Ice Veins

The trip to the hospital revealed that Ditzy and Dinky would be cleared to go home the next day thanks to the healing magic used by the unicorn doctors. Ditzy had received the brunt of the physical damage with a few broken bones, while Dinky thankfully only had a few minor cuts and bruises that were easily healed. Bright Wand on the other hand was in full traction and as soon as he was out of the hospital, he was sure to serve jail time. Twilight had decided that Rurik should have a tour of Ponyville and the two of them spent a few hours walking the streets of Ponyville, ponies waved and greeted him as if he had lived in the town his whole life. The town reminded him a great deal of Whiterun, the first town he had come to after escaping his near execution at Helgen Keep. Helgen… a place that brought back some rather uncomfortable memories: he at first shuddered at the memory of his neck on the chopping block; the warm, wet feeling of the freshly executed man’s blood on his neck, and the merciless look in the eyes of his would- be executioner as he prepared to separate Rurik’s head from the rest of his body.

“Rurik?”

Thinking of the memory of that blood suddenly made Rurik’s mouth involuntarily water… It was warm, freshly spilled blood, the kind that makes a vampire feel suddenly hungry even after he or she has fed and should be full.

“Rurik, are you alright?”

Thankfully the more rational side of Rurik quickly took back control. He reminded himself that the very warm blood that now made him hunger had belonged to a brave young man who had fought for Skyrim’s freedom and paid the ultimate price at the hands of an Imperial headsman.

“RURIK!” shouted Twilight, making him jump a little.

“Sorry Twilight, got lost in my own mind; it happens on occasion.” He assured her.

“As long as you’re okay,” said Twilight.

"Thanks, and thank you for the tour as well. Now I at least know somewhat how to get around.” Said Rurik smiling under his mask.

“Not a problem,” replied Twilight. Before the conversation could continue, Rurik heard Twilight’s stomach growl.

“Maybe we should get you some food Twilight, we have been walking about most of the day and the last time you ate was breakfast; we could go to that bakery you showed me earlier, Sugar Cube Corner was it? My treat,” he offered.

"That would be great; thanks.” Said Twilight a little embarrassed by her noisy stomach. A few minutes of walking later the two of them were in front of what looked like a giant gingerbread house.

“Are they open?” asked Rurik noticing that there were no lights on and that there appeared to be no one in the structure.

“The sign says open.” replied Twilight with a shrug.

“Well then, in we go.” Said Rurik.

As soon as he and Twilight were through the door, Rurik’s suspicions were confirmed… nearly. Turning to his pony friend, he shrugged, “Twilight, no one is here, maybe they just forgot to take down the-”

“SURPRISE!” came the sudden shout of at least twenty voices.

Rurik reacted instantly; Windshear ringing as it was drawn from its scabbard, the razor sharp blade ready to cleave someone in half. An awkward silence filled the room as Rurik lowered the scimitar’s blade so that the point was towards the floor. The ponies looked at him in a mixture of awe, and fear, their eyes drawn more to Windshear’s blade than to the fellow wielding it.

“Well… This is rather embarrassing.” said Rurik sheepishly as he slid the sword back into its scabbard in a slow manner.

************************************************************************************

After the initial shock of the situation blew over, the party took off. A huge banner hung over the counter that read “Welcome to Ponyville/ thanks for saving Derpy and Dinky”. Rurik was thankful that Pinkie had shown discretion by not mentioning the whole ambush in the woods on her party banner. The party was a fun, relaxing, and informal event unlike the huge gatherings at the Palace of Kings. Many of the town’s denizens had showed up to thank him for dealing with the rotten Viscount who had given many of Ponyville’s residents trouble. Among those particularly thankful were Mayor Mare, all of the element bearers, and a business pony who introduced himself as Filthy Rich, whom Bright Wand had been charging “protection money”. The party lasted well into the evening until only Rurik, the element bearers and Steel Shod remained.

“So Rurik, did you enjoy the party!?” asked an enthusiastic Pinkie Pie.

“Very much so Pinkie, it has been a while since I have been to an informal party. Also, sorry again about my initial reaction.” Replied Rurik.

“It’s alright, I can’t blame you with all the craziness going on lately, but why is it that you haven’t been to a party in like, forever?” asked Pinkie.

“Well, being a member of the royal court, I am constantly busy. There is lots of paper work to do as Chief Royal Engineer, and when I am not doing that, there are constant calls for aid that I must answer. Not a week goes by when I have to either fight a dragon that happens to be terrorizing a town or I have to go wipe out a Bandit layer. I barely have time to spend with my wife and friends, let alone drop in on mom and dad every once in a while.” explained Rurik with a shrug.

“Ya mentioned you were married, what can ya tell us more about yer wife?” asked Applejack. Rurik smiled and reached into the right pocket of his shirt and produced a miniature painting, which he showed to Applejack and the other element bearers.

“This is a painting of Serana; the love of my life,” he said with smile.

