Never Truly Retired

Chapters

Prologue - A Normal Life?
Chapter 1 - Forces Unknown
Chapter 2 - Little Problems
Chapter 3 - Chaos Meets Chaos
Chapter 4 - Enter: Sheogorath
Chapter 5 - Discord Returns

Prologue - A Normal Life?

The Khajiit stood just outside his home. He might have been an odd sight around town, had he not been a resident of Ponyville for two months. It was early in the morning, about five to be exact, and Ra'zaan was warming his tiger-striped fur in the mid-fall sun. He had an apple red plain T-shirt and the equivalent to blue jeans on, which he'd paid Rarity for so he'd have something to work in. She'd told him she'd do it for free, but the ex-warrior wouldn't take no for an answer.

"Well, you're up early!" A sweet, melodic voice came from the doorway behind Ra'zaan. "Couldn't sleep well?"

"Good morning to you too, Nadene. I'm just warming up before I head off to AJ's farm for work." The Khajiit smiled, turning to see a Dark Elf in a lavender nightgown.

Nadene gave a grin back. "Pinkie gave me the day off at Sugarcube Corner, so I'm going to head back in and get some more sleep..."

"Even without breakfast? Heh, come on. I make some up for us." Ra'zaan said, turning and heading back into the house.

Living without meat was hard at first, but Nadene and Ra'zaan were able to satiate their hunger by eating fish, as it was always available through Fluttershy. The canary pegasus already knew about how Ra'zaan used to eat meat, but she was still surprised when the Khajiit asked if she could spare any of the fish she kept for the otters and seals and other animals. The Khajiit walked into his now-stocked kitchen and grabbed a pan.

"Anything you want in particular, Nadene?" Ra'zaan asked.

"Hmm... how about the usual, chef!" She smirked.

Ra'zaan had been doing this since the second week the duo had been roommates. He'd wake up early, make breakfast for the two of them, and then head out for work. He threw four eggs into his pan. Eggs were used in Ponyville for baking normally, but they were perfect for breakfast, at least for Nadene and Ra'zaan. Once breakfast was over, the Khajiit said his goodbyes to the Dark Elf and walked out the front door, ready to head off to work.

"I wonder what AJ will have me do today? She's been trying to vary the work she has me do so I don't get bored. Not that I would but..." Ra'zaan thought to himself as he strolled down the road. He still had over an hour before he needed to be there, but he liked to be early so he could chat with the Apple family.

After about a fifteen minute walk, Ra'zaan reached Sweet Apple Acres. Applejack was waiting for him on the front porch of the Apple family farmhouse.

"Mornin', Sugarcube! Ya have a nice walk?" She asked, giving Ra'zaan a warm smile, holding out a glass of apple-juice.

The Khajiit walked up and gladly took the glass. "Thanks, Applejack. What's on the agenda for the day?"

"How 'bout you and me head back over ta Ponyville an' work mah apple cart fer the day?"

"Sure, AJ. That sounds perfect." He said as the two of them turned to make the walk back the way Ra'zaan had come.

Nadene was walking down the streets of Ponyville. It was still fairly early, and not many ponies were out and about. She'd changed into a plain, light green shirt and medium-length skirt, and was simply strolling through town, taking in its early morning beauty. "Damn that Cat. He knows I can't sleep after breakfast! *sigh* Oh well. Guess I could go visit an old friend today..." She thought to herself.

The Princess had allowed Ra'zaan and Nadene to use the Werewolf's Blood that Kynan had given them to return home periodically. The duo asked Twilight if she could help with keeping the portal open, and after a few tries, the unicorn was able to keep it stable.

Nadene turned and started towards Twilight's library home. "I need to get some herbs so we have more potions anyway! I'll stop by and say hello to Halius, and then head back home," The Dark Elf smiled at this thought and took off on a sprint towards the library.

*Thump thump* Nadene knocked on Twilight's door. After a few moments, I little baby dragon opened it.

"Huh? Oh, hi Nadene! Come to make another trip home?" Spike asked jovially.

"Yep! Is Twilight home?" Nadene grinned.

Spike smiled back. "She sure is! I'll go get her. Make yourself at home, Nadene!"

The Dark Elf sat down in a chair in the main room. After a few minutes, Twilight came down from her room. Looking at the lavender unicorn's mane, it was obvious she'd just been woken up.

"Well, you're here EARLY..." Twilight yawned.

Nadene shrugged. "Sorry... Ra'zaan woke me up and I need something to do!'

"Ugh, fine. I'll get the portal open..." Twilight groaned as she started redrawing the circle on the floor.

As Twilight dripped a small amount of Werewolf's blood onto the circle, it began glowing brightly, and a spherical image started to form in the air just above it. On the opposite side of the image, the large lake that surrounds the Imperial City* could be seen.

Twilight's horn started to glow, and the sphere seemed to solidify and stabilize. “Alright, Nadene. The portal is ready. While you are over there, do you mind finding me something to examine? The Nightshade bloom you brought last time was very interesting, but it withered away after about a week and I could use something fresh.”

“No problem, Twilight! I'll see what I can find!” Nadene beamed as she practically somersaulted through the sphere. Twilight sighed.

“She sure does have a lot of energy, doesn't she?” Spike smiled.

Twilight just shook her head. “Hmph. I just wish she didn't have it this early in the morning!”

Applejack and Ra'zaan were walking in relative silence. The Khajiit hadn't gotten to chat with the Apple's like he'd wanted to, but that was normal. He pulled out his journal that he wrote everything he did in out. Hard habits were hard to break, after all.

“What's that ya got there, Ra'zaan?” Applejack asked.

“Hmm? Oh, this? I write everything I do down so that I don't forget anything that might be important.”

Applejack tilted her head at that. “Well, why in Equestria would ya need to do somethin' like that?”

“I guess it's just a habit. I did it for every mission I took back in my world, and I suppose I do it without thinking. Want to hear about one of my missions? I have the few I put in this journal still at the front, after all.”

“Why not? Jus' nothin' too descriptive, iff'n ya don't mind.”

The Khajiit have a toothy grin. “Alright, let's see here...”

“~ I accepted a mission from the current head of the Warriors' Guild. He asked me to deal with a problem that has been plaguing the people that live in the small village of Water's Edge. Apparently there have been sightings of several unusually large slaughter fish... Great. I really hate those things...” Ra'zaan read the first entry out loud.

“Hold on just a second. What in the hay is a slaughter fish?” Applejack questioned.

Ra'zaan laughed. “It's a type of fish that can live in almost any body of water that has razor-sharp teeth. The normal sized ones can kill someone with help, so a bigger one poses a real threat. Let's see, now. Where was I...”

“~ I've arrived at Water's Edge. The people seem friendly enough, but talk of the fish is widespread. I better talk to the leader of the town for any useful information.”

“~ Okay. From what I've been told, there are three of these 'Giant Slaughter Fish', and according to the head of the village, they've been ripping open fishing nets and attacking any fishing boats. They are supposedly holed up in an underwater cavern. Great. Swimming... Ugh...”

"So let me get this straight... Ya write stuff like this all the time?” Applejack was beginning to regret agreeing to hear this.

“Pretty much. I like to remember what I have and haven't done.” Ra'zaan said, looking back to his book.

"~ Cavern found. Good thing there's an air pocket in here! I had to leave my armor behind and only bring my sword and dagger because I had to swim though. I can see the targets swimming around a mound of what looks like... fish eggs? Well, I guess it's good I found this. Otherwise the town would have a whole new problem to deal with in a week or so.”

"~ Finally, that is over! As soon as they noticed me in the water, the damn fish attacked me! One of them got me pretty good on my thigh and another got my shoulder, but At least that is over. I crushed the eggs so Water's Edge won't have any more fish problems for a while. I better head back and talk with the village head.”

"~ Mission accomplished. Another thousand Septims in my pocket and food in my belly. A good day's work, I'd say. The village offered me a feast for ridding them of their problem, and I couldn't resist!”

"...And that was what a normal day for me was back then. Get a job, risk my life, get paid. Wash, rinse, and repeat." Ra'zaan looked off into the distance for a moment. "Life is so much more calm now. It's... a nice change of pace."

Applejack wasn't really sure what to say. "Seems like ya had quite a hard life, there, Sugarcube. Iff'n that's all you had to look forward to, Ah'm glad ya decided ta stick around in Equestria!" She smirked.

"Yeah. Me too. Hey, we're almost there. Let's get going and get started, alright?" The ex-warrior stated more than asked.

"Heheheh. Sure thing, Ra'zaan." Applejack giggled.

"Ah, this is always such a beautiful view." Nadene said as she gazed out over the water at the Imperial City. "Oh well. Time to go see Halius!"

With that, the Dark Elf spun around to face a forested area behind her, with a thin path leading through it. She took off at a fast sprint down the path. The trail was dimly lit under the trees and bushes were all along the sides of the path. Once, a pack of three wolves got in her way, but she dispatched them with ease. After a fifteen minute or so run, a medium-sized wooden shack came into view ahead of Nadene. The ex-mage slowed to a brisk walk and caught her breath as she neared her destination.

"Hey! Old man! You in there?" Nadene called playfully.

Halius stuck his head out of the doorway. "Well! This is certainly a surprise! Here for another visit, are you? Come on in, Nadene!"

After the whole ordeal in Equestria involving Golam, Halius decided he'd retire from fighting and live off on his own. In the short time Nadene and Ra'zaan had been away, he'd become a skilled alchemist. His shack was filled with different herbs and potions that he made a point to keep in stock.

Nadene looked at her old friend and frowned a little. "Sorry, Halius. Like my first visit, I can't stay long. I had the day off, so I thought I'd at least come say hi."

