The epic tale of Khazur, the Argonian Pony, in the perilous land of Skyrim.
It is the year 201 of the Fourth Era and the once glorious Equestrian Empire is but a shadow of its former self. Despair and sadness abound, while there is little joy to be had. It is in these troubled times that an Argonian Pony by the name of Khazur is accused of a crime he did not comit and sentenced to death. As he struggles to save his life, little does he know that his escape will take him to the war-torn land of Skyrim. Here he will tumble into the flow of destiny, beginning adventures that would put the fate of reality itself in his hooves.
There are times in history when bloodshed and despair seem small and insignificant; present only in simple incidents with little importance and far apart. Peace reigns while all kingdoms are content with their strength and wealth. War is a strange word to all.
Ponies live through these times taking their good fortune and peace for granted, finding trifles about which to whine and groan. Their plentiful food, strong roofs, and joyful families are gifts so inherent to their lives that they are seldom valued.
But then, with one fell swoop, fate brings forth catastrophe, war, and famine. The great sword of destiny slashes again and again, toppling kingdoms and ending civilizations. These horrid events may, indeed, happen in quick succession for centuries on end, offering no relief, mercilessly devastating all of existence.
One such time brought the glory of the Equestrian Empire, the greatest power known to the world for eras, crumbling down. The sword and horn of the Thalmor Unicorns, warriors of the Aldmeri Dominion, descended upon the Imperial City of Canterlot on the year 174 of the Fourth Era, and with them came sorrow and despair.
However, even amongst the blood, the screams of ravaged mares, and the cries of dying foals, new life finds ways to push forward: A mare of the reptilian race of the Argonians galloped with an egg, her son, secured in her saddle-bags, Thalmor arrows and spells raining in her midst. She pushed through the gates as sword and axe gashed at her flesh, climbing a fleeing carriage as it left the burning city behind.
On the charred and dirty floor of the cart, the mare succumbed to her wounds, but her son for whom she had given her life survived. A young Breton Pegasus merchant, owner of the carriage, and his wife searched amongst the survivors for one who would care for the unhatched foal, but were unable to find one, so they kept him as their own.
This act of charity within times of war would save the life of the Argonian Pony Khazur Marrak, and begin the rolling of yet another of fate’s dice. This tale is an account of his travels, accomplishments, and sufferings. For the life of one this steeped in the fluid of destiny is bound to become a story worth telling…
By RyuuKiba
Chapter 1: The Colt Who Met an Atronach
I still remembered with every detail, down to the smells, the sounds, and even the venison taste that lingered in my mouth, the night I met that filly so many years ago.
I had just eaten dinner and I crept outside to play in the moonlight. I was just a colt after all. Yeah, I was one silly, mischievous little Argonian colt running around under the stars.
What’s an Argonian you ask? You must be new to Equestria, my avid story-hunter! Alright, before I continue my tale, let me tell you a bit about myself and my kin.
Argonians are reptilian ponies native to the swamps of Buck Marsh, southeast of Cyrodiil, center of the Equestrian Empire. We have scales, bony crocodilian tails, grow feathers on our heads and tails, and can actually breathe underwater. Despite common misconceptions, we are warm-blooded… Like pegasi without wings or feathers… uh… no, rather think of us like big, featherless bird ponies. …No, I don’t think that helps either… Well, I think you’ll get to understand us better as I keep telling you my story.
So, there I was: a colt that had snuck out of home at night and was playing around in the grass without a care in the world. My blackish scales had a few spots and stripes of dark red and silver that I displayed proudly as I had refused to put any clothes on that day. The red was richer on my brows, in sharp contrast to my bright-gold eyes while silver-white scales drew a line from the tip of my nose, down my back, and all the way to the end of my tail.
The fluffy and young red feathers that grew on my head and my tail tip, along with the few individual feathers dotting my flanks and shoulders, shuffled and swayed in the night breeze. Two horns, small and barely visible at my young age, grew back from my temples, and practically drew the limit of where my feathers started.
I could almost hear my step-mother’s voice in my head, urging me to go back inside before the wintry Brumare air gave me a cold or a bear came by to eat me.
I huffed, actually meeting a bear would have been amazing, in my opinion at least. Anyhow, the night air was refreshing, there was hardly any snow, and the forest that stretched out behind the house was separated from our lands by a calm stream, which was always so inviting due to my water-loving instincts.
Brumare had been my home my entire life or at least all that I had memory of. It was a city at the northern border of Cyrodiil, at the base of the majestic Jerall Mountains. It was mostly populated by Nord Ponies, who were strong and heavily built Earth-Ponies adapted to the cold climates of their native Skyrim, the land further north, beyond the Jeralls. My own adoptive family was all Breton Pegasi from the temperate land of High Buck, however, and always made an effort to see to the well-being of their children and me in the perpetual snows of the region we now resided in. They were especially concerned with me, since Argonians don’t have fur coats like all the other pony races. With their help, I managed to adapt well, though. My body knew no other climate than Brumare’s, and snow was nothing new to me either. In time I had become a hardy little winter-lizard.
Knowing that making too much noise would alert the servants of my little escapade, I laid on my back to watch the stars. The constellation of The Shadow shone upon me beside the moon, reminding me of my upcoming birthday. Oh how I loathed my birthday, always small, always unimportant, always pestered by my step-brothers… I shook my head to ward off those thoughts; I didn’t need dark memories spoiling that moment of peace.
I took a deep breath and sighed, my tongue reaching between my tiny sharp teeth to get a bit of venison unstuck. I chuckled, remembering how my meat-eating habits appalled my brothers. Mother Nightshade and Father Gem Glow were far more accustomed to my race’s diet though, step-parents needed to be, I guessed. A smile slowly appeared on my face; thinking about how my caretakers went out of their way to love me for whom and what I was, which always cheered me up. Back then I thought they were the only ones who did…
Right then a torchsprite flew by, its abdomen lit with beautiful green light. My concerns for stealth lost in childish glee, I chased after the critter across the grass and leapt into the stream to continue the pursuit. The water felt cold as I splashed into it, a sensation most ponies would have found unpleasant. Not me though, I could have stayed there, sleeping under the surface had the torchsprite not stolen my full attention. I carried on into the forest, dirt and twigs clinging to my wet scales and tangling in my soft, mane-like feathers as I ventured forth behind the floating emerald light of the bioluminescent bug. The sounds of the night filled the cold air as I raced, forming a natural symphony that all but immersed me further into my little game, causing me to utterly lose track of time.
When I finally noticed that my playful chase had dragged on for too long, I was lost in the forests of the Jerall Mountains. I looked around the snow-covered wilderness, fear getting a hold on my young heart. I started hyperventilating, frantically searching for a landmark or a distant light that would lead me back home. Slowly the chance of meeting a bear stopped being something to look forward to as the fear and darkness drew fangs and vicious, hungry eyes over the mental image I had of the beast. I tried running, but lacked the will to take more than a few steps; the possibility of getting even more lost was too terrifying to keep going in any direction. And then a sound sent a chill down my spine. A wolf’s howl echoed into the starlit sky.
The blood-chilling call was not too far off, and my own panic brought it ever closer to my ears. I could hear their muffled steps coming closer in my head, and getting lost no longer mattered. I galloped off in the direction opposite to the sound, blind to anything but what was in front of me.
As if the entire forest had suddenly turned evil, branches scratched and stabbed at me from all directions and the snowy rocks threatened to make my hooves slip on their surface.
My terror peaked as the sound of panting reached my right ear, I dared a look and saw the hungry eyes of a wolf that was running beside me. I turned to find another of the creatures running to my left, and I could hear at least one other behind me.
I tried to make sharp turns that would drive them into a tree or confuse them long enough to escape, but my efforts were in vain. The predators simply darted and maneuvered around any obstacle I tried to force in their way. Hope was fading faster than any of us ran.
The ground suddenly dropped from under my hooves as I fell down a steep ridge I had been unable to notice, sending me tumbling down painfully through branches, loose rocks, and snow. Finally I landed at the base of the ridge, face planting against a log. I curled up and pressed my hooves to my nose as the pain concentrated on my muzzle.
I heard the wolves land gracefully around me, their growling drawing closer. I shut my eyes tightly; there was no way I could run from them now.
A sudden warm feeling flew past me, followed by a rush of warm wind and the sound of fire. I opened my eyes to see that a wolf had been tossed back and was now engulfed in flames. The other two beasts were no longer paying attention to me; instead, they growled and bore their fangs at somepony or something behind me.
I turned to see what it was when a ball of flames grazed my right cheek and blasted one of the wolves back against a rock, charring it.
I held a hoof to my cheek; it still felt hot but had thankfully not been burned. My eyes were wide with shock for a completely different reason, though.
There, a few feet away from me was a creature I had only seen in my step-father’s spell books.
It had the shape of a filly and its body was formed by flames that danced and flickered about it. Black volcanic stone formed armor-like structures that gave a more solid shape to its hooves and jaw, from where it twisted back in a pair of curved horns like a mix of deer antlers and ram horns. The stone also gave it a chest-plate that continued upwards to the sides of its neck and back, running down its spine to its flank. Fire erupted from the stone, forming a blazing tail, similar to the tongues of flame that waved from its head to form what appeared to be a mane.
The most mesmerizing thing about this creature, though, was its eyes. They never ceased to flicker and dance within the fire that rose from the armor that defined her snout and cheeks. They couldn't settle on a single color, flashing from red to orange to yellow to white, waving and crackling like a campfire on a midsummer's day. Yet, something could be seen within the dazzling, abstract features; something that reflected the heart and soul of the unnatural being that gazed upon me.
It was a Flame Atronach, a vicious creature from the planes of Oblivion, the hellish realm of the immortal Daedric Princes. And yet, it was different to all the illustrations I had seen, which always portrayed them as full-grown mare-devils. I didn’t even think daedric creatures could have foals!
The last wolf whimpered and scurried away, its companions now piles of bones and burnt flesh. I, on the other hand, did not move as I was completely mesmerized by the flaming filly.
Ever since I hatched, I had a certain affinity for fire, which would later be evident with my flaming arrow cutie mark. I enjoyed watching it dance in the fireplace as the family kept warm in the coldest days of winter. And yet this creature was made of a whole different type of fire, one much more brilliant and alive, far more majestic and imposing than the hearth. I could see how the snow melted and evaporated around it, lifting in clouds that only made its presence even more mystical and alluring.
I cautiously crept out from behind the log, still trembling from the adrenaline that had rushed through me in the pursuit and the ferocious short battle. The Atronach seemed about to attack me for a moment, lifting a hoof and shaping a ball of flames upon it, but the daedric filly hesitated, and finally let the power dissolve before resuming a proud pose. Behind it, another Atronach appeared from the darkness and mountain mist, an adult.
The two flaming creatures stared at me for what seemed like hours, I stared back, taking in the experience of being before such beings. Then they began trotting away. I wished to follow them, but now that my body was no longer kept alert by fear and excitement, my head began to spin. I tried shaking the feeling away, but my vision only blurred further and I fell unconscious to the forest floor.
I woke up hours later, in the patch of grass where I had been watching the stars just outside my home. I told my story many times ever since, but as one would expect, nopony believed the little Argonian colt’s tale of how he was saved from wolves by an Atronach on the eve of his birthday.
This memory, along with how I got my flaming arrow cutie mark after burning down our house with a single arrow from my dad’s enchanted bow, the time when I got caught stealing for the first time, the second, the third, and all the way to the twenty sixth, they were all flashing before me at that moment.
-
And then my life suddenly stopped flashing before my eyes and I was back, back to the year 4E 201, nineteen years after I had met an Atronach, back to the streets of Brumare, and back to a sword that was about to cleave my head clean off. I managed to duck under it, the attack missing and ramming the weapon into a wooden wall behind me.
“You are not getting away, scum!”
A Nord Pony guard shouted at me from a block away, preparing an arrow in his utility horseshoe andusing another to hold up his bow. Oh how I wished I was using one of those weapon-carrying contraptions, I was no good at fighting with a sword in my mouth. The guard’s light steel plate armor and chainmail chimed as they shoved against each other with the movement, and the tunic that covered most of it, bearing the Brumare crest of a griffin with its wings spread wide, waved in the air. He was wearing a helm, so I couldn’t see his face. His mane and tail however were a bright shade of gold, common in many Nords.
I was hearing fine clothes that day, which were mostly a vest and shirt and a neat ring placed on my left horn. It was all dirty, though, muddied and torn from fleeing the guards.
“Ou ffaven’t ewen ‘old me att I’m ‘eing awoosed of!” I screamed through the hilt of the sword as I tried to get it unstuck with my mouth while its owner attempted to pummel me with his hooves.
Three guards were after me at the moment, two were shooting arrows at me while the other was currently using me as a punching bag. One of the archers had a fiery orange mane and tail while the other was far more similar to the one assaulting me up-close. All three of them wore the Brumare Watch armor.
“We don’t need to explain things to you, Argonian!” The third guard huffed.
“That’s racist!” I retorted, letting go of the sword, genuinely insulted.
I gave up trying to retrieve the blade and pushed the guard out of my way, an arrow barely missing my head. As I ran through the alley I was surrounded in, getting dangerously close to one of the archers, I looked back at the guard I had pushed. He was already on his hooves, and dislodged the sword with one strong tug of his utility horseshoe. “Oh come on! That shouldn’t even be possible!” I cried in frustration.
I managed to dodge two more arrows, smirking at my display of skill. The guard I was running towards decided it was time to change tactic and proceeded to unsheathe a monstrous two-hoofed sword. I ducked out of the way of the first blow; however the guard managed to slam the weapon’s hilt into my ribs with a force I compared to a raging bull. I fell to the ground coughing and gasping for air.
“This is the part where you fall down and bleed to death!” He roared.
I managed to avoid the guard’s finishing blow, rolling to my hooves just in time as the gargantuan blade struck the ground where I’d been seconds ago. I turned, using my tail to trip my attacker, who was rearing for another attack. I proceeded to jump over him and continue running.
