Across The Pond

by Aurora Aura

Rating: teen
Tags: Main 6, Gore, Original Character, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Dark, Other, Adventure, Crossover, Alternate Universe, Human, Twilight Sparkle
Length: 14144

After an unfortunate mistake Twilight Sparkle now finds herself being carted off to the continent of Tamriel, a place she didn't even know existed, with one goal in mind. Get home.

Twilight Sparkle's talent for magic is ever growing but when she starts learning long range teleportation she quickly finds that any slight error in direction can become great errors. Finding herself on the continent of Tamriel, a continent she didn't even know existed, she desperately tries to find a way back home. But between Tamriel's hostile climate and it's unique inhabitants seeming to relish in conflict fate itself seems to be acting against her.

note- This is a crossover fic with MLP and The Elder Scrolls that takes place between season 2 and season 3 of MLP and about 20 years before the events of Skyrim.
note- Much research has gone into this story to keep everything Elder Scrolls as accurate as humanly possible in it's portrayal. Every city, organization, and major event is established in Elder Scroll lore.
note- Despite the fact above, no knowledge of Elder Scrolls is required to understand what's happening in the story.

Published 2014-08-15 00:10:03 UTC
Last updated 2014-12-02 11:59:08 UTC

Chapter 1: A Divergent Path

Summer was sliding into Autumn as lush green gave way to warm hues, it was the kind of day that seemed to only exist in stories. The air was warm from the summer sun and yet the pleasant breeze made today the perfect day to take walks and have picnics and all the other things ponies do on these days.

However, Twilight Sparkle was not taking part in any of that. Despite the beauty of the day it seemed all of her friends, including herself, were busy. Her excitable pegasus friend Rainbow Dash had taken to training pretty hard with quick mention of the Wonderbolts Academy as brief explanation. After the wedding of Princess Cadence and Shining Armor, Twilight’s older brother, Rarity had gotten a bit of notoriety and was receiving more orders than usual. Nothing she couldn’t handle but she kept busy. With the onset of fall Fluttershy had been helping her animals gather food for the coming hibernation months. It was also the time of the last harvest for the crops of Sweet Apple Acres and the Apple family had been quite busy with this years harvest. Pinkie Pie was more readily accessible than any of them and even she had been spending a lot of time helping the cakes even more than she had been.

Twilight didn’t mind that her friends were busy though, she herself had been working on her magic and that itself required much concentration. Specifically, she had been learning to extend her reach in teleportation. She had been getting better but she wanted to extend her reach all the way to the national capital of Canterlot from her home in Ponyville. She had gotten up early but decided to take a mental break and read a little before starting her busy day. She had already learned what spending too much time non stop in something did to her and she didn't want to mess up something this important.

Twilight had decided to wait for her number one assistant Spike to wake up so she could tell him personally that she'd be running around for the day. So the bookwormish purple unicorn sat in the large sitting room by the front door in her home. She lived within a large, hollowed out tree that doubled as the town library so she busied herself in her copy of "Daring-Do and the Quest for the Sapphire Stone" while she waited for her young dragon assistant to wake up.

She was reading for nearly an hour before she heard the sound of little claws on wood and Spike made his way downstairs. She was surprised he was getting up before the sun was already high overhead without prompting. Twilight immediately bookmarked her page and put the book aside.

"Good morning spike, you're up early," she pleasantly said.

"Morning Twilight, and you're one to talk," he snapped back.

"I was waiting for you to get up," Twilight answered by way of response. "And what has you so upset?"

"Because the sun is cruel. Maybe you can get Celestia to start raising the sun in the west, at least on the weekends." Spike paused for a moment to let Twilight explain why she was waiting for him. When she didn't he asked "So why were you waiting?"

"I'm glad you asked Spike," Twilight said as she stood up and merrily trotted up to him at the bottom of the stairs. "I'm going to be teleporting a lot today. I'll start off just going around town as a kind of warm up but towards the end I'll be teleporting to Canterlot and-"

"All the way to Canterlot!" Spike interjected.

"Yes, and I'm surprising Princess Celestia with it. I wanted to tell you so you didn't freak out when I was gone all day and didn't come home. I trust you here by yourself Spike. I should be back about noon tomorrow but I'm going to spend as much time as I can talking with the princess about it so maybe a little later. Definitely diner by the latest."

"Unless you send a letter?" Spike asked, crossing his arms but smiling nonetheless.

"Yup," Twilight responded, returning the smile. "See you later Spike."

"Bye Twilight."

And with that Twilight blinked away in a flash of light. Suddenly before her eyes was the city of Ponyville from the town's bell tower. Out in the distance she watched as the brilliant ball of golden light splashed the clouds with rays of pink and orange. After the spectacle had ended she teleported to Sugarcube Corner for a quick breakfast and to talk with Pinkie Pie. Despite their busy schedules all of them tried to talk as much as possible.

Another bright flash of light and Twilight as outside the front door to Sugarcube Corner watching as Mr. Cake turned the door sigh around, signifying they were now open. Twilight opened the door to the noticeably startled Mr. Cake.

"My miss Twilight, you nearly gave me a heart attack."

Twilight blushed sheepishly. "Sorry about that. Just came by for a quick bite to eat and to say hello to Pinkie Pie."

"Sorry Twilight, she left with the misses to a bake-off in Fillydelphia yesterday. I would have gone instead but they'll be gone all week and one of us needed to stay behind and watch little pumpkin and pound," Mr. Cake informed her.

"That makes sense," Twilight said. "Well can I get a muffin to go then?"

"Any particular flavor?"

"It doesn't matter, I've yet to get something here that didn't taste great," Twilight told the now blushing Mr. Cake as he put a fresh blueberry muffin in a paper bag and passed it over to Twilight.

"Well thank you for saying so."

"It's the truth," Twilight told him. "Talk to you later Mr. Cake."

Another flash and Twilight was next to a bench in the town park. Twilight sat and ate her muffin as she watched some ducks splash around in the creek water. After she finished her breakfast she began her day of teleporting. She resolved to see all of her friends she could. She didn't know Pinkie Pie was going to be out of town and decided that was unacceptable. First she went to Fluttershy's cottage and helped pass out breakfast for her animals. After they fed the animals the two mares talked for a few hours before Twilight decided to move on.

It was nearing noon so in a flash Twilight was outside the Carousel Boutique and began knocking on the front door. After about a minute a slightly frazzled Rarity opened the door.

"I thought you could use a break. Want to get lunch?" Twilight asked.

"I'd love to darling, let me freshen up a tad before we head off though. Come in, please," Rarity said as she walked back inside. Twilight followed and sat in the open foyer of Rarity's home.

As Rarity walked up Sweetie Belle came running down the stairs asking if the door was for her. After Rarity informed her little sister that it was Twilight the filly seemed to deflate. Twilight idly wondered what the trio of fillies were up to while she waited for Rarity. Rarity came down after about fifteen minutes and they went out to Rarity's favorite restaurant. Twilight was fairly fond of their food as well. They both settled on a daisy sandwich and talked about Rarity's work. Periodically Twilight would ask a question but otherwise let Rarity take the lead. Twilight wasn't nearly as into the fashion scene as Rarity was but Twilight loved it when ponies were passionate about things and passionate was probably the only word she could use to describe Rarity's affinity for fashion.

They stayed long after they finished their meals but eventually Rarity said she had to get back to her work and Twilight walked with Rarity back to her house. Once they had said their goodbyes Twilight set off to find Rainbow Dash. Knowing Rainbow would be training she went first to the field outside of town where Rainbow liked to practice. Rainbow Dash said she liked it because of the open space but given that is was as close as possible to town as she was allowed to practice Twilight suspected there might be another reason but Twilight never voiced it. Rainbow Dash was more than deserving of a few spectators and that's just what she found when the flash of light from her teleportation dissipated.

High above the fields Rainbow Dash was soaring through the clouds and slicing the air as she performed all the tricks in her book and some she had yet to fully perfect. Much to the delight of the small crowd that had gathered to watch her. Twilight joined the crowd and watched on in awe as Rainbow Dash raced towards the ground only to pull out of the dive in the last possible second. The stunts continued for several hours and Twilight just sat and cheered when appropriate. About halfway through Rainbow consciously realized Twilight had joined the crowed and spun through the clouds until she had spelled out the words "Hi Twilight" and looped around the words a few times for good measure.

When the sun started to inch it's way towards the horizon Rainbow Dash landed to properly greet Twilight.

"Hey Twi, what's up?"

