Chapter 3: Hello everypony....huh?

End of day 1

Twilight struggled and strained finally making it to her feet.

"Ah...you surprise this one....You do not look strong enough to stand on your own..."

Twilight looked back with a sarcastic "gee thanks" look as she sat back down. She could not believe that it had been 200 years. She hoped desperately that 200 years had not passed back in Equestria. But if this arch mage Taara was anything like Ra'shala lead on she would not have any troubles.

"Does anypony have anything to eat around here?"

The big man Baldir laughed loudly and Ra'shala looked down at her. "any...pony?....This one takes it there are only ponies where you come from?"

Twilight flinched a little in thought. "Ah..um...yes mostly just ponies where I come from. I suppose that's...not...the norm around here?"

"Not lest you are from the Shimmering isles beasty and even then...heh!" The other men called the carriages to a halt and started pitching a few tents. "We make for camp here... someone give the stupid Daedra horse something to eat..."

Caught between anger and sadness Twilight felt a little more incline to stick with the feline woman Ra'shala than with all the large human men. "Um...Ra'shala was it?....do you have anything edible?"

The woman looked over and smiled warmly "Yes little pony, This one has apples, some spare wine, and horker meat." She placed each in front of Twilight as she spoke them aloud.

"Um...th..thank you. I will just go for the apples..." The apple in front of her magically raised and came to her where she eagerly ate it. "Um...hey...thank you very much for all you have done for me...I am very greatful"

The woman smiled warmly and happily "It is no problem...This one knows what it is like to be in a strange land where no one knows much about your kind or even trusts you....ah this one forgets....What is your name little pony?"

Twilight smiled hoping that Ra'shala would be a friend she could keep for a long time. "I am Princess Twilight sparkle.."

all at once every man in the small group burst out laughing. Baldir at their lead. Surprisingly even Ra'shala was holding back some laughter, but she shook it off "Two things this one recommends to you while you stay here in Skyrim... I know it may seem a little insulting but try not to refer to yourself as a princess... to the common eye you will appear a beast of burden. And second This one suggests you just call yourself Twilight...or something else....The Nords of this land...are not the nicest and I have witnessed unneeded deaths sparked from what they deem silly names..."

Twilight grimaced. Where these people such barbarians as to literally kill someone just because they had a silly name. "Talos save us.... Aye beastie and just what is your royal linage, oh great and magestic sparkly unicorn beastie" Baldir gave a gravely exaggerated bow as he spewed his lines with sarcasm so think that the other men nearly choked on it as they were throne into a laughing fit.

"I am a princess!....I am the princess of Friendshiiiii...p...." She only just realized how much more silly that would sound to these meat headed men who right on queue burst into an even heartier laughter.

"Ra'shala...you were right...its a good idea to spare this little beast...forget your jester friend this thing is ten times as hilarious..." Twilight was understandably very insulted but she figured the culture here was just destined to make her angry. So she just decided to cuddle up in the cold air with the still not yet awakened spike and try to get some sleep.

"This one does not care... despite how silly it sounds, it is a wonderful idea...friendship.." Ra'shala's smile looked very authentic and unlike the men she was not pointing and laughing. "and do not mind the Nords...they are headstrong even if a little bit racist..."

"I have been meaning to ask, How many races are there on this world?...back home we have the three main races and a surplus of sub races and other kingdoms each with its own race." She smiled looking up at her new friend.

"this one does not know it all...but...as you see...these men are Nords...they claim to be the first humans they live her in Skyrim....then there are the Imperials to the south in Cyrodiil, the dark elves to the east in Morrowind but they are scattered from the eruption of red mountain, the Bretons to the west in Daggerfall, below that there is Hammerfel, land of the Redguard, they are just more humans. South of Morrowind is Blackmarsh home to the argonians... they are the lizard people of Tamriel...oh which is the continent we are on...on the southern most part of Tamriel is my homeland...Elsweyr.. either sandy or full of jungle it is as beautiful as it is dangerous...oh and then there is Valenwood to the west of that and the Summerset isles off the coast even further south west. the other two elf races live there...but there is more and were more races of man and mer to this land...but only the Argonians and us...the Khajiit are real natives to this land...but you can read all that I dont know in the library at the college....the collection there is massive....just dont abuse the books...Urag may be an old orc but he has lit my tail on fire twice for dropping his books on the floor."

She chuckled happily as Twilight's hopes soared. This land sounded like it was jam packed to the brim with knowledge and history. Had she not been stranded here and still in great pain she would have been hopping around in joy at the thought of being on the way to such a place as this college of winterhold. "wow...there is so much to your world...I cant wait to hear all about it..."

"Likewise this one believes that Taara will wish to hear the history of your land. This one believes you two will become good friends..." Smiling warmly the Khajiit chuckled a little thinking of the small clashes the two would have and how quickly they would get over it.

Fires lit and the two conversed happily for a bit of the night before Twilight fell asleep. The bitter cold was warded off by the fire and by a mages cloak Ra'shala happily pulled from the loot chests and draped over twilight and Spike.

Morning of day 2

Twilight yawned and looked up groggy and sluggish. The sun had hardly raised and yet the carriage she had fallen asleep in was bumping around on the road. She had slept right through the cleanup and start of the day.