“She looks so beautiful in that ensemble!” said Rarity referring to the suit of vampire royal armor that Serana used for more formal events.

“She is definitely drop dead gorgeous, but it was her personality that made me fall hopelessly in love with her.” Replied Rurik thoughtfully.

“How did you two meet Rurik darling?” asked Rarity.

Rurik recounted the same story he had told Twilight of how he met Serana to the other five element bearers.

“That was so romantic Rurik, even if it was rather violent, and she seems like a very classy lady.” Stated Rarity.

“Oh believe me, she is a classy lady alright. Just don’t make her angry. The last time I saw my wife angry was during the Dominion War; and she vented her anger by grabbing an enemy warrior in full plate armor by his leg and using him as a club on his comrades.” Said Rurik as if it were an everyday event. Rarity’s eyes looked about ready to fall out of their sockets they went so wide with shock.

“But she looks so delicate!” exclaimed Rarity.

“Well, vampirism will do wonders for you.” Replied Rurik with a shrug before he noticed Fluttershy raising her hoof. “Yes, Miss Fluttershy?” he answered as kindly as possible so he wouldn't scare the shy pegasus.

“You mentioned your mom and dad, can you tell us a bit more about them?” asked Fluttershy quietly.

“Of course Fluttershy. My mother and father rule one of the largest and oldest mercenary clans in Skyrim. My father’s name is Cnut and he is a native of Skyrim while my mother Blanche is a Breton from High Rock. They are good people and raised my brothers, sisters and I right.” Said Rurik.

“Mercenaries? “asked Twilight with some suspicion as her last experience with sell swords had not been a good one after all.

“Aye. Clan Skull-Taker has sold its blades for gold for nearly as long as we have existed. However, if the job that we are offered is one that we disagree with, then we decline it.” Explained Rurik.

“Also, how many brothers and sisters do you have exactly?” asked Twilight.

“I am the second oldest of seven children, my immediate family is a large one.” Said Rurik proudly.

“Seven!?!” exclaimed Dash.

“Aye, seven. My youngest sibling is my little brother Emeric, who just had his twelfth birthday about two weeks ago. He may have been an oops baby, but he is loved all the same!” explained Rurik with a grin.

“Oops baby?” asked Fluttershy quietly.

“Aye, Ma and Da had decided to stop having children after my sister Katariah was born. Then one night at dinner three years after that decision, ma stood up at the table and announced that we were going to have a new baby brother or sister. Then she turned around and punched dad right in the chin; he went down like a sack of potatoes too!” said Rurik with a chuckle, causing everypony to laugh.

“If you don’t mind me asking Rurik dear, how did they react when you became a vampire?” asked Rarity.

“Well, they weren’t too happy at first, but they still accepted me for who I am regardless. Our clan is quite open minded about such things.” He answered.

“What was growing up like? Did ya have lots and lots of parties?!” Asked Pinkie Pie popping out suddenly from Rurik’s coat, earning a surprised and confused look from him. The Nord decided just to roll with it, he had seen stranger things after all.

“Well, we occasionally had parties, but most of my childhood was spent in combat training and studying magicka and history. My clan prides itself on its members being scholars as well as warriors. Regardless of the large amount of work, we still managed to have fun, and mom and dad taught us everything we needed to know about how to succeed in the world.” Said Rurik with a smile.

“Speakin’ of teachin’, do ya think ah could get ya over to the farm tomorrow to start teaching me about smithing that ebony?” asked Applejack.

“Sure thing Applejack, I will be over at about midday if that works.” Answered Rurik.

“That sounds great sugar cube! Alright! I’ll see ya tomorrow then!” said Applejack before she and Steel bid him and the other element bearers’ farewell.

One by one the other element bearers went home. Rurik thanked Pinkie for the party, and even offered to pay her five hundred Septims for going to the trouble of setting it all up, an offer that the pink party mare kindly declined.  After bidding Pinkie a farewell, Twilight and Rurik began heading back to the library.

“So Rurik, when are you going to Canterlot to meet with the Princesses?” asked Twilight.

“Two more days. Tomorrow I am going to show Applejack some smithing techniques and start reviewing the dossiers that Celestia is sending; they should be here tomorrow afternoon. Then I have to formulate some plans on how to lure these bastard traitors out. The main problem will be gaining information from them; I doubt that they will just tell me what I want to know.” Replied Rurik with a sigh.

Twilight visibly cringed at Rurik’s foul language as very rarely did she hear such language, save when Applejack was having trouble on the farm; and even then it was not all that bad. While she didn’t like the language, she did not want to offend him either and so changed the subject.

“So Rurik, you had said back in the cave that you weren’t an ‘Akaviri barbarian’, what did you mean by that?” asked Twilight.

