now.
The house itself was a site to see and could be described with one word, pillows. There were pillows everywhere in that house. Some scattered a crossed the floor, most were stacked on shelves that lined the walls, a few on the table. Just pillows everywhere. I let out a soft chuckle at the site. Then I heard it. The gnawing sound of teeth on wood coming from another room.
I hadn't even drawn my weapon as I approached the door, thinking all I would need to do was leaning down and catch the critter before it darted away. I opened the door and what I saw made me realize something that had been forgotten. Vvardenfell is not like my prison cell back in Cyrodiil.
This “rat” was huge, easily the size of a dog, with blood red eyes. But it was the fangs that really got to me. This rat didn't have normal rodent teeth. Instead it had a pair of fang that would make a vampire jealous. And now this rat knew I was in the house with it.
Immediately I went to draw my sword only to fumble around with it trying to get it out of the sheath that hung from my belt. The rats of Vvardenfell are more aggressive than other rats as well as the first thing it did was try to bite my leg. The rat bit with such force that in pierced the armor of my boot and the only thing stopping it from piercing my flesh was the awkward shape bonemold armor is formed. It couldn't bit down far enough to reach my leg. And now it is stuck on my leg.
I finally got my sword drawn and it instantly finds its way to the rats body. It let out a small squeak before it died. I spen the next moments trying to dislodge its fangs from my boot so I can walk without hauling around a dead limp body of a rat around. It doesn't come out and I eventually just take the boot off. However where there is one rat, there are more.
As I removed the boot I noticed a bit of dust falling and landing on my arm. Then I hear the familiar sound of teeth gnawing on wood. Then a thought came to me. How are the rats gnawing on the wood with fangs and not rodent teeth? That thought doesn't stay long as the ceiling begins to creak, and give way. In the blink of an eye it falls on me and I instinctively cover my head with my arms.
After the dust settles I’m surrounded by broken boards, one of which had an impaled rat at the end of it. However its not the only rat that fell through. As I stand up amongst the rubble a third rat makes its presence known to me by sinking its fangs in one of the few places my armor doesn’t cover, my butt.
Its bite was excruciatingly painful. I can't even remember how loud I was screaming. The only thing I wanted to do was get the little beast off me. However it was positioned in a way to where swatting at it was futile. And the jolts of pain coursing through my body where forcing me to keep moving. So I ran, screaming the whole time.
I ran out of the house into the streets of Balmora yelling at the top of my lungs. All the while a rat had its fangs in my rump with no signs of letting go. After running through a number of streets I come to one of Balmora's famous attractions, the Odai River. I had no intention of jumping in the river and the thought of using the river didn't even cross my mind.
I was actually halfway crossed the bridge when my sight started to change. instead of seeing clear images of my surrounding, things became slightly distorted and the coloring was tinted purple. I then felt a sudden jolt as I was lifted into the air and thrown down into the waters below. Everything went black after I hit the water.
I woke up later in my bunk at the guild hall. Twilight had her head and front hooves on my chest. She was asleep but I couldn't imagine that position being conformable so I got up and gently got her into her own bunk. Why she was on my chest I didn’t know. I returned to my bunk, trying to remember how I got back to the guild. The last thing I remember that day was was falling into the river and my chest burning. I figured it could wait till morning, as I was still tired and let sleep overcoming.
A lot has happened this past week. But I shall start at the beginning, Book! Oh Celestia the books here are all hoof(hand)written! That alone put me into one of my reading trances but the information inside them. Some of it is scares me but also intrigues me. Unlike Equestria it seems strife is a common occurrence here. Whether it be from each other or a realm they have called Oblivion. I guess the easiest way to say it is that its like the Everfree Forest everywhere all the time. I actually can't help but admire the races of this world for having to face such hardships daily and not be broken down by it.
One of the books I found talked about magical artifacts that can do amazing things. There was one that caught my eye. It's called The Mentors Ring and suppressible it can allow any magic user to surpass their own ability 100 fold. Just the thought is scary I mean in your hooves you could move 100 suns at once! This ring my be helpful for getting home, or just surviving in this world. The only problem is it is one of the few artifacts that have been missing for the last 200 years(this world's years, don't know yet if its the same as an equestrian year). So if a clue on its whereabout come up I am going to convince Sanjuro to help me find it. But until i can find a starting point i’m going to leave the ring alone.
One last thing while I'm on the topic of books. Ajira, the guild alchemist for this hall though it would be clever to shave some of my fur to use as a potion ingredient and shaved me while I was lost in my reading trance. WHO USES FUR TO MAKE A POTION! Not only that but she shaved it off right where my Cutie-Mark is. You can't even imagine how silly this looks. I was angry, I mean really angry. My mane and tail turned to fire again as I yelled at her. Which has me asking a question. Is the “Royal Cantorlot Voice” an Alicorn thing because I swear I was louder than Luna their for a while.
