...When the sons of Skyrim spill their own blood. But nopony wanted to believe. Believe they even existed. And when the truth finally dawns... It dawns in fire! But... there's one they fear. In their tongue, she is Dovahkiin. DOVASHY!
Times are dark in the land of Skyrim. A grievous civil war tears throughout the land, splitting brothers and sisters apart. And, as an ancient prophecy foretold, giant fire spitting monsters have returned, killing all in their path of destruction. There is only one who can put a stop to both of these conflicts. The Dragonborn, a being born to mortals, but with the blood of the dragons.
If only the Dragonborn weren't afraid of her own shadow.
Featured! 06-09-18
If you see a link, that's where I placed an appropriate music track. Simply right-click and hit 'Open in new tab.' This is a very music-centered story, where tracks are placed to aid in the storytelling. Here is my intended main theme of the story.
Special thanks to my wonderful editor, The Planyx!
The cold air rolled in from the mountains. The birds and eagles screamed overhead, waking themselves up for the day. Not a single speck of blue could be seen in the vast, rain-kissed sky. This story begins with a cart. The cart held four ponies in the back governed by a single commander up front. The four ponies, whether intentional or not, had committed crimes against the province of Skyrim. The cart was making its way to the one of province’s most lawful cities, Helgen. In the front-left of the cart sat a small Pegasus. Her mane was pink and dirty. It was ruffled from a slight scuffle on the southern border of the province. Her cheek was stained with a tiny bit of dried blood. Not from the guards tackling her, but from slamming into a tree, trying to get away from the guards trying to tackle her. She slowly opened her eyes, reemerging from unconsciousness. The light hit her eyes with an unforgiving force. A certain blue Unicorn noticed this.
“Hey… You’re finally awake,” the Unicorn said. The Pegasus blinked her eyes a few times and took a quick breath. She looked around for any sign of where she was. She had no clue. Being a rather young Pegasus, she began to panic. The Pegasus was quite shy by nature; someone who didn’t like to be around people. She lived in seclusion most of the time. Animals were her true friends. She’d never been or even seen combat until just a few days earlier; when the animals started to get… tense. They broke out in random scuffles whenever thunder could be heard. The Pegasus didn’t mind thunder too much- just the gods’ way of telling people to get back in line. But this thunder sounded… different. Even on sunny days the thunder could be heard rolling in from Skyrim’s borders. The Pegasus lived on the outskirts of the province, near the bottom right corner. Sometimes she heard news from couriers about strange goings-on from a city called Riften. Something about a… face-shifter and the ‘Thieves Guild…’ Something along those lines.
“Wha…? Where…?”
“You were caught in that Imperial ambush, like the rest of us… and that thief over there…” The Unicorn looked over at a skinny, light red Earth pony. The two glared at each other, the Unicorn with a bit more edge to her gaze. The Pegasus looked at both of them quickly, noticing the tension between the two. She didn’t like tension. That’s why she tried to sneak into Skyrim; to look for a more trained expert on animals. She wanted to relieve the hostilities throughout her home. The cart continued to roll with its squeaky wheel into the city. The cobblestone road simply made the ride a whole lot bumpier. The Unicorn and the Earth pony continued to go back and forth at each other, much to the cart driver’s displeasure. The Earth pony made a much poorly-timed snap at another pony, who the Pegasus just now realized was riding in the back. She wasn’t just a pony, however, she was an Alicorn. Her hair was a misty midnight blue. Her coat, a piercing jet black. She wore light blue armor, which was incredibly dented and beaten. She had blood running down her neck and across her cheek. Her eyes were slitted and an electric light blue. Her wings were tied up and her horn was wrapped up in a slightly glowing material that the Pegasus recognized as an enchanted fabric that cancelled out magic. But most notably, however, she had a tight fabric tied around her head and covering her mouth entirely, preventing her from making any loud noises. This fabric was also stained with blood.
"Shut up! Do you even know who you're talking about? This is Jarl Nightmare Moon, the true high queen of Skyrim!” The Pegasus was shocked to say the least. She had heard numerous stories of the heinous actions of Nightmare Moon, from waging war against the peaceful Imperials, to taking over half of the province, to even… killing the high king. This news alone could put the Pegasus in a sour mood. She hated killing and she hated death. Death was not something she feared (okay, not that much), but it was certainly something she could never tolerate.
The Unicorn took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. She suddenly looked so much calmer.
“Jarl Nightmare?” the Earth pony started, an astonished tone in her voice. “But if they captured you… Oh, Celestia… where are they taking us?” The Pegasus started to panic one again when she caught on to the situation at hand. In speaking of death, that was something that was about to come knocking at the door.
“Hey… Where are you from, cart thief?” the Unicorn said in a solemn tone.
“Why do you care?”
“A pony’s last thoughts should be of home,” said the Unicorn, looking the Earth pony in her eyes. The Earth pony began to shake slightly, a tear welling up in her eye.
“…Rorikstead… I’m from Rorikstead…”
The cart pushed two large wooden doors open, leading into the city. The Unicorn sighed at the sight.
“Helgen… I used to have a crush on a stallion here… I wonder if he still makes that cider with juniper berries mixed in…” All four of them looked around at the large towers and small wooden houses alike. “The Imperial walls always made me feel so safe…”
The Pegasus began to shake a little as well. It finally began to sink in. The grim truth that she’d been pushing out of her mind for ages. The thing she despised so much was finally coming back to bite her.
She was going to die.
The Unicorn scowled at a blue Pegasus walking behind their cart. The blue Pegasus was wearing gold and dark blue armor from the neck down. Her hair was messy, though a clean messy. It was up in a neat ponytail. It was also an array of different rainbow colors.
“General Rainbow Dash. And the Wonderbolts are with her. Damn Pegasi…” At this the Pegasus looked at the Unicorn with a shocked expression on her face. Her teal eyes were wide at the Unicorns words. The cart finally came to a halt in front of a wall, much to the Pegasus and the Earth ponies’ confusion.
“Wait,” said the Earth pony, panicing, “Why are we stopping?”
“Why do you think?” asked the Unicorn rhetorically, “End of the line.”
The Pegasus simply wanted to scream. The only honest reason she could give for not fearing death all that much was because she’d never really contemplated it. In her eighteen years of life, she’d never thought about death. The only reason she ever had to grief for lost souls was when one of her many pets passed away. She never had too much contact with her family after she turned sixteen, but that was because she moved out to find a life of her own. She hated the bustling streets and crowded corners of Ponyville. She never really thought of home all that much. It didn’t take too long to move to the opposite side of the forest that separated her province and that of Skyrim. But right now, she wouldn’t mind heading back home. Right now, she realized she couldn’t push death away any longer, because it was just a few minutes away.
All of the prisoners hopped off the cart. “The Imperials love their damn lists,” said the Unicorn. The two Imperials in front of them were in fact holding lists. There was a dark orange Pegasus and a lighter orange Earth pony. The Pegasus was wearing steel armor. Her hair was a hot magenta. It was cut short and spiky. Her eyes matched this color. The Earth pony had a lighter orange coat. She was wearing leather armor. She had blonde hair that hung down to her knees. It was tied together at the end. The Earth pony looked down at her paper, then back up at Nightmare Moon.
“Jarl Nightmare Moon of Windhelm,” she said. The Pegasus noticed that the Earth pony had a very thick southern drawl. Nightmare Moon stepped forward and turned left toward a large crowd, “It’s been an… honor, Jarl Nightmare,” the Earth pony said with a slight edge in her voice.
“Colgate of Riverwood.” The Unicorn copied Nightmare Moon’s action. The Earth pony then spoke the red Earth pony’s name. The red Earth pony lurched forward.
“No! I’m not a rebel! You can’t do this!” She shook her head a little and galloped past the Imperials. The orange Pegasus yelled to the hidden archers on the rooftops. They all released their arrows into the Earth pony.
The Pegasus gasped and hung her head. She could easily see the blood spilling out of the arrow wounds. Her breathing quickened as the orange Pegasus looked back at her and all the others. She very audibly asked if anyone else felt like running. The Pegasus shook her head, oblivious to the rhetorical question.
“Wait,” the Earth Pony said, “You right there… Step forward,” she said to the Pegasus. The Pegasus shut her eyes tight and slowly and shakily took two steps forward. “Who… are you?” said the Earth pony, looking back at her list. The Pegasus ducked her head a little.
“My… My name is… Fluttershy… of Ponyville…” The Earth pony looked at her list one last time.
“Captain,” she said slowly, looking at Fluttershy again. “She ain’t on this list.”
“Forget the list,” the captain said. “She goes to the block.”
“Yes, ma’am,” said the Earth pony, giving a small salute. She looked at Fluttershy one last time with an apologetic gaze. “I’m truly sorry, Fluttershy. At least it’ll all be over quick,” she said slowly. “Follow the captain here.” Fluttershy closed her eyes. She had given up. It was futile. No amount of nervousness or shyness would get her out of this. She had surrendered to inevitability. It was either that, or it was the Earth pony’s kind words. She solemnly did what she was told, taking her place next to the Unicorn, who she had just learned was named ‘Colgate.’
The light blue Pegasus faced the tall Nightmare Moon. Nightmare looked at her with a strong glare. The general wasn’t moved, however. “Nightmare Moon,” she said simply. Her voice was surprisingly higher pitched than one would expect from her demeanor. “Some ponies in Helgen may call you a hero. But a hero doesn’t use a power like the Voice to murder the high king and usurp his throne,” she said, her brow furrowing to intimidating levels. Nightmare Moon tried to say something, but her voice was incredibly muffled. The general got right into Nightmare’s face. “You started this war! You plunged Skyrim into chaos, and now we’re going to put you down and restore our peace!” The orange Pegasus looked over at a magenta Earth pony in a hood as the general backed away. She whispered something in her ear. The Earth pony started to speak their last rites. About commending their souls to the gods and goddesses.
Words couldn’t describe the fear that was coursing through Fluttershy’s veins. She couldn’t move. She couldn’t breathe. She shook out of control and had to grit her teeth nearly to the point of cracking to keep herself from running. An Earth pony suddenly stepped forward, interrupting the priestess’s speech. She glared at him and let the captain push his head down onto the block. A larger stallion held an axe high. Fluttershy turned away as the axe came down right onto the Earth pony’s neck with an audible CRACK! A tear welled up in Fluttershy’s eye. She didn’t turn back to see the damage done. Her poor little stomach wouldn’t be able to handle it. Her shaking simply increased. The muscles in her legs simply failed to work. Her bravery simply didn’t show. She was simply terrified. The words spoken by the captain didn’t help either.
“Next, the yellow Pegasus!” Her heart sank into her gut. She felt like she could crumble right then and there. The tear that remained hidden behind her eyelid fell and slid down her face. She continued to grit her teeth, lest she look like a complete and utter weakling. She wanted to run home. Back to her mother and father and make everything better, but that wasn’t an option.
She began to walk forward with what little muscle she had, when that familiar thunder was heard. This simply made Fluttershy want to collapse more. Various mutters could be heard from the crowd. General Rainbow Dash calmed them and told them to carry on. Another yell was heard to get Fluttershy to the block. She gritted her teeth even harder as she tried to move her legs. She slowly, ever so slowly began to walk forward toward her doom. She felt like she was about to vomit. Her fear knew no bounds. She began to think of all of her little animals that wouldn’t ever see her again. They wouldn’t know to feed themselves, for they all thought that she would be back in a matter of mere days. She wasn’t coming back. It was her fault for trying to sneak into Skyrim.
It was all her fault.
She was pushed down rather forcefully by the captain. Her blood stained cheek smashed hard against the stone slab. She could feel the gooey warmth of the previous victim’s blood on her cheek and neck. Knowing of the inevitable, she closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and thought about home one last time…
A long and COLD gust of wind hit her with incredible force. Various shouts of fear and confusion emitted from the crowd. Screams of ‘Dragon!’ and ‘Monster!’ could be heard by the deaf. Fluttershy opened her eyes to see that the headscolt had been knocked over. Her life had been spared by one of the most unlikely of saviors:
The dragon looked at her with its beady red eyes. Her own eyes widened as the demon’s gaze shot right through her. She quickly stood up and began to run, but was knocked over by another gust of wind. The dragon had fired some sort of blast at her. It didn’t do much to her. It pretty much knocked her to the ground. To most, it would’ve been a simply loud roar, but to Fluttershy, she could make out a distinct word. She couldn’t quite pin what the word was, but it burrowed deep inside her. It ate into her brain and crippled her senses. She slammed her hooves to her head as the word finally exited her brain. “You! Fluttershy! Get up!” Fluttershy looked up to see Colgate, her magic restraints somehow gone. “We’ve got to get out of here! Let’s move!” She grabbed Fluttershy by the ear and pulled her to her hooves. The dragon’s roars could be heard from behind. The town was already destroyed. Fires rose from the buildings, death covered the streets, and screams were extinguished. Fluttershy and Colgate dove into a large stone tower just as a gout of fire threatened to burn them both. Colgate quickly shut the door. Fluttershy held her chest as she panted without relent. A quick force grabbed her shoulder and yanked her to her hooves once more. She turned around and backed up quickly as she saw Nightmare Moon glaring her down.
“Jarl Nightmare! What was that thing? Could all the legends be true?!” Nightmare turned around.
“Legends don’t burn down villages,” she said in a calm, silky voice. It was now that Fluttershy realized that she wasn’t wearing the gag anymore. Colgate turned to Fluttershy and back to Nightmare.
“We can trust her. I see something in her.”
“Then she comes with us,” Nightmare said, starting toward the staircase. “Come on! You first!” Fluttershy was incredibly confused to say the least. Colgate gave her a forceful push toward the stairs, much to Fluttershy’s displeasure. Her fight-or-flight response kicked in, however, causing her to unintentionally agree to this command. She bolted up the stairs as fast as possible. Halfway up the stairs, another loud bang could be heard. She looked to her right and her heart sank into her hips. The dragon was about three inches from her face. He gave off a slight breath, easily blowing Fluttershy’s hair back. His eyes widened slightly and he flew off, much to Fluttershy’s confusion. She looked down at the ground below. This was the only way out. Nightmare and Colgate alike shouted for her to jump. There was a small building adjacent to the tower that looked safe enough to land in. She reared back to jump, but she heard a loud crack. Looking up, she could see the roof begin to fall on top of her. With a loud gasp, she bolted out of the hole in the wall and rolled into the other building. She shook her head vigorously a few times to relieve her dizziness. Looking back up at the tower, she noticed that the hole had been completely covered up, preventing Colgate or Nightmare from continuing on.
Fluttershy ran down the stairs and into the street. That orange Earth pony from before ran up to her. Her face now had an intense burn mark on the side that covered her ear and cheek. She had blood covering her nose and chin. It trickled down her neck. She had ash covering her face, neck, and chest. “You doin’ alright, sugar cube? Stick with me if y’all wanna stay that way!” she yelled over the noise. Fluttershy quickly nodded. The Earth pony nodded in agreement. She put her hoof on the poor Pegasus’s shoulder and pushed her toward a hole in a building. She quickly ran through it, following the Earth pony’s instructions on how to get through without burns. A large piece of wood fell from the top floor and threatened to crush Fluttershy. The Earth pony grabbed both of her shoulders and used her back to shield the teenager.