“Well, in a nut shell back home in Tamriel, there was a group of people known as The Blades. They trace their routes to a land known as Akavir, a land which many years ago, tried to invade Tamriel; but the invaders were instead convinced to become part of the Empire of a man named Reman Cyrodiil. The Blades were formed from this and they became some of the greatest warriors Tamriel has ever seen. They were highly disciplined and very good at killing dragons. They also ended up serving as the bodyguards for the Emperors of Tamriel, until the Great War.  After the Thalmor won the war they forced the Emperor to disband them after which Thalmor agents began hunting down and killing them.” Said Rurik. Twilight had cast her recording spell to gather as much information about what Rurik was telling her.

“That’s horrible; even if I don’t like that they were dragon slayers they didn’t deserve that!” Said Twilight with conviction.

“Oh I certainly agree with you. Fortunately, or perhaps unfortunately, after Skyrim gained independence, they found refuge there. At the time that they were starting to come out of hiding, I was learning how to use my shouts, such as the ones you saw me use in the forest. The men who were helping me learn to harness this power are a group of monks known as the Grey Beards, men who spend their entire lives training in the ways of the voice. Initially the woman who is now their Lieutenant Grand Master, Commander Delphine, approached me about leading them into a new era. They wanted to go back to being professional dragon hunters. I accepted at first, as the Dragons were returning to Tamriel; being raised from the dead by Alduin.” Said Rurik with a slight shudder.

“Who was Alduin?” asked Twilight.

“He was the greatest threat that Skyrim, if not all of Nirn, has ever faced. Think of a massive dragon, like Odahviing but much bigger; and then give him the power to destroy an entire world and you have Alduin. He was the self-proclaimed first born of Akatosh, the chief god of the religion that I follow. Unlike Akatosh however, he was evil.  He had been defeated thousands of years ago, banished by a group of courageous heroes, but unfortunately he was sent forward in time; to our time to be precise. He wanted to enslave or destroy all mortals, and to do that he began raising legions of dragons from the dead.” Explained Rurik.

“Wait, so zombie dragons?” asked Twilight raising an eyebrow, causing Rurik to laugh.

“No, nothing like that!’’ he chuckled, “Many years before Alduin’s initial defeat, humans worshipped the dragons as gods, but they were very tyrannical masters. After a while people had enough and overthrew them with the help of some sympathetic dragons who taught them how to use The Voice. While they could kill the physical bodies of the dragons, their souls were a totally different matter. You see, the soul of a Dovah cannot be so easily destroyed. Alduin was able to restore the souls of his slain underlings and restore them to life.” Said Rurik.

“But if someone who is Dragonborn like you kills one, then the dragon would be destroyed completely though right?” asked Twilight.

“Yes, that is correct, though what bothered me about Alduin was that when I finally destroyed him, he just exploded into a bright light, and faded into nothingness.” Said Rurik with a perturbed tone.

“So he could return again one day?” asked Twilight.

“Aye, and that is why I asked Serana to turn me. That way, it will not matter how many thousands of years it could take him to return, I will be there waiting for him unless the divines will my death beforehand. But I am getting off track, I am sure you want to know more about why the Blades and I don’t exactly see eye to eye?” asked Rurik.

“Yes, I would like to know. I mean you are the ultimate dragon slayer, and if they are dragon slayers I would think that they would want to work with you.” Twilight pointed out.

“Oh, one would think so; but it was not the case. You see, the master of the Greybeards, my teacher, is a Dovah by the name of Paarthunaax. He is probably the oldest dragon alive in Tamriel, and was the first dragon to teach men the way of the voice. He is also one of my closest friends: and the Blades being the self-righteous jackasses they are had the gall to ask me to kill him.” Seethed Rurik.

“Why would they do that?!” asked Twilight in shock.

“Because they felt that Paarthunaax needed to pay for crimes he committed thousands of years ago. My opinion is that he redeemed himself when he decided to teach mortals how to overthrow Alduin with the voice. You see, the difference between me and The Blades is that I kill dragons when they have committed evil against people while The Blades kill them just because they are dragons. Paarthunaax, Odahviing, and Dov like them who are willing to overcome their instincts to dominate people and help them deserve a second chance, and if they break that; then, and only then should they be dealt with in such a way.” Explained Rurik.

“So, what did you do?” inquired Twilight.

“Well...” began Rurik.

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Sky Haven Temple; 7 years ago.

Rurik walked through the large double doors of the ancient Akaviri temple with a grin on his face. He had done it: Alduin was vanquished and the world was safe for the time being. Upon reaching the top of the staircase, he was greeted by an older fellow in robes who smiled at the sight of him.

“Rurik! Thank Talos you are alive!” said Esbern.

“Indeed, the World Eater is no more, and Nirn may rest a little easier for another day.” Said Rurik, relief evident in his voice.

“Thank the gods for good news! You should go and tell Delphine, she has been worried sick about you.” Said Esbern in a cheery manner.

“Of course Esbern, next round of mead is on me then!” replied Rurik.

