Sunset's Adventure in Skyrim

by Blackdrag-rose

Rating: teen
Tags: Sunset Shimmer, Gore, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Dark, Other, Tirek, Adventure, Crossover, Human
Length: 269555

Sunset Shimmer enters the portal to Equestria and finds herself in Skyrim. The only problem is that Tirek is there as well.

Sunset Shimmer almost succeeded in taking over Canterlot High, stopped the Sirens from taking over her new home, and managed to prevent the destruction of two worlds. She feels that she deserves a break and decides to return to Equestria during her summer break. Unfortunately, when she enters the portal she appears in a land that is different from the worlds she's already been to. Now she has to save this world before she can even focus on returning home.

Unfortunately, she's not the only Equestrian that's appeared in this new world, as one of Equestria's most dangerous villains is loose to do whatever he pleases. How will she cope with having to save this new world from Tirek?
(This is a different Skyrim story than my Sombra visits Skyrim story)
(Part of the Universe 13 story series, though reading the other stories is not required)

Published 2015-11-22 18:30:01 UTC
Last updated 2016-05-07 17:26:46 UTC

2: Helgen's Destruction

"T...T...Tirek?!" Sunset exclaimed, slowly backing up until her back was pressed against the wall of her side of the cell, "f... f... fancy m... meeting y... you h... here..."

"I did not come here of my own free will, little unicorn," Tirek stated, raising to full height and trying to step towards her, but caught his chains and pulled back, "If I had even an ounce of my power I would be draining you of all your magic before making my escape from this... wretched prison. I did not escape from Tartarus and get beaten by a foolish pony princess and her friends, only to end up in yet another prison in the back end of nowhere. I have yet to decide whether I want to decimate this entire world or enslave it and rule over it..."

Sunset didn't bother saying anything, as she knew from the tales she had read that Tirek was quick to anger and usually destroyed everything around him, though the level of destruction depended on how much magical power he had at the time. She had also heard about Princess Twilight's battle with him, so she knew that enraging him wasn't something she wanted to do right now, not when she had no idea how to use this world's magic. She knew that, from her teachings under Princess Celestia, that it would require focus and some understanding of the arcane to accurately use magic, though she was missing the understanding at the moment.

Though while she thought about this world's magic she glanced over at Tirek and noticed something odd, he was shaking and wobbling like his body was weak. It was then that she realized that he had been telling the truth about his power level, he was severally weakened from his fight with Princess Twilight that it looked like it reverted him to an old man. That fact filled her with some hope, as that meant that if someone were to put him down before he could regain any of his powers they would break his connection to this world and send him back to Tartarus. Then she recalled the bit where the guard had said that they would be heading to someplace called Helgen, but seeing how it was a time of war they were likely heading to an execution.

She could save this world from Tirek without having to lift a finger, if he was called to the block before she was.

Sunset would have liked to to pass the time by talking to someone, but the guard outside her cell, whose job it appeared to be to watch her cell and the cells near her own, ignored her completely. She tried to talk to the people around her, just to understand where she had ended up and if she could formulate a plan to escape from her latest fate, but they also ignored her. One would have thought she would talk to Tirek, so she could learn about Tartarus and write her own book on it, one that would land her a famous book in the eyes of many ponies of Equus, but they would have been wrong. Sunset had no desire to talk to Tirek, even if it meant that she would have to sit in silence and wait for the day to slowly end, watching the sun eventually set from her cell.

Eventually she allowed the darkness to take her, so she could sleep the misery of her current position to pass by until whoever was in charge of the fort called them forward to meet their fates.

When Sunset woke up she slowly opened her eyes and found that the area around her was moving, not to mention that it appeared to be the early morning. She closed her eyes, so she wouldn't have to see anything else until they had arrived at their destination, but then whatever she was sitting in hit a bump in the road and forced her to open them anyway. As she gazed at who was sitting across from her she wished that she had kept her eyes open, as Tirek was staring right at her, almost as if he was plotting how to steal her magic. Sitting on Sunset's left was a man that was dressed in rags, though he had short black hair and was just staring off into the distance, almost as if he was lost in thought.

Across from that man was one of the blue chainmail wearing soldiers she had seen before they, and by effect herself, had been captured by the more organized soldiers. To her right was the leader of the chainmail wearing soldiers himself, though whoever had captured them had bound his mouth closed with a gag. And across from the leader was a second man dressed in rags, though he was constantly looking around as if he was looking for a way to escape his fate. Sunset looked down and noticed that they were sitting in a wagon, though when she looked behind the path they were traveling down she spotted another one following them, carrying the rest of the chainmail soldiers.

"So, your finally awake," the soldier said, turning to face her before beckoning to Tirek, "I'm not sure who this guy is, but he's been staring at you for the last half hour since we left Fort Neugrad. He seems concerned for your well-being, but the Imperials wouldn't let him get any closer to you than he already is."

"Ugh...not this again," Sunset moaned, knowing that Tirek wanted her magic more than anything, "His name is Tirek, and unfortunately he actually doesn't care what happens to anyone around him, as long as he can absorb their magic. All he cares about is absorbing the magic of the native population of whatever world he's on and conquering whatever enemies there might be. Be warned, this demon considers each and every one of you an enemy and will stop at nothing to make sure that you are crushed under his iron hooves."

"So he's a dremora then?" the man to her left finally said, lifting his head to look at Tirek, "Strange though, dremora aren't supposed to be wandering Tamriel anymore, not since the barrier between Oblivion and Nirn was closed during the Oblivion Crisis. And from what you have already said he's clearly not a summoned familiar, which would have disappeared by this point in time if he had been one. Maybe he was there during the Oblivion Crisis and managed to latch onto our world by sacrificing most of his power, so he could plan for the future and regain his power when he desired."

Tirek started to laugh, as if what the ragged man had said was funny to him, and continued to do so until the soldier at the head of the wagon told him to shut up. It was then that the people they were traveling with, the chainmail wearing soldier, the soldier's commander, and the other ragged man, who Sunset learned happened to be a thief, shared their own one sided conversation, with the soldier taking the lead over the entire thing. The other man remained silent, though it was clear that he was trying to study Tirek so he could figure out a way to send him back to 'Oblivion', wherever that happened to be.

Sunset decided to just listen to the two, grabbing bits of information about a variety of gods and goddesses, a few locations in this strange land she had found herself in, and the heated hatred between the 'Stormcloaks' and the 'Thalmor'. The small town they eventually stopped at, where the Imperials were taking them, was a place called Helgen and the people watched them pass them by with interest in their eyes. She had no idea what they could be interested in, as the six of them, and however many were on the other wagon, were heading to their deaths. Eventually the wagons stopped near a wall, where the chainmail wearing soldier said that they 'shouldn't keep the gods waiting for them' before they slowly walked off the wagon.

"Step towards the block when we call your name." one of the Imperials, one that Sunset assumed was a captain by her uniform, said as she and another soldier stood before the assembled group, "One at a time."

"Ulfric Stormcloak," the other soldier said, looking up from his list as the commander walked towards the block, "Jarl of Windhelm. Ralof of Riverwood and Lokir of Rorikstead."

The chainmail wearing soldier walked forwards and joined the rest of his comrades in front of what Sunset assumed was the headsman's area. The thief, on the other hand, declared that the Imperials had no right sentencing him to death and then bolted for the path they had used to enter the town. The captain commanded the man, Lokir, to stop in his tracks, but as he ignored them she commanded the nearby archers to fire upon him, to which Sunset watched three arrows tear into the man's chest, causing him to hit the ground and start bleeding to death.

"You there, step forward!" the soldier said, pointing at the ragged man standing beside Sunset, who stepped forward to meet his fate, "Who are you?"

"I am Bjorn Wyrmsblood," the man replied, quite proudly Sunset noted, "I hunt beasts that terrorize the people of Skyrim. I was caught near the area where you captured these Stormcloaks. I would like to be released so I can return home, so I can pick up my list of beasts that need to be culled and continue where I left off."

The soldier turned to his captain, apparently asking whether they should let him go or send him to the block as well, before the captain directed him towards the block. Sunset felt sorry for the man, or nord as noted as that was what the captain called him, as he had literally be at the wrong place at the wrong time, just like she had been. The soldier then directed his hand towards Tirek, apparently wishing to know who else they had captured and would soon be putting down with the Stormcloaks.

"I AM TIREK!" Tirek stated, clearly trying to intimidate the two soldiers, and everyone else around them, "I hail from the realm of Tartarus, where monsters like me are imprisoned until the end of time, or until one of us decides to make a break for it and escape. I have drained countless ponies of their magic and have battled with creatures that would pulverize this entire pitiful town without even using their full power. Trust me when I tell you this, you pitiful mortals, when I have my full power I shall decimate your land and slaughter whoever tries to stand against me."

"Yeah, your going to the block," the captain said, directing the soldiers to take Tirek towards the block while she tried to control her laughter at the thought of an old man taking them all down, "And now, who is the last prisoner?"

"Sunset Shimmer of Equus," Sunset replied, noticing that neither soldier knew exactly where she was talking about, "I'm just a poor soul that was snatched from her home world and dropped off in some foreign world, with a monster from her history books walking before her eyes. Please, just cut me loose and let me find my way home. I have nothing to do with your war."

The soldier looked at the captain again, silently asking the same question he had asked her before, before sighing and directing her to the block with the others. Sunset sighed and silently approached the crowded area, watching the chainmail wearing soldiers shuffle around uncomfortably as they glanced between the Imperials and Tirek. It was clear that they had no idea what to think of either side, almost as if they were wondering which one of them was the larger threat to their survival. Sunset stared at the headsman's block as she stopped near Tirek, not wanting to see the demon that would endanger the world they were in if he was given the chance.

One Imperial, one that Sunset assumed was the commander of the entire Imperial forces by his armor, stopped in front of the commander of the Stormcloaks, Ulfric she recalled. The commander went on and on about how Ulfric had challenged the 'High King', killed him in single combat, and fled the capital with a company of soldiers to guard him. Sunset listened to the one sided exchange, interested in what had happened before her arrival, though she was afraid that anything she learned would be worthless in the long run. Then, as suddenly as the exchange had started, the commander ended it and commanded someone to give them what he referred to as their 'last rites'.

Sunset also noticed a strange sound echo through the mountain pass they had traveled through to get to the small town, though she wasn't the only one to notice the echo.

One lady, dressed up as a priestess, stepped forward and started giving them their last rites, intoning all of the Eight Divines while causing a Stormcloak soldier to proclaim something about a 'Talos' while walking towards the block. Not moments later a soldier forced the soldier to kneel and the headsman lifted up his axe and took the soldier's head off in a single swing, causing Sunset to moan slightly. She knew what people were capable of, if given the right motive, but she wasn't used to seeing the blood run from someone's body like this. It was after the soldier's death that a second echo moved through the mountains, though Sunset knew that, whatever it was, was getting much closer to their location.

"Next, the want to be dremora!" the captain called out, pointing right at Tirek, much to the surprise of everyone around him, "Bring him forward and let's be done with this!"

Two soldiers clamped their hands on Tirek's shoulders and pulled him up to the block, where they eased him against the ground and laid his head over the headsman's block, pulling his hood back to give the headsman a clear shot at his neck. Then, just mere seconds before the headsman lifted his axe in the air, a roar ripped through the air as a massive winged beast, with scales almost as black as night, appeared in the clouds behind the tower. Sunset's eyes widened as the beast landed on the tower and the townspeople shouted that the beast was a dragon, which was seconds before it roared at them and flaming rocks started falling from the sky.

Sunset moaned as she felt the aftershock of the dragon's roar, amazed by the power that the massive creature put behind just a simple roar, despite the falling rocks. The nord, Bjorn she recalled, pulled himself onto his feet, somehow having managed to cut the rope around his hands off, and stopped by her side, helping her onto her own feet before pulling her away from the headsman's block. Once they entered the nearby tower he pulled out a sharpened stone, likely the one he had used to cut his binds off, and turned it on her own, freeing her.

"Thanks," Sunset told the nord, not sure what to do now that a dragon had appeared, "What do we do now?"

"I'd say grab that old man as well, but he's not around anymore," Bjorn told her, looking outside as Ulfric and Ralof entered the tower as well, "but we need to move before that dragon kills us."

Sunset nodded and followed Bjorn, just as he led her out of the tower and across the burning town, dodging the various burning pieces of buildings while making sure to avoid the people who had bows. The dragon flew around the town and gazed down at his enemies, randomly landing every now and then to breath fire on unsuspecting soldiers before taking off once more. Instead of recalling what she knew about dragons Sunset focused on running towards an exit that would allow her and Bjorn to escape from the ruined town. The townspeople fled from the dragon while the soldiers tried to fight it off, but none of them seemed to be doing any damage to the massive beast.

Luck seemed to be on their side at long last, as they found that one of the gates was open and they immediately made their way out of the burning town. Sunset looked back at the flames and the soldiers fighting a losing battle, wishing that there was something, anything really, that she could do to help them against the dragon. She knew in her heart that, even if she could use her magic, she didn't have the power to stand up to a dragon that was as strong as the black monster that was flying around Helgen. She also had no idea where Tirek went, which meant that it was possible that he was now free to gather his power and cause damage to this world.

Sunset sighed and followed Bjorn into the wilderness, wondering what the land of Skyrim and her companion had to offer.

3: Journey to Whiterun

Sunset and Bjorn stopped not ten minutes away from the burning town of Helgen, stopping to catch their breath in time to see the massive black dragon fly over head. Sunset was surprised that the dragon had finished everyone in the town off so quickly, which only told her that it was leaving to find more people to terrorize. In her heart she felt bad for both the Imperials and the Stormcloaks, as it appeared that both sides weren't prepared to fight something as fast and as strong as a dragon. One could very well argue that she shouldn't care for either side, as it was by their conflict that she had been captured, but Sunset guessed that Fluttershy's kindness had rubbed off on her at long last.

"So, you said that your name was Sunset Shimmer?" Bjorn finally asked, once he was sure that the dragon was far enough away so they couldn't be overheard, "And that you're from someplace called 'Equus'?"

"Yes on both accounts," Sunset replied, not surprised to find that her companion had no idea where she was talking about, "I was born in Equestria, on the planet known as Equus. It is sort of similar to Nirn from what I can tell, but we don't have gigantic dragons flying around and burning people's homes down for the fun of it. Our dragons, from the last reports I read about three to five years ago, are mostly jerks that like to soak in volcanoes and test how much heat everyone can take. Anyway, the native species of Equestria are Earth Pony's, Pegasi, and Unicorns, while our neighbors are made up of Zebras, Griffins, Dragons, and the Changelings, though they're more of a rumor last I checked.

The ponies of Equestria are led by an alicorn by the name of Princess Celestia, whose little sister, Princess Luna, has finally returned to her side after being freed from her prison. The two of them rule Canterlot, which serves as the capital of Equestria, and make sure that all of their subjects are free from the threat of invasions and live normal lives. Then there's Princess Cadence and her husband Shining Armor, who run the Crystal Empire to the north of Canterlot after saving it from its former ruler, who came back to shroud it in darkness once again. And then there's Princess Twilight Sparkle, the newest Princess, who actually fought and defeated Tirek... or so she told me the last time I saw her."

"And what does all of this have to do with that horn on your forehead?" Bjorn asked, pointing at the amber colored horn she had.

"Oh, I was born a unicorn," Sunset admitted, not even bothering to hide the fact at all, "Yeah, I know, I was born as a 'pretty pony that could do magic', as some of my classmates teased me when they discovered the truth about where I was from."

"So your a mage then..." Bjorn commented, getting off his feet and looking down the path they had rested near, "I'd love to hear more about this other world your from, and I seriously mean that, but right now we have to warn someone about the threat that the black dragon poses to the land. Dragons have long been known to be the Harbingers of the End Times, as our history has labeled them. What that also means is that a hero is supposed to fight them back, though I don't know the entire story myself anymore. I'd have to find a book called The Book of the Dragonborn to tell you more, but I don't really know where to find one."

"Its okay," Sunset said, dusting off her ragged clothes, noting that she seriously needed to replace them, before standing beside Bjorn, "I'm new to this world, so if you are willing to lead the way then I'm willing to follow you and provide you with whatever aid I can."

Bjorn nodded his understanding and immediately took off, heading down the left path that the fork in the road they had been resting near gave them. From there they simply followed the path that connected with another road, one that eventually came to another fork, but this one had a sign post for them to read. Bjorn looked at it for a moment, as if deciding the best route for them to take, before heading down the path that Sunset noted would lead them to a 'Whiterun'. As they walked down the path she also noticed that a massive stone structure had been built into the mountain in front of them, like a barrow of some kind.

"That there is Bleak Falls Barrow," Bjorn commented, noticing that Sunset was staring at the structure, "the people of Riverwood occasionally get adventures that go into the barrow, seeking unclaimed treasure or hidden knowledge. The ancient nords that built it are long dead by now, but these days the draugr that call the barrows across Skyrim their home have been waking from their slumber for some reason. No one knows why, so if you find yourself in one of the barrows I'd say be careful and watch for the walking dead."

Sunset was amazed that the ancients that had built the barrows could still be walking inside of them, keeping their ancient secrets to themselves for as long as they could. It also made her wonder if there was a group of necromancers that was going around, waking the dead so they could launch an invasion against the living. She sighed and followed Bjorn down the path, winding around a turn until they came to a trio of large stones, each with their own symbol, that were pointed towards the sky. She had never seen anything like the stones before, though she hoped that her companion knew exactly what they were.

"Standing Stones," Bjorn told her, stepping onto the platform and beckoning for her to join him, "and this trio is the famous Guardian Stones, three of the thirteen stones that dot Skyrim's land. On the left we have the Thief Stone, useful to those who prefer to sneak up on their enemies, steal everything of value from them, and then finish them off before moving on. In the middle we have the Mage Stone, perfect for anyone that is practicing one or more of the schools of magic, be it Destruction, Alteration, Illusion...and I forget the others at the moment. And lastly, on our right we have the Warrior Stone, a solid pillar for everyone that prefers to get up close and personal with their opponents.

I've never cared to use of of the thirteen Stones before, but if we're going up against dragons then I think its time for me to quit stalling and pick a path."

Bjorn touched the Warrior Stone and Sunset watched as the Stone lit up under his palm, as if gifting him the ability that he had just described to her. Once the deed was done he backed up onto the path and beckoned for her to make her choice, though she glanced between the Thief and Mage Stones for a moment. Then, as she came to a decision, she touched the Mage Stone and watched the area beneath her palm light up, granting her an edge of sorts for when she attempted to learn the magic of this world. Once the deed was done Sunset turned to face Bjorn, who nodded in return and beckoned for her to follow him, as he led them down the path that would take them to Whiterun.

As they walked along the path they encountered a man dressed in what appeared to be an almost complete set of iron armor, minus the helmet Sunset noticed, and carried a steel sword. Bjorn ran at the bandit, who was pulling his sword out of its sheath, and smashed his fist into the face, cracking his nose and causing him to back in due to the pain, while dropping his weapon. Bjorn seized the opportunity by snatching the blade and turning it around before he drove it straight into the bandit's chest, cutting into his heart with ease. Once the bandit was dead Bjorn collected the gear to replace his ragged clothes, tightening the gauntlets, boots, and armor on while attaching the sword to his belt.

"Here," Bjorn finally said, holding a black robe for Sunset to take, "I'd prefer to find you some actual mage robes, like the ones the students of the College of Winterhold have, but this is better than the rags the Imperials gave us."

Sunset sighed and took the robe from him, moving to an area where she suspected that no one would be able to spot her right away before she changed outfits. She held onto the rags for a moment, wondering if they could get some of this world's currency for them, before sighing once more and discarding them altogether. When she returned to Bjorn he handed her a pair of black boots, apologizing that he hadn't noticed them right away, and presented her with a steel dagger, claiming that it was for self defense if an enemy got close when she used her magic. It felt weird for her to carry a weapon, but Bjorn made it feel like it was the right thing for her to do and even aided her in attaching it to her belt.

Once the duo was outfitted in proper armor they continued along the path, though they were stopped not a few moments later by a pack of wolves. Sunset, determined to be of some aid, willed her magic to appear and was surprised when a fireball appeared in her left hand, but then she recovered and threw it into the face of the wolf closest to her. The fireball hit the wolf in the back and exploded, sending the wolf back down the road with its body on fire, though Sunset determined that it had to be dead at this point. She turned to help Bjorn, but as she turned around she watched him slice the first wolf's head clean off before piercing the second's skull with his sword. The moment the three wolves were done Bjorn pulled out his own dagger, an iron one by the looks of it, and collected their pelts, which Sunset assumed he was likely going to trade for essentials when they reached Riverwood.

They continued down the path, watching for more enemies, but they eventually reached the outskirts of the town that Bjorn had mentioned to Sunset. As they walked in an elderly lady proclaimed, to anyone that would listen to her, that she saw a dragon that was as black as night, that happened to fly over Bleak Falls Barrow. A few people acknowledged their presence, with one person asking if they could deal with their complex love triangle, but Bjorn told the nord that they had important business and that they couldn't help. Sunset, on the other hand, offered some advice that, if he and someone else truly cared for the women, they should just get together and talk about the situation. It would resolve the issue, which is all Sunset could really offer them in her position.

Bjorn led Sunset into the nearby trader, where they found the owner and his wife arguing over a recent theft of something from their store before the wife huffed and walked away. Bjorn asked what was wrong, learning that there had been a golden dragon claw they used as a decoration that had been stolen, before promising that they would retrieve it if they ever traveled to Bleak Falls Barrow, where the wife believed the thief had traveled to. With that promise made Bjorn quickly traded over several useless items of theirs, earning roughly one hundred and twenty gold, before he and Sunset departed.

"Okay, we've got enough light left to make it to Whiterun," Bjorn commented, staring up at the sky for a moment before turning to Sunset, "Let's make our way over there and tell the Jarl about the dragon."

Sunset nodded and followed her companion out of the small town, following the path to the right after they crossed the stone bridge and made their way ever closer to Whiterun. While they walked they passed by an Imperial patrol, one that happened to have a Stormcloak prisoner, but Bjorn wished them well as they passed them by. It was clear to Sunset that Bjorn was trying to make sure they limited their interactions with people so they could get to the Jarl of Whiterun as quickly as possible. Eventually they drew close to the main gates of the city, but before they could reach the stables they both noticed a trio of warriors fighting a giant creature nearby.

Sunset called her magic into her hands and threw a fireball at the giants head, causing the creature to turn her way and stare at her with the intent on beating her into the ground. Bjorn pulled out his sword, moved behind the giant, and swung at his legs, cutting in just as the giant reached for Sunset, who jumped out of the way before firing another fireball at the giants face. The three warriors, sensing the change in the battle, moved forward and continued their assault, two of them cutting into the giant's legs, knocking it to its knees, before the archer moved forward. The archer ran up the giants back and leapt into the air, spinning around while pulling out an arrow and loosing it into the giant's skull, causing the creature to fall to the ground as she landed between the warriors.

"Ah, another glorious battle," the archer said, ripping her arrow out and returning it to her quiver before turning to Sunset and Bjorn, "You handle yourselves well. The two of you could make for a decent Shield-Brother and Shield-Sister."

"Well thank you," Bjorn replied, bowing his head slightly, "We will both consider joining the Companions. May you hunt well Aela."

"Same to you Bjorn Wyrmsblood," the archer, Aela, replied, just as she and her companions turned to return to the city, "We should put together a hunt sometime and catch up."

Sunset had no idea what the connection between Aela and Bjorn was, but she was sure that it was none of her business and she really didn't feel like asking. She was much more interested in speaking to the Jarl of Whiterun and tell him that a dragon was on the loose, before starting her search to figure out how to open a temporary portal home.

"Aela and I have hunted together in the past," Bjorn told her, just as the two of them moved up towards the main gate, "and by that I mean that we tracked a group of trolls across the plains of Whiterun. We tracked them to a den near a giant camp and hit the creatures with a combined arrow barrage, putting them down before calling it a day afterwards. Aela formally extended the offer to me at that time, though I claimed the same I did now while offering my services as another hunter in case she needed help. Aela called upon me a few times, mostly to test my tracking skills and see how well trained I was with a bow... which I should get another of before long now that I think about it."

Sunset nodded and followed Bjorn to the gate, where they were immediately stopped by a pair of guards, who proclaimed that the city was closed due to the dragons.

"We've got information about Helgen," Sunset told the guards, trying to inform them that they had relevant information about the dragon they had seen, "about the dragon that flew over Bleak Falls Barrow."

"Eh, fine, have it your way," one of the guards said, causing the two of them to back up to their original posts, "just know that we'll be watching you and your friend."

Sunset smiled as she and Bjorn entered the city at last, immediately finding two people arguing over an order for weapons that needed to be filled for the Legion. Neither of them actually care for the conversation, so they silently made their way around the duo and walked into the marketplace, where several people called to them to buy some of their goods. Bjorn waved to several of them, but they didn't stop at any of the stalls as they eventually passing into the second district of the city and the large dying tree. Sunset noticed a priest shouting about Talos, but neither of them stopped by as they walked up the stairs, approaching the massive castle that was their destination. Sunset had heard the castle's name at one point, Dragonsreach, though she had to wonder how the building had gotten its name.

Eventually they crossed the wooden bridge before entering the actual building, which was much larger in the inside than Sunset was expecting, and found several servants working around them. Then they walked up the steps to the main chamber, finding someone sitting on a wooden throne that happened to rest under what appeared to be a dragon's skull. On his left was a man that was dressed in fine clothes, who Sunset assumed as an adviser of sorts, while on his right was a dark elf, though she appeared to be a warrior of some kind. The warrior noticed them approach the massive fireplace, so she drew her weapon and approached them, causing them to stop before she decided to attack.

"What is the meaning of this interruption?" the elf asked, narrowing her eyes at them, "The Jarl is not receiving visitors at this time."

"We have a message for Jarl Balgruuf," Bjorn replied, Sunset nodding her agreement to his statement, "Its about the black dragon that flew over Bleak Falls Barrow. The same dragon that destroyed Helgen earlier today."

The elf stared at them for a moment before the Jarl called to her, wishing to hear what his visitors had to say, which cased the elf to mumble to herself before returning to her Lord's side. Bjorn nodded and the two of them approached Jarl Balgruuf, stopping before the throne as the Jarl turned his full attention on his new guests.

"So the two of you were at Helgen?" the Jarl asked, resting his eyes on them, "So you saw this dragon with your own eyes?"

"Just as they were getting ready to execute Ulfric Stormcloak," Sunset replied, telling the truth while hoping that he believed her, "The dragon burst out of the sky and started wrecking the place, killing Imperials and Stormcloaks without a care in the world."

"By Ysmir Irileth was right," the Jarl exclaimed, looking at both Proventus and Irileth, who in turn glanced back at their Lord, "What do you say now, Proventus? Shall we continue to trust in the strength of our walls? Against a dragon?"

"My lord," Irileth spoke up, diverting the Jarl's attention to her for a moment, "we should send some troops to Riverwood at once. It's in the most immediate danger, if that dragon's still lurking in the mountains..."

"No," the other man, Proventus, countered rather suddenly, as if what Irileth said was wrong and would worsen the situation, rather than make it better, "the Jarl of Falkreath will view that as a provocation! He'll assume that we're preparing to join Ulfric's side and attack him."

"Enough, both of you." Bulgruuf commaneded, causing both Proventus and Irileth to stop bickering among themselves, "Irileth, send a detachment to Riverwood at once. I'll not stand idly by while a dragon burns my Hold and slaughters my people."

Irileth nodded before heading towards the door, clearly heading to the barracks to inform a few guards of their new assignment, leaving Proventus to hang his head down as he walked over to a chair, sat down, and pulled out some papers to look over.

"Well done," the Jarl said, turning to face Sunset and Bjorn, before beckoning for a guard to come over, to which he whispered something before sending the guard off, "The two of you sought me out, on your own initiative. You have done Whiterun a service that we won't soon forget, but perhaps there is something more that you can do for us. Come, let us find Farengar, my Court Wizard. He's looking into a matter related to these dragon and... rumors of dragons."

The Jarl then lead them into the eastern section of the castle, where they found a man wearing a blue robe that was preoccupied with his research, as he didn't notice them walk into his work area. The Jarl cleared his throat and the mage jumped at the sound, turning around to see that his Lord was standing there with two people behind him.

"Farengar, I found two people who can help you with your dragon project," the Jarl said, turning around while making sure that Bjorn and Sunset entered the study, "go ahead and fill them in. Maybe they can help you in your research."

"So the Jarl thinks the two of you can be of some use to me?" the wizard asked, staring at the two of them as Jarl Bulgruuf returned to the throne area, "Oh yes, he must be referring to my into the dragons. I could use someone to fetch something for me, which really means that I need someone to delve into a dangerous ruin in search of an ancient stone tablet that may or may not be there."

"Well, this should be easy," Sunset commented, causing the mage to turn towards her, "We passed by Bleak Falls Barrow, so it should be easy to retrace our steps, make our way through the barrow, and get the stone tablet. Anything else we need to be aware of?"

Farengar looked at her for a moment before shaking his head, telling them that there really wasn't anything else besides retrieving the stone he required. Sunset had to admit it, but she was sure that the journey through Bleak Falls Barrow would be a piece of cake and they would be back in Whiterun before the end of the next day.

4: The Dragonstone

Sunset wanted nothing more than to leave the city, track down the Dragonstone, and then bring it back to Farengar so they could find out more about the dragons return. Unfortunately the Jarl wanted to give them a reward that they had earned for warning him about the threat to begin with, though the item they were given was a bow. Sunset thanked the Jarl and promised that they would be back when they had the stone, though once they were outside Dragonsreach she immediately handed it over to Bjorn, who was more skilled with such a weapon than she was. She had no idea what type of bow it was, but Bjorn clearly knew it was a decent bow and was glad to have it with him, which was decent for her.

"I'll need to pick up some arrows later," Bjorn commented, leading his companion out into the city before checking the sky once more, "I would love to head out immediately, but we've had a terrible day and we're running on empty. I recommend stopping at the inn, get some dinner with the septims we have, and then get a good nights sleep before we even think about heading into the barrow. We need to be properly prepared in case we find those bandits or, Divines forbid, the draugr themselves."

"If you say so," Sunset replied, not sure how prepared they needed to be to delve into an ancient tomb before she heard her stomach growl, "but now that I think about it, food sounds good right about now."

Bjorn chuckled and beckoned for her to follow him, leading them into the market area of the city and then opened the door to the Bannered Mare, what Sunset assumed was the inn. She was sure that the building had a story, but at the moment she was more interested in getting something in her stomach and then begin planning their next move. The moment they entered the inn Sunset noticed that many of the patrons were busy talking among themselves, clearly not even noticing the newcomers at all. That was fine for her, as they managed to find an empty table near the door and immediately sat down, causing the owner of the building to notice them and call out for her helper to visit their table.

The lady that came to take down what they wanted, a redguard according to Bjorn when she left, was friendly towards them as Bjorn simply asked for some stew and some waters. Sunset knew it was what they could afford, as most of the menu items sounded expensive and Bjorn was quick to inform her that they were low on coins at the moment. The duo sat in silence, collecting their thoughts for the moment before the lady returned with their meals and their drinks, though she disappeared once her job was done. They sat their meal slowly, not wanting to upset their stomachs after not receiving any breakfast or lunch at the hands of the Imperials.

"So, you really think we can take an entire barrow of draugr?" Bjorn eventually asked, causing Sunset to look up from her bowl and stare at him, "I mean, you basically told Farengar that it would be easy. Are you that confident in your abilities?"

"Well, my answer is yes and no," Sunset slowly replied, setting down her spoon the moment the question was asked, "If I had suddenly appeared here, instead of on Earth like I had, I would have immediately said that I was confident in my magical powers and abilities. At the time I was the student of Princess Celestia, who taught me mostly everything knew about magic at the time, but I was arrogant and I let it all go to my head. I'm sure that if that version of me was here that you would have likely left me behind, though I would have used my power to assert myself over some of the people around me.

My other answer, the one being no, is that I am currently weakened from not having used magic for a few years, so there is no telling how much power I can call on. If I was given some time to train and hone my skill in using my magic again then I'm sure I'd be a considerable ally, but we do not have that time at the moment. So at the moment I can only say that I am confident in our skills and abilities to bypass whatever bandits, draugr, and other monsters are waiting for us in the barrow."

"Well, I cannot fault you for being honest," Bjorn said, sighing as he looked at the table for a moment, "though while we are being honest I must tell you something; I have actually never been inside one of the barrows. Most of my experience comes from adventures that I have spoken to while traveling to a city to exchange some of my goods for items that I cannot acquire in the wild. Many of them have told me about the vast treasures that the ancient nords let in their barrows, though I am unsure how much of the treasure remains at this point. A fair amount of the barrows have already been raided by treasure hunters and other adventures, so many of them are likely empty of anything of value at this point."

"Wait, so the stone could be gone by the time we get to where its supposed to be?" Sunset asked, worried that their once chance to discover something useful about the dragons could already be gone.

"Could be yes, could be no," Bjorn replied, recalling one particular tale he had heard, "One adventurer told me about a circular door with three rings that blocked his path, meaning that he could not finish his search and was forced to leave the barrow he had explored. He refused to tell me which barrow it was, likely out of fear that I would go and hunt for the treasure myself, but I thanked him for the tale anyway. These doors require special keys to open them, but finding the required key, from what I've heard anyway, can actually be a pain to locate and recover. We'll just have to pray to the Divines that we don't have one of those in the way of getting to the Dragonstone."

Sunset nodded, though she had no idea what the special key could be, as the story didn't give her much to go on and left them almost as blind as bats. Eventually they finished their meal, where Bjorn got up and approached the owner of the inn, speaking to her for a brief moment before exchanging some coins with her. He returned to the table and beckoned for her to follow him, leading her up the nearby stairs and into the room that rested on the inn's second story. She was surprised to find a bed that fit two people in the room, but as she and Bjorn laid down to rest for the night she considered herself lucky that she was sleeping in an actual bed, and not in a prison cell again.

When morning arrived Bjorn was up and about, gathering their meager supplies and packing them into their bags before finally waking Sunset up. She shook the tired feeling off and got up, yawning as Bjorn handed her a piece of bread, some cheese, and a cup that was filled with milk to serve as their breakfast. Once the duo was done with the morning meal they picked up their packs, walked down to the inn's first floor, and wished the owner a good day as they walked out into Whiterun. The moment they were outside Sunset noticed that the sun was barely up, so she turned to her companion and asked what time it happened to be.

"Its after six in the morning now," Bjorn replied, though he nodded to the guards that they passed as they approached the main gates, "I have taken to rising early so I can begin the hunt early, giving me a few more hours to track whatever beast needed to be put down that day. It basically gives me a head start and I believed that we needed such a start after our terrible experience yesterday."

Sunset nodded her understanding, as she was used to waking at six in the morning during her time on Earth and when she was attending school in Equestria. If there were any adventures that would be heading towards Bleak Falls Barrow this head start would give them the chance to get there long before anyone else arrived.

The two of them passed though the main gates, nodding to the two guards that checked everyone that was entering or leaving the city before they started the trek back to Riverwood. As they passed by the farm that had a giant attacking it Sunset noticed two Companions, Farkas and Vilkas Bjorn told her as they walked by, were busy trying to move the large corpse after leaving it there the previous evening. She wasn't sure how they were going to move the body away from the farm, but she decided that it would be best if they figured it out on their own. They continued up the road until they came to the meadery, where they turned up the pathway they had came down the previous day and went on their way.

After some time they returned to the fork in the road that rested right outside of Riverwood, but instead of turning into the small village the duo continued down the other path, leading right into the mountain itself. Not a minute later they were attacked by a wolf, but Sunset summoned her magic and torched the wolf, burning it until she was sure that it was dead. She was surprised to find the pelt had survived the flames, which was when Bjorn collected it for trading when they returned to either Riverwood or Whiterun. They then continued the path, heading higher into the mountain until they noticed a stone tower resting near the dirt road they were following.

A tower, that Sunset soon discovered, that was filled with several bandits, all of whom appeared to be waiting for anything interesting to happen to them. Bjorn beckoned for her to prepare her magic as he pulled out an arrow and nocked it, aiming the arrowhead right towards the tower as he took one enemy into his sights. Before Sunset could call on her magic Bjorn released his arrow and it flew through the air, where it finally hit the bandit leaning against the tree right in the chest. His companions noticed him fall and turned towards the duo, though Sunset summoned her magic and threw it forward, allowing two fireballs to appear as they neared the remaining bandits. One bandit took the attack to his chest, knocking him backwards for a minute before he fell to the ground, but his ally dodged the other fireball and drew closer to them.

Bjorn, seeing Sunset stall in calling her magic back, pulled another arrow out and loosed it into the bandit's chest, though he took a few more steps towards them before he fell to the ground.

"Definitely easier with two people using ranged attacks," Bjorn commented, moving forward and looting the weapons and armor off of their fallen enemies, "though a word of advice, I'd recommend using a lower level spell to conserve your energy. Maybe use firebolt until your able to use more than two fireballs at the same time."

Sunset nodded and watched him finish collecting the armor and weapons from their enemies, though she was thankful that he had recommended lowering the power of her spells. Truth be told she was still adjusting, so she had, unknowingly, poured too much magic into the spells and created the fireballs, which had proven to be too much at the moment. She was sure that she'd fully adjust to the magic of this world, but until then she would be sure to not pour too much power into a single spell. Once Bjorn was done collecting the gear, and gaining at least twenty to thirty arrows in the process, they moved onward, continuing up the path towards the barrow.

A few minutes later they stood on the outskirts of the massive barrow, something that Sunset was impressed by the moment they neared the structures. Before they had time to inspect the area a bandit noticed them and shouted to his allies, causing two more bandits, both with bows, to appear and start drawing their arrows. Bjorn shouted as he drew his bowstring back and loosed his arrow, letting it fly though the air until it hit a bandit in the shoulder, giving them the opportunity to prepare them. Sunset ran up the stone stairs that led to where the bandits were standing, allowing the flames to dance around her hands before she loosed two smaller fireballs, hitting both of the bandits square in the chest.

Sunset, assuming that all three of their enemies were dealt with, lowered her guard to search the bodies closest to her for any loot that would be useful to them, though she failed to account for the fact that the bandit that Bjorn hit had gotten up. Before she could hit the bandit an arrow tore into his stomach, dropping him to the ground as Bjorn ran up the stairs, worried that she had been wounded.

"You have to make sure that all our enemies are dead before you start looting," Bjorn said, once he was completely sure that she was unharmed and allowed her to resume her search, "otherwise something terrible could happen to you."

"So many rules to this world," Sunset commented, more to herself as she collected the bandit's arrows, coins, weapons, and armor before returning to Bjorn's side, "Well, I think I've picked up everything of value that could grab us a few coins. Here, take these arrows."

Bjorn smiled and took the arrows from her, putting the ones that were similar to his own into his own quiver before stashing the others into his pack. Once that deed was done he nodded and they continued towards the large iron gate that one of the bandits had been standing near before their arrival. The moment they were inside they found a pair of bandits near the back of the chamber, though they were talking to each other and had failed to notice the iron door open. Bjorn pulled out an arrow and pulled his bowstring back, but he held onto the arrow for a moment, as if he was waiting for the bandits to say something.

It was a good thing that he had stayed his hand for the moment, as one bandit mentioned that a 'golden claw' and been taken from them by one of their companions, who fled into the barrow. The rest of their group was following after him, leaving the duo to stand guard and deal with whoever decided to come to Bleak Falls Barrow seeking treasure. With the information in hand Bjorn released the arrow and put a bandit down, causing the other one to realize that they had guests and drew her own bow in return. Sunset, having used the time that Bjorn used to wait to get closer to the bandits, jumped out of her hiding spot behind the pillar and set the bandit on fire, causing her to run around before eventually falling over dead.

As Bjorn collected the gear and arrows Sunset noticed a chest sitting near the campfire, though when she approached it she noticed that it was locked tight.

"Hey Bjorn," Sunset called to her companion, wondering if she could even pick the lock, "did any of these bandits have any lockpicks on them by chance?"

"Yeah, I've collected ten of them so far," Bjorn replied, though when he saw what she was looking at he walked over and handed them to her, "your curious at to what's in the chest?"

"Might as well try," Sunset said, sliding one of the picks into the lock before gently turning it, "I, uh, learned the basics of lockpicking when I first arrived on Earth a few years ago. I eventually dropped the habit thanks to the help my friends gave me, but I guess that old habits truly die hard."

Sure enough Sunset snapped the lock and opened the chest, finding a dozen iron arrows, a pair of red colored gloves that had a magical rune on their backs, twenty golden coins, and, oddly enough, a sapphire. She handed the arrows, coins, and gemstone to Bjorn, as he knew more about this world's currency and she was just learning the basics about the system. With the deed done they continued deeper into the barrow, Bjorn keeping his bow at the ready when Sunset allowed a small amount of magic to wrap around her arm. They knew that they needed to be prepared in case more bandits, or something much worse, decided to show up and attack them.

Not a few minutes later they found a bandit, more armed than the two they had just taken down, standing in a chamber that had a switch resting in front of an iron gate. Bjorn held up a hand, telling Sunset to wait so they could observe what was going to happen, though they were just in time to see the bandit flip the switch and then fall to the ground as a dozen darts pierced his body. He was dead in seconds, though they slowly entered the chamber and studied the surrounding area, so they didn't repeat what happened to the bandit. While Bjorn walked around Sunset noticed that two symbols were crafted into a chunk of iron and hung close to the ceiling, though there was a third laying near the iron gate.

"Hmm... snake," Sunset commented, turning to the three pillars near her and turning the first one to a snake, "snake," as she turned the second one to match the one on the floor, "and whale," spinning the final pillar to match the last symbol, "Okay Bjorn, try the switch now."

Bjorn, having seen her spin the stone pillars around, reached for the switch and flipped it, moving just in case the combination Sunset had put in was wrong, but instead of darts flying out the iron gate opened for them. Bjorn did not comment on how she had figured it out, though he was glad that she did so they could move on and find the golden claw and the Dragonstone. They found a chest filled with potions, which Sunset wasn't sure were even fresh if they had been sealed in a chest for a few hundred years, but Bjorn reassured her that they were still usable. They also found a trio of rat like creatures, Skeevers as Bjorn called them, waiting at the bottom of the stairs they took, but the two of them took care of them with ease.

The next chamber was blocked off by webs, but they took them down and caused a massive spider to descend towards the ground, though Sunset would not let such a beast stand in their way. She snapped her and her magic ignited, spinning around her as she set the flames towards the spider, torching its webs and scorching its foot as it neared her. Bjorn, on the other hand, backed up and nocked a pair of arrows, pulling the string back and waiting for the best moment to let them fly into their foe. Sunset ducked under the spider's massive body, letting her flames eat at the spider's underside and making it follow her so her companion could get a better shot. The spider turned to follow her, but Bjorn loosed his arrows and they tore into the spider's back, wounding it enough to cause it to consider heading back into its hole.

That was until Sunset summoned a fireball and threw it right at the spider's head, blowing up on contact and knocking the body back into one of the walls, finishing the fight and allowing them to relax for a moment.

They let the thief that was bound up in webs loose the moment they neared him, though when the man was freed he immediately sprinted down the tunnel, leaving them behind. Sunset wasn't surprised by how the thief acted, though they knew he had the golden claw and followed after him, keeping their eyes peeled for anything else. They heard an echo of some kind erupt from the tunnel in front of them, though that was when the thief appeared before them with a pair of arrows sticking out of his back. Bjorn turned his bow on the tunnel and loosed the arrow at what was coming their way, though Sunset's eyes widened when a shriveled corpse, wearing armor and wielding a weapon, came into the room.

"Blasted foe woke the draugr," Bjorn growled, drawing another arrow and loosing it into the tunnel, "Come on Sunset, we'll have to fight them all off."

Sunset got over her shock and threw her magic out into the tunnel, setting fire to two of the three draugr, before she drew her dagger and tossed it into the other enemy. Their enemies staggered as the duo exchanged fire and arrows with them, eventually wearing them down to the point when they dropped to the ground. Sunset had to admit it, but she wasn't expecting them to actually put up such a fight, nor did she think they would have lasted so long in a fight without their bodies breaking. Bjorn was equally surprised, though he sort of knew what they would be expecting as he had heard the various tales on the undead draugr.

Once the battle was done Sunset raided the thief's body and picked up the golden claw, though when she turned it over she found a trio of animals that she assumed was a code for some sort of door.

They continued into the barrow, slipping passed the various traps that the ancient nords had placed in the way of treasure seekers, swiftly putting down any draugrs that decided to rise from the dead before they were overwhelmed, passed by a waterfall that was apparently guarded by a frost troll, and defeated an even tougher draugr that protected a wooden door that lead into the next part of the barrow. They immediately had to pass a swinging blade trap, but they timed their movements in time with when the blades were inside the wall and made it through without getting hurt. Then they found a trio of normal draugr waiting for them, but they were much easier to deal with as Bjorn slew one when his arrow pierced its chest and Sunset accidentally burned the other two to death when she hit the light source below the bridge and ignited the oil that had been scattered around the ground.

They would have continued deeper into the barrow, but then they came upon a large iron door that had a trio of circles around what appeared to be a keyhole of sorts. Sunset immediately recognized that it had to do with the golden claw that they carried, so she looked at the bottom and found a bear, moth, and owl staring back at her. She touched the first ring and rotated it around until the symbol matched the one on the claw, repeating the process with the remaining two until it looked like the combination on the bottom of the claw. Then she pressed the claw against the central part of the door, which caused the rings to start sliding around until they came to a stop and the door slid down into the ground. Sunset was glad that she had been correct in her assumptions that the claw was the key to the door that Bjorn had told her about earlier, otherwise she wasn't sure how they would have advanced into what she believed was the final chamber of the entire barrow.

"I never would have thought to do that," Bjorn commented, just as they made their way into the next area, until they discovered that it was a massive chamber with a strange stone wall near the back, "By the Divines... this place is massive."

Sunset was also impressed by the sheer size of the final chamber, though as they approached the back end of the chamber she noticed that there was writing on what she assumed was a wall of some kind. She had absolutely no idea what the writing said, though she was sure that Bjorn might have some idea of what was written there, as he was more attuned to the stories of this land than she was. She also noticed that there was an iron coffin sitting some distance away from the wall and that there was a staircase nearby, though she assumed it would lead to an exit of some kind. The last thing she noticed was the large chest sitting close to the coffin, though she stayed away from it in case whoever was inside the coffin came out when the chest's lid was opened.

Though before Sunset could asked Bjorn what the writing said she heard chanting from the wall, causing her to step forward to listen to it, though when she stepped towards it the chanting stopped and she could suddenly understand the wall, rather suddenly she mentally added.

"Hmm... 'Here lies The Guardian'," Sunset translated, running her hand over the stone while feeling some strange magic in the words seep into her body, "'Keeper of the Dragonstone, and a force of eternal rage and darkness.' I don't like the sound of that at all."

That was just moments before the lid to the coffin behind her burst open, sliding off until it hit the floor and causing both Bjorn and Sunset to ready their weapons. The draugr that emerged from the coffin had the build of a great warrior, as Sunset could see signs of its former muscles under its armor, though it was wearing more armor than the previous draugr they had fought. As the undead came to a stop in front of its coffin it reached back in and pulled out its weapon, which turned out to be an ancient nordic weapon that had what Sunset suspected was pieces of ice attached to the blade.

"Divines help us," Bjorn stated, staring at the draugr as he prepared his bow and arrows, "its an Overlord. Be careful Sunset, this guy packs more power than all the previous draugrs combined."

Sunset had no idea that there was an even stronger enemy than the draugr they had already fought, but the moment the undead turned towards them it shouted three strange words at them. The moment the words left its mouth the area in front of it started to freeze as a wave of frost came their way, though both Sunset and Bjorn moved away before it could touch them. Bjorn pulled the bowstring back and loosed his arrow, though the Overlord turned slightly and was hit in the shoulder, though the attack didn't seem to do much to it. Sunset, seeing the undead decide to go for her instead of her companion, called what little magic remained in her and threw a firebolt at the creature, which started to burn its body until the flames turned to ice and fell to the ground.

Sunset had to admit, she had never seen someone, or in this case something, freeze someone else's flames as if it meant nothing to the creature. She had heard a legend or two from Prncess Celestia about powerful creatures that could have done it once upon a time, though they couldn't stand against the sun itself in the end. Still, she reached deep inside her being and called upon her magic, her hands snapping open as she summoned two fireballs and threw them at the approaching creature. The first one hit it square in the chest, knocking it backwards for a moment, before the second set it over the edge, where it immediately got back up and pulled itself out of the ditch she had sent it into.

Bjorn pulled arrow after arrow out and loosed them into the creature, hitting it in its shoulder, in its knees, and several in the stomach, but still it continued to come at them. Sunset, noticing the large chest again, decided to see if there was something, anything really, that the ancient nords had stashed inside it for any brave, or foolish she was considering, adventurer that wanted to fight the creature. She found a few pieces of shimmering armor, one a suit of steel, a pair of ugly green gauntlets, and a curved sword that had flames dancing around its blade. She pulled out the sword as the Overlord blasted his icy breath again, Bjorn nearly getting hit as he rolled out of the way before planting another arrow in the creature's body.

As the Overlord drew closer to Bjorn Sunset gripped the handle of the sword and ran forward, driving it deep into the creature's chest, where she assumed the heart would be. She assumed that the creature would come at her again, though as she held onto the blade the flames danced around the draugr before it groaned at them. Then, just as suddenly as it had awaken, the last breath escaped its body and went lifeless, dropping to the ground with a thud and leaving the two of them to marvel at their feat.

"I didn't know... that you knew how to wield a sword," Bjorn commented, breathing heavily before collecting any of the arrows that he had used in the fight, "If I had known I would have given you one earlier."

"I've never used a sword before," Sunset replied, amazed that she had actually pulled that off, "I was expecting to miss and make the draugr face me, giving you the opportunity to put an arrow in his heart of head, but not to actually kill it myself. Come on, let's find that Dragonstone and get out of here before something else wakes up to try and kill us."

Bjorn nodded and collected the treasure from the chest, but not before handing the blade that Sunset had used to kill the draugr back to her, so she could use it in place of the dagger she had been given earlier. As he looked around the chamber Sunset stopped behind the draugr's corpse, before realizing that it hadn't been carrying the stone on it at all. She glanced back at the coffin and approached it, wondering if it had hidden it inside to make sure that it had been kept safe, though when she stepped up to the coffin she found a large tablet. Sunset grinned as she picked up the stone tablet, glad that they had actually found the Dragonstone and that this hadn't been a wasted trip at all.

"Let's depart from this place Bjorn," Sunset called out, approaching the staircase, "let's get the Dragonstone back to Farengar and see where this takes us."

5: The Watchtower Dragon

Sunset and Bjorn finally stepped back into Riverwood, after spending about half the day tracking through Bleak Falls Barrow, fighting off bandits and draugr alike before they retrieved the Golden Claw, the Dragonstone, and the various treasures that had been waiting for them. Then they had found their way out of the barrow, using the secret exit the nords had built into the side of the mountain, and found themselves near where the Guardian Stones had been located. Once they were outside they had walked in the direction of Riverwood, following the river until they had encountered a group of bandits that wanted to kill them and loot their corpses. Taking care of them had been easy, as Bjorn loosed two arrows into the of the bandits and Sunset used what magic she had left, which wasn't a lot, to blast the last one into submission.

As they approached the small village Sunset began to wonder what the strange chanting she had heard from that stone wall had said and, more importantly, why Bjorn didn't seem to hear it when he approached it.

They stopped at the Riverwood Trader, selling off a few pieces of their treasure, before Bjorn pulled out the Golden Claw and handed it off to Lucan, whose eyes lit up the moment it was back in his hands. In the exchange Sunset noticed that, in addition to the three hundred gold they had gotten for the treasure they had sold Lucan, they had also ended up receiving another four hundred gold for returning the claw to him. With the gold in hand the two of them left the trader and began the trek back to Whiterun, both feeling increasingly tired from the journey through the barrow. While they walked Sunset's eyes glanced down at the curved sword that hung at her belt, something that Bjorn had returned to her the moment they were done with the Guardian of the Dragonstone.

She had no idea what had possessed her to open the treasure chest, pull the enchanted blade out of the pile, and then drive it right into the heart of their enemy. It was a last resort weapon for her, as she barely knew how to use a sword and had gotten lucky in the heat of battle, while the draugr had been focused on her companion. She guessed that she could always ask the Companions for some pointers or even see how much Bjorn could show her so it wouldn't just sit on her belt forever.

"What's eating at you Sunset?" Bjorn asked, turning back to find that his companion was lost in thought as they walked, though when he spoke she seemed to snap out of it, "I can see that something is bothering you."

"Just thinking about all of this," Sunset replied, referring to their current task and the draugr that had stood in their way, "We were able to stand up to a group of low level draugr, but then when a much stronger one appeared we nearly couldn't beat it until luck played its hand. Who knows how that fight would have ended if I hadn't found this sword inside of that chest."

"Ah, I see," Bjorn chuckled, stopping to face her for a moment, "you said that you didn't know how to properly use a sword, yet here you are worrying that we might have lost the fight without it. Your wondering if you need to improve your weapon skills, in case there's a time where your magic won't be enough to defeat one of our enemies. If that's all that's troubling you at the moment then allow me to show you what little I know about using a sword, seeing how I have spent the majority of my time using my bow. I cannot promise that it would be enough for you, but I can promise that it will set you off in the right track to learning everything you need to know."

"Would the Companions be able to help in that regard?" Sunset asked, causing Bjorn to raise an eyebrow for a moment before returning to his calmer expression.

"Maybe, maybe not," Bjorn replied, beckoning for his companion to follow him again, "I mean, Aela might be able to teach you how to properly use a bow and Vilkas might be able to show you how to use one of his massive weapons. I'm not completely sure if any of them have the ability to teach someone how to use a sword, but I have never asked them for some pointers and never even considered it until now. While we walk I will tell you the pointers that I know from using my dagger, but that's all I can offer you at the moment."

Sunset chuckled to herself as they walked down the path that would take them to Whiterun, amazed that her companion was willing to show her a few of his skills so easily. She immediately took him up on his offer, which prompted Bjorn to pull his dagger out and, while they walked, simply move it around in a couple of patterns while telling her about them. He showed her where she wanted to hold her sword when she wanted to block an enemy's attack, where she wanted it to be when she was delivering her own attack, and what she wanted to do if she was running after an enemy with her weapon drawn.

She was thankful for him to be showing her these techniques, as she was sure that, at some point in the future, she would have the need to draw her sword once more and use it when her magic wasn't enough.

They eventually returned to Whiterun, where the guards briefly saluted them as they walked passed the main gate, though Sunset was unsure of what they had done to deserve it. She guessed that the respect could have been from delivering the news of Helgen's destruction to the Jarl, which would have meant that the guards had spread the tale among themselves. Still, she was glad that they appreciated their work to make the Hold safer from the dragons, though she was hoping that ending the threat would be simple. As they walked towards Dragonsreach one of the priestesses, who happened to be sitting beneath a dying tree, commented on the tree and Bjorn was quick to offer their services.

As they walked away from the tree Sunset wondered where they could find the dagger called Nettlebane, mostly because she had no idea where 'Orphan Rock' was located. Bjorn seemed to know where the located of the weapon was, but he said that he wanted to finish the Jarl's task before moving onto something else.

They entered Dragonsreach and made their way up the stairs, several of the guards turning their heads to them as one approached them from behind, though instead of talking to them he made his way to the floor above the main hall. Neither of them seemed to know what the guard was doing, but they had a task to complete and quickly made their way to Farengar's study, where they found him chatting with someone else. They patiently waited for their conversation to be over, though Sunset quickly realized that the women he was talking to seemed to be some sort of mercenary that delivered messages between her 'employers' and Farengar. She also suspected that the women wasn't telling the truth, but she decided to keep her mouth shut and simply watch them until the Court Wizard turned to face them.

"Ah, your back from Bleak Falls Barrow," Farengar stated, a smile appearing on his face, "Tell me, did you recover the Dragonstone?"

"Yeah, its right here," Sunset replied, pulling out the stone she had been carrying the entire time, "It wasn't easy to retrieve it, but now we can figure out what to do about that dragon."

"Well, this is where your job ends," Farengar told them, staring at the stone as Sunset placed it on his table, "Speak to the Jarl or his Steward Proventus. One of them will reward you for recovering the stone for me."

Sunset would have thought that their mission was at an end, as Farengar was done with them and clearly didn't want them around anymore, but that changed when Irileth appeared in the doorway. That was when Sunset realized exactly what the guard that had run past them was doing, he had been returning from somewhere in the Hold to report a dragon attack. She beckoned for Bjorn and Sunset to join her and Farengar when they spoke to the Jarl, clearly wishing to use their experience to their own favor. Sure enough when the four of them and the guard approached the Jarl, on the second floor of Dragonsreach, they learned that a dragon had indeed attacked the Hold.

"Go ahead soldier," Irileth told the guard, slightly turning her head to face the man, "tell them what you told me."

"We saw a dragon near the western watchtower," the guard said, recounting what he had seen as Sunset noted that there was a bit of fear lingering in his voice, "coming from the south. It was fast...faster than anything I've ever seen in my entire life."

"What was it doing?" Bulgruuf asked, clearly concerned that his city could be under attack by the dragon at any moment, "Was it attacking the watchtower?"

"No, my lord," the guard immediately replied, trying to reassure his Jarl without causing panic to erupt, "It was just circling overhead when I left. I never ran so fast in my entire life...I was afraid that it would come after me for sure."

"Good work son, we'll take it from here. Head down to the barracks for some food and rest," Bulgruuf told the guard, turning to Irileth not a moment later, "Irileth, you had better get some guardsmen and get over there before the dragon moves on. Remember, this isn't a glory mission. See whatever the beast is doing and then return to me so we can make a proper plan on how to defeat it."

"Don't worry, my lord." Irileth replied, saluting her Jarl the moment she had received her orders, "I've ordered some men to gather near the gates. We'll deal with the dragon, if he's still at the watchtower. If not then we'll make sure to help whoever is still standing."

"Good, don't fail me," Balgruuf said, turning to face Bjorn and Sunset as Irileth made her way down the stairs, "There's no time to stand on ceremony my friends, I require your services again. I need the two of you to go with Irileth and help her deal with this dragon, if it still lurks near the tower. You survived Helgen, so you have more experience dealing with dragons than anyone else here. But I haven't forgotten the service you did for me by retrieving the Dragonstone for Farengar. As a token of my esteem I have instructed Avenicci that you are now permitted to purchase property in the city, and please, take this weapon as a gift from my personal armory."

The weapon in question was not actually a weapon, as the moment the Jarl handed them the item Sunset discovered that it was a pair of steel gauntlets, something that she knew neither she nor Bjorn would be using. Bjorn was used to wearing light armor, as it allowed him to move faster while he was on the hunt, and Sunset actually liked the feel of the robe she was wearing. Still, Sunset thanked the Jarl for the gifts and the duo made their way out of Dragonsreach, all while hearing Farengar complain that he couldn't see the dragon up close.

"So, a dragon's attacking the Hold," Sunset commented, just as they walked down the stone steps outside Jarl Balgruuf's castle, "Do you think that its the same one that attacked and destroyed Helgen yesterday?"

"By the Divines I hope not," Bjorn swiftly replied, surprising Sunset by how quickly he had answered her question, "Don't get me wrong Sunset, I'm sure that we can take down a dragon if we encounter one, but I wouldn't be saying that if the black dragon showed himself again. If that monster is the one attacking the watchtower then we might as well kiss the tower, and whoever is guarding it, goodbye."

Sunset had to admit it, she wasn't too eager to face the black dragon again, as it had swiftly destroyed Helgen and slaughtered whoever it could get its claws on in seconds. Bjorn was right, they could easily deal with a dragon that wasn't the black one, though she was beginning to think that there was something different about the black one. As they walked down into the market area Sunset resolved to look for the book Bjorn had mentioned to her, the one that apparently spoke of the time when dragons returned to Skyrim. Despite not having a copy of the book she was sure that there was something inside it that could provide a clue as to what was going on around them.

As they walked through the market Bjorn stopped by the alchemists shop and walked inside, only to reappear a few minutes later with a bag full of different colored bottles. The red colored ones, Sunset learned, were the ones that healed wounds, the green ones would restore someone's stamina, and the blue restored magicka. As he gave her the blue potions and half of the red ones she noticed a fourth color that she hadn't seen, smaller purple colored bottles with a variety of markings on them. That was when she learned that the purple ones were poisons, as Bjorn explained that they might come in handy when they found the dragon and might even the odds for them.

Once the potions were divided between them they got underway, walking towards the main gate as several of the guards, those who weren't charged with leaving the city, wished them luck in dealing with the beast.

The duo found Irileth and her five guards standing beside a rock formation not ten minutes later, finding that they were all staring at the burning stone tower in the distance. It was painfully clear to Sunset that the dragon that thee guard had warned them about had already been here, though by the looks of it the dragon was nowhere to be seen. She assumed that there had been a normal entrance and a circular walkway that the guards used to patrol the area from the tower, but the majority of it had been destroyed. Surprisingly only the tower remained, though Sunset didn't like the looks of what was happening in front of her and Bjorn noticed the look on her face.

"Something wrong?" Bjorn asked, knowing that she didn't have a lot of experience with dragons in her home world, but it was more than what most of them had at the moment.

"Just remembering something I had read back in Equestria," Sunset replied, shaking her head as she stared at the sight before her, "This reminds me of a tale that spoke of a dragon, one that loved to attack various buildings on the outskirts of villages, so he could make the ponies or griffins come to him. He would lay in wait nearby, like behind a large pile of boulders. watching from a distance so no one could be able to notice him until it was far too late to retreat. He wasn't a very noble dragon in the end, but for some reason this scene just screams that we're dealing with a dragon that plays by the same rules as that one."

"Spread out and look for survivors," Irileth shouted, her guards drawing their weapons and running towards the tower, "and make sure to call for assistance if you see that dragon."

"Didn't you hear Sunset's story?" Bjorn asked, wondering why the dark elf would ignore someone's experience with dragons, "She said that this dragon is playing by the same rules as the one from her books, so we should be careful and take our time instead of just rushing in like you are."

"That may have been the case wherever she is from, but we don't have time to waste," Irileth replied, standing up to join her soldiers, "You can either come along and help us or just stay out of our way. If that dragon appears then we shall have the glory of being the first ones to kill a dragon since the last age."

Sunset watched the elf draw her sword and approach the tower, but she did Sunset couldn't help but feel that they were walking into the same trap she had just described to them. She couldn't help but feel sorry for the guards, because if the dragon was indeed lurking around the nearby area than it was only a matter of time until the beast decided to show itself. Bjorn glanced at her for a moment, clearly wondering if she had anything else to add to the tale, but the only thing left was who actually defeated the dragon in question. It was about five years after Nightmare Moon's defeat and Princess Celestia had dealt with the dragon rather quickly, though how she was never told and none of the books mentioned it.

Eventually she sighed and beckoned to Bjorn, following her companion over to the wrecked tower to survey the damage and rescue whoever was still alive. As they approached the tower a guard appeared at the top of the ramp, though by the looks of things it was clear that he wasn't in the best of shape.

"No, get back!" the guard shouted at them, confirming Sunset's fear that they had walked into a trap set by the dragon, "The beast is still here somewhere.

That was when Sunset heard a roar echo throughout the nearby mountain, causing her and everyone else to turn their heads and see the shape of a dragon come their way.

"Kynareth save us all," the guard moaned, drawing his bow so he could die with his weapon drawn, "he's coming back to finish us off."

"Come on men," Irileth shouted, nocking an arrow and taking aim at the dragon, "focus your fire and make every arrow we have count."

As the dragon neared the tower it opened its mouth and balls of fire rained down on the guards, exploding when they touched the ground or an unlucky guard. Sunset, on the other hand, ducked behind a section of the ruined walkway and prepared her magic, hoping that they would be able to put down the beast without losing too many lives. Bjorn pulled out an arrow and loosed it at the dragon, hitting it in the side and watched as the arrow fell back to the ground not a few moments later. Irileth and the guards, for the most part, remained out in the open, giving the dragon excellent target practice while they tried to put as many of their arrows in its hide as they could.

When the dragon stopped in mid air and faced them Sunset emerged and threw her magic at the beast, just as bolts of lightning hit the stomach area and caused it to look at her. She had seen it use fire and had chosen to use a different element, though she was considering that frost might have been a better choice in the end. As the dragon turned towards her she noticed that there were flames gathering in its throat, telling her that it was preparing to attack her immediately. It was times like this that Sunset wished that she had wings, so she could fly around the beast and make it harder for her to actually be hit by one of its attacks.

As the dragon loosed its attack Sunset rolled behind the section of the walkway she had hidden behind before, knowing that she'd have to come up with another plan of attack.

The dragon landed right in front of Irileth, causing her to jump to her right before she was consumed by its fire breath, but it continued to follow her despite the others around it. Bjorn took advantage of the distraction by pulling out his own sword, ran up to the beast, and swung it right into the dragon's hind leg, cutting a gash that must have angered the creature by the roar that it loosed. Several of the guards regained themselves and loosed their own arrows into the dragon's sides, some of which harmlessly just bounced off its hide while the rest buried themselves deep. Sunset took a chance and emerged from her hiding spot, channeling her frost magic into the dragon's side to cool down its raging flame, not to mention seal in the arrows for a moment.

What worried Sunset was the fact that they weren't doing too much damage to the dragon, as it looked like it could still fight for hours while they were using up all of their resources. Most of the guards that had followed Irileth into battle were either running around like chickens, trying to find cover to put more arrows into the beast, or just plain dead. Sunset and Bjorn had retreated to the inside of the tower, giving them a moment to catch their breath and down a few of the potions that Bjorn had purchased earlier. She also noticed that Bjorn was running low on arrows again, but she had none to give him and they were, rather quickly, running out of options.

"Surely your tale told of how the dragon was defeated," Bjorn commented, drawing an arrow while he watched from the doorway, "How did the ponies and griffins manage to defeat such a beast on their own?"

"That's the problem Bjorn, they didn't," Sunset replied, mildly annoyed that he was asking about the story in the middle of battle, "Half of them were destroyed the moment the dragon showed himself and the other half are doing what we're doing right now; hiding until we come up with a better plan. They never came up with that plan, as Princess Celestia arrived and told everyone, ponies and griffins alike, to flee before they were caught in the crossfire. Then, when they were all gone and it was just her and the dragon, she did something and the dragon was never heard from again, but what that something was I never found out.

The whole thing is vexing, as most of Equestria's villains were either defeated with trickery, such as Tirek, King Sombra, and a few others that I won't mention, or with the Elements of Harmony, like Nightmare Moon and Discord to name a few. Sadly, we do not possess any of the Elements of Harmony and I am pretty sure that trickery won't get us anywhere with this dragon."

"For Ysgramor!" a voice shouted, just before the dragon roared in agony and a figure rolled into the tower, which turned out to be Aela, "Ah, so this is where you two were hiding. Tell me, do we have a plan for dealing with the beast?"

"Not really," Bjorn replied, turning to face the Huntress, "How did you know we were here?"

"A guard came to Jorrvaskr and told us about the dragon," Aela replied, nocking another arrow into her bow, "Kodlak did not want any of us to come out and fight the dragon, but when I heard that you two were here I grabbed my bow and came running. A warrior does not leave a Shield-Brother behind, nor does she let one of her friends die at the claws of one of Skyrim's oldest foes without backing them up. I will be reprimanded for my actions today, but it will pale in comparison to telling a tale of defeating a dragon to the rest of my Shield-Brothers and Sisters."

"It would be an honor to fight at your side again Aela," Bjorn laughed, nocking three arrows into his bow before nodding to himself, "even if it means that we are both destined to die here in the end."

"Agreed Bjorn," Aela said, making sure her weapons were ready, "Come then, let us show this dragon the combined power of the the Hunter and the Huntress."

Before Sunset could stop the insane hunters from leaving the tower to meet their doom they stood up and marched outside, where she heard them loose their arrows not moments later. She knew that she couldn't leave the two of them to face the dragon alone, but she had absolutely no idea how to even defeat such a creature in combat. All the books she had read only told of vague ways on how to actually fight one if attacked, and all of Princess Celestia's tales never specified how she had done it either. She sighed and pulled herself off the floor, knowing that she was going to do something that would likely mean the death of her and her companions.

"Ful, hi los pah tol los vahlut?" the dragon asked, speaking in its native language as two archers appeared from the tower, though quickly realized that they didn't understand him, "So, you are all that is left? Such a shame. I had heard that the Dragonborn was around this area, but it seems that I was mistaken. Time for you to die!"

Before the dragon could loose its fire at them they loosed their arrows, which pierced the dragon's stomach and caused him to roar in pain and anger. They were buying time for Sunset, because they both knew that she had more knowledge when it came to the creatures than anyone currently alive in Skyrim. They needed her to come up with a plan of attack, so until then they were determined to use every arrow they could until she told them exactly what needed to be done. As the dragon got ready to loose an attack on them both Bjorn and Aela heard a shout as something, a magical spell Bjorn quickly realized, hit the dragon in the back and caused it to turn towards the tip of the tower.

Sunset took a deep breath after throwing the lightning bolt before leaping off the top of the tower, pulling her sword out and swinging at the dragon, somehow getting the blade to pierce the beasts hide. The dragon roared and swung one of its claws at her, though as it did so it lowered itself towards the ground Sunset let go of the blade and fell to the ground, only to be caught by Bjorn and Aela. Once her feet were touching the ground again they turned and faced the dragon, though she noticed that her sword had fallen out and laid halfway between them all.

"Ful, hi los gein bel naal Kynareth?!" the dragon shouted at them, his eyes focused on Sunset and not her companions, until he realized that she couldn't understand him either, "You are the one summoned by Kynareth?! She should have let Atatosh summon someone more worthy to face my Lord than you. You are just an ant, mortal, and I shall take great pride in crushing you into Sovngarde."

As the dragon readied its breath once more Sunset immediately ran forward, much to the surprise of Bjorn and Aela as she reached for her enchanted sword. She reached the sword with ease, but instead of stopping she continued forward, allowing her magic to wrap around the blade as she ran towards the dragon. As the dragon loosed its flames at her she ducked to the side and closed the distance, swinging her sword into the dragon's side and leaving a gash in the scales. As the dragon roared in agony Sunset climbed onto its back and continued to swing her weapon, the flames cutting small gashes into the armored skin until she reached its head.

Before she could plant her weapon in the dragon's skull it shook its head and threw off, causing her to land on the ground nearby and roll back onto her feet.

"I shall make sure to tear you and all of your allies into as many pieces as I can," the dragon promised her, gathering even more flames into its mouth.

That was before Irileth, having used Sunset as a distraction, climbed onto the dragon's back and started hacking into its skin, cutting as many gashes as she could into the beast. The dragon roared in agony as the guards, what remained of them anyway, burst out of their hiding places and started driving their weapons into the dragon's sides. It was as if they realized that they now had a chance at defeating the dragon, but even now it continued to thrash around as if it still had energy to go on for hours.

"Now Sunset Shimmer!" Irileth shouted, turning to face the group that was near the head, "Drive your sword into its head and end this nightmare once and for all."

Before Sunset started to run both Bjorn and Aela ran ahead of her, but stopped halfway between her and the dragon and held their hands together, forming a way for her to get the boost she needed to get to the head. She ran forward and leapt onto their hands, allowing them to throw her into the air and gain the height she needed to run her blade into the dragon's head. As she neared her target she poured the last of her magic into the blade, allowing an even intenser magical aura to surround the blade as she drove it straight into the dragon's head. Then, to be sure the deed would be done, she released the magic inside the dragon's body and cut the beast's head in half, much to everyone's surprise.

Bjorn caught her before she could touch the ground, though everyone started to hail her as the one that had saved Whiterun from becoming the dragon's next target. Then, just as they started to celebrate, the dragon's body shuddered and started to break apart, the outer skin breaking away until the only thing left of the dragon was his skeletal body. As they watched the body a mass of energy rose from the corpse, but just as Irileth drew her sword to cut into whatever it was the energy moved around her and went straight towards Sunset. Then the energy smacked into her chest and filled her entire body, much to the amazement of the assembled guards, Irileth, Aela, and Bjorn, and not to mention to Sunset's confusion.

"What in Celestia's name just happened?" Sunset asked, completely confused as to what just happened to her.

6: The Greybeards

"I can't believe it," one of the guards said in awe, just as he, his companions, and Irileth approached Sunset, "Your Dragonborn!"

"Excuse me?" Sunset asked, still not completely sure what happened when they killed the dragon and had absolutely no idea what the guard was talking about at the moment, "What in Celestia's name are you talking about?"

"He's referring to one of Skyrim's legendary heroes," Bjorn replied, sighing as he finished collecting all the arrows that he could before returning to her side, "There's two ways to interpret the title, the first one is a hero that is chosen by the Divines, during times of hardship and disaster, such as Alessia and Reman Cyrodiil. The second one is a warrior that can kill a dragon by devouring its soul, exactly like what you just did, and speaking in the Dragon Language, loosing what is referred to as the Thu'um. I know that there was supposed to be one Dragonborn during the Merethic Era, as was Tiber Septim before he became Talos and, according to the stories, so was Wulfharth."

"Don't forget the Nerevarine," Irileth commented, joining the conversation, "I remember hearing something about a prophecy marking him as one of the legendary warriors as well."

Sunset stared at the two of them for a moment, wondering who the people they were talking about the entire time were, before they eventually stopped and turned to face her again. The guard, thankful for the conversation to end, continued to pester her with questions, apparently trying to determine what power she had gained from absorbing the dragon's soul. She continued to tell the guard that she had no idea what he was talking about, which was mostly about Tiber Septim before his ascent to the 'Ninth Divine' and the power that was called the Thu'um. From what she could gather it required focusing her vital essence into a Shout, but none of the guards could explain what that meant and Irileth seemed lost in that regard as well.

She wanted to head back to Dragonsreach and tell the Jarl the news, but she eventually had enough of the guard questioning her about being the 'Dragonborn' and she lashed out. Not in the tradition way of smacking him with her fists or her weapon, but by drawing in air and then releasing it all in a gust of wind that pushed the guard backwards. The other guards were stunned by the display, though the moment they recovered they started praising her for her use of the Thu'um, clearly excited over the deed. Sunset, however, had to wonder why the word that accompanied the Shout, Fus, reminded her of the Word Wall she and Bjorn had seen in Bleak Falls Barrow.

Instead of leaving her to the guards Bjorn tapped her on the shoulder and then they departed from the watchtower, with both Irileth and Aela not far behind. As they walked away Sunset noticed a group of cat like creatures poke around the dragon's corpse, picking some small bones and scale pieces before running away. The four of them walked towards Whiterun, passing by several farmers who ran towards the ruined tower, to see the first fallen dragon seen in Skyrim. Aela spoke up about telling the rest of the Companions about the fight, with Bjorn and Irileth trying to get her to tone it down, but Sunset just remained silent, trying to understand what was happening to her.

While they walked Sunset could have sworn that something, or someone, shouted out the word 'Dovahkiin' with enough force to briefly shake the sky.

As they walked through Whiterun each guard that noticed them ran up to them and asked Irileth about the watchtower, only to back away and respectfully bow to Sunset as they passed. Several of the civilians walked up to the guards and asked what they were doing, only to hear the tale of the Dragonborn and fall in with the guards. Sunset knew that if she had appeared in Skyrim back when she was a bully that this attention would have gone to her head and she likely would have done some terrible things with the power rush. She was thankful to Princess Twilight and her friends for teaching her the error of her ways and setting her down the path she was currently on.

In time the group returned to Dragonsreach, though Aela bid them goodbye when they passed by Jorrvaskr, and Proventus and the Jarl silently waited for them to give their report.

"So what happened at the watchtower?" the Jarl asked almost immediately, waiting until Bjorn and Sunset came to a stop before his throne, "Was the dragon there?"

"The watchtower was destroyed Jarl Balgruuf," Sunset replied, bracing herself to tell him exactly what the guards had told her the moment she had taken the dragon's soul, "but don't worry, Irileth, Bjorn, and I killed the dragon."

"Don't beat around the bush Dragonborn," Irileth spoke up, ruining Sunset's approach in an instant before turning to her Lord, "We slew the beast, but when it died Sunset Shimmer here absorbed its soul and called upon the Thu'um, just like in all of the stories the old nords tell."

"Dragonborn?!" Jarl Balgruuf said, awe filling his voice as everyone else around them slightly bowed to Sunset, "So its true; the Greybeards really were summoning you..."

"Greybeards?" Sunset asked, terribly confused with all the information that was being given to her.

"Master's of the Way of the Voice," Jarl Balgruuf answered, apparently not caring that she had no idea who he was talking about, "They live in seclusion high on the slopes of the Throat of the World. The Dragonborn is said to be uniquely gifted in the Voice - the ability to focus your vital essence into a Thu'um, or Shout. If you really are Dragonborn, they can teach you how to use your gift."

"Didn't you hear the thundering sound as you returned to Whiterun?" the nord warrior to the Jarl's left said, "That was the voice of the Greybeards, summoning you to High Hrothgar! This hasn't happened in ... centuries, at least. Not since Tiber Septim himself was summoned when he was still Talos of Atmora!"

"Hrongar, calm yourself." Proventus spoke up, causing the warrior to look over at him, "What does any of this Nord nonsense have to do with our friend here? Capable as he/she may be, I don't see any signs of him/her being this, what, 'Dragonborn.'"

"Nord nonsense?!" Hrongar huffed, clearly getting upset over what he had been told, "Why you puffed-up ignorant... these are our sacred traditions that go back to the founding of the First Empire!"

"Hrongar. Don't be so hard on Avenicci." Jarl Balgruuf said, though it was clear that the two of them were going to continue and there was nothing he could do to stop them until they were ready to stop.

"I meant no disrespect, of course." Proventus rapidly replied, clearly wanting to defuse the situation, "It's just that... what do these Greybeards want with her? Capable as she may be I don't see any signs of her being 'Dragonborn.'"

"That's the Greybeards' business, not ours." Balgruuf replied, waiting for the two to return to their stations before turning his gaze back to Sunset and Bjorn, "Whatever happened when you killed that dragon, it revealed something in you, and the Greybeards heard it. If they think you're Dragonborn, who are we to argue? You'd better get up to High Hrothgar immediately. There's no refusing the summons of the Greybeards. It's a tremendous honor.

You've done a great service for me and my city, Sunset Shimmer. By my right as Jarl, I name you Thane of Whiterun. It's the greatest honor that's within my power to grant. I assign you Lydia as a personal Housecarl, and this weapon from my armory to serve as your badge of office. I'll also notify my guards of your new title. Wouldn't want them to think you're part of the common rabble, now would we? We are honored to have you as Thane of our city, Dragonborn."

Sunset had to admit it, but she was fairly surprised by how little she had to do to gain such a position in one of the nine Holds that made up the entirety of Skyrim. Granted it involved her and Bjorn trekking through a draugr infested barrow, where they could have been killed, and then using all their skills to take down a dragon. From the small information she could gather a Dragonborn was a hero that was called on by the Divines to save the land from some form of danger, though she had no idea what any of the other five had done during their time. Six if she counted someone called the Nerevarine, who she determined that she needed to learn more about to see if he or she was truly linked to the Dragonborn title in anyway.

With the deed of informing the Jarl out of the way she and Bjorn decided to leave the palace, where they found the nord warrior that was supposed to be Sunset's Housecarl, Lydia. Instead of bothering to worry about the details in the entrance of Dragonsreach the trio left the palace and ventured out into the city, where they entered the Bannered Mare and took a table. Bjorn ordered the three of them a meal and the room for the night, while Sunset began to worry about her fate and Lydia simply waited for him to return. When Bjorn did return to the table Sunset decided that it was a good opportunity to reflect on what happened and make sure she wasn't in some dream.

"So, I'm something called Dragonborn now?" Sunset asked her companions, receiving nods while they ate their evening meal, "So, to understand why this is happening to me and why I was chosen to become a member of a legendary group of heroes, some who may not have been Dragonborn at all, I must now journey to the near peak of a mountain and speak to a group of monks. Now I'm assuming that these Greybeards can tell me all about the Dragonborn and the legends that are associated with them, all while showing me how I'm supposed to use this 'Thu'um'. Not to mention that there is a massive black dragon flying around, no doubt destroying whatever he pleases until someone, which is likely to be me, stops him. And, while all this madness is going on, Tirek is free to do whatever he wishes while he amasses his power before he tries to conquer this world.

Why, in Celestia's name, is all of this madness happening to me?"

"I do not know who this Tirek is my Thane," Lydia replied, patting Sunset's shoulder as she spoke, "but I am sure that, once the Greybeards have told you why they have summoned you, we can track down your enemies and put them down. Should be a simple matter to find this Tirek and put an end to him before he causes any problems."

"He's an old man right now," Bjorn spoke up, mostly so he could tell Lydia what little he actually knew, "one who apparently believes that he's some sort of dremora that has the power to drain people of their magic and increase his own in the process. Last the two of us saw him he was at Helgen, where the Imperials were getting ready to take his head before that black dragon swooped in and started destroying everything. So he should be pretty easy to find."

Sunset had to debate whether or not she told her companions everything she knew about Tirek and the destruction he could potentially cause to this world. On one hand telling them might make them so scared of him that they could very well leave her to fight the dangers of this world on her own, but the flip side was also true. She could easily tell them the truth and then discover that they would rather die than to see such a villain steal whatever magic they had and take over their world. Plus she didn't know everything about Tirek anyway, as Princess Celestia didn't want to scare her with the stories of how she and her sister fought against him. The only ponies that knew everything about Tirek, not counting the Spirit of Disharmony, were Princesses Celestia, Luna, and Twilight Sparkle, and they were on Equus.

In the end Sunset decided that she could wait until she was sure that the monster had survived Helgen before she got around to telling her companions about him.

The next hour slowly passed for the three of them, though Sunset spent it listening to Lydia and Bjorn discuss the facts about the Imperial/Stormcloak war that was raging on. She was interested in the conflict, mostly because she wanted to know the history about both sides, what they were actually fighting for, and why the war was at a stalemate. From them she learned that the reason the war couldn't favor one side was because neither side could gain control of Whiterun, because the Jarl refused to side with either of them. Thanks to that both sides were quietly gathering resources, soldiers, and siege weapons, waiting for Balgruuf to make his move before both sides descended on the city.

Eventually the three of them retired to their chambers, where Lydia took a seat in the chair and started to fall asleep, leaving Bjorn and Sunset to share the bed again. The moment that Sunset's head touched the pillow she closed her eyes and drifted to sleep, just wanting the day to be over at last.

When morning finally arrived Sunset was surprised to find that both Bjorn and Lydia were already up and about, but while Bjorn had stayed at the Bannered Mare and had gotten them all something to eat Lydia just disappeared. Bjorn told her that Lydia had basically informed him that she was heading back to Dragonsreach, so she could pick up a few books that she claimed that Farengar 'wouldn't be missing'. Sunset was kind of worried that her Housecarl was stealing from the Court Wizard and was determined to set her straight once she had returned. When Lydia did return Sunset was, once again, surprised, as Lydia had explained that she bought a few of the books and Farengar threw in a few for free, in thanks for Sunset and Bjorn stopping the dragon she explained.

There were a few books that seemed interesting, one of which was titled The Oblivion Crisis while a second was titled The Book of Daedra, but as she glanced over the pile she noticed a book with a purple cover and an odd symbol attached to the front.

"A spell tome!" Lydia said, once Sunset showed her the book that had been hidden in the pile, "I'm sure that Farengar didn't mean to give me a conjuration tome for free."

"Well he did," Bjorn replied, glancing at the title for a moment, "Huh, 'Conjure Chest'. I can't say that I have ever heard of that spell before, but then again I don't use magic, though the name tells me that its a personal chest that you could store items and treasure inside without the fear of losing them."

"Might as well put it to good use then," Sunset told them, holding onto the book while the others went into a pack, "So, how are we going to get to High Hrothgar? I assume that we are either going to walk the entire distance to get there, or we'll acquire the means ourselves."

"The carriage driver told me he's leaving for Riften before noon," Lydia said, causing them to turn towards her, "Look, Iverstead is on the way to Riften, so it should be easy to convince him to change his course so that we pass through the village first. He passes through the village, we get off the moment we arrive, and then he goes about his merry way while we walk up the Seven Thousand Steps."

Sunset had no idea if the plan would work as well as Lydia said it would, but the moment they were done with their breakfast they headed downstairs and left the Bannered Mare. As they walked towards the main gates several of the guards waved to them, to which Sunset merely waved back and let them continue about their day. Some of the people tried to get them to buy some of their wares, but Bjorn declined many of their offers, saying that they were well prepared for their journey. Even the blacksmith tried to sell them a weapon and some armor, to which the three of them swiftly declined and continued outside the city. Once outside it was a simple matter to find the carriage, as it was still sitting in the exact spot that Sunset had seen it the first time she had come near the city, as if the driver didn't move until he had customers.

The only thing that Sunset didn't expect to find in the cart was someone else, one of the feline people she had heard about, a Khajiit she reminded herself, who simply nodded her head towards them as they neared the cart.

"It seems you'll have some company after all Miss Raja," the carriage driver said, just as Lydia negotiated what she, her Thane, and her Thane's bodyguard needed, "in the form of the Thane of Whiterun herself. And her companions of course."

"Ah, the Dragonslayer and her allies, it is an honor," the khajiit said, bowing a little as she spotted Sunset, "I would be delighted to share the carriage with you."

Sunset sighed and climbed onto the carriage with her companions, which in turn told the driver that they were ready to go now that they were ready. Soon they were heading on their way to Iverstead, though how Lydia managed to convince the carriage driver that he should take a different route was beyond Sunset's understanding. She was thankful that her Housecarl had done it, as it would bring them one step closer to figuring out how to stop the black dragon and then, hopefully, deal with Tirek.

"So, you are a breton, yes?" the khajiit, Raja, asked after the first five minutes, to which Sunset turned to look at her for a moment.

"According to everyone I've met so far," Sunset replied, sighing as she answered.

"And the horn on your forehead?" Raja continued, simply seeking to sate her curiosity at this point, "That doesn't look like something that a breton would have."

"I'm originally a unicorn from the planet Equus," Sunset replied, not even bothering to hide the fact anymore, "all unicorns are born with one, as they allow us to focus our magic and do amazing things, like levitate objects, turn one object into another one, or even cast an illusion that could hide who we really are. Then there's the pegasi, who mostly fly around and change the weather as is necessary, to make sure that the storms don't hurt anyone and are where they are supposed to be. And the earth ponies, who tend the land and grow the food that everyone and every animal eats, while being protectors for the their own families.

I studied at Princess Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns for some time until the Princess noticed me and then took me under her wing, to personally teach me about magic. I won't explain everything, but I eventually let my ego get the better of me and I ran to another world, where I was defeated by Princess Twilight. Then, maybe half a year later, she returned and we took down the Sirens before they could return to Equus and cause whatever havoc they had planned. I was planning on returning home until the portal malfunctioned, sending me here."

"Your home world sounds interesting," Raja chuckled, to which Sunset's companions smiled with her.

"What about you Raja?" Sunset asked, curious about her traveling companion, "What can you tell us about yourself?"

"There's not much to tell really," Raja said, glancing at the sky for a moment before returning her eyes to Sunset, "My sister and I were born in Windhelm, but we were left there by our parents, who went to fight in one of the wars and never returned home. Once we came into our tenth year my sister wanted to train so she could join the army, just like our parents did, while I decided that my skills were better suited to learning the art of the forge. I traveled to the Imperial City, where I lived for some time, until just a few weeks ago, when one of my friends sent me a letter from Riften, telling me that he had seen my sister a few times.

About a year before that I had received a letter telling me that my sister had been killed in combat, leaving me as the sole surviving member of my family at this point. The moment I learned that my sister could still be alive I bid my coworker in the Imperial City goodbye for the moment and traveled to Skyrim immediately. I only arrived outside Whiterun yesterday, but because the guards don't like khajiit's very much I was forced to wait outside, where I shared a campfire with one of the caravan groups. Their leader told me that he saw another khajiit matching my sister's description hanging around Riften, so I know exactly where I need to go first."

"Does your sister have a name?" Bjorn asked, curious as to why Raja continued to say 'her sister' and 'my sister' all the time.

"Yes, forgive me for not saying so immediately," Raja immediately replied, realizing that she hadn't caught the error herself, "My sister's name was... I mean her name IS Snowheart."

Sunset nodded and remained silent as Lydia and Bjorn asked a few more questions about Raja and her family, the majority of which were directed towards the missing sister. From what she could gather the two sisters were the only khajiits that were freely welcomed by the guards of Windhelm, because the guards were used to them and knew that they weren't thieves. She also found it slightly strange that one of the sisters went and became a soldier in one of the armies, while the other went into the art of making weapons. The two of them had, in their own ways, given aid to whichever side in whatever war that Raja had mentioned, which one that was Sunset still had no idea.

They passed by a pair of towers about ten to fifteen minutes later, where Sunset found a group of Companions running around and hacking the bandits to death. She looked out for Aela, but from what she could tell the three warriors were not the archer that she had met before entering Whiterun the first time. One of them hailed the carriage as they rolled on by, but other than that Sunset was surprised that nothing eventful happened and eventually pulled out of the books she had been given. She started with The Book of the Daedra, which she assumed would tell her something about the Daedric Lords and if she needed to be sure to stay away from them.

By the time she finished reading the book she was surprised and somewhat shocked to find that there were sixteen different Daedric Lords that watched over the world of Nirn, seventeen if she counted the one called Jyggalag. According to the book the mysterious Prince of Order had suddenly vanished one day, only to have his position filled by the seemingly insane Sheogorath. The moment she closed the book she switched it for the one on the 'Oblivion Crisis' and quickly discovered just how powerful some of the Daedric Lords actually were. Just one of them, Mehrunes Dagon to be exact, had enough power to make a cult, kill the Emperor of Tamriel, and then begin a war to destroy everything until he was stopped.

Now that she knew the power that the Daedric Lords possessed she knew that if Tirek managed to absorb even one of their powers, even if that one was the weakest of them all, it could very well spell doom for all of Nirn.

"I know that look," Bjorn suddenly said, causing Sunset to look up at him. "Something is bothering you. Care to share?"

"I'm worried about Tirek getting his hands on the powers of one of the Daedric Lords," Sunset admitted, not sure if it was even possible for Tirek to do so, "According to the stories he caused too much damage with the magical energies of even one of Equestria's three major races, which only increased as the other tribes were absorbed as well. I think I could imagine the power that he would obtain if he took even one of them down, but I'd rather not think about that right now."

"Well, the Daedric Lords are locked out of Nirn thanks to Martin Septim's sacrifice during the Oblivion Crisis," Raja spoke up, causing them and Lydia to look at her, "so the only way for this 'Tirek' to get close to one of the Daedric Lords is to find one of their artifacts. That;s the only way for him to do so at this point."

"Then I have nothing to fear then," Sunset replied, a smile appearing on her face, "if he cannot touch the Daedric Lords than there is no reason for me to fear that it could happen."

What Sunset didn't say was, now that her fear of Tirek taking the power of one of the Princes away was dismissed, she now feared that he might, somehow, recover one of those artifacts. It only opened another can of worms for me, because she now had to consider the possibility of hunting down all fifteen artifacts, completing the tasks related to that Prince, and then seal it inside a chest of some kind. She sighed as the carriage continued towards their destination, every time she thought she was getting ahead of Tirek she ended up taking two steps backwards.

When the carriage arrived in Iverstead Sunset, Lydia, and Bjorn climbed out of the back, bid Raja farewell and watched her disappear into the distance. They immediately turned around and started up the path that would lead them towards the peak of the mountain, to which each of them pulled out a weapon, just to be on a safe side. Sunset was glad that they had prepared themselves, as they came across a bunch of wildlife that wanted them dead; such as a few bears, a saber cat, and a pack of wolves. After each fight they stopped and took a small break, patching themselves up and making sure that none of them were severely wounded, before they moved on.

It wasn't until they reached the halfway point that the grass turned to snow and the creatures they came across consisted of a few trolls and something Bjorn called an ice wraith. Once they encountered these enemies Sunset gladly switched to fire magic, which was her strongest element, and burned the creatures as her companions hacked at them. They even went as far as to bait one of the trolls near the cliff, duck under it as it swung at them, and then pushed it off the cliff with the force of their attacks. The moment they were done with all the trolls they continued towards their destination, which Sunset was constantly hoping would be around every corner.

That was moments before they finally found the steps to the monastery, to which Sunset stared at for a few moments before she started walking up to the main door. As she approached the iron doors she had to be amazed by how incredible the structure looked for something that she thought was so old, compared to everything else in Skyrim. She sighed and stepped inside, where she was the only to actually continue onward as four monks gathered around the central area, apparently having been waiting for her the entire time.

"So a Dragonborn appears," one of the monks, the closest one on Sunset's left, said, "at this moment, in the turning of the age. But before we begin let us see if you truly are Dragonborn. Let us taste your Thu'um."

Sunset was surprised that the monks wanted her to use the only Shout that she knew, after they had somehow heard her from the mountain and had called for her to come to them. She sighed and took a deep breath, focusing her mind as she drew upon the power that she had somehow called on after she and Bjorn had slain the dragon at the watchtower. Then, when she thought she was ready, she blew outwards, another 'Fus' escaping her lips and slamming into the monk, who simply stood there and took the entire thing.

"Ah, it is you Dragonborn," the monk spoke, bowing to her just a bit, "Welcome to High Hrothgar. I am Master Arngeir, I speak for the Greybeards. Tell me, why have you come here?"

"Why are the dragons returning to Skyrim?" Sunset asked, curious about their sudden return while trying to understand why she was the chosen one, "Does it have something to do with me? Also, what does it mean to be 'Dragonborn'?"

"Ah, I see that you have many questions. I shall answer them to the best of my ability," Arngeir replied, "I shall start with your first question. No doubt. The appearance of a Dragonborn at this time is not an accident. Your destiny is surely bound up with the return of the dragons. You should focus on honing your Voice, and soon your path will be made clear. Dragons have the inborn ability to learn and project their Voice. Dragons also are able to absorb the power of their slain brethren. A few mortals are born with similar abilities — whether a gift or a curse has been a matter of debate down through the centuries. What you have already learned in a few days took even the most gifted of us years to achieve. Some believe that Dragonborn are sent into the world by the gods, at times of great need. We will speak more of that later, when you are ready.

But first we shall teach you the second Word to Unrelenting Force, the first Word to Whirlwind Sprint, and then tell you about the final trial we have planned for you."

Sunset sighed and went along with the lessons, knowing that, in the end, the knowledge would allow her to find out everything she needed to know so she could stop the black dragon. The lessons involved her getting the second Word of her first Shout, 'Ro' or Balance as she was told, blasting ghostly forms of the Greybeards, and receiving a few murmurs from the monks. Then they went into the courtyard, where they immediately taught her the first Word of her new Shout and demonstrated how to properly use it. Once she knew the Word one of the other monks gifted his knowledge of that Word to her, giving her a brief understanding of 'Wuld' before they used it in front of her.

Once she had repeated what the monk had done, moving over a short distance to pass through an iron gate before it closed on her, Arngeir approached her to tell her of the final trial.

"You must retrieve the Horn of Jurgen Windcaller, from the ancient fane of Ustengrav," Arngeir told her the moment she was close to him, "Remain true to the Way of the Voice and you will return to us."

Sunset nodded and walked back inside the monastery, where she immediately returned to her companions to tell them where they were going next and to ask them where the ruin was located. She was shocked to find that the ruin was near Solitude which, according to both Bjorn and Lydia, would take the better part of a day, or two if they were unlucky, to reach without their own steeds or another carriage. All they really told her was that it would take them the rest of the day to reach Iverstead, where they could rest, before they spent another day to reach Ustengrav. Then, once she had the horn, she assumed that she could get all the information she needed to better understand how the dragons had returned and how to stop them again.

She briefly smiled as they departed from High Hrothgar, glad that they were accomplishing something that could benefit everyone across all of Skyrim.

A lone necromancer ran through the halls of a ruined fortress, running for his life as he left his companions to their fate at the hands of the strange daedra that had come to them. They had found what appeared to be an old nord that seemed near death, dressed in robes that looked like they were almost as old as the end of the third era, and brought him back to their base of operations. They believed him to be what remained of the legendary Mannimarco, the necromancer that had nearly ruined all of Tamriel two eras ago and then stopped again during the previous era. They had planned on healing him so that they could try his plans again, because it was like they always said, third time had to be the one they would succeed with.

That was before the old nord grabbed their leader by his throat and drained him of his magicka until he was completely dry, leaving a shriveled body behind. Of the four remaining necromancers he was the last one, as the daedra had consumed the energies of his companions before following after him. He turned the corner and found the door he had been looking for, but before he could reach it he found himself unable to move as he felt his energy slowly disappear. As the last of his energy was taken from his body he hit the ground and weakly looked up at the ceiling, finding that the daedra had caught up to him at last before he closed his eyes.

"More," Tirek growled, moving towards the door, "I need more power... and I know exactly where to find it!"

7: Ustengrav or Bust

"Okay, let's see that map," Sunset said, standing before the doors that would lead out into Skyrim once more as Bjorn pulled out his map, "where is this Ustengrav?"

"It would be here," Bjorn replied, placing a finger on an area between the cities of Solitude and Morthal, "along with two other nordic ruins; High Gate Ruins and Folgunthur. I am not familiar with the ruins in that area, as to which one is the one we seek, so we'll have to ask a local which ruin is actually Ustengrav when we're in the area."

"Sounds good to me," Sunset smiled, glad that things were looking up for them, "then we'll return to Iverstead, take a rest in the inn if its late enough, and then start the journey towards the ruin. If we're lucky we might end up catching Tirek somewhere along the way and end his madness before he has a chance to start."

On the outside she knew that she presented an aura of confidence to her companions, but on the inside she was terrified about the eventual confrontation she would have with the demonic centaur. Tirek was capable of ruining the land around him, when powered up by the magic of the Three Tribes, but there was no telling how powerful he would be if he took one of the Daedric Princes' powers from them. She dreaded even thinking of working with one of the Daedric Lords, much less all of them, but she needed to be sure that their artifacts were safe from her enemy.

With their destination set the trio departed from High Hrothgar, leaving the Greybeards to their meditation while they sought the Horn of Jurgen Windcaller, which Arngeir politely requested Sunset to acquire. The walk down the mountain was uneventful, as they had cleared everything that had wanted to kill them on their trek up just an hour before. It gave Sunset the time to wonder about what evil Tirek was committing at that very moment, if he was still lurking somewhere in Skyrim at that point in time. She silently hoped that he had been taken out by someone else, but there was the nagging feeling that he was waiting and gathering his strength.

"Thinking about HIM again?" Bjorn asked while they walked, causing Sunset to sigh and nod to him, "Don't worry my friend, we'll find a way to deal with Tirek sooner or later. I mean, its not like he's out there somewhere, draining some poor wizards of their magicka and while trying to hid from someone who will put him in his place. Let's get to to Ustengrav, fight our way to the Horn of Jurgen Windcaller, and then we'll see what we can do about Tirek after getting it back to the Greybeards."

When they arrived in Iverstead Sunset noticed that the sun was, indeed, setting, so they walked up to the inn and immediately secured one of the rooms for themselves. The owner was more than happy to give them the room and also served them the meal that Bjorn asked him for, seeing how there wasn't anyone else that could help him. Their meal wasn't as great as the one they had in Whiterun, but Sunset really didn't mind what they had and soon they were retiring to their room for the night. Sunset had the feeling that the following days were going to be trying on them all, though she didn't want to know what her feeling was trying to tell her.

When morning arrived the trio had a quick breakfast, quickly gathered whatever supplies that Bjorn said that they would need, and then departed from Iverstead. They continued down the pathway that they had taken by carriage to reach the village the previous day, though as they did so they found a troll standing in the middle of the road. Bjorn, not wanting to waste any time, pulled out an arrow and loosed it at the creature, hitting it right in the forehead and dropping it to the ground in seconds. Both Lydia and Sunset were impressed by how fast he had dealt with the creature, though it opened the way for them to continue towards there destination.

Nothing eventful happened until they neared a fortress near the crossroads that they had passed in the carriage, after spending about three hours walking in the direction of their destination. As they neared the fortress Sunset almost stopped in her tracks, feeling the sinister string of a magic that she had hoped that she would never find in Skyrim again; Tirek's magic.

"He's been here," Sunset said, staring at the fortress as she drew her sword, "I can feel the lingering trace of his magic. By Celestia I hope he's still inside so I can finish this before something happens."