After my little phase with the books, which lasted two day. A city guard came to find me and said that I needed to do something with my “guar” that it has been hanging around the gates for the past few days. The creature that had calmed me when I broke down a week ago had been waiting at the city gates for me. And it didn't take an animal lover like Fluttershy to see the guar was happy to see me as well. After some paperwork the guar was allowed into the city and hasn't really left my side when I leave the guild hall. After think of some ideas for a name I settled for Fox. It just sounded right. Fox and Sanjuro, the two best friend this mare has in this world.
….I miss home.
Then there is Sanjuro. Turns out Cauis wasn't the only Blade in the city. I found this out when looking for Sanjuro after my “new book phase”. It took me awhile before I found him. And when I did I saw him in a training yard practicing like Shining Armor would in his youth. I was about to go over and ask him how his training was going he was doing when another stopped me. Before I knew what was happening I was on a rooftop nearby. An Argonian(a Lizardfolk)was looking down at me.
At first I didn't know what to do. I wanted to scream but the Argonian just put his hand over my mouth and shushed me. He then told me his name, Nine-Toes, and why he stopped me. He want to see just how quick Sanjuro would “improve” without interruption. He also told me I could either stay and watch quietly or go about my business and leave Sanjuro be for the time being. Not wanting to make an enemies I thought it wise to listen to Nine-Toes, as he in a way gave me little to no choice.
So I watched Sanjuro train. I would even blurt out mistake Sanjuro was making. Though he never did hear me. Nine-Toes made sure I was not a “distraction” and he keep me on the roof of the buildings. As for Sanjuro's progression, I don't know how or where to begin. It was like he had been training his whole life. He was improving at such an astounding speed. I literally saw improvement changes take place in hours where with Shining it would take months before such changes happened. I was scared at first, I knew fighting for survival was a way of life for these people but to improve at that rate.
I don't know why but Nine-Toes willingly started telling me what he knew about the Blades interest in Sanjuro. I don't know if he was being nice or just trying to gain my trust but I listened nonetheless. They had been watching him since he first was released from prison up to now. No real changes and before this training section there was no doubt he would have died in the wilds. Why he was improving so quickly was as much a mystery to them as it was to me.
Anyway by the end of the week the Blades wanted to put Sanjuro through a test of sorts. It was a simple(for them anyway) test. A house had been infested with rats and Sanjuro was to get rid of them. What made me happy is Nine-Toes said it was alright for me to be seen and not “watch from the shadows”. So I followed Sanjuro to the house where he would be tested. Apparently he didn't even know he was being tested till we got their.
He went in and it was quiet for a while. Then there was the sound of things falling. It was loud and suppressed me and Nine-Toes as well. Before we could think on whether to go in or not we heard Sanjuro yelling as he flew out of the houses front door. My eyes grew wide at the sight as a rat the size of a medium dog was biting down on Sanjuro's butt. After the initial shock of what had happen I couldn't help but laugh at the site. Rith(the Blade that was training Sanjuro) was laughing as well. Nine-Toes however was already gone chasing after Sanjuro.
After some chasing I came in sight of Sanjuro again. He was crossing a bridge that went over a river. The rat still biting down on his butt. I wanted to help him and a plan formulated in my head. I quickly grabbed Sanjuro with my magic and throw him off the bridge into the waters below in hopes that the rat would finally let go.
Sanjuro hit the water and went under. I ran to the side of the river waiting for Sanjuro to come up. He never did and I started to worry when I saw the rat come up and not Sanjuro. Lucky Nine-Toes was nearby and saw what happened as he dived in and drug Sanjuro out of the river.
I almost killed the one real friend I have here Celestia. It was an accident but I still feel bad about it. I even cried myself to sleep on Sanjuro's chest once we got him back to the guild hall so he could recover.
Almost out of paper and time as me and Sanjuro are getting ready to go to a guild hall in a city north of us, a place called Ald'ruhn. Apparently the Mages Guild wants to see how unicorn magic effect something know as a “Dwemer Artifacts”. I'll write again once we get up their.
Alright, before I continue I need all the Nords to leave.
Well there's the slight chance you will get offended with the next part and I don’t want you killing me.
I’m glad you understand... I think?
Day11(Nords on the Road)
Well not a lot happened after the test. I couldn’t really move much the day afterward because of the pain that still lingered from the bite, so I spent most of my time in my bunk. I really couldn’t do much either other then watch Twilight and the other mages scurry about doing, um...magic stuff. At one point Twilight got Ajira to come try and teach me how to mix herbs to make potions. It didn’t go well as every time I tried to mix up a potion it would explode. To this day I still can’t make a potion without it blowing up.