“No, we owe you the mead Dragonborn.” Replied Esbern with a smile. Rurik simply smiled and nodded in reply before going towards the large table in the middle of the room. Delphine was speaking with the assembled Blades that Rurik had recruited before his journey to deal with Alduin. Aside from Delphine there were three familiar faces at the table. He recognized young Erik of Rorikstead whom he had bought a suit of armor for a few years ago to help get him started as a sell sword. There was also Kharjo, a Khajiit and former caravan guard who had aided him on multiple occasions. The last was Uthgerd the Unbroken of Whiterun; all of whom had jumped at the chance to become members of the Blades. At the sight of Rurik, Erik stood and raised a mug of good Nord mead.

“Hail Dragonborn!” he said.

“Hail!” the rest shouted, raising their mugs with enthusiasm. Delphine set her mug down and approached Rurik.

“Is it done? Is the World Eater vanquished?” she asked.

“Aye, Alduin is slain for the time being. I did not however, absorb his soul meaning that he could return at some point.” Replied Rurik.

“Well, I guess we will have to take what we can get. For now it will have to do and we will just have to prepare future generations to be ready for if and when he reappears. As much as I would love to celebrate your triumph over Alduin, there is a matter that needs to be attended to.” Replied Delphine, her voice becoming deadly serious.

“Oh, and what might that be?” asked Rurik with some suspicion in his voice.

“We know about Paarthunaax.” She replied.

“Yes, and what about him?” asked Rurik.

“We know that he’s a dragon, and that he was one of Alduin’s closest lieutenants. He needs to answer for his crimes: for enslaving and butchering our ancestors. He needs to die.” Hissed Delphine. Rurik felt suddenly sick to his stomach at what Delphine was suggesting: she wanted him to kill his teacher, the dragon who had become like the grandfather he had never had.

“Excuse me, but do you want to repeat that? Because I could have sworn I just heard you say that you wanted me to kill the Dovah that is like family to me.” Said Rurik dangerously.

“I didn’t stutter: he needs to die.” Replied Delphine simply.

“Unfortunately, he must pay for the crimes he committed. He killed many people during his time in Alduin’s service. Justice can be harsh, but this is necessary.” Esbern added.

“I am inclined to disagree with you two. He more than redeemed himself when he helped our ancestors learn the voice to break free of Alduin’s shackles.” Stated Rurik.

“While that may be, one good deed does not excuse years of evil.” Retorted Delphine.

“One good deed? He has done plenty to atone; and don’t think for a moment that he doesn’t live with the wrongs he committed in the past every day of his long life.” Spat Rurik.

“It still doesn’t matter. He is a dragon, and therefore he must die!” hissed Delphine. Rurik was now losing his patience.

“You know; the Greybeards were right about you. You are naught but closed minded barbarians. Without Paarthunaax, who would have taught Tiber Septim in the way of the voice? Or Reman Cyrodiil who’s face is carved on this very temple? He has more than redeemed himself!” growled Rurik.

“He is a gods damned dragon! He deserves nothing but the sharp end of a katana! Our honor as Blades dictates this!” roared Delphine.

“Your honor: not mine. What you are proposing makes you no better than the Thalmor for what they did to the Blades all those years ago! You disgust me!” Rurik shouted back.

“Now you have gone too far!” growled Delphine drawing her Katana. She swung full force, only for Rurik’s reinforced steel plate gauntlets to deflect the blade, and his foot to knock her off balance. Just as she regained her balance, his other fist slammed into her face. A loud crack and brutal pain told Delphine that her nose was broken. She was suddenly picked up and slammed against the wall behind her, causing her to drop her katana.

“If this is what your twisted sense of honor dictates, then find a new Dragonborn to try and manipulate. I never side against my family and while Paarthunaax may not be blood, he is family to me: and if you ever go near High Hrothgar or the summit of the mountain, I will kill you and any other Blade I come across. The Thalmor will be the least of your worries.” Delphine’s pupils shrank to the size of pin heads, she knew full well he was serious.

“Fine then! Leave, we don’t need you.” Spat Delphine. Rurik dropped her unceremoniously, letting her fall on her butt. He then turned on his heel and left the temple. As Delphine got back to her feet, she noticed Kharjo and Erik following Rurik towards the door.

“Where in Oblivion are you two going?!” she asked.

“If Rurik goes, we go.” Replied Kharjo matter-of-factly.

“You two swore an oath!” cried Delphine.

“You can take your oath, cram it up your arrogant arse, and rotate! We’re loyal to the Dragonborn, not to you; obviously something you forgot!” spat Erik. With that, Erik, Rurik, and Kharjo left leaving Delphine, Esbern, and Uthgerd to find a new hero to follow.

***************************************************************************************

“And that is why I don’t like the Blades. Any questions?” finished Rurik.

“You’re not much of a people person are you?” asked Twilight raising an eyebrow.

“What are you talking about? According to my wife, I’m just one big ray of sunshine!” he replied throwing out his arms in a silly manner. They shared a laugh before continuing their walk back to Golden Oaks Library.