Three more guards rushed in to block my path, I cursed my luck and frowned, determined to snake my way through them. I leapt to a wall and pushed on it to land behind the first guard, spun close to the ground under a sword blow and used the momentum to trip the third warrior.
“Ha! You’re all way to slow to catch m-“
A war-hammer slammed into my ribcage and launched me against the wall t my left. Pain shot through my body while air was once again forced out of my lungs. Another guard had arrived while I was concentrated on avoiding the others and brandished an enormous steel war-hammer. I saw the beastly weapon be lifted up high to crush my skull and I closed my eyes tight. I only wished I had known what I was about to die for.
“WAIT! Wait! He yields! He yields!” a familiar voice called.
I managed to turn and see Frozen Glow, my younger step-brother, running towards us with a terrified expression. He was a sky blue pegasus with white mane and tail and vivid turquoise eyes. This bright coloring and his navy blue mage robes gave him a Breton Pegasus look that bordered on stereotype, at least for my tastes.
“Don’t kill him! He’ll go with you to stand trial; just, just don’t kill him!”
The guard looked down at me and gave one last kick to my face. The pain that now assaulted my snout joined the one from my ribs, causing me to twist awkwardly.
“Very well, we’ll let this one live. We’ll be taking him to see the Count. You’re lucky to have the protection of the Glow family, lizard.”
“What is he being accused of.” My brother asked, shoving the guard out of the way to help me up.
“The rape and defloration of Lady Cherrytip.” One of the other guards spat, as he reached us.
My eyes widened in disbelief and Frozen glared at me as we were led to the castle. The ponies that had been walking the streets stopping to see what the fuss was about. When they saw us, they simply shook their heads and went about their business, unsurprised with who was being taken to stand trial.
“Wh- hey! I did not rape her!” I stomped, insulted by my brother’s glare.
“Fine, you didn’t, but why oh why has the one mare you’ve been after for years sent the guards after you?” He turned to look forward as we spoke.
“Well I don’t know! All we did was walk around town at night… She insinuated but I told her to wait. She was coming on to me.” I explained, my frustration climbing with each word.
“Then I advise you to lie because no one in all Equestria is going to believe a coveted Nord lady ever made the first move on an Argonian pickpocket.”
“I am not a pickpocket! I’m a proud member of the Glow family! And I’ll let you know I’m a coveted stallion myself!” “Who steals things from ponies on a regular basis…?”
“For sport!”
“You’re hopeless, Khazur. Count Meadbeard is tired of seeing you around the castle paying fines or sneaking about, trying to steal from the nobles.” My brother’s tone softened as he spoke and acquired a tint of tiredness and defeat.
“Look, Frozen, I can’t help it… It’s a thrill I seldom get with anything else. Besides, I never steal stuff that’s too costly. And I even give most things back!”
“What about studying fire magic? You could get a healthier thrill out of that, right? I know you have the aptitude for it.” He suggested, as we continued through Castle Brumare’s outer gate.
I huffed derisively.
“The court wizard’s a cowardly old fool; he won’t even let me cast basic flames on the practice dummies. It’s always reading and enchanting items with that unicorn, I bet I know more about Destruction Magic than he does.”
My brother sighed loudly and was about to retort when the Castle doors opened and everypony fell silent as we proceeded into the entrance hall.
The hall was an impressive, high roofed chamber lined with wooden pillars and imperial flags with beautiful Nord decorations and carvings. Guards stood at the sides of each pillar, their attention fixed on me, maces and swords readily attached to their utility horseshoes. I looked down, not wanting to seem defiant in the midst of so many guards. I noticed blood dripping from my head to the golden carpet that decorated the floor. I repressed a glare at the guard with the war-hammer.
We finally reached a throne at the end of the hall, where the heavy, red-maned Count Meadbeard looked at me with a tired expression as he stroked his characteristic beard with one hoof. It was strange to see an Imperial Earth-Pony with such generous facial hair, but somehow it looked fine on the dark green stallion. He wore his expensive count garments, with the golden necklace he wore as badge of his office dangling from his neck.
To my right, members of the Winterfruit family, Cherrytip included, glared at me. Some of the stallions had their horseshoes ready with expensive daggers hidden under the sleeves of their nobility gowns. Their bloodlust was more than apparent, and I wondered if the guards were there to keep them from killing me before the trial as much as they were there to keep me from escaping.
To my left, my two other brothers, Heart Glow and Forest Glow, looked at me with pale faces, shaking their heads subtly. Their respective wine red and green fur and feathers were on end and their bronze mane and lime-green mane were both in disarray.
I was quite thoroughly done for.
*** *** ***
ADDENDUM 1 The following pages are an addendum of texts and depictions of creatures, places, ponies, and relevant objects from this tale. Though not fundamental to the understanding of the events, you are free to read on and delve deeper into the world of The Alicorn Scrolls.
Concept Art: The Equestrian Empire and Cyrodiil: Founded in the year 243 of the First Era (1E 243) by the Council of Windigobane through the alliance between the three warring kingdoms of Unicorns, Pegasi, and Earth-Ponies. It is said the High-Unicorns, Imperial Earth-Ponies, and Breton Pegasi are direct descendants of these three tribes. The Equestrian Empire is as vast as the land which is its namesake, Equestria, however the recent Great War with the Aldmeri Dominion has seen it weaken and some of its provinces lost. The central state is known as Cyrodiil, and is the homeland of the Imperial Earth-Ponies. Its capital is the Imperial City of Canterlot, famous for “The White Palace”, a majestic structure of ivory, marble, and gold built atop the Canterlotian Mount. The provinces the Empire ruled over before the Great War include Cyrodiil, Skyrim, Hoofingfell, Buck Marsh, Marewind, High Buck, Saddleset Isle, Valenwood, and Elsneigh. The Thalmor and the Aldmeri Dominion: The Thalmor were once a faction of High-Unicorns living in their native province of Saddleset Isle. When they rose to power in the year 4E 22 they renamed the province Alinor and founded a new empire named the Aldmeri Dominion. They proceeded to invade provinces of the Equestrian Empire, thus beginning the Great War. After the Imperial City of Canterlot was reclaimed by the Equestrian Empire, both the Thalmor and the Empire had suffered great losses, and so they sought to end the war with the signing White-Gold Concordant. The terms established in the concordant included the banning of Celestia, Luna, and Talos’ worship and the inclusion of Thalmor supervision to the roads and major cities of the Empire, as well as the ceding of southern Hoofingfell. The native Redguard Pegasi of the ceded province rebelled against the concordant, and the Empire was forced to reject the entire territory. The Thalmor then engaged in war with Hoofingfell and lost, however relations between the rogue province and the Empire have remained damaged.
High Buck: North-western province of the Equestrian Empire, bordering Skyrim to the east and Hoofingfall to the southeast. High Buck is the homeland of Breton Pegasi, where the oldest structure known to history, the Adamantine Tower stands. With a tame climate and fertile soil, it is a rich and prosperous country to where many ponies go in search of better lives. It is a land ruled by commerce and keeps a low profile in the great chaos of history. Argonians: The reptilian race native to the province of Buck Marsh. They are resistant to many diseases, can breathe underwater, and have feathers instead of manes. Also known as Saxhleel, they have always suffered of racism and discrimination throughout Equestria and their lands have been raided numerous times by slavers from Marewind. Though slavery has been abolished from the Empire, many still exploit the unfortunate lizard-ponies and Marewind still has a healthy underground slaver economy.
Breton Pegasi: Native to the province of High Buck, Breton Pegasi, or Hoofmer, are one of the three races said to be direct descendants of the first three tribes that founded the Empire. Their unique connection to their ancient allies has granted them a natural aptitude for magic akin to that of Unicorns though to a lesser scale. They are a kind race, and many migrate to various provinces for commerce and in search of knowledge.
Nord Earth-Ponies: The heavy-built natives of Skyrim. Their bodies are less colorful than their Imperial brothers, and their manes tend to vary between blonde and fire-brick. The first Earth pony race to tame the Equestria wilds, they forged an Empire that thrived and fell before the Windigobane Council. Nords are natural warriors and their fearsome presence give them the advantage of demoralizing would-be assailants. Some ancient records say that the first Emperors of Equestria before the Alicorn Dynasty were, in fact, of Nord race and not Imperials. The Shadow: A constellation in the sky of Equestria, shaped like a hooded pony holding up one hoof. It is said that ponies born under it have a natural ability to hide in the shadows and remain undetected by others. The City of Brumare: A city in northern Cyrodiil, built at the feet of the Jerall Mountains, which draw the border with Skyrim. Because of its proximity, Brumare receives many immigrants from Skyrim. Its cold climate, similar to that of the northernmost province, attracts other Nord travelers from Cyrodiil itself, mostly ponies looking for conditions more like those of their forefathers. The city played a key role in the Nightmare crisis, an event of the time when Celestia and Luna had not yet raised to the heavens as goddesses. Before the Great War, Brumare housed the chapel of Talos, god of wars. However, after the White-Gold Concordant banned the worship of this god, the chapel was closed and demolished. The enraged citizens rebelled against the local government, but were quickly suppressed by the Legion and troop of Thalmor soldiers.
Torchsprites: Much like their cousins the Parasprites, Torchsprites are small, four-winged bugs with spherical body shapes. These insects, however, have glowing abdomen which they use to communicate and attract potential mates. The dazzling gatherings of these insects have gained the critters the nickname “Star Clouds”, as their bodies in the dark of night seem to replicate the stars above. Torchsprites are sometimes used for alchemy, as their glowing thoraxes can grant energizing effects to potions. They can also be ground and boiled to serve as ingredient for magic-impeding poisons.
Flame Atronachs: Daedric creatures with essences comprised of the elemental powers of Fire. Like all Daedric creatures, not much is known about their culture or lives. Flame Atronachs are exclusively female and their forms are roughly the size of a tall pony. Their flaming bodies cannot be harmed by any fire, be it magical or natural. In fact, fire seems to heal and rejuvenate them. These Creatures do not appear to be devoted to any Daedric Prince in particular, serving one or another as they see fit.
Daedric Princes: Immortal creatures akin to the Divines, gods. They reign over the different planes of Oblivion, a realm attributed to evil and the unknown. Some ponies, such as the Dark Unicorns of Marewind, have purely daedric religions, worshiping the one known as Azura as their racial matron. The Daedric Princes are usually seen as demonic creatures who enjoy the suffering of mortals, and in many cases this is true. Some of the most vicious Princes include Mehrunes Dagon, god of destruction, and Molag Bal, prince of dominion and slavery. However, there are some Daedric Princes who are neutral to mortal ponies, or trade their grace for services such as Nocturnal, matron of thieves, and Sheogorath, god of madness. Also there are those who are benevolent, such as Azura, lady of dusk and dawn. There have also been Daedric Lords of unknown origin such as the entity known as Nightmare Moon, bringer of the Nightmare Crisis, and Discord, a mortal who, in antithesis to Luna and Celestia, twisted into a Daedric Lord who bridges the realms of Sheogorath and Sanguine, patron of hedonism and dark desires.
Utility Horseshoes: Invention first developed by the technologically advanced, yet extinct Dwarven Ponies, long before the Empire. They consist of a main body, shifting mechanism, holster, and arrow-hook. They can be strapped on to a pony’s hoof, slipped into like boots, or latched on by clasping two-piece main bodies together around the appendage. The shifting mechanism varies between the different types of utility horseshoes, but their function remains the same: To make it possible for a pony to carry an idle tool or weapon and quickly shift it to be wielded or used. The main types of Utility Horseshoes are: The Static or Single-Piece Horseshoe: Cheap and hardy horseshoes better fit for use in carpentry and armory, since they lack any kind of shifting mechanism. The Mechanical Horseshoe: The most common type, they have a shifting mechanism comprised of counterweights that react to a user’s movements to wither wield or hold the tool attached to their holster. The Dwemer or Dwarven Horseshoe: Extremely rare horseshoes found in Dwarven ruins. Their shifting mechanism is powered by the mysterious technology of their extinct creators. Much more reliable and efficient than Mechanical Horseshoes, their system seems to have a mind of its own, and might sometimes shift the weapon automatically to protect its user. Their major weakness is that, if broken or defective, there is no way of repairing them and must be replaced. The Gemstone or Mage’s Horseshoe: Expensive, state-of.-the-art horseshoes with magical mechanisms powered by gemstones. They do not require cumbersome inner-workings as their parts are controlled and kept in place magically. They connect to the minds of their users through enchantments and thus shift and move as fast as thought. Like enchanted weapons, these horseshoes need soul-recharging via gemstones. Pricier ones last longer, but their powerful enchantments can become unstable with misuse or direct impacts to their embedded gem, resulting in painful accidents or the breaking of holstered weapons and tools. The arrow-hook of a utility horseshoe, as its name implies, allows ponies to knock arrows and shoot them with bows attached to another horseshoe. The hooks can be given many other uses as they are not exclusively designed for arrows.
Destruction Magic: School of the magic arts that include any kind of directly destructive or offensive spells, divided into Fire, Frost, and Shock elements. The expertise in this school also benefits users of objects and weapons with destruction enchantments.
“May a daedroth sleep with my sister, Frozen, they’re going to murder me…” I whispered to my brother.
“Well this isn’t one of your robbery trials, Khazur, rape is punishable by death in Brumare, let alone defloration through rape.” He whispered back.
“That’s the thing, I-“
“Khazur Marrak, Argonian under the tutelage of the Glow family.” The Count interrupted me, his tone bored.
It was quite evident this was not the first time he had said that. I simply swallowed hard, bracing myself for what was to come.
“Lady Cherrytip Winterfruit has accused you of rape and of the defloration of her body. Her parents Lord Pine Winterfruit and Lady Snowberry of Winterfruit provided the needed acknowledgement of this fact.”
The stoic-looking father neighed in a menacingly low tone. I didn’t need to see him to know his eyes were fixated on my throat and a dagger in his mind.