As she entered the fortress, and her companions following behind her with a look of wonder in their eyes, she looked around for signs of people that would have called the place home, but she found no one around the opening. She glanced back at her companions and beckoned for them to spread out, allowing them to cover more ground while they looked for something, anything really, that would tell them what Tirek had done here. As they searched the outside of the fortress Sunset was beginning to think that Tirek had only stopped at this ruin to rest before moving on, as there was nothing to tell her that he had been there.

That was until Bjorn entered one of the fortress doors, waited a few minutes by staring at something, before coming back outside and calling for Sunset and Lydia to come see what he had found. What Sunset found was a shriveled body of what she assumed had been some sort of mage, though by the skull on its robe she figured that it had to have been a necromancer. She wrapped a little of her magic around the body and discovered that her greatest fear had been brought to life; Tirek was draining the life forces of his targets and gathering his own power.

The trio searched the rest of the fortress, collecting the weapons from the fallen mages and whatever chests were left, before they gathered back together outside in the courtyard.

"Tirek is on the move," Sunset said, giving Bjorn everything she had found, excluding a magical staff that she suspected had a fire enchantment on it, "from what I can gather from the remaining remnants of his magic he's heading to the north. What's to the north of us that mages would flock to?"

"The College of Winterhold?" Lydia replied, causing the two of them to turn to her, "Its where mages and wizards, of each school of magic, from all across Skyrim, and sometimes from the other corners of Tamriel, come to study under their masters. From what I have heard there are some powerful mages that called the College of Winterhold home at one point or another and it is rumored that magic freely flows around the College."

"That... that's not good at all," Sunset said, fear creeping into her voice as she wondered what Tirek could do after soaking the magic of the College into his body, "but now I have to choose between a rock and a hard place. On one hand we journey to Ustengrav and retrieve the Horn of Jurgen Windcaller, but on the other we head to the College and find a way to stop Tirek before he soaks up too much power."

"The horn won't be going anywhere anytime soon," Bjorn told her, patting her on the shoulder, "so if you feel that we need to head to the College of Winterhold and find a way to stop Tirek, then we can do it. Its up to you in the end."

Sunset sighed and glanced at the road, wondering if she should really leave the path that the Greybeards had given her and forget the horn of their founder for some time. On the other hand she had to wonder what magic she could learn from the College, which she could use to better her own knowledge of this world's magic. She guessed that, in the end, either path would give her the knowledge to further her towards defeating her enemy, whether that was Tirek or the dangerous black dragon. She sighed once more and turned back to her companions, steeling herself so she could tell them what she had planned for the moment.

"Let's go to the College first," Sunset told them, heading out towards the road once more, "If there is a chance that we can find and stop Tirek by going there then I'd say that it is worth waiting to collect the horn until a later date."

Bjorn nodded and the trio started on their quest again, only this time their destination was different and they had a vague sense of what could be waiting for them. As they walked Sunset had to deal with the appearance of several annoying creatures, a couple of wolves, two bears, and a pack of bandits that happened to be on their way to another city, to which Bjorn pointed out Windhelm in the background. Once the bandits had been dealt with Bjorn collected their armor and weapons and directed them towards the city for a moment, saying that they could get some decent coin for three complete suits of steel armor.

Sunset and Lydia stayed outside the city, as Bjorn promised that he would be quick, and not ten minutes later he returned to them, allowing the trio to walk away from the city with an extra thousand septims in their pockets. With that task done they continued towards Winterhold, following the road and keeping their eyes peeled for anymore enemies that wished them harm. They didn't encounter any enemies until they crossed a bridge and passed through a small village that had a mill, where the enemy ran out and came at them. Sunset summoned her lightning and hit the lizard creature, an argonian she reminded herself, square in the chest, knocking it backwards before Lydia ran up to it and sliced its head clean off.

While her companions looted the body of anything they could use Sunset noted the strange black and red armor that their foe had worn, wondering what the armor could mean.

"I don't know how its possible for them to send an assassin after you," Bjorn commented, handing her a letter that she assumed was from the leader of the Dark Brotherhood, what that was she had no idea, to the assassin they had just killed, "but it seems that someone called on the Dark Brotherhood and wants you dead. I have no idea who would want the Dragonborn dead, besides the dragons of course and its not likely that they'll have someone else do the dirty work for them."

"So not what we need right now," Sunset moaned, shaking her head as they got underway once more, "I just hope that's the only assassin that they decided to send my way and leave me alone. I've got enough to worry about with Tirek and the dragons, so I don't need a group of assassins coming after me."

"You could always destroy them," Lydia commented, falling in behind them, "but we'd have to find their hideout before we could even consider tearing them down."

Sunset shook her head as they continued forward, wondering what else would stand in their way and force their hand before they even got close to the city of Winterhold. She asked Bjorn that same question, though when he replied with an extensive list of creatures that could very well get in their way before they reached their destination she wished that she hadn't asked. There could be trolls, bears, ice wraiths, wolves, bandits, and he even swore that one of the guards in Whiterun had told him that a giant had been sighted near the city at one point. He even added dragons to the list, as it was possible that they could see one of them before the end, though Sunset was hoping that they stayed away for the moment.

As it turned out there wasn't anything that wanted them dead, so Sunset got to listen to some of Lydia's tales about how she became a housecarl and a tale or two from Bjorn about his hunting days before he had been sent to Helgen. They also wanted Sunset to share a bit about her past, but by the time that she thought of something to tell them she spotted the city in the distance. When they arrived in Winterhold she had to wonder if Tirek had gained more power than she had realized and had destroyed the majority of the Hold already, but Bjorn was quick to crush her fears.

As it turned out the entire city had been ruined in a cataclysm a long time ago, though no one knew how it had happened and many blamed the mages for the destruction, as their College was still standing. Sunset wondered what could have caused the destruction, but she didn't have time to wonder as they were stopped by someone that was guarding the bridge that led to the College. Sunset swore that the creature was another elf of some kind, but she patiently waited for her to say something so that she could figure out if Tirek was indeed in the College somewhere.

"Why do you seek entrance into the College of Winterhold?" the altmer asked, watching the three of the closely.

"I'm looking for someone called Tirek," Sunset replied immediately, causing the elf to look at her with a look of confusion on her face, "right now he's an old man that's wearing a black robe. He's obsessed with absorbing magic from people and destroying everything and everyone around him."

"I'm sorry, but I haven't seen someone matching your description," the elf replied, shaking her head for a moment, "Now I shall ask you this one more time; why do you seek entrance to the College of Winterhold?"

"I... I guess to learn what is necessary to save the world," Sunset admitted, not really sure how to answer that question at the moment, "so take it however you wish."

"I choose to interpret that as you want to unravel the mysteries of Aetherius," the elf responded, "and, judging by the confused look on your face, you don't know what Aetherius is. It is the immortal plane, said to be the source of all magic. This is a noble goal for any mage in all of Tamriel. I shall offer you a small test and see how well you do; cast a fireball spell at the sigil behind me and we'll see if I should admit you into the College."

Sunset stared at the elf for a moment, wondering if she was joking in the spell of choice that she had told her, but after a moment she determined that it was not a joke. She sighed and ignited the magic in her left hand, forming a small fireball that she threw at the sigil, which caused the elf to chuckle at her and clap her hands for a bit. She had no idea why casting a fireball would be considered a test to enter the College, but she was willing to take it and wondered what the elf had to tell her.

"Very well, you seem like a decent addition to the College," the elf replied, moving out of their way, "I am Faralda, the Master of Destruction Magic for the College of Winterhold. I would advise you to head into the College itself and find Mirabelle Ervine, our Master Wizard, and she'll inform you of what comes next. I wish you luck, apprentice."

Sunset had to resist the urge to tell Faralda that she had been the apprentice of a powerful princess from her home world, but instead she sighed and continued across the bridge with Bjorn and Lydia following behind. As she walked across the bridge she took some moments to observe the damage that it had already sustained, wondering what magic was keeping it together after all this time. Still, she worried what would happen if Tirek got his hands on even a small amount of the magic that she was feeling around the entire College. It was quite possible that the entire place could be destroyed if he gained enough of his power back, which was why she needed to find him and stop him before something happened.

As it turned out Mirabelle was talking with another elf, one that Lydia pulled Sunset aside and mentioned that it was a Thalmor, before the trio approached them, at what appeared to be the end of their conversation.

"I believe I've made myself rather clear." Mirabelle said, clearly annoyed with the elf.

"Yes of course." the Thalmor replied, though by his tone Sunset knew that she wasn't going to like him very much, "I'm simply trying to understand the reasoning behind the decision."

"You may be used to the Empire bowing to your every whim," Mirabelle stated, a look of annoyance flashing on the elf's face for a moment, "but I'm afraid you'll find the Thalmor receive no such treatment here. You are a guest of the College, here at the pleasure of the Arch-Mage. I hope you appreciate the opportunity."

"Yes, of course." the elf said, "The Arch-Mage has my thanks."

"Very good." Mirabelle replied, waving her hand as if she was dismissing him, "Then we're done here."

"Mirabelle Ervine?" Sunset asked, causing the women to turn around and look at her, "Faralda told me to come see you immediately."

"Then I welcome you to the College," Mirabelle replied, a smile replacing her annoyed look, "Another new student... I'm surprised at how many of you there are lately. I'd give you a tour of the College grounds, but Tolfdir is starting his lesson in a few minutes. You had better get inside the main hall and present yourself to him and the rest of your classmates."

Sunset nodded and headed into the hall that rested behind Mirabelle, figuring that it was the place that she had meant and found a rather large chamber with a mountain of magicka in the center. She could feel the magic all around her, though since Tirek's magic seemed to be coming towards the College she had to wonder where he was at the moment. Behind the fountain stood four people, one that was dressed in what she assumed were master robes and three that had the same type that she was wearing. She assumed that the one in the back was Tolfdir, while the other three were the apprentices that Mirabelle had mentioned before directing her to this hall.

"Ah, another new student," Tolfdir said, spotting Sunset the moment she walked in and beckoned for her to join them, which she did without delay, "As I was saying; magic is, by its very nature, volatile and dangerous. Unless you can control it, it can and will destroy you."

And just like that Sunset remembered her first lesson with Princess Celestia, who had said that exact same line in an attempt to make her understand that practice and safety were key in learning magic. She thought she had understood it in the beginning, but then threw those teachings aside when she decided to take more than what she deserved. She thought it was fitting, that she would have to relearn one of the key principles in dealing with magic, as if she was truly starting anew.

"Sir, I think we all understand that fairly well," one of the apprentices said, causing the other two to nod with her, "We wouldn't be here if we couldn't control magic."

"Of course, my dear," Tolfdir replied, a slight smile appearing on his face, "You all clearly possess some inherent magical ability, that much is not being questioned. What I am talking about is true control, mastery over magic. It takes years, if not decades, of practice and study."

"Then what are we waiting for?" another apprentice, a khajiit Sunset noted, spoke up, "Let's get started right away!"

"Please, please," Tolfdir exclaimed, trying to calm them down, "this is exactly what I'm talking about. Eagerness must be tempered with caution, or else disaster is inevitable."

"But we've only just arrived here," the nord on Sunset's left said, again causing the master wizard to look at him, "you've got no idea what any of us are capable of. Why not give us a chance to show you what we can do?"

"You've been quite so far," Tolfdir said, turning towards Sunset for a moment, "What do you think we should do?"

Sunset was amazed that the master wizard was asking her for her opinion on what to do for the lesson, though she was glad to give these apprentices a reminder that safety was one of the basic rules of magic.

"Safety is more important than anything else," Sunset replied, not needing much time to think it over, "especially when one doesn't know the full consequences of what their spell might do to them or to others."

"Oh don't listen to her," the khajiit said, waving his hand towards Sunset in a dismissing manner, "she doesn't know what she's talking about. Show us some magic!"

"And you'll end up burning yourself with the backlash," Sunset told the khajiit, causing him to glare at her for a moment, "Trust me on this, if you don't understand the magic behind the spell then disaster with come knocking at your door. This has happened to me once or twice, so I do know what I'm talking about."

Tolfdir smiled at her and continued with the lesson, proceeding to tell them about wards and how hey could block magic, which reminded Sunset about barriers. Instead of saying that she knew how to use wards she said that she didn't and he demonstrated what he wanted her to do before beckoning for her to stand on the sigil behind her. She walked onto the area he wanted her to stand on and readied the ward spell, watching it spring to life in front of her as Tolfdir readied his magic. A few fireballs hit her ward, but they did nothing besides breaking apart, which pleased the master wizard as he moved on by saying that it was time for them to visit an ancient ruin to learn about the ways that magic could be used.

As the master wizard and the apprentices walked out of the main hall Sunset returned to her companions, eager to tell them that they could sit this part out until she returned from the ruins.

"Are you sure about that?" Bjorn asked, worry in his voice, "I know your a capable mage, but are you sure that you want to go through one of those ruins on your own?"

"I'll have three arrogant apprentices and a master wizard on my side," Sunset smiled, patting her friend on the shoulder, "I should be gone for an hour or two, but once I'm back then we'll move on together."

"As you wish Sunset," Bjorn sighed, admitting defeat before an idea came to mind, "How about I escort you to the ruins and then return to town? That's all I ask."

Sunset smiled and nodded to her friend, while Lydia sighed and said that she would be at the inn until her Thane was ready to move on with their quest. She knew that Bjorn was likely going to camp outside the ruin's entrance after she entered and patiently wait for her to come back out, even if it took her half the day to go through everything. She felt bad for not bringing Lydia along, but she was absolutely confident that, with the help of the other mages, they could easily clear the ruins of any draugr, if any were alive in there. Only one nagging thought continued to plague her mind, one that she had no answer to until she found the person that she was looking for.

That thought was simple; where in Tartarus was Tirek hiding?

Deep beneath the College of Winterhold, in the place that the teachers referred to as the Midden, lurked the very evil that Sunset was desperately searching for. Even from far away he had felt the magic of the College and had followed it, coming to the ruined Hold before fading into the shadows and disappearing from the eyes of the people that called the ruined city home. He could not afford to have his enemy discover his presence soon after his arrival, so he remained in the lowest point of the Midden, where he knew she would not find him until it was too late.

Despite the magic he had stolen from those necromancers he was still weak, so he could only absorb a small amount of the College's vast supply of magic at a time before he had to stop. It was pure magic and he knew that if he devoured it all, in a single moment, his body might not be able to contain it and he could very well explode from the excess. He also realized that if he did that then the surrounding area, the College, and rest of the ruined Hold would be destroyed in a matter of minutes. He, instead, chose to bide his time, absorbing what he could at the moment before he started his true plan.

"Soon Sunset Shimmer," Tirek said, a grin appearing on his face as he took some more magic into his body, watching some of the wrinkles fade from his old looking hands, "Soon you and the rest of this world shall know the meaning of my full power, but by the time you realize the danger it will be too late to stop me. And then Equestria will fall!"

8: Saarthal

The group of five mages, being escorted by Bjorn, left the College of Winterhold and walked across the bridge, entering the ruined city for a few minutes to stock up on supplies. The moment that everyone had everything that they needed for the journey, and the excavation of the ruins of Saarthal Sunset mentally added, they left the city and walked up into the wilderness. Sunset and Bjorn bid farewell to Lydia, who promised that she would be at the inn until they were ready to move on, before they fell in behind the rest of the mages. As they walked Sunset also noticed that Tolfdir was pleased to have someone like Bjorn escorting them, though she wondered if it was more that he was grateful to have someone else to protect them.

As they walked towards the ruins Sunset noticed that several creatures came up to them in an attempt to stall them, such as wolves, an ice wraith, and two trolls.

Sunset was pleased to note that her fellow apprentices were quite skilled with the basics of magic, or at least the offensive forms since none of them bothered to throw up a barrier to protect themselves. She realized that in this world, where most of its citizens were violent and didn't care about others, many mages likely learned how to inflict harm, instead of learning some ways to avoid it. It was in this school of magic that she had the advantage over them, as she had some skill in using barrier magic and could easily protect them from the lesser forms of magic that were out there.

When they finally got to Saarthal Sunset discovered that it had, as she suspected, been buried under the snow and earth, as there was only a single opening into the ancient nordic settlement. They approached the door and Tolfdir beckoned for them all to follow him inside, though Bjorn nodded to Sunset and remained outside, setting up a small camp area for himself. She hated that he would be sitting out here all alone, but she wanted to judge her fellow apprentices and was sure that they would have no trouble with whatever was waiting for them. As they entered the ruin Sunset also learned that the reason it had been destroyed was because a group of elves had sacked the settlement in an infamous event known as the Night of Tears.

Once they reached the bottom level of the entrance area Tolfdir started to give them all assignments, telling the other apprentices to study any residual magic and gather some artifacts while he had Sunset travel further in and find the teacher that was studying the other relics they had acquired. Sunset nodded her understanding and walked deeper into the ruin, walking down the structures that the other teachers had created before entering what appeared to be a dead end with one mage waiting near the end. As she approached him she realized that he wasn't very eager to have a new apprentice bother him, but he quickly sighed and told her to search the area for any artifacts that they might have missed.

What she found in the immediate area was three enchanted silver rings, an area that looked like i hadn't been searched at all, and what appeared to be an enchanted necklace attached to a statue. The moment that the necklace was removed the chamber was sealed with iron bars, but Tolfdir came running and decided to ask her what happened. She quickly informed him of how removing the necklace opened the trap and he began to wonder what the necklace's importance was, but after he said that Sunset realized that if she wore the necklace then something had to happen. The moment it was around her neck she noticed an aura wrap around the statue it had been removed from, to which she responded with a small gout of flames that tore the entire structure to pieces.

"A secret passage," Sunset commented, a grin appearing on her face as the trap on the chamber's entrance was lowered, "Hmm, I wonder what the nords that lived here had to hide from everyone else."

As it turned out none of her fellow apprentices were going to accompany her as she wandered into the hidden passage, as only Tolfdir was willing to follow her. She decided that a Master Wizard was better than a few apprentices, so the two of them walked into the passage and came to an area with three coffins resting against the walls. The moment they entered the chamber Tolfdir stopped moving and time seemed to come to a halt around her, before a mage wearing strange yellow robes appeared before the middle coffin.

"Hold, mage, and listen well..." the spectral mage said, staring right at her and ignoring the frozen Tolfdir altogether, "Know that you have set in motion a chain of events that cannot be stopped. Judgment has not been passed, as you had no way of knowing. Judgment will be passed on your actions to come, and how you deal with the dangers ahead of you. This warning is passed to you because the Psijic Order believes in you. You, mage, and you alone, have the potential to prevent disaster. Take great care, and know that the Order is watching."

Sunset had never heard of something called the Psijic Order, but she was well aware that there was always something dangerous in each of the nordic barrows and ruins, so she wasn't too surprised by that fact. She was also amazed that this order was willing to say that she had the potential to prevent disaster, as she had no idea if he was referring to the disaster that she had accidentally set in motion or the disaster that would be following Tirek. She couldn't get the answer out of the mage, as the moment he finished speaking he had disappeared, restoring time and allowing Tolfdir to move once more. The Master Wizard was worried about her vision and the mention of the Psijic Order, but he quickly mentioned that they move on and find out what she had been warned about.

Walking past the pedestal in the middle caused the three coffins to open, revealing the draugr that wanted to keep their home safe from invaders. Her magic flared and she smacked the draugr on her left right in the chest, setting his rotting corpse on fire as he collided with the wall and crumpled into a heap. Tolfdir did the same thing to the one that stood in from of him, but instead of dropping dead the draugr got back up and came him once more. Sunset ran her sword through the third undead and then, once she was sure her opponent was dead, she turned her magic on Tolfdir's foe and threw a fireball into its chest, blowing it into the wall.

Sunset moved into the next passage and found a large circular chamber waiting for them, with both walls having what appeared to be six coffins lining each wall. The moment that they entered the chamber the gate shut behind them and each coffin opened, allowing all twelve draugr to awaken and draw their weapons. Sunset was amazed that each of the coffins opened, as she knew that some of them could remain closed no matter what walked right by them, but she prepared herself as their enemies surrounded them. One draugr came at her, but she swung her sword around and smacked it in the head, before igniting her hand and causing a second enemy to explode.

Several of the draugr came at them at the same time, but Sunset backed up and sheathed her sword, drawing her staff out and igniting the floor in front of them. Three of them crumpled under the fire almost immediately, telling her that they were extremely weak, before she turned her attention to the remaining draugr. The remaining enemies came at her at the same time, giving Tolfdir the opportunity to attack them from behind, but she held her ground and hacked, slashed, and blasted her way through them before she and Tolfdir were the only ones still standing.

It was then that she learned that she would be the only one advancing further into the ruins, as Tolfdir wanted to study the coffins some more and the apprentices were still near the entrance to the ruin. Sunset sighed and moved towards the sealed door, pulling the two nearby levers that released the iron bars and allowed her access to the rest of Saarthal. As she silently walked deeper into the ruins she made sure to watch out for anything, or the draugr she mentally added, that could wake up and seek to do her harm. She was glad for her caution, as when she entered the next chamber she found what she assumed was an elemental rune, a fire one by the color she noted, and stopped before she got close to it.

She picked up a small stone and tossed it over the rune, hitting the wall behind it and allowing the sound to echo a bit, though as she wondered if any of the draugr would wake up one pulled itself free of its coffin. The best part was when it touched the floor ahead of Sunset, as the edge of its foot touched the rune and it was quickly engulfed in a fury of flames. As the first draugr fell three more walked out of their coffins, though Sunset was amazed that they were actually mages, as the moment they spotted her they summoned their magic and threw chunks of ice at her. Instead of burning the ice to pieces she summoned a ward and allowed the magic to hit it, smashing the ice to pieces until she was sure that they were all gone.

Once the deed was done Sunset called on her magic and charged at the draugr, throwing fire in their faces and setting the ground before her on fire as well. She limited herself to the flame and firebolt spells, as well as her barrier from time to time, but she wanted to conserve as much magic as she could, so she would have enough leftover for when she found whatever was buried at the end of the ruin. The three draugr came at her, but she managed to cut one of them down and blew up the other two with her magic, clearing the immediate area until she walked up to the second floor and found another one waiting for her. Instead of wasting more magicka she simply charged at her latest opponent and swung her blade at it, cutting into its ancient armor before she put it down.

She opened the door behind her latest enemy and walked into the ancient hallway, where she found a large number of the dead buried in the walls. As she progressed she discovered that the majority of them were actually dead, as in they wouldn't come back to life like the rest of the draugr, and that allowed her to relax just a little bit. Knowing that she didn't have to fight a swarm of ten to twenty draugrs, based on the number of holes that she found, gave her the opportunity to calm down and form her own plan. The only draugr that woke up were the two at the end, though she cut them down moments before they could realize that their intruder was ready and waiting for them.

The hallway following the one she was in had an iron gate at the end, but as she walked through it she discovered that each side of the tunnel had a set of pillars, rotatable ones like the ones she had seen in Bleak Falls Barrow. She discovered that, by looking behind each of the pillars, she found the animal that was supposed to be facing the tunnel and immediately began to turn them. On the hallways left side she turned the pillars until they read eagle, snake, and whale, while the three on the right side read whale, eagle, eagle, before she pulled the lever at the end. For a moment she wondered if she had done something wrong and should have turned the pillars to what the picture had been opposite of them, before the gate opened and allowed her to progress once more.

The following chamber only had one enemy for her to fight, though Sunset was amazed to find that the enemy was actually a female draugr, as all the rest of them she had come across had been male. As the draugr noticed her Sunset was able to get an understanding of the armor and weapon that she was carrying, which only made her worry about her chances. The undead was wearing the same armor as the rest of the draugr wore and carried a wicked looking black battleaxe, though it had a look in its eyes that told Sunset that it was going to come and kill her if it was the last thing it did. Sunset summoned her magic and formed three fireballs, knowing that she was going to have to pour most of her magic into this one fight so she could either defeat her enemy or get away from it to get reinforcements.

The first fireball smacked into the draugr's chest, knocking it back just a bit, but it got back up and roared at her, clearly upset that it had been hit with magic. Sunset moaned and backed up almost immediately after watching the draugr get back up, allowing the battleaxe to miss for a moment before its bearer came after her again. As she backed up into the hallway she threw both of her remaining fireballs forward, both of them colliding with her target and forcing it backwards just a bit, but to her disappointment the draugr got up and gathered its weapon once more.

"Your as bad as the Guardian of Bleak Falls Barrow," Sunset shouted, summoning another fireball as the draugr came towards her, waiting until the best moment to threw her attack and knock the enemy backwards.

As the draugr stumbled backwards Sunset drew her staff once more and used every inch of magicka that it still had inside it, channeling the magic towards her enemy. She fired as many fireballs as the staff would allow her to fire, hitting the draugr multiple times and forcing it backwards with every hit, before she exhausted the staff. The moment the staff was out of energy she ran towards the undead and drove it right into its rotten heart, tearing through the unprotected area of its armor and coming out of its back. For a moment she thought she had failed, as the draugr continued to move, but then its arm went limp and she breathed a sigh of relief, glad to have defeated such a hard opponent.

Before she moved on she tried to move the battleaxe, but she could barely move it and decided that she could bring Lydia back once she was finished up here. The next area she entered had more of the dead lining the walls, but as she walked she quickly noticed that none of them were waking up and assumed that they were all lifeless. She eventually came to another puzzle, with four rotatable pillars, and she tested it by moving the pillar that was closest to the iron gate on her left, which moved all four of them at the same time. She continued to move the pillar until it showed the whale symbol, where the one before it she spun until it showed the snake symbol, before she moved to the other side and rotated the pillar near the gate to show the eagle symbol before she moved onto the fourth pillar and had it show the whale symbol.

Once the combination was placed she pulled the lever and opened the gate, allowing her to move deeper into the ruins before she heard someone speak behind her.

"I thought it was time that I caught up with you," Tolfdir said, a smile on his face as he caught up with her, where he handed her a blue potion, "Here, you look like you could use one of these."

Sunset, while annoyed that the Master Wizard had chosen to stay behind until she had cleared the majority of the ruin, which she had been sure she wouldn't be able to do at times, but she was glad that he would see the end of it with her. She was also grateful for the magicka potion, as it gave her the ability to use some of her more powerful spells after pouring everything she had into the fight with that draugr. When she opened the iron door in her way and gazed at what awaited them she would have sworn that her heart may have started beating much faster, though she wasn't looking at the draugr that was wrapped in a green aura, but rather at the object that was floating in the air behind it.

The object was a massive light blue sphere that almost looked like the pieces of it could pull themselves apart, though what Sunset felt was the vast amount of magicka that the object contained. She knew that, if Tirek siphoned even a fraction of the orb's power, that he could very well have the power to decimate what remained of Winterhold. Though the moment they entered the chamber she noticed that the draugr, who had been sitting in the chair the whole time, had finally gotten up and was staring right at them. Toldfir summoned his magic and smacked the undead with lightning, but it rolled right off the creature and allowed it to start coming right at them. While the creature looked at Tolfdir Sunset ran to the table the undead had been sitting behind, grabbed the staff with her free hand, and drove her sword towards its chest, only to find that no harm was inflicted on it.

"Its immune to damage!?" Sunset exclaimed, turning to the Master Wizard as she backed away from the undead, "We have to find a way to lower its protective barrier, otherwise neither of us will live to see another day."

Tolfdir nodded and ran up to the barrier that surrounded the orb, while Sunset continued to hold the creature's attention as she wondered how they were going to harm it. As the undead swung at her she backed away as fast as she could, preferring to keep as much distance between them until she had an idea of how to kill it. As she taunted the creature and kept it looking at her she spotted Tolfdir smacking the barrier with lightning, as if he didn't care what happened to her. Then, just as the creature turned around to look when Sunset was looking, the aura around its body shimmered and was replaced by an icy aura, which made her grin.

Sunset summoned her fire and ignited the undead, causing the burning creature to look at her in wonder, as if it was wondering how she had managed to damage it in the first place. As the creature walked towards her she continued her spree, igniting every part of its body until it was a walking pillar of fire and still came after her. Then Sunset took her sword and drove it into the draugr's chest, pushing hard enough to force it to fall to the ground, where she could use more magic to be sure it was dead. Once she was sure that she had killed the draugr she pulled herself off of it and started to approach the orb, but then turned around and snatched the necklace that her enemy had been wearing the entire time.

"So, what do you think this is?" Sunset asked the Master Wizard, curious as to what he might think the orb was.

"I... I don't know," Tolfdir admitted, staring right at the orb as if he couldn't take his eyes off of it, "but whatever this is I cannot leave it alone. Do you mind heading back to the College and telling the Archmage about this discovery?"

"Sure," Sunset replied, not seeing a reason that she wouldn't tell the Archmage, as she would be visiting the city to pick up her Housecarl, "I'll be sure to tell him."

She spotted the door behind the orb and decided that she had found the convenient exit that all barrows seemed to have, though when she opened the door she found a Word Wall waiting for her. She approached the Word Wall and took the word into herself, wondering what the word Iiz was supposed to mean and realized that she would need to take another dragon down to know what it meant. She spotted the large chest beside it and opened it up, finding another staff to add to her collection, a necklace without an enchantment, and a couple of books, one of which happened to be a spell. With her loot collected she continued towards the hallway that she was sure that would lead her out of the ruin and drop her somewhere near the entrance.

Bjorn patiently waited outside Saarthal, watching the entrance as he waited for Sunset to show herself and tell her about what she had found inside the ruins. As it turned out Lydia, not wanting to be left alone with the strangers at the inn, had come running to the ruins and joined him at his camp, so they could wait for their friend. When the door finally opened the two of them were relieved to find that Sunset was the one who emerged, though she quickly collected Lydia and went back inside. Not ten minutes later the duo reemerged from the ruin, though Bjorn was pleased to see that Lydia was sporting an ebony battleaxe, replacing her worn out weapons.

Once they had the camp packed up they headed back to the city, where Sunset gave them the rundown about what had happened inside Saarthal, including her discovery. Bjorn had to admit that he was a little annoyed that she didn't come out for either of them, despite the fact that Lydia had broken her promise to stay in Winterhold and Sunset had no idea until she had left the ruins. He was, however, glad that she was unharmed and had another Word of Power to add to her growing collection of Shouts, sharing Sunset's opinion on having to hunt down more dragons.

Lydia, on the other hand, silently listened to their conversation while making sure that her new battleaxe was free of cracks and was well polished for when they needed it.

When they walked into the College Sunset waved to the Master Wizards that she saw, who waved back in kind, until they approached the main hall once more. Once inside she had Lydia wait by the door, promising that she would be back in a few minutes, before she and Bjorn walked into the staircase that would lead them to the Archmage's chambers. When they reached the top of that set of stairs and entered the room Sunset found a man standing in front of a large tree, though whatever he was doing came to an end the moment Sunset stepped into the room.

"You are new here yes?" the Archmage asked, turning around to face Sunset, to which she nodded, "I have not had the honor to speak with you yet. I am Savos Aren, Archmage of the College of Winterhold."

"Its a pleasure to meet you sir," Sunset said, politely bowing to him for a moment before standing straight once more, "I am Sunset Shimmer. Before you ask, yes, I am not a resident of your world. And no, I am not a dremora seeking to learn your secrets so I can turn them against you."

"Ah, it is good to know," Savos Aren replied, a light smile appearing on his face, "I would like to take some time one day and ask you some questions about your home, but that can wait for another day. Tell me, what can I do for you?"

"As you wish sir," Sunset said, wondering how much she'd tell him when he finally asked him, "Tolfdir and I found some sort of magical orb inside Saarthal and he wanted me to tell you about it."

"Very well," Savos Aren commented, pinching the bridge between his eyes for a moment, "Go see Urag gro-Shub, our librarian, and see if he has anything that could tell you about this orb. Maybe we can figure out what it is and begin studying it, or find a way to lock it away without someone discovering that it was found in the first place."

Sunset had to resist the urge to tell the Archmage that the orb had been sealed away until they had decided to head to Saarthal for a lesson in magic. She had been warned by a member of the Psijic Order that danger was ahead, which she assumed was linked to the orb they had discovered. What she was worried about was Tirek finding his way to the College and discovering that they had located a magical orb that contained a vast amount of power, to which she knew he would try to absorb the moment he found it. She needed to find Tirek and stop him before he did something dangerous, but the trace had lead her to the College and it was clear that he wasn't here at the moment.

She was beginning to worry that Tirek had already absorbed enough magic to mask his own presence, which would hide him from everyone's radar until he was ready to reveal himself.

While Tolfdir, Arniel Gane, and the apprentices were away in Saarthal Ancano walked into the Midden area of the College, something he had learned about while listening in on Tolfdir while he was talking to someone else. One of the other 'Master Wizards', as the instructors called themselves he noted with disdain, had commented on feeling something strange in the Midden earlier that morning. As such he decided to see what secrets the Mages were hiding from him, so he could take note of whatever it was and report it to his superiors at the Embassy. The few creatures that he found inside the first area of the Midden proved to be no challenge for him, as he breezed through them with ease.

In the second area he eventually found two passages, one of which was blocked by an iron door while the second led to an area that had been used for a ritual at one point, but was not what he was looking for. He continued into the frozen tunnel and found something that he wasn't expecting, the form of a person resting against the frozen wall as if he or she was asleep. Ancano was sure that this was where the trace ended, but he was also sure that a mere mortal, one that appeared to be dying by his reasoning, could not be what he was searching for. Lightning cracked around his hand as he approached the dying man, he'd be sure to remove whoever was resting before him and get back to his real work.

As he brought his hand down on the man he suddenly found that his arm had been stopped, and that the man was now standing with his hand gripping his arm... and his spell being drained before his eyes.

"Ah, the elf known as Ancano," Tirek chuckled, looking up into the elf's eyes, "I know that we are both seeking power, so I am willing to cut a deal with you. Sunset Shimmer has discovered something powerful that will allow you to do whatever you wish and grant me the knowledge that I require. Help me acquire what I need, and I shall let you have whatever she found, all to yourself... or say 'No Deal' and I will drain you of all your magic!"

"I'd say we have a deal," Ancano replied, which was followed by him being released, and then having a look of greed fill his eyes moments later, "Partner!"

9: The Fellglow Caller

Sunset sighed as she walked towards the Arcanaeum, where she was supposed to speak with the librarian and learn the information she needed about the orb she had discovered in Saarthal. Bjorn and Lydia walked behind her, though she was thankful that they were allowing her to be silently thinking about her enemy, the demon Tirek. She didn't have the heart to tell them about the destructive power that Tirek had, which she learned from several of Princess Celestia's stories when she started learning offensive spells. She needed a plan to stop the demon before he could cause any damage, but so far she couldn't find him and she had no idea how much power he had already absorbed.

Though she did know that, if Tirek had somehow regained all of his power, then the College of Winterhold, not to mention the rest of the Hold and likely a piece of another Hold, would have already been destroyed.

When she walked down the stairs and entered the Arcanaeum she was pleased to see that there were a large number of bookshelves, each of which she suspected held fifteen to twenty books a piece. There was so much knowledge around her that she knew she could spend a few weeks reading and studying up on the history of this world her companions called home. Unfortunately she didn't have the time to waste, as she had Tirek to worry about and the black dragon that had wrecked the city she had nearly been executed in. She spotted a counter at the back of the area and approached it, but as she walked to it she spotted the elf that Mirabelle was arguing with, Ancano she recalled, sitting on a bench and ignoring her completely.

"You are now in the Arcanaeum," the librarian, an orc Sunset quickly learned, said as she stopped before his workstation, "of which I am in charge. It might as well be my own little plane of Oblivion. Disrupt my Arcanaeum, and I will have you torn apart by angry Atronachs. Now, do you require assistance?"

"Tolfdir and I found something in Saarthal," Sunset explained, forcing a smile on her face, "and the Archmage told me to come and see if you had anything that would tell me about what we discovered."

"I know what you want." Urag gro-Shub replied, looking up at her for a moment, "Word travels fast around here. To answer your question; no, I don't have anything for you. Not anymore, anyway. An apprentice by the name of Orthorn stole a number of books when he ran off to Fellgow Keep to join those Summoners. Some kind of peace offering. I think one of those volumes may have had some relevant information. If you want them, you'll have to talk to Orthorn."

Sunset moaned for a moment before pulling out her map and laid it on the counter, asking where she could find this Fellglow Keep and the runaway apprentice. She was surprised to find that the keep in question was near Whiterun, which meant that they could rest in the city before striking out at the mages Orthorn had gone to join. She quickly thanked the librarian and turned towards the exit, finding that Ancano was now standing in the middle of her path and it didn't look like he would be moving anytime soon. Sunset sighed for a moment before walking up to the elf, wondering what he wanted from her and her companions.

"You there. I have questions for you." Ancano said, his eyes resting on Sunset for a moment, "You were in Saarthal, yes? It has come to my attention that something was found there."

"Yes, I told the Archmage about ten minutes ago," Sunset replied, moving by him and stopping for a moment, "I don't know how you discovered the sphere's existence so quickly, but I would leave it alone if I were you."

"It is my job to know these things." Ancano told her, though she detected a sneer with those words, "My role as advisor to the Archmage is aided by knowing everything that transpires here. You may go now."

Sunset stared at the elf for a moment, wondering if he could possibly know where Tirek was hiding, but she didn't want to alert the one person she didn't trust with the existence of someone so powerful. She then sighed and beckoned to Bjorn and Lydia, telling them to follow her so they could leave and recover all the books that the former apprentice stole. As the trio headed towards the stairs Sunset looked back at Ancano and again wondered if he had met or even seen Tirek, but shook her head and moved on. She'd figure out the elf later, when she deported Tirek back to Tartarus and could focus on something else.

Ancano moved to the upper walkway of the College and watched Sunset Shimmer, the strangest breton he had ever met, and her companions walk out into what remained of Winterhold. He had overheard where Urag gro-Shub, the foul orc librarian, was sending them and what they were supposed to recover, though it only brought a small smile to his face. He knew that, by the time that Sunset returned to the College, the Master Wizards would have moved the sphere from Saarthal to the hall where Tolfdir taught his students. And, once the sphere was in position, he would attune himself to it and discover what his partner needed to know, which he would turn over in return for complete control over the magical artifact.

He'd love to see the look on Sunset's face the moment she discovered that he was working with Tirek, but he figured that something would kill her before she managed to return to the College.

"She's leaving I take it?" a voice behind Ancano said, causing him to turn around and watch his partner step out of the shadows, the old man named Tirek he had learned.

"Sunset Shimmer and her companions are no longer at the College," Ancano replied, noting that Tirek had found a staff to use as a walking stick, "she won't be back until tomorrow at the latest. Or maybe never if some wild creature kills her and her band of 'adventurers' on their way to Whiterun."

"Good, that is very good," Tirek said, moving up to where Ancano was standing and looking out at the decayed city, "I can feel my power slowly returning to me, though it is a matter of time until she realizes that her worst fears will soon be realized. Soon I shall know exactly what I need to know and once I do it will be too late for her to stop me. Never forget this fact Ancano; so long as I get the knowledge that I desire I shall let you have everything you desire."

Ancano turned to face his partner, but when he did he found that Tirek had vanished, returning to his resting place in the Midden so that no one noticed him until it was time. He sighed and went back to staring out at the city, wondering what he would do the moment he was given complete control over that magic artifact.

Sunset and her companions continued down the road that they had taken to get to Winterhold in the first place, though she kept her eyes open for any enemies that wanted them dead. As they walked she wondered about the layout of the keep she was supposed to recover the books from, as she wanted to have some sort of plan for when they arrived. She had asked Bjorn about the keep, wondering if he had been near the location during his time as a hunter, but as it turned out he had never been near it at all. Lydia also spoke up during their journey, reporting the rumors she had heard about the mages that were supposed to live there, but she had never been outside the gates of Whiterun until she became Sunset's Housecarl.

Despite how Sunset wanted some information about the keep she just had to accept the fact that she would have to wing it when they reached their destination.

When they finally got close to Whiterun, which happened to be the watchtower that rested on the border of the Pale, Eastmarch, and Whiterun, Sunset turned to the east and they continued in that direction. As they moved the trio found themselves assaulted by the wildlife, resulting in a pack of wolves, a sabercat, and a bear coming their way and forcing them to put them down. Bjorn had made it easy for them, as he pointed out each of their major weaknesses before they engaged in combat, though Sunset was grateful for his experience anyway. Then, in a matter of minutes, they spotted the keep, which rested in the exact location that Urag had pointed out and allowed Sunset to look up at the sky.

"Its almost nighttime," Sunset commented, a plan forming in her mind, "Bjorn, when darkness covers us I want you to pick out the sentries and put them down. Then, when the coast is clear, we'll move into the keep and found where this Orthorn is located. Hopefully he has the books on him and we can work out a deal with him, otherwise we'll have to kill our way through the keep until we find the tomes that we need."

Bjorn nodded and they fell back just a bit, coming to a small cave area that they built a small campfire in and prepared a small meal that would serve as their dinner. While they waited for night to fall Sunset told them that, when they were inside the keep itself, they would need to be as silent as possible and only engage in combat when it was absolutely necessary. She didn't want to alert the mages further inside the keep that they ad intruders until they were no longer able to keep themselves hidden from their enemies. Bjorn agreed with her plan, though it was clear that Lydia didn't want to be sneaking about and openly asked why Sunset didn't just blast them with her magic.

"I'm still not as powerful as I was when I was in Equus," Sunset replied, rubbing one hand against the opposite arm, "I was a powerful unicorn in my home world, but I have been without magic for quite some time and my body is adjusting back to what it had been when I was born. I'm sure that former me would have no problem breaking into that keep and blowing the mages up without wasting much of her magicka, but it will be some time before I'm at that level again. We'll have to play this smart and not charge in like warriors, which these mages are likely expecting to arrive at any moment."

Another hour passed before night fell on them, giving them the cover that Sunset had been hoping for, which allowed the three of them to move towards the keep. As they approached the wall Bjorn pulled two arrows out and nocked one, pulling the string out and letting an arrow fly right at the mage that was walking along the top of the rotten wall, colliding with his chest and knocking him to the ground. Bjorn turned towards the tower and loosed the second arrow, knocking the mage that had been standing guard off his feet and forced him to fall to the ground, where Lydia made sure that he was dead. A flame creature, an atronach Sunset remembered, appeared near the base of the tower, but Lydia spun her battleaxe into the creatures chest and slew it in seconds, though she dived to the side as it exploded.

As her companions made sure the coast was clear, which Sunset thought was kind of easy, she collected the staffs that the mages held and moved towards the opening that the atronach had been guarding.

Once they were inside the keep, a lower area Sunset believed, they moved forward as silently as they could, though when they reached the first room they found a mage staring down at the pool they were standing in and spotted them immediately. The mage clapped his hands and his familiars, a pair of large spiders, began to rush towards the stairs, but Sunset snapped her fingers and summoned her magic, tossing fireballs at the mage. The mage ducked and moved towards an opening, though was Lydia took down the spiders Sunset ran up the steps and chased after her enemy. He moved to head down another passage, but she threw a fireball into his back and sent him flying, though she heard voices down the tunnel began to speak to each other.

The room the mage had been heading towards was a holding area of sorts, as three of the cells were occupied by what Bjorn claimed were vampires. All that told Sunset was that there was another vampire in the keep, no doubt being tortured by the mages, though before she could get close and ask one of them what was happening a second mage stepped into view. Lydia, apparently getting tired of sneaking, charged forwards the moment the mage appeared and heaved her battleaxe at her, barely giving the mage time to defend herself as her head went flying. Then, before Sunset could stop her, Lydia turned towards the direction of another door and opened it, before charging into yet another fight.

"Do set us free," one vampire commented, staring right at Sunset as she and Bjorn passed by her cell, "we could provide some assistance to you. Maybe we can cut some form of deal?"

"I'm just here for the books that an apprentice stole from the College of Winterhold," Sunset told the vampire, noting that she and her companions were former nords, "What could you possibly have that I would cut a deal for?"

"The Caller is a mad women," the vampire said, eyeing Lydia as she returned to the group, with three staffs in hand for Sunset, "she's got this grand plan to use this fortress as some sort of summoning portal, so she can call one of the Daedric Lords into Tamriel, breaking the barrier that was set up when Martin Septim gave his life to seal Oblivion off from our world. I don't know which of the Daedric Lords she's trying to summon, but based on the runes I saw its clear that she's trying to latch onto the powers of Mehrunes Dagon, Molag Bal, and someone called Jyggalag. I don't know what she's thinking, using her own created Daedric Lord in place of a real one, but if she succeeds she could very well shatter this world beyond repair.

Let the three of us go, and in return we would gladly sacrifice ourselves to make sure this world is safe, despite the fact that most people don't care for us."

Sunset knew of the destructive powers of the Daedric Lords from the brief stories she had heard, but Bjorn seemed to pale at the mention of what the Caller was doing. He immediately sprung the levers and let the vampires out, who seemed grateful for the release and immediately gathered some armor from the fallen mages. They dressed themselves in the armor that the mages had worn, though they had an assortment of weapons, no doubt taken from the bodies as well. Sunset had no idea why they would trust the vampires, but if it was to stop someone from tearing a rift between Nirn and Oblivion then she guessed they had better work together.

"You have my thanks," the vampire said, just as her companions nodded their agreement, "Fiona Nightblade, at your service. These are my sisters Diasa and Hel."

"I'm Sunset Shimmer," Sunset replied, walking into the next area with her companions, new and old, following behind her, "and these are Bjorn Wyrmsblood and Lydia."

The room that they entered was the one that Lydia had run into, with the three dead mages that her Housecarl had slain by herself, though as they walked Sunset spotted a symbol crafted into the wall, one that looked like a rune. It seemed to fit what she had been told not a few moments ago, though she was surprised to find one of them so quickly.

"That's one of the three runes the Caller created," Fiona commented, seeing how Sunset was looking at it, "the Mehrunes Dagon one it seems. Diasa is going to stay behind and make sure that this rune is disrupted the moment the Caller activates her spell. We had best move on and make sure that the other two are secured as well."

Sunset nodded and the group moved into the next area of the keep, finding a single mage that was guarding three locked cells; one that was empty, one that had a trio of wolves locked up, and the middle one had someone standing behind the bars. Bjorn prepared to loose an arrow at the mage, who was barely turning around to face them, but then Lydia ran forward and cut the mage in half with little effort. Sunset chuckled and looked at the three levers in the middle of the room, then turned her gaze to the man behind the bars, who she assumed was Orthorn.

"So, your Orthorn," Sunset commented, staring at the mage for a moment, "Tell me something; does the Caller have the three books that you stole from the College of Winterhold?"

"Yes, and she's insane," Orthorn replied, though Sunset could hear a pleading tone in his voice, "She's trying to breach the barrier between worlds. Why, I do not know, but she needs to be stopped before she..."

"...destroys all of Nirn," Sunset finished, turning to Bjorn and nodding to the middle lever, which opened the cell, "Here's how we're going to do this; your going to come with us and we're going to stop the Caller before she has a chance to start her spell. I get the books, the vampires get their freedom, and you... you can do whatever you want once we're done here."

Orthorn nodded and Sunset moved down the tunnel that was by the cell that held the wolves, wondering what they would find before they discovered the Caller.

That was before the group approached a new room, one that appeared to have three ready mages , one of them wearing the robes of an instructor, waiting for them. Fiona looked behind the mages and spotted the other vampire that had been taken captive, though she smiled as she slowly drew her steel dagger from its sheath. Before the mages or Sunset's group could react Fiona disappeared, almost as if the shadows had swallowed her whole and left them to wonder where she had gone. Then, just as Sunset readied her magic, Fiona appeared behind the mage near the stairs and drove her dagger into the mage's head, killing him before he had a chance to defend himself. Hel, seeing Fiona strike first, pulled out her swords out and approached the other two mages, cutting them down before they knew what was happening.

Sunset was impressed that the two vampires could preform so well, no doubt after being locked up for a few days or weeks, but as they prepared to move on she noticed that Hel was standing near the table and staring at a magical rune.

"Molag Bal's rune," Hel commented, readying her blades as she turned to face the passage they had come from, "Go, find the final rune and stop the Caller before she starts the spell. I will protect this rune and will sacrifice myself if it is required."

The group moved on once more, finding an area with five coffins and two mages, necromancers Sunset realized, that were waking the sleeping dead. Sunset snapped her fingers and ignited her magic, flames leaping out of her hands as she torched the area, burning the bones in the coffins and the ones that had been summoned. Then, before the necromancers could escape, she threw the rest of her flames at them, throwing them into the walls with enough force to kill them. Once the deed was done the group moved on, watching out for anything that the mages might have summoned to stop them.

After going through a passage they opened a door that lead to a summoning chamber with three more mages, but Sunset was ready to deal with them this time. Flames wrapped around her staff before she smacked two of the mages in their chests, knocking them backwards as the third mage came towards her. Lydia, willing to sacrifice herself for her Thane, jumped in front of the mage and cut his right hand off, before spinning around and slicing him in half. Before they could finish the current fight the door opened and two more mages, followed by their familiars, frost creatures that were also atronachs, walked into the chamber.

Fiona nodded to Bjorn as she charged at them, arrows following in her steps as they pierced the chests of the mages, though as they tumbled backwards she cut into their necks to insure that they died the moment they touched the floor. Once the fight was over Sunset collected every magical staff they had, which she was beginning to assemble quite the collection of at the moment. The next area they came to was, according to Orthorn, the main chamber of the keep, where they found quite a number of mages waiting for them. Sunset quickly counted at least seven more mages, each of which were carrying their own staff, before they were spotted and spells immediately started coming their way.

"We're going to have to be careful here," Sunset commented, summoning a barrier that would protect them until they were ready to attack, "otherwise those mages will be the end of us."

That was before Fiona disappeared and reappeared behind one of the mages, tackling her into another room, where Sunset assumed that she was draining the mage of all her blood. The other six turned their backs to where Sunset was for a moment, but that was all Bjorn needed before arrows started flying into the mages backs. Lydia and Sunset approached them after the arrows went flying, using their weapons to cut into them until the mages were dead at their feet. As they stood there Sunset wondered if it could truly been that easy, but she dreaded to think what the Caller had up her sleeves when they met her.

Before moving on Sunset and her companions searched the immediate area, where Fiona rejoined them and produced an odd golden sword that had frost dancing around the blade. Sunset let the vampire keep the weapon, mostly as a thanks for helping them get this far, though she knew the vampires would need weapons when this ordeal was over. As they looked around Sunset also discovered an odd gemstone in a golden case, which she figured she could sell to someone later on and took it with her. Once they had everything of value the five of them continued up the keep, following the path that Orthorn was leading them through when he had spoken to the Caller the last time he had seen her.

He lead them to what appeared to be the top of a tower, where they found a wooden door with a burning rune standing on the wall on the opposite side of it.

"And here's the third rune," Fiona commented, standing beside the rune, "I shall stand right here and make sure that this blasted thing doesn't do what she has planned for it. Go and stop the Caller before she brings ruin upon us all."

Sunset nodded and opened the door to the final chamber, where she and her companions found a single women standing in the direct center of the room, in what appeared to be some form of summoning circle. Next to the women, who was no doubt the Caller, was a pedestal that a book rested on, though as Sunset looked around the chamber she found two more pedestals, with the other two stolen books. She also noticed three runes laid out on the walls, identical to the ones that the vampires were ready to stall the moment the Caller's spell went into effect, and knew they were in the right place.

"So, you're the one who barged into my home and laid waste to my projects." the Caller said, turning to face them as they entered the chamber, "How nice to meet you. You may refer to me as The Caller. Now, do you have a reason for making such a mess?"

"Originally I'd just say I was here for the College of Winterhold's books," Sunset replied, summoning her staff once more as her companions, including Orthorn, drew their weapons, "but, upon hearing of your deranged plan to breach the barrier between Nirn and Oblivion, I'm afraid that I must ask you to stop what your doing."

"You are a fool," the Caller chuckled, just as a ring of runes began to appear on the ground in front of her, "Tell me, do you know why I have set up this keep up the way I did, with all of the runes lining the walls and dozens of mages that protect me with their lives? Yes, I wish to tear open a hole between Nirn and Oblivion, but that is only a necessary means to an end. Then, when some of the Daedric Lords come to investigate the hole, my spell will ensnare the most powerful of the sixteen Lords, stripping them of their powers. Said powers will then be stored in a special stone, while I will then hand over to my master, the Daedric Lord of Power, who gives his followers bits of information and expects some form of knowledge or power in return. And if one of his followers fails him he will reach out and strip them of their own natural power and anything that he gifted them before their failure.

Here, allow me to reveal to you the name of my master, who arrived in Tamriel a few weeks ago and has been biding his time until he recovers his full power."

The runes in front of the Caller flared for a moment before they settled down, though when Sunset glanced at them her eyes widened and she could feel herself sweating. She was expecting some forgotten Daedric Prince that the people of Nirn had forgotten about, but the Caller's description of her 'master' had only made Sunset worry. The name of the Caller's master, on the other hand, was enough to tell Sunset that whatever she had planned was something that had taken a week or two to plan. She glanced back at the runes to be sure that her eyes had actually read them correctly, but there was no changing that she had been right; the Caller's master was none other than Tirek.

"Tirek is not a Daedric Prince," Sunset snapped, flames wrapping around her, "Your precious 'master' is nothing more than a demon who wants to destroy all of Tamriel before he breaks your world into pieces. Your plan to open a hole between Nirn and Oblivion is just a ploy, as he wants a way to go back to Equus, where he will repeat what he does to my home world. And you, all you are doing is helping him accomplish his goals. I'm sorry, but for the good of both Nirn and Equus I'm going to have to put you down."

"You are a fool if you think you can stop me!" the Caller shouted, magic connecting with the runes all around her, "I will use this keep and tear open a hole to Oblivion, where your souls will be consumed by the Daedric Lords."

Before anyone could move a purple circle formed in the air behind the Caller, though it struggled for a moment to open the way between dimensions. Sunset waited, looking for an opportunity to do something to stop the madness, but before she could decide on something the circle morphed into an oval and became a large cat like slit. As the circle changed Sunset felt the keep shake for a few seconds, something that basically told her that what the Caller was doing would damage Tamriel if it succeeded. She called her magic into her hands and threw it at the circle, to which the Caller leapt into the air and shielded the hole with her own magic, not to mention her own body.

"Get the books," Sunset called to her companions, to which they immediately sprung into action and moved towards the three pedestals, removing the books and returning to Sunset's side.

Sunset poured her magic into her attack, trying to force the Caller back so she could seal the breach between worlds before it caused some serious damage, but it seemed like her enemy would not give up. She glanced at one of the walls and watched as one of the runes disappeared, weakening the spell and telling her that one of the vampires had given their lives to stop the Caller. Orthorn stood next to Sunset and poured some of his own magic into the attack, trying to aid her in stopping the Caller's wicked scheme, that he had aided in the end. Then, as they struggled under the pressure of stalling the Caller, Sunset watched the second rune shatter, weakening the hole further and stopped the keep from shaking.

"Someone else has to die," Orthorn suddenly said, turning to face Sunset, "someone has to tackle the Caller into the hole to stop her from hurting this world. It has been an honor to fight by your side Sunset Shimmer, but as this is partly my fault I shall take responsibility for whats happening."

Before Sunset could reply Orthorn charged forwards and barreled into the Caller, who had been distracted by trying to match Sunset's power output. The result of him colliding with her was the two of them being thrown into the hole, disappearing into whatever Oblivion realm they would be drawn into. Sunset, now on longer having to deal with the Caller, focused her magic on the hole and willed it to close, watching the runes along the walls shatter until they were all gone, allowing her to close the way between worlds and trapping the Caller in Oblivion.

"I can't believe that worked," a voice behind them said, causing Sunset to look back and find Fiona standing there, "Despite being a cause behind what happened here that mage had the guts to make sure that the Caller failed in her goal. I'm glad he did it when he did, otherwise that rune would have broken me when the spell reached it."

"What will you do now?" Sunset asked, curious as to what the vampire would do now that she was the sole survivor of her coven.

"I wish to travel with you, Sunset Shimmer," Fiona replied, a sigh escaping her lips, "I heard what the Caller said to you, not to mention your retort back, and I don't like the sound of this 'Tirek'. I only ask that we spend a little time to gather my sisters and bury them before we move on."

"I would be honored to have you along for the ride," Sunset said, glad to have some extra help on their side, "We'll leave in a few hours and get these books to the College, then we'll see to finding a way to stop Tirek."

Sunset had the sneaky suspicion that things were only going to get worse as the days moved along, as anything associated with Tirek ended in disaster.

Tirek, standing in the shadows on the Hall of the Elements, stirred for a moment, feeling his power increase and watching some of the lines on his hands revert backwards by some years. It was clear that the Caller was dead, though she had served her purpose in stalling Sunset Shimmer for some time. He had, true to his word, given her the power that she had asked for, though she had failed in the end and had taken everything back, including some of her own power. A smiled appeared on his face, as he was one step closer to accomplishing his goals, so long as Ancano continued to do his part and got him what he wanted.

"Soon I shall have the knowledge I require," Tirek said, watching the mages summon the sphere Sunset found into the chamber, "and then nothing will stand in my way."

11: The Synod and Mzulft

Sunset found the Archmage standing near the Eye of Magnus, silently studying it while occasionally offering his observations to whoever happened to be around him, which happened to be Mirabelle this time. There were a few other mages walking around the Eye, but they seemed to be in the process in leaving the Hall, most likely for the midday meal. She waited for a few moments, allowing the other mages to leave the hall before she approached the Archmage and his assistant.

"Ah, Sunset Shimmer," Savos Aren said, lowering his hand from his chin as she approached them, "What can I do for you and your growing host of friends."

"I spoke with the Augur of Dunlain," Sunset replied, not sure how the Archmage was going to take the news, "and according to him we need to find the Staff of Magnus. Its connected to the Eye."

"I recall the Synod asking about that the last time they visited us," Mirabelle spoke up, causing the two of them to turn towards her, "They seemed convinced that we had recovered the Staff of Magnus and were keeping it hidden in a broom closet or something, despite me telling them that we had no idea where it could be. After some time one of them told the rest of their group that it could be locked away deep in Mzulft and they departed from the College the very next day. I'm positive that some of them are still in the dwarven ruin, so its a simple matter to walk down towards Riften and branch off the road when your near it."

Sunset had no idea what a dwarven ruin was, but considering that the nords buried their dead with techniques to raise some of them when intruders entered she had to admit something; she was curious at the moment. She quickly pulled out her map and asked where Mirabelle thought it was in relation to the road, to which Mirabelle pointed at the area she believed the location was in. With the area of the ruin in hand Sunset started to bid the two of them goodbye for the moment, but was stopped when Savos Aren handed her a circlet, praising her as someone who was stronger than a mere apprentice.

Sunset had to admit that who she had been before her defeat would have taken that right to the head, but she respectfully bowed her head, accepted the circlet, and thanked the Archmage for his praise.

"Where are we off to?" Fiona asked, following Sunset like the rest of her companions, as she slipped on the circlet she had been handed.

"A dwarven ruin called Mzulft," Sunset replied, stepping out into the courtyard and heading towards the bridge, "That's where we should find the Staff of Magnus or some information on where it is actually hidden. I have the feeling that whatever Ancano is planning will be sprung when we're away and the mages are distracted by the Eye. And we might as well check the statue of Azura to see if it actually has a clue as to where the Star is located."

It was still strange that she wanted to collect the sixteen artifacts, but she wanted to make sure that Tirek had no opportunities to increase his power to a level that she couldn't fight. She was still too weak to deal with a full powered version of her enemy, but she knew that the more she trained her magic the greater the chance she had of recovering her former powers. She needed her former abilities if she wanted to be able to stop Tirek, though if he got even one of the Deadric Artifacts she knew that she, and the rest of Tamriel, were done for.

Once the group had returned to Winterhold they walked onto the road they used to enter and Fiona took the lead, as she knew exactly how to reach the statue. As they followed the path they encountered a pair of trolls that didn't look happy to see them, but Sunset conjured her flames and threw them at the trolls. Two fireballs emerged from the flames, exploding when they connected with the trolls and sent them backwards just a bit, but while one went down immediately the second got onto its feet again and came at them. Sunset gripped the handle of her sword and tapped into the enchantment on the blade, igniting the air around the blade as she neared the troll. When she was close she ducked under its claws and swung the blade into its chest, the flames knocking into her target and scorching it so hard that it was blasted onto the body of its ally.

"Your definitely getting stronger," Bjorn commented, amazed that she had taken the two trolls down so easily, "soon I doubt that even Tirek will be able to stand against you."

Sunset nodded to Bjorn and they continued onward, though she didn't have the heart to tell them that she wasn't confident in her abilities when it came time to fight Tirek. He was literally getting stronger the longer he was allowed to suck magic into his body, but from what she could tell it was harder for him to maximize his power in this world. Tirek had to steal the magic of a lot of people to cover the distance he covered when he was in Equus, which gave her a fighting chance at the moment. She knew that as long as Tirek didn't recover fifty percent or higher of his magic she had him, but if he did get over fifty than she would be in a pickle to defeat him.

She sighed and followed after Fiona, though she kept her eyes on the statue and occasionally looked for more creatures that suddenly wanted them dead.

When they finally arrived at the statue of Azura Fiona stood to the side and beckoned for Sunset to walk up the steps, which she did alone as Lydia and Bjorn stayed behind with the vampire. Sunset quickly ascended the stairs and crossed the bridge, only to stop when she reached the top and noticed that someone else was standing before the shrine. It was a female dunmer, though when the two looked upon each other the elf smiled, almost as if she had been expecting Sunset the entire time.

"Azura has seen your coming, traveler." the dunmer said, "It was not curiosity, but fate, that has led you here."

"'Seen my coming'?" Sunset asked, curious as to what the women was talking about, "What do you mean?"

"Azura has given me the gift of foresight." the dunmer explained, almost as if it was common knowledge that people were occasionally given abilities by the Daedric Lords, "I had a vision of you walking up the steps to this altar long before you entered Nirn. You have been chosen to be her champion. I know it is unexpected, but do not worry. It will all unfold as she has predicted."

"If you say so," Sunset said, not really sure what to make of what she was being told, "So, what was Azura, the Prince of Dusk and Dawn, ask of me?"

"That is simple," the dunmer replied, a small smile appearing on her face, "You must go to a fortress, endangered by water, yet untouched by it. Inside, you will find an elven mage who can turn the brightest star as black as night. It is cryptic, I know, but Azura's signs are never wrong. I believe the fortress may refer to Winterhold. Ask if they know of this elven enchanter."

Sunset sighed and gave the dunmer a quick nod before turning around to head to her companions, wondering where in the small city an elven enchanter could be hiding. As she rejoined her friends and they began the trek back down the mountain Sunset decided that she would inquire about the enchanter when they returned to the College, when they had the Staff of Magnus. Or when they had the information on where the staff was located, Sunset also added, after taking into consideration that the dwarven ruins may not hold the item they sought.

Reaching Mzulft ended up taking most of the afternoon, as the four of them had to deal with several packs of bandits, two packs of stray wolves, a few skooma dealers, and a thief that wanted their valuables. Before they even reached the ruin Sunset had noticed that there was a dragon flying in a nearby area, but she decided to leave that one be until she was finished with the College. When they finally reached the ruin Sunset had to admit that she was amazed that the builders had built something that was still standing, just like the nords had done.

The moment they entered the very beginning of the dwarven ruins they came across one of the Synod researchers, who was holding his chest and coughing blood at an alarming rate. He spotted them and beckoned them forward, handing Sunset a key the moment they were near, muttering something about an Oculory and a missing crystal, though it didn't give her anything to go on. She sighed and then pushed open the door before walking further into the ruin, wondering what dangers and enemies awaited them in a dwarven ruin.

It took them a few minutes to progress through the ruins, though when they reached an open chamber Sunset noticed that several bronze colored metal creatures emerged from the walls and came their way. She spotted the stairs the creatures were heading towards and summoned her magic into her hands, sending a pair of fireballs down to meet the creatures. Two of them went down immediately, though when those two fell down several more came out of the walls and continued on the path the others had started on. Lydia pulled out her battleaxe and smashed it into one of the creatures, pushing it backwards as Fiona hacked and slashed at the ones that stayed in the back of their group. Bjorn switched to his sword and cut into the creatures wherever he could, while dodging their metallic arms and avoiding the blades attached to them.

After a few minutes of fighting the creatures Sunset was surprised when they were the only ones standing, the broken metallic bodies of the creatures laying around them.

"I never like the dwarves," Fiona commented, just as the group continued on their way through the ruins, "they're notorious for creating a vast army of these creatures to guard their cities, which are now known for killing almost everyone who enters their domain."

"I've noticed," Sunset replied, weaving her magic around an enemy and smashing it into the wall, "I see that they're not great at resisting magic, but there seems to be a lot more of them than I was expecting. I actually prefer fighting the draugr to fighting these things."

The problem was that, as they progressed further into the ruins, more and more of the metallic creatures emerged from the walls with the purpose to end them. Sunset knew that she could burst her magic and tear many of them down in an instant, but then more of them would just come out and continue the assault. So, instead of fighting everything that came in their way, Sunset decided that they would pick and choose their enemies, so they could cut through the enemy's wall and move onward. It proved to be an effective method, but it quickly broke as they encountered another enemy that Sunset wasn't expecting; a race of blind elves known as the Falmer.

Though as they ran towards the first line of the Falmer's forces Sunset was pleased to note that the blind elves missed them and honed in on the dwarven creations. It was clear to her that the Falmer hated the metallic creatures, though she wasn't complaining as they were allowed to move further into the ruins. They eventually reached a locked door that appeared to have a chest inside, though Fiona disappeared and reappeared behind the door, beckoning them inside before slamming the door shut.

"This place is bigger than I was expecting," Sunset commented, drawing out a magicka potion and drinking a bit of it, "I mean, the nordic burrows are large on the inside, but this place takes it to a whole new level."

"Welcome to Skyrim," Fiona laughed, "where the nords entomb their dead in massive burrows, the dwarves build massive cities that are now in ruins, and many people really don't care anymore. Most mages, regardless of which race they belong to, are eager to scour either the nordic burrows or the dwarven ruins, looking for relics of power to further their own schemes. While Tirek is not of this world he still uses those that seek power for their own goals, only to strip those powers from them the moment they die."

"We'll stop him," Sunset said, trying to reassure her companions, "First we need to find the Staff of Magnus, stop whatever Ancano is planning in the College, and then we can focus on Tirek."

After half on hour of recovering their energy, or magic in the case of Sunset and Fiona, they opened the door and entered the ruins once more, heading even deeper. They noticed that their enemies were the Falmer now, which told Sunset that the metallic creatures had either pulled back, which she highly doubted, or they had all been destroyed. As the Falmer realized that there was still enemies to fight Sunset drew her sword and charged at them, either cutting them with her blade or blasting them with her magic. Lydia and Fiona charged in with her, hitting the enemies that she couldn't hit and protecting her from harm whenever an enemy got too close to them. Bjorn, on the other hand, stayed back, pulled out his bow and took out the ranged enemies, clearing the way as his companions fought the enemies that stood in their path.

Eventually they came to another chamber, but this one was easily three times the size of the other ones that Sunset had seen and had three different doors they could choose from. Then she noticed that there were only four Falmer standing in the chamber, though one of them carried some sort of orb as if it was trying to study it. Just as one of them noticed that they had company Bjorn pulled his bowstring back and loosed the arrow into the Falmer's head, dropping it as the other three turned to look at them. Sunset charged magic in her left hand and ran at one of them, ducking under its foul looking sword and placing her hand on its chest, blasting it backwards into one of the pillars. Fiona and Lydia approached the remaining two enemies, but while Fiona vanished into the shadows and appeared behind her enemy Lydia simply smashed her battleaxe into her enemy's chest, dropping it instantly as Fiona followed suit.

With the deed done Sunset sheathed her sword and collected the orb she had seen, finding that it was some sort of magical crystal that had to be used somewhere in the ruins. While Bjorn and Fiona walked down the pathway that had been to the right of the entrance Sunset and Lydia moved to the door that had been straight ahead of them. Sunset found that the door was locked and pulled out her set of picks, which Bjorn had been kind enough to give her after they had sacked Fellglow Keep. Lydia stood guard while she picked the door open, though she would never admit that she was very skilled in picking locks and this one had been at least an expert level lock in her opinion. She quickly collected the treasure she found in the chest, which was twenty septims, an enchanted mace, and a spell she didn't know, before returning to the center of the room as her companions came out of their passage.

"Its a dead end down there," Bjorn said, handing Sunset a key, "but I think this goes to that door over there."

Sunset nodded and they walked up the stairs until they stood before the locked door, which, thanks to the key Bjorn and Fiona had found, was opened within seconds. When they opened the door they noticed that there was a second door at the top of a set of stairs, but when they tried the door they found that it was locked. Before any of them could do anything, however, the door opened and a mage stared at them, apparently thinking that he would be meeting the rest of his team.

"Your the last member of the Synod that is these ruins," Sunset told the man, drawing out the crystal she had recovered, "We're with the College of Winterhold and I believe that your looking for something like this."

The mage seemed like he wanted to say something, but he simply shook his head and beckoned for them to follow him as he lead them through a door, around a ramp, and up to some sort of puzzle. Sunset immediately spotted some place for the crystal to go and added it to the machine, watching it turn around before the crystal was facing the ceiling with three beams bouncing off of it. She then noticed that there were three rings around the ceiling and summoned her magic into her hands, only this time she invoked the chill of frost before directing it at the crystal, causing the beams to move until they all touched the middle of a ring.

With that deed done she moved up to the area above them and stared at the three buttons that she found, wondering what they did before realizing that they were connected with the rings. Once that connection had been made she pressed them one by one and watched as the ring moved, one of them connecting with a beam and bouncing it back at the ceiling. She continued her routine, watching the rings move until the other two were reflecting their beams as well, connecting with the first one and bringing some sort of map to the area below her. There she learned that there was a massive amount of interference that was preventing the machine from showing other sources of magic besides the College of Winterhold and someplace called Labyrinthian.

With the location of the Staff in hand the four of them left the mage to rage against the map, shouting that the College had known about the project and had only come to make sure that his work had failed. They turned down a passage and Sunset noticed that time seemed to stall again, only for a Psijic Monk to appear before her eyes once more. It was the same one that had personally visited her, only this time he had come to warn her that something was happening at the College and that she had better return as swiftly as she could. She nodded and time resumed, giving her the opportunity to lead her companions through the exit and come out somewhere above the entrance they had used.

Before they ventured off into the night Bjorn commented that they should make camp and get some rest, so that way they would be ready for whatever the following day had to throw at them. Sunset decided that it was a good idea and they camped near the entrance of the dwarven ruin, giving them a good vantage point over the road. If there happened to be a carriage in the morning that was passing by it gave them the opportunity to ask the driver if they could be taken somewhere, though Sunset didn't think it would be that simple. Though as they made camp and Sunset turned to her tent she pulled out the journal that Fiona had given her and opened it to a page after the list of the artifacts.

She pulled out a quill and ink pot, also taken from Fellglow Keep and kept safe during their travels, and quickly wrote down several lines about the Elements of Harmony. She decided that, if the worst came to worse, she would need to find the people who represented the individual Elements the most and bring them together. Tirek couldn't be underestimated, though she hated to think that she might have to resort to using what could pass as the Elements against him. To the best of her ability she knew three of them; Bjorn could be Honesty, Lydia had to be Loyalty, and Fiona could be Generosity, but she wasn't completely sure on her labels and had no idea where she could find the other two Elements.

Though at the top of her agenda was finding Tirek and stopping him the moment she laid eyes upon him again, to save this world from his terrible power and the destruction that would follow.

"I see you haven't moved since the last time I saw you," Ancano commented, standing outside the area that his partner called his temporary home and noticing that he turned his head to face him.

"I am restoring my power," Tirek growled, turning to face the elf, "Soon I shall have enough power to rid myself of this old version of my body and become younger, while I will gain at least twenty-five percent of my full power. Then I will be able to start testing this body to its limits, without having to worry about crumbling to the ground so often. Tell me, where is Sunset Shimmer now?"

"I have someone following her as we speak," Ancano replied, "and she and her companions have survived the onslaught that is the dwarven ruin of Mzulft. They will no doubt return to the College sometime tomorrow and inform the Archmage where the Staff of Magnus is hidden."

"Go then," Tirek said, waving his hand to dismiss the elf, "shackle your magic to the Eye of Magnus and gain the power that I have promised you in return for my knowledge. The Augur was smart to give me what I wanted, but now his power belongs to me and my body will soon accept it, just like it did with everyone else I've stolen magic from. Do not fail Ancano, or you shall suffer the same fate as the Caller and the Augur have received."

Ancano seemed to pale at the thought of having his energy drained and added to the stockpile that was growing inside Tirek, so he bowed and took his leave immediately. Tirek allowed a small smile to appear on his face for a moment, before it was wiped clean off and he went back to making sure his body was receiving the Augur's energy like it did with everyone else. Soon he'd have the strength to reveal himself to Sunset Shimmer, but he knew that he would destroy her hopes the moment they saw each other again.

12: Labyrinthian

When morning finally arrived Sunset met it with a sense of dread, wondering what madness Ancano was planning while she was away from the College. She had seen it in his eyes when she had been speaking to Tolfdir near the Eye, the elf noticed the power that the artifact was emitting and he wanted it for himself. She knew it was only a matter of time until he reached out to take control of the Eye and would kill anyone that stood in his way, though she had to wonder if he was working on his own or if he was working with Tirek. The Caller had been a pawn of the demonic centaur, so she knew that Tirek had likely made connections with other dangerous mages and was using them as well.

As her companions woke up she wondered if they should diverge from their current path and head to the place called Labyrinthian, to retrieve the Staff of Magnus in case Ancano did something to the Eye.

"So where are we going, my Thane?" Lydia asked, echoing the question the others wanted to ask as the four of them ate a quick breakfast.

"I've been thinking about that," Sunset admitted, sighing for a moment before looking each of them in the eyes, "and as much as I would like to acquire the Staff immediately, we simply cannot go there just yet. We must return to the College of Winterhold and inform the Archmage as to where the Staff is located, and check up on the Eye in the process. I have the strangest feeling that something is happening, or will happen soon, in the College and Ancano will be at the center."

"A wise decision," Fiona commented, turning her head towards the direction of the College, "I knew, from the moment I laid eyes on that elf, that Ancano was up to no good and that he was plotting something inside that twisted head of his. I'm somewhat surprised that the majority of the mages in the College aren't fighting for control over the Eye, but I am glad that they can restrain themselves."

Sunset didn't add to that comment, silently wondering why she hadn't seen Tirek anywhere around the College grounds, or even Winterhold for that matter. She had tracked him to the College, but by the time she had arrived his trail was already cold, almost as if he had been leading her on a wild goose chase. She thought about the Midden, where the Augur had been located, but the place was filled with the taint of Ancano's magic and made it impossible to tell if someone else had been there. She knew that he was in Skyrim, lurking in some unknown location, but she also knew that they would see each other again one day, and she planned on being as ready as possible for that meeting.

Not half an hour later the four of them were heading away from Mzulft, returning to the dirt road they had walked on to get to the dwarven ruin the previous day. As they walked Bjorn and Lydia kept their eyes peeled for any carriages coming from behind them, so that they could ask for a ride to Winterhold if the driver was heading that way. Fiona, on the other hand, watched out for any enemies that wanted to do them harm, so she could put them down before they endangered the group. Sunset simply walked, using her staff as a walking stick for the moment, while she focused on getting to the College as fast as they could, before anything happened.

Though she had the feeling that whatever Ancano was planning to do was likely in effect and she would discover the aftermath of whatever the plan had been.

It took them the most of the morning to reach Winterhold, but as they entered small town Sunset noticed that the majority of the citizens stayed out of their way. As they walked by the inn she noticed that an elf, wearing robes that labeled him as a mage, walked outside to enjoy the air and ignored them completely. She remembered what the dark elf at Azura's Shrine had said, about an elven enchanter who lived in a place that was endangered by and not touched by it, and wondered if that happened to be who she had been told about. She sighed and turned around, determined to ask him about what he knew about the stars and see if he was the enchanter she had been sent to speak with.

"Excuse me," Sunset called after the elf, causing him to stop for a moment, "I was just wondering where I could find an elven mage who studied the stars."

"Who sent you?" the elf demanded, turning around to face her with anger on his face, "Was it the College? The Jarl? We agreed there would be no more questions."

"No one sent me," Sunset lied, hating to do it, but knew that many people in this landed hated the Daedric Lords and figured that the elf wouldn't give her the information she needed if he knew the whole truth, "I just heard that one was connected with Azura's Star, that's all."

"Azura?" the elf asked, as if believing that she had been sent by the Daedric Lord, which was technically true, despite the face that she never told him that part, "Gods, it's all finally coming back to haunt me. Here's the run down; soul gems are used for enchanting, except the gem is always consumed. They're frail. Except for one; Azura's Star. A Daedric artifact that allows any number of souls to pass through it. Some of us wanted to find out how. I was working under Malyn Varen, then. If only we knew what he was really planning. Malyn wanted to alter the Star. He was dying. Disease. He thought he could store his own soul inside. Become immortal. It drove him mad. Students started dying. Eventually, the College exiled him. He took a few loyal disciples to Ilinalta's Deep and vanished. Look, I don't care who asked you to find the Star, but don't take it back to Azura. The Daedra are evil. They're the reason Malyn went insane."

"I thank you for the information," Sunset replied, filing the location she had been told away for the future, "I'll be sure to search the keep thoroughly when I get there."

The elf seemed to accept what she said, but she could tell that he was mildly annoyed that the past had been brought back to the surface once more.

With that task taken care of Sunset returned to her companions and beckoned them forward, where they began the trek across the old and worn out bridge. As they walked on the bridge Sunset still marveled that it was being held together after all this time, still wondering if it was the magic she had felt when she first arrived in Winterhold. As they walked into the College's courtyard Sunset noticed that many of the Master Wizards were gathered outside, muttering among themselves, and her fellow apprentices were waiting near the student housing area. The only people she didn't see were Urag gro-Shub, Mirabelle, Savos Aren, and Ancano himself, which only made her worry as she approached the Hall of the Elements.

There she found Savos Aren and Mirabelle standing outside what appeared to be a bluish colored barrier, one that prevented them from entering the main area of the hall. That was when she spotted Ancano standing beside the Eye of Magnus, magic rolling from his body to the Eye and back, which she assumed meant that he was behind the barrier.

"Oh, your back," Mirabelle said, turning to face Sunset while Savos turned his attention to the barrier, "I take it that means that you either discovered where the Staff of Magnus is located, or your carrying it as we speak."

"I have its location," Sunset replied, her eyes locked on Ancano, "Let me guess; Ancano cast some spell on the Eye and how he's got a barrier up that's preventing us from entering the main area?"

"Yes, he did," Savos said, lightning pulsing around his hand for a moment, while frost surrounded Mirabelle's hands, "and we intend to destroy this barrier of his. Help us with this will you."

Sunset nodded and stood between the two senior mages, flames dancing around her hands until the three of them had their individual elements at the ready. Then the trio pressed their spells against the barrier, hoping to force the power of the Eye back for a moment so they could confront Ancano immediately. Not a moment later the barrier shattered, scattering the pieces of it to the side before they disappeared, allowing them to approach the insane elf.

"Stop this Ancano," Savos shouted at the elf, who barely looked their way, "Break yourself from the Eye before you cause irreversible damage to yourself and the artifact."

"Do you honestly think you can challenge me?!" Ancano laughed, extending his hand and knocking Savos into one of the pillars, locking him in place for the moment, "Fools, my master has allowed me to acquire the power to unmake the very world you walk on. With this power backing me do you seriously believe that any of you stand a chance at defeating me?"

"Oh sweet Celestia," Sunset said, horror creeping into her as she realized exactly who Ancano was speaking of, "not you too. Just how many of you have fallen into Tirek's trap, chaining your life to him for the promise of power? Your abilities are hollow, as the moment he no longer requires your help he will reach out and take the power away from you, reducing you to a husk... just like what happened with the Caller and everyone else he's come into contact with."

Ancano snapped his fingers and a wave of magic erupted from the Eye, slamming into the three of them and knocking them all backwards, or destroying the pillar in Savos Aren's case. Sunset regained her footing before she could hit her head on anything, but when she went to strike out at Ancano she noticed that a new barrier protected him. Mirabelle seemed to be limping towards her, though she had to wonder what good the Staff would do now that Ancano had messed with the Eye.

"You need to find the Archmage immedia...," Mirabelle told her, before stopping herself and shaking her head, "No, he couldn't possibly be alive after the thrashing that Ancano gave him. Here, the Archmage gave me something before you arrived and said that you might need it for recovering the Staff... and you might as well get moving before Ancano brings the entire College down around us."

The item that she gave Sunset was what appeared to be a metal ring that she assumed went in some kind of opening, almost like a large knocker for a door. She took the item and immediately marched outside, where she found her companions standing over the still and limp body of the fallen Archmage. They looked at her, concerned for her well being if this is what happened to the Archmage, but she beckoned them onward as she made for the bridge once more. As they departed she told Tolfdir of what happened inside and told him that he had best move the rest of the mages away from the College, in case Ancano decided to destroy the courtyard or the bridge.

Once they were back in Winterhold she opened her map and looked upon where Labyrinthian was located, setting her course for the ruins and the Staff that could help her defeat Ancano.

Tirek allowed a faint simile to appear on his face as he watched the mages of the College of Winterhold running around like they were chickens with their heads cut off. Ancano had done a decent job of slaying their Archmage, the only other mage he considered to be a threat to him besides Sunset Shimmer, and delivering them into a mass of chaos. His former friend Discord, the Spirit of Disharmony, would have enjoyed it much more than he currently was, but that barely mattered to him at the moment. He was busy soaking in even more magic than he had been before the Eye had been accessed, taking in the power of the Augur and the fallen Archmage.

As he watched the mages he could feel his body growing younger, stepping back to a greater power that would allow him to begin working towards his ultimate goal. Sure, he would let Ancano go on believing that he possessed the power to unmake the world until it came time to remind the elf that he was the one in charge. Then his power, and any other mages that died in the process, would be added to his growing reserves, strengthening him for when it came time to put his plan into motion.

He was waiting to see exactly what Sunset Shimmer had planned for Ancano, what power she would call into the world to combat the power that Ancano commanded. And then, once Ancano fell to Sunset or she fell to him, he would appear and show them the true destructive power of the magic they knew nothing about.

It had taken the four of them roughly four hours to reach the area that housed Labyrinthian, the massive ruin that Fiona had told Sunset that had been built by the Dragon Cult. It was the site where the leaders of the order, the eight most powerful Dragon Priests of that era, would meet and determine how to rule the people around them. It was then that Sunset learned that Krosis, the same priest that had fled from them, had been one of those eight, while only told Sunset that the priest had run away to gather his power. It also told her that there had to be more than one powerful artifact lurking in the ruins that could be of aid to them, to help them stop either Ancano or Tirek.

The actual exterior looked decent, though as they walked in and searched for the entrance to the barrow, which Sunset knew would lead them to the Dragon Priest that was no doubt carrying the Staff she needed. Not even after a minute of searching she spotted what appeared to be an iron door, similar to the one at Bleak Falls Barrow, and decided that she had found the entrance. As they walked up the stairs towards the door several trolls spotted them and came running, tearing into the snow as they approached those that dared to trespass in their home. Bjorn took one of them out with an arrow to the head, while Lydia and Fiona forced the other two trolls to the ground with their own weapons.

Sunset nodded to her companions, grateful that they had sprung into action when they had, and continued towards the door, pulling out the torc as she approached it. Once she was at the door, and her companions were ready, she placed it into the slot that she had known would be there and pulled it back, letting it knock on the iron before it opened for them. Sunset pulled out her staff and they marched into the barrow, beginning the search for where the Staff of Magnus could be located while keeping their eyes peeled for enemies. They stepped into a rather large chamber, with a dozen or two skeletons scattered about, but there was nothing besides a spell book to be found, so they moved on.

The corridor they entered lead them to an iron gate, which they opened with a nearby lever, before they found themselves in another massive chamber. One, they quickly discovered, that had an open dragon burial mound in the center, with a massive skeletal dragon emerging from the hole and a dozen skeletal soldiers coming to life around them. Sunset's magic flared as she ran at the dragon, jumping to the right to avoid its massive jaw before placing a fireball right in its side, trying to blow it apart immediately. The dragon stumbled for a moment before it corrected itself, though by the way it moved Sunset could tell that it was annoyed with her already.

The dragon roared at her and a wave of frost erupted from its mouth, though Sunset slammed the bottom of her staff into the ground and summoned a shield to protect her. Once the attack stopped Sunset pulled the shield back and slammed a fireball into the dragon's mouth, stuffing it to the brim before forcing it to explode. For a moment the body remained where it stood, making her wonder if the dragon would merely put its head back together, but after a couple more moments the bones shook and the body crumpled to the floor. She sighed and looked around the rest of the chamber, watching her friends tear into the skeletons that were still standing and scattering the bones of the fallen so they didn't get back up.

Sunset made a sweep of the chamber, making sure that the skeletons were truly dead, before beckoning to her companions and continuing onward through the next corridor. On the landing before another door, however, she noticed that there was a plinth with dragon writing on it, writing that claimed that the area known as Labyrinthian had once been known as Bromjunaar. She looked at her companions, wondering if they knew what the city had been once upon a time, but the looks on their faces told her everything she needed to know. None of them knew what Bromjunaar was, but Sunset sighed and continued onward through the wooden door.

The following area had two tunnels they could have chosen from, if one of them hadn't collapsed in the last couple hundred years, so they traveled down the other pathway. Sunset found a door surrounded by ice, but as they approached the door her companions tore apart a sleeping draugr, just in case he woke up when she touched the door. As she approached the door she heard a voice echo throughout the ruins, though she could tell that her companions either hadn't heard it or ignored it.

Wo meyz wah dii vul junaar? the voice asked, though for some reason Sunset could understand it as someone asking, Who comes to my dark kingdom?

Flames wrapped around her left hand and she slammed them into the icy door, forcing it to open as a draugr, covered in ice, stepped forward to do battle with her. Instead Sunset swung her staff and knocked the draugr onto its back, slamming the end of her staff into its chest and burning it to pieces from the inside out. Once the deed was done she stepped forward, but as she entered the next chamber she felt her magic being drained and immediately jumped backwards, fearing that Tirek had taken up residence in these ruins. After a few moments she sighed and stepped forward, finding that whatever had taken her magic had disappeared and allowed the four of them to move on once more.

Several more draugr were waiting for them, two of them having summoned their own elementals to help them in battle, but Sunset and her friends were ready for them. Bjorn rained arrows on the furthest enemies, while Lydia and Fiona fought at the front of the line, giving Sunset the ability to use less magic and focus her targets down. As they continued forward Sunset kept her eyes out for hidden or out of the way passages, just in case there were more draugr that could sneak up on them from behind. As it turned out most of their enemies came right at them, wielding their weapons and spells, but the four of them would have none of that and tore through them.

Though as they entered another passage Sunset felt the same force take more of her magic, though this time she could tell that it definitely wasn't Tirek doing it.

Nivahriin muz fent siiv nid aaz het. the voice said, which Sunset also heard as, Cowardly men shall find no mercy here.

"Cowardly am I?" Sunset shouted, causing her friends to look at her oddly for a moment, "That's rich coming from the Dragon Priest that won't show his face!"

There was a pause for a moment, causing Sunset to wonder if it had been a smart idea to anger such a powerful undead creature, but then she heard an echo once more.

Eh, ful hi dreh mindok faal Dovah Vun, the voice said, which made Sunset glad that it had responded to her, Zu'u frin saraan hin arosend, lahzey.

"Sunset?" Bjorn asked, worried that his friend might be starting to go insane, "Is something wrong?"

"No... not that I'm aware of," Sunset replied, gripping her staff as she beckoned them onward, "I heard the Dragon Priest speak to me and I decided to return the favor, though now it sounds like he's interested in meeting me."

"Then we had best not keep him waiting," Fiona commented, moving onward, "I would hate to get on the bad side of one of the powerful Dragon Priests."

As it turned out the path they were on separated into two different areas, one that went straight ahead and a second that took them to a running river that connected with another door. Sunset decided to skip some things and took the downward path, where they bypassed a draugr and moved into the next area of the barrow. They immediately found a group of skeletons waiting for them, but Lydia approached them and shattered them within seconds, scattering their bones before taking the lead. Sunset noticed that her Housecarl wanted to get through the dungeon as swiftly as possible, as if she wanted to see this Dragon Priest and her Thane fight.

As they progressed they smashed through several enemies, including two trolls, a dozen skeletons that were a mix of archers and mages, and something called a Wispmother. They found another elemental door waiting for them, but Sunset summoned frost to her hands and chilled the flames before smashing the draugr that emerged once the door was opened. The following areas they passed through gave them a different version of draugr, one that appeared to be between their normal form and a ghostly type of form. Sunset noticed that a good portion of the draugr they were currently dealing with were wearing robes, as if they were mages at one point in their previous lives.

It relieved her to let them move on to whatever plane of existence awaited them when they moved on, though it also relieved her that their magic couldn't be collected by Tirek, to use against everyone else.

It took them between an hour to two hours to cut down, pierce with arrows, and blast the vast amount of draugr that was standing in their way before they reached something that Sunset had been expecting to find sooner or later; a Word Wall. The Deathlord that stood before the wall was tough to put down, as they had to continue to move out of the way of his Shouts, but they eventually defeated him and opened the way for Sunset to learn another Word of Power. She sighed and stepped forward, letting the word Tiid echo in her mind before she started for the end of the dungeon, where she had her friends wait near the final door so she could deal with the Priest alone.

Inside the final chamber she found two ghostly mages channeling their magic at a sphere of energy, which seemed to be locking the Dragon Priest in place and prevented him from moving.

"So, your the Dragon Priest that I heard speaking to me," Sunset commented, as she walked up to where the Priest had been locked into place, "I wonder how powerful you were to require two mages to give their lives to keep you here."

"And you are the one that Krosis told me about," the Priest replied, though somehow Sunset realized that they could understand each other without her having learned the Dragon Language, "the Dovahkiin of legend. Krosis told me of someone that came from your world, someone that you fear to fight at your current level. Tell me, why have you come here, to the kingdom of Morokei?"

"I require the Staff of Magnus," Sunset answered, pointing at the staff that the Priest carried, "the Eye has been found and I require the Staff to prevent the Eye from being misused. Or rather, misused more than it already has been."

"Ah, but all power comes with its price," Morokei seemed to chuckle as he spoke, "Here's my offer; free me and not only shall you gain the Staff of Magnus, but you shall gain the knowledge that Krosis and I possess. The catch is that you'll have to become the last living Priest of the Dragon Cult, maybe even the one of legend that we once wrote about."

"That's all?" Sunset asked, but immediately noticed that the Priest made no move to speak again until she gave him an answer, "Very well then, if this is what it takes to recover the Staff of Magnus than I accept."

The ghostly mages were immediately destroyed, thus freeing Morokei from his prison, but instead of attacking her the Priest simply extended his hand and released the Staff of Magnus, letting it float over to Sunset's right hand. As she took hold of the Staff she silently hoped that she hadn't just made a deal that could very well ruin her chances of stopping whatever Tirek had planned for this world.

13: Destruction

The moment Sunset had the Staff of Magnus she turned around and walked back to where her friends were waiting for her, noticing that Bjorn and Fiona were looking at her like she had lost her mind. She was still surprised as well, as she had come here to fight a Dragon Priest and acquire the Staff, but as she thought about it she realized that she could use the experience the Priests had to her advantage.

"Are you out of your mind?" Fiona asked, worried about the damage that would be done to Skyrim if the Dragon Priest in the chamber was allowed to live, "We can't let one of them out into Skyrim, not when there's already one of the other seven floating around doing who knows what to the people. Once they realize that Alduin has returned they'll flock to his side and turn their power against us, not to mention the unfortunate people that live across Skyrim."

"I'd love to deal with Alduin, but I have a much bigger threat to deal with," Sunset replied, sighing as she faced the vampire, "Tirek is like a storm of destruction; once he gets enough of his power back he'll want to experiment with this world. He'll destroy whatever is around him at the beginning, but then he'll start striking out at heavily populated places, like Winterhold or Solitude, and wipe them from the world. Then, should he get his full power back, I assume that he'll start ripping the whole of Nirn apart... that's if someone doesn't stop him before that happens."

"Initiate, who is this Tirek that you speak of?" Morokei asked, floating over to where they were standing, causing Sunset's friends to back up for a moment.

"Someone who steals magic from people to further his own goals," Sunset replied, shaking her head as she turned to the Dragon Priest, "and destroys whatever gets in his way. He's planning on gathering his full power, how I don't know yet, and then he'll begin his End Game... the end of Nirn as we know it. Tirek is using Ancano, whose misusing the Eye of Magnus, and its only a matter of time until he grows tired of the elf and disposes of him. We need to head back to the College immediately."

"As you wish Initiate," Morokei replied, beckoning them to follow him back into the large chamber he had been sealed for who knows how long, "I will show you and your companions the exit and wait for your return... after you deal with this problem of yours. Then I shall show you the power of magic when you return."

Before Sunset could reply to the Dragon Priest she spotted a second Priest, the one from the Word Wall that had run away, floating in the middle of the open chamber. Only this time he was holding a Thalmor wizard by the throat, either having killed the elf already or was slowly chocking him as they watched. Krosis stared at them for a moment, as if deciding something, before throwing the elf at one of the nearby walls, though that was when Sunset noticed that the elf was dead. Krosis then approached Morokei, pausing to whisper something to his superior before walking to a different wall, where he floated and ignored everyone.

"It seems your enemy has been keeping an eye on you," Morokei commented, waving a hand to the dead elf, "if this Ancano doesn't already know you have the Staff of Magnus he'll know soon enough."

Sunset nodded and continued forward, walking around the pathway that she assumed Krosis had descended down before finding an open door that lead upwards. The tunnel eventually lead them to a chamber that was connected to a normal passage that one would expect from a nordic barrow, though one path ended and a second lead to the actual exit. They appeared on what appeared to be a broken perch of some kind, but after a moment of looking around them Sunset found a path down to the entrance of Labyrinthian. Her plan was simple at that point; they get a carriage ride back to Winterhold so she could rest up before her fight with Ancano, as there simply wasn't enough time to waste in returning.

"Your sure that you really want to align yourself with the Dragon Priests?" Bjorn asked, merely curious as they walked out the ruin that held two freshly awoken Dragon Priests.

"I need their knowledge and their power," Sunset replied, sighing once more as they walked, "They can increase my knowledge of the Dragon Language, show me the spells that they know in an attempt to pass them on, and maybe catch a few lost Shouts that no one knows about anymore. Tirek needs to be stopped, before he ends up destroying most of Skyrim... if not Nirn itself."

That comment made her companions settle down, forcing them to realize that their home would likely be destroyed if Sunset didn't find Tirek and stop him before he regained his full power. Sunset hated having to tell them the terrible part of what Tirek was capable of, but she refused to tell them what the centaur was truly capable of, which was something she heard from Princess Twilight. She was still surprised that the demon had been beaten by the powers of Harmony, but she was determined to defeat her enemy before it came to needing to resort to the power of her home world.

They traveled to Morthal, the closest city in the immediate area of Labyrinthian, where they found a carriage driver that was finishing a late night delivery to the city. After a few minutes of negotiation, which Fiona and Bjorn lead, the driver finally agreed to take them back to Winterhold and suggested that they set out immediately. Then the four of them boarded the back of the carriage and began the journey back to the College, where three of them knew Sunset would end whatever scheme Ancano was cooking up. Sunset, on the other hand, gripped the Staff of Magnus, still amazed by the power it contained, before she allowed sleep to claim her for the moment.

"Hmm... she's coming," Tirek commented, staring at Ancano as he worked his magic on the Eye, feeling his enemy coming towards the College once more, returning from her journey to the place called Labyrinthian.

"What's that Lord Tirek?" Ancano asked, turning his concentration away from the Eye for a moment, though he was confident that he could command the artifact regardless.

"Sunset Shimmer is coming towards the College," Tirek told the elf, stepping out from behind a pillar and pausing between two of them, "and she carries the Staff of Magnus. Show me Ancano, show me the power of the Eye and destroy her when she comes to stop you... otherwise you know the consequences if you fail me..."

"That shall not happen my lord," Ancano replied, magic wrapping around his hand for a moment, briefly wondering if he could take the demon down before doing away with the thought, "When she arrives I shall unleash the power of the Eye on her and wipe her from the face of Nirn... and even beyond if it would please you."

"Destroy her," Tirek commanded, disappearing into the shadows, "or I shall take measures into my own hands..."

When Sunset awoke it was morning and they were quickly approaching Winterhold, though she immediately noticed some sort of barrier was surrounding the College. It was clear that Ancano was protecting himself, no doubt having forced the rest of the mages out of the College so he could be alone with the Eye. Bjorn noticed that she was awake and handed her something, a chunk of cheese and some water, to serve as breakfast before she charged into the College.

"What should we do while you fight Ancano?" Bjorn asked, though it was clear that he wished he could follow her into the College and put an arrow in Ancano's head for all the trouble he was causing.

"I need the three of you to gather up the rest of the mages and get them away from the College," Sunset said, swallowing the meager meal before preparing herself for the carriage to arrive at the city, "then I want all of you to gather whoever is in the city and get them away from the College. If Ancano's master really is Tirek, and I beat him at his own game, then I'm positive that what could come next might be the destruction of everything around us. Or Ancano could still beat me and bring about the destruction of the College anyway, but I'd rather not risk everyone's life on this."

"Don't worry about us," Fiona replied, flashing Sunset a smile as they stopped outside Winterhold, "We'll take care of things here, so get up to the College and show that Thalmor a thing or two."

Sunset took a moment to steady herself before climbing out of the carriage, hitting the ground and immediately making her way to the bridge that connected the College to Winterhold. She was confident that she could defeat Ancano, so she allowed it to show in her stride as she passed guards and civilians alike, who stopped what they were doing for a moment to look at her. She stopped in front of the bridge for a moment, feeling the magic around her as she tried to pick out whether or not Tirek was actually nearby, before she started out once more. The first half of the bridge seemed normal, but when she approached the second magical circle she noticed that a few mages were standing there, arguing about how they were going to bypass the barrier.

That was until Tolfdir noticed that Sunset had rejoined them, which was then followed by him and the others realizing that she had recovered the Staff of Magnus.

"The Staff..." Tolfdir said, awe filling his face for a moment, which was dashed when the barrier shimmered and lightning flashed in the sky above them, "Well, let's hope the Psijic's were right about the Staff, otherwise Ancano's going to bring the College down around us."

"Then I had better get in there," Sunset replied, noting that Mirabelle wasn't with them and assumed that she had been taken out by Ancano after she had departed for Labyrinthian.

As she stepped towards the barrier she allowed magic to gather in the stone at the top of the staff, where she released it the moment she neared the swirling magic. The Staff's magic rolled over the barrier, tearing a massive hole in front of Sunset and allowing her to access the College, though she had to frown when she spotted Tolfdir following her. The two of them entered the College's courtyard, finding that it looked the exact same as the last time they had been inside, making them wonder what Ancano was actually doing. Sunset then walked into the Hall of the Elements, where she found Ancano exactly where she had last seen him, standing near the Eye with his magic rolling off the artifact.

"You've come for me, have you?" Ancano shouted, spotting Sunset the moment she entered the Hall of the Elements, "You think I don't know what you're up to? You think I can't destroy you? The power to unmake the world at my fingertips, and you think you can do anything about it? I am beyond your pathetic attempts at magic. You cannot touch me."

Sunset pulled the Staff back and thrust it forward, allowing the magic to slam into the Eye and forcing Ancano back for a moment, but then he regained himself and cast a spell that froze Tolfdir where he stood. Then he turned his attention to the Eye once more and threw his magic at it, forcing Sunset off the artifact and allowing him to take the position he had once held. Before Sunset could try for the Eye again Ancano waved his hand and the Eye began to open, the metal shell effortlessly pulling itself apart to reveal the magic that it contained within. Then Ancano snapped his fingers and creatures began to appear around the chamber, creatures that Sunset noticed were made of pure magicka.

"I don't understand why you'd want to bring about the end of the world," Sunset shouted, swinging her magic around and shattering several of the creatures immediately, as if they were made of glass, "I can understand wanting to use the Eye to rule the world, but why bother destroying it?"

"I don't expect you to understand," Ancano snapped, flinging lightning at her, causing her to summon a barrier to protect herself, "With the power of the Eye of Magnus I can end the war that plagues this forsaken land and force the Empire to accept the Thalmor's wishes completely. Once I have defeated you, and have acquired the Staff as well, I shall obliterate every ounce of resistance that exists across this world until the Thalmor rule everything and everyone."