By the time that they had reached the library, the sun had gone down and was replaced by the beauty of the night sky. Once through the door, they wished each other good night and went to their rooms.

The night passed without incident, and as is the natural order of things, Night eventually gave way to day. The rays of Celestia’s sun crept slowly over the hills as Luna’s moon retreated for the coming of the day; it was a beautiful morning in Ponyville. A rooster hopped up onto the sign outside of Twilight’s house and crowed. The bird had just begun his cry when the window to Twilight’s basement swiftly opened and a boot flew out, knocking the rooster from his perch with a surprised squawk.

“Shut your beak, we get it!” groused Rurik before closing the window. The cranky vampire was anything but a morning person, but everything would be fine after his first bottle of mead. He would recover the boot later.

All around the town, ponies began to stir from their sleep to begin their day. Rurik stretched and cracked his neck, despite being undead, he still got the occasional stiffness from sleeping wrong.  He then decided upon what he would wear. The fine clothes and emperor’s robes were too nice to wear for smithing, leaving only one set of clothing that he could use… his armor. He looked upon the Visage of Mzund, its emotionless eyes staring back at him vacantly. Before he could think any further about the day ahead, the door to the basement opened and Twilight let him know that breakfast was ready. Rurik headed upstairs for his meal, grabbing a bottle of Black- Briar Reserve out of his satchel on his way up. As they dug in to their breakfast, Rurik had to admit that the little dragon was one hell of a cook when it came to pancakes. However, as they sat around the table, Rurik noticed that Spike seemed to be quite distracted, as if deep in thought over something that was bothering him.

“Septim for your thoughts?” asked Rurik holding up one of the gold coins.

“Wha?” asked Spike as he realized that someone was talking to him.

“You seem a bit distracted Mal Dovah.” Said Rurik kindly.

“Wait, what did you just call me?” asked Spike with some confusion in his voice.

“I called you little dragon, you are a young drake are you not?” asked Rurik.

“Yeah, just really deep in thought is all. I’ve had a lot on my mind lately.” Replied the little dragon with a halfhearted smile. Rurik could tell that the little dragon was upset about something, but decided to let it rest for the moment.

“Really good pancakes Spike.” Rurik complimented before taking a sip of mead.

“Thanks, they are my specialty!” replied Spike with pride, as if whatever was bothering him had been instantly forgotten.

“They certainly are!” added Twilight before biting into another forkful of the tasty food.

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After Breakfast, Rurik put did his morning exercises just like he had been taught in his clan’s boot camp. It was ancient clan law that every child had to learn how to fight starting at age five, regardless of the social standing of their parents. Rurik was no exception to this, he had just gone to college after finishing. After exercise, Rurik suited up, the Dwemer armor fit comfortably as it always did. It felt perhaps even more so in this new land: while the ponies of Equestria were quite a friendly bunch, the assassination attempt on the princess had shown that there were still plenty of cut throats and dirty politicians. While Skyrim had similar issues, at least he knew the faces of those cut throats and dirty politicians, but here, in an entirely new world; he was at a complete disadvantage where that was concerned. Not even the loyal Lieutenant Blood Mane was above suspicion. Once suited up, Rurik made his way towards Sweet Apple Acres. The walk was nice and peaceful, with ponies waving to him as he made his way through Ponyville.

A small market was going on in the center of town, and Rurik decided to investigate and see if there was anything of interest. As he approached, he heard an adorable little voice address him.

“Hi Mr. Rurik!” said Dinky. Rurik smiled and removed the Visage of Mzund at the sound of the little filly’s voice.

“Greetings Dinky, good to see you up and about, how’s your mum?” He replied kindly.

“She’s really good Mr. Rurik, a little sore, but the doctor says she’ll be okay. Thanks for helping us yesterday!” said Dinky.

“It was my pleasure Dinky. Not to get off topic, but shouldn’t you be in school?” asked Rurik raising an eyebrow.

“It’s summer, so school is out. I’m on my way to hang out with some of my friends. What are you up to?” asked Dinky.

“Well, at about noon I am going to be helping out Applejack. Other than that I figured that I would pass the time and browse some of the wares in the market.” Replied Rurik.

“I see, so then why are you in your armor?” asked Dinky.

“It’s the only thing I have aside from very fancy clothes.” explained Rurik.

“You should go and see Rarity! She could make you some plain old clothes so you aren’t wearing your armor all the time. It looks heavy.” Said Dinky.

“Eh, it isn’t all that heavy for me. I have been trained to wear it from a rather early age, but I see what you are saying. Maybe I’ll go over to Rarity’s and have her make me some clothes for when I don’t need this.” He responded while knocking on his chest plate. “Plus, I may make someone nervous and I really don’t want that.”

“I can show you how to get there.” Offered Dinky.

“Why not? I really haven’t gotten to know my way around town so that would be quite helpful.” Accepted Rurik with a friendly smile.