“By the laws of the Equestrian Empire, and with the local Thalmor ambassadors as witnesses, it is required that you are given the opportunity to speak in your defense. What have you to say, in use of this right you gain upon yielding to the guard?”
I looked at the unicorns that had just entered the hall, the Thalmor. They wore expensive clothes that included ceremonial pieces of armor all lined with gold and forged from mysterious black metals. Their bright furs, manes, and tails showing their ancestral connection to the first unicorns to have lived in Equestria back in the time before recorded history.
I had no intention of hiding my disgust, so I whinnied heavily. I had no problem with High Unicorns, whom shared kinship to them, but I shunned each and every Thalmor. My adoptive parents had not kept from me the way my mother had died, and though I never met her, I was not about to forgive these invaders for what they had done. I couldn’t care less that the war had ended. In fact, the terms they forced the Empire to agree with banned the worship of the goddesses Luna and Celestia as well as the God Talos, all recipients of my diseased step-parents’ devotion. I would gag just by the sight of how their ambassadors and peace enforcers went about proclaiming the supposed rescue of the Empire from further angering the Divines by the worship whom they called heathen idols.
I finally turned to face the Count, shaking away my discomfort.
“The first thing I will say, your lordship, is that even though there’s proof Lady Cherrytip lost her virginity, there’s none to show that there was any rape.” I said, calmly.
Everyone turned to look at the complainant, whose eyes had become wide in surprise. She flinched for a second before raising a hoof to her rib cage.
“Oh… m-my poor mangled body…” She feigned. It would have been a convincing act had it been present throughout the day.
“Right, as you can all see, she is in excellent shape. If any rape had taken place, the least any mare would have would be bruises.”
I could see Frozen smile from the corner of my eye. So far this situation had been dealt with swimmingly, my previous fear starting to subside. And that’s when the pain of betrayal crept into me.
The night before, I had been walking around town with the beautiful Cherrytip, speaking of many things and admiring the goddess Luna’s moon. We had found a secluded little patch of forest just outside the city to speak and caress more intimately. She had wanted to be with me, but I had declined. I maybe was a troublemaker and a thief, but if there was something father Gem Glow taught me it was to respect and cherish a mare’s body beyond her or my own desires. She hadn’t taken kindly to this, but I never imagined she’d frame me for rape because of it!
“That would still leave the defloration without the father’s consent.” The Count explained, somewhat relieved that it was no longer necessary to execute me.
“Yes, it does.” I said, fighting against the pain in my heart.
But it was no time to be forgiving. Cherrytip had decided to wage war with me, and I was not about to just let her attack go unanswered.
“Forest Glow, I hope you’ve brought the information you were keeping safe for me?” I turned to see my eldest brother, who was unable to hide his sly smile.
“Of course, Khazur, I brought anything that could help you out of the noose.” He said, proudly, and reached down to a bag that sat beside him and took it to me. I reached in and pulled out a bunch of envelopes and folded papers and tossed them at the hooves of the Count.
“These are letters, written to and from Lady Cherrytip’s three previous lovers. You’ll see that they are authentic and that they have proof that it I wasn’t the one who deflowered her.”
I discretely looked at the mare, now red with embarrassment and slowly turning to hide behind her distraught parents. I smiled, repressing a snicker. I had been enamored by Lady Cherrytip for years and had, sometimes, used my pick-pocketing skills to learn of her. I knew it wasn’t exactly the healthiest and most honorable hobby, to steal my love interest’s intimate letters… But in the end my little evil saved me from a greater one, right?
“So, young Khazur,” the Count slowly began, pondering something in his head. “How did you come by these documents?”
Wrong.
“I-I uh… well you see.”
I staggered, suddenly the tables turning against me yet again. Taking a deep breath, I sighed. I wasn’t as good at lying as I was at sneaking. I shook my head regrettably.
“I think my… inclination for theft isn’t news to anypony here…” I said simply, almost in a whisper.
Frozen Glow’s shoulders slumped, my other brothers sighing and shaking their heads almost in unison. I just stood there, staring at the Count’s hooves. I had effectively saved my own life, but I couldn’t bring myself to look up. I was usually the defiant, carefree type, but I had just barely escaped execution only to dirty my victory with yet another petty theft.
“The fine for pick pocketing is 40 Bits, as you most likely already know, pay it with my steward and leave. I have had enough of this trial.” Meadbeard closed his eyes and lifted a hoof to his forehead, most likely in response to a headache.
“Wait,” Lord Pine said, his voice quivering with frustration and disappointment.
The Count looked at him with a frown, but nodded to indicate the Lord had permission to speak.
“First, this lizard stalks and steals from my daughter for years; he dares to court her without my consent, permanently damages her reputation and in doing so dishonors my family by revealing that my daughter has…”
As he spoke, his voice steadily grew to a scream as his anger boiled, tears of rage crept to his eyes as he lifted a hoof at me.
“By my right as Lord I demand permission to repair my family’s honor by the sword!”
I bristled, what was it with these ponies and wanting me dead?! I stomped a hoof and growled. My feathers slightly puffed up as I gave a step towards the Nord stallion.
“And what of my family’s damaged honor?! Your precious filly had me persecuted all across town, assaulted with arrows and swords, hit by war-hammers, and nearly killed. Then you insult me further by branding me a rapist and insinuated I had the gall to disrespect a mare’s chastity!” I glowered at the lord.
“Take what is left of your pride and mourn your family’s honor without bothering mine!”
The noble recoiled, my words stinging him. He then reared and gave a powerful stomp to the ground, his fury close to demolishing his self control.
“I still have the right to fight you for my honor!”
“Oh for Luna’s love!” I huffed.
“Hey!” one of the Thalmor unicorns that were serving as witness interrupted me with a growl.
“Watch what you say!”
At this point what little restraint I had left snapped and I gave a hiss through the back of my throat, the serpentine sound unsettling the ponies around me. Because I was raised by Bretons in a predominantly Nord town, I did not have the scratchy, hissy accent of my race. So whenever I did use sounds inherent to Argonians, they made a far deeper impression than usual on those accustomed to me.
“I said nothing wrong. The name of Luna is a blessing to the ears of anypony who cares to listen, as is that of any other of the 11 Divines.” I seethed.
The Thalmor glared at me with contempt, gritting their teeth so hard I could have sworn I heard them screech. As they approached me, I finally noticed the grave mistake I had just made, being executed for rape would be mercy compared to what awaited me.
“Your pitiful Moon Princess, her sister and your joke of a god Talos deserve no place beside the 8 Divines.” the unicorn wearing the most impressive outfit said menacingly.
“You are well aware that the worship of those idols is prohibited by the Empire itself, on account of their treaty with the Aldmeri Dominion.”
I started backing away from the enraged ponies, looking at Frozen Glow for a moment, hoping he would help me the moment all Oblivion broke loose. The Winterfruit family simply enjoyed the show, for I had just given them what they wanted in a silver platter: the certainty of my death. I spared a glance to the Count; I knew that he had no power to intervene here, and he simply avoided my eyes and shifted uncomfortably in his throne. The guards shifted in their places as well, some of them surely worshiped the banned goddesses and Talos in secret, and felt no joy in seeing somepony else was about to die for mentioning them.
“Your actions are, therefore, treason to the Empire and an insult to the beliefs of the Thalmor, and for that you will die,” the unicorn continued.
That’s when I caught a glimpse of a strange purple shine on one of Frozen Glow’s hooves, which he had hidden behind his back; he was holding a suspicious piece of paper under another hoof.
Not a second afterwards, a monstrous stallion made entirely of solid ice and easily twice the size of even the largest Nord buck burst through the wooden wall behind me. I stared at it with my mouth agape; its bulk was more akin to a mammoth than to a pony!
“It’s a Frost Atronach! RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!” Heart Glow screamed.
He was a terrible actor, but the ruse seemed to work as most of the ponies present turned tail and galloped away in panic. Some guards stood their ground and unsheathed their weapons, though none of them dared to attack first. I for one was about to kiss my brother in utter joy. I loved having an adept conjurer as younger brother.
The beast turned the chunk of ice that comprised its neck and head, its featureless face eerily looking over its miniscule enemies.
Frozen Glow took advantage of the distraction to grab the sides of my face and looked at me in the eyes. I could see a deep pain through them and began to suspect what he was about to say. I shook my head slowly in his grasp.
“Khazur, you need to grab what gear you can and get out of here, Brumare isn’t safe for you anymore. The moment that Atronach vanishes you’ll have the whole town watch and the Thalmor after you.” He explained, a tear running down his left cheek.
I tried to quickly think of some other option, but I soon saw there was none, and so I nodded and turned towards the nearest open door. I hesitated for a moment, looking back to my three brothers.
“Stay strong Khazur. Make our parents proud with the life you make for yourself!” Forest Glow screamed over the roars of the icy creature that was now locked in combat with the guards.
“… I love you guys!” I shouted back, trying to banish the tears that threatened with falling.
I headed for the door at full gallop, a shard of ice whizzing past me and embedding itself in the wall. I gave it a shocked glance before I took a sharp turn and entered the chamber beyond, closing the doors behind me.
“The prisoner is escaping! You two, go after him!” The muffled voice of a guard captain reached me through the thick wood.
I looked around the room hurriedly, seeing it was the castle dining hall, neatly arranged for an upcoming feast. I scurried to a candle-holder and proceeded to bar the entrance with it. The doors shook violently as my pursuers slammed into them. I barely managed to step back as a sword tip found its way through the wood. The shock staggered me for a moment but soon enough I was fleeing across the hall and into the next chamber.
I found myself in the castle kitchens, deserted now that a giant Atronach was rampaging about the keep. The cellar door, across from where I stood, suddenly slammed open and a fire ball hit me on a shoulder, singeing it. I growled in pain as I ducked under two more spells.
“You thought your little scene would save you from your fate, Argonian!?” the voice of the Thalmor leader called out. I threw myself out of the way of another blast, and launched my own burst of flames from a hoof in counterattack. The unicorn, evidently much more skilled at magic than I, raised a ward spell that completely blocked him from my attack, which was pitiful in comparison to the raging spheres of hellfire that he wielded.
“Damn unicorns! This is ridiculous!”
I overturned a table to stop another attack and flung a kettle at my assailant with a strong buck of both my hind hooves. The blunt object phased through the ward and hit the unicorn with a thump, staggering him.
I rushed to a door on the far corner of the room, taking a kitchen knife with my mouth in case I had to fight again. I slammed the door shut behind me and barricaded it with a wardrobe and various benches and other furniture close at hand.
The guard’s barracks now stood before me, emptied of any warrior who might have been resting there.
The sound of hooves approaching from various entrances increased my anxiety and I rushed to look for the one tool that would give me a true chance to fight back. I dropped the knife I had in my mouth and dug through weapon stacks and chests filled with armors and shields. I took advantage of my finds and slipped into a set of leather armor.
It was quite used and most likely left there to use by recruits in training, but I wasn’t about to sacrifice my speed by using heavy armor. The boots on my hind legs and the chest piece were both a bit loose for me but it didn’t matter in the present circumstances. I tried putting on the helmet, the sharp clunk as its brim hit my horns making it painfully obvious I would have to do without the piece.
An arrow hit the helmet as I was about to leave it on the floor. The guards had reached me. I hastily dove into another chest and smiled as I found what I had been looking for: A utility horseshoe.
I ran off with the horseshoe in my mouth and tried to rapidly fasten it to my right hoof while doing my best not to stumble. Arrows whizzed past me and some struck the nearby tables and wooden chests, puncturing through them with faint thuds. A ball of flame that flew over my head and exploded into a training dummy in front of me heralded the arrival of Thalmor unicorns. The situation was getting much too dire.
I finally got the horseshoe on and took the weapon nearest to me, lodging it into the horseshoe mechanism on the inside of my hoof with a click. I then noticed the weapon was an iron sword, rusty and filthy, it seemed the slightest touch would break it.
“Okay, now I’m sure. The Divines hate me,” I whined.
I didn’t have much chance to keep cursing my luck before a guard’s mace fell towards me. I lifted my weapon hoof, which activated the lever and counterweight system of the horseshoe to position the hilt of the iron sword at the base of my hoof and allowed me to parry with the laughable blade. Sparks flew upon contact and there was a loud clang, but thankfully the sword remained whole. I ignored the recoiling buck that had attacked me and hurried to the large barred doors that lead to the streets, the utility hoof’s mechanism using my momentum to place the sword back on the side of my hoof and shifting it so it did not impede my movement.
“From now on, I’m not going anywhere without one of these!” I vowed in my thoughts.
An arrow hit my left foreleg shortly after; however the armor’s bracers managed to reduce the damage. I shrugged off the sting and continued forward. Two guards ran to block my exit, both wielding impressive war-hammers… I was starting to really loathe those.
I charged straight into them, jumping over a low swing from one of the weapons. As I landed, I rolled on the ground avoiding the second attack. Tripped one of the guards with my dull blade and hurried off into Brumare.
The sting of cold air hit me the moment I exited the castle, the chilling wind bringing tears to my eyes. I ran along one of the outer walls towards the gates. The street sloped down steeply towards the great doors, and I had to be careful not to trip and land on my face as I galloped.
I then noticed a cabbage merchant that was slowly making his way up the slope, a fellow Argonian. Taking my chance, I leaped into the cart, which was freed from its owner’s grasp by the force of my landing.
“Sorry, marsh-brother!” I called back as the cart sped downhill, my feathers whipping back in the wind.
Some ladies screamed as I rushed by, nearly run over by the rampant vehicle. I tried steering it with my weight but it wasn’t much use, so I simply braced myself for impact.
The cart slammed into the gate, flinging cabbages into the air and opening it just enough for me to get out. I took a moment to shake off the recoil and dizziness my stunt had left me with. I then rushed outside, ignoring the surprised looks of the guards that had been minding the great doors.