Anyway somewhere between when the second and tenth potion explosion, Twilight was called by the guild master for something. Turns out it was going to be our next assignment for the guild, and it was no simple errand either. She was being relocated to the Ald’ruhn to help with Dwemer research. Something to do with Twilight’s magic being unique to her and wanting to see how Dwemer artifacts would react to it. I was simply to act as her escort being I had the most “experience” around her.
Anyway the rest of that day involved Twilight frantically getting ready for the trip as we had to leave by the following morning. Now it’s not that we had a lot of stuff with us to pack, but we had no idea where Ald’ruhn was other then “follow the road north”. She even left the guild hall to find information elsewhere, leaving me alone.
I just shrugged and went back to trying to learn alchemy skills from Ajira. We gave up twenty-five explosions later, and I slept the rest of the day away.
The next day came and my back end was still hurting but not enough to affect my movement like it had the day before. Twilight was up early getting a few last things ready for the trip and was getting Fox saddled up. She was convinced by the information she had gathered that we could make it to Ald’ruhn before nightfall if everything went right.
The first half of our trip wasn’t too bad. It finally gave Twilight the chance to tell me more about her world without the mages questioning her after every word she spoke. And last time she did have the chance to tell me I was puking from the unpleasant site of organs being poked at. The puking is also the reason we didn’t take the Silt Strider. Even though it would be more convenient and even faster, we didn’t think I could stomach that again.
It was the first time she told me about where she came from, a land called Equestria, and that her race was actually something called a pony and a unicorn was just a subrace. She made it sound so peaceful and tranquil, as if the land and its people were from a fairy tale. So much so that it reminded me of my youth when a guard would tell me stories while I sat in my prison cell. I wish I could remember his name. It was weird though because at some point in Twilight’s tales I could swear it was that guards voice I heard and not her’s.
“..after I got Cerberus back to Tartarus I thought that was it. Then -”
Twilight never got to finish what she was saying for as we just passed a bend in the road, we came up to, well, a naked nord. Nearly bumped right into the poor man. Twilight’s face went so red with blush that it went through her fur, that or her fur changed colors to match the blush. She came to a full stop and just stared at him.
“Twilight?” I asked trying to get her attention.
No response. I tried calling her name again but still got no reaction. I took a few glances at the nord then back to Twilight trying to figure out what had made Twilight freeze like this. I finally clapped my hands in front of her while calling her name.
“So big!” she shouted as the clap startled her out of her trance.
The nord started letting out a hearty laugh at Twilights reaction. actually something about this guy seemed off. He didn’t react like everyone else did upon first meeting Twilight. In fact he didn’t do anything till Twilight spoke up again.
“All nords are!” he said very proudly, “However I’m in a bit of a predicament. A traveling companion of mine turned out to be a witch, and last night she showed her true colors. casted a spell on me and the next thing I knew I was alone, stripped of everything I own, even my clothes, but more importantly, my beloved CLOUDCLEAVER!” he yelled.
“What’s a Cloudcleaver?” I asked
“Cloudcleaver is my ax, the sharpest you could find and an enchantment that makes it all the deadlier to use against my foes.”
“Ok.”
“So will you help me retrieve my belongings from the witch? She should still be at our camp just a little ways north.”
“What do you say Twilight? You’ve been telling me stories of how you are always helping someone.”
“Huh? Yeah sure, so big...” she said still in a trance like state as she followed him.
I looked between her and the nord again before heading out, trying for the life of me to figure out what it was that had Twilight acting this way. It was weird.
We found the camp an hour up the road. It was a little ways off the road.
“Now you go up there and get Cloudcleaver back?”
“You're not coming?” I asked in surprise.
“Are you blind, I’m currently not equipped to deal with a witch right now if you haven't noticed.”
“Oh you're very well equipped” Twilight blurted out.
“Anyway just hurry up and get Cloudcleaver back for me.” the nord said as he started to get antsy.
So I went up to the camp and found a fine looking nord woman standing by a fire wearing just a simple green robe. I noticed the nords stuff in a pile next to her. The nord woman kept her gaze on me the whole time I approached.
“Hold it there traveler!” she commanded in a soft yet stern voice as I got closer to the camp, “Who are your and way are you traveling with that pig of a man?”
“Well um, my name is Sanjuro and I was just trying to help him get his stuff back.” I said as i pointed back at the nord.
“What did he tell you?”
“Well, that you're a witch and you stole his stuff.” I said scratching the back of my head.
She just started to laugh as if she just heard a funny joke.
“By the Nine he may truly be hopeless. I am no witch, actually quite the opposite. I’m a traveling healer that was trying to teach that brute a lesson after he started getting a little too fresh with me last night.”
“Fresh?”
“Yes, you know trying to force himself on me.”
I just stared at her blankly trying to figure out what she meant.
“Oh gods, you're not really that thick are you?”