She pushed the wood off of her back and gritted her teeth. Fluttershy started spilling out soft, pitiful “Thank you’s” and the like. The Earth pony shook her head. “Ain’t no time for this! Git a goin or we’ll both die!” Fluttershy complied and ran accordingly. “Stay close to the wall!” the Earth pony shouted. Fluttershy looked back at her in confusion, but was knocked to the ground unintentionally by the dragon’s wing. As she looked up, she could see the dragon looking toward a group of guards. It inhaled and let out a furious stream of fire, causing Fluttershy to put her hooves over her head and curl up in a defensive position. The dragon flew off. The Earth pony grabbed Fluttershy once again and dragged her to her hooves. “We gotta git ta the keep!” Fluttershy looked at her and then to where the Earth pony was looking. She was looking toward a large stone building.
The heat in the town was now starting to become unbearable. Fire was laid in the streets, not a single building remained unscratched, and not a single pony remained untouched. The dragon laid absolute waste to a once proud city. Destruction surrounded Fluttershy and the Earth pony. A tear ran down her face as she saw a small colt holding his bloody mother. She felt herself forced to the stone building. The Earth pony swung the door open with incredible force. Fluttershy ran inside and the Earth pony followed, slamming the door closed. A loud crash was heard. The Earth pony tried to open the door again, but to no avail. Fluttershy collapsed onto the ground and held her chest. She coughed loudly as she tried to catch her breath. The Earth pony heaved her chest as well. The air around them felt hot and sticky. The dragon could still be heard outside and thee danger still felt ever more present.
“Just… Just take… a quick breather…” said the Earth pony, “…in here…” She led Fluttershy to a room deeper into the keep. It had two tables, each stained with blood. The two sat down at the cleaner of the tables. They found it incredibly hard to calm down with the death that was still happening. Nevertheless, they did start to regain their composures. “Here,” said the Earth pony, taking out a small dagger, “Let me git them binds off yer wings.” She reached over and carefully cut the rope that held Fluttershy’s wings to her sides. Fluttershy stretched her wings out a bit, unknotting one of the muscles. She thanked the Earth pony yet again.
“We gotta git outta here. C’mon. This way,” she said, standing up. Fluttershy complied. The Earth pony walked toward a weapons rack and picked up a sword. “Here. Take this. Yer gonna need it,” she said handing the sword to the teen. Fluttershy started to panic yet again.
“Why am I gonna need this?! Nopony else is gonna be in here, right?! I don’t wanna hurt anypony!”
“Fluttershy,” said the Earth pony, holding the poor Pegasus’s shoulders, “If we’re gonna git outta here in one piece, we need to be able to defend ourselves. Abandon your morals for the time being. We need to be savage if we’re gonna survive.”
Fluttershy looked down at the sword. She closed her eyes and pressed her forehead to the flat edge. She started to shake. With a loud CLANG, the sword fell to the ground, followed by Fluttershy. She fell to her knees, shaking all the way. Incredibly soft sobs emitted from her lips as tears fell freely down her face. She pressed into the floor hard to somehow relieve herself of her stress. Her tears dampened the stone floor as she continued to cry. The Earth pony returned to her side.
“Fluttershy… It’ll all be okay. There’s a secret exit at the back of the keep. That’s how we’re gonna git out,” The Earth pony said comfortingly. Fluttershy heaved her chest and stomach a few times and slowly wiped her nose. She looked up at the Earth pony.
“I’m sorry… It’s just…”
“I know, sugar-cube, I know. We just gotta stay calm,” she said with a smile. “Nopony should be in here anyway. Just in case, we need some kinda weapon.”
“…Okay…” The Earth pony offered her hoof, which Fluttershy took. The Earth pony stood her up and patted Fluttershy’s ash-covered shoulder.
“By the way, m’name’s Applejack.”
“…Hi.” Applejack chuckled and started toward the door. Fluttershy slowly picked up the dirty sword and solemnly followed her savior down the stairs.
Applejack led Fluttershy to the lower levels of the keep. The heat and warmth of the dragon-fire was quickly expelled by the dampness and coldness of the dungeon. Fluttershy continued to look behind her shoulder in fear of something creeping up behind her. She always hated caves and she always hated the dark. Applejack, however, looked incredibly calm. She looked relaxed, yet vaguely troubled. That was probably obvious, though.
The sound of running water echoed throughout the dungeon. The ambience of mice and other rodents, coupled with echoes of faraway voices made a terrifying scene indeed. The sounds of the burning town and dying ponies could still be heard up above, adding to the wickedness of the dungeon. The smell of the place reeked of death. It was damp and just overall uncomfortable. It chilled both ponies to the bone, yet they knew the opposite direction would just prove worse. Neither of them could see a foot in front of their faces. The only light was the small candle in the first room. Fluttershy, however, was used to seeing in the dark, for she had to learn to be able to spot dangers. She could see the stones in the cold dungeon. Nary a stone was in perfect condition. Moss covered almost each and every one of them. They looked worn down and used beyond repair. Various sized slits and cracks covered the stones, making for an incredibly unsafe atmosphere. This made Fluttershy incredibly paranoid. She started to walk a little faster, unintentionally bumping into the Imperial. She started spewing out more soft, incessant apologies.
It was almost two complete minutes before either of them started to see a light. Applejack cringed. “Aw… Shoot, the torture room. I sure wish we didn’t need this…” Fluttershy went wide eyed yet again.
“Torture room?!” Applejack put her hoof over the teen’s mouth as a voice could be heard. She let go of the Pegasus and put a hoof over her own mouth, signaling her to be quiet. Fluttershy donned a look of fear and nodded. Applejack whispered in her ear to stay put, causing Fluttershy to quickly nod again and sit down. A quiet plop echoed throughout the dungeon at this action. Applejack gritted her teeth and turned around. She slowly pulled out her sword. More voices could be heard. Applejack quickly spun around and lurched forward, threatening to slice through someone’s neck. She backed the pony to the ground, only to realize that this was the torturer herself. The torturer had fur that was almost the same color as Fluttershy’s, though arguably lighter. She had water blue hair that was in a poorly kept fashion, though that was sort of hard to tell, considering it was under a hood.
“Raindrops… What’re you still doin’ here?” asked Applejack, sheathing her sword.
“I’m just doing my job,” said Raindrops, standing up with some help from Applejack. She brushed some dust off of her flank with scoff. “What happened to you?” she asked, examining Applejack’s dirty face. Applejack did look rather… damaged. Besides the ash, blood, dust, and wood chips she had on her face and neck, leaving no fur exposed, her armor was completely shredded. The outer leather portion was almost completely removed. The inner red cloth was also battered and bloody. Ash and dust covered the fabric. Her hair was almost no longer blonde. It was greasy and stringy, also covered in ash, dust, woodchips, and cobwebs.
“Y’all don’t know? A dragon is attackin’ Helgen!”
“A dragon? Don’t be ridiculous! Dragons are just myths,” said Raindrops turning toward a desk. She sat down and began writing something. After a moment or two, she looked back up at Applejack, who was still staring at her. “What?”
“Yer not gonna help us?” asked Applejack, raising an eyebrow. Raindrops sighed, pulling down her hood.
“If I wanted to help you, I would’ve already gone and… Who’s us?” Raindrops asked, looking behind the Imperial. Applejack turned around with a sigh and looked around the corner. Fluttershy was sitting in the corner in the dark. She had a cobweb in her hair, but she didn’t seem to notice. Applejack nodded to her friend. Fluttershy slowly stood up and shuffled around the corner, looking away when she saw the other Pegasus.
“Who’s this?” asked Raindrops. She stood up and walked toward the teen. Fluttershy backed up a little. A soft whimper could be heard from her as Raindrops neared closer. Raindrops stared into the teen’s eyes. She looked… bewildered by something. She turned around quickly and whispered something, something that was inaudible to the others’ ears. She picked up a small black book and stuffed it into her saddlebag. “Anyway,” she continued, “You two need to get out of here? The exit’s that way,” she said, nodding toward the mouth of a cave.
“Yer not comin’ with us?” asked Applejack, stopping Raindrops from walking away.
“I have… things to do,” said Raindrops, eyeing her book once again. Applejack tried to peek at it, but was blocked by one of Raindrops’ wings.
“Fine. Have it yer way. C’mon, Fluttershy,” said Applejack, walking toward the cave. Fluttershy slowly followed, sneaking peeks at Raindrops. Raindrops sat down at her desk and quickly opened the book. She looked up at the teen one last time and quickly back to her page.
“No,” she started, “It couldn’t be…” Fluttershy blinked once and continued to follow Applejack into the cave.
The cave was even worse than the dungeon. It smelled of not only death, but of troll. The scent of troll was all but familiar to the two ponies. Fluttershy had seen a troll maybe once, but that was only a troll cub separated from its mother. Applejack had seen a whole pack of trolls once, but that was a long time ago, when she had first joined the Imperial Legion. The smell of troll was like the foulest of foul smells. Trolls never bathe, not even for comfort. They had long hair and tough, gorilla-like bodies. They weren’t too small either, so they emitted even more of their stench. The smell was spread across the cave, causing Fluttershy to go a tad dizzy.
It was even damper and noisier in the cave as well. More echoes spread throughout the tunnel, causing a constant ear-splitting ambience that wouldn’t cease or let up in the slightest. It was colder in the cave as well. It caused even Applejack, in her layers and layers of hard leather and fabric, to shiver out of control. The sound of running water was ever-more present. Fluttershy didn’t know where the wetness in caves came from, but there was a lot of it here. It threatened to let Fluttershy slip to her flank and tumble down the slope a few times.
After a good five minutes of walking downwards, the two ponies finally came to a flat section of rock. The source of the sounds of running water was finally spotted. A small stream worked its way through the cave from a tiny hole high on the wall. Applejack ceased walking.
“Hold on,” she said, stopping Fluttershy. “Let’s wash some a’ this gunk off our faces, huh?” Fluttershy looked down at her chest and forelegs. They, as well as Applejack’s, were covered in ash, dust, and all else I already covered. They used to be soft, silky yellow, but were now a dusty charcoal gray. Streaks of red also ran down her neck, chest, and legs. She looked back at the Earth pony and nodded. She didn’t mean to take a complete shower, but wanted to at least partially wash herself down.
Applejack stepped over to the tiny waterfall and dipped her face in. Fluttershy copied the action and used one of her hooves to somewhat scrub her cheeks and forehead. The water was ice cold, but the relief of getting at least a little clean was too great for Fluttershy to care. She had been sweaty and dirty for too long. As she partially opened her eye, she could see globs of wet ash falling from her face. She brushed her hoof through her hair to try to get some of the gunk out. She quickly pulled out of the refreshing water when she heard a faint noise. She pulled out her sword with a bit of effort and scanned the area, ignoring the strands of wet hair in her eyes. She held her sword straight out. Her ear perked up as she realized what the noise was. She looked over to her friend as she realized it was simply Applejack humming a quiet tune. Fluttershy sheathed her sword (very clumsily I might add) and sighed. With a wild shake of her head, she dried her still dirty hair. After a few moments, Applejack shook her hair dry and blinked a few times.
“Well, now if that don’t feel much better!” she said cheerily, “C’mon. We still got a ways to go.” At this news Fluttershy fell short of breath. She wanted this to be over as soon as possible. She didn’t think she had it in herself to go any further. After she had nearly been killed by an executioner, killed by a dragon and forced into a scary cave with the news that she might have to kill somebody herself, she felt quite drained. With a few pops of her bones, she stood up and the two continued their trek.
The cave soon opened up into a much wider room. Cobwebs and giant sticky sacks hanging from the ceiling presented an ominous scene. In these sacks were the faint remnants of… skeletons. Fluttershy’s eyes widened as the unthinkable started to crawl out of a crack in the far wall. Applejack pulled out her sword and reared back as the beasts crawled closer. These monsters frightened both of them to no end. They had eight visible eyes. They were covered in a hard exoskeleton that was also covered in small sharp hairs. They were as big as a large dog at least. They had giant fangs that hung down from their tiny head. But the worst parts were the legs. Eight of them. All moving independently.
Fluttershy had been bitten by a Frostbite Spider before as a child, and had hoped never to see one again. Especially not one that was charging directly at her. She quickly pulled out her sword, again, with a bit of effort, and dashed backward. Applejack began hacking at the beasts, which started to spew an odd green liquid. Applejack seemed to fend them off without effort, but there simply too many. Fluttershy could only watch in horror as Applejack was disarmed by a larger spider. The arthropod threw the sword across the cave and continued rushing at the Imperial.
Applejack pulled out her dagger and dug it straight into the largest of the foul monster’s eyes. The creature retreated, but two more took its place. Applejack stomped on one and crushed its small head, but the other caught her off guard and bit down on her back with its long black fang. Applejack let out a long scream as the venom entered her bloodstream. It felt as though someone had taken a match and lit it inside of her. Her very bones seemed to catch fire. Her heart failed to work properly and her lungs seemed to turn to stone.
She pushed the spider off of her and hazily stabbed it with her dagger. The wounded one from before caught her off guard as well and tackled her. Applejack found herself on her back with the giant spider over her. She gritted her teeth and kicked the spider as best she could, but could find no such strength. She could start to see spots before her eyes. The spider’s face seemed to float away into who knows where. The spider reared back and prepared its fangs for the final blow. Applejack gazed into the spiders open mouth. It had rows of tiny, sharp teeth that welcomed her flesh. She closed her eyes and waited for the end…
A loud yell was heard as the weight on her shoulders was suddenly lifted. She opened her eyes again to see that puny little Pegasus on top of the giant spider, stabbing its stomach and head repeatedly with her dented sword. The spider shrieked in pain and terror as the small Pegasus repeatedly dug her blade into it, spilling its blood onto her and the floor of the cave. Soon enough, the spider stopped moving altogether, but Fluttershy continued to stab it. She continued to stab the lifeless husk over and over, not a single hint of tiredness showing through. Just pure, unadulterated rage. Applejack forced herself to her hooves and stumbled over to her friend. She collapsed just behind her though, but she was at least in arm’s length. She held Fluttershy’s shoulder. Fluttershy ceased her outburst and shook a bit. She dropped her sword and leaned forward, letting a tear flow out of her eye. She stared wide-eyed at the lifeless bug. Applejack kept her hoof on the poor mare’s shoulder. Fluttershy suddenly snapped out of her trance and looked at the bleeding Imperial. She quickly started spewing out soft apologies, to which Applejack calmly put her hoof on the girl’s lips.
“What’re… Nng… What’re you apologizin’ for? You… You saved… my life…” she said through long breaths.
“I… I didn’t mean to turn into a psycho like that! I just… We need to get you out of here…” She ripped off a piece of Applejack’s red inner shirt and apologized again. She turned the Earth pony over, much to Applejack’s displeasure. Fluttershy wrapped some of the fabric around the wound. “That should stop some of the bleeding,” she said, throwing the larger pony over her back. With a loud grunt, she slowly started to trudge forward.