I didn’t look back as I rushed into the forests of the Jerall Mountains, a single arrow missing widely and striking some six feet away. I didn’t pay attention to any more attacks that may have come my way; I simply galloped with all my might onwards, my mind locking my body into a continuous loop of running and avoiding trees. Snow kicked up from my hooves, my breathing heavy and coming in short huffs as I raced.
It must have been hours before I slowed down, for the sun was setting on the horizon and its orange light was already painting the clouds a dazzling array of colors.
Now just trotting into the unknown, I finally looked back. Brumare, the only place I had known and called home my entire life was no longer in sight, and with it any hope of being with my brothers again.
I let myself fall on the snow, panting, and exhaustion finally settled into my muscles. I carefully pulled the arrow out of my armor, the small wound it had opened underneath was already well into healing. Every other hit I had received that day seemed to throb under my scales as even the smallest scratch took advantage of my tiredness to harass me.
I closed my eyes tight, for the pain in my heart had begun to overwhelm all that other suffering I was going through. I felt my throat tighten and my tears starting to drip to the snow below.
So there, in the solitude of the forest I wept for the life I had lost and the family I left behind, all because I was not smart enough to keep my mouth shut.
I remembered the times of happiness with my family. Then came the dark memories of comforting my brothers when mother and father passed away. The singing from the many birthdays we celebrated together echoed in my ears and even my step-brother’s bullying became fond memories in that moment.
The images of everypony I had ever known were displayed to me vividly, as though they were all there with me. But the visions soon began to fade in the falling snow and wither with the mountain mist. I was alone, and had no way or intention of going back.
The distant howl of wolves prompted me to cut my weeping short, and I was once again off, who knew where, who knew for how long. For the first time in my life I was truly and utterly in the hooves of the Divines.
The next morning came eventually. I hadn’t stopped, hadn’t eaten, or slept; all I had done was walk, walk all through the night. My mind had kept me busy the long, cold hours with images of my past and visions of how I could have avoided the situation that led me to that aimless stride through the mountains. The steady ups and downs of the terrain only pushed my being further into my thoughts through the rhythmic movements of traversing them.
The sun was high in the sky when hunger finally threw me back into reality. I was still in the forests, but there was no more snow around me. I hadn’t noticed until that moment that I had, in fact, left the snowy peaks so far behind no white was visible around me.
The air was damp, and much warmer compared to Brumare. The sounds of nature surrounded me, undistracted by the sole pony traversing their land. Butterflies flew about me and the soft forest floor was coated with leaves of all shades of brown. A pheasant flew past me, startled by my hoof snapping a branch under me. My mind quickly grasped the beauty that surrounded me to forget my previous pain, and I smiled.
I felt like trotting happily through this new and wonderful terrain, but it was an impossible feat in my current state. I settled for breathing deeply, letting the sweet cacophony of smells fill my lungs.
I noticed a stream up ahead and gathered all my strength of will to gallop to it, jumping to my knees and greedily drinking from the cool waters. The sensation was relieving and I dove in, the caress of flowing water soothing me to an instinctual level.
After I rested for a moment under the surface, I proceeded to stalk the fish that swam through the stream, my natural water breathing ability granting me a much needed edge on my unsuspecting prey.
I caught and ate my fill with the help of my sword, silently thanking my parents for allowing me to be a mischievous little colt who hid in streams and caught fish for fun. Once outside, I rested on the large rocks that lined the water’s path.
Then, as I closed my eyes to enjoy the wilderness some more, I felt an excruciatingly sharp pain on the back of my head and my vision blurred.
A fire-brick Earth-Pony, clearly from the brightly colored race of the Imperials and clad in fur armor stood before my writhing body, an iron mace rustier yet than my own sword inelegantly tied to his right hoof with an improvised horseshoe. He crouched down to see me eye to eye.
Darkness crept into my eyes as consciousness slipped my grasp. A metallic taste reached my tongue and I felt blood dripping around my head from a wound under my feathers. The last thing I heard was the bandit’s heavily accented words.
“’Elcome tah Skyrim, chum!”
*** *** ***
ADDENDUM 2 The following pages are an addendum of texts and depictions of creatures, places, ponies, and relevant objects from this tale. Though not fundamental to the understanding of the events, you are free to read on and delve deeper into the world of The Alicorn Scrolls.
Concept Art Frost Atronachs: These Daedric creatures seem to be exclusively Male, but their bodies are difficult to study due to their strange nature. Their forms are always huge and massive, towering over anypony of the known races with the sole exception of Giants, whom rival their height. As with their flaming cousins, Frost Atronachs have resistance to their natural element of ice.
Daedroth: Large, hulking daedric creatures with the body of a pony and the head and tail of a crocodile. Many mock Argonians by referring to them as lesser or little Daedroth.
High-Unicorns: Also known as Altmer, High-Unicorns are the graceful natives of Saddleset Isle, said to be descendants of the first Unicorns to inhabit Equestria. They are brightly colored and somewhat taller than most other races, though slender and sleek in shape. Altmer have the most aptitude for magic of all pony races living in Equestria, and thus are able to master almost any kind of spell fairly quickly. Their lightly built bodies and elongated proportions make them quite weaker and less agile than other races, so they rely heavily on their natural magical skills. Because of the Great War and the banning of Celestia, Luna, and Talos’ worship, Nord Earth-Ponies have a deep hatred for High-Unicorns, even if they are not Thalmor.
The 8 (11) Divines: The gods and goddesses of Equestria. Before Thalmor rule, Celestia, Luna, and Talos (named Tiber when he was a mortal) had been worshiped as equals to the other 8 Divines as mortals who were granted godhood for their deeds in life. All 11 Divines of Equestrian worship are:
Akatosh, The Dragon, greatest of the 11 and god of time.
Arkay, god of the cycle of birth and death.
Dibella, godess of beauty.
Julianos, god of wisdom, logic, and reason.
Kynareth, godess of the skies and nature.
Mara, godess of love, mother to all.
Stendarr, god of mercy and justice.
Zenithar, god of trade and work.
Talos, god of war and rule.
Luna, godess of the night and humility.
Celestia, godess of the day and temperance.
Skyrim: Northernmost province of the Equestrian Empire and homeland of the Nord Earth-Ponies. It borders with Cyrodiil and Hoofingfell to the south, Marewind to the east, and High Buck to the west. It is said Skyrim was the first land conquered by Earth-Ponies, Nords specifically, and was once home to the Dragons, great intelligent beasts that had sought to enslave all of pony-kind in the time before the Empire. Today, Skyrim is deep in the claws of civil war. A radical faction known as the Stormcloaks wishes to bring down Imperial rule to drive out the Thalmor and remove the ban on the worship of the Alicorn Sisters and Talos. To make matters worse, it rumored that Dragons have returned to Skyrim as legend foretold, and have come to bring the end of the known world. These rumors have yet to be proven true, however.
The darkness enveloped me, cradled me, hiding me away from memories and regrets. I felt at peace, as though suspended in time forever. The slight sensation of dizziness that spun around my head reminded me of the nights I spent drinking and talking blissfully with my brothers. A time now better off forgotten.
The void slowly drifted away, and pain crept to the back of my head. My senses were returning as I gradually recovered my consciousness. The first thing I noticed was the smell; a nauseating stench of death and filth with the damp, stale air of a closed space. My feathers stood up as cold finally registered in my brain and the rough sensation of stone brushed against my scales from under a bed of hay. I opened my eyes and lifted my head, too confused to discern anything of what I saw at first.
When my vision cleared, I was face-to-face with a rusty iron bar. With a muffled yelp I stumbled to my hooves and backed away against a stone wall. I was in an improvised cell within a cave of some kind. The iron bars I had been greeted by were the door of the cage that had been built against the cave wall. I looked down to the hay I had been laying on.
Bad idea, I tried my best to stop my stomach from churning at the sight of the rotting pile of grime and blood. The moment I held a hoof up to my mouth to stop from vomiting, I noticed I no longer had the utility horseshoe and rusty sword I had stolen from the Brumare barracks. The only thing left on me was the ragged leather armor, most likely considered junk even by the lowlifes that had imprisoned me.
“Hey everypony, the new one got up,” a scratchy voice echoed in the cavern.
I looked up, torchlight illuminating the area around my cell.
The chamber was roughly circular, with a low ceiling held by rock formations and stalagmites. The dark stone had been worked on to be inhabitable, and some of the weaker walls had been reinforced with wooden plaques. There were five other cages lining the walls, one to my left and four to my right, forming a half-circle around two tables and a pile of crates and sacks in the center of the room.
My eyes widened at the sight of the blood-bathed tables and the torture tools that lay on them. The details of cracks and slashes at both wood and stone remained as mementos of the ponies who had clawed at them with their bare hooves.
“Quite impressive, huh,” the voice continued.
It belonged to an old Khajiit pony, two cages right of me. His furry hide was dirty and some patches of it were missing. The pony’s cat-like features were barely recognizable between the scars of disease and possibly torture. His tail seemed to have been chewed on and its tip was completely missing. I noticed his cutie mark had been clawed off, possibly by the cat pony himself.
“It’s been a while since we last had an Argonian in our company,” another, younger voice reached me from the cell between mine and the Khajiit’s.
A unicorn stallion got up from his hay pile and greeted me with a grin. He brushed off the hay from his wheat-colored coat and shook his long, green mane and tail. His cutie mark was a basket filled to the brim with fruit. I would have thought he was a High-Unicorn if I hadn’t seen his eyes: The unmistakable black orbs of the Wood-Unicorn carried the same inherent kindness and natural amiability of dogs and other woodland critters, while glowing with the intelligence of a rational mind.
“Oh yes, oh yes! The last one was a mare. They used her good, and then, off to the necromancers,” the Khajiit wheezed in an eerily excited tone.
“I only got to talk to her a day before she was taken away. It has been four months since then,” the Unicorn sighed.
I looked at both of them with terror. Necromancers! I was on the verge of panic and tried to buck the door out of its hinges. The bars rattled and rust rained down on me with each impact. The others simply watched, waiting for my inner storm to fade away.
My desperate efforts bore no fruit. It was not until after a while that I calmed down.
“Where am I, and who brought me here?” I said, trembling, my mouth had gone dry.
“You are in a bandit hideout, somewhere in southern Skyrim. You were brought here by one of their ponies,” The unicorn explained.
“They call him Sweetroll. He’s not the brightest cub of the litter,” the Khajiit chimed in.
Great, I had been captured by an idiot with a cutesy nickname… if I needed any more humiliation that was it.
The younger pony cleared his throat, trying to cut-off any further interruption. “Yes, however the relevant thing about these bandits is that they seem to have arrangements with slavers and necromancers, providing merchandise and test subjects to each.”
“I’m guessing this is the cell chamber for the necromancer test subjects?” I said, knowing the answer but desperately hoping I was wrong.
Slavery still meant a possibility to escape, being opened up and my intestines used as skip ropes didn’t.
“Indeed, these bandits don’t really like Khajiit and Argonians…”
“Then, why are you here?” I sat down, my body finally accepting I wasn’t going anywhere for the time being.
“I might have overstepped some bounds with a slaver’s daughter,” the unicorn chuckled.
“Smooth.”
“And what are you called, Argonian?” the cat pony asked, making sure he wasn’t interrupting the unicorn again.
I was about to ask why it mattered, but then, why should I be on the defensive now? We were all facing a similar fate. After all, being mutilated and resurrected into an undead abomination would be much less horrible among friends I supposed.
“Khazur Marrak. Everything else about me doesn’t really matter,” I answered in a defeated tone.
“Ponies call me Bonetail. This one forgot his true name though.”
“This one?”
“It’s a way of referring to oneself I think. It’s a Khajiit thing,” the Wood-Unicorn explained, patiently. “I for one kept my old name. It is all I have left.”
I felt sympathy for the unicorn; I had nothing left either, other than the leather armor not even cave-dwelling bandits want.
“I’m Apricot Core.” He smiled contagiously.
“Ow!” I was about to smile back when a sting rose from my tail.
I turned back and stumbled as far away from whatever had caused the pain as I could. A Breton Pegasus looked up at me, a bunch of my tail feathers in his mouth.
His dirty sky-blue coat and tangled white mane were not a surprise in here, what did startle me out of my anger was the pegasus’ wings: They were void of all their feathers, scars making it clear they had been violently pulled out. The appendages were even deformed and twisted, the mark of unattended fractures visible through the thin skin that covered them.
The Breton scurried to a corner of his cell, where he put my feathers at the top of an impressive heap of others, most likely plucked from other prisoners. There were a large number of them that matched his color, and numerous others were pink. He hugged himself to the pile, shivering and making small nervous noises that seemed almost mouse-like.
“His name is Pridetrotter, not quite fitting nowadays,” Apricot explained, making no effort to hide the melancholy in his voice. “He’s been here longer than even Bonetail.”
I sat back down, looking at the strange stallion, and noticed a tattoo, just under his hammer and chisel cutie mark. The symbol of Luna shone with luminescent ink upon the pegasus’ skin.
“What’s his story?” I asked, not without a slight hint of aversion.
“If the bandits are to be believed, he and his wife, Aura Mist were worshippers of Luna disguised as merchants. They held secret meetings and celebrations for the Moon Goddess, and were deeply in love.” Apricot scratched at the floor with a hoof, looking down. “The Thalmor caught them in one of their gatherings and brought them to the bandits that run this place. Here, the criminals mocked them and ravaged her, forcing Pridetrotter to look how they did it. They tore their feathers from their wings as they raped her.”
As the unicorn spoke, my mind conjured images of the strange stallion’s story. A tear ran down my cheek as I stared into the mangled pegasus’ eyes, his own pain and sadness constant, all other emotions gone.
“When they had their fill, the necromancers mutilated Aura and dragged Pridetrotter into his cage. He fought and rebelled, finally managing to take as many of their feathers as he could. He never spoke again, and has been collecting feathers ever since. The bandits keep him here mostly for their amusement I suppose.”