“Okay! Follow me!” she called excitedly.

********************************************************************************

Rarity measured the fabric that she was using a second and then third time. Some ponies may have called her obsessive for constantly measuring material, but she had learned long ago that not measuring enough can lead to mistakes and wasted materials as a result. Just as she was about to cut the fabric, the bell on the boutique’s front door rang, notifying her that a customer had entered the showroom.

“Coming!” she sang out setting down the tools of her trade and removing her glasses. She moved at a ladylike trot to the showroom, and upon entering uttered her favorite catchphrase. “Welcome to Carousel Boutique; where every garment is chic, unique and magnifique!” said Rarity melodiously.

“Good morning Miss Rarity.” Said Rurik with a courteous bow of his head.

“Ah, good morning Sir Rurik! What brings you to Carousel Boutique?” asked Rarity.

“I was wondering if I could commission you to make me some plain clothes so I have something to wear aside from my armor and my fancy clothes?” asked Rurik, causing Rarity gave him a puzzled look.

“Why not just forgo your clothing Rurik? After all nopony really wears clothing unless it is to a formal event or for a costume party.” She explained. Rurik smiled and shook his head, his deathly pale cheeks turning a light shade of red.

“Because where I come from, public nudity is a taboo. It is different if one visits a sauna or a hot spring, but if someone is caught walking through the streets, then the militia will not hesitate to arrest them for Indecent Exposure.” He chuckled.

“Oh, I see,” said Rarity with a blush, “in that case come on in and let me take your measurements.”

“Sounds good then, let’s to it.” Finished Rurik.

*******************************************************************************************

Winterhold Province, Kingdom of Skyrim.

Serana peered through the falling snow from her spot on the horse she was riding. She could just make out the towers and stone wall surrounding the city of Winterhold, and just visible through the swirling flurries was the towers of the college. The College of Winterhold ‘s importance had only increased with Ulfric’s victories over the Empire and the Dominion, as the school trained some of the kingdom’s best battle mages and spell swords, as well as regular wizards in general. The influx of people into Winterhold to join the college had made the once small hold very rich. After the death of Archmage Aren, the mages of the college had nominated Rurik to be Archmage of Winterhold, a nomination which he had turned down. The sitting Archmage was a promising mage from High Rock at the time Archmage Aren’s tragic death and a master of magicka who was arguably the era’s most powerful magician. Archmage Reynald Le Croixeux had done a wonderful job as the new head of the college and been a good friend to both Serana and Rurik. Now, more than ever, she needed his help: she needed to find out where her beloved was.

The warden at the college’s gate bowed before Serana and her guards as soon as she saw who it was and led them across the bridge. The college had received a much needed renovation once Reynald had taken charge. Of particular concern had been the hazardous bridge that connected the college to the rest of Winterhold. The bridge had suffered much damage during the great collapse almost a century ago, and had remained without guardrails ever since, until Reynald took over. When he had presented the problems to the College Board, they had complained; saying that “it will cost a fortune”. Reynald’s response had been blunt and rather harsh.

“Then conjure up a hammer and fix the damn thing.” He had growled at them. Despite the resistance he had faced from the financial board, he had been able to get the renovations he needed done. After crossing the bridge, Serana and her escorts were shown to some empty dormitories.

“The Archmage will see you tomorrow evening milady, in the meantime, make yourself at home.” Said the gate warden.

Serana thanked the warden, and unpacked her things before allowing her two guards to go to their rooms on either side of hers. After unpacking, she sat down on her bed and sighed. It had been a long few days, and normally in a situation such as this her beloved would wrap his arms around her and make her stress melt away. Serana reached into her satchel and found her miniature painting of her husband. Looking upon the picture longingly, she thought about how far they had come together, about all of their

adventures together and the hardships that they had endured over the past seven years. While she rarely admitted it, her beloved scared her to death on some occasions, and this was one of them. The last time that she had felt this scared of losing him was in fact, on Solstheim, where he had fought against Miraak. She sighed as she remembered the fear she felt as she had held Rurik’s hand while he lay unconscious upon the snow after reading the Black Book of the Daedric Prince, Hermaeus Mora. The only thing that eased her mind was that she knew that Rurik was still alive. Before drifting off to sleep, she whispered a prayer to the divines; that they would bring her beloved back to her safely.

*******************************************************************************

Getting the measurements had taken only a few minutes, after which Rarity had offered him a cup of tea. While normally sticking to his beloved mead, he did not want to be rude and graciously accepted her offer. The time was spent more about Rarity asking him about the clothing worn by the people of his homeland and the fashion designs worn by the nobility: in particular High King Ulfric. After tea and conversation, Rurik made his way to Sweet Apple Acres, where he found Applejack waiting for him on the porch of her house.

“Hey there Rurik, how’s yer day going?” greeted Applejack.

“Eh, about as good as can be expected when one is a vampire who chooses to walk around in the daytime.” Shrugged Rurik.