“Ummm... ”
She just looked at me, not believing my reaction.
“Let just say he tried to hurt me last night and I put a spell on him to get away and stole his stuff to teach him a lesson. There is a mining town just south of here, tell him he can get his stuff from there in three days. Now please get out of here, I’m tired of messing with idiots today.”
I found her story convincing, she did admit to using magics to subdue the naked nord, and a valid reason to go along with it. That plus she said she would give him his stuff back in three days so I helped him too. So I went to deliver the news, it was not taken like I thought.
“I will not wait three days!” He bellowed, “I will have that witches head today! Even if I have to twist it off her body!”
“Wait... are you saying your going to kill her,” I asked.
At that Twilight started to act normal again.
“Kill?!” she yelled.
“Didn’t you just say you couldn’t take her earlier?”
“I don’t care anymore! I... WILL... HAVE... MY... AX... BACK!” he shouted as he started stomping off to the camp in a heated rage.
“NO! No more death!” Twilight yelled as her horn flared with magic and the nord was enveloped in a purple glow.
He came to a stop but was still clearly struggling, as was Twilight trying to keep him in place. I quickly got up in front of him to try and hold him back once Twilight gave in. It didn’t take long before Twilight was spent and the nord freed again. I was nowhere near as strong as the nord was back then and in the moment when Twilight’s magic faded I was being pushed back.
“Calm down will you, she said-” is all I got out before he punched me in the face.
“Ah! you didn’t have to-”
Another punch to the face.
“Stop tha-”
Another punch.
“I-”
Another punch.
“That’s i-”
Another punch.
“Stop!”
Another punch.
“Wah Kren Vukein!” the nord woman shouted from behind.
It wasn’t normal shout, I felt coming course though my body. It was really cold and squirmy, like a worm was traveling through me. It didn’t last long but it felt very unsettling. The raging nord in front of me however let off a scream of pain as he clenched his head and fell to the ground. He was knocked out before long but was also shivering on the ground.
“What?” I asked aloud.
“It’s a little trick I picked up in my homeland of Skyrim. Its ment to stop those that are in combat, namely the aggressor. However I feel it may have a different effect on that thing.” The nord woman said as she pointed behind me.
I turned around and saw Twilight with a strange look in her eye as she was chasing after Fox. Fox running away as fast as his gaur’s feet would go.
“Come back here boy! Momma wants to play!”
I blink at the sight for a moment then realized something important.
“Twilight you're going the wrong way!” I yelled as I gave chase.
Whatever that woman did to Twilight it didn’t last long. As she was back to her normal self after about five minutes of running. We got back on track and was going to stop at the camp to see if the nord woman needed any help with what to do about the naked nord. To our surprise however both were gone when we returned. We decided it wasn’t worth trying to figure out what was going on and the woman was more than capable of defending herself. And so we started back on our trek to Ald’ruhn.
“Sanjuro, I want to say I’m sorry.” Twilight said out of the blue as we continued down the road.
“What for?”
“Earlier when I saw that persons ‘equipment’ I was acting like I shouldn’t have. You see ponies don’t enter heat normal. We only enter heat when we see a male’s ‘parts’. It causes us to act, well how I was back there and it takes a lot to break out of that state of mind once entered,” she said, looking at me shamefully.
I blinked a few times before answering.
“Twilight, what are you talking about? That woman had all the naked guys stuff.”
Twilight literally tripped over her front legs after hearing my response.
“Sanjuro, I don’t mean to be blunt but how much do you know about sex.”
“...What is sex?”
“What...” she deadpanned.
“I’m sorry?”
“You're serious aren't you?”
“...”
“This is going to take a while...”
Twilight began to teach me about the birds and the bees as she called it. It was both a fascinating yet awkward lesson to learn on the road. We got so caught up in the subject that we didn’t even notice scenery started to change the closer we got to Ald’ruhn. The lush green grass as now browned lifeless earth, dead trees littered the area, and ash scattered everywhere. It was like a fire had swept across the land, which I later found out wasn’t too far off.
The sun was starting to set when we came across another bend in the road. I blinked a few times making sure I saw what I was seeing. It was another naked nord. This one was different as he had a beard and he still had a few belongings, namely a hat that he was still wearing. He remained perfectly still however.
I quickly got in front of Twilight to block her view now knowing how she would react, and told her to stay behind. She did just that as I approached. The nord still not moving.
“Mrrrph” he muttered out.
“He is magically paralyzed.” Twilight said from behind.
I looked back to find her horn glowing showing she was infact using magic. Then I looked back at the nord.
“What should I do?” I asked
“From what we dealt with so far today, I say he did something to deserve it somehow. Just find a way to cover him up so I can pass.”
There wasn’t much there I could use, but his ‘parts’ were big enough to hang his hat off of. It was good enough for Twilight to pass without going into heat. So we continued on leaving the nord there. He gave one last grunt as we passed by.