"You're getting really good Rainbow Dash, that was amazing."

Rainbow Dash blushed a little but quickly got over it and said "Of course I am. I'm training for the Wonderbolt's Academy. Applications are due in another month or so and we have to send in flight times and a bunch of other stuff. Can't be behind anyone. If I want to stick out I have to be the best."

"Well good luck Rainbow Dash," Twilight said with a smile. "I have to get going though. I still have to meet with Applejack and then I'm heading off for Canterlot."

"Why are you heading out to Canterlot?" Rainbow Dash asked her.

"I'm teleporting there, and the reason is to see if I can."

"Wow, that's a good bit away Twi," Rainbow Dash said, sounding impressed. "You know, you're pretty awesome yourself Twilight."

"Thanks Rainbow, I'll talk to you later."

"Later Twilight," Rainbow Dash said as a flash of light enveloped Twilight.

A moment later Twilight was breathing in the rustic smell of Sweet Apple Acres. As Twilight walk the path up to her friend's barn she saw Applejack and Big Macintosh were putting away their farming equipment for the day and trotted up beside them.

"Hello Applejack, Big Macintosh," Twilight greeted.

"Well howdy there Twi', What brings ya to our neck of the woods?" Applejack asked as Big Macintosh nodded in Twilight's direction as acknowledgement before walking away to get more of their field supplies put away.

"Just stopping by to say hi before I head off to Canterlot."

"Ya sure you ain't gonna miss your train?" Applejack asked, looking up at the fading light in the sky.

"It's fine Applejack, I'm teleporting to Canterlot. Been practicing all day and I'm sure I can do it."

"Well I guess ya are the element of magic. Still, don't that seem a might far? Not that ya can't do it but should ya?"

"I was worried about that too Applejack. But I've asked the guards clear out the gardens around sunset. Didn't tell them why but they said they'd take care of it for me."

"Well, if ya have it figured out. Good luck Twi' but ah' gotta finish helping Big Mac, talk to ya later," Applejack said as she started rushing over to help big mac with a particularly large load of apples he was having trouble dragging up the hill to their barn.

"Bye Applejack, I'll see you when I get back," and with that Twilight sat down and closed her eyes.

She began to focus all her energy. Focusing in on the Canterlot garden was first but she also had to focus on where she was in relation to it. Little identifiable landmarks like that old tree that seemed to have been there since Celestia was a filly, the bench right under that tree that she had shared with Celestia when Twilight had lived in Canterlot and, obviously, the castle itself. Twilight had began to sweat a little but forced her willpower to focus on the direction as much as she could. She clenched her teeth and in a brilliant display of light she was gone.

The moment Sweet Apple Acres blinked from Twilight Sparkle’s vision the only sensation she felt was falling. Though the sensation was short lived as the rushing winds from the fall quickly become icy water, and salt water at that. She figured that out after accidentally inhaling a good mouthful of it. Twilight was kicking about in the water, coughing up a lung and trying not to drown. Twilight was never a weak swimmer, she wouldn’t call herself a strong swimmer either but she was decent. She just hasn’t gone swimming since she was a little filly though she had recently read a book on swimming techniques.

She recovered from the initial shock of the cold water fairly quickly. Though what slowed her down was the unusually bright light from her spell. Twilight began teleporting ten to fifteen feet in random directions to get out of the water, each time falling into the salty waters again. Darkness was taking over the sky and if Twilight could have seen what way she needed to teleport she couldn’t now that she was freshly blinded.

AS the blotches faded from her vision she began to spin around in the water trying to find any sort of land but still saw nothing. She opted to stay put and tread water until her eyes had adjusted to the oncoming darkness and she could properly see. She knew that if started swimming in the wrong direction things might just go from bad to worse. With that in mind she shot a light beacon spell into the air and she just waited, wondering what had gone wrong.

Her limbs were getting tired now and while her eyes had adjusted nearly ten minutes ago she still couldn't see land in any direction. She have no way of knowing how much time has passed while she waited but to her it felt like hours. She was feeling weak now. The cold waters had long since chilled her limbs into clumsy numbness but now it was just an overall weakness. Twilight was losing a mental battle with the ocean and it hurt to continue to fight the waters. She start to slip below the water. Not immediately, but over the next few minutes. She’d fall a few inches then fight her way back up, She’d fall a few more inches and fail to fight all the way back up.

It was a give and take and the ocean was definitely taking more. A particularly large wave hit her like a ton of bricks and sent Twilight below the waters. She couldn’t breath and worse, every fiber of my being screamed, begged for that precious air. To just take in a breath. She wasn’t strong enough to fight her way back up but she needed to breath, She had to. So She did.

It didn’t make everything worse like Twilight imagined it would. Instead she felt this strange serenity, all the fear escaping her body leaving only peace as the water filled her lungs. She began to lose herself to it. Suddenly Twilight wasn’t even cold anymore as the darkness slowly took over her body until it swallowed her whole and there was only the blackness.

Chapter 2: Something Out Of Place

Twilight Sparkle regained consciousness with the midday sun showing it's deliciously warm face to her through a porthole. There was a cloud cover but despite that the sun saw fit to shine beyond the mean clouds who only wanted to take Twilight's warmth. Though the continuous rocking motion wasn't what Twilight had expected and her coat reeked of fish what bothered her was the strange creature kneeling beside Twilight.

Twilight didn't say anything at first. Just stared in wonderment at the new cat like being. Twilight didn’t know what to make of it, it’s face certainly reminded her of a cat but that’s as far as the resemblance went. The way it knelt beside her suggested it stood only on it’s back limbs much like her dragon assistant did but she couldn't be sure. Twilight had never read anything about it in any of her books. She even owned a copy of the world standard bestiary and it never made mention of what was now before Twilight. She got excited about the prospect of learning something no one else had yet and sat up immediately. Just as quickly wished she hadn't as Twilight leaned over to the porthole the light had come through and allowed her daisy sandwich to come back up.

When Twilight had finished her moment the unique creature asked "Feeling better?" in a strange accent and a raspy voice that identified it as a man.

“You can talk‽” Twilight exclaimed.

“Yes, though Ra’Zahmirr is just as surprised to find out unicorns can talk,” The creature said slowly, as if unsure Twilight had really spoken. “Ra’Zahmirr never thought he’d ever see a unicorn and to find out they talk, we’ll, it’s an interesting revelation.”

“You’re name is Ra’Zahmirr?” Twilight asked for clarification. She had met ponies who spoke in the third person before though it was uncommon.

“Yes. I assume you have a name as well,” The creature who identified himself as Ra’Zahmirr said.

“I’m Twilight Sparkle. What happened to me, how did I get here and what are you?” Twilight had many more questions but felt those ones were a good place to start.

“No one knows how you got out in the sea. We followed a strange light and decided to try fishing in the area only to pull you out with our fishing nets. Had we not been in the area you’d most likely be dead. For that, you should feel quite lucky.”

“Fishing net? Well that explains the smell,” Twilight said to herself as she took a moment to look around the room for the first time.

The room was small and triangularly shaped but still big enough to move about in. There were boxes of varying sizes along the two walls adjacent to her makeshift sleeping mat. The wall to her left had space between the stacks of boxes for a narrow door. Though there was a decent amount of room to move around in this was clearly not a place many ponies entered very often.

A few moments passed as Ra'Zahmirr allowed Twilight to get her bearings. Once Twilight was satisfied with what she had seen she broke the silence.

"So you were just sitting there ... watching me sleep," Twilight slowly said as she attempted not to sound accusatory.

"In the days since we've picked you up you have been under the eyes of someone. We've been rotating through every four hours. Ra'Zahmirr approached you when you started to stir."

One word in particular stood out to Twilight. Days. Ra'Zahmirr just said she had been unconscious for days.

"What!" Twilight said, barely managing to prevent herself from getting up again. "How far are we from Equestria? Why wasn't I dropped off? Whe-"

"Enough," Ra'Zahmirr cut Twilight off. "Ra'Zahmirr will go get someone to help answer questions. In the meantime, please, calm down." With that Ra'Zahmirr walked out the door, leaving Twilight to her thoughts.

First she thought about where she was and what kind of ship has creatures like Ra'Zahmirr. Where was she going that they had never seen a Unicorn before, let alone expect it to talk. But mostly she thought about her spell and what had gone wrong. Where did she mess up? Twilight was slowly getting to her hoofs as Ra'Zahmirr came back in with another creature trailing behind him looking significantly less cat like. The most immediate difference was that this one had a lot less hair.