"Well, I'm glad you at least came to pay me another visit! You said you wanted the ingredients for some healing potions last time you were here, so I made sure to have some ready for you!"

"Thanks, Halius! Oh, and before I forget. Twilight asked me to bring her another rare plant or something for her to study. You have anything you can spare?" Nadene glanced around the room.

Halius leaned against the wall and seemed to be deep in thought for a moment. "Hmm... Oh, I know! I've got just the thing. I found this near the water. It's an extremely rare magic plant called a nirnroot**. Give this to her."

"Thanks, Halius! You're a life saver!" Nadene said as she carefully placed the plant in her bag along with all of the herbs and empty vials the High Elf had given her. "By the way, have you heard from Ysura or Kynan lately?"

"Yes, actually. They're still traveling together, and they drop by every once and a while. They are currently living in Bruma***." Halius smiled at the thought.

Nadene noticed and grinned again. "Heh, yeah. Those two always did have an almost mother-and-son relationship. Anyway, thanks for the herbs, Halius. Sorry I've got to go so soon, but keeping the portal open puts quite a lot of strain on Twilight."

"Oh, it's quite alright, Nadene. I hope to see you again soon, though!" The High Elf forced a smile. "See you later, Nadene!"

"Goodbye for now, Halius!" She said as she headed out the door and back onto the main trail. "Well, that was fun. I wish I could do this more often!"

The trip back to the portal took a bit longer because The Dark elf was just walking the whole way, but it was also pretty uneventful. Nadene just watched as little creatures bounced swiftly from tree to tree and bush to bush as she walked, keeping her mind clear. She reached the portal in about twenty-five minutes. She walked up the gateway, but as she stepped through, she couldn't help but feel that she was being watched. She shrugged it off and vanished through the portal.

"Hiya Twilight! How are you holding up?" Nadene said casually as she reappeared back in the world of Equestria.

Twilight glared at her. "I'm fine, thanks. I bit tired because SOMEPONY woke me up, but otherwise I'm just... peachy..."

"Well, I think I've got something that will make up for waking you. Halius gave me this cool looking plant called a nirnroot that supposedly has magical properties!" Nadene chirped happily.

At the mention of the plant, Twilight's eyes lit up. "Can I see it now?!"

"Well of course! I'll set it on this table for you!" Nadene said as she pulled the plant out of her bag. It seemed to be humming softly as if the magic within it were resonating out. "Here you go! I'm going to go look for Ra'zaan and show him all of the herbs Halius gave up for potions!" Nadene exclaimed as she darted out the door.

Spike and Twilight walked over to the nirnroot. It had a slight glow to it, and it continued the humming noise that it had when Nadene pulled it from her bag.