“Not… Not much further,” said Applejack. She put her hoof on her mouth. When she pulled it away to examine it, she noticed a lot of blood, and a bit of white foam. It was as Applejack feared. She had in fact been poisoned by the spider. It had already entered her bloodstream and was causing her to foam and bleed at the mouth. She only had about a day left or she would be dead. Fluttershy trudged up a small incline. Snow started to cover the rock and a light could be seen in the distance. Fluttershy was relieved at the sight of trees in the light. The air suddenly began to get warmer. Fluttershy, now with a burst of confidence, walked a little faster. Suddenly, a gust of wind was felt. Applejack instructed Fluttershy to get down as soon as she exited the cave. The teen was confused, but followed the instructions. The second she ducked behind a rock, the black dragon vigorously flapped its wings overhead. Fluttershy gasped, but Applejack put a hoof over her mouth. The dragon let out a long, triumphant roar and continued to fly south into the distance.
“Looks like he’s gone for good this time,” whispered Fluttershy. With a considerable bit of force, she stood up and clumsily walked down the hill. The scene had changed immensely. The air was warmer, the atmosphere was nicer, and the all-around scenery was much more welcoming. Fluttershy inhaled a long breath of fresh air. “Where’s the nearest town? She asked the pony on her back.
“R… Riverwood… My… My brother’s the… blacksmith there… Guh… He… He’ll help us out… My sister’s… a mage… She’ll… get us fixed up… quick,” she struggled out quietly.
“Never mind me, Applejack. We need to help YOU. I’ve seen frostbite poisoning before… You only have about twelve hours left. That spider really got you too,” she whispered.
“Fine… Should be… a few… minutes to…”
“Just keep quiet… erm… please… If you relax, it’ll help. I’ll get us there in no time.”
“Flut…ter…shy…?”
“Yes?”
“Wrong… way…” Fluttershy looked at the Earth pony quickly and then to the path. She giggled nervously and turned around.
The path to Riverwood seemed to take hours. It would’ve taken forever in different circumstances, but now Fluttershy had to carry a wounded soldier on her back. Applejack, though not the biggest pony she’d ever seen, was pretty damned muscular for her probable age. Training must have been brutal in the legion. She had to have at least ten extra pounds in muscle alone. The poor Pegasus had sweat running down her forehead and cheek in no time. It took all of her little muscles to simply move forward.
After what seemed like an hour, a small stone arch was in sight. Fluttershy felt as if her legs were about to crumble. On the other side of the arch, she could see an even more buff red Earth pony tending to a smithy. Fluttershy could only assume that this was Applejack’s brother. She hoped it was her brother. With two steps into the village, one of her knees failed to lock and she fell onto her side, dropping Applejack. The blacksmith noticed this, and quickly ran over to them, hopping over the wooden railing. He picked up Applejack with care. Fluttershy panted and she noticed that Applejack had passed out. She ever so slowly and shakily stood up, sweat pouring off of her. There was already a puddle of sweat beneath her. The buff red pony brought Applejack into the open workshop and laid her down on a wooden table. Another, smaller Earth pony bolted out of the small house. She looked to be just a few years younger than Fluttershy, about fifteen or sixteen. She had deep red hair and a small bow on her head. Her coat was that of an extremely light yellow. Her eyes were a deep orange. She started talking to the other Earth pony. Fluttershy began to climb the three stairs that led to the workshop. Fluttershy could hear the worry in the younger Earth pony’s voice. The young Earth pony turned to Fluttershy. “What’re you gawkin’ at?! We’re in the middle a somethin’ here!” The larger Earth pony said something into her ear. “Oh… Well, in that case, I’m Applebloom!” Fluttershy smiled a very nervous smile. “This is our brother Big Macintosh.”
“Then come on,” said Big Macintosh. Applebloom lit up her hooves with a golden light. She trotted over to her sister and pressed her hooves to the wound. Big Macintosh stepped back a little. “You,” he said to Fluttershy, “You brought her here. Thank you.”
“I- It wasn’t all that important. I just…”
“If there’s anything you need, just ask,” he said, facing her completely.
“U- Um… I don’t wanna impose…” She blushed a bit and sat down. She bit her lip. Imposing was the VERY least thing she liked to do to ponies. If she could avoid asking for a favor, she would.
“You saved my sister’s life. Anything.”
“Could…” Fluttershy tried to get the words just right. “Could… I… have something to… eat…?”
“Eeyup,” said Big Macintosh, “My granny’s inside. Just ask ‘er and tell ‘er I said it was okay.” Fluttershy’s head sank into her shoulders. She forced a smile and slowly backed up. She opened the splintery door to the small house. The floorboards made a loud creak as she stepped inside.
“Eh?! Who’s there?!” shouted a voice. The voice sounded elderly. Fluttershy looked around the house, but found no one. The house looked… warm. There was a certain comfort to it. A few candles lit up the room and gave it a pleasant smell. Fluttershy sniffed around. The smell of bread and apples filled the house. It made Fluttershy’s gut roar to her. She took one more step in and shut the door. The entire house had a homely atmosphere to it. The colors were of warm oranges and browns.
“I… I’m a friend of… Applejack’s…” A green-coated elderly mare shuffled out of the hall and into the den.
“A friend of Applejack’s you say? Well, a friend of Applejack’s is a friend of ours! How is the little soldier mare doin’?” Fluttershy’s jaw hung open for a second as she thought of how to break this to the poor old mare.
“Um… She’s been better… There’s… There’s been an attack in Helgen…”
“Helgen? That lawmare town to the southwest? What happened? Tell me all about it.” Fluttershy proceeded to hesitantly tell the old mare about the dragon attack. She told her about the keep, the torturer, and the spiders. She began to trail off when she spoke of defeating the spiders.
Her eighteen year old mind was hard at work comprehending just what happened with that last one. She’d never held a sword in her life, yet she managed to kill the biggest spider of the bunch. Perhaps it was because Applejack had already weakened it. Maybe it was because she caught it off guard. Nevertheless, she managed to kill it, and was still covered in its dark green blood. She contemplated on why she blacked out during the whole deal. She saw Applejack fight them off, and she saw Applejack get bitten, but that was precisely where she couldn’t remember anything else. The next thing she knew, she was covered in blood on top of the spider. Some sort of primal rage kicked in when she saw Applejack get hurt. It took over her fear and lurched her forward. It was an unfamiliar instinct to protect her friend in her time of need. She had felt nothing of the like before. And it intrigued her. Not only did it frighten and catch her interest… but it entertained her.
Under all of the stress, fear, and confusion, she almost enjoyed that little burst of strength.
But that wasn’t important right now. Right now she had to get something to eat, or her stomach would implode in on itself. And she didn’t even have to ask, for the old mare pulled out a chair at the table.
“You must be exhausted, deary! Come, come! Come sit and have something to eat! You’ve well earned it.” Fluttershy smiled and nodded, her shoulders lowering in relief a bit. She kindly sat down as the old mare plopped a plate of apples and bread in front of her. The poor teen tried her very hardest to eat politely, but her body simply wouldn’t allow it. She couldn’t help but quickly scarf down the food. After a couple platefuls, she sat back and put a hoof on her stomach. She wiped her lips with a napkin politely, though at that point it was a little late for pleasantries.
“Thank you, ma’am,” she said, standing up, “It was delicious.”
“Please, you can call me Granny Smith. Everypony does here in Riverwood,” she said, washing off a plate. “You’ve done my family an incredible favor. But… There is another thing that I think you might be capable of…” Fluttershy’s eyes widened.
“L- Like what…?” she asked. She cringed at the thought of any more danger.
“If a dragon is on the loose, well then, we here in Riverwood are defenseless. If you could, d’you think you could make a quick trip to Whiterun and tell the Jarl of our situation? She could send troops. It won’t be much, but it’ll give us a little more sense of security,” she said, walking closer to Fluttershy. Fluttershy stuttered a bit.
“Wh- Where’s Wh- Whiterun…?”
“Oh, it’s just up the pathway a bit. Jarl Cadence shouldn’t be too hard to talk to. She’s just a little… paranoid is all,” said Granny Smith as she sat down in a rocking chair.
“U- Um… I- I…” Fluttershy saw the desperateness in the old mare’s eyes. “I… I’ll do it…” she said, hanging her head.
“Wonderful! Here, you don’t have to leave right away. Head out tomorrow morning. Stay here and relax for the night.”
“… Th- Thank you… Um… Do you have a shower anywhere…?”
“Of course, deary. It’s down the hall on the left in the back.” Fluttershy thanked her once again. She noticed through the window that the sun was beginning to set. She slowly walked into the bathroom and shut the door.
Fluttershy awoke to the sounds of birds chirping outside. It was a familiar, yet welcome noise. The sweet scent of bread and apples once again filled her nose. She inhaled deeply, taking in the variety of pleasant smells, and then slowly exhaled. The light shining on her face was a pleasant one. It warmed her. She began to fall asleep, but her eyes shot open when she realized the situation she was still in. She closed her eyes tight and cursed the world. As if on cue to her emotions, a cloud drifted in front of the sun, darkening the sky. The birds seemed to stop singing all together and the entire world began to darken.
She brushed a few strands of hair out of her face and sat up. She was now as clean and comfortable as she’d been in a long while. Her yellow coat was now as smooth as silk and her delicate face smelled of apples. Her hair was as soft as the feathers of a duckling. She slowly stood up and stretched herself. With a few rolls of her shoulders and head, her tight bones loosened and she was ready to head out. Out into the living room, to be more precise.
The floorboards made very loud squeals as she tip-toed into the den, rendering the action of tip-hoofing pointless. She almost hoped that nobody was awake so she could just take her leave in peace. Sadly, everybody but Applejack was sitting at the table. Fluttershy sighed a bit. That mare, Applebloom noticed her first. She smiled at her and Fluttershy forced a smile back. She didn’t mind being around ponies, but given the circumstances, she’d rather just be alone. The house had little circles and ovals of light coming in from the various cracks in the walls, partially lighting the small house. The Pegasus politely sat down. To her surprise, a plate of food was already there for her. It looked and smelled delicious. There was a cup of water for each of them (though Big Macintosh found more comfort with a bottle of mead). They all made their greetings and Fluttershy proceeded to enjoy her breakfast.
“So… um… Where’s… Where’s Applejack…?” asked Fluttershy, hiding her mouth in her cup.
“Oh, she’ll be in bed fer the next couple’a days,” said the old mare. Fluttershy nodded. She was all too familiar with frostbite poisoning, as she herself had gotten bitten when she was just five years old. That was easily the worst month of her life, spending all of her time in bed with her leg elevated. The boredom nearly killed her, even more than the venom would have.
“…Um… When… When did you want me to… head out?” asked the Pegasus nervously. Applebloom shrugged.
“We figured the sooner y’all head out, the better,” she said, taking another sip of her water. Fluttershy whimpered a little. “We cain’t go witcha, though… We got things we need to do here.” Fluttershy let out a soft squeal and once again whimpered quietly. It was bad enough she couldn’t just remain in peace and possibly make the journey home, but now she had to go alone into unknown territory. Big Macintosh stood up and pointed to Fluttershy’s plate.
“You done?”
“…Y- Yes sir…”
“Follow me,” said the stallion. Fluttershy slowly stood up and followed him outside. The two mares called out to her, shouting various ‘Good lucks!’ and ‘Be safes!’ and the like. Fluttershy looked back at them one last time before closing the door. Big Macintosh led Fluttershy to his smithy.
“Here,” he said, motioning to a table, “Take these.” Fluttershy noticed that the smith had laid out steel shin-guards, a steel chest-plate, and an iron sword, this one in much better shape than the last one. There was also a hunting bow next to quiver of arrows. Fluttershy backed up at the array of war tools.
“Y-You want me t-to take all th-that…?” asked the poor Pegasus, trembling as she pointed to the table.
“Eeyup. I got a friend in Whiterun. Should be able to teach ya. Ask around for Braeburn,” said the stallion, picking up the chest-plate. He handed it to the Pegasus, causing her to nearly drop it. She looked back up at the smith with a blush and an embarrassed smile. “I-It’s… heavy.” “Hey, Big Mac! I need your help with this!” a voice called out from another building.
“Good luck, Fluttershy,” said the stallion. He walked past her and went toward the other house, leaving the poor mare alone in the workshop. She sat down on a stool and fiddled around with the armor. It was an incredibly shiny steel with little dirt on it. Fluttershy assumed that it had just recently been crafted. The belt straps and loops confused the teen to no end. She tried her hardest to figure it out, but to no avail. With a loud sigh, she placed the armor back on the table. She noticed another set of armor just next to the shiny steel. It was mostly leather. It looked as if it wrapped around the shoulders, with little metal. Just an iron circle on the chest. The armor was more made of straps than actual armor. The only solid armor section was in the front and back. The shoulders had furry sections that covered the top of the shoulder.
And it looked perfect for Fluttershy.
She smiled to herself as she slipped on the leather armor with ease. This was much less complicated than the heavy steel armor. Even the leather shin-guards were lighter and easier to put on. With a few zips and pulls, the armor was perfectly fitted onto the little mare. She smiled at the perfectness of it all. She grabbed the iron sword, which wasn’t much heavier than the last one, and slipped it into its sheath. She strapped the sheath around her back as she had done before. The new sword was perfectly placed at her side. Believe it or not, Fluttershy had actually used a hunting bow before, but that was long, LONG ago when her mother tried to teach her how to hunt. The poor filly just never had it in her to kill an innocent animal. The mare firmly placed the bow on the quiver of arrows, and fastened the combo to her back.
She was ready for anything At least as far as she was concerned. And with that, she was off to Whiterun. It was still morning and the grass was still dewy. The sun was still sitting on the mountains and the morning birds were still chirping. As she approached the bridge exiting the village, she immediately regretted it all. Deep inside, she wished that she really had gotten executed at Helgen. That way, she wouldn’t have to face any more danger. But that was in the past. She had survived, and she had already made some friends.
Speak of the devil, she heard someone call her name. The voice sounded familiar. As the mare turned around, she saw Applejack lazily trotting toward her. She now had no armor on, but she had a thick bandage wrapped around her stomach, thickening around her wound on her back.
“Applejack?! Why aren’t you in bed?!” asked the Pegasus, meeting the Earth pony half way.
“I came to tell you… I sent a letter to… to Solitude. To the Imperials. You’ve more'n earned your pardon. You’re not a fugitive… anymore, Fluttershy,” said Applejack, putting her hoof on the Pegasus’s shoulder. Fluttershy smiled and put her hoof on Applejack’s.
“… Thank you, Applejack. I won’t forget this. I’ll come back as soon as I can.”
“No. Stay in Whiterun as long as you can… It’s safer there. And here… Take this. It might not mean much to you, but here in Skyrim… It’s a symbol of honor.” The Earth pony grabbed a helmet from her back. It was an iron helmet. It had triangular eye slots and a rough demeanor. Its key features, however, were two yellowed horns attached firmly to the sides of it. The teen slowly took it and looked at her friend. Smiling, she placed it on her head. The inside was lightly padded.
“I’ll come back someday,” she said with a wider smile.
“I look forward to it… friend.” They both pulled each other in for a hug. Applejack pulled away after a moment. “Git to Whiterun. We’ll be okay.”
“Goodbye, Applejack.” Applejack backed away into the village as Fluttershy crossed the bridge into the wilderness. Perhaps this wasn’t going to be such a bitter journey after all. Fluttershy walked into the forest humming her favorite traveling tune, one that was sadly underused in her case.