"This is Miram. She will get you situated as Ra'Zahmirr has certain tasks to attend to," Ra'Zahmirr said as he gestured behind him. Twilight shook her head a few times indicating she understood which seemed to release Ra'Zahmirr from his place as he turned on his heels and walked out.

Twilight looked to the new creature. Similar to Ra'Zahmirr, but so very different. No coat at all but thick hazel brown curls bounced at her shoulders. Her ears had a slight point to them and her cheekbones were high up on her face than Ra’Zahmirrs were. Miram’s eyes were a brilliant and deep emerald green that seemed to mesmerize Twilight. The spell was broken when the girl cleared her throat.

"Hello," she said. "Ra'Zahmirr said you could talk."

"Uh, yeah. Yes," Twilight stammered as she came out of the little trance. "My name is Twilight Sparkle. If you don't mind me asking, what are you and Ra'Zahmirr? I've never even heard of anything like you two before."

"Well I'm a Breton, and sourpuss is a Khajiit," Miram answered with a smile before adding "Don't tell him I called him that."

"And exactly how far are we from Equestria?" Twilight asked.

"Hang on," Miram said as she reached into a side pouch in her pack she had with her. "Ah-ha, here it is." Miram started to unfold the large piece of parchment. Once she finished it revealed a world map. But this one seemed different than anything Twilight had seen. The most eastern thing on the map Twilight recognized the shape of Equestria but it wasn't detailed at all. In fact, aside from the shape on the map the only identifiable thing about it was the word 'Equestria' scrawled across it. To the west of Equestria was a continent she didn't recognize. Above it was labeled 'Tamriel' and throughout the continent was lines separating sections and identifying them as provinces. Black Marsh, High Rock, Skyrim. None of these places even sounded familiar to Twilight.

While Twilight was thinking about the new landmass to the world map Miram pointed to a place off the coast of Equestria.

"Here," Miram said. "We picked you up about here and now we've moved to about here." Miram moved her finger to a place much closer to Tamriel's south. If Twilight knew her geography as well as she thought she did then the point that they picked her up at was about the same distance to Ponyville as Canterlot was.

"Why didn't you drop me off in Equestria," Twilight demanded.

"How were we to know you from Equestria," Miram said defensively. "Though even if did know there isn't much we could have done. The waters around the place are pretty well guarded around the clock."

"So you're turning around and taking me back then?" Twilight asked. "And handing me over to the blockade so I can go home."

"We don't have the supplies. We're on our way down to the Topal Sea to gather some Crystallized Moonlight before porting in the city of Senchal. A pretty major trading hub in southeastern Elsweyr."

"I haven't heard of any of those places," Twilight said. "And I may not know much about this Tamriel place but I know you can't crystallize light."

"It's not literally crystallized light, a lot of people call it moon sugar. People pay good money for it too."

"Why, what is it for?" Twilight asked, curiosity getting the better of her.

"Well it's the major ingredient in Elsweyr Fondue, though I don't think that's why so many people buy it," Miram gave a knowing smile at that.

Twilight was about to ask what Miram meant by that but was interrupted by the opening of the door as Ra'Zahmirr came back in.

"Purple one, Ra'Zahmirr wishes to introduce you to the captain. Follow Ra'Zahmirr please."

Twilight Sparkle shakily got to her hoofs and followed Ra'Zahmirr out. Miram waved goodbye before starting to fold up the map she had taken out. The hallway Twilight stepped out into seemed to go from the front of the boat all the way to the end but she couldn't be sure how long the boat was. Ra'Zahmirr went left so Twilight did as well.

The two walked to the end of the corridor and up the steep staircase at the end. Through the hatch at the top of the stairs was the ship's deck. Despite the window in Twilight's little room the sun still radiated a brightness that was too much for her eyes that had adjusted to the darkened corridor below. The sun reflected off the sky blue waters and seared into her retinas, making Twlight quickly shut them for fear of going blind. Once Twilight had decided to open her eyes again she was greeted with the busy deck. Most of the bipedal creatures were feline like Ra'Zahmirr. The way they moved back and forth across the deck made Twilight compare them to bees, buzzing about their wooden hive. However Twilight didn't get a chance to look for too long as Ra'Zahmirr began to lead Twilight to the back of the ship towards a set of double doors.

Ra'Zahmirr turned and said, "wait here, Ra'Zahmirr will make sure now is a good time."

"Alright," Twilight said as Ra'Zahmirr entered the double doors. Twilight looked around towards the crew that was busy working but would steal glances at her periodically. Twilight then turned to look off the right side of the ship where she saw land. This was Twilight's first glimpse of Tamriel if Miram's map was correct. The nearest part was appeared to be some sort of desert that was covered in rolling hills and, despite what Ra'Zahmirr had said about there being a busy city, the whole place seemed barren and desolate to Twilight. Further along the mainland was what seemed to be a mostly densely forested sub-tropical area.

The sound of double doors opening caught Twilight's attention and she turned from the landscape on the horizon and faced Ra'Zahmirr who beckoned her inside. When Twilight walked in the first thing to catch her eye was the mahogany desk in the center of the room, which was in a state of half organized clutter. Several stacks of papers were haphazardly piled about the desk and various knick knacks littered the room. Twilight didn't know how anypony could stand to be in this room for any extended period of time but pushed the thought to the back of her head. Twilight Sparkle trotted up the the desk and looked at the being sitting behind it, just watching her.

"Hello, my name is Twilight Sparkle."

"So it's true," the captain said to himself. He shuffled in his seat, sitting up straighter and continued. "My name is Navito and I'm in charge of this boat."

Navito seemed to have a skinny frame when Twilight compared it to the other two she had met but that might have more to do with the man's height. Even though he was sitting he seemed hardly any shorter than Ra'Zahmirr was standing up.. His hair, long and unkempt, was raven black and his face was more than a little scruffy. Over all Navito seemed to assume an air superiority so Twilight decided to keep it professional with Navito and save the bulk of her questions for Miram or Ra'Zahmirr.

"Yes, sir."

"Sir? I like that," Navito smiled. "More to the point though, we are on our way to the Topal Sea to harvest a bit of moon sugar, which should only take a day or two. Then we'll port in Senchal and probably will not be undocking for quite some time. My crew has been to sea for far too long and deserve some rest. However once we get into port I'm sure we can work something out with another boat in the harbor to get you home. If not you'll just have to wait until we go out to sea again."

"Thank you for keeping me informed Mr. Navito," Twilight said politely.

"If there is a ship willing to take you it might take a bit to find them, Senchal is a big place with lots of merchant ships," Navito told Twilight. Twilight thought about it and figured if it took too long her friends would come by and get her anyway. Since she had already been gone a few days she suspected they were already looking for her. Though given what she's already learned she suspected waiting for a ship might get her home much faster. After all, if one of her friends went missing she'd never think to look in the ocean.

"That's fine," Twilight told Navito. "I'll wait."

"If Ra'Zahmirr may interrupt," Ra'Zahmirr said as he finally stepped up to the desk. "Ra'Zahmirr isn't meeting anyone after the ship has reached its destination and is willing to take Twilight around and help her home."

Navito gave Twilight a look that told her it was up to her. Twilight didn't think about it for very long though. She had no idea what this place was like or what its customs might be and having a guide and someone she could trust there would help a lot. With that in mind she turned her head to Ra'Zahmirr.

"I would love your Ra'Zahmirr," Twilight gave him a smile that he quickly returned.

"Then it's settled," Navito said as he stood up. When he did Twilight noticed there was hardly an inch separating his head from the ceiling. Twilight strained her neck to look up at the large man and turned her smile on him, just glad at how helpful and nice these Khajiit or Breton or whatever were being.

Ra'Zahmirr gave Navito a slight nod then started to walk towards the door. Not knowing what else to do Twilight followed him through the double doors and out onto the deck. Twilight spared a glance back over to the mainland that was quickly approaching from the distant horizon. Twilight noticed we were heading towards the desert part of the land rather than the forested area.

"Ra'Zahmirr," Twilight stopped walking and turned her whole body to face the land. "Are we heading into that desert?"

"Yes, it is southern Elsweyr. Though Elsweyr is much more than a simple desert. In northern Elsweyr there are many lush forests to be found."

"And what can you tell me about Senchal?" Twilight asked. "I mean besides that it's a major trade city."