"This is so exciting! I wonder what other surprises this 'nirnroot' holds!" Twilight 'squee'd' with excitement.

~~~

In her haste to get started on more research, Twilight had neglected to close the portal to Tamriel. It would close on it's own without her magic, but leaving it open was still not a good idea. Unbeknownst to Twilight, Spike or Nadene, another figure came through the gateway as well. It disappeared out the front door as soon as it came through, and no one saw it show up. What could this unknown creature be?

TO BE CONTINUED

The Imperial City* - The central city in Cyrodill. This is where the Emperor, along with the HQ to the Mages' guild, the Arena, and a major trading center are located. It is heavily fortified with large stone walls and hundreds of guards.

Nirnroot** - An odd, short, magical plant with four or five broad leaves on top. They are extremely rare because they don't grow back after they are harvested. Fun Fact: In Elder Scrolls Four: Oblivion, there was a side mission that asked you to collect a grand total of, like, a hundred of these stupid things. It wasn't hard, but it was VERY annoying and it took a fairly long time even if you worked fast! (The reward wasn't even all that great either!)

Bruma*** - A major city in Cyrodill located just north of the Imperial City. The Nordic race built Bruma because if the area's cold climate, which the Nords' bodies are build for.

Chapter 1 - Forces Unknown

The whole world around Ra'zaan seemed to be in slow motion. He was sitting next to Applejack's apple cart, watching as all sorts of different ponies passed him by. He'd grown used to the daily hustle and bustle of the nice little town, and I enjoyed every second of it. The Khajiit looked around the area he and Applejack had set up for the day. There were other street vendors dotting the sides of the street as far as the eye could see, and each and every pony seemed to be happy. Everypony had smiles on their faces. Heh... there's that familiar change again. Ra'zaan almost never said 'anyone' or 'everyone' anymore. Speaking of which, 'somepony' just jabbed the Khajiit in the ribs.

"Ouch!" Ra'zaan said, snapping out of his little trance. "What was that for, AJ?!"

The orange mare chuckled a bit to herself. "Ya looked like ya were about ta fall asleep, ya darn cat!"

"Heh. Sorry AJ. Guess I got lost in thought. I'll keep focused from now on." Ra'zaan smiled.

"Oh, don't worry none, Sugarcube." Applejack grinned. "Ya were only out of it for about fifteen minutes anyway."

This is how things had been for Ra'zaan with his job and around town for a good while now. He could openly joke with Applejack and the rest of the girls, and everypony in Ponyville knew him and waved when they walked by him.

"...Hey, Applejack?" Ra'zaan said finally.

She just smiled. "What's on yer mind, Ra'zaan?"

"How do you all do it. Stay so peaceful, I mean. In my world, being as friendly as most ponies here are just meant you weren't going to live long." The Khajiit didn't look at the orange mare as he spoke.

"Well, Ah can't say for sure, but Equestria has always been this way. At least as long as mah granny can remember, at any rate." She paused and thought before continuing. "Supposedly, Equestria 'as been quiet-like since the banishing of Nightmare Moon, over a thousand years ago."

Ra'zaan nodded slowly. "Alright then. I guess I'll have to ask the princess next time I have the chance then."

"EXCUSE ME?!" A voice called out behind them. "I'd like to buy some apples, please!"

Applejack and Ra'zaan spun around to see a cream-colored mare with a dark blue and pink mane. They chuckled a little before walking up.

"Sorry fer the wait, there, Bon Bon! Here ya are. That'll be 5 bits!" Applejack said cordially.

"Thanks, AJ. Have a nice day!" Bon Bon said as she walked off.

Applejack glanced back over to Ra'zaan, and they both blushed a little as the Khajiit rubbed the back of his head. It was going to be a long day...

Nadene looked around town again. She had the herbs she needed, but didn't feel like making the potions just yet. She also still couldn't shake the feeling that she was being watched. She glanced around a bit, but nothing out of the ordinary seemed to present itself. She shrugged it off and continued her walk. She was about to head into Sugarcube Corner despite the fact that she was on a day off, when something slammed into her chest and knocked the Dark Elf over.

"Ouch! What in Talos's name was that?!" Nadene yelled, regaining her sight after the collision. She looked down and saw a familiar gray mare sitting on her chest.

"S-sorry, Nadene!" Derpy's voice was shy and full of regret for having knocked her friend to the ground. "Something seemed to pull me out of the air!"

The Dark Elf laughed a bit at that. "I think gravity had something to do with it..." She paused to slide the disheveled mare off of her and stand back up. "...but don't worry too much. No harm done! Would you like to join me for a cupcake, Derpy?"

"Sure! Thanks, Nadene!" Derpy said, jumping to her feet and running in to Sugarcube Corner. Before Nadene followed, she thought something to herself. "I could feel something just before that mare fell... Something is going on here, and I'll figure it out... right after a snack! 'Squee'!" With that, the ex-mage followed Derpy into the bakery.

A cloudy figure floated just above Sugarcube Corner. I small chuckle could be heard as the cloud started to take form. It seemed to be making sure to stay out of sight.

"Ha ha ha! I haven't had a good laugh in a while! These ponies should be real fun to mess with... and~... now I'm bored. Hungry, too. I wonder what kind of cheese this world has..." The figure said before vanishing completely.

"Nadene? I told you, you don't have to work today silly!" Pinkie smiled, bouncing up to the counter.

"I know, Pinks, but I thought I'd get myself a cupcake at least! Two, please." Nadene laughed.

Pinkie grinned and pulled out two cupcakes from behind the counter. "That'll be two bits, please!"

"Here you are." Nadene said, handing the gold pieces over to the pink mare.

Pinkie beamed as she walked towards the back of the bakery. "I'll talk to you later! I just need to finish up here. Later, Nadene!"

The Dark Elf waved goodbye to her overly-excitable friend, and then she and Derpy walked back outside with their cupcakes. The gray mail-mare devoured her treat within seconds of exiting the bakery, but Nadene just kept her's with with her.

"Hungry, were you, Derpy? Hehe!" The Dark Elf laughed. "Was it any good?"

Derpy gave a wide grin. "Sure it was! Pinkie made it! The only things I like more than Pinkie's cupcakes are muffins!"

Nadene laughed. Every single pony in Ponyville seemed to have their own unique quirks. As the two friends walked, they got various waves and greetings from other ponies around town. After a few minutes, stalls and stands started getting more and more frequent, signalling that they were getting close to the 'market' district of town. Looking around, it was easy to spot the only other two-legged humanoid in a Equestria.

"Working the apple stand today, eh, Ra'zaan?" Nadene asked as she and Derpy closed the gap between them and the stand.

"Hmm? Oh, Nadene! Yeah, AJ and I have been here since this morning. Nice to see you again as well, Derpy." The Khajiit replied.

It was at this point that Applejack noticed the commotion; she had just made another sale and hadn't been paying attention to the group. "Well, shucks! Ah didn't see y'all come over! Howdy, how have ya been, Nadene? Derpy?"

"Good AJ. Oh! Hey, Ra'zaan? Have you felt like you're being watched at any point recently?" Nadene asked curiously.

"Um... not really to be honest. Why?" Ra'zaan glanced into Nadene's deep blue eyes. She returned his gaze, staring into his amber eyes.

"Nothing. I just had a feeling a little while ago... wait... there it is again..." Nadene stopped and looked around. Nothing LOOKED out of the ordinary...

Ra'zaan also looked around. "I feel what you're talking about now... but... what do you think it means?"

"Would y'all please explain what all the ruckus is about? Ah don't feel a thing!" Applejack yelled out after a few more moments of silence.

Nadene and Ra'zaan turned to see an orange mare and a gray mare clearly confused about the present situation. They looked at each other and smiled.

"Sorry, girls. I sometimes forget that you never had to learn things like being about to sense when you are being followed or not." Ra'zaan began.

Nadene glared at the Khajiit, berating him with her stare for his bluntness. "It's just a feeling we get in the back of our minds whenever we're being followed. Don't worry too much about it." She finished.

"...I think they might want to worry about it after all... look..." The Ra'zaan said, pointing with wide eyes at a stall just across the road.

All eyes turned to see what the ex-warrior was referring to, and they gasped at what they saw. Four short, red-skinned, pointy-eared creatures were running around a nearby vegetable vendors stand, grabbing his produce and tossing it about. They had long, pointed tails and they were completely destroying the poor vendor's stall.

"Do my eyes deceive me... or are those scamps*, Nadene?" Ra'zaan asked in disbelief.

Nadene didn't speak for several seconds. "I-I think they are... based on the pictures of the Oblivion crisis** anyway... Wait, does that mean that Mehrunes Dagon*** is here?! That would be really bad!" The Dark Elf seemed to be hyperventilating.

"Calm down, damn it, Nadene! Look. Those scamps are mischievous at best. If they were of Mehrunes minions, they'd be killing instead of annoying that vendor." Ra'zaan put a claw to the back of his head and scratched at it. "Still, that presents another problem. Where did these things come from? I remember something mentioning a group of scamps that were docile, but... argh, I just can't remember!"

Those last words were yelled unintentionally by the Khajiit, and he accidentally attracted the attention of the scamps. They turned from the produce vendor, who was cowering in a corner, and scurried over to the group. They stopped at the feet of Ra'zaan and stared up at him.

"...And what is it that you little pests want? A treat? How about a good smack in the head?" The ex-warrior demanded, obviously annoyed by the creatures staring at him. He punted the one nearest to him and it landed limply on the ground. "Um... I think I hit it too hard... oops..."

"YA THINK?! Looks like ya killed the poor thing!" Applejack yelled, staring at the unmoving body.

Derpy even seemed a little miffed. "What did you do that for? They hadn't hurt anypony!"

"What are you girls getting all upset about?! These things are like little demons! They get into everything! Wait... right... killing is bad here... again, my bad!" The Khajiit said defensively.

The argument didn't last long, however, has the limp scamp's body vanished and an exact copy of it reappeared where the first had been standing before Ra'zaan kicked it.

"I'm going to pretend I didn't see that..." Ra'zaan said calmly.

Nadene, on the other hand, had an idea. "Wait, Ra'zaan. Think about it. Wasn't there some form of cursed staff that disappeared during the Oblivion crisis that had something to this effect?"

"Hmm... I got it! The Staff of the Everscamp^! It summoned four scamps that could never be killed, as they always came back after death."

"Well, that's fine and all, Ah reckon, but what do we do about them? They'll terrorize all the pony folk!" Applejack butted in.

Nadene seemed to ponder this for a while. "Well, I'd imagine this all happened because I went to Tamriel to gather some herbs. I felt a presence behind me as I was returning, but I didn't pay it any heed. Maybe we should take them to Twilight's for now, until we can get rid of them later."

"Alright. Let's do that. Then y'all can tell me what in the hay is goin' on!" Applejack yelled, and the group gave a quick chuckle. Then she, Ra'zaan, Nadene, and the four scamps headed towards the library. Derpy, meanwhile, said her goodbyes and took off in the other direction.

