Chapter two: general recovery

A sudden burst of consciousness sparked in Twilight's mind. She was waking up. it felt like she had not moved in years. her legs were cramped and achy, her bones creaked, and her horn felt like it was literally dusty. Twilight's slowly shifting consciousness was rattled as the magic circles as if in slow motion flared and then failed as a heavy armored hand burst through the stone in one blast tearing the stone asunder letting the little pony spill out. The fresh smell of blood and burning bodies was unfamiliar on her nose

"What in oblivion?...HA...Baldir...check this out!...I found a present you can give that wee lass you call a grand daughter..." A heavy hand gripped her horn tightly and she was man handled out of the stone box. Coughing and groaning she was till in a great deal of pain. Her eyes weakly opened to see death all around her. Four men and one woman stood around a small group of dead people with Yellow skin. Her box was stuck onto an old cart and from the look of things, the men and women carrying the whole thing were killed on the spot by these raiders. She was still profoundly confused as to why she was not given the same form like the last time she went through a mirror like that but at the moment she had some more pressing concerns.

"A purple horse?....yeah Freya would like that and her birthday is coming up soon...but what is all this crap coming out of its back?" A brutish rude hand grabbed her wing and pulled it out to its full length as another voice chuckled.

"Its a winged purple unicorn...ha!...its so small...maybe its just a colt...oh she will love it.."

"Sure..why not..I mean if she doesn't like it we can just eat it"

The others laughed as Twilight struggled, still too weak to just teleport, not that it would do her any good. She was far too weak to fly at the moment and she was confident that spike was still in the box. "hey...look its got a matching lizard...you can give that to your grandson..." She could see Spike being held up by a thick and heavy armored hand.

"Whoa...wait...Baldir!....these supplies were going up to Winterhold... if we take them your old girl friend will be pissed off as all hell."

there was a sudden shift of wind as she could vaguely make out the biggest of the men punching another of the men in the face knocking him out clean. "If you rather enjoy having teeth you will not call her my girl friend...that angry bitch has caused me nothing but trouble...damned mages..."

Another voice chimed in, calm and collected, somewhat raspy as thick with an accent as the others but clearly different

"...No...Hijmaar put that thing down...according to these papers it came out of oblivion with the hero of kvach 200 something years ago"

Twilight was promptly dropped and the others stepped back from her as a light set of footsteps came in closer. She could feel the owner of the significantly different voice smoothing its hand over her head. "Poor beast...dont worry...you will be fine...I will take you to winterhold... the arch mage will take good care of you..."

The voice was so soothing it, as it spoke Twilight was reminded of Celestia's kindness and calm demeanor. Looking up at this figure it was clearly female and very feline in appearance. A bow was resting firmly on its back. The figure pushed the still warm spike into Twilight's arms. Twilight weakly looked up and spoke

"T...thank you..."

The figure flinched and all the men took a step back as the big one pulled out a thick blade "its clearly a daedra of some sort...kill it now..."

The female holding her so close reached back and gripped a dagger at her belt. "you are the last one that should be talking like that baldir...The creature is obviously sentient, and in pain..."

"Then let me put it out of its misery."

She shook her head and did not give an inch "No....Taara paid to have this creature delivered to her, she knows something we do not and if you want to continue with this then you will face me as well as her...and you know how well that one went last time..."

The man she called Baldir was taken back a little rubbing a scar on his neck. "You had better know what your doing Ra'shala...."

She nodded "I know exactly what Im doing... Taara and I both apparently wish for this poor beast to live. That is two of the grand three...you will find that you are quite outnumbered here..."

The old muscle bound man known as Baldir grunted and nodded waving his hand as if dismissing the whole ordeal. Though weak Twilight sighed in relief  as she was carefully picked up by this Feline woman called Ra'shala and set upon a new carriage that was partially loaded with loot from the raid sight. "You had better not be some sort of Daedra there little horse"

A pair of clawed hands carefully pulled the cork on a small bottle and  tilted back Twilight's head letting a sour and bitter combination of fluids drain down her throat instantly giving her a warming feel as the pains from her old burns and bruises started to fade.

"D...daedra?...what?..."

"The beings that inhabit the fiery realm that the Hero of Kvach found you in... This may or may not be a shock to you but...that was 237 years ago..." Twilight was just barely able to move now, warmth returning to her limbs.

"Please...give some of that medicine to Spike..." She looked at Twilight with a soft confused look. "Um...the dragon..."

She pulled in Spike with her hooves and Ra'shala smiled holding out the bottle. Twilight's weakened magic grasped the bottle to Ra'shala's surprise and slowly came to spike's mouth as a bit drained in. Hope returned to Twilight's heart as he groaned in pain.

"Dragon?..." Ra'shala looked very confused. "why is he so small then?...oh goodness..."

Her hand pressed firmly against Spike's chest. "Oh my...yes...he is a dragon...that is so strange....Taara is going to have a field day...goodness..."

"Um...if I may ask.." Twilight grunted in main shifting into a more comfortable laying position with spike hugged up close to her.

"Who is this Taara?..." Ra'shala smiled and almost laughed.

"Well..shes a bit of a recluse...but... well if you can get along with some stuffy woman who lives out of a library, has OCD, and is obsessed with history and magic then you will be fine.."

the carriage bumped along as it started to head north. Deep down Twilight shivered in a fair amount of despair yet at Ra'shala's description of Taara she smiled and hope began to warm at her heart, just enough to bring a smile to her face.

"Good..."