"It is the single largest port city not just in Elsweyr but in all of Tamriel." Ra'Zahmirr told Twilight. "It started out as slums and rapidly turned into a coastal resort of sorts. Bazaars, taverns, merchant quarters and open-air markets ringed on three sides by crowded harbors. Despite being deep in Elsweyr there are many races one can find in this city."

Twilight looked on in wonderment. Ra'Zahmirr made Senchal seem like a cultural hub and Twilight was growing ever anxious to be there. If she was going to be stuck someplace at least it'd be someplace as diverse as Senchal sounded.

"Is there anything I should know before we get there?" Twilight asked.

"Senchal has a .. unique history," Ra'Zahmirr spoke slowly, as if tasting his words for their veracity. "There are many parts of the city that are little more than ruins left over from a deadly flu that claimed many of my kin. Though that flu is long gone the ruins are home to many less than reputable people. Pirates, assassins, junkies and thieves all take to the abandoned streets. Use them to cover their misdeeds. It would be wise of you to not leave Ra'Zahmirr's side once we are in the city unless Ra'Zahmirr tells you it's safe."

Twilight seemed to deflate at the revelation but tried to maintain her enthusiasm. If this city was that bad Ra'Zahmirr wouldn't have called it a resort. She was determined to learn as much about this Tamriel as she could before she left Senchal.

"Now come on purple one," Ra'Zahmirr told Twilight. "Let us not stand in the rest of the crew's way."

Twilight nodded in agreement and followed Ra'Zahmirr over to the hatch that lead below decks and down the corridor to her small room.

Chapter 3: The Search Begins

Spike was cruelly awoken by the unrelenting rays of the sun glaring down on his face through the crack in the curtains. Which, given that he had moved his small bed across the room to fix being woken up at dawn he figured it was a fair guess that it was probably past lunch time. The baby dragon’s belly told him it was time to get up. It may not yet be lunch time but a hungry stomach cares little for the time of day.

Spike slid off the bed and pulled himself to his feet before lazily walking down the stairs and into the kitchen below. The well equipped kitchen seemed emptier than usual to Spike. Which struck him as off as Twilight had always made sure they had nothing superfluous laying about. Spike shrugged off this feeling and went for the fridge.

After reaching into the great silver monolith and looking over the various cheeses and cream he settled for taking the milk out. Spike walked over to the counter and looked around, after snapping his head to look behind him in a futile attempt to catch someone watching him who wasn’t there he lifted the milk and began to drink deeply from the pitcher.

After a brief moment there was a knock at the door. Spike nearly jumped out of his skin at the sudden noise that echoed throughout the library, causing the pitcher of milk to fall to the floor. As the white liquid spread over the wooden floor Spike raced to their linen closet and pulled out several towels and threw them over the kitchen floor.

“Be right there!” Spike called out as he made sure all the milk was being soaked up. However his words did nothing quite the knocking on the front door. Spike figured that if it was someone that would have been upset with the mess they probably would have let themselves in by now so he took his chances and went to answer the front door.

When Spike opened the front door he was face to legs with two imposing royal pegasus guards of Celestia’s court. They towered over Spike in the golden armor that somehow managed to be even more impressive in the sunlight as it glinted off the armor and reflected outward like only crystals should. Their armor was free of any imperfections and had very obviously been shine earlier that morning.

“Hello sirs,” Spike greeted, sounding worried. “Is everything alright?”

“Spike, Princess Celestia has requested we bring you and the Elements of Harmony to Canterlot as soon as possible,” One of the guards told him.

“Why didn’t she send a letter then?” Spike asked.

“We were not informed on the specifics, but Princess Celestia’s tone made it sound urgant,” the same guard explained.

“The Princess also said we should tell all of you that it concerns Twilight Sparkle,” the second guard added.

Spike’s eyes widened at the realization Twilight had never sent a letter saying she would extend her stay in Canterlot. Spike had assumed she would, and indeed had, extend her stay. Suddenly very worried about his friend Spike ran past the two guards, slamming the door behind him.

“Well what are you waiting for?” Spike called as he sprinted for the train station. “ Let’s go!”

The two guards shared a look before flying over to spike and picking him up. One guard took lead with the one carrying Spike close behind as they flew up into the sky and over the town. The old roads of Ponyville snaked and curved in what most would regard as little more than a disorganized mess. The didn’t fly long though, just a few blocks to the town square where an aerial cart was waiting. As soon as they landed one of the guards opened the door to the cart while the other went to strap himself into the pulling system of the cart.

Spike walked into the cart and was greeted with Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Fluttershy. All of whom took to interrogating the poor baby dragon about exactly what was going on. Spike, of course, couldn’t answer their questions and the four mares let him be.

The ride to Canterlot would normally have been quick but with how urgent the guards had made the situation sound it filled all of them with a sense of foreboding. They spent most of the trip in a silence that gnawed at their insides and hung in the air, seeping into their every pore like a poison.

When the cart landed in Canterlot the four mares and one dragon were swiftly ushered to the throne room of the Princess herself. Once they arrived at their destination they were instructed to wait outside before the guards walked away. A certain pink coated party pony was already sitting outside the door to the throne room and watching as the group approached.

“Hey Pinkie Pie,” Rainbow Dash called out. “Do you have any idea what’s going on?”

“No,” Pinkie Pie somberly stated. “I was honestly hoping one of you would.”

“I’m sure the Princess knows,” Rarity said in an attempt to console her friends.

Rarity was about to continue when the large oak double doors were enveloped by a golden light and then opened up and an aging sand coated unicorn stallion walked out and down the hall. The mares and Spike walked into the throne room and up to Princess Celestia’s throne. The double doors closed as soon as they had walked in enough to allow it and Celestia walked down to meet them face to face with a decently sized box beside her.

Princess Celestia stood well above anypony else in height and the way she usually carried herself definitely added to her imposing stature. Her mane flowed despite there not being a single open window to allow any sort of breeze to roll through and the look on her face managed to be both stern and soft. She seemed exhausted but before any of them could ask her their questions she spoke.

“I’m sure you are all very worried about Twilight,” Celestia started. “And you should be. I don’t expect many of you will understand this but Twilight and I are, what scholars call, magically attuned to one another, so to speak. This means I can feel her presence and Twilight can feel mine. It’s the sort of thing that develops between a magic student and their teacher after having constant exposure to their personal aura. It isn’t exact and usually only acts as a sort of compass to one another but as the years go one I’ve learned to get a rough distance as well.”

“So you know where Twilight is?” Rainbow Dash interrupted.

“Sort of,” Celestia told her. “But this is where it gets complicated. I believe she has somehow found herself on her way to the very dangerous land of Tamriel.”

“I’ve never heard of such a place,” Rarity said, sounding confused.

“I’ve gone through great lengths to ensure you haven’t,” Celestia admitted, using her magic to pull the first item out of her box. It was a large and ancient looking piece of parchment and held it up to the group, revealing a map. On the map was labeled Equestia and it’s various cities and landmarks. To the west of Equestria was a landmass labeled Tamriel. There were other continents labeled that were unfamiliar to the six individuals sitting before Princess Celestia but those places weren’t harboring their friend.

“I don’t understand Princess,” Applejack said. “Why ain’t this Tamriel on any of the other maps ah’ve seen? Why would you want to hide a whole nation?”

“Simply because it isn’t a whole nation. It’s inhabitants are as divided as ponies once were. They have had a long and violent past and while it took a while I was able to work out a deal that kept the bulk of them from migrating to Equestria.”

“So Twilight is going to this dangerous place,” Rainbow Dash started. “And nopony else is supposed to know about this. So we’re going to help her escape?”

“Sort of. It’s possible she might not even need to escape but I’d like to avoid contact with as much of Tamriel as possible. So I’m sending you five to pick Twilight up through airship. It won’t be fast but it’ll be safe,” Princess Celestia told them. “ You’ll also be taking the Elements of Harmony should you need them.”

“Just the five,” Spike asked, sounding hurt. “Why can’t I go? I can help. And besides how will you send messages back and forth if I’m not there?”

“Tamriel,” Celestia started, seeming unsure how to continue. After a moment of consideration Celestia continued with “Tamriel has a history with dragons Spike. Having you there could get somepony hurt or someone might try to hurt you.”

“I’ll just talk to them. If I haven’t done anything wrong they’ll stop right?” Spike said. “Besides you didn’t answer my question about the messages.”

“I’ll be sending Philomena. She has extraordinary stamina and is quite smart. So long as you all stay on a predictable path she should be able to carry messages back and forth between us. It might take longer but it will be safer for you Spike,” Celestia told him. “And I’m afraid to say that some might consider being a dragon wrong enough.”