"Well, well, well! They dealt with that little problem with no trouble at all. I'll have to step up my game if I want to mess with that group..." The shadowy figure thought happily to himself from the shadow of a nearby building. He had an intricately carved wooden staff in his right hand. "Hmm... what should I do with them next time... The everscamps will keep them busy for a while... Maybe I'll flood the town with mice! That would be fun! No... not yet... they'll get more soon anyway! He gave a throaty laugh. "Ah, well. I guess it's time I find out what that strange feeling that's been coming from that big place on the mountain is. Seems I may find a new friend in this strange place after all!" With that, the figure vanished yet again.

TO BE CONTINUED

Scamp* - weak servants to Mehrunes Dagon. (see below) Look just like little devils.

Oblivion Crisis** - Storyline of Elder Scrolls Four: Oblivion.

Mehrunes Dagon*** - Daedric Prince of War, Destruction, and Ambition. Had a major role in the Oblivion Crisis.

The Staff of the Everscamp^ - Cursed staff received during a quest in Oblivion. Summoned four scamps that always came back every time they died. Very intricate in design.

Chapter 2 - Little Problems

When the group barged into Twilight's library home with four little creatures she'd never seen before, the lavender mare nearly jumped out of her skin at the sound of the door being ripped open. She and Spike stared and gawked in awe at the little things in front of them. Twilight seemed to have a hundred questions going through her head at once, but Ra'zaan's voice stopped her from asking anything.

"Twilight, I can see the confusion on your face, but calm down a little first and then we'll explain." The Khajiit said as calmly as he could to the overly curious unicorn.

Twilight stared at the scrawny creatures that were taking books off of her shelves and tossing them about. "B-but what are those things?! I've never seen anything like them before! ...And why are they tearing apart MY library!?" She exclaimed as she used her magic to forcefully drag the scamps to the middle of the room and hold them there. "What the hay is going on?!"

"...And this is why we don't just crash into somepony's house without knocking, Ra'zaan..." Nadene said, sneering at the ex-warrior before she turned to Twilight. "...Sorry for showing up like this, Twi', but as you can see, we have a bit of a problem..."

"That didn't answer my question..." The annoyed unicorn stated.

The scamps were struggling fruitlessly against the magic binding them. Spike, meanwhile, was taunting them and laughing loudly. Ra'zaan walked over to the books that had been thrown about and started replacing them back in their correct spots. Nadene got comfortable on a nearby cushion and sighed again, while Applejack just sat down quietly and waited.

The Dark Elf began slowly. "Alright, Twi'. First off, these creatures are called scamps. They showed up suddenly in the market district. I have a hunch it has something to do with my trip to Tamriel earlier today. I'm afraid that these scamps may not be the only thing that made it threw, as when they are killed, they come back to life. This means that they must be the scamps that are summoned by the Staff of the Everscamp, which raises more questions than answers..."

"Scamps? Staff? Am I missing something? Does this mean these things slipped through into our world?" Twilight asked, thoroughly perplexed.

"It would be too hard to explain, but we do know that, as of yet, nothing dangerous has made it through... I think..." Nadene tried to sound confident, but doubt was written on her face.

"Nadene, don't play dumb. You had the same feeling I did. Whatever has the staff is here as well, and that could be VERY bad. The staff was created by Sheogorath*, the Daedric Prince of Madness. It disappeared with said prince back during the Oblivion Crisis, which I explained to you a while ago, Twilight." Ra'zaan said matter-of-factly. "If it's here, it's very possible that the Prince of Madness himself is here as well, and that doesn't bode well for Equestria."

Twilight thought about that for a minute, but Applejack had heard plenty. "...An' what in the hay does that mean? What's wrong with this Sheogorath feller?"

"Sheogorath, to put it simply, is like this world's Discord. If I remember right, Discord causes chaos everywhere he goes when he is free, and Sheogorath does about the same thing." The Khajiit was leaning against a bookcase at this point, staring off out a nearby window as he spoke. "Only... he's quite a bit more dangerous."

By this time in the explanation, Twilight had begun hyperventilating. She was pacing back and forth, trying to think about just how to handle this situation.

"MORE dangerous than Discord?! Oh no, oh no, oh no! What are we going to do?!" The lavender mare exclaimed.

Nadene had a straight face on, but this latest outburst made her a bit agitated. "Settle down. You're getting worked up over what could be nothing! We have no proof that Sheogorath is even here! I could be some worshiper that the God of Madness took a liking to and gave the staff!"

"Nadene is correct, although the probability of that is low. For right now, I suggest we do something with those four little demons before we do anything else." The Khajiit pointed to the scamps, still struggling under Twilight's magic.

"O-Okay... What do you suppose we do with them?" Twilight asked, starting to calm down.

Ra'zaan gave an almost sadistic grin. "Oh, I have a few ideas...hehehe..."

"Hmm, now where is that magic coming from?" The shadowy figure was floating above the city he'd seen on the mountain. "I could have sworn it was coming from near here... AH! HA HA! There's the place it's... coming... from... That's a big castle..." As the figure looked on, it became obvious the place was of some importance.

He decided to investigate a little, if only just for fun. The staff that had been in the mysterious specter's vanished as he slipped into a dark alley. A bright flash shined in said alleyway, and a earth pony stallion walked out. The stallion had a dark purple coat with an off-white mane and tail. One of his eyes was blue and the other was green, and they both had dark circles under them. His cutie mark was a wheel of cheese with a triangular piece removed from it, and he had a white and grey, two-toned, scraggly beard on his face.

"Perfect! Now I'll blend right in with all of the townsfolk! Ah, who am I kidding? This will be so much more fun with them all seeing me, but they'll know soon enough..." The stallion said to himself as he walked through the city streets.

He took a look around as he walked. This whole town just bored the mismatched stallion to tears. Everything was so orderly and snobbish! "Ugh. Note to self. Once I get a better feel for things around here, I need to liven things up... A LOT!" He thought as he walked. The buildings were all big and lavish, and that seemed to annoy the stallion. He eventually came across a more casual-looking building, and looked at the sign. "Pony Joe's... hmm... Well, it's a starting point at least..."

The stallion walked calmly into the cafe and looked around. There was an empty seat at the bar up near what the stallion perceived as the owner of the small establishment, so he took a seat there. The mismatched stallion noticed while waiting for the waiter that these ponies seem to use a different type of currency. He quickly conjured up a few of these 'bits', and then sat and waited longer.

"Hiya! Name's Pony Joe! What can I getcha?" The pony behind the bar asked suddenly.

"Uh... Just give me the weirdest thing on the menu. I'm sorta... new here... hehehe..." The imposter said.

Joe simply nodded and came back with a donut filled with a rainbow of different colors. "This here's my Rainbow Special! It's a donut filled with six different, colored, different flavored jellies. That'll be three bits, please!"

"Here you are... one... two... three!" The stallion wasn't sure what to make of this 'donut', but he had to admit it was the most interesting thing he'd seen since getting into this boring city. "So, can you answer a few questions?"

Joe smiled. "Sure can! What's on your mind, Mr...?"

Uh, oh... didn't think that through... How do their names go again...?" He faltered, but only for a minute. He looked at his cutie mark and got an idea. "My name's... Swiss Cheese. I'm a... a cheese taste tester!" "I'm so full of shit right now... I love it!"

"Nice to meetcha, Swiss! So, what's on your mind?" Joe asked, completely oblivious to anything being wrong.

'Swiss' chuckled. "Now this is gonna sound silly, but what is this city's name?"

"Your here in Equestria, and you don't even know what this city is? Your in Canterlot, my friend! Next, you're gonna tell me you don't know about the Canterlot Castle!" Joe said sarcastically, laughing a little. 'Swiss' just smiled awkwardly. "You're kidding me. You've really never heard of the castle the princesses live in?"

"Well, not until you just told me about it! Are ponies allowed to visit it?" The stallion asked next. The answer didn't really matter, because he was going there either way.

Joe lowered and shook his head, a smirk covering his face. "You sure are clueless, ain't ya? Yeah, you can go visit. The gardens are open all day long, but the interior is only open during the day from noon to five. It's three now. You best get there soon if you want to visit. Take your donut with you, and have fun!"

"Thanks. Good luck with the rest of today, Joe." 'Swiss' said as he walked out, eating his donut in one bite. "That was delicious! I'll have to remember to get some more of those later!" With that, the strange stallion turned a corner out of everypony's view and vanished.

"DAMN IT RA'ZAAN!" Nadene yelled as she chased after Pinkie's hot air balloon. Four small figures could be seen tied by their ankles dangling from the basket of the balloon as it floated away with no pony driving it. "What in Talos's name compelled you to do something like this?!"

"Calm down, Nadene. It's not like their going to be hurt. I mean, they're only dangling several thousand feet above the ground by their feet!" Ra'zaan smiled innocently.

Twilight face-hoofed. "You have absolutely no idea how that balloon works, do you?"

"Sure I do! You start up the fire and the balloon floats up into the air! Nothing to it!" The Khajiit said confidently.

It was Pinkie's turn to be confused. "B-but without somepony driving it, it'll just keep floating up until it pops!"

"...Oh... well..." Ra'zaan started. He looked up at the little dot that was the balloon moving farther and farther away. "...It was nice knowing you, little guys." Ra'zaan gave a fake salute as he just stood there smiling.

Rainbow was done waiting. "Well, if no pony else is going to do anything, I'm going to stop this..." She said as she took to the air and flew towards the balloon.

"What's the big deal, anyway? Those little bastards will just come back after they land." The ex-warrior frowned as the cyan mare flew away.

"Yeah, but that there balloon belongs to Pinkie Pie. Plus, no pony but you wants to see those little critters hurt anymore." Applejack glared at Ra'zaan.

The Khajiit just huffed and sat down. "Well, fine then... I guess we just need to go find who ever has the damned Staff of the Everscamp then... But where do we start looking?"

Twilight wasn't sure what to think about Ra'zaan after everything that's happened in the past few hours. "What is up with Ra'zaan today anyway? He's tried to drown the scamps in the river, drop them off the mountain, and even make the green dragon in the Everfree eat them... heh, his ears are still charred after that one... But that isn't the point! The Khajiit was never so brutal about anything. He was trying everything in his power to keep those scamps dead..."

"Ra'zaan, why are you trying so hard to kill those things anyway?" Twilight finally asked, ignoring his last question for a moment.

"That's a good question. One that would take several hours to fully explain. Instead, let's just say having something that I can kill with no repercussions makes me more excited than it should. Anyway, back to my previous question..." Ra'zaan said, changing the subject in a hurry.

Suddenly, the four scamps appeared right next to Ra'zaan, and a scream could be heard several thousand feet away.
Rainbow flew down with the balloon and had a sheepish look on her face. "Um... I accidentally untied the rope holding the scamps... and they fell..."

"HA HA HA! Nice one, Rainbow! I-I mean... be more careful..." Ra'zaan said with little to no sincerity in his tone.