Fluttershy continued her trek down the cobblestone path. The path was flanked by dense forestation on both sides. The sounds of animals speaking with each other could be heard in the distance. Flies buzzed around the mare’s armored head. Fluttershy was now in her element. She loved nature as much as she loved her animals, and that was saying a lot. There were some aspects of the wild, of course, that Fluttershy didn’t take to her liking. There were the bugs, but they didn’t bother the mare too much. They were more of a distraction than an actual problem. A nuisance, would be the correct term. There were, of course, the less than hospitable wildlife; wolves, coyotes, bears, Frostbite Spiders, and no one can forget trolls. Trolls were especially frightening to the Pegasus. They had three eyes, all soulless and evil-natured. Trolls themselves weren’t evil, but they were as infamous as infamous can get. The only time Fluttershy had ever felt the need to get near one was when she was seven, when she had found a lost troll cub. Trying to nurture it back to health, she found that it wasn’t lost at all; that the mother had simply gone to look for food. The poor little Pegasus barely escaped with her life. The only thing worse than trolls were frost trolls. They were much more aggressive, much tougher, and above all, much stronger than their brown-haired cousins. Their fur was that of a pure white, effectively camouflaging them in the tundra’s they call their homes. They lived in the mountains, so they weren’t much of a problem to Fluttershy, but their reputation had more than locked themselves deep into her subconscious. Travelers and merchants Fluttershy had met coming out of Skyrim often had stories of the beasts. Some naïve travelers wandering in the mountains sometimes confused the monsters for some type of ‘abominable snowmen.’ The thought sometimes made Fluttershy chuckle, but the danger still loomed in her head. You can call a Frostbite Spider a honeybee, but they were still terrifying.
But Fluttershy had pushed out the thoughts of danger from her head. She had to, otherwise she would just find a log to hide under and stay there for the rest of her life. She walked quickly down the path, looking into nothing. Her focus was on following the path to Whiterun, lest she get lost in this land she was not familiar with. She seemed to lose her focus in her train of thought, though. Thinking of trolls and other nasty things clouded her sense of direction, and she was suddenly off the path and in the middle of the thicket. Her eyes widened as she realized this, and she immediately started to panic. To make matters worse, she could hear the howling of wolves in the distance. She had heard stories of the wolves in Skyrim. They were in no way like the other wolves of the world. They were feral, savage beasts who took kindly to no one but their own kind.
Sure enough, after a few moments, the howling stopped and was replaced by the sounds of heavy breathing; the kind that one makes only when they are running, and Fluttershy was still in the same place. She turned around quickly to find a dark gray wolf running straight at her. She let out a loud yelp as the wolf jumped at her. She quickly ducked and the wolf jumped clean over her. They both turned to face each other. Fluttershy pulled out her sword and pointed it at the wolf.
“N-Nice wolf… I j-just… wanna get to Wh-Whiterun… P-Please let me g-go…” The wolf of course did not listen, and pounced toward the teen yet again. Fluttershy yelped once again as the wolf jumped straight into the sword. Its blood spilled onto the blade and onto Fluttershy’s hoof. The wolf squealed a bit before letting out one final breath. It slipped off the sword and lied dead on the ground, blood spilling out of the wound on its shoulder. Fluttershy shook hard and looked down at her bloodied hoof and sword. She gritted her teeth and quickly walked away. She sheathed the sword and started to run. Very soon, she found herself in a full sprint down the way she came. After a long while of running, she found herself back on the very path she lost herself on. She sighed through her short, rapid breaths. The pegasus trotted over to a tree and tried her hardest to rub some of the wolf blood off of her, with little avail. She pulled away from it and continued to tremble vigorously. Killing a giant spider was one thing, killing a warm-blooded wolf was another.
The teen examined her surroundings for a quick moment. She was on the path, yes, but this section of the path was new to her. It now bordered a steep hill. Below the hill lied a small, two story house with a garden and a farm. Beyond that was a short stretch of field that led to a large stone wall. Within the wall, large buildings could be seen. Fluttershy looked toward the city and then too a sign next to her. It had an arrow on it that read:
“ß Whiterun”
Fluttershy had reached her destination, and words could not describe her relief. Her right foreleg was still covered in blood, though being partially smeared. Its smell filled her nose, much to her displeasure. She widened the gap between her nose and foreleg as best she could, but sadly, her neck was only so long.
The mare decided to disregard it for the time being and somehow wash it off later. She had a city to get to, and she wasn’t but a mile away now. And so she trudged on, leaving behind all worries. She was too filled with relief. The journey hadn’t been a journey at all, but a rather… uncouth walk in the forest.
As Fluttershy walked further, she could hear distant yelling. In an unexpected event, her curiosity took over her state of security. She trotted toward the screaming. As she neared closer, and she was near a patch of farmland now, she could notice the sound of roaring. Normally, she would’ve turned tail and ran by then, but she continued to sneak forward. Very shortly, she was behind a wooden fence pole, looking on at the battle taking place before her.
Three bulky warriors were fighting what looked to be an incredibly tall pony. Blood was draped across the warriors’ armor and faces, and they seemed to… enjoy it. The tall pony had albino white fur and a long grey beard. It had patches of bare skin all across its body. It wore nothing and held an enormous club. Though, tall wasn’t exactly the correct term. It was… monstrous. Gargantuan. Sickly.
The warriors were mostly male. There was one female. The female had a mint green coat, half covered in fur wrappings. She had messy green hair that had a patch of nearly-white green, split apart by a small horn. She held a steel sword, of the like Fluttershy hadn’t seen before. The steel looked perfect and shiny. It looked as if it had been crafted by the most skilled blacksmith in the world. For some reason, it caught Fluttershy’s eye more than the battle itself did. She seemed… intrigued by its make. It didn’t look too heavy, it looked sturdy, and it looked SHARP. The blade looked as if it could cut through armor like it was butter. And it certainly could cut through the flesh of a giant, as hinted by the splatter of blood that nearly reached the hidden pegasus herself. This certainly got her attention as well. The splatter of fresh blood seemed to shock her out of her state of wonder. As she backed up and looked up again, she noticed that the giant had fallen. Its corpse was a simple heap on the ground, a pile of white, pink, and red. The warriors sheathed their swords and passed smiles and laughs to each other. One of them nodded to Fluttershy, causing the female to look behind her shoulder. She passed her a glance then nodded to her friends. The two males trotted away, but the female started toward Fluttershy. Needless to say, the poor pegasus was terrified. For some odd reason, she was better off watching them kill a giant, then to actually meet the warriors. She backed away until she tripped over a large rock and fell onto her rear. She straightened her back and sat up to meet the warrior.
“Enjoy the show?” said the Unicorn, a smug smile on her face. Fluttershy simply stammered out words that didn’t even sound like words. The Unicorn’s smile widened. “I thought so.” She seemed to examine the teen, focusing on her right side. “What kinda blood you got there?”
“U-Um… W-Wolf… blood…” stammered the poor mare. The Unicorn’s smile faded a little.
“Wolf blood… Hm…”
“I-I didn’t mean to kill it! It rushed at me a-and I had to… I’m sorry!”
“Hey, any kinda blood is good blood, eh?” said the Unicorn, patting Fluttershy on her red shoulder. Fluttershy was… confused to say the least. The Unicorn’s odd behavior got her thinking. Is this how warriors act? Are the stories of war heroes bathing in the blood of their enemies, enjoying every second of it, true?
“I… I should… suppose…” and she meant to finish with ‘not,’ but the Unicorn let out a long gout of laughter, interrupting the Pegasus.
“That’s the spirit!” said the Unicorn with a final chuckle, “Name’s Lyra. If ya think ya got what it takes, you should join up with the Companions here in Whiterun. I think you’ll make a fine addition to our little… family.” Fluttershy continue to stammer in an inaudible tone. Lyra laughed and patted her shoulder once again. She rather forcefully pulled the Pegasus to her feet. “Just ask around and you’ll find your way home.” Fluttershy backed up a little as the Unicorn galloped away. She stopped and slowed when she caught up to her friends. Fluttershy let out a long, breathy sigh and continued to the gates. She noticed that for some reason, the warriors didn’t turn to enter the gate, instead continued forward. Thinking they had… well… war to get to, Fluttershy thought nothing of it.
The smell of wolf blood was still deep in Fluttershy’s nose. It racked up her nerves to the extremes and left her no chance of calming down, at least not anytime soon. The path up to the large gate was surrounded by guard posts, each containing two to four guards each. The guards wore armor head to hoof, leaving no fur visible. Their helmets looked strong, made of gray iron. Their chests were covered by a yellow tunic, obviously covering thick chain-mail. They all held different weapons. Some held greatswords, some held maces, and some held spears. They eyed the Pegasus through their dark, soulless helmets. As Fluttershy neared the enormous pale yellow gate, one of the guards approached her.
“Halt!” Fluttershy stopped dead in her tracks and complied with another flurry of inaudible squeals and squeaks. “The city’s closed with dragons about! Official business only!”
“Oh, okay!” Fluttershy said aloud. She began to trot away with a much overacted smile on her face. As she trotted through one of the many stone archways leading up to the gate, her eyes widened, as if she had forgotten completely her objective. She stopped and scolded herself. Turning around, she noticed that the guard had returned to the side of the gate. The mare sighed and rubbed her brow through her helmet. With a few mental rehearsals of what to say, she eased her way back up to the gateway, much to the guard’s annoyance. “U-Um… I… I actually do have… o-official business…”
“Like what?” asked the guard in a condescending tone. He walked forward and met the Pegasus again. Fluttershy had hoped dearly that her previous statement would be enough, but she knew that it would most certainly not be.
“U-Uh… I-I have to… talk to… erm…” The teen tried to remember what the old mare back in Riverwood said.
She remembered Granny Smith sitting down in her rocking chair.
‘Jarl Cadence shouldn’t be too hard to talk to. She’s just a little… paranoid is all.’
The voice replayed in her head like it was just said a few moments ago.
“I have to talk to Jarl… C… Cadence…? I-It’s about the dragons… and Helgen and Riverwood…” The guard paused for a moment, as if to think about whether or not this little Pegasus is telling the truth or not.
“…Fine. But we’ll be keeping an eye on you. The Jarl is up in Dragonsreach, the palace in the cloud district. Hard to miss.”
“…Th-Thank you…” The guard stepped back and pushed the enormous gate open. Fluttershy walked in and took in the sights on the city. Tall, but not wide, houses lined the road. A blacksmith was pounding on a piece of metal to her right. Many paths strayed away from the main road, leading to other streets with other houses. A two-story house near the entrance had a cheap ‘For Sale 5000 gold’ sign on it. Many, many ponies walked the streets and conversed with each other. Fluttershy looked above the buildings. A large palace could be seen towering above the city. That must’ve been Dragonsreach.
Fluttershy walked through the street and weaved through the crowd. Some ponies took notice of her warrior guise and blood-stained foreleg. They also took notice of her bloodied sword and large hunting bow. Whispers could be heard, of whether she’s a hunter, or if she’s a Companion, or some sort of bandit. All three put Fluttershy into a state of unease. These Companions started to sound even more like an uncomfortable mess.
The Pegasus, tired of ponies staring at her, decided to take a short cut. She flapped her wings and rose above the buildings. Fluttershy didn’t usually fly often for fear of falling to her doom. She had no problem, however, flying low to the ground or just above a house. Unlike most other Pegasi, she didn’t take to the clouds and reside within their soft embrace. She didn’t bathe in the wetness and cleanliness of them, nor did she push them around and make them her home. She was content being on the ground, hooves flat on the earth. That was safer anyway, for she never knew if a cloud would hold her weight (what little weight she had), even though cities had been built out of them. Any time she could sink right through and fall to her death.
This was one of the rare cases in which she didn’t care about falling. She didn’t care about her wings suddenly failing her. She just wanted to get to Dragonsreach and get this journey over. Riverwood might as well have been called heaven. All the poor mare wanted was to get back to a life of peace. Little did she know, peace wouldn’t call her name for a long, LONG while.
With a bit of effort, the armored Pegasus landed in front of the large doors that led to the palace. The two guards eyed her, but stepped out of the way. Fluttershy softly thanked them (causing the guards to roll their eyes) and slowly pushed the gate open. The inside of the palace was just as large as she imagined it to be. It was a long way to the throne. The long stretch of carpet was decorated a warm shade of pink. To maids tended to the quality of the floors on either side of the baffled Pegasus. Large, almost indescribable archways welcomed visitors to the hall. A small set of stairs led to the main section of the palace, which was equally as grand. As Fluttershy walked up these steps, the maids begrudgingly cleaned her tracks of mud and dirt, to which Fluttershy was completely oblivious.
The teen also noticed the long tables, at which three foals, one maid, and one gray Pegasus was sitting. The gray Pegasus had messy, blonde hair. She was eating what looked to be a muffin. Fluttershy walked past this mare, noticing the happiness of her atmosphere. The second she looked forward, she bumped into someone. She backed up and quickly started apologizing. She gazed up at this tall stallion. He had clean white fur, covered by thick, steel, shining armor. His hair was a deep shade of blue, with highlights running through it. His gaze was intense, and his eyes were just as blue as his hair. He didn’t look as hulking or buff as Big Macintosh, but he certainly looked as if he could whip Big Macintosh’s plot all the way to Morrowind.
“What’s the meaning of this interruption?” he said in a stern, yet somehow laid back voice. “We’re in the middle of a discussion. The Jarl’s not taking visitors.”
“U- Um…” Though he somehow didn’t seem a threat, Fluttershy was nearly wetting herself. “I-I want to… talk to Jarl… Cadence…”
“Who doesn’t?” ask the stallion.
“I-It’s about the… the dragons… and Helgen…” In the mare’s peripheral vision, she could almost see someone turn their heads.
“Well… That explains why the guards let you in here… Fine.” The stallion led Fluttershy to the large throne. On this throne sat the Jarl herself. She looked to be a bit shorter than the stallion, though much, MUCH more regal. Her coat was that of a light pink, and her horn was definitely longer than any other Unicorn’s. That’s when Fluttershy became curious. What was it with this pony that made her so regal, respected, and feared? The question didn’t remain in Fluttershy’s head for too long, for it was answered with the spreading of the Jarl’s wings. She was an Alicorn. Fluttershy was… bewildered to say the least. The only other Alicorn she’d ever seen she had just met the day before. And that Alicorn was the leader of the Stormcloaks, Nightmare Moon. Fluttershy, while feeling slightly chilled in Nightmare Moon’s presence, felt oddly warmer in Cadence’s. She had an atmosphere that was hard to be nervous in. It… unnerved Fluttershy somehow.
“So…” Cadence began, “You know about the dragon attack in Helgen?”
“Y- Yes, ma’am… I… I was captured by the Imperials… and I just barely escaped alive…”
“You’re saying that you were there for the attack?” Fluttershy offered a subtle nod as a response. Her eyes widened in realization of something, or rather, remembrance of something. She unclipped her right shoulder pad and lowered the inner fabric of her armor, showing off her right shoulder. What Cadence expected was yellow fur, but what she saw was a patch of skin. The fur around it was a dark black and the skin was redder than the sun. Not only was it a deep red, but the burn seemed to glow red. In the most subtle of ways, it pulsated and brightened and darkened.
The likes of which can only result from dragon-fire.
“A dragon-scar…” Cadence whispered to herself. She examined the scar, noticing the odd sections of burns that seemed to form themselves into the shape of something. They twisted and turned into what seemed like some sort of glyph. Cadence’s eyelids narrowed, as if she knew these shapes from somewhere.