"Tirek put you up to this, didn't he?" Sunset shouted back, flames wrapping around her hand as she broke from her barrier, slammed a fireball into Ancano's chest, and pressed on with a barrage of spells, "He's just using you for his own goals, which will result in the end of this world, unless you surrender the Eye to me and help me put a stop to his plans."

"My new Lord will be the end of you," Ancano replied, stepped out of the smoke without a scratch on his body, "and once he has enough of his former power back he will open a temporary gateway back to his Plane of Oblivion, the realm that you call Equus."

The moment Sunset heard that comment she envisioned a peaceful day in Equestria suddenly being ruined by a massive hole appearing in the sky. Then, as ponies noticed the dramatic change in the sky, Tirek would step out of the portal in his true form, the centaur form that was associated with him. She could see him even now, calling upon whatever magic he acquired in this world to tear apart the whole of Equus to absorb the power of the Princesses themselves. Then he'd likely destroy whatever power the Elements of Harmony had left, ensuring that there was nothing in all of Equus that could defeat him.

It was a scenario that Sunset dreaded to imagine happening, so much so that she switched the Staff to her left hand, pulled out her sword and allowed her magic to pool around the blade. Then, in one swift motion, she swung the blade and released the magic, allowing a wave of energy to surge forward and strike Ancano right in the chest, sending him into one of the pillars. With the deed done she turned her attention to the Eye and struck it with the Staff, pouring the power of the Staff into the artifact and forced it to close, causing the magical creatures to disappear.

"Sorry to disappoint you," Ancano said, stepping out of the rubble without a scratch on him, "but I'm not dead yet."

"It seems like you've chosen your path," Sunset sadly commented, wishing that such a talented mage could have seen passed Tirek's promises and lent her his powers, "Very well then, I shall end this before anymore damage is done to the College."

Both Ancano and Sunset gathered their magic, Ancano calling the magic into his hands while Sunset allowed them to gather in the Staff's stone. Then, when they were certain that they each had enough power, they thrust their magic forward and the two opposing forces collided with each other. The two forces, Sunset's red like her flames and Ancano's eerie green thanks to the Eye, battled each other while the two continued to pour more of their magic into the attacks. As the two of them ducked it out Ancano reached for the magic of the Eye, but as he did so he found that it wouldn't answer his call and fear crossed into his eyes.

Then, as if his confidence had shattered, Sunset overcame his magic and her's barreled into his body, knocking him into yet another pillar and causing it to collapse. Sunset then canceled her magic, allowing the area to return to normal before she walked over to where Ancano's body laid, to make sure that the deed was done for real this time. As she approached she noticed that his chest was still moving, which told her that he was still alive and, more importantly, still connected to the Eye.

"Why?" Ancano asked, moaning as he tried to pick up his beaten body, staring at Sunset as she approached him, "Why do you not fall when faced with an enemy wielding overwhelming power? Why do you persist on fighting those that are of greater power than yourself? You will still fail when my Lord comes to destroy you."

"I continue to fight because I must." Sunset replied, sheathing her sword as she stared at the elf, "And besides, you weren't that much more powerful than me, as you were borrowing magic from the Eye... just like I was with the Staff. I can almost guarantee you that if we had fought without either artifact it would have been an even match, though you chose your path and now have the suffer the consequences."

Before she did anything to the elf she noticed a change wash over his face, transforming the confident and arrogant expression he wore into one of horror and fear.

"No... no my Lord," Ancano suddenly said, sweat rolling down his face, "I promise you... give me another chance and I will defeat her. There's no reason for you to reveal yourself yet my Lord... no, please don't..."

Before the next word left his mouth Sunset watched as Ancano's magic was literally stolen from his body, quickly turning him to a withered husk and dropping him to the ground. It was a clear sigh that Tirek had been at the College at some point and had formed a link to the elf, exactly like he had done to the Caller she assumed. To be completely sure she knelt beside the husk and felt for something, anything, that would tell her that Ancano was alive, but after a few seconds she sighed and stood back up. Tirek had killed Ancano, though she now knew that she needed to find him before he caused more destruction.

" Ancano is gone," Tolfdir commented, having recovered from being frozen and approached the withered body, "but whatever he's done to the Eye doesn't seem to have stopped. I have no idea what to do!"

Just as Tolfdir finished his statement the air around them shimmered for a moment before three Psijic Monks appeared before them, though Sunset recognized the one in the middle as the one that continued to speak to her, despite his Order's practices. Sunset approached the monks and respectfully bowed to them, wondering what, if anything, they would be able to tell her this time, only to receive a bow from the one she knew.

"We knew you would succeed." the monk said, the other two nodding before moving around the Eye, "Your victory here justifies our belief in you. You have proven yourself more than worthy to guide the College of Winterhold. The Eye has grown unstable. It cannot remain here, or else it may destroy your College and this world. It must be secured. Ancano's actions prove that the world is not ready for such a thing. We shall safeguard it... for now. You now have the opportunity to maintain your College, and carry on with your lives. You have our gratitude, Archmage."

That was when the monk joined the others of his Order, stepping into a position that created a triangle pattern around the Eye, before the three of them activated their magic. Then, almost as quickly as they arrived in the Hall of the Elements, the three monks disappeared, taking the Eye to wherever their base of operations was.

"So... I'm the Archmage now?" Sunset asked, turning to Tolfdir with a look of surprise on her face.

"Yes, and I'm sure that you'll make the College proud," Tolfdir replied, beckoning for her to head into the Archmage's quarters, "I left the robes of the Archmage in the quarters, so you might as well don them and then address the rest of our staff... I also curious as to why we were told to leave the College grounds until the fight was over."

Sunset sighed and walked into the quarters, amazed that all of this was supposed to be her's, but knew that, if her prediction was correct, none of it would be there later on. So she summoned the chest that she had read the spell book for, something she hadn't had the opportunity to use until now, and started moving everything she could into it. She loaded the chest full of the alchemy ingredients, enchanting gems, and the variety of books that happened to be laying around for her to take. That was when she noticed that there was another red gem on one of the shelves, which she took as well, before she took another look around and was satisfied with her work. Before sending the chest away she quickly removed the robes that she was already wearing, donned the robes of the Archmage, and banished the chest.

With the Staff of Magnus in hand, and the robes of the Archmage covering her body, she marched down the stairs and met up with Tolfdir, before the two of them walked out into the courtyard. Though as she stepped passed the statue of Archmage Shalidor she felt Tirek's magic and immediately turned around, turning her gaze to the top of the Hall of the Elements and spotting someone staring down at them.

"Congratulations, Archmage Sunset Shimmer," Tirek called down to them, "You managed to defeat another of my pawns, but now it is time for me to show you the fruits of their labor."

Before Sunset had time to shout back at him Tirek leapt off the top of the building and floated down to where they were standing, landing so close to Sunset's face that she and Tolfdir leapt backwards. That was when Sunset noticed that the wrinkles she had seen in the prison weren't as bad as they had previously been, though his face gave everything away. Where she had been sure that Tirek had looked almost ninety years old the last time she was shocked to find that he looked even younger now, almost as if he was at least seventy years old now.

Or, she decided after a moment of staring at her enemy, Tirek could have shaved off more years, as she determined that he was definitely fifty-five years old now.

"How much power have you consumed?" Sunset asked, wondering if she even stood a chance in her weakened state, thanks to the battle she had with Ancano, "How many people have died to do this to your body?"

"Ah, I am at thirty-five percent of my former power," Tirek answered, clearly trying to install fear into them by giving them the answer, "and I could name just a few people that you would know whose powers I now possess; the Caller, the Augur of Dunlain, the previous Archmage, Savos Aren, and let's not forget Ancano. But this is not enough for me to return to Equus, as I require my full one hundred percent for that to happen..."

"I will not allow that to happen," Sunset snapped, magic swirling around her hand, "I would rather die than allowing you to open a portal to Equus."

Tirek laughed for a moment before approaching the statue, though as he did Sunset noticed that magic was beginning to wrap around his right hand, magic that looked transparent. She recalled another story she had asked Princess Celestia about, back when she wanted to learn everything she could about the demon Tirek, in case he escaped Tartarus. Celestia had told her about one of Tirek's favorite spells, which resulted in magic gathering into a transparent sphere around one of his hands, before he slammed it into something at close range. The impact, she had been told, created a violent tremor that literally shook the earth and tore it to pieces, resulting in destructive earthquakes that the Princesses decided never to share with the rest of Equestria after Tirek's defeat.

"Oh sweet Celestia," Sunset muttered, fear creeping into her voice as she noticed what Tirek was walking towards, which lead to the magic around her hand fading from existence, "It cannot be..."

"Ah, you understand the power I am about to unleash," Tirek laughed, stepping up onto the rim of the magicka well that rested in front of Archmage Shalidor's statue, "I'll give you five seconds to run, so that you can experience this for yourself, but if your still here than you will die, exactly as Ancano told you, and your power will be mine as well."

"Tolfdir..." Sunset said, preparing to turn tail and flee the scene.

"Yes Archmage?" Tolfdir replied, lightning crackling around his hands.

"RUN!" Sunset shouted, pulling his shoulder backwards as she made for the entrance to the College's courtyard, forcing the Master Wizard to follow her against his will.

"Tremor," Tirek said, a smile creeping onto his face as he slammed his magic into the air above the magicka wall, cracking the air as his attack transferred into the magic around the College.

Sunset was already at the magicka well that she had met the other wizards when she felt the earth around her shake, causing her to turn around and watch cracks appear in the courtyard. She glanced down at the piece of earth the College sat on and watched the stone crack before her eyes, just as the area around the base began to sink into the water around it. Then, as if reacting to her watching it, the cracks spread out even further, reaching around the entirety of the College and cracking each of its structures. She turned tail and continued towards the ruined city, noting that the people were no longer walking around and had gathered outside the city limits.

When she touched the ground at the base of the bridge she felt the ground moan as the earthquake hit the city, causing the ground to break as a section of it was raised upwards. The buildings, on the other hand, suffered as the general goods store was violently hit, the ground breaking open before the building was swallowed whole. She ran forward with Tolfdir not far behind, though as she did she stumbled as the ground shook and watched as the bridge cracked and shattered into pieces. The pair than passed the Jarl's house, though when they were passed the city's entrance Sunset noticed that the shaking ground had been silenced, though when she looked back she noticed that the city was still shaking.

Sunset then watched as what remained of Winterhold was swallowed by the earthquake, falling into the massive maw of the sea that Tirek had created. Eventually the only thing that remained of the city was the College itself, though as Sunset, her companions, the residents of Winterhold, and the remaining wizards watched horror filled the majority of their eyes. The College succumbed to Tirek's magic, cracking under the weight of his power before the three halls and the courtyard fell into the massive maw as well, leaving no trace that the College even existed.

It was as Sunset feared ever since she first attended the College; that Tirek would arrive at the College and, eventually, end up destroying everything around it. However, where others would find fear at the power that Tirek displayed before them, Sunset found the determination to move on with her original plans. She would recover all sixteen of the Daedric Artifacts and lock them away where Tirek couldn't reach them, learn what she needed from the Greybeards and the Dragon Priests, and find a way to make a deal with Alduin that didn't result in him trying to kill her. She even had two places to make her base of operations now, though it would take them some time to get the both of them into living condition again.

Tirek may have won this one battle, Sunset decided, but she knew that, in time, she would win the war and banish the demon back to Tartarus, where he belonged.

14: Dawnbreaker

"Its... its gone," Jarl Korir said, falling to his knees as he stared at the location that his city used to reside in, not wanting to believe what his eyes were showing him, "its really gone. The College finally succeeded... they destroyed what remained of Winterhold."

"It wasn't the College that did this," Sunset replied, causing the townspeople and the Jarl to look at her, "It was Tirek, a demon that had once been sealed away in Tartarus until he escaped, that's responsible for the destruction of this city. I had hoped to find him before he could do this, but it seems that I was too late... this time."

"So what's our plan?" Bjorn asked, his gaze lingering on where the College had once been.

"We need to start hunting down the Daedric Artifacts," Sunset told her companions, though she beckoned to the people of Winterhold, "though we also need to get them somewhere where they can make the beginnings of a new village... and the College needs a new home as well now that I think about it."

"Fellglow Keep maybe?" Fiona commented, adding her thoughts to their conversation, "Its a place that's out of the way for mages to train and practice their craft, though I'm sure that we could persuade Jarl Balgruuf to give us the area to build them a new village. But I agree with Sunset, if this is the power that this demon can wield at his current level than we need to secure the Daedric Artifacts before he gets his hands on any of them."

"I still don't trust you," an elf said, the same one that Sunset had asked for information regarding Azura's Star, before sighing and holding out a large white stone, "but I was smart enough to recover this from the inn before that monster destroyed the College and sunk the city. This is Meridia's Beacon, something I found on my travels. I had intended to use this to find where Meridia's artifact, the sword known as Dawnbreaker, was located so I could turn it away from its fate as a Daedric Artifact, but she never spoke to me. If you are determined to hunt them all down than allow this to guide you to the first artifact, unless you've already uncovered Azura's Star."

Sunset shook her head, silently telling the elf that she hadn't recovered the Star yet, but accepted the beacon and prepared to hear the voice of the Daedric Lord, if she so desired it.

A new hand touches the Beacon. a voice said inside her head, though it caused her to look around for a moment before realizing where she had heard it, Listen. Hear me and obey. A foul darkness has seeped into my temple. A darkness that you will destroy. Return my beacon to Mount Kilkreath, and I shall make you the champion for my cleansing light.

Sunset shook her head for a moment, making sure that the Daedric Lord was no longer speaking to her, before beckoning to her companions and heading down the road. After a moment the mages of the College followed suit, knowing that there was nothing they could do to salvage the College and the grounds around it. The townspeople, after taking the next few minutes to talk among themselves, gathered what little they had collected, thanks to Sunset's friends warning them of some imminent danger, and followed after them. The Jarl, on the other hand, spent ten whole minutes thinking about the fate of his city, silently cursing the mages that had destroyed everything, before sighing and heading down the road as well.

Sunset, while remaining confident in front of all these people, was freaking out on the inside as they walked down the same path that they had taken to get to Fellglow Keep the first time. She had heard stories from Princess Celestia about Tirek's destructive power, but seeing it up close like that made her seriously consider how she could defeat such a monster. She was powerful, yes, but she needed time to regain the level of control she had before she departed Equus and traveled to a world where magic didn't exist, until her own actions changed that. While she regained her power Tirek seemed to be rapidly collecting his own, killing everyone that either helped him or died in the area around him.

As they walked Sunset considered every possible spell that would help her get the necessary training to not only increase her control, but to hopefully stand a chance against Tirek when the time came to do so.

"So this is Fellglow Keep," Jarl Korir started, looking around the exterior of the crumpling fortress, "Is this seriously where your saying that we should live?"

"No, I said the area around the keep," Sunset replied, watching Fiona lead the mages inside the keep to show them around, "This is the best place that I know of that you can use as a new home."

"I had better speak with Jarl Balgruuf then," Korir sighed, scratching the back of his head before he started towards the massive city, "I don't know how he'll react to hearing that Winterhold is gone... it still doesn't seem real."

Sunset sighed as she walked into the keep, where she approached the massive chest from the Caller's treasure room, moved down to the main hall, and summoned her chest. She spent the next ten minutes moving the ingredients between the chests, giving the mages something to work with while she and her companions were gone.

"It feels weird to be back here after what happened," Fiona commented, causing Sunset to turn and look at her, only to find that she was alone, "the others are looking around the keep and choosing where they want to set up their personal rooms. Bjorn and Lydia should still be outside, either waiting for us or making sure the townspeople are adjusting to their new home. When do you want to head to Mount Kilkreath?"

"We had best get underway immediately," Sunset replied, sighing as she looked around her, "as much as I hate even thinking of leaving these guys alone I know we have a mission. We need to secure as many of the Daedric Artifacts as we can, before Tirek can figure out how to make contact with one of them and steal either the artifact's power or... and I dread to even consider this... that Prince's power."

"I have to ask this," Fiona said, just as the two of them walked out into the keep's courtyard, "but what did Tirek do to decimate the remainder of Winterhold and sink the College?"

"Remember those magicka wells we passed on the bridge?" Sunset replied, receiving a nod from the vampire, "Well, he gathered his magic into one of his hands, stood over the well in the College's courtyard, and slammed the attack above the well, cracking the air. The magic surged through those wells, transferring his power across the Ley Lines that connect the world together, though in his weakened state he was confined to Winterhold. I seriously hope that there are no more of those wells in Skyrim, otherwise a higher powered Tirek might be able to shatter more than the region that it rests in, though that wont matter if he reaches his full power once more.

Princess Celestia told me about Tirek's power through her stories, describing the terror she experienced whenever he damaged the land around them. Thirty-five percent shouldn't have been that strong, not enough to decimate the city like that, but yet Tirek did because he hit the magicka well. Trust me on this, if we can keep him from reaching one hundred percent then we'll have a change at sending him back to Tartarus, where he belongs."

Fiona nodded and they stopped beside Bjorn and Lydia, who nodded to Sunset to tell her that they were ready to go, before the four of them departed from Fellglow Keep. They had an artifact to recover before their enemy figured out how to get his hands on it.

It had taken the group the remainder of the day to traverse the distance between Fellglow Keep and the Kilkreath Mountain, though when they were close to the ruins that Meridia's statue rested on Sunset heard the Daedric Lord speak once more.

Look at my temple, lying in ruins. Meridia said, almost as if she was sad to see the ruins in such a state from her plane of Oblivion, So much for the constancy of mortals, their crafts and their hearts. If they love me not, how can my love reach them?

Sunset spotted a set of stairs and approached it, walking up to the roof area where the statue of Meridia was waiting, with what appeared to be some sort of pedestal resting before the statue. She had her friends stand around the statue, though when they had done so she pulled out the beacon and took a deep breath, wondering what would happen when she returned it. After a moment she lowered it onto the pedestal and let it go, which resulted in the beacon glowing for a moment before a beam of light shot into the air. Sunset had to cover her eyes for a brief moment, but when she opened them she found that she was high up in the sky above the ruins, though suspended in the air before her was a glowing ball of light.

It is time for my splendor to return to Skyrim. Meridia stated, as if she had spent some time preparing this speech for whatever champion she had chosen, But the token of my truth lies buried in the ruins of my once great temple, now tainted by a profane darkness skittering within. The Necromancer Malkoran defiles my shrine with vile corruptions, trapping lost souls left in the wake of this war to do his bidding. Worse still, he uses the power stored within my own token to fuel his foul deeds. I have brought you here, mortal, to be my champion. You will enter my temple, retrieve my artifact, and destroy the defiler. Guide my light through the temple to open the inner sanctum and destroy the defiler.

"Very well Lady Meridia," Sunset replied, knowing that to refuse a Daedric Prince would likely result in death.

Malkoran has forced the doors shut. Meridia continued, almost as if she hadn't heard Sunset answer her, But this is my temple, and it responds to my decree. I will send down a ray of light. Guide this light through my temple and its doors will open.

The next thing Sunset knew she was standing exactly where she had been when she had placed the beacon on its pedestal, with her friends still standing around her. They were concerned, as she had disappeared for a moment and reappeared a few seconds later, but they seemed to settle down when she told them that she was unharmed. Fiona seemed overjoyed to hear that Meridia was giving them a quest, one that she claimed would result in them being allowed to keep her artifact, and was fully prepared to move into the ruins. Sunset also noticed that the beacon was sending a ray of light into a hole that rested below it, which had to be what the Daedric Lord had mentioned to her a few minutes ago.

Once Sunset recovered from being up in the sky, rather suddenly she mentally added, she drew the Staff of Magnus and walked down the stairs until she spotted the door they needed to use to enter the ruins. When they entered the ruin, however, Sunset was shocked to find that there was a lingering darkness hanging in the air all around him, exactly like what Meridia had told her about. As she walked into the hallway she found several discarded bodies laying around them, bodies that belonged to soldiers from the Imperial and Stormcloak factions of the Civil War. However, when she took a closer look at them she found that they had been shriveled up in some manner, not exactly like what Tirek had done, but close enough to make her worry.

"More desecrated people," Bjorn commented, his bow at the ready in case they found an enemy that wanted them dead, "this almost looks like the work of Tirek."

"That, or he's got another foolish mage to do his dirty work," Sunset growled, annoyed with how many people were buying into Tirek's tricks, "I swear, if this Malkoran is working for Tirek, in any way, shape, or form, than I shall take great pleasure in destroying him."

As they walked down the hallway they found a normal locked door and an iron door that seemed to be guarding a chest, though Fiona immediately knew what to do. She spun around, approached the wooden door, and immediately got to work with a set of lockpicks, twisting every now and then until she gently opened the door. She walked into the small chamber, pulled the waiting lever that she found, and returned to the group to find that the iron door had opened for them. Inside the chest they found a collection of magicka and health potions, which were divided among them before they continued down the hallway.

That was when they reached a large chamber, one that had a pedestal in the middle of the room that was being hit by a beam of light, which Sunset recognized. She approached the pedestal and pressed her hand against the stone, causing a white stone, nearly identical to the beacon, to rise out of it and reflect the light at another stone that was much smaller, allowing the door before them to open. When they traveled down the new hallway they emerged in a room that had three creatures made of shadows patrolling the area, who immediately looked at the group the moment they entered.

"Shades," Sunset said, recognizing the creatures almost immediately as she summoned her magic into her right hand, "be careful guys, these enemies could pack quite the punch if we're not careful."

One shade pulled out a bow and nocked an arrow, but before it could fire at them it was hit in the head with an arrow from Bjorn, who was already reaching for another one so he could continue his assault. Lydia charged forward and knocked her weapon into another one of the shades, throwing the creature off balance for a moment, which was all the time that Fiona needed to cut the creature's defenses to pieces. Sunset, focusing on the last enemy, sent out a bolt of her magic, which sailed through the air before colliding with the shade's chest, shattering it into fragments of darkness almost immediately.

As her friends dealt with the rest of the shades Sunset spotted another pedestal and pressed her hand against it, allowing the process to be repeated as another door opened to the right of her friends. They marched into the next area within seconds of the door opening, weapons flashing and magic flaring as they met the wave of shades that stood in their way. As they pressed on Sunset discovered that the shadows themselves were brimming with enemies, as when one of the shades in their path fell another stepped out of the shadows. She had no doubt that they could carve their way through the ruins until they found the necromancer that Meridia hated, but the amount of enemies was definitely annoying.

It almost reminded her of the stories she had read about King Sombra, but according to Princess Twilight the former king had been destroyed when he tried to retake the empire.

Regardless of the situation Sunset's friends tore through the shades that stood in front of them, while she used her magic to tear any shade that decided to approach them from behind. They entered another chamber, but instead of taking the time to break they continued forward, moving up a set of wooden stairs and preparing to defend it against the shades. Sunset decided that it was the best course of action, as she immediately spotted the next pedestal she needed to activate and proceeded over to where it was resting. She cast a look at the entrance they had emerged from and noticed that the shades were either coming out and being destroyed by one of her friends, or they were waiting to surge at them when they had enough numbers.

Sunset spotted an enchanting table on the other side of the chamber and moved around until she stood in front of it, turning to her left so she could approach the pedestal and activate the next beam of light. The iron door just beside her friends opened up the moment she had activated the pedestal, though that was when the growing horde burst into the chamber and filled the lower level completely. Instead of walking around the way she came Sunset ran across the stone floor where the pedestal rested and leapt forward, landing beside her friends before they opened a door and stepped out into the air once more.

"How... how many people has Malkoran killed?" Sunset asked her friends, allowing them to take a pause to catch their breath before they moved into the second section of the ruins, "How long has he been at this game of his?"

"I do not know," Fiona answered, knowing that Meridia wouldn't have answered Sunset until the task had been completed, "but I do know that he had amassed quite the army of shades. It appears that their sole weakness is the light itself, which explains why they haven't broken out of the ruins to slaughter everything around the area."

Sunset sighed as she wondered how powerful Malkoran had to be to command so many of the undead, which was followed by her wondering if she could even best such a mage of that level. After a moment she picked herself back up and tapped the staff on the stone structure, before walking towards the other section of the ruins. The group found another chest that they could open, but inside all Sunset really found of use was the three hundred gold and a variety of arrows that Bjorn collected, until Fiona pulled out a pair of ebony colored gauntlets. Lydia, already carrying an ebony weapon, accepted the gauntlets and slipped them on, a slight grin appearing on her face as Sunset could see her thinking of punching someone in the face with them.

The next area they walked into was a massive chamber that had three more pedestals for Sunset to activate, though two of them were on the second level while a third rested near the roof. Unlike the first part of the ruins there weren't too many enemies waiting for them, but Sunset decided that sneaking would likely benefit them, as it gave them the opportunity to get more done before they were spotted by one of the shades. They moved up the stairs and approached the iron door, where Sunset crept onto the stone pillar where the first pedestal rested and activated the beam of light, opening the door for them to continue. The moment that Sunset returned to her friends they pressed on, though she didn't get ahead of herself and made sure that the number of enemies stayed at the minimum.

They wrapped around the area until they reached where the second pedestal was supposed to be, though that was when the shade guarding it noticed them and immediately drew its weapon. Lydia leapt forward and slammed her weapon into the shade, shattering it into pieces as the others on the lower level realized that their ally had been taken care of.

"Go my Thane," Lydia said, spinning her battleaxe around before facing the path they had come from, "the three of us will protect your rear until the path to this necromancer is opened for us."

Sunset nodded and leapt to the second pedestal, where she activated the beam of light and opened the door behind her, to which she leapt back to the door and continued onward. The chamber she found herself in had three shades, one appearing to be a mage, the second an archer, and a third being a warrior, and she raised her magic before they noticed her. Once they took notice of her Sunset released her magic and tore the magic wielding shade to pieces, scattering it before its companions could react. The other two came at her, but she ducked under the warrior's blade and avoided the arrows before smiting the warrior right in its chest, causing it to explode. The archer continued to try and hit her, but she continued to avoid its arrows until she destroyed with with the Staff of Magnus, clearing the way for her to continue.

She moved through another hallway before she reached her final destination, the third pedestal that rested near the peak of the chamber, and activated the stone, which apparently activated a door near the bottom level. She swiftly returned to her friends, who were in the process of finishing off the last of shades that lived in this area, before the four of them leapt down to the lowest level and approached one more iron door. They appeared in one last chamber, though all Sunset really noticed was what she hoped was the final pedestal before she activated the stone, opening a large wooden door that lead even deeper into the mountain. They silently moved down the steps until they came to a open door, where Sunset noticed a breton standing over a pedestal of some kind, which happened to be where the beam of light happened to stop.

"So that's Malkoran," Sunset said, allowing her magic to gather in the Staff so she could take out any summoned creatures that the necromancer might bring to battle against her, "I'll end this as swiftly as I possibly can."

Sunset then stepped into the room and approached the steps that Malkoran stood at the top of, though he didn't turn around until she was literally at the bottom of the steps.

"So, your the one called Malkoran," Sunset stated, staring at the breton as she waited for him to make the first move, so she could see who he was truly working for, "I must admit, your not the first person I've encountered since my arrival that wanted to incur the wrath of a Deadric Lord."

"And you must be the one that the Master warned me about," Malkoran replied, turning to face her while pulling out his own staff, "He told me that the Archmage's College had been destroyed and that she was likely going to start gathering all the Daedric Artifacts, giving me plenty of time to prepare for your arrival. My Master will be most pleased when I present you to him, bound up for him to drain you dry, along with the Dawnbreaker and your lovely staff."

"There's goes all the respect that I might have had for you," Sunset sighed, magic wrapping around her for a moment, "I should have known better. I should have known that the Caller and Ancano weren't the only ones that Tirek managed to trick into serving him so he could further his own agenda. I shall take great pleasure in removing yet another one of his pawns from this game."

Before Malkoran could reply Sunset's magic snapped forward, slamming into the mage and literally tore his body to pieces, erasing any chance of him fighting her. She turned around to tell her friends that the deed was done, but before she completed her turn she spotted a shadowy figure appear where Malkoran had been standing and snapped her head back. It appeared that destroying his mortal body allowed the mage to ascend to a more fitting form that connected with his power level, though she was surprised to find that his shadowy form was actually a shadowy version of a Dragon Priest. Though as the new shade floated in the air it spread its hands out and several more shades appeared around them, telling Sunset that he intended to fight her with his army backing him.

Sunset summoned the power of her staff and shattered the army before any of them could react, though she turned her free hand on the shade and threw fire at it. Her magic shattered on a barrier that protected the shade, though she noticed that it was a light color, opposite of the shade's actual color, and decided that she had enough of this. She called her magic into the staff and smacked the base of the staff into the shade's chest, causing an explosion that rocked her enemy before backing up as he cast a ball of frost at her. Malkoran summoned more shades to fight her, but she banished all of them back to where they came from almost immediately and then slammed the top of the staff into his chest area.

Sunset then focused on the magic at the top of the staff and let it out, allowing the magic to tear into Malkoran's shade before literally ripping the shadowy body to pieces and destroying the necromancer completely.

It is done. Meridia suddenly said, speaking into Sunset's head once more, The defiler is defeated. Take Dawnbreaker from its pedestal.

"You guys had better head back to the entrance," Sunset called to her friends, noticing Bjorn nod back to her once she said that before they turned around and left her with the artifact.

Sunset then turned to the glowing sword and gripped the handle with her right hand, before she started to pull the weapon free from the pedestal it had been put in. Once she had the sword out the light around her ignited, temporarily blocking her vision before it faded back to normal, only to reveal that she was above the ruins once more. She spotted the glowing sphere that was Meridia, as the Princes couldn't physically enter the world thanks to the barriers being closed, and waited patiently for her to speak.

Malkoran is vanquished. Meridia stated, almost immediately repeating what she had said inside the ruins, Skyrim's dead shall remain at rest. This is as it should be. This is because of you. A new day is dawning. And you shall be its herald. Take the mighty Dawnbreaker and with it purge corruption from the dark corners of the world. Wield it in my name, that my influence may grow.

"Don't worry, I'll keep it safe," Sunset assured the Daedric Lord, despite not being told to do so, but figured she could at least assure that she wouldn't lose it, "and I'll slay many a foe with it."

May the light of certitude guide your efforts. Meridia replied, before the sphere of light disappeared and Sunset was dropped down to the ground once more.

When the light faded Sunset was standing before the statue of Meridia once more, with the beacon exactly where she had left it and the sword known as Dawnbreaker still in her right hand. She stared at the blade for a moment, wondering how the first of the sixteen artifacts could already be in her possession and, more importantly, how she could keep it out of Tirek's hands. After a moment she slid the blade onto her belt, pulled out Fiona's journal and a quill, flipped through the pages until she came to the page dedicated to Meridia, and placed a check mark next to the Daedric Lord's name.

"Fifteen more artifacts to go," Sunset commented, a light smile appearing on her face as she put the book away, "fifteen more and I'll be able to save this world from Tirek's true power."

Tirek stepped into the grounds of a ruined tower, one that he had spent little time in by clearing out the residents that had once called the place home. He knew that if he used too much, at this moment, would be leaving a calling card for his enemy, who he wanted to believe had all the time in the world to do what she wanted. He would return to her from time to time, so that she would always know that he would always be stronger than she could possibly become, no matter how much she trained. He would wait here, in his new tower, until he felt the need to correct her attitude, though it would be some time before he ventured out into the world once more.

He stepped into the main chamber, where he had carefully crafted small versions of each of the Daedric Lords, using the descriptions he had found in the various books that had been left behind. He had several people, each power hungry and willing to serve him in exchange for greater power, searching for each artifact so they could trade it to him for the power they desired. He looked at the one that represented Meridia, where he had sent the necromancer Malkoran, before he set it on fire, a small grin appearing on his face.

"Fifteen more to go," Tirek chuckled, looking around the chamber as he wondered which artifact would be found next, "and then I will obtain my full power, so that I can decimate this pitiful world and return to Equus. We'll meet again Sunset Shimmer, of that I am sure."

15: Ustengrav... for Real

Sunset had to wait about ten minutes before her friends emerged from the ruins, though she spent that time studying the artifact that was now laying across her lap. It was clear that it radiated some sort of light from the sphere that rested where its guard was supposed to be, but she wasn't surprised to learn that it could burn the undead, which she learned thanks to the notes that Fiona had made. As she thought about that ability she realized that it might not be the best idea to wield the sword when Fiona was around, just in case the blade did something else when the undead it was fighting died. After all, she didn't want to hurt one of her friends and then have one or more of them decide that it wasn't worth sticking around, not when she needed their help.

The other three were, to her way of thinking, the best people in this world that represented three of the five naturally occurring Elements of Harmony, of which Laughter and Kindness were missing at the moment. She didn't have to worry about Magic, the spark between the other five, as she had done it once and was sure that she could pull it off again... if it became necessary for her to do so.

"So, that's the Dawnbreaker!" a voice said, causing Sunset to look up and find Fiona standing before her, with Lydia and Bjorn not far behind, "I have heard the tales of this weapon, but I never expected that I would actually get the chance to lay eyes on it."

"You surely had to believe that you'd see the artifacts eventually," Sunset replied, wondering why Fiona would say such a thing, "after all, you went through the painstakingly difficult task to figure out where each of them were located and who was last reported to have wielded each individual artifact."

"The Daedric Lords are unpredictable," Fiona chuckled, causing Sunset to turn her head to the side for a moment, "There's never a guarantee that, once you've enacted whatever ritual that Prince requires, that whichever one your trying to contact will be stirred in their realm of Oblivion and come to investigate. Take Sheogorath for instance, he might just reach out with his power and twist you inside out for the fun of it, or he could just flay you alive if he so desired."

"Well, I'm just going to have to go with the flow then," Sunset said, resisting the urge to sigh now that she knew how hard it could be to contact each individual Prince.

"Where to next, my Thane?" Lydia asked, resting the head of her battleaxe on the ground, "Shall we head out and collect the next Daedric Artifact, or shall we recover the Horn of Jurgen Windcaller from Ustengrav?"

Sunset had, in all the chaos that had happened since she had enrolled in the College of Winterhold, forgotten why she had come out towards Solitude in the first place. She had sensed Tirek's lingering power and went out to stop him, but all that did was result in the destruction of what remained of Winterhold and the sinking of the College itself. As she thought about it she had to wonder what power the Greybeards could teach her that would aid her in her quest to stop Tirek, or what Words of Power she might pick up on the way. She also considered heading down to the area near Riverwood, where there was supposed to be a keep that held the long lost Azura's Star, but then tossed that idea to the side for the moment.

"I've put off getting the horn for too long," Sunset replied, getting on her feet and sliding the Dawnbreaker back into her belt, "so we're heading to Ustengrav. We'll delve into the ancient barrow, fight our way through the horde of Draugr that are no doubt waiting for us, recover the Horn of Jurgen Windcaller, and get it back to the Greybeards. But before we leave I think I saw what very well could be another Word Wall by the base of the stairs that lead to Meridia's statue, so give me a moment and I'll figure it out."

Her friends seemed ready to leave already, but they sighed for a moment and nodded their heads, knowing that there was no harm in letting her gain one more Word of Power. Though as Sunset walked up to the wall Bjorn wondered what the Shout from Shearpoint could have been, as Sunset made no comment about that venture. He briefly hoped that whatever this new Word was would aid them in their quest to stop Tirek, though how he wasn't exactly sure of at the moment.

Sunset silently approached the Word Wall, listening to the chanting that seemed to be coming from the stone as she wondered how that was even possible. She wondered it if had to do with being the Dragonborn, or if the nords of the ancient age had actually done something magical to the stones to make them do this. She stopped in front of the wall and closed her eyes, extending her arms just a bit as she welcomed the Word of Power, Su, into her growing collection. Once she had the Word, and the wall had died down to the point where no sound was coming from it, she opened her eyes, turned around, and walked back to her friends.

"We had best get going," Sunset told her friends, each of whom looked happy to be on the move once more, "We should be able to reach the barrow before night falls, but either way we'll have to make camp before entering the ruins to find that horn. I'm sure that none of us want to be wandering through an ancient ruin with little sleep and nothing in our stomachs."

The evening slowly gave way to the night as they walked down the road that would take them to Morthal, the city that rested near Labyrinthian, where they could determine if they should stop or press onward. As they walked Sunset noticed that many of the dangers that usually came up to them, such as the packs of wolves or the random bandits, were nowhere to be seen for once. It worked to their advantage, as they arrived in Morthal long before the night was truly upon them and, after a brief moment of discussion, they were on their way out of the city.

It appeared to be a simple matter of trekking through what the locals called a marsh, Sunset wasn't so sure that they were being truthful about what it was called, as Bjorn lead them across the area until they came to their destination. He brought them to a stop before they reached the barrow itself, though as Sunset looked around she immediately spotted why they had stopped, there were necromancers walking around the entrance.

"Either they are more of Tirek's faithful," Bjorn whispered, pulling out his bow and nocking an arrow, "or someone else is trying to get their hands on whatever treasure is still sealed away in this place. Or maybe someone is hoping to find an artifact of great power, as the majority of the mages in Skyrim seem to do when they enter one of these barrows."

Bjorn pulled the bowstring back and took aim at one of the necromancers, the one that just happened to be the closest one of them all, but before he could release the arrow he noticed something odd. The necromancer that he had selected had turned his head to look back at his companions, two of which he now noticed were laying dead on the ground. Bjorn watched as the third necromancer dropped to the ground as well, though the remaining two began to move away from the barrow's entrance, as if they believed that it was the ruin that had killed their companions. Then, as quickly as the other three had dropped, the remaining two necromancers dropped like flies, leaving him to wonder what had happened until he noticed a figure step out of the shadows and wave in their direction.

A figure that could only belong to the jester that they had helped not too long ago, though Bjorn was curious as to why he was out here, in the middle of a marsh.

"Cicero?" Fiona asked, emerging from their hiding place and approaching the jester, who turned and looked at them the moment she revealed their location, "What in Oblivion are you doing out here? I thought you were taking your mother to be buried somewhere."

"Ah Lady Fiona," the jester replied, bowing his head slightly as he sheathed the ebony dagger he had been holding, "A pleasure, it is, to meet you once more. I was taking my mother to be buried, but in reality I was delivering her to her new home; the Sanctuary of the Dark Brotherhood. Unfortunately, and rather sadly I must add, it seems that my services are no longer required by the Brotherhood, as the Night Mother told the Listener that Laughter was needed elsewhere. I was told to find the Archmage, who might have a use for Laughter in her coming conflict, and that she would be coming here in the coming weeks... though I was never told when and decided to camp nearby."

Fiona looked at Cicero for a moment, wondering if he was telling the truth or if he was lying, but then sighed and beckoned to the tree the others were hiding behind. A few seconds later Sunset, Lydia, and Bjorn emerged from behind the tree, briefly making sure that the area around them was clear of enemies before approaching the pair.

"We've got another companion it seems," Fiona said, beckoning to Cicero, who smiled and bowed his head to the rest of them, "I present to you Cicero, from the Dark Brotherhood. Apparently he is here before the leader of his guild was told that he needed to aid us in our quest, though they also called him 'Laughter' for some reason."

"Really?" Sunset asked, turning to face the jester for a moment, wondering who called him Laughter anyway, "Your certain of this?"

"It is what the Lister said that the Night Mother told her," Cicero replied immediately, "I do not know why I was called this, but the Night Mother has seen that I might aid the Archmage in some way and told the Listener this, and so I came here. I decided to wait outside and make the area clear for your arrival, oh leader of the College of Winterhold, but I went into Dawnstar yesterday for supplies and arrived today to find that filthy necromancers had moved in while I was away. There are surely more of them inside the barrow, and I would like to show you how skilled I am with this dagger of mine."

Sunset stared at the jester for a moment, wondering if he could truly be trusted with what he was telling them, before she sighed and beckoned for him to head into the barrow. She considered herself fortunate, as she now had the fourth of the five Elements covered, which meant that all she was missing at this point was Kindness. As they followed Cicero into the barrow she had to wonder where the missing Element Bearer could be, though she also wondered if she had already met Kindness before coming here.

When they entered the barrow they heard two voices talking to each other about raising more of the draugr to help them dig deeper into the barrow, though both of them seemed unaware that they were about to have company. Sunset positioned herself in view of the entire chamber, to which she could see both of the necromancers and their risen warriors, before she beckoned to Cicero to move forward. She could tell that he was eager to show her what he could do, as a smile blossomed across his face as he lowered himself into a crouching position, silently pulling out his dagger as he crept forward.

The first necromancer, apparently upset that her companion was disagreeing with her, moved into the only remaining tunnel and exited their view for the moment, but as she did she directed her risen warrior to aid her companion in his work. Cicero crept forward as the risen warrior neared the second necromancer, to which he wrapped his dagger around the undead's neck and severed it completely, reducing it to pure dust. He then approached the second risen warrior, whose master had his back turned to it while he considered where to have them dig once more, which lead to Cicero slaying the undead in seconds before moving onto the necromancer. Before the mage knew what was happening Cicero was on top of him, the ebony dagger plunged right into his heart before he crumpled to the floor.

The second necromancer, hearing the thud of his companion's body against the floor, raced up the steps, but Cicero was waiting with his dagger and leapt out of the shadows when the mage was near, ending her the same way as her companion.

Sunset had to admit it, but maybe having a scout around would make their lives much easier, as she knew that she could ask Cicero to search for enemies and give them the opportunity to plan a real strategy before running into battle. She and her friends emerged from where they had been waiting, while Cicero stood next to the last enemy of this room with a smile on his face.

"So Magic, how did Cicero do?" the jester asked, the grin remaining on his face as Bjorn collected any gear that they could use, or that they might sell later on.

"Just fine," Sunset replied, already heading towards the tunnel that would lead them to the next area of the barrow, "Now let's see if there are any more necromancers for us to deal with... or the draugr if they happened to wake all of them up."

Though as she did so she still wondered who could have told the jester about the Elements of Harmony, as he continued to refer to himself as 'Laughter' and had just called her 'Magic'. She had no doubt that he would likely call the others by the Elements that she had already assigned to them before coming here, but it made her seriously how he discovered their existence. She needed to keep that card hidden from Tirek, least he decide that keeping the people who best represented the Elements away from each other was something that he needed to do.

"So, Cicero hears that Lady Fiona is Generosity," the jester continued, as they marched deeper into the barrow, "while the hunter over there is Honesty.. oh, and the hard warrior is Loyalty!"

"I appreciate the new titles Cicero," Fiona replied, wondering if the jester was actually insane, "but I don't think that any of us, save for Sunset maybe, are anything like the titles that your giving us. I'm not even sure that any of us have ever been called by those names before."

"No? You haven't heard yourselves called those names before?" Cicero asked, worry filling his voice for a moment, before something crossed his mind and tore that worry away, "Ah, Cicero sees what Magic is doing. She is keeping the information away from her enemy, the dreaded monster that not even the Night Mother wants to meet in person... if she could walk on her own feet that is."

As it turned out there happened to be three draugr waiting for them in the next area of the barrow, though Sunset was ready for them as she loosed two fireballs at them. Two of them went down immediately, leaving Bjorn to loose his arrow and knock the remaining draugr to the floor, opening the way for them to continue onward. Though as those three fell in defeat and the group moved on to the next chamber they found several open coffins and at least four of the undead walking around, waiting for someone to enter their area. Lydia charged forward, swinging her battleaxe as she clipped an enemy in the side, severing the body in half, as Fiona and the others entered the area.

Sunset had to admit it, but the more she watched her Housecarl fight the more she had to wonder just how strong, and how brave, Lydia had to be. She was constantly reminded of Applejack when she watched Lydia fight, but thinking about her friend made her wonder what her friends were doing now that she was gone. She was sure that they believed that she was safe, though Princess Twilight was likely freaking out because she didn't come out of the portal when she was supposed to. She sighed and moved on, knowing that she would be able to think about returning to Equus, and her friends on Earth, when Tirek was dealt with.

The next room they came to had a bridge they had to cross, but as Sunset looked into the open area she found another bridge with three draugr walking along. That was, however, until one of them spotted the group and drew his weapon, causing his companions to repeat the process and leapt down to the floor below. Lydia and Fiona leapt down as well and pulled out their weapons, charging at the draugr the moment that one of the undead shouted something at them. Sunset watched as the duo tore into the undead, noting that whatever the draugr had said was meant for his companions and not her group, which was fine with her. Once the deed was done the five of them moved across the second bridge and found their way to a wooden door, which allowed them to enter the next area of the barrow.

As they walked down the tunnel they found themselves in Sunset noticed a small hole in one of the walls, but then they came to a section that had no wall between them and the rest of the cave. She looked out in amazement, taking in the vast size of the cave they were in as she wondered how the ancient nords had even built something like this to begin with. She even glanced towards the bottom of the cavern, finding yet another Word Wall with a waterfall near it, though it was clear that the water was coming from above them.

They quickly made their way down the tunnels, passing the various traps and draugr that had been set up to stop treasure hunters in their tracks, before they stood in the halfway point of the cavern.

"This place is amazing," Sunset breathed as she took the sights in, before shaking her head as she remembered why they were here to begin with, "Lydia, I want you and Fiona to scout the left side of this ruin, while Cicero and Bjorn check out the right side. Take out any walking skeletons or draugr that you might find and make sure you study the area your in. I'm heading down to the Word Wall to collect another Word of Power, and then we'll figure out how to move on from here."

As her companions ransacked their areas for information and items that they either needed or could sell, Sunset walked down to where the Word Wall was resting. When she neared the stone she opened herself to the ancient magic that the ancient nords had left behind, feeling the word Feim enter her collection before the chanting died down. She sighed and stared at the water for a moment, using that instance to look at herself and wonder how her life came to this exact moment, where she was trying to stop Tirek. That instant didn't last long, as she heard several fireballs hitting the cavern above her and wondered who or what had found them this time.

"Ah, there she is," a voice said, causing Sunset to look up and find a trio of Thalmor staring down at her, "the one who beat Master Ancano and sank the College to hide what really happened."

"Ah, renegade Thalmor," Sunset replied, a grin appearing as she watched the rest of her companions move to the area where Bjorn and Cicero were waiting, "here to prove that Ancano wasn't under the influence of a demon that's bent on the destruction of all of Nirn and that he didn't lose to someone that's not from your world. You're here to capture me alive and then torture me until I 'confess' that I 'cheated' in our fight and that I 'sunk' the entirety of Winterhold to hide everything. Well, I'm not that easy to catch."

Before the elf could respond Sunset ran up to the area they were standing in, dashed behind them before they could pinpoint her, and crossed the stone bridge until she reached the halfway point. Once she was at the point she desired she turned around and held out the Staff of Magnus, wondering if she could get them to follow her to the bridge. Ironically the only elf to follow her was the one that had shouted at her, as his companions waited at the base while their leader confronted her.

"There's nowhere for you to run," the elf chuckled, as if he believed that he truly had her, "so surrender your staff and I shall make sure that whatever information you pass on will earn you a decent punishment, instead of instant death like most people."

"You shall trouble me no more, servant of Tirek," Sunset replied, raising the staff above her head for a moment, allowing some power to rush into the stone, before slamming the base against the bridge as hard as she could.

At first nothing happened, to which the elf continued to laugh and insult her attempts at magic, but as he took a step forward the area in front of Sunset broke apart and collapsed into the area below them. He barely had any time to move before the walkway under his feet collapsed, causing him to fall into the area below and, more importantly, to his death. Sunset cast a glance at the elf's companions before glancing at the entrance they had emerged from, blasting it to pieces with the staff and trapping the renegade elves.

Sunset turned her attention to the puzzle that her companions had been trying to solve while the elves had focused on her, though she immediately knew what to do. She moved to the middle of the three stones before running forward, causing the three gates behind them to open, but before they lowered back into place she readied herself and loosed the first word of Whirlwind Sprint, Wuld, from her mouth. She then shot forward, passing through the gates and emerging on the other side without being stopped, to which the gates returned to their open position and allowed her friends to follow after her.

The next area seemed to be full of fire traps, but as it turned out there was a simple way to get around them as they gently stepped across the chamber, staying away from the plates as much as they could. They found some spiders at the end of their trek, including a massive one, but Sunset blasted them into the wall with the Staff and allowed them to move on. She was already tired of this barrow and she wanted to get the Horn of Jurgen Windcaller before she continued her quest to recover the rest of the Daedric Artifacts. The last area seemed to be a simple walkway with the prize at the end, but as she approached the final pedestal four statues pulled out of the water, though that was all that happened.

However, when she reached the pedestal she found a note, one that sat in the place where she assumed the horn had been and claimed that someone was waiting for her in Riverwood. Once the area, and the small room behind it, was cleared of all the loot that they needed Sunset and her friends made their way up the hidden passage, where she knew that they would emerge near the entrance and would be able to make their way outside.

Returning to Riverwood had taken the majority of the following day, as they had spent the night outside Ustengrav before making their way towards the small village. They had been lucky that day, as there were no creatures that leapt out to fight them and none of the dragons wanted to test Sunset's abilities. As the five of them walked into the village they were greeted by the Whiterun Guards, who were still thankful that the dragon that destroyed the watchtower had been defeated. Instead of heading to the trader, which many people usually did when visiting villages and cities, they headed into the inn, where Sunset was hoping to find the person who had taken the horn from Ustengrav.

Once inside Cicero and Fiona retired to the chairs near the door, where they would keep their eyes on the majority of the inn, while Lydia and Bjorn moved to the opposite side of the inn. Sunset approached the woman that was in charge of the inn and purchased the 'attic room', to which she was told that they didn't have that type of room, but could have the one on the left. After entering the room Sunset barely had to wait as the woman followed her into the room, handing her the Horn of Jurgen Windcaller and telling her that she needed to speak with her, though by the tone Sunset could tell that the woman meant immediately.

The duo left the room and walked over to the room where the woman no doubt laid her head to rest, though as they did Sunset beckoned for her companions to remain behind, feeling that crowding so many into one room would raise suspicion. Once inside the room Sunset shut the door behind them and followed the woman into a hidden basement, wondering what secrets the woman was about to tell her and what deed she wanted done. Sunset remained on the side of the table that allowed her to stand before the stairs leading up into the inn, watching the woman as she walked around to the other side and faced her.

"Hello," the woman said, apparently holding back anger for some reason, "Dragon Priest Sunset Shimmer."

16: The Star of Azura

"Excuse me?" Sunset asked, trying to hide the fact that she had allied herself with Morokei and Krosis, while wondering how the woman could have possibly found about about it, "I have no idea what your talking about."

"Oh don't play dumb with me," the woman growled, though Sunset detected that she was somehow making her madder, "I know that, when you emerged from Labyrinthian with the Staff of Magnus, you were accompanied by not one, but two Dragon Priests... Morokei and Krosis to be exact. At first I wondered why neither of them were trying to kill you and recover the Staff, but then I realized that you had to have allied yourself with them. Why in Oblivion would the Dragonborn, the only person who could permanently kill any dragon in the world, choose to side with them and further along the destruction of the world?"

"Fine... you win," Sunset sighed, taking a moment to summon her personal chest and place the Staff inside it, to show the woman that she meant no harm, "Yes, I allied myself with the Dragon Priests, but not for the reason you've stated. There is a demon named Tirek running around Skyrim, absorbing the magic of whoever aids him or gets in his way and destroying whatever he desires. I suspect that you already know that I attended the College of Winterhold? Well, Tirek arrived after I dealt with an elf that wanted to gain the power to unmake the world and then he sunk the entirety of the city with one swing of his hand."

"What are you talking about?" the woman asked, knowing what she was talking about and not understanding where she was going with it, though Sunset could tell that her anger had cooled for the moment.

"Tirek is a demon from Tartarus," Sunset said, staring down at the map on the table for a moment, "He was supposed to be locked up in Tartarus, but then he escaped and started feeding on the magic of my home world, until he was defeated by Princess Twilight Sparkle and sent back to his prison. At least that was what I had heard, until I appeared in this world and found him locked up in a prison, though he escaped and is now the bane of my existence. He's the one who shattered the ground around the College and sunk it into the ocean, along with the rest of Winterhold I might add, with only a third of his power.

Now let me tell you exactly what Tirek is planning at this moment; he seeks a way to gain his full terrible power so he can return to my home world, where he's likely going to conquer it. The bad thing about that is that Nirn will likely be consumed in his quest, which means that he'll kill everything and everyone that gets in his way. My fear is that Tirek is searching for the Daedric Artifacts, so he can consume their power and acquire the ability to shatter this world under his hooves."

Sunset stared at the woman for a moment, wondering if she was going to believe her or if she was going to call her insane for thinking up such a story. Then she saw it, a look of terror appearing on the woman's face for a moment, but then disappeared a moment later.

"The Thalmor... of course," the woman suddenly said, looking up at Sunset as if she had figured something out, "First they find a way to bring back the dragons and send one to Helgen, to free Ulfric so the war is back on and continuing to weaken Skyrim as a whole. Then they preform a ritual that allowed them to summon this Tirek, shattering the College of Winterhold so the mages are scattered and cannot fight back against them. Think about it, they want us weak so we cannot defend ourselves... but now the dragons are attacking everything and everyone, as if they have been let off their leash.

Look, I've been tracking the dragons and I have discovered that they are coming back to life, not returning from someplace else after being gone for so long. And I have determined that Kynesgrove is the next place where a dragon is going to rise, but I'm going to need reinforcements for when the beast shows up. I'll be expecting you there... Priest."

"Oh for the love of Celestia," Sunset said, annoyance filling her voice for a moment, before she pulled her staff back out of the chest and banished it, "Look, I'm in the middle of collecting Azura's Star, so maybe when I'm done I'll visit you at Kynesgrove and meet this dragon for myself. Oh, and by the way, if you are going to continue to address me as if I was a full member of the Dragon Cult you might as well call me 'Priestess', or the Archmage works too."

Before the woman could respond to her Sunset walked up the steps behind her and returned to the main floor of the inn, where her companions were waiting for her. Once she emerged from the room she beckoned to her friends and walked towards the door, hearing the moving of the benches and the chairs as her friends followed after her. As they walked outside another guard nodded to them, to which Sunset returned before they walked towards the entrance that she and Bjorn had entered the village through a lifetime ago. Though as they made their way out of the village Sunset turned around for a moment to look back at the inn, finding that the women had already changed into a suit of leather armor and was on her way to Knyesgrove.

Sunset let a small smile appear on her face as they walked down the path that would lead them to the Guardian Stones; she would let the women do what she wanted while she focused on gathering the Daedric Artifacts.

"So, what did Delphine want?" Bjorn asked, causing Sunset to look at him for a moment, "What? I spoke to the bartender, Orgnar, and asked what his business partner's name was, to which he replied that she was called Delphine."

"Oh, I see," Sunset replied, grateful that she had the woman's name, considering she had never offered it the entire time they were speaking, "Well, she wants me to journey to Kynesgrove with her so she can see where my loyalties lie, as she was quite upset that I've sided with the Dragon Cult. She's willing to blame the Thalmor for everything that's happened to Skyrim, when it is painfully clear that Tirek has been pulling the strings the entire time. I think she wants me to kill the dragon that is supposed to be at Kynesgrove, but I told her that I needed to continue my quest to recover the Daedric Artifacts.

Maybe, just maybe, when I feel that we have collected enough of the artifacts we'll head to Kynesgrove and see what she's doing, and maybe say hello to the dragon while we're there."

Sunset had the feeling that if she killed any dragons in the near future that Morokei and Krosis would find out, thus making her their enemy once more, but she needed their knowledge in both the Dragon Shouts, if they knew any, and the magic that they wielded. Plus she needed to secure the remaining fifteen artifacts, while making sure that Tirek didn't catch on to her hunting them down, so she could seal them someplace safe. She knew that if he discovered her work that he would emerge from his hiding place and come after her, to force her to hand over the artifacts that she had already recovered.

"Strange lady," Cicero commented while they walked down the road, "From what Cicero can tell the lady must be hiding some secrets from us... but I could always follow her and find them out for you Magic."

"No, I'd rather not give her more to complain about," Sunset replied, recalling Delphine's anger at her with ease, "She's already convinced that I'm trying to aid the dragons in destroying Nirn, but after our conversation she believes that all of this is the fault of the Thalmor. In reality this is all Tirek's fault and he won't stop until he gains his full power, while I aim to stop from happening..."

"YOU THERE!" a voice called out at them, causing Sunset to look up at the Guardian Stones and find two people, both wearing brown robes and a strange mask that covered their faces, "Are you the one that the people call Dragonborn?"

"That is correct," Sunset replied, already not liking where this was going, "Is there a problem with that?"

"Your lies fall on deaf ears, Deceiver," the person shouted, to which Sunset had to wonder what she had done to deserve this, "The True Dragonborn comes... you are but his shadow. When Lord Miraak appears all shall bear witness. None shall stand to oppose him!"

Before Sunset could react the two cultists, for that was what she had to assume they were, summoned their magic into the left hands, causing lightning to surround them. Bjorn, not wanting them to get any closer than they already were, pulled his bowstring back and loosed the arrow at the cultist on the right, knocking her onto her back within seconds. Sunset summoned her own magic into her left hand and threw a fireball at the remaining cultist, who moved to the right as the spell struck his left shoulder and exploded. Before the smoke had a chance at disappearing the cultist came at them, fully prepared to strike them down, but Lydia would have none of that at all. She charged at the cultist and swung her battleaxe at him, cutting into his chest before she ripped it out and took his head clean off, letting his body hit the ground while the head rolled away.

"Seriously, didn't I have enough to worry about already?" Sunset asked, while Bjorn sifted through the belongings of the dead cultists, "Tirek is trying to amass his full power and, instead of helping me put a stop to it, nearly everyone else in this world would rather see me dead or is trying to kill me. Right now I could care less about this 'Miraak', but he sounds like a powerful person to have the ability to command people to travel from who knows where and search for me."

"Solstheim actually," Bjorn commented, holding up a note that explained everything, "Apparently Miraak wanted you removed immediately, so you didn't interfere with his return to Nirn... not that he had any way of knowing that you don't care about him."

"Ugh... I'll think about heading there and having a talk with him, later on I mean," Sunset sighed, shaking her head as they continued their journey to Ilinalta's Deep, where Azura's Star was supposed to be waiting, "Right now I've got enough to worry about, what with collecting every Deadric Artifact and trying to stop Tirek."

As it turned out Ilinalta's Deep was a ruined fortress that was sinking into the lake that it was named after, though Sunset could tell that Tirek was definitely not behind this one, as his magic was nowhere near the location. They walked around the shoreline, looking for a way into the fortress, before they discovered a trapdoor that had a wooden bridge near it, allowing them the access they wanted. The moment they entered the ruined fortress they discovered that someone was definitely living here, as there was what remained of a fisherman hung up as a warning to anyone who wandered inside in search of treasure.

They, however, were not here in search of treasure, though Cicero commented how nice it would be to find some pieces, and they pressed on passed the skeleton. They entered a small passageway on the left and immediately found a necromancer sitting at a table, though not a moment later a walking skeleton appeared next to him. Sunset's hand snapped open as she sent lighting through the air, colliding with the necromancer's back and the skeleton's chest at the same time, blasting the mage into the wall while shattering the skeleton into pieces.

The next area they came to happened to be flooded in one section, but as they passed the door they heard a voice shout at them before several spikes of ice came their way. They quickly ducked behind whatever cover they could find, giving them the opportunity to count how many enemies they had in front of them, to which Sunset counted at least five necromancers and three skeletons. At least there had been three skeletons, as when she looked at them again there seemed to be twice as many skeletons and their numbers appeared to be increasing even more.

"Use the Dawnbreaker," Fiona said, causing Sunset to look at her vampire friend as if she had lost her mind, "Look, we're going to be outnumbered with as fast as those necromancers are summoning the dead to fight for them, so use the one weapon specifically designed to combat the undead. I'll stay back and fling whatever magic I can at those foolish enough to show their faces, so don't worry to much about hurting me with that weapon."

Sunset sighed and pulled herself up to her full height on the stone pillar she was hiding behind, switching the Staff of Magnus into her left hand as she gripped the Dawnbreaker's handle with her right. She paused for a moment, to make sure that Fiona was okay with the weapon being drawn while she was around, before she gently pulled the sword from her belt, igniting the fire inside its sphere once more. She nodded to Fiona, who pulled back into the passageway for a moment, before emerging from her hiding spot, spinning the artifact around her, where she easily pierced one of the skeleton's chests with it. The fiery explosion that rocked the area after the skeleton died, however, was enough to tell Sunset that the weapon was definitely powerful, not to mention it made many of the necromancers think twice about who they were fighting.

Once the group realized that the necromancers that they were fighting were actually the novices, powerful ones Sunset mentally added seeing how they each could summon more than one creature at a time, they moved in behind them. Each time the necromancers reached another room, where more of their allies were waiting, they would get the courage to fight once more and summon back their army of the dead. Sunset would then march forward and proceed to smash them into the ground, allowing the Dawnbreaker to shatter their skeletons before they retreated once more.

At one point Sunset noticed that the necromancers were beginning to just summon their army and then retreat without waiting to see what the outcome was, almost as if they were truly giving up. As they followed after the necromancers she had another devastating thought, that maybe Tirek was actually in the ruined fortress and they were his servants, who were ready to surrender their power to him. Or maybe another one of the demon's lackeys was in the area, searching for Azura's Star, as Malkoran the Defiler had done in the name of his new dark master.

As she thought about another person giving themselves up to Tirek she had the urge to just pull the Staff of Magnus on the necromancers and obliterate them all, but she didn't give in and pressed on.

Eventually they came before a chamber that looked like it was nearly full of water, but before they entered Sunset pulled them back and waited, wondering if this was a trap they might have walked into.

"We haven't killed any of them yet," Cicero complained, twisting his dagger around while looking at the passageway, "well, except for the one at the beginning, but he was barely any sport at all. And how we have at least twenty of them and we're not running in and stabbing them in the eye... what fun is there to be had if we cannot kill them?"

"Somethings not right though," Sunset countered, gripping Dawnbreaker's handle, "They lead us to this location, which means that either Malyn Varen is still alive and he'll fight us, or they have a new leader and this is a trap designed to make us lower our guard so he or she can easily defeat us."

"I seriously hate necromancers," Fiona said, resting her head on the wall behind her for a moment, "all they ever do is try and trap people against their will. I beat that Malyn is dead, so whoever is waiting in there must either be a newly selected leader from their own ranks, or our enemy sent his own minion in, who quickly became the leader of this place."

"Well, I'm going to straighten this mess out," Sunset replied, getting onto her feet while making sure that her friends stayed behind, "I'll be right back, so just stay put for the moment."

She entered the passage alone and stepped out into the chamber they had almost walked into, finding that all the necromancers that had been running from them were now lifeless bodies floating in the water. She immediately suspected that Tirek was responsible, but the moment she looked upon the figure standing before her she knew that it wasn't the demon. The person was a khajiit, but where the rest of the race seemed to be shy about magic this one seemed ready to use it against whoever was in her way, at least that was Sunset's thought as she looked at her enemy.

"Ah, so you did come after all," the khajiit said, turning to face Sunset, giving her the perfect view of a strange circular medallion around her neck, "My Master was right to tell me that I couldn't trust these necromancers to do the job I assigned them... though he did give me a way to siphon their magic into my body, making me much stronger than you, Archmage Sunset Shimmer."

"And what did Tirek promise you?" Sunset asked, sighing as she allowed her magic to gather in the Staff of Magnus, "An army that would follow your every command? Make you the Jarl of whatever Hold you desired? Give you the power to unmake the whole of Nirn itself?"

"Ankya wants power," the khajiit replied, frost dancing around her hands, "power to rule over the simple nords that call Skyrim home. Power to take the heads of Ulfric Stormcloak, General Tullius, and Ambassador Elenwen. Power to end this infernal conflict and start a new one against the rotting corpse that is this Empire."

"Oh, so your a warmonger than," Sunset commented, finally getting what the khajiit was trying to tell her, "well, I'd love to leave you alone, but I cannot do that. You came here with the purpose to acquiring Azura's Star, for the demon known as Tirek, and I'm going to need that artifact, so it is kept safe from harm."

Ankya, as the khajiit called herself, growled in anger and threw her magic at Sunset, who rolled out of the way as a wave of frost hit the wall, returning fire with her own magic after she sheathed the Dawnbreaker on her belt. She watched as the fireball neared her target, only to somehow curve around and collide with the medallion, where it disappeared into thin air. She realized that it was sort of like when she fought the draugr Deathlord of Saarthal, only it was immune to her abilities and didn't suck them up like this. As she realized that she might not be able to actually use her magic against this enemy she sighed and tapped her staff against the floor, green lightning dancing around her, to which the khajiit stared at her for a moment in wonder.

That was all Sunset needed, as she spun around and shot lightning from the staff, allowing the green lightning to arc through the air and collide with the medallion, shattering the metal and blasting the mage into the wall.

"You know, I expected much more from someone chosen by Tirek," Sunset said, spinning the Dawnbreaker out from her belt as she approached the khajiit's body, "I'd love to redeem you, I really would, but everyone that Tirek corrupts are too far gone to listen to reason, so I'll put an end to your suffering."

She slid the blade into the khajiit's heart, ending whatever remained of her life before her body broke into a pile of dust, some of which ended up in the water around her. She then sheathed the Dawnbreaker once more and retraced her steps, returning to her friends and beckoning them to follow her once more. They walked up the stairs that the khajiit had been guarding and eventually reached the top of the tower area, where they found a bunch of skeletons laying around the room, with one sitting in a chair. Resting in front of the chair, however, was what appeared to be some sort of metallic star, which Sunset assumed was the artifact that they were after.

"We had better get this back to Azura," Sunset said, picking the Star up and turning to her companions, "She might actually be pleased to have this ordeal be over at last."

They returned to Azura's Shrine near the end of the day, where they met the elf that had told them to head into Winterhold and ask around the first time. Just being there reminded Sunset of the damage Tirek had caused, as the College and the surrounding city had been utterly destroyed, and of her silent vow to stop him. As she walked up the steps to the alter the elf beckoned her forward, asking her to place the Star on the alter so that she may commune with her chosen Prince. Sunset was eager to get this over with, so she handed it over, but not a few moments later the elf stood aside and beckoned her forward, telling her to do the same so Azura could speak with her.

That was when she learned that Malyn's soul was still inside the Star, which prevented it from being used how it was designed to work in the beginning. Azura kind of asked for her aid, but Sunset was more than willing to go in and smash the foolish mage that had dared to challenge the Daedric Lord. Then she appeared in what appeared to be some sort of crystalline plane of existence, where she found a mage, wearing black robes she noted, waiting near where she appeared.

"Ah, my disciples have sent me a fresh soul." Mayln said, a grin appearing on his face for a moment, "Good. I was getting... hungry. Wait. There's something different about you."

Sunset didn't bother replying to the mage as lightning coursed around her body, to which she started firing spell after spell as the mage realized that she was there to erase him. She missed several times, which she was completely fine with, and she noted that there were several dremora that decided to get in her way. It was quite the fight, as she could hound the mage down until he called on someone to help him, which Sunset would then have to fight before she was overwhelmed. It wasn't until they reached the center of the plane that the mage realized that the game was over, as his knees started shaking as the truth dawned on him.

"Immortality is mine!" Mayln shouted, using his magic to strike the area around him, "None may challenge me; not you, not the College of Winterhold, and not the Daedric Lords...."

That was when the Dawnbreaker pierced his chest, as Sunset had thrown the blade at him and was expecting to miss, though she was sure that someone must have aided her in the task. As Mayln's body fell to the crystalline floor Azura spoke, telling her not to worry as she would remove her before the Star claimed her soul, but Sunset was not done. She ran forward and gripped the handle of Dawnbreaker, pulling it free from Mayln's body before she reappeared before the statue, with the now purified Star resting on the alter. Once the deed was done, and the mage responsible for all of this was dead, Azura thanked her for her service and allowed Sunset to take the artifact with her, which Sunset knew she would stash in her chest at some point.

"A moment champion," the dark elf, Aranea they had learned, said to her, "I had one last vision as you fought in the Star. It goes something like 'When the hero fights the Demon of Oblivion the sky shall be torn asunder and, in her hour of need, an alicorn with a flaming mane shall descend upon Nirn, to end the fight with the Demon itself.' I will accompany you to your new stronghold and aid you in any way I am able to."

Sunset was thrilled to have the second Daedric Artifact and a new ally that she could leave at Fellglow Keep, but there was something about that prophecy that disturbed her. It mentioned her fighting Tirek, that much she knew off the bat, but the problem she had was that Aranea was saying that the world might be ending regardless of what she did. Not only that, but the prophecy basically said that the person that was going to defeat Tirek was an alicorn, not a unicorn, which she happened to be.

Why, she asked herself, was Princess Celestia prophesied to be coming to Nirn to combat Tirek, when she was already in the process of dealing with that problem herself?

17: Disaster at Kynesgrove

As Sunset and her companions walked down the path that took them from Azura's Statue and deposited them back on the road that used to lead to Winterhold, Sunset remained silent the entire time. Her companions believed it was because of the prophecy that Aranea had handed to her after receiving Azura's Star, the artifact that Sunset sought to keep from Tirek's hands. Now that it was in her possession she aimed to return to Fellglow Keep, where they could get a good nights rest before they ventured out into the wild the following morning, but first she planned on stashing the Star in her chest. She needed to lock all sixteen Daedric Artifacts out of Nirn until she could deal with Tirek, which she was constantly preparing for with every ruin they went through.

The reason behind her silence, however, was because she was still reviewing the prophecy she had been handed, the one that foretold that she wouldn't be the one to stop Tirek. The prophecy specifically mentioned that 'an alicorn with a flaming mane shall descend upon Nirn', though Sunset knew only one mare that fit that description; Princess Celestia. But, even as she continued to think about it, the more she realized that the prophecy didn't make sense, as it was nearly impossible for someone to travel across the stars without one of the Crystal Mirrors, and the only one in existence was the one connected to Earth, which she knew was now in Ponyville thanks to Princess Twilight telling her about it.

So unless Princess Celestia could find another one of the mirrors, each of which were rumored to have been crafted by Starswirl the Bearded himself, or create one of her own, if she could find Starswirl's notes on them, then Sunset knew that the prophecy couldn't possibly be about Celestia. She also knew that it couldn't be about her, as she was just a unicorn, so it made her wonder who or what the prophecy was talking about and, if she could find that person or pony, ask them to help her with her problem. She also had the feeling that this was one of those prophecies that wouldn't come to pass in the end, but it still worried her that she might not be able to stop Tirek in the end.

As they walked along the road Sunset was, once again, caught off guard by the fact that none of the wildlife wanted to run at them and take their chances with a group of adventurers. She thought that maybe they could feel her magical power, or the power of the Staff of Magnus, and were backing off, giving such power some room alone. She also considered that maybe the Daedric Princes that hadn't been helped yet might be keeping her safe for the moment, to see if she'd eventually come to them.

When they finally returned to Fellglow Keep Sunset and her companions were welcomed by Tolfdir and the apprentices, who were out practicing their magic. Sunset immediately noticed that they stared at Cicero and Aranea, but after a few moments they seemed to accept that they were more allies to aid their Archmage. As such Tolfdir quickly gathered the remainder of the Master Wizards and they gathered around the group, giving Sunset the opportunity to introduce her newest group mate, Cicero, while also introducing the newest resident of Fellglow Keep. Aranea didn't seem bother by this turn of events, though Sunset knew it was likely because that was what Azura had told her before handing her that prophecy.

Sunset thought that she would be able to get away with not telling her companions her thoughts on Aranea's prophecy, but it wasn't until their evening meal before one of them spoke up.

"So, whose the alicorn that the prophecy spoke of?" Bjorn asked, causing her to turn to him, while the rest of their friends turned and looked at her.

"Excuse me?" Sunset said, trying to feign innocence while pretending that she had no idea who Bjorn could be asking about.

"Come on Sunset," Fiona said, sitting behind her as she waited for the impending tale to be over with, "we know that you know who the prophecy is speaking of. We just want to know who that someone is."

"Fine, you guys win," Sunset sighed, mentally noting never to bother hiding her knowledge from them again, "The alicorn that the prophecy could be speaking of is Princess Celestia, known as Celestia the Dawnbringer by the Three Tribes before Equestria was founded. She and her sister, Luna the Moonraiser, were the mares that raised both the sun and the moon everyday, but no one really knows if they were ordinary ponies or natural born alicorns. They ruled over Equestria for sometime, before Luna turned to her jealousy towards her sister and became Nightmare Moon, intending to cover the world in an Eternal Night before she was defeated by Celestia.

A few years ago I used to be one of Celestia's students, learning magic under her wing, before I eventually let all of that go to my head and, after a rather heated argument I'd rather forget about, I fled to a different world. Long story short I planned on returning and ruling over Equestria, but Princess Twilight came and stopped me from following that path. Ever since then I have on the path of good, using my knowledge of the magic of friendship to solve the problems of my new home world, like the Sirens for instance. Then one day, near the end of the school year, I decided to head back to Equus and stepped into the portal, which didn't work the way it was supposed to and dropped me off her.

Anyway, getting back on topic, Princess Celestia could very well be the alicorn that the prophecy speaks of because of the fact that she controls the sun in Equus, but I don't think she's the one. The problem is that there is only one Crystal Mirror, the device I used to go from Equus to Earth and back, in all of existence and it was only because the portal malfunctioned that I ended up here. Princess Celestia would either have the create her own mirror, the art of which has long since been lost, or somehow find the notes of Starswirl the Bearded, the most famous and respected unicorn wizard in Equus' history. The chances of Princess Celestia finding her way to Nirn, and then somehow finding me or Tirek before the literal End of the World, are extremely slim, so I must be the one to take care of our enemy, despite the fact that I am not an alicorn."

"It would be nice to find this 'Starswirl the Bearded' and recruit him," Fiona commented, turning her gaze to the fire and leaving the others to think about what Sunset had said.

Sunset had to resist the urge to laugh when Fiona mentioned recruiting Starswirl the Bearded, as he had been lost to history shortly after Princess Luna transformed into Nightmare Moon. No one in all of Equus knew where he had disappeared to, but now that she was stepping from world to world she had to consider that his legacy was out there somewhere, waiting to be discovered.

When morning arrived Sunset and her friends departed from Fellglow Keep, leaving it in the capable hands of Tolfdir and the rest of the Master Wizards. Sunset really didn't want to head to Kynesgrove and meet the dragon that was supposed to be being brought back to life there, or at least according to Delphine there was supposed to be one. She considered leaving the women behind and gathering more of the Daedric Artifacts, but then she sighed and decided that she might as well see if the Black Dragon she had seen at Helgen was involved. So, once the destination was picked, they returned to the road and immediately set out in the direction of Winterhold, where they would ignore the turn that lead towards the destroyed city and continue towards Windhelm.

This time while they traveled they did come across several bandits that wanted to rob everyone on the road of their valuables before killing them, but Sunset was not so easily swayed. When the bandits approached them she summoned her magic into her right hand and threw the fireball right into the chest of the closest bandit, causing the others to charge up the hill at them. Bjorn loosed an arrow and knocked one of them to the ground immediately, though Fiona, Cicero, and Lydia were waiting for the remainder of them before they clashed weapons against each other.

Sunset was impressed by how skilled her friends were and how said skills were actually getting better over time, which she believed because she was slowly getting better as well.

Eventually they reached the area that Delphine had mentioned, the place called Kynesgrove, though Sunset wasn't surprised to find that the people of the area were running around in fear. She suspected as much, as most people in Skryim ran at the mention of dragons and knew that Delphine was around the inn somewhere, no doubt surveying the burial grounds. As she and her friends approached the inn several of the people settled down enough to watch them pass, while one women worked up the courage to run up to them and inform them that a dragon was attacking the barrow. With that information in hand she continued up the path that lead her passed the inn, bending around until she came to a set out boulders, with Delphine hiding behind one of them.

The other thing that Sunset noticed right off the back was that there was a large black dragon, the same one from Helgen she realized, flying around the burial mound, awakening whichever dragon happened to be buried there.

"Oh, so you finally decided to arrive," Delphine growled at her, barely taking her eyes off of the dragon as Sunset and her friends approached her, "My guess was right, this was the next burial ground that was going to have its dragon brought back to life, so that it could be used against the people of Skyrim once more. Now that we know that the black one is responsible for bringing them back to life we'll just have to kill the one that comes out of the ground and then plan our attack on the Thalmor headquarters."

"They'll still not behind this," Sunset stated, standing out in the open as she studied the black dragon, "Tirek is at the root of Skyrim's problems, in one way or another, and I have the feeling that we might need to enlist the help of the dragons to put an end to him."

"Your insane to think that they would even consider a ceasefire between us and them," Delphine replied, glaring daggers at Sunset the entire time, "They'd likely destroy us and then move on with whatever plan their master's have in store for them, which might be the complete destruction of another Hold for all we know. There's no telling what the Thalmor are capable of, especially if they have the dragons on their side."

"Oh sweet Celestia," Sunset moaned, becoming annoyed with the women and turning to her friends for a moment, "Stay here and make sure that she doesn't do anything stupid; I'm going to speak with that dragon."

Sunset moved out from behind the boulder and watched as the black dragon shouted three Words of Power, Slen, Tiid, and Vo, which caused the ground in front of it to shake and buckle before another dragon started clawing its way out of the burial mound. She had to admit it, but watching a long dead dragon being resurrected by another one, and then watching the flesh and scales return to how they had been before its defeat, was an amazing sight. She stopped just a few steps away from Delphine's hiding place, patiently waiting for either of the two dragons to take notice of her, as they seemed to be deep in conversation at the moment.

That was, however, until the black dragon turned its head towards where Sunset was standing and noticed her standing there, causing the second dragon to notice her as well.

"Ah, Dovahkiin," the black dragon said, turning itself in the air to face her, "I was wondering when we would have the pleasure of meeting once more... I am Al-Du-In, Firstborn of Akatosh."

"I am Sunset Shimmer of Equus," Sunset called back, hoping that these introductions were the beginnings of a conversation, and not a prequel to a fight between her and two dragons, "Archmage of the College of Winterhold and Initiate of the Dragon Cult."

"Ah, I have heard that you allied yourself with my Cult, to fight a dremora you call 'Tirek'," Alduin said, "Morokei told me that he gave you his staff to combat your enemy, who destroyed Winterhold. Tell me, is all of that true?"

"Maybe you should ask me yourself!"

Sunset's eyes widened as she gazed behind the resurrected dragon, where she spotted Tirek standing on top of another boulder on the other side of the burial grounds. Alduin and his companion turned to face the latest arrival, both of them equally surprised that they didn't notice him before he had spoken and revealed himself. Sunset, on the other hand, stared at her enemy as she wondered what was going to be destroyed this time and, more importantly, how Tirek had managed to get so close without her noticing him. It made her wonder if he had already gained enough power to cover himself from being tracked, which if he did was going to make stopping him even harder.

"Tirek..." Sunset said, gripping her staff as it slowly gathered magic into its stone, "...I was hoping to see you later on..."

"Ah, Archmage Sunset Shimmer," Tirek replied, almost as if he was mocking her title this time as he stepped from the boulder and moved to the ground, "you really shouldn't be here, not after what happened to Winterhold. Do you want me to decimate the entirety of Windhelm as well?"

"There aren't any magicka wells around here," Sunset fired back, knowing that had been part of the reason why Winterhold had been destroyed, "so even with your current power level you won't be decimating anything."

She hoped that the sight of two dragons and herself would be enough to make Tirek think twice about being here, but she considered what happened the last time they had met. Skryim lost one of its nine Holds, so there was literally no telling what was going to happen now that Tirek had decided to insert himself into her life once more. As she waited for the demon to say something, anything really, she also wondered if the people of Kynesgrove were far enough away to be out of danger, in case a fight erupted between them.

"Ah, confidence," Tirek said, striding towards the two dragons as magic surrounded his right hand, just like when he had destroyed Winterhold, "the last time we met you were filled with fear when you witnessed the power that I wielded in my weakened state. Then I cracked the air with my power and allowed the destruction to spread around the whole of Winterhold, tearing the pathetic Hold to pieces in mere minutes. Tell me, what do you think I could destroy with just fifty percent of my power? Perhaps a fortress, or maybe shatter one of the small settlements that dot this land. Or maybe I'll pay another visit to Fellglow Keep and drain the place dry, before I destroy everything and everyone around it."

Sunset sighed for a moment and drew the Dawnbreaker, holding it to her right diagonally just a bit as she considered what she was about to do. Then, as if she had turned on a switch, her magic and anger poured out of her, a mass of flames wrapping around her right hand and surrounding the artifact. She had heard stories of condensed magic such as this, but at the moment she was far too angry to bother thinking about anything else except for Tirek.

"Sahloknir," Alduin roared, realizing that something was about to happen and didn't want his underling to be caught in the crossfire, "BO, NU!"

The other dragon, Sahloknir, took to the air just in time, as Sunset pulled her arm back and released the condensed magic, resulting in a wave of magical flames erupting from the Dawnbreaker and surging through the air towards Tirek. For a moment she thought that she might hit him, but then Tirek merely sidestepped and let the magic pass him by, slamming into the side of the mountain and exploding. Then Tirek swung his fist in the direction of the inn and cracked the air, to which the ground cracked and buckled as the earthquake seized the area around them.

Sunset had to fight to keep her balance and gather more power into another attack, but she glanced at the inn and watched as it crumpled to the ground, adding another place decimated by Tirek, though this one could be rebuilt one day. Sunset growled and channeled her magic, feeling the power form around the Dawnbreaker, before she charged at her enemy while he was distracted. She loosed the condensed magic once more and watched as it neared her enemy from the back, but before it could touch him Tirek turned around and slammed his fist into the wave, shattering it and the ground around him.

Tirek then pulled his fist back and swung Sunset's way once more, which resulted in her mentally cursing herself for drawing so close to her enemy, before something large barreled into her and knocked her out of the way, taking her place for receiving Tirek's attack. Before the devastation of his attack took effect Sunset pulled herself up and spotted who had taken her place, the dragon that Alduin had recently resurrected. The ground behind Sahloknir cracked and heaved as Tirek's attack traveled up the mountain, shattering the mountainside and causing massive pieces to fall towards them.

Sahloknir roared in pain as he fell to the ground, but as he did Sunset approached Tirek once more and loosed what little energy she had left as he turned towards her, crashing the wave of flames right into his chest and exploding on impact. When the smoke cleared Tirek was still standing there, but there was a bleeding gash on his chest, to which he glanced down at the wound for a moment, as if he was surprised that she had wounded him. Then, not a few moments later, Tirek leapt backwards and landed on the stone he had revealed himself on, his magic already at work lacing his wound back together.

"There," Sunset huffed, tapping the Staff of Magnus on the ground while holding the Dawnbreaker out as well, wondering if she had enough power for one last attack, "third times the charm as they say."

"I... am impressed," Tirek commented, though she detected that he was still mocking her, "so much power... but not enough to actually defeat me at my level. Then again, your nowhere near the level to actually be worth me tearing your magic from your body... regardless of how many Daedric Artifacts you acquire. I shall take my leave from this place."

Before Sunset could stop him Tirek vanished before their eyes, though she sighed and sheathed the Dawnbreaker, before she fell backwards and fell into someone's hands. Fiona and Bjorn glanced at her for a moment, though she was glad that they had caught her and was grateful for lifting her back onto her feet, as it allowed her to set her eyes on the wounded dragon. Sahloknir's right wing was broken in two places and several of his chest scales were cracked, though he seemed just fine despite the fact that he had been hit by Tirek.

"So, that was Tirek..." Delphine said, not sure what to think now that she had witnessed the demon in action, drawing enough power to wound a dragon and shatter the area around them, "Okay Priestess, what's your plan on stopping him from ruining all of Skyrim?"

"Yes, I would like to know that as well," Alduin commented, landing near his underling and glancing at them.

"Tirek has the power to shatter all of Nirn if he gains one hundred percent of his power," Sunset replied, moaning as her friends released her and she leaned on her staff, "as such we need to ban together and stop him before he gains enough power. Delphine, that means that your going to need to ally yourself with the dragons and the Thalmor, regardless of how much you hate the both of them. Alduin, that means that we need to agree on a ceasefire between the dragons and the Blades, until we find a way to stop Tirek once and for all."

"Your insane," Delphine replied, not believing what she was hearing before an idea came to mind, "though, if your intent is to ask the Thalmor for aid, then I suggest we infiltrate their next party and do whatever you want while your there. And maybe, just maybe, you'll get some information about Tirek in the long run."

"I simply wish to end the one that wishes to end Nirn," Alduin said, a growl echoing in his throat, "that's my destiny, not some upstart from another world. Flogah, Dovahkiin, mu fent dreh truk hin ven... fah nu."

Sunset let a small smile appear on her face, because while Tirek was hoping that his plan would cause the rest of Skyrim to destroy themselves Sunset was doing the exact opposite. She knew that she needed every ally she could get her hands on, acquire every Daedric Artifact that she could, and maybe, just maybe, her power will have grown enough to take care of Tirek. Every time that she witnessed Tirek's power she was more determined to put an end to the destruction that he was causing, though now she had the full force of the dragons behind her.

Tirek was still out of her reach, but now she had the beginnings of an alliance that could very well be the demon's downfall, not that he was aware of what his actions were doing.

18: Madness Incarnate

Sunset and her companions stood over the ruined area that was Kynesgrove for some time after Tirek vanished, watching the poor people who had lost their inn collect whatever remained of their possessions. Alduin and his underling Sahloknir were still resting where Sahloknir had been resurrected, allowing the wounded dragon to rest and heal before they took off. Delphine, on the other hand, was more than pissed off that Sunset wouldn't kill either of the dragons, but she also knew of the threat that Tirek now posed to the whole of Nirn. Sunset was glad that the women had seen that Tirek was the true threat to Nirn, though Delphine was still insisting that the Thalmor were to blame for Tirek coming here and painfully bowed to Sunset's desire to attend the upcoming party.

Sunset needed to speak with the leader of the Thalmor forces in Skyrim, to see if they might aid her in her efforts to defeat Tirek before he decimated anything else in the province. While they watched the people Alduin inquired as to where he might meet Sunset and her companions again, once his underling's wing had healed up. It took her a moment to answer him, but when she figured out the answer she almost laughed out loud, though she restrained herself and mentioned Labyrinthian. Morokei and Krosis were still waiting for her to return, but she knew that they would be somewhat grateful for their master to return to them and inform them of what was happening.

An hour passed before Sunset was actually able to get back onto her legs and walk without falling over, such was the price from using so much condensed magic, when she wasn't used to channeling so much power. Just three blasts of such power was enough to make her dependent on her friends, which was why she wanted them to wait before they moved on. It gave them time to help the people of Kynesgrove, which Fiona had chosen to do while the others stayed near Delphine and the dragons. As they walked down the road to Windhelm Fiona told Sunset about how she offered an area outside Fellglow Keep to the people, which would add an inn to their already growing city.

Once they reached the stables outside the city they acquired a ride from the carriage driver and, not a few minutes later, the five of them were on their way to Solitude, where Delphine had said that she would be a few hours behind them.

"So Sunset," Bjorn asked, knowing that they had a variety of topics to ask the unicorn about, but knew one that he really wanted the answer to, "what type of magical attack was that? I mean, you used it three times and you suddenly looked like you were about to fall over and go to sleep for a week."

"Condensed magic," Sunset replied, a small smile appearing on her face, "its what happens when someone in Equus mixes their own magic with a powerful emotion, such as like what I did when I mixed my magic and my anger. Different emotions can do different things when mixed with magic, though it has been recorded that some unicorns can, when infuriated to a certain point, turn their manes into pure fire. I've done it a few times before today, as its not something that every magic user can accomplish, but never before have I managed to pull it off three times in a row.

The problem isn't how much magic or how much emotion you pour into this type of magic, as it can drain even the most experienced unicorn of their magic with ease. Now this doesn't mean that this magic cannot be controlled, it just means that it will take some time to actually learn to not be so drained when I use it."

"Well, it actually harmed Tirek," Fiona commented, crossing her arms before glancing down the road, "so maybe, just maybe, if we hit him before he gets his full power, and strike him with that type of magic, we might be able to shatter his chances at destroying Nirn. Still, it wouldn't hurt to wander the streets of Solitude for an hour before we move on to the party, as I'm positive that there was someone wandering the streets, looking for someone to help him get in touch with his master."

Sunset nodded and pulled out the journal that Fiona had given her, flipping through the pages until she spotted a reference that she believed that her friend was talking about. It was on the page for Sheogorath, the Daedric Prince of Madness, which only made her think about Equus' very own Discord, the Spirit of Chaos and Disharmony. She wondered how she was going to come into contact with this Prince of Oblivion and what she would have to do to acquire his artifact, the Wabbajack. She sighed after a moment and closed the book, before closing her eyes and drifting off to sleep, so she could recover the energy she had lost to combat her enemy.

She was sure that she would find out whatever Sheogorath's quest was, whenever they happened to arrive in Solitude and found the man that Fiona was talking about.

When they finally arrived at Solitude it was the early morning, giving them plenty of time to scour the city for the man that Fiona had mentioned and acquire the artifact of Sheogorath before Sunset had to attend the Thalmor party. When they ventured into the city they stopped by the inn and got a light breakfast in them, though that was when Sunset heard several guards talking about the recent execution they had. She sighed and ignored them, knowing that whoever they had put down must have done something wrong to deserve the fate that he had been given.

When they were done with their meal they picked themselves up and walked out of the Winking Skeever, where the others turned to Sunset for direction. She glanced around the market area and, when she didn't find anyone that looked like the description in the book, continued onward past the market.

They then spent the next hour searching the entirety of Solitude, wandering around by themselves until they determined that the area they were in didn't have the person they were looking for. It was at that point that Sunset wondered if Fiona's notes had been right about this particular artifact, until she passed by someone who was constantly muttering to himself. At first she thought it was a simple madman that people were ignoring, but once she realized that she was actually looking for a madman she turned around and ran up to him.

"Please, take pity on an old madman!" the man cried when Sunset approached him, though she was surprised that he hadn't said anything to her when she first passed him by, "You! You'll help me! You help people, right? That's what you do?"

"Yes, I help people," Sunset replied, hoping that the man was what she really needed and not a distraction to get to Sheogorath, "What is it that you need help with?"

"My master has abandoned me!" the man cried once more, as if that was the only way he knew how to speak, "Abandoned his people. And nothing I say can change his mind. Now he refuses to even see me. He says I interrupt his vacation! It's been so many years... Won't you please help?"

"Sure," Sunset answered, wondering where his master could be and who it could possibly be, "just tell me where I can find your master and I'll go have a talk with him."

"Last I saw him, he was visiting a friend in the Blue Palace," the madman replied, calming down to a level that wasn't near screaming, "But no one as mundane as the Jarl. No, no... such people are below him. No, he went into the forbidden wing of the palace, to speak with an old friend. Said it had been ages since they had last had tea. Oh and you'll need the hip bone... it's very important. No entering Pelagius' Wing without that."

Once the madman had finished informing her of where his master was supposed to be, and giving her the 'very important' hip bone, he continued down the street as if they had never talked. With the knowledge in hand Sunset returned to the area in front of the Temple of the Divines, where she found her friends waiting for her arrival. Bjorn and Lydia welcomed her back to the group, though Cicero seemed to be staring at the seating area before them and Fiona was just leaning on a wall.

"So, did you find him?" Fiona asked, noticing Sunset return to them before everyone gathered around her, "The madman that's supposed to lead us to Sheogorath?"

"I believe so," Sunset replied, holding up the hip bone for a moment, "He said that I needed to take this to the Pelagius Wing of the Blue Palace, but why I needed this he never told me. So here's the plan; we go into the palace, ask around for someone who'll give us the key to the wing, and then I'll go in and speak with Sheogorath... if that's who this madman's master really is. With any luck I'll be back out in no time with his artifact and we can prepare for the Thalmor's party... which I'm sure will involve Delphine constantly telling me that I should destroy the place myself."

Sunset knew that if Tirek had gone to the party he would have shattered the entire place, just to demonstrate that he wasn't someone that they could mess with. He was so careful not to leave any clues as to his whereabouts that she knew that she needed to acquire the artifacts and make sure that they stayed out of his hands. Getting the Wabbajack would push her to three Daedric Artifacts, though she knew it would take some time before she had the remainder of them collected as well.

Once she had informed them of how she wanted to acquire this artifact they immediately made their way to the Blue Palace, though it gave Sunset a few minutes to wonder how she'd get her hands on a key into the wing she needed to enter. The answer, it seemed, resided in Fiona's ability to talk to people, as when they entered the palace she tracked down one of the maids and started speaking with her. After a few minutes Fiona returned to the group and beckoned them to follow her, leading them to the door to the wing they needed to enter and unlocked the door for them.

The moment they were inside the Pelagius Wing Sunset summoned her chest and stored the Staff of Magnus, the Dawnbreaker, and Azura's Star inside before banishing the chest for the moment, which made Bjorn ask her about that.

"I just want to appear before Sheogorath unarmed," Sunset told her friends, who were going to wait by the door until she returned, "I mean, Azura didn't seem to mind when I walked up to her alter carrying Meridia's Dawnbreaker, but you never know which of the Daedric Lords will snap at you if your carrying a artifact of one of their rivals. Better for him to see that I'm not carrying one and get the quest, rather than carry one in and have him turn me away for having it there to begin with."

What she didn't tell her friends was that she believed that there wasn't going to be any need for the Staff of Magnus or the Dawnbreaker when she found Sheogorath.

"Fine, have it your way," Bjorn replied, sighing as he took up a seat near the door, "We'll be waiting for your return."

Sunset nodded and continued into the rotting wing of the palace, pushing away the cobwebs and clearing her throat of dust several times before she walked down a passageway, only for the world around her to fade. When her vision returned she found herself in what appeared to be a forest like area, with three arches going in three separate directions, and a table that had enough chairs for four guests, plus whoever sat in the throne like chair. She also discovered that her robes had been replaced by some fine looking clothes, not that she minded at all, and that she wasn't alone in this realm, as there were two people already sitting at the table. One of the men seemed to be dressed almost like she was, which told Sunset that he had to be some type of high ranking person, maybe a Jarl or a King.

The second person, on the other hand, was dressed in a suit that was split right down the middle, the right side colored orange while the opposite was colored purple.

"More tea, Pelly my dear?" the strange suit wearing man said, holding out a hand to gesture to the cup in question.

"Oh, I couldn't." the other man replied, though he sounded as if he wasn't getting enough sleep, "Goes right through me. Besides, I have so many things to do... So many undesirables to contend with. Naysayers. Buffoons. Detractors. Why, my headsman hasn't slept in three days!"

"You are far too hard on yourself, my dear, sweet, homicidally insane Pelagius." the strange suit wearing man countered, glee filling his eyes before he continued, "What would the people do without you? Dance? Sing? Smile? Grow old? You are the best Septim that's ever ruled. Well, except for that Martin fellow, but he turned into a dragon god, and that's hardly sporting... You know, I was there for that whole sordid affair. Marvelous time! Butterflies, blood, a Fox, a severed head... Oh, and the cheese! To die for."

"Yes, yes, as you've said, countless times before..." the other man said, apparently getting tired of the conversation, which only made his companion cross his arms.

"Well then, if you're going to be like that..." the suit wearing man said, almost as if he was thinking of a way to punish his sadder companion, "Perhaps it's best I take my leave. A good day to you sir. I said good day!"

"Yes, yes, go. Leave me to my ceaseless responsibilities and burdens..." the depressed sounding man said, before he vanished into thin air, as if he had never been there to begin with.

Sunset looked around, wondering what she had gotten herself into by agreeing to help the madman that was wandering the streets of Solitude, before she took a deep breath and approached the table where the other man was still sitting in his chair.

"How rude!" the man said the moment he spotted her, which made Sunset wonder if he was going to punish her as well, "Can't be bothered to host an old friend for a decade or two."

"Um...who were you talking to?" Sunset asked, wondering if this would calm the man down enough to learn if he was Sheogorath, or if she was actually wasting her time here.

"Emperor Pelagius III." the man replied, almost as if he expected her to know who he was talking about, "Now surely even you know about Pelagius' decree? On his deathbed - oh, and this was inspired - he forbade... death! That's right! Death! Outlawed!"

"So... your telling me that we're in the mind of an Emperor?" Sunset remarked, not really knowing how to follow up on such a reveal, though she suspected that Discord might be able to think of something.

"Correct!" the man shouted, his voice echoing across the landscape for a moment, "Oh. Is it your... first time?"

Sunset shook her head for a moment, seriously wondering what had possessed her to help the madman out, before staring into the man's eyes and getting on with why she was here in the first place.

"I was asked to deliver a message to you..." Sunset began, only for the man to jump to his feet and turn to her, with what she could describe as a look of joy on his face.

"Reeaaaallllyyyy?" the man said, before one of his hands moved up towards his face, "Ooh, ooh, what kind of message? A song? A summons? Wait, I know! A death threat written on the back of an Argonian concubine! Those are my favorites... Well? Spit it out, mortal. I haven't got an eternity! Actually... I do. Little joke. But seriously. What's the message?"

"I was just asked to tell you that you need to end your vacation," Sunset replied, still wondering if this was the Prince of Madness, or only someone designed to be a doorman for the Prince himself.

"Were you now? By whom?" the man asked, before snapping his fingers and continuing, "Wait! Don't tell me! I want to guess! Was it Molag? No, no... Little Tim, the toymaker's son? The ghost of King Lysandus? Or was it... Yes! Stanley, that talking grapefruit from Passwall. Wrong on all accounts, aren't I? Ha! No matter! Honestly, I don't want to know. Why ruin the surprise? But more to the point. Do you - tiny, puny, expendable little mortal - actually think you can convince me to leave? Because that's... crazy. You do realize who you're dealing with here?"

"Apparently I'm dealing with a madman," Sunset replied, not really knowing what else to call the man.

"Jolly good guess! But only half right." the man said, waving a hand in the air before staring back at her, "I'm a mad god. The Mad God, actually. It's a family title. Gets passed down from me to myself every few thousand years. Now you. You can call me Ann Marie. But only if you're partial to being flayed alive and having an angry immortal skip rope with your entrails. If not... Then call me Sheogorath, Daedric Prince of Madness. Charmed."

Sunset's eyes widened after the man introduced himself, as she could have very well insulted the Daedric Prince of Madness, but he seemed completely fine with being called a madman... enough so that he didn't appear to be in a state of wanting to kill her.

"Well, I am Sunset Shimmer of Equus," Sunset told the Prince, not really knowing how it was going to help her in the long run, but figured it was better than 'mortal'.

"I knew I smelled the aura of Equus on you the moment you walked up to my table," Sheogorath replied, slapping his knee for a moment before turning back towards her, "which means that you know about my old pal Discord. We used to be roommates at the University of Chaos and Madness, but I missed him when he didn't come for the nine hundredth and ninety-ninth anniversary of years since we graduated."

"Seriously?" Sunset asked, not knowing if Sheogorath was pulling her leg or being truthful with her, though she suspected that she wouldn't believe the truth anyway, "Look, will you end your vacation and return to your kingdom?"

"Now that's the real question, isn't it?" Sheogorath said, becoming serious for a moment, "Because honestly, how much time off could a demented Daedra really need? So here's what I'm going to do. I'm going to leave. That's right. I'm done. Holiday... complete. Time to return to the hum drum day-to-day. On one condition. You have to find the way out first. Good luck with that."

"And what's the catch?" Sunset asked, knowing from experience that there was always something someone wanted in exchange, whether it was an ordinary person or a demented god.

"Ha! I do love it when the mortals know they're being manipulated. Makes things infinitely more interesting." Sheogorath replied, the old look of joy filling his eyes once more, "Care to take a look around? This is not, I dare say, the Solitude botanical gardens. Have you any idea where you are? Where you truly are? Welcome to the deceptively verdant mind of the Emperor Pelagius III. That's right! You're in the head of a dead, homicidally insane monarch. Now, I know what you're thinking. Can I still rely on my swords and spells and sneaking and all that nonsense? Sure, sure. Or... you could use... The Wabbajack! Huh? Huh? Didn't see that coming, did you?"

The moment he finished speaking a staff, made of a black wood that Sunset had never seen before, with three faces at the top, each baring a different expression, appeared before her. She realized that it was the artifact she had come for, but now she knew that it was also the only thing that would allow her to escape from the mind of a dead emperor. She took the staff in her left hand and stared at Sheogorath for a moment, waiting for a remark from him, before his eyes moved to one of the three arches that she had seen. The single glance told her that she had three problems to deal with before she would leave, hopefully with the artifact that she now carried in her hand.

She stood before the table for a moment, glancing at the three paths she could take, before she sighed and headed down the one on her left, wondering what she would have to face.