Rainbow blushed a little as she hopped out of the now-anchored balloon. The scamps ran in a circle around Ra'zaan, blissfully unaware of their recent brush with death.

*Sigh* "Well... okay then... Anyway, I'll send a letter to the princess. In the meantime, I need you and Nadene to go get Fluttershy and Rarity. We'll meet up at the library. Alright?" Twilight announced finally, starting towards the library. Pinkie, Applejack, and Rainbow followed her while Ra'zaan started for Fluttershy's and Nadene headed for Rarity's.

Ra'zaan looked back once before continuing his walk. "At least we're getting some excitement for a change. Life is nice, but after being a mercenary for several years... I could use something like this in my life every once in a while..."

Celestia was walking about, enjoying the cool fall air in the Canterlot garden, taking in all of its beauty. Here and there, other ponies admired the still statues and lush shrubberies. But Celestia had come out into the garden for one reason: To visit a long-forgotten foe. As she trotted slowly across the massive courtyard, she spotted her target. A large statue of a creature made of several other creatures stood in front of her.

"Discord... for the longest time, I thought your imprisonment might have changed you... But after your unexpected escape, I know that is not the case. What could we have done differently...?" She said quietly under her breath.

"You alright, Miss? You look a bit down. Need some cheering up!?" A voice sounded behind her. She turned slowly to see a dark purple stallion with an off-white mane and mismatched eyes.

"Hello, my little pony. I was just here to visit... an old friend... You're welcome to join me here, if you wish." Celestia said, realizing that this pony must somehow not know who she is. "My name is Princess Celestia, By the way."

"OH! M-my apologies, Princess. Nice to meet you! My name is... 'Swiss Cheese'.

"Well... I didn't mean to meet the princess yet, but... as long as my cover isn't blown... I could still find out what the aura coming off of this statue..." Sheogorath, or 'Swiss', was standing next to the most majestic pony he'd ever seen.

"No need to fret. I'm here for a casual stroll, so no pony needs to think of me as anything but another pony. It's nice to meet you, Swiss." The princess gave Sheogorath a knowing wink, and it made him almost cringe.

"Great... she knows I'm not being honest... Still, I ,might get away with this anyway..." "It's... nice to meet you too, Princess. "At least she is a kind ruler... this may not be as hard as I thought..."

'Swiss' walked up closer to the statue, and placed his right hoof on it. "It looks like there is another plane of existence within this strange statue... The aura I was sensing was coming from here..."

A loud sound could be heard behind Sheogorath, but he didn't pay it any mind. He was focusing on crossing into the plane within the statue to find out the source of the energy. The sound of crumpling paper could be heard as he started to vanish into the stone prison.

"Wait! Stop! Come back! Celestia's voice could be heard as Sheogorath disappeared completely.

"Oh my... this won't be good..." Celestia sat flabbergasted in front of Discord's statue. "...Just a little too late... my faithful student..."

On the ground behind Celestia, an unraveled scroll lay open in the grass. If a pony were to get close to it, they'd be able to read it clearly.

Dear Princess Celestia,

We have encountered a problem here in Ponyville. Four strange creatures have appeared here, and Ra'zaan and Nadene have identified these creatures as a special type of scamp from their world. The alarming part of this is that these 'everscamps' are summoned by a staff called the Staff of the Everscamp. The user of said staff is supposedly still in Equestria. Our two neighbors from Tamriel believe the summoner to be none other than their God of Madness, Sheogorath. This man/god is apparently their world's equivalent to our Discord. He is extremely dangerous and must be found. I am gathering the element bearers along with Ra'zaan and Nadene for a search party to find this 'Sheogorath' person.

P.S. According to Ra'zaan, Sheogorath has a strange obsession with cheese... this may or may not make finding him easier.

Your Faithful Student,

Twilight Sparkle

That last sentence is what answered Princess Celestia's suspicions, but she was too late to respond. Now, Tamriel's God of Madness is within the statue of Discord, Equestria's God of Chaos.

"Nothing that will come of this will be good... I must send word back to Twilight immediately!" Celestia said as she levitated her newest letter from Twilight with her at a full gallop back to the Castle.

TO BE CONTINUED

Chapter 3 - Chaos Meets Chaos

Dear My Faithful Student,

If what your letter said is true, we have a serious problem. Mere moments before I received your letter, A strange pony with a cheese cutie mark that introduced himself as 'Swiss Cheese' walked over to Discord's statue while I was looking at it. As soon as I had finished reading your letter, he disappeared into Discord's statue. I can only assume this means he has something planned for releasing Discord once more... We must be prepared for the worst. I'd like you to bring the other bearers of the Elements of Harmony with you to Canterlot immediately. Bring Ra'zaan and Nadene as well; they could be able to give more information on what we are dealing with. I had a bad feeling about the pony in question when I met him, but I brushed it off. It looks like I may have made a terrible mistake... Please hurry, Twilight.

Sincerely,

Princess Celestia

Twilight had been reading the letter aloud to the group. All eight that had been mentioned in the letter had already assembled in the library, along with the four persistent scamps. All the ponies in the room had worried looks on their faces, as did Nadene. The only one seemingly unfazed by the news was the Khajiit leaning against a bookcase in a corner.

"Ra'zaan, how can you be so calm about all of this? This could be a serious problem! I thought you'd be at least a little worried..." Twilight said, staring at the nonchalant ex-warrior.

This made Ra'zaan show a small smile. "I'm not worried at all! I'm excited! This could be a great opportunity to do some more adventuring, or at least travel a little bit. I'm happy here, don't get me wrong, but I'd like to go somewhere every once and a while." He finished his sentence with a wave of his hand towards the door. "Shall we be going? If what the Princess says is correct, we should be leaving soon." With that, Ra'zaan walked merrily out the door, leaving everypony else bewildered by his strange new attitude.

"Um... anypony else think Ra'zaan's acting a little odd?" Nadene asked with an unsure tone.

"Ah don't know what ta think, but he was right 'bout one thing. We'd better get ta the Princess a might quick before anythin' else happens... Let's catch up with 'im before he leaves without us..." Applejack said, leading the group out the door to follow the Khajiit. Together, the ponies, Dark Elf, Khajiit, and scamps made their way to the train station.

"What IS this place? It reminds me of that vacation I spend in a hole in the ground... No, even darker than that! Best vacation ever by the way!" (Sarcasm Detected)

Sheogorath found himself, still in his pony form, wandering in an empty abyss that seemed devoid of any life at all. Nothing stirred. No sounds other than Sheogorath's breathing could be heard.

"Well, come on out then! I don't have all of eternity, you know! Well, actually, I do. Little immortal joke for you there." Sheogorath joked to no one in particular.

Just then, a loud cackle was heard from what seemed like everywhere at once. A booming voice sounded in the same way.

"Well well well! What is this? A pony lost it's way and is now stuck here with me?" A figure materialized in front of Sheogorath a second later.

The figure seemed to be the same one the statue was based on: One being made out of several different creatures.

"You must be the poor sod trapped in here. Nice place you have here, real...roomy. You would be...?"

The figure spun around Sheogorath and grinned right in his face. "I should ask you the same thing! What brings you to my humble prison, little pony? Who are you?"

With the question asked, Sheogorath let out a long, boisterous laugh. As he finished said laugh, his ponified body began glowing and he slowly rose into the air. The dim glow turned into a blinding flash of white, and when the darkness returned to the empty nothingness, Sheogorath's true form stood smirking.

"You can call me Ann Marie. But only if you're partial to being flayed alive and having an angry immortal skip rope with your entrails. If not... Then call me Sheogorath, Daedric Prince of Madness. Charmed." The Prince of Madness took a few steps toward the strange new creature and held his hand out to shake. "...And you, my strange, funny-looking friend?"

The figure took a big step back for a second before recovering his composure and looking the now human-like Sheogorath up and down. "I'm the funny-looking one? Says the... thing in the purple suit! Bwahahahaha! The name's Discord, Spirit of Chaos and Disharmony! Nice to meet another fan of chaos for a change!" Discord bellowed, taking Sheogorath's hand in his talon and shaking vigorously.

"Well, Discord, now that we know each other, how about you tell me how you ended up in this statue? I'm sure it will be a riveting tale... Afterwards, we'll see if we can't get out of this Daedra-forsaken place!" Sheogorath said with a grin.

"Haha! Well, it's a fairly long story, but it isn't like I'm in a hurry! It started one thousand years ago..." Discord was cut off.

"Only a thousand years, huh? I remember meeting myself and handing over the family title a mere two hundred and fifty years ago... Such nostalgia... I hand over the family title from me to myself once ever couple of thousand years, you know... Hmm? Did I interrupt? Well, go on then! Let's hear it!" Sheogorath said, making a cheese wheel appear from out of no where and eating some.

The Spirit of Disharmony only smiled in response before continuing. "Anyway... I was the ruler of the land, causing chaos wherever and however I pleased. Then these two alicorn princesses appeared..."

The group arrived at Canterlot Station at around seven in the afternoon and quickly climbed off of the train. Led by Twilight and Ra'zaan, they quickly made their way towards Canterlot Castle. As they walked through the streets, several ponies pointed and stared at the scamps following the group. Some murmured and some even ran away. Ra'zaan watched this play out as he walked and grinned to himself. "This is probably how they would have reacted to me if I hadn't been 'escorted' by guards the first time I was here..." With that thought, he turned to look ahead of the group again. The gate to the castle was coming into view not far ahead. Ra'zaan smirked one last time at the thought he'd just had before shaking it off. If he'd looked behind him, he'd have seen Nadene with the same goofy smile that he had on her face.

"Halt! No visitors are allowed to see the Princess today! "A guard commanded, standing in the group's path." The Princess has a very important meeting, and she is turning away any and all visitors until the meeting is over!"

"But we ARE..." Twilight began, but was interrupted by a voice behind the first guard.

The familiar stallion walked up from behind the first guard and faced him. "That will be all, soldier. These would be the guests that the Princess is meeting with, after all."

The stallion stood still as a statue for a moment before speaking. "Y-Yes, Captain Pride! Sorry for the inconvenience! You all may go right in!"

"Thank you." Twilight said to the first guard. She then turned to the Captain and smiled. "It's been a while, Iron Pride!" She exclaimed happily.

"Heh, it has, hasn't it? Keep quiet on the whole informality thing until we're in private if you would though, please. Have to keep up a level of professionalism, you know?"

The Captain then turned and led the group up the castle's steps and down the hall to the throne room. It only took a few minutes before to whole group had filed into the room, scamps included. The Princess gave the entire group a warm but forced smile before addressing them.