"Good morning princess beastie..." One of the men laughed as he set a copper and moonstone circlet on her head. Though to her surprise she felt suddenly stronger.

"Wh..what?...what is that?"

Ra'shala stepped in nudging the laughing nord. "The Nord was just playing a joke on you dont worry..."

"No...I feel stronger...this crown...its...giving me power..."

"Keen princess...yes, this one believes the crown given to you is enchanted...it is one of the magics of this land... to make things better basically as this one has learned...you will know more of it later I am sure..."

Twilight nodded and looked to the north. it was already snowy where they were. She wondered when they would arrive at this Winterhold. Ra'shala plopped another apple and a small piece of bread in front of her and Twilight in turn smiled happily eating most of it but turned her attention to spike who had still not waken up. She was growing more and more concerned, but the night previous she had learned of the mages of Winterhold and held hope that one or two of them would know how to help the dragon.

Mid day of day 2

"Hey...wake up you daft beastie" A sudden and heavy thud on the cart woke Twilight from a nap she had not noticed she had slipped into.

"We are here oh princess of friendship...now kindly get out of sight...your arch mage is in that giant building over there...I think...I am not sticking around to find out...you four...make sure that you get the money from all this and see how much that bitch was paying to get a talking purple horse from the damned Thalmor..." The other Nodded  and quickly darted about taking the cart deeper into the city as Baldir simply went into one of the first buildings on the right.

The city however was amazing. Half of it was old and nearly in ruins. It looked as though it had been destroyed in some cataclysmic event, but then utterly rebuilt. about a tenth of the way into the city right about where the main structure which she believed to be the college they all spoke of, there stopped being ground and what looked like a giant dock started. Separated into 8 groupings with drastically different architecture for each area the city expanded over what Twilight only got a small glimpse at and so she guessed was a massive harbor under the immense city.

"This is amazing...Ra'shala..so much variation in each area..."

"This one believes you will be great friends with the arch mage.... Taara has only just recently finished the restoration project here... Winterhold was once barely a town... two dozen people at most lived here...and mostly in the college...but Taara remade the city and now she thrives once again.."

There was a sudden flare of power that made Twilight flinch and look over to see a woman. It was clear she was important. not elderly but old, as old or older than the Nord Baldir. But she was so well composed and it was obvious she was once a very beautiful woman.

"Rashala?...is that you?...oh finally someone other than a brainless Nord comes to visit..." Ra'shala smiled happily and in return gestured for Twilight to join her. Quickly plopping the still unconscious spike on her back she trotted up, and the woman's eyes widened.

"Well Taara...the bone headed Nord as you requested this one call him...was running his raiding parties on elven caravans illegally entering Skyrim...and the trade manifesto had your name on it...this is um...well Princess Twilight from Equestria as this one has been lead to understand."

Twilight gave a polite bow. "You must be the arch mage... my new friend Ra'shala has told me so much about you...I cant wait to learn more."

Taara looked blankly at the little alicorn before smiling. "wow they weren't kidding when they said it was something I had never seen before....well then...Hello ...um..princess...I am arch mage Taara Silvershield, one of the three." The way she said "one of the three" seemed to imply that it meant something very important, even legendary.

Remembering a detail Twilight quickly raised Spike up with her magic. "Ah...yes um...my friend here hasnt woken since I fist came into this world...I think something is wrong with him can you please help?"

Taara looked Spike over with intense curiosity.

"Why this is utterly fascinating...a dragon....in its infancy..." she picked him up and turned him over in her hands. Twilight's heart filled with hope and fear.

"Hes a baby dragon yes...but...dont you have dragons here?...how is it fascinating? and can you help him?"

"Its fascinating because Dragons are not born... they were created by Akatosh. They are immortal beings that cannot procreate at least not to my knowledge. How have you come across and infant of their species?..."

Twilight shrugged. "He hatched from an egg and has been with me ever since."

"Fascinating...as are you as well little princess" She focused and her fingers lit up just before she poked Spike in the belly. Instantly his body lit up in runes, the same exact runes that appeared when she saw the stone slab magically seal over the container she spent 200 years in.

"You see...dragons are incredibly resistant to magic...so its very unlikely that he took well to whatever it was that sealed you two away... its like paint and a sponge while he was a rock. You absorbed the magical energies when you were sealed away...he was just coated in it...sure it still sealed him away but as you could just be rung out by opening the box and breaking the seal you have to magically scrub the seal off of this guy....here.. he should be fine now"

she held spike out in her hand and overturned it letting him plot straight onto the ground with a hearty splat.

"Whaaaaa!....Twilight!! wh...what happened?" Spike weakly looked about struggling to haul himself onto his feet.

"Shhh Spike we are kinda stranded right now, dont panic too much we will find a way home dont worry..." She hauled him onto her back and looked back up at Taara.

"thank you so much arch mage...I am very very grateful. Please allow me to come into your college, I would love to learn as much as possible before I find a way back to my home. But I will be ever happy to share the magic of friendship with you."

Taara smiled getting the feeling she would like this small purple horse. "aye... that can work...in the mean time its been a while and Im sure you have had a long trip, as per tradition in new friendship, let this old Breton show you the wonderful magic of alcohol"