"Oh, good choice." she heard Sheogorath say into her mind, just like the other Princes had done, "Well, good for me. I find everyone being out to get you so terribly entertaining. You might find it... less so. You see, Pelagius' mother was... well... let us say 'unique.' Although, I suppose in the grand scheme of things, she was fairly average for a Septim. That woman wielded fear like a cleaver. Or did she wield a cleaver and make people afraid? I never get that part right... Oh, but she taught her son well. Pelagius learned at a very early age that danger could come from anywhere. At any time. Delivered... by anyone."

She eventually reached what appeared to be a fighting arena, where there were two atronachs fighting each other with three people, one of whom she believed was Pelagius at a certain age in his life and guarded by two guards. She stared at the scene before her and glanced down at the Wabbajack, wondering what type of power it had and how she could use it to her advantage. She then recalled something that Sheogorath mentioned, that attacks could be delivered by anyone, and glanced at the two guards behind Pelagius, before leveling the staff at one of them. She channeled the power of the staff and released the power, sending a small red sphere forward until it smacked one of the guards in the chest, transforming him and his partner into a pair of wolves that assaulted Pelagius.

"Oho! I thought you'd never figure it out." Sheogorath spoke again, "With the threat gone Pelagius is under the delusion that he is safe, which means you've helped him out... sort of. And we're that much closer to home."

Sunset smiled to herself and returned to where the table was located, before she weighed her options and then, after a moment of debate, headed down the path on the right.

"Ah, now this is a sad path." Sheogorath commented once more, "Pelagius hated and feared many things. Assassins, wild dogs, the undead, pumpernickel... But the deepest, keenest hatred was for himself. The attacks he makes on himself can be seen here fully. They are always carried out on the weakest part of his fragile self. The self-loathing enhances Pelagius' anger! Ah, but his confidence will shrink with every hit. You must bring the two into balance."

Sunset stared at the two versions of Pelagius, watching one of them hit the other one repeatedly while the second one cowered, allowing itself to be smacked again and again. She spun the Wabbajack around and fired another sphere, hitting Anger in the back, which caused him to shrink to a smaller size for a moment. She then smiled and did it again, shrinking Anger to the size of Confidence, before spinning the staff towards the other version and forcing it to grow to the size that Anger had been before she messed with them. Once the two of them were in balance they disappeared, telling Sunset that it was time to return to the table and venture down the final pathway.

"Wonderfully done." Sheogorath spoke once more, which Sunset had been expecting, "Pelagius is finally ready to love himself... and continue hating everyone else."

Sunset returned to the table, wondering why the Price was still sitting there, before she moved down the final pathway, wondering what she would have to do this time.

"You've headed down the path of dreams." Sheogorath said, "Unfortunately for you, Pelagius suffered night terrors from a young age. All you need to do is find something to wake our poor Pelagius up. You'll find his terrors easy to repel... but persistent."

This time she found Pelagius sleeping in a bed, but thanks to the clue that Sheogorath provided her she knew exactly what she needed to accomplish this time. She spun the staff around and hit the young man with a sphere, to which a wolf appeared nearby and started to run towards the bed, but was stopped when Sunset hit it with another sphere, transforming it into a dog. She repeated the process, summoning a bandit chief, a hagraven, a flame atronach, and a dragon priest, before she zeroed in the recent summon and transformed them into a treasure chest, a young women, a glowing fire, and a young boy. When the last one succumbed to the changes the Pelagius that was sleeping on the bed woke up and climbed off the bed, joining the group that was waiting around the fire.

"Well now, that's something to crow about." Sheogorath said, almost sounding impressed this time, "With Pelagius up and about you're moving right along. We'll both be home in no time."

Sunset turned around and ventured up the path she had taken to reach this point, returning to the table where she found Sheogorath enjoying a sweetroll.

"I've fixed Pelagius' mind," Sunset told the Daedric Prince, hoping that he would abide by what he had told her before she had explored the insane emperor's mind.

"Hmmmm... 'Fixed' is such a subjective term." the Daedric Lord replied, a smile appearing on his face, "I think 'treated' is far more appropriate, don't you? Like one does to a rash, or an arrow in the face. Ah, but no matter. Heartless mortal that you are, you've actually succeeded and survived. I am forced to honor my end of the bargain. So congratulations! You're free to go! I... have been known to change my mind. So... go. Really."

Sunset waited for a moment, wondering if there was anything else that the Daedric Prince might say or tell her, though at one point she wondered if her time here was done. That was until Sheogorath spoke once more.

"Pelagius Septim the Third," Sheogorath said, the happiness turning to disappointment, "once the Mad Emperor of Tamriel, now so boringly sane. I always knew he had it in him! Well, I suppose it's back to the Shivering Isles. The trouble Haskill can get into while I'm gone simply boggles the mind... Let's make sure I'm not forgetting anything. Clothes? Check. Beard? Check! Luggage? Luggage! Now where did I leave my luggage?"

At that point the madman that had sent Sunset to release his master from his vacation appeared beside Sunset, though she wasn't surprised to see him at this point.

"Master!" the madman cried, glad to be in the presence of his Lord once more, "You've taken me back! Does this mean we're going home? Oh, happy times! I can't wait to..."

"Yes, yes, that's quite enough celebration. Let's send you ahead, shall we?" Sheogorath said, cutting the madman off and sending him back to the Shivering Isles, before turning to Sunset, "And as for you, my little mortal minion... Feel free to keep the Wabbajack. As a symbol of my... Oh, just take the damn thing. You take care of yourself, now. And if you ever find yourself up in New Sheoth, do look me up. We can share a strawberry torte. OH, and if you see Discord, tell him that his former roommates are having a get together in a few months. He'll know exactly what I mean. Ta ta!"

With that said Sunset watched the forest area disappear until she was standing back in the Pelagius Wing of the Blue Palace, now wearing the robes she had been wearing before and carrying the Wabbajack in her left hand. She retraced her steps back to her friends, who were glad to see her again, though they were amazed that she was carrying yet another Daedric Artifact. She summoned her chest and, instead of taking her weapons out, she simply stored the Wabbajack with the other artifacts, all in preparation for the party.

"Come on guys," Sunset said, banishing her chest once more as she headed out of the Pelagius Wing, "We've got a party, and possible negotiations, to prepare for."

19: The Thalmor's Party

Sunset and her friends, now adding the artifact of Sheogorath to the collection of Daedric Artifacts no longer in danger of being collected by Tirek, left the Blue Palace with ease and returned to the streets of Solitude. There was a small spring in her step this time, as she was fairly confident that she could gather the remainder of the artifacts, provided the Princes they belonged to didn't ask her to do something like destroy an entire town. Fiona and Bjorn seemed glad to have the Wabbajack stored away, though both Cicero and Lydia seemed indifferent to what they had just accomplished.

As they walked through the city several people bowed slightly to Sunset, though at one point she heard one of them use the word 'Archmage' as they passed them by. Sunset realized that some people in Skyrim did, in fact, respect the mages of the College, which allowed her to smile to the person as they exited the city. Once they were outside Solitude they returned to where the carriage driver had dropped them off and found a second carriage resting near the windmill, with Delphine standing near it.

"I have your invitation to the party." Delphine told Sunset, waiting until they were literally standing in front of her, "But the only way you're going to get past the guards is if they really believe you're an invited guest. Which means you need to look the part, and not be armed to the teeth. Here, put this on."

"You may want to look at the invitation first," Sunset replied, beckoning to the letter that Delphine held, "It might actually be different than what your actually expecting."

"Fine, have it your way," Delphine growled, still annoyed with Sunset over joining with the Dragon Priests, though she opened the letter anyway, "Let's see, 'Elenwen, First Emissary of the Aldmeri Dominion to the Kingdom of Skyrim, Requests the pleasure of the Company of Archmage Sunset Shimmer at a reception on 30 Heartfire, 201 at the Ambassador's Residence. Special Permission Towards the Archmage to Wear the Clothes of Their Office to the Party.' What in Oblivion is this nonsense?"

"It means that Elenwen wishes to speak to me," Sunset replied, taking the invitation back, while returning the clothes she had been given back to Delphine, "not as a simple party guest, as most people will be, but as someone of an equal position to her own. Maybe she wishes to learn about Ancano and how he was corrupted. Or maybe she wishes to learn about my conflict with Tirek and lend me some aid in that regard. I won't know until I meet with her."

"I'm going back to Riverwood," Delphine said, clearly not wanting to be annoyed by Sunset anymore, "if you get any information out of this venture, you'll know where to find me."

Sunset watched as Delphine walked up the hill that she and her friends had just walked down, before turning down the pathway that would take her to whatever settlement was nearby. Sunset wished that Delphine would get over her hatred for the Thalmor and the dragons, otherwise one of her allies was going to discover it and, in the worst case scenario, destroy the alliance she was trying to create. It was quite simply; she knew that Princess Celestia couldn't have beaten Tirek without allies, and Princess Twilight wasn't able to do it alone either. She needed allies to fight the demon, before he succeeded in shattering anymore villages in Skyrim and before he managed to get any closer to his full power.

"What about us?" Bjorn asked, causing Sunset to look back at her friends for a moment, "What shall we do while you visit Elenwen and try to make an alliance with the Thalmor?"

"Oh, you guys are accompanying me to the front door," Sunset replied, causing them to look at her like she had lost her mind, "Almost everyone might say that you guys are the bodyguards for the Archmage of the College of Winterhold. So why wouldn't the Archmage be escorted to the party with her 'bodyguards'? I'm positive that the Thalmor will be expecting some type of escort, but there's another reason for all of this I'm afraid..."

"Tirek," Bjorn said, realizing exactly where she was going with this, "You want us to keep an eye out for him while your at the party, in case he comes to strike at the leaders of Skyrim while their guards are down."

"Yes, and we must not lower our own guard," Sunset replied, climbing onto the back of the carriage as her friends followed suit, "While I'm speaking with Elenwen I need the four of you to watch the surrounding area, alongside the Thalmor guards, and report to me if, and when, Tirek decides to show himself."

One group of Thalmor guards, who just happened to be guarding the main gate and were welcoming all the Jarls and important people to Elenwen's party, were just standing by the gates as they waited for their shift to end. One of them held a list of names, the list of guests that had been invited to the Embassy, and crosses off whoever arrived, which his partner would call out when they passed the main gate. That was how it went for the last several minutes, as guests arrived and the carriages they arrived on departed from the area, though when the last guest's carriage left the guard looked down at his list and wondered where the last person was.

"Has the Archmage arrived yet?" his partner called to him, apparently getting impatient that one of the guests had yet to arrive.

Just as the guard was about to reply he heard the sound of a carriage approaching and turned around to face the open gate, allowing him to see another carriage approach the embassy. As the driver approached the guard got a good look at who was coming to the party, the latest Archmage of the College of Winterhold and the four people that followed her around all the time. Once the carriage arrived the bodyguards climbed out of the back and stood nearby, watching the breton Archmage get onto her feet and then step onto the snow as well. Then, once the passengers had been delivered, the carriage driver moved towards the gate and soon he was heading down the mountainside, leaving them alone.

"Yeah, the Archmage is here," the guard called to his partner, though he was pleased to finally cross the Archmage off of the list, so he could add it to the fire as well.

Sunset beckoned to her friends for a moment, bidding them to wait like they had planned on before their arrival at the embassy, before she walked up to the front door. As 'bodyguards' her friends were allowed to keep their weapons, though they were supposed to remain sheathed until something happened to the Thalmor's guards. She hated to leave them outside, but she knew that she needed to speak with Elenwen and knew that her friends would keep watch for their enemy. The guard near the door, now knowing that she had arrived, still asked for her invitation, though he was quick to return it the moment after she had given it to him.

Once inside the actual embassy Sunset was immediately greeted by another altmer, though she knew that by the way this one walked that it could none other than the hostess.

"Welcome. I don't believe we've met." the lady said, bowing her head ever so slightly, "I am Elenwen, the Thalmor Ambassador to Skyrim. And, judging by the robes that you are wearing, I would have to say that your the Archmage of the College of Winterhold."

"You are correct. I am Archmage Sunset Shimmer," Sunset replied, bowing her head slightly in return, to show some respect towards the Thalmor's leader, "Its a pleasure to make your acquaintance Ambassador Elenwen."

"There is some business I would like to discuss with you before we attend the party," Elenwen commented, as if she expected nothing less of their meeting at the moment, "Come, let us head to my office... where we won't be interrupted by anyone."

Sunset nodded and followed the Ambassador through the embassy, receiving nods from the guards and party guests alike, with one or two mentions of her title thrown in. It didn't take them long to reach the outside air, though that was when she noticed that the place had been separated into two pieces; one to serve as a greeting hall and party area, while the second served as the main offices. When they entered the second building Sunset noticed that two people were on their way out, pausing whatever their conversation had been about so they could nod to the Ambassador and her companion.

Once they were alone Elenwen beckoned Sunset into her study, where she took the seat behind the desk and offered one to Sunset, which she accepted and sat opposite of the Ambassador.

"I must first offer my condolences to you Archmage," Elenwen said, pouring herself some wine before offering some to Sunset, who declined due to the fact that it severely weakened how she could control and perform magic, "I heard that your predecessor, Savos Aren, had been killed on the College grounds, though I was unable to receive the full story on that... due to the fact that the College, and the city surrounding it, was completely a day or two later. I had the chance to visit the College once or twice in the past and Savos seemed to accept me, instead of shunning me for what I am, though I was... hurt to hear that he had fallen.

I'll get right to my point though; I want to know why I have been hearing stories about one of my own mages, one by the name of Ancano, joining himself to a new master before he slew your predecessor."

"That's because he did," Sunset replied, not surprised to see a shocked expression appear on the Ambassador's face, which disappeared not a moment later, "but I'm afraid that, if your going to understand everything that's happened, I'll need to tell you about my enemy, the demon Tirek. I'm sure you remember me and Bjorn Wyrmsblood, sitting in the cart with the rest of the prisoners, but then there was that one old nord who seemed, how shall I put it, 'out of place'."

"Yes, I remember seeing him that day," Elenwen commented, though it was clear that, by her tone, she was still confused as to where the story was going at the moment, "What's your point?"

"That old nord was Tirek," Sunset explained, wondering how best to tell the Ambassador how powerful the demon could become, "Sure, he may have appeared to be a weak old man, but over time he has been absorbing the magic of those around him, adding their power to his own. He's also managed to trick several powerful mages into chaining themselves to him, so that they can 'receive' great power and then, when they fall in battle, he consumes whatever power they have. Ancano is, unfortunately, one of those mages that fell into Tirek's lap, allowing his greed for power to fuel his decision to make a deal with that foul demon.

It was that lust for power that drove him to seek out the Augur of Dunlain, a mystical force that existed under the College for years, and learn how to harness the power of the Eye of Magnus. It was this desire that, eventually, drove him to assault my predecessor with the power of the Eye and slay Savos without giving him a chance to defend himself. That act then fueled his decision to use the Eye to slay anyone and everyone that disagreed with him, be they the simple people of Tamriel or the Thalmor that he used to serve. It was that act that made me venture into an ancient nordic barrow in search of the Staff of Magnus, which I recovered and used against Ancano, shattering him to the point that Tirek stole his power from him. What happened after that, well, you've heard the stories about."

"So its true then," Elenwen said, shaking her head slightly, "that a demon by the name of Tirek suddenly appeared and, with one strike of his fist, shattered the ground around the College and sank it, along with what remained of Winterhold, into the sea. Wait... did you say that you found the Staff of Magnus?"

"Yes, and I have stored it inside my personal chest," Sunset replied, a small smile appearing on her face for a moment, "I didn't want to come to your residence armed, otherwise I'm sure that your guards might have refused me access and we never would have had the chance to speak. I also came because it is only a matter of time until Tirek sets his sights on your Embassy, where he will likely absorb the magic of everyone here before he shatters everything you have built."

Elenwen fell silent for a moment, making Sunset wonder if she could even convince the leader of this branch of the Thalmor to ally herself with her current allies. A few seconds later the altmer got up and moved to a bookshelf, her fingers running over the books that she had collected, before she selected one and pulled it from the shelf. She then sighed as she opened the book and returned to the desk, where she placed the book in front of Sunset and took her seat once more.

"The Book of the Dragonborn," Elenwen said, beckoning for Sunset to read from it, to which Sunset picked up the book, "I have heard of your power over the Thu'um and knew that I would have to read this to understand what was happening to Skyrim, though it seems that this world is in more danger than I originally believed. The prophecy in that book goes something like this; 'When misrule takes its place at the eight corners of the world. When the Brass Tower walks and Time is reshaped. When the thrice-blessed fail and the Red Tower trembles. When the Dragonborn Ruler loses his throne, and the White Tower falls. When the Snow Tower lies sundered, kingless, bleeding - The World-Eater wakes, and the Wheel turns upon the Last Dragonborn'.

The Prophecy of the Dragonborn, as that prophecy has become known as to everyone across Tamriel, has foretold of several heroes that rose up against the powers that threatened to destroy the whole of Nirn. When I heard about Tirek I consulted that book, wondering why none of the ancients that made the original prophecy would warn us against this evil. An evil that turns our own friends and allies, and even those not affected by the war, into monsters that wish the end of everything upon everyone else. This dremora... no, this demon of yours needs to be stopped, but I have no idea how to do that."

"'When the hero fights the Demon of Oblivion'," Sunset recited, recalling the line of prophecy she had been given a while ago, "the sky shall be torn asunder and, in her hour of need, an alicorn with a flaming mane shall descend upon Nirn, to end the fight with the Demon itself'."

"That almost sounds like a forgotten line of an important prophecy," Elenwen said, looking up at Sunset once more, "Where in Oblivion did you hear that from?"

"From the priestess of Azura herself," Sunset replied, closing the book and looking up at her host, "Azura is saying that, if I don't stop Tirek before he reaches his full power, the sky will be torn asunder, referring to the fact that Nirn will be in the process of being destroyed. Yes, the prophecy mentions that an alicorn will fight him and that I am only a unicorn, but I am the only Equestrian that's here on Nirn, so it falls to me to stop him. I will not allow Tirek to continue to run around, destroying whatever he wants, as if he is immune to everyone else in this world. Last time I saw him I managed to wound him, so I know that, given enough time, I can draw him into a battle of magic, where I will send him back to Tartarus.

I will not allow Tirek to destroy Nirn, or the province of Skryim, or any other provinces of Tamriel."

Elenwen stared at Sunset for a moment, as if she was wondering if she could ally herself with the person that was going to fight Tirek in the end, before she sighed.

"I will have to think on this," Elenwen admitted, not liking that she had no idea what to do at this point, "Come, let us return to the party and mingle with the rest of the guests... I'm sure that you'll have an evening free from..."

"I'm sorry for the interruption," one of the guards stated, barging into the room and saluting the Ambassador, "but one of the Archmage's bodyguards spotted someone suspicious coming up the hill towards the Embassy. One of them asked me to come inform you of this nord, but I'm not sure why they would be worried about a simple nord that's unarmed... besides the magical aura wrapped around him."

"Tirek..." Sunset said, getting onto her feet as she turned to Elenwen, "If he's coming here then that means he's coming to destroy the Embassy, and anyone whose still here when he arrives. Since he's coming from the front we'll have to go out a different door, but this place only seems to have one entrance and one exit, which will be blocked by the demon."

"There's the trapdoor in our interrogation chamber," Elenwen suddenly said, as if she remembered that it existed, "Its not the most pleasant way to leave the Embassy, but its the only other way out of here that isn't the main gate."

"Then get the guests and get them out of here," Sunset replied, summoning her chest and drawing out both the Dawnbreaker and the Staff of Magnus, "I'll try and buy you some time."

As soon as she said that Elenwen got up and started barking orders to the guards near them, following Sunset outside so she could get a look at the monster that she was determined to fight. As they walked back to the main gate they passed by several confused party guests, though Sunset noticed that Jarl Balgruuf was among them, before they were standing near Sunset's friends. The four of them had their weapons drawn, as if they were expecting Sunset to let them fight the demon beside her this time, but she had to shake her head at them.

"I need you guys to help the Thalmor get the guests to safety," Sunset told her friends, beckoning to Elenwen for a moment, "Get them, and yourselves, out of here before Tirek arrives. I don't want anyone caught in the crossfire that's about to happen."

As her friends and Elenwen left Sunset had to wonder how much damage she could cause to Tirek, considering that she had been lucky the last time they fought. There was no telling how much more power that the demon would have this time, though she believed that it couldn't be more than when they were at Kynesgrove. Unless, she grimly added, Tirek managed to find a stronghold full of mages and drained them all before coming here, which she seriously hoped wasn't the case.

"Ah, I should have know you'd be here," a voice said, just as Tirek stepped out of the darkness and revealed himself, though Sunset was glad to see that the cut she had given him might have scared, "Strange, every time I want to destroy something, you seem to be there to witness the destruction. I guess this time I shall take measures to destroy you and any hope you have of ever defeating me."

Sunset sighed and channeled her magic once more, allowing a mass of condensed magic to gather around the Dawnbreaker, before she released the attack at her enemy. This time Tirek simply brought his fist back and slammed it into her attack, shattering the magic into pieces before the ground beneath Sunset's feet started to shake. Then, just like she had seen at Winterhold, the ground cracked and heaved, breaking the walls around them before shattering the main door of the Embassy. It just surprised Sunset that he was still so powerful from their last encounter, almost as if he hadn't been weakened from all the energy she had poured into her attacks.

The Dawnbreaker, as if responding to her anger, ignited as a mass of condensed magic, even larger than her previous ones from Kynesgrove, wrapped around the blade. Sunset didn't question it as she pulled the blade back and swung it with all her might, sending the wave of power through the smoke created from Tirek shattering the first wave. The smoke broke apart the moment the wave encountered it, though it was clear that Tirek hadn't expected another one so soon and was pushed back the moment it touched him. The following explosion rocked the front gate, shattering the foundation and destroying the gate entirely, though when the smoke cleared there was another diagonal cut added to Tirek's body, the exact opposite of the one she delivered at Kynesgrove.

"Ah, I can feel your power growing," Tirek said, somehow enjoying being hurt at the moment, "but still, you do not possess enough power to defeat me. Now, allow me to show you how powerful I am at only half of my power."

Tirek disappeared for a moment, only to reappear above the embassy, where energy was coursing around his right hand as if he was about to shatter the entire area, just like he had done with Winterhold. But as Sunset watched her enemy she remembered another story she had heard, where Tirek could crush a location with the power of air alone. It was similar to him using the power of earth to shatter locations, only at fifty percent it could be devastating to the area he wanted to destroy. She waited a moment, debating if she could hurt him again, but she sighed and sheathed the Dawnbreaker on her belt, turning towards the bottom of the hill and running forward.

She hated to run from Tirek, but at the moment she simply didn't have enough power to constantly fire off so much condensed magic in rapid succession.

"Push," Tirek said, a grin appearing on his face as he threw his hand towards the ground, allowing his magic to descend towards the embassy as he watched Sunset run away.

Sunset turned back in time to watch the magic collide with the embassy, where the buildings were quite literally torn from the ground and thrown down the side of the mountain. Pieces of the buildings hit the ground around Sunset, causing her to stop and watch the pieces rain down around her, causing her to wonder about her chances once more. She glanced up at the area above the embassy, but as the destruction rained down around her she noticed that Tirek was already gone, fleeing to whatever location he called home. She turned to the other path that lead to the embassy and noticed her friends coming her way, followed by Elenwen, her guards, and the rest of the party guests.

Tirek may have ruined one more location in Skyrim, but one again Sunset found the determination to press onward with her plans to stop the demon. There were only twelve Daedric Artifacts left, twelve more she needed to secure before she considered doing anything else.

20: The Cursed Orcs

"So this is Tirek's power," Elenwen commented, staring out at the ruins of her embassy while her guards looked for anything that they could still use.

"And he's only getting stronger," Sunset said, turning to her friends for a moment, "Fifty percent... its terrifying to even think that he's already reached this point of his power, but there is something good that can come out of this. Mages will only give him a small percent at this point, as he needs something like one of the Daedric Princes to get a significant boost to his power now. Azura, Meridia, and Sheogorath are safe for now, but twelve of the relics are unaccounted for and that leaves twelve of the Princes open to Tirek trying to contact them. We need to pick up the pace, before our enemy manages to get in front of us."

"We... will join you at your keep later," Elenwen said, not even bothering to turn around at the moment, "I will deliver my decision to you at that time, then we shall see what the future holds for us."

Sunset nodded and continued down the hillside, where she and her friends would take the carriage to Whiterun before making for their base of operations. They would likely arrive in the middle of the night, giving them time to rest before they made their way to whichever artifact Sunset decided to go after. As they walked Sunset wondered if Cicero had done something while they were fleeing out the back entrance of the embassy, though she decided to wait until they were further away before asking the jester.

"You took something," Sunset said, not even looking back as she spoke the words, "didn't you, Cicero?"

"Oh yes Magic. Sly Cicero has journals filled with information for you," Cicero replied, as if he was pleased to have stolen them as he pulled them out of his suit for a moment, before returning them to their hiding place, "Journals that will allow you to blackmail a certain Jarl into aiding you... if Magic desires it."

Sunset really didn't know what to expect from the assassin at this point, as it was clear that he could be useful as a scout and, if she really didn't want to deal with someone, she could have him dispose of them. It was also painfully clear that he was trying to please her, as if he was following whatever order he had been given by the Listener of the Dark Brotherhood. What was strange was that he came to them and the assassins that were after her seemed to disappear, which meant that she might have to actually believe that the Night Mother, whoever that was, wanted her alive so she could defeat Tirek.

Still, Sunset felt the need to not tell her friends that she believed that the secret to defeating Tirek, something she had gleamed from the stories from Princesses Celestia and Twilight, was Harmony. Sure, it sounded stupid to try and use the closest thing to the Elements of Harmony in this world, the closest people who could pass for the Bearers, but it was basically her backup plan. The only problem with that plan was that she was missing one of the Elements, Kindness, and had absolutely no idea where she would be able to find someone who represented the Element.

Eventually they returned to the Solitude Stables, where they immediately purchased a ride to Whiterun and climbed onto the back of the carriage. Sunset cast a look at her friends, though by the look on Fiona's face she could tell that the vampire, if not the entire group, was getting worried about their chances at besting Tirek. Sunset didn't blame them for thinking that this was an impossible task, because at only thirty-five percent he sunk Winterhold and at fifty he had flattened the Thalmor Embassy. She knew, from Princess Celestia's stories, that Tirek's abilities were only going to get worse as he absorbed more magic into his body and that more people were going to suffer in the end.

She was determined to recover the Daedric Artifacts... no matter what the Princes asked her to do.

Morning arrived on Fellglow Keep and the mages that called the ruined fortress home woke up with the morning's early rays, though at the same time Sunset and her friends were already preparing for their departure. They had arrived at Whiterun close to midnight, which Sunset had been expecting, and had quickly made their way to their base of operations, where they immediately retired until morning. Now that they were awake they had a quick breakfast before they hit the road once more, where they hoped to begin the trek towards the Rift, where Sunset had decided they would visit next. Not only because there was a Daedric Artifact, but because there was another member of the Blades hidden in Riften and Delphine wanted them to find him.

Instead of waiting in Riverwood, like she had promised that she would do, Delphine had decided to stay at the fortress and oversee the mages and the people of Winterhold. So when Sunset and her friends had arrived at the fortress Delphine spotted that Cicero was carrying a journal that basically said that her old friend Esbern was still alive. She wanted them to immediately forsake gathering the Daedric Artifacts and rescue her friend, before something terrible befell him, but Sunset would have none of it. Sunset promised that she would visit the city, after acquiring the artifact of Malacath and making sure that there was nothing else she needed to do in the area.

Sunset's words had left Delphine mad, but then she cooled down and realized that she had been promised that they would look for Esbern anyway, which made her retreat into the fortress to continue watching the progress the people were making on building a new home for themselves.

"That women sure is insistent," Sunset commented as they walked down the road once more, not exactly sure what the old man had that made Delphine want them to bring him back before doing anything else.

As they walked down the road Sunset was surprised to find that bandits were wandering the roads, unlike the last few times where there had been no one to stop them. While she was hoping that, by being the Archmage, the bandits would take one look at her and her group and decide that they weren't worth messing with. Instead the bandits raised their weapons and came charging their way, though Sunset's friends were ready for the incoming assault, as Bjorn was the first to strike as he loosed an arrow into the chest of one of the bandits.

Lydia, Cicero, and Fiona were up next as they clashed with the bandits that bared their weapons and stayed their ground, weapons hitting shields. Lydia, being the beast that she was, heaved her heavy battleaxe into one of the bandits and tore through her enemy's chest, before pulling her weapon out, spinning it around, and taking her foe's head. Cicero danced around his chosen target, cutting light marks into his enemy's sides, before finally pulling the second dagger out of its sheath and planting them both into the bandit's head. Fiona, not wasting any time like Cicero, simply parried her foe's attacks until her sword found the bandit's neck, removing the head in a matter of seconds and ending the conflict.

Sunset, on the other hand, spotted an archer taking up a position on the nearby hill, with her bow pointed in their direction no less, and channeled magic through the Staff of Magnus, blasting the bandit in the chest and knocking her into the ground behind her.

After collecting their spoils from the bandits they continued down the road, turning to the right before they reached the bridge that would take them to Windhelm. As they walked Sunset noted that most of the wild life stayed out of their way, though there was the occasional fox that chose to run beside them every now and then. She was somewhat thankful that the bigger beasts, the bears and sabercats, were leaving them alone, again making her wonder if one of the Daedric Princes was involved in this. Eventually they reached the fortress that Sunset had originally discovered Tirek's power at, only to find that there was a group of Imperial soldiers patrolling the area, though they were allowed to move on without any problems.

Eventually they reached Iverstead, though Sunset shook her head and they continued onward, knowing that she'd have to return the Horn of Jurgen Windcaller the next time they were in the area. Once they were passed Iverstead Fiona took the lead, tracing the pathway they needed to take to reach the area she had claimed, in her journal, that held the clues necessary to contact Malacath and learn what must be done to acquire his artifact.

"So do we actually have the ingredients to do the ritual?" Sunset asked as they walked, knowing that they might have a container of Troll Fat somewhere, but was unsure of the Daedra Heart.

"Oh, Magic needs a heart!" Cicero exclaimed, producing a red heart from his bag, "The heart of a dremora warrior. I have kept it safe all these years, wondering if I would ever get the chance to use it for something. And now, here is that something!"

Sunset was still unsure of the assassin, but so far she was reminded about how she had met Pinkie Pie for the first time and how, after being defeated, she had given the girl a chance. Still, he was proving to be quite the ally, as he could scout out a location, gather key items without having to be told what to look for, and could produce the exact item they seemed to be missing. There was also his constant calling them by the Elements they represented, which Sunset knew would, at one point in the future, cause the others to finally ask her what he was talking about. She suspected that she'd have to answer that question eventually, but hoped it wouldn't happen until the person that represented Kindness the most showed themselves.

When they finally reached the orc stronghold that they were looking for Sunset discovered that it was under attack by a giant, though there were five warriors hacking at its feet as it approached the main gate. For a moment Sunset wondered if the orcs could handle the creature, but as one of the warriors got punted into a tree she sighed and stepped forward, lightning crackling around her staff. The warriors, seeing her coming, backed up to the gate of their stronghold, while the giant turned around to see what had driven off its targets. Once the giant spotted Sunset it started walking over towards her, but she simply sighed and held the staff out, allowing the lightning to burst out of the staff and barrel into the giant's chest, knocking it to the ground.

"Halt!" one of the warriors, an archer Sunset noted, shouted at her as she approached the wooden gate, "You have no business here, outsider. Leave at once."

"Ugor, no!" another orc called out, causing both the orc and Sunset to look up at another orc, who was staring at them, "This may be the one we need."

"We need nothing from outsiders!" the orc next to Sunset, Ugor, returned, a growl forming on her lips as she spoke the words, "Yamarz will provide for us."

"We cannot carry on this way!" the second orc said, though as Sunset looked around she noticed that the other warriors had done off to check on their companion, "You know we are doomed if we do not do something!"

"Yamarz charged me with keeping outsiders away from Largashbur." Ugor threw back, as if the command had given her authority over the rest of her clan, "You would have me disobey him?"

"You were charged with keeping us inside the walls." the second said, almost as if she was reminding Ugor of the actual command she had been given, "Have faith, Ugor. I only wish the best for our tribe."

"Fine Atub," Ugor replied, pressing her hand against the wooden gate and thrusting the door wide open, "but it's on your neck."

The moment that Sunset was allowed to enter the stronghold, which immediately turned the eyes of every orc on her, the one named Atub explained their situation. Their leader, Yamarz, was currently weak and cursed, thus causing their tribe some hardship because the giants knew what was happening and were coming around to check their defenses. She had a cunning plan to contact their lord, Malacath, and ask him to relieve them of this curse, though she required troll fat and a daedra heart, both of which Sunset had thanks to her friends. With the items in hand Atub went into the main building of the stronghold and returned a few minutes later, followed by an angry orc that was decked out in a complete suit of orcish armor.

It was clear to Sunset that Chief Yamarz didn't like the fact that she was here, nor did he approve of Atub trying to lessen the curse that seemed to be chocking his tribe. Once the three of them were standing over the alter Atub intoned a calling to Malacath, to have him relieve them of their curse, before Yamarz openly wondered why they were doing this, which caused the Daedric Lord to speak to them all.

You pathetic weakling! a voice called out, causing everyone to looked around in search of the voice, though Sunset didn't bother looking as she had experience with the Daedric Princes.

"What was that?" Yamarz asked, looking around like everyone else, though he seemed more annoyed than anything else.

You dare summon me, Yamarz? the voice, Malacath, continued, You don't deserve to call yourself an Orc! You're weak, you're small, and you're an embarrassment! You let giants... Giants!... overrun my shrine. Bring me their leader's club as an offering, and I might release you from this curse!

Once the Daedric Lord's voice was gone Yamarz brought Sunset over and decreed that she was going to help him get to the giant's leader, claiming it was her fault that Atub had contacted Malacath in the first place. She didn't see it that way, as she was sure that Atub would have called Malacath sooner had she recovered the ingredients on her own, but decided to help out because she needed to secure the artifact.

As the two of them left the stronghold Sunset's friends marched behind them, keeping them in their sights as they walked across the Rift, though Yamarz made an effort to kill every wild animal he passed. He thought it was fun picking on animals that didn't fight back, taking advantage of the fact that something, or someone Sunset noted, wanted Sunset alive.

Eventually they reached the cave, where Yamarz claimed that he would lead the way and charged inside, though Sunset followed after the chieftain. Inside Yamarz moved around the various hazards that awaited them, namely the giants, though he took some time to hack into whatever animal that happened to appear in their way. They followed the stream for some time, before Yamarz found the exit he was looking for and lead them into an open area that, after some walking, revealed a shrine of who Sunset assumed had to be Malacath.

"There he is," Yamarz commented, pulling out his axe once more as he stared at the giant, who was carrying a massive hammer of some kind, "So, I've got a deal for you."

"If your going to ask me to kill the giant for you then you've got another thing coming," Sunset replied, lightning crackling around her staff to make her point clear, "Go and fulfill the quest that Malacath gave you."

Yamarz growled something and walked down the hill, approaching the giant and issuing a challenge to the mighty beast, to which the giant swung the hammer into his side and sent him flying into one of the stone walls. Sunset waited a moment, just to be sure that Yamarz was dead, before she sighed and stepped forward, lightning hitting the ground around her as she approached the giant. This time the giant rushed her, intending to finish the fight before she could hurt him, but as he swung the hammer at her she disappeared and reappeared behind him.

The giant looked around in confusion, looking around for Sunset, before he turned around and spotted her standing behind him, to which he swung at her again. Sunset then vanished once more, this time reappearing where she had been standing the first time, though now she was holding the Staff of Magnus level with the giant's chest. Before the giant could move she released her spell, knocking the giant hard in the chest and sending him into the stone wall opposite of where Yamarz had landed. A few seconds passed, but when the giant didn't get up Sunset sighed and silenced her magic, allowing it to disappear before she strode towards the giant's corpse.

Yamarz was a fool! Malacath spoke, not bothering to keep his voice confined to Sunset mind, Always trying to scheme his way out of responsibility. But, you took care of him and the giants. Two problems solved at once. Now, take Shagrol's Hammer back to Largashbur, and we'll see about whipping the rest of them into shape.

Sunset looked at the hammer for a moment before heading to her friends, only to watch Lydia approach the hammer and lift the thing up like she did with her battleaxe. With the deed done the group said goodbye to the area and departed from the cave, carefully picking their way through the path they had taken to get there the first time. Once they were outside the cave they took a moment to relax before they got back on the road and headed in the direction of Largashbur, all while Lydia was humming to herself.

When they returned to Largashbur Atub was waiting for them and she seemed happy when she spotted them, but when she noticed that her chief wasn't with them she seemed to lose a little bit of that happiness. Sunset briefly explained what had happened on their trek to Malacath's shrine and then what had happened before the shrine, though Atub seemed glad that the giants now had no leader, for the time being anyway.

Yamarz was a coward and a weakling. Malacath commented, for all of the tribe to hear, His deceitful ways have cost you all greatly.

"So he has been punished?" Atub asked, staring up at the sky for a moment, "And what of us? What fate shall we suffer?"

You'll have to prove yourselves, Malacath called out, sounding harsher than his last comment, but I'm willing to give you a chance. Gularzob's in charge now. Let's hope he's a better chief. You, place that hammer on the shrine. You're the only one who's proven worthy in all of this...

Sunset beckoned Lydia forward and waited until she placed the hammer by her feet to have her magic activate, swirling around the weapon before lifting it into the air and lowering it onto the shrine. Once the hammer was in place she canceled her magic and watched as the Daedric Prince's magic surrounded the weapon, morphing its form into a hammer with a massive head. She was not surprised that the weapon had an aura of power around it, though she was glad that none of the orcs tried to stop her as she lifted the weapon with her magic and stored it inside her chest.

"Four down," Sunset said to her friends, a small grin appearing on her face, "only eleven more to go."

22: The Blood Moon

It was the middle of the night when Sunset and her friends arrived at Fellglow Keep, though she wasn't expecting to find a group of Thalmor guards patrolling the crumbling walls. Elenwen herself was present when they arrived, falling in step with Sunset as they approached the main door to the keep, explaining why she and her guards were there. The altmer hated to admit it, but in the face of such a powerful opponent, the demon Tirek, she knew that the best way for any of them to survive the ever growing calamity was to join forces with the one person who seemed like she had a chance at besting the demon.

Sunset had no idea if she should be thankful that Elenwen ignored both Delphine and Esbern, who had chosen the wrong moment to start talking to each other about their former days in the Blades, but she eventually decided that Elenwen was trying to preserve the alliance that Sunset was creating.

"There's about twenty of us here," Elenwen commented, referring to the Thalmor that had come to the keep with her, "I sent the remaining ten agents out to our various outposts in Skyrim, so that we can gather all the supplies, weapons, armor, and soldiers that we can."

"And where are they going to be staying?" Sunset asked, knowing that the keep was going to be full of mages soon and that the citizens of Winterhold were still constructing their new home around the keep.

"I have sent for workers as well," Elenwen answered, taking a moment to point at the crumbling walls, "In two days time we shall begin reconstructing these walls to make this place a proper stronghold for your fight against Tirek. We've also been constructing our own area to the west of the keep, where we plan to have another ring of walls to separate everyone from the wildlife."

As Elenwen broke away from their group, no doubt to check on her soldiers before going to bed, Sunset had to marvel that all it took was one creature, Tirek, to set in motion the building of an alliance. She knew that the Blades and the Thalmor hated each other because of a previous war, but now that there was a creature that could possibly destroy the world before Alduin could, how Sunset still had no idea, they had put aside their hatred so that they could work together. Or, Sunset added after a moment, the two factions were burying their hatred inside for the moment, so that when Tirek was defeated they'd be at each others throats once more.

Sunset sighed and entered the keep, briefly showing Raja where she would be sleeping whenever they managed to return to the keep, before turning into bed herself.

When morning arrived Sunset and her friends gathered outside, in the courtyard, where they passed around what would pass as their breakfast before someone came running up to them. It was then that Sunset finally meet the Courier, the strange man that could, somehow, find whoever he had a letter or package for and deliver it to them, wherever they might be. As it turned out the letter wasn't for her, as the Courier approached Cicero and handed him a letter, before tuning around and heading out to find the next person he had mail for.

"Cicero was not expecting any mail anytime soon," Cicero said, unfolding the letter so he could read it, though as he started his eyes seemed to go wide in shock, "Ah, its from the Listener. She says 'Dear Cicero, I hope this letter reaches you safely. I returned to the Falkreath Sanctuary yesterday afternoon, only to discover that the Night Mother had been right when she had commanded that we move her... Astrid and the others that remained behind are no more. Some sort of dremora, no doubt the one we were warned about, tore the door down and slaughtered everyone inside. Don't worry about Babette, Nazir, the Night Mother, or myself, we're safe. I can only hope that you found Magic and are currently working to end the dremora that destroyed our brothers and sisters. May you walk on warm sands my friend. Sincerely, Snowheart.'

I... I only just met the others... and yet they now serve Sithis in the Void. MAGIC! I ask of you this one favor; let us head to the Falkreath Sanctuary, so that I may say farewell to what remains of my fallen friends."

Sunset had no idea how Tirek managed to find the only Sanctuary of the Dark Brotherhood, but she knew, from her own experience, that he was capable of destroying whoever was inside when he arrived. Still, she didn't like seeing her friends in pain, even if they barely knew each other, so she placed her hand on Cicero's shoulder and smiled at him.

"Sure thing," Sunset said, knowing that Fiona's journal mentioned that there might be two more Daedric Artifacts in Falkreath, two more that needed to be secured, "We'll head to Falkreath and plan our next move from there."

Fiona, having written every note inside the journal, knew why Sunset was willing to give Cicero the moment to head to the Sanctuary, though the others seemed to wonder about that fact. Once their destination was selected they gathered up their weapons, packs, and supplies before heading towards the road once more, giving them the opportunity to see the construction that Elenwen had commented on the previous night. Most of the residents of Winterhold had their own houses set up at this point, a whole week after the destruction of their Hold, though the Thalmor were beginning to set up their own. Even Delphine had a new inn under construction, apparently wishing to make the area around the keep more like a normal city and not like a complete military compound.

As they got underway Sunset had to wonder which Daedric Prince they would meet first; Hircine, Daedric Prince of the Hunt, or Clavicus Vile, the True Daedric Prince of Power and Bargains. Though that also made her wonder what each of the Princes would ask of her, so that she could claim their Artifact and keep it out of Tirek's hands.

They spent the better part of the morning walking along the road, taking care of two different groups of bandits, before they reached what Sunset assumed was their destination. It was a cave built under the road, with a blackened pool of water with a busted door half sunk nearby, though when Cicero approached it he started to shake. As they passed by the small body of water Sunset saw a shriveled corpse of a man resting in the water, though that paled in comparison to feeling Tirek's magic everywhere.

The inside of the cave, however, made it look like someone had set fire to the entire place, as nearly everything, from the furniture to the unfortunate people who had been here when Tirek arrived, was burnt to a crisp. Sunset walked into the room to the immediate left of the first chamber and picked up another glowing red stone, to which she now had three thanks to Cicero having one from when they were at the Embassy and the one she originally picked up from Fellglow Keep.

"A Stone of Barenziah," Raja said, staring at the stone as Sunset showed it to her, "my sister was holding out on me, if she knew this stone was here to begin with. Hey Cicero, mind if I take this with us."

"Kindness may have the stone, if she desires," Cicero replied, looking around the main chamber and finding more of his friend's bodies, "Laughter needs to be alone for a moment... or maybe three."

"Sweet," Raja said, pocketing the stone as soon as she had her answer, "Well, now I have twenty-two of the twenty-four stones that used to rest on Barenziah's ceremonial crown... now I just need the other two stones and the crown will be complete once more."

That was when Sunset reached into her pack and presented the thief with the remaining two stones, as she had waited to see if they were worth something before telling her she had the other two. She simply handed them over, as she had no desire to do anything with them and knew that her friend would do wonders with the stones... when she returned to Riften.

The group spent the next half hour inside the ruined sanctuary, giving Cicero some time before they departed for Falkreath and asked around for leads on the artifacts. During that time Sunset noticed that there was a Word Wall, somehow preserved despite the flames that had torched everything else around them, and she wasted no time in approaching it. She learned the Word Krii, though she knew that she required training to use any of the Words she was learning from all the walls they were passing. The Word of Power only reminded her that she needed to return to Labyrinthian before long, so she could get her training under Morokei, Krosis, and Rahgot underway.

When Cicero was finally calm enough to travel, as he spent the last half hour throwing whatever he could find at the walls or pounding them with his fists, they left the ruined sanctuary and began walking towards Falkreath. Once they reached the gates of the small city, however, one of the guards decided to ask them something that Sunset would never have expected them to ask.

"Have you seen a dog on the road?" the guard asked, as if it was a perfectly normal question to ask strangers that were coming to the city for the first time.

"I haven't seen any wild animals all day actually," Sunset replied, knowing that one of the Princes had to be behind the wildlife not coming after them, though now she was beginning to suspect which one it was, "so no, I haven't seen a dog today."

"Oh well, the blacksmith was asking us to keep an eye out for it," the guard replied, immediately turning around so he could return to his post, "said he's willing to pay anyone who's seen the beast or even brings it to him."

Sunset made a mental note to reread the notes that Fiona had made on the artifact of Clavicus Vile, as something about a dog seemed to remind her about that particular artifact.

As they walked into the city Sunset noticed that the majority of the people that they passed seemed to be gloomy for some reason, though it wasn't until they reached the cemetery that she found a couple that was mourning the loss of a family member. Unlike the majority of her friends Sunset had never experienced the loss of a loved one or even the loss of a group of friends, but that didn't stop Fiona from pointing at them and mentioning to the journal. It was a clear sign that she believed that one of the Princes was at work with regards to the family, so Sunset sighed and approached the grieving parents.

"Who are you mourning?" Sunset asked, as she had asked the same question several times when she had been growing up in Canterlot, while she was under Princess Celestia's wing.

"Our daughter." the husband replied, apparently not caring that someone was interrupting them, "Our little girl. She hadn't seen her tenth winter. Damn that Sinding to Oblivion. Came through as a laborer, if you believe him. Seemed like a decent man. He's stewing in the pit while we figure out what to do with him, if you've got the stomach to look at him. What could drive a man to do something like this?"

With the location of the one responsible for the death of a child, and likely it was someone who worshiped one of the Princes, Sunset then walked up to one of the guards and inquired as to where the pit was. It was then that she learned that the pit was located inside the barracks, which just happened to be located next to the Jarl's house, both of which the guard was kind enough to point out to her. Maybe the guard thought that she was here to help with the whole Sinding problem, as she had come from the cemetery, and was willing to point her in the right direction. Or, Sunset also thought, it could be because she was the Archmage and the guards didn't want to get hurt in the off chance they angered her.

Whichever was true didn't matter, as she entered the barracks and made her way down to the jail portion of the area, where she eventually found a nord sitting behind an iron barred cell, surrounded by feet high water.

"Come to gawk at the monster?" the man asked, just as Sunset and her friends stopped in front of the cell, before sighing and approaching the bars from his side.

"No, not at all," Sunset replied, wondering what had caused the nord to do what he did, "I wanted to hear your side of the story."

"Believe me, it wasn't anything I ever intended to do." Sinding said, sighing as he held his right hand in front of him and stared at the silver ring he wore, "I just... lost control. I tried to tell them, but none of them believe me. It's all on account of this blasted ring."

"And what ring would that be?" Sunset asked, wondering if this could possibly be one of the two artifacts that she was searching for.

"This is the Ring of Hircine." Sinding replied, glaring at the ring as if he wanted to take a hammer to it and smash it into a thousand pieces, "I was told it could let me control my transformations. Perhaps it used to. But I'll never know. Hircine didn't care for my taking it, and threw a curse on it. I put it on... and the changes just came to me. I could never guess when. It would be at the worst times. Like... with the little girl. I don't suppose there's a point in keeping the secret if I'm going to die in here anyway. I'm sure you've heard of men who shift to beasts under the influence of the moons. I am one of them. A werewolf. It's my secret, and my shame. That's why I wanted the ring... it was said to give men like me control. Now I may look like a man, but I still feel the animal inside of me, as strong as ever."

"And what were you doing before this... unfortunate accident?" Sunset asked, wondering if he knew how to contact Hircine and would share that information with her.

"I've been looking for a way to appease Hircine." Sinding answered, another sigh escaping from him, "There is a certain beast in these lands. Large, majestic. It's said that Hircine will commune with whoever slays it. I tracked it into these woods, but then had my... accident with the child. I want to beg his forgiveness. Give him back the ring. But while I'm stuck in here, the beast wanders free."

"So what if we were to hunt this beast for you?" Sunset inquired, glancing at the ring for a moment, silently wondering what effect it would have on someone who wasn't a werewolf, or on someone who wasn't native to Nirn.

"Oh my. You would do this for me?" Sinding said, surprised that they would even consider taking the ring back to Hircine on his behalf, "Here, take it. I don't want anything to do with this wretched thing anymore."

Before anyone could move the ring, apparently tightened on Sinding's right pointer finger, loosened itself and flew through the bars, sliding onto Sunset's right pointer finger. She reached to remove the ring, but before she could even touch it she felt it tighten around her finger, much to her and her friend's surprise. She looked back up at Sinding, who seemed relieved that the ring had been removed at long last, even if it meant someone else had to carry the cursed piece of jewelry.

"Seek out the beast." Sinding told them, a light smile appearing on his face as he stared at Sunset, as if he was glad that she had taken his place as the bearer of the ring, "He wanders these woods. Bring him down and... well, the Lord of the Hunt should smile on you. I wish you luck, but you should leave here while I still have my skin. Should our paths cross again, I will remember your kindness. Farewell."

That was before Sinding returned to the center of his cell and transformed before their very eyes, his body cracking as muscles bulged and his hands grew out into vicious looking claws. As a tail grew out of his spine Sinding growled, keeping the grin on his face, just as his feet tore out of his shoes and changed into a powerful set of paws. He then tore his ragged clothes off, revealing that his body was now covered in both black fur and muscles that Sunset was sure hadn't been there a moment ago. Sinding then turned towards the gate and grinned at Sunset, just as his head cracked under the intensity of his transformation and grew a muzzle, followed by wolf ears and the remaining wolf features.

In a matter of seconds the man was no more, as the beast roared and jumped at the wall, digging its claws into the wall as it climbed out of the pit and escaped into the city.

"So... that will happen to me if we don't deal with this fast enough?" Sunset asked, turning around to face her friends, noticing that Bjorn was nodding to her for a moment, "Bjorn, can you find this beast?"

"I've been tracking and hunting beasts for a long time," Bjorn replied, a smile appearing on his face as he tapped his bow, "Let's go hunt this white stag, before the effects of that ring activate."

As they left the barracks and exited the city, using the same gate they entered through, but as they walked up the hill heading towards Riverwood Sunset noticed something approaching them... which turned out to be a grey looking dog. Sunset would have gone back to the blacksmith and told him where the dog he wanted was, seeing how it was so close to the city, but she had more pressing matters... like trying not to become a werewolf on accident. That was, however, until the dog spoke to her and caused her, and her friends, to pause for a moment.

"You are exactly what I was looking for!" the dog barked at them, or at least Sunset thought that was what the dog had done.

Fiona, once again, coughed and motioned to the journal, indicating that they had found the beginnings of yet another Daedric Artifact, which Sunset assumed was Clavicus Vile's.

"Am I really?" Sunset asked, wondering if she could persuade the dog to just follow them on the hunt, instead of wasting time talking to it in the middle of the road.

"Yes, I think you'll be just what I need." the dog replied, causing Sunset to raise an eyebrow, but thanks to flying dragons and everything else she had seen so far she wasn't too surprised at this point, "You see, my name is Barbas. And I have a problem I think you can help sort out. My master and I had a bit of a falling out. We got into an argument and it got rather... heated. He's kicked me out until I find someone who can settle our disagreement. That's where you come in."

"That sounds awfully familiar," Sunset moaned, remembering the events that lead to her crossing through the crystal mirror the first time, before she turned back to the dog, "Look, we're in the middle of hunting a beast so we can speak to the Daedric Prince called Hircine, but I promise you that, when we're done with him, we'll come right back and help you out."

"No thank you, I'd rather follow you," Barbas said, much to Sunset's surprise, "Look, I know that there's someone by the name of Tirek going around and collecting the magic of everyone that he meets... and I'd rather not give him what magical power I have at the moment. So I'll just follow you and wait until we're done with Hircine... though he gives me the creeps sometimes."

Sunset sighed and patted Barbas on the head, before nodding to Bjorn and getting underway once more, though she was somewhat pleased to have an idea on where to find Clavicus Vile's artifact.

It Bjorn an hour of following tracks, and fighting off two groups of bandits along the way, before they reached their destination, a lake up in the hills that held the stag that Sinding had mentioned. Sunset, having little experience with bows, save for the few times she watched Applejack demonstrate her ability with the weapon, opted for Bjorn to take the beast down. Better, she believed, to have the seasoned hunter take the beast down, instead of someone who didn't know the basics and would likely miss her target. Bjorn nodded and beckoned for them all to be silent, which was followed by him pulling an arrow out of his quiver and pulling the bowstring back as he took aim at the white stag.

It took only a brief moment for the arrow to fly through the air and hit the stag dead in the head, dropping the corpse to the ground as a ghostly form of it appeared behind it.

"Well met hunters," the beast said, just as Sunset and Bjorn approached it.

"Lord Hircine?" Sunset asked, continuing her habit to address the Daedric Princes with respect, least they think to destroy her instead of employing her aid in whatever task they required of her.

"I am the spirit of the hunt," the beast replied, turning to face the sky for a moment before turning back towards them, "just one glimpse of the glorious stalker that your kind calls Hircine."

"Will you take back your ring?" Sunset asked, holding her hand out to reveal the silver band, which she had discovered had a wolf head while they were walking towards this area.

"I may consider it." Hircine replied, though Sunset knew exactly what was coming their way, "But you must first do a service for my glory. The one who stole it has fled to what he thinks is his sanctuary. Just as a bear climbs a tree to escape the hunt, but only ends up trapping himself. Seek out this rogue shifter. Tear the skin from his body, and make it an offering to me."

Before either Bjorn or Sunset could reply the Aspect of Hircine disappeared before their eyes, though not a moment later Sunset, wondering if the Prince had left a clue as to where Sinding ran off to, pulled out her map and found an area near them that was now circled, which hadn't been that way the last time she looked at the map. With the location of their target acquired Sunset and her friends immediately set out on the road once more, though Sunset had to wonder if karma had come back to bite Sinding in the end.

It took them another two hours to reach their destination, passing by several areas along the road, such as a saw mill and a cave implanted in the mountain side, before they were standing outside Sinding's hiding place.

Sunset sighed as they stepped into the cave, wondering what they would find inside, but as they made their way into the main area of the cave, which was lit up by the glow of a blood red moon, she found a terrible sight. The camp site they came to was literally littered with corpses, no doubt of Hircine's hunters that had been hunting Sinding the entire time before Sunset had met him, but what Sunset discovered next made her wonder what was happening. She expected to find the bodies covered in claw marks, the telltale signs of a werewolf, but as she and Bjorn studied the cuts and blood patters she knew someone else was inside the cave.

"One of Tirek's lackeys is here," Sunset concluded, knowing what foul deeds the followers of Tirek were capable of with the power he gave them, "now we just need to find them and stop them before they get their hands on Sinding."

That was moments before someone burst out of the bushes and charged at the nearby stone wall, though that was when Sunset got a good look at who had fallen to Tirek's promises. It was a young nord women, no doubt at least fifteen by Sunset's estimates, though she was decked out in leather armor and carried what Sunset could only call a shortbow. As she passed by the group, completely ignoring them, Sunset could feel the aura of Tirek surrounding the women, telling her that she had been under his sway for sometime... which also told her that she needed to eliminate the young women.

"Come on out Sinding!" the women shouted, glancing around her while ignoring the people standing behind her, "I know your around here somewhere! I've already hit you twice and I know your bleeding, so its only a matter of time until you bleed out and I claim Hircine's artifact for my master... AH HA, I see you!"

Before Sunset could react the young women pulled an arrow out, pulled the string back, and loosed the arrow at the top of what she assumed was a peak, where she heard something cry out in pain, followed by something hitting the ground with a loud thud. The women ran up a path that lead her to the top of the peak, though Sunset followed behind her so she could see what was happening before she obliterated the women. At the top she found a massive werewolf, Sinding she realized, pressing his clawed hand against where his heart was, immediately telling Sunset that the women had hit him in the worst location possible.

"You know Sinding, that was actually fun," the women said, pulling out a wicked looking blade as she approached the werewolf, "Sure, you ran around and made me slaughter the other hunters, not that they deserved to recover Hircine's artifact, but you definitely made me work for this. Its only a shame that I could not recover the Ring of Hircine before you gave it away, but one artifact of a Daedric Lord is better than having none in the end. I will not share the same fate as the others that have failed my master."

That was moments before an shimmering aura surrounding the women, causing her to look back and notice that she had company, to which she also noticed the aura surrounding Sunset's hand and horn.

"I'd love to see the look on Tirek's face when he realizes that your dead as well," Sunset growled, extending her hand and dragging the women into the open air above the path they had walked up, "I feel no sympathy for destroying anyone who allies themselves with Tirek."

Before the women could say anything Sunset activated her magic, crushing the women's heart in an instant before she tossed the lifeless body aside. Once the deed was done she turned to Sinding, who was bleeding out. and knew that the werewolf didn't have much time before he left the world. Sinding, as if he knew what was happening in the last moments of his life, seemed to nod at Sunset, as if to thank her for what she had done, before leaning back as the last of his energy seemed to fade from his body. Sunset nodded to Bjorn and let him do the deed of removing Sinding's hide, to which she and the others, including Barbas, turned away to look over the rest of the area they were in.

"You've done well, hunter." Hircine said from behind Sunset, causing her to look back and find the Aspect standing there again, this time appearing as a ghostly form of Sinding's human form, "You have found my favor. That skin will serve you well, child. Look more closely at it. My glories shall protect you from all this world's grievances. Good hunting."

Sunset looked at the armor that Bjorn was holding and noticed that the emblem that rested on the front of it appeared to be a wolf, which wasn't odd considering what it had been made from. The metal parts also seemed to be made of either iron or steel, though Sunset had no idea which metal it could be and figured that it didn't matter. The other thing she noticed was that the ring that had been fastened to her finger was now no longer there, which meant that Hircine took it the moment he gave them his other artifact, the one Fiona seemed to have labeled as the Savior's Hide in her journal.

Regardless of the outcome Sunset summoned her chest and Bjorn deposited the armor inside, allowing them to seal another Daedric Artifact away from Tirek's grasp.

"We'll make camp outside the cave for the night," Sunset told her friends, while also talking to Barbas, "and in the morning Barbas will lead us to Clavicus Vile, though I pray that we don't find another of Tirek's lackeys while we do so."

23: A Prince's Best Friend

Sunset insisted on camping outside the cave that Sinding had been killed in, not wanting to sleep in the same area that held the bodies of so many of Hircine's hunters, all slain by the newest addition to Tirek's minions. Lydia, Bjorn, and Raja were still inside the cave, gathering the valuable weapons, arrows, armor, and whatever else they could find before they returned to the camp. Fiona, Cicero, and Barbas sat around the campfire, waiting for the rest of the group to return, while Sunset stared off into the distance, watching the day give way to the night. It gave her the opportunity the reflect on everything that had happened over the last week or two, the good and the bad.

Sunset was quite pleased to have already found five of the fifteen artifacts that she had been hunting for, to keep out of Tirek's hands so he didn't obtain his full devastating power. Barbas would lead her and her friends to Clavicus Vile, which would allow her to find out what the Prince wanted in exchange for his artifact, which would then be added to her chest.

"You know that you were never in any danger of transforming into a werewolf right?" Fiona asked, appearing behind Sunset and causing her to turn towards the vampire, "What? You read my journal and knew what notes I made about each artifact."

"And you never thought to tell me that I didn't need to hurry so I could avoid becoming a beast?" Sunset inquired, wondering why her friend didn't stop her in the beginning, though she knew that if they hadn't hurried then Sinding would have been dead long before they arrived at the cave.

"You were set in your desire to get it done," Fiona replied, shrugging her shoulders a bit as she replied, "and we not only saved another artifact, but we also eliminated another enemy from Tirek's ranks."

"Yet he's still out there," Sunset commented, silently wondering what it would take for her to find where Tirek was hiding and then, if she found him, how much power she'd have to have in order to defeat him, "Tirek will keep coming until we either send him back to Tartarus, or he gains his full power and destroys Nirn completely."

"We'll beat him," Fiona replied, patting Sunset on the shoulder for a moment, "Come on, the others are coming out of the cave and everyone could use some sleep before we find out what Barbas needs us to do before we can reach Clavicus Vile."

Sunset nodded and followed Fiona back to their campsite, finding that her friends were all glad to have the business that Hircine gave them gone and over with. Though she could also see the look on their faces that made them wonder what the next Daedric Lord would ask of them, which Sunset was also wondering. While they were all sitting around the fire they shared the evening meal with each other, which Bjorn look pleasure in making for them all as Raja comforted Cicero. Lydia was the only one that wasn't looking at the fire, keeping to her training to be on the lookout for danger as they sat around their campfire.

Sunset knew that she was lucky to have such good friends in this world, which was much more than she was expecting when she had first found herself in Nirn for the first time.

Morning eventually arrived for Sunset and her friends and, once they were wide awake and ate a quick breakfast, they got on the road and began the journey towards their next destination. Sunset originally thought that it had to be somewhere near Falkreath, as that was where they found Barbas, but once the dog spoke to them she had to wonder where the shrine was actually located.

"Now, since he banished me, Vile's been rather weak." Barbas told them as they walked back to Falkreath, which they would pass as he was going to be leading the way the entire time, "He can't manifest very far from one of his shrines. I know there's a cult that worships him at Haemar's Shame. We should be able to talk to him there. If this works out, I'll make sure you're rewarded. Just don't trust any offer he makes you... okay?"

That was what Sunset was expecting from the true Prince of Bargains, something that was so true that you knew that you shouldn't take it, but she also knew that the people of Nirn were susceptible to Tirek's offerings. It was unsettling that he seemed to be able to corrupt anyone, if he gave them the right motivation to betray what they actually knew, and get them to offer themselves to him the moment they died.

"You know something, I've been thinking about this Tirek since we met yesterday," Barbas commented, leading them towards an area that they had passed the previous day, where they had fought one of the bandit groups, "He seems to be more like someone who corrupts people, instead of the type that makes bargains that they'll come to regret. The Prince of Corruption one might say."

Sunset had no idea if the dog could read her mind and was merely echoing her thoughts out loud, or if he was actually speaking his mind and happened to be thinking the same thing that she had been thinking. Either way, she didn't think that giving Tirek a title, other than calling him a demon all the time, was really going to help them gather the Daedric Artifacts. She worried that, by calling him a Daedric Prince, that it would make people flock to his side and offer themselves to him, just like she was seeing with the other Princes she had interacted with so far.

She seriously didn't need him suddenly acquiring the force of an army, otherwise she was sure that she would never be able to finish her quest to gather the Daedric Artifacts without having to kill so many innocent people in the process.

Barbas eventually led them to Helgen, where Sunset was surprised to find that a host of bandits had moved into the area and were ready to do battle with them. She wasn't too surprised when the bandits poured out of their hiding spots and challenged her and her friends, to which Lydia gladly stepped forward. Lydia pulled out her battleaxe and charged at the coming wave of enemies, hacking into their defenses as Bjorn provided support by taking out whatever archers happened to be around them. Cicero also joined the fun, disappearing behind their enemies before reappearing, where he immediately sank his daggers into one foe before moving onto the next.

Once the bandits were all dead, and their loot was collected, the group pressed onward, passing through the gateway that Sunset remembered her and Bjorn entering the town through. It was hard to imagine that she was going to be on the chopping block when she had entered this world, only to be saved by a dragon that was now one of her allies in her fight against Tirek. As they walked up the hill that Barbas continued to say would lead them towards their destination, Sunset also noticed that there happened to be a military camp near the ruined city. Upon further inspection as they passed she noted that the Stormcloaks didn't want them getting any closer to their camp, which was perfectly fine as they continued on their merry way.

It took them another hour to navigate the path that Barbas took them on, but they eventually reached the cave that was supposed to house the shrine of Clavicus Vile. As they entered the cave, however, Fiona took a moment to note that the person watching the entrance was a vampire, a young one at that, before Cicero appeared behind the nord and took his head clean off.

The group then proceeded to fight their way through the cave, thanks to Barbas continuing to bark every now and then and giving their position away to everyone that was in the cave. As they fought through the waves of vampires Sunset had to note that many of them didn't go down easily, as the further they went into the cave the stronger the vampires seemed to get. It was almost as if the eldest vampires were before the shrine and all the younger ones rested on the path leading to the end, leaving the youngest vampires at the beginning to test themselves. It only supported her theory as they found a wooden walkway to take them down to the next area of the cave, only to find a powerful vampire sitting at a table and reading a book.

Instead of wasting time Sunset merely ignited her hands and threw a barrage of fireballs at the vampire's back, easily hitting him several times as he got up to face them. He barely had time to react as Sunset appeared before him, implanting the Dawnbreaker into his chest before burning his entire body to ashes.

Once that was taken care of they moved deeper into the cave, using Cicero's ability to sneak to their advantage as he separated from the group once and took the head of one of the vampires, causing them to bicker among each other. What happened next, from what Sunset could tell from the noise, was that the vampires began to insist that one of the others killed their companion, to which the accused would roar that he or she did no such thing. Then, when the anger really began to boil, Sunset could hear them literally tearing each other apart, saving them the trouble of having to fight them, before the noise died down and they could no longer hear the vampires.

"They're like a stack of cards," Cicero said, with a smile on his face as he dropped the vampire's head on the ground, "Just remove one of the supporting pillars and the entire thing comes crashing down."

Sunset nodded and beckoned for them to enter what she hoped was the final chamber of the cave, though she had to admit that she was amazed that Cicero's plan had worked as well as it had. They entered the chamber and Sunset was pleased to find the large stone statue of who she knew to be Clavicus Vile, as there was no way that Barbas would dare bring them to one of his master's enemies. She took a deep breath, as was her custom before speaking with one of the Daedric Princes, and approached the shrine, ready to see what this one wanted for his artifact.

"Lord Clavicus Vile," Sunset said, hoping that Barbas was right and that this wasn't a waste of their time, "I have a request..."

"By all means, let's hear it." a voice said, this one speaking around her, just like when she finished Malacath's quest, "It's the least I could do, since you already helped me grant one final wish for my last worshippers... They were suffering so from vampirism, and begged me for a cure. Then you came and ended their misery! I couldn't have planned it better myself. So, what's your heart's desire? What kind of deal can we strike?"

"I'm just here to reunite you with Barbas," Sunset explained, fully prepared to chew the Prince out for letting the dog, who apparently held some of his power, roam the land of Skyrim while Tirek was on the loose.

"Ugh. That insufferable pup?" Clavicus asked her, apparently not even considering the idea that there might be someone dangerous on the loose that could very well drain the dog of his power, and making it impossible for the Prince to regain his full strength, "Forget it. Request denied. No deal. I'm glad to be rid of him. Even if it does mean I'm stuck in this pitiful shrine, in the back end of... nowhere. Well... perhaps there is a way he could earn his place back at my side. Maybe. But no promises."

"And what would you have me do?" Sunset asked, curious as to what she had to do or who she had to kill this time around.

"There's an axe." Clavicus replied, almost too quickly, which made Sunset wonder if he had been planning on something like this the entire time Barbas was gone, "An incredibly powerful axe. An axe powerful enough for me to have quite a bit of fun, indeed. If you bring it to me, I'll grant you my boon. No strings attached. No messy surprises. At least, not for you. As I recall, it's resting in Rimerock Burrow. Barbas can lead you right to it. The little mutt might even earn his place back at my side."

Sunset nodded her understanding and beckoned for her friends to follow her, choosing to use the back entrance to the cave instead of running through the mess once more. It was then that she discovered that the cave that contained Clavicus' shrine was at the base of the Throat of the World, telling her that they had some walking to do before they reached a carriage.

It took them another two to three hours to reach Whiterun, which had only been a shortened version of the trip thanks to Barbas showing them a path that allowed them to cut right across from Iverstead to Whiterun, without having to go all the way around. Seeing how it was evening, and that they had their camping gear, Sunset decided that they could take the carriage now, arrive at Solitude when it was dark, and then camp before getting up in the morning to fine Rimerock Barrow. Once they had spoken to the carriage driver, and were all sitting in the back, Sunset allowed herself to relax just a bit as she stared at the evening sky.

"So, um... who do you guys worship?" Barbas asked, as if it was a common question to ask, while at the same time trying to pass the time as they traveled towards their destination, "Not that its important... I'm just curious."

"Oh, mine is very easy to answer," Cicero said, excitement filling his face as he looked at the dog, "I, Cicero, named Laughter by the Listener of the Dark Brotherhood, serve Sithis, the Dread-Father. It is my hope that my old friends, who were so brutally slain by the demon known as Tirek, are serving him now, in the Void."

"I pray to Talos before every battle," Lydia commented, pulling out an axe shaped necklace, "not the god version of him, that the Thalmor continue to seek to tear down, but to the hero himself. He was a brave warrior that built an empire, though I pray to have the strength to protect my friends from any harm that might befall them. The same strength that he had when he was fighting beside his own friends on the field of battle."

"I mostly choose to worship the Divines themselves," Bjorn replied, picking up where Lydia left off, "though I have, from time to time, sent a prayer Hircine's way. Mostly so I can pray for a good hunt, which is what the majority of the hunters do these days... though they may not pray to a Daedra for a good hunt."

Sunset had the feeling that he may have left something out, but seeing as she was new to the whole Divine and Daedric Prince worship she decided that he had his reasons for leaving whatever it was out... if something had been left out.

"The Divines are who I follow," Fiona commented, a light smile appearing on her face, as if she was remembering something, "I remember the first time me and my sisters met; we had been run out of a small settlement because we had the appearance of being vampires. Well there was that, and then there was the day before when one of the girls, I believe her name was Alva, came out of the swamp and told the citizens that the three of us were vampires that worshiped Molag Bal. Truthfully we were lucky to have escaped when we did, because a day or two later, when I dared to return to my place to gather some supplies for the three of us, I spotted a heavily armed group of soldiers, the Vigilants of Stendarr I later discovered, asking around for me and my sister.

None of us have even been back to our home, just in case the Vigilants set up a permanent residence there, and continued to wander around Skryim... until the Caller captured us and locked us away in Fellglow Keep. The rest of the story you all know by now."

Sunset had no idea that Fiona had been holding such a terrible memory in her mind, though she suspected that, now that the story had been revealed, she would finally overcome it.

"I might as well come clean then," Raja said, sighing for a brief moment, "I serve Nocturnal, the Patron to Thieves everywhere, the Prince of Darkness and the Night. There's not much more I can say without divulging everything I learned over the last couple of days, but suffice to say that I am... happy... to have her at my back."

"And what about you Sunset?" Bjorn asked, knowing that she had studied under Princess Celestia, but what he and the others didn't know was if she worshiped anyone besides her former mentor, "Who do you worship?"

"I'd be lying if I didn't say that I worshiped by former mentor, Princess Celestia the Dawnbringer," Sunset eventually replied, sighing as she wondered how best to answer such a difficult question, while turning her head towards the setting sun, "I mean, she raised and lowered both the Sun and the Moon for a thousand years, defeated numerous foes that threatened Equestria, and even took the time to personally teach me about magic. It makes me wonder what she would think of me these days, if she knew just how far I have come since the last time I saw her... on the day I disappointed the both of us."

"Do not feel bad about the past," Raja told her, patting her shoulder for a moment, "I am positive that your mentor would be proud of you... once she hears about all the good deeds you've been doing for the people of Nirn."

Sunset nodded and they got to talking about other things, though they mostly talked about what they would do next, once they had the artifact of Clavicus Vile safely secured.

Getting to Solitude and camping not far away had been easy, but when morning arrived Barbas, apparently knowing where Rimerock Barrow was located, offered to led them once more. Sunset, deciding that it was better to save time, beckoned for the dog to head off and the group followed after him, heading into the mountains once more. Instead of turning to the right, which would lead them to the ruins of the Thalmor's Embassy, they turned to the left and headed down a path that brought them to a ruined tower. The moment they reached the tower Barbas slowed down and walked around the structure, revealing a dirt path that appeared to take them down to the coast line.

Sunset then discovered, not a few moments later, that the path they had taken led right to a cave in the side of the mountain, which Barbas continued to say was their destination. Once inside the group discovered two people that inhabited the area, though upon further inspection Sunset quickly discovered that one of them was actually a flame atronach, while the other was an breton that appeared to be in his fifties. She held her hand to stop her friends, and Barbas, from going any further, before extending her right hand and engulfing the atronach in her magical aura. Then, to be sure that the breton didn't hear them, she crushed the atronach and sent it back to Oblivion, before she stood up and approached the breton.

Once she was standing behind the breton she discovered an axe that was sitting on the table in front of him, almost as if he was studying the artifact.

"Hehehe, the master said that you'd be coming for the axe," the breton said, turning around to face Sunset with a wild look in his eyes, "He promised me many things, including the resurrection of my beloved daughter, in exchange for this simple axe. Yet I know that, if I were to hand over the axe, then disaster would surely follow."

"You don't have to serve Tirek any longer," Sunset replied, holding her hand to her side, fully prepared to fight if the breton decided to follow through with Tirek's orders, "He's just a demon, one that's manipulating you into furthering the end of this world. Let me take the axe and bring it back to its true master, so that way Tirek doesn't gain any more power than he already has."

"No, you're trying to trick me," the breton said, his magic surrounding the axe and spinning it around, arming himself for the fight to come, "I will destroy you... and then I will see my daughter again."

Sunset sighed and summoned the Staff of Magnus, raising it to block to incoming attack as the breton swung the axe at her, all while she began to gather magic into the stone. She allowed the breton to attack her, dodging his attacks and returning some weak jabs with the base of the staff, but she was devastated inside. Tirek had turned a heartbroken father into a monster that wanted to see the end of the world, in exchange for getting his daughter back, regardless of how long she's been gone. It just furthered her desire to combat the madness the demon brought to Nirn, so that she could finally rid this world of him once and for all.

Once the stone atop the staff was fully charged, and her mind was set on her path, she quickly disarmed the breton and pointed the stone at his chest, blasting him into the back of the cave with the full force of the staff and ending his life in an instant.

"I'm sorry it had to be this way," Sunset said, looking towards the breton's corpse as Lydia collected the Rueful Axe, "may you find peace in whatever afterlife you find yourself in."

"Okay, we're back," Sunset said, finally reaching the shrine to Clavicus Vile, for the second time.

They had traversed the trek they had taken to reach Rimerock Barrow, returned to Solitude, got a carriage ride back to Whiterun, and then retraced their steps to the shrine. Sunset had remained silent for the majority of the journey, annoyed that Tirek would strike at someone like Sebastian Lort, a name provided by Barbas. She knew that she should have seen it coming, considering what she already knew about the demon, but he was continuing to surprise her with every step she took.

Still, she was slightly pleased to have recovered the axe that Clavicus Vile asked for, which meant that they could finish this transaction and she could move on, hopefully to find another Prince.

"Ah, you've got the axe! And my dog. Splendid." Clavicus replied, sounding pleased, again making Sunset wonder if he had a secret agenda, "Excellent work. A hero, her friends, and her faithful companion, retrieving the ancient artifact for the prince. It's almost... storybook. Ah, but it almost seems a shame to give a weapon like that away, doesn't it? I suppose I could be persuaded to let you keep it... But only if you use the axe to kill Barbas. Simple as that."

"Not going to happen," Sunset snapped back, beckoning to Lydia, who pulled the Rueful Axe out of her pack and placed it on the shrine, "Take the axe and Barbas. I'm not about to leave a trace of your magic, or Barbas' for that matter, for the demon Tirek to feel and somehow take for his own. So, take them away and save yourself from having him suddenly appear one day and drain you of all your power."

"Hrmph. You're no fun at all." Clavicus replied, apparently ignoring the majority of what she had told him, "Guess I'll have to make my own fun elsewhere. And with the pup back, I'll be restored to my full power. There's a whole world just waiting for me!"

Barbas came by Sunset and expressed his gratitude for not killing him, while Clavicus complained the entire time as both Barbas and the axe disappeared, only for an iron mask of sorts to appear before Sunset.

"Ah, that feels so much better!" Clavicus said, just as a stone dog appeared on the statue, "You forget how nice supreme power feels until you've been stuck in a cave for a few years. It's a shame you wished for something so dull as me taking back the mutt. Quite the lack of imagination on your part. A lack of ambition like that really ought to be punished. Perhaps by turning you into a worm, or maybe a few decades of... Oh, fine. Have my boon and be done with it. I've got more interesting deals to make, anyway."

Sunset felt the presence of the Prince fade from the room, sighing as she sealed the mask into her chest and beckoned to her friends to leave the area with her. She was ready to deal with someone, or something else, that would aid her in defeating Tirek, but what she really had no idea until she discovered it.

Tirek stood before the giant shrine of the Daedric Prince known as Azura, feeling the lingering power of his last two minions enter his body and strengthening him even further. One had been sent to recover the artifact of Hircine, which had caused her to spend the last two weeks hunting the bearer down, until she had caught up with the werewolf and was destroyed by Sunset Shimmer. The other, the breton who had been standing over the artifact of Clavicus Vile, he had twisted into his minion, but in the end he had failed to deliver either the axe or slay his enemy.

Sunset was beginning to be a thorn in his side, one that he wondered if he should remove now, or wait until she had completed her collection of Daedric Artifacts.

"Soon I will be rid of her," Tirek commented, staring up at the statue for a moment, magic pulsing around his right hand, "and then I will shatter this world."

As he turned to leave the alter he spun around and hit the air in front of the statue, cracking the air in front of him and all around him before it touched the statue. With the deed done he walked down the stairs, just as the entire structure, and the statue it was supporting, collapsed until the shaking of the earth. It brought a smile to his face, as he destroyed the symbol of one of the Daedric Princes that the people of Skyrim, allowing the statue to fracture and fall down the side of the mountain. He was sure that some pieces would find their way into the water the surrounded where Winterhold used to reside, but in the end that really didn't matter to him.

Soon he'd have the power to shatter this world, and there was nothing that the Divines, the Daedric Princes, or even Sunset Shimmer herself could do to stop her.

24: Sky Haven Temple

With the artifacts of both Hircine and Clavicus Vile secured in her chest, and both Barbas and the Rueful Axe taken to back to Vile's realm of Oblivion, Sunset and her friends departed from Haemar's Shame. Sunset was tired of running from one Daedric Prince to another, despite the fact that she knew that she needed their artifacts to be secured from Tirek, so her plan was to return to her keep. There were other pieces of her alliance that needed to fall into place, pieces that she was currently missing and would add to the effectiveness of their chances of defeating the demon.

Sunset had no idea what she would do next, though she was sure that her friends were tired of listening to one Daedric Prince talk to them, only for them to find another and start the process all over again.

As the day gave way to the night they walked across the hidden mountain pass that Barbas was kind enough to show them, allowing them to arrive at Fellglow Keep much quicker than if they took the path that was labeled on the map. When they arrived Sunset was pleasantly surprised to find that Tolfdir was accepting some new students into the keep, ones that, she was told, had come with the express purpose to fight the demon that had destroyed Azura's Shrine. It pained her to hear that Tirek had destroyed yet another landmark, but it was countered by the joy that there were still people in Nirn that were hearing about all of this and were willing to risk their lives to defend their home.

"Ah, Dragon Priestess, there you are," Delphine commented, standing beside the opening to the keep as Sunset's friends headed to their chambers for the night, "I need to have a word with you."

"And that would be?" Sunset asked, kind of curious as to what the women wanted this time, remembering the last time they went somewhere she wanted her to kill a dragon.

"Esbern and I have discovered the resting place of Alduin's Wall," Delphine replied, looking pleased with herself for helping the old man discover the location, "Look, I know that your allied with the dragons as a result of the current crisis, but there are some secrets there that we might be able to use against your enemy. Plus there's supposed to be plenty of leftover armor and weapons that I'm sure that we can put to good use around here."

"So where is this Wall supposed to be located?" Sunset asked, wondering why she had the feeling that the women was lying to her, that there was another motive for wanting to find the Wall.

"The Karthspire," Delphine answered, pulling out her magic and showing her the area that she and Esbern had circled earlier, "in the Karth River Valley, near Markarth. Your not busy gathering Deadric Artifacts at the moment, so I figured that we could take a small journey to the area and investigate what the ancient Blades left behind for us to use. Then, once we're done, you can travel to Markarth, where I've heard rumors of Daedra Worshipers either defiling the dead or performing some strange ritual in one of the houses."

Sunset wasn't at all surprised to hear about another Daedric Prince, or more like the worshipers, though she was somewhat surprised to hear that Markarth might have two of them plaguing their citizens. After all, she had taken to reading Fiona's journal a little more and knew that some of the Princes' liked to be in the same area as another one. She supposed that, as long as they were heading in the direction of Markarth, that they could pop into the city and investigate the rumors that she was being told about. There was always the chance that the rumors would involve one of the Princes that she's already dealt with, which in some ways would be rather annoying.

Though there was always the chance that there was a Prince she hadn't interacted with, leaving another of the nine remaining Daedric Artifacts out in the open.

"Very well Delphine, I shall consider heading to this Karthspire," Sunset eventually said, walking up the stairs to her chamber before turning around and facing the women, "but heed what I'm about to tell you; I shall not come to a decision until I have had an opportunity to speak with my friends and hear their thoughts on the situation. Good night, Delphine."

"Good night, Priestess," Delphine replied, though Sunset could still hear some of her anger on the tip of her tongue, just as she turned around and left the keep.

Sunset sighed as she entered her chambers, where she had both the Staff of Magnus and the Dawnbreaker disappear as she laid on her bed, staring up at the ceiling for a moment. She briefly wondered if the hatred that was festering in Delphine's heart would ever be extinguished, or if she was destined to forever hate both the dragons and the Thalmor. She was still grateful that she was keeping herself in check around Elenwen, though she was sure that, if it hadn't been for the alliance, Delphine would have taken her sword and slain Elenwen the moment she entered the area around the keep. Though she also had to wonder what other motive Delphine might have for wanting to find Alduin's Wall, the motive that she knew was there and yet couldn't see.

She sighed once more before closing her eyes, allowing herself to drift to sleep before she had a talk with her friends over what their next move should be.

When Sunset woke up she briefly stretched her arms and legs before climbing out of her bed, where she proceeded to head for the door and meet up with her friends. As she exited her chambers she was pleased to find that the keep was full of activity, thanks to several new apprentices showing up to learn magic to combat the destruction that was happening to Skyrim. As she walked towards the entrance to the keep she spotted several apprentices having some trouble with their spell, so she took a moment to walk over and observe what they were doing. When the apprentices noticed her and bowed she simply smiled to them and beckoned for them to watch her perform the ice spike spell they were having problems with, much to their joy.

Sunset was much more skilled in the art of Fire Magic, but thanks to her training under Princess Celestia she was as skilled as Princess Twilight was in certain aspects of magic, though she was lacking in other areas.

Once the apprentices were shown how to properly cast the spell Sunset resumed her walk and exited the keep, where she found her friends cooking breakfast. She was pleased to note that the rebuilding of the crumbling walls was already underway, so that way they could fortify their position against those that decided to side with Tirek. She took a moment to observe the building that was happening all around the keep, spotting that new stone roads were being installed in the three directions that one could enter the courtyard of the keep through. There were also plenty of houses and stores being added all around the keep, though she also noted what appeared to be a barracks and the beginnings of a fishing area near the river.

"They have been quite busy," Bjorn commented, standing next to Sunset as she observed the progress, "Elenwen did not lie to you Sunset, she's been hard at work whipping this place into shape for your army."

"I suspected that she would remain true to her word," Sunset said, turning back to the area where her friends were sitting down, "Soon both the Imperial Legion and the Stormcloaks will wonder if they have a new ally, or a new enemy, to deal with as the keep gets closer to completion. I hope that, when that time comes, that I will be able to send you guys to the leaders of each faction and request a peaceful gathering between us and them, so that we might gather more allies to combat Tirek."

Bjorn nodded his agreement and they rejoined their friends, where they proceeded to share the morning meal and laugh at one of the stories that Fiona decided to share with them. It was one of the memories from before she became a vampire and met her sisters, back before the Oblivion Crisis happened and reshaped the empire. She had bet her septims on the Champion from the Blue Team winning the final match against the Arena Champion, after having destroyed everyone on the Yellow Team, but she had been pleased by what happened next. The Arena Champion was cut down in front of everyone, much to the dismay of those around her, and she collected her winnings before leaving the Imperial City.

The septims, Fiona had told them, came in quite useful after she became a vampire, as they allowed her to buy a carriage ride out of Cyrodiil once the Oblivion Crisis was over. Sunset suspected that there was a story behind how she became a vampire to begin with, though Fiona obviously didn't want to discuss it and she wasn't about to ask anyway.

"Ah, Priestess, there you are," Delphine said, appearing by the camp with Esbern standing beside her, "I take it that you and your friends have had the opportunity to discuss heading to Karthspire?"

"Give us a few more minutes Delphine," Sunset told the women, though she was sure that it only made her angrier with her, "This isn't something that can be taken lightly; asking the Dragonborn to deviate from the path that she has chosen for herself."

Delphine stared at her for a moment, causing those around them to wonder if she was going to draw her sword and strike Sunset down where she sat, before she sighed and walked away, promising to return in ten minutes to ask again.

"Seriously? The Karthspire?" Fiona asked, turning to Sunset for a moment, "What does she and Esbern expect to find there? A dwemer device that will allow you to destroy Tirek without having to go through the effort of fighting him?"

"Apparently she thinks there's weapons and armor we can put to use hidden there," Sunset replied, not surprised to find that the majority of her friends were upset, though Lydia seemed overjoyed with the idea of finding more people to fight, "though even I can tell that she has another reason for wanting to go there. I'm not sure that its worth the effort to go there, but Markarth is literally in the vicinity of the Karthspire and there's supposed to be two more artifacts waiting there. I figure that, if this trip to the Karthspire is a bust, then we're already halfway to Markarth and we can walk into the city for the artifacts that you've listed in your journal."

"Essentially two birds and one stone," Cicero commented, rubbing his chin as he got a mental image that Sunset didn't want to even consider thinking about, "Laughter approves of this plan."

Sunset sighed and watched as the rest of her friends voiced their opinion to visit the Karthspire, and Markarth soon after that, though Fiona was the last one to do so before Sunset called Delphine back over.

"I take it that you have reached a decision?" Delphine asked, her tone clearly telling those around her that she didn't want them to be wasting her time again, "Or am I going to have to wait until you return with several more Daedric Artifacts?"

"We're heading to Karthspire," Sunset said, still wondering what else could be there for the women to ask for them to journey there, "Just stick close to me and my friends and we'll reach our destination in no time."

Delphine, now looking quite pleased once more, nodded her understanding and, not a few minutes later, the group of eight were on their way to the Reach, leaving the safety of the keep behind.

As it turned out getting even close to the Karthspire proved to be quite the challenge, as there were many bandit groups that wanted them to hand over their valuables or surrender their lives. Bjorn and Lydia took the most pleasure in dealing with them, as Lydia hacked at them while Bjorn loosed his arrows into the kinks of their armor, where it was at its weakest. It was at this time that Sunset wanted to limit them on what they collected, though Raja continued to find gemstones everywhere, how she didn't understand, and encountered a few pieces of ebony armor, which were gifted to Lydia first.

One time they reached a river that held a stronghold of bandits on the other side, though Cicero giggled in delight before heading into the water and entered the stronghold through a back entrance. Not a few minutes later Sunset could hear several bandits shouting at each other, all the while seeing the jester sneaking around and picking off those that weren't expecting him. Soon the place was quite and he beckoned them forward once more, allowing them to briefly collect any loot they could find before they continue along their way. Sunset was also annoyed that Delphine had read the map wrong, as they were supposed to have made a turn before the river and had to backtrack to the crossroads, where they made the turn they should have made earlier.

Despite all of that they eventually reached their destination, though by the time they did so the light was slowly going away, though it gave Raja and Cicero the advantage over whoever might be waiting for them at the Karthspire.

"Careful around here," Bjorn commented as they approached their destination, his hand reaching for his bow once more, "I have been around this area, hunting dangerous animals, before and the Forsworn that call the Reach their home are not to be taken lightly. They do not like having people visit their homes and are known to attack and capture those they defeat, so that they can use them in their sacrificial rituals. I'd advise against alerting them to our presence and seeing if we can simply sneak into the area that we need to be in... otherwise this might not turn out so good."

Then, just as Bjorn finished speaking, a roar tore open the clouds above the Karthspire and a green scaled dragon descended from the sky, his gaze locked squarely on the Forsworn before him. As the Forsworn realized that they were under attack they gathered their weapons and immediately began to loose their arrows at the dragon. Sunset briefly wondered if they could bypass the entire fight, but knowing that the dragon was an ally, and letting it die would reflect poorly on her in Alduin's eyes, she summoned her staff and walked out of her hiding spot.

It was as if time slowed down around her, as both the dragon and the Forsworn stopped to stare at her, both forces wondering if she was an ally or an enemy, before Sunset summoned a fireball into her left hand and blasted one of the Forsworn in the chest, knocking him into the side of the ruins around them. The dragon seemed to roar in laughter as he tore into several of the warriors that had loosed their arrows at him, though Sunset didn't really care about it. As long as the dragon reported to Alduin that she was abiding by the terms to not slay his kind, in return for whatever aid he could give her, then she would let him laugh as much as he wanted.

"Is she insane?" Delphine asked, watching Sunset and the dragon destroy the Forsworn, while her friends remained behind, "Alduin is nowhere to be seen, so why doesn't she just turn her magic on the dragon and tear it out of the sky?"

"There is a larger threat to everyone besides the dragons," Esbern commented, also watching the fight unfold, "Alduin knows of Tirek's existence, though he is too prideful to let someone else come in and simply destroy all of Nirn in his place. No, Alduin wants this demon destroyed before he can continue on his quest to erase our world and, as such, he'll gladly join forces with the person that he believes is the key to Tirek's downfall. Killing a dragon here and there will simply weaken the deal that the two of them made, until it comes to a point where not even Alduin will allow her to continue to live.

I admit Delphine, Sunset's plan to build an alliance to combat Tirek sounds insane, but people are gathering in her fortress and an army is forming to slay the demon. Once Tirek is dead I am sure that we'll be able to determine whose side the Dragonborn is truly on, though for our sake I pray to the Divines that she picks the people of Nirn."

Sunset glanced at the rest of the ruins around the Karthspire, to be sure that there were no more Forsworn that needed to be dealt with, before she turned to the dragon that had descended from the clouds.

"Peace Dragonborn," the dragon said, speaking in his natural tongue, which Sunset clearly understood, "I had heard that you were powerful, though I had to see for myself. You are a powerful ally."

"I thank you for the aid," Sunset replied, somewhat glad that the dragon wasn't going to attack her in the end, "and I am glad to meet the standards that you have heard about."

The dragon roared and took off, traveling into the air before disappearing, allowing her friends, including Delphine and Esbern, to approach her without worrying about the dragon attacking them. Sunset turned towards the mountain they had come to investigate and immediately spotted an entrance in the mountainside, directing them towards the opening. Once inside they found two more Forsworn waiting for them, but Lydia, annoyed that she couldn't fight the force of enemies outside, charged forward and took the head of her enemies without giving them a chance to defend themselves.

Sunset nodded and they advanced into the cave, finding an open area that had a staircase that led them to a platform that had three pedestals waiting for them. It was at that point that Esbern mentioned that the symbols on the pedestals were Akaviri in origin, though he pointed to the one that looked like two dragon heads and an arrow, saying that it was the symbol for Dragonborn. Sunset really didn't have to think about it as she turned the other two pedestals to the same symbol that Esbern had pointed out, before the stone walkway nearby fell into place and allowed them to move on.

The second chamber they came to had a bunch of symbols on the ground, to which Sunset assumed they were pressure plates and spotted the same symbol as the one on the pedestals. She beckoned for her friends to stand back as she carefully walked across the plates, keeping herself on the one that was for the Dragonborn until she was standing before a pillar. She looked at it for a moment, studying the stonework, before pulling the lever and deactivating the traps that had been set before, allowing them to move on once more. They then crossed the newly formed stone walkway and rounded a corner, where Sunset discovered an open area that held some sort of opening, one that was covered by a massive stone head.

The stone circle before the massive head was what caught Sunset's attention, as the moment Esbern saw it he immediately labeled it as a 'Blood Seal' and declared that it could only be activated by the Dragonborn's blood. To that Sunset dismissed her staff and took one of the orcish daggers they had collected out of her pouch, to which she cut her left hand open just a bit. When the stone circle started to move and something began to unlock Sunset smiled and sealed the wound up, before approaching the newly revealed passageway behind the stone head.

When they entered the hidden fortress and walked up the stone stairs Sunset was slightly amazed that something like this could have been hidden for so long, all without someone else discovering it. Then she saw the Wall, the masterwork of the Akaviri craftsman that depicted a battle between dragons and man, though it told of other events as well.

"Yes, yes, let's see what we have here," Esbern commented, walking up to the wall with a torch in his right hand, before he beckoned to the leftmost side of the wall, "Look, here is Alduin! This panel goes back to the beginning of time, when Alduin and the Dragon Cult ruled over Skyrim. Here, the humans rebel against their dragon overlords - the legendary Dragon War. Alduin's defeat is the centerpiece of the Wall. You see, here he is falling from the sky. The Nord Tongues - masters of the Voice - are arrayed against him."

"So does it show how they defeated him?" Delphine asked, revealing the reason as to why they wanted to come to this hidden fortress in the first place, "Isn't that why we're here?"

"Patience my dear," Esbern said, shaking his head ever so slightly, "The Akaviri were not a straightforward people. Everything is couched in allegory and mythic symbolism. Yes, yes. This here, coming from the mouths of the Nord heroes - this is the Akaviri symbol for 'Shout'. But... this is no way to know what Shout is meant."

"You mean they used a Shout to defeat Alduin?" Delphine asked, almost as if she was surprised by that fact, "You're sure?"

"Oh yes," Esbern replied, as if he had expected the question and had his answer ready for her, "Presumably something rather specific to dragons, or even Alduin himself. Remember, this is where they recorded everything they knew about Alduin and his return."

"Damn it," Delphine said, turning to Sunset, who had been silently watching them the entire time, "Well, I had hoped to avoid involving the Greybeards, but it doesn't seem like we have a choice. You're going to have to go back to High Hrothgar and ask them if they know about this Shout that was used against Alduin."

"Good luck with that," Sunset replied, which caused the women to glare at her with anger in her eyes, "My fight is with Tirek, not with Alduin and the dragons. And I knew you were hiding something from me Delphine, though I never expected something like this."

"See Esbern? Its exactly like I told you," Delphine commented, turning her head back to the old man for a moment, "She's helped so many Daedric Princes that she's been corrupted by their evil, as she won't even consider the fact that she needs to eventually fight Alduin."

"Evil am I?" Sunset asked, before laughing, much to the worry of everyone around her, "Trust me Delphine, I've done some terrible things in the past before I came to Nirn. I separated people into different social groups, made them fear me least I turn my fury on them, and I even returned to my home world, stole a magical artifact, and became a demon myself. It was only because Princess Twilight saved me from myself that I was able to learn from my mistakes, before I even had a chance to succeed with my plan on bringing an army into Equestria. I've been evil before, but now I fight the ultimate evil; Tirek.

Oh, and trust me on this Delphine, if I was evil you'd be seeing more of the She Demon form of me, instead of the unicorn that's trying to defend this world."

With that old wound now reopened, as much as she wanted it to remain closed, Sunset turned around and left the area that she now knew was called Sky Haven Temple. As far as she was concerned Delphine and Esbern could use this place as a hidden Blades outpost, though she silently hoped that they would come to their senses and come back to the keep, where they were needed. She also knew that, now that she had learned some things that she would have preferred to not have heard, she was going to have to head back to High Hrothgar eventually.

She sighed as she exited the temple, knowing that her next destination was Markath and the Daedric Princes that were followers were rumored to be hiding in the city. Soon two more artifacts would be safe from Tirek, though she hoped that she was moving quick enough to counter the demon's every move.

25: Death and a Beating

"Sunset, wait up!" Bjorn said, just as he and the rest of the group followed after Sunset, who was in some sort of annoyed state and seemed ready to blow something up, "What's wrong with you?"

"Wrong with me?" Sunset replied, almost growling the words as she thought about Delphine, "Its that blasted Blade... Delphine. She had the balls to lie to my face and tell me that this place had weapons and armor that we could use to aid our army, but all she wanted was to learn how the ancients beat Alduin... all so she could tell me that the Firstborn of Akatosh had to die before Tirek was defeated. She didn't stop to consider that killing a dragon, even if Alduin wasn't around, would set off a chain reaction that would lead to the destruction of our alliance... and the death of our army.

I know, I should be used to this sort of treatment, seeing how I did something similar to the people I met on Earth, but it still annoys me that she went through with it. Tirek is sending his minions across Skyrim, searching for the only artifacts that could empower him and allow him to gain the power to erase Nirn, and all Delphine can think about is Alduin. I, on the other hand, shall continue with my plan and make sure that the Daedric Artifacts are secured... before any of Tirek's minions can get their hands on them."

"Then we had better get a move on," Fiona commented, causing Sunset to turn to her for a moment, "Molag Bal and Namira are likely waiting for someone to wander into their respective paths, so that they can ask the person to do something and reward them with their artifact. If Tirek is actively recruiting people to seek the Daedric Artifacts in his name, and we've already taken some of them out along the way, then its only a matter of time until we come across one of them that might actually have recovered one of them. If and when we find a follower that already has one we'll want to defeat them before they can deliver the artifact to Tirek... otherwise everything we have already done will have been a waste of time."

Sunset stared at Fiona for a moment, letting her mind think about what her friend had just said, before she sighed and nodded her head, thankful that she had stopped her from losing her cool.

"Your right Fiona," Sunset said, tapping the Staff of Magnus on the ground once, causing everyone to look at her again, "We're heading to Markarth, so we can secure Molag Bal's and Namira's artifacts. When we arrive I want everyone to be on the lookout for any signs that someone might have arrived in the city looking for either of their artifacts, just in case. We can never be sure if one of Tirek's minions beat us to a Prince, or if they're closing in on one of them."

Her friends nodded their understanding and they started down the road once more, traveling in the direction that the signs said Markarth was in. As they walked Sunset recalled what she had read in Fiona's journal, focusing on how they were supposed to find either Molag Bal or Namira. According to the journal Molag Bal's followers were supposed to be inside an abandoned building inside the city, though Fiona had also listed several areas around the city where they might find Namira's cult. It seemed like the more Daedric Princes that she dealt with the more the others seemed to be harder to find, almost as if their cults had heard about Tirek and feared for their masters' godly powers.

If that was the case then Sunset didn't blame them, as Tirek was likely going to destroy something else that was important to the people of Skyrim, whether or not he had one of the Daedric Artifacts in his possession.

As it turned out there was a massive amount of Forsworn protecting the road between Karthspire and Markarth, as they came across a group of ten before they were even five minutes away from Karthspire. Lydia was more than willing to charge at them and take their heads, though Bjorn was providing cover fire on the archers and Cicero simply snuck behind the Forsworn and cut into their sides. The fight was over before it ever truly started, though as they moved further down the road Sunset was beginning to see additional areas where the Forsworn were beginning to gather.

Sunset, allowing her curiosity to get the better of her, beckoned for her friends to remain silent as they walked up the hill, giving them a great view of the camp in front of them. It was there that they discovered at least two hundred Forsworn warriors gathering their weapons and armor, almost as if it was a military camp getting ready to move. Sunset had never seen so many members of the Forsworn, despite the fact that she literally just met them that day, though she was sure that her friends were shocked as well. She turned back for a moment, to tell her friends that they really should be underway and warn someone about this, before she noticed that Raja was nowhere to be seen.

"Where's Raja?" Sunset quietly asked, not wanting to alert the nearby army to their presence, as she was sure that she would need the help of the dragons to defeat that many warriors.

"Here," Raja replied, sliding back into their hiding place, with a small scroll in her left hand, "I spotted this out in the open and decided to take a risk and try to recover it. I'm glad that we're getting closer to nighttime, otherwise I'm sure that one of them would have seen me and we would have the entire army on our heels."