"Hello, my little ponies. It seems we could have a very large issue soon. I have guards stationed around Discord's statue at this very moment. The stallion named 'Swiss' that disappeared into it has still not returned. We believe that he has somehow gone into the seal holding Discord in place." The Princess began. "If this stallion truly is the 'Sheogorath' character you mentioned, we will need much more information on him. This is the reason I asked for Ra'zaan and Nadene to come along as well. If one of you two would like to fill us in?"

Nadene stepped forward and looked up at the Princess, giving a small smile. "Thank you, Princess. We don't know very much about Sheogorath, and what we do know is all based on legend, but we'll do what we can. Right, Ra'zaan?"

"Of course. It is our fault he found this world, after all." Ra'zaan stated dryly.

"What do you mean, Ra'zaan? You didn't go back to Tamriel. I did..." Nadene started, but Ra'zaan cut her off.

"Nadene, please. He's from our world. Therefore, he is our responsibility. If he gets out of hand... err... hoof... we'll make sure he is dealt with. Now, for what we know. Sheogorath is the Daedric Prince of Madness. In other words, he is basically a god. Immortal and everything." The Khajiit said calmly, but with a very serious tone to his voice. This seemed to put the rest of the room on edge, as the ex-warrior hadn't been this formal since they'd first met him.

Even Nadene was taken aback by the Khajiit's new attitude. She'd never seen him like this. "...R-right... Another thing. He really enjoys pranks and hates order. If I remember right from one of the history books, he reenacted the K'Sharra Prophecy* of a small town of very strict, very superstitious people with the help of... I believe it was the man that helped defend the Imperial City from Mehrunes Dagon... just before said man vanished... He did so just to get a good laugh and to add a bit of chaos to the boring town's lives. The prophecy stated that the town would be infested with rodents... then the livestock would mysteriously die..."

"...and then the sky would rain flaming dogs. Funny prophecy, hmm? Well, according to actual witnesses that had been questioned, the Prophecy actually occurred, spreading widespread panic. No one was hurt in the town, but nothing like it has happened since. Several books have been written about the event." Ra'zaan continued from where the Dark Elf had left off. "That's not all. He is responsible for several dangerous, if wacky, artifacts as well. The Staff of the Everscamp, for example, which summoned these little pests..." The Khajiit pointed at the scamps as he said that. "...was one of his creations. Another, this one much more well known, is the Wabbajack**. This strange, intricately-designed staff was said to have the ability to turn almost anything into something else, make something explode in any type of magic, or simply do nothing. The staff's effects were supposedly random."

Celestia sat calmly as she listened to the two humanoids in front of her. As Ra'zaan stopped, she spoke up. "...And what do either of those stories have to do with what we're up against?"

"These are examples of what he's done in the past. It gives a feel for what we could be up against." Nadene retorted calmly. "Neither of us are sure exactly what he's going to do here; he's very unpredictable."

Twilight sighed. "Sounds exactly like Discord. How are we going to deal with this 'Sheogorath' person?"

"We can't handle Sheogorath like we did Golam Faram. Nothing we do will hurt him. Based on the story you told me about how you sealed Discord, it seems that these 'Elements of Harmony' are going to be our best bet. The problem with those being that it is entirely possible that they will have little or no effect on a creature from our world. If they don't work... I don't know... maybe he'll be in a good mood? That would make the whole situation a hell of a lot easier..." Ra'zaan answered.

"So, what you are saying is, we have almost no idea how to deal with him, and if the Elements fail we should just pray something else turns up?" Celestia said with a frown.

"Basically." Ra'zaan answered back with no emotion to his voice.

Nadene looked like she was deep in thought for a moment. "Wait. Celestia, you and your sister are basically gods yourselves, aren't you?"

"Not exactly, although we are very old and have very strong magic." The Princess commented.

Ra'zaan caught on to what Nadene was thinking. "Is it possible for the two of you to neutralize Sheogorath and Discord's magic with your own? If all else fails, we may be able to defeat them a different way..."

Celestia put a hoof to her chin and though for a moment. "If it comes to that, then I'm sure we will be willing to try. That is enough for now. Come. I'll bring you to the statue to show you what is going on."

With that, the Princess led the group back out the door and towards the gardens. As they walked, Fluttershy noticed something. That's odd... Where are all the birds and little animals? Did something scare them off...?"

"...And then that rotten lavender unicorn gathered up her friends again and used the Elements of Harmony on me... AGAIN!" Discord said, finishing his story.

"You seem to get all the girls, my friend. Too bad they're all the 'get out and leave my boring life alone' types. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Sheogorath laughed happily. "Well, that certainly took a while, didn't it? How about I get you out of this place and we go and have some real fun!" Sheogorath said with glee in his voice.

Discord looked confused. "How would you say we go about that, Sheo? I've tried almost everything to get out of here, and the only thing that got me out was those fillies fighting in front of my statue... wait a minute..."

The Daedric Prince finished the sentence. "Exactly. You want out? All I have to do is cause some chaos near your statue... or rather, a lot of chaos! Ooooh, I've been waiting for this!"

"But how are YOU getting out of here?" The Spirit of Chaos asked. "Aren't you stuck too?"

"The magic that is holding you it here is meant only for you. I can duck in and out as I please because I figured out how the spell works for outside forces. I'll be back. It's time I made my appearance in this world anyway!" Sheogorath said, opening a rift to the outside of the statue that Discord could not see or pass through.

Discord gave a toothy smile. "Well, good luck then! With luck, chaos will reign once again soon enough!"

The Princess, along with the groups of ponies, humanoids and scamps, reached the statue not long after they had left the castle for the gardens. The statue had a total of ten guards spread out in equal distances around it so no other pony could get near it. As the Princess approached, part of the circle moved out of the way to make room so she and the others could pass.

"This is Discord. The Spirit of Chaos and Disharmony." The Princess said casually. "A very old foe of mine."

"We all know that, Princess! We sealed him away last ti---hgrghm!" Pinkie started, but was cut off by an orange hoof.

Applejack sighed. "Pinkie, Ah think the Princess is talkin' ta Nadene an' Ra'zaan..."

Pinkie nodded and Applejack removed her hoof from the pink mare's mouth. The group just sat for a minute in silence, watching as Celestia stared at the statue, deep in thought. It didn't take long, however, before a certain rainbow mare got impatient.

Rainbow Dash gave an obnoxious yawn. "So, how long before they come out of there?"

"Shhhh, Darling! Can't you see that the Princess is in the middle of something?" Rarity retorted, glaring at the cyan mare.

"Alright, alright! Sheesh, grouchy much?" Dash mumbled under her breath.

Fluttershy walked up next to Celestia while all of that was going on and looked up at the Princess's face. "Um... Princess? Is everything alright?"

It took the princess a minute before she responded. "I-I... Yes... E-everything is fine..." Celestia said, but regret laid heavy on her voice. "Anyway... When either of them come out, we need to be ready. Alright, everypony?"

A collective 'YEAH' and 'Let's do this!' echoed across the gardens from everypony except the scamps. Celestia seemed to only then take notice of the scamps.

"By the way, Ra'zaan... what about those creatures? Don't they belong to this 'Sheogorath' person? Might they get in the way?" The Princess asked, worry apparent on her face.

Ra'zaan and Nadene both smiled, and Nadene answered the question. "Even if Sheogorath tries to use these scamps against us, they won't cause any trouble. They're nearly harmless."

Ra'zaan then had something else to say. "Anyway, I remember seeing this statue the day you showed me MY statue, Princess. I still think the same thing I did back then about it. I thought 'Heh, that sure looks like something Sheogorath would cook up.' The creature depicted sure does remind me of something Sheogorath would do..."

Just as Ra'zaan finished his sentence, a flash of light shined from Discord's statue, temporarily stunning and blinding everything around it. Above the sound of murmuring and confusion, a voice could be heard.

"One of my creations? No way! My creations are much nicer looking then the fella here, Khajiit!" Sheogorath's voice sounded over all of the confusion. "Anyways... Hello there, everyone! Sheogorath, Daedric Prince of Madness, at your service! What can I do for you today?"

As everypony and everyone got their eyesight back, they noticed Sheogorath standing on top of the head of Discord's statue. He had on a purple suit, had a grey beard and grey hair, and had white, glazed-over eyes. It was what was in each of his hands, however, that worried the group.

He held two intricately designed staffs; one in his left hand and one in his right. Ra'zaan and Nadene recognized them both immediately.

"The Staff of the Everscamp and the Wabbajack... things just keep getting worse..." Ra'zaan said under his breath.

TO BE CONTINUED

K'Sharra Prophecy* - Mission in TES 4: Oblivion where you had to help Sheogorath fulfill a town's fears by reenacting a prophecy. Most of it is explained in the story above. For completing said mission, you receive the Wabbajack. See below.

Wabbajack** - A weapon created by Sheogorath that cause any number of random things to occur (covered in story). This weapon can be received from Sheogorath in TES 3,4 and 5.

A/N: I really am sorry this took so long to update, everyone. I'm trying, but I keep getting distracted. I hope you all enjoy this chapter, as I'm finally getting somewhere between the group and Sheogorath. I also tried to make Sheogorath a bit crazier, and will be trying to make him increasingly so throughout the coming chapters. Well, thanks for reading, everyone!

Chapter 4 - Enter: Sheogorath

Sheogorath gave a toothy grin as he stared down at the large group. They glared back at him, as he hopped off of the statue and walked over to Celestia. She tensed and took an offensive stance, but the Daedric Prince only laughed.

"Ha! What is it Princess? Don't ya recognize little ol' 'Swiss'? What's wrong everypony? Why all the straight faces? We're having fun, aren't we!?" Sheogorath nearly yelled in a cheerful tone, as he skipped around the Princess.

Celestia, on the other hand, wore a very stern face. "What do you want with us, Prince? Why are you here?"

"Oh, come now, Celestia! What fun is there in questions like that? Why don't we spice things up around here, hmm?" With that, Sheogorath stopped directly in front of the Princess, and turned to face Ra'zaan. "...And how about you, Khajiit? Should we have you relive a moment of your life?" A mischievous grin spread across his face as he turned his gaze once again, this time resting on the statue that represented Ra'zaan defeating Golam.

Ra'zaan glared icy daggers at the Daedra. "You wouldn't dare..."

"Oh, but I would! With pleasure, too! Come on, boys, let's see what this Khajiit looks like inside-out!" Sheogorath jumped away from Celestia, and motioned a hand towards the statue. Within seconds of said motion, both figures that the stone fixture represented began moving, and walked to either side of Sheogorath. "Khajiit, I'd like you, to meet you! I believe you are already acquainted with the nice Dark Elf to my left as well!" A twisted smile appeared on the Daedra's face, as he pointed the stone Ra'zaan towards Ra'zaan, and the stone Golam Faram towards Nadene Faram. "Go ahead! Have some fun my stone friends! Be sure to surprise them!"