“My friend Applejack was almost killed when we escaped. I saved her from a giant Frostbite Spider.” Cadence paused for a moment, as if she was trying to remember something.
“Applejack… Isn’t she the sister of the blacksmith in Riverwood?”
“Yes, ma’am,” said Fluttershy, clipping her shoulder pad back into place. Cadence nodded, an intrigued expression on her face.
“I remember them… Riverwood…” She turned to the stallion from before, who had returned to her side. “Shining Armor, send a detachment of your soldiers to Riverwood. Keep that village safe.”
“At once,” said Shining Armor, bowing quickly. He walked past Fluttershy and out of the palace. Cadence turned to Fluttershy once again.
“What’s your name?”
“…Fluttershy… o- of Ponyville…” the mare squeaked out.
“Thank you, Fluttershy. Without you, I would never have remembered to aid Riverwood. So much is going on…” She looked down at the floor for a moment and held her head. The Alicorn quickly looked back at Fluttershy, regaining her composure. “You’ve done us a service and sought me out on your own initiative. You said you were a prisoner of the Imperials?”
“Uh… I…” Fluttershy didn’t know which answer would be better. “I… Y-Yes…?” Again Cadence nodded.
“Yes… I just received word that a prisoner was pardoned. That hasn’t happened in decades. Your criminal past, whatever it is, is behind you now. Here, take this,” said the Jarl, digging into a small box beside her throne. She pulled out a small brown pouch. She handed it to Fluttershy, causing it to make a quiet jingling sound. “It’s 500 gold. Use it wisely.” Fluttershy nodded and smiled.
“Thank you,” she said quietly. Cadence once again paused.
“Maybe there is another thing you could do for me…” Fluttershy’s shoulders sank to the floor and she suddenly felt short of breath. “…Something for somepony of your… particular talents… perhaps…” The poor teen pondered the Jarl’s words.
‘Particular talents? All I did was deliver a message from a nearby village! What else could I…?! Oh, I shouldn’t have told her about defeating the spider…’
“Come,” said Cadence, standing up, “Let’s go find Twilight Sparkle, my court wizard. She’s been looking into these… dragons and… rumors of dragons,” the way she uttered the word ‘dragon’ sounded as if she had to force it from her tongue, expelling it from her body. As if the simple word was poison. She walked toward another room and signaled for Fluttershy to follow. Fluttershy cursed everything and followed. Cadence led her into the room. Fluttershy saw a purple Unicorn working over an alchemy table. Fluttershy wasn’t an alchemist herself, but she knew her way around the alchemy table if the situation called for it. She could make a healing potion with ease. Once, she had accidentally made an invisibility potion and fed it to her sick pet toad. The poor mare searched everywhere for it, only to realize that the old toad hadn’t moved an inch. Sadly, it died an invisible death.
“Twilight,” said Cadence, stopping behind a desk. The desk was covered with potion recipes, letters, spell tomes, soul gems, and books. LOTS of books. The Unicorn turned around. She was a little taller than Fluttershy. She wore a blue cloak that covered her from the base of her neck down. It had a hood, but it was down. The Unicorn had deep purple eyes and hair that matched them. Her hair had two streaks of lighter colors running through it. “I think I’ve found somepony to aid you in your quest. Fill her in with all the details.”
The Unicorn tilted her head and looked at Fluttershy. “Hm? Oh! You must be referring to the Dragonstone!” Fluttershy backed up a little. Anything with the word ‘dragon’ in it, Fluttershy wanted no part of. “I guess I could use somepony to help me.” She walked toward Fluttershy a little.
“The Dragonstone is an ancient stone tablet, hidden away in Bleak Falls Barrow. It sort of acts like a map to all the ancient dragon burial sites,” said Twilight in an… oddly chipper tone. She acted as if she DIDN’T have to go into a barrow to get it. Especially one called Bleak Falls Barrow.
“A-And… you’re coming with me…?” Fluttershy asked, hoping she wouldn’t have to go alone.
“Of course! I want to see it in the old crypt myself.”
“Crypt?”
“Yeah, Bleak Falls Barrow is full of ancient burials and tombs. It should be no problem, though. If Jarl Cadence thinks you’re right for the job, I won’t doubt her or you. So! Will you do it? Are you ready?” Fluttershy’s eyes were as wide as dinner plates and her pupils were almost invisible. Oh, how misunderstood these ponies are. The simple mention of tombs and crypts made her uneasy beyond belief. She shook wildly. She had to retrace her steps to find out how exactly she got in this situation. Fluttershy wouldn’t hurt a fly, much less a giant spider. But… then again… She DID kill a giant spider. Whether it was all her doing or not, SHE was the one to finish it off.
That had to count for something. “Yes… I’m ready.”
“You should take these. I know they’re not for you, but everything helps,” said Twilight as she handed Fluttershy a stack of books. The two ponies had sat down at the table in the wizard’s room, which had been cleared off. Fluttershy looked through the books. There were five of them. Three had a symbol of a flame on the covers, and the other two symbols of birds.
“What are these?” asked the Pegasus, looking at them all.
“Spell Tomes. Just crack open one of them and you’ll instantly learn a spell. It’ll take some practice to master the spell, but they should come in handy in a jam anyway,” explained the wizard. “These three are called Destruction Spells. They’re mostly used for combat. Fire, Shock, and Frost.” Fluttershy held one in her hoof, examining it.
“There are no credits. Who made them?” she asked, scratching her forehead. Her iron helmet lay neatly next to a pile of notes.
“I made these ones. Only a master wizard can create their own Spell Tomes,” Twilight said with the slightest smirk. “Nopony really knows who created the originals. Some say they were made by the Greybeards. Others say they were created by the first dragons themselves.” Fluttershy nodded in understanding. She picked up one of the other tomes, this one being the color yellow with the symbol of a bird on the front.
“And those are Restoration Spells. Healing and Upper Ward. Healing is sort of self-explanatory, and the Upper Ward, if used, will act as a sort of shield. Though that kind of shield is used for blocking magic and spells.” Fluttershy nodded once again. She looked up at the wizard one last time. Closing her eyes and, holding the book as far from her body as possible, she opened it. The tome started to glow a soft yellow as the Healing spell merged with her hooves. It evaporated into the Pegasus’s body and surrounded her in a soft yellow glow. Fluttershy’s eyes widened as the knowledge of the spell wormed its way deep into her memory and subconscious.
The spell was now one with Fluttershy.
“Cool, huh?” asked Twilight, leaning forward, “I miss the days when I would learn new spells.” Fluttershy looked at her hooves, which had finally returned to their natural color. Needless to say, she was shocked. As she examined her body to make sure she was unscathed, her hooves started to glow once again. She backed up again only to realize that this glow felt… oddly comforting. She felt content, and most of all, she felt like she was in top physical condition. She gazed upon this glow when, viewing it from a different angle, her hooves themselves weren’t glowing. They had small, golden orbs hovering above them. The orbs spun around gently, offering a calming appearance. Fluttershy watched as the balls of light danced before her. “Huh… It’s… It’s already so powerful…” whispered Twilight from across the table. “I can feel it from here… I would’ve thought for sure… How…? How is it…?” She tilted her head and leaned toward the spell. Her shoulders were lowered and all signs of defense were lost. Fluttershy slowly lowered her hooves, causing the spell to dissipate. “You… You should… read the others on the way…” The wizard stood up and loudly cleared her throat. “Let’s get moving. We won’t be gone for more than a day. Got everything you need?” Fluttershy looked up quickly and stood up, nervously nodding. “Good. Hand me those saddlebags and put the books in. We’ve got plenty of food.”
Fluttershy looked over at the table. On the right side lied a white saddlebag which looked to be filled. Obviously with food. The Pegasus carefully put the remaining four tomes in the empty saddlebag and hauled the heavy thing up. She eased it over to Twilight, who carefully threw it over her back. She held herself in place for a moment, as if to adjust herself to the newfound weight. After a few seconds, she stood straight and nodded. Fluttershy forced a smile, but when Twilight exited the room, the smile disappeared altogether. The warrior grabbed her helmet and put it on, admiring how strong it made her feel. She checked her sword and bow. Both were still firmly in place.
She was ready for adventure… More or less…
With a final bow to Jarl Cadence, she was off to meet Twilight outside, as instructed. The Pegasus forced a smile and exited the palace. “Ready?” asked Twilight.
“I… I suppose so…” Twilight patted the Pegasus’s shoulder in a playful matter.
“Then let’s be off,” she said with enthusiasm. The tone in her voice also comforted Fluttershy as well, and it seemed to work… be it very subtly.
The wizard and the Pegasus walked through the town. Twilight pointed out landmarks and noticeable things as they trotted down.
“…That right there is the Shrine of the Sun Goddess… Oh! And over there is Jorrvaskr, the home of the Companions!” Fluttershy stopped dead in her tracks at the mention of her… friends. At this she realized her shoulder still smelled faintly of wolf’s blood.
“O-Oh… Them…”
“What?” asked Twilight, turning to face her friend, “You’ve heard of the Companions too? I thought you weren’t from around here…”
“I… Well, I ran into them on the way here… One of them offered me a chance to join…” said Fluttershy, pacing back and forth.
“Really? You should take them up on it. Any warrior would relish the chance to be with the Companions,” said Twilight. She continued her way through the town, with Fluttershy in tow. The gate opened due to Twilight’s magic and they were truly off to Bleak Falls Barrow.
The path away from Whiterun was exactly how Fluttershy remembered it. There was the small slope leading away from the gate, the archways, and various farms. As the two mares passed one of the farms, they noticed a large pile of blood. This was in fact where the giant had been slain just ten short minutes prior. The mere thought of that fight set off a chain of thought in Fluttershy’s head. The Pegasus ducked her head and started to think.
Could she be a warrior? There really was no clear clue that she couldn’t be. If she had something… some sort of killing machine deep inside her, could she access it? If the situation called for it, could she step up and become a true warrior?
Soon enough, the farms, the fields, and Whiterun itself were out of view. The two mares were on a path in a forest, much resembling the path from Riverwood. In fact, this WAS the path to Riverwood.
“U-Um… Twilight? I think we’re going the wrong way…” said Fluttershy, lowering her head a bit and turning away. Twilight smiled.
“Bleak Falls Barrow is just past Riverwood. It’s almost in view of the little town,” she said, thinking a bit. “Come to think of it… I haven’t been in Riverwood in years…” Fluttershy looked up at the Unicorn. Twilight seemed to be lost in thought. “I… I used to have a friend in Riverwood… But for the life of me I can’t remember her name…”
“Was she an Earth pony?” asked Fluttershy, half expecting the answer.
“I think so. Most ponies from Riverwood are Earth ponies. Ah, well, it’s no big deal right now. Right now, we just need to focus on Bleak Falls Barrow, right?” A slight blush came over Fluttershy, and she hoped her helmet covered it. She looked away so as to not make her nervousness evident.
“Mmhm,” was all she managed to stifle. The two mares continued their trek to Riverwood. The next few minutes were long and quiet. The breeze flew gently past each of their ears and made a quiet cooing noise. It relaxed Fluttershy’s much racked-up nerves. As she looked over to the Unicorn, she noticed a large bead of sweat coming off of her cheek from her forehead. She seemed to be straining. Fluttershy pondered on this for a moment and after a minute or two asked what was wrong.
“…It’s nothing. Just these… Spell Tomes…” Fluttershy moved a little closer to the wizard.
“Oh… U-Um… D-Did you want me to hold the saddlebags?”
“No… Nah, I’m fine. You just focus on fighting. I’ll focus on getting into the place. But, um…” answered Twilight with a sheepish smile on her face. She quickly wiped the sweat drop away and looked toward the path.
“Yes?”
“Could you maybe… Open a few of the tomes?” Fluttershy quickly nodded and unbuttoned the left bag. Pulling out a red one, she looked at Twilight, who now wore a slight expression of relief. The Pegasus asked which one that one was, to which Twilight answered as ‘Flames.’ With a long sigh, Fluttershy opened the book, once again holding it away from her body. Twilight moved back a bit as the book melded into Fluttershy’s arms. The light dimmed and peace was restored to the forest. The armored mare thought all was fine, until a furious stream of fire shot from her hooves. To say a shocked expression came over her would be an understatement. She stood on her back legs as the flames shot into the sky. The blaze was intense to say the least. Even Twilight, who’d prepared for this a moment earlier, was ducking for cover. A loud squeal came from Fluttershy, whose eyes were shut tight as the fire continued to shoot from her hooves. It didn’t disperse, it merely got stronger. With a loss of balance and continuous push from the spell, the Pegasus fell on her rump. Twilight yelled her name, hardly making a noise over the loud sound of crackling fire. Emerging from her hiding place, she ran to the side of the fire stream. Fluttershy continued to scream her high-pitched scream from under the blaze. The wizard’s horn suddenly lit up a rich purple as a violet half-sphere appeared over the flames. It stopped the blast from moving further than her own height. The half-sphere started to move down until it eventually made its way to two yellow hooves. The heat of the blaze eventually ceased and the fire was no more. All that remained were two smoking hooves and a very terrified looking Fluttershy.
“…Fluttershy…?” Twilight asked, her lungs still taking in the lost air. The poor Pegasus started to shake, her body simply holding too much stress. Slowly, she got to her hooves. Twilight repeated the teenager’s name. Fluttershy quickly looked to her.
“Huh?!” Suddenly, she realized that she was still in the real world and blushed. With a sheepish smile and a nervous chuckle, she lowered herself a bit. Her frown returned.
“I-I think I’ll wait to open the other ones… I-If you don’t mind…” Twilight chuckled to herself. She continued to walk down the path.
Later…
“Here’s the mountain,” said Twilight, stopping in her tracks. Fluttershy looked up to said mountain and her jaw went wide. The mountaintop was a pure white, snow covering the rocks. The sounds of wind whistling could be heard and it chilled both mares to the bone. Through the thick fog and snow, a dark black structure poked out. Through the whiteness, Bleak Falls Barrow could be seen.
Fluttershy gently grabbed Twilight’s forelegs and flapped her wings. As the two mares floated up the mountain, they could make out more and more of the looming Barrow.
The structure seemed almost ghostly in appearance. The coal black archways were a sight to behold, as they towered over even a giant. The bright white snow did little to hide the darkness and shadow the Barrow presented just by sitting there. Though it seemed ages old, and it probably was, it seemed impenetrable.
Fluttershy set Twilight down at the top of the steps. The doorway into the old crypt loomed over the two mares’ heads just as the archways did. The only thing more inviting about the doorway than the archways is that not much snow made its way to it. Slowly, Twilight pushed the door open. Ever so slowly, and with the loudest, most painful creak, the millennium old door moved into the darkness. The two mares peeked inside. Twilight turned to Fluttershy.
“Uhm… Warriors first?”
Fluttershy never saw much scariness in the dark. But this place… oh, this place made her feel like a nursing foal again. The slightest movement took an immense amount of energy. With a squeak and a mumble, Fluttershy took a step inside. Her mind commanded her to go back. Her body resisted and told her to exit the crypt. But just as she contemplated listening, the door creaked once again. The teenager turned around just in time to see the doorway to the outside world- her last chance of freedom, close. The only light in the crypt was now just a hole in the ceiling, making both mares somewhat visible. Fluttershy heard a deep sigh from the purple Unicorn.