“So how will we find Twilight once we get there?” asked Rarity.

Celestia’s horn lit up in a golden aura as she pulled out another object from the box beside her. What stood before them was large and bulky compass that had a string attached to it for putting it around somepony’s neck.

“This is enchanted with the magical attunement I share with Twilight and will always point you in her direction.”

“So we use this to find Twilight?” Rainbow Dash asked as she reached out for the compass and put it around her neck.

“I’ll be sending several guards who have volunteered for this treacherous journey to accompany you on the airship,” Celestia told them. “It will leave as soon as you’re ready.”

“What about our family?” Rarity asked.

“Or businesses?” Applejack added. “Mah family’s farm won't be able to round up this last harvest without me.”

“The animals are going to need help with getting ready for winter,” Fluttershy said, finally speaking up. “I should really stay.”

“I’ll personally see to it that everything is well in hoof. Applejack I’ll send help to your farm in Ponyville and personally compensate the workers,” Celestia assured. “If there is no other questions I advice you all to head back to Ponyville and get everything sorted. The airship will be by Ponyville as soon as it’s ready to take all of you there.”

The five mares shared a nervous look but knew they couldn’t turn down something like this. If it was as dangerous as Celestia thought then they would do whatever they had to do in order to get Twilight back. Determination set in and five gave acknowledgement to the princess and left her to go back and gather whatever supplies they thought they might need. Spike did not join them, instead he stayed behind with the Princess.

“So what will I do Princess,” Spike morosely asked.

“You’ll have the very important job of keeping me company in these troubling times Spike,” Celestia told him. “It’ll be the most difficult job Spike, I really need you here.” Spike nodded, accepting what the Princess had told him though he didn’t much like it.

Several hours passed and the sun was beginning its descent over the horizon. The five mares had gathered on the outskirts of Ponyville as they were instructed on their way out of the castle. They watched as the imposing airship lowered itself towards the ground and put out a drawbridge leading from the deck to the dirt in front of them.

Before any of them could start walking up an unusually tall stallion guard walked down to them. Unlike the guards that had come to Ponyville before this guard’s armor was covered in various cuts, scrapes, and dents from where it was used. It also appeared to have never once been polished. When the guard spoke it was in a gravelly voice that stood out even more giving the guard’s young face.

“There will be time for proper introductions later but for now all you need to know is my name is Captain Rain Step,” he introduced. “This ship is called the Dawnbreeze. She isn’t especially fast but we’ll get there in one piece. There aren’t many rules, just stay out of the way of any working crew member and don’t get into trouble and everything should be fine.”

Captain Rain Step seemed rather curt to the girls but none addressed their grievance with him. They said their goodbyes to their respective families and Spike, who had returned to Ponyville to grab what he needed and was going to be taking a train back to canterlot to stay at the castle. Once they were satisfied with that they boarded the ship and piled their stuff on the deck.

Once aboard Rainbow Dash took the compass to the helm of the boat and told the mare behind the wheel the direction they needed to go in. When the brow was pulled back onto the ship it began to rise again. Once it loomed over the small town it started in the direction Rainbow Dash had pointed out.

The group of mares had gathered on the deck to watch as Ponyville faded into the night as they rode into the sunset. They sat there watching as the eastern skyline turn to a clear, purple tinged gray while the ball of ruby fire fell behind them leaving only threads of light that dyed the sky and permeated the clouds. First orange, then red, then a dark blue, flowing through the sky until all the remained of the moment had melted away into darkness and a sequin-silver stared sky.

Chapter 4: The Slums

The morning mist still hung heavy in the air as Twilight Sparkle fidgeted on the deck of the ship she had been living on for three days now. Miram stood beside Twilight making idle conversation but Twilight wasn’t giving her new friend much thought. Twilight noted something being said about a “tasting room” but it didn’t really interest Twilight, she was just anxious to see the city. Ra’Zahmirr finally made his way up from below decks and calmly walked over to Twilight, his slow pace infuriating her.

“Come on, come on!” She exclaimed.

Ra’Zahmirr didn’t respond to Twilight’s incessant barking as he made his way towards her. Ra’Zahmirr continued to walk past Twilight towards the docks and Twilight rushed to stay on his heels.

“Hey!” Twilight called out as she picked up her pace to match Ra’Zahmirr’s. Miram called out a goodbye and went off to presumably start her day’s workload.

“Yes, purple one?” he asked pleasantly.

“Where are we going first?” Twilight asked as they stepped off of the boat and onto the pier. Twilight noted how busy the docks seemed despite the lack of people. When they had pulled up to the shore they had passed several docking spots that seemed to breathe with life as guards patrolled along the coastline keeping the common rabble in check.

These docks were different. They were absent any guards and while there was significantly fewer people the place seemed just as alive in a different way. An undertone of life hidden from those who aren’t permitted to see it. But Twilight could feel it, even if she wasn’t sure what ‘it’ was.

The docks weren’t entirely devoid of life. A few more creatures Twilight had come to learn as Khajiit were sitting on benches and staring out to sea and onto the distant horizon. A handful of half size Khajiit, who Twilight assumed were children, ran up and down the docks giggles as shout of “Ma’Jidarr got you!” and “no you didn’t” echoed throughout the docks. Sea gulls milled around waiting for passers by to drop any sort of food. Wooden rails splattered with bird droppings lined the edges of the pier and wooden ramps lead down to floating wooden walkways that would rise and fall with the tide.

“We must first visit a colleague in the city so that we might sell what we have collected in crystallized moonlight. After that Ra’Zahmirr wishes to drop off the returns. When that has been done we may travel to the market place.”

“Well the sooner we leave the sooner we finish so let’s go,” Twilight started to trot off onto the street but stopped after a few steps. “Uh, maybe you should lead the way Ra’Zahmirr,” she said, grinning sheepishly. Ra’Zahmirr smiled back and walked past Twilight and heading into the depths of the city.

They had been walking for nearly two hours yet only seemed to pass about a dozen people, all of whom gave Twilight an odd look though they kept their distance. Ra’Zahmirr made this place sound busy but Twilight would describe it as anything but. Though Ra’Zahmirr had mentioned the city had parts left in ruin, Twilight Sparkle assumed this was that part of the city. The inner city certainly looked ruined to Twilight, in fact, everything they had passed so far appeared to grow out of the sidewalk into jagged points that seemed to lead whomever walked this path someplace specific. Shards of broken glass peppered the cobblestone causing Twilight to gingerly move through the narrow streets. The only inkling of color on the walls surrounding the street came from the lurid graffiti and the sickly green moss hanging wherever nature would allow it to.

“Hey Ra’Zahmirr,” Twilight finally said.

“What is purple one?” Ra’Zahmirr asked without looking back.

“How much longer are we going to be walking through the slums?”

Ra’Zahmirr stopped walking causing Twilight to walking into him.

“Look ahead Twilight Sparkle, what do you see?”

Twilight rubbed her face with a hoof and looked around Ra’Zahmirr. The narrow streets split into a fork but what caught Twilight’s attention was between the two roads was a house that made Twilight think someone was taking the building down and decided to quit halfway through, or perhaps it had simply collapsed under the weight of it’s longevity. Regardless of the reason this grim and gloomy building dominated the area so Twilight assumed that’s where they had been walking.

“That’s what we’re doing out here? This city is huge, it’s got to be. Why are your business friends way out here‽” Twilight demanded.

“There is an level to this city you have yet to see,” Ra’Zahmirr told her. “Through that house and into the basement is one of several access points to a central hub of buyers and sellers.”

“Like a marketplace?” Twilight asked, her slight annoyance now subsiding.

“Hmm, not quite. This place is more of a place of peace than anything. There is some trading going on but those who come here do not usually come here for the trading opportunities.”

Twilight wondered what that meant but Ra’Zahmirr started walking towards the house and Twilight assumed she’d have her answer soon enough so she didn’t voice her curiosity.

They walked up the crumbling path past the unearthly shrubbery and up to the front door. Despite a very large hole being in the wall just to the side of the door Ra’Zahmirr knocked anyway. Seven times his fist hit the door in a steady succession. When Ra’Zahmirr had finished knocking he slowly opened the door, the rotting wooden door creaking slowly and echoing into the long forgotten home.