We soon entered Ald’ruhn just as night was beginning. The city was different from Balmora to say the least. We walked through the ash covered streets to the mages guild. Tomorrow was going to be the beginning of Twilights assignment. One that we would learn so much from by the time we finished it.
Why didn’t we just use the Mages Guild service of teleporting from one guild to another. Fox was too big and Twilight wasn’t going to leave him behind.
However we never did use the teleporting service later ether, and this is why.
Day 12 (Magical Allergies)
I ended up sleeping in later then I would have liked that morning. The Ald’ruhn guild was bigger then the Balmora guild and allowed room for personal quarters instead of a single room full of bunks. That and I didn’t have Rith coming in to wake me. Normally I wouldn’t be complaining about such things but I was just as curious to know what Twilight was going to be doing as much as she was.
I left my room and walked down the stairs. Like the Balmora guild hall, the Ald’ruhn’s hall was mostly underground. I think it was to help keep the temperature steady but I could be wrong as I never paid much attention to the details of things. Anyway at the bottom of the stairs was Twilight already sitting at a table messing around with some of strangest objects which I guessed where the Dwemer artifacts.
“Morning,” Twilight said as I walked up to her.
She was levitating the objects around with her magic and inspecting them. It was easy to tell she was fascinated by them. A lot of them looked like mechanical parts made of some old brownish yellow metal. There was one piece that caught my eye however. It was a slender glass tube that was about the length of my hand and had rings made of the same metal as the other part to protect the ends of the tub. Something about it was screaming “pick me up”, so I did.
“Stand back for a minute Sanjuro,” Twilight said as her horn started to glow brightly.
Twilight unleashing a bolt of magic onto a Dwemer cog that she was currently holding up with her magic.The bolt hit the cog and the banging sound of metal on metal was heard. Almost instantly the cog started to disintegrate at a rapid rate and soon became just a pile of dust on the table.
“So they are enchanted with a longevity spells,” Twilight said.
She then took out a piece of paper and a quill and started writing down her report on the effect, all the while whistling a tune which was very catchy. She continued working on the items in front of her, picking it up, casting a different spell, and then writing down the results.
I got bored really quick just watching Twilight flash her magic and write down notes. So I decided to mess around with the tube some more. With childlike curiosity I looked at the tube, twirling it around looking at it from all sides. That is when I noticed things looked distorted while looking through the glass.
In an attempt to entertain myself I brought the tube closer to my eyes while using my fingers to keep a hold of the tube at either end. Everything looked stretched out and bent slightly and I let a giggle out at how silly everything look, especially with Twilight. Looking through the tube her muzzle extended out a lot became pointed at the end. I couldn’t help but giggle at how silly it made her look.
“And what are you doing with that tube,” came the stern voice of Edwinna, this halls guild master, and a fanatic for all things Dwemer.
I let out a yelp of surprise at Edwinna's voice as she spoke. She is normally a very pleasant person to be around, as most Bretons are. However Edwinna had an obsession with Dwemer artifacts and would be very protective of them, and can be just downright scary. That was made clear to us when we first arrived last night and I bumped into a Dwemer made lantern. It was actually a blessing she wasn’t in the room when Twilight disintegrated the cog.
My body jerked with surprise with Edwinna's sudden appearance and hand went inward, forcing my fingers down the tube farther than I wanted.
“Umm, just looking through it,” I confessed seeing no point in lying.
“Put it back on the table, its not a toy!” she scolded.
I winced a little at how harsh she sounded. Not wanting to incur her wrath I went to do as she said and put the tube back down on the table. However my fingers were now stuck in the tube. I tried to pull them out but it was no use. I struggled with it for a good while before looking up at Edwinna who was now starting to get a crazed look in her eyes.
I quickly walked over to Twilight and nudged her to get her attention.
"Twilight, I need your help.”
“With what?” she asked oblivious to what had just happened.
“This!”
I brought my hands in front of her showing her the tube that was stuck on my fingers.
“I was kinda playing with it and got it stuck. Now I need to get it off, like right now.”
"Give me a second to finish thi-” Twilight must have saw Edwinna behind me as she quickly changed her mind, “Actually this can wait lets get this off you. Now lets see what I can do.”
Twilight looked over the tube for a second before her horn light up with magic.
“Alright, you may feel a slight tingling feeling all around you for a moment, that will be normal”
The violet aura of her magic started to surround the tube. I didn’t feel the tingling she was talking about but it didn’t matter at this point. Twilight finished her spell and I was blinded by a flash of light.
The next thing I knew I was on my hands and knees facing a pile of bile on the floor. My stomach was hurting and I felt as if all my energy had been drained. But I didn’t remember falling, or puking out bile ether.