As the group walked away Sunset took the scroll, but she didn't read it immediately, choosing to wait until they were further away so they didn't attract the attention of the Forsworn army. They rounded a corner in the path, passing what appeared to be an abandoned house sitting before a mine, before they crossed a bridge and drew closer to Markarth. Once the city was in sight they stopped by the river and Sunset pulled out the scroll that Raja had stolen, wondering what knowledge it held for them to share with others. Sunset had the feeling that, if the Forsworn had an army and were gathering together, then the Jarls of the surrounding areas would need to know what was happening.

"Let's see here," Sunset said, unrolling the scroll and preparing herself, "Ah, 'By order of the Ambassador of Tirek, the Daedric Lord of Corruption, all Forsworn of the Reach are to cease their operations and report to the main fortress in the Rift. Once there further orders shall be given to each unit, either by the Speaker for Lord Tirek or our Master himself. For the glory of the Master.' Are you kidding me?"

"Its very strange," Fiona commented, noting the anger on Sunset's face, as well as the confusion the rest of their friends wore, "The Forsworn have only ever served themselves, but yet they have been corrupted by our enemy and he's building an army. No doubt he wishes to bring them together under the promise of destroying his enemies, when all he really wants is for their power to be added to his own. Why the Forsworn are answering his call, I have no idea, but I would sure like to find this 'Ambassador' and find out why and how they turned the Forsworn into such a formidable force."

"Just another one of Tirek's minions," Sunset replied, sighing as she rolled the scroll back up and beckoned to the waiting city, "and, if we are dealing with another corrupted member of Tirek's band, than that means that we need to hurry and recover the artifacts before whoever is marshaling the Forsworn has a chance to find them."

As they approached the gate of the city Sunset nodded to the guards, who nodded back in respect, before they passed into the city, finding that there was quite a few people in the marketplace. Sunset supposed that it made sense, seeing how it was getting close to nighttime and people were heading home for the night, but she was still here for a reason. She considered heading towards the Jarl's castle, or Understone Keep as it was called, but then decided that she would ask one of the guards a question before she decided where to go.

"You there, guard, I have a question," Sunset said, turning to the guard that was standing to the right of the city gate, who turned and looked at her, "Has anything... strange... happen in the city in the last few days?"

"In the last few days?" the guard repeated, a hand finding his chin as he scratched it, clearly thinking about what had happened in the last few days, "Ah, now I remember. There was a Vigilant of Stendarr asking people if they saw anyone entering or leaving the abandoned house over there, though everyone continued to tell him no. That was until someone, a khajiit I think she was, approached him and told him that she'd help him search the house for whatever he was searching for. Not an hour later the khajiit emerged from the house, alone I might add, and quickly left the city, as if she was in a hurry to find something, or someone. Then she returned the following morning, following after an older nord dressed in black robes, and they both entered the house, only for her to return not ten minutes later... baring a mace that looked like it came out of a nightmare."

"The Mace of Molag Bal," Fiona breathed, clearly concerned that they had already been beaten to one artifact, though Sunset knew that there was something more the guard could tell them.

"Oh, there was another piece of armor she was wearing that caught my eye," the guard continued, remembering something else, "It was a shield, clearly dwarven in its design, but even from that one glance I could tell that there was something... more... about the shield. She was also wearing a brown pouch on her belt, though what she was carrying I have no idea. The last I saw of her she was heading into the Understone Keep, where I heard that the Hall of the Dead was closed for the time being... though that was only this morning."

"Thank you very much," Sunset said to the guard, before turning and heading in the direction of the Keep, with her friends following not far behind her.

She knew that the Mace was Molag Bal's artifact, though she was also sure that the shield was another one, but there was a chance that they could stop whoever was collecting the artifacts and, hopefully, recover them before they could be delivered to Tirek. She moved as fast as she possibly could, using the ability she used when she was fighting the giant during Malacath's quest, before she appeared before the door of the keep. She stepped into the keep and walked forward, looking around for anyone that could help her, before she turned to the path on the left and ventured down the tunnel, finding an open area with a massive dwarven door. That was also when she found what appeared to be Markarth's Court Mage, who was staring at her as if she had appeared out of thin air.

"You here for the Hall of the Dead?" the mage asked, to which Sunset nodded to, hoping that he would be of some aid to her, "Down there, the golden door. I don't know why you would want to go in there, as the priest in charge of it already hired someone to deal with it... though I did see him leaving with a khajiit not two hours ago. I heard her muttering something about an adventure in some ancient nordic burial ground, but that's all I remember."

Sunset nodded once more to the mage and ventured towards the golden door, finding an area that was full of coffins and smelled of death, though as she searched she found no priest, just like the mage had told her. She looked around, searching for any clues as to where the khajiit could have gone, before she heard something pounding on one of the coffins near the back door. She approached the coffin, making sure that it wasn't her imagination, before she beckoned to her friends, who had caught up with her at this point, and they heaved the coffin onto the stone floor. Sunset and Bjorn gripped the sides for a moment before tearing off the lid, revealing a breton that immediately got into a sitting position and took a breath, as if she had been in there a long time.

"I'm going to kill that bitch the next time I see her," the breton said, looking up to find Sunset and her friends standing over her, "Wait, were you the ones who let me out of this coffin?"

"Yeah," Sunset answered, wondering what had happened to the women, "How did you end up in there?"

"It was that bitch Angra," the women spat, anger clearly filling her eyes as she mentioned the name, "she came in here, acting like a lost lamb that needed to find its master, and I thought that she was one of Namira's lost followers. I told her where we could reclaim our feasting hall, which has been overrun with draugr, and the next thing I know I'm locked in the coffin you released me from. By the sounds of what I heard she's already heading to Reachcliff Cave, where I was planning on reclaiming our shrine, and she already has the sacrifice under her sway.

I should have know that I couldn't trust that knajiit, not when she had the Mace of Molag Bal, I could FEEL the evil radiating from that weapon the moment she entered this Hall, and the Spellbreaker of Peryite. And don't get me started on the pouch she was carrying; I'm positive that she's got another Daedric Artifact on her, but I don't know which one."

"Three artifacts," Sunset said, worry filling her as she realized that the khajiit was heading for a fourth one, "Tirek actually had someone under his control that managed to recover a few artifacts while I was off gathering the ones we picked up."

"But she hasn't delivered them to Tirek yet," Fiona commented, turning to the breton for a moment, "Can you tell us where this Reachcliff Cave is located? The khajiit that did this to you is serving a dremora that wishes the end of Nirn, and to do that he requires the power of the other Daedric Princes."

"The Ring of Namira!" the women said, getting onto her feet and pulling out her shortsword, "My Princes' artifact is supposed to be locked in the shrine at the end of the barrow, but with the power of this Tirek coursing through her veins, and two artifacts backing her, she might be able to break the shrine open and steal it. We must head to the shrine and stop her before she is allowed to steal the Ring!"

"And we will," Sunset said, reaching for her map, "just show us where the barrow is located and we'll go stop her... and your free to follow along if you want."

When they found Reachcliff Cave Sunset wasn't surprised to find that the draugr that had called the place home had been destroyed, though she was surprised to find that they had been broken into pieces and burned in piles everywhere. Sunset could tell that her next enemy, the khajiit called Angra, had no respect for the dead and didn't care for the barrows that existed across Skyrim. There were plenty of coffins, though each of them had their lids smashed open, almost as if someone had shattered them under the intensity of their blows.

"I've never seen such disrespect," Raja said, speaking for the first time since she found the Forsworn's orders, "I have heard of Daedric Princes ordering their followers to kill the priests of one of their rivals, but never have I seen someone shatter stone coffins or burn the dead like this. Tirek must have already given this Angra some power in return for finding the two artifacts she already has, though if that is true I don't want to see what happens if she gained anymore power."

"I wonder if Peryite, Namira, or Molag Bal know that their artifacts are being taken by someone who intends to hand them over to the demon that ruined Winterhold," Sunset commented, finding that even the chests had been broken into fragments and any loot had been stolen, "Though I would have to wonder if they would prefer to have them be in the hands of someone who wants to save this world, instead of in the hands of someone who would like to watch Nirn burn around them."

"I would like that, mortal," a voice said, just as they rounding a corner and found a trio of glowing mice, sitting in the middle of an open chamber, "I am Peryite, and I gave my artifact to someone who I believed would be my instrument on Nirn... but she has betrayed me for the upstart you call Tirek. Personally, I would like to see her dragged into Oblivion and slain by a legion of dremora, but with access to our Realms in Oblivion cut off from Nirn this is all but impossible."

"I'd rather see her being tortured in Coldharbour," a second voice spoke up, just as a shadowy skeleton appeared next to the mice in a sitting position, "though I have already claimed the souls of that persistent Vigilant of Stendarr and the Priest of Boethiah. Behold me mortals, I am Molag Bal."

"Oh do be quite when your in my house," a third voice said, just as a skull with a full mouth of teeth appeared near the other two, "Yes yes, I am Namira. Look, I'll cut to the chase mortals... my artifact is being stolen as we speak. Unfortunately I doubt that the bearer of six Daedric Artifacts, some of which are the lesser Princes I might add, can stand up to one that bears our artifacts."

"Then can't you take away the abilities of your artifacts?" Sunset asked, not surprised to find a Daedric Prince, not to mention three of them, that doubted her abilities, "If I truly don't stand a chance then why not level the playing field?"

The three aspects of the Daedric Princes stared at each other, as if the thought was new to them, before they disappeared into their realms of Oblivion, leaving Sunset to deal with the khajiit that was waiting for them. Sunset beckoned for her friends, and the breton as well, to stay where they were as she drew the Dawnbreaker and approached the final area of the cave. Standing at the back of the cave was the khajiit in question, though she was facing the door and was staring at the ring that she was wearing on her right pointer finger. Sunset had to surpass a moan when she saw it, she had been beaten to the Ring of Namira and, as she looked around and spotted the dead priest in the corner, was too late to save the priest of Arkay.

"Ah, Archmage, I have been waiting for this moment," the khajiit said, pulling herself onto her feet as she stared at the weapon Sunset carried, "and I see you brought me a package of gifts; the Dawnbreaker of Meridia, the Star of Azura, the Wabbajack of Sheogorath, Volendrung of Malacath, Savior's Hide of Hircine, and the Masque of Clavicus Vile. They will be a great addition to my current collection; the Ring of Namira, the Mace of Molag Bal, the Spellbreaker of Peryite, and the fragments of Mehrunes Razor. With these ten artifacts I shall become the greatest person to serve Lord Tirek, as I will become his right hand and deliver to him all fifteen artifacts that he requested."

Sunset sighed for a moment, before her magic purged through the Dawnbreaker and gathered around the blade, just like she had done against Tirek so far. Before the khajiit had a chance to move Sunset pulled her arm back and swung it as wide as she could, allowing the wave of magic to tear across the chamber and hit the khajiit square in the chest. The resulting explosion rocked the chamber, covering the area of the shrine as Sunset sheathed the blade and waited for the smoke to clear before she collected the artifacts.

"You know, I had heard of this attack from my Master," the khajiit said, just as the smoke cleared and revealed that she was still there, surrounded by a barrier coming from the Spellbreaker, "and he, upon hearing of Spellbreaker's abilities, recommend that I pick it up first... in the off chance that you and I crossed. I have to say, I'm glad that he told me to get this artifact first... otherwise I'm sure that your attack would have split me in half. Archmage, say hello to the one Daedric Artifact that can prevent any of your magic from even touching me!"

"You talk too much," Sunset said, applying her flash stepping ability, she literally had nothing else to call it at this point, and appeared behind the khajiit, before raising the Dawnbreaker and cutting into Angra's back.

"Ah, cheater!" Angra growled, stepping back as she presented the Mace of Molag Bal, "I said NO MAGIC! How can you be using magic to harm me when this Artifact makes it impossible for you to do so?"

Sunset had an idea of what was happening, so she zipped behind her enemy and tore into her back once more, causing her to step to the side and put some distance between them. Sunset smiled and continued to follow the khajiit, always appearing just a step behind her as her enemy made for the secret exit that the barrow had. Once they were outside Angra made for the nearby river, but Sunset appeared behind her, grabbed the back of her armor, and dragged her back towards the door. Then, before the khajiit could recover, she brought the Dawnbreaker down hard and cut a long diagonal scar into her body, going from the left shoulder to the right hip and spraying blood everywhere.

Once the wound had been dealt Sunset shoved the khajiit into the stone wall behind her and pinned the Dawnbreaker against her neck, clearly showing her that she had lost the match she had been bragging that she was going to win.

"How?!" Angra shouted, clearly confused at to what had happened, "How could you have defeated me?"

"Clearly the Princes that you deceived have retracted the powers of these artifacts," Sunset replied, a smile appearing on her face, "See? It pays to play by the rules of the Daedric Princes, otherwise you might find them uniting to bring about your downfall."

Angra growled, but didn't stop Sunset from taking the Spellbreaker, the Mace of Molag Bal, the Ring of Namira, and the pouch containing the fragments of Mehrunes Razor from her. Then, with the artifacts recovered, Sunset pulled the Dawnbreaker back as her friends came outside, a new idea coming to mind when she saw the cultist of Namira.

"Here," Sunset said, shoving Angra at the women, who had a look of pleasure on her face, "Do with her what you will, but make sure that she dies in the end."

"Oh I will," Eola replied, a wicked grin appearing on her face as she imagined what she would do to the khajiit, "I thank you Archmage."

Sunset nodded and beckoned for her friends to follow her away from the cave, just as Eola took the khajiit back inside and closed the door behind them. Sunset had no idea what was going to happen to Angra, but at this point whatever she got was better than what she deserved and she seriously didn't care. She had come to Markarth seeking two different artifacts, yet she was leaving the area with the two she came for and two more, one of which she was going to have to reforge before long. With ten of the fifteen artifacts recovered she knew that Tirek would be stressed to recover any of the others, and that thought alone made her grin.

She was finally starting to win this war against Tirek, and she was sure that he was beginning to feel the pressure that she was constantly applying on him. Maybe, just maybe, it was possible to prevent him from reaching one hundred percent of his power and saving the whole of Nirn from the destruction that would follow.

26: Trouble in Dawnstar

"Oh, I'm in a good mood right now," Sunset said, stretching her arms as she and her friends left the area of Reachcliff Cave, heading back in the direction of Markarth so they could get a carriage ride to their next destination, "ten Daedric Artifacts down and five more to go. We're seriously putting the hurt on Tirek now."

"Let us hope that he doesn't decide to destroy something in retaliation," Bjorn commented, knowing the terrible power that the demon could command when he was calm, while yet wondering what destruction he could cause if he was angry, "I don't think Skyrim, or its people, can handle more of their land being destroyed by the demon, yet he doesn't seem to be slowing down very much. With an army backing him now there's no telling what he'll do... or what he'll destroy to gain the artifacts that we're currently carrying in that chest."

"I hope that Esbern and Delphine regain their senses," Fiona said, glancing around the area, just in case the two Blades suddenly appeared out of thin air, "we could use their experience to help train more soldiers for the coming conflict with Tirek. Plus I'm sure that Esbern's knowledge of magic would be of a benefit to the mages, so maybe when we're done with the Daedric Artifacts we should try and ask them to come back."

"I'll... consider it," Sunset replied, not really sure whether Delphine would listen to her after everything that happened, "but I make no promises at the moment."

"Sunset... why are you still carrying the other artifacts?" Raja asked, pointing to the three new additions to their collection of Daedric Artifacts that Sunset happened to be wearing.

Sunset looked down at herself and realized that the Mace of Molag Bal was still attached to her belt, the Spellbreaker was resting in her left hand, and the Ring of Namira was now resting on her right pointer finger. She also looked at the pouch she was now carrying, the one that held the fragments of Mehrunes Razor, and wondered how she could have forgotten. It didn't reflex well on her if she forgot that she had acquired some more artifacts to keep away from Tirek, if she continued to wear them in public all the time.

"Oops..." Sunset said, snapping her fingers and summoning her chest once more, where she deposited the mace, shield, and ring before sending the chest away, "I'm glad someone caught it before one of Tirek's minions came to finish off the job that Angra was supposed to have finished. There's no telling what would have happened at that point."

Her friends nodded, though she was quite sure that they were deep in though about what they had seen, as she was still surprised that one of Tirek's minions had found four of the artifacts before they could. It made her wonder if they other five artifacts were either where they had been left by their respective Prince, or if they were in the hands of one of Tirek's corrupted followers.

As they walked back to Markarth Sunset stopped by where they had found the Forsworn army, wondering if they had moved on or if they were still in the area. Not that she had the energy to fight two hundred people at the moment, but she was curious if the city was still in danger of being attacked by them. When they arrived Sunset was surprised to find that the camp they had spotted was no longer full of people, as it was now empty and completely void of life. That meant that the army was on their way to the Rift, where they would find Tirek's base and begin preparations for the coming war with all of Skyrim.

Sunset hated the thought of leaving an enemy army wandering the face of Skyrim, but she had no idea where they were at the moment and knew that searching for the Forsworn would be a waste of time.

When they finally made it back to Markarth Bjorn and Fiona noticed something rather odd about the front gate, so they suggested that they take a look before continuing onward. What the group found, however, was a trail of corpses, mostly guards Sunset noted, leading from an area near the Jarl's Keep all the way to the gate. As they looked around Sunset spotted a guard taking note of who had died, so he could tell the families when he had a chance to do so later on.

"What happened here?" Sunset asked, just as her friends walked around, searching for clues that Tirek was the one behind this.

"It was Madanach, the King of the Forsworn," the guard commented, barely looking back to her as he continued on with his work, though she did note that it was the same one she had asked when she originally arrived in the city, "Everyone in Markarth thought that he had been slain in battle so many years ago, but as it turns out he was still alive and well inside Cidhna Mine. Apparently he's been dishing out orders to his followers over the last few months, though it seems like someone finally arrived and gave him a reason to escape from his prison. How he managed to escape from the mine, that part no one knows, but what we do know is that a khajiit visited the mine before leaving the city... the same one that I told you about earlier."

"Well she's dead now," Sunset replied, somewhat glad that she had removed Angra from the world, so she wouldn't be able to continue doing things like this, "though she may have achieved victory in the end; there's an army of Forsworn soldiers, roughly two hundred of them, heading towards the Rift. Here, I think the Jarl of Markarth will want to see this as soon as possible."

Sunset made sure to hand over the scroll that Raja had discovered and recovered for them, though it really didn't do them any good by keeping the knowledge to themselves. Now that one of the remaining eight Jarls knew about the Forsworn army it was only a matter of time until all of them knew what was happening. She just hoped that they would see past their differences and band together before Tirek's army decimated any of the settlements between Markarth and wherever their destination in the Rift was.

With the deed done Sunset and her friends purchased a carriage ride to Dawnstar, where they would be able to reforge Mehrunes Razor and find the artifact of Vaermina.

"Oh, Cicero cannot wait until we reach Dawnstar," the jester said as the carriage got on the road, "Maybe we'll have a chance to meet the Listener, the one who proclaimed that Cicero was Laughter, before we seek more of the Daedric Artifacts."

"That's something I've been meaning to ask you about," Raja commented, causing Cicero to look her way for a moment, "Every now and then you refer to one of us by a certain name; yourself as 'Laughter', myself as 'Kindness', and Sunset as 'Magic' for example. While I am flattered that you can clearly see the kindness in me, I am also confused as to why you continue to call us by these special titles. I am also confused as to why my sister would have known such a thing, despite being the Listener for the Night Mother, and would have sent you on your way like this. What's so special about you being Laughter and me being Kindness?"

"Ask Magic," Cicero said, pointing a finger at Sunset, causing the others to turn her way, "She's the one who knows exactly what I am speaking of. The only one who can reveal the truth to you."

"Okay, what is he going on about?" Raja asked, turning to Sunset this time, a look of wonder and confusion in her eyes, "Sunset? Please tell me you know exactly what he's referring to."

Sunset looked at her friends one by one, wondering if she had been right to gather them all and thrust them into a fight that she was still wondering if she could win. Three of them had been taken out of their lives because she believed that they were the best person, in all of Skyrim, that represented one of the five Elements. The remaining two had flocked to her side, more because of the desire to see justice brought down on the one creature that was currently destroying bits and pieces of Skyrim. After a moment she sighed and accepted that she had been boxed into a corner, of which the only way out was to explain why Cicero continued to call them by those names.

"The Elements of Harmony..." Sunset finally said, not surprised to see that none of her friends had heard about them, "six powerful gemstones that represent one aspect of Friendship. The six Elements are called Loyalty, Honesty, Generosity, Laughter, Kindness, and Magic... the same names that Cicero has been occasionally calling each of us. In every piece of recorded history in Equus, every time the Elements are used they end up banishing or imprisoning someone who's trying to upset the natural balance. Or, in the case of Princess Twilight and her friends, they have the potential to undo the corruption someone has endured and even shatter certain gemstones into nothing but fragments."

"So what's so special about us?" Raja continued, still confused by what she was talking about.

"The girls that Princess Twilight had befriended were the other Bearers of the other five Elements," Sunset said, pointing to each of her friends in turn, "just as you guys are my friends. The Elements of Harmony might not exist in this world, but we are the closest thing to them that Nirn has. Twilight and her friends were able to access the magic without the Elements at certain points, but I'm not sure what would happen if we were to try... and I'm not willing to risk hurting any of you in the process."

"Oh, so we're a fail safe against the demon?" Cicero said, as if he understood what she was talking about, "Our power, combined with Magic's power, might give her the edge she needs against the demon."

"Maybe... maybe not," Sunset replied, not sure if they could even work the Element's magic in this world, "Look, we'll stick to the plan and gather up the remaining Daedric Artifacts... then maybe we'll have a chat with whoever sent those Cultists after me."

When they arrived in Dawnstar, to which Sunset was relieved to note that nothing disastrous had happened to the small city, they were immediately greeted by a courier, who gave them a pamphlet that mentioned a museum in the very city they had just arrived in. Sunset didn't need to even read the pamphlet, as they could clearly see the museum from where they were standing, and the man that she guessed was the owner. They quickly made their way across to the other side of the city, where they found the man waiting for someone to return, though Sunset had a suspicion about who he was waiting for.

"Ah, more visitors," the imperial said, welcoming them into his house, "Come inside the Museum of the Mythic Dawn and maybe we can talk about some business."

"That wouldn't happen to be finding the fragments of Mehrunes Razor would it?" Sunset asked, patting the pouch that held the very fragments she had mentioned.

"...yes... it would be," the imperial slowly said, realizing what had happened, "Oh dear, so Angra's dead is she?"

"She was going to give the Razor to her master," Sunset told the man, "but if you can help me reforge the blade then I can promise you that the demon known as Tirek will not get this hands on the blade."

The man stared at her for a moment, as if wondering if she was telling the truth, before sighing and beckoning for her to follow him, no doubt to the location they could reforge the blade at. Before they left Sunset asked her companions to stay at the inn and ask around for any more leads on the other artifact, so they could start for it the moment she returned with her prize. None of them were pleased to be left behind at this point, though they knew that they needed to be efficient in their search for the remaining artifacts and decided to bow to Sunset's wisdom.

Sunset then followed the imperial into the mountains, trekking up a worn out path as they climbed up to the massive shrine that she recently noticed. It was a four armed creature that seemed to want to destroy whatever he desired, which she guessed went along with the description that belonged to Mehrunes Dagon. Once they were at the top the imperial, Silus as he told her along the way, beckoned for her to hand over the pouch, which she turned over and watched him set out the Razor, including the scabbard. Then, when he was done with that deed, he held his hands out and prepared to call upon the power of the Prince that could reforge the artifact.

"Mehrunes Dagon, the Lord of Change," Silus said, "We have brought your Razor to you. Please, bring the Razor's full glory back to Tamriel again."

Then, just as Sunset expected, Silus mumbled about Dagon not hearing him and beckoned for Sunset to try, to which she approached the alter and held a hand out towards the fragments.

"YOU! MORTAL!" Sunset heard in her head, something she had been expecting the entire time, "You are worthy of speaking to. You have claimed the pieces of my Razor. It has been an amusing game to witness, but Dagon does not declare a winner while there is a pawn on the board. Kill Silus. He and his family have served their purpose..."

That was before an arrow whipped through the air and tore into Silus's chest, knocking him into the base of the shrine and killing him instantly, though Sunset turned around and spotted a new arrival. Another imperial stood at the top of the stairs, though this one was dressed up in clothes fit for hunting and had a smile on his face the entire time.

"And now the razor can be claimed for Lord Tirek," the imperial said, approaching the alter and ignoring Sunset at the same time, "I have succeeded where Angra failed."

Sunset, not willing to let the imperial go unpunished, extended her hand and caught him with her magic, crushing his bones under her anger before tossing him right off the side of the mountain. She stared at his body the entire time, just to make sure that he was dead, so when his body stopped moving she returned to the shrine and continued with the ceremony. Dagon spoke once more, but she ignored him and watched as the Razor became whole once more, which she snatched out of the air and returned to her chest. She waited a moment, just to be sure that Dagon didn't have a surprise for her, but when nothing happened she sighed and moved down the side of the mountain, intending to return to Dawnstar as fast as possible.

"How's the hunting going?" Sunset asked her friends, just as she entered Dawnstar's inn and found her friends sitting at a table with another priest.

"Good," Fiona commented, beckoning to the priest, "Erandur was just telling us about the recent nightmares that the people have been suffering and how he intends on stopping them. Or, as we persuaded him to the best of our ability, the two of you."

"A Daedric Lord?" Sunset asked, wondering which of the four the priest could be dealing with.

"Vaermina to be exact," Erandur replied, getting onto his feet before turning to her, "I can tell that your carrying more than just the Dawnbreaker, though your friends tell me that your seeking to expel them all from Nirn, so a dremora called Tirek doesn't get his hands on them. I shall ignore the artifacts that you carry, so long as we can banish the Skull of Corruption by the end of this."

Sunset nodded and followed the priest, who was ready to get this task underway, outside the inn and up the hill that happened to lead up to the tower at the top of the nearby cliff.

"Vaermina resides in a strange realm known as Quagmire..." Erandur told her, sharing what he knew about the Prince that Sunset knew next to nothing about, "a nightmarish land where reality shifts upon itself in seemingly impossible ways. From her citadel at the center, she reaches forth to collect our memories, leaving nothing in return apart from visions of horror and despair. Perhaps she collects them for display like works of art in a nonsensical art gallery. Whatever the case may be, her intentions are far from benevolent."

As it turned out the two of them encountered several trolls that wanted them dead, though Sunset showed the three of them that their plan was a terrible one when she killed one with a fireball. The other two came at her anyway, though she struck them with some well placed lightning and ended the battle before they could even get close to them. When they reached the main door Erandur admitted that there might be some complications inside, though Sunset told him that she could handle whatever the tower threw at them. Once they were inside the tower Erandur used his magic on a massive stone statue and caused it to fade into a form that allowed them to pass right through it and see what was causing the nightmares in Dawnstar.

It was then that Sunset got her first glimpse of the Skull of Corruption, the blackened staff with a wicked looking skull that was surrounded by a red barrier.

Erandur lead her down a set of stairs, where they found a trio of waking orc warriors that weren't very happy to see either of them, though Sunset noted that the orcs believed that they were members of Vaermina's cult. She sighed and struck two of the orcs down with her magic, preferring not to use the Dawnbreaker against creatures that weren't undead unless it was necessary. As Erandur finished off his enemy Sunset noticed a pure black blade in one of the warriors hands, an ebony blade that was similar to the ebony daggers that Cicero used. She smiled and collected the blade, testing it out as she realized that she now had a weapon that allowed her to stop using the Daedric Artifact until it was actually necessary.

"Damn it. The priests must have activated this barrier when the Miasma was released." Erandur said, slamming his fist against the barrier for a moment, while Sunset commented that it looked difficult to breach, "Impossible actually. Hmm, I wonder... There may be a way to bypass the barrier, but I must check their library and confirm it can be done."

Sunset had to surpass the urge to tell Erandur that the barrier was far from impossible to breach, but she had no idea how much power she's have to pour into her new weapon to break through. She, instead, settled for noting that the dunmer knew more about this place than he had told her as they were walking up to the main door a few minutes ago.

"I suppose there's no point in concealing the truth any longer." Erandur sadly said, turning to head up the stairs, "My knowledge of this temple comes from personal experience. I was a priest of Vaermina. I've spent the last few decades living in regret and seeking redemption from Mara. And by Her Benevolence, I will right my wrongs."

Sunset nodded, feeling what the priest was telling her, as they entered the area of the library, where they found a few priests of Vaermina and orc warriors waking up. This time she drew the ebony sword and approached her enemies, desiring to see how well the weapon handled before she resorted to using more of her magic. As it turned out the blade hit hard and, thanks to the weaker metal in the weapons in her enemies, she actually shattered many of their weapons with very little effort. In the end the two of them were left standing, though Sunset had decided that she liked the weapon and could safely say that she would return the Dawnbreaker to her chest once she had the Skull.

Once they were in the library, and there were no more enemies around them, they split up and searched for the one book they needed, one labeled The Dreamstride. Sunset found it on the upper level, all she had to do was cross a crumpling bridge and the thick tome was hers, and immediately handed it over to Erandur.

"Let me take a look..." Erandur said, before a look of excitement crept onto his face, "Mara be praised! There is a way past the barrier to the inner sanctum. It involves a recipe for a liquid known as Vaermina's Torpor. The Torpor grants an ability the priests of Vaermina called The Dreamstride; using dreams to travel distances in the real world. Alchemy and the blessings of a Divine distilled down into a ingestible liquid. I can assure you, the Dreamstride is well known in Vaerminian Lore. As a sworn priest of Mara, the elixir won't work for me. The Torpor will only work for Priests of Vaermina, or the unaffiliated."

"So I'm going to use it when we find it," Sunset said, heading into the other doorway so she could look for the torpor, "I guess there's a first time for everything."

As it turned out there was quite a lot of enemies, orcs and cultists alike, that were waking up as they progressed through the next area of the temple. The two of them carved their way through the forces of their enemies, though as they did so Sunset had to wonder if one of Tirek's minions was on their way to the tower. The Skull needed to be secured before such a thing happened, though she was positive that she could break whoever came for the Daedric Artifact. The laboratory, as it turned out, had three more orcs waiting for them, but they hardly put up a fight as they were still under the effects of the Miasma.

"Now that they've been dealt with, we need to find the Torpor." Erandur said, looking around the immediate area for the potion, "It should be in a small bottle, very similar to a potion. I'll begin searching up here."

Sunset sighed and walked into the lower area of the laboratory, where she looked through the potions, collecting the ones that she knew she and her friends would need later on, before she found one that looked out of place. She collected the bottle, wondering if it was the one, before heading up to Erandur, just to be sure that this was exactly what they were looking for.

"I'm relieved you discovered a bottle intact;" Erandur said, relief covering his face as he stared at the bottle, "this place looks as though it was ransacked by the orcs. So... I've taken us this far, but you need to guide us the rest of the way. Go ahead and drink. Dawnstar's fate rests in that tiny bottle."

Sunset took the top of the bottle off and sniffed it, making sure that it was still okay before she sighed and downed the liquid, feeling the world around her shift for a moment. When reality restored itself she realized that she was seeing certain events through the eyes of a 'Brother Casimir', who made his way through the tower. She made sure to make a note of the path he was taking, so she and Erandur could make their way to the Skull without getting completely lost. She also noted that the cultists of Vaermina were losing the battle with the orcs, which was why when Casimir released the Miasma her vision faded, returning her to her own reality.

It was then that she noted that she was standing by the very area where the Miasma had been released, though she tore the soul gem from its container and cut off the barrier, allowing Erandur to follow her.

"It... it worked." Erandur excitedly exclaimed, just as they continued down the path that Sunset mapped out in her head, "Mara be praised! You vanished after drinking the Torpor and materialized on the other side. I have never seen anything quite like it. How I envy you. I can only imagine the excitement of seeing history through the eyes of another! Sadly, I am resigned to just reading of its wonders through my research of the Skull."

Sunset sighed as they reached the final door of the temple, though when they opened it they found that two of the cultists, Valen and Thorek Sunset noted, had been slain by something. Erandur, not seeing the danger before them, rushed towards the Skull and immediately proceeded to start the ritual to banish it, though Sunset looked around for the person responsible for the deaths of the two cultists. Then, just as the barrier fell, something leapt out of the shadows and collided with Erandur's chest, knocking him backwards as whatever had hit him collected the Skull.

That was when Sunset noticed that the person who now held the Skull was none other than the imperial that she had killed at Dagon's Shrine, which meant that this was a twin.

"I thank you Archmage," the imperial said, patting the head of the Skull, "without you and your new companion I would have been unable to get my hands on this artifact. I shall take great pleasure in handing this artifact over to Lord Tirek... and your head!"

The imperial leapt at her, but Sunset expected a hand and caught him before he could even touch the floor, though she allowed her magic to slowly crush him as she collected the Skull from him.

"Seriously, you guys suck at stealth," Sunset told the imperial, cracking his legs in the process, "at this point I'm beginning to believe that Tirek's just sending you guys out to die. Oh well, I shall remove another one of you from Nirn and become one step closer to saving this world."

That was when the imperial exploded, though it was a surge of magical power that she suspected Tirek had primed before sending the man to this location. The wave knocked the temple around, though she could tell that it was beginning to shift and that it was only a matter of time before the entire tower collapsed. She swiftly summoned her chest, stored the two artifacts away, dismissed the chest, and grabbed on to Erandur before flash stepping up to the top of the tower. Once there the two of them swiftly exited the tower, turning back in time to watch it crumble into a heap, forever destroying the entire temple and the people who had called the place home.

"Four more to go," Sunset said, turning to head back down to Dawnstar, with Erandur not far behind her, "Four more and then I can seal off all the Daedric Artifacts from Nirn. This nightmare might actually be over much quicker than I was expecting."

Tirek sighed as he stared at the remaining statues that told him how many more Daedric Princes needed their artifacts revealed to Skyrim, two more of them being crushed under the weight of his magic. He had been so sure of many of his minions, though they were falling under the power of his enemy... something that he hadn't expected at all. He had known that Sunset Shimmer had great power, though he was beginning to suspect that he had underestimated her during their previous encounters. Still, his minions were serving their purposes well and there was one other task he wanted them to complete before they returned to his base.

"Madanach," Tirek said, his voice echoing through his tower, "I have a task for you and your army. The time has come for you to strike at the heart of Skyrim... the time has come for you and your Forsworn to destroy Whiterun."

There was a silence for a moment, which was the custom when he was speaking across long distances to issue his underlings commands and get updates on their movements. A moment later, however, he got the answer that he was expecting... an answer that only made Tirek smile as he imagined Whiterun burning to the ground.

"It shall be done, Lord Tirek."

27: Assault on Whiterun

"There you are Sunset," Fiona said the moment that Sunset and Erandur returned to the inn, though she could tell that something was wrong, "Did something happen? No, that's stupid of me to ask at this point. It was another one of Tirek's minions wasn't it?"

"The twin of the imperial I met at Dagon's Shrine," Sunset replied, a grin on her face as she pulled out the journal, crossed off the Razor and the Skull, before showing the vampire her progress, "All we need to do now is venture to Whiterun, find the Ebony Blade and the Sanguine Rose, if we're lucky to find both, and then warn the Jarl of the Forsworn army. We need to let as many people know about the army and, hopefully, we won't have to be involved in a battle with them... but one can never know with Tirek."

And Sunset spoke the truth, because they had absolutely no idea where the Forsworn army was located at that very moment and there was no telling when Tirek would order them to being purging the rest of Skyrim. She knew that Tirek wanted to kill as many people as he could before he obtained one hundred percent, though she had never heard of him raising an army to do so. Though as she thought about Whiterun, and the artifact that was supposed to be resting in Dragonsreach, she had to wonder if the city would become a target in the future. Then she looked over at Erandur, who seemed like he had no idea what was going on, though he continued to stare at Sunset, as if he wanted her to summon the Skull so he could banish it.

That was when she finally got an idea that may just allow them to get rid of all fifteen artifacts at the same time, the last piece of the puzzle she hadn't figured out.

"Hey Erandur," Sunset said, causing the dark elf to gulp for a moment, as if he believed that she was going to lecture him or something, "That ritual you were using to banish the Skull of Corruption... do you think that you could pull off the spell again, but on a chest containing all fifteen Daedric Artifacts and not just one?"

"It is theoretically possible," Erandur immediately answered, though at the same time his right hand found its way to his chin, "but I would have to commune with the Divines and ask for the ability to use such a blessing again. Lady Mara might agree to it, but there is no telling what the others will say on the matter."

"We're heading to Fellglow Keep regardless," Sunset replied, slightly annoyed that the ritual might not be repeatable, "Tirek, the demon we're talking about, shattered the College of Winterhold and sunk the city that rested around it. He's constantly seeking the Daedric Artifacts, so he can contact the Prince associated with the artifact and absorb the power of that Prince, which is why we're trying to stop him. The moment he has the power of even one of the sixteen Princes, even the weakest one, he's going to begin tearing a hole between Oblivion and Nirn, so he can return to my home world."

Sunset's friends already knew the stacks of their conflict with Tirek, which is why none of them seemed concerned when she told Erandur what might happen. When the priest heard what the demon could do, with the power of one of the Princes, he seemed to pale until the point where he appeared to be afraid of the outcome. Sunset hated this part, where she delivered the end game, but she knew that the priest needed to know, so that he could decide whose side he was actually on.

"In essence," Sunset continued, prepared to finish explaining the stacks to Erandur, "if Tirek gets his hands on the power of even one of the Daedric Princes, then all of Nirn will be destroyed. That's why we're building an army, so that we can combat him and his ever growing power, before he has a chance to reach one hundred percent. If we can kill him before he reaches his full power then we can save all of Nirn from being erased... that's considering we can find his base of operations as well."

"Then I shall follow you," Erandur said, dropping to his knee for a moment, "I will gladly lend you and your army my strength, in both the magical arts and combat itself, so we can save this world from the demon that wants to obliterate it."

"Ah, another soul to add to the ranks," a voice said, causing Sunset to turn towards the inn's door and find both Esbern and Delphine, dressed up in the ancient armor of the Blades, standing there.

Sunset had to admit it, but when Delphine almost blew up in her face because she was gathering the Daedric Artifacts and not killing dragons, she had expected that she was never going to see them again. Yet here they were, though she was secretly hoping that Delphine had seen the error of her ways and was willing to listen to reason, instead of being angry at her all the time. She could also tell that her friends were holding their breath, while the other patrons waited behind the bar, in case a fight broke out in front of them.

"He's been told the truth about my conflict and why I'm in Nirn," Sunset said, pulling herself out of her seat before approaching the two Blades, "Tell me something Delphine; will you two fight at my side, against the demon known as Tirek, or are you going to stand in my way like the Forsworn?"

What happened next caught Sunset, and no doubt her companions, by complete surprise; Esbern and Delphine drew their swords, held them out so the tips touched the floor of the inn, and knelt before her.

"I would ask your forgiveness, Dragonborn," Delphine said, though what surprised Sunset even more was that she could tell that the women was being sincere with what she was saying, "I let my rage for both the dragons and the Thalmor blind me to the real danger that is currently at work across Skyrim; the demon you name Tirek. Esbern tried to tell me to calm myself many times while we traveled with you, yet I never listened and I even considered forming an army to destroy the dragons... but that was before I finally sat down and reflected on everything that's happened.

Esbern and I felt the demon call out to us, taunting us with his lies in an effort to turn us against Nirn and hasten the destruction he was trying to cause. He promised us the power to destroy all of our enemies, be they the Dragon Cult, the dragons that have now returned to Skyrim, or even your, his sworn enemy. I will not lie Dragonborn, I considered leaving my sanity behind so I could destroy Alduin myself... but then I thought about it and reflected on his promises, and the destruction he had already caused. Esbern and I threw the demon from our minds and, with new determination, we suited up, gathered what we could afford to carry at that moment, and journeyed here, where I knew you'd be searching for another artifact after what happened in Markarth.

As the Blades of old once served the Dragonborn Emperor, we shall do the same today; we shall fight by your side and help train your army, if you would have us added to your ranks once more."

Sunset never thought that Delphine, the women that hated her with a passion, would have been tempted to side with Tirek, only to turn around and throw the offer of power back at him. She had been so sure that if Delphine had been offered the power to destroy Alduin and the rest of her dragon allies, she would have taken it almost immediately, but Sunset was relieved to hear that she had done no such thing. She was also extremely happy that both of them had even considered coming back to help her, even after Delphine continued to display her hatred for dragons.

"I... I accept," Sunset said after a moment, prompting the two of them to stand once more, "We can exchange notes on what happened after Sky Haven Temple when we're on the road, but for right now we had better get moving."

"Of course Dragonborn," Delphine replied, a smile appearing on her face for a moment, "After all, there's a Forsworn army moving across Skyrim and there's no telling when your enemy will make his move against the people of Nirn."

Sunset nodded and beckoned to the rest of her band, telling them that it was time to get a move on, which prompted them to begin collecting everything they had brought with them. Erandur, lost for a moment, realized that they were moving out of Dawnstar and hurriedly collected his meager belongings, before falling in step with the rest of them. Once outside Sunset noticed that they had another arrival, this one in the form of a female khajiit, with white fur, that was dressed up in the armor of the Dark Brotherhood... though she could guess who was standing before them.

"Sister!" Raja exclaimed, though that was followed by the two of them hugging, "And here I was worried that we might not get an opportunity to speak before I departed from Dawnstar."

"Unfortunately, I cannot stay long," Snowheart replied, sounding slightly sad that the reunion couldn't be longer, "the Night Mother has been receiving visions of people who are swearing themselves to the demon known as Tirek, and we are constantly being sent out to remove the ones we can reach. Surprisingly none of the nobles have turned to him yet, so we're merely erasing bandits and power hungry necromancers before they have a chance to bind themselves to their foul master. I just wanted to let you know that you, and the Archmage, have the support of the Dark Brotherhood, just in case you thought that you didn't have it."

"I thank you for the clarification," Raja said, patting her sister on the shoulder for a moment, "I'll let you go about your business and hopefully the next time we meet neither of us will have to depart for some time, so that we can properly catch up."

Snowheart nodded and ran into the mountainside, disappearing after a few moments, leaving Raja to rejoin her friends as they made their way out of Dawnstar.

While the band of nine traveled out of Dawnstar and down the road that would lead them to Whiterun, Sunset took the opportunity to listen to Delphine recount what information she and Esbern had collected. According to Delphine there was enough armor and weapons in the temple to outfit at least ten people in a complete set, which left eight seeing how she and Esbern were wearing two of them. Delphine did mention that they should be reserved for those that were to be Sunset's personal bodyguards, but also mentioned that they'd have to check everyone at Fellglow Keep before they could make such a decision.

As they walked Sunset noticed several forts that were completely abandoned, no signs of the bandits that once the place home or the people that might move in after them. Sunset hated to admit it, but it seemed like the bandits were now under Tirek's sway and, if that were the case, she wondered if they had joined with the Forsworn army. There were easily two to three hundred bandits scattered across Skyrim, so in addition to the two hundred Forsworn soldiers Sunset knew that Tirek's forces either had the two hundred Forsworn or, and she dreaded to think this, five hundred thanks to the bandits.

Sunset yawned when they reached Fellglow Keep, tired from both the fight through the tower to claim the Skull of Corruption and the trek from Dawnstar to her base. She wasn't the only one that was tired from their adventure in the Reach, as her entire band wanted nothing more than to head to bed the moment they reached the keep door. Sunset considered them fortunate, as she was the leader of an alliance and was needed by Elenwen to choose where some of their building would be built. And Tolfdir, who was somehow up later than what she had usually seen of the old man, shared several updates that told her that the mages were progressing well.

She briefly looked over Elenwen's plans on where certain buildings went, flipped through the other varieties of the locations, before returning to the first one and telling the altmer that it was the best one. Once that deed was done she returned to her chambers and closed the door, where she laid on top of her bed before falling asleep almost immediately.

When morning hit Sunset joined her companions outside for breakfast, where they could observe the building that the Thalmor soldiers were doing alongside the people of Winterhold. She even saw Delphine and Elenwen discussing the training yard, where they planned on having the soldiers that focused on weapons train, so they didn't interfere with the mages. It never ceased to amaze Sunset that two bitter rivals, who hated each other with a passion, could eventually give up that hatred in the face of complete annihilation. Tirek believed that, by destroying the College of Winterhold, the rest of the Hold, and Azura's Shrine, he could break the people of Skyrim apart, but the opposite was true. Sworn enemies were now gathering together, uniting their resources, they knowledge, and their strengths, against a common enemy that sought to end them all.

Tirek's plan had created an army that wanted nothing more than to protect their world, an army that would put an end to whatever foul plan the demon had in store for everyone.

"So Dragonborn, what's the emblem of our army?" Delphine asked the moment she was done with Elenwen, causing Sunset to look at her for a moment, "You know, like the dragon that the Empire has or the bear that the Stormcloaks have? What emblem shall we show our enemy, to set us apart from the others?"

It was then that Sunset got an idea that she never would have considered, as she took a piece of parchment and sketched out her Cutie Mark, thankful that she had memorized what it looked like. Delphine looked at it for a moment, clearly studying it for flaws, before nodding and showing the rest of Sunset's allies what would be on their banners. Sunset had no idea what possessed her to reveal her special mark like that, but it was something that apparently inspired her allies, despite them not knowing the meaning behind it.

What made her nervous was the fact that the Forsworn army, the very army she knew was coming this way at some point, had yet to reveal itself and the longer it took to arrive the more she worried that Tirek wasn't interested in the heart of Skyrim. She didn't dare risk moving out of the area to search for the remaining artifacts just yet, not until she was sure that Whiterun was safe from harm.

It was well into the afternoon when Sunset heard something that she was dreading, the sound of siege weapons currently being used against a heavily defended position. When she was Delphine what was going on she got a report that she wasn't expecting, the Stormcloaks were currently in the process of attacking Whiterun, which was being defended by the Imperial Legion.

"Your kidding me," Sunset said, shocked that something like this was even happening, especially when Tirek was still at large, "Damn them, they're planning into Tirek's hands. He wants us weakened, so that when his own army arrives they can swarm the city and slaughter whoever is left standing. I cannot afford to let Whiterun, the center of Skyrim, fall due to the idiocy of the leaders of the other factions... not when Tirek is still out there."

"What are your orders?" Delphine asked, though Sunset could tell that the other leaders of her faction, Elenwen, Korir, and Tolfdir, were awaiting her command.

Sunset could not believe that she was going to have to show her hand, so soon no less, to the other factions, all because they couldn't heed the signs that Tirek was leaving in his wake. She didn't want to go to war unless it was absolutely necessary, so she had an idea that would work in the off chance that the Forsworn arrived while she was dealing with the assault.

"Assemble those that can fight," Sunset finally said, a sigh leaving her as she stared at the map, "but I want scouts looking at the roads around Whiterun. There's another army out there, Tirek's Forsworn army to be exact, and I'd rather not wear out our people before the true enemy strikes... so get them ready, but wait for my command. If I'm right, and I pray that I'm not, the Forsworn are almost here and they'll obliterate the city in no time."

Delphine and the others nodded, though Sunset summoned the Staff of Magnus, walked outside to gather her friends, and immediately departed for the besieged city. As they drew close Sunset was constantly upset by what she saw, siege weapons that were firing at the city, soldiers in blue assaulting the walls and the steel wearing soldiers that protected the city, and the flames that ate at the walls. Her plan was simple, she was going to get into the middle of the conflict and, with the Staff she held, she was going to make everyone stop before the Forsworn arrived.

Once she was near the Stormcloak army she flashed into the heart and ducked under their weapons, dodging the blows that were intended for the Imperials and avoiding the arrows that were supposed to hit the Stormcloaks. People watched her move though the madness, though some of them uttered her name as she passed them by, magic pulsing around her and the staff. She seriously hoped that her plan would work, otherwise the enemy would be upon them and they wouldn't even notice until it was way too late.

"Stop fighting," Sunset shouted, though as she said that she noticed that not many people were paying attention to her, which caused her to start spinning her staff before slamming the base into the ground, "I SAID STOP FIGHTING!"

Her voice, increased by the power of the staff, echoed across the fields with the magic not far behind, hitting everyone around her and causing them all to stop fighting each other. It was a powerful spell, one that she had gleamed from one of Princess Celestia's books, but it served her purpose at the moment and she'd gladly suffer the consequences if she could stop the fighting. She sighed as the spell finished, though her victory was short lived as someone approached her from behind, though she was surprised to find Jarl Ulfric standing there.

"You have no right to stop this assault Dragonborn," Ulfric said, holding a steel axe in his right hand, "We're here to liberate this Hold from the Empire that is too weak to defend itself."

"I hate to agree with the enemy, but I must insist that you leave," a second voice said, just as General Tullius, the leader of the Legion, appeared on the nearby wall, "We're here to defend this Hold from the savages that seek to tear the peace that the Empire fought hard to win to shreds."

"Oh for the love of Celestia," Sunset groaned, raising her voice so the both of them, and the Jarl of Whiterun for that matter, could hear her speak, "There's an army of Forsworn soldiers coming this way. What you are doing right now will only allow them to destroy the both of you, and the rest of the Hold, faster than if they were left alone. They're under the influence of the demon that sunk Winterhold, destroyed the College of Winterhold, shattered the Shrine of Azura, and flattened the Thalmor Embassy. For the love of whatever you believe in, be it Eight or Nine Divines, please stop this senseless fighting and listen to someone who knows that they're talking..."

Then she heard it, the sound of a war horn that didn't belong to either the Imperials or the Stormcloaks, which caused her to look down the road that lead to the destroyed watchtower. Even from her distance she could see the faint line of Forsworn coming their way, confirming her worst fears as she noticed that the rumors of the bandits leaving their fortresses were true. She quickly glanced at both commanders, who were in shock by what they were seeing, though she had no time to waste before the enemy was upon them. She gripped her staff and prepared for what was to come, though she heard the sound of another group of soldiers approaching and guessed at who it was.

"We're here Dragonborn," Delphine called out, spotting the enemy and turning back to their forces, "Soldiers, form up and prepare for combat with the enemy!"

Sunset's forces wrapped around to the front of where Sunset was standing, forming perfect military lines that she suspected they had been practicing while she was gone. It showed their dedication towards saving the world, which caused her to smile towards her allies as they came to a stop near her position. Elenwen was dressed up in the traditional elven armor the Thalmor wore, Tolfdir wore what appeared to be master robes that came with a hood to protect his head, and Korir was dressed in heavy steel armor. Then, just as they thought that they'd be fighting the Forsworn alone, both Tullius and Ulfric shouted for their soldiers to form up alongside Sunset's army, while they stood beside her.

"Kill them all!" the Forsworn commander, no doubt the King that the Markarth guard had mentioned, shouted at his forces, "Leave none of them alive and burn the entire city to the ground!"

As the Forsworn army broke ranks and charged at their position Elenwen shouted her own command, the archers raising their bows and beginning to rain arrows on their enemy. Sunset, seeing the enemy draw even closer, sounded the charge and her army was off, charging across the plain until they slammed into the front of the Forsworn. From that point on it was pure chaos, as her soldiers hacked, slashed, and blasted their enemies in the chest, while the Forsworn took pleasure in hitting whoever they could get their hands on. The Legion and the Stormcloaks joined in, smashing their shields into those that stood before them, while blocking attacks that could mean the end of them.

In the first few minutes it seemed like both forces were equal, but as Sunset fought those that served Tirek she felt the ground shake for a moment and worried that their true enemy had shown up. Then, when she looked at the source, she spotted a line of at least thirty necromancers breaking into the ground, summoning a massive army of skeletons to do battle with Tirek's enemies. She knew that they could deal with the Forsworn and bandits by themselves, but with an additional five to seven hundred skeletons added to the mix she had no idea if they'd save the city.

She twisted the staff towards the army of skeletons and blasted one right in the chest, blowing a small hole in their numbers as the rest of them continued down the plain towards the conflict.

"Damn him to Tartarus," Sunset spat, fearing that all of her preparations would be in vain, "It doesn't look like we're going to make it out of this fight after all."

That was moments before several large figures burst out of the clouds, roars filling the air as five dragons, lead by Alduin himself, flew down on the necromancers. Sunset recognized only one more of them, as it was the one she had met at Kynesgrove, the dragon that had been called Sahloknir, as he landed behind the Forsworn and started hitting them with both his tail and his wings. Fire rained on the necromancers and the Forsworn, who Sunset could tell were beginning to regret challenging such a force of soldiers with their pitiful numbers.

As the fight dragged on Sunset charged through the crowd of Imperials, Stormcloaks, Forsworn, and Bandits, searching for the Forsworn King as she drew her ebony sword from its sheath. She found him directing the attack from the center of his army, trying to salvage his failed assault on the city, and almost grinned when she found that he hadn't even noticed her coming his way. Magic wrapped around her sword as she drew closer, but by the time he turned her way and finally noticed her coming it was far too late for him to move. She roared with all her anger and swung the sword, releasing a wave that struck him in the chest and, quite literally, cut his body into two halves before the eyes of his army.

The Forsworn, seeing their king fall in battle, fought against their enemies, but as they did so Sunset noted that many of them were falling to the ground in a pool of their own blood. Then, not moments later, the Forsworn laid dead around them while the dragons moped up what remained of the necromancers and their skeletal army. Sunset would have enjoyed the victory, but it only pained her heart to see so many dead, all because Tirek had tempted the Forsworn to turn against everyone else.

"Well I'll be," Tullius said, coming to a stop beside her, a look of wonder on his face, "I had heard that someone had allied themselves with the dragons, but never in a hundred years would I have expected the rumors and stories to be true. You did Whiterun, and all of Skyrim, a mighty deed that none of them will be able to forget for many years. Come along Archmage, I think that Jarl Balgruuf will want to express his gratitude towards you saving his Hold and I know that both Ulfric and I have some words to share with you."

Sunset smiled as she followed the commander of the Imperial Legion back to Whiterun, wondering if she could simply ask him to hand over the Ebony Blade, instead of having to steal the key and everything. And maybe, just maybe, both factions of this civil war would be willing to ally with her, until they were done with whatever wicked plan that Tirek had in store for them.

Tirek stood before the shrine of Malacath, listening very closely to the echo of his chosen Warlord as the battle for Whiterun began, just as magic gathered around his hand. It had been so simple; just raise an army and send them to destroy the Hold, but then his enemy had to appear and obliterate every soldier that he had tempted to his side. It should have made his so furious that he could have shattered the entire Hold he was in, but he didn't want to alert Sunset as to where he actually was. There was too much at stake for him to release his anger and destroy the entire Rift, but he could settle for something that no one would miss.

No one besides the orcs of Largashbur, but he had already decimated the small stronghold and, when he found no one there, he settled for coming here to the shrine. He brought his hand back and then swung at the statue, cracking the air before shattering the entire statue into a thousand pieces, letting the power of the attack break the area around him as he walked towards the cave entrance.

"This game is almost over," Tirek said, a small hint of a smile appearing on his face, "and soon I'll be able to shatter this world... and those that bother defending it along with it."

28: Blade and Rose

Sunset and her band of companions, which included her friends and the leaders of the factions that had so far sided with her, walked through the streets of Whiterun as they quickly made their way to Dragonsreach, where Jarl Balgruuf was waiting for her. Both General Tullius and Ulfric Stormcloak walked beside her, though she caught several townspeople staring at Ulfric as they passed them by, letting her know that they still didn't trust him at all. Right now she really didn't care about that, as he had willingly helped her fight off the threat of the Forsworn army, even if it had meant fighting alongside his enemy in the civil war.

He had fought alongside her, without trying to kill her, her soldiers, or the enemy commander and any of his soldiers, which meant that she might be able to work with him in the end.

Many of the guards saluted her and her friends as they passed, as the majority of their good deeds were now known throughout the remaining eight Holds, though she was glad to see that the people cared about her work. It meant that she was doing something right, though she prayed that they would follow the example that the people that came to join her forces were setting. Everyone needed the opportunity to stand up against Tirek, to which she hoped that the possible threat of another army similar to the Forsworn would be enough for them to make up their minds. If they didn't want to fight the demon then she understood, as she was more than willing to let people decide which side of the conflict they'd rather side with for themselves.

When they entered Dragonsreach they found Jarl Balgruuf sitting in his chair, staring at a stack of papers that looked like they had been brought to him so he could focus on something other than the threat of war. As they approached the throne the Jarl sighed and set the paper he was staring at down on top of the pile, giving Sunset and her group his full attention, though Sunset could tell that he was annoyed with something, or someone.

"So, Dragonborn, it seems I have you to thank for saving my Hold... again," Jarl Balgruuf said, nodding to her for a moment, though she suspected that there was something else he wasn't saying yet, "Forgive me for what I'm about to say, I don't mean to sound ungrateful, but I was reviewing the papers Jarl Korir signed and I cannot find a mention of it saying that an army was going to be built in Fellglow Keep."

"That was not my original intention," Sunset replied, slightly surprised that he was even upset over the matter, but could understand where he was coming from, "Fellglow Keep was supposed to be a haven for those that were displaced by the demon Tirek, though as you can tell that quickly developed into what it is today. The Mages of the College of Winterhold, the residents of Winterhold, the Thalmor, the Blades, and a variety of others have come to the Keep, so they can join the cause to defeat the demon."

"What's the big deal about one dremora?" Ulfric asked, crossing his arms as he stood on Sunset's left, while Tullius stood to her right, "So someone summoned him and was slain in the process, I don't see why that would require you to build an army to defeat him. Just hunt him down and send his souls back to Oblivion, where he belongs with the rest of his demented kind."

"I'm afraid that it isn't as simple as that," Sunset said, turning to face the commander of the Stormcloaks, "Tirek is a demon that drains the power of those that willingly serve him when he dies, but the increase of his power is slowing down as he draws closer to full power. Trust me when I tell you all this, if Tirek gets one hundred percent then this entire world, from one province to another, will be destroyed under the weight of his power. Now, you are all likely asking yourselves how he's going to obtain his full potential, so let me tell you; he's planning on taking the Daedric Artifacts and draining whichever Prince he can get his hands on."

"Please, a dremora that can steal someone's power and then the power of a Daedric Lord?" Tullius asked, laughing as he turned to Elenwen, who had a serious look on her face, "Seriously? This is why you stopped coming to Solitude for the meetings? To play second fiddle to someone who thinks a wandering dremora requires an army to destroy it?"

"This is serious General Tullius," Elenwen calmly replied, though Sunset could tell that she was slightly annoyed, "this... demon... came to my Embassy with the intention to drain me, my guards, and my guests dry of our energy, but instead he used his power to flatten the area into the side of the mountain. He did the same thing to Winterhold, which was where the idea to fight him originated, and I'm willing to fight this demon before he gains the ability to shatter our world."

"Oh for the love of Celestia, this isn't going anywhere fast," Sunset moaned, heading towards the stairs before beckoning for everyone to join her, "Follow me and I'll explain what I mean in a very simple way."

Sunset was used to most people outright ignoring her when she tried to explain what Tirek was currently capable of, and what he would be capable of if he reached his full potential, so she decided to use a certain spell Princess Celestia had shown her at one time. It was a powerful spell, similar to the one she had used to stop the civil war, but this one would be more draining on her actual energy than the previous one. She walked out onto the perch area of Dragonsreach, looking around as she took the entire area in, knowing that it was the perfect spot to reveal what Tirek was capable of at the moment.

She directed everyone up to the walkway that rested above the perch's floor, patiently waiting for them to get into position before she started the show. Once they were in position she tapped her staff against the stone floor and summoned her magic around her, sifting through her memories until she found the one she was looking for. The moment she had the desired memory she channeled the spell into the area around her and watched as a certain scene constructed itself all around her. It was the very moment that she had discovered that Tirek had been behind everything that Ancano had done to the College, before she had defeated the deranged elf and witnessed the complete and utter destruction of Winterhold.

Congratulations, Archmage Sunset Shimmer, past Tirek called down to past Sunset, You managed to defeat another of my pawns, but now it is time for me to show you the fruits of their labor.

Past Tirek leapt down to where past Sunset and Tolfdir were standing, causing the two of them to leap backwards and prepare for combat with the demon. The two parties stared at each other, giving the past Sunset time to study her enemy and come up with a plan, before the horrible truth of what she saw before her revealed itself. The past Tolfdir also prepared himself accordingly, unaware that his Archmage was beginning to dread what was coming from their enemy.

How much power have you consumed? past Sunset asked, nearly shouting the words at the demon, How many people have died to do this to your body?

Ah, I am at thirty-five percent of my former power, past Tirek answered, his answer installing fear into the past Archmage while her companion prepared for battle, and I could name just a few people that you would know whose powers I now possess; the Caller, the Augur of Dunlain, the previous Archmage, Savos Aren, and let's not forget Ancano. But this is not enough for me to return to Equus, as I require my full one hundred percent for that to happen...

What happened was a short exchange between the past Sunset and Tirek, where the past Tirek gathered his power into his hand and climbed onto the magicka well that stood before Archmage Shalidor's statue. Then, in the moment following when past Sunset and Tolfdir began their retreat, the demon swung his fist at the well and the calamity started anew. Sunset watched as the city of Winterhold was destroyed, reliving the pain she had felt at the time, before the destruction moved onto the College itself. It was then that the College was cracked into pieces and claimed by the sea around it, displaying the power that Tirek had at the time to everyone around her.

Once the deed was done Sunset cancelled the spell and made sure that her staff was propped up against something, to combat the wooziness that came with using the spell. She took a breath and steadied herself, bracing herself for what the others were going to say about what they had seen, especially what Jarl Balgruuf was going to say.

"That's the destruction of Winterhold in a nutshell," Sunset said, raising her voice so everyone could hear her, despite the fact that they were coming back to her anyway, "thirty-five percent and Tirek shattered the entirety of a city, sinking it and the College into the ground. At fifty percent he flattened the Thalmor Embassy into the mountain, but what comes between fifty percent and one hundred I have absolutely no idea. Once he reaches his full potential he'll destroy all of Nirn, which I am trying to prevent at all times."

"All of Nirn?" Ulfric asked, where for the first time Sunset could hear the fear on the nord's voice, though she nodded to him anyway, "Well then, I do believe we know what to do next. Wouldn't you agree, General Tullius?"

"I daresay that your right," Tullius replied, though it was clear that he didn't like agreeing with his enemy, "for the greater good of Skyrim, and all of Nirn, both the Imperial Legion and the Stormcloaks will cease hostilities with each other and focus on finding Tirek's base of operations. Hopefully we can take his focus away from you and your mission of gathering the Daedric Artifacts long enough for you to banish them all to Oblivion once more."

Sunset was very pleased with the outcome of this venture, as it meant that the civil war was paused until she could find Tirek and send him back to Tartarus. The only thing she had to do now was simply ask Jarl Balgruuf for the Ebony Blade, take the artifact away from the city, and start her hunt for the Sanguine Rose. She patiently waited for the Jarl to come down and speak with her, allowing her body to recover from using the spell as her friends came to a stop around her. Elenwen, Jarl Korir, Delphine, and Tolfdir waited by the door, knowing that their leader had something else to do in the city before they retired to their keep.

"Was there something else Dragonborn?" Jarl Balgruuf asked, knowing that there was some other reason for her to still be standing there, patiently waiting for him.

"I would like to request that you hand over the Ebony Blade," Sunset stated, causing the Jarl to raise an eyebrow at her, "Look, the reason the Forsworn came here is because one of Tirek's underlings figured out that the Ebony Blade, the artifact of Mephala, is inside the city. They came here to slaughter your forces, and those of whoever else was here, and burn the city to the ground, all so they could get their hands on that artifact. I'd like to take it off your hands and secure it with the others."

"I feared that someone would come for that dreadful weapon," Jarl Balgruuf finally said, sighing as he reached into his pocket and withdrew an iron key, a key that he handed over to her, "Take this key, open the ancient door, and take that dreadful weapon away with you... I will not have it in my city after hearing why the Forsworn came here."

Sunset nodded and headed out into the throne room, where Fiona took the lead and showed her the way to the door that the Jarl had been referring to. It was definitely an old door, that much Sunset could tell just by staring at the rotting wood, but she could also feel a faint energy behind the door. She reasoned that it had to be the Ebony Blade and that the only reason she could feel it was because she had handled the other artifacts she had collected, though that the only reason she could come up with. She briefly inserted the key into the lock and threw open the door, where she found a long ebony blade sitting on a table with a journal sitting next to it. She sighed in relief and collected the weapon, before heading out into the throne room to rejoin the rest of her friends and companions, arriving in time to see General Tullius and Jarl Ulfric preparing to leave.

It was then that Sunset thought of something that she hadn't considered before, something that could very well help them find Tirek and whoever else was under his influence.

"I do have one suggestion for you two," Sunset spoke up, causing the two men to turn towards her for a moment, "One faction has control over the Reach, while the other has control over the Rift. I have the feeling that there may still be some remnants of Tirek's forces hiding out in either of these Holds, so I suggest that you start your searches in those areas. If you come across some information that may be beneficial to the other faction's search than I do hope you share it, instead of keeping it to yourself. But if either of you happen to find Tirek's base of operations I expect that you'll share its location with me first, that way we can come up with a plan of attack."

"As you wish Archmage," General Tullius replied, bowing slightly as Jarl Ulfric merely nodded his understanding, "As I said, you and your allies now have the full cooperation of the Imperial Legion, and the Stormcloaks as well, aiding you in your search for the dremora called Tirek. Go do what you must to keep Nirn safe."

Sunset nodded and her band left Dragonsreach, where she was kind of surprised to find that it was already the evening and was slowly giving way to the night. She reasoned that there were a few hours of daylight left, though not nearly enough for them to immediately start the hunt for the Sanguine Rose. She decided to return to her base of operations and share the good news with the people that called the keep home, before grabbing some dinner and heading to bed later that night. As she and her band left Whiterun she heard a roar and looked to the sky, just in time to see Alduin and the other four dragons heading back to Labyrinthian.

It merely reminded her that she needed to go back there to begin her Dragon Priest training, which she decided would give her some new Shouts to use in case they came across an enemy that required such power to defeat it.

When they returned to the keep Sunset was glad to find that they had, somehow, managed to survive the entire battle for Whiterun without losing a single person. Her army was whole and, upon hearing of the alliance they had secured with both the Imperials and the Stormcloaks, they cheered for their success. Granted her original plan was to wait until she had secured all the artifacts before asking for such a meeting, but she was still fine with this outcome. What she didn't expect to find when she returned to her base, however, was a small group of orcs, roughly fifteen she counted, waiting for her outside the outer walls of her fortress.

She also didn't expect that she would have ever seen Atub, the orc she had given some ingredients to so she could obtain Malacath's artifact, after she had left the stronghold behind. Yet there she was, standing with the rest of her tribe, all of whom looked like they were exhausted after a long trek to reach this destination. Sunset also discovered that they were carrying tools, ores, weapons, armor, and a variety of other items with them in their wagons, though she could guess what happened to them.

"Atub, what's wrong?" Sunset asked, knowing that it was polite to ask what the problem was, before jumping to conclusions and making herself look like a complete fool, "Did something happen to Largashbur?"

"Malacath sent me a vision yesterday," Atub replied, sighing as she turned to look at Sunset, "not a vision of prophecy, like those that Azura gives to her followers, but a vision of truth, of what's to come and of what could happen. I was shown the destruction of Largashbur, and the death of my tribe, at the hands of the dremora that you and your allies seemed to call 'Tirek'. I did not wish for my tribe to die in such a cowardly way, when we weren't able to fight and die with honor, so I spoke with the Chief and we made preparations to leave our home behind. We took all that we could from the stronghold before making our way here, but I stood back on a nearby hill to wait and see if I had been shown the truth.

The... the dremora appeared out of nowhere and assaulted our stronghold, using his terrible magic to tear our gate asunder and crush our Chief's hunt under a rockslide. Once the entirety of our home was either burning under his magic or ripped apart by the earth itself the dremora disappeared, as if he had never been there to begin with. I painfully rejoined my tribe as they marched from our home to this location, only to feel the destruction of Malacath's shrine not ten minutes later. The orcs of Largashbur came here for one reason; we came to join forces with the one person who seems to have a chance at defeating this vile creature.

Our smiths and warriors stand at the ready, if you would give us a chance to fight the creature that took our stronghold, and our way of live, away from us."

Sunset could see the determination on Atub's face as she spoke, as she was furious at the destruction that she had witnessed, and felt that she spoke the same words that anyone from Winterhold would have said, if she had asked them.

"Elenwen, we've still got some unused plots of land correct?" Sunset asked, turning to face the altmer for a moment, wondering where they could place the displaced orcs.

"Yes Archmage," Elenwen replied, beckoning to an area across the small river and then to one that was near the base of the river, "We've got plenty of room for more expansion, though I don't know what the Jarl will make of us if we continue to grow like this."

"I would be honored to accept you and your people Atub," Sunset told the orc, seeing a smile appear on many of the orcs' faces, "Come inside the walls for the night, we'll figure out where your new home will be located in the morning."

As Elenwen and the rest of her band escorted the orcs inside the walls of her fortress Sunset spotted a Courier standing nearby, but she didn't see a package or letter for anyone. If anything the nord appeared to be frightened about something, though she wondered what could have made him shiver and shake as he was. She sighed and approached the nord, also wondering what type of mail he had to deliver and who it had to go to, though she had a suspicion that it was for her.

"I've, um, got a message to deliver to you," the Courier quickly said, his eyes darting to the sky, almost as if he was fearing that something was going to come down and eat him, "from a, um, rather large and intimidating dragon. He said to tell you that, ugh, the 'other five' have begun their march and that they'll be at their base in a few days."

It took Sunset a moment to understand what she had been told, but when she got the message she simply nodded her head and allowed the Courier to go about his business. It was just like what happened with Rahgot, she realized, but this time the five remaining Dragon Priests were waking themselves up and gathering their armies. It was almost as if they could feel the threat that Tirek posed to all of Nirn and were rising from their slumber, so they could lend their strength to the cause. She grinned for a moment, pleased that she didn't have to use some of her hard earned time to hunt down and awaken the other Priests herself, before heading into the fortress to share the good news.

When morning arrived Sunset was pleased to see that the orcs of Largashbur were already settling into their new home, as some of them had gone to the smithy to work wonders while the warriors were training. Their Chief, however, had decided that, seeing how they weren't in a stronghold, that they would fall in with her forces, living with equals under their Warlord. Sunset didn't know if she liked being called a warlord, but if the orcs wanted to call her that then she supposed that she had better grow to like another title. Though as she walked around her fortress she noticed that more orcs were occasionally showing up, each telling her about Malacath calling them to action against Tirek.

Apparently all of the orcs in Skyrim wanted a piece of Tirek, so Sunset figured that she'd give them their chance and those that came to her fortress immediately fell into a routine. It was another one hundred to one hundred and fifty soldiers to add to her forces, in addition to whatever the Imperials and Stormcloaks brought with them.

Once she was gone walking around the outer wall of her fortress she returned to the center, where she found Delphine talking with Fiona about something.

"I don't know where he came from," Delphine calmly said, though Sunset could detect some anger in her words, "but he's in the tavern, spouting some nonsense about a stolen rose and some stupid mages."

"It sounds like Lord Sanguine found us before we could find him," Fiona commented, just as Sunset came to a stop near them, to which the vampire looked over at her, "So, shall we go see what the Daedric Lord of Debauchery wants of us?"

Sunset nodded and followed the two of them to the tavern, one of the first buildings that had been built, where she found a nord sitting in a chair with a cup of mead in his hand. To her it seemed like an ordinary nord, though when it came to dealing with the Daedric Princes she knew that she had to expect anything and everything. Once they neared the nord he turned around and looked at them, taking a moment to study them before a sigh escaped his lips and he set his cup down.

"So, your the one that's been collecting the Daedric Artifacts," the nord said, though Sunset could almost feel the power in his voice alone, "I am Sanguine, the Daedric Prince of Debauchery. Yes, I know, the barrier between Oblivion and Nirn should prevent me from appearing here, in my true form, and you'd be surprised to hear that it does. I'm currently possessing this poor soul that was drowning himself in mead everyday, though I'm somewhat ashamed to admit that my artifact has already been stolen. I'm not sure who stole it from me, but I do know that whoever stole it has gone to Morvunskar to sacrifice it, and the mages that call the fort home, to your enemy, the demon Tirek."

"Am I to assume that I can keep the Rose after I recover it?" Sunset asked, curious as to whether the artifact would be sent back to Sanguine's realm or if it would remain on Nirn.

"Sure, sure," Sanguine replied, waving his hand as if to dismiss her, "Just go to the fortress, kill whoever you find inside, and recover the Rose before your enemy gets his hands on it."

Sunset nodded and headed outside, where she and Fiona quickly gathered the rest of their friends before they departed from the fortress, leaving it in capable hands. As usual Sunset noticed that none of the wildlife wanted a piece of them, to which she now knew that Hircine wanted them to kill Tirek, thus his interest in keeping them alive. Her friends were also glad to not be in the middle of a battlefield, so they spent some time talking among themselves as they journeyed towards their destination.

When they arrived at Morvunskar, located close to Windhelm, Sunset noticed that the mages that were supposed to be guarding the walls were hanging over the edge, lifeless and broken. She sighed and drew her sword, choosing to keep her staff hidden for the moment as they ventured into the actual fortress and began their search for whoever stole the Sanguine Rose. The further they investigated the fortress the more bodies that Sunset discovered, leading her to worry that whatever ritual that Sanguine had mentioned may have already taken place and that the thief was already long gone.

"This isn't a good sign," Fiona commented, constantly looking at the broken bodies of the mages that had called this fort home, "this really isn't good for us at the moment."

It took them a few minutes to reach the inner sanctum, where they found someone, an orc Sunset realized, that was sitting in the chair with a wicked looking staff, the Sanguine Rose, in his left hand. Sunset held her hand up to stop them from continuing into the chamber, clearly intending to smash the orc into the wall and recover the artifact as fast as possible. As she stepped into the chamber the orc lifted his head and stared at her for a moment, before he pulled himself from his chair and walked down the steps towards her. As he did so he grabbed the head of one of the bodies, an altmer Sunset noticed, and dragged it closer to her, allowing her to see the shriveled body up close.

It was the telltale sign of one of Tirek's followers, but she had been beaten to the punch as the entire fortress had been slain by someone, who she suspected was the orc in front of her.

"Here, I know you've been hunting for this," the orc said, handing her the Sanguine Rose, just like that, "I came here seeking the demon, but I was wrong... he was not here. His underling was here, but now he's dead."

"If your looking to fight Tirek then head to Fellglow Keep," Sunset said, somewhat surprised to find such a person alone at this point, "there's an army gathering to fight against the demon. I'd love to have someone like you in our ranks Mister..."

"Orak," the orc replied, a slight grin appearing on his face, only for it to disappear, "Orak Heavy-Heart. I would like to see this... army... of yours in person."

Sunset smiled with the prospect of finding such a warrior all alone, much less one that wanted to bring the end of Tirek like everyone else she was meeting. She considered herself lucky that he was on her side, otherwise she could have lost the Sanguine Rose, and all of Nirn for that matter, without realizing it. With the Rose in hand the group of seven left the fortress and began the journey back to Fellglow Keep, where they would plan on how they would recover the remaining two artifacts.

Tirek smiled as he walked around the master chamber of his base, staring at the various ingredients he had assembled and the vital main ingredient, the corpse in the center of the room. He had to admit, he was slightly pleased that he had minions that managed to dig into a collapsed dwarven ruin, remove the boulders that had been in the way, and recover the body he had requested. That was before he had drained them the moment they had completed their task, so he could focus on what he was going to do next. He came to a stop near the main entrance to the chamber and summoned his magic, allowing it to gather around the corpse as he called on the powers of necromancy.

He was also extremely fortunate that he had absorbed the power of thirty necromancers, to which he mentally thanked his enemy for delivering their power to him.

"Mercer Frey, I call your spirit back to this world," Tirek said, magic gathering inside the body before him as he brought life back to it, "I call you back to this pitiful world, to offer you a deal that you cannot refuse. Come Mercer Frey, hear my words and return to your body."

The body convulsed for a moment, giving him a sign that something was happening, before a white specter appeared on the other side of the chamber. He could tell that it was studying him, but he glared at the specter and held his gaze, telling it that he wouldn't be intimidated by anything. A few minutes passed before the specter turned to the corpse and entered the body, breathing life into it for a couple of seconds before it hit the ground. With the deed done Tirek cut his magic off and stared at the former corpse, watching the arms move around as the hands gripped the chair behind it and pulled itself up into a sitting position.

Tirek smiled as he studied his work; Mercer Frey, the former Guildmaster of the Thieves Guild, had been brought back to life with the sole purpose to exchange his information for whatever Tirek had to offer him.

"You mettle in forces that you do not understand," Mercer spat, clearly getting his speaking functions back due to his anger, "Nocturnal will know of this and inform her new Nightingales of what you have done."

"I called you back for one purpose, worm," Tirek said, magic pulsing around his body for a moment, "You give me the knowledge you have on the Twilight Sepulcher, and the Skeleton Key, and I will restore your body so you can do whatever you were doing before your downfall. What do you say, partner?"

Tirek held his hand out for Mercer to take, knowing that when he got what he wanted he would destroy the reanimated corpse and absorb him like he had done to the others. Mercer looked at him for a moment, clearly weighing his options, before a sigh escaped from his broken body and he shook Tirek's hand, unknowingly sealing his fate once more.

29: The Ruins of Alftand

Sunset and her band of companions, now heavy one more orc warrior, left the fortress called Morvunskar and retraced their steps back to Fellglow Keep. As they walked down the dirt road Sunset had to wonder how such a warrior could have been overlooked, by both her collective allies and by herself. She knew that she wouldn't have noticed in the long run, as she had been busy over the last few days, collecting the Daedric Artifacts she held and stopped Tirek's minions wherever they could be found. She could also understand why her allies would have missed a lone warrior, as they had all been busy wiping her fortress into livable conditions and building the skills of their soldiers.

She smiled in the end; she was lucky to have found Orak and was relieved to hear that the orc hated Tirek as well, for either the destruction of Largashbur or personal reasons.

When they arrived at Fellglow Keep Elenwen and Delphine came out to look at the new arrival, who continued to stare at the fortifications that had already been made to the keep, nodding his head every now and then. Sunset knew that Orak was studying the layout of the fortress, as if he was making sure that they were fortified correctly and that it met his standards for an army base. Mages and soldiers stopped to look at the newest addition to the cause, though every time he nodded at something he saw Sunset couldn't help but smile. Eventually they reached the middle of the fortress, the original keep, and he walked up the stairs and got onto the wall for a moment, taking a look at the fortress as a whole, before he returned to them.

"So?" Sunset asked, curious as to what the orc thought about her army and her base of operations, "Do you like what you see?"

"There... is more work to be done," Orak replied, though Sunset could see a slight grin appear on his face, "but... yes... I do like what I see. I would be honored to fight at your side."

Sunset was relieved to hear that the orc was willing to join them, to which Elenwen and Delphine decided to show him to where the warriors trained and where he'd be sleeping. With that deed dealt with Sunset headed into the main area of the fortress and summoned her chest the moment she was inside, carefully placing the Sanguine Rose, the Ebony Blade, and the Dawnbreaker inside. She grinned as she banished the chest back to wherever it rested before she called on it, pleased to have recovered thirteen of the fifteen artifacts. She had saved thirteen of the Daedric Princes from Tirek, though Raja had helped her by sealing the Skeleton Key away, thus keeping Nocturnal safe.

The only problem was that she had two more Princes to find, Hermaeus Mora and Boethiah, and recover the remaining two artifacts, the Ebony Mail and the Oghma Infinium, but she had no idea where to find the Prince of Knowledge. After a moment of consideration she left the main keep and headed to the library, a section that had been built next to the main area almost immediately after they had arrived from Winterhold. Urag had painstakingly collected as many books as he could get his hands on, as well as accepting everything that the Thalmor were willing to lend him for the moment, so the library might actually have something on what she was looking for.

"Ah, Archmage," Urag said, looking up from his stack of books before greeting her and her companions to the library, "What can I do for you and your friends today?"

"I need help searching for Hermaeus Mora's cult," Sunset replied, pulling out Fiona's journal and opening it to the page that was labeled Oghma Infinium, to which the majority of the page was empty, "He is one of the last Daedric Princes whose artifacts have yet to be secured, yet I have no idea where to begin searching for him and his followers. Even Fiona, who painstakingly collected every piece of information in this journal, could barely find anything on the Prince of Knowledge or where his artifact might be."

"Oh, is that all?" Urag replied, a laugh escaping his lips as he slammed his hand on the nearby table, "Archmage, this might not be the Arcaneum of the College of Winterhold, but I do know someone who might have the information that you seek. Granted, its been a few years since I last saw him, but old Septimus Signus should be able to help you located Hermaeus Mora's Oghma Infinium. Last I heard he had found some sort of dwarven artifact in the frozen fields north of Whinterhold, so unless he was hit by Tirek's attack he should still be there."

"Thanks Urag," Sunset said, collecting her journal before heading outside, where she pulled out the map and made sure that there was a path to the area that lead to the fields that she had been told about.

"Something up Sunset?" Bjorn asked, having seen his friend serious like this several times and knew that some idea was currently in the works in her head.

"Maybe, maybe not," Sunset replied, pointing at the map for a moment and traced her finger along a path that lead to the furthest island that had been documented, "There is one frozen piece near the edge of the sea, which I'm assuming is where this Septimus Signus is hiding out. So here's the plan; we go north, find the man we're looking for, recover the artifact of Hermaeus Mora, and then we can hunt down the final artifact, the Ebony Mail. Then with all fifteen artifacts sealed in my chest we'll call on Erandur's magic and banish all of them to Oblivion, where Tirek won't be able to get his hands on them."

She looked at her companions for a moment, checking to see what they thought about her plan, though she could tell that they were all in agreement with what she had said. Fiona did look annoyed about the whole mention of her never finding much on the Oghma Infinium, but she nodded her understanding towards the plan. So, with their destination in mind, the group said farewell to Fellglow Keep and traveled towards the ruins of Winterhold, where they would be able to trace their path to the hideout of Septimus Signus.

Getting to the located where Winterhold used to reside was simple, but tracing their path through the frozen waters and chunks of ice was another matter in itself. They carefully picked their way across the chunks of ice, making sure that none of them fell into the freezing water, before Sunset spotted what she assumed was what they were looking for. In front of them stood a trapdoor that was attached to a small mound of snow, one that seemed to be slowly falling apart thanks to the winds that continued to lash out at it. Not a few inches away from the door was a wooden boat that had been long frozen to the spot, though there were signs that it could be removed and used once more. Sunset gently opened the trapdoor and climbed down the ladder, descending into the frozen cave that she assumed held the man they were looking for.

Her friends followed her inside, to get out of the freezing winds, but when they appeared in a cave like chamber they found a man walking in a triangle formation. That was when Sunset noticed the large dwarven cube that happened to be half buried in the wall beside the man, who continued to mutter to himself while occasionally looking up at the cube.

"Hello? Setimus Signus?" Sunset asked, curious as to whether or not the man knew that he had some company, but received no answer until she and her friends were standing much closer to him.

"Do you see this masterwork of the Dwemer?" the man asked, placing a hand on the box as he spoke, almost as if he was trying to unlock it somehow, "Deep inside their greatest knowings. Septimus is clever among men, but he is but an idiot child when compared to the dullest of the dwemer. Lucky then that they left behind their own way of reading the Elder Scrolls. One yet lies in the depths of Blackreach."

At the mention of an Elder Scroll Sunset's entire group, save for herself, took a breath, though all she did was look at the man and wonder if he was insane.

"So, do you know how to find Hermaeus Mora and his artifact?" Sunset asked, choosing a different question in the hopes that the man would answer something for her.

"The ice entombs the heart." Sepimus replied, still not answering her question with a straight answer, "The bane of Kagrenac and Dagoth Ur. To harness it is to know. The fundaments. The Dwemer lockbox hides it from me. The Elder Scroll gives insight deeper than the deep ones, though. To bring about the opening. This Dwemer lockbox. Look upon it and wonder. Inside is the heart. The heart of a god! The heart of you. And me. But it was hidden away. Not by the Dwarves, you see. They were already gone. Someone else. Unseen. Unknown. Found the heart, and with a flair for the ironical, used Dwarven trickery to lock it away. The scroll will give the deep vision needed to open it. For not even the strongest machinations of the Dwemer can hold off the all-sight given by an Elder Scroll.

The box contains the heart. The essence of a god. I have devoted my life to the Elder Scrolls, but their knowledge is a passing awareness when compared to the encompassing mind of divinity. The Dwemer were the last to touch it. It was thought to have been destroyed by the Nerevarine, but my Lord told me otherwise."

Sunset was utterly convinced that the man was insane, but when he mentioned the Nerevarine and an unknown master Sunset had to admit that she wondered what he could mean. She looked back at her friends, finding that they had no idea what to make of what was happening with the man, before she sighed and decided to ask her question.

"And who is your Lord?" Sunset asked, knowing that there were only two more Princes left for her to interact with at this point in her quest, "Which Daedric Prince do you serve?"

"The Daedric prince of the unknown. Hermaeus Mora." Septimus admitted, somehow giving her a straight answer, despite having given her nothing on the last few questions, "I thought there were no secrets left to know. Until I first spoke to him. He asks a price -- to work his will. A few murders, some dissent spread, a plague or two. For the secrets I can endure. In time, he brought me here. To the box. But he won't reveal how to open it. Maddening."

It was at that point that Sunset knew that she had the very answer she had come for in the first place, but was now walking away with the most important answer of them all. She had found the person that currently served Hermaeus Mora, which told her that whatever was in the Dwemer Lockbox had to be the artifact she was searching for. It killed two birds with one stone, which meant that, in order to open the box, she would need to search a dwarven ruin for something called an Elder Scroll.

"So where do we find this Blackreach?" Sunset asked, now knowing that they needed to give some aid to the madman to get her hands on the fourteenth Daedric Artifact.

"'Cast upon where Dwemer cities slept, the yearning spire hidden learnings kept.'" Septimus recited from memory, to which Sunset raised an eyebrow before ignoring it, "Below the dark. The hidden keep. Tower Mzark. Alftand. The point of puncture, of first entry, of the tapping. Delve to its limits, and Blackreach lies just beyond. Septimus has two objects for you, two shapes. The round one for tuning; dwemer music is soft and subtle, needed to open their cleverest of gates. The edged lexicon for inscribing; to the Dwemer a library full of knowings. Find Mzark and you will find Blackreach. Trust Septimus, he knows you can know."

With the two dwemer shapes in hand Sunset and her friends made their way towards the entrance of the cave, where she stopped and quickly pulled out her map once more.

"Anyone have an idea where Alftand is located?" Sunset asked, hoping that one of them knew the answer, otherwise they'd be heading back to Fellglow Keep to ask Urag.

"Right here actually," Fiona commented, pointing her finger to an area to the west of their location, on the mainland of Skyrim, "I've passed by it several times, but never would I have expected that an Elder Scroll might actually be hidden inside those ruins."

"Okay, someone has to explain that to me," Sunset said, rolling her map up as they made their way outside, "Because honestly, I have no idea what an Elder Scroll is."

"I'll try to explain it to you on the way," Fiona replied, not surprised that Sunset had no idea what an Elder Scroll was, "but trust me on this, it will leave you more confused than you already area by the time I finish."

Getting to Alftand had sounded easy to Sunset in the beginning, but in reality the group had to traverse the ice fields that they had crossed to find Septimus Signus, climb up some slopes that hindered their progress, and had to do battle with a group of stupid bandits that wanted their gold. Lydia, Bjorn, and Cicero made short work of anyone who dared to come too close to them, while Raja kept an eye out for any more hidden bandits and beasts. Sunset had no idea why there were still some bandits left in Skyrim at the moment, when she and her allies had killed so many of them in the battle for Whiterun.

What had also confused her was that the Elder Scrolls were more complicated than she had originally believed, though she could only sum them up as Fragments of Creation. It was literally the best answer she could come up with and decided that she'd try not to mess with the ancient relic when they finally recovered it.

Eventually they came to where Aftand was located on the map, but they had to work their way around the bridges that the workers left behind and had to deal with several trolls that made the area their home. It gave Sunset the time to observe the fact that the entire ruin had been buried beneath the snow and had either been recently dug out by adventurers, or the quake of Tirek's power had more effects than what they had seen at Winterhold. Once they found the entrance Sunset beckoned for them to draw their weapons, as she knew that stealth would have to be sacrificed in the name of getting through the ruin quickly, as she remembered the last ruin she went through quite well. Sneaking had been hard at the previous dwarven ruin and she knew that the machines that called the place home would be on to them before they got close to their prize.

The beginning of their trek through the ancient dwarven ruin started out dull, but the further they got into the ruin the more Sunset was starting to realize exactly how many of their machines still worked. As they came across an ill fated campsite for some explorers they spotted a mad khajiit talking to himself, but they merely decided to leave him alone as they carried onward. The first group of enemies they actually encountered happened to be two of the sphere like creatures, though Lydia was keen on slapping them around with her ebony battleaxe.

It was only a few minutes later that they reached one of the ruined areas of the actual ruin, where the walkway had been shattered and forced them to consider a different path to get down. That was when Sunset noticed that the steam pipes running through the walls could easily provide them the way they needed, so they carefully climbed down before touching the floor below them. Before they could relax for just a moment they heard the sound of the Falmer behind them, but Cicero turned around and sunk his daggers into one of the seemingly blind creatures, before chucking it off the side of the walkway.

Not moments later Sunset heard more of the Falmer rise from their sleeping areas, gather their weapons, and start banging on their shields as they made their way up towards where Sunset and her friends were waiting. Sunset moaned and realized that they would have to fight their way through the ruin, so she summoned her magic and followed the path that the walkway took her on, blasting one Falmer hard in the chest with a well placed fireball.

It took them quite a while to get anywhere, as they had to stop occasionally to observe the Falmer in the area and devise a plan before attacking them, but they eventually reached what appeared to be an exit route to the open air of Skyrim. This area had an open gate, one that had been sealed at one point in time, and a second gateway, the one that Sunset had noticed when they entered the area, that was being patrolled by a large dwarven construct. The construct noticed them and came charging at them, as fast as it possibly could, but Lydia was ready to smack its feet while the others poured their attacks into its chest, before it finally fell over.

With that deed done Sunset walked up to the exit she had spotted and found a device in the area before the exit, a device that had a few rings and a small indent in the center. There were also a few corpses near the back door, telling her that a few people from the ill fated campsite they saw earlier had made it to the end, but had been slain by the construct. She stared at the device for a moment, remembering what Septimus had said about the sphere opening the way, before she pulled the sphere out and slid it into the indent, which caused the floor around her to slid into the ground. It was then that she discovered a secret staircase, no doubt leading to the mysterious Blackreach that had been mentioned to her, and beckoned for her friends to join her.

When the group passed through the door they found themselves standing on a small walkway that allowed them to stare up at the humongous cavern that the group had suddenly found themselves in. Directly in front of them was a well worn road that split into three directions, one of which would lead them to a small hut of some kind that sat right in front of where they were standing. They had two choices, go to the left or go to the right, though Sunset was still amazed by the sights that they were seeing all around them at the moment. She found it hard to believe that such a place existed below Skyrim, despite having journeyed through one of these ruins before having to visit Alftand.

"So this is Blackreach?" Fiona asked, clearly also amazed at the sheer size of the place they had discovered, "I am simply amazed that the dwarves could keep something like this hidden for so many ages without someone else stepping foot in here. Though the only question I would have to ask now is where do we begin? It could take us weeks, or even a few months, to carefully search this entire place for the one relic we came here to find, before we discovered where it was hiding."

"Let's start by heading to our left and we'll work our way around the perimeter of this place," Sunset said, heading towards the stone pathway in front of them, "Who knows, maybe we'll find the Elder Scroll's resting place by simply walking around and studying what's around us."

The rest of the group decided that going down the left path may actually be the better idea, as it would give them a starting point for them to reference later on, if they hadn't found the Elder Scroll by the time they returned to the point they entered Blackreach through. Even as they started down the path on their left they came across a lone dwarven sphere, one that decided to open itself up and move towards them, to which Lydia decided that she had enough of it and cut it down before it could hurt any of them. Unfortunately for the six of them the more they followed their chosen path the more enemies that they found standing in their way, though not all of them were dwemer machines. There were at least a dozen Falmer standing on the road, surrounded by dozens of their chaurus pets, and none of them looked happy to see the group.

Bjorn drew his bow and swiftly put an arrow between the eyes of one of the Falmer, knocking it off its feet before causing it to crash against the ground behind his allies. The rest of the Falmer, now realizing that they had enemies to fight, gathered their weapons as Lydia and Cicero charged towards their enemies, their weapons at the ready. Sunset and Fiona summoned their magic and immediately began to launch spells at the enemies that were at the back of the Falmer's lines, allowing their friends to fight those closest to them. However, just like when they started fighting the machines at the beginning of Alftand, their fighting only awoke the sleeping dwarves machines that were near them.

As it turned out the remaining machines seemed to wake from their slumber and zeroed in on the Falmer that happened to be walking by them, inducing a fight between the two groups. Sunset and her friends, taking advantage of the fighting, decided that it was now the perfect opportunity to sneak around any fights they came across. As they bypassed several groups of enemies Fiona tapped Sunset's shoulder and pointed a a perfectly circular shaped cylinder off in the distance, one that looked like a tower of some kind. She nodded her understanding and directed the group towards the tower, hoping that it was where the Elder Scroll was located, otherwise they'd be looking around Blackreach some more.

Surprisingly they managed to avoid any more enemies, though that made sense seeing how all of them were engaged in battle with each other all over Blackreach. Once they reached the tower that Fiona had mentioned Sunset entered the area and waited for them all to pile in around the lever, where she pulled it the moment they were ready. The floor began to rise and the group patiently waited for it to stop, where they found themselves outside an open chamber that was filled with a variety of ingredients for alchemy. How any of the ingredients were still good after thousands of years was beyond Sunset's guess, but Fiona quickly gathering them up, clearly indicating that she would be using them regardless.

Sunset cast a look at the room and spotted a second door, to which she opened opened it and revealed a large dwarven machine that looked as if it hadn't been used since the day that the dwarves vanished. The group walked up a ramp and noticed that there were large crystals hanging above their heads, all of which were attached to metal beams in the ceiling. Sunset spent a few minutes to marvel at the machine before them, before spotting a control panel on a walkway above them, one that had a small indent that she assumed was the area that the lexicon was supposed to fit into. Once she reached the control panel she pulled out the cube and gently placed it in the indent, hearing a soft click before the entire room began to wake up once again.

One of the buttons near her opened up, causing her to wonder what it would do before she called for her friends to join her so they could all watch what was about to transpire. Then, once they were all together, she took a breath and pressed open button, causing the rings in the center of the chamber to shift before their very eyes. Sunset immediately noticed the changes and pressed the button a few more times, causing the rings to continue to turn before another button opened up, allowing her to change the structure on the floor a couple more times. When the third button opened up and Sunset pushed it the entire system of beams that were handing from the ceiling began to move, lowering to the floor where her friends had once been standing. After a few more presses and the fourth button opened up she hesitated, wondering if there was some obvious trap that she was overlooking, but then shook her head and pressed the final button.

The crystals began to move, separating from each other as the larger one came to a rest in the center of the room and cracked open, revealing a golden scroll with gems on the case.

"This is an Elder Scroll?!" Sunset asked, remembering to take the lexicon from the pedestal before she approached the ancient relic, with her friends following behind her, "There's some sort of... ancient power I'm feeling from it. I am so not leaving something as important as this for someone else to take."

She had no idea what to do with the Elder Scroll, she honestly didn't, but she picked it up anyway and slid the ancient relic onto her back, knowing that, in time, they would find either a use for it or a new home that wasn't an old ruin. She had no idea what Tirek was doing now, but with the fourteenth Daedric Artifact soon to be in her possession she knew that she had a better chance of beating him.

It had taken Tirek, and the undead corpse of Mercer Frey, the majority of the day to walk the distance from his base in the Rift to the location of the Twilight Sepulcher, which happened to be in the Hold called Falkreath. It had been well hidden in the mountain side, as he suspected from the Thieves Guild, but thanks to his 'partners' knowledge of its existence they found it quite easily. Tirek smiled as they entered the hidden temple of Nocturnal, feeling the power of the Daedric Prince, however latent it actually was, all around him. Mercer, on the other hand, clearly wanted to be released from his undead state, so he could leave Skyrim and begin stealing items from people in another province of Tamriel.

As Tirek stepped into the main entrance of the temple three ghosts, clearly the guardians of Nocturnal, appeared out of thin air and rushed them, but Tirek was not amused by their attempts. He smacked all three of them backwards before sucking in their power, however little of it remained, before they crumbled to the ground in heaps of ashes.

"You shall go no further, intruder," another ghost said, drawing his blades as he approached the people who dared to step foot in his master's sacred temple.

"You should learn to take a hint," Tirek replied, smashing the swords into pieces before draining the ghost dry, to which he looked back at Mercer for a moment, "Be glad you aren't among them at the moment, otherwise you'd be dead as well."

Mercer gulped as he followed the dremora into the temple, pausing to look at the pile that had once been Gallus, who had been called to protect the temple from Tirek. He had killed Gallus the first time, so he felt nothing for the former Nightingale, but still he followed his partner into the sacred temple and watched as the Guardians fell before the dremora. If he had been alive, and still served Nocturnal before he decided to use the Skeleton Key for his own gain, he might have felt something for them, but all he felt was nothing.

It took them ten minutes to walk through the temple, where it would have taken a skilled thief at least half an hour to an hour to clear the entire course, before they reached the end of the road. Tirek smiled as they reached the wellspring that Mercer had promised would be there, feeling the power of Nocturnal pulse around them, as if she knew they were there.

"Okay, you've got what you wanted," Mercer spat, holding his hands out, "Now restore to me my body and let me leave this place. I do not want to be here when Nocturnal arrives."

That was when Tirek grabbed Mercer's neck and held him up, draining what remained of the man's former power and watched the life drain from his dead eyes.

"I never intended to yet you live," Tirek laughed, enjoying the pain the man felt in the last hours of his second life, "I came for the Daedric Prince's powers... which you have so graciously delivered to me."

Once the man was dead, for real this time, Tirek shattered the body into a fine dust and turned towards the wellspring, where he placed his hands on the shrine and closed his eyes. He took a deep breath and allowed the magic of the spring to enter his body, knowing that it would be a matter of time before the Prince of Thieves arrived to see what was happening. Not two minutes later he head someone clear their throat, to which he opened his eyes and found a women, wearing a dark blue robe with two ravens resting around her, staring down at him with a hint of anger in her eyes.

"So, you are the mortal that dares to disturb me," Nocturnal stated, glaring down at Tirek while the ravens moved towards the two sides of the chamber, "and the same one who dared to summon someone back from my realm of Oblivion. I shall take great pleasure in destroying you."

"Do not take me for some pathetic mortal," Tirek shouted back, chains sprouting out of the ground and wrapping around the Prince, "I'm the most dangerous creature in the realm of Tartarus, one that even the denizens of Equus feared to fight, and I have destroyed countless nations. Trust me on this, you will be drained of your power and all of Nirn shall slowly feel my power ruin the world beneath their feet."

That was seconds before the chains shattered and Nocturnal extended a hand, hitting Tirek square in the chest and knocking him into the back wall of the chamber.

"I will not easily be defeated," Nocturnal shouted, applying her anger to her magic as she pressed Tirek into the wall, "You face the power of a Prince of Oblivion and will be crushed like the worm you are."

Tirek chuckled as a vile green sphere wrapped around Nocturnal, cutting her magic off and allowing him to pick himself back up, a look of joy in his eyes. He had prepared such a spell ahead of time, just in case the first Prince he encountered was more powerful than he was originally expecting and needed to be restrained. It was similar to what he used against Twilight Sparkle and her friends, though with his power level he was grateful that the sphere was holding for the moment.

"I shall take my time draining you and your wellspring," Tirek said, patting the prison sphere before heading back to the wellspring, "after all, you have one other item that I require to shatter this world... one that had been stolen and returned by your newest champion, only for it to land in my hands not a week later."

The best part about this arrangement was that there was no one, in all of Nirn, that could stand up to him at the moment... and he knew that Sunset Shimmer would never reach the level of power that was his full potential.

30: The Cult of Boethiah

Sunset took a deep breath as she and her friends exited the dwemer tower, enjoying the air of Skyrim, despite the chill she could feel, once more. They had found a lift under the walkway that she had activated to retrieve an Elder Scroll, which allowed them to travel to an area that appeared to be between Dawnstar and Whiterun. As they rested for a moment Sunset could tell that they were all tired from their journey through the dwarven ruin, which made her glad that they were close to where Fellglow Keep was. It would take them an hour or two to reach the keep, but they would be able to get some decent night sleep before they had to travel back to Septimus Signus and deliver the information he wanted them to retrieve.