“There. It should get at least a LITTLE warmer in here.” In the back of her mind, Fluttershy scolded and screamed at Twilight for closing that door. But she knew if the door had remained open, the cold would only get worse. So she remained quiet. Twilight walked forward just a bit.
“The Dragonstone should be interred in the main chamber.”
“A-And this is the main chamber, right?” Fluttershy quickly asked, wishful thoughts in her mind.
“Of course not,” Twilight said, raising a violet hoof in the air and pulling a large blue hood over her head, “The main chamber is below us. We’ll have to—” Suddenly, Twilight was silenced by voices. Distant voices. Echoey voices. “Hold up.” She peered around a corner. By this point Fluttershy was cowering in her boots. Twilight lowered herself and crept deeper into the chamber. Fluttershy followed the wizard’s lead and inched up to a toppled column. Peering over the top, she saw something she wished she didn’t have to see.
In the corner of the chamber was a tiny campfire, surrounded by three gruff-looking ponies. Two male, one female. They wore hastily-stitched fur tunics and scarves. The female munched hungrily on a piece of steak.
“Two Earth ponies and a Unicorn,” whispered Twilight, igniting her hooves with a dim fire, “The Unicorn looks skilled, so I’ll come up behind him. You distract them.” She turned to Fluttershy as she said this. Fluttershy’s eyes widened even further.
“A-and kill them?” she whispered, a bit of a quiver in her boots. Twilight looked over at her.
“Well. . . We could just knock them out. . .” Fluttershy quickly nodded her head violently, almost shaking off her helmet.
“Y-Yes, yes, yes!” she whispered, “We can just do that!” Twilight looked at her, with an eyebrow raised.
"Alright," Twilight said, arching jer back slightly. She put down her bags as her horn lit slightly.
"Remember," Twilight whispered, "you take the two males."
"Okay," Fluttershy said with a stammer. Twilight counted down from three. With each syllable spoken, Fluttershy's heart raced harder. Twilight spoke the final number and ran out fast toward the trio. Fluttershy ran out as well. With a grunt, Twilight shot an orange ball of fire at the grime coated mare. The bandit ducked just in time to dodge the attack and lurched at the wizard. Fluttershy stood, shaking in her boots staring at the two stallions. They glared her down, weapons in hoof. One sprinted toward her and swung his axe at her. With a yelp, Fluttershy ducked. Seeing a golden opportunity, Fluttershy rammed her head forward and butted the bandit in the ribs. His armor was that of thin leather, so he felt the full of the steel helmet. With a yell, he collapsed. Fluttershy stood straight and looked on as he held his ribs on the ground. She started to spew apologies, but was cut of by a sharp pain in her right foreleg. She looked down to see the other bandit gnawing at her hoof. She stood on her hind legs and brought herself down to stomp on his head. She backed up a bit to see him unconscious. Hearing a yell, she looked up to see the first one galloping at her, a crazed look in his eye. With a yelp, she threw her hooves forward and closed her eyes. All she heard was a painful screech and the thick crackle and roar of fire. She opened her eyes to see the stallion on the ground in a burning heap of meat and limbs. With a loud gasp, she ran to him. She put her hooves on him and tried to shake him awake. He didn't stir. And she felt no pulse. He was dead. Fluttershy had killed a stallion. Tears welled up in her eyes as she thought about what she had just done.
"I'm sorry . . . I'm so sorry . . . "
She didn't have much time to dwell on it though as she felt something hurl into her. Looking at what had hit her, she saw that it was the third bandit, bleeding from the nose. She too didn't move at all. Fluttershy knew this mare was dead as well. She quickly threw the body off of her and stood up.
“Oh, gods . . . “
Twilight approached the armor-clad Pegasus, huffing out breath. She looked down at the now deceased bandit.
“Been a long time since I’ve been in a fight,” she said, touching the bandit’s neck. She felt no pulse. Looking up, she looked at the stallion unconscious on the floor and the pile of dead skin and ash that was once a fellow pony. “You don’t seem the killing type.”
“I’m not,” Fluttershy whispered, another tear running down her cheek. Twilight stared at her, a blank expression on her face.
“You’re not a warrior, are you?” Twilight asked. Fluttershy ducked her head. “I thought not. Why did you agree to come with me?”
“Well,” Fluttershy started, wiping her face with her wing, “I, um. . . I didn’t.”
“Oh,” Twilight whispered. “I suppose I never gave you a chance to respond. Turn back, Fluttershy. I can handle this.”
Fluttershy stared at her for a moment. She wanted to agree. To turn back and go back to Riverwood. To tell Applejack she did it and go home. Forget any of this ever happened. But something stopped her. Perhaps it was the fear of traversing this foreign land alone again. Perhaps it was the feeling of loneliness in the wide open territory.
But Fluttershy knew it was something more. She knew what she could do know. She burned a stallion alive. She disposed of him before he could lay his hoof upon her. Imagine what she could do know to a spider. And Applejack said her cousin could provide her with sword training. Fluttershy’s father was a warrior, and, as much as she hated violence, she looked up to him. A part of her always wanted to be like him. And now she had the opportunity. She could get the Dragonstone and get her training. She could defend herself and her animals so much better. And who knows? Perhaps Twilight could offer her training with this magic she now possessed.
“No,” Fluttershy said as Twilight began to walk away, “I mean, uh. . . I’m coming with you. I want to help.”
“Are you sure?” Twilight asked, “I can handle this.”
“I want to help you. Who knows what’s down there?” Fluttershy said, walking closer to her. Twilight looked down at the floor. Fluttershy was right. Anything could be down there. Twilight hadn’t been in a true fight in years. She almost lost her life to the bandit a minute ago. She could definitely use another pair of watchful eyes. And Fluttershy had toasted a full grown stallion with her eyes closed just now.
“Alright. But stay close to me. Watch your hooves. There’s bound to be traps down there.”
“Okay,” Fluttershy said, bracing herself for what was about to come. She knew this was her first step. In that moment, Fluttershy knew what she was to become. In that moment, Fluttershy knew that agreeing to enter the Barrow was her leaping point to becoming like her father. To become a warrior. To be strong. She wouldn’t be a pushover anymore. She wouldn’t be weak anymore. She’d get the Stone, receive her sword training and her magic training, and would then join the Companions. And when allowed, she would find that dragon that burned Helgen to the ground. She’d find the beast that killed so many people and make him pay. Then, and only then, would she return home. Back home, she had a single friend, an old mare who would look after things if Fluttershy was away. Her animals would be fine.
She was going to return home a hero, whether Skyrim liked it or not.
Fluttershy rubbed her eye tiredly. The sun had only just peeked over the horizon, and the world had a bluish hue to it. A thick fog rested on the ground. Nary a pony was awake besides the tiny yellow Pegasus and her tall, burly father. Her father, Patchwork, was a light orange color, and his short mane was a very pale yellow. His eyes were a bright brown color. He wore shiny steel armor.
“I’m just heading out for a while,” he said quietly, adjusting a few straps on his armor. “I’ll be home by nightfall, lass.”
“Can I go with you this time?” Fluttershy asked quietly, fluttering her wings a bit.
“No, Fluttershy. This is stallion’s work,” Patchwork sighed. He fiddled with the sword that rested at his flank and a dagger sheathed on his foreleg.
“What is it that you do anyway?” the filly asked.
“I. . . Well,” Patchwork stuttered, “I take care of bad ponies. I make sure that they don’t do anymore bad things.”
“Like reforming them?” asked Fluttershy, tilting her head. Patchwork paused and shifted in his boots.
“. . . Yes, Fluttershy. Yes, I reform them. I help them see things our way.”
“Where do you go?”
“To a far off place beyond the forest. I’ll take you there when you’re older.”
“Why then?”
“You’ll understand someday. Just not today. I must be off. I’ll be home soon.” Patchwork leaned down and kissed his daughter, then made off for his adventure.
Whatever it was.
Fluttershy adjusted the helmet on her head. The stony walls seemed ready to crumble at any moment. Tiny spiders and roaches skittered about. The smell of moss was ever present, but it was mixed in with the scent of rotting corpses. The Pegasus couldn’t help but think of her father. He always went on adventures, and he always returned home more bloody and bruised than the last time. One day he returned home without a left eye. Another day he returned home with half his tail cleaved off. Another he had a burn on his face, and finally one day he returned home in a box. It was a dreadful day.
Fluttershy shook her head a bit and tried to expel the thoughts from her mind. Thinking of bruises and severed limbs wasn’t helping her when she knew it could very well be a few feet ahead of her. She looked to the books on Twilight’s back.
“Twilight?” the teenager muttered to her companion. Twilight looked back to her. “I think I’m ready to open another tome.”
“Good,” huffed Twilight, “These things are heavy. Which one would you like to open?”
“Maybe a Destruction spell? Frost. I’ll open Frost.” Twilight illuminated her horn and lifted the thick book from her saddlebag, relieved to shed a couple pounds from her back. Fluttershy took the book from Twilight’s magical grasp, lifting herself to her hind legs. Breathing out a readying stream of air (the cold allowed her to see it) and donned a determined expression. Opening Flame was scary, but she knew she could handle Frost. With her mind set, she opened the book about halfway through the pages. The symbols on the page glowed an icy blue, and flew off the page into Fluttershy’s hooves. Fluttershy’s heart leapt as fear coursed through her. But she held firm. She felt an icy grip course through her body and found she couldn’t feel any of her hooves. Her eyes flashed a bright blue as the icy magic took her over. Fluttershy fell to all four hooves as the book disappeared into her skin. Fluttershy shivered, and the feeling soon passed. The biting cold and freezing grip left her body, and she felt normal as ever. In fact, she felt a tad invigorated. The teenage Pegasus looked to her hooves and found the stone under her was covered in frost.
“Congratulations, Fluttershy,” Twilight said, relieved she didn’t have to cancel out her friend’s magic again, “You’ve learned Frost.” Fluttershy looked to her compatriot and smiled. This was nowhere near as bad as her last incident with a Spell Tome. The two ponies continued their walk through the Barrow, and soon came to a narrow hallway covered in thick webbing. The webbing was woven thickly throughout the hall.
“Ugh, Frostbite silk,” groaned Twilight. Fluttershy’s spirits dropped and her heart stopped moving for a moment.
“This is from Frostbite spiders?” she asked hastily.
“Looks like it. How sharp is your sword?” asked the Unicorn. Fluttershy unsheathed her weapon. Twilight examined the recently forged blade. “It’ll do.” Fluttershy eased her way to a thick cluster of webbing. She swung as hard as she could and cleaved right through it. Twilight urged her on and she hacked her way through the silk jungle. At the end of the hallway was a small altar, atop which held an urn and a candle holder. The candle holder held a small purple gemstone. The stone seemed to glow with an ethereal light and gave off a chilling aura. Fluttershy was perplexed by the gem but Twilight simply meandered up to it and lifted it with her magic.
“Just a lesser soul gem. Nothing special.”
“What is it?” Fluttershy asked with wide eyes. She eyed the so-called soul gem as she felt its magical energy hug her very skin.
“It’s a magical stone that can hold the soul of a once living being. It’s not very big so maybe it holds a skeever or a rabbit or something. You want it?”
“Would I ever,” said Fluttershy as she took it from her partner. She looked over the beautiful gem. She could feel it. Not with her hooves, but with her own soul. It felt to her as a real living creature did. It felt alive, trapped within the sturdy jewel walls.
“The animal is inside this?” she asked, continuing to look at the jewel with awe,
“Not the animal. Its soul. Souls are interesting.”
“I thought they weren’t real,” stated Fluttershy, now looking up with a slightly cocked eyebrow.
“Oh souls are real alright. They make up everything we are. Magic itself is derived from our souls. When you read a spell tome, it binds to your soul, adding its power to you, so that you can manipulate it. When you manipulate magic, you manipulate your soul. Some are stronger than others, which explains why some ponies can cast more powerful magic. Thus they must be trapped within bigger soul gems.”
“That’s so fascinating,” whispered Fluttershy as she gazed back into the soul gem. She could see its essence glow and pulsate. “Am I holding this animal’s soul?”
“In a way, yes. Soul gems are a material conduit for souls. When broken, the soul gem will release the soul into the nearest object, and the soul will forever bind to it. That’s how things are enchanted. The enchanter binds the soul to the item and selects a piece of magic from their own soul, be it a Frost, Flame, or otherwise sort of magic. The magic binds to the soul, and the soul binds to the item.”
“I’ve seen my father enchant things before. He was always really focused when he did it.”
“Enchanting is a very taxing and focusing process. One little slip up and the soul goes somewhere it shouldn’t, like within another living person. That’s a devastating prospect,” spoke the mage with a hint of a shudder. Fluttershy looked at her new gem once more, then carefully placed it in her coin sack.
“How fragile are they?”
“Not fragile at all. Hardly anything can break a soul gem. That’s what an enchantment table is for.”
“Could I try sometime? Could you show me?” For some reason, the prospect of holding another creature’s soul, it’s very life essence; everything it is or ever was within her hooves was intriguing to say the least. She was enraptured with the idea. Binding one’s soul, the mystical energy which everything a creature is, to something of value. . . just the idea gave her a shiver up her spine. This helmet that Applejack gifted her; she could enchant it with the soul of one of her beloved animals. If a friend or family member died, she could simply collect the soul and keep it for later, to bind it to something of hers, so that they may never truly be lost. The thought was beautiful and disturbing. Poetic and morbid. Amazing, but horrible. Just, but wicked.
“I suppose it couldn’t hurt. I’m afraid Jarl Cadance may not be through with your services. She’s taken a liking to you.”
“Why?”
“I’ve no clue. Come on, we’re wasting time talking.” And with that the two ponies continued down the corridors and pathways. As the two walked, they noticed the scenery change little by little. The dusty, stony walls became shiny and glossy as they passed. The deep dark grey of the stone and tile turned to whitish blue. The cracked cobble and rock turned to stable, unyielding material, as if something had protected this part of the barrow from time. The feeling of the stone changed as well. No longer was it hard and coarse. It became softer, smoother. . . silkier. The two mares walked into an expansive room with a large cavity in the ceiling. The room had one doorway, and that was covered in thick webbing.
“Oh no,” spoke Twilight simply.
“What?” asked Fluttershy, deeply disturbed by the mage’s shift in tone. Twilight stood in place and looked at her hooves, and at the strands of white silk running through the floor.
“Oh no,” said Fluttershy, perfectly mirroring Twilight’s statement. Twilight lifted her hoof and the silk moved up with it. With a bit of force, it came apart from the hoof. The two mares looked to a room ahead. The door was covered in webbing and tiny spiders. They looked to each other grimly.
“This is the only way through,” warned Twilight.
“I know.”
Fluttershy, with all her strength, hacked at the web, but it did not give. It bit down on her sword and didn’t give it back. Fluttershy pulled and pulled but the sword was stuck. Twilight ushered Fluttershy to the side and channeled her magic through her horn, and let out a stream of fire, singing the webbing. After a moment, the web gave, and the sword fell to the stony ground with a loud CLANG!
And everything went silent.