Once they were inside Twilight recoiled in disgust as she was assaulted with a musk that soaked the walls. When she had gotten past the initial shock she noticed the thick carpet of dust and debris didn’t seem to cover the entire floor. There was a clearly identifiable path that started at the front door and lead deep into the house. The break in the dust wasn’t clean by any stretch of the word but there was a clearly visible path left through after constant use by whomever had seen fit to walk through this house.

They creaked through the slightly less filthy trail through the half building to a door that seemed entirely out of place. It’s hinges lacked the rust the front door had and the wood seemed sturdy enough to not fall over if you throw too much of your weight on it. Ra’Zahmirr turned to Twilight and knelt down so they were on eye level before whispering.

“This place is fairly Khajiit centric. Ra’Zahmirr allowed your persistence to convince him to let you come along because you will be able to pass by. They will not know you can speak, you must not let them find out,” Ra’Zahmirr warned.

“Is that why Miram didn’t join us?” Twilight whispered back.

“Yes,” Ra’Zahmirr simply stated. “Ra’Zahmirr is taking quite the risk here. Do not ruin this, Ra’Zahmirr shall endeavour to answer any questions once we have left the area. Fair?”

Twilight nodded but said nothing. Ra’Zahmirr gave her an approving nod before standing back upright and knocking on this door as he had the front door. There was a moment of pause before the door made an audible click. Ra’Zahmirr then knocked as he had before yet again and opened the door slowly. Behind the solid wood was a staircase that descended into relative darkness. There appeared to be some form of low level light below but Twilight couldn’t be sure.

Ra’Zahmirr began the descent.

Twilight followed, being careful as she moved down the dark steps. Twilight quickly realized that the entrance was not the most terrible part of this house, if you could even call it that. No, the most terrible part of this house was the dank, humid cellar which exerted the strongest repulsion on Twilight. The air was a mix of unwashed sweat soaked clothes, rotten fruit, and the sour smell of rancid fermented fish. She gagged a bit but keeping in mind her promise to Ra’Zahmirr she stifled it to the best of her abilities.

Twilight began to look around for anything to take her mind of the stench. She noticed that part of the cellar was above ground and the low level light she had seen was the sunlight peeking through the few narrow slots that pierced the brick, marking slight windows into the alleyway. Twilight wondered how they could see at all but as the minute passed her eyes were adjusting and she was able to make out slight shapes.

Ra’Zahmirr nudged Twilight into a specific direction and Twilight began to walk. She heard whispers but decidedly ignored them so she could focus on breathing as little as possible. Twilight walked forward until she reached what should have been the wall but Ra’Zahmirr nudged her to keep moving, so she did. Twilight did not hit the wall as she had expected, rather, she kept moving forward into some tunnel that had been dug into the walls of the basement.

The pathway was angled downward and as they stepping farther into the tunnel the darker it got. They walked for about twenty or thirty feet before Ra’Zahmirr grabbed Twilight, stopping her. The footsteps stopped and Twilight heard the distinct sound of small metal objects jangling together before being inserted into some unseen lock. The door silently opened and Twilight was nudged forward again.

They walked for another minute before Twilight started to notice a faint glow and the end of the tunnel. As they moved towards it she was able to discern the light came from behind a shoddy wooden door. Twilight idly thought that perhaps the Khajiit had spent their budget for doors on the first two and they had to take planks from the house above. It was also in the light of the next room that Twilight noticed they were not alone and two other Khajiit had joined them. She also noticed Ra’Zahmirr had been standing in front of her, leading the way, and it was one of the new Khajiit that had been directing her.

Twilight wasn’t sure when that shift had happened but she did make a mental note to ask Ra’Zahmirr about it. They covered the distance quickly and as they got closer the murmur of voices grew louder and louder until they sounded more like one of Pinkie Pie’s parties where everypony would steadily get louder and louder as if trying to talk over everypony else. Of course that was never the case. When they got to the door Ra’Zahmirr simply swung it open, not bothering to knock this time.

Inside the doorway was several Khajiit lounging on piles of hay that checkered the large cavernous room. There was a bared off desk that also had an official looking Khajiit that handed an unusually shaped bottle of some kind of liquid off to another Khajiit outside the grated desk. The latter then greedily took the bottle to the nearest pile of hay and drank deeply from it.

Twilight Sparkle was nudged by one of the Khajiit, distracting her from following the unusual Khajiit. Twilight looked up to see it was, in fact, Ra’Zahmirr who nudged her this time. He motioned with a hand and instructed her to wait by the door. Twilight nodded.

Ra’Zahmirr walked over to the desk and began to talk with the Khajiit. Twilight watched as the two bickered back and forth. At one point Ra’Zahmirr pulled a small jar from his pack and handed it to the Khajiit. The Khajiit behind the bars took the jar into a back room for a few minutes though they felt to Twilight like an eternity. The Khajiit did eventually come back out though and it was much before an eternity had passed. The Khajiit nodded and extending a hand to Ra’Zahmirr who took it and smiled at the Khajiit. Ra’Zahmirr said something else before walking back over to Twilight.

Twilight wished she could have at least heard the negotiations but she settled on adding it the growing list of things she would ask about once they had made it to the surface. They walked back out the door they had come in through and followed the path back to the streets above them.

Ra’Zahmirr shook hands with one of the other Khajiit. The other Khajiit that hadn’t fished Twilight out of the ocean went back into the dank cellar of the house. Twilight and Ra’Zahmirr walked through the silent house and out the front door.

During their walk back Twilight questioned Ra’Zahmirr on everything they had just gone through but Ra’Zahmirr was determined to be mysterious. Twilight asked about the area of the city and the location under the broken house. She asked how they came to find such a place. Why there specifically? Ra’Zahmirr didn’t have an answer for those questions so Twilight asked about what was being sold and what the cavernous room had been and Twilight thought she might actually get somewhere with that question since it seemed to excite Ra’Zahmirr to talk about. Twilight didn’t find satisfaction with his reply though, which composed of brief mention of euphoria and lethargy before going into a long and vague pseudo-philosophical speech about pieces of souls of Khajiit gods.

That didn’t make sense but Twilight hadn’t given up. Twilight would ask others if Ra’Zahmirr couldn’t tell her what she wanted to know. The walk back seemed shorter to Twilight. When they got to the docks also seemed much more lively than they were before. More boats had moored since they left early morning and crates of varying sizes trimmed the waterfront with few gaps along the barricade to allow passage between them and the docks.

“What’s with all the boxes?” asked Twilight.

“Supply ships for the city,” Ra’Zahmirr answered. “Fresh fish for the stalls, cloth and jewels and probably a few exotic animals. Perhaps you shall see a few when we make it to the market.”

Miram watched as Twilight and Ra’Zahmirr walked down the dock and Ra’zahmirr boarded the ship, leaving Twilight to wait while he talked with the captain. Miram walked off the boat and up to Twilight.

“So, how was it?” Miram asked, sounding only half sincere.

“Confusing,” Twilight answered.

“Well in another five minutes we are heading out but if you want I can do my best to help you figure it out once we’re done for the day. Alright?”

Twilight rolled back and sat down, visibly exasperated. However Twilight nodded in agreement to Miram’s proposal.

“I know how bad Ra’Zahmirr can be at explaining things sometimes,” Miram told Twilight with a smile. “But for now push it from your mind, it’s not even lunch yet.”

Twilight sighed in defeat and smiled back at Miram. “Alright, I’ll try to enjoy the rest of the day.”

Chapter 5: A Friendly Face

Twilight Sparkle had spent the day shopping with Miram and Ra’Zahmirr. On the whole the three hadn’t accomplished much in their shopping. Ra’Zamirr shelled out for a few books to keep Twilight entertained.

There were no official libraries in Senchal but occasionally a well established merchant might have a book or two; and if there were books to be found Twilight would be the one to find them. It took her all of an hour to pinpoint the only merchant to sell any books and set upon Ra’Zahmirr and Miram to get them.

Ra’Zahmirr had allowed her a certain limit and didn’t much care what she spent it on. He bought every book the merchant had, all three of them. Twilight had only seen two books though, the ones titled ‘Brief History of the Empire, Book 1’ and it’s sequel, ‘Brief History of the Empire, Book 2.’ Both of these books had an intricate design pressed into its faded scarlet cover. Twilight could hardly wait, these two books offered insight into the strange culture she found herself in.

Twilight wasn’t as thrilled at the aspect of the third book. It’s cover was more faded and rusty looking than the two history books. On the cover seemed to be what Twilight had come to know as a handprint, though this handprint seemed to be made of a strange artsy fire. Above the detailed design read the source of Twilight’s trepidation with this book. ‘The Art of War Magic.’ Twilight kept the book on principle but she decide she would wait to open it. For now, she would study the Empire of Tamriel.