Sunset had no idea what information he was going to gleam from the lexicon, but whatever it was would apparently allow the man to unlock the massive cube that he had discovered... which she was certain held the artifact of Hermaeus Mora.

Once they had taken a decent break they packed up their items, made sure that nothing had followed them out of Blackreach, and then headed down the mountain side. Thanks to the bandits leaving their hideouts and siding with the Forsworn army the roads were now much safer than they had been the week before. Even as they walked towards their base Sunset had to wonder how Tirek had managed to make the various bandits leave their bases and join up with a force that should have killed them on sight. His army may have shown up at Whiterun with the intent to destroy the city, but the demon hadn't shown up and, as far as Sunset could tell, so far wasn't making a move.

The longer Tirek hid himself the more Sunset was beginning to wonder if he had fled to some other province of Tamriel, where he could hunt for a Daedric Artifact without having to worry about her interfering.

"Your still thinking about Tirek," Bjorn commented, knowing her well enough from their adventures together to know when she was in the mood, "aren't you Sunset?"

"Hard not to when he's plotting the destruction of your world," Sunset replied, sighing as she looked at her friends for a moment, "I know I must sound like a broken record sometimes, but I just don't understand how he could have come here after his defeat at the hooves of Princess Twilight Sparkle and her friends. He should be locked up in Tartarus, guarded like the rest of the dangerous villains that call that realm home, but yet he is here, in this world, causing destruction everywhere and turning the people against each other. The only problem that I can see at the moment is that he's not doing anything, as he hasn't been spotted anywhere and he hasn't brought ruin to anyone else.

I'm sorry, but the longer Tirek stays out of the eye of the public the more afraid I feel that he's secretly plotting something that none of us, or any of our numerous allies, are going to like."

"I can understand your confusion," Fiona spoke up, nodding her head slightly, "and I do agree with you. He's already twisted the Forsworn into a formidable army and bribed the bandits into serving him, but he has not yet shown his face to everyone else. In fact the only people that have seen Tirek, face to face, are you, the rest of us, Delphine, Elenwen, those that had been at the Embassy, and Tolfdir himself. Despite not knowing what our enemy looks like we have enlisted the help of both the Imperial Legion and the Stormcloaks, so wherever Tirek is hiding won't last too much longer before someone finds him.

Trust me on this Sunset, we'll soon have the honor of driving every blade and magic spell we have into this dremora... and I'm sure he won't see it coming."

Sunset sighed and returned to watching the mountain they were walking down, carefully watching out for any monsters that would want to make them dead. She could tell that the beasts that lived in Skyrim were completely ignoring her, a benefit from Lord Hircine, and it made their journey that much easier. She was sure that not having the wildlife attack them was going to draw attention, but then again she was carrying one of the legendary Elder Scrolls, which she was positive was going to draw more attention to them.

It took them an hour or two to reach Fellglow Keep, but while they had been walking Sunset noticed that there were plenty of guards patrolling the area around the keep. They weren't members of the Imperial Legion, the Stormcloaks, or even the guards that served Jarl Balgruuf, but Sunset slowly started to realize that they had to be her soldiers. They were dressed up in red colored armor, similar to what the guards of Whiterun wore, though there was a hint of orange and yellow mixed into the design to make it look like flames. As Sunset and her friends moved along she also noticed that the soldier's shields had an emblem on it, one that she recognized as her Cutie Mark.

When they arrived at their destination she found that at least ten flags had been planted all around the keep, displaying exactly who was in command of the keep.

"Ah, Archmage, your back," Delphine welcomed them, though Sunset could tell that she had been standing guard since the moment the six of them had left to find Septimus Signus, "we've begun construction on a bridge that will connect this side of the river to the other side, where the orcs are planning on making their home. And do not worry about Jarl Balgruuf, Elenwen and Atub approached him and explained exactly what they were doing, so everything has been approved so far. Soon your mines will be open and we'll have more ore to increase the production of weapons and armor for everyone that doesn't have their own gear yet."

Sunset had to admit another thing, she was somewhat grateful that Elenwen was taking charge while she was off gathering the Daedric Artifacts, and that she was listening to those around her. Though even as she thought about Elenwen she spotted the altmer walking across the area towards them, though she seemed quite pleased with what was going on.

"Welcome back Archmage," Elenwen said, beckoning to the flags and the bridge, "I trust that your venture into the Sea of Ghosts bore some good fruit?"

"Close this time," Sunset replied, gently pulling out the lexicon, "the man that was supposed to tell me where to find Hermaeus Mora wanted something in exchange, so in the morning I'll be heading back to deliver this to him."

"Good to hear," Elenwen said, before looking at the object that Sunset was carrying on her back, where her jaw seemed to drop for a moment, "Is... is that an Elder Scroll?!"

"Oh, this?" Sunset said, patting the ancient metal scroll for a moment, "Yeah, its an Elder Scroll. We found it while we were retrieving what we needed for Sptimus Signus. I didn't want to leave it behind, least it actually be of some benefit to us later on, so I took it and brought it here."

"If anyone survives this nightmare they'll be lucky to study one of the Fragments of Creation," Elenwen replied, a smile replacing her surprised look, "Well, you'll want to get some dinner and some rest before you head back to the Sea of Ghosts, so I won't keep you any longer. Oh, and we've been receiving some letters from the Dawnguard, asking for you to take a moment out of your busy life to visit them at their fortress in the Rift. I don't know what they want, but I'd recommend that you visit them anyway, just in case there's another artifact that could potentially spell disaster for Nirn if Tirek got his hands on it."

Sunset had no idea who the Dawnguard were, but she quickly decided that she and her friends would pay them a visit soon enough, once she was done collecting the last two Daedric Artifacts.

She and her friends nodded to Delphine before they headed to the main keep, where they passed by several groups of warriors, a mixed group of all the races in Skyrim, that were practicing their skills. Sunset also heard that the mages were practicing their spells on the other side of the mountain, where a spell range was in the process of being built. The dragons had decided not to return to Shearpoint, allowing her and her forces to build whatever they desired in that area, so Elenwen and Tolfdir had come up with something. It gave the mages a place to really train without endangering anyone else, though from what she heard they were taking measures to make sure safety was always observed.

Once they were done with Tolfdir's report they entered the main keep and went their separate ways, where each of them fell into their beds and drifted off to sleep.

When morning arrived Sunset and her friends were already outside, preparing a light breakfast so they could reach Septimus Signus before it was noon. She wanted to give him the lexicon as soon as possible, so she could walk out of there with the Oghma Infinium and focus on the fifteenth, and final, Daedric Artifact. As they ate Sunset also watched the guards that were patrolling the new walls, spotting several warriors that had been living in the various Orc Strongholds, including Orak himself. She honestly didn't care how the orcs had reached her so fast, because they were eager to protect the keep as they waited for another battle to begin.

Once they were done Sunset said goodbye to the faction leaders that now lived in the keep, in the housing areas that had been constructed, and began the journey back to Septimus Signus.

It took them the majority of the morning to traverse their way from Fellglow Keep to Winterhold, where they repeated the process they used to cross the chunks of ice. As they did so Sunset noticed that it was a much nicer day than the previous one, though she knew that it wouldn't be great if she or someone else fell into the freezing water. Then, when they were done walking across the ice, they found Septimus' hideout and entered it without delay, where they found the man still staring at the box. He didn't even look up at them as they walked down to him, to which Sunset felt was okay considering what he had told them last time they were here.

"Hey Septimus, we've got the lexicon," Sunset said, pulling out the metal cube and holding it out for the man to take, knowing that the mere mention of the item would jar him back to reality.

"Give it, quickly." Septimus exclaimed, snatching the cube before staring at it for a moment, while a wide grin appeared on his face, "Extraordinary. I see it now. The sealing structure interlocks in the tiniest fractals. Dwemer blood can loose the hooks, but none alive remain to bear it. A panoply of their brethren could gather to form a facsimile. A trick. Something they didn't anticipate, no, not even them. The blood of Altmer, Bosmer, Dunmer, Falmer, and Orsimer. The elves still living provide the key. Bear you hence this extractor. It will drink the fresh blood of elves. Come when its set is complete."

Sunset looked at the contraption that the man handed her, something that had five vials that needed to be filled, and wondered how he happened to have something like this ready ahead of time. She knew that she could ask several people in her keep to offer a vial of blood, as they didn't need to actually kill anyone besides another Falmer, which she knew were easy to find. Three of the remaining four elves were at the keep, so all she had to do was figure out what she already had, get the samples, and then recover what was missing. She glanced back at the man for a moment, to which she found that he was staring at the cube again, before she sighed and placed the contraption in her bag, before rejoining her friends.

It was at that point that she discovered that something was blocking the path they had used to enter this place, something that was made of tentacles, floating eyes, and vile green energy.

Come closer. Bask in my presence. the entity said, as Sunset approached it alone, I am Hermaeus Mora. I am the guardian of the unseen, and knower of the unknown. I have been watching you, mortal. Most impressive.

"Thanks for the compliment," Sunset replied, not really sure if being complimented by a Daedric Prince was a good thing or a bad thing, "So, what do YOU want of me?"

Your continuing aid to Septimus renders him increasingly obsolete. the Daedric Lord replied, his voice stretching out all around her, He has served me well, but his time is nearing its end. Once that infernal lockbox is opened, he will have exhausted his usefulness to me. When that time comes, you shall take his place as my emissary. What say you?

"Look, all I care about is securing your artifact from a creature that would use it to drain you of all your power," Sunset told the Prince, "I'm sure that we can all benefit from Nirn not being destroyed."

Indeed. the Prince replied, though Sunset had the feeling that he knew something and was choosing not to tell her at the moment, Speak with me when the box has been opened, and all shall be revealed.

Then, just as quickly as he had appeared while she was speaking to Septimus, the Prince pulled himself back and vanished in the blink of an eye, returning to his realm of Oblivion. Sunset sighed for a moment before turning to her friends, knowing that they had one other thing to do while they collected the blood for the madman.

"Well, looks like we're heading off to Boethiah's Shrine," Sunset said, pulling the journal out so she could make sure she remembered where the place was located, "So we'll get the Ebony Mail, stop off at the Keep to pick up whatever samples we're missing, and then we'll be back to unlock that box. Hopefully Boethiah doesn't ask something outrageous of me in exchange for her artifact."

It had taken them an hour to get back to where Whinterhold stood, and then another hour to get close to Windhelm before they were even close to their destination. When they reached the mountain that Boethiah's Shrine was supposed to be located, and the bright day gave way to a dark night, Sunset held her hand to keep her friends from following her up. Fiona knew what she was doing, as she had written in the journal that the cultists would expect some sort of sacrifice, though Sunset had no intention of doing that to someone. She was more than ready to obliterate everyone if they asked for such a thing, so that their collective power would forever be lost to Tirek.

As it turned out the moment she arrived at the shrine she found that many of the cultists were already dead, save for someone that she assumed was Boethiah's priestess. As Sunset approached she got a good look at the priestess' eyes, where she could tell that something was driving her crazy and had no doubt forced her to slay her fellow worshipers.

"Go... go away," the dunmer begged her, one hand gripping the hand that held a wicked dagger, trying to keep it still so she didn't hurt anyone else, "be... before he makes me... kill you too!"

"Oh sweet Celestia," Sunset said, realizing what the women was talking about and wondered how long she had been in this state, "Tirek's been trying to get you to recover the Ebony Mail, but you would never betray your Lord, even if the demon twisted your own body against you. Be still friend, I shall deliver an end to your madness."

Sunset swiftly drew her ebony sword, swung it around her head, and, in on swift motion, brought it down on the women, cutting from her left shoulder all the way to her right hip, knocking her backwards. It was as if a spell had been broken, as the women merely laid there, allowing herself to bleed out as a light smile came to her face, one that Sunset could barely see until she noticed the outline. Then the women closed her eyes and went still, to which Sunset sighed and pulled one of the vials out, quickly taking a sample before putting it back in her bag. With the last of Boethiah's cultists dead she had to wonder how she was going to summon a vision of the Prince, when there was no one left to tell her how.

That was, however, until she felt the air around her pulse and caused her to look back, finding the women standing there, only now she was surrounded by a violent purple aura.

"Wearing flesh can be so... distasteful," the women said, though Sunset knew that the sudden shift in her voice and tone was enough to tell her that Boethiah was standing before her, in some manner, "Tell me, why have you killed my followers?"

"I only killed the one your possessing," Sunset returned, meeting the gaze of the Prince, "She had been driven crazy by a demon called Tirek and had been forced to kill everyone else here, all so Tirek could get his hands on your artifact."

"I should smite you for what you've done," Boethiah shot back, lightning cracking above them as she observed Sunset for a moment, "but I do require someone to do something for me... My current champion displeases me, so it is time that he is disposed of."

"Oh just tell me where to find him and I'll get the deed done," Sunset replied, mentally moaning that the artifact was indeed safe for the moment, but now she needed to kill the current holder to get it.

"He plays king to bandits at Knifepoint Ridge," Boethiah stated, her magic flowing out of the body, "You know what to do."

Sunset watched as the women's body collapsed on the ground, completely void of life this time, before she sighed and headed back to where her friends were waiting for her. She could tell that they were worried about her, as they had seen the lightning and wondered if the Daedric Prince had blasted her, but they took a sigh of relief as she appeared before them.

"So where are we going?" Fiona asked, curious as to what the Prince had told Sunset they needed to do, or rather what Sunset needed to do this time.

"Someplace called Knifepoint Ridge," Sunset replied, sighing as she took out her map, where Bjorn pointed the area out, "We go there, kill the bandits that are infesting the area, and then retrieve the Ebony Mail. Once that one's in the chest we'll get the blood samples and unlock the Oghma Infinium, where we'll have the opportunity to take a break and make sure the artifacts are sealed in Oblivion once more."

Knifepoint Ridge, as it turned out, had taken them all the way from Windhelm to Falkreath, but during the journey they had briefly stopped at their keep to rest for the night. In the morning they had resumed their journey, which was as peaceful as the previous days and allowed them to focus on their strategy for dealing with the bandits. Cicero suggested that they wait until night and stab them while they were sleeping, but Sunset would have nothing so disrespectful and promised him that he could separate and kill some of them in the manner he suggested. In the end they decided that a frontal assault would be the best plan of attack, where they would charge into the area and start hitting the bandits before they realized what was happening.

Sunset also had no idea how the bandits could have missed Tirek's call, but figured that they could have been the ones that ignored the call so they could plunger the world after all the competition was dead.

It was just before noon when they arrived at Knifepoint Ridge, though the moment they arrived one of the guards spotted them coming up the hill and immediately sounded the alarm, to which Bjorn put an arrow in his head. The rest of the bandits sprung out of their beds and charged at the group, though where Sunset was expecting ten to twelve of them there appeared to be almost thirty of them. Lighting cracked along her arm as she thrust her hand forwards, knocking one enemy in the chest and throwing it into the smithy behind them. Lydia roared with all her strength and smashed one into the ground, before spinning around and taking the head of another bandit not seconds later.

Fiona pulled out her daggers and cut into one of the bandits, while Bjorn climbed up onto the scouts tower and started picking out enemies at the back. Cicero and Raja flanked the force of bandits and struck them from behind, either cutting them down immediately or forcing them to reveal a weakness that the others used to their advantages. Sunset was quite pleased that the six of them worked so well together, as soon the entire force of bandits were laying all around them and the fight was over. They took a moment to collect what they could, where Sunset found a bosmer to take a sample of their blood, before they made their way into the cave area. It was then that Sunset tapped Cicero's shoulder and told him to kill everyone silently, excluding the champion that was wearing the ebony suit, and the jester smiled before wandering into the cave.

Sunset could hear the sound of fighting as Cicero cut down everyone, either taking them himself or making two people fight each other over a stupid reason, before he appeared and beckoned her forward. She spotted the Champion of Boethiah and flames danced around her hands as she stepped forward, to which the man spotted her and charged right for her. She threw herself to her right and watched as the man passed her by, to which she responded with pelting him with her fireballs and set him on fire. She would feel the power of the armor poisoning the air, so she backed up and kept her distance, making sure not to get too close as she continued her barrage of fireballs.

One fireball smacked right into his chest and knocked him into the walkway behind him, but where Sunset was expecting him to get back up and fight again the man just laid there. She was beginning to wonder if the Princes were just killing their former champions off to give her their artifacts, as if they knew about the threat that Tirek posed to everyone, but tossed that idea aside. She heaved the armor up, with the help of Lydia, and half listened to Boethiah speak to her about how the man had it coming and that her name would be written on some tablet.

Once the deed was done, and the Prince was gone, the Ebony Mail was locked in the chest, leaving Sunset to decide whether or not to immediately head back to Fellglow Keep and get the other blood samples she needed. In the end she decided to head to her base, get some sleep before she asked her allies for some blood samples, and then, once they were rested, find some Falmer and collect the fifth sample they needed to unlock the Oghma Infinium. She had beaten Tirek to all but one of the Daedric Artifacts, and soon the last one would be her's, which would mean that they would be able to lock them all away and keep them out of Tirek's hands.

Nirn was safe, which meant she'd have to focus on finding her enemy and use all her abilities to best him in combat, so she could break his hold on this world and send him back to Tartarus.

Tirek grinned as he continued to absorb the wellspring, having taken some time to watch his captive Prince and let the magic settle before he pressed on once more. At that moment he was only at sixty-five percent, but he knew that when he absorbed the Prince his power would skyrocket to new heights. Even as he waited he could feel another artifact being recovered, added to the hoard of powerful artifacts that Sunset was collecting, which told him that another Prince was finished off. Soon he'd have all the power he could ever want, but he had to be patient now that he was close to getting the means to recover exactly what he needed.

"You'll never win, dremora," Nocturnal spat at her cage, having tried in vain to pierce the magic several times over the last day, which now resulted in her waiting for it to open, "the Dragonborn will destroy you."

"Ah, so you believe that Sunset Shimmer can defeat me?" Tirek laughed, finding it funny that a Daedric Prince would want to bet on someone like her, "Well let me tell you something, she's scared of me. I shattered all of Winterhold and she ran away without even trying to stop me from doing it. Every time I bring ruin to something she's always there, but she can never muster the courage to fully stop me before someone is injured and someplace is destroyed. Trust me on this, when the fight between us comes I will enjoy breaking her spirit and showing her that no one is superior to me.

And thanks to you, my dear Nocturnal, I shall have the key to shattering this world and returning to Equus with enough power to change the earth beneath my hooves... no pun intended."

He returned his attention to the wellspring and held his hand out, causing the middle of the water to ripple before it was pushed to the rims of the well. The stone beneath was revealed as the water was forced to back up, but the true prize awaited as he stared at the lock that had been plugged up. He grinned as the magic around his hand pulsed, tearing the golden object from the lock and forcing the entire wellspring to dry up in an instant, reverting it to simple stone once more. Behind him he heard Nocturnal moan in agony, but whether it was because he cut her off from her realm of Oblivion or what he had acquired he cared not.

In his hand he held a golden key, one that legend spoke of as the artifact of Nocturnal herself, one that was capable of unlocking any lock in all of Nirn. It was the key to him gaining his full power, and there was nothing that Sunset Shimmer could do to stop him at this point.

31: The Final Artifact

"It feels so good to almost be done with the Daedric Artifacts," Sunset said, stretching her arms as she and her friends left Knifepoint Ridge, where they had slain what she assumed were the remaining bandits in all of Skyrim and had recovered the Ebony Mail of Boethiah.

"What will we do when we have all of them?" Fiona asked, something that was on the minds of everyone in the group, "Elenwen, General Tullius, and Jarl Ulfric are going to be searching for Tirek, with the promise of delivering his location to you the moment they discover it. We could always go to Solstheim and find out who sent those Cultists after you... they might be someone you could consider talking to and warning them of Tirek's existence."

"That's right, I'm going to have to visit whoever sent them sooner or later," Sunset replied, wondering how she could have forgotten about the Cultists, but realized that she had been busy collecting the Daedric Artifacts, "Let's get the Oghma Infinium before we decide on anything else... though I'm positive that something else might claim our attention soon."

As they walked down the road and began the journey towards Fellglow Keep Sunset kept her eyes out for anyone that would want to do them harm, as there were still people around that Tirek could corrupt and send her way. Skyrim may well be void of people that wanted to see the world burn, but there were other provinces that were brimming with people who didn't know the horrors that Tirek was planning on bringing to Nirn. She dreaded to wonder how many of the other people across Nirn could be corruptible, because if Tirek managed to corrupt an entire province then she was sure that they wouldn't stand a chance against the threat.

Though as she thought about it she also realized that Tirek was more concerned with Skyrim, where both she and his targets, the Daedric Princes, just happened to be gathered.

As they passed by Falkreath, where they had completed both Hircine's and Clavicus Vile's quests, Sunset noticed that there were several caravans waiting to leave the small town. Sunset had to admit that it made her wonder what was going on, and if Tirek was involved in some way, so she signaled to her friends and they approached the stone wall. Guards were helping the townspeople onto the caravans, while carrying what appeared to be their personal belongings and any weapons they had, as if they were getting ready to leave. Some of the wagons were even loaded up with supplies, everything from food, to clothing, to ingots to make whatever they needed when they arrived at their destination.

It was then that Sunset discovered the Jarl of Falkreath, Jarl Siddgeir, was standing beside the blacksmith, issuing orders to the guards that came near him while he kept watch over his people.

"Jarl Siddgeir!" Sunset called to him, causing him to turn her way as she and her friends swiftly approached him, "What's wrong? Why is Falkreath emptying itself?"

"A dremora stalks the land around here," the Jarl told her, making her wonder if he meant that Tirek was somewhere in the area of his Hold, "General Tullius and Ambassador Elenwen have called for the citizens of Falkreath to move before the dremora decides to assault our town while we are unprepared. We are to travel to Fellglow Keep, where we can assist the effort in eradicating whatever foul dremora is wandering the land, in whatever way each of us can offer."

"Then we shall accompany you to the keep," Sunset replied, somewhat glad to have found them before they had moved on, "and I'll make sure that everything is sorted out when we arrive."

Jarl Siddgeir nodded and resumed what he was going, but while he did so Sunset and her friends walked back to the main gate, where they could watch the people without getting in their way. As she looked over the town Sunset spotted someone, wearing a robe with a black hood covering his head, leaning against one of the walls near the Jarl's building. The person, a male by the look of his body, was also wearing a pair of black gloves that completely covered his hands and a pair of black boots that covered his feet. The only weapon she could see was what appeared to be the handle of a glass sword, though the blade was in its sheath and gave no indication as to what enchantment it could have.

Sunset didn't know who the man was or what race he belonged to, but she had the strangest feeling that she couldn't trust whoever was behind the hood.

"I see you've spotted him as well," Fiona commented, leaning beside Sunset and looking out over the town, not letting her eyes linger on a single person, "I was hoping that we'd never cross paths with that man, but I guess it might not be avoidable."

"You know who that is?" Sunset asked, turning her gaze elsewhere, but making sure that she kept the person in her sights at all times as she wondered what Fiona could tell her.

"If I'm right, and I'm almost a hundred percent positive that I'm right, then that's Revan," Fiona answered, though Sunset could detect a hint of anger in the vampire's voice, "He's one of Lord Harkon's underlings, a powerful one if my memory serves me right, and he's actually done some terrible things to villages across Skyrim. If anyone would sell out all of Nirn for power it would be Revan, but right now it almost looks like he might be in the process of trying to find and kill Tirek."

Sunset stared at the robed figure, wondering what terrible deeds he had committed and how Fiona could have come to know him, before she sighed and looked away. Fiona had confirmed that it would be a bad idea to trust the man, though Sunset hoped that the person was on their side and would ignore Tirek's offers.

"So don't trust him, I got that," Sunset commented, looking down at Jarl Siddgeir in time to see a signal for them all the get moving, to which she beckoned to her friends.

"Trust me on this Sunset, Revan is not to be trusted," Fiona said, collecting her pack as they got underway, her eyes now locking on the robed figure, "I've tried to kill him several times over the years, for the crimes he's committed over the years, but every time I've dealt what should have been a killing blow he always seems to get back up. The last time I saw him was a hundred years ago, where I locked him in an underground lake and escaped before he's uncanny ability to get back up kicked in."

When Sunset and her latest band of allies arrived at Fellglow Keep she noticed that both General Tullius and Jarl Balgruuf were waiting by the gates, to welcome them to their new home. The guards nodded to Sunset as she and her companions left the caravan and stayed near the wall, where they found Elenwen and Delphine standing at a nearby table, no doubt going over where to place their newest arrivals. It was then that Sunset also discovered that there was another addition to the keep, in the form of Jarl Ravencrone, to which Sunset assumed that something had triggered her departure from her home as well.

"Ah, Archmage, your back," Elenwen said, noticing Sunset and her friends approaching, "Thanks to Jarl Balgruuf we've got more places to put the residents of Morthal and Falkreath, in the off chance that they are targeted by our enemy. Tell me something, have you acquired the last two Daedric Artifacts so we can lock them out of Nirn until Tirek is defeated?"

"We're only missing one more," Sunset said, pulling out the contraption that she had been given, which now had two of the vials filled, "I only need three more blood samples, one altmer, one orismer, and one falmer, before we can unlock the final artifact. Then, with the artifact in hand, we'll return here and begin the ritual to seal them out of Nirn. Once the artifacts are out of Tirek's grasp we'll focus on finding him and getting rid of him."

"Just a sample?" Elenwen asked, curious as to what Sunset needed by a sample, to which Sunset nodded, "Then I shall offer some of my blood to secure the final artifact. I'm sure that Atub, or one of the other orcs, would be willing to give a small sample in thanks for all you have done for them."

Sunset was quite pleased when both Elenwen and Atub decided to volunteer some of their blood for the cause, giving her four of the five vials that she needed to recover the Oghma Infinium. As she put the contraption away she had to wonder where she could find a Falmer, until Orak came up to her and revealed that a nearby cave had some of them walking around inside. He said that Delphine was getting some of the most veteran warriors that their army had so they could clear the cave, eliminating a nearby threat before it discovered that the alliance was near their location. They apparently only needed the go ahead from Sunset, who decided that it was a good idea to get rid of them and secure the last sample she needed.

As it turned out the warriors that Delphine picked were more willing to head into the cave and slaughter the Falmer that resided within, even moving further inside to clear everything after she had already picked up the sample that she needed. She followed the warriors throughout the cave, taking notes on how they performed as a unit and nodding while they cleared the cave of enemies. With the sample in hand she and the warriors returned to the keep, where she returned to Elenwen, Delphine, and her friends, to tell them that they could rest before they head to Septimus to recover the last artifact.

It was then that Elenwen told her that a vampire, one covered completely in black clothing, had come to the keep, only to turn around the moment before reaching the gates.

"Revan," Fiona said, though this time Sunset could tell there was anger in her voice, "He followed us here, either to scout us out for himself or whoever he is serving. Keep your eyes on him and make sure that he doesn't take a step into the fort, otherwise there's no telling what harm he could do to us."

Sunset didn't know what the vampire wanted from them, or why he was following them, but if Revan turned out to be an ally of Tirek's then she would gladly destroy him like she had done to the others that served the demon. Regardless of what the strange vampire wanted Sunset and her friends retired for the evening, returning to their beds for the night so they could be well rested for the journey to Septimus once more.

When morning arrived Sunset and her friends met outside in the courtyard, where they could have a chat with Erandur and insure that the ritual could proceed the moment they returned with the final Daedric Artifact. Erandur told them that he and the other Priests of the Nine Divines were building a circle not far away, where they could call on the power of the Divines and, hopefully, banish the fifteen artifacts back to Oblivion. Sunset was quite pleased with the progress Erandur had made, both in reacquiring the method he was going to use on the Skull and finding eight other priests to help him with the ritual.

She was also amazed that Elenwen, who had objected to Talos' existence before the creation of the alliance, was actually supporting those that worshiped Talos and welcomed the aid of another Divine against the threat that Tirek posed to everyone across Nirn.

"We should be back this afternoon," Sunset told Erandur, who nodded his head while he was making some final notes for the ritual, "if all goes as planned we should also have the final of the fifteen Daedric Artifacts with us as well."

"Leave this to us Archmage," Elenwen said, a light smile touching her face for the moment, "We'll have the ritual ready by the time you arrive, or earlier if we're lucky."

Sunset nodded and departed from the fort, with her friends following right behind her, though she did take a moment to make sure that the mysterious Revan was nowhere around her base. She didn't want to be paranoid, but with Tirek turning both the Forsworn and the bandits on the people of Skyrim there was no telling who else had been corrupted. If Revan was as bad as Fiona claimed he was then Sunset knew that there might not be a chance to turn him to their side, not without revealing Tirek's existence to him if he was unaware of what was happening. Right now she knew it was better to be safe than sorry, so she'd have to deal with keeping an eye on the vampire the next time she spotted him.

The morning quickly passed them by as they, once again, traversed the ice field that rested between Winterhold and where Septimus' hideout rested. Once they were inside the ice cave Sunset moved forward and pulled out the extractor she had been given, hoping that the samples she had acquired were enough to open the box. She found the man in the exact same location he had been standing in the previous times she had visited him, his eyes locked on the box and ignoring her presence for the moment.

"Here you go Septimus," Sunset said, holding the extractor out for the man to take, "I've recovered the blood samples that you asked me to recover the last time I was here."

"I can almost... hear them." the man said, pulling out another item as he took the extractor from her, "I feel their life energy. Come, I will make the mixture."

Sunset watched as he mixed together the five blood samples, creating a mockery of the dwemer blood by using the other elves, before a smile appeared on the man's face. Then, before Sunset or her friends could stop him, he plunged the mixture into his skin and forced the blood into his system, while his smile turned into a wicked grin. With the deed done he dropped the vial he had been holding and approached the box, where the locking mechanism began to move until all the rings were lined up perfectly. Once the rings were lined up the circle stretched backwards, revealing a long tunnel that opened the way to the heart of the box, to which Septimus ran forward, like he didn't have a care in the world.

Sunset followed him inside the box, staying back to watch what happened as the man walked down a set of stairs and approached a pedestal, where a book with a grotesque cover waited for someone to touch it.

"What is this... it's... it's just a book?!" Septimus exclaimed, wonder filling him as he was slightly lifted into the air, "I can see. The world beyond burns in my mind. It's marvelous...."

Then, just as Hermaeus Mora had promised, Septimus Signus collapsed into a heap of ashes, his usefulness to his Daedric master was outlived and he was disposed of. Sunset sighed, knowing that she had no way of stopping this one incident from happening, before she approached the Oghma Infinium and pulled it off the pedestal. With the final artifact in hand she was slightly glad to be done collecting them, though she knew she had one more task she had to do before Nirn could take a breather. She turned around and found Hermaeus Mora filling the tunnel, preventing her from leaving until he desired it.

"You have my Oghma Infinium." Hermaeus Mora said, stating the obvious, though Sunset wondered if there was something more he had to tell her, "It contains the knowledge of the ages as revealed to Xarses, my loyal servant. For hundreds of years it's been shut away from the world. Septimus was a useful tool for unleashing it. Now it is in your hands. Let us work wonders together..."

"Look, I hate to tell you this after you spent all this time to release it, but I'm just going to be sealing it away again," Sunset told the Daedric Prince, not even faltering as she said the words, "There is a monster that wants your power, and the power of the other Princes, so he can escape this world and return to my home world, but in the process Nirn will be destroyed. When Tirek is defeated I'll gladly give back the artifacts, but they must remain locked up until such a time."

"Indeed," Hermaeus replied, catching Sunset by surprised, as she was expecting him to have been more angry with her, "I have seen what the creature you call Tirek is capable of, and what he will be capable of if he reaches his full power, so there is someone I want you to meet. Head to Solstheim and look for Miraak... the rest shall become clear in time."

Before Sunset had a chance to reply the Daedric Prince vanished before her eyes, leaving her there with the Oghma Infinium and the name of someone on Solstheim. She had to wonder what game the Prince of Knowledge was playing, but at the moment she knew exactly what she needed to do before she moved onto something else. She quickly summoned her chest, deposited the final artifact, and returned to her friends before they began the journey back to Fellglow Keep, where she knew everyone would be excited to hear that they were officially one step ahead of their enemy.

When the group returned to Fellglow Keep it was well into the afternoon, exactly like Sunset had thought it would be, and found that the Priests that had been called on to help with the ritual were putting the finishing touches on their circle. As they entered the fortress several of the guards bowed to them as they passed, to which Sunset bowed her head a little in return, before they approached Erandur. The dunmer was quite pleased with the work that had been put into the ritual circle, so much so that he barely noticed their arrival until Sunset tapped him on the shoulder to get his attention.

"Archmage, you've returned!" Erandur exclaimed, looking at her with excitement on his face, "Does that mean you've succeeded? Does this mean that we have all fifteen of the Daedric Artifacts that were said to be scattered around Skryim?"

"Indeed it does," Sunset replied, a smile appearing on her own face, "Everything from Mehrunes Razor to the Oghma Infinium of Hermaeus Mora, from the Spellbreaker of Peryite to the Dawnbreaker of Meridia, has been secured in my personal chest. Shall I summon the chest and get this show on the road?"

"Yes please," Erandur said, moving to a vacant spot on the outside of the circle, where Sunset found a shrine to Mara, "Summon it in the heart of the circle and then back up. We, the Priests of the Nine Divines, will take it from there."

Sunset moved forward and approached the spot that Erandur pointed out, snapping her fingers and summoning her chest into existence in the middle of it all. Before backing up she opened the chest and made sure that she wasn't missing one of the artifacts, but after a brief count she found that she was correct and all fifteen were accounted for. Once the chest was closed she immediately backed up, standing beside her friends as she watched more people gather around to watch the work of all Nine Divines. She then nodded to Erandur, giving him and his fellow priests the go ahead to proceed with the banishing ritual, which would also lock the actual chest as tight as possible.

"I call upon you, Lady Mara!" Erandur shouted, the other eight priests repeating what he said, but substituting their chosen Divine in place of Mara, "There is a dremora that walks the land, one that would use the power of the artifacts within this chest to cause irreversible harm to all of Nirn. Grant us the power to lock this chest tight and to send it to the depths of Oblivion!"

At first nothing happened, with Sunset was expecting considering the nature of calling on a deity's help, but then she noticed a faint shimmer in the air and knew something was going to happen, but pulled out the Staff of Magnus in case Tirek had decided to show up at the worst possible moment. The nine shrines, a special blessing shrine for those that wanted a certain Divine to bless them, glowed bright white for a moment before long white ribbons erupted from each of them. Everyone around the circle, excluding the priests, gasped as they watched the ribbons, which surged towards the chest and began to wrap themselves around it.

Eventually the entire chest was covered in the white ribbons, though as Sunset watched she heard a faint clicking sound and realized that the chest had been locked, as Erandur and the priests had requested. Then the nine shrines began to sink into the ground, where everyone witnessed some sort of portal open inside the ritual circle as the bound chest was slowly consumed. Then, once the chest was completely drowned in the portal, the shrines shattered and the portal closed, sealing the chest, and the Daedric Artifacts, outside Nirn.

"I never thought I'd see the day when those artifacts were all banished back to Oblivion," Erandur said, walking over to Sunset and her group with a smile on his face, "You have given me the greatest gift I could ever ask for Archmage."

"Yes, we have dealt Tirek a deadly blow," Delphine commented, joining the group for a moment, "and there will be plenty more of them until we destroy the dremora, but we should get some rest before we focus on the next problem. The Dawnguard are still requesting your aid and I'd hate to think what we'd face if Tirek suddenly had a vampire army backing his every move."

"Then in the morning we'll head for the Dawnguard," Sunset replied, a smile appearing on her face as she realized that they were truly ahead of Tirek at this point, "Any sign of that vampire that Fiona told us about?"

"No, he seems to have disappeared," Delphine immediately replied, not letting the news ruin her mood at the moment, "but we should relax for tonight before we focus on vampires. I've got some stories from my days in the Blades that Urag is dying to hear, so he can pen them down no doubt, and the other leaders want to get to know your chosen companions a little more."

Sunset laughed as she and her friends followed Delphine to the campfire that Urag was sitting at, glad that all her hard work had paid off in the greatest way possible. They had dealt Tirek a blow that would prevent him from gathering his full destructive power, giving them the opportunity to seek out his lair, form a plan of attack, and then wipe him from the face of Nirn. She'd take a break for the evening, but in the morning it would be back to business as usual, though they were finally ahead of their enemy and she was going to let this victory inspire her forces to continue forward.

Tirek sat on the rim of what used to be the wellspring that connected Nocturnal's temple to her realm of Oblivion, staring at the artifact known as the Skeleton Key and studying the magic it possessed. It was just a tool, one that he needed if he wished to have his full power again, though he did have one of his prizes already locked up tight for the moment. Nocturnal, whose prison sphere was right across the chamber from him, continued to stare at him, as if she was trying to will her power forward so she could break the prison she was in and escape back to her realm.

He'd love to see her try such a move on him, as now that he possessed her artifact he could drag her out of her realm and drain her dry, at that had been the original plan before she had shown her face and allowed him to capture her in no time. What was also amusing was that she, occasionally, continued to state her position on who would eventually win the upcoming battle; him, or Sunset Shimmer. He knew exactly who was going to win, though he found it amusing when someone decided to vote for someone who didn't have a chance in Tartarus of defeating him.

"You know you'll never win this war," Nocturnal spat, breaking Tirek from his mind for a moment, causing him to look right at her, "the Dragonborn is gathering enough powerful allies to obliterate you without a second thought."

"Oh yes, I already know all about her puny 'alliance'," Tirek chuckled, glaring right at the Daedric Prince, "Let me tell you something; I've been in this world for longer than Sunset Shimmer has. She's already thinking that shes shattered my forces and cut off my chances at victory, but there is one ally of mine that she has not had the privilege of fighting yet... and he should be here any second."

Nocturnal watched as one of the portals to the opening of her temple flashed for a moment, revealing a black robed figure that approached the two of them, before kneeling before Tirek.

"Revan, my loyal subject," Tirek said, turning to face the robed figure, "Tell me, what is my enemy up to this time?"

"She has banished the chest containing the other fifteen Daedric Artifacts to the depths of Oblivion," the robed figure replied, keeping his head bowed the entire time, "exactly as you said that she would. Now that she has completed this set of tasks she has decided to make for the Dawnguard, to see what they need help with before coming after you once more."

"Good, then I believe it is time for you to return to your former master and study his forces," Tirek commanded, receiving a nod in return, "and if Sunset Shimmer happens to cross your path I want you to study her. And if she gets too close to you, then you know what to do."

"Yes, I understand," the figure replied, picking himself off the floor before bowing for a moment, "I shall take my leave, Lord Tirek."

Nocturnal watched as the robed figure walked back to the portal and disappeared as swiftly as he had arrived, leaving her with the unusual dremora. That was seconds before the prison shattered, but before she had a chance to move out of the way she found a hand clamped around her neck. As she struggled against Tirek's hold she found herself lifted into the air, all while the creature was staring at her the entire time with a look of hunger in his eyes.

"I thank you Nocturnal, Daedric Prince of Darkness," Tirek said, feeling the power slowly being drained from the Prince's body and entering his own body, "With your power I draw ever closer to my full potential... and to the complete and utter destruction of this world."

Nocturnal was somewhat glad that there was no one else around to hear what came next, because as her magic was slowly draining from her body all she could do was scream in pure agony.

In the middle of the town of Falkreath, now deserted and void of life, the wind suddenly whipped up and blew several objects out of the middle of the road before dying down. A moment passed before a crack appeared in the middle of the air, a crack that slowly mutated into a steady stream of cracks that moved out in every direction. The wind seemed to completely die down and the animals that were still around the town, the wild ones that had discovered an empty town, whimpered as they backed away from the center of the town. Then, just as the animals were sure that nothing was going to happen, the cracks burst outwards, as if a fireball spell had gone off and had blown something to pieces.

A moment passed before something emerged from the hole in the air, which slowly turned out to be some sort of imperial as it stepped out of the hole and touched the street of Falkreath. The man was dressed in a strange silver crystalline armor, the likes of which have never been seen by mortals, and carried a large crystalline greatsword on his back. The man's face was bare for a moment, though it was clear that his hair was pure silver colored and his eyes were silver colored, though the animals around him chose to run away. The man barely moved an inch as he raised his hand and knocked on the hole he had made, sealing it up and making it look like nothing had happened.

"The Balance has shifted off course," the man said, his voice cold and calculated as he turned in the direction of Nocturnal's temple, "Order must be preserved."

32: The Dawnguard

Sunset yawned as she pulled herself out of her bed, stretching her arms as she took in the morning light that filled her chamber and walked over to the door. She remembered the previous evening quite well, as Delphine had shared countless stories about her days in the Blades, somehow without adding her initial anger to the mix. That was the great thing about the alliance, Sunset mentally reflected, it was driving away old hatreds that would have broken her chances at getting this to succeed and was building the bonds of friendship between factions. The Blades and the Thalmor, once the most hatred of enemies, were now beginning to become friends, much to the surprise of everyone else around them.

Sunset, on the other hand, was amazed by it and knew that it spoke volumes on what Tirek was doing to this world; he was forcing enemies to work together and, as a consequence, they were forming bonds with each other.

"Good morning Sunset," Fiona commented, watching her friend come out of her room and descend down the stairs, towards the tables the rest of their band was sitting around.

"Good morning Fiona," Sunset replied, repeating her greeting to the others before taking a seat at the table, where she noticed that Bjorn was in the process of making the morning meal, "How's everyone doing?"

"Elenwen's reporting that the home of the orcs is almost finished," Fiona answered, cracking open a vial of donated blood and draining it dry, before continuing down the list, "our warriors have been rated ready for battle, by both General Tullius and Jarl Ulfric. Our smithies are busy producing weapons and armor for our current soldiers, but are in the process of making more for spares and in the off chance we find some other force to add to our own. The guards also reported seeing the form of Revan appear on the outskirts of our fortress, but he's disappeared before anyone could get a lock on him.

And, as everyone has previously mentioned, the Dawnguard are still asking for our aid, only this time they sent us one of their own to speak with you. He's an orc named Durak, and he's patiently waiting outside."

"How long until breakfast is ready?" Sunset asked, wanting to know how much time she had to speak to the orc before Bjorn was finished with what he was doing.

"About thirty minutes," Bjorn replied, beckoning to the door with the ladle, "Go ahead and talk with Durak, I'll let you know when I'm finished up here."

Sunset nodded and walked outside, taking a moment to look around before she found the orc she was looking for, who happened to be talking with Orak at the moment. A few seconds later Orak went back to his duties, allowing Durak to turn around and find Sunset standing behind him, though a slight smile appeared on his face.

"Ah, Archmage, thanks for taking the time to speak with me," the orc said, bowing his head a little bit, "Isran, the leader of the Dawnguard, has taken notice of your army and has sent me to ask you to consider joining forces against the vampire threat."

"And what threat do they pose to Skyrim?" Sunset asked, wondering what damage they could cause that would be greater than what Tirek was already capable of, "There's a demon hiding somewhere in Skyrim, biding his time until he can gain his full power and break through the barrier that separates this world from Oblivion. Tell me, what can the vampires do that my current enemy cannot?"

"I don't know all the details, but it seems that one vampire keeps appearing in all the operations that Isran has dismantled lately... a vampire by the name of Revan," Durak replied, though Sunset's eye twitched for a moment.

She was surprised that the vampire she had seen in Falkreath, the same one that Fiona had pointed out and said was not an ally to everyone else, was already in trouble with another faction. She supposed that, if she was right about the vampire being allied with Tirek, it made sense that he'd already be in some sort of trouble with someone. She thought about what to do next for a moment, but the more she knew that she needed to hunt for Tirek she also had an entire army of followers who could do it in her stead. She could also pay a visit to Solstheim and find out who this Miraak that Hermaeus Mora wanted her to meet was, which left her with three more potential allies.

If Isran, Lord Harkon, and Miraak were anything like the other faction leaders that she had already met, Elenwen, Delphine, and General Tullius to name a few, then they would make excellent additions to her forces.

"Fine, I'll go speak to this Isran and find out what he wants of me," Sunset told the orc, who grinned in return, "but I'll tell you this right now, I guarantee nothing."

"I understand Archmage," Durak said, pulling out a map and pointing to an area near Riften, "This is where Fort Dawnguard is, just so you don't get lost. I'll take my leave and inform Isran that you should be a few hours behind me."

Sunset stared at the orc as he respectfully bowed to her and then, after a quick nod to the other orcs around him, quickly departed from the fortress. She had no idea why the Dawnguard continued to call for her to aid them, but she'd humor them now that she had sealed the Daedric Artifacts away. She sighed and returned to her friends, remembering that she had on other thing to take care of while they were heading to the Rift; she had to return the Horn of Jurgen Windcaller.

"I've decided to humor Durak and speak with the leader of the Dawnguard," Sunset told her friends, while they ate the morning meal, "Apparently our friend Revan has been involved in several operations that Isran had destroyed, but I'm not certain whether he's using them as a cover or if he's working for someone else."

"You think he's working for Tirek as well?" Fiona asked, though it was clear that she was thinking the same thing that Sunset was.

"I'm willing to bet that he is," Sunset replied, sighing for a moment as she pulled the Horn of Jurgen Windcaller out of her bag, "but before we go to Fort Dawnguard I'm going to visit the Greybeards and return this to them... I've put this off long enough. We'll two birds with one stone and maybe learn what Revan's doing in the process."

"Good plan," Bjorn commented, putting down his utensils before getting onto his feet, "We had better get going; if Revan is really in league with Tirek then its only a matter of time until he reveals whatever foul plan he's been building up to before we discovered his existence."

Sunset huffed and puffed as she and her friends traversed the Seven Thousand Steps for the third time since they started their adventure, only this time they were returning to give the Greybeards something that Sunset really should have given them a long time ago. As it turned out the moment they entered High Hrothgar she found the leader of the Greybeards, Arngeir, sitting in the direct center of the chamber, where she had been taught to blast objects with the Thu'um so long ago. She felt kind of terrible as she recalled the Thu'um, as all she had done was collect words and hadn't taken a moment to even consider what they could mean or how she could use them. She had been so occupied with stopping Tirek she hadn't learned any of the skills the Greybeards had taught her, which only made her feel bad.

She took a moment to sigh before beckoning for her friends to stay back, to which she approached Arngeir and pulled out the Horn of Jurgen Windcaller.

"Ah, Dovahkiin, you have returned to High Hrothgar," Arngeir said, getting onto his feet while she approached, though Sunset noticed that the other Greybeards appeared as well, "and I see you possess the Horn of Jurgen Windcaller."

"I would like to apologize for not returning with it the moment I recovered it," Sunset replied, holding the horn out for Arngeir to take, "I've been busy trying to stop a demon from destroying Nirn."

"All that matters is that you came back in the end," Arngeir said, taking the horn before directing her to the center of the square he had been sitting on, "now come Dovahkiin, it is time for us to formally recognize you for what you are. Stand in the center here and we will Speak to you."

Sunset nodded and proceeded to the center of the square, where she waited as all four Greybeards gathered around her, at the intersections of two sides of the square. They waited a moment, clearly focusing their minds for what they were about to do, before they opened their mouths and began to Speak with her.

"Lingrah krosis saraan Strundu'ul," the Greybeards Spoke, though all Sunset could feel was the air around her shaking, "voth nid balaan klov praan nau. Naal Thu'umu, mu ofan nii nu, Dovahkiin, naal suleyk do Kaan, naal suleyk do Shor, ahrk naal suleyk do Atmorasewuth. Meyz nu Ysmir, Dovahsebrom. Dahmaan daar rok."

Sunset stood there for a moment, taking in what the Greybeards had said to her, before she sighed and took a breath, allowing herself to refocus on the area around her. The only other time she had heard such a lengthy speech in the Dragon Language was when she had heard Morokei speak to her in Labyrinthian, though she understood what they had told her.

"One more thing Dovahkiin," Arngeir said before she could move, catching her attention for a moment, "I would gift you my knowledge of the final word of Unrelenting Force; Dah, which means Push."

Sunset remembered that the last time she visited High Hrothgar she learned two Words of Power, so she recalled the sensation of feeling one of the Greybeards give her some of their knowledge. The good thing that came out of this was that she gave them the horn at long last, but now she was walking away with yet another Word added to her growing list. Though before she turned around and rejoined her friends there was on question she wanted Arngeir to answer, something that had been bothering her ever since she came to High Hrothgar the first time.

"Is there only four of you Arngeir?" Sunset asked, watching the other three Greybeards return to what they had been doing before her arrival with the horn.

"Five actually," Arngeir told her, causing her to raise an eyebrow in surprise, "Our leader Paarthurnax lives in seclusion at the top of the Throat of the World. He rarely speaks with us and almost never does to outsiders. If you wish to speak with him you must first train yourself, because only when you are ready will your Voice be able to open the way to him."

Sunset nodded her understanding before returning to her friends, where they could plan their route to Riften and then find the road that would take them to Fort Dawnguard, where Isran would be waiting for her. As they walked down the path that would take them back to Iverstead Sunset had to wonder if the Greybeards realized that their leader was actually a dragon, as she had recognized the type of name that Arngeir had told her. She sighed for a moment and decided to let it go, knowing that she would have plenty of time to consider how to train herself before asking to see Paarthurnax.

There were plenty of other people that required her attention and she was sure that she would be tearing another hole into whatever plan Tirek was using Revan to create.

When Sunset and her friends finally found the entrance to the area that Fort Dawnguard was resting in, which wasn't easy until they had spotted a set of lit braziers outside a cave entrance, they found that they weren't alone. There was a nord, dressed up in the same clothes as every other farmer they had seen, waiting near the road, as if he was afraid to go up to the fort alone. As Sunset and her friends passed by him, however, the young man seemed to gain some confidence, as he immediately fell in behind them and started speaking.

"You guys here to join the Dawnguard, too?" the young man asked, before rubbing his arm as they approached the castle like fortress, "Truth is, I'm a little nervous. I've never done anything like this before. I hope you don't mind if I walk up with you. Just don't tell Isran I was afraid to meet him by myself. Not the best first impression for a new vampire hunter, I guess. You guys have probably killed lots of vampires, huh? I'm sure Isran will sign the lot of you right up. Not sure he'll take me. I hope so."

"Look, we haven't killed any vampires," Sunset told the young man, slightly wondering what Fiona thought about the people they were about to meet, "I have a meeting with Isran, which is why we're even here to begin with."

The young man seemed stunned by her statement, but then he sighed and continued after them, walking behind Cicero until they reached the front door, where they were welcomed by one of the watchmen. The man immediately recognized Sunset as the Archmage and beckoned for her to step inside, where she and her friends found two people arguing in the middle of the open room. The one on the left, dressed in the same armor that the watchmen had been wearing, Sunset immediately assumed was Isran, because he had the aura of someone that was in charge. The other man was no doubt a Vigilant of Stendarr, dressed in robes while wearing steel plate gloves and boots and carrying a massive two handed mace on his back.

"Why are you here, Tolan?" Isran asked, staring right at the nord for a moment, "The Vigilants and I were finished long ago."

"You know why I'm here Isran," the man, Tolan, replied, sighing as he spoke, "the Vigilants are under attack everywhere. The vampires are much more dangerous than we believed."

"And now you want to come running to safety with the Dawnguard, is that it?" Isran angrily said, "I remember Keeper Carcette telling me repeatedly that Dawnguard is a crumbling ruin, not worth the expense and manpower to repair. And now that you've stirred up the vampires against you, you come begging for my protection?"

"Isran, Carcette is dead." Tolan answered, sorrow filling his voice for a moment, "The Hall of Vigilants... everyone... they're all dead. You were right, we were wrong. Isn't that enough for you? And its not enough that we're being attacked by individual vampires... they seem to have someone leading them in a war against us."

"Yes, well... I never wanted any of this to happen." Isran stated, the anger in his voice cooling down for a moment, "I tried to warn all of you... I am sorry, you know."

Sunset assumed that she had walked in on something she shouldn't have heard, but the mere mention that someone was ordering attacks on people made her wonder if it was the mysterious Revan she had been told about. Before she could say anything Isran and Tolan finally took notice of the group that had entered the fort, to which Isran pointed at them all and beckoned them forward. Sunset was more than willing to follow along, as she had been called on by Isran multiple times and was finally giving him what he asked of her.

"So who are you?" Isran asked, much to amazement of everyone around him, "What do you want?"

"I am Sunset Shimmer, Archmage of the College of Winterhold and Leader of the Fellglow Alliance," Sunset told the redguard, wondering how he could have not realized who she was, as she was still wearing the robes of the Archmage that Tolfdir had given her so long ago, "You sent Durak to my base of operations with a message that said you wanted to talk to me about something... something to do with a vampire called Revan."

"You're the Archmage?!" Isran asked, laughing for a moment as he tapped his knee, "That's a good one. Next you'll be telling me that one of your companions is the Dragonborn and that your on a divine mission to save the world from the none existent 'World-Eater'. Trust me on this one kid, you're way too young to be the Archmage... so why don't you take off those robes and give them back to the person you stole them from. I'm expecting the real Archmage to be here within the next day or two, so why don't you..."

Sunset never let the man finish his sentence, as the moment he accused her of stealing the robes she was wearing she snapped her fingers, summoned the Staff of Magnus, and proceeded to 'Fus-Ro-Dah' him backwards. Everyone around her stared at her for a moment before looking at Isran, who was picking himself off the floor, before backing away from her in case she did it to someone else. Her friends had seen her anger at those who allied with Tirek, but they had never actually seen how angry she could actually get, though she was somewhat thankful her hair wasn't on fire yet.

"What was that?" Isran asked, coughing as he pulled himself off the floor and stared at Sunset.

"That was the Thu'um, something that only a few people, the Dragonborn among them, can harness," Sunset replied, walking across the chamber as she levitated a crate into the air, "You should feel honored that I didn't just blast you with the Staff of Magnus, otherwise I'd have to speak to someone else about Revan. Yes, I am the Archmage of the College of Winterhold, which was destroyed by the altmer that slew my predecessor, Archmage Savos Aren, in the name of his vile master. I am the one that painstakingly put together the alliance that now hunts for the monster that destroyed Winterhold and is currently threatening the rest of Nirn.

Now, tell me why you decided to call for my aid, forcing me to leave my forces to meet with you, when I could be out hunting for a demon that wishes the end of Nirn."

The truth seemed to dawn in Isran's eyes as Sunset spoke to him, as the moment she finished speaking he sighed and got onto his feet, but his eyes never left her.

"Over the last few weeks I have disrupted a number of vampire operations," Isran explained, reaching into his pack and pulled out a small journal, which he tossed over to Sunset, "Every now and than I heard one of the bloodsuckers mention someone by the name of Revan, though it took me some time to find that journal. According to the vampire that wrote that journal his entire group had been receiving orders from this Revan, where they were supposed to be abducting people and turn them into vampires. Of course my companions and I broke up the operation and freed those that were still human from their bindings, after destroying the creatures that were lurking in the cave.

About a week ago I found another mention to the mysterious Revan; it was a letter of some kind that detailed an attack on a major city that had to be evaluated because of an unknown force moving into a nearby fortress. Revan had mentioned the attack on Whiterun was going to be put on hold while he gathered more troops, but then the following message seemed to have a different order. Instead of attacking people this Revan is having them dig for a mysterious vampire artifact that could, theoretically, mean disaster for everyone on Nirn... excluding him and his forces."

"So you basically want me to head to wherever this letter mentions and see what I can learn," Sunset summarized, already knowing that she'd want to derail whatever sinister plan Revan had in store, in the off chance that he was actually working for Tirek.

"Dimhollow Crypt to be exact," Tolan spoke up, as if he knew what was coming next. "Brother Adalvald was also sure that it held some long-lost vampire artifact of some kind, exactly like how this Revan is so sure that its there. I'll meet you at Dimhollow. It's the least I can do to avenge my fallen comrades."

"You might as well wait a moment Tolan," Sunset said, causing the Vigilant to stop moving for a moment, "If I'm heading there at the same time then we might as well travel together. Just tell me where Dimhollow Crypt is and we'll head off."

"Does this mean that you'll help us?" Isran asked, hope filling his eyes for a moment.

"Your convinced that Revan is involved, and I can see that he's left his mark," Sunset replied, sighing for a moment before really answering, "He's no doubt allied with the demon that I'm fighting, so by default that means that the Dawnguard and my alliance are allies to protect this world. I help you destroy Revan, and in return you help me find and destroy his foul master, the demon known as Tirek."

As Isran eagerly agreed to what she said Sunset had to wonder what Tirek was doing at the moment, as his minions were constantly leading her to new allies to add to her alliance. She was starting to worry that there was something she had overlooked, something that might actually damage her chances at beating him in the end.

Tirek grinned in joy as he finished absorbing the power within Nocturnal's body, finally letting her drop to the floor in a heap as he felt his horns finally start to grow once more. He had been waiting for this moment, as it told him that he was getting closer to his full potential, but he knew he needed the power of additional Princes to reach one hundred percent. He cracked his knuckles as he felt his newfound power course through his body, fully intending to destroy something to prove that his enemy couldn't defeat him.

"I thank you once more, Nocturnal," Tirek said, glancing down at the broken Prince, while a sinister idea formed in his mind, "Now, allow me to show you the power that I have obtained... by breaking you under my newfound power..."

Before Nocturnal could say anything back, but before Tirek could grab her once more, one of the portals behind Tirek activated and someone entered the room. Tirek knew he had already sent his last underling out on what could be his last mission, so he wondered who could have found him as he turned to face the newcomer. What he found was a strange man wearing pure silver crystalline armor that covered the majority of his body, save for his head, and a similar greatsword on his back. Tirek was somewhat impressed that someone other than Revan had found them, but it also provided him with someone to test his new power on.

"Jy...Jyggalag," Nocturnal coughed, realizing who had found her temple, though the thought of who stood in the room with them filled her with dread.

"Another worm for me to crush," Tirek said, magic pulsing around his left hand as he approached the man, swinging his fist right into the heart of the man's armor.

The wall behind the man cracked as the power surged into the earth behind him and traveled into the hold of Falkreath, cracking the ground and shattering the roads before reaching the town. The attack was short lived, though the effects of the attack shattered the ground below the town and opened a hole, forcing earth and buildings to fill the void. Tirek would have enjoyed the destruction, but as he stood before the man, with his fist in his chest, he found that his attack had caused no damage to the armor at all. He was shocked to find that there was something that could withstand the power of his attacks, which told him that the man would likely back quite the punch if he was hit.

"What the...?" Tirek said, stepping back before the man could strike him back, "Just what are you?"

The man stared at Tirek for a moment, studying him for some strange reason, before his right hand reached behind him and grabbed onto the handle of his greatsword. Tirek braced himself as he watched the man pull out his greatsword, wondering what power the man could wield that would have stopped his own power. Then the man swung his arm and a wave of power rushed towards Tirek, giving him enough time to throw his hands before him before the wave of power hit him. At the end of it Tirek lowered his hands and made sure that everything was still attached to him, but when he looked back he found a massive hole in the wall that was the size of the craters he made, blowing a chunk of the temple to pieces in a single instant.

He turned his attention back to the man, but found that both he and Nocturnal were missing, as neither of them were in the broken room anymore. He had absolutely no idea what had just happened, but he still had the Skeleton Key and that meant he'd eventually have enough power to break whoever that man had been, if they had the pleasure to meet each other after today. He knew that one thing was for certain, Sunset was in deep trouble the moment he had his full power back... which meant that he needed to start absorbing the power of the remaining fifteen Daedric Princes.

And he knew exactly which Prince he was going to start with... Meridia, the Daedric Prince of Life and Infinite Energies.

33: The Vampire's Artifact

Sunset spent an hour speaking with Isran and his right hand man, the orc named Durak, and laid out the specifics of what it meant for them to be allies with her alliance. In the beginning Isran seemed annoyed that his soldiers wouldn't be able to hunt down vampires and kill them where they stood, to which Fiona informed him that not all vampires were out to destroy Nirn. At this point both Sunset and Fiona were convinced that Revan had some plot working in the background, one that Fiona was also convinced had something to do with Lord Harkon, who she also refused to offer any information on.

In the end Isran finally accepted the terms of the agreement that came with the Dawnguard, to which he decided to send a squad of ten soldiers with Sunset, her friends, and Vigilant Tolan. He said that they were supposed to get the lay of Fellglow Keep and settle into a routine with the factions that were already allied with Sunset, so that when the threat Revan posed was over the others would be free to join the cause. Sunset was sure that she'd be seeing them a lot sooner than that, if Tirek was still wandering the land and destroying whatever he came across.

With her group now doubled, or even tripled, Sunset and her band departed from Fort Dawnguard, but even as they departed the fort Sunset had to wonder how they were going to get everyone to Fellglow Keep. The answer, however, turned out to be the horses that the soldiers had gathered and trained, which meant that they would be riding alongside Sunset and her friends when they reached Riften and got on the carriage.

Reaching the city was the easiest part of the journey, though the carriage driver didn't seem to mind the fact that he was going to be followed by a group of heavily armed soldiers. Sunset was no longer surprised that they had stopped running into enemies to fight along the road, as the bandits were basically all gone, the Forsworn had been destroyed, and anyone else that would cause harm to others wouldn't dare attack her. As they began the journey towards Whiterun, and the soldiers fell in around the carriage, Sunset sighed and stared out at the open sky, trying to figure out what Revan and Tirek would want with the vampires.

She was sure that Tirek wanted them removed from the equation, which lead her to believe that Revan was waiting for a weakness before he struck the vampires down... that was if he was involved with Tirek.

"I see that your thinking about him as well," Fiona commented, causing Sunset to look at the vampire for a moment, "Its okay Sunset, I've been thinking about Revan since I saw him in Falkreath... thinking back to all the times I tried to kill him for everything he's done. Back to when I thought he was dead, only for him to show up a few years later with a new plan aimed at everyone else across Nirn. I trust you know enough about the Oblivion Crisis by now?"

"Of course," Sunset replied, having read about one of the most dangerous times in the empire's history about three days after she arrived in Skyrim, "It was when the Emperor and his known heirs were killed and Mehrunes Dagon tried to enter Tamriel in his true form, only to be stopped by Martin Septim."

"Revan was alive during that time period," Fiona explained, sighing as she recalled what happened, "According to what I've heard him say he was actually an active member of the Mythic Dawn, the cult that nearly destroyed the world, but he never followed the rest of his comrades to the promised 'Paradise'. Instead he chose to stay on Nirn, so he could watch the end of the world for himself, but what he got was a front row seat for Dagon's defeat and the sealing of Oblivion. After that fateful day he's been biding his time, looking for a way to shatter the barrier that protects our world, so he could finish what he started an era ago.

As I previous said, I've been trying to kill him for the better part of the fourth era, but every single time I think I've finally killed him he appears somewhere else. It would not surprise me if he was serving Tirek, as it seems like that dremora actually has a chance at shattering the barrier between Nirn and Oblivion. If Revan actually stands against us then all I can hope for is that we find him swiftly and deliver to him a true death, so that he may never bother Nirn again."

Sunset was in agreement with Fiona, as the more she learned about Revan the more she began to think she had been right with her feeling not to trust him when she first spotted him. He had been one of the reasons that the Oblivion Crisis had happened in the first place, which told her that he might be getting ready for a similar event... one that hadn't happened yet. Tirek's plan was to shatter the barrier between worlds so he could return to Equus, which would also allow the forces of Oblivion to enter whatever was left of Nirn... if anything survived his departure.

Sunset was determined to destroy Revan the next time they met, so she could avoid whatever disaster he was planning on creating for the rest of Nirn.

When the carriage arrived at Whiterun Sunset and her companions immediately set out for Fellglow Keep, where she was ready to introduce the newest addition of allies to the other faction leaders. Truth be told she was somewhat concerned for how quickly they were eating the area around the keep, as she feared that Jarl Balgruuf would eventually put a stop to their expansion. What continued to happen was the allowance of land that continued to be added to their keep, where Jarl's Ulfric and Ravencrone added bits and pieces to the additions that Balgruuf was already giving them. In fact the entirety of what used to be Winterhold Hold had been handed over to them as well, giving them plenty of places where they could construct new buildings for their allies.

Fellglow Keep was, in essence, the new ninth Hold of Skyrim, replacing what Tirek had destroyed and giving hope to everyone that ended up displaced by the demon. Sunset was sure that the Jarl's wanted her to become the new Jarl of the newest Hold, but she was too busy with making sure that Tirek and his allies didn't burn down Nirn, so she was sure that Elenwen had elected Korir in her stead. She was sure that the act made the middle aged nord happy, as he was important to Skyrim once more after the majority of his Hold had been destroyed many years ago in the Great Collapse.

As Sunset and her friends walked into the fort she immediately noticed Delphine and Elenwen walking over to them, though their eyes were on the soldiers behind them.

"I see you found another faction to enlist the help of," Delphine commented, taking a look at the soldiers was they dismounted their horses and nodding a bit, "and, if I'm not mistaken, the symbols on their shields means that we're including the Dawnguard into our list of allies. So, when should we be expecting the leader and the rest of his faction to arrive?"

"We have an arrangement set up at the moment," Sunset explained, glad that Delphine was pleased by what she had seen, "We help Isran destroy whatever foul plan that Revan is cooking up and then, when he's dead and Nirn is safer, the Dawnguard will be free to join us. These are some of the soldiers that Isran is willing to send to us at the moment, so I guess you'll want to see what they can do before assigning to a post in the keep."

Delphine nodded and beckoned for the soldiers to follow her, no doubt taking them to Orak so the two of the could test the soldiers skill in combat. Before Sunset moved to the main keep, and retired for the evening, she noticed that Elenwen was still patiently waiting for her turn to speak, to which Sunset sighed and nodded to her.

"Is there anything else that's happened since I left?" Sunset asked, wondering if she could get an idea of where Tirek might actually be located, so they could begin planning the assault on his base.

"Only one thing I'm afraid," Elenwen told her, a sigh escaping from the altmer, "A few of our scouts went back to the town of Falkreath to pick up some of the lumber that had been left behind during the evacuation, only to discover something horrible. The town was completely destroyed, swallowed by the earth around it like some violent earthquake had hit mere hours after the people had left their homes behind. I'm sure you know what this means?"

"Tirek has struck at last," Sunset replied, almost moaning at the news, because she knew what his next move would be, "and he won't be in Falkreath anymore... he's likely gone somewhere else to hide, so we don't find him before he gains his full power. That's two Holds this demon has destroyed... two places that people called home and raised their children in."

"We are still searching the Reach and the Rift," Elenwen said, mentioning Sunset's suggestion to both Tullius and Ulfric a few days ago, "but while we haven't found anything yet the search has been expanded to the others Holds. A few of our scouts have visited the various Forsworn camps and found that they had been capturing people, so that they could be sacrificed to whoever they worshiped. Men, women, and even a few children, all girls for some odd reason, were found, but it seems that the moment they were ordered to stop their operations and begin marching they did so without pause.

Don't worry about us Archmage, we'll find wherever that foul dremora calls home and begin planning our assault... we just need the time to find where that location is."

"And we'll win this war against him," Sunset promised, knowing that they had decent chances at besting him now that the Daedric Princes were safe from his grasp, "that I can promise you and everyone that's allied with us."

Elenwen nodded and returned to what she had been doing before their arrival, allowing Sunset and her friends to retire to their beds for the evening and get some well deserved sleep.

When morning arrived Sunset was pleased to find that the activity of her forces matched what both Solitude and Windhelm could produce from their soldiers. Everyone was doing something, whether it was building new buildings for those that were recently joining the alliance, digging up ore and smelting them into weapons and armor, or preparing to leave the fort so they could patrol wherever Delphine and Elenwen were sending them. Orak and a number of soldiers lined the various walls of the fortress, giving them the ability to see all around them and spot anything that might be out of the ordinary, such as an army if one happened to show up unannounced.

Even as Sunset walked out to the courtyard, where she spotted several new trees being added to the area, she noticed that several of the residents of Whiterun had come to the fortress, seeking to add their strength to the cause. The Fellglow Alliance, a name that Elenwen, Delphine, and the other factions leaders agreed on, was beginning to take on the shape of a formidable army. Sunset did have to wonder how much more her forces would grow when the Dawnguard was fully integrated into her army, but she also knew that wouldn't happen until Revan was dealt with.

Once the morning meal was out of the way, and her friends were ready for the trek to Dimhollow Crypt, they bid farewell to their home and ventured out into the wilderness once more.

After a few hours they spotted what appeared to be one of the thirteen Standing Stones, the Lord Stone according to Vigilant Tolan, before spotting what appeared to be a pathway that could wrap around the mountain. Tolan, knowing exactly where to go, beckoned for them to follow him forward and silently led them right to a cave opening, one that happened to have a torch waiting outside. Tolan then beckoned for them to draw their weapons while he pulled out his massive warhammer, uttering a prayer to Stendarr before walking inside the cave. Once inside, however, they found a group of three vampires and what appeared to be a blackened corpse dog, something that Tolan referred to as a Death Hound.

Sunset was all for the death of the demonic hound, though her friends focused on the vampires and soon the entrance of the cave was clear of enemies.

Sunset looked around the area before finding a lever in a nearby tower of sorts, allowing them to continue deeper into the cave, where they found another draugr crypt with several of the undead fighting three vampires. They waited a moment, just to see what would happen between the two forces, but as they did so Sunset found that several of the iron doors were opening as more of the undead poured into the chamber. In a manner of seconds the three unlucky vampires were dead, their bodies almost looking like they had been discarded, before the draugr stood by the sides of the walls. Tolan began to get up so he could rush in and destroy the undead, but Sunset held him back and beckoned for him to wait a moment, while she wondered if these undead were going to act like the others she had met.

She walked into the chamber and watched as the draugr lining the walls knelt before her, while one of them, a Deathlord she realized, walked up to her.

"We have been waiting for your arrival, Dragonborn," the Deathlord said, speaking in the Dragon Language, to which Sunset's companions were confused by, "We felt the Priests' spell a week ago, but remained here, knowing that you'd come here for what the vampires hid here long ago. Shall we clear the way to the lake for you?"

"Yes, if you would be so kind," Sunset replied, replying in the Dragon Language, again to her friend's confusion.

The Deathlord nodded his understanding and started shouting at the other draugr, to which the other undead roared and began gathering their weapons and armor. Sunset was somewhat amazed that the undead were still able to function in a military manner, though it also never ceased to amaze her that the undead were willing to follow her orders. She wondered what spell Morokei and Krosis had cast, as whatever it was apparently allowed the draugr in other barrows to know what was happening and awaken them from their ancient slumber. The good thing was that this gave her a force of warriors that would tear whatever vampires were still ahead of them to pieces, while confusing some of her friends in the process.

"Did... did I miss something?" Tolan asked, not understanding what was going on as he turned to Sunset for a moment, "I understand the Dragonborn business, but how in Oblivion are the draugr under your command?"

"Sunset is, technically, the last Living Dragon Priest," Fiona replied, though she was sure that she hadn't seen something like this since they woke Rahgot up, "or Priestess, as she prefers to be called. The draugr see her as one of their superiors, so they are willing to follow out whatever commands she has for them... even if its one that they came up with. Trust me on this Tolan, Sunset's not going to bring about the end of the world with an army of the undead, rather she's going to use their power to destroy the creature that wants to shatter our world."

The next chamber they came to Sunset found one vampire gathering at least a dozen skeletons, each of them carrying a sword or an axe and waiting for the command to attack something. The Deathlord gave the command and the draugr surged into the chamber, their weapons hacking the skeletons to pieces as the vampire, realizing that she was doomed, retreated to get reinforcements. Sunset snapped her fingers and the undead nords charged deeper into the ruins, hacking and slashing whatever happened to be coming their way. Vampires and their Death Hounds fell before the force of the draugr, opening the way for Sunset and her friends to advance into whatever happened to be ahead of them.

The next area of the crypt that they entered happened to have a rather large open chamber, one that had some strange structure sitting in the middle of a small lake. Sunset held up her hand for a moment as she heard some voices ahead of them, coming to a stop near a railing as she listened to the vampires questioning another Vigilant about the structure in front of them. She motioned to the draugr and then to the vampires, to which the undead leapt down into the vampires and cut them down before they had a chance to defend themselves. With the Vigilant saved, and reunited with Tolan, Sunset and her friends approached the structure in the middle, where they found a vampire and his thrall waiting for them.

Sunset flashed behind the vampire and cut him down before he knew what was happening, while Bjorn put an arrow into the thrall and prevented it from harming anyone else. Once the deed was done Sunset approached the middle of the structure and found what she assumed was a button, but she didn't immediately press it, choosing to study it. She approached the vampire and dragged him over to the pedestal, where she pressed his hand against the button and drew her own back in time as an iron spike punctured the hand with ease. The moment the spike withdrew a bunch of purple flames began to appear around them, causing everyone else to back up to the edge of the area and watch what Sunset was doing.

Sunset studied the flames for a moment, immediately seeing where the flames were going after a moment, and moved the brazier the flames pointed to until it clicked into place, causing more flames to point to where the next brazier was to be moved to. She followed the flames and studied the puzzle, pushing the braziers to where they needed to be, until the circle had been completed, where she stepped back to wonder what the flames were going to do next. Then, as if something had read her mind, the floor began to shake until it began to lower beneath their feet, causing her to step back to where her companions were standing. Eventually the shaking stopped and the floor came to a screeching halt, revealing a stone monolith directly below where the button had been standing.

Sunset approached the monolith for a moment and pressed her hand against it, feeling the stone lower until the monolith had split in half, revealing a women resting in what she then realized had been a tomb of sorts. Sunset immediately reached for the women as she fell, preventing her from hitting the floor and allowing her to catch her breath as her reality seemed to come back to her.

"Ugh... where am I?" the women asked, opening her eyes and realizing that she wasn't alone, which allowed Sunset to notice that her eyes were glowing blood orange, "Who... who are you?"

It was at that moment that Sunset spotted something on the women's back, something that she immediately recognized as an Elder Scroll, and began to wonder why she had been locked down here in the first place.

"I am Sunset Shimmer," Sunset told the women, helping her onto her feet, "Archmage of the College of Winterhold and Leader of the Fellglow Alliance."

"Fellglow... Alliance?" the women asked, though it was clear that the information told her that something was wrong, "I must have been gone longer than I thought. I need to get back to my family home and figure out what's happened. Oh, and my names Serana."

Sunset had no idea why Serana was locked away in Dimhollow Crypt, but she knew that if she was carrying an Elder Scroll then that meant that something big was coming her way. Something that she assumed Revan was somehow involved in.

Tirek smiled as he walked into the fortress he had been held in until Sunset Shimmer appeared in his cell, the fortress that the guards had called Fort Neugrad. He thought it was amusing, to hide in the last place that his enemy would ever think to look, while he slowly drained the remaining Princes of their powers. There were plenty of cells for him to store the drained Princes in, giving them the opportunity to feel despair before he had all of their individual powers inside his body. Ever since the dragons had appeared the fort had been abandoned and, from what he could tell, there had been no patrols in the area for him to worry about.

He grinned as he walked into the fortress, making his way towards the prison as he wondered when he would see that mysterious man once more. It had been that man's fault that he had to leave the Temple of Nocturnal behind, as it was already falling apart and he had to find another place to drain his targets in peace. Still, it would give him the time and privacy he needed to complete his goal, which is why when he opened the door to the prison wing his magic was already flowing around him.

"Come forth Chest of Sunset Shimmer," Tirek called out, holding the Skeleton Key in his left hand while a large chest appeared at the top of the stairs that lead to the cells, to which he forced the locks off of it and forced open the lid, "now then, I call forth the Dawnbreaker of the Daedric Prince Meridia."

He watched as a shining longsword was forcefully pulled out of the chest, to which he suspended it in midair as he redirected his spell towards Oblivion itself.

"I call forth Meridia," Tirek continued, grinning as runes etching into the air between him and the chest, forming a summoning circle of sorts, "the Daedric Prince of Life and Infinite Energies."

The circle flashed and a women dressed in flowing robes, light colored instead of the dark colors that Nocturnal had worn, appeared in the air before him. He took notice of the women's wings, matching the supposed description of the Prince that the rest of Nirn made in regards to the Prince's actual form, and continued to grin. As the Prince took a moment to realize exactly where she was Tirek's right hand reached forward and grabbed her neck, choking her as he began to forcefully drain her powers.

"I shall take great pleasure in adding your power to that I stole from Nocturnal," Tirek said, enjoying the feeling he got from making such a powerful being scream in agony, "and then, once I have the rest of your fellow Princes, I shall shatter this pathetic world."

34: The Volkihar Vampires

"So, if you don't mind me asking, but why are the draugr following us?"

Sunset knew that their latest companion, the woman known as Serana, was going to ask about the force of draugr that was marching behind their group sooner or later. She had hoped that she wouldn't have to explain herself once more, but she also knew that Serana was going to constantly ask questions about the alliance. She waited for the perfect opportunity to tell her everything, which eventually presented itself in the form of a massive chamber that was filled with stairs that circled a flaming pit. She expected to find a bunch of skeletons that wanted her and her friends dead, but as the group looked around she continued to find nothing up draugr waiting for them, all of them standing at attention as if waiting for a command.

One of them, sitting in what appeared to be a throne of sorts, was definitely another Deathlord, but as Sunset approached it the creature got onto its feet and stared at her, like the previous one had done.

"Greetings, Warlord," the Deathlord said, though Sunset took notice that the creature took extra care to address her by a title that was different than 'Dragonborn', "We have been waiting your arrival, as you have no doubt noticed. I assumed that you wish for us to venture to where Lord's Morokei and Krosis reside, but I would like to have your orders before jumping to conclusions."

Sunset had to admit it to herself, but the more the undead draugr continued to show that they were allied with her the more worried she was that Morokei was getting annoyed with her never coming to him.

"Yes, you are correct," Sunset replied, looking the undead in the eyes, hoping that she looked like the 'Warlord' that he had called her, "Morokei and Krosis are waiting at Labyrinthian, with the rest of the Dragon Priests that have awoken. I assume that you know where Labyrinthian is located?"

"Yes Warlord," the Deathlord answered, bowing his head respectfully, "Shall I sound the horn and begin the march?"

"You may proceed," Sunset told the undead, not really knowing if the horn it was referring to would actually work after all this time.

The Deathlord nodded and pulled out what appeared to be an ivory horn, with an interesting design inscribed around the top, before lifting it to its mouth and blowing a long single note. The other draugr that were in the chamber, excluding the ones that were following the group, got onto their feet and began to gather their weapons and armor. Soon the two groups of draugr were one massive force of warriors, though they opened the back entrance to the crypt and moved out into what Sunset assumed was the hillside near Morthal. She was somewhat thankful that Jarl Ravencrone had moved her citizens into Fellglow Keep, as it would prevent them from seeing a mass of draugr walking down the road to Labyrinthian.

She also noticed a Word Wall near the back entrance, so while she waited for the draugr to leave the area she walked up to the wall and allowed the Word of Power, GAAN, to be added to her ever growing collection of Words.

"None of this has actually answered my question," Serana stated, turning to Fiona for a moment, "Why are the draugr so eager to follow her like they are her personal servants? And why did that Deathlord called her 'Konahrik'?"

"Sunset is, technically, the last Living Dragon Priest," Fiona sighed as she replied, wondering how many more times that phrase was going to be repeated in the future, "or, as she prefers to be called, Priestess. She also prefers to be called Archmage, as she is the leader of the College of Winterhold... which I guess we'll have to change the name to the College of Fellglow."

"Wait, she's a Dragon Priest?!" Serana exclaimed, turning her head to look at Sunset, who was staring at the wall as she wondered what the newest Word meant, "Doesn't that mean that she's awakening her masters, so that they can declare total war on the rest of Skyrim? Why would you want to follow someone whose planning on slaughtering the people of this region and then enslaving whoever survived?"

"She's not trying to destroy Skyrim," Bjorn informed the woman, wondering if his instincts were correct about her being a vampire, "she's trying to save the entire world from being destroyed by a dremora called Tirek. He's already sunk Winterhold into the Sea of Ghosts, flattened the Thalmor Embassy into the ground, raised an army of Forsworn to slaughter everyone in Whiterun, and forced the ground to swallow the town of Falkreath. If he's not stopped soon then there's not going to be anything in Skyrim, much less Nirn, left for anyone to live in and fight over."

"I have absolutely no idea what your talking about," Serana stated, allowing the look of confusion on her face to speak volumes, "It looks like I'm going to have to get well acquainted with what's happened in the last couple hundred years before I'm going to have any idea what's happening."

Fiona chuckled as Serana, and the rest of her group, save for Sunset, turned and looked at her for a moment, wondering what she was thought was funny. She held up a hand and tapped the side of her head for a moment, indicating that she would enjoy taking on the challenge that Serana was presenting her.

"I will gladly tell you about everything you may have missed," Fiona told the woman, a smile appearing on her face, "and what I cannot fill in I'm sure that there are volumes written on everything else. Trust me, you'll be glad when you hear everything I have to tell you."

Sunset tapped her staff on the ground and gathered the attention of everyone around her, which Serana looked like she was annoyed that they had been interrupted. Sunset paid the woman no mind, knowing that she would be taking her back to her home before doing anything else that may help her stop whatever Revan was planning.

"We'll be taking Serana back to her home first," Sunset told the rest of her group, where she turned to Tolan for a moment, "Tolan, I want you to head back to Isran and tell him that we may have found what Revan was looking for. He needs to be informed about this, but make sure you reach him. The rest of us will ensure that Serana reaches her home, in the off chance that Revan is working for Tirek and wants whatever secrets that may have been buried with you."

"You think I'm withholding something?" Serana demanded, clearly annoyed that someone would accuse her of holding something back from those that had rescued her.

"Revan might think so, and I don't want him getting his hands on whatever it is," Sunset replied, knowing that there was something important that the woman wasn't telling her, but put it at the back of her mind at the moment, "After all the work we put into gathering the fifteen Daedric Artifacts I don't want to give something important to Tirek... something that could, potentially, ruin everything I have been working towards."

Sunset knew that Revan had some plan that he was working on, exactly like Tirek had when he was using Ancano to do his dirty work at the College of Winterhold. This time she was going to beat him to the punch and destroy whoever was following the vampire, before they destroyed something else or angered someone else.

As it turned out getting out of the cave and finding the road had been the easy part, determining where Serana wanted to go, on the other hand, proved to be somewhat of a challenge. She continued to say that there was an island near Solitude that her family owned, and claimed that they still owned, but none of their maps actually had the location marked. Sunset determined that she was telling the truth and followed her instructions on how to reach the boat that could take them to the island to the letter.

As they walked down the road that would take them to their destination Fiona continued to tell Serana about what she had missed over the last two to three eras. Sunset listened in every now and then, collecting bits and pieces that might aid them in their current venture, but in the end she was simply satisfying her curiosity. There was also the occasional wild animal that they passed, to which Serana readied her magic in case they came at them, but after a moment she realized that the wolf was just staring at them and allowing them to move on. As she canceled her magic she had the look of someone that was confused by what was happening around her, a look that Sunset was expecting to see a lot more often.

"Why are the wildlife ignoring us like this?" Serana eventually asked, after seeing so many animals turn their heads and run away from the group.

"You can thank Lord Hircine for that," Bjorn spoke up, beating everyone else to the punch on this one, "He's been keeping Sunset, and by effect the rest of us, alive so she can deal with the enemy she was called on to defeat. I'm not sure if you've noticed, but Sunset isn't a denizen of this world... she's a denizen of a world that's different than ours and was called by Kynerath to deal with Tirek before he destroys Nirn completely."

"Yes, I've been meaning to inquire about that," Serana said, pointing at Sunset's head, to where her horn rested, "I'm interested as to what that... thing... is on her forehead."

"Its a unicorn's horn," Sunset replied, turning back to look at Serana for a moment, "I hail from the world of Equus, where I was originally born a unicorn. Tirek, on the other hand, is a demon that appeared as an old nord when he entered Nirn, but now he's recovering his power and, by effect, he's aging backwards. His very existence is a threat to this world, which is why I've been trying to gather people who see him for what he is and destroy those that freely follow him."

"So he's a Daedric Prince that wants to end all of Nirn... like Mehrunes Dagon did according to Fiona," Serana commented, just as they rounded a corner and approached a fortress, with a large castle looming in the background, "and you're destroying his cult, like many people have done in the past."

"He is NOT a Daedric Prince," Sunset snapped, turning to the woman for a moment, "He is a demon from the realm of Tartarus, whose sole purpose is to absorb the magic of those around him and then destroy whoever stands in his way, before beginning the end of the world. His plan on Nirn is to absorb the power of even one of the Daedric Princes, to which I have made sure that all of their artifacts are safely locked out in Oblivion, where the demon cannot touch them. Even now the Fellglow Alliance is searching for him, so that when we do find him we can launch a full scale attack against him and destroy him.

I am well aware that such a fight might reshape the whole of Skyrim, but with all the damage that he's already caused to this province we have to try before he swallows it whole. People lost their homes when Tirek sunk both Winterhold and the town of Falkreath, while others lost their loved ones when he crushed the Thalmor Embassy. If Tirek is not stopped soon then there might not be anything of Skyrim left... something that I'm not going to let happen as long as I can still fight."

Sunset and Serana stared at each other for a moment, where Sunset dared the woman to say something about Tirek being a Daedric Prince, before the woman sighed and nodded her understanding. Once that was done Sunset turned around and walked around the fortress, where she nodded to the Thalmor agents that were still stripping the area of any resources. The elves that noticed her bowed their heads respectfully before returning to their work, telling Sunset that Elenwen was making sure that they were well armed for when war came to them once more.

She smiled when she spotted the boat that Serana had mentioned, which was much larger than she was expecting and could easily seat all of the group. As they climbed into the boat she also noticed that Serana was surprised by the size of the boat, which told her that the woman might not remember everything correctly. Once they were on the boat they set sail across the water, where Sunset, Fiona, and Serana stared at the looming castle as they approached it. As the boat docked and the group got off Sunset looked to the left of the dock and noticed another, and much smaller, boat, one that she assumed had to belong to Revan.

As the group approached the main door of the castle Sunset spotted what appeared to be a doorman of some kind, though the moment the nord noticed them he opened the gate, though she couldn't help but notice that he was staring at Serana the entire time. When they entered the castle Sunset found an altmer, dressed up in gray colored suit of armor, waiting for them, though he appeared to be upset for a brief moment.

"Who are you to dare step foot..." the elf started, but then he noticed Serana and immediately backed up, "Lady Serana... you've returned!"

The elf then turned to the open room behind him and began to proclaim to everyone around that Serana had returned to them, to which Serana sighed and started to walk forward. Sunset held a hand up and walked in with her, though she could tell that Fiona was following her, keeping her eyes peeled for anyone that might not be allied with the lord of the castle. As they followed in Serana's footsteps Sunset took the opportunity to look around the room, finding bloodied bones, cups filled with blood, and bloodied rags scattered about the place. It didn't take her long to figure out what exactly these people were, which also revealed exactly what Serana was considering that she had been traveling with Fiona for some time.

The entire castle was filled with vampires, something that Sunset had not been expecting when she had heard about all the vampire activity in the last few weeks.

"My long-lost daughter returns at last." the man in the middle of the room said, who Sunset immediately assumed was the lord of the castle, "I trust you have my Elder Scroll?"

"After all these years, that's the first thing you ask me?" Serana asked, clearly annoyed that the scroll would be more important than she was, "Yes, I have the scroll."

"Of course I'm delighted to see you, my daughter." the man replied, annoyance flickering in his voice for a second or two, "Must I really say the words aloud? Ah, if only your traitor mother were here, I would let her watch this reunion before putting her head on a spike. Now tell me, who are these strangers that you have brought into our hall?"

"These are my saviors," Serana answered, barely looking back to see who had followed her to meet her father, "they are the ones who freed me."

"Ah, Fiona Nightblade, we meet again," the man commented, turning to Fiona for a moment, "I knew that you would eventually see the error of your ways and return to us, but it appears that you lost both Hel and Diasa in the time you have been gone. Though I see that you brought a new group of friends with you..."

"Yes, I have returned to the castle after a hundred years of being gone," Fiona replied, sadness filling her voice as she was reminded of her sisters, "but not for whatever reason you think. There are much more serious matters that must be dealt with... which I will allow my friend to tell you all about."

"Ah yes, my other guest," the man said, turning to Sunset for a moment, his eyes lingering on her forehead for a second before falling on her face, "For my daughter's safe return, you have my gratitude. Tell me, what is your name?"

"I am Sunset Shimmer, Archmage of the College of Winterhold and Leader of the Fellglow Alliance," Sunset told the man, much to the awe of several of the vampires that sat in the chairs around them, "Who do I have the honor of addressing?"

"I am Harkon, lord of this court." the man said, revealing him to be the Harkon that Sunset had heard little abut in the last few days, "So, you are the one that I heard so much chatter about these last few days. Gathering people into one area so they can go to war against a creature that sunk Winterhold. I must admit, I was expecting someone... more... than you to have the sway to create such a formidable force. Regardless I am sure that, by now, my daughter will have told you what we are."

"She didn't have to say anything," Sunset replied, mildly annoyed that she found someone else that didn't believe in her abilities, "I could tell, just by looking around this room, that your vampires."

"Not just vampires." Harkon told her, a grin appearing on his face as he moved to the right just a bit, "We are among the oldest and most powerful vampires in Skyrim. For centuries we lived here, far from the cares of the world. All that ended when my wife betrayed me and stole away that which I valued most. You have done me a great service, and now you must be rewarded. There is but one gift I can give that is equal in value to the Elder Scroll and my daughter. I offer you my blood. Take it, and you will walk as a lion among sheep. Men will tremble at your approach, and you will never fear death again."

Before Sunset had the chance to tell him off for even offering the power of a vampire to her, which she would have refused seeing how she followed the teachings that Princess Celestia, the Dawnbringer in ancient Equestrian history, had given her, Harkon began to change before her very eyes. His clothes seemed to melt into a mass of blood, which reformed into a sash of some kind as his entire skin color turned dark gray and large bat wings tore free from his back. His face became distorted, becoming similar to a snarling beast that wanted to ambush its prey, as his hands and feet became similar to claws.

"This is the power that I offer!" Harkon shouted, causing everyone around him to back up just a bit as he turned his gaze back to Sunset, "Now, make your choice!"

Sunset opened her mouth to reject the offer, but then she saw the black robed form of a vampire appear on the balcony above the table that she assumed Harkon sat at. A light smile appeared on her face as she looked above Harkon, knowing that she'd be able to answer one of her questions at long last and, possibly, gain another ally.

"Pardon me Lord Harkon, but someone else seems to have arrived in your court," Sunset said, respectfully bowing her head to the vampire lord before turning to the robed figure, "Is that you Revan?"

The robed figure pulled back its hood and revealed the person underneath, showing Sunset that Revan was actually a young nord, likely twenty years old, with a scar cutting through his left eye and pitch black hair. Sunset knew that the vampire was old, thanks to everything that Fiona told her, but seeing him now made her wonder how much power he had. She knew he had to be powerful enough for Tirek to want to take an interest in him, so Revan had to be as powerful as Ancano was before she defeated him.

"I see you've been following me," the vampire said, his hand reaching towards his belt and pulling out a small glass shard, a glass dagger Sunset realized, "and you have no doubt realized that I no longer care for this world. I tried to incite a war between all of Skyrim and the Forsworn, but then you came along and destroyed them all before they could accomplish their goal. I found dozens of people who had the potential to recover the Daedric Artifacts and delivered them into the service of my Master, until you came along and destroyed each and every one of them.

You have been gathering allies to launch an all out war with my Master, so now I plan on depriving you of one of the greatest allies that you might be able to persuade to join your side."

Before Sunset realized what he was talking about Revan approached Harkon's right side and spun around, driving the dagger into the vampire lord's chest with enough force to throw him backwards, smashing the table in half. Now that Revan's side was revealed, and his crime committed, Sunset extended her hand and threw her magic towards the vampire, but this time he slipped out of the way before she could reach him. She shouted at her friends and they got into action, training their weapons on the vampire as he ran towards the entrance, somehow bypassing the entire group as he made his way towards the gate.

Sunset leapt up to her friends and charged forward, passing into the area before the castle door as she threw spells as Revan, blasting small holes into the ground as the vampire disappeared into the night. She stayed outside for a moment, wondering how he could have gotten away from her so easily, before sighing and returning to Harkon, who had reverted to his original form and was being treated by the other vampires. When Sunset approached him once more he held up a hand and the vampires backed up, though when he looked up at her she could see the anger and hatred in his eyes.

"His poison is weak... not nearly strong enough to kill someone like me," Harkon growled, informing everyone that he wanted Revan dead without having to say a word, "I will consider an alliance with you, Archmage, but I require Revan's head as an offering."

Tirek grinned as he emptied Meridia of the last of her power, to which he threw her into one of the prison cells and locked the door behind him. He could tell, even without a mirror, that he was getting much closer to what he looked like when he had his full power, but he was still far from done. He approached the open chest and stared into the container, letting his magic roll around as he reached for the second artifact that was recovered.

"I call forth the Star of the Daedric Prince Azura," Tirek called out, watching a eight sided gemstone appear before his magic reached into Oblivion once more, "Come forth Azura, Daedric Prince of Dusk and Dawn."

That was before a woman, this one wearing a flowing robe, appeared in his summoning circle, though she was still dazed from being ripped from her realm and brought to Nirn. Before she had a chance to do anything Tirek reached forward and choked her, just like he had done to the previous two Princes before this one. The moment she realized who was standing before her, having seen the demon from her visions, her eyes widened in terror, which only made Tirek grin even more as he begun the process and slowly took her power as well.

He silently thanked Sunset Shimmer for doing all the hard work for him, as he could obtain his full power without her even realizing that she had, unintentionally, brought about the end of the world.

35: Dexion Evicus

Sunset was somewhat pleased that Lord Harkon had dropped the notion of trying to turn her into a vampire like him, as Revan had interrupted the moment and had soured the man's mood. Her friends had been beckoned to join her, Serana, and Fiona, to which they immediately walked down the stairs and scattered about the castle, looking for anything else that might relate to Revan. They wanted to be completely sure that there was nothing else that might harm anyone in the castle, something that Revan might have left behind before he assaulted his former master and fled the castle. In the end her friends returned to the main hall and reported that nothing seemed out of place, to which Sunset sighed in relief and leaned back in the chair she had been sitting in.

She had been silently sitting there, reflecting on what she had seen when Revan appeared, and wondered what the vampire could be searching for at this point, as the Daedric Artifacts were safe.

"What could Revan be searching for?" Sunset absently asked, causing Fiona to look at her for a moment, "We recovered all the Daedric Artifacts, so what else could there be that Tirek might want to get his hands on? This doesn't make any sense at all."

"You're assuming that he's looking for something to being with," Fiona pointed out, having thought about the same thing since the evil vampire had left the castle, "but there must be something more than trying to kill our allies. Revan could have stumbled on something that Lord Harkon has been working on and decided that his new master would be pleased with whatever he found."

"I see the rumors were true," Lord Harkon said, walking up to them as if he was fine, despite the bandage wrapped around his right side, while pointing at the Elder Scroll that Sunset had on her back, "I had heard that an Elder Scroll had been recently discovered, but chose not to believe it until I saw the scroll for myself, to which I see that they were true. That means that the rumors of a Moth Priest leaving the Imperial City and coming to Skyrim to investigate are true as well... though now I wonder if Revan was behind this as well."

"Oh just them about the your obsession," Serana commented, taking a seat nearby before staring at the three of them, "You'll never get to the end if there's... competition... standing in your way."

Sunset didn't need to be told that there was some animosity between the two family members, she could see it as plain as day as the two stared at each other. She slightly wondered what obsession Lord Harkon could have, but considering that vampires liked blood and hated the sun she had the feeling she knew what it could be.

"The Tyranny of the Sun," Lord Harkon finally said, sighing as he admitted defeat to his daughter, "a time when vampires will no longer have to fear the power of the sun..."

"Ah, I remember a similar tale from my home world," Sunset commented, causing Harkon to raise an eyebrow at her, "Back in my home world of Equus there was a time where a group of vampires rose to power, which was roughly a hundred years after the defeat of Nightmare Moon. They hated the sun and Princess Celestia, who moved both the sun and the moon, and decided that they would take matters into their own hooves. They gathered together, harnessed the power of some ancient and powerful Black Magic, and sought to bring about the end of the world by darkening the very sun that kept the world alive.

Suffice to say that Princess Celestia discovered their plans to bring about the end of the sun and assaulted their hideout, ending their existence before they could enact their terrible plan. Completely obliterated them."

"Does your Princess ever let anyone live?" Serana asked, while her father almost looked uncertain about what he was going to tell her, "I mean besides slaughtering everyone who opposes her?"

"Sure she does, but they're either banished or turned to stone," Sunset replied, remembering everything she knew about the villains that threatened Equus, "Nightmare Moon was banished to the moon, Discord was turned to stone, Sombra was banished to the Frozen North, Chrysalis, from what I heard, was banished from Equestria with her Hive, the Sirens were sent to another world, where my friends and I stripped them of their powers, and Tirek was sealed away in Tartarus... or at least he should have been after Princess Twilight defeated him with the help of her friends."

"Then what is this 'demon' of yours doing on Nirn?" Serana asked, wondering how such a creature could have come to Nirn, "If he's supposed to be locked up in a prison, this Tartarus of yours, then how did he end up in our world?"

"That's the part I don't understand," Sunset answered, though she had an idea that she hadn't shared yet, "though I guess that its possible that he felt the power of the Daedric Princes before he reached his prison and, in a desperate attempt to prevent himself from being imprisoned once more, somehow changed the trajectory of his path. How he could do this, I have no idea, but he's here, on Nirn, and he's planning on destroying this world so he can return to Equus... where he's going to conquer everything and destroy anyone that dares to stand against him."

"So we find this Moth Priest, have him read my Elder Scroll, and then figure out what Revan is searching for," Serana stated, as if she was in charge of everyone else, to which Sunset's friends looked at her for a moment, "What? If I was Revan I'd be capturing the Moth Priest so that, when I got my hands on one of these two scrolls, I'd be able to read it without delay and discover what secrets its hiding. Its only logical that we'd be looking for him as well, so that we can get one step ahead of our enemy before he manages to outsmart us... or at least more than he might have already done."

Sunset's friends turned to her for a moment, clearly wondering what she wanted them to do, before she sighed and picked herself out of her chair, tapping the Staff of Magnus on the floor for a moment.

"Fine, we'll get one step ahead of Revan," Sunset said, turning to Serana and Lord Harkon for a moment, "If you're telling the truth about wanting to join our alliance, then meet us at Fellglow Hold... by the time you and some of your soldiers arrive we should have already rescued the Moth Priest and arrive seconds later. Just be warned, the Dawnguard will be at the keep when you arrive, but they hate Revan too, so think before you attack them and make sure they know what your intentions are. I don't want to arrive at my base of operations and find that both you and Isran killed each other, or any of my allies for that matter."

Harkon looked like he wanted to say something, but then he shook his head and beckoned for Sunset to begone from the castle, clearly telling her to get underway while he gathered the soldiers that he wanted to take with him. Sunset walked towards the front gate with her group of friends behind her, with Serana following up behind them, as she wanted to rescue the Moth Priest and see Sunset's base of operations for herself. Once the group was outside the castle Sunset pulled out her map and pointed at Dragon Bridge, where she figured that they could ask one of the people in the small village if they had seen the Moth Priest.

She knew that no one at her base would know, as she would have known shortly afterwords, so the nearby village was her best bet to find the mysterious Moth Priest.

Reaching Dragon Bridge from Castle Volkihar was much easier than Sunset was originally expecting it to be, as all they have to do was find a worn out road not far from the boat they used and traverse the stone pathway that lead them near Meridia's temple. Once that had been done they found the signs that told them where they were and followed the path down the other side of the mountain, where they turned in the opposite direction of Solitude and continued walking. As they walked down the road Sunset noticed quite a lot of Imperial soldiers running around, hauling crates of lumber and supplies into the various wagons they had... with Stormcloak soldiers aiding them.

That was the beauty of the Fellglow Alliance, Sunset reflected as they passed by the soldiers and respectfully nodded their heads to them, old enemies were becoming friends with each other and they were slowly making their way to Fellglow Keep. There they would be assigned to their new stations somewhere throughout Skyrim, where they would join the search for the enemy of all of Nirn. When they reached their destination Sunset wasn't surprised to find a heavy military transport waiting to depart, though she was surprised to find General Tullius speaking with the transport leader.

"General Tullius, it is good to see you again," Sunset commented, causing the imperial to turn towards her for a moment, a light smile appearing on his face the instant he looked at her.