“njuro, Sanjuro. Are you alright?” I heard someone talking but my hearing was being muffled and I couldn’t make out who it was.
I could feel my arms shaking as I was losing strength. To keep myself from landing in what I assumed was my own bile I pushed myself to the side with the last bit of strength I had. I landed on my side but quickly rolled to my back. I saw a worried Twilight, Edwinna, and a few other mages circling around me around. They were all speaking but it was all muffled while I laid there trying to figure out what was happening to me.
“You're going to do what?!” Twilight said, her voice muffled.
I could still make out what Twilight was saying for some reason but I guess that was because she was closer to the ground then the other. I heard more of what I assumed was talking, coming from Edwinna. Her mouth was the only one moving so it was safe to assume it was her.
The last thing I saw that day was Edwinna’s hands start to glow with magic and another flash of light.
I awoke the next morning in my bed with a note left on my chest. It turns out I had a rare condition, or magical allergy as they called it, to any form of teleportation spells. The Ald’ruhn mages also performed other spells on me while I was unconscious to see if I was "allergic" to them as well. Luckily for me it was only teleportation spells.
What awaited me this day was mine and Twilight's next assignment. Going into an actual Dwemer ruin.
Well not a lot's happened these past two days but enough to warrant a letter.
The first thing happened during our travels on the road from Balmora to Ald'ruhn. I'm going to keep this short because I know you don't like the subject. The “people” of this world are not only a “nice” size but can set off a mare's heat cycle! It was Shining Armor reception all over again. I am not proud of how I acted that day either and as I said before I know you don't like the subject so I'm stopping their.
Anyways, moving on.
When we got to the Ald'ruhn guild hall last night I was a little surprised at how nice it looked compared to the Balmora hall. There are beautiful tapestries hung on the walls, the walls were nicely painted and there were fancy lanterns all over the place. Definitely better then the blandness of the Balmora hall. However like the Balmora hall, this one was mostly underground as well. I think it’s to prevent any major damage to the city in case of a magical accident. It’s the only logical thing I can think of.
I later learned the lanterns were one of the many Dwemer artifacts that I was sent to look at when Sanjuro bumped into one, knocking it over.
I got started with using my magic on the Dwemer artifacts almost immediately the next day. These artifacts, I haven’t brought it with up to anyone yet, but they’er almost identical as those found in the ruins that are scattered in the griffin kingdom. Both the metal and the enchantments on the metal of a lot of the artifacts are so similar that they might as well be identical. Even some of the parts look exactly the same as some the mechanics that the griffins have. It's only a theory right now, but I think these Dwemer have been to Equestria, I hope that is the case because it may mean I can find a way back home through whatever means they used. I just need to find it. I'm not going to bring it up to the others till I go to one of these Dwemer ruins and confirm my suspicions. If it's the same as the ones back home then I will bring my finding up with the others.
While I’m going on about the Dwemer I have discovered something else that may be just plain coincidence. The Dwemer are sometimes called Dwarfs but some, kinda like how some ponies call a griffin a gryphon. Its nothing major and may be nothing at all but at the same time I can't help but think about it.
As for Sanjuro, I knocked him out again. However this time it wasn't completely my fault. I do feel a little bad for being the trigger of the event however. The “people” of this world can get a rare condition that causes them to have an allergic reaction to a type of spell. Sanjuro has such an allergy to teleportation spells.
We found this out during the experimentation on the Dwemer artifacts. I was not that far into my work when Sanjuro got his fingers(similar to Spike’s claws but not as sharp I don't think I have described what the “people” look like yet) stuck in a Dwemer tube while using it to entertain himself. I actually wanted to let him try and get it off himself, learn from his mistakes kind of thing. However this hall’s guild master, Edwinna, is kind of crazy when it comes to Dwemer artifacts, more so then I am with books, or Pinkie when she gets into “That Mood”, and I’ve only known Edwinna for a day! I casted a teleport spell on the tube, teleporting it off his fingers and unto the table. That is when Sanjuro suddenly started convulsing and fell to his knees, vomiting what little was in his stomach before falling on his back.
This soon got the attention of the rest of the mages in the guild. After I quickly explained what happened Edwinna cast a teleport spell of her own on Sanjuro sending him to his own quarters. We could hear him scream from his room right after the teleport happened. I was confused and worried about what was happening. One of the younger mages told me what they thought actually happened as Edwinna disappeared upstairs to Sanjuro's room. There was one more scream coming from Sanjuro's room before Edwinna came down and asked for a few other of the mages and myself. This was when she told me about what the magical allergies were.
We spent most of the morning and early afternoon casting various spells on Sanjuro to see if he would react to them. We did take the time to prepare healing wards to keep Sanjuro from possibly dying should he react poorly to any other spells. Lucky for him no known spells, of both worlds, caused a reaction they were looking for. That and I got a lot of first hoof experience with the spells of this world. After we were done I was told to leave him be for the rest of the day as he would be asleep till morning.