The rest of the time spent at the market was spent with Miram dragging Twilight around to show her various stalls as she tried to explain to the lavender unicorn exactly what each stall was selling. Miram even got Twilight to try some traditional Elsweyr food at a few street vendors. Twilight only bought one other thing besides her books, a piece of some unknown black gem. it was small and the way it was cut made it look like it was involved in some sort of explosion rather than actually shaped. But Twilight didn’t care, it was an oddity and figured Rarity might like a look at the new kind of gem she had come across. Twilight silently promised herself to pick up something for her other friends if she could.

The eventful day was finally coming to a close and Ra’Zahmirr was leading the trio back towards the docks.

“Miram, go and head back to the ship. Ra’Zahmirr shall find a sleeping place for our new friend,” Ra’Zahmirr told Miram. Miram gave Ra’Zamirr a curt nod, waved goodbye to Twilight then set off.

“Am I not sleeping on the boat?” asked Twilight.

“No, purple one,” Ra’Zahmirr told her. “Many items are coming up from storage and it will be crowded enough. Besides, they will be waking early to begin work and you would be in the way at that point.”

“Oh,” Twilight said.

“Fret not, Ra’Zahmirr has already set up your sleeping arrangement for the night.” Ra’Zahmirr gave Twilight a little smile and began walking away as Twilight followed.

Ra’Zahmirr lead her to an unimpressive building and opened the door, motioning for her to enter. Twilight walked into the warm glow of the inn and was just as unimpressed as she had been at the inside as she was the outside. The main source of light was a large fire in the center of the room, bathing everything in it’s path in the warm glow that was attempting to walk out the door. A single counter at one end had another Khajiit behind it. Three stools stood in front of the counter with what Twilight assumed was another Breton on one of them. At the other end of the room was a single couch and table chair next to it.

Twilight Sparkle and Ra’Zahmirr walked up to the counter, earning looked from both of the people. Ra’Zahmirr threw a small bag of coins onto the table in front of the other Khajiit. The inn keeper opened the bag and poured its contents onto the counter and counted them out.

“I would like to purchase a single room over night for the unicorn I have brought here. The extra money in that bag is to make sure she is treated right and guarded properly,” Ra’Zahmirr said, with a glare towards the Breton.

“Does your pony have a name?” asked the inn keeper.

“My name is Twilight Sparkle, sir.” Twilight told him.

The Breton has been drinking from a mug at that time and nearly choked on it.

“You can talk,” the inn keeper said in astonishment. The inn keeper took a moment to compose himself before saying, “Your coins shall be accepted, though, when would you be back for her?”

“Ra’Zahmirr shall be up with the sun tomorrow.”

The inn keeper nodded and swept the coins back into their bag and put it somewhere behind the bar. He then pointed towards the first open door on his right and said, “when you are ready you will be sleeping there.”

Twilight nodded and thanked the inn keeper before going over and curling up on the couch on the other side of the room. Ra’Zahmirr told Twilight he would be back at sunrise and left the building, leaving Twilight to her books.

Twilight was about halfway through ‘Brief History of the Empire, Book 1’ when the Breton walked over to her spot on the couch. Twilight stared cautiously as the stranger sat down on the table chair, grasped his hands together and looked at Twilight. Twilight immediately noticed three large claw marks sweeping down the right side of his face. Each scar was far enough away that Twilight could tell whatever had hurt him had to have been very large.

“Uh, hello?” Twilight said with a nervous smile.

“Hello, no need to be nervous. I just want to talk with you, it just seems so odd to see a unicorn, and who would have guessed you talk.” The man said, giving Twilight the most genuine smile she’d seen all day, save for Miram, of course.

“Well it’s just as strange for me too see a Breton,” Twilight said, returning the smile. “So what’s your name?”

“Well firstly, I’m not a Breton. I’m an imperial,” the man informed her. “And my name is Vallius.”

“Imperial? I haven’t heard of them before.”

“Well,” Vallius began. “I come from Cyrodiil, which is just north of Elsweyr. Me personally, I’m a legionnaire.”

“Wait,” Twilight interrupted before Vallius could continue. The legion of the Empire?”

“You haven’t heard of imperials but know of the Empire?” Vallius asked. “Now I’m confused.”

“I don’t much about it yet,” Twilight admitted. “It was mentioned in passing in this book I’m reading.” Twilight said, showing him the book.

“Yeah that book is more of a tribute to the leaders of the Empire than anything else,” Vallius said with a knowing nod. “One thing it probably doesn’t mention that you might find interesting is that this Empire was founded in the second era.”

“Second era?” Twilight asked as she tilted her head to the left. “How long ago was that, I think we use a different year system.”

“Well we are in the fourth era now, in the year one hundred and seventy. So it’s been a few years,” Vallius said with a chuckle. “You definitely picked an interesting time to come to our land Twilight Sparkle, we hardly just got a new Emperor, Titus Mede the Second. The Thalmor’s influence in the Summerset Isles are at an all time high, and no doubt Valenwood and Elsweyr are on their list.”

“Okay,” Twilight said, shaking her head. “I understood maybe half of what you said. Who are the Thalmor? And I assume Valenwood is a place since you grouped it with Elsweyr.”

“It’s not really that important. Tomorrow I’ll be gone and one my back to the capital.”

Twilight just stared. She had always prided herself in her extensive knowledge but it was becoming painfully obvious she didn't know anything about this place.

“So tell me,” Vallius started as he took a sip from his mug. “How is it you find yourself in Tamriel?”

Twilight told him of her morning, about wanting to travel to far off places in significantly less time, and about how she wanted to go home but didn't even know the direction in which home was. She had just gotten to the part where she had fallen into the sea rather than onto the stone flooring of the Canterlot castle when Vallius interrupted her.

“I have heard rumors of mages using magic to create doors that took them to rooms without proper entrances in the arcane university,” Vallius said, looking lost in his words. “But to do so without a plate to increase magika, and so far. You must be one of the most powerful spell casters in your homeland."

Twilight blushed at the compliment and simply said “Well my special talent is magic.”

“No kidding,” was Vallius’ only response.

The two talked for a little while but it was much longer before Vallius had to say goodnight and walked over to his room. Twilight stayed up a little while longer to read more of her book but eventually followed Vallius’ actions and went to her room for the night.

Twilight slept easy that night, thankful for the helpful and friendly people she had met so far. Her last thought that day was the question of why everyone seemed so protective.

Author's Note

This chapter was kind of short but I refuse to make something longer or shorter than it needs to be without proper justification. I would have grouped this with the next chapter (which will likely be relatively short as well) but I feel the next one should be separate because spoiler reasons.

Chapter 6: Stendarr's Absence

Miram moved through the streets as quickly as she could without drawing much attention to herself. She hated walking the streets of Senchal alone, but she knew arguing with Ra’Zahmirr would get her nowhere. He might be able to show some small kindness at times but most of the time he was an abrasive man.

Miram was nearing the shore when the sun finally fell beneath the water. She hurried to the ship and reported her captain, Navito.

“You return,” Navito idly noted without looking up from the card game he was playing on deck. “Where is Ra’Zahmirr and the unicorn?”

“He’s finding a place for her to sleep tonight,” Miram explained.

“Very well. Navito- Wins again!” Navito exclaimed as he threw down the cards he had been holding onto the box they had repurposed as a card table, knocking over several empty bottles. Navito greedily pulled the gold coins towards his corner of the box. The other Khajiit groaned but still threw more gold into the center as the cards were distributed again.

“I think I’m going to head to bed now,” Miram said, motioning towards the door that lead below decks. “If there is nothing else, Captain.”

“Navito was actually about to tell you that you looked as if you needed rest.” Navito said, still not looking at Miram. Miram silently marveled at the head Khajiit’s aptitude for situational awareness.

“Thank you, sir,” Miram said as she turned and walked down below decks and swiftly found her bunk. She closed her eyes knowing she was in the one place she could sleep peacefully.

Miram was woken by the young Khajiit that rode along as the cabin boy. She slowly rolled out of bed and got to her feet. It took her about 10 minutes before she was actually moving though. Once she was she headed over to the ship’s galley and made a quick breakfast before heading topside to begin the supplies load.

Miram watched the beginning of the sunrise before the unfortunately hungover Navito yelled at her to grab a box and start helping.