“Ah was wonderin’ about why a vampire walked around in broad daylight ant slept at night.” Said Applejack raising an eyebrow.

“Routine. I was a human before I was a vampire and we normally sleep at night and are active during the daytime. It is one thing that has never changed for me.” He chuckled.

“Fair enough,” shrugged Applejack; “it aint easy changing something when ya been at it fer a long time.”

“Indeed, now shall we get started?” asked Rurik.

“Sure, Ah’ll lead the way.” She said happily.

Rurik followed the apple farmer to a small out building where they were met by Steel Shod. The guard officer had decided to see just how tough this miracle metal was. While it was no Skyforge, the inside of the building was a decent little smithy that was more than capable of forging ebony weapons and armor. Rurik had worked with smaller forges back in Skyrim, and this one was no different. As the door closed behind them, Applejack walked over to a table where Rurik noticed a few large knives. She picked one of them up in her teeth and brought them over to Rurik.

“Ah made these earlier today after ah got mah chores done.” She said presenting the weapon to him.

Rurik took the blade in his hand and inspected it. It was made of good solid steel, and the blade was razor sharp. It also had excellent balance to it.

“Miss Applejack, this blade is superb! Where did you learn to smith like that?” he asked genuinely impressed.

“Mah daddy taught me how. He was a smith for the Royal guards before he became a farmer. That was back when service was mandatory.” She said with a smile.

“He taught you well. However, steel is not ebony. We will need to get the forge a good deal hotter that you would with steel. As you probably already know, the trick is to heat the ore enough to liquefy it; once you have done that it can be shaped. Ebony is much tougher than steel you see, and thus requires a higher temperature to smelt.” Explained Rurik as he began working the bellows to make the smelter hotter.

“So, if it’s so easy then why don’t more people smith it?” asked Applejack.

“Because most people can’t take the heat,” chuckled Rurik, “and it’s difficult to keep at that temperature. It takes great patience to do so and many people don’t have that much of it. The metal itself is also extremely rare back home, which means that there is less of it to work with. Most smiths cannot afford the metal themselves, and only those fortunate enough to inherit an ebony mine can, and they are rare as well. Remember how I told you about how much the smiths charge for it?”  He asked.

“Yeah.” She responded.

“Half of that goes into paying back the mine owners that sell them the ore and ingots.” Replied Rurik.

“That’s a lot of money.” Stated Applejack.

“Aye.” Said Rurik with a nod of his head.

“How tough is this stuff exactly? I mean the steel plate I wear is pretty darn tough.” Asked Steel Shod.

“I have seen ebony armor shrug off a steel crossbow bolt at close range without so much as getting a scratch.” Replied Rurik matter-of-factly.

“Wow.” Said Steel with an awed look on his face.

“Commander, you are going to catch insects.” Rurik chuckled.

“Sorry, it’s just… that’s amazing! Not even the Griffons have anything like that! How do you even beat someone in that armor?” inquired an excited Steel Shod.

“In my experience with ebony armor, an ebony weapon will punch through with some effort. Weapons made from dragon bones or forged in the realms of Oblivion will cleave through with little resistance however.”

“Oblivion?” asked Applejack.

“The realms of the Daedric princes. God-like beings of immense power. Some are good, most however I would categorize as neutral or pure evil. Weaponry that they forge there uses ebony, as well as… darker arts in their creation. That is a topic that I do not wish to get into at the moment; I would rather not give either of you nightmares.” Said Rurik seriously.

“Fair enough.” Agreed the two ponies.

By the way commander I have been meaning to ask. Where did you learn to fight? The other guards didn’t seem as experienced or disciplined as you did in the heat of battle last time we were fighting.” Inquired Rurik.

“I learned my skills in the Griffon Empire. The Royal Guard have decent training, but if you want to learn to really fight, the Imperial Military Academies in the Griffon Empire is the way to go.” Replied Steel Shod.

“I see, what made you go there?” asked Rurik as he continued to heat the forge.

“Remember how I told you about arresting Bright Wand?” asked Steel: Rurik shook his head yes.

“Captain-General Bergmane had me dismissed from my post. All I knew was how to be a soldier. My whole family were in the guard since its creation over 1000 years ago. So I went to academy and after I graduated I became a sell sword. I made a name for myself pretty quick and Princess Celestia eventually offered me a position in the Solar Guard.” Recounted Steel.

“Bergmane had to have been pissed!” chuckled Rurik.

“Oh he was very pissed off, but there wasn’t a thing he could do about it!” Steel chuckled back. Rurik turned his attention back to the smelter and looked satisfied with the heat coming out of it.