I finished the rest of the day finishing up my tests with the Dwemer artifacts then started on this letter. I'm actually going to go ask Edwinna if I can go to one of these Dwemer ruins and where the closest is. I’ll write again after I’ve explored one of these ruins.
Your Friend,
Twilight Sparkle
P.S. Just got finished talking to Edwinna, If Sanjuro recovers enough tomorrow we are going to the ruins with a junior mage tomorrow afternoon. Also going to use a page to describe the appearance of the “people” of this world so you can better grasp what they look like, can’t believe I haven't done that yet.
So how many here have heard of the brothers Mobo and Bobo?
None of you! Really?!?
We need to stop paying bards. First they mess up my story then they don’t even tell the tales of those two. Anyway back to the story!
Day 14 (Bobo and the Winged Terror)
I ended up resting for an extra day after my little allery episode. Twilight was disappointed having to wait an extra day before we left for the ruins, but I was able to turn her mood around by asking her if everything was ready for the trip as she really enjoyed organizing thing, whatever they may be. She left my room in a hurry and grabbed a parchment and quill with her magic as she left. I didn’t see her for the rest of the day.
Later that evening Sam, the mage that was going to be our guide to the Dwemer ruins, came to see me. Told me a few thing that about this trip. That the Dwemer ruin we were going to, even though explored by the guild many times, was still a very dangerous place. That the Dwemer creations that defend the ruin’s halls keep appearing in the ruins, as if new ones are built when the old are destroyed. He also told me that the guild was hiring a couple of mercenaries from the Fighter Guild to ensure Twilight’s safety.
The next day began with Sam and I walking across the street to the Fighter Guild while Twilight was finishing get things together and saddling Fox up for the trip. Waiting outside for us were two orcs, one was in a set of steel armor and carried a large warhammer. The other was shirtless, chest covered with scars, and wore baggy pants and carried a large battleax.
“Is this the mage that needs guarding?” The armored orc said
“No, this is Sanjuro, he is another escort. The mage will be here in a few minute” Sam replied.
“My name is Mobo,” The armored orc said addressing me, “and this is my brother, Bobo. He... he’s not all there in the head, but he’s a good kid.”
Upon hearing his name Bobo instantly gave a childish grin and started waving at us.
“So what is so special about this mage that need three guards and a guide for this trip? I understand the dangers of the Dwemer ruins, but you paid for the best the fighters guild has to offer and still got another guard outside the guild on top of it.”
“She is... unique and Sanjuro was with her before she even came to the guild. It would be easier to explain once she gets here.” Sam said
“Yeah Twilight’s better at explaining stuff then I am.” I added.
“Twilight? This mage isn’t some nut job follower of Azura? We don’t mess with Dea-”
“HORSEY!” Bobo yelled and suddenly bolted down the road.
We turned to see him running across the road straight to Twilight. He then grabbed her and brought her up to an embracing hug. Twilight unsure what was happening and stared at us, wide eyed as if silently asking for help.
“Brother! Brother! Look! Small cute horsey! Can I keep her? Pleeeease!” Bobo shouted.
“Sam what is that?” Mobo asked giving Sam a dirty look.
“That is Twilight,” Sam gulped nervously, “Now do you see why she is special”
Mobo closed his eyes and let out a sigh. “You mages… you mages… always something strange with you mages.”
Mobo then turned to face his brother. “No you can’t Bobo! We are not having another Boo incident!”
“But...”
“I SAID NO!”
“But...”
“Bobo!”
“... fine” Bobo said with a sniffle.
Twilight just stood there for a moment, confused and unsure how to act judging by her facial expression.
“What… What just happend?” She asked to no one in particular.
“I don’t know myself?” I said as I walked up to Twilight, “but I think its the start of another friendship.”
We left shortly afterwards to the foyada east of Ald’ruhn and then from their travel south on it as the ruins where on the foyada. That place as eerie as the foyada was nothing more then an trench covered in ash from where lava would run down from Red Mountain. Nothing but ash and high rock walls making the trip down the foyada very dull.
It was quiet in the foyada, too quiet. At least on the roads you can hear the birds and bugs chirping, or the wind passing through the plants. Here it was just quiet, as if the area itself was dead.
“Its too quiet!” I shouted in frustration of the quietness of the area.
That was a mistake.
From the distance we all heard a horrible sounding squawk coming from the sky. Twilight and I both looked up with a confused and curious look about us. Sam and Mobo didn’t look up, instead they had a look of fear about them. Bobo had a look of excitement about him however.
“Suddenly its too loud, I preferred it when it was quiet… NOW RUN!” Sam shouted as the three took off down the trench.
Twilight and I were taken back for a moment before following suit.