I couldn’t speak, my words lost to sadness. Instead I approached the limit of my cage closest to Pridetrotter’s and lay down.
“I got into this whole mess for acknowledging Luna too,” I whispered to him.
He looked surprised for a moment and then seemed to smile slightly, nodding slowly. I felt connected to him through our beliefs, as though I had known him for a long time. His story had reached deep into my emotions, and my heart mourned for his wife whom I had never met.
“Alright you disgusting piles of filth!”
I jumped at the sudden voice that boomed into the chamber. Three large ponies entered a moment after. One of them I recognized as the stallion who had knocked me out, Sweetroll…
Ugh, I wasn’t going to stop kicking myself for being caught by a pony called like that.
They were lead by a brick-colored Redguard Pegasus in fur armor. He was wearing one of his kind’s distinctive turbans over his head. The third pony was a ridiculously muscular Orc stallion.
The lumbering green beast wore no armor, his muscles simply rippled under his skin and a rope that circled his waist. A mace, similar in shape and rust to Sweetroll’s hung from the improvised belt. A shiver ran down my spine as I caught a glimpse of the over-sized lower fangs that protruded from the sides of his mouth. They were more like tusks than fangs.
“We ‘ave a special event going down for our customers over at the pit,” the Redguard roared. “A very prestigious ‘ol buck brought ‘is pet chaurus to ‘ive ‘is friends a demostrotation ‘o its eating habits.”
I had no idea what a “chaurus” was, but I could guess it was some kind of animal, a flesh eating one… a pony eating one.
“Guess who’ll be doin’ the part o’ the prey?” The pegasus chuckled with twisted delight. “Sweetroll, bring the Argonian.”
“Will do!” the bandit lackey trotted merrily to my cell.
“Me?! Why do I have to become the prey of some monster!?” I shrieked in my mind. There had to be a way to keep myself alive, but there was nothing I could do without weapons in that damned cage!
Keys rattled as the Imperial retrieved them from a hook on a stalagmite, next to a torch. That’s when I had an idea, but I had to act quickly.
I held both my front hooves up and frowned, trying my best to concentrate. The pain in the back of my head peaked, but I finally managed to channel magic through my body and let flames flash out of my hooves furiously.
Sweetroll yelped and stumbled back, falling on his butt and dropping the keys. I hissed; they’d fallen too far for me to pick them up.
“Impressive, looks like this lizard is smart enough to use magic,” the bandit leader huffed, amused by his underling’s clumsiness. “No use takin’ ‘im out, he might actually kill our customer’s pet.”
I sighed in relief, thankful I had only let out a quick blast. If they knew my actual grasp on destruction magic was as pathetic as I knew it was, I wouldn’t have been as lucky.
The startled bandit got up and angrily rattled my cage with his hooves.
“You’ll get what you deserve soon enough, Argonian.” He seethed.
I snorted and lunged at him, feinting. Sweetroll backed away into the table, his threat now lost in sight of his fear of me, I smirked.
“Stop foolin’ and get Bonetail. Just don’t feed the lizard for a couple o’ days. That should get ‘im nice and weak.” The leader ordered.
The Khajiit prisoner growled and arched his back while the bandit opened his cell, but he was too weak to do anything more.
Searing emotional pain slithered into my chest as I saw my actions condemn another pony to save myself. “Wait! Take me in his stead!” The Redguard’s words now hurt as I realized they were probably true; I might have been strong enough to hold my own against the chaurus, maybe I could have devised some strategy and the bandits would just have to deal with an angry bastard and I’d live to die another day. But Bonetail didn’t stand a chance.
Yet, fear held me in place, unable to speak up, unable to save the pony in whose death I had just played a part. He flailed with his clawed hooves and tried to wriggle himself free, but Sweetroll had tied a rope to his neck and his strong jaws would not let go.
The three bandits left the chamber with one of my new friends in tow. I curled up in a corner and held my hooves to my ears, trying to block-out the distant screaming of Bonetail as he was eaten alive by Luna-knew-what monstrosity.
Apricot sighed and lay down on his dirty pile of hay, Pridetrotter cradled his feather collection, muttering and mumbling fast and loud, trying to drown the screeches of agony with his voice.
Time went by, yet I didn’t know how much. Bonetail’s wails died down eventually, and then it was a monotonous come-and go of bandits. Was too shaken by where I was and what had happened to pay attention to anything, I simply stared at the disgusting haystack beside me until I was too tired to stay awake.
Images of death and despair forged my nightmares that night.
A full day passed. If one thing, I hadn’t expected being in constant danger and trapped in a hideout of evil ponies to be so… boring. The most exciting moment of the day was when Sweetroll brought food. It was a disgusting stew of who-knows-what that Apricot and even Pridetrotter ate hesitantly. I had been denied food, just like the Redguard had ordered, though frankly I didn’t mind at all. Being a prisoner quite honestly sucked.
Nighttime finally came, and I looked to Pridetrotter’s tattoo, raising a prayer to Luna. Of course I revered the other Divines and all, but night was always special to me, maybe because of my race. I closed my eyes and breathed deeply, already accustomed to that cave’s stench.
I was suddenly snapped out of my reverie by the sound of rasping against my cage’s bars. I opened my eyes and noticed Pridetrotter looking at me intently.
When he noticed I was looking back at him he twitched and shuffled excitedly. He uttered some muffled gibberish and pointed to his tattoos and to the ceiling. He was definitely trying to tell me something, but I just didn’t understand.
The pegasus scurried to his feathers and lifted some in his mouth. They were all mine and had been tied together with his hair into a compact little bunch. He tossed into my cell and I looked at it with not a little disgust.
Then I noticed something strange, the feathers’ roots had been chewed and bent into a small hook-like shape. My eyes widened and I looked at Pridetrotter in shock. He had fashioned a lockpick out of my feathers!
Two other feathered lockpicks fell beside the first. I quickly stashed the two additional ones in my armor’s straps and held the other up with two hooves.
“This is amazing, Pride!” I exclaimed in a whisper. “But why did you wait all this time to make one? Why did you need my feathers?”
He held a bunch of pegasi feathers in his mouth and pushed them to the wall. The bent easily and fell to the ground twisted and useless. Argonian feathers were tougher than pegasi feathers! And it made sense too; we didn’t need lightweight feathers because we didn’t fly.
“If it weren’t weird and inappropriate,” and quite frankly disgusting, “I’d kiss you.”
Apricot turned to look at us drowsily and frowned. “You’ve been here a day and a half and you’re already shifting preferences, Khazur?”
I smiled at him and held up the feather lockpick. He squinted to get a better look, and then his eyes widened as did his smile.
“Pridetrotter… you are one beautiful stallion, did you know that?” The unicorn whispered excitedly.
“Time to put my unhealthy habits to good use,” I said, with a sly smirk.
I took the lockpick in my mouth and headed to my cell’s rusty gate. The feathers didn’t taste at all good, but I was going to get out! I would’ve eaten a full bowl of Sweetroll’s stew and rotting hay if it had helped us escape.
It was tricky, picking a lock with my bare hooves. I hissed angrily when the first lockpick snapped and quickly readied the next. A few turns and a click later, the iron creaked as I pushed through and out of my makeshift prison. I took a second to let the moment sink in and stretched.
I then quickly took the keys off the hook I had seen the bandits hang them from.
“Well isn’t this a rare opportunity.” I knew that voice, and how I hated t hear it.
Sweetroll was standing at the chamber’s entrance, two other lesser bandits stood at his sides with evil smiles. One of them had a steel sword that had taken numerous beatings but looked recently sharpened, the other two wielded rusty maces.
This was going to be fun…
The two unknown bandits charged at me, their weapons in their mouths. I held up a torture hook with my teeth and jumped out of the way of a mace. The sword whistled through the air blocked by my crude weapon. The force of the impact threw me against the table to my right, toppling it over.
“Khazur, focus!” Apricot yelled from his cell.
I frowned and managed to trip one of my assailants before getting up. I lifted his mace from the ground just in time to block another slash from the sword. Sweetroll screamed and lunged into the battle. I parried another sword strike and slammed the mace into its owner’s face. There was a sickening crunch and, just like that, I had taken the life of a pony for the first time.
The realization staggered me, and I felt the throbbing pain of a mace impact to my shoulder. I barely managed to block the steel sword with my mace again, and it slipped from my grasp, blood now dripping from my lips.
I managed to punch Sweetroll in the face with my hoof, but stumbled trying to evade the other bandit’s attacks. I fell on my back and saw the blade rear up for the kill. Then it just stayed there, held up by a lime-colored field of soft light.
“Get up!” Apricot screamed, his horn glowing with a similar light.
Unicorn levitation magic, where would ponykind be without you?
My sense of self-preservation took control of me and I leaped from the ground and slammed into the bandit, the sword clattered on the ground. I turned, bucking the criminal away. I took the sword in my maw and shifted once more to face the stallion I had just bucked.
The bandit had impaled himself into my sword in his eagerness to strike back. Two lives… three including Bonetail. I pushed the corpse out of my newly acquired weapon and looked at the terrified Sweetroll. He had his hoof up, his mace precariously tied to his rustic utility horseshoe.
I was numb, blood from two other ponies smeared on my face. I looked at the Imperial like he was an animal, just one more beast standing in the way of me and survival. He must’ve seen my murderous gaze and tried to scurry off.
The clumsy bandit got his mace tangled in his hooves and tripped, the weapon slamming into his armpit and dislocating his right foreleg. He fell, sobbing and cradling his shoulder in pain. He tried to drag himself towards the exit, but was stopped by my sword through his back. He would not get up again.
As danger faded, my eyes widened and I fell to my haunches, the sword falling from my mouth. Blood, the blood of three ponies was now on my hooves… and on my face, and feathers, and body for that matter. I trembled, unable to avert my eyes from the corpse of the lowlife who had imprisoned me here.
“That’s the first time you’ve ever killed a pony…” Apricot said with a low voice, the realization striking him as odd. “Look, Khazur, it is not nice to kill, and I cannot say you will ever get used to it, but you need to hold together.”
I looked at him, tears I did not understand the reason for now streaming down my face. I was unable to speak, unable to move, so I just stared at my friend with eyes wide in shock.
“The world is perilous, and there are ponies who value money, power, and even fun over the lives of others. You need to be able to defend yourself even if it means killing… or you will be the one to die.” His patience was running out, I could sense it in his voice. “Right now, a whole lot of vicious thugs and most likely necromancers are wondering what all this racket was about. You need to free Pridetrotter and me and get out of here, preferably together.”
I nodded slowly, and blinked. He was right; I couldn’t just stay here and contemplate what I had done. I was alive, and I had made it possible to save my new friends… I had done what was needed to save us.
Burying my emotions deep down, I hurried over to Pridetrotter’s cell. The keys fit perfectly and he was free. The Breton smiled and took a moment to tie his collection of feathers to his back. I let him pick up a mace while I opened Apricot’s cage. The unicorn jumped out and hugged me.
“Months in this wretched place and it takes just a day to make a true friend.” He said before letting go. I smiled. “Take Sweetroll’s mace, we’ll most likely have to fight our way out of here.”
“Alright, but let us be quiet and sneaky while we can,” he suggested and trotted over to my last… victim, picking up the weapon with his magic.
I picked up the steel sword in my mouth and glanced at the… homemade horseshoe that had just cost my enemy his life. The image of my own sword lopping my leg off because of it was enough dissuasion.
We scurried out of the chamber and into the narrow tunnels outside. Were these bandits ponies or ants? I had no idea how anypony could live in a place like this. The path was lit with ceramic lanterns that hung from the ceiling, evidently old and uncared for, some had gone out and others hung precariously on one side, pouring oil on the ground below.
The three of us continued through the tunnels, crouching and making as less noise as possible. I stepped on one of the oil puddles and we all froze, listening for any signs that we were detected.
“Be careful not to drop any of the ones still working into those puddles,” Apricot whispered.
“Hey, I’m Equestria’s number one pyromaniac, I know what happens to oil lanterns that fall in oil puddles,” I mumbled. “It’s fun, actually.”
Pridetrotter was at the back of the group, carefully unhanging lanterns and blowing out the fire if they were lit. Darkness filled the cave behind us, any pursuer would have a hard time moving fast through it.
We reached an area of the tunnels that expanded somewhat into a stone corridor that oversaw a circular area below. The high walls and dirt that lined the floor of the chamber below resembled a miniature arena.
“The Pit”, I didn’t infer that because of the architecture, but for the Khajiit bones that lay on the blood-smeared floor. And then I saw the most hideous, terrifying insect I had ever laid eyes on.
I had heard of Skyrim’s giant Frostbite Spiders, but this was a whole other world of creepy. The monster’s body resembled that of a wolf-sized cockroach with stone-like plates on its back. Enormous pincers protruded from the side of its head, pony meat still dangling from them. Its eyes were small and completely white and its four crab-like legs arched up around it. As if the creature didn’t look murderous enough, a second pair of pincers adorned the tip of its tail.
“Don’t tell me. That’s a chaurus, right?”
Apricot nodded slowly with widened eyes; clearly the monster had caused a powerful impression on him as well. Pridetrotter shivered.
“Hey! There’re escapees over there!” a bandit screamed as he pointed at us with a hoof.
Well mammoth shit! Bandits started flooding into the corridor from all sides, and we could hear them approaching behind us. I stood up and charged into the first bandit, parrying his own sword and shoving him off the low rail that looked over The Pit. Screams and the revolting sound of ripping flesh erupted from the chaurus’ impromptu feast.
Apricot hurried through the stream of enemies to the first one he saw with a bow and rammed his face in with the mace. Pridetrotter fought to keep the others away from the unicorn as he retrieved the bow, quiver and armor.
I jumped into the fray with my sword, my flailing at least keeping them at bay. I was getting nowhere without a leveled head, so I calmed down, parried an attack and in a single motion slit my attacker’s throat.
I was starting to get the hang of this!