“That should be about good,” he said to himself. “Applejack, would you be as kind as to bring me some of the ebony ore?” he asked politely. Applejack grabbed a burlap sack in her teeth and brought the ore over to the smelter and set it down. Rurik grabbed two pieces and began melting them down to turn them into an ingot. The two chunks of ore melted before Rurik poured them from their pan into the mold that created the ingot and once the ingot was finished he allowed it to harden. Slowly, the metal cooled and when the mold was opened about ten minutes later, there was a pitch black ingot, which Rurik placed into the forge with a pair of elongated tongs. Rurik repeated this process about five times throughout the demonstration. Once the ingots were finished, he moved to the forge itself and heated them. After reaching a satisfactory amount of heat, he began hammering away at the metal.

“This is the tricky part. Ebony has to be kept constantly heated while it is being forged, because once it cools and completely hardens it becomes nigh indestructible as I mentioned. Keeping the forge at the correct temperature while shaping the ingots into weaponry or armor can be a bit challenging, but the rewards of doing so are well worth the effort.” He continued.

As Rurik continued hammering away at the ebony and keeping the forge heated, Applejack and Steel looked closely as the object began to take a familiar shape: the shape of a warhammer. After about three hours, Rurik finished his work and cooled the new weapon. After giving the new weapon a detailed inspection, he reached into his satchel and removed a rather long strip of leather, and began wrapping it around the ‘handle’ of the weapon, creating a grip. He then went over to the grindstone and sharpened it before setting it on the workbench and once more searching through his satchel.

“What are ya doing now? Aint it done?” asked Applejack.

“Aye, but I am adding some extra finishing touches.” Explained Rurik.

After some digging around in the satchel, Rurik’s hand reemerged holding a small chisel made from ebony itself and a small hammer. He then began lightly hammering away at the hammer’s shaft. While her father had been a smith, he had only taught Applejack basic smithing, and she had no idea what he was doing. Steel on the other hand knew exactly what he is doing.

“He’s engraving it.” Steel thought out loud.

“Say what now?” asked Applejack.

“Some smiths and artisans engrave the blades or other parts of their work with artistic designs or the name of either the weapon or the individual it was built for.” Explained Steel.

It took Rurik a good half hour to do the engraving on the hammer. Once he was finished he looked his work over, inspecting the letters he had carved into the shaft of the weapon. Satisfied he turned around and displayed the weapon to Applejack and Steel Shod. The ebony warhammer was a work of art: pitch black to the point of shining in the flames of the forge, it held a deadly elegance about it.

“So Steel, care to test its weight?” asked Rurik. Steel nodded, and his horn was surrounded by a glowing aura; the hammer’s handle, surrounded by the same aura, floated from Rurik’s outstretched hands. Steel brought the weapon over to get a closer look. It was heavier than the steel hammer that he was used to, but not overly heavy.

“Why don’t you read the engraving?” asked Rurik. Steel brought the weapon closer to read the inscription on the hammer. His eyes widened when he read the words: ‘Property of Commander Steel Shod.’

“If this is so valuable, then why give it to me?” asked Steel with a bewildered look on his face. Rurik smiled at the question.

“Because Commander, I found you to be worthy of it after seeing how you handled yourself in battle. You were calm, collected, and showed no fear even if you were feeling it. You did a marvelous job commander, and I respect that in a soldier. Besides, I was never much one for two handed weaponry. Give me a sword, hatchet, or mace and I am happy: but those great weapons are just too damned clunky for my taste.” answered Rurik.

“So, not ta be rude, but ya were talking about engraving?” asked Applejack.

“Ah yes. That is one thing that takes quite a bit of practice. Took me years to get that good, so the only advice on that I can offer is to practice.” Explained Rurik.

“So that’s how ya forge ebony?” asked Applejack.

“Aye, if you want I can write it down for you. It will just take me a few days.” Said Rurik.

“Probably should just ta be safe.” Replied Applejack.

“Well then, I will get on it in my free time. In the meanwhile, I think I shall take my leave. Just remember, keep practicing and you will have it down in no time.” Said Rurik.

Just as he went to leave, Rurik was startled when the door flew open to reveal Twilight. Her mane was a mess, and there were fresh tear stains on her cheeks while her eyes were red from crying.

“Twilight, what happened?!” Rurik asked in a worried manner.

“It’s Spike,” She sobbed; fresh tears rolling down from her eyes, “he and I got into a stupid argument and he stormed off. Now I can’t find him and the last time something like this happened I nearly lost him!” Rurik knelt down and pulled the sobbing purple unicorn into a hug.

“There, there now: just calm yourself Twilight. We will find him and he will be fine. Now, where are some of the places he goes when he is normally upset?” asked Rurik.

Twilight named several places that she knew of, including Carousel Boutique, Ponyville Lake, and the one Rurik was hoping not to hear, the Everfree Forest. Rurik weighed his options, as the sun was slowly setting.

“Twilight, do you have anything of his?” He asked.

“What do you mean?” sniffled Twilight.

“A possession such as a toy, or maybe a tooth, scale or a claw?” he inquired.

“I have the first tooth he lost and a few scales he gave me. Why?” she asked.

“Because now we have a way to find him.” Grinned Rurik.