“What’s that sound? And why are we running?” Twilight asked.
Soon more of the horrible squawking could be heard. I took a look behind to see what was following us. I didn’t know it then but I was looking at terror itself at that moment. In the sky behind us was a flock of winged beast. They were a greenish-brown color with a leather hide, had long sharp beaks, and had no limbs other then their wings and tail. And they were flying straight for us.
“Cliffracers!” Sam shouted his voice trembling with fear.
“What do we do!?” Twilight asked.
“Run! Run and pray we find a place to hide before resorting to combat!” answered Sam.
“Agreed! Though me and Bobo could take them out easily, we could not ensure your safety during the fight. And keeping you safe is what we are being paid for.” Mobo added.
“Brother let me kill the sky-devils. Pleeeeeease” Bobo whined as we ran.
“Not yet!”
So we ran. I ran faster then I had ever ran before in my life that day. We kicked up the ash of the valley with each step as we ran making an ashen cloud trail behind us. Twilight, to no surprise was the fastest off us and sprinted on ahead trying to find a place to hide. Her one wing was flapping the whole way as if her instincts to fly was kicking in. Fox was close behind Twilight not wanting to be left behind.
The Cliffracers were closing in, slowly but surely as I could now hear the sound of their wings flapping in the wind along with their squawking. Even I knew that if we didn’t find a place soon that fighting was going to be the only option.
“There!” Twilight shout as she quickly turned to the right.
We saw her and Fox head into a crevice in the trench wall. The rest of us caught up and entered the crevice as well shortly after words. As soon as we entered Twilight used her magic and erected a small purple wall of magic over the entrance.
“What kind of magic is this?!” Sam shouted in surprised as he brought his hand up to the wall.
“Its a barrier spell, no where near as strong as my brother’s but-”
As if on cue, Twilight was interrupted by the thump of a few Cliffracers diving down at us only to be stopped as they slammed but the magical wall.
“... it will do,” Twilight finished as she watched the Cliffracers slide down the magical wall.
“Does this mean small horsey is safe?” Bobo asked with a grin forming.
“Yes we sho-”
“TIME TO KILL SKY-DEVILS!!!” Bobo shouted as he drew his ax and charged out.
To our surprise Bobo wasn’t stopped by the wall and just passed right through it. Almost instantly the Cliffracers spotted him and started to dive down at him. Bobo just stood there and brought his ax back ready to swing. The first group of Cliffracers was no more, as soon as they got within striking range of Bobo he swung his ax, cleanly cleaving through five of the beasts and sending their corpses to the ground.
Bobo didn’t stop there as Bobo pulled off a feat that I don’t think anyone on Nirn can pull off. Not waiting for another group to dive down, Bobo jumped up. It was almost as if he himself was flying for how fast and high he jumped.
“Oh no,” Mobo muttered “he is going to get sick again,” with that Mobo too left the safety of the cave.
I looked back up to Bobo who was swing down on a Cliffracer. Bobo swung with such force that he caused his body to start spinning in the air, ax still firmly in his hand. He had become a spinning blade of death coming back down to the earth below, sawing through any Cliffracers unfortunate enough to be in his way as he fell.
What was left of the flock had enough sense to leave after seeing what Bobo alone did to their numbers and flew off. This was a blessing as unknown to any of us other then Mobo, Bobo was knocked out of this fight. Too bad it would not be the last I encountered that flock.
Bobo landed on his feet and his ax was buried deep into the ground for the impact of the landing. He stood there motionless as his brother walked up to him. Then Mobo’s words suddenly made sense as Bobo fell to one knee and started puking out the contents of his stomach causing me and Twilight to gag a little.
A few minutes later Bobo had recovered but a new problem had arisen, Bobo’s ax. He wouldn’t leave without it and it was buried tightly in the rock under the ash to where even with Bobo’s strength would not pull free. We watched as he strained himself trying to pull it out.
“Back up,” Twilight said as she walked up.
Twilight started to use her magic and the ground around the ax well, it changed is the best way to say it. For a moment it was as if it was water as it rippled like a pond would when a stone is thrown into it. The ax fell over and the ground returned to normal as Twilights stopped casting her spell.
“Small horsey helped Bobo get his ax back...” Bobo said quietly as he picked his ax up.
“It was nothing, can we go now. I… I don’t want to say here any more.” Twilight said as she turned to walk down the path.
It was clear that she didn’t approve of how Bobo took care of the Cliffracers. Killing was the one thing that sent Twilight into a funky mood, as if it was the worst crime to commit.
“Small horsey helped Bobo!” Bobo shouted happily and ran to Twilight.
Bobo then picked Twilight up in a hug and Twilight let out a yelp of surprise.
“Small horsey is best horsey. Bobo will thank horsey by hugging, and cuddle, and brushing horsey’s- AHH HORN!”