Arrows started flying from Apricot’s magically-wielded Bow. He still needed to use one of the bandit’s horseshoes to knock arrows, but that made him no less formidable. One, two, three bandits went down in as many seconds. Whatever bad luck brought me to these damned caverns had been set right with my luck at finding powerful allies.
Pridetrotter had retrieved a couple of mechanical horseshoes, reliable ones, and was wielding a dagger on each, cutting down enemies as though he had never been imprisoned and famished. He kept the bandits at a safe distance after handing me another horseshoe, which I hastily strapped on and locked my sword in place.
Now I was really fighting! My blade whistled through the air, breaking an enemy’s wooden shield. I spun, tripping him with my tail and bringing my sword down through his chest. A female bandit jumped on me with a huge two-handed sword ready to crush me. I held my free hoof out in reflex and a blast of fire erupted from it. The bandit was distracted rather than hurt by it, but a moment later my weapon had pierced through her chin and out her forehead.
As we battled, I noticed Apricot was working his way to a tunnel that had moss and ferns growing around it. That was the way out of here! I fought harder, ignoring my exhausted muscles until finally all three of us were fighting off the horde of criminals together.
And then a blast of electricity blasted a chunk of wall just beside my head. I staggered back and shook my head, my ears ringing from the sudden burst. Five ponies in black cloaks had arrived, and around them the bodies of bandits we had fought hard to bring down were coming back to life. The undead ponies were enveloped in soft purple light, and their eyes glowed eerily. Necromancers had joined the battle… and were bringing back enemies while more kept coming from the tunnels.
Apricot barely dodged a powerful fireball, and had to pick up a dagger. The barrage of enemy arrows and magical projectiles made it impossible for him to use his bow. A fireball hit my left leg and an arrow grazed my right cheek. I knelt down growling, but shook of the burning pain and kept fighting.
The bandits and necromancers were now approaching slowly, forming a half circle around us.
“Looks like this is it, at least we didn’t make it easy for them,” I huffed, exhausted and defeated.
Apricot smiled worriedly at me and nodded. A shard of ice was impaled to his right shoulder, courtesy of a necromancer’s magic.
And then I smelled the sweet and penetrating scent of an oil lantern being lit. I turned to Pridetrotter, who was holding a lantern in his mouth as he glared at our assailants. That’s when I noticed the hall’s floor had been riddled with spilt oil. My pegasus friend had brought all the lanterns he had turned off with him, hidden under his feather stack! I looked at him and realization reached me. I shook my head slowly.
Apricot realized what was going on and pulled me back with his hooves.
“No, Pridetrotter!” I protested as the unicorn shoved me out through the damp tunnel and jumped in after me.
“AURAAAAAAAAA!”
Pridetrotter charged into our enemies, lanterns dangling behind him, and then a wave of heat and a deafening explosion blasted out. Apricot and I were flung through the tunnel and into the opposite wall, the vegetation closest to the previous chamber smoldering in the aftermath of my friend’s sacrifice. The pegasus who had made lockpicks with my feathers and ultimately gave us a chance to escape was now dead; He had given his life to save us, and in doing so avenged his wife.
I looked on into the burning tunnel, unable to speak, my mind utterly blank. Moonlight filtered through cracks in the cave roof and a soft night breeze blew into the crevasse, shifting the ferns that lay under me. Apricot put a hoof on my bruised shoulder; we both panted and trembled from exhaustion.
The unicorn reached into the bags of his bloodied fur armor and retrieved a pair of bottles, blackened with ashes and soot. I noticed the red liquid inside, and recognized them as potions of healing. He offered me one, and I took it, drinking its contents greedily. It was small, but I instantly felt my injuries start to close and heal. The wounds weren’t completely mended, but at least they became bearable.
My friend drank his own potion and threw the empty container away.
“Taking a respite from killing my band, you bastards?”
I winced as I recognized the Redguard Pegasus’ voice. This battle wasn’t quite done yet. I got up and readied my blade, my aggravation only worsening at the sight of the enormous Orc that stood beside the pegasus. I heard Apricot ready an arrow.
The leader took flight, brandishing a steel sword that glowed with eerie blue light; my friend shot arrows at him as he looked for an opening to strike us down. Meanwhile I jumped out of the way of the beastly lackey’s mace, which pulverized a chunk of cave wall. I grimaced, this was going to get nasty.
As if to answer my thoughts, the Orc bucked me as I tried to go around for an attack; I crashed into the wall behind me and gasped for air. Damn he was strong! Before I could get up, the Redguard swopped down for the kill. I managed to block his sword, but still he made a shallow cut into my back. I winced as the wound froze and stung deeper than the blade. It was a sword with a frost enchantment… great.
The Orc’s mace hit my already aching right shoulder; I spun in place and hit the ground from the force of the blow. By some miracle my foreleg was still in place, but the Redguard was swooping down for another go, I wasn’t sure I would be able to stop him this time.
An arrow embedded itself into the bandit’s left eye, and he crashed into the wall behind me, dead. I looked, surprised, at Apricot, who was a few feet away with a smile of satisfaction. A deep roar brought the enormous and angry Orc in front of me back to my attention. His mace barely missed crushing my skull as I sidestepped and tried to retrieve the pegasus’ horseshoe and enchanted blade.
Arrow upon arrow hit the beastly pony’s back, but it had only my death on his mind. I was not going to get the sword out of the dead Redguard before he tore me to pieces! I held my own sword up, and chance made a beam of moonlight shine on its blade and into the bandit’s eyes. He growled, blinded for an instant.
I didn’t think, I didn’t hesitate; my body instinctively leapt forward and blood splattered on my hooves. My weapon was driven through the Orc’s chest all the way to the hilt. The stallion glared at me as blood dripped from his reeking mouth. Panic overtook me as the monstrous thing didn’t fall, and I frantically twisted the sword around as much as I could. Finally the oversized buck let out a gurgling cough and fell to the cave floor, lifeless.
I staggered back, and, for Luna-knew what time that night, I fell on my butt and stared at the corpse of the formidable bandit.
Apricot started laughing, nervously at first, and then full heartedly. I laughed as well while he joined me and I finally retrieved the pegasus’ enchanted sword.
When we eventually calmed down, I sheathed my weapons and, with Apricot beside me, trotted out of the cave and into the forest outside. The sounds of nature surrounded me as I took a deep breath of relief and freedom and closed my eyes to thank Luna, Celestia, and all the other Divines for keeping me alive.
*** *** ***
ADDENDUM 3 The following pages are an addendum of texts and depictions of creatures, places, ponies, and relevant objects from this tale. Though not fundamental to the understanding of the events, you are free to read on and delve deeper into the world of The Alicorn Scrolls.
Concept Art
Khajiit: Cat-like race of Elsneigh. They are quick and nimble and are capable of seeing even through the thickest of shadows. Like the Argonians, there is deep racism towards Khajiit from other pony races. Many times they are not trusted, and are seldom let into cities and keeps. Though many try to accept their situation and establish commerce wherever they go, others turn to thievery or other crimes.
Wood-Unicorns: A race said to derive from an attempted mix of High-Unicorns and Earth-Ponies, their native land is the province of Valenwood. Excellent archers and masters of practical spells, this race possesses an acute connection to wildlife and nature. Through this bond they are able to tame many beasts and understand herbs and their effects with ease. Their bodies are somewhat smaller than the majority of other races.
Necromancers: Wizards that concentrate their studies and spells on the realm of the undead and the reanimation of corpses. Though Necromancy itself is not prohibited since the disintegration of the Canterlot University of Magic, many fear it to such an extent they openly attack any who practice it. This pushes the more rebellious of these wizards to live in the wilderness and master their art in secret. Usually, the term Necromancer is used to name the rebellious wizards, rather than just any wizard who knows spells of the undead.
Sweetrolls: A sweet, sugary traditional bread quite popular in all of Equestria.
Redguard Pegasi: A strong race of pegasi from the desert province of Hoofingfell. Redguards are the largest of the pegasi races and their coats and manes tend to have brown or red colorings. Their bodies are muscular and their skin is rough from generations of desert-dwelling. Quite possibly the fiercest warriors of Equestria, Redguards defeated the Thalmor after gaining their independence, something the Equestrian Empire itself failed to do.
Orc Ponies: Beastly, muscular ponies from colonies in Hoofingfell and High Buck. They are the most physically strong of all pony races and are thus greatly feared in combat. Though their appearance drives many away, they do not receive as harsh a treatment as Argonians and Khajiit. It is said that the more these ponies are injured and frustrated in battle, the more powerful they become.
Chaurus: Huge, predatory insects that inhabit the deep, dark caves of Skyrim. Capable of spewing poison and ripping a pony to shreds, these vicious creatures live in social groups, and some have been domesticated. They are many times found in Falmer Dog camps and settlements as pets or livestock.
Resting under the moonlight on the soft forest ground was far better than the stinking cells of the bandit cave… infinitely better.
A few hours earlier, Apricot and I had traveled further into the forest looking for a place to rest. We eventually found a small area surrounded by great big boulders and a large, hollowed-out tree trunk. The makeshift little nest seemed like a palace chamber to me! After all that I had been through the last days, a skeever den would have looked inviting. In fact, a roast skeever was beginning to sound like an idea worth pursuing. Then my aching body made sure I remembered I was in no condition to chase after little critters to eat.
Thankfully Apricot was there and just as famished as I, so he set to gather any berries and edible plants he could from the foliage surrounding our new shelter. May Celestia bless the lives of every Wood-Unicorn and their skills with herb hunting and their knowledge of nature. The plants weren’t as good as a juicy piece of meat, but in the current circumstances they were as good as a king’s banquet. Furthermore, I did not know how my companion would react to an Argonian’s meat eating habits.
Fed and unbelievably tired, we let ourselves fall on the dry leaves and moss. My consciousness drifted and danced drunkenly around me for some time, yet deep sleep eluded me. I didn’t mind much, the scent of pine trees and damp soil was exquisite to me. The soft sounds of the night were soothing and the dim light of the moon helped put me at ease. My mind, blank and peaceful, slowly began turning dark. By the time I reacted, a horrid vision had crept to my mind’s eye. It was the disfigured face of the first pony I had killed. A complete stranger, some bandit that had helped Sweetroll try to stop our escape… I had slammed a mace into his face and though I hadn’t seen the damage in my haste, my mind had found a fitting image of a grotesquely shattered head from the dark and unknown corners of my subconscious. My eyes were kept wide open after that.
It was quite easy to think of stories with great heroes severing heads and vanquishing foes in glorious and bloody battle, but they never mentioned the toll it all took on the heroes’ minds, or how gruesome and horrid battle truly was. As a younger colt I had been the first to jump in for play-fights and pretend adventures, but I had a childish vision of what battles were like. Even just a few days ago I still supposed that if the moment came I’d join the Imperial Army or the Brumare Watch and fight bad guys or serve as a spy or something. After what I had seen in battle, I was sure I would never get used to the bloodshed.
“Trouble finding sleep after your first kill?” Apricot’s voice whispered in the darkness.
I shifted a bit, embarrassed by what I considered lack of courage on my part. I nodded, turning to look at my friend. The Unicorn seemed happy, pleased even. I couldn’t help but frown at his expression; was he making fun of me?!
“Why are you smiling like that?!” I snapped.
“Ah, after seeing you battle in those caves, I was afraid I had helped set loose a fiend from the depths of Oblivion itself! It’s rather reassuring to see that I have befriended a pony who values life and finds little joy in the taking of it.”
I blinked, surprised by the answer. However my mind found it quite reasonable; I too should have been weary that my companion was not a blood-thirsty murderer. This point of view on my reaction to my first kill was comforting, for it meant I had a good heart… or at least I had some virtue left within me. And yet my heart was still troubled.
“What do you think happens to their souls? Or to whatever a Pony has that transcends the body? There is such a thing, right? We don’t just vanish, I hope.” I had read a bit about these topics in different cultures, but at the time I did not have the peace of mind to recall any of it.
“I guess it depends on what you believe in. Most Nord Ponies in Skyrim believe the souls of the virtuous reach the realm of Saddlegarde to forever feast and celebrate the great victories of ponykind. Others believe that we rest in the presence of the Divines, some more say that we become ancestral spirits to care for our descendants, and so on.” The Wood Unicorn waved his hoof around as he explained. “I for one believe we become one with nature once more and relish an incessant communion with the world and its balance until fate decides we should be reborn.”
An answer didn’t come from me for the longest time, I simply thought upon this. Did it really matter where we went? A lost life was a lost life no matter what became of the soul itself; knowing for certain its destiny did not condone killing its body. In any case, I was sure Pridetrotter was with Aura in whatever place or spiritual plane all the good ponies went to, he deserved at least that eternal peace.
My thoughts quieted after that conclusion, only coming back to show me an image of my brothers smiling. I had run, I had fought, and I had killed throughout the last few days and it felt like it had been weeks since I’d left Brumare. Now in this moment of peace and tranquility I was able to mourn the loss of my home and family, with the small consolation that they were likely still alive and well. I had no tears just then, the brutal reality I had faced so recently had hardened me against any sort of homesickness I could have felt for at least a few moments, yet my heart ached still. I tapped my hoof on my chest in an absent-minded rhythm; it somehow stopped sadness from being too strong to bear. I turned to my side so that Apricot couldn’t see when tears finally rolled down my face. I pondered once again the series of events that so quickly had turned my life upside-down, falling asleep amongst my regrets.
It must’ve been in the first minutes of dawn when I woke up suddenly, a falling sensation bringing me up to my hooves and driving all drowsiness away. I looked around, heavy mist blanketing the forest floor and making it impossible to see past a few feet in any direction. The only way of knowing there was anything under me was the soft cracking of dead leaves under my weight. Apricot was sound asleep, his figure a mere silhouette in the fog. I felt strange, almost panicked and my heart beat hard and fast, as though I were running despite my calm surroundings.