Ra'zaan moved in front of Celestia along with Captain Pride and Nadene. They took offensive stances, even though the only one of the three that was armed was Iron. The stone figures advanced on the group and... did something none of them had thought possible...

Tossing down their weapons, the statues began to prance around the trio of fighters like a little girl would skip through daisies in a field.The group completely dropped their guard, and exchanged confused glances. Iron was the first to speak.

"U-Um... either of you two know what is going on...?" He asked.

"...Not in the slightest..." Nadene answered.

Ra'zaan seemed to recover from his stupor, and gave a smirk. "Isn't it obvious? This is just another of Sheogorath's ridiculous games." The Khajiit then turned back to Sheogorath. "Is this really all you have? Do you think I'm really afraid of a couple of stone puppets?"

The Daedra gave another hearty laugh. "Of course not, silly mortal! It did, however, give me enough time to get rid of the guards!" He pointed all around him to where the guards had been standing, and Ra'zaan's expression stayed stone, as he saw all of the guards laying on the ground, sleeping like they were in a trance.

"So what if they've been dealt with? You still have us, you know." The ex-warrior grinned.

*Harumph* "You're no fun, you know that?" The Prince of Madness vanished and reappeared next to Ra'zaan within a fraction of a second. "You want to keep up your stone-walled act? Fine! Do it, boys!" The Daedra's smile returned, as he teleported back next to the statue of Discord, leaning against it.

As soon as his hand touched the statue, the unconscious guards rose from their slumber and chucked their armor into the air, screaming 'Areeeba!', much like a Mexican fiesta. Seconds later, they charged towards the group, all ten of them howling with laughter. The trio attempted to move from their path, but the two statues stopped them from moving backwards. Instead, they braced for impact.

...Such an impact never came...

Before the trio knew what was happening, Princess Celestia, Twilight and Rarity moved in front of them, and put up a barrier, blocking the brainwashed charging stallions. Without giving the rampaging group a chance to regroup, Applejack, Pinkie, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash got on the left, right, and above them, boxing them into a tighter area. Applejack tossed a rope in front of the group to Pinkie, who then stopped dead in her tracks and pulled with all of her might along with the orange farm pony. At this point, the brainwashed ponies were in a trap; a rope holding them firmly against the barrier that the three unicorns had created. The stallions yelled and struggled with all of the strength they had left.

Sheogorath sat back, and watched all of this go down with a huge smile on his face. "Good...just a little more, and then Discord should be free once again... Why am I doing this again... hmm... oh, yes! Because this will be more fun than I've had in a long time! HA!" He thought to himself, as a rather chaotic scene played out in front of him.

"That's ENOUGH!" Celestia's normally calm voice gave way to one of irritation and anger.

The white alicorn's horn glowed a bright yellow, and all the guards and the two statues were lifted into the air and teleported somewhere else entirely.

"Now, you never answered my question. What is your purpose here?" The Princess asked, her stern demeanor returning. "Why must you make this difficult?"

Sheogorath did a double take. Sure enough, his chaotic minions had been done away with in one swift move. "Why do I make it difficult? Because, easy things are boring! What's life without a little chaos now and again?"

Celestia's face contorted into an angry scowl, and she stepped forward to face the demented Daedra. “You sound just like Discord! Chaos is one thing, but going as far as Discord with it, is another thing entirely! I will not allow you to mess with my little ponies lives!”

With that, the solar princess fired a condensed beam of magic towards a very confused-looking Sheogorath. The Prince of Madness fired his own beam from the Wabbajack, holding both his attack and Celestia’s in a standstill.

“What do you mean? Am I not doing the same thing Discord does? Creating a bit of corruption and fun here and there? What is so different from what I am doing to what he does?” He asked with a bewildered look on his face, showing that he had absolutely no idea what was going on.

Celestia only got angrier with this new information. “You don’t even know what Discord is CAPABLE OF, and yet you are trying to release him?! Are you insane?!”

“Well... yes actually. But enough about me! Let’s talk about clowns... wait, scratch that, let’s talk some more about Discord!” Sheogorath said, still holding the beam of magic between himself and the princess carefully.

Ra’zaan, Nadene and Iron, free of the controlled guards, took their places around Celestia, and got into fighting stances once again.

Celestia only briefly glanced to either side of her, before locking her gaze onto the man in front of her again. “Discord is the total embodiment of chaos. When he is free, he doesn’t just spread chaos ‘here and there’! He takes over everywhere he can, and creates a world devoid of ANY order. He ruins lives with his ‘harmless fun’! From what I’ve seen, you have no idea what you are getting into, no matter how much you are like him!”

“...Wait... taking over? That’s not what I had in mind... that’s not good... but I talked to him about it, and he said he wasn’t doing that again...” Sheogorath said, confusion laid heavily upon his face.

Celestia just shook her head at the Daedra’s stupidity. “You are about to unleash an ancient creature that has the power, and will, to make everypony’s lives miserable, and you think he’s just going to be all cheerful after being locked away for so long... I’m losing faith in this world of yours, Ra’zaan. Everypo--, I mean, everyone from your world, save the two of you...” She nodded to Ra’zaan and Nadene, “...are complete foals. This is going to be problematic for all of us...”

Sheogorath stared blankly at the Princess. “Um... My bad?”

“Yes... Everything is coming together rather nicely... That foal Sheo’ is going to have me out of here in no time!”

Discord’s mind wandered, as he thought of all the havoc he could wreak once he was free from this awful place once again. He sat in the emptiness that was his prison, arms behind his head, rocking his feet up and down. He had such a large grin plastered onto his face, that it rivalled even Pinkie’s biggest smile. This was it. He was finally going to be free, and the blame would be on this new creature.

“This couldn’t have possibly gone any better! I can already see the cracks forming in this place! ‘Tia herself is causing much of the chaos that is helping to free me! Wait... what’s this? NO! Don’t stop now, you idiot!”

Discord’s smile immediately changed to a frown as he saw that Celestia’s words were actually having an effect on the Daedra.

“Don’t stop! Just a little more... you can’t stop this now! I’ll finally have my way! The Elements won’t stop me again!”

A look of worry now rested on Discord’s face. He couldn’t wait any longer... this place was unbearable enough...

“Finish the job, Sheo’! Hurry! If you don’t finish it, I’ll never get out!”

Sheogorath blinked a few times, before addressing the Princess again, of whom he still had locked in a battle of magics. “So... maybe we should stop this little fight before it releases him, huh?” He asked nonchalantly. “That is, unless you don’t want to. Come on now! Before I change my mind! Or my mind changes me...”

“I-I suppose you are right...” Celestia slowly began stopping the stream of magic from her horn, and Sheogorath did the same. “Now, what are you going to do? Will you leave?”

“Well, you did kinda erase any plans I had for what to do next while I’m here... Do I HAVE to leave?” The Daedra asked.

Celestia looked to Ra’zaan and Nadene. “What do you two say?”

“I believe he should leave; He’ll only cause problems here.” Ra’zaan said bluntly.

Nadene had a very serious look on her face. “He’ll most likely only cause more trouble while he’s here. Better send him home.”

The Prince of Madness’s expression went from suprised to a sarcastic hurt. “Aww, well at least I know how I’m thought about here! Fine! Good day to you, ponies! I say, GOOD DAY!” Sheogorath said, as he leaned back onto Discord’s statue...

...Which was cracked and damaged from all the chaos that had filled the area...

...Said statue fell over and smashed on the ground...

Sheogorath did another double-take. “Uh-oh... oops... that’s not supposed to happen, is it...?

A collective of ‘YOU DON’T SAY?’ and 'for the love of Celestia...' and even a few facehoofs were heard from all of the ponies and humanoids behind him (excluding the ever-present, but useless scamps).

"Well, what's wrong? It's just his statue. It's broken now, so he shouldn't be able to get out, right? The Daedra asked.

Celestia had a look of horror on her face. "No... that statue was enchanted so it WOULDN'T break... this is bad... very bad."

Sheogorath just stood for a second before saying anything else. "Hmm... this day has been about as interesting as getting your head pulled off by a runaway horse... and it's about to get even more interesting... now all I'm missing is the cheese..."

"You have absolutely no idea what you have done! This is bad... very bad... Twilight said with fear evident in her voice.

"Ah don't know what's worse, the fact that ya just did that, or the fact that ya ain't got a care in the world about it..." Applejack growled.

Rainbow Dash snorted in anger. "Why I oughta...!" She lunged towards the again-bewildered Prince, but Applejack grabbed her by the tail.

"Everypony just calm down!" Celestia nearly shouted, breaking her royal visage. "We need to keep ourselves level headed here..."

All of the sudden, a maniacal laughter sounded from the smoke cloud that used to be a statue.

"Bwahahahahahahaha! Free once again! How does it feel to see me again so soon, 'Tia? Bearers?"

TO BE CONTINUED

A/N: I don't even know what to do anymore. I feel so bad that I haven't gotten these out as fast as I should... this collab has been taking a lot of time. Sorry, everypony. Hope you enjoyed the chapter!

Chapter 5 - Discord Returns

The group sat in horror at the sight in front of them. Well... everypony did, anyway. Ra'zaan showed no emotion at all, Nadene looked at the strange creature with curiosity, and Sheogorath, for some reason, had a great big grin on his face. Before them, an ancient enemy of the princess stood, free of his stone prison once again.

"...Discord..." Celestia growled a look of disgust and anger embedded onto her face.

"Aww, what's wrong, 'Tia? Not happy to see me? Well, I guess it hasn't been quite as long as last time, eh?" The Draconequus grinned and flew around the large group, keeping just out of reach.

Rainbow Dash's frown contorted into a furious scowl and she flared her wings. "Why you...!" She lifted up off the ground and made a b-line straight for the Chaotic Spirit. "I'll buck the hay out of you!"

Discord expected this, however, and easily dodged to the right of her attack. "Ah, it seems the Elements of Harmony are here as well, hmm? You girls haven't changed in the slightest! You're still just as boring as you were before."

Rainbow made a U-turn and attempted another swift attack, but a soft yellow glow caught her and she stopped in her tracks as The Princess's magic took effect. "Rainbow Dash, that won't do you any good, and you know it."

"Haha! Giving up already, Princess? That's a surprise! I thought for sure you'd put up more of a fight against this creature than that!" Sheogorath said as walked and stood next to Celestia, facing Discord. "I mean, he hasn't even done anything crazy yet! If he's is as powerful as you say he is, I'd have already covered this place in ---"

"---Chocolate rain? A delightful idea!" Discord said, cutting Sheogorath off. He then created several pink, fluffy-looking clouds and flung them high into the air, where they started pouring chocolate milk from them.