"Ah, Archmage, it is always good to see you," Tullius replied, bowing his head a little in respect, something that all the faction leaders of the Alliance had picked up from her, "I wish I had know that you were coming this way, because then I would have made sure the caravan was prepared for an inspection... if one happened to have occurred."

"I wasn't expecting to come this way until earlier today," Sunset told him, beckoning to Serana for a moment, "We came this way to look for information regarding a Moth Priest, to read one of the two Elder Scrolls that we're carrying at the moment. You wouldn't happen to know anything about the person we're looking for would you?"

"The locals have been telling me about such a scholar for the last half hour," Tullius answered, moving slightly so a soldier could get his container on the caravan, "He rode through with an escort earlier this morning, but according to everyone I've talked to they have noticed an overturned carriage on the other side of the bridge, maybe ten minutes from our current position. We're going to have to stop and clear the road anyway, so if you'd like we can ride out together and stop at the wreckage, where you can look for the Moth Priest and bring him back to us, once you've found and convinced him of our plight that is. Once he's with us we can all ride back to Fellglow Keep."

Sunset thought about it for a moment and, after a couple of seconds, decided that General Tullius made a good point, to which she offered her help in loading the caravan. Her friends noticed what she was doing and immediately sprung into action, moving to the various soldiers that were around them and lending their aid. Serana stared at them like they had lost their minds for a moment, but then realized that the two groups of soldiers were actually allies of Sunset and walked up to one of them, reluctantly lending her aid to the soldiers. After ten minutes of helping the two groups load their supplies onto the caravan General Tullius called for them to mount up, which lead to everyone either getting on a horse or climbing into an available seat on the caravan.

Not a few minutes later they were forced to stop by the wrecked caravan that the Moth Priest was supposed to be riding, to which Sunset and her friends climbed off the caravan and investigated the area. What Sunset found were a bunch of dead bodies, both the people she assumed were the guards that protected the Moth Priest and some vampires that had likely attacked the caravan. After a brief moment of searching Sunset found a note on one of the vampire's bodies, one that indicated that the leader of the vampire attack wanted to break the Moth Priest, to use his knowledge for whatever plan that the master was working on.

And, in an ironic twist of fate, the cave that the Moth Priest was supposed to have been taken to was actually across the bridge they had stopped before, leading right to a hole in the wall that Sunset assumed was the cave in question.

"We'll be back with the Moth Priest in a half hour," Sunset told General Tullius, which resulting in some of the soldiers moving towards the wreckage.

"Take all the time you need Archmage," the General replied, nodding to his soldiers for a moment, "We'll be burying these soldiers while we remove this wreckage... just be sure to give the creatures that did this no mercy."

Sunset nodded and wasted no time in crossing the stone bridge, where she immediately headed towards the hole in the hillside and stopped just short of the entrance, allowing time for her friends to catch up. Once they were together Sunset walked into the cave, where she found what appeared to be an ancient ruin, created by vampires by the look of the gargoyles that lined the walls, that was being patrolled by vampires. They were all wearing the armor that Lord Harkon's followers had been wearing, but Sunset realized that it was a tactic to make people think that Harkon was plotting to attack and slaughter everyone.

Lightning flashed around Sunset's left hand, causing her friends to take a step backwards, as she calmly walked towards the entrance of the ruins. One of the vampires shouted at her, telling her to stop before they loosed the gargoyles on her, but she paid them no mind as she raised her hand up and struck the vampire in the chest. The impact of the attack launched the vampire into the air before slamming her into the back of the ruins, which caused her allies to draw their weapons, summon their magic, and loose the gargoyles. Sunset nodded her head and, just before the first vampire could even touch her, Bjorn's arrow flew through the air and struck the vampire in the chest.

Fiona, Cicero, and Raja appeared behind their enemies, but unlike the previous times that they had done the same move the vampires seemed to know that they were there and turned around, fully prepared to engage them. Sunset thought that it was odd that a thief, an assassin, and a vampire could be so easily found, which made her wonder if Nocturnal had taken her Key out of Nirn to protect herself, cutting off the abilities of thieves and those that chose to crouch in the shadows. As she thought about it one gargoyle came close to hitting her, but Lydia jumped in between the two of them and cut the gargoyle down before it could touch her, to which Sunset nodded her appreciation to the nord.

Serana, on the other hand, had to watch in awe as she observed the six of them laying waste to the vampires that stood against them, before she joined in and impaled one of them with her ice spikes. When the deed was done, and the head vampire was defeated, Sunset found what appeared to be a focusing stone and placed it into the pedestal that was overlooking the magical prison that was keeping the Moth Priest bound. The Moth Priest was dressed up in a simple grey robe and carried what appeared to be an akaviri blade, though the moment the barrier was down he tried to attack them, to which Sunset summoned her magic and bound his hands to his side. She knew that, until whatever spell Revan's lackey had inflicted on the Moth Priest had run its course, they would have to wait until the Priest was sane once more.

Not ten minutes later the Moth Priest moaned before standing up as straight as he possibly could, to which Sunset could tell that the Priest was in his own mind once more and released his arms.

"Thank you for breaking that foul vampire's hold over me," the Moth Priest said, rubbing his arms for a moment before looking at his saviors, spotting Serana almost immediately before turning back to Sunset, "I'm quite alright, thanks to you. Dexion Evicus is my name. I'm a Moth Priest of the White Gold Tower. These vampires claimed they had some purpose in store for me, but they wouldn't say what. Probably hoping to ransom me, the fools. Now tell me, whom do you represent, and what do you want with me?"

"We need you to read an Elder Scroll," Sunset told the Moth Priest, to which she noticed the man's eyes light up for a moment, "so that we can stop a vampire by the name of Revan from causing untold harm to all of Nirn. I am Sunset Shimmer, Archmage of the College of Winterhold and Leader of the Fellglow Alliance. These are my friends Bjorn Wyrmsblood, Fiona Nightblade, Raja, Lydia, Cicero, and Serana."

"You have an Elder Scroll?" the man replied, joy appearing on his face, "Remarkable! I'm sorry to say that my knowledge of the 'Fellglow Alliance' is lacking, but I do know some facts about Fellglow Keep. Is that where we are heading?"

"Yes," Sunset told the man, glad that he understood what was happening, "If you'll follow us we'll get to our caravan and resume the journey to our base."

Dexion nodded and followed the group as they made their way out of the cave and retraced their steps to where the wreckage had been, arriving in time to see the end of the Imperials saying goodbye to the fallen soldiers. General Tullius spotted the group arriving as the soldiers climbed back on the caravan, to which he introduced himself to the Moth Priest as they joined the soldiers. Once everyone was ready they got underway to Fellglow Keep, where they would be able to figure out what Revan might be searching for.

Sunset was expecting both Isran and Lord Harkon to have arrived long before she and her friends did, to which she wasn't surprised when she spotted the two factions standing on opposite ends of the courtyard. She had been expecting some kind of dispute that her soldiers had to take care of to be underway, but she had to admit that she was surprised to see both leaders, and their chosen soldiers, standing still as they waited for her arrival. Delphine, Elenwen, and Tolfdir, the leaders of the alliance while Sunset was away, seemed uneasy about having the two men so close to each other, but calmed down as Sunset approached them.

Dexion, on the other hand, continued to look around in amazement, commenting on how this place had been a ruin and was impressed by the transformation it had endured.

"Ah, Archmage, I see you found the Moth Priest," Lord Harkon commented, spotting the man as the group approached them, "I assume he's been brought up to speed on what's happening?"

"A dremora that wants the end of Nirn and a rogue vampire that's serving him," Dexion replied, condensing what he had been told on the way to the keep, "I am eager to read the Elder Scroll and see what our enemy is seeking."

"As are we old man," Isran said, placing his hand on the Moth Priest's shoulder as Serana handed over the scroll she was carrying, before backing up, "Okay, let's get the show on the road."

"Now, if everyone will please be quiet, I must concentrate," Dexion said, his voice echoing across the courtyard, to which everyone stopped what they were doing to listen to his words, "I see a vision before me, an image of a great bow. I know this weapon! It is Auriel's Bow! Now a voice whispers, saying "Among the night's children, a dread lord will rise." In an age of strife, when dragons return to the realm of men, darkness will mingle with light and the night and day will be as one. The voice fades and the words begin to shimmer and distort. But wait, there is more here. The secret of the bow's power is written elsewhere. I think there is more to the prophecy, recorded in other scrolls. Yes, I see them now... One contains the ancient secrets of the dragons, and the other speaks of the potency of ancient blood. My vision darkens, and I see no more. To know the complete prophecy, we must have the other two scrolls."

Sunset listened to Dexion's words, piecing together what he had been saying, before she decided on what they needed to do, something she was sure that Serana would want to come along for. They needed three Elder Scrolls, to which they had two of them, but while she wondered what secret her scroll held she also wondered where the third one was located. The prophecy itself, on the other hand, seemed to align with the lost prophecy line that she had been told when she recovered Azura's Star, but Sunset couldn't be sure. She knew a world of Twilight would eventually kill Nirn, which told her that she couldn't allow Auriel's Bow to fall into the hands of Revan, or worse Tirek.

Her path was clear, they needed to find the last Elder Scroll and recover the bow, so they could destroy whatever plan that Revan happened to be working on.

Tirek grinned as he finished draining Azura of her power, to which he threw her into the same cell that he had thrown Meridia into, though he found that the Daedric Prince was awake enough to catch her fellow Prince. He cared not if they woke up to see him drain another Prince or permanently stayed asleep while he brought total ruin to the world that they all fought over. All he cared about was draining all of them dry, so he could break through the barrier that protected Nirn from Oblivion and travel through the space between worlds. Then he'd return to Equus with all of his terrible power once more, to which he would gladly imprison all four Princesses in Tartarus so he could burn the world to the ground.

"You... you'll never win," Meridia said, causing Tirek to turn around and look at her, "There are those that will feel what you are doing. They will not allow you to get away with stripping us of our power."

"Yes, your precious Sunset Shimmer," Tirek spat the name out, tired of hearing the Princes speak it every time they spoke to him, "I'll tell you what I told Nocturnal, before I drained her of her powers; Sunset Shimmer is scared of even considering the thought of me getting my full power. I will break this world, of that you can be sure of."

He closed the door and approached the chest once more, his magic wrapping around the next artifact and dragging it out, revealing a blackened staff with three faces at the top, each baring a different expression. Tirek repeated the summoning words he had spoken twice already, ripping the Prince known as Sheogorath from his realm of Oblivion and transporting him to the fortress. When the Prince emerged, however, he wasn't dazed like the other two and immediately sprung into action, magic becoming solid as the Madgod struck at Tirek with his power.

Tirek, on the other hand, caught the attack, threw it into the summoning circle, to which it would be disposed of in Sheogorath's realm, before his arm caught the Prince's neck and dragged him into the air.

"I see your eager to begin the process," Tirek commented, slowly taking the Madgod's power into his body, strengthening himself as he got closer to full power, "Thank you, Sheogorath, for allowing me to become one step closer to my full power."

"Come on Jyggalag, you have to stop him," Nocturnal nearly shouted at the Prince of Order, something she would never dream of doing unless it was absolutely necessary.

When she had come to she found that she was no longer in her temple, but rather in a seemingly endless castle that appeared to be made of grey crystals. Where they were in Oblivion, she had no idea, but she knew that it had to be the beginnings of Jyggalag's new Plane of Oblivion, which was much smaller than the Shivering Isles at this point. She was allowed to watch the monster that had taken her power, though she was powerless to do anything to save the other Princes before the monster summoned them to his lair. All the while Jyggalag sat in a throne in the middle of the same chamber that Nocturnal was kept in, ignoring her every time she suggested that he return to Nirn and destroy the monster before he destroyed Nirn.

And, true to his nature, the Prince seemed to be as still as a statue, but, unlike all the other times she had asked, Jyggalag snapped his fingers and summoned a chessboard.

"Illogical," Jyggalag replied, removing four pieces from the board, ones that Nocturnal was sure resembled herself, Meridia, Azura, and Sheogorath, "This event must progress without my interference."

"He's going to slaughter everyone and burn Nirn to the ground," Nocturnal countered, not believing that the Prince of Order was about to let everyone on Nirn die, without trying to stop the creature at all, "He's causing chaos and disrupting your notion of predetermined fate. Seriously, that alone has to annoy you enough to want to erase Tirek from existence."

"Illogical," Jyggalag replied, staring up into Nocturnal's eyes and forcing her to back up just a bit, "Tirek and Sunset Shimmer must play out this war of theirs... and bring about whatever ending the have been working towards. I will make a move when they are finished, but not before that point. You had best remember that fact, Nocturnal."

Nocturnal gulped before backing away from the throne, returning to her chamber as she hoped that she was right in placing her trust in Jyggalag and his mysterious plan. She only hoped that the other Princes would catch on to what was happening before they were drained as well, though all she could really do was pray to the Divines for some form of assistance.

36: Secret of the Undercroft

Sunset and her friends spent the hour following Dexion reading the Elder Scroll to brainstorm where the third Elder Scroll happened to be hidden, but as time progressed Sunset realized that she had no idea where to find another one. She had been lucky to find the one that she was carrying, which held the secrets of dragons according to Dexion, and had been equally as lucky to find Serana, who had been holding onto the second scroll. She had also considered asking Dexion if he knew any possible locations where they might find the missing Elder Scroll, but before she could even ask Isran and Harkon had taken the man into one of the many spare buildings that the keep had, one that Elenwen had pointed out for them to use.

Apparently reading one of the Elder Scrolls took a lot out of someone, so at the moment it was up to Sunset and her friends to figure out where they were supposed to go next, but she had no idea where they needed to go.

"This is mildly annoying," Sunset commented, closing the book that Urag had given her, shortly after hearing that they needed one more Elder Scroll, "when dealing with the Elder Scrolls there's little hints to go on to find their location. At least when we dealt with the Daedric Artifacts we had some kind of hint to tell us where to go and what to do, but not with these scrolls."

"You know what, I think I'm remembering something," Serana replied, causing everyone in the library to turn to her, which included her father after he had finished escorting Dexion to his chamber, "My father had two Elder Scrolls once upon a time; one that you all found with me, while the second one my mother took with her to... wherever she decided to hide it."

"I'd still like to put her head on a spike," Harkon stated, causing his daughter to look at him for a moment, "What? I'm allowed to hate her after everything she's done."

"Not the point though," Serana replied, sighing as she turned back to the group, "My mother told me that she was planning on hiding somewhere that my father would never expect, but I've thought about that ever since you found me and I still can't make sense of it. No offense to my father, but he's had all this time to scour the provinces of Skyrim and I don't know of a single place that he would have avoided looking."

Sunset sighed and shook her head, wondering if this single piece of information would be able to inform them of where the Elder Scroll was located, but couldn't see how it connected. She looked around the round table they were sitting at, seeing that the rest of her friends were equally confused by the information that Serana had given them. She had been right in a regard, finding an Elder Scroll was more difficult than the Daedric Artifacts, but as she thought about what Serana had said she developed an idea that might actually be the key to all of this. It sounded crazy in her head, so she hoped that her friends would understand what she was saying when we went to voice her thoughts to the group.

"What about Castle Volkihar itself?" Sunset asked, causing Serana to raise an eyebrow for a moment, while Bjorn and Fiona silently nodded their heads in understanding, "There must be someplace inside Castle Volkihar that your mother could have considered hiding in, someplace where even Lord Harkon wouldn't even consider checking."

"Damn her to Coldharbour," Harkon spat, slamming his fist on the table he was sitting at, to which Urag's head snapped up from his desk and glared at the Vampire Lord, "There's an undercroft on the northern side of the island, which the previous owners used to bring supplies into the castle. An old escape tunnel from the castle exits there, if my memory serves me, which I believe leads to a courtyard where Serana and her mother tended a herb garden."

"So you're okay with us heading there and looking for her?" Serana asked, wondering what could have caused such a change of heart in her father, "Won't your retainers have a problem with us poking around the island?"

"They're busy preparing my soldiers for the journey to this keep," Harkon replied, looking at his daughter for a moment, "I intend to summon all of my followers, from all across Skyrim, and find the dremora that dares to want the end of Nirn... before I snap his neck myself."

Sunset didn't want to tell Lord Harkon that a direct assault on Tirek, without the full power of the alliance behind him, would only result in giving Tirek more power to bring about the end of Nirn. Though from what she could gather Valerica, Serana's mother, was a powerful vampire and a very skilled necromancer, if she could believe what Serana was telling her. If they could find Valerica and the Elder Scroll then Sunset was sure that they could recover Auriel's Bow and add another powerful ally to the alliance... and keep both her and the bow out of Tirek's hands. She didn't want to go through a massive quest and recover a powerful artifact, only for Revan and Tirek to get their hands on it and add more power to her enemy.

Then, when they were done with Revan, they could finally travel to Solstheim and find out who Miraak was and, more importantly, why Hermaeus Mora wanted her to meet him.

"Then we make for Castle Volkihar," Sunset said, getting out of her chair and tapping her staff on the floor for a moment, "Hopefully we can find a sign of where Valerica might be hiding and ask her where she hid the Elder Scroll, which also means we'll have to explain what's happening to Nirn, in case she has no idea what's going on. Gather whatever supplies you think we'll need for the journey... I have the feeling that this is going to take much longer than any of us are expecting it to."

"We should wait until the morning," Fiona pointed out, having moved to the library door and spotted how late it was, "We've been up and about for almost an entire day, so we should go to bed and get some rest. Whatever is in the undercroft can wait another day to be found."

Sunset sighed for a moment and nodded her understanding, wondering how she could have missed that they had spent the majority of the day doing something and likely needed sleep. She blamed Revan and Tirek, as whatever plan they were working on was worrying her and she wanted to get to the heart of it before they destroyed another Hold. Her friends voiced their agreement, so she took back the order to prepare for departure and wished everyone a good night, which resulted in everyone heading to their chambers and turning in for the night. Before she turned into bed herself she took a moment to look at the moons in the sky, taking a moment to wonder about the strangeness of the day... and how her friends seemed to lose the ability to sneak.

She sighed once more before heading back to her personal chamber, where she flopped onto her bed and allowed her exhaustion to finally catch up with her.

Sunset yawned when she finally woke up, pulling herself out of her bed and stretching her arms just a bit, before making her way towards the door and the room her friends would be gathering in. What she found was Serana and her father standing before the table, apparently going over a list of items that Sunset and her friends would need for their journey. It was clear that the two of them were expecting a longer journey, which she had assumed the moment she heard the prophecy and was confirmed when the vampires had told her about the undercroft. She also knew that seven people was overkill for what they were planning on doing, but she knew that her friends would object to staying behind and decided not to mention it to any of them.

"Ah, Archmage, your awake," Lord Harkon said, to which Sunset noticed there was more respect in the vampire's voice, "My daughter and I have been going over the various items that a group would need for camping and food preparation. We have spoken with the other leaders of your alliance and gathered everything that you and your companions might need, or what they could provide. Your good for a few days, which we both decided would be unnecessary, but one can never be too prepared."

Sunset nodded her thanks to the vampire lord and joined her friends for the morning meal, though she noticed that both Fiona and Raja were looking at her for a moment. She had to wonder if the two of them, three if she counted Serana, were even aware of the fact that they had lost the ability to sneak when they rescued Dexion. She resolved to ask them about that when they were on their way to Castle Volkihar, as they had enough time to discuss it before they arrived at their destination. The rest of her friends didn't seem to notice the glances that she was given, so she was content to wait until they were on the road to do anything.

Once the morning meal was done, and Harkon had excused himself to deal with the vampires that had come with him, Sunset and her friends gathered their supplies and then departed from the keep, where they nodded their heads to Delphine and Orak as they joined the road. Serana, once again ignoring the fact that Sunset was the leader of the group, took the lead and walked ahead of everyone, pausing every now and then to make sure that they were following before starting up again. Sunset was okay with it, as it would give her the opportunity to speak with Fiona and Raja, if they wanted to speak with her about the loss of sneaking.

It wasn't until they were an hour into their journey that Fiona tapped on her shoulder and walked beside her, while Raja moved to her right side and fell in step with her.

"Something on your minds?" Sunset asked, wondering if they were going to speak about the loss of their sneaking abilities or if they were going to mention something else.

"Raja and I spoke before you got up this morning," Fiona replied, nodding her head towards the thief for a moment, "and we have come to the conclusion that neither of us have the stealth skills that we possessed a few days ago. We tried it out in the middle of the night and, I'm sad to say this, but when one of us tried to sneak either the other spotted them almost immediately or, in the case of asking a soldier to try his luck, were found by someone else."

"I also worked on my lockpicking practice on some practice chests your friend Delphine set up for us," Raja continued, shaking her head sadly, though Sunset could tell that she was also annoyed about it, "and I ended up shattering ten of my lockpicks to open an apprentice level lock. The loss of our abilities to disappear into the darkness and remain unseen, and the loss of my ability to unlock any lock I come across, has lead me to the conclusion that Nocturnal must have removed her Key from her Temple."

"Why would she take her Key out of her Temple?" Sunset asked, wondering if that meant that the Skeleton Key was now safe in Nocturnal's realm of Oblivion, "When she knows that the loss of the Key would result in weakening all of your abilities, thus making everyone who sneaks much weaker than they already are?"

"Tirek has to be to blame for this," Raja confidently said, as if she truly believed that their enemy was behind Nocturnal removing the Key, "It is possible that she became aware of the threat that Tirek posed to Nirn and, in a moment of decision, she decided that it was better for us to lose the abilities we had than to hand over her power to our enemy."

"There is also the other possibility," Fiona commented, though Sunset dreaded what the vampire could even be thinking about, "It might be possible that he found the Skeleton Key, tore it from its resting place, and, somehow, summoned Nocturnal to her temple and drained her of all her powers."

"Such an act would have done more than take away your abilities," Sunset added, knowing what had happened to Equus thanks to Princess Twilight telling her about her conflict with Tirek, "I would have thought that the loss of one of the Daedric Princes would have cracked the barrier between worlds and alerted everyone to what he was doing. He broke the balance of my home world when he absorbed the magic of a single tribe... so something tells me that Nocturnal might be behind this herself."

"So your not worried that Tirek might have gotten ahead of us?" Fiona commented, wondering what could have brought on the sudden change in her friend, "Your not worried that Nocturnal might have had her power taken and Tirek is simply biding his time until he's in control of his new power?"

"I'm not sure if I should be worried yet or not," Sunset admitted, though she noticed that one of the moons was behind a mountain ahead of them, to which she turned her head around for a moment to see the other one above the mountains, "All I know is that Tirek and Revan are planning something big... something that none of us are expecting. We have to find them before they carry out their plan... before they kill anyone else or destroy another Hold."

When they finally arrived at Castle Volkihar Serana beckoned for them to continue following her and lead them to the left of the massive bridge, where they walked around the island before coming to the inlet that had been mentioned earlier. Not a few moments later they found four skeletons walking around, all of them armored to the teeth in steel weapons and armor, but Serana challenged them and launched several ice spikes at their enemies. Sunset summoned her magic and approached the first skeleton, her fireball tearing her target's chest to pieces and scattering the bones as her friends got to work on the other enemies.

Despite losing the ability to sneak and pick locks Raja and Fiona still tore into their enemies, showing that they had more than one set of skill at their disposal. Cicero, on the other hand, didn't seem to mind that his enemies could find him much faster and charged at them without a care in the world. The moment that the four skeletons were dealt with Serana finally returned leadership of the group to Sunset, who nodded to her friends and beckoned to the undercroft door, where they got underway immediately. Once inside the undercroft they were assaulted by a group of death hounds, where Sunset threw the head of the staff forward and blasted the four of them back, allowing her friends to assault them.

The moment that the death hounds, and the vampire that was apparently their master, were down for the count they continued on wards, where they pulled a lever and activated the bridge in front of them. The next part had two paths for them to choose from, but Serana pointed to the left passage and said that they were supposed to head to the left, mentioning that the traps had been put in place to dissuade thieves from continuing any further. They found another chamber filled with death hounds, each of them looking like they wanted to slaughter anyone that annoyed them, but Lydia charged in and slaughtered one of them without wasting a second, before spinning around and killing the other two with her battleaxe.

They found a massive spider guarding the lever that Serana said they needed to pull, but she was fast to enter the room and blast it with lightning, blowing it into the side of the wall and allowing them to progress even further. They returned to the bridge and continued up the stairs, eventually opening a wooden door and coming to a courtyard area that had a golden dial resting in the center of the area.

As Serana began to talk about the area they were in, explaining how she and her mother had tended to a garden before they were forced to flee, Sunset walked around the area and studied the moondial, noting that some of the plates were missing. She moved up to one of the upper areas and looked over the courtyard, though she found one of the missing plates as she came up to the top of the stairs. She cast her eyes over the courtyard and almost immediately spotted one of the plates in the water, to which she called down to her friends and beckoned to it, where Raja collected it. She cast another look over the area and noticed something in the garden itself, beckoning to Serana before making her way down to the dial, where the three of them presented the three plates to the dial.

Once the three plates were in their proper places the mooddial began to turn around and, after a couple of seconds, buckled and the area around it lowered into the ground, revealing a hidden staircase.

They followed the hidden path into the deepest reaches of the castle, but as they followed the pathway they came across dozens of skeletons and a few gargoyles. It was clear that Valerica, having anticipated that someone might figure out her secret and investigate, had prepared the area with a small army of the undead, showing off her skill as a necromancer. Unfortunately the undead didn't recognize Serana, telling Sunset that Valerica wasn't expecting her daughter to uncover her secret passageway, so they had to fight their way through the army.

Bjorn, falling to the back of the group, continued to pull out his arrows and let them loose when he had a target, smashing skeletons into pieces or pushing gargoyles backwards. Cicero and Raja pulled out their daggers and cut into whoever came near them, moving from one enemy to another and, sometimes, exchanging enemies for the other to deal with. Fiona swung her sword around and cut into any enemies that happened to come at them from the side, though she was fine with Lydia charging forward to wound or even kill the enemies ahead of them. Sunset and Serana used their magic to either heal their allies if a wound appeared or, as they mostly used their magic for, blasting an enemy to pieces.

They eventually came to a chamber with three active gargoyles, but when they were finished off Cicero, in a moment of inspiration, pulled a candlestick and revealed another hidden pathway, which allowed them to climb even higher until they came to a large chamber. Sunset looked around and noticed all of the alchemy ingredients, telling her that Valerica was also an accomplished alchemist before she was forced to flee, before her eyes were drawn to the circular patter in the floor. Serana commented on the fact that she had never seen this chamber before, telling Sunset that this had to be the place that Valerica had come to hide the Elder Scroll, but there was no sign of the artifact anywhere.

That was before Cicero, in another moment of inspiration, moved to the bookshelves and pulled out a small journal, to which he handed it to Serana. The vampire immediately read the book, to which she discovered that they required three ingredients and her mother's blood to activate the 'portal' that rested before them. As she read off the ingredients they needed Cicero moved around the room, collecting the items that were apparently hidden in plain sight before returning to the group. Serana thanked him for finding the ingredients, but made no move to use them, saying that they still needed her mother's blood to activate the portal. Sunset sighed and told her to use her own blood, as she carried some of her mother's blood inside of her, to which Serana said it would have to do and approached the pedestal above the portal.

Sunset and her friends gathered around her as she placed the ingredients in the portal and, after a moment of hesitation, added her blood, before the entire room began to shake. They then watched as the stone circle in the floor began to crack and break, pieces lifting into the air and circling around until they created a staircase, leading right into an portal that had an unnatural purple glow... one that Sunset suspected that lead to another plane of existence. Serana exclaimed that she couldn't believe that her mother created a portal to the 'Soul Cairn', naming the realm that Sunset knew that they were going to have to enter to find Valerica and her scroll.

"One other thing, the Soul Cairn is a place for the dead," Serana told them, looking right at Sunset as she spoke, "that means that you either have to be a vampire, as we aren't considered to be alive, or become soul trapped as payment for passing through the portal."

"Only three of us will be heading inside," Sunset declared, causing everyone to look at her for a moment, "Its clear that the Dragonborn is involved with this prophecy, so I'm going to have to head inside with both Serana and Fiona, while the rest of you stay here."

"Are you sure that's wise?" Bjorn asked, voicing the concern that he was sure the other were feeling.

"We've got no choice," Sunset replied, sighing for a moment, "I'm sure that someone's watching the Soul Cairn, so having a large group wander through the area is sure to gain the attention of whoever that person is. We'll slip into the Soul Cairn, find Valerica, recruit her and get her Elder Scroll, and then the four of us will return, where we can return to Fellglow Keep and figure out where Auriel's Bow is located."

Even as she said it she had to wonder what Tirek and Revan were doing, knowing that Nocturnal taking her Key away had weakened some of her allies. She needed to find her enemy fast, before he succeeded in shattering another Hold and breaking the barrier that existed between Nirn and Oblivion. Though she had the terrible feeling that his absorption of so many mages had made it possible for him to hide himself, meaning that he was either at seventy-five percent power or, and she dreaded this one, above that number.

Tirek continued to grin as he felt his horns grow once more, just as he finished draining the power from the Prince of Madness, where he threw the strangely dressed man into the cell with the other two Princes. He was impressed by the Madgod, as when he absorbed the power of Azura and Meridia they had been weakened to the point of exhaustion, but this Prince was still aware of what was happening around him. He chuckled to himself and turned back to the stairs, where he would approach the chest once more and begin the process on another Prince of Oblivion.

"You okay Sheogorath?" Azura asked, helping the Madgod onto his feet while Meridia helped her do so, something they might not have done before today.

"Oh course not!" the Madgod exclaimed, glaring at the bars of their cell with hate in his eyes, "I won't be able to skip rope with his entrails... or being flayed alive for that matter. A shame really, I was looking forward to doing some... crazy things... to our enemy."

"Strange, isn't it Azura?" Meridia commented, staring at the Madgod for a moment, "He had all his power ripped from his body, just like the two of us, and yet he's still mad. One would have thought that he might have become more sane, but that doesn't seem to be the case."

"Sane?! Ha, good one." Sheogorath laughed, slapping his knee for a moment, as if the thought was funny, "I forbade sanity in the Shivering Isles... something that was inspired by Emperor Pelagius III. Did I tell you what he did on his deahtbed yet? He forbade... death! Yes, that's right. Death! Outlawed!"

"Oh Akatosh save us," Azura moaned, already not liking the fact that they were sharing a cell with the Madgod.

Tirek moaned as well as he listened to the Madgod drone on, walking up to where the Wabbajack was still floating and snatched it out of the air, where he tossed it into a pile near the door. Once an artifact had been used to summon its respective Prince he had no further use for it, but he kept it out of the Prince's hands in case there was something he didn't know about. He turned to the chest and repeated the summoning spell he had used before, to which a large mace with a massive head appeared before him seconds later. He then directed his magic into Oblivion once more, summoning an orc in a loincloth to the prison, though Malacath glared at him the moment the magic was over with.

Tirek reached for his neck, but the Prince drew back and slammed his fist into his chest, knocking the wind out of Tirek and forcing him to back up just a bit. Before he had a chance to do anything Malacath lifted his hands into the air, formed a ball with his fists, and slammed the ball into Tirek's head. He then unleashed a barrage of blows on the demon, using his fists and his feet to deliver blow after blow to his enemy, before delivering a powerful uppercut to his jaw and knocking him into the wall. Malacath, seeing his artifact for a moment, snatched the mace out of the air, spun it around, and delivered a final attack to his enemy, smashing a hole in the wall and collapsing a few chunks of stone on top of the demon.

Once he was sure the demon was down for the count he turned down to face the prison cells and spotted three Princes staring at him, disbelief on two of their faces.

"I wasn't expecting someone to actually answer my call," Azura commented, before she sensed that something was wrong.

Malacath found magic forming around his arms and legs, binding his body together and causing him to fall to the floor, where his mace fell to the floor in front of the cells. He glanced towards the hole in the wall and spotted Tirek getting back up, with several cuts and bruises decorating his body as he approached the bound Prince. Tirek was clearly angry, though Malacath had no power to shatter the bindings that kept him in place. Once Tirek was close he grabbed onto the back of Malacath's head and slammed it into the floor, growling for a moment before he calmed down a bit.

"Nice try, but you were unprepared," Tirek said, feeling the power of Malacath enter his body, "and so are the rest of the Daedric Princes that are going to follow you."

37: Land of the Damned

"Are you sure about this?" Serana asked for the third time, having watched Sunset remove any unnecessary items from her pack to lighten her load in the Soul Cairn, excluding the Elder Scroll she carried, "Even if I partly soul trap you, and offer that piece to the Ideal Masters, you'll be at a weakened state in the Soul Cairn, decreasing the power of your abilities. Please, let me turn you into a vampire so you can stave off the effects of the Cairn... we can always find one of the wizards who knows about vampirism and cure you of it later."

"She's told you twice already that she doesn't want to do that," Fiona commented, once again telling the vampire what Sunset wanted, while the rest of their group settled around the opening to the Soul Cairn so they could watch for their return, "So I'm going to politely ask you to drop the matter and respect her decision. We don't have time to waste on arguing, not when there's an insane dremora running around gathering allies to turn against Nirn and destroying whatever Hold he pleases. We've already lost Winterhold and the town of Falkreath thanks to him, so I'd like to try and save the other seven before he and Revan have a chance to destroy them."

While the two vampires argued over Sunset's decision to become partly soul trapped, and annoying some of their friends in the process, Sunset stood near the enchanting table and made sure that she had everything she could possibly need for the journey into the Soul Cairn. She had the Staff of Magnus, the Archmage Robes, and her ebony sword at hand, though she chose to leave all of her provisions with the rest of the items she had brought. She didn't want her food to suddenly turn to mush when she entered the Soul Cairn, so it was better to leave it behind and get the job done as quickly as possible.

As she checked her gear one last time she looked at the rest of her friends, the ones that she had told to stay behind and guard the portal until they returned with Valerica and the Elder Scroll. Cicero and Lydia had set up a small table of sorts and had the beginnings of some type of game, but which one that was Sunset wasn't sure about. Raja, still used to being able to hide in the shadows, remained in the area near the enchanting table, so she could watch everything that happened around her. Bjorn stood by the door they hadn't checked yet, though he told them that it lead to a balcony and that they had no use for something like that at the moment.

Once she was completely ready she stepped up to Fiona and Serana, knowing that they needed to act fast and begin their mission before either of their enemies figured out what they were doing.

"Let's get this over with," Sunset told them, nodding her head to Serana for a moment, "just partly soul trap me. We'll figure out how to get that fragment of my power back after we're inside the Soul Cairn."

Serana nodded and told her to remain still, promising to make it as painless as possible, but when the spell hit her she fell to her knees in agony as she felt part of her soul getting severed from her body. Her friends rushed to her side and made sure that she was alright, while Serana held the soul fragment in her hand for a moment before offering it to the portal. Sunset stared at the gem for a second or two before it faded from existence, the energy surging towards the portal and disappearing into the vastness of the Soul Cairn. She had never used a soul trap ability on anyone before, but now that she knew that even a fraction of the soul being taken away hurt so much she swore not to do it to someone else.

"You promised that it wouldn't be painful," Fiona nearly shouted, turning to the other vampire for a moment, "and just look what you did, you nearly killed her."

"I said that I would make it as painless as possible," Serana replied, her hand moving to her chin for a moment, "It seems that Equestrians act differently when a fragment of their soul is broken off... I must remember to make a note of that when we return from the Soul Cairn."

"Are you okay Sunset?" Fiona asked, clearly not wanting to face Serana at the moment, while she was trying to calm down and turned to face her friend.

"I... I'm fine..." Sunset grunted, forcing the words out of her mouth as she forced herself to stand once more, despite the uneasy feeling that she had, "Let's find Valerica, get the Scroll, recover that fragment of my power, and get out of the Cairn as soon as possible."

Fiona stared into her eyes for a moment, making sure that there was nothing that Sunset was hiding from her, before sighing and nodding her head to her. With Sunset back on her feet, and now missing a fraction of her power, the trio gathered near the stairs that would take them to the Soul Cairn, while the rest of their friends waited around the ledge. Sunset steeled herself for whatever horrors that the Soul Cairn might have in store for them, before letting out a sigh and beginning the trek down the stairs. Fiona and Serana immediately followed after their friend, where the three of them entered the glowing portal and disappeared from Tamriel, traveling to the Soul Cairn.

When Sunset stepped out of the portal and appeared at the top of some stairs she immediately looked around her and took in the terrible plane all around them. The ground, seemingly dull and gray, was clearly lifeless and stretched outwards in every direction, though the dead state seemed to give way for some unusual cracks in the ground and dead looking weeds. The trees that rested around the stairs were clearly dead, as they were completely withered away and were nothing more than shadows of the tress Sunset had seen in Skyrim. The sky itself, on the other hand, was a completely different shade of blue, if not completely violet purple Sunset told herself, and there was this churning hole in the middle of the sky, which she assumed had to be this realm's sun.

She even heard the sounds of souls lightly screaming in the background every now and then, telling her that this horrible realm was definitely not made for the living.

"Everything about this place is wrong," Serana said, looking around for herself, while echoing Sunset's thoughts, "Let's hurry up and find my mother... I'd rather not be here longer than necessary."

"I'd agree with you on that," Fiona commented, already heading down the stairs, where Sunset and Serana dashed to join her, "There's something... odd... about this place. Something that makes me want to hurry and get this done."

"That would be the Ideal Masters," Serana replied, looking around and spotting one of the larger crystals in the distance, which she pointed out to them as they walked down the path, "Any soul that is trapped in a soul gem is sent to this place... to the Soul Cairn... where it must eternally pledge itself to the Masters. Necromancers seeking great power would contact the Ideal Masters, although sometimes the necromancer would be deceived by the Masters, who would then take their soul as well. It is said that the Ideal Masters generally manifest in one of two forms: a small red crystal found "resting" in a coffin, or as a giant pink crystal, often found hovering above a ruined structure."

"You sure do seem to know a lot about them," Fiona told the other vampire, to which Serana raised an eyebrow before sighing and continuing down the path.

"Well, that's all me and my mother actually know about them," Serana admitted, staring into the distance for a moment, "Maybe she's learned something about them in the time that she's been here and can give us a better idea when we find her."

Sunset stared at one of the larger crystals that Serana had pointed out, wondering what they could do with the power of one of the Ideal Masters added to their alliance, but knew that it would never happen. One problem was that she wasn't a necromancer, as necromancy as one of the types of magic that Princess Celestia had outlawed after the defeat of Nightmare Moon... a law that even Sunset didn't dare to break before her departure to Earth. The second problem was that the Ideal Masters were hard to contact and, even if they did tell them of their need for additional aid, she was sure that they would end up betrayed... and end up here as well. It was an interesting thought, she ad to admit it, but the Ideal Masters were beyond her and her friends, so she decided to settle for Valerica and the Elder Scroll.

They passed between two large sections of black walls before rejoining the path, though when they did Serana spotted a sinister looking castle in the distance and, as if her gut was telling her something, immediately started heading right towards it, forcing Sunset and Fiona to follow her before she got lost. As they drew closer and closer to the castle Sunset felt the power of a barrier, a powerful one she added, that had to rest somewhere in the castle, no doubt keeping someone from leaving. Once they reached the stairs and climbed up them Sunset immediately spotted that they weren't alone, as there was another women, this one much older looking than either Serana or Fiona, standing behind the barrier that Sunset had felt.

"Mother!" Serana exclaimed, running up to her mother before stopping short of the barrier.

"Serana?! What are you doing here?" Valerica demanded, before taking a moment to collect her thoughts and letting out a sigh, "Its Harkon isn't it? He's found a way to decipher the prophecy, hasn't he?"

"Well, yes and no," Serana replied, clearly confused as to how she could tell her mother that her father had discovered a fraction of the Tyranny of the Sun, but was now hunting for someone that wanted to end Nirn instead of the bow they sought, "Yes, my father has heard the lines of prophecy that were written on my scroll, but he doesn't care about that at the moment. There's a dremora that's stalking Skyrim, absorbing the power of mages and turning people against each other, though my friends are trying to stop him before he goes too far."

"You brought strangers into our conflict?!" Valerica said, turning and looking at both Fiona and Sunset, "Great, just great. One of Harkon's lackeys and a vampire hunter... someone just kill me already. So how has it come to pass that the two of you are in the company of my daughter? It pains me to think either of you would travel with Serana under the guise of her protector in an effort to hunt me down."

"Look, we're not here to kill you," Sunset told the vampire, causing her to turn to her, "We're here because there's a demon that's already destroyed Winterhold and the town of Falkreath, as a warm up before he regains all of his power. The last person that serves him, a vampire by the name of Revan, is plotting something that involves Auriel's Bow, though I think he wants to give it to Tirek to boost the demon's power. We need to find the bow and secure it before Revan can get his hands on it, which is why we need your help, and your Elder Scroll, to prevent him from getting to it."

"Revan?!" Valceria said, as if the news shocked her, telling Sunset that there was more to their enemy than she had originally thought, "I should have known there was something odd about him... I was the only one who could create a portal to the Soul Cairn and I spent many years alone. All that changed when a young man, I'd say he had seen about twenty winters before he had stopped aging due to his vampirism, appeared out of nowhere and started talking to me. At first I thought I was finally going mad, but he visited me once a week, giving me news about the world before disappearing to wherever he had come from.

Some time ago he had come to me, with a look of power in his eyes that told me had had sided with one of the Daedric Princes, that Nirn was under attack by the Mythic Dawn. He made no effort to hide that he was working with Dagon, though he continued to tell me about how he was hunting for someone named Martin Septim. Every now and then he'd come and tell me that he couldn't find the young man he was looking for, but he often told me other things about the region that were happening at the same time. One Archmage dead and another takes his place, an Arena Champion dethroned, and many other things until he suddenly stopped coming to see me.

Then, maybe three weeks ago, he came to me once more and spoke of a new Daedric Prince that he had discovered, one that was completely different than the other seventeen. He said that the Prince's name was Tirek and that he required the Power of Mages, as Revan put it, to regain even a fraction of his former powers. Revan laughed at the idea of his new master hiding beneath the College of Winterhold, where he could gather as much energy as he could while another pawn moved across the board. Then, not one week later if he kept to his schedule, Revan returned and proclaimed that Winterhold was no more, but told me nothing of his master. I have not seen him since the last visit."

"Oh, I am so going to kill him for this," Sunset growled, more annoyed with the fact that she was literally now learning that Tirek had been in Tamriel longer than she had, "Tell us, how do we breach the barrier and get you out of here?"

"I suggest killing the three Keepers that are keeping this barrier up," Valerica told them, beckoning around the castle area for a moment, "they're scattered across the Soul Cairn, kept near the location of souls being used to keep this up. Take them all out and this barrier will come crashing down. And watch out for the dragon Durnehviir that roams the Cairn, he's been tasked by the Ideal Masters to keep the Keepers alive, though he'll no doubt intervene when you kill one or more of the Keepers."

Sunset sighed and walked out to a piece of the ruins, climbing up so she could get a better look at their immediate surroundings before determining which direction they should go in. She glanced to the right of the castle and could have sworn that she spotted something in the distance that looked like what Valerica had described, the souls being used to fuel something. She clapped her hands and rejoined the vampires, beckoning for Fiona and Serana to join her as she promised Valerica that they'd be back shortly. As they left, however, it seemed like the Cairn became more active, as black skeletons and creatures made out of mist wanted to tear them apart as they traveled towards their destination.

Serana and Fiona summoned their magic and tore into the creatures, while Serana focused on saving her energy for the Keepers and used her ebony weapon, grateful that she had decided to bring it along. She also occasionally used the Staff of Magnus to blast an enemy that bypassed her friends, or those that were just plain annoying and didn't seem to die.

The ruined fortress that they drew closer to housed a small group of black skeletons, each of them armed with their ancient weapons and looking around for someone to use them on. Near the back of the group, standing as still as a statue, was something dressed up in ancient bone armor and armed with a giant battleaxe. Fiona's magic surged towards the group of skeletons and broke them up, allowing Serana to hit some of them before they were even aware that they were under attack. The Keeper, now awakened by the fighting, pulled itself from its spot and approached the battle, where it lifted its battleaxe high above its head and proceeded to bring it down, but not before a bolt of green lightning struck it in the chest and knocked it back into the place it had been guarding. A moment later its body crumpled into dust, though when its skeletal followers followed suit Serana and Fiona relaxed as Sunset approached them.

"Its a good thing you bought that Staff with you," Serana commented, unaware of the power that the Staff even had, or even who it had once belonged to, "otherwise that would have gotten bad real fast."

"I think this was the weakest of the three Keepers," Sunset told the vampires, knowing that it would take a lot more than that to kill something that was keeping Valerica imprisoned, "Let's get underway before the Ideal Masters decide to create more of them and ruin our work before we're even close to finishing our task."

As it turned out the second Keeper was on the ground as well, though he had been sitting in what Sunset assumed was a throne or chair of some kind. The moment they drew near him he pulled himself up and summoned a host of the undead creatures that called the Soul Cairn home, directing them towards the group. It was a moment like this that Sunset wished that she had all her power back, but she would deal with a fraction of her power and either cut her enemies down or blasted them with the Staff of Magnus. Fiona and Serana mostly used magic on their enemies, choosing the be done with them in a quicker fashion than to slowly kill them with some other method. When the Keeper was alone they all used magic at the same time, somehow shattering the bonds that kept the body together and breaking the Keeper into a pool of black dust.

Sunset, seeing the second Keeper fall so easily, was beginning to wonder if Revan had gone out on his visits to the Soul Cairn and, somehow, weakened the Keepers before their visit.

The way to reach the third Keeper was guarded by another army of the blacked skeletons, grayed out draugr, and creatures that were made of mist. As they fought this group of creatures Sunset noticed at an arrow fell to the ground from above them, causing her to look up and spot the form of the final Keeper loosing arrows at them. She briefly wondered if she could accurately target the Keeper from their position, but decided to focus on their current enemies before they were overwhelmed. Flames danced around her arms as she blasted a few of the creatures to pieces, while Fiona and Serana used their own magic to tear the others apart.

Once the way was clear for someone to head up to the Keeper Serana shouted at Sunset to deal with him, to which she nodded and headed right into the teleport pad, appearing up near their target. The Keeper noticed that someone had broken through the defenses and turned on her, but by then Sunset was tired of holding most of her power back. She snapped her fingers and launched a fireball right at the Keeper's face, blasting it backwards before it even had a chance to loose an arrow at her. As the Keeper straightened itself she threw another fireball at it, before switching to lightning and using a lightning bolt to tear into the Keeper's chest. As it tried to get up once more she sucked the air into her, focused on what she was going to do, and then Unrelenting Force'd the Keeper right off the tower, dropping it to the ground.

When Sunset entered the other teleport pad and appeared near her friends she immediately ran to where the Keeper had fallen, finding that she had destroyed it with her spells and her Shout.

"I didn't know you could pack that much power into your Shouts," Fiona remarked, impressed by what Sunset was able to do with all three Words to the Unrelenting Force Shout.

"I only recently received the third Word to it," Sunset reminded the vampire, beckoning for them to follow her back to Valerica's prison, "Come, we had best get this over with before something else happens."

When they returned to the sinister castle they found Valerica waiting for them, with her arms crossed while she had a look of wonder on her face, a clear sign that she was somewhat impressed by their deeds. Once they had returned Valerica proclaimed that they could recover the Elder Scroll and get them on their way, to which Sunset told her that they were never coming back to this place and that she was coming with her, no questions asked. Valerica lead them into the courtyard, where they found a sinister looking dragon waiting on a wall on the opposite side of the courtyard, one that Sunset assumed was the Durnehviir that had been mentioned earlier.

"I should have known he'd eventually show up," Valerica said, sighing as she turned and looked at Sunset, "Now that Durnehviir is here I guess we'll all be dying and becoming permanent residents of the Soul Cairn."

"I am not staying in this horrible realm," Sunset replied, turning to the group for a moment, "The three of you will stay here... I'll deal with Durnehviir, and any other surprises that might show up."

As she stepped forward the area near her seemed to light up, as if it was responding to her natural energy, and flames began to appear all around her. For a moment she wondered if the Soul Cairn was finally reacting to her dislike, but she didn't give it much thought as she strode into the middle of the courtyard. Durnehviir glared down at her for a moment, as if debating whether or not he wanted to fly into the area and attack her, but then something else entered the area. Sunset glanced to the left and spotted someone she wasn't expecting, watching as Revan stepped forward, removing his hood before staring right at her.

"Oh not you again," Sunset said, tapping her staff on the ground as she turned to face the evil vampire, "So, shall I kill you now? Or shall I force you back to wherever you came from?"

Revan reached into his pocket and pulled out a soul gem, one that he tossed into the air for a few seconds before throwing it to Sunset, to which she caught it. The next thing she knew the soul gem broke into pure energy and surged into her body, telling her that it was the fragment of her soul that Serana had taken. She had to wonder how Revan had found it, but even as she did so she wondered what game the vampire was playing by allowed her to access her full power once more.

"I wanted to test you at your full power," Revan told her, withdrawing his hand before pulling out a glass sword in his right hand, "and I can't do that when your missing a fragment of your soul. So come at me Sunset Shimmer, Archmage of the College of Winterhold, Leader of the Fellglow Alliance, and Warlord of the Dragon Cult. I wish to see the power that my master talks about."

Sunset stared at the vampire for a moment, seriously wondering what her enemy was planning at the moment, before allowing her hand to reach for her ebony sword. She stopped herself after a moment, wondering if she could catch him off guard with a different spell that was almost identical to the condensed spell she used on her swords. She held her hand out just a bit, pointed down at the ground, and allowed her energy to gather beneath her palm, swirling around to form a perfect sphere. Just as Revan raised an eyebrow to what she was doing Sunset thrust her had forward and released the magic, causing a beam of pure energy to erupt from above her palm and surge towards Revan.

The vampire barely had time to dodge as the beam passed by him, hitting the wall not a few steps away from where he was standing and exploding upon impact, tearing a massive hole into the castle. Revan, taken aback by the power of the spell, appeared to be rethinking giving her back her full power, before he ducked into the hole she had created.

"Coward!" Sunset shouted, charging at the opening and looking around for a moment, where she spotted Revan moving towards one of the ruined structures and immediately began to charge the attack once more, before loosing it and barely missing him a second time as the structure exploded.

Revan, choosing to duck behind one of the other structures, glanced at Sunset as she looked around for him once more, deciding that it was time to leave the Soul Cairn. He tapped the structure for a moment and summoned a door, opening it to the last location he had been before he had come to this plane of existence. There were other things he needed to do, other tasks that his master wanted him to accomplish, and he wasn't about to die now, not when his enemy had a new power. Better to retreat and plan for the future, to which he smiled and disappeared back to Tamriel, knowing it was only a matter of time until Sunset did the same.

"He's gone," Sunset told her friends, who had walked into the courtyard area while Durnehviir had landed near them, "I didn't kill him this time, but I'll get him sooner or later."

"What was that spell?" Fiona asked, having seen the one she had used with her swords before, so she was curious as to what this one had to be.

"Same as before, condensed magic," Sunset replied, nodding her head to Durnehviir for a moment, "I take it he's decided to join us as well? Or is there peace between you guys?"

"I cannot leave this dreadful place," Durnehviir told her, "I am indebted to the Ideal Masters, so unless they decide to release me from my service I am of no aid to you."

Sunset was going to say something, but then the sky above them seemed to crack open and something descended down to where they were standing. The group had to advert their eyes for a moment or two, but when Sunset looked back her eyes widened in surprise as she took in what she was seeing. A faceless figure, dressed up in a flowing black robe, was floating in the air above them, but even as Sunset gazed at the creature she could feel the power it held inside it. She glanced at Serana and Valerica, wondering if they even understood what was floating before them, to which Serana mouthed the words she had been thinking.

Ideal Master.

Sunset didn't think any of them would be seeing an Ideal Master during their visit to the Soul Cairn, though she knew that this experience would lead Valerica to write about the experience. She had to wonder what the Ideal Master wanted of them, or even what it was doing here, but silently watched as it turned towards Durnehviir for a moment. Then, just as suddenly as the Ideal Master had appeared, the sky flashed for a moment and a second robed figure appeared close to the first, to which Serana mouthed Two. The pressure in the air seemed to get heavier with the addition of a second Master, causing everyone to brace themselves to prevent falling to the ground. Just as Sunset was starting to wonder what they were doing a third robed figure appeared, increasing the pressure in the air and causing them to fall to their knees, while Serana mouthed THREE?! to all of them.

The three Ideal Masters seemed to be silently debating something among themselves, before the trio seemed to nod, which was hard to tell what they were doing with their robes covering everything, before they disappeared.

"I'm... I'm free?" Durnehviir stated, looking around for a moment before getting into the air, "I'll meet you in Tamriel... wherever my brethren are gathering."

Before anyone could reply the dragon turned towards the opening in the sky and disappeared, telling Sunset that he had to have traveled to back to Tamriel... somehow. Valerica, now caught off guard by the sudden appearance of three Ideal Masters, beckoned them to follow her as she lead the way to the Elder Scroll, which Fiona accepted. It was also in that moment that Valerica agreed to leave the Cairn as well, to which Sunset nodded as they began the journey back to the entrance they had used. She wasn't sure what had caused the three Ideal Masters to suddenly appear like that, or why they had released Durnehviir from their service, but she was thankful regardless.

With three Elder Scrolls in hand they now had all the items they needed to find Auriel's Bow, which Sunset was sure would result in the utter destruction of Revan. All they needed was the location of the bow and they were set.

Tirek sighed as he finished taking in the power of Malacath, to which he threw the Prince into one of the open cells, keeping him separated from the other three. As he locked the door he made sure to keep the bindings on the warrior Prince, ensuring that he would think twice about what he did and prevent another episode from happening. He nodded once before picking up the artifact that had hit him in the head, growling for a moment before he retraced his steps to a vacant wall and blasted a small hole into the structure. It took him a few seconds, but in the end he created a small pit to which the artifacts could be dumped into once their Prince had been summoned.

It took him a few seconds to grab the artifacts that he had already used and drop them into the pit, leaving the Skeleton Key in its position so he could keep the chest open.

"He's going in order," Sheogorath chuckled to himself, causing his cellmates to look at him, "When Jyggalag attacked our rude host... who ought to be punished for what he's doing... he imposed a Rule on him. A Rule that makes him follow the steps of another. I'm sure you can figure out what I'm talking about... otherwise no cheese for you!"

"So your saying that he's following Sunset Shimmer's steps?" Meridia asked, trying to understand what the Madgod was referring to, but had the feeling that she was failing.

"Maybe I am, maybe I'm not," Sheogorath replied, leaning back and placing his hands behind his head, "If you solve the riddle I'll... I dunno... give you a prize! Maybe a severed head. Maybe a pet fox. Maybe cheese! Who knows!"

Tirek sighed and let his magic surge into the chest, messing around until he pulled out the piece of armor that was known as the Savior's Hide, the artifact of the Huntsman. The maw of Oblivion opened and another figure stepped out of their plane of existence, a male by the build of the body, despite the fact that the head was completely covered by an animal's skull. It was clear that there was a bow and some arrows accompanying Hircine, but before Tirek could do anything another creature leapt out of the portal and tackled him into the wall. Tirek could tell that it was a werewolf, but he was somewhat shocked that the Prince had brought an ally to do battle with him and mentally cursed Malacath.

Before he had a chance to do anything a second werewolf appeared and latched onto his other arm, where the two of them began to drag him out into the open area of the fort.

"Hold him still, my hunters," Hircine said, pulling out an arrow and nocking it as he took aim on Tirek, "I shall end this nightmare."

Tirek growled and loosed his right hand, pulling forth his magic in a fury that made it solidify into a flaming blade as he struck one werewolf in the chest, unleashing a flaming wound that completely consumed the beast. The second opened its mouth the bite into him, to prevent him from moving, but he turned the blade around and repeated the process, igniting the second one almost immediately. He then approached Hircine as the arrow was loosed, ducking under the tip as it hit the wall behind him, before his blade knocked the bow from his hands. Then, before the Prince could move, Tirek chocked him as well, quickly retreating to where the prison was and showing his prize to the defeated Princes.

"Another has tried to best me and has failed," Tirek called to his captives, allowing the process to begin once more, "You all may be prepared for a fight when I make the call, but in the end this is the fate of your fellow Princes. And soon I shall have the power I need to shatter this world and return to Equus."

38: The Ancestor Glade

Sunset and her companions traversed the path they had taken through the Soul Cairn as quickly as they possibly could, as she didn't want to be in this terrible plane anymore. She was sure that Valerica, having spent an unknown number of years in the Soul Cairn, was just as eager to leave the Cairn as the rest of the group was, if not more so. Both Serana and Fiona also appeared to want out as well, so Sunset was more than happy to oblige them as they trekked towards the portal that they had taken to arrive in this realm. While they did so she also spotted that there were dozens of souls that were staring at them, watching them head right towards an exit to their prison.

She suspected that the Ideal Masters wanted their souls trapped in this realm, which told her that they might close the portal the moment she and her friends were on the other side.

Once they arrived at the stairs that led to the portal Sunset moved to the side and beckoned for the others to move on as she watched the wandering souls, wondering if they were going to charge at the portal. As her companions charged up the stairs, and the souls happened to remain where they were standing, Sunset took the opportunity to move up towards the portal. She ascended them as fast as she could, not wanting to remain in this realm any longer than she absolutely needed to, before she neared the bottom of the portal. She turned around once more, just to be sure that the souls were actually staying back to watch them, before heading into the portal and leaving the Soul Cairn behind.

When she came to she found herself in the study that held the portal to the Soul Cairn, with the rest of her friends standing around and watching them return. Sunset smiled as the four of them walked up the stairs, touching the balcony and leaving the staircase behind, glad to be out of that nightmarish realm. Then, once they were all off the staircase, the broken stonework surged with gray energy and started to pull itself together, reversing the process they had seen when the portal had been opened. The group watched as the circular structure repaired itself before their eyes, sealing off the Soul Cairn until some poor soul managed to duplicate the formula that Valerica had created.

"You could have told me that there were more than two strangers," Valerica commented, now noticing how many people stood around her, before turning back to Serana, "Are you sure that none of them are secretly working for one of our enemies?"

"Yes mother," Serana answered, sighing before turning to Sunset, "So, we head back to your base and figure out where Auriel's Bow is located... before Tirek or Revan figure out what we're doing."

Sunset nodded and beckoned to her friends, who immediately returned to where they had set their gear down and began collecting everything, while Sunset collected the gear she had chosen to leave behind before entering the portal. Once all of them had everything they needed, and Valerica had gathered the rest of the alchemy ingredients to use at a later date, they turned towards the door they had entered the chamber through and began the journey back to the entrance. Sunset knew that they would have to retrace their steps back to the entrance of the undercroft, but now that all of their enemies were dead it would make the journey much easier.

As they walked through the corridors Valerica took the time to talk to Serana, catching up on whatever her daughter could tell her about, which wasn't too much seeing how she had been busy after being freed from her prison. Still, the two of them talked for the majority of their journey to the moondial, which brought a smile to Valerica's face when she spotted the contraption. Then, as they all got above ground, Sunset looked up at the sky and noticed something that was so strange that she refused to believe what she was seeing. Her friends noticed that she was looking at something and stared at the sky, looks of surprise and confusion crossing their faces as they noticed what she was seeing.

The sun and two moons were in the sky, but what was odd was that the moons had aligned with the sun, with the larger one resting in front of the sun while the smaller one rested in front of it. Sunset noted that it was some sort of eclipse, one that created a strange dark violet colored sky that she assumed everyone in Nirn was now seeing.

"Hey Sunset," Raja said, staring up at the sky for a moment, "is it possible that Tirek could gain enough power to tear the moons and sun out of a Prince's control? Could he have gained enough power to do something like this on his own, without draining the Prince associated with the sun and moons?"

"I... I don't think he can do something like this without draining the associated Prince," Sunset replied, wondering if Tirek had, somehow, found her sealed chest, broken the seals that had been placed on it, and had gotten his hands on the artifacts, "I'd rather not think that all of our hard work gathering the Daedric Artifacts was wasted, but I have no idea what to make of what we're seeing right now. I have the uneasy feeling that we're going to figure out what's happening... and I don't think any of us are going to like the answer when we figure it out."

They resumed their trek through the undercroft, pausing every now and then for Valerica to study the destruction they had inflicted on the guardians and pick up some of the nicer weapons that may be used later on. Once they were outside the castle again they retraced their steps towards the front of the castle, where they could board the boat and get back to the main land. When they returned to the fortress they had seen the Thalmor at, which was now vacant of people at the moment, they were assaulted by a large pack of wolves, to which Valerica and Serana attacked them in return.

Just as the wolves fell down in defeat Sunset heard the roar of another wild beast and watched as two bears, followed by two saber cats, appeared out of the shadows and stared at them. She waited a moment, wondering if they were going to attack them as well, before one of the saber cats roared and the four of them charged right at the group. Sunset sighed as she tapped the Staff of Magnus on the ground, before summoning a fireball and slamming it into the face of one of the saber cats, blasting it backwards as her friends dealt with the rest of the animals.

Once the animals were taken care of, and there was nothing more that wanted them dead, the group resumed their journey towards Fellglow Keep, where they could learn the location of Auriel's Bow.

"I thought animals were leaving us alone because Hircine wanted us alive," Serana commented, having noticed how odd it was for the animals to attack them like that, "Does this meant that we've done something to displease Hircine and he wants all of us dead? Or does this mean that Hircine, like Azura might have been, has also been drained of his power and Tirek is using the beasts to hunt us down?"

"Maybe Hircine wants to challenge us," Sunset replied, not liking the idea that one Daedric Prince, let alone two of them, could have been drained of their powers, when they had banished their artifacts to the bottom of Oblivion, "Maybe he retraced his protection now that we've proven that we can protect ourselves."

"You don't think that the Daedric Princes are being drained as we speak?" Serana asked, somewhat confused by the Equestrian at times during their journey.

"I'd rather not think about that until we figure out what's going on," Sunset told the vampire, sweat rolling down the side of her face for a moment, "Let's get back to the keep and plan out our next move."

She had the feeling that Serana was going to continue to bring up the possibility that one or two of the Princes might have lost their powers to Tirek, but she wanted to remain calm before rushing to conclusions.

When Sunset and her friends returned to Fellglow Keep they found that there were many of their soldiers running around, gathering items and helping people settle into wherever they had been assigned. People from settlements all over Skyrim, those not yet threatened by Tirek and Revan, had come to the keep to train and fight the creature that wanted to end the world. Sunset was happy to see more people coming and joining the Alliance, though she wondered how many of her allies would be annoyed if even one of the Daedric Princes had been drained of their power.

There was no telling what would happen at that point, and she couldn't prove that one of them had been drained yet, so there was no point in worrying people more than they were already.

"Ah, you have returned," Harkon commented, seeing them coming and lowering his eyes on Valerica for a moment, "and I see you brought my wife with you."

"I'm not here to fight with you Harkon," Valerica said, staring at her husband for a moment, before looking away, "We saw Revan in the Soul Cairn, and I've come to the conclusion that this Alliance is going to need every warrior, mage, and and soldier that it can get to combat whatever is coming. You may not like me for what I've gone Harkon, but right now my power would be an excellent addition to this army and, thanks to my time in the Cairn, I might be able to determine if someone's trying to resurrect the dead."

"Very well," Harkon sighed, knowing that she was right in this regard, "I shall trust the Archmage's judgement on this matter."

"So where is Dexion?" Sunset asked, having looked around and found that the Moth Priest was nowhere in sight, "Is he still in the library with Urag?"

"He has not left since you departed for the castle," Harkon told her, seemingly glad for the distraction that she was giving him, "I do not know the specifics of what has happened to him, as I have been greeting my soldiers and distributing them across the fortress according to your Captain of the Guard, but something happened to the Moth Priest sometime after you departed."

Sunset nodded and headed for the library, wondering what could have happened to the only person that could decipher the Elder Scrolls and, in the process, discover where Auriel's Bow was located. When they entered the library they found Urag sitting at his desk, reading one of the books that he placed on the table before he noticed them and beckoned to them, welcoming them once more. They also found Dexion sitting at another table, though when Sunset spotted the bandage around his eyes she knew that something must have gone wrong when he had read the first scroll.

"Dexion?" Sunset inquired, causing the man to turn to the sound of her voice, "Are you alright?"

"Not really," the Moth Priest admitted, shaking his head slightly, "In my hurry to read the first scroll I neglected to make the proper precautions before beginning with the reading... now I am paying for it."

"So there's no other way to read one of the scrolls?" Sunset said, though she was both disappointed and relieved at the same time.

"There is one other way," Dexion replied, causing everyone to turn to him, where Urag pulled out a journal so he could record what was about to be said, "There is an ancient ritual you could perform, one that requires you to take a draw knife, found in Skyrim's Ancestor Glade near Falkreath, and gather some bark from a Canticle Tree. With the bark in hand you should be able to attract a swarm of Ancestor Moths that would allow you to read the Elder Scroll you just recovered, but sadly I have never had the opportunity to test it for myself. It should work, but its the only other method we have to reading the scroll."

Sunset thanked the man for his services, to which Urag walked over and asked if he could write about what training the Moth Priests went through. With the information in hand Sunset walked outside and stared up at the sky, wondering if it was nighttime or still daytime, but finding it hard to tell with how the sky looked.

"You still don't think Tirek managed to grab one of the Daedric Princes, do you?" Serana asked, causing Sunset to turn to her for a moment, though she was pleased that no one besides there friends were around.

"I said that its possible and that I'd rather not think about it," Sunset told the vampire, wondering why she would continue to ask the same question over and over again, "For all we know Tirek may have forgotten about the Daedric Princes and is, instead, focusing on using whatever power he has already collected to create his portal home. If that were the case we'd be seeing more than the animals attacking us and the sun and moons forming an eclipse, we'd be seeing disasters left and right."

"I heard what you did after collecting the fifteen artifacts," Serana said, staring at Sunset for a moment, "and just know that, if Tirek managed to get his hands on even one of those artifacts, then it will be all your fault. In fact I'm pretty sure that he's at least absorbed Azura and Hircine, but it wouldn't surprise me if he's also gotten to Nocturnal... based on the fact that none of us can sneak without being seen by someone anymore."

"I'll keep that in mind," Sunset replied, wondering if the vampire was going to share her feelings with the rest of her commanders, which might actually ruin all the work she had done to assemble this army.

"Good, I wouldn't want your pride to get in the way of defeating Tirek," Serana told her, before she beckoned to the open gate of the fort, "We had better get going before Revan figures out that we have a way to read the Elder Scrolls. I want to get to Auriel's Bow before he has a chance to do anything."

Sunset sighed and nodded her understanding, knowing that they might actually have a head start on their enemy this time and that it would be foolish for them to waste it. They could easily travel to the Ancestor Glade, perform the ritual that Dexion told them about, and then, once they knew of the bow's location, they could rest for a few hours before continuing their adventure. She called to her friends and watched as they gathered around her, minus Valerica, so she could tell them what they were going to be doing next. They didn't seem to mind that they were leaving already, as the majority of them had already relaxed while they had been waiting outside the Soul Cairn.

Once they had everything they needed once more they set out towards Falkreath, so they could find the Ancestor Glade and discover what wreckage Tirek had caused in the area.

It took them a few hours to reach their destination, as they had to contend with several packs of animals that suddenly wanted them dead and, surprisingly, a group of bandits that had somehow escaped Tirek's control. Sunset had to wonder if Revan knew what his foul master was doing, which led to the idea of them capturing the vampire so someone, namely Harkon, could torture the information out of him before they put an end to him. Her friends, on the other hand, seemed to enjoy the sport that the animals gave them, which told her that they had been disappointed when the animals never came near them.

When they finally neared the town of Falkreath Sunset immediately spotted something that was out of place, something that could be linked to whatever had happened. She rushed ahead and stopped at an area where the rocks rose out above the ground, where she could get a better look at the town that had heard had been destroyed. What she found was a massive crater that almost looked like a sinkhole of some kind, as the houses that she could see pieces of had been swallowed when the earth had moved. The other odd thing she noticed was that all of the bodies that had been buried in the town, and even those around the town itself, were slowly rising from the dead, as if some foul creature was bringing them back to fulfill some goal.

"My friends... their bodies are alive as well," Cicero sadly commented, pointing to an area where five skeletons were walking around, all of them dressed in ripped leather armor that resembled the type that he wore, "What foul necromancy is at work here?"

"It has to be Revan," Serana answered, which wasn't what Sunset was thinking at the moment, "Think about it for a moment; he had enough power to build his own gateway into the Soul Cairn and run from Sunset before she could kill him. It would stand to reason that he might have the power to raise an army for whatever foul purpose he has in store for them... or for whatever action his foul master wants him to perform next."

"You don't think he knows about the Ancestor Glade do you?" Raja commented, worried that they might have already been beaten to their destination, "Because that's a lot of dead bodies walking around down there... and none of them are the friendly draugr we've come into contact with in the last few barrows."

Before Sunset could reply a roar ripped through the air as a group of dragons, four of them Sunset counted, appeared from the mountain and descended upon the ruined town. She raised up her hand to prevent her friends from getting caught in the crossfire, watching for any movement that might belong to their enemy. As the dragons rained fire, frost, and lightning on the skeletons, scattering many of them into pieces, Sunset had to wonder if Revan had truly been a part of this deed, or whether this had been the work of a Daedric Prince. That was before someone dressed in a black robe appeared near their location, shouting off insults towards the dragons as they prepared to launch spells at them.

Sunset didn't need to wonder about Revan anymore, as she recognized that voice anywhere and immediately lowered herself onto the road so she could visit him once more.

"I see you haven't gotten tired of the dead yet," Sunset commented, causing Revan to turn towards her for a moment, "Come on, you didn't honestly think I'd stay in the Soul Cairn any longer than what was absolutely necessary did you? You should really tell me where Tirek is hiding, so I can put an end to this nightmare he's causing."

"Lord Tirek will be the end of you all," Revan shouted, raising his glass sword for a moment, "though it seems its falls to me to put an end to you first."

Sunset sighed and extended her right hand, allowing a sphere of energy to form as she looked the vampire dead in the eye, looking for the signs of weakness she had seen earlier. He seemed to stare at her without a care for what she was doing, which made her wonder if he had actually been scared the moment she loosed it the first time. She waited a moment longer, making sure that the dragons were in the clear of the spell, before she sighed once more and held her hand parallel to Revan, fully intending not to miss as she loosed the spell. The beam of energy burst out of the sphere and rocketed towards the vampire, who barely had enough time to duck once more as he avoided the spell, sending the beam right into an abandoned ruin and tearing the entire structure to pieces.

This time, before she even had the chance to charge another spell up, Revan disappeared into the wilderness, leaving his skeletal army to be dismantled by the dragons.

"I wish he would just stay still," Sunset told her friends, once she had returned to them and they were underway once more, "I'd like to be rid of Tirek's last helper before we went to war with the demon."

"We'll get him eventually," Fiona replied, a smile on her face as she patted the Elder Scroll she carried, "besides, we've got a scroll to read and a bow to locate. I'm sure that Revan can wait until another day... though I would have preferred that he stayed dead after all the times I've already killed him."

They climbed up the mountain side, being completely aware of the danger one faced if they tumbled backwards, but they stayed safe the entire time. They eventually found a hole in the mountain side, one that Serana was completely convinced was the place they needed to go into, so Sunset took a few moments to prepare before they headed inside. They trekked through what seemed to be a seemingly empty cave before they found an opening that led to something that none of them were expecting; a massive cavern that was so beautiful with the different tress and running water. Sunset immediately spotted what appeared to be some sort of stone structure that looked oddly like an eye, with what appeared to be a knife of some kind floating in the center of the eye.

She took a look around the cavern, to be sure that there weren't any enemies around that could discover the location of Auriel's Bow if they weren't careful, but found nothing out of the ordinary. With that deed done she approached the draw knife and withdrew it from the stone structure, where she turned to the nearby tree and withdrew some of the back from it. With the bark in hand, and the draw knife returned to its resting place, she walked around the cavern, approaching the moths that Dexion had mentioned and watched as several groups of them approached her. After a few minutes of making sure that she had as many moths as she needed and returned to the stone structure and watched a beam of light shine down on a round circle.

Sunset took a deep breath before stepping into the light, where Fiona handed her the third Elder Scroll and nodded to her before making everyone back up, to which Sunset gripped the bottom of the scroll and unfurled it. She watched as the magic of the scroll and the moths revealed the western border of Skyrim, near Markarth and Solitude, before lines started to appear before her eyes. She watched as those very lines moved around the map, no doubt along the modern pathways she decided, before merging together at one point and heading off towards a cave. It was then that the location of Auriel's Bow was imparted to her, to which the scroll was snapped shut and she fell to her knees for a moment.

"You okay?" Serana asked, just as she and the others began to tend to Sunset, "I thought we were going to lose you for a moment there. Did you uncover where the bow is located?"

"Yes, and we'll head out after a rest," Sunset replied, sighing as she got herself back into working order, amazed that there didn't seem to be anything wrong with her at the moment, "We should make camp and prepare for a few hours worth of sleep. I have the feeling we'll run into more than animals when we reach Darkfall Cave."

What she didn't say was that she expected Revan to somehow follow them to their destination, let them do all the hard work, and then expect to show up and snatch the bow. She was going to be expecting that to happen, so she could finally put an end to the foul vampire before he fed Tirek's seemingly growing power. She only wished that she had some idea of where he was in terms of his power now, as she had no idea how much time she had before they had to declare total war on the demon.

Tirek forcefully took the last bit of Hircine's powers, making sure that he got everything, before he approached the cell he had thrown Malacath into and tossed the Huntsman inside. He could feel his body becoming stronger with each Prince he absorbed, allowing him to draw closer and closer to his full might once again. He remembered the destruction he and Princess Twilight had caused in their duel, somewhat disappointed that he wouldn't be fighting an alicorn when he went to shatter the barrier between worlds. Sunset Shimmer was powerful, he had to admit that to himself, but as a unicorn she could only go so far and she was nowhere near the level of power that the Princess had been.

An alicorn would have provided him with the perfect opportunity to try out his powers once more, but he decided that he could settle for a unicorn instead. After all, there were four Princesses waiting for his return in Equus, who he would crush the moment he arrived and make sure that they were sealed in Tartarus for the rest of their lives... just like he had been sentenced to do before his escape.

"I will hunt you to the ends of Nirn!" Hircine shouted, his hands wrapping around the bars as he glared at their captor, who turned his head around and glared down at them.

"And I would destroy you, if you were a mortal," Tirek fired back, not even bothering to turn completely around at this point, "Now be quite, I have another foolish Prince to summon and drain."

"I wish he would summon Dagon already," Malacath commented, causing Hircine to look at him, "Yes, none of us see eye to eye with the Prince of Destruction, but if I could hurt that monster as much as I did then one can only imagine the damage Dagon will cause to him. He won't stand for someone like Tirek to come along and try to destroy Nirn."

"I hate the thought of even wanting Dagon to come here," Hircine replied, sighing for a moment as he glanced at his cellmate for a moment, "but you are right. Dagon might be our only option we have left. I doubt Jyggalag is willing to assist us, not after what we did to him so many eras ago."

"True, true," Malacath said, leaning his head against the wall of his cell and looking out at the other three Princes that were across from them, "One can only wonder what type of a world Nirn would have been if we hadn't turned on Jyggalag and turned him into Sheogorath... before that meddling champion took on the mantle of Madness and allowed him to go free."

"No use thinking about that anymore," Hircine told him, dropping into a sitting position near the door so he could watch Tirek at all times, "What's done is done, but maybe I can figure out a weakness we can exploit when he finishes draining whoever is next."

"I SAID SHUT UP MAGGOTS!" Tirek nearly roared, keeping his anger in check so his voice didn't echo across the valley and give away his position, "I have work to do."

Tirek turned to the chest and watched as his magic tore out the next artifact, which happened to be some sort of strange iron mask of some kind, but he knew which Prince it belonged to. His magic latched onto the mask and directed his spell out into Oblivion, where he knew he'd catch his next target and pull him in before he could stop the spell. Moments later the portal opened and a gray dog leapt out into the open area, though it took one look at Tirek before immediately bolting for the stairs. Tirek, on the other hand, caught the mutt with his magic and pinned him to the wall, before turning back in time to see a man, wearing a robe that covered half of his chest and horns coming out of the sides of his head, emerge from the portal.

"So your the one they call Tirek," Clavicus Vile said, immediately spotting Barbas pinned against the wall, "I see you have already taken care of Barbas, so how about I... END YOU NOW!"

Magic formed around Clavicus' right hand as the Rueful Axe appeared in his hand, which he immediately brought down on Tirek before he could move. A long gash was cut into his chest, going from his left shoulder down to his waist, before the Prince spun around and planted his bare foot in his chest, kicking him backwards. Tirek's anger flared as he reached for the Prince, who ducked under the spell and cut another gash into his chest, mimicking the previous wound he had delivered as he pushed the demon backwards. Another blow was delivered to his chest, cutting a third gash into him, before his anger flared and he slammed his fist into Clavicus' wrist, shattering the hold he hand on the axe and dropping it to the ground.

Then, before the Prince would regain himself, Tirek grabbed his neck and held him up, approaching the bound dog and placing his other hand on the dogs head.

"I shall have all of your power," Tirek growled, allowing his magic to close his wounds as he began the process, "along with the power that rests in this stupid mutt."

"You must let me out of this place, Jyggalag," Nocturnal said, increasingly getting tired of staying in this castle, with nothing to do besides watch as her fellow Princes were drained of their power, "She's not going to figure out that Tirek is draining the power of the other Princes before he literally shatters the barrier between worlds. Let me return to Skyrim and warn our champion of the danger she faces!"

Jyggalag, having remained in his chair the entire time she had been in his palace, raised his hand and removed the pieces that represented Malacath and Hircine. Nocturnal sighed and leaned against the wall, watching the silent Prince as she waited for him to either chew her out for wanting to go back to Skyrim, as he had done the last time she requested it, or completely ignore her. She wanted to help the champion of the Fellglow Alliance, a name she really hated with a passion, but she couldn't leave without Jyggalag's approval. She had next to no power at the moment, so she really had to make the Prince of Order believe that she could be of some aid to Sunset, otherwise she could never leave until the end had arrived.

She wanted as the pieces were levitated into a box and locked away, determining that Jyggalag was counting down how many more enemies he had before he could return to Nirn. She did note, however, that there was one piece that occasional grew, which she assumed was Tirek's piece, and another that had two colors and represented a sun, which had to be Sunset's piece.

"Illogical," Jyggalag replied at last, though his answer only served to annoy Nocturnal, "She must discover the truth for herself. I cannot interfere with their war."

"But your planning on waging a war against whoever wins," Nocturnal stated, causing the seemingly still Prince to turn his head towards her for a moment, "aren't you?"

"Illogical," Jyggalag told her, staring at her while he spoke, "So long as the barrier between Nirn and Oblivion stays up I cannot wage war on whoever wins..."

"But Tirek is gaining enough power to do that anyway," Nocturnal pointed out, having figured something out, "so your content to let him take the power of the other Princes, where he'll shatter the barrier protecting Nirn from Oblivion. Thus he gives you the ability to summon both your army and your full power into Nirn, where you'll wage war on whoever happens to be the victor."

"Your deduction is... accurate," Jyggalag replied, turning back to his game board for a moment, "but the point stands, Sunset must figure this out on her own."

"So I cannot leave to deliver the message that the Princes are under attack?" Nocturnal tried, hoping that she could get somewhere with the Prince of Order, but he remained silent for some time and she eventually admitted defeat, "Fine, I shall wait for her to figure it out."

She only prayed that Sunset Shimmer figured out what was happening to Nirn quickly, otherwise she would be too late to stop Tirek before he shattered the barrier between worlds.

39: Darkfall Cave

When the group had slept for a few hours, as they had no idea if it was a new day or if it was still the same day thanks to the eclipse, they prepared a quick breakfast for themselves. Once the meal was finished they quickly gathered up their camping gear, made sure that they hadn't forgotten anything, and then made their way towards the exit. Before they left the Ancestor Glade Sunset turned around and took one last glance at the area, wondering if they would ever find something like it again. Then she nodded and followed her friends outside the cave, where they began the climb down the mountain and rejoined the road that they had traveled to get to Falkreath.

While they began the journey to Dragon Bridge, where their path would lead off into the wilderness before reaching Darkfall Cave, Sunset's friends took a the time to ask her questions.

"Seriously, what was that spell?" Fiona asked, not satisfied by the answer she had been given when they had been in the Soul Cairn, "I can understand that its a form of condensed magic, but it seems stronger than what the one you used with a sword. I know that your regaining the power to use the most of your magic these days, but I would have thought that firing more than two of those off in rapid succession would have weakened you, yet you show no signs of slowing down at all."

"Its a type of condensed magic that only alicorns and highly skilled unicorns can pull off," Sunset finally said, knowing that Fiona would continue to ask the question until she caved and told them the answer, "Princess Celestia and Nightmare Moon were reported to have used these spells against each other, so much so that the entirety of the Everfree Forest was warped by the power they had given off. Some scholars have said that if Princess Celestia didn't use the Elements of Harmony on Nightmare Moon when she did, and continued using the high level spells that she did, that more of Equestria would have been warped by their battle."

"These wouldn't happen to be the same Elements that we're supposed to be named after?" Bjorn asked, remembering how Cicero continued to refer to himself as Laughter, or Sunset as Magic, "The ones that the Listener of the Dark Brotherhood called us by when she sent Cicero to us, and the same ones that we're keeping secret least our enemies discover the names exist?"

"Yes, I'm positive that we're named after the Elements from my home world," Sunset replied, noting the look of confusion of Serana's face as she spoke, "Laughter, Honesty, Generosity, Kindness, Loyalty, and Magic. These six Elements have defeated several of the most terrifying villains to ever appear in Equestria, either banishing them or turning them to stone. Last I heard the Elements had been returned to the tree they had been taken from, so the actual Elements are beyond are grasp at the moment."

"But you have a plan to harness their power, don't you?" Serana inquired, knowing that harnessing the power of powerful magic artifacts would have serious consequences, "You don't have to lie to us Sunset, I know your planning on somehow harnessing the power of these strange Elements."

"Harnessing the power of the Elements of Harmony, from a completely different world no less, would have serious, if not cataclysmic, consequences," Sunset answered, knowing from her experience when she had stolen the Element of Magic and brought it to a world without magic, "about the only thing I would ever consider doing is creating lookalikes of each individual Element. Right now we must focus on finding Auriel's Bow and stop Revan, and then focus on defeating Tirek."

"Fine, we'll play your way for now," Serana commented, though her tone told Sunset that she would continue to pursue the possibility of harnessing the power of the Elements of Harmony, "but we will come back to this in the future."

She knew that if she wanted to create lookalikes of the Elements of Harmony that she would need some gold bars to create the necklaces that held the stones. The only problem with that idea is that she had no idea if they could find any gemstones that were the size of the Elements, but she knew a spell that could actually help with that part. She could, theoretically, gather a couple of the same type of gemstone, say six or seven amethysts, and cast the spell that could potentially merge them into one solid gem. If she did the spell in the base of the necklaces, where the gems would be held, she could create copies of the Elements, though they would be without any special abilities and be mainly for show.

She was sure that creating them would take a lot out of her, so using her magic to create them, when both Revan and Tirek were still out there, was out of the question. She needed to make sure that she had all of her power for when they found one of their enemies, so they could stop Tirek from getting his hands on one of the Daedric Princes. Though while they walked down the road she glanced up at the eclipse and had to wonder if they had been outsmarted by their enemy, because it made her worry that time was running out. Either way she needed to get the bow and then destroy Revan, otherwise he was going to cause untold problems for her and her allies down the road.

The she would find Tirek and battle him, where she hoped that she and her alliance could shatter the demon and send him back to Tartarus, where he belonged.

Getting to Dragon Bridge had been harder than the previous times that they had made the journey, as the wild animals now wanted them dead and struck at them every chance they got. They passed by several locations where bandits used to reside in, but now were empty thanks to Tirek calling on the majority of them to destroy Whiterun with the Forsworn. Cicero and Raja made several stops in the various camps they passed, rapidly searching each camp for any pieces of treasure and weapons that they could use later on. When the two of them were done they would return to the group and continue along the road, where they eventually reached Dragon Bridge at what they assumed was near the end of the day.

The only difference between this visit and their previous visit was that the entire town had been destroyed by an army of skeletons, ones that were walking around with a evil red glow in their eyes. That was before Sunset spotted someone, a woman she realized, standing at the top of the hill, overlooking the destruction her forces had caused with a look of joy in her eyes. She was dressed in what Sunset assumed was a fine robe and had a circlet around her forehead, though it was clear that she possessed enough power to call forth so many undead to form such an army.

"Another necromancer?!" Lydia exclaimed, annoyance filling her voice as she drew her battleaxe, "And here I was thinking that we had destroyed all of the ones that resided in Skyrim. Come my Thane, we shall deal with this enemy."

"That's no necromancer," Raja commented, having stolen a book that mentioned this very figure once upon a time, "That's Potema, the Wolf Queen herself... She's one of the strongest and most evil necromancers in all of Skyrim's history, but she should be a pile of bones at the moment and not a walking body."

"We don't have time for this," Sunset said, sighing as she debated between the using the staff or her sword to shatter their enemy, "We also can't leave her alone to do whatever she wants, which I'm assuming is whatever Revan or Tirek want her to do. So how should we get rid of her?"

"I'd suggest having a necromancy battle, but she's taken all the corpses in the area," Serana replied, an annoyed tone filling her voice for a few moments, "So just go destroy her so we can move on."

Sunset detached herself from the group and approached the burning town, noting that the skeletons that were walking around stopped and stared at her, as if they were trying to figure out if she was an enemy or not. Several of the undead were freshly killed, as she spotted several necromancers that must have hidden themselves away when they realized that their army had been flattened. It made sense that they would try to resurrect one of the most powerful necromancers in all of Skyrim's history, as she might also be persuaded to join Tirek's forces for some time.

As she approached Potema, however, she drew her ebony sword and let it hang by her side, slowly drawing her magic into the blade so she could catch her undead opponent off guard.

"Ah, so your the upstart that's upsetting the Master," Potema commented, watching Sunset approach her with a slight smile on her face, "True be told I don't see why Master Revan and Lord Tirek are so threatened by you. Nor do I see how you could have managed to summon a massive army of Draugr to protect Labyrinthian from your foes. Yes, you have power inside of you, but even I can tell that a good portion of your power is still locked deep inside yourself, blocked off by your fear and your anger."

"I don't know what your talking about," Sunset fired back, noting that magic was starting to take shape around her sword, "I have fought both Revan and Tirek several times already, I'm not afraid of either of them."

"You can lie to yourself as much as you want child, but I know the truth," Potema replied, a full blown smirk appearing on her face, "You have yet to face Lord Tirek at his full power, something that you know that you are ill prepared to face should it come to pass. You can gather all of these people into one fighting force with the promise to save this pitiful world, but in the end all your really doing is leading everyone to their deaths. Once Lord Tirek has his full power back he'll tear open a rift between Nirn and Oblivion, erasing this world as he leaves to his own home world, leaving whatever world that comes after this for those that still follow him.

I will be the Queen of the New World and, with Master Revan at my side as the King, we shall rule over the world until the end times come again... only we'd be completely prepared for them."

"Why is it that everyone who joins Tirek end sup completely insane?" Sunset asked, holding out her sword as the magic ignited, wrapping around the blade as she prepared to let the energy fly, "He's going to destroy this world and kill everyone that's around him, regardless if they're on his side or are fighting to protect the world. Your helping a monster because he promised you the world that might come after Nirn, but all you'll really be getting is death... just like everyone else that's decided to side with that monster so far."

Before Potema could make a response Sunset pulled her arm back and swung her sword as hard as she could, letting the wave of energy erupt from the weapon and surge towards her target. The necromancer either didn't have enough time to get out of the way or just didn't care, as she took on the full force of the attack and was consumed by the explosion that followed. Sunset knew that something was up the moment she noticed that the skeletons around her didn't go away, in fact they all stared at her and started to laugh. She didn't like the sounds of their decayed laughs, but she turned back to the small crater she had made and watched as a form appeared in the dust.

Her eyes widened as the spirit of Potema lingered in front of the crater for a moment, before strands of magic began to piece together the form that she had originally wore.

"Did you honestly think that your puny attack would kill me?" Potema asked, laughing as she approached Sunset, who stood her ground and prepared herself, "Foolish child, I am the Wolf Queen. I let my guard down once and it was my destruction, but I have learned from that mistake and have ensured that I cannot die ever again. So go ahead, strike out at me with whatever fury you can muster, because I will continue to reform myself until I have slaughtered you and your friends. I will not rest until the souls of everyone in your pitiful alliance are transported to the Soul Cairn and their bodies are raised to fuel the destruction of Nirn!"

Sunset, now annoyed with her enemy, allowed her anger and her magic to pool around the ebony sword, gathering into a mass far greater than what she had used against Tirek the very first time. Then, when she was sure it could hold under the pressure, she twisted the blade and send the energy right at her enemy, allowing a second energy wave to contact with Potema and consume her in a fiery explosion. This time she watched the skeletons, watching for something that might tell her how Potema was rebuilding herself after such an attack, before she spotted one of the skeletons turning into pure dust. That was before the dust from her attack blew away and made her face Potema once more, with her body completely recreated yet again.

"How many times must I tell you that you're not going to kill me?" Potema asked, a hint of annoyance in her voice, "You can exhaust yourself if you wish, but no matter how many times you do the same attack I shall continue to get back up each and every time. I will outlast you... mortal!"

"I don't think so," Serana said, walking up to Sunset with a red crystal in her hand, "Recognize this little beauty? You should, because the reason you haven't died from any of those attacks is because of this. Its where you chose to hide your soul, but you kept it close in case you needed to restore your body or escape a losing battle, which is now your undoing. The moment I break this you'll have one last life to live, which will shortly be destroyed by Sunset, so I'd start running now if I were you."

As Potema debated what to do Serana dropped the gem onto the ground and then brought her boot down on top of it, shattering the red stone and causing the Wolf Queen to briefly hold her heart with one hand. Sunset, seeing what the vampire was doing, channeled more power into her sword, to which Potema flinched and turned tail to run back up the hill behind her. Sunset sighed as she brought her arm back, taking aim at the retreating undead necromancer for a brief moment, before swinging the blade and releasing the energy, creating a third wave that tore through the air and struck Potema in the back.

The moment the wave connected it produced an explosion that tore into the road, which Sunset knew she was going to have to tell General Tullius about, but as the dust cleared, and the skeletons collapsed to the ground, it was clear that the Wolf Queen was finally dead.

"Thanks, I was getting tired of her," Sunset told Serana, to which the vampire merely shrugged and beckoned for them to get underway once more.

With Potema taken care of, and her army destroyed, the group resumed their journey, heading into the mountain side as they neared the location of Darkfall Cave. They soon discovered that the cave lived up to its name, as the moment they entered they found that it was difficult to see where they were going at times. The only creature that was even aware that the group was there was a frostbite spider, which emerged from its little hiding spot and leapt out at them, but Lydia raised her battleaxe and sliced it in half while it was in the air, letting the pieces fall to the ground behind them. They then came to what appeared to be a wooden bridge leading across a large gap, but the moment they crossed to the other side they discovered that there was nowhere else to go.

"I'm guessing that we're supposed to head into the water below," Serana commented, though as she looked down there she noticed a few spiders lining the walls, "This ought to be fun."

Sunset sighed and prepared herself for whatever was waiting below them as she threw herself off the bridge, hitting the water moments later before it carried her to an area where she could stand again. As she got on her feet she noticed that a few spiders had followed her as well, so she summoned her magic and blew one of them up almost immediately. Her friends shortly followed the other spiders, to which they attacked them the moment they landed and cleared the area within seconds. They took a moment to make sure that they had everything before moving on, leaving Sunset to wonder how they'd get out of the cave if the only way down to this part was behind them now.

After a few minutes they came to what appeared to be a bloodied campsite, one that had a couple of corpses lying around and had two paths laid out for them. Sunset knew that they could take the path that was leading upwards and return to the surface, which had answered her thought about that question, but also knew that the path leading downwards was the one they needed to take. They rested by the fire for a couple of minutes, getting as much of the water out of their clothes and armor as they could, before picking up their gear and continuing down the hill. They were careful to avoid the rock trap that had been set up, warning them that there was something they needed to watch out for, and they progressed as silently as they possibly could.

It was moments like this that Sunset wished that she knew what had become of the Skeleton Key, because sneaking wasn't something she could excel at and the disappearance of those abilities really hurt some of her friends.

They then entered an area that had two trolls waiting around for travelers to come this way, though the two of them weren't very hard for them to defeat thanks to Lydia's hunger for battle. As her friends made sure that there was nothing else that was going to get in their way, not that Sunset expected anything at the moment, she did take a moment to observe the simple shrine with a makeshift camp that was at the end of the cave. There was a rather tall elf, one with pale skin that reminded her of the Falmer they had fought before and wearing armor that she had never seen before, standing near the golden shrine, though he didn't seem hostile towards them. In fact there was one moment where Sunset swore that the elf was beckoning the group to approach him, as if he had an urgent matter for them to attend to.

Once her friends were ready Sunset approached the elf, though Serana immediately followed her and stayed by her side as they stopped near the shrine.

"Ah, good, you have arrived," the elf said, grateful that his gesture managed to bring them closer to him, instead of making them stay on the opposite side of the cavern, "I am Knight-Paladin Gelebor, Sentinel of the Chantry of Auri-El. Please, do not be alarmed. I know you have come seeking Auriel's Bow, but first I require your assistance."

"And what would that be?" Sunset asked, curious as to what the elf needed them to do in exchange for the legendary bow.

"Its quite simple actually," Gelebor told them, a sad expression appearing on his face for a moment, Gelebor replied, "I simply need you to kill my brother, Arch-Curate Vyrthur. The beings you call the Falmer swept into the Chantry and slaughtered many of my people, but they stormed into the Inner Sanctum and somehow corrupted him. He's no longer the brother I once knew, as all he does these days is stare at the Betrayed and watch whatever horrid act their committing. Getting to the Inner Sanctum will not be easy, as all you need to do is follow the Initiates footsteps and visit the Wayshrines that dot the Chantry. The first of which lies at the end of Darkfall Passage, which the shrine behind me will allow you to enter."

"So let me guess," Serana said, shaking her head at the elf, as if she was anticipating what he was going to tell them next, "We're going to carry a water pitcher across this Chantry, fill it at all the Wayshrines, and then we'll gain entrance to the Inner Sanctum?"

"With this ewer," Gelebor clarified, picking up a nearby silver ewer and handed it over to Sunset, who was somewhat amazed by the craft on the item she had been handed, "Now, allow me to show you the Wayshrines that you'll need to visit."

The moment the words left his mouth he cast a spell at the structure behind him and the entire area began to shake, before the structure began to rise from the ground until it nearly reached the ceiling. There were six sides to it, one side opened so they could enter, four of them looking like normal stone walls, and one that was glowing like it was a portal. Sunset could see that the open portal lead to another cave, though she was simply amazed that such magic could still exist in Nirn and began to wonder if she had found the answer to her getting back home... once Tirek was beaten.

"This structure is known as a wayshrine." Gelebor told them, while the entire group crowded around to see the structure, "They were used for meditation and for transport when the Chantry was a place of enlightenment. Prelates of these shrines were charged with teaching the mantras of Auri-El to our Initiates. Once the Initiate completed his mantras, he'd dip a ceremonial ewer in the basin at the wayshrine's center and proceed to the next wayshrine. The only way to get to my brother is by following in the Initiates' footsteps and traveling from wayshrine to wayshrine just as they did. The first lay at the end of Darkfall Passage, a cavern that represents the absence of enlightenment, though there are five in total you must visit.

Once you've located a wayshrine, there will be a spectral Prelate tending to it. They will allow you to draw the waters from the shrine's basin as if you've been enlightened. Now that I have given you all the aid that I can, which I'm afraid is all of my knowledge and the ewer, all I can do now is grant you my hopes for a safe journey."

Sunset nodded her understanding to the elf and approached the open portal, knowing that her friends wouldn't be far behind her, before she stepped through and journeyed to Darkfall Passage, where they would begin the hunt for the five wayshrines and, ultimately, Auriel's Bow.

Aetherius, the Immortal Plane. The Palace of the Divines, a place where not even the most honored of the mortal races would see, despite their best efforts. It was a simple place with nine chairs that surrounded a table that allowed them to view anything across Nirn, though these days it was tuned into one creature. It was set to keep an eye on Tirek, the demon from another dimension, as he worked his wicked schemes and twisted the people of Skyrim against each other, until Sunset Shimmer created the Alliance to fight him. Then the truth of his schemes was revealed and they had to watch as the Daedric Princes were slowly drained of their powers, one by one until they would all be gone.

"I cannot stand watching this happen," Talos shouted, crushing the golden drinking cup he had been holding in his hand the entire time, while spilling a few drops on his armor, "Akatosh, you must let me do something about this demon. Allow me to go back to Skyrim and take this demon's head, so that I may present it to you all on a platter."

"No need to be so brutish Talos," Julianos replied, looking up from the book he happened to be reading before he looked at the Mortal turned Divine, "and besides, even if we could send someone down to take out Tirek, such as yourself, we'd only be handing him even greater power for him to do what he wants. He's managed to absorb quite a few Daedric Princes and may have gained the ability to fight one of us, should we choose to appear in Skyrim to fight him. No, we need to think this through and figure out something that we actually can do, besides bickering between ourselves."

"Can we not call on Alduin to assist us?" Dibella asked, moving a piece of hair out of her face as she glanced back at the table, causing the scene to shift to the dragon in question, "He's got an army of undead that are willing to follow whatever his orders are, and he has plenty of reason to hate Tirek at the moment. Akatosh, do you think its possible for one of us to tell your son where Tirek is located and make him head there with his army, so he can possibly rescue the Daedric Princes that have already been caught?"

The other seven turned towards their Chief, who happened to be sitting on his throne and staring at the table the entire time, either watching Tirek, his son, or Sunset Shimmer. They could understand why he was silent almost all the time, as he was busy considering the consequences of any action that any of the Divines made. He had told them not to tell anyone about Tirek for fear of the entire world going to war with itself to find him, but now he was looking to see what might happen if he told his son where the demon was located. Even as he considered what the possible consequences all he could see was giving Sunset more time to do what she needed to do, which he was fine with giving her.

He sighed for a moment and placed his hands on the sides of his throne, where he pulled himself up to a standing position and stared at the table, much to the surprise of the other Divines.

"I shall tell Alduin where Tirek is located," Akatosh told the other Divines, "and hopefully he'll force the demon to move... or completely destroy him altogether."

Alduin, somewhat tired from flying around and resurrecting a few of his kind from their slumber, was resting his head on one of the stones near Labyrinthian. He was also waiting for Sunset Shimmer to arrive and begin her training, but so far she appeared to be busy hunting down another one of the demon's underlings. He was willing to forgive that at the moment, as long as she came back to them when the moment was right and unlocked her true potential as a Dragon Priestess. He knew that her power might actually be unrivaled when she learned all they had to teach her, but he waited for that day to come and rested near his army.

As he rested he heard the voice of his father enter his mind, snapping his eyes open as the image of a fortress appeared in his mind and the name followed it. Then the piece of information he was waiting for came, the verification that the demon known was Tirek was located at Fort Neugrad, which roused the dragon from his rest.

"Nahkriin," Alduin roared in the Dragon Tongue, getting into a standing position, "I summon you to my side."

A few minutes later the Dragon Priest in question came floating to where he was waiting, though he seemed indifferent thank to his undead status. Once he was close to his Lord he got on the ground and knelt before him, eagerly awaiting what commands his Lord had to tell him to carry out.

"Prepare our army," Alduin growled, a small grin appearing for an instant, "We're heading to Fort Neugrad so we can completely and utterly destroy Tirek... and save the pathetic Daedric Princes that he's apparently caught."

40: The Pilgrimage

When Sunset opened her eyes she found that she was standing in what appeared to be a cave that was as dark as Darkfall Cave had been, which meant that this had to be the Darkfall Passage that Gelebor had told them about. She waited patiently for a few seconds before her friends appeared behind her, though it was clear that each of them had taken the journey through the portal differently. Some said that the journey was pleasant, others said that it wasn't the best experience they ever had, and Cicero continued to laugh as if he was ticklish from entering the portal. They took a moment to gather themselves before they heard the sound of their enemies moving, though by the sounds of it they would be expecting Falmer and their nasty pets, the dreaded chaurus.