The ponies’ fur stood on end as the barrow became silent. Deafeningly silent. The distant ambience and echoes ceased, and the whole world seemed to halt. Then, a noise. A quiet chitter, which evolved into a rapid pitter patter. The noise had no echo. It had no origin, no host. The noise belonged to nothing, at least that the perceptive eye of the Pegasus could see. The pitter patter turned to a sharp stabbing and scraping, as if something hard was attacking a stone.
Then the ponies looked up.
What the mares saw left them chilled to the bone. All color left their horror stricken faces as their rational thought and reason high-tailed out the door. Fluttershy could scream. Twilight could run. But neither found the willpower. They could only stare in distraught panic at the nightmare that crawled from its perch in the center cavity of the stone ceiling. Then came the shriek. The creature screamed a vile, high pitched deafening scream at the two paralyzed mares. The giant frostbite spider stared at them, its eight beady black eyes glaring deep into their souls.
The spider was taller than the two, and its black fangs were as long as kitchen knives. It’s spindly, needle-hair covered legs spasmed and shuddered as its enormous body fell to the floor in a heap of chitin and exoskeleton. The sheer horror coursing through the ponies’ veins was almost too much for either to bear. The spider inched toward them, and raised its front two legs threateningly. It shook its front half, dancing in an eon old ritual meant to ward off strange beings. With its dance it let out yet another high pitched shriek. This action sent poor Fluttershy over the boiling point, and she let out a hardy scream at the sight of this behemoth of a spider. Her voice was extraordinarily loud, radically different than any other time she had used it. The scream echoed throughout the halls of the barrow, and effectively snapped Twilight out of her stupor. Twilight quickly covered the Pegasus’s mouth.
“Fluttershy! You’ll wake the dead!” Twilight warned. The spider continued to stare emptily at the two ponies. Twilight looked at her Fluttershy, who had tears forming in her eyes and was shaking heavily in her boots. “Focus! It’s just a thing!” Almost instantly, the spider leapt at the ponies, tired of waiting for a retreat. Twilight had wits enough to roll away, but at the sight of meter long legs and teeth and chitin, Fluttershy collapsed into an unconscious mess on the ground. Her poor body wasn’t enough for all this excitement. The spider landed perfectly above her, its long thin legs narrowly avoiding crushing the Pegasus’s weak body. Twilight instantly smashed a ball of fire into the nightmare creature’s side, reminding it who the threat is. The spider turned to the mage, its cold, dead eyes staring into her. Twilight’s fur stood up yet again, but she ignored it. The spider rushed at Twilight, moving its spindly legs rapidly, creating a disturbing chirp as the tough hide rubbed against itself. Twilight brought a heavy ball of fire down onto the top of the spider’s head, and the spider’s weight sent it careening forward, and it flipped to its back. Twilight jumped out of the way to avoid being hit by the mass of chitin. However, the spider was on its legs soon enough and raised its legs again. Twilight felt a chill down her back as she saw a light green mucus form at the creature’s mouth. With a deathly gagging sound, the spider shot a small wad of poisonous liquid made of toxins and pus at the mage. Twilight ducked just in time, but the trail the ball of poison left behind it fell onto her back, leaving a trail from her neck to her flank. The strong magic robes she wore gave little to the toxin, but Twilight could definitely hear the sizzle of singeing fabric. Twilight looked up just in time to see the frostbite spider rushing her yet again. She jumped, but her agility failed her, and the spider hit her dead on, and rammed her into a nearby wall.
Fluttershy’s eyes opened a bit. Her head felt heavy and her eyes were sore. She had a searing pain in her head. Her helmet was crooked, so she adjusted it. She saw her web covered sword beside her, then realized once again where she was. She looked up a bit too quickly, causing a ring in her ears. What she saw through her moderately blurry vision was a giant spider pinning Twilight against a wall, trying to snap its poisonous fangs at her as she kicked and fidgeted. Fluttershy gasped at the sight of the spider, but more so at the fact that Twilight was pinned. Fluttershy immediately thought back to the day before this, when a smaller spider had Applejack pinned to the floor. That resulted in Applejack getting stabbed, and nearly killed. But that won’t happen again. Not to Twilight. They weren’t so near to the end of the mission. Twilight wasn’t going to suffer for Fluttershy’s cowardice like Applejack did. Fluttershy’s brow furrowed as she retrieved her sword. Not again. Not like this. Not like a coward.
Twilight tried desperately to channel a magic blast, but couldn’t focus enough. She couldn’t avoid the spider’s deadly fangs and channel her magic at the same time. She could only thrash and kick but the spider had the strength of a demon. A stab from a smaller frostbite spider would poison her quickly, but from one as large and powerful as this, it would kill her within minutes. The spider poked one of its legs into Twilight’s stomach, and another into her left hoof. Twilight continued to kick and fidget but could hardly avoid the spider’s fangs. The spider reared back, and Twilight’s hind legs fell back. The spider raised its deadly maw and sought to ram its fangs into Twilight’s stomach. Twilight felt a wave of fear course through her as the fang came closer and closer. She closed her eyes and waited.
But the pain never came. Twilight fell the floor and all pressure from the spider was released. Twilight rubbed her ribs and hoof gently as she opened her eyes. What she saw was Fluttershy backing away from the spider, sword extended outward threateningly. The spider and the Pegasus squared off. Fluttershy had a look that seemed like mix between utter fear and determination. The spider swung a leg at her, and she lifted her sword just enough to let the sharp leg scrape against it. However, the force of the blow knocked Fluttershy to her flank, and the spider hardly waited to attack again. Faster than Fluttershy could react, the spider bit down on her shoulder. Its poisonous fangs narrowly avoided skin contact, but its many sharp teeth within its jaws were able to break the skin, and Fluttershy began to bleed profusely. The spider was rent from Fluttershy’s shoulder as Twilight knocked it to its side. The spider’s legs splayed out as it hit the ground. Twilight rushed to Fluttershy, who was nursing her neck and shoulder. She was bleeding badly, and had a needle-like tooth stuck in her skin.
“Fluttershy, stay out of this. You’re not a warrior,” Twilight ordered, and turned to the spider. The spider remained on the ground for a moment. But Twilight’s advantage slipped away in the blink of an eye as the spider stumbled to a standing position. It screeched at Twilight and rushed yet again. Twilight focused her mind’s eye, and lifted herself to her hind legs. Her hooves illuminated with a violet light, and electricity coursed through her veins. Static echoed through the chamber as Twilight’s strongest destructive force came to fruition. Her hooves coursed with electricity and a sharp zap was heard every few milliseconds. The spider was now just a meter away. Twilight’s electricity charged, and she brought her hooves down as hard as she could. The spider’s head was wrenched to the floor as Twilight slammed her electrified hooves onto it. Lightning seized through the spider’s body as its muscles spasmed and shook. The room shook with electricity and Twilight could feel her hair standing up. The chamber was illuminated blue and violet as powerful volts of electricity rocketed throughout the creature’s body. It screamed and shrieked as static and lightning zapped through it, rending muscle from muscle, rending fiber from fiber, rending molecule from molecule. The spider, after just a few seconds of utter torture and pain, was dead.
Twilight huffed as her power cooled and the room dimmed. The spider’s body twitched a few times before lying motionless. Beads of sweat ran down Twilight’s face. Small volts of purple lightning appeared on Twilight’s hooves as her soul calmed. Using such a destructive force was rare for Twilight, and so, all of her energy was now depleted. Her peripheral vision turned to black and she fell to the ground, motionless as the spider. Fluttershy stumbled over to Twilight and held the mage in her bloody arms. Twilight’s breathing was rapid as her body struggled to re-maintain homeostasis. Fluttershy’s hooves began to glow an ethereal golden light and specks of light appeared from nothing as Fluttershy channeled her energy into Twilight. Fluttershy’s own wounds began to seal and the needle-tooth popped out from her skin and landed on the ground. The fur regrew in a matter of moments and only trails of red blood and matted fur were left. The golden glow faded and Twilight began to stir. Fluttershy, worried to death for her, hugged her tightly, throwing off her helmet.
“I’m so sorry, Twilight! I thought I could be a help but I’m just a failure!” Fluttershy cried into Twilight’s robed shoulder.
“Fluttershy. . . It’s fine. I didn’t expect that,” muttered Twilight tiredly. She lifted herself to sit on her flank as did Fluttershy. “Fluttershy,” began Twilight, “You did help. You got it off me and distracted it. And you’re only just starting out.”
“I’m not a warrior, like you said,” Fluttershy spoke in a quiet voice. She looked to her armor, which now had several holes punched into it.
“I didn’t mean that. I meant you’re just not ready to take on something like that. That thing was a monster,” said Twilight, looking at the dead creature. “You just need training.”
Fluttershy thought about that. Applejack told her about her cousin Braeburn in Whiterun. How he could offer training with a sword. Fluttershy sniffed, and wiped away her tears, unintentionally smearing blood on her face. Twilight began to mention it, but thought against it. No need for that right now.
“You’re right,” Fluttershy said quietly, trying to get her spirits up, “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. I’m just glad you didn’t soil yourself.” To both ponies’ surprise, Fluttershy giggled a bit at the thought.
“I don’t do that. Don’t worry,” she said, in higher spirits.
“Good,” chuckled Twilight, “The worst is over now. Let’s go.” And with that, they continued on their trek, and Fluttershy placed her helmet on her head, and her sword at her flank. However, as they left the webbed walls of the room, Twilight began to wonder. What use did the spider have for sealing the doorway? It seemed as if there was an oddly extreme amount of webbing barring the only entrance into the room, whereas the other entrance where they first came in wasn’t blocked at all. As if the spider knew what was beyond the doorway. Something it feared enough to put so much care in blocking out. Something that could potentially hurt the spider. And something that could hurt the spider was something to be feared.
“Maybe ten meters? I didn’t get the best look at it.”
Fluttershy ducked underneath a thankfully small cobweb as she answered Twilight’s question. Twilight wrote it down onto a notepad labelled ‘field notes.’ The two mares rounded a corner leading to a staircase downward.
“How many horns did it have? And what shape?” asked Twilight. Fluttershy thought for a moment. Wincing inwardly at the events that transpired in Helgen just yesterday.
“Two big ones, I think,” she said unsurely, “Kind of swirly? And I think a few smaller ones around its face.” Twilight nodded and began writing. “It had these. . . giant talons. And it spoke with this big booming voice.”
“It spoke?!”
“Yes,” Fluttershy said, a little quieter, “When it landed, it said something to me. It sounded like a roar at the time, but,” she trailed off, trying to remember. “It’s like when someone is yelling at you from very far away. I don’t know what it said, but it was a voice.” She looked over to Twilight, who was writing furiously in her notebook. Fluttershy smiled slightly; she’d never seen anyone write that fast.
“Um, Twilight?” Fluttershy began, but it was too late. Twilight smashed her face into a dusty, millenia-old pot that had been hanging from the ceiling. The Unicorn winced and rubbed her nose. Fluttershy couldn’t stifle her giggle, and Twilight huffed. The two mares took only a few steps before they heard the deafening noise the pot made as it smashed into the ground. The noise echoed into the deep bowels of the Barrow, and the ponies froze. Everything went silent, and neither of them could breathe. After a few moments of utter quiet, Twilight began walking again. Fluttershy followed suit, albeit much more carefully.
Twilight’s horn was illuminated a bright purple, lighting the walls and ceiling. She couldn’t help but stare at the artifacts on the floor and hanging on the walls. Pots, fetishes, trinkets, and carved rocks dotted the hallways and corridors. Twilight wished she could bring all of them home with her, but her focus was on the ultimate prize. She’d heard about the Dragonstone in legends and old tomes, but wondered if it was truly real. It was just as much a legend as the dragons themselves. But now, to be looking for it herself; she couldn’t be more excited. And afraid. But mostly excited.
“Hey. . . Twilight? What is that?” Fluttershy asked shakily, pointing her hoof toward the distant end of the hallway. Twilight doused her light and looked. There was the faint flicker of orange light coming from around a corner. It was the light of a torch. Twilight felt a shiver run down her spine. Who would be lighting torches this far into the Barrow? And past the spider? And the webbing?
“Get your sword,” Twilight said grimly, “We’re not alone.”
Fluttershy knew Twilight would say that. She knew this couldn’t be easy. She swallowed and drew her sword. Then, she readied her flame spell. It worked wonders the first time she used it. She tried to reason with herself that if there are other ponies down there, they wouldn’t be friendly, and that her mission is more important. The Dragonstone could save lives, she told herself. This is for Skyrim, Fluttershy thought.
“Abandon your morals for the time being. We need to be savage if we’re going to survive.” Applejack’s words echoed in her mind.
She was ready.
Twilight set down her saddlebags and the mares began walking toward the light. They peered around the corner to find a well-lit room filled with coffins and pockets in the walls. Bodies- some wrapped, some not- lied in the pockets. Fluttershy felt her heart skip at the sight. Nothing moved, and there didn’t seem to be any signs of life.
“Maybe they moved on,” Twilight whispered. Fluttershy swallowed again, and followed Twilight slowly into the room.
“Watch out,” Fluttershy said, and stopped Twilight from walking directly into a pressure pad on the floor. Examining it, the pad would have activated a large metal door that would have slammed into them, piercing them with its rusty metal spikes. Twilight sighed.
“Thanks. Good eye.”
Just then, they heard a noise from behind them. It sounded like the creaking of an old wooden floor, and the sound of fabric on fabric. Then, before they had a chance to look, they heard a gaspy, guttural noise that sounded like someone being strangled. Fluttershy didn’t want to look, but couldn't stop herself from whipping around to face her would-be attacker. The sight cut her down to her core, and she could hardly fathom what she was seeing. She saw what resembled a pony, tall in size but lean in stature. It was deathly thin and its grey skin was falling off. What struck Fluttershy the most were the creature’s eyes. They shone a bright, piercing blue that dug into her very soul. It shouted at her in a deep, throaty voice. Behind it, three more crawled out from the pockets on the walls. Fluttershy readied herself, noticing Twilight doing the same.
“Can you shock them?”
“No,” said Twilight, not breaking eye contact with the creatures, “I used up all of my power and I have no potions.” Fluttershy swallowed and repeated Applejack’s mantra.
“Be savage, be savage, be savage,” Fluttershy muttered. The decaying creatures all held old dusty swords, and one had a large shield. Twilight thought of her plan of attack. Toast that one with Flames, avoid that one’s sword; how do I get past that shield? But her thoughts were cut short by a scream let out by one of the creatures as it barrelled toward Twilight. The Unicorn ducked but not before conjuring her Flame spell, which she used to blast the thing in the face, sending it flying backwards. To her horror, it simply rose, half of its face burned clean off and exposing the skeleton underneath decomposing skin. It paid no heed to its debilitating injury, and marched forward.
Two more rushed at Fluttershy, one with a longsword and the other with the shield. One swung at her, which she managed to block, but the other slammed into her, sending her to the floor a meter or two back. Fluttershy stumbled to her hooves to find the cadavres lunging at her once more. Closing her eyes, she shot out her hooves and blasted them with Flames. While one was struck in the face, the other hid behind its shield. Fluttershy poured all that she had into her blast, but her fire could not penetrate the wall of iron before her. Within seconds, she could muster her magic no longer, and her hoof was left smoking weakly. The creature jumped at her again, but was knocked aside by Twilight, who struck it in the side with her back hooves.