A petal then caught my attention as it lazily floated down from above. Its shape and color revealed it to be a Nightshade petal, a flower I had been familiar with as my stepmother loved those namesakes of hers. I simply stared at it, unable to understand why it had suddenly stopped right at the level of my snout, staying afloat as though held by an invisible thread. Was it caught in a spider web? Maybe it was floating between opposing winds? I blinked in surprise when the petal made a little loop in the air! It was alive, or something! It made another loop. I could almost swear it looked like it was beckoning me! I tried nudging it with my muzzle, but it darted off before I could touch it.
As any serious and respectable young adult I did what was dignified and correct… scrambling after the petal like a mad-horse! My hooves kicked up dirt and foliage as I galloped full speed after the unnatural little spot of lavender, my body finally joining my heart in its race. The forest seemed to disappear around me behind the grey curtain of fog and the blur of speed. The petal gave a tight turn to the left; I tripped, stumbled, and ended up crashing with a tree, I then grunted and shook off the crash, proceeding to press my pursuit. The thing made more sharp turns, weaving its way through the obstacles the forest threw at us. I couldn’t help but notice the petal always chose paths I would have little obstacles to follow, making it evident I was not chasing it as much as it was leading me somewhere.
Soon enough I perceived the grey fog had been steadily gaining an orange hue and the unmistakable smell of smoke filled my nostrils, which I instinctively wrinkled. The petal and I picked up the pace as distant screams rose. I shivered; was the petal leading me to whatever disaster was occurring? My answer came soon enough as the fog gave way to pure smoke and the forest became a ruined city. The petal had disappeared behind a ruined tower surrounded in flames. I fell flat on my rump panting and wincing from the sting of smoke in my dry mouth. I closed my eyes, cleaning the sweat from my brow, opening them to see that a Flame Atronach was now standing with its back to me, looking frantically around.
I froze in place; Flame Atronachs were not creatures to be messed with. I reached for my ice sword only to find that I had forgotten to bring my weapons in my haste to catch the nightshade petal. All I had now was hoof-to-hoof combat and my fire spells, the first I had always been rather lousy at and the second would only make the monster stronger. Well, as I’d always say: stealth is the better side of valor. I crouched down, anxiously searching my surroundings for a hiding place or a weapon, all to no avail. I was now close to the edge of the ring of flames that surrounded the area, the only building was the tower and I had no way of getting to it without being spotted by the fire-clad mare.
And then the Atronach turned to see me.
I stood up in surprise and confusion as the glowing features of the creature bore a deep and heart-breaking sadness. It didn’t seem surprised by my presence at all, looking at me in the eyes with that unbearable melancholy. The ground shook under my hooves and a deafening roar unlike anything I had heard before brought me to the ground clenching my reptilian ears.
I looked up to see an enormous black figure rise from behind the tower, spreading its wings out in a terrifying display of power and size. I had never seen one before, but I knew it was a Dragon. The colossal monster’s scales were thick and jagged, black as the night and yet retained a sheen I would only dream of having on my own hide. It’s fearsome red eyes were fixed on the Atronach and it roared once more before it reached down and swallowed the daedra whole!
My eyes widened and I scrambled back in terror, the heat of the flames behind me stopping me from going back any further. The behemoth turned to look at me next, the Atronach’s dying flames seeping through its blade-like fangs. I froze under the dragon’s demonic gaze and cringed as its deep and powerfull voice boomed with a language I did not recognize.
“Yol toor shul.”
A sea of flames erupted from the monster’s jaws and covered me as a tidal wave from hell. I let out a scream of pain and death.
I woke up with a start, the fires from my nightmare still in my mind’s eye. I breathed heavily, thick sweat trickling down my body. It was morning, the sun shining through the trees of the forest through clear air. There was no fog, no smoke, and no floating petals, only calm and the soft forest floor.
“Must’ve been quite the nightmare,” Apricot said from his perch up in a tree, his bow at his side.
I looked up at him, my eyes still wide. One thing did remain from my dreams though: My heart still beat fast. “Apricot, follow me.” I said, and galloped off in the direction I had chased the nightshade petal in my dream.
“Woah, wait up, what’s the hurry?!” My friend jumped off from his branch and hurried up behind me, neighing in distress.
“I don’t know exactly.”
We raced through the forest, it all looked so different without the fog and yet each landmark and obstacle was there. We were more than half way through when Apricot sped up to reach my side.
“I know this area Khazur, we’re close to Haygen… Why are we here?” he inquired with a worried look.
I took a deep breath, if this Haygen place was a town, my fears had been realized. “The scent in the air, smoke, the kind that comes from burning houses,” I huffed, too shocked to say anything else.
Apricot sniffed the air as we hurried, eyes widening as the scent struck him as well.
We did not speak again until we reached a great stone gate, which was not quite as I remembered from my dream; the fire had long since burned out and remained only in patches scattered across the town Apricot had identified as Haygen. The stone structures were crumbled and many bore inexplicably enormous claw marks, houses and businesses were reduced to piles of smoking rubble. Here, there were no longer screams of terror… all that remained were cries of agony and despair. Ponies of all kinds galloped, limped, or crawled out of the main gate; many would likely die in a matter of minutes due to their wounds, many others would live forever crippled or scarred.
I felt a shiver run down my spine as my nightmare seemed to have been a vision of what had happened to this town. I frowned and turned to Apricot.
“We’re going in there and helping everypony we can, let’s split up.” I huffed and tapped the ground with my hoof. “When you can’t see any more survivors you get to the main gate, I’ll meet you there.”
“Right away chief!” Apricot said with a grin though his tone was serious.
He started for the disaster zone; I stopped him with a hoof before he got too far. Had he seriously just accepted orders from me? I mean I had sounded bossy but…
“Chief?” I asked, still panting from our mad run.
“Well of course, Khazur. You are the enigmatic one who knew exactly where to go, you fought valiantly yesterday, and quite frankly I despise being in a position of authority. So yes, Chief Khazur you are!” He smiled at me before lowering my hoof and heading off to do as I had instructed.
I looked at him go unable to react much more than just stare. It was an unexpected thing to suddenly be the chief of a band of two. Whatever our band was about I wasn’t exactly sure, in fact I’d expected Apricot to leave to attend to his own business after the bandit cave. Whatever the case may have been now was not the time to think about it, so I shook my head and galloped through the gates of Haygen and into hell itself.
There was panic within the walls; ponies looking for loved ones and finding them dead or dying, livestock stampeding into buildings and everypony needed help. How was I even going to start?! With a sudden shriek, a group of foals caught my attention as they frantically ran from panicked oxen. I dashed towards them, launching a stream of flames from my hoof to scare the animals into changing direction. One slipped past my spell and continued its mad chase, to which I cursed rather gallantly. The streets narrowed with flames and wood to the sides making it impossible for the little ones to dodge the raging bull.
“Don’t stop kids! I got this!” I yelled.
Carrying on with my sprint, I pushed through the burning and weakened wooden walls of a store all the way to the other side and into the narrow alley, the foals and ox heading towards me rapidly from my left. I turned to face them brandishing my ice sword in one hoof and my fire spell in another. It was always hard to stand on just my hind legs, but I managed to crouch down so I could rest my sword’s blade on my opposite forearm in readiness. From this point the bull seemed even larger and it sent a shiver down my spine.
“Hurry up behind me!”
The terrified little ponies picked up their pace as best they could and hurried past me, the deranged animal now almost upon me. I could feel its breath on my face, time slowing down to a crawl while my mind focused on my next movements. I sidestepped and rose, drawing an arch upwards with my blade and cutting deep into the beast’s shoulder and neck. The flesh froze from my weapon’s enchantment. Quickly I used my momentum to spin out of the way and sever one of the ox’s front legs. Fire burst from my hoof as my target stumbled past me in pain and confusion, putting it out of its misery as fast as I could. Looking back at it now it must have been a pretty darn good show of skill and general badassery.
The creature lay lifeless before me, its fur set aflame from my spell. It was a shame I had to kill it, but now the foals were safe. The four of them approached me with tears drawing lines on their soot-covered faces.
“Thank you Mr. Argonian,” the bravest of them squeaked while the others simply looked at me with a mix of fear and gratitude.
“Hey don’t mention it, now follow this alley to the gate, wait for a safe moment to cross and wait for help.” I tried smiling… without showing my teeth; my kind had rather intimidating mouths.
“What about our parents?!” another spoke up, all four looking at her and then at me as they shared her worry.
“I’ll try and find them but you all have to get out of here now.”
There was a loud cracking noise a few blocks away, and screams muffled by walls. I gave the foals a nod and hurried out of the alley and towards the screams. I came to a house with burning rubble blocking the entrance; part of the ceiling had collapsed and demolished the other exits. Once more the screams of survivors made their way out of the walls and my mind raced to find some way to go in and help them escape.
Right about then I wanted to just smash the wall with a mace or something, but this house was made mostly of stone and in its current state I feared it would cave in at any moment. I climbed what was left of the adjacent building in a hurry, trying to find a hole on the roof big enough to pass through without bringing more of it down. I found one that just barely sufficed.
“Hey, anyone alive in there?! Can you hear me?!” I called out.
A family of four Dark Unicorns hurried to the hole and tried their best to look at me. They were all different shades of blue and their red eyes showed only fear and despair. I knew the only reason they were alive was their natural resistance to fire, but even that wouldn’t keep them alive forever. I spotted a wooden pillar that had fallen from the building I was on, hanging over the house.
“Alright, stay calm; I’ll get to you soon!”
Swallowing my fear I carefully made my way to the pillar and hung from it from all my legs, worming my way to the tip. I took hold with my tail, which thankfully was a nice prehensile reptile tail. I stretched down till I could almost touch the edge of the hole in the roof.
“Climb!” I said, already tensing my muscles to allow the family to use me as a rope to reach the pillar. “One at a time, though, the pillar won’t take everypony’s weight!”
The parents hurried the youngest of their offspring up, the filly crying as she held my hooves and then continued up. She reached the pillar and whimpered, terrified at the hight she had reached.
“Atta girl, very good! Come on sweetie just a little further.” I cooed, trying my best to encourage the young pony.
The filly finally made it across the pillar to the relative safety of the other building. Next was a teenage colt, who had been arguing that his mother go first. It took all my willpower not to scream at them to just get on with it! At last he climbed up, going as fast as he could. I looked at him and nodded to his sister; he nodded in return and helped the filly down to solid ground.
The mother was much heavier than her children, and I heard the pillar creak as our combined weight strained it. I noticed both parents were exhausted; they had likely used most of their magic keeping the family safe all this time. This made her progress to safety slow and, dare I say, frustrating.
“Keep going miss, you’re almost safe!”
Finally it was the father’s turn. He held on to my hooves and pulled himself up with a groan, however the pillar had had enough and it snapped in half, plunging both of us into the doomed house. The filly gave a shriek as she watched us fall, next I knew my face hurt like hell and I was lying beside the unicorn I had been trying to save. I got up and helped him to his feet.
“What now?!” he asked in panic.
I looked around the flaming structure, finding a rubble-covered window we could charge through… maybe.
“We bust out of here, that’s what we do.” I locked hooves with him and we both nodded, galloping towards our only chance at escape.
The sting of pain coursed through my shoulder all the way to my lower back as we slammed the rubble hard and burst through it. I closed my eyes tight as splinters drove themselves deep into our skin, drawing out blood. A full story later found us on the street bellow, the impact forcing the air out of my lungs and the sticky sensation of blood soon coursed down my face. The Dark Unicorn let out a scream as one of his hooves bent sideways rather grotesquely.
I got up as fast as I could, my legs wavering and trying their best to adjust to the dizziness that had overtaken me. The family was now reunited, the mother and older colt helping the father up as the filly looked at all three with a mix of worry and happiness. We all nearly fell from the tremor the house caused as it gave way and collapsed behind them.
“We owe you our lives, Argonian,” the stallion panted, wincing while his wife plucked the splinters out of his shoulder with her mouth.
That must have been the first time in my life I had somepony refer to me by my race without it sounding derogatory... it felt good.
“Are days in Skyrim always this… eventful?” I asked, not entirely joking. “I’ve just had a very peculiar streak of disasters on my first days here.”
“I-I don’t think so. The stormcloaks and imperials fight quite far from most settlements; all we usually get are wolves and the occasional bear.” The stallion responded with a worried frown.
“What exactly happened here?” I looked around. At a glance, there seemed to not be any more ponies to save… then again I could have been too dizzy to see them.
“We don’t know,” the mare’s voice quivered, “we were all in the house when the screaming and the roaring happened! W-we didn’t dare go out and see what was happening. By the time we did, we were already trapped inside.”
The stallion nuzzled her before turning back to me. “I did manage to see out a window, but all I saw was-“ He interrupted himself his eyes growing wide. “Wispy Mist!”
“The what now?”
He tried to run off, but immediately fell as his injured hoof refused to hold his weight. “My eldest daughter! The Thalmor used the chaos to take her! S-she’s a stormcloak sympathizer!” he exclaimed. “Please, friend, you must save her! They’ll kill her!”
Oh my blood boiled, it boiled like it hadn’t boiled since Brumare. Not another pony forced out of her home and life by those freaks, not another one like me! Shaking what was left of my unsteadiness away I looked around once more, quickly making sure the town was practically deserted by now, with no lives left to be saved.
“APRICOT!” I called out, unable to hide the rage in my voice. “Sir, which way were the Thalmor headed?”
“They left that way, towards Riverwood.” He pointed weakly with his head.
My friend reached me shortly after. His coat stained with blood that was not his own. I nodded to the Dark Unicorn.
“Come on Apricot, we have a mare to save,” I said, my voice stern, “Guide the way to Riverwood.”
“You got it chief!” He saluted before hurrying ahead, I followed.
“Thank you so much, Argonian!” The mare called out. “By what name shall we remember you!?”
“Khazur!” I answered from afar, too focused on galloping forward to say anything else.