Sunset spotted one of them coming and immediately raised her hand, so she could summon her magic and obliterate whatever enemy happened to show itself, but Serana caught her hand, shook her head, and then proceeded to ice spike the Falmer that was coming their way.

"Leave this to us, my Thane," Lydia said, spinning her battleaxe for a moment before she spotted a few more Falmer up ahead and charged in to do battle with them.

"What she means is that you need to take a break and let us fight for once," Serana explained, just as the rest of their group readied their weapons and followed Lydia into the tunnel, "I know, your supposed to be this great Dragonborn that's destined to fight an ancient evil and save the land from being destroyed, but you don't need to prove that to us anymore. You've got two vampires, an assassin, a master thief, a Housecarl that's begging for a fight, and an archer who can hit targets from far away backing you up. Yes, three of us can't sneak as well as we would like to anymore, but we're still skilled in other areas and I'm sure we could pull this off without you."

"So you want me to go back to the Keep and sit this one out?" Sunset asked, raising an eyebrow at the vampire for a moment, "Because this prophecy seems to state that you and I are supposed to recover Auriel's Bow together."

"Sunset, I would love to send you back to your forces and have you train," Serana replied, sighing as she looked Sunset in the eye, "and until we find one of those wayshrines you'll have to take a back seat and let us clear the way to Vyrthur. I'm positive that you have people waiting your arrival in either Labyrinthian or High Hrothgar, just waiting to teach you what they know, but until we find a way to send you back you'll have to settle for not fighting anything."

"And if we were to find Revan here?" Sunset inquired, though she knew that the only way for the vampire to get here would be to have them do the hard work, but seeing how he hadn't appeared yet it was safe to assume that he didn't know where they were.

"Then I would gladly take his head from his shoulders," Serana immediately replied, not bothering to give it much thought, "So we can either follow our friends and you can let us do the fighting, or you and I can stay here and wait until they discover the wayshrine that Gelebor told us was here."

Sunset stared at the vampire for a moment, wondering if she would actually make them stay here until the wayshrine was discovered, but then she sighed and nodded her head.

"Fine, you win," Sunset said, sheathing her ebony sword and making the Staff of Magnus disappear, "I'll stay at the back and let you all do the fighting, but I promise nothing if Revan appears and starts taunting us."

Serana nodded her understanding and beckoned for Sunset to follow her, where they continued down the tunnel their friends had taken and passed by several Falmer corpses that happened to rest on the ground. The two of them managed to catch up with their friends, who were in the process of killing the group of Falmer and chaurus that happened to have found them. Once they were done Serana quickly explained that Sunset was well aware of the fact that they would be taking over this quest and that, if the opportunity presented itself, she would bow out and leave them to retrieve the bow.

Sunset noticed that Bjorn felt torn about the whole thing, as the two of them had been companions fighting side by side since Alduin attacked Helgen. She didn't blame him, because the whole aspect of not fighting their enemies made her worry that she had been trashing everything they had come across without giving the others much to fight.

With everyone in agreement they continued down the tunnel, where the further they got the more Falmer they happened to find along the way, which Sunset noticed seemed to be increasing. As Lydia fought at the front of the lines, hacking and slashing at anything that dared to get close to her, the others either dealt with those that were left behind or, in Bjorn's case, struck them down with a well placed arrow. Raja and Cicero cut into whoever got near them and, when they happened to reach a bridge, they opted to drop their enemies into the river below them so they could move onward. Serana and Fiona made sure that their enemies never attacked from the rear, as Serana blasted several of them with her magic while Fiona used her sword to cut them down.

Sunset, reluctantly, watched her friends fight through the massive horde of the Falmer, somewhat surprised that their enemy's forces never seemed to decrease and only seemed to increase the further they got.

The group eventually found a rock wall that had two sinister looking levers, both of which looked like they were just waiting to be pulled, but Sunset took one careful look at them and carefully pulled the lever on the left, waiting for something terrible to happen. The wall near them began to open and they made their way past the opening once it was down, slaying a strange purple and green colored saber cat that happened to be waiting for them to arrive. Once they entered the next area, one that happened to be full of strange colored rocks and glowing stalks of mushrooms, they quickly looked around for a path they could use, before Serana spotted one and beckoned for them to follow her.

That was when they discovered that the crossing that Serana had found happened to be a stone walkway, one that led them onto a landing, and then across a second walkway, before they eventually stopped at the top of a hill, one that had the first Wayshrine they were looking for. It was then that they found a ghost waiting for them, one that Sunset assumed was one of the spectral Prelates that Gelebor had told them about before they had entered the portal.

"Welcome, Initiates, to the Wayshrine of Illumination," the Prelate told them as they neared it, telling Sunset that the ghosts might be able to tell the number of people that approached them, "Are you all prepared to honor the mantras of Auri-El and fill your vessels with his enlightenment?"

"Yes," Sunset told the ghostly Prelate, somewhat grateful that she had something to do besides sit back and watch as her friends killed every enemy that they came across.

The Prelate nodded and turned to the wayshrine, calling upon his magic before the ground shook and the Wayshrine rose to the height of the one Gelebor had opened, allowing them to walk up the the water basin and collect the first bit of water they needed. Once they had the water the group entered the newly opened portal, appearing in what appeared to be the bottom of a massive hole in the ground. Serana, officially taking over for Sunset without her approval, motioned for the group to continue up the stone path that had been cut into the side of the hole they were in, until they were finally at the top.

The moment that Sunset looked out at the open area before them her eyes widened in wonder, as she took in the trees, the strange saber cats and deer, the unusual plants that grew everywhere, and the broken arches that used to stand tall over a path that had been reclaimed by nature. It was another world, one that Sunset was sure that had been forgotten by everyone in Skyrim.

As they found where the path they had taken connected with the ruined path before them the saber cats in the area took notice of them and immediately came at them. Lydia roared at them and advanced on the oncoming cats, spinning her battleaxe into the head of one of them before tearing it out, spinning it once more, and then planted it right into the side of the second one. Bjorn pulled an arrow out of his quiver, pulled the bowstring back, and loosed the arrow at the path, pinning another saber cat in the side and knocking it into Serana's sights, who ice spiked the cat immediately.

They spent the next few minutes following the path and killing the creatures that decided to make a meal of them, but before they walked up the hill that led to a webbed area, where Sunset knew they'd find spiders, she got the group's attention and beckoned behind them. She had spotted the second wayshrine as they were walking up the hill, but when she noticed that they were about to walk passed it, which would have made them come back for it later on, she spoke her mind. Serana realized that they had nearly missed it and beckoned for her to open it up, to which Sunset nodded and headed down the path that would take her to the wayshrine.

"Welcome, Initiate, to the Wayshrine of Sight," the Prelate told her as she approached, "Are you prepared to honor the mantras of Auri-El and fill your vessel with His enlightenment?"

"Yes," Sunset responded, pulling out the ewer as she answered, knowing that he would summon the wayshrine out of the ground and give her access to the pedestal.

"Then behold Auri-El's gift, my child." the Prelate said, turning to the wayshrine and beginning the spell needed to open it, "May it speed your journey to the Inner Sanctum."

The ground shook for a moment as the wayshrine rose out of the ground, but when it had reached its full height, and the portal back to the passage they had just finished was open, Sunset quickly gathered the water before returning to her companions. Once she was back they continued up the hill, where a good dozen frostbite spiders gathered along the path and started moving towards their location. Serana held her hands together before unleashing what appeared to be a storm of ice, which traveled down the pathway and hit every spider that happened to be before them, tossing their dead bodies aside in seconds.

"I haven't had the opportunity to use that in some time," Serana commented, though she was quite pleased with the results, "but we had better get going and find the other three wayshrines. I have the feeling that Vyrthur might be watching us at the moment."

As they reached the bottom of the mountain pass they discovered that they had two choices to choose from, as the path on their right led up into the mountains while the opposite path went right to another shrine. Sunset immediately decided that it would be best if she went to the shrine and activated it, while the others started on the other path and fought whatever might be waiting for them. Serana agreed with her and set the group off in the direction of the mountain, while Sunset turned in the opposite direction and approached the third wayshrine.

"You've reached the Wayshrine of Learning, Initiate." the Prelate said as she approached, "Are you prepared to honor the mantras of Auri-El and fill your vessel with His enlightenment?"

"Yes, I am," Sunset replied, already knowing that this was the only way to open the wayshrines so she could fill the ewer, so they could have a chance at getting at Arch-Curate Vyrthur and Auriel's Bow.

"Auri-El bless you, child." the Prelate replied, turning towards the wayshrine like the others had done, "For you are a step closer to the Inner Sanctum and everlasting wisdom."

Sunset watched as the third wayshrine opened before her, allowing her to walk inside, gather the water necessary for their journey, and then bow out as she retraced her steps. Once she had arrived where she and her friends had separated she continued in the direction that they were going, though a few minutes later she found them standing on a stone bridge, no doubt waiting for her.

"Something wrong?" Sunset asked, wondering why they would have stopped so suddenly, but then noticed that there was another wayshrine at the top of the path, "Oh, I see you found the next wayshrine already."

"That, and the fact that there's something in the frozen lake behind it," Serana replied, causing Sunset to see the massive frozen lake that she was referring to, "though by something I mean that there's two things in the water. There's also what appears to be a Word Wall across the lake, so if you want it you'll have to brave whatever terrors are lurking in that frozen lake."

Sunset sighed and, instead of heading right for the lake, she walked up to the Prelate, knowing that this was more important at the moment and that she'd get the Word once the wayshrine was active once more.

"You've arrived at the Wayshrine of Resolution." the Prelate told the group, as Sunset's friends had decided to follow her in curiosity of what might be in the lake, despite the fact that they weren't crossing it with her, "Are you prepared to honor the mantras of Auri-El and fill your vessel with His enlightenment?"

"I am," Sunset confirmed, watching the lake in case it had something to do with the wayshrine.

"Then go forth, child." the Prelate said, turning the spell on the wayshrine as it rose from the ground, "May the enrichment of Auri-El strengthen your resolve as you undertake your journey to the Inner Sanctum."

Sunset nodded and retrieved the water, wondering how they could already have four of the five shrines down already, before she handed the ewer to Bjorn. Once she was ready she stepped out onto the frozen lake, feeling the ice crack every now and then, but nothing major happened until she was almost at the wall. Not too far from where she was walking the ice exploded and two dragons erupted from the water, roaring as they took to the skies once again. She knew that they were powerful dragons, though she kept her spells and weapons away as she waited to see whether or not they were actually allies of Alduin, as she didn't want to blast her own allies out of the sky.

"Ah, Dragonborn, we have been expecting you," one of the dragons said, landing to Sunset's left, but not close enough to where it might blow her away, "I am Voslaarum, and that is my brother Naaslaarum. We welcome you to our home."

It was times like this that Sunset was grateful that she could both speak in the Dragon Tongue and understand what the other speakers were trying to tell her. From how the first dragon, Voslaarum, was speaking she figured it was safe to assume that the two of them had been allies of Alduin a long time ago. That fact didn't stop her from being cautious, as the dragons could easily be trying to fool her in an attempt to lower her guard so they could cut her down.

"You've been expecting me?" Sunset asked, figuring it was better than asking if they were allies, as she determined that this might reveal the answer much quicker.

"Oh yes," the second dragon, Naaslaarum, said as it landed, only he landed to Sunset's right and kept his eyes on her friends, "We heard the call that Alduin had found a new 'Dragon Priestess' to train. Someone that might be much stronger than the thirteen that he originally trained, before one of them betrayed us and the others were either sealed away or thought to be destroyed by those that fought them."

"Thirteen?!" Sunset asked, caught off guard by the number of Dragon Priests that had come before her, as she only knew of the eight that had served Alduin in Skyrim.

"Ah yes, I see now," Voslaarum replied, causing Sunset to turn to him for a moment, "Eight of them were buried across Skyrim, while the other four and the traitor were buried somewhere across the island known as Solstheim. I wonder if any of them have even awoken from their slumber yet, or if they're waiting for someone special to come and awaken them... like they did for one of the others."

Sunset had no idea how they knew about her awakening Krosis, Morokei, and Rahgot, but at least she had a clue as to why Hermaeus Mora wanted her to go to Solstheim so badly. Hermaeus wanted her to grow stronger as well, but she had to wonder if the Prince of Forbidden Knowledge had a sinister motive behind what he was going.

"So are the two of you staying here or are you heading to join Alduin?" Sunset asked, finally airing the question that she wanted to ask and watched as the dragons looked at each other for a moment before turning back to her.

"We shall stay here, for a time." Naaslaarum replied, laying his body against the frozen lake, while his brother did the same, "We know you have business with the one who watches the twisted elves, so we shall wait until you have finished your errand. Then, when you are ready, we shall take you and your companions back to Alduin."

Sunset nodded her understanding and quickly moved to the Word Wall, feeling the power of the Word, LAH, enter her ever growing collection of Words, before she rejoined her friends on the bridge. Once they were together again Serana took charge once more and continued down the path that she had chosen for them, to which the Falmer began to show themselves. Sunset took the ewer from Bjorn, allowing him to nock an arrow and pin one of the archers in the head, which caused the body to fall into the water below where it had been standing.

As they continued along the path Fiona stayed beside Sunset for some time, listening to her recount what the dragons had told her about the other Dragon Priests and the fact that they were willing to fly them out of the Vale once they were done with Vyrthur. Fiona admitted that being the last living Dragon Priestess was starting to show its rewards, though she warned that if she didn't begin her training soon Alduin might decide to attack her and try to erase her. Sunset knew that the vampire was right, as she was determined to get the bow and then visit Labyrinthian, where she would learn what the undead Priests wanted to teach her.

It took them at least two hours of fighting through the seemingly endless waves of the Falmer before they found a cavern they could duck into, which happened to reside on the path they were following. Several times Sunset had offered her power to the group to speed them along, but every time she mentioned it Serana would shoot her down almost immediately. They wanted to prove that they were capable of doing something without her interfering, so eventually she decided to stop asking the question and stayed a little bit behind them. It gave her the opportunity to watch how her friends fought without her killing everything and, more importantly, she could call out enemy locations that they might have missed.

The cave, however, was a frozen area with freezing cold water and pieces of floating ice, though it didn't take long for them to discover that the Falmer were inside the cave as well. The moment the Falmer noticed that they had company Serana summoned her magic and began tearing into them, using either ice spikes to send enemies into the water below or lightning to char them completely. Lydia stayed by the vampire's side the majority of the time, striking at the ones that were decked out in heavy armor and were much tougher than their comrades. Fiona, Cicero, and Raja moved as a separate unit, using whatever shadows there were around them to their advantage and ambushing the Falmer that dared to get too close to them.

Bjorn stayed next to Sunset, using his bow to shoot down any enemy that dared to get close to them and take out those that were preparing to loose their own arrows at them. Everything that Sunset saw furthered her belief that her friends could actually do this by themselves, as it was painfully clear that they didn't need her to slay everything. Even as the number of Falmer increased and they started to surround them Serana was the one to aid in their escape, using her shock magic to blast many of their enemies out of the way. At one point they came to a walkway that looked like it could be broken with ease, so when the group was passed it Sunset, tired of taking the backseat, summoned her staff, charged her magic around it, and slammed in into the ground at her feet, shattering the walkway all the way through.

It was a cheap tactic to prevent the Falmer from following them for some time, but it would give them the head start they required so they could get away from their enemies.

The moment they exited the cave they found themselves neck deep in Falmer territory, though the creatures noticed them and immediately started to gather their weapons for an attack. Sunset was quite amazed by the sheer numbers the Falmer had, though it also terrified her to no end because their numbers never seemed to go down at all. Still the group progressed onward, loosing spells, hacking at enemies with their weapons, and loosing arrows at whoever tried to attack them. There were several spots where Sunset noticed that a well placed spell could have shattered the canyon walls, raining stones down on the Falmer and making them back off for awhile. She thought about offering her help to Serana, but shook her head as she knew that the vampire would tell her no despite the fact that there was an army marching behind them.

They fought for another hour, cutting through the Falmer that resided in the canyon, before they spotted the final Prelate and the fifth wayshrine, much to their joy.

"You've found the Wayshrine of Radiance, Initiates." the Prelate told them, where some of them watched their back for the moment, "Are you all prepared to honor the mantras of Auri-El and fill your vessels with His enlightenment?"

"Yes, we are," Sunset immediately replied, hoping to get the ghost moving quicker so they weren't overrun by the Falmer, which Bjorn noted were walking up the hill they had taken to reach the shrine.

"May the blessings of Auri-El protect you as you climb the road to the Inner Sanctum and final enlightenment." the Prelate said, as the fifth and final wayshrine opened for them, to which Sunset collected the water almost immediately.

Once the ewer was full the group immediately headed towards the beautiful bridge that led to the Inner Sanctum, but as they did so Sunset gave Bjorn the ewer and stopped in the middle of the bridge, turning to face the incoming army of Falmer. As she did so she pulled out her staff and began to channel her magic once more, knowing that they needed to stall their enemy, if not force them to reconsider their actions altogether. Then, after a second thought, she drew her ebony sword with her right hand and allowed magic to gather around it, preparing for what she was about to do.

"Sunset, what are you doing?" Serana asked, wondering if the former Equestrian had finally gone insane, while she and the others waited at the top of their side of the bridge "We can lock the doors of the Inner Sanctum once we're inside."

"I'm putting a stop to this here and now," Sunset growled, just as the first wave of Falmer got onto the bridge and came her way, "YOU. SHALL. NOT. PASS!"

As she spoke she brought her two weapons together, side by side, and allowed their energy to gather into one powerful force, before bringing the bottom of her staff down hard on the bridge. The moment she released the magic the entire bridge shattered, much to the surprise of the Falmer that were coming right at her, only to find that they were falling into Oblivion. With the seconds she had to spare Sunset turned around and flashed from one falling stone to another, before she leapt up to where her friends were standing. As they made sure that she was okay she turned back to watch the last of the bridge fall away, to which the Falmer that didn't fall stopped their advance and, much to Serana's surprise, retreated into their homes.

"Your a crazy one," Cicero happily said, patting Sunset on the back with approval, "and that makes me like you even more Magic."

"This will give us the time we need to find Auriel's Bow," Sunset said, turning to the courtyard of the Inner Sanctum and passing a statue, one she learned was of Auriel himself.

"I guess so long as your around Nirn stands a chance of surviving its encounter with Tirek," Serana commented, though she was somewhat grateful for Sunset's sudden inspiration to shatter the bridge.

It took them a few seconds to climb the stairs, where they approached a pedestal that was clearly connected with the door before them, to which Sunset began to pour the liquid from the ewer into the basin. They waited a few seconds, watching the water being poured into the basin, but then they noticed that the water started to move through the groves in the floor. They watched as the water slowly began to gather in the indent of the sun that rested right in front of the door, though the moment that the indent was filled up the sun symbol on the door began to spin. A few moments later the symbol stopped moving, cracking wide open and allowing them access to the Inner Sanctum, where they would find Arch-Curate Vyrthur and Auriel's Bow.

Sunset nodded to Serana and the vampire approached the door, where she began to push it open so they could finish their quest, though Sunset was glad to have made so much progress in one day. She knew that the bow would soon be in their hands and that Revan, if he somehow actually showed up when they were finished with Vyrthur, would be dead at long last. Then they would return to the Alliance and seek out Tirek once again, to end this war before they lose even more of Skyrim to the dangerous demon.

Tirek grinned as he finished absorbing the power of Clavicus Vile from both the Prince and his precious dog, somewhat amused that his power had been separated into two entities. Once he was done with them he threw them into the cell that Hircine and Malacath resided in, though both of the Princes backed up from him, as they were in no position to fight him anymore. He also found it amusing that such powerful beings of nature were now reduced to pitiful weaklings that feared his power, though he was far from completion. He had only absorbed the powers of seven Princes, though he somewhat wished that Nocturnal was here as well, so she could be locked up with her fellow Princes.

"Ah, who shall I summon next?" Tirek asked the Princes, though he already knew which one he was going to summon anyway, "Peryite? Mehrunes Dagon? Or maybe Hermaeus Mora himself? Go ahead and voice whatever opinions you have on whose next..."

Before he got any further he could have sworn that he heard wardrums somewhere near the fortress, but he knew that he had to be mistaken as he had picked this location because no one ever came near it. He waited a minute, wondering if the sound was his imagination or not, before his eyes widened as he realized that the sound was getting closer to his position. He growled and headed up the stairs as fast as possible, where he came out in the fortress and moved to one wall, so he could see if he spotted something coming his way. He gathered his magic and closed his eyes, creating a sphere that was made of pure magic that could see what was around the fortress so he would have a better idea of what was coming.

What he ended up finding was a massive army of undead coming towards the fortress from where Helgen once stood, though in the background he spotted the World-Eater coming in the same direction as well.

"How in Oblivion did he find me?" Tirek growled, canceling his spell as he headed back towards the prison area, "No matter, I still have other hideouts I can use until I have completed my goal."

He strode into the prison and approached Sunset Shimmer's chest, where he carefully picked up the Skeleton Key and shut the chest, before canceling his spell and sending it back to Oblivion. He glanced at his captives for a moment before heading into the open tunnel that led to the lake that connected to the prison, something he had intended to use as an escape route in case something like this actually occurred. As he walked down the hall and entered the water he slipped the Key onto his belt before moving his hands close to each other, a smile appearing on his face as he realized that he could test his powers out.

"Find him," Alduin roared, though he handed on top of the keep and watched as his army, led by Nahkriin and Morokei, moved into the fortress without pause.

Nahkriin and his forces moved around the fortress, looking for signs of their enemy, but Morokei was drawn to the prison by a sinister feeling that he knew had to be the creature they were looking for. He tore open the door and advanced inside, followed by his squad of Deathlords as they swiftly descended the stairs and came to a prison chamber. What they found was six locked up nord looking creatures and a seemingly normal looking dog, but Morokei knew that they were the Daedric Princes that they had come to rescue. The moment that the Princes noticed his presence he shouted at his soldiers and they advanced on the doors, tearing them off and allowing the Princes to leave their cells.

"You just missed Tirek," Azura told the Dragon Priest, beckoning to the other passageway, while her companions quickly gathered their artifacts from where they had been dumped by Tirek, "by now he's either in the middle of the lake or he's long gone."

Morokei beckoned and they left the prison, where they found Alduin overseeing the search for their enemy, to which Morokei told his Lord what the Daedric Prince had told him. The moment Alduin knew where Tirek would be he took off and flew over the lake, his eyes dancing around the area as he looked for a sign that the demon was there still. Tirek, on the other hand, floated at the bottom of the lake and stared right up at Alduin, before he opened his hands and released the sphere that had formed during his time under water. The small sphere floated into the open air and sailed right passed Alduin, who spotted it, primed a large fireball in his mouth, and then loosed it down at the lake.

The resulting explosion rocked the lake, to which Tirek leapt out of the water and landed on the mountainside, where he pressed his hands together and activated his magic.

"Prepare for devastation!" Tirek shouted, feeling the earth beneath him shake as the black sphere responded to his magic, cracking the mountain he was standing on.

Alduin watched as the earth cracked and buckled under whatever spell the demon had used, but then he noticed the pieces were beginning to rise into the air and gather around the sphere he had seen. He turned back to Tirek and charged another attack in his mouth, to which he released it at the demon, who shielded himself in earth and let the area around him get obliterated. Before he could charge another one he heard the sound of walls cracking and glanced at the fortress, watching cracks form as the place was slowly being ripped apart to join the sphere above them.

Morokei and Nahkriin beckoned for their soldiers and the Princes to follow them, to which they escaped from the fortress as it cracked under the pressure from Tirek's spell and lifted into the air above them.

Within minutes the black sphere was covered in stone and rock, creating a large sphere of earth that caused Alduin to wonder what Tirek had planned for it. Alduin roared and turned to the demon, but before he could do anything Tirek clapped his hands together and then something happened to the massive sphere. The sphere began to lower down on top of Alduin, who barely had a chance to dodge the massive chunk of earth as it collided with him and crashed him into the lake. A few minutes passed before the sphere stopped moving, though it shook for a moment before Alduin tore himself out of the center, glancing around with anger in his eyes.

Tirek was gone, the Daedric Princes he had drained had been rescued, and the artifacts that had been used to summon their owners had been recovered. Alduin would have counted it as a victory, but the demon was now missing and it would take some time for them, and not to mention his father, to discover his next hideout. Alduin growled and vowed that the next time he and the demon fought that he would emerge victorious, though he had someone to train before such a battle happened. When Sunset Shimmer returned to his fortress he intended to have a conversation with her about Tirek and the various abilities they could expect from him.

He also wanted to know how the demon had managed to get his hands on several of the Daedric Artifacts, when he and the other leaders of the Alliance had been assured that they had been locked outside Oblivion. And he was sure the other leaders would be wanting to learn the same thing when they were told what happened at this fort.

41: Auriel's Bow, Vyrthur, and the Truth

As they entered the Inner Sanctum Sunset beckoned to her friends, who kept their weapons at the ready, just in case there was anything else that could jump out at them and fight them. The only thing that they found when they entered the building was a bunch of frozen Falmer, frozen where they had been standing and left to die. There were dozens of them around the opening chamber, though Sunset had to wonder if they weren't actually dead and were simply waiting for someone to come near them, so they could awaken from their slumber and attack whoever was near them. She approached one of the statues and tapped her staff on the statue's head, waiting for a moment to see if it had any response to her presence.

The group waited a moment, making sure that they were safe, before sighing and sheathing their weapons, grateful that they didn't have to fight anyone else before they reached Vyrthur.

"I was expecting... more," Serana commented, keeping an eye on the statues as they slowly advanced through the Inner Sanctum, "I was under the assumption that this Arch-Curate would have some sort of Falmer army protecting him at all times, but it seems like he's confident that he doesn't need them."

"I'm also worried that we haven't seen the last of Revan," Fiona said, looking around at the structures around them, somewhat in awe of what they were seeing, "He's been behind everything that Tirek's thrown at Skyrim and he tried to kill Lord Harkon, yet we only see him when we've discovered something important. I don't know how he'd get to this location, without using the wayshrines no less, but something tells me that we might have overlooked something."

"Tirek might have given him some powers that we're not aware of yet," Sunset told them, though she had no idea those powers could be until the vampire showed them off, "It makes some sense if you think about it, as he was able to go from one area of Skyrim to another without any of our soldiers finding him out. Teleportation spells aren't easy for many ponies to master, but Tirek might have just gifted the power to Revan so he could be of greater use to the demon. I'm hoping that Revan shows himself soon, because I am tired of seeing his face everywhere we go and I'd like to deprive Tirek of his only remaining ally."

"Then once he's dead, and we have Auriel's Bow, we'll return to my father and plan our next move," Serana said, sighing as they walked through the area, "I just hope that he and my mother haven't killed each other while we were gone."

They silently made their way through the rest of the Inner Sanctum, bypassing the iron doors that had been put in place so many years ago, ones that Sunset was surprised to see still worked, and continuing their search for wherever Vyrthur was waiting. They were all equally surprised that there weren't any Falmer that were actually alive, but Serana told them that she figured that the Falmer had made one last smart decision before they all went blind; they had fled the Inner Sanctum and never returned. Oddly enough there weren't anymore statues in their way, which seemed odd considering that Gelebor said that a large number of them had overrun the area before he had fled.

The fact that none of the statues they had passed made Sunset wonder if all of the surviving Falmer were all sitting in the same area that Vyrthur was waiting in, just waiting for someone to come and attack Vyrthur, so they could be awakened and fight whoever had come.

They passed by several statues that were actually carrying what appeared to be treasure, but Sunset stopped any of her friends from taking any of it. She was worried that any of them could be a trap that would activate all of the statues in the Inner Sanctum, which would give them an enemy to fight before they reached their destination and she didn't want to waste anymore of their time. They also didn't need the treasure, so she saw no point in risking their lives for something like an elven blade or a copper circlet, both common items that they could craft at their keep at any time they wanted.

Raja, who was the one telling them how much each item they passed was worth, had to resist her natural habits of taking things and pass up anything of significant value. She did take note of several items that would definitely be worth the effort to claim them, but merely noted where they were so when this madness was taken care of she might be able to claim them later on.

They then found a hole in the wall and, noticing that there was no where else for them to go besides forward, passed through it, working their way around the tunnel before appearing in a new area. The group then dropped down into an area that opened up to an even larger chamber, one that was definitely covered in both ice spikes and pillars that held the ceiling up. Sunset studied the area before entering it, though she found an elf sitting on a throne that appeared to be made of ice, though it didn't take her long to figure out that the elf was another snow elf. She put two and two together and knew that the elf had to be Arch-Curate Vyrthur, though he appeared to be resting and hadn't noticed their arrival yet.

"So, do you guys want to take him out?" Sunset asked, knowing that she could hold her own against the Arch-Curate in a battle of magic, but figured that her friends might want to do things on their own still, "Or shall I speed things alone and get rid of him now?"

"We'll deal with him," Serana said, turning to the Equestrian for a moment, "I know that you could beat him quickly, but let us finish this quest on our own."

Sunset nodded and backed up to a point where she could easily join the battle if her friends needed her help, giving them the opportunity to make a quick plan of attack before standing back up. Serana beckoned to the others and they silently drew their weapons, before they walked into the open chamber and approached the frozen throne. Vyrthur sighed and opened his eyes, almost as if he had heard them enter the chamber from his throne and looked down at them as they walked up to him.

"Ah, a friend of mine told me that you'd be coming here," Vyrthur commented, choosing the remain seated while he spoke to his 'guests', while at the same time raising his right hand and snapping his fingers, "Did you really come here expecting to claim Auriel's Bow? You've done exactly as I predicted and brought your fetching companion to me. Which, I'm sorry to say, means your usefulness is at an end!"

The moment he spotted speaking the statues around the chamber started to crack, releasing the Falmer from their ancient slumber before they zeroed in on Serana and her companions. Lydia roared and swung her battleaxe over her head, slamming it into one of their enemies before turning it around and cutting a second one in half, blowing it to pieces. Bjorn moved to the back of the chamber and pulled out a few arrows, nocking them and loosing one of them at his chosen target, tearing the Falmer to pieces as well. Cicero and Raja danced around their enemies, cutting into those that came too close to them and, occasionally, stabbing their daggers into one of their heads, shattering them before they moved on.

Serana, noticing that shock magic wasn't the way to go in this fight, resorted to using her frost magic and ice spiked whatever came close to hitting her, making sure to stay out of range of her enemies the entire time. Once they had cleared the chamber of the Falmer, which they had noticed that there had to have been roughly twenty of them, they turned their attention back to Vyrthur, who was still sitting on his throne.

"An impressive display, but a wasted effort." Vyrthur told them, snapping his fingers once more and summoning three frost atronachs, each of which were taller than the original atronachs, "You delay nothing but your own deaths!"

The group broke up into pairs, separating the atronachs so none of them would overpower anyone, and worked to defeat them as quickly as possible. Lydia and Bjorn tore into their enemy rather quickly, as Bjorn had retorted to using his own non-ranged weapon and hacked at the creature's legs, while Lydia smashed its chest in. Cicero and Raja worked quickly to tear their enemy down, cutting into anywhere that they could reach before backing up, letting their partner have a turn and confusing the atronach, which eventually fell to the ground in defeat. Fiona and Serana combined their magic and blasted their enemy into the wall, before pouring a few more spells into its chest and causing it to explode.

Once the atronachs were defeated the six of them gathered together once more and faced the throne, only this time they found Vyrthur standing before his throne.

"No..." Vyrthur shouted, magic slowly beginning to gather around his body, something that Sunset noticed from where she was standing, "I won't let you ruin centuries of preparations..."

Sunset, finally understanding what the Arch-Curate was about to do, summoned the Staff of Magnus and allowed the magic to gather around her as she charged into the chamber. As Vyrthur began to release his power Sunset appeared in the center of the ground and slammed the base of the staff into the ground, summoning a barrier around all of them as the elf's magic rocked the entire chamber. They watched as the entire ceiling was brought down on the barrier, though the pieces fell to the side and they emerged unharmed, though Vyrthur was already gone.

"I'm glad you discovered what he was doing," Serana said, turning to the throne and realizing that there was a balcony behind it, "Let's finish this madness."

Sunset stayed behind her friends as they charged after Vyrthur, who happened to be standing near the edge of the balcony and was glancing at each of her friends as they approached them.

"Enough, Vyrthur." Sunset shouted, staring at the snow elf as the rest of her companions stood around their enemy, "Give us the bow!"

"How dare you." Vyrthur replied in hind, something that wasn't necessary seeing how close they were to each other, "I was the Arch-Curate of Auri-El, girl. I had the ears of a god!"

"Until the "Betrayed" corrupted you." Serana commented, recalling the tale that they had been told before they had entered the first wayshrine, "Yes, yes. We've heard this sad story."

"Gelebor and his kind are easily manipulated fools." Vyrthur chuckled, a light smile appearing on his face before he looked at Serana, "Look into my eyes, Serana. You tell me what I am."

"You're... you're a vampire?" Serana exclaimed, realizing what he was talking about the moment she noticed his eyes, But Auriel should have protected you..."

"The moment I was infected by one of my own Initiates, Auri-El turned his back on me." Vyrthur spat, clearly annoyed with what had happened to him, "I swore I'd have my revenge, no matter what the cost."

"You want to take revenge..." Serana slowly said, finding the idea absurd almost immediately, "on a god?"

"Auri-El himself may have been beyond my reach, but his influence on our world wasn't." Vyrthur said, returning to a standing position as he stepped up to Serana, "All I needed was the blood of a vampire and his own weapon, Auriel's Bow."

"The blood of a vampire... Auriel's Bow..." Serana said to herself, before realizing something and looking up at the Arch-Curate once more, "It... it was you? You created that prophecy?"

"A prophecy that lacked a single, final ingredient..." Vyrthur replied, running his hand through her hair for a moment, before Serana shoved his hand away from her, "the blood of a pure vampire. The blood of a Daughter of Coldharbour."

"You were waiting... all this time for someone with my blood to come along." Serana growled, her hands reaching up to Vyrthur's neck, to which she lifted the elf into the air for a moment, "Well, too bad for you... I intend on keeping it. Let's see if your blood has any power to it!"

She tossed the Arch-Curate back and he immediately summoned one more frost atronach the moment he touched the ground, to which Cicero, Raja, and Lydia assaulted it. Serana, Bjorn, and Fiona focused on Vyrthur, parrying each of his attacks with either their weapons or stopping his magic with their own magic. Every so often one of them cut into either his arms or his legs, being mindful to avoid any of his spells and annoying him even further as they sought a way to end the fight. Then Serana, deciding to end it all, ran her sword through Vyrthur's chest, catching him by surprise before she ripped the blade out and let him bleed out on the balcony.

The moment that Vyrthur was dead the wayshrine in the middle of the balcony rose from the ground, to which Sunset noticed that Gelebor walked out of it as the entire group gathered around the entrance.

"So, the deed has been done." Gelebor told them, sounding somewhat sad that his brother was actually dead, though he steeled himself and looked at them all, "The restoration of this wayshrine means that Vyrthur must be dead and the Betrayed no longer have control over him."

"Turns out he was a vampire," Serana told the elf, to which he looked at her for a moment, "The Betrayed had no control over him."

"A vampire?" Gelebor inquired, before something seemed to light up in his eyes for a moment, as if he was understanding what she had told him, "I see. That would explain much. Deep inside, it brings me joy that the Betrayed weren't to blame for what happened here. Because that means there's still hope that they might one day shed their hatred and learn to believe in Auri-El once again. It's been a long time since I felt that way and it's been long overdue. My thanks, to both of you. You risked everything to get Auri-El's Bow, and in turn, you've restored the Chantry. I can't think of a more deserving champion to carry it than you. If you wish to learn more about the bow, or obtain Sunhallowed Arrows for it, I'd be more than happy to help. You've but to ask. Please, take the bow... it's yours."

Sunset looked at the pedestal in the middle of the last wayshrine and found a shimmering bow floating in the air, one that she immediately knew had to be the one they had come for. She nodded to Bjorn and watched as her friend stepped forward, to which he wrapped his hand around the bow and drew it out of the air, a light grin appearing on his face.

"Okay, now we should head back to Fellglow Keep and plan our next move," Sunset said, somewhat glad to be done with this entire ordeal, "Let's head back to the dragons and get out of here before..."

She was going to finish her sentence, but then she heard the explosion of a fire spell and rushed to the balcony, where she found one of the dragons getting into the air while its brother launched a fire breath at someone near it. The dragon in the air noticed her looking down at the frozen lake and rose up to meet her, no doubt to tell her about what was happening down there.

"Dragonborn!" the dragon shouted to her, coming to a stop near the balcony and staring at her for a moment, "Naaslaarum is fighting someone that told us that his master is going to destroy all of Nirn..."

That was before an explosion rocked the dragon's side and forced him to fall back to the frozen lake, where Sunset got a good look at Revan while he was tearing Naaslaarum apart with his magic. She didn't know how he managed to follow them all the way into this area, but at the moment she was ready to rid Nirn of Tirek's last ally and turned back towards the last wayshrine. As she did so her friends, including Gelebor, moved to the balcony and looked down at the lake, where they found Revan assaulting the dragons. Sunset drew her sword, made sure that both her weapons were ready, and entered the portal that would take her back to the lake, where she walked out of the wayshrine and strode to where her enemy was standing.

As she walked towards the vampire she could feel her magic gathering around her weapons, giving her the opportunity to strike first if Revan decided to talk instead of fight.

"I was wondering where you went," Revan commented, placing a fireball in Naaslaarum's chest and blow a hole in him, "Come and help me kill these dragons... I've got some information that you may find interesting."

Sunset arched her sword arm backwards and then swung in Revan's direction, loosing a massive wave of energy that moved right towards him and forced the two dragons into the air as fast as they could. Revan extended both of his arms and allowed the wave to touch his hands, though instead of exploding he held his ground and tried to force it backwards. A moment passed before Sunset noticed the wave move back just a bit, telling her that the attack was working to some degree and that the vampire would be dead soon. To be on the safe side she primed her sword once more, just in case the attack wore off and she needed a second to finish her enemy off for good this time.

Then, just when she thought it was over, Revan separated his hands and, somehow, cut the wave of magic into two halves, which sailed through the air and hit the two dragons in their chests, blasting them out of the air and crashing them into the lake. Sunset was shocked that Revan even had the ability to catch her condensed magic energy wave, much less have the ability to separate it into two halves and change their trajectory. The two stared at each other for a moment, while Sunset waited to be sure that the dragons were okay, but then her worst fears were realized when their bodies burned up and two souls flew through the air, entering her body as she glared daggers at the evil vampire.

"And yet, in the end, you helped me," Revan laughed, dusting off his robes before looking at her, "You must be curious as to how I obtained the power to stop one of your attacks dead in its path and throw it to wherever I desired it to go."

"Curious is an understatement," Sunset growled, stalling her attack this time, just in case Revan decided to catch the next one and send it in the direction of her friends.

"As you no doubt guessed Lord Tirek gave me the abilities," Revan said, moving to the right for a moment, approaching where the Word Wall was resting before turning back to Sunset, "I bet your wondering how he could have given me these powers, when he's been at fifty percent after he crushed the Thalmor Embassy into the ground. I'm here to tell you something, Sunset Shimmer; Lord Tirek has been gaining power rapidly over the last couple of days, draining the very beings that you sought to protect."

"Your lying," Sunset shouted, knowing that the chest had to be safe in the depths of Oblivion, protected by the Nine Divines.

"Oh, but I'm not," Revan laughed, turning to face her completely this time, "Remember the Skeleton Key, the one artifact that you were promised was safe and sound with only three people knowing of its location? Lord Tirek raided the Twilight Sepulcher, stole the Skeleton Key from its resting place, and drained Nocturnal, the Daedric Prince of Shadows and Thieves, of all of her power, cutting off the abilities of all the thieves and assassins across the whole of Nirn. Then he was forced to move someplace else, to Fort Neugrad I might add, and has been slowly draining the Princes that you promised your Alliance that were safe.

Lord Tirek has already drained the powers of the Princes known as Meridia, Azura, Sheogorath, Malacath, Hircine, Clavicus Vile, and Nocturnal, damaging Nirn in the process. Face it Sunset Shimmer, not only have you lost to Lord Tirek, but you gave him the keys to regaining his power by recovering all fifteen Daedric Artifacts. You have aided the very demon you swore to defeat... how do you think your allies will feel when they hear the news that you lied to them?"

Sunset realized that her worst fears had been realized, that all the hard work she had done to save Nirn by recovering the Daedric Artifacts had been for nothing. She lowered her sword for the moment, now wondering if she even stood a chance at defeating Tirek once he managed to reach one hundred percent, before she started grinding her teeth. As she stood there she could feel her energy beginning to slowly gather around her, though this time it wasn't being concentrated around her sword or at the top of the Staff of Magnus. She could also feel her anger constantly rising, fueling the darker part of her heart that she had locked the moment the She-Demon had been defeated by her friends.

Then she roared with all her anger filling her voice and burst through the air, sailing right towards Revan as energy began to wrap itself around her ebony sword. Revan, on the other hand, extended his fist and hit her in the chest, something that she could have dodged if her vision wasn't blinded by her rage and anger, knocking her back just a bit. Then he drew his glass sword and cut into her chest, cutting through her Archmage Robes and her skin, before catching her neck and holding her above the ice. A moment later he approached the edge of the area they were on, which was right above a patch of ground, and held her out in the air, before throwing her into the open air and letting her fall towards the ground. Before Sunset even reached the ground Revan turned around and strode towards the center of the lake, confident that he had dealt with his Lord's enemy.

Sunset, on the other hand, turned around in midair and slowed her falling speed before she even touched the ground, where the tip of her foot stopped right above the water. Her eyes snapped open not a few seconds later, though they were now light blue colored and were surrounded by pure darkness, and a grin appeared on her face. She looked up at the area she had been thrown off of and sailed through the air, where she knew that she would be able to reach the top within seconds.

Revan, not expecting his enemy to even save herself from her fall, turned back towards the cliff when he felt a sinister energy fill the air, which was something else that he wasn't expecting. Then, just as he completed his turn towards the cliff, Sunset Shimmer appeared to his right, but he immediately noticed something different about her. There was something darker, eviler he mentally added, about her, something that he was sure that not even his master knew about, otherwise he would have been warned about it.

"Ah, it feels good to be out again," Sunset said, her voice also sounding darker as she stretched for a moment, "You have no idea what its like to be trapped against your will."

"What... what are you?" Revan nervously asked, almost taking a step back as he felt that the sinister energy was now coming from his enemy, but steeled himself as best he could.

"A demon of course," the She-Demon responded, looking at him as she sheathed the ebony sword and make the Staff of Magnus disappear, "I was created some time ago, so there's no reason for your 'master' to know about me. I think I'll kill you first and then cast Tirek's soul into the pit of Tartarus."

Before Revan could move the She-Demon flashed through the air and struck him hard in the chest with her left leg, cracking some of his rib bones in the process. She then swung her fist at him and hit his shoulder, crushing some of the bone as he started to back up, which led her to deliver another blow to his chest. He leapt backwards and coughed some blood up, though he glared daggers at the changed Equestrian as he prepared a spell that might end this in an instant. He poured his magic into his hand and launched a storm of fire spells at Sunset, blowing the area around her up in an effort to completely destroy her.

After a few moments of pouring his magic into his barrage he cut it off and surveyed his work, only to find that there wasn't a trace of his enemy left.

"You really suck at this," a voice behind him said, causing him to turn around and find the She-Demon standing behind him, before her left hand reached forward and grabbed him by the neck, "Allow me to show you how its done."

Magic gathered in front of the She-Demon's right palm, which she then pressed close to the area of Revan's heart, before a wicked grin appeared on her face. The moment she released the energy the beam tore a hole through Revan's body, destroying his heart as the rest of the beam sailed towards the mountain. The instant the beam touched the mountain it exploded, taking a massive chunk out of the stone and causing a rockslide that might have covered one or two of the caves. She stared at the lifeless body for a moment before drawing her ebony sword, where she grinned, pressed the blade against the throat, and severed the head of her enemy. Then, to be completely sure that Revan wouldn't get back up, she blasted his body into pieces, leaving his head intact for the purposes that Sunset had agreed to.

She turned around and found Sunset's companions, and the elf they had helped, standing on the patch of ground that connected to the wayshrine behind them. She noted that all of her friends were staring at her in shock, though the elf seemed indifferent, but she dropped her smile as she face them all.

"He got what he deserved," the She-Demon said, tossing Revan's head to Serana, who caught it almost immediately, "Now that we have what we came for, and removed an annoyance, let's get out of here and go kill Tirek!"

"Your not Sunset Shimmer," Bjorn stated, wondering how such a change had even occurred, as Sunset had done nothing but good since her arrival in Nirn.

"What was your first clue?" the She-Demon asked, stepping towards them just a bit, "I'm the demon that she created when she stole the Element of Magic, traveled to a world without magic, and put it on to fulfill her selfish desires. I'm sure that she's mentioned me a few times since your 'adventure' started."

"Stand back dremora," Gelebor said, stepping in front of the two groups and extending his hand towards the She-Demon, "Don't make me use my magic on you."

"And what would you do to me?" the She-Demon demanded, growling angrily at him for a moment, "I am beyond your pathetic attempts at magic...."

That was before five streams of magic, each of which were colored differently than the other ones, emerged from behind Gelebor and struck the She-Demon in the chest. She was somewhat caught off guard by the spell, but smiled as she stood back up and approached the assembled group, intending to stop this immediately. Then the intensity of the magic increased, but as the She-Demon was pushed back just a bit she realized exactly what type of magic was unfolding before her eyes. She remember it quite well, as it had been the magic that Princess Twilight and her human friends had used to defeat her before she could enact her plan. Before she could do anything to defend herself the magic consumed her, ripping apart the sinister energy that had surrounded Sunset and restored control to her.

Once she was back in control the magic ceased and she was gently set on the ground, to which she moaned and gently picked herself up as best she could, while her friends rushed over to check on her.

"She... she took over for a moment," Sunset groaned, though she was terrified that the She-Demon still existed after all this time, as she had been so sure that the Elements of Harmony had destroyed her.

"You okay Sunset?" Bjorn asked, helping his friend onto her feet while making sure that her weapons were still with her.

"No... I'm far from okay," Sunset replied, referring to both the She-Demon and the truth she had learned, "Come on, we had best get back to Fellglow Keep and figure out what to do next, but while we're traveling there's something that Revan told me that I need to tell all of you... something that none of you are going to like."

As her friends agreed to her plan Sunset briefly noticed that each of them were now, somehow, wearing a golden bracelet around their right wrists, with the exclusion of Serana. Set in the center of those bracelets was a gemstone, though it took her a brief moment to realize that the stones were the same colors that the Elements of Harmony had. Gelebor had worked some strange magic on them all, as if he had sensed that the only thing that might calm the She-Demon down was the power of her friends, which he had been right about. It gave her hope that there could be a chance to defeat Tirek after all, though she knew it would take all of her abilities and power to defeat the demon at his full potential.

Sunset knew that she needed to invest some of her time in learning from Alduin, the Dragon Priests, and the Greybeards before she even attempted to fight Tirek, otherwise the demon was sure to destroy her.

"That was a bold move sending Alduin to deal with Tirek," Kynerath commented, staring at the table that recorded the fight between the two entities, "A shame that he didn't get the chance to kill him though."

"There will be more instances like this, where the demon runs to his hideouts to remain hidden," Julianos replied, closing his book as he observed the fight for the fifth time, "However, the demon's power is constantly growing and its only a matter of time until he runs out of places to hide himself. No doubt Alduin is ready for round two, wouldn't you agree Akatosh?"

The Chief of the Divines was sitting on his throne once more, looking at the time stream while he waited for the demon to decide which hideout he was going to use next. He could easily tell his son all the locations that the demon would go to, but with the ever changing future he wanted to be absolutely sure before he did anything. Then, just as he determined where Tirek was going next, the energy that fueled the table's magic was cut off and his vision darkened, causing him to open his eyes. The other eight were confused as well, as they had never been attacked at their palace and none of them were prepared for something like this.

Then the entrance to their chamber opened and in strode someone wearing crystalline armor, one that Akatosh immediately recognized as Jyggalag, the Daedric Prince of Order. Standing behind him, making sure that she was as far away as she could, was Nocturnal, though she definitely looked like she couldn't believe that she was in the Palace of the Divines.

"Well I'll be, Jyggalag," Talos said, getting onto his feet as he reached behind his head, drawing a large two handed sword that he could use with one hand, "You have quite the nerve to come here and attack us like this. I'll say this once; either remove what you did to our palace or I shall kill you myself!"

"You are interfering with their fight," Jyggalag replied, not even giving Talos a glance as he stared right at Akatosh, knowing who it was who send Alduin to Tirek's location, "I cannot allow you to do so again."

"You have no power here, Prince of Order," Stendarr said, lifting a mace as he faced the Daedric Lord, "I suggest that you leave this place, before things get out of hand."

"Illogical, you cannot defeat me," Jyggalag told them all, stepping forward just a bit, "It took fifteen Princes to defeat me at the height of my power, you cannot hope to defeat me..."

Talos roared and charged at Jyggalag, raising his massive sword and bringing it down on the Daedric Prince's head, but found that his weapon had been blocked. He looked down and found that Jyggalag had drawn his own greatsword, before the Prince of Order pushed him back and released the energy stored in his blade. The whiplash of the attack soared towards Akatosh, but as it did so Julianos hit it with his magic and directed it into the open window, preventing anyone from being hurt. Talos, seeing what the Prince could do, backed up and stared at him, wondering what game he was playing as he waited for a command on what to do.

"You cannot interfere with their conflict," Jyggalag said, beckoning to the table, which had been cut in half by his energy, before pointing right at Akatosh "and your powers have been blocked. Sunset and Tirek must carry out their war on their own, without any of you trying to destroy Tirek."

"You do know that your going to bring about the end of Nirn," Akatosh commented, staring down at the Daedric Prince as he wondered what he was planning.

"And a new world shall rise from the ashes," Jyggalag replied, sheathing his blade and turning to go, "though if you decide to interfere again I shall resort to... drastic measures."

Before anyone could reply the Prince of Order disappeared, leaving Nocturnal alone with the Divines, though she seemed like she'd rather not be with Jyggalag. Akatosh, seeing how she was fairing, waved his hand and opened a portal beside her, causing her to look at it before looking at the Chief of the Divines, unsure of what to do at this point.

"Go and join the others," Akatosh said, referring to the other Princes that were on their way to Fellglow Keep, "Warn the Dragonborn and make sure she gets the training she needs to combat the dangers she's about to face."

Nocturnal, at a loss for words at this point, nodded and headed into the portal, disappearing from the palace and traveling to wherever Akatosh was sending her. Akatosh sighed as the portal closed, wondering what they were going to do before deciding that they might be able to use Alduin once more. He only prayed that Sunset found her enemy first.

Tirek stepped into his base of operations, Mistwatch Tower, and chuckled to himself as he stepped into the area that he had prepared for summoning the rest of the Princes. He slid the Skeleton Key into its prepared slot and watched as Sunset's chest phased into existence once more, to which he reached out for the next artifact. He summoned forth the shield that he had one of his underlings acquire, but then Sunset had destroyed her and took everything she had gotten her hands on. Once the shield was in hand he directed the magic towards Oblivion and tore the Prince from his realm, forcing him to fly out of the portal and touch the ground with ease.

Tirek had been expecting another humanoid form from the next Prince, but what he got was a small sickly green colored dragon that was glaring at him.

"Breath deeply demon," Peryite growled, green fumes emitting from the area around him, "I would have you choke to death while I rip the life from your body."

Tirek barely had time to prepare himself before the small Prince leapt into the air and slammed into his body, his claws digging into his arms as he ripped gashes into the demon. Peryite considered himself fortunate that he had time to craft a fume that would slow those that breathed it into their bodies, giving he the edge against the demon. He raked his claws against Tirek's chest and knocked him backwards, before taking notice of his horns and grinning to himself as a new idea formed in his mind. He raised his right arm into the air and the brought it down hard on Tirek's left horn, snapping it in half as the force of the horn being taken off threw the demon into the back wall.

He zipped in front of the demon's body to make sure that he was dead, but then a hand reached forward and grabbed his neck, revealing that Tirek was still.

"I shall enjoy this," Tirek growled, beginning the process of draining another Prince's power, all while his severed horn reattached itself before the two of them grew a tiny bit more.

42: Season Unending

Sunset and her friends had made their way back through the wayshrine near the frozen lake, briefly appearing on the balcony of the Inner Sanctum before entering the portal back to Darkfall Cave. While they walked through the hidden path that would lead them back to the surface Sunset explained the exact nature of the She-Demon's creation. She was not surprised to find that her friends were shocked when they heard the brief stories about what she did when she was at Canterlot High, the events leading up to the incident. She even revealed how the demon had been defeated, which she also explained was the same method that Gelebor had used on her when the She-Demon had taken over.

Then, before they even left the cave, she shared the truth that Revan had kindly shared with her, revealing that Tirek had been playing them the entire time and was merely biding his time until the artifacts had been recovered and were in one convenient location. The majority of her friends were sickened that they had been played by the demon, but Raja was more annoyed than anyone else and it was clear that she was working out something in her head.

When they finally left the cave Sunset was surprised to find a company of seven dragons waiting outside the cave entrance, with Alduin himself facing the entrance.

"Dragonborn, we have much to discuss," Alduin growled, though by the tone Sunset knew that the Firstborn of Akatosh must have learned about Tirek absorbing the Daedric Princes, "Tell your companions to climb onto the backs of the other dragons and we'll be underway."

"On our way to where?" Sunset asked, though she had the feeling that the destination happened to be Fellglow Keep, where she was also positive that the other leaders of the Alliance would be waiting for them.

"Be quite and do as I say," Alduin snapped, smoke fuming from his nose as he stared at them, while he was mostly glaring at Sunset, "before I decide to end this pitiful world!"

Sunset sighed and beckoned to her friends, who looked at the dragons that weren't Alduin and back at Sunset, before nodding their understanding and making their way onto the dragons' backs. She glanced at Alduin for a moment, wondering if he was going to cross them on the way to the keep and dispose of them himself, before following suit. She did find it weird that the World-Eater would allow someone who was supposed to be his enemy ride on his back, but she knew that this was also due to Tirek. She was annoyed that she had allowed herself to be outmaneuvered by the demon, all because she had thought that she was constantly ahead of him when she was really trailing behind him.

Once they were all mounted up Alduin shouted at the other dragons and they got into the air, turning around in the air as they headed towards Fellglow Keep.

Sunset spent the time in the air to wonder which of the faction leaders would be at the keep the moment they arrived, though she knew a few of them off the top of her head. Elenwen, Delphine, and Tolfdir would be there for sure, which immediately told her that the Thalmor, Blades, and College of Winterhold would be represented. Alduin would definitely be present, along with whichever Dragon Priest that he had chosen to bring along, and she was also sure that General Tullius, Ulfric Stormcloak, Isran, and Lord Harkon might be there too, but she decided to wait until she and her friends arrived to see who was there.

She only prayed that the other leaders of the Alliance would be willing to hear them out and forgive them for what happened, otherwise the entirety of Skyrim would be tearing itself apart before the day was done.

When they arrived at Fellglow Keep Alduin and the other dragons landed outside the outer walls, allowing Sunset and her friends to climb off and touch the ground. Sunset didn't know if she should feel happy that she was back at the keep, or feel completely ashamed that she had contributed to the destruction of this world. The dragons that had carried her friends to their destination returned to the air and departed from the keep, no doubt heading back to Labyrinthian until Alduin needed them again. As the dragons flew away, and the group turned back to the entrance of the keep, Sunset spotted Elenwen coming their way, but she was unable to tell what the Ambassador was feeling.

"Archmage, you've returned," Elenwen said, glancing at Alduin as she recalled the news he had shared with her, before he had departed to find Sunset, "I trust that your aware of the damage that your... decision... has brought upon Nirn. Several of the drained Daedric Princes are currently waiting for your arrival with the rest of the leaders of this Alliance, summoned the moment Alduin told us what he discovered. Come along to where Shearpoint used to be, we've set up a meeting area there where Alduin will be able to join us... without alarming the soldiers and civilians."

Sunset nodded and the group followed Elenwen into the keep for a moment, where she walked up the pathway that had been laid into the ground and approached the main building, where Sunset and her friends slept all the time. There they paused for a moment, allowing Elenwen to go inside for a few seconds before returning with Delphine, who was wearing a neutral expression on her face, and Tolfdir, who looked like he had no idea what to think anymore. Once they were outside Elenwen headed to the exit that had been built for the mages to use to travel to their training ground, which would be vacant until they resolved the matter at hand.

As they approached the Word Wall of Shearpoint Sunset spotted a large round table, one that she had been told was for the teachers and students to use when there they practicing magic, that had fifteen chairs surrounding it. Alduin flew over head and landed in a spot close to the table's location, but chose to walk the rest of the way until he was almost to the table itself. Sunset was expecting several of the other leaders to appear at this 'meeting', but she thought that all of her allies would be together in a single location like this. The majority of them were already seated, waiting for her arrival it seemed, so she took the seat that Elenwen beckoned to before the Ambassador did the same thing. Sunset's friends stayed behind her, so they could be present for the event they were sure was about to change the entirety of the Alliance as they knew it.

It was also at that moment that Sunset realized that one of the Greybeards, Master Arngeir by the looks of it, had come all the way down to their fortress, to oversee what was about to occur. Though as she looked around the table she found that one of the seats, the one closest to her left, was unoccupied, which made her wonder which of her allies decided not to come.

"Before we begin this meeting we must have someone fill in for the leadership of the Fellglow Alliance," Master Arngeir said, looking at Sunset for a moment, "Tell us, Dragonborn, which of your closest companions would you choose to fill in your station as Commander of the Fellglow Alliance?"

Sunset had expected to be forced to surrender her position as the leader of her own alliance sometime during this meeting, but she didn't expect it to be at the very beginning. It made some sense, as she was Dragonborn and, in everyone's eyes, she didn't need to be at the helm of an army, but she sighed anyway as she thought about it. Many of her friends she had known for about a week, but there was one of them that she knew she could entrust the Fellglow Alliance to and not be sorry for doing so. She took a moment to collect herself, giving the illusion that she was taking a moment to think it over, before pulling herself up onto her feet and turning back to her friends.

"I choose Bjorn Wyrmsblood," Sunset declared, causing Bjorn look surprised for a moment, before Lydia slapped him on the back and escorted him to the chair to Sunset's left.

"Good, we can begin," Master Arngeir continued, beckoning to himself for a moment before continuing around the table, "As many of you have already guessed I am Master Arngeir of the Greybeards. To my right are Alduin, the Firstborn of Akatosh, Jarl Ulfric Stormcloak, Leader of the Stormcloak Rebellion, Karliah, Acting Leader of the Thieves Guild, Snowheart, Listener for the Dark Brotherhood, Isran, Leader of the Dawnguard, Lord Harkon, Master of the Volkihar Vampires, and Sheogorath, Chosen Representative of the Drained Daedric Princes.

To my left are General Tullius, Acting Leader of the Imperial Legion in Skyrim, Ambassador Elenwen, Acting Leader of the Thalmor in Skyrim, Esbern, Acting Leader of the Blades, Morokei, Chosen Representative of the Dragon Cult, Tolfdir, Acting Leader of the College of Whinterhold, Kodlak Whitemane, Harbinger of the Companions, and Bjorn Wyrmsblood, Chosen Representative of the Fellglow Alliance. And sitting direction across from me is someone that you should all know, because she is the reason that you're all here to begin with, but I'll announce her anyway; Sunset Shimmer, Chosen Dragonborn of Kynerath and Founder of the Fellglow Alliance.

Let us call this meeting to order and settle whatever matter is plaguing your minds."

"I demand to know how Tirek could have gotten his hands on the Daedric Artifacts," Alduin started, nearly roaring in anger as he spoke in the Dragon Language, as if he was talking one on one with Sunset, "items that you promised us would be locked away from him."

"Please speak plainly," Master Arngeir said, causing the World-Eater to turn towards him for a moment, "We are here to discuss this matter like civilized people, not speaking in an ancient tongue that few here can even understand."

Alduin huffed for a moment, clearly debating whether or not he should burn everyone to the ground and destroy Nirn before Tirek could, before looking away from the Greybeard. Sunset was impressed that Arngeir could stand Alduin's gaze, much less turn the dragon away like he had done, which made her respect the elder that much more. After a minute of silence it became clear that Alduin was trying to phrase it in the normal language, but was either having trouble or purposely making it look like it so someone else would take over. Elenwen sighed and called attention to herself, eager to get things underway once more.

"I believe he's demanding an answer as to how your enemy got his hands on the Daedric Artifacts," Elenwen commented, glancing to Alduin to see a nod before turning to Sunset, "You promised all of us, your allies and your soldiers, that the only way to stop Tirek from reaching his full power was to find the fifteen Daedric Artifacts and lock them out in Oblivion. Yet thanks to Akatosh sharing the demon's location with Alduin, and his timely venture to Fort Neugrad, we have discovered that he has access to the very chest you locked out in Oblvion and has been draining the Princes for the last few days. We demand to know why you lied to us, Sunset Shimmer."

"Its because we gave her bad information," Karliah spoke up, giving Sunset a moment to notice that Raja was now standing behind the dunmer, "When she came looking for Esbern some time ago she asked my Guildmaster about the Skeleton Key, the sixteenth and final Daedric Artifact in Skyrim, and she was told that the Key was safe. Raja had asked me the same thing after we returned the Key after Mercer had stolen it, and I told her that Nocturnal would not allow anyone to take what was her's, not with the Guardians protecting her Temple from intruders. Sunset Shimmer believed that the Key was safe from Tirek and that there was no reason to take it from its resting place, so she forgot about it and failed to include it in the sealing ritual you performed.

The question isn't how Tirek managed to get his hands on the Skeleton Key and loot Sunset's personal chest, but how he managed to find the Twilight Sepulcher in the first place when only three people knew of its existence... and when none of those three would dare to surrender that very information."

"He didn't need to bribe one of you to tell him," a voice said, just as Nocturnal herself appeared behind Sheogorath, "because he had the balls to reach into my realm and call back someone who knew what you, Raja, and Brynjolf knew. All he had to do was focus the powers of the necromancers that he had absorbed to his goal and he brought Mercer Frey back to life, who exchanged the Key to the demon for the promise of living again. Suffice to say that he got what was coming to him and is now back where he belongs... but now your enemy has both my power and my artifact, giving him access to the rest of the Princes."

Sunset listened to the tale and wondered what necromancers that Tirek had absorbed to gain the ability that Nocturnal told them about, before the truth dawned in her eyes. She remembered the necromancers that had been called in alongside the Forsworn/Bandit army to destroy Whiterun, but they had been destroyed by Alduin and his dragons. She had always wondered how the demon managed to get that many necromancers under his command, but then she realized that someone had been pulling the strings the entire time. There was only one person that could have pulled it off while Tirek was busy, but now that person was dead and whatever power he had was now added to Tirek's own.

She beckoned to Serana for a moment, before the vampire approached the table and let Revan's head roll onto the stone, causing everyone to look at it for a moment.

"There's the reason that the necromancers attacked Whiterun to begin with," Sunset told them, somewhat grateful that Tirek's greatest pawn was dead, "Revan, the former right hand of Mankar Camoran, the man who orchestrated the Oblivion Crisis, and Tirek's greatest underling, was slain yesterday. This was the vampire that set in motion the Forsworn Army, gathered together every bandit that he could bribe, and summoned every necromancer that wanted to bring about the end of the world. This one vampire alone sold out the entirety of Nirn to Tirek, all so he could be the King of whatever world formed after the destruction of this one. I have already broken every plan that Revan has set in motion, but all that remains is to find the demon and end him before he finishes his goal."

"This still doesn't explain how our enemy found the chest to begin with," Kodlak Whitemane spoke up, turning the attention to himself for a moment, "Sure, maybe the lass made a mistake in keeping all fifteen artifacts in one location, but either way the truth of the matter stands that the Alliance was played. How could Tirek get to the chest, when he's never touched any of the artifacts before he stole the Skeleton Key?"

Sunset thought about it for a moment, wondering if touch was the key to this riddle, when her eyes lit up as she realized what she had been missing the entire time.

"I've figured it out," Sunset told them, mentally wishing she had figured this out a long time ago, "Several of Tirek's underlings managed to get their hands on some of the artifacts before I found them and recovered what they had taken. Tirek has been absorbing the powers of his followers, so what if he's also been absorbing the sensation his followers felt when they laid their hands on one of the artifacts? Half of them were touched by one of his underlings, so it is highly possible that he used those sensations and, with the aid of the Skeleton Key, connected to the chest. He followed their magical signature and has been stealing the power of the Princes..."

"None the less the Thieves Guild is to blame for the loss of the Skeleton Key," Karliah finally said, apparently getting tired of listening once more, "Had we introduced new security measures to keep it safe, and checked the Temple every now and then to be sure that it was still there, maybe this never would have happened. Sunset Shimmer is not to blame for this mess that we're in..."

"Oh but she is," Ulfric replied, cutting the thief off as he stared at Sunset, "She was the one who proposed that we bide our time until she had secured the Artifacts, yet she handed them over to the demon she swears that she's fighting against. Whose to say that this entire Alliance wasn't one of Tirek's ideas, so that he can get all of those that would oppose him to gather in one spot before he obliterated them? Whose to say that she isn't one of Tirek's allies? Whose to say that she isn't waiting for the demon to shatter the barrier between worlds and claim whatever he leaves behind?"

"Because this world would have already been destroyed if I had done that," Sunset snapped, outraged that one of her allies would accuse her of such a thing, "Think about that for a moment Jarl Ulfric. If I was in league with Tirek, which I'm not by the way, then he would have started draining the Princes the moment I recovered one of their artifacts. Everything that's happened would have occurred earlier and I'm pretty sure that Akatosh would have told Alduin to destroy me... if I was working for that foul demon."

Ulfric stared at Sunset for a moment, clearly wondering if she was pulling their legs and was secretly plotting to bring the entire world down, before a sigh escaped his lips. Sunset didn't know what the Jarl was doing, but she had the feeling that something bad was about to rear its ugly head at her.

"I'm just going to cut to the chase then," Ulfric said, getting onto his feet and looking at the assembled leaders, "What I'm about to do is for the best of Skyrim... and for the best of Nirn. I..."

"...propose that we dismiss Sunset Shimmer as the Archmage of the College of Winterhold and formally dismantle the entirety of the Fellglow Alliance."

Everyone at the table, including the bystanders, turned and looked at General Tullius, who was now standing as well and was staring right at Sunset, with a look of anger in his eyes. Sunset, on the other hand, was horrified that someone would announce that they wanted her to step down as the Archmage and destroy the Alliance. She had gathered all of these soldiers together and forced these leaders to forget their negativity towards each other for the betterment of Nirn, yet now she was being forced to watch as all her work began to crumble before her eyes.

"Are you mad?" Bjorn asked, clearly outraged that someone would even think of breaking the Fellglow Alliance apart, especially when their enemy was still at large, "General Tullius, please don't do this. If you force apart this Alliance, who have been dedicated to saving all of Nirn from Tirek, then your only making everyone an easier target for him to pick off later on. When Tirek is defeated and Nirn is safe then we can disband the Alliance, but we cannot afford to do so until the demon is defeated and..."

"I second the proposal," Jarl Ulfric stated, cutting Bjorn off and surprising everyone, "The two of us, and all of you I might add, have been following the commands of someone that's not from this world and look where that's gotten us so far! The sun and moons have stopped their orbits and have formed some strange eclipse. Thieves and assassins can no longer sneak, while people who have gone completely mad are now sane for no reason. Its only a matter of time until the other Princes fall and their influence on this world is taken as well, where we'll be left with a dying world... a dying world that is the result of us following HER!"

"If you value your world you will aid in the dismantling of the Fellglow Alliance," General Tullius added, sighing as he beckoned for Master Arngeir to continue, "otherwise we'll all witness the maws of Oblivion open before our very eyes."

"It seems that there must be a vote," Master Arngeir said, though he looked unhappy about the entire thing, "Very well, I shall call upon those who wish to see the end of this Alliance first. Those that wish to end the Fellglow Alliance, and strip the Dragonborn of both the title of Archmage and all that comes with it, please stand so we can count you."

General Tullius and Jarl Ulfric remained standing, as they were the ones who immediately proposed the whole idea, and they waited for someone else to join them.

"I shall stand against the Dragonborn," Esbern said, removing himself from his chair as Delphine moved a hand to her mouth, shocked that the old man would betray his oath like that, "I'm sorry Delphine, but this is for the best. Many have made terrible decisions in the past and have suffered the consequences, but the Dragonborn must face hers as well."

Both Isran and Lord Harkon, two of the people who said that their factions would back the Alliance if Sunset brought them Revan's head, stood up as well, much to Sunset's sorrow. She wasn't surprised when Elenwen stood up, as she was the leader of the Thalmor and it would seem off if they turned against the Imperial Legion on a decision like this. Then, when she thought the vote for dismissal was over, Sheogorath stood up and tapped his staff, the Wabbajack, on the table to gather everyone's attention.

"Just so you know, I don't support the notion of dismissing her," Sheogorath said, a wicked grin appearing on his face, "Personally, I'd rather just skip rope with her entrails and punish her to live in the Shivering Isles, but that would hardly be very sporting of me. The other Princes have decided that they are displeased with their champion and wish for the dismissal to be carried out, so it falls to me to bend to their wishes and announce their intentions... boy, making sense is boring and unfun. I sure do miss Discord and his chocolate milk."

"So that is seven for dismissal, you may sit down now," Master Arngeir said, sighing as he watched the people, and the Madgod, sit back down in their seats, "and what of the other seven leaders that have assembled here today? Do you wish to see the dismissal of the Dragonborn and the destruction of this Alliance."

"No," Alduin growled, surprising Sunset by being the first to voice his opinion, as she was expecting Bjorn to speak first, "I may not like many of you, mortals, but I have come to respect how you band together against overwhelming odds... just like the trio of warriors that defeated me the first time. They did what Sunset did and defeated me, casting me out of Nirn for thousands of years, until I was able to come back and finish what I started. I would place the whole of Nirn in Sunset's hands, despite the fact that we were outplayed, and trust that she would do what was necessary when the time came."

Sunset was almost taken aback by what the dragon said, as she was sure that he was only in this alliance to see Tirek's defeat, but the dragon seemed to have grown attached to them all a tiny bit. She was sure that, if any of them happened to survive what was to come, then the World-Eater would resume what he was doing before she enlisted his help.

"I would agree with my master," Morokei said, speaking in the common language so they could understand him, "I gave Sunset Shimmer the Staff of Magnus when she came to Labyrinthian, not because she came asking for it, but because I saw the potential inside of her. I saw the potential for a great mage that could aid your College in rising above the rumors that surrounded its name, and a great leader that could led an army of soldiers to victory against a creature that desired the end of everything. One of those potentials was destroyed by the demon, but while the second still burns bright I shall stand beside the Warlord of the Dragon Cult and fight the creature that seeks the end of everything."

"I will, of course, say that I'm against the dismissal," Bjorn spoke up, getting to his feet before beckoning to his friends, "We have traveled with Sunset through dwarven ruins, survived countless nordic burial grounds, and defeated evil people where others thought there were none. The five of us, her closest friends, have learned so much about her and understand the hardships that she's gone through, so much so that we have formed an unbreakable bond with her. If she says that there's still a way to defeat Tirek, even with the power that he has already gained, then I say that we prepare ourselves accordingly and make sure that we give our enemy everything that we have to give."

"Well spoken lad," Kodlak said, getting onto his feet as Snowheart, Karliah, and Tolfdir followed suit, "We are a warrior race, and as such we will fight this demon with everything we have. The Companions, Thieves Guild, and Dark Brotherhood have agreed to work together with Sunset Shimmer, regardless if you decide to dismantle the Alliance or keep it going. The fury of Ysgramor and his Five Hundred Companions shall meet whoever Sunset's enemies are and drive them back until either we win or the last warrior falls to the demon."

"Seven for dismissal, seven against it," Sunset said, sighing as she glanced at Master Arngeir, knowing what was going to come next, "I'm sorry Master Arngeir, but it seems that you'll have to be the tie breaker for this vote."

"So it would seem," the Greybeard said, getting onto his feet and looking at everyone assembled before him, "I do not take pleasure in having to decide the fate of the entire Fellglow Alliance, let me say that right now, but I do know which choice is the best for Nirn as a whole. It seems that even the Greybeards are subject to change... something that I never thought possible, especially after all these years. I choose to stand against the charges of dismissal... I'm sorry General Tullius and Jarl Ulfric, but you have been defeated at your own game."

"Can we at least demand that she retires from being the Archmage and become fully dedicated to her destiny as the Dragonborn?" Ulfric asked, trying to find some way to have a win out of this entire situation.

"Fine, if that's what it will take to keep all of you as allies to the Fellglow Alliance," Sunset finally spoke, sighing as she patted the arm of the robes, "then I will gladly step down and name my replacement. I choose Tolfdir to be the new Archmage."

"Me?!" Tolfdir asked, surprise crossing his face for a moment, before he regained his composure and nodded, "Fine, I accept the role of Archmage of the College of Winterhold."

"Something good came from this after all," General Tullius said, before glancing at Sunset once more, "We have not forgotten that you need to travel to Solstheim and find someone named Miraak, who we know was once a Dragon Priest thanks to Alduin and Morokei. We're beginning construction on several ships that will transport soldiers to the island, to follow the commands of whoever is chosen to be the commander for your venture. It will take a week to finish them, even with the Stormcloaks helping us, so I would suggest learning what the Greybeards and the Dragon Priests have to share with you."

"So that's it?" Sunset asked the Imperial commander, surprised that he had tried to shatter the entire Alliance and was now acting friendly once more, "Your tried to dismiss me and suddenly we're friends again?"

"Considering whats happening I'd consider yourself lucky," General Tullius replied, "Yes, I tried to break the Alliance, but I also wanted to make sure that your convictions were strong and that you were true to wanting to see Tirek being defeated. I do not regret what I just did, but we'll make sure that you go to Solstheim, meet Miraak, and then get back here before our enemy destroys all of Nirn."

Sunset watched her allies move away from the table and go back to whatever they had been doing before the meeting had been called, somewhat confused as to what General Tullius had just done. She was back to being the Dragonborn, but she had the feeling that something big was going to happen on Solstheim... something that she was sure that Alduin, the Dragon Priests, and the Greybeards would train her for. She only prayed that the remaining Princes held out against Tirek, least they give him more power to do what he wanted.

Tirek sighed as he took in the rest of Peryite's power, before he moved out to the walkway that rested at the top of his tower and held the Prince out in the air. Then he threw the drained Prince outwards, letting him fall to the second story of the tower and crash into the stonework, though he was so out of it that he didn't get back up. Tirek chuckled as he walked into the chamber and approached the chest once more, allowing his magic to reach inside and find the next one that Sunset had recovered. What appeared before him was a wicked looking mace that radiated pure evil, as it was from one of the Princes that had nearly destroyed Nirn in the past.

"Come for Molag Bal," Tirek called out, breaching the barrier between worlds as he reached out for his next target, "Daedric Prince of Domination and Enslavement."

What appeared before him was a monstrous creature that was at least twice the size of himself, telling him that the barrier between worlds was weakening enough to empower the remaining Princes. The creature had horns that wrapped around its ears, what Tirek assumed were ears, and pointed right at him, though it wore nothing besides a loincloth. Even its hands and feet were clawed, though Tirek only had to look at the creature's eyes to tell that it was a powerful creature, one filled with a dark purpose. He grinned even wider and prepared to take advantage of the Prince not moving, but even as he did so he was pushed back just a tiny bit, causing him to stare at the Prince.

Molag Bal looked at Tirek for a moment before moving his right hand out to his side, to which his energy wrapped around his palm and summoned a sickly looking scythe. The moment the weapon was summoned he spun around and cleaved the entirely of the ceiling into pieces, exposing them to the air in a single instant.

"It was unwise to summon me, demon," Molag Bal said, before moving forward and bringing the weapon down onto the demon, who barely had time to raise a shield to defend himself.

The scythe cut through the barrier like butter and cut into Tirek's left shoulder, taking from him the ability to use his arm for the moment as he was forced to back up. Tirek growled and gathered his power into his right hand, where he swung his attack at the Prince the instant it was ready and connected with the head of the scythe. The conflict between their energies caused the area around them to shake, just like Tirek had done when he sunk the entirety of Winterhold, though he could hear the ground cracking and shaking under the pressure of their conflicting energies.

The moment their connection broke Tirek dashed forward and slammed his fist into the Prince's chest, barely knocking him back as the scythe cut into his left leg. Then the scythe came down once more and cut into his chest, creating a deep gash that would take some time for a powerful creature to heal completely. Tirek barely had time to move as Molag cut into the other leg, forcing him to fall to his knees before the Lord of Domination as the scythe was pressed against his neck. The Prince waited a moment before lifting his scythe into the air, intending to bring it down on Tirek's neck and end this once and for all, but before he could do so Tirek's right hand slammed into his chest and knocked him back.

Tirek then grunted and leapt up, moving his hand to the Prince's face and holding him in the air, though he had to wonder why he was beginning to have to resort to drastic measures to secure the next prize.

"I will not be denied your power," Tirek growled, grateful that the feeling was returning to his body now, while he was taking the power into himself, "and then I will break you like all the rest of your kind."

43: Training and Preparations

Sunset stood in her chamber for a moment, staring at the table where that the Archmage Robes were now resting on, as she reflected on everything that's already happened over the last few weeks. It was hard to believe that she had been named Archmage, by the Psijic Order no less, a week or two ago, only to have it taken away from her by her allies. Now she was dressed in simple college robes while the Staff of Magnus was propped against the wall, a constant reminder of her promise to Morokei. She even traced the cut in the fabric that Revan had delivered to her, sighing as she eventually picked up the robes and made her way outside her room.

Her friends were outside the main keep with Elenwen and Delphine, who were both planning on who would be chosen to accompany Sunset to Solstheim, though she also noticed that Fiona was speaking with the mage that had lived in Morthal until his Jarl had everyone move out of the town. She spotted Tolfdir approaching the main keep, though she could tell that he had been waiting for her to come out so he could officially take over as the Archmage, as much as they both hated the idea.

"I never thought that I'd be wearing these one day," Tolfdir said, taking the robes from Sunset with a sad look in his eyes, "I will look for someone to replace me, but I daresay that we may never find someone of your skill again Archmage."

"Its Dragonborn now Tolfdir," Sunset sadly replied, reminding the old man of his new station, "or Dragon Priestess as it were."

"Regardless, you shall be recorded with all the rest of the previous Archmages," Tolfdir said, heading off towards the rest of the mages, who were busy training their own skills, "I shall prepare our students for either the war with Tirek or the departure for Solstheim, as Elenwen and Delphine have requested that some of them accompany you."

Sunset nodded her understanding as the old man walked away with the Archmage Robes, before turning back to her friends and finding that Fiona and the mage had approached her.

"Sunset, this is Falion of Morthal," Fiona said, beckoning to the mage for a moment, who nodded his head towards her, "He's an expert in both conjuration and vampirism. I've convinced him to take me back to the marshes of Morthal and cure myself... something I should have convinced by sisters to do when we separated from Lord Harkon."

"What brought on this change?" Sunset asked, wondering why her friend would want to stop being a vampire, something she had been for at least the last three hundred years.

"We think that Lord Molag Bal is being drained," Harkon said, appearing to their right for a moment, a look of disappointment on his face, "We are unaware of what the consequences would be if the Daedric Prince that gave us our power lost his own, so Fiona is taking matters into her own hands this time. My family and I are taking our chances, as well as many of my soldiers."

"Then I wish you luck Fiona," Sunset told her friend, who nodded to her for a moment.

"And I hope that you learn everything you need from Alduin and the Dragon Cult," Fiona replied, a light smile appearing on her face, though Sunset realized that she had overlooked something.

"Wait, how did you guys know that Molag Bal's being drained?" Sunset asked, determined to get the answer before they all went their separate ways.

"My family is the oldest clan of vampires in all of Skyrim," Harkon replied, a fanged smile appearing on his face, "Surely you felt the vibrations beneath our feet, or the shuddering of the barrier earlier? I know that you were in the main keep for the last hour or two, but I cannot believe that you couldn't feel either event. Anyway, I have sent some of my soldiers to scout out the Rift with some of the Dawnguard, where we're sure that our enemy has built his main base of operations. We'll have answers in a day or two, so go train and prepare for the coming war."

Sunset watched Harkon return to whatever he was doing, while Fiona bid farewell to their friends before departing from the keep, with Falion not far behind. She sighed for a moment before she approached the table that Elenwen, Delphine, and her friends were standing around, wondering what they were up to now.

"Ah, Dragonborn, its good that your here," Delphine said, beckoning Sunset to the table for a moment, where she found the plans that the other leader had been working on before the meeting yesterday, "Elenwen and I have drawn up a list of soldiers and mages that will be accompanying you to Solstheim in one weeks time, but we have caught a snag in our preparations; we have yet to chose the commander that will follow you and lead your forces. We have, however, decided that we would ask you for your recommendation on who should come along with you, besides your circle of friends of course."

"How about you Delphine?" Sunset asked, causing the Blade to look up for a moment, "You and Elenwen kept this Alliance together while I was seeking the Daedric Artifacts and dealt with Revan, plus you showed that your dedicated to the cause. Would you honor me by being my commander when we travel to Solstheim?"

"I would be honored," Delphine replied, though it was clear that she was surprised by what Sunset had said, "I will do my best to ensure that our fleet, and our chosen soldiers, are ready in one weeks time, which shouldn't be a problem seeing how Elenwen and the other leaders are so willing to help. Go and train, we'll be ready when you return."

Sunset nodded and turned to the entrance of the fortress, where Alduin had insisted to remain until Sunset was ready to begin her training in Labyrinthian. The black dragon turned its head towards her the moment he heard her walking forward, to which he lowered one of his wings and allowed her to climb on once more. Sunset was still surprised that the World-Eater was willing to let her ride on his back, let alone a second time, but nodded to him anyway and climbed onto his back. Once she was ready Alduin burst into the air and took off, turning around as he made his way towards Labyrinthian, where the other Dragon Priests were waiting for them.

When they landed Sunset found Morokei and Nahkriin waiting for them, while the other six Dragon Priests hung back and watched them as Sunset climbed off Alduin's back.

"We will teach you everything we knew," Morokei said, the Dragon Language rolling off his tongue as he beckoned for her to join the eight of them, "We will share all of our knowledge with you and not only teach you spells that most mages dream of casting, but also total mastery over the Thu'um. We will test you to your very limits and restore you to your full potential as Dragonborn. When we are done with your training you shall be the strongest Dragon Priestess in all of history, so much so that your enemy will fear your approach.

Come along now, its time we began... oh, and you won't be needing the Staff of Magnus, so don't bother summoning it while we train."

Sunset followed the eight priests into the ruin, where they floated along until they came to the chamber that Sunset remembered the skeletal dragon that had once resided in the center of the chamber. Morokei beckoned for her to stand in the center, so while she moved to the center and stood in the now covered mound the eight priests gathered around her. Then, one by one, the priests started to glow, in the similar fashion that the Greybeards had gone when they gifted her their 'knowledge' of the Unrelenting Force Shout. She found it amusing that their method of teaching, one that could be used within a short period of time, was the same as the peaceful monks.

For a moment Sunset wondered if they were actually going to transfer the knowledge to her or not, but then all of it surged towards her and flooded her mind, transferring the basics of every Shout and spell that the eight priests knew. She held her ground against the flow of information, but eventually she had to drop to one knee as the knowledge of the eight priests started to overwhelm her. She didn't know how long she stayed in that position, but she held herself together and continued to tell herself that she could not afford to faint from what she was being shown, before the eight priests completed what they were doing and pulled back.

Sunset huffed and puffed as she caught her breath and made sure that she wasn't about to faint, before moving her eyes upwards to the priests that surrounded her.

"You have emerged unscathed," Morokei told her, just as Sunset forced herself onto her feet and felt sweat rolling down her face, "This is all we will do for today, but tomorrow morning we will begin your training in both the art of magic and the art of the Thu'um."

Sunset was then escorted to a small bed area that had been built by the opening of the underground section, something she was sure that the Cult had built while they waited for her to arrive. It had a bed and a desk, telling her that she would mostly be sleeping in this area, but that she could also study some more before turning in if she wished. Morokei bid her goodnight and departed from the area, no doubt heading to Alduin so he could tell his master of the progress that had already been achieved. She huffed for a moment, still sore from being flooded with information, before she moved to the simple bed and threw herself onto it, allowing sleep to claim her.

When Sunset woke up in the morning she found that her friends, including Serana she noted, had followed her to Labyrinthian, baring potions that the Dragon Priests had requested for her training. They were there to simply watch over her training and make sure that she didn't strain herself in the process, something that Serana seemed sure was going to happen regardless. Sunset was thankful that they had come, as it would allow her to remember that she was fighting for not only their world, but all of the worlds that Tirek could destroy if he was allowed to have his way. Sunset was also allowed to have her meals with her friends, to help her cool down and relax for a few moments before being dragged back into her studies.

The first thing that the Dragon Priests started her on was the basics of magic, something that both she and the other mages at Fellglow Keep understood well enough by now. It wasn't until an hour into the exercise that Sunset learned that it was merely a warm up, something they had done to get her prepared for the true training that they had planned. The priests took turns with her in the underground area, where four of them focused on teaching her abut magic, while the other four focused on having her master her new Shouts.

"You must hear the Word within yourself before you can project it into a Shout," Krosis told her at one point, while she was huffing and puffing from loosing several failed Shouts in a row, "That is how we learned how to use the Thu'um when we were taught by Alduin, before the defeat of the Dragon Cult, and its no doubt how the ancient nord heroes learned the same thing when they were taught by Paarthurnax. If you wish to use and eventually master the Thu'um, in the time period allotted to you, then you must meditate on the Words we have given you and hear their echo."

Sunset looked up at Krosis for a moment, recalling similar instructions from Master Arngeir when she first came to High Hrothgar, before she sighed and took a few deep breaths. The priests were having her start with the elemental Shouts, having her use Frost Breath or Fire Breath to being with before they moved on to the next ones. She had been so used to not having the ability to use any Shout save for Unrelenting Force, so when she was actually having to train with them she felt like she was tiring out more often. She gathered herself for a moment, making sure that she knew what she was doing, before facing the wall that the priests wanted her to aim her Shouts at.

"Yol" Sunset breathed, drawing on the Words of Power she had been taught once more, only this time she could feel the fire responding to her call, "Toor Shul!

A gout of flames erupted from her mouth and struck the wall, which she was able to keep going for a few seconds before she was forced to cut it off and fall to her knees once more. She had the sudden urge to chuckle as she looked up at the wall, as she had managed to perform the Shout in a similar fashion that the dragons used when calling on their own fire Shouts. Raja ran over from the location where her friends were watching her from and wiped the sweat from her forehead, before giving her a swing of water and returning to the others. Sunset took a moment to catch her breath before getting onto her feet once more, where she turned to her current trainer and wondered what he had next for her.

"So you can be taught," Krosis commented, though Sunset couldn't tell if he was pleased or indifferent towards her actually using the Shout, "This is excellent news, because there are other Shouts that demand your attention and you cannot afford to waste time on mastering a single Shout. Now then, let us see if you can use the Frost Breath this time."

And so it went throughout the first day, where she was moving between casting spells at one wall and summoning the power of the Thu'um against another wall. Morokei, her main magic instructor, had allowed Krosis to go first and taught her some spells throughout the day, intending to give Sunset time to learn the Shouts she had neglected to use before. There were breaks that she had to take to prevent herself from collapsing, as the priests pushed her to her limits that day and made sure that she understood one of the Shouts before they moved onto another one.

Sunset noticed that, now that she had the knowledge of all eight priests, her instructors were giving her simple instructions on how to accomplish her tasks, as they were making her access the trove of information she had been given to complete what they asked of her.

Eventually the first day came to an end, where the eight priests finally allowed Sunset to return to her bed chamber and do what she wanted before going to sleep. As she walked to her new chamber she found that Bjorn had followed her, no doubt to make sure that she was holding up after what she had been through. She was touched that he was there to see all of this, and to make sure that she didn't collapse on the floor she mentally added, though she was grateful none the less.

"Rough first day," Bjorn commented, following Sunset to her chamber, where he stood by the wall as she sat on her bed for a moment, "Its hard to imagine that you have to do this for six more days."

"Don't remind me," Sunset moaned, stretching her arm as she recalled the only other time she had trained this hard was when Princess Celestia herself had picked her as her student, "but this is what must be done if I am to stand a chance against Tirek."

"Our allies are looking for him as we speak," Bjorn informed her, sighing as he looked outside the small chamber, though Sunset could tell that he was wondering where the demon was hiding, "Harkon said that his scouts should be at the area where the quake originated by tomorrow morning, so we won't know anything until the following afternoon. You just focus on learning what those Dragon Priests have to teach you, because when you return to Fellglow Keep we'll have everything prepared for you."

Sunset nodded and watched Bjorn leave her to her own devices, where she laid her head on her pillow and allowed her exhaustion to finally catch up with her.

On her second day of training Sunset found that the four priests that wanted to teach her about magic, Morokei, Hevnoraak, Nahkriin, and Otar, were fully prepared to teach her. What that meant was that she was to stand in the middle of the underground area with at least ten draugr scourge standing around her, all of them ready for combat. Their plan was simple, they told her, all they were going to do was watch her fight against enemies that were close to her power level, so they could see where she needed improvement before moving on. She thought that they were being crazy, as the scourge were powerful enemies and she knew that ten of them would definitely push her to her limits.

When they signaled the start of combat she barely had time to react as her enemies were on top of her, spells flying her way as they froze her to the ground almost instantly. She was thankful that they weren't trying to kill her, because if that had happened and the draugr were enemies she could have kissed her life goodbye. Instead of leaving her there until she thawed several restless draugr came up to her and broke her out of the ice, to which they returned to their stations and waited until they were needed once more.

"Try again," Morokei snapped, commanding both the draugr to charge once more and Sunset to fight them, "You'll never get better if your taken out like that."

Sunset groaned and summoned her magic, choosing to blast those that got the closest to her with lightning so that they'd think twice about attacking her... and maybe take away some of their own magic in the process. She was forced to move to the side when one of the scourge pulled out a battleaxe and charged at her, though she had to think of a strategy that would allow her to deal with the weapon without harming her. That was when a second weapon came into her field of view, forcing her backwards as the group of enemies drew closer to her as she neared one of the pillars.

When the weapons were swung at her Sunset decided to test one of her old spells from Equus and snapped her fingers, sparking the magic in front of her to create a bright red colored barrier that formed around her like a half sphere.

She waited a moment, just to be sure that the weapons had stopped, before she opened her eyes and found that the scourge had spotted the barrier being formed and had chosen to back away. It was clear that the undead were smart, as someone else could have noticed the spell happening and still attack anyway, but she knew that they were being careful not to hurt themselves. She gathered her magic around her fists and leapt out of the barrier, slamming her fists into one of the scourge and releasing the magic, blasting him backwards enough to make the other nine back off a bit. She prepared to strike another one of them, but then noticed that the magic was gone and that Morokei was staring right at her, almost as if she had done something wrong.

"You will never understand magic if you continue to use your home world's spells," Morokei told her, though this time she could tell that the priest was somewhat disappointed in her, "Resume the training exercise, but use nothing from your home world."

From there she was forced to use the spells that the priests had given her, where she had to back off and consider what she had to do before actually doing anything. it was time consuming, as she had no idea what powerful magic the scourge could actually command, but eventually she was the last one standing. The ten scourge had returned to their places near the priests, as they were supposed to when one of them was forced onto their knees by Sunset defeating them. When the training was finally over she was surprised to find that the day was already gone, but how the priests knew when the sun actually set and rose was beyond her understanding.

As she started to make her way back to her chamber she found that Fiona had returned to them, though she could instantly tell that there was something different about her friend.

"Fiona, how are you feeling?" Sunset asked, forgetting about her own tiredness for a moment as her friend approached her, giving her a glimpse of the person Fiona had been before she had become a vampire.

"More like a nord I guess," Fiona admitted, a small smile appearing on her face, before she sighed and grew serious once more, "Sunset, I only cured myself out of fear that when Lord Molag Bal loses his powers that all vampires would suffer in some way, or maybe even die due to their years of cheating death finally catching up to them. I would rather die defending the world that I love with my sword and spells in my hands, rather than be cut down by some cheap trick of our enemy. How's your training going?"

"Its going," Sunset sighed, showing how tired she was from only the second day, "I'm doing as much as I can before General Tullius and Karl Ulfric complete our fleet, which is when we'd set sail to Solstheim and meet Miraak at long last. Then we'll come back and defeat Tirek... unless he shows himself before we're done one the island."

Fiona nodded and went to join the rest of their friends, while Sunset yawned and returned to her chamber, where she fell into her bed and wondered how much more the other priests had for her to go through.

On the morning, or what counted as the morning, Sunset found that it wasn't the Dragon Priests that were going to be training her that day, but rather a massive dragon that seemed almost as old as Alduin was. She had the feeling that this was Paarthurnax, the Master of the Greybeards, though she was surprised that he was all the way down here and not back on the Throat of the World. The dragon nodded his head towards her as she approached him, wondering what he wanted to teach her that the other priests couldn't teach.

"Drem Yol Lok. Greetings, wunduniik." Paarthurnax greeted her, swinging his head towards her as she stopped beside him, "I am Paarthurnax."

"And I am Sunset Shimmer," Sunset replied, a light smile appearing on her face for a moment, "the Last Dragonborn, or so the legend says anyway. What are you going to teach me?"

"Drem. Patience." Paarthurnax told her, tuning towards the side of the mountain for a moment, "There are formalities which must be observed, at the first meeting of two of the dov."

The dragon then proceeded to blast the mountain side with his fire breath, though when he finished he beckoned for Sunset to do the same, only he beckoned to himself. Sunset wondered if the dragon was telling her to blast him with her own fire breath, but she sighed and gathered herself before allowing the gout of flames to erupt behind the Shout. Paarthurnax seemed to grin as she finished using her Shout, which she figured because he was staring at the sky for a moment before turning back to her.

"Aaah… yes! Sossedov los mul." Paarthurnax said, though Sunset knew that he was nearly shouting the words in joy, "The Dragonblood runs strong in you. It is long since I had the pleasure of speech with one of my own kind... not counting my brother Alduin, who convinced me to come and aid you."

"And I appreciate whatever help you can give me," Sunset told the dragon, surprised that Alduin went out and spoke to his brother, as from everything she had heard the two of them had been at odds.

"But first, a question for you," Paarthurnax said, turning his head back to Sunset, "I have heard about your fight with this... demon from your home world. Tell me, why must you stop Tirek?"

"Because if he powers up to his full power than every world in all of existence will be in danger, not just Nirn," Sunset told the old dragon, wondering how she didn't see such a question coming, "I desire to see Tirek stopped and thrown back into his prison, so that he cannot escape ever again... or even completely destroyed."

"That is a fair answer," Paarthurnax replied, letting out a sigh before turning his eyes on her, "I shall teach you what I can of the Thu'um and ensure that you are properly prepared for what is to come. We had better get started, Dragonborn."

For the rest of the day the dragon reinforced her training with the various Shouts that she already knew, the same ones that she had learned in the previous two days. Once she had enough progress in those Shouts Paarthurnax got her started on some of the Shouts that the Dragon Priests hadn't gotten to yet. The dragon had enough patience to allow her to take a break and recover for a few minutes before continuing with the lesson, which is the pattern they went through for the rest of the day. Her friends came and watched her use the various Shouts that the dragon wanted her to use, commenting on what one of them did every now and then when Sunset was resting.

When the end of the third day finally came Sunset was sure that she had never been so sore in her entire life, but also knew that she had to pull through if she wanted any hope of defeating Tirek.

The next three days were the same thing as the first three, where the trio of trainers took turns teaching her the skills that they knew and increased her own skill with either magic or the Thu'um. It was tiring work, but Sunset knew that if she got better in all of her skills that she would have a better chance at defeating Tirek when the time came. It didn't help that she felt the shudder of the barrier whenever he accessed another of the Daedric Princes, but she could only pray that they were holding out as long as they could before he managed to grab onto them.

On the seventh day, the final day of her training, the eight priests took her to the chamber where they had transferred their knowledge into her to prepare her for her training. She wasn't sure what they were doing, but figured that whatever it was had to be important considering that it required all eight of them present. The only thing that they had told her was that she wasn't to use her sword or the Staff of Magnus, which made her worry that this was a training session that pitted her against all eight of them. Her friends were still standing around the area, though she was sure that none of them knew what was coming as she waited for the priests to do whatever they were going to do.

What they ended up doing was circling around her, similar to what they had done when they gifted her with all of their collected knowledge on the Thu'um and magic, so she had to wonder what they had planned this time.

"You have mastered the Shouts that we had to offer to you," Morokei said, magic appearing around him and the other priests, "and the spells that we revealed to you, all within a week's time. We have pushed you to your limits, and several times you fell to you knees as if you were surrendering, but then you would get back up and throw it all back at us. You have gained confidence in the face of our training, and in doing so you have unlocked your full potential as a Dragon Priestess. The eight of us have gathered here, in the very chamber where we gave our knowledge to you, to present you with the armor of a Dragon Priest.

We are honored to name you Konahrik, meaning Warlord in the Dragon Language, and give to you the title as the First Dragon Priestess in all of history."

The magic that the eight priests were weaving wrapped around Sunset for a moment before she noticed something begin to emerge from the strands, something that had the appearance of dragon scales. Sunset watched as a suit of armor appeared from the magic, armor that did look like the robes that the eight priests around her were wearing. Instead of having an actual mask to cover her face there was a circlet that was missing its gemstone, which told her that it had been crafted for her horn in mind. Morokei beckoned to it and Sunset stepped forward, pulling the armor on over her head, her arms, and her waist, before pulling the circlet on and letting the metal touch her forehead.

Sunset knew that it wasn't the Archmage Robes she had become used to wearing, but she smiled and knew that her new armor would serve its purpose.

With the deed done the group of priests followed Sunset and her friends outside, where they found Alduin, General Tullius, Jarl Ulfric, and Delphine waiting for her. The fact that three of them were here, after one weeks time, told her everything that she needed to know, so she let them tell her that the ships were ready and waiting near Windhelm. She smiled as Delphine proposed that they get underway immediately, because now that their fleet of ships was ready they could travel to Solstheim and find Miraak. Things were finally starting to look up for Sunset and her Alliance, despite what was happening to the world around them.

As they walked out of Labyrinthian all Sunset could think about was where Tirek was hiding and how many Princes he had left before he assaulted the weakened barrier.

Tirek huffed and puffed as he tossed the latest Prince aside, as he had been weakened from the constant fighting that he had come to expect from the remaining Princes. Once Molag Bal had been drained he reached forward and drew forth Namira, the Prince of Decay, who turned out to be a women dressed up in robes that had spots of blood everywhere. She had put up quite the fight, disappearing every now and then, only to reappear and inflict whatever poison she had concocted before she had been snatched from her realm. Eventually she had slipped up and that was when he had reached out, silencing her while he stole the power that was coursing through her body.

The following day, when he was done draining her, he called forth the next artifact, but when he saw it was the Razor of Mehrunes Dagon he knew that he wasn't prepared for that fight. He had immediately returned it to the chest, least he accidentally summon the one Prince that might undo all his work, and called forth Vaermina, who was another women dressed up in pitch black robes. She had immediately set the area into a state of darkness, forcing him to pick and choose where he wanted to attack so he could catch his prey. It had actually taken some time in the dark for him to figure out where she was hiding, as the only way he had known was when she tried to open the chest and steal the other artifacts, but in the end Vaermina offered her power to him.

The third Prince, Mephala, was also dressed up in black clothing, but when she appeared she summoned up her webs and wrapped them around Tirek. He figured it would be simple to break them and catch her, but as it turned out those simple webs were as touch as steel and prevented him from moving. It gave the Prince the time she needed to grab her Ebony Blade, allowing it to soak in the energy around them and restoring it to its full and terrible power. She then took her time in cutting into Tirek, making sure that he suffered for what he was doing to the world, before he moved is arm in the way and forced her to cut through the web, where his hand touched her throat and it was gave over.

Sanguine, the fourth Prince he conquered, had come out of the portal in his party clothes and was followed by a group of dremora soldiers that attacked him. He was somewhat easier that the other Princes, as he never got close enough to deal damage but always came close to encourage his soldiers to continue. Tirek received several gashes that were added to his ever growing list of damage that the Princes were dealing to him, but in the end the soldiers were dead and the Prince had been drained. He then took the next two days to recover from his ordeal, making sure that he was fully prepared to fight