Fluttershy grabbed her sword from the ground and stood at the ready as Twilight lunged at the shield-zombie. Pulling a dagger from her robe, she brought it down onto the thing with all her might, but it did little to actually injure it. The creature coughed out a roar, spitting on Twilight’s coat. Another one jumped at Twilight, ready to plunge its sword into her back, but Fluttershy tackled it. Twilight inhaled deeply, her horn glowing a bright orange. It took only a second before she blasted the creature under her in the face with all of her fiery might. Slowly, the creature’s face melted until all that was left was a puddle of goo and bits of hair. The creature’s body fell limp. Twilight grabbed its shield and stood near Fluttershy, who had backed away from the creature she tackled. Three still lumbered toward them, drooling and muttering an ancient language.
“There’s a problem,” said Twilight, “I’m all out of magicka.”
“You what?!?” Fluttershy exclaimed.
“It’s okay! You still have yours, right?”
“No! I used it all!”
Twilight’s face dropped. “Oh. . . fuck.” Fluttershy looked around for anything, any advantage she could get. Then she had an idea.
“Twilight, the trap!” Twilight was confused, but only for a moment, then she nodded at Fluttershy. Both mares dived for the pressure pad, both being careful not to trip it, merely landing behind it. According to plan, two creatures sprinted at them in shambling heaps of armor and flesh, tripping the pressure pad and sending the massive iron door soaring at them. Neither reacted until they were both impaled with spikes and pinned against the wall. One of their legs went soaring into the darkness, and the two mares cheered before locking eyes with the final one. This creature hadn’t moved a muscle since it crawled from its former resting place. Its sword looked different than the others. It was less rusty, and had more elaborate runes etched into it. And in the light of the torches, it almost seemed to glow.
Fluttershy and Twilight were ready. The creature ran at them. Fluttershy swung her sword, but it ducked underneath and flipped Fluttershy over with its hoof. It swung at Twilight, missing her head by centimeters and digging into the iron shield. The shield crackled and vibrated. The creature ripped its sword away and kicked at Twilight, glancing the shield once again. Twilight tried to breathe deeply to regain her mana, but found it hard to concentrate. Again and again the thing struck her shield, digging further and further into the metal, before finally, with one mighty swing, the shield shattered into many little iron pieces. Twilight saw that they were all glowing blue, and were covered in ice. She couldn’t think for long before she swiftly dodged one more swing, feeling the weapon’s icy aura as it passed by her face.
The beast yelled as Fluttershy stabbed her sword into its leg. This was Twilight’s opportunity; she kicked the sword as hard as she could, but the creature’s grip held firm. It struck Fluttershy across the cheek with its unarmed hoof before stabbing at Twilight with the sword. Twilight dodged enough not to be stabbed in the heart, but the sword cut a shallow wound into her ribs. She let out a yell as the creature slammed into Twilight, sending her careening backward.
Twilight heard a scream as she saw Fluttershy stab directly through the thing’s chest. The creature yelled and swung at Fluttershy, but she avoided it, grabbing the creature’s hoof. Letting out another angry scream, Fluttershy twisted its hoof until Twilight heard an audible snap. The hoof was twisted into just the right place before Fluttershy used its own weapon against it, and stabbed it directly through its jaw and out the top of its head. The light in its eyes faded as it went limp and Fluttershy stumbled backwards. Twilight’s mouth was open as she watched the killing unfold.
Nursing her wound, she went to Fluttershy, who was hyperventilating. Her eyes seemed glazed over, and she was shaking violently.
“Fluttershy. Hey, Fluttershy. Look at me. Are you okay?”
After a few moments, Fluttershy snapped out of it, and the shaking stopped. Her breathing slowed to a normal pace, and she looked at Twilight.
“You’re hurt,” said Fluttershy looking at Twilight’s side.
“I’ll be okay. It just drew a bit of blood,” Twilight said, shivering. “Its weapon was enchanted with Frost. I’ve never actually been hit with an enchanted blade be--fore.” She winced as she spoke, noting the wound glow blue a few times before settling into what appeared as a normal wound. It didn’t cut very deep, but enough that it may require a few stitches. Fluttershy rose to her feet and looked at the dead creature, slumped over with two swords sticking out of it. Black bile leaked from its wounds.
“What are they?” Fluttershy asked, almost afraid to pull her sword from its back.
“They,” Twilight began, walking over to her saddlebags, “Are Draugr. I’d only heard stories. I guess a lot of legends are coming true lately.” Digging through her bags, Twilight pulled out a small first aid kit and began to treat her wound, being careful not to let Fluttershy see what she was hiding beneath her robes. Thankfully, Fluttershy seemed preoccupied with slowly pulling her sword free from the Draugr. She used a bit of old faded tapestry hanging on the wall to clean her blade. She examined the Draugr a bit, noting the sword hilted against its jaw and sticking out of its head. Again, Fluttershy had lost all sensibilities and slaughtered her foe, just like with the spider in the cave. She couldn’t really remember killing this thing. She could almost picture it, like a dream that threatens to fade away, but she couldn’t actually see herself doing this. She thought about this. What was pushing her in these times of crisis? Could it be her allies getting hurt? That seems to be what spurs her into flying into a rage, but what is making her do this?
“C’mon,” said Twilight, waking Fluttershy from her thoughts, “It shouldn’t be much further.” Fluttershy looked at Twilight and nodded. The two headed through the doorway that led further into the crypt.
Fluttershy was lost in thought when Twilight spoke. “You said you’re from Ponyville. I’ve never heard of that.”
“Huh? Oh, it’s not in Skyrim,” said Fluttershy quietly, afraid to rouse anymore Draugr, “It’s to the southeast, hidden in a forest. It’s a town of Pegasi like me. We lived off the land.”
“I’ll have to visit someday. Tell me about yourself. I feel like I should know more about my bodyguard,” said Twilight with a hint of smarm. This caught Fluttershy off guard.
“Oh, I’m not that interesting. I just grew up a boring little kid in Ponyville.”
“That can’t be all,” said Twilight, “To my knowledge, you arrived in Skyrim in the back of a prison wagon.” Fluttershy blushed, and looked at the floor.
“I couldn’t afford the toll into Skyrim so I snuck in. My animals were sick and needed medicine that I could only get here.”
“When are you going back?”
Fluttershy found that one hard to answer. Just earlier she made up her mind to stay in Skyrim, but she hadn’t quite thought of how to get her animals their medicine. She could take it back, but she didn’t have enough time. The dragon could strike again at any moment, and she had to be there to help.
“I don’t know,” she said after a moment.
“Well,” started Twilight, “If you want I could help get you the medicine. I’m good friends with the priestess in Whiterun and she’s the best there is in that field.”
“I don’t know how i could get it home. I can’t go back. Not yet.”
“Skyrim has the fastest mail service in all of Tamriel,” said Twilight, “They can find anyone, anywhere, within days of being tasked with their package.”
“I suppose that explains how I was pardoned so quickly,” said Fluttershy, giggling quietly. “I have a friend who lived near me. I could mail it to her.”
“See, no problem,” Twilight said, “And I have to ask. Where did you learn that move you pulled on the Draugr? Where you twisted its hoof?” Fluttershy paused, stopping her movements briefly before continuing.
“I don’t know,” she said quietly, “I’ve done a lot of confusing things these past few days.” Her brow furrowed, her thoughts again returning to her actions.
“I hope you figure it out. Skyrim has a way of changing its people.” Twilight paused. “Hold up, I see a light at the end of the hallway.”
Twilight was correct, Fluttershy thought, as they entered yet another large room, it wasn’t far at all. This room had a blue glow about it, and she could see that this was because the light from the sun was cascading down into the room. The ceiling was so high up that she couldn’t see it. Looking around, Fluttershy noted the moss and fauna growing in this cave. Twilight gasped and began trotting into the chamber quickly. Fluttershy was nervous and didn’t think moving very quickly was a good idea, for something might see them. At the center of the chamber was a large podium made of stone and decorated with metal, flanked by a large, flat, stone wall. The wall had strange runes engraved onto it, but it was little concern for the mares. Beside the wall was a coffin, sealed shut. Atop the podium was Twilight’s prize. She recognized it from her informant’s notes and from the textbooks. Here it was, a massive stone tablet covered in moss and bugs, the Dragonstone. Twilight couldn’t contain her excitement as she wiped away the greenery.
“Yes! Yes, yes yes!” Twilight exclaimed. She tried to lift it with her hooves, but found that it was absurdly heavy. Then she tried to lift it with her magic, but still struggled.
“Damn,” said Twilight inwardly, “It’s bound to the podium. Something keeps it in place.”
She began examining the podium as Fluttershy began walking toward the large stone wall. The engravings on it were like nothing she’d ever seen before. They didn’t translate to any language she knew or even recognized. But as she walked closer, something changed. She couldn’t hear Twilight muttering to herself anymore, but she didn’t seem to care. She was focused on the wall. One of the carvings, eye level with her, was different than the others. It stuck out to her and she couldn’t avert her eyes. Her peripheral vision went dim as the rune grew clearer and clearer. She could hear whispers, and the whispers grew to chanting. She heard the voices of a thousand long-dead warriors as she walked closer and closer to the rune. It called to her. It tempted her. She could feel its power; she could feel her own power rising, boiling, bubbling to the surface before. . .
Fluttershy was snapped out of her trance, hearing nothing but the echoing of what sounded like an earthquake. Before her, the wall was no more. It was merely a pile of rocks and boulders. The loose stone and grass before her had been lifted and blasted out of the way. Twilight was recoiling in fear. Fluttershy looked to her, confused and afraid. Twilight backed away.
“You. . .”
Twilight was interrupted by the sound of metal hitting the ground. The coffin beside the wall was now open, and from it crawled another Draugr. But this one was big, easily towering over either mare in both size and stature. It was adorned with black, runic armor and carried a massive black axe that shimmered a brilliant blue. Fluttershy and Twilight both readied themselves for another duel. Fluttershy spread her wings, glad that this was a room big enough that she could use them. The Draugr roared and charge at Fluttershy, its axe barely missing her as she flew into the air. This one swung faster and much harder than the others. Twilight began to charge, but Fluttershy stopped her.
“I can distract him! Gain your mana!” Though Twilight was still slightly afraid of Fluttershy, she knew this was good advice, and backed into the shadows, focusing her mind.
The Draugr swung at Fluttershy again and again, narrowly missing her each time. Fluttershy’s wings weren’t very strong, and soon she had to land. She was still quick, and the Draugr missed again. Visibly frustrated, the Draugr charged at the Pegasus with all its might, and Fluttershy was caught by the tail. She screamed as the Draugr swung her around and slammed her into the stone wall. It slammed its hoof into her chest and picked her up again, throwing her against the podium. Fluttershy could hardly stumble to her feet, barely noticing the Draugr charge again. It smacked Fluttershy with its hoof, sending her flying. She landed in a patch of moss, and saw her horned helmet land next to her. One of the horns had been broken off. Fluttershy ground her teeth. The helmet Applejack gave her was broken, and now this creature was going to pay.
Fluttershy flew at the Draugr, but it dodged her, grabbing her again by the tail. Summoning what magicka she had left, Fluttershy slammed her hooves into the Draugr’s foreleg, casting Frost into it. The Draugr let go, but Fluttershy continued her icy assault, blasting the Draugr in the face with ice-magic, before succumbing to fatigue and letting her hooves fall to the floor. The Draugr was hardly phased, and used both of its hooves to slam Fluttershy into the far wall. Fluttershy heard a deep snap, and pain shot through her body. It was a pain worse than anything she had ever felt before. She tried to ge up, but couldn’t move. She could only lay on the ground. She looked up to see the Draugr jump into the air, ready to cleave her in two with its axe. Fluttershy tried to roll out of the way, but her broken body wouldn’t allow her.
“No!!” screamed Twilight, jumping in front of Fluttershy. Her hooves were alight with purple electricity, and she blasted the Draugr with all her magical might. The undead creature was sent flying backwards and into the opposite wall. With her magic spent, Twilight collapsed. Fluttershy felt a tear run down her face. She called Twilight’s name, but Twilight didn’t respond. Holding back a pained sob, Fluttershy looked toward the Draugr only to watch in silent horror as it began to move its arms. It wasn’t dead, and Fluttershy felt her heart skip. She looked around, hoping that there was anything that could help her survive. She found nothing but Twilight’s saddlebags, which had a small red bottle poking out from one of the pockets. Fluttershy squinted. Was that. . .?
A healing potion.
Weakly, Fluttershy began to crawl toward the potion, which was just a few meters away. A few long, painful meters. Every muscle in her body protested, but Fluttershy continued onward, crawling slowly toward her goal. She could hear the Draugr moving, but this only spurred her onward. Every movement, no matter how miniscule, was utter torture. She crawled, one hoof after the other, feeling fiery arrows of pain piercing every fibre of her very being. Tears streamed down her face as the potion bottle came closer and closer. She could hear the Draugr rise to its feet, and heard it begin to walk closer to her. She couldn’t afford to look. She just needed to press forward. She screamed, only one meter away. The Draugr was getting closer, roaring pained, guttural roars. After an eternal struggle, Fluttershy grabbed the bottle, tore the cork out with her teeth, and drank every last drop, hearing the Draugr trudge forward. When it was finished, Fluttershy could feel the bones in her spine moving back into place. Torn muscles began binding themselves back together, and scrapes and bruises faded. She wasn’t even closed to fighting strength, but the potion gave her all she needed to rise to her feet and look the Draugr dead in the eye. It was only a short distance away. Fluttershy stared fearfully at the Draugr, the pain from her injuries subsiding slightly. In her mind, she begged to fly into another fury. She hoped that at any moment she would awaken to find the beast dead at her hooves, but no such thing came.
Tears continued down her face. She could hardly move. Her back was still broken. But she had no other choice. She focused herself, channeling any magic she had left within her soul, and cast it aside, directly into the unconscious Twilight. Twilight glowed with a golden aura as Fluttershy funneled every ounce of her being into the Healing Spell. Fluttershy knew she couldn’t win this one. Hopefully Twilight could.
Twilight awoke only to watch Fluttershy collapse into an unconscious husk. She saw the Draugr, now unarmed, moving closer to her slowly and weakly. Twilight struggled to get to her feet. She looked to her sides, and then back to the Draugr. She knew what she had to do, but she didn’t want to do it. Twilight found solace in that there were no witnesses to the following events. Twilight took a few steps forward, letting the robes fall from her purple-coated body. Beneath them were two large, beautiful, fully feathered wings that flared as soon as they were uncovered. The Draugr noticed Twilight all too late, as the Alicorn flew into it, sending it careening into the wall. It rose and swung weakly at Twilight, but she dodged it, and slammed into the creature again. It stumbled backward, but Twilight grabbed its head and flew directly upward. With a scream, Twilight spun around and threw the Draugr with all of her might against the ground, shattering the decaying body into pieces. Twilight landed and stumbled, watching the light fading from the Draugr-king’s eyes.
With a loud sigh, Twilight’s shaking legs failed to support her, and she fell. Unbeknownst to her, Fluttershy was awake long enough to see the Draugr die. Fluttershy wanted to be amazed at the fact that Twilight was an Alicorn, but she couldn’t find the strength within herself to feel anything at all. Both mares fell unconscious almost simultaneously, hearing the sounds of distant thunder coming from the world above the Barrow.