The flaming ruins of Haygen grew smaller as we rushed away through a rugged old road surrounded by trees and pockets of ice from melted snow. The cold air hurt in my throat, reminding me of home and further hardening my resolve to save this “Wispy Mist” girl. My hoofsteps kicked up more rocks and dirt, I was rather pissed off, hell, I wasn’t keen on killing but a Thalmor taking away yet another pony’s home and family… now that was an exception I’d enjoy making.
As we ran I explained the situation to Apricot in as few words as I could. I didn’t want to talk too much anyway with how dry my throat felt. My friend arched an eyebrow and nodded.
“We probably should have found some better armor before rushing out,” he commented.
I looked down at my pitiful leather armor’s chest and sighed with exasperation. “Yeah, we’ll just have to yank one off those Thalmor bastards.”
“Well said.”
We remained silent for a good quarter of an hour before the sound and smell of a river reached our ears under the sound of our hooves. The air was moist here, helping with my throat; another good thing coming our way was the sound of a carriage around a curve in the path where it bent to follow the river. It was a heavy prison-carriage from the sound of it, which meant they were surely our target and that it was likely they hadn’t heard us. Furthermore, the vehicle didn’t sound like it was moving fast at all, possibly thinking they were safe now.
They had another thing coming… a whole other deadly thing.
Not losing a moment, we left the path, crouching down in the foliage on the roadside to hide our advance. Plants here were lusher and made much better hiding spots than back near the town. Because I had sneaked around my entire life and Apricot had worked with bandits, it was really not that much of an effort to reach our target without being noticed. The carriage came to view and with it, five Thalmor Unicorns in full guard raiment serving as escorts and a single large Nord pulled the vehicle with an impressive yolk. The heavy iron cage at the back of the carriage rattled with every bump and stone on the road, inside was a tired-looking Dark Unicorn mare. She must’ve been barely an adult; however I couldn’t make out much of her features through the cage.
I cursed under my breath; the Nord was almost as big as an Orc! His muscles rippled under his crimson coat sporting a big green apple cutie mark. The stallion’s amber mane was stuck to his broad neck with sweat… I must admit he was intimidating to say the least.
“Don’t be distracted by the nord, there’s a mage up near the front,” Apricot whispered, “He’s the real threat.”
I nodded and kept moving slowly ahead, we were now following the edge of the path, hidden and ready to strike. My heart was going nuts and I was pretty sure I’d die a young pony at this rate… yet I remained focused.
“You’ll have to take out the mage with an arrow before anything, I’ll charge in once you do. Then I’ll need you to cover me from here,” I explained my plan quietly.
“Got it, just give me the signal and I’ll punch a hole through his ear and out the other.”
I pointed to where the edge of the path rose and formed a small, steep ridge beside the road. “When we reach the top of that hill, shoot.”
We continued quietly stalking the convoy until we got to the aforementioned point. The soft creak of Apricot’s bow was all the warning they got, a split second later my friend’s deadly arrow whistled through the air and embedded itself in the mage’s skull with a sickening crack and a splatter of blood.
And for the third time in just two days, all hell broke loose.
I screamed at the top of my lungs and jumped down the ridge with both my swords unsheathed. The landing was ungraceful and sloppy, but both my weapons had pierced through another Thalmor and my weight alone finished the deal. Not that I was fat or anything but… whatever. I spun, already expecting attacks at my sides, but my swords were stubbornly stuck in my last kill. I wiggled and shook them to try and dislodge them to no avail.
“Can’t anything go right once in a while?!” I reared up with an angry growl, shielding myself from a sword blow with the corpse.
With three swords dug into it, the body was too heavy to swing around anymore, but this let me finally retrieve my weapons. Two arrows were now deep in my assailant’s flank and yet it pressed the attack. We had a rather quick sword-fight before the ice magic of my right-hand sword weakened him enough to bring down.
“Behind you!” I heard the voice of the mare warn me.
I turned, but my enemy’s blade was all but upon me already. Well mudcrab shit… I braced, shutting my eyes and pressing my lips, however all I got was a scare from a sudden loud slam and crunching sound. I opened my eyes to see the bulk of the Nord pony standing victorious over a brand new dead unicorn that had been about to kill me. I blinked in surprise.
“Wait, you’re on our side?” I still couldn’t believe we were this lucky for once.
“Eeyup,” was all he answered with a deep yet unexpectedly warm voice.
I managed to smile for a second before the crackling sound of electricity reached me and I let out a painful scream as the shock snaked through my body making me shake and convulse violently. An arrowshot and a big red Nord punch later, the shock spell-slinging Thalmor was dead and I was a very relieved and fuzzy-feathered Argonian, if twitchy and a tad bit in pain.
“Thank you so much! I thought I was going to be executed for sure!” the mare exclaimed, pressing her face against the bars.
“Don’t you fret milady, Khazur here was kind enough to come rescue you upon your father’s request.” Apricot said, smiling his damn handsome Wood Unicorn smile whilst sliding down the ridge.
“Well, not four days ago I got chased out of my own home by Thalmor, I wasn’t about to see it happen to someone else and not do anything,” I said nonchalantly, looting the corpses around us.
There was a small uncomfortable silence, had I said something wrong?
“N-not to sound ungrateful or anything but, why don’t you get me out of this cage before stealing from the dead?” Oh I was going to enjoy talking to this one…
“Alright let’s get one thing straight, my friend and I just risked our flanks for you and fought hard against these pieces of shit. We deserve to at least get something out of it… besides saving you, lass,” I tried keeping my voice steady and sound as polite as possible.
“Yeah, good deeds alone don’t fill stomachs! Or purses… or keep you safe from further harm…” Apricot added in.
“Eeyup.” Well, I liked this Nord guy, stallion of few words. He did only take a sword, though. As if he needed a weapon at all, I thought.
The mare huffed, slightly exasperated. “Fine, fine, just get the key and open this damn cage please.”
I nodded with a smirk and searched for the key amongst the dead. I also managed to get a nifty new leather armor from the carriage’s bags! It was very much like the one I already had on, but it actually looked like it could protect me… I slipped into it right away before continuing my search, which bore fruit quite soon.
I opened the cage, letting Wispy Mist jump out. She shook a bit and stretched, letting out a sigh of relief.
Alright so by now it’s pretty clear I’m a colt, and in fact the mess my life was in all started with a mare. Well damn me to oblivion I was still male, and my previous experience had done nothing in the ways of making me weary of the fair sex. While Wispy was no Cherrytip Winterfruit, she had a rather exotic and more down-to-earth flair. Her coat was a pale beau blue, making her wine mane and tail stand out, and her practically glowing red eyes did help with her simple yet outlandish allure. She styled her mane to a side and back, a braided lock hanging at the opposite side of her face, which had sickle-shaped red war paint over her left eye. Her tail had a similarly braided lock, and both were not too long or too short. Her cutie-mark was an herb in a mortar, so she must’ve been good at alchemy I figured.
I managed to check her out quickly, advantage of being my brothers’ step-brother. Sure, there was a bit of a sting from my conscience but hey, nature be nature and colts be colts.
“Nice to properly meet you Wispy Mist,” I greeted, not remembering I was annoyed at her a second ago. “This here is Apricot Core, and I am Khazur Marrak.”
Apricot bowed in an exaggerated way. “Humble adventurers and random do-gooders… or so it seems.”
She arched an eyebrow and smiled, amused. “Or so it seems?”
“Yeah, we don’t exactly know what we are yet,” I shrugged, “We kind of just started this… line of work.”
“You’re good at it, though.” She said looking around. “You got me convinced anyway.”
I turned to look at the big Nord Pony, holding a hoof out to him. “And you? What’s the name behind the muscle?”
“Big Macintosh,” it was a nice name; easy to remember. And it was spot-on too, especially the big part.
Another silence came by, which I broke with a clap of my hooves.
“Alright, let’s be off, I’m sure Wispy’s family misses her and we two should get on with out adventuring. Riverwood sound good, Apricot?” I smiled that stupid smile I had when I wasn’t exactly sure how to continue a conversation.
“It has a tavern, I’m in need of one, aye, sounds good,” He said with a wry smile. “Where would you be heading, Mac?”
“Riverwood too. Mah family lives there.” His thick accent kind of reminded me of sweetroll, only smarter and less annoying.
“Hey! I’m going with you guys!” Wispy said with a frown.
I looked at her and tried my best smile. “It’s all well with the gratitude and all that but really, Haygen’s a mess and your family is waiting for you.”
Wispy looked away. “I was leaving for Whitetrot tomorrow anyway… I-it’s not that I don’t want to see them but maybe all this happened for a reason... I-I mean it just feels like I was forced out of my comfort zone to grow up a-and going back to my family would just take things back... I’ll look for a courier in Riverwood and send them a letter… I’m sure they’ll be heading for Foalkreath with my uncles.”
“You sure? Knowing our luck we’ll only run into more fights, danger, and beasts along the way…” I looked at her worriedly. She seemed like a nice girl if preachy, and it had taken effort to save her.
“The Thalmor may have caught me by surprise, but I got destruction spells that can help you guys out, also healing spells. A-and I can brew potions! Come on, I’m as useful a pony as you’ll find!”
I crossed my front hooves and arched an eyebrow. “Can you do fire-spells?”
“Three different types and I’m really good at two of them.” She said with pride.
“Are you willing to teach them to me?”
“Sure, I can handle that!”
“…Alright then, but you better be careful.” I said turning to continue down the road.
Apricot and Wispy both cheered and shared a high-hoof. “Welcome to Khazur’s band, Wispy!”
Finding a better name for the group suddenly gained a very high priority in my to-do list. Then again the rest of my to-do list was only: get to Riverwood, eat, and sleep for now.
We walked along the path at a relaxed pace, which my brain took advantage of to start going through the events of the day. My dream had come true at least to a certain extent, but what had the petal meant or was it some kind of entity trying to communicate with me? Why had the vision included an Atronach? Though the biggest question, and by far the most disturbing, was if Haygen had truly been attacked by a dragon.
The afternoon sun shone through the trees, sparkling against the river’s surface. It was a beautiful scene, contrasting the horror and destruction I had witnessed that morning. My answers, it seemed, would have to wait until we got to Riverwood.
Level up to 2 Attribute strengthened: Stamina Aquired Sneak perk: Stealth (1/5)- You are 20% harder to detect while sneaking. *** *** ***
ADDENDUM The following pages are an addendum of texts and depictions of creatures, places, ponies, and relevant objects from this tale. Though not fundamental to the understanding of the events, you are free to read on and delve deeper into the world of The Alicorn Scrolls.
Concept Art
Skeevers: Large, vicious rodents native to Skyrim. Considered pests and vermin, they carry diseases and some can even poison their victims. Aside from their tails being used for Alchemy, bandits and hunters hunt and eat them in times of scarcity, some even like it.
Oblivion: The mysterious and dangerous realm of the daedric princes. It is comprised of several planes upon which a daedric prince rules. When used in common conversations, the word tends to refer to hellish planes such as that of Mehrunes Dagon. In a way, it is hell itself.
Saddlegarde: The afterlife, as believed by Nord Ponies. It is a realm where spirits who proved their worth in battle when they were alive can rest and enjoy the eternal peace in a great Hall, celebrating a magnificent and never-ending banquet.
Nightshade: A beautiful yet infamous flower with dark green leaves and lavender petals. It is mainly used in the brewing of potent poisons, the petals alone already rather dangerous. It is also known amongst the more adept alchemist that it may be used to brew potions that augment a pony’s destruction magic.
Dragons: Ancient and powerful creatures thought to have been extinct for millennia. According to the History of Equestria, Dragons once dominated the world and held ponykind under a harsh, tyrannical rule. These creatures are believed to have been much smarter than ponies and were the first to wield the ancient power known only as “the Voice”. To this day, any who manage to learn this power must pronounce its spells in the language of Dragons, for it is through this dialect that it’s magic is channeled.
Haygen: A small and peaceful town that once thrived as the only other “friendly” settlement in the Foalkreath hold. Thalmor had peace here as the Imperial Guard was in control of the settlement.
Dark Unicorns: Exotic and mysterious unicorns native to the land of Marewind, also known as Dunmer. They are usually reserved and distrusting even amongst themselves, though some of the younger generations outside of their native land have adopted more foreign mindsets. Known for their strength, cunning, and prowess in combat both magical and physical, they are one of the more balanced and versatile of pony races. In Skyrim, they don’t suffer the same prejudice high-elves do, however their race is seldom let into higher places of society.
Their coats are mostly all different shades of blue and grey, not lively colored at all except for their manes and tails that can be red or white, though the more common color is black. Often said to be uncanny or creepy because of their red eyes. They have a natural resilience to fire and are many times referenced and represented by the element itself.
Riverwood: A small rural village built on the eastern bank of White River in the Whitetrot hold. It is used as a stopping point by travelers on the road from Haygen to Whitetrot.
Mudcrab: Large crustaceans native to most bodies of water across the Equestrian Empire. They are slow though adept at camouflaging themselves as rocks to catch prey by surprise. Their meat is considered a delicacy by some ponies.
Whitetrot: Name for both the central hold in Skyrim and its capital city. The hold is mainly plains and tundra crisscrossed by rivers and creeks, ideal for farming. It also holds Skyrim’s highest peak: Throat of the World. The city is located at the very center of the hold and was erected as a high fortress. It is divided into two districts and the castle itself which is known as Dragonsreach, famous as the place where an ancient king imprisoned a dragon in the days of yore. Because of its centric location, it is a popular stop in many a trading route as well as an ideal commercial hub. Another notable feature of Whiterun is that it houses the center of operations of the mercenary and adventurer group known as “The Companions”.
Foalkreath: A small hold that once belonged to the province of Cyrodiil. It’s only two notable settlements are Haygen and its capital, also named Falkreath. It is situated along the southern border and is comprised of mainly woodland. Its most prominent feature would be Lake Ilinalta, the largest in Skyrim. The city is more a farming community than anything else and is famous for its peace, quiet, and beauty. The most interesting point of interest of the city is its burial grounds, where the great kings of Skyrim are buried.