"...I was going to say flaming furry creatures, but that works too!" Sheogorath said as he grabbed one of the clouds that had stayed low and drank some of the milk. Pinkie had the same idea and was doing the same thing behind the group of unamused ponies and humanoids.

Celestia face-hoofed before speaking. "...Anyway... No, I'm not giving up, Daedra. But a direct attack like that would have had no effect whatsoever."

Sheogorath smiled, satisfied with his drink. Suddenly, his crazed, happy expression changed into a look of sheer anger as his face contorted into a scornful glare. "You little shiny pony, need to mind your own business!” He quickly turned to Discord, the look of rage never leaving his face. “And YOU!” He yelled, his voice hitting an octave a bit higher than intended. “You stupid chaotic amalgamation! You have no power! I can’t believe I even released you! I thought you would have entertained me for at least a moment! But NO~! You decide to betray ME!?” Steam was literally rising from Sheogorath’s ears as he continued ranting. Discord stared blindly, obviously just as taken aback as the others in the room at Sheogorath’s betrayal and constant tirade. Ra’zaan and Nadene were surprised as well, but then, they’d expected this for Sheogorath.

Celestia took a step towards the demented, rambling Daedra, carefully eying him as he approached. “So... You’re not helping Discord?”

Sheogorath stopped the steam fading as he slowly turned to the Princess of the sun. “Helping?” He said in a small voice. “Helping THAT?” He stared, his face unreadable as Discord began slowly backing away from the Daedric god. Sheogorath suddenly burst out into laughter, the ground literally shaking under the force of it. “OH why did I even THINK he would be more entertaining then you!” he guffawed at Celestia’s expense, who immediately began scowling in response to his laughter. “Oh, my dear princess. Whatever made you think I wanted to HELP him!?” His laughter continued as Celestia began fidgeting, looking like a small child in comparison to the man not ten feet from her.

His laughing suddenly ceased and he looked Celestia dead in the eyes, her body seemed to lock up as his smile faded back into a scowl. “I never intended to help any... CREATURE in your dimension. Not you, Not him. Not even myself!” He began laughing again; his emotions seemed in constant turmoil as the princess began backing away. Discord had moved far enough away to begin lifting off the ground, but soon found the Prince of Madness’s eyes locked onto the Spirit of Chaos.

“And where, my little beastie, do you think YOU are off to? Hmm? I wasn’t done YET!” He yelled, waving his hand and causing a series of flowers to leap from nearby bushes, chaining together and surrounding Discord. He looked at them in confusion as they circled him, then they snapped shut around him, binding him and causing his body to drop to the ground. His wings slammed against his back as he landed with a wicked ‘crunch’ “You see little Dissy?! You do NOT RUN FROM ME!” Sheogorath began prancing over to the fallen spirit as he struggled valiantly.

“Celestia! Please, get me away from this thing!” Discord pleaded as he thrashed, the daisy-chain becoming tighter around his body as Sheogorath reached his side.

“Oh, my newfound pet. We are going to have so much fun.” He grew a sadistic smile before grabbing the end of Discord’s tail and laughing, the air filled with a resounding crack and a blinding flash, causing the party to cover their eyes in an effort to protect them from harm. When the air cleared Ra’zaan and his gang peered over the now empty gardens. The only evidence of there having been an altercation with the Prince of Madness was a wooden sign where Discord used to stand, reading “TTYL.” Nadene stared a moment and only managed to let one word slip from her lips.

“Huh?”

Ra’zaan stared for a moment as well before letting loose a grand, bellowing laugh and falling to the ground. Celestia, on the other hand, had a very uncharacteristic sign of worry on her face.

“Twilight... This is serious... you and the girls come with me; we’re going to get the Elements of Harmony. Ra’zaan, Nadene, and Captain Pride. The three of you must try to track down this... Sheogorath creature... before he wreaks any more havoc in our land. Go!” The Princess said as she escorted the Element Bearers into the castle.

Ra’zaan sat up, calming after his laughing fit. “Ah, well. Come on, Nadene. Let’s go get suited up for this. I think we’ll need our equipment for once.” He stated, getting to his feet.

“Do you really think that’s a good idea? The Princess said to find this creature before he messes with anything else!” Iron said, clearly unsure whether this was a good idea or not.

Nadene looked from Ra’zaan to Iron and back again, thinking. Suddenly, her dark face lit up as an idea crossed her mind. “Actually, heading back to Ponyville might be a good idea, Iron. Think about it like this. Sheogorath came to this world through Ponyville, so would it be a stretch to say he’d return to a somewhat familiar place?”

“I... I guess that makes sense... Alright, let’s go...” Iron said, with a hint of hesitation.

With that, the three of them took off out of the gardens and headed in the direction of Ponyville.

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

The hut Halius called home was small, but cozy. After he’d returned, all of his combat magic had been set aside to make room for more alchemical purposes, such as the ingredients Nadene had picked up earlier in the day. The aged high elf was now going through his stock, seeing what he needed and what he didn’t.

Hmm... Ten snow berry sprigs*... a few fire salts*... need to renew the nightshades, they’ve wilted a bit... one nirnroot... hmm, I wonder what that lavender unicorn... Twilight, I believe... is going to use that for... His thoughts suddenly wandered as he attempted to figure out what a nirnroot could do for a pony when most alchemists on Nirn didn’t even knew how to use them. Well, I suppose the plant does have magical properties... with the amplified amounts of magic flowing through their world, I guess it’s plausible they could find a use for it...

A knock came to the door. Halius shook the idea from his mind and went to open it.

“Well, it’s about time, old man! We’ve come by four times in the last week, looking for you!” A short Breton man said with a mix of irritation and glee.

The Nord woman behind him smacked him in the back of the head, making him fall forward. “Quiet, you. Hello, Halius. How’ve you been?”

Halius couldn’t help but smile. Kynan was on the floor grumbling, and Ysura was also here. It was just like old times. “Good, good. Nice to see the two of you. What brings you two here?”

“The Imperial guard are after Kynan again after he gave one of them a broken... well, pretty much everything, because the guard tried to search his behind. Kynan didn’t even have anything up his anus, but he refused to have it searched.” Ysura glared daggers at the Breton.

“Yeah, well he had it coming!” Kynan yelled, getting to his feet. “Damn guards are too persistent!”

The High Elf shook his head and turned back to his stock, marking things off as he went. “So, you need a place to stay until then, hmm? Alright, but not too long. I don’t need any unnecessary attention here.” The alchemist finished his list and turned back to his guests. “By the way, if you’d been here this morning, you’d have gotten to see Nadene again.”

“She was here?!” Both guests blurted in unison.

“Yep. She came and collected some healing herbs and some other things and chatted with me for a few minutes. Apparently, she and Ra’zaan are doing well. I’m not sure what it was, but there was a... presence of sorts... coming from the direction she left in before she was gone.” Halius had a serious look on his face.

Kynan leaned back against the door frame and smiled. “Glad to hear she’s doing well, at least. The cat too.”

“You said you felt a presence? Evil or otherwise?” Ysura asked.

“I honestly couldn’t tell you. It felt neutral, if anything of that sort exists. I’m sure whatever it was is gone now, but whether that’s a good sign or not, I’m not sure either.” Halius sighed. “Well, find a place to sleep. I’ll prepare the cellar for if the guards come looking for you.”

The two mages nodded and went into the shack, feeling safer than they had in a long time.

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

Ra’zaan, Nadene and Iron all reached Ponyville within an hour thanks to the train. As they stepped off, they noticed something about the town. Something they hadn’t expected or hoped for. As they looked around, there was... nothing changed. Nothing had been tampered with or manipulated, like what Discord or Sheogorath would have done if they’d been there.

Ra’zaan thought about the reasoning behind their trip to Ponyville, and why they thought the chaotic spirits would be there. Wait... we came here because it was a logical thing to do... when we’re dealing with the most unpredictable creatures in Equestria AND Nirn... Are we stupid?

“So, we’re here because it would make sense that someone - or somepony - would come back to the first place they’d been in this world, right?” Ra’zaan asked.

Both his friends nodded.

“And we’re dealing with two of the most chaotic beings in both our worlds, right?

Again both of them nodded, and then they understood what he was saying.

“Well... damn. We really didn’t think that through...” Nadene said with an embarrassed blush forming on her cheeks.

Iron simply frowned and waited for the two humanoids to decide what was next.

Ra’zaan was the first to speak up. “I guess since we are already here, we might as well get our equipment. Then we can figure out what to do from there.”

Nadene looked from Iron to the other ponies on the train station. “Perhaps it would be best if you get all the ponies into their homes, Iron.” She said solemnly as the two bipeds began walking home.

Iron nodded and began calling to the ponies around them with an authoritative voice, effectively herding the ponies back towards Ponyville.

Meanwhile, Nadene and Ra’zaan were already on their way. They walked in silence for the most part, but as they neared their home, Nadene broke it.

“What do you think will happen if we don’t stop him soon, Ra’zaan?” She asked hesitantly.

Ra’zaan peered up at the fading sun and sighed before answering. “I... I’m not sure, Nadene. On Nirn, his powers were limited. Here, it seems he has complete control of his powers... well, as much control as a mad god can have, at any rate.”

Nadene frowned. “Then we’d better find a way to fix this soon.”

The two reached the house Celestia had given them in Ponyville, and they split off to collect their equipment. Ra’zaan was quickest to retrieve his, having kept it near his bed. Even after so much time in Ponyville, the basics never escaped him. He had always been prepared for a battle, even if he never expected it to happen. Deep down, fighting was in the Khajiit’s blood, and he’d never completely retire from being a fighter at heart. He adorned his steel armor minus a helm, his black bow and steel arrows, his Blades katana, his vial pouch and his glass dagger. Nadene appeared again soon afterwards, wearing her mage’s cloak and wielding her ebony dagger.

“Well, took you long enough, girl! You barely had anything to put on! What took so long?” Ra’zaan asked with a smirk.

Nadene smiled. “I had Rarity make me something special in case we needed to fight again. I don’t think she knew what it was for, but she did a fine job making it based on my description!” The Dark Elf then pulled her robe up and exposed a solid black, snugly fit assassin’s outfit, similar to the ones the Dark Brotherhood used back on Nirn. “THAT’S what took so long, Khajiit.” She smiled again.

Ra’zaan looked at the outfit and tilted head. “I guess you were the stealthiest of the mages in your group. I’m sure that’ll come in handy for something. Come on; let’s go see how Iron is handling the civilian round up.” The two silently acknowledged each other’s abilities with a nod before heading back out into Ponyville. Hopefully it won’t be as bad as everypony fears it will be.

TO BE CONTINUED

Fire salts/snow berries*: Ingredients found in the land of Tamriel or Skyrim.