“No! Ra’Zahmirr never showed up last night, so why don’t you take care of it, Omurabi!” Shouted Navito at the Khajiit called Omurabi, “take that box and all the boxes in the pile that one came from and put them where the pony was sleeping! Hurry up, we haven’t got all morning.”

Navito had turned his attention to the two Khajiit he had been playing cards the night before with who were now hanging off the side of the ship. Navito began to chew them out for their irresponsibility for getting drunk before a work day if they couldn't handle the hang over. Miram noted Navito’s sour mood and made sure she always looked busy.

As Miram stepped off the boat to grab a box of supplies from the pier she thought she heard a faint splash. But with Navito’s screams she couldn’t be sure.

As Miram stepped back onto the boat she saw what appeared to be a spell fly across the deck and hit one of her hungover shipmates who was currently being yelled at. The Khajiit seemed to get angrier with each passing second after the flash of magic.

Then, out of nowhere, the Khajiit turned and gave the smaller Khajiit a mighty uppercut with his claws fully extended. Navito stopped yelling. He was backing away from the large and angry Khajiit and the smaller one that was now lying motionless on the deck of the ship.

“Omurabi!” Navito called out. “Omurabi bring my sword, you’re closest.” Navito was still backing away from the enraged Khajiit, and when no reply came he called out once more for Omurabi.

“Captain.” One of the deck hands said, pointing just over the side of the boat. “I found Omurabi.”

Miram ran over to see a pool of red in the water with a familiar Khajiit face down in the dark waters. Miram turned away, not wanting to look at it, only to see the lying form of the Khajiit that had been uppercut. From this angle Miram could make out the three long, deep scratches that sliced him from his gut all the way up to his throat. Though the Khajiit’s throat was not slit it was apparent that he would not survive. Only suffer.

Miram looked away again. She turned to watch her Captain standing off against the Khajiit, now with a sword in hand.

“Are you mad?” Demanded Navito.

The large Khajiit answered by moving forward to strike at Navito and while Navito was hung over the large Khajiit’s moves were clumsy. Navito performed a parry, moving the Khajiit’s claws away before bring his sword down and liberating the striking arm of the Khajiit from his elbow.

The Khajiit howled in pain as he backed away and examined the stump where his arm was, then the lump of flesh on the deck.

“Why?” was the only word the escaped his mouth before he fell back and didn’t get back up.

Everyone on the deck had a sword out now, one was even passed to Miram, who was not prepared for any fight. Miram was no soldier, she had hardly used a sword at all in her entire life. But here she was, scimitar in hand.

Navito had just ended the suffering of the Khajiit on the deck and was now trying to get the crew’s attention and it was in that brief moment of confusion that Miram heard a terrible wheezing noise. She turned to see a Khajiit facing away from the group. The back of his cloak slowly soaking all the blood from his fresh puncture wound. Miram screamed.

The Khajiit fell to his knees as he tried to lift his arm to point somewhere but he collapsed before anyone could see where he was trying to point. Navito came over, calling for Zan’Nir, the boats designated doctor, as he did so.

“Zan’Nir does not like the look of this,” Zan’Nir said, rubbing his chin. “He appears to have been stabbed through the lung. He will only feel angony as his lungs slowly fill with his own blood.”

Navito gave a grim nod as he gripped his sword. Navito muttered something that sounded to Miram like an apology before he thrust his sword into him , putting an end to the life of the Khajiit as well as ending his pain. Navito slowly stood up and turned to his crew who had been watching.

“We aren’t alone, fan out and search!” Navito barked as his crew.

The rest of the crew began to wearily peak around the many boxes that littered the deck, knowing any one of them might be concealing whatever evil was doing this. A few Khajiit moved towards the back end of the ship and began opening barrels that weren’t nailed shut. No one saw anything.

Miram had been approached by Zan’Nir who was trying to make sure she was going to be able to use the sword she held in her shaky grasp. The rest of the crew were walking back to report that they hadn’t found anything when one of them asked.

“Hey, where’d the captain go?”

As if on cue the rustling of chains from the side of the ship came as an answer. Everyone ran over to see the source of the noise.

Over the side of the ship was Navito. The chains had been wrapped around his neck like a noose, thought many suspected that hadn’t been what killed him. From the overhead view they almost couldn't make out the fact that his intestines were now halfway hanging from his gut. Almost.

“What in Oblivion is going on here!” Demanded Zan’Nir.

The crew nearly fell overboard as the ship felt a sudden jerk as it surged away from the pier and began full speed towards the shallow and rocky waters that surrounded the island in the center of the inlet they were docked in.

The group ran towards the ship’s steering wheel, seeing that someone had cut the mooring lines along the way. When they got to the steering wheel they saw that one of their shipmate’s swords had been stabbed deeping between the rods of the control wheel, locking it in place.

Several of the remaining crew tried to remove the sword so they could steer away from the incoming crash, but none of them were successful.

Miram and Zan’Nir had gotten in one of the three rowboats and were launching off, none of the other Khajiit joined them, they hadn’t given up yet. Not while whomever was responsible was still on board.

As Miram and Zan’Nir were about to launch the raft they saw a darkened figure leaning against the shadowed side of the main mast.

“That must be our guy,’ one Khajiit said as they walked down onto the main deck and approached the figure, surrounding the intruder.

When they did the noticed it was a Wood Elf who wearing the black and red cloak of the Dark Brotherhood, an ancient guild of assassins. A Wood Elf, who was wearing a terrible grin.

The Elf’s arms began to slowly glow as he moved them about himself. The crew wasted no time and rushed the assassin, swords extended. It was in that instant that a spinning ball of flames danced and leapt into the air, reaching hungrily for anything they could consume to fuel their wrath.

When the orb of fire ceased the deck and mast had caught and the entire boat was in danger of going up in flames. Past the flames Miram could only watch through blurry eyes as the Elf walked towards them, leaving behind several charred corpses.

Zan’Nir cut the ropes holding them in place and began rowing towards the shore. MIram simply sat there, unable to breath or even hear the simplicity of her own heart beat which raced in her chest.

They weren’t very far off shore but in the two minutes it took them to get back the entire boat had run aground on the jagged rocks and what was left above water had burst into the same caliber of flame that the Elf had conjured before.

Zan’Nir had climbed onto the pier first. Miram still watched the boat she had called home burn. After a minute she reached her hand up, taking the extended arm that helped her up. Miram couldn’t see the face but this arm lacked a significant amount of fur.

When she had been pulled up onto the pier she stood face to face with the Wood Elf that has just slaughtered the only family Miram had ever known. She tried to pull away but he had a firm grasp on her arm and he clearly had no intention of letting her walk away from this.

Miram looked around for Zan’Nir, only to find him laying facedown in a pool of his own blood. She darted her eyes back to the thing in front of her terror sinking into every fiber of her being.

“Why?” asked Miram. “Please, you’re going to kill me anyway. I just want to know why!” Miram didn’t want to die but she knew she was out of options. She stopped struggling, about ready to accept her fate once she had an answer to her question.

“What a delightful question,” answered the Elf in a tone that was so sincerely happy it only disturbed Miram. It was the kind of tone a merchant would use to thank a customer. Managing to sound both genuinely cheery and artificial.

“I’d say it was just business but if I’m being completely honest I got more than my fair share of pleasure from this little escapade we had here tonight,” the Wood Elf said in that same, too happy tone.

“Can’t I at least know your name?” asked Miram. “So I know who to curse with my last breath.” Miram had accepted she would die, but by the nine she would find this man in the afterlife if she had anything to say about it.

“Foroch,” the Wood Elf casually answered with a smile. “The name you want to curse is Foroch.”

“I’ll find you Foroch,” Miram spat through her teeth, knowing this was the end. “When you finally get what you deserve I’ll find you in the next world and I will have my vengeance then.” Miram was shaking now, her fight finally coming up now that it was too late.

“There isn’t a doubt in my mind that you will,” Foroch said as he slipping his dagger between Miram’s ribs. Foroch leaned his head next to Miram’s and whispered into her ear, “but you might have wait in line when that day comes.”

Miram hit the cold cobblestone, watching helplessly as the Wood Elf Foroch escaped into the morning mist. Miram turned her head and looked towards the sky to watch the last sunrise she would ever watch. Shortly after the daily spectacle Miram’s vision went dark and she breathed out her last breath.

Author's Note

If any of you are wondering why this chapter was called "Stendarr's Absence" it's because Stendarr is the god of Justice and the god of Mercy. I'd say there wasn't much of either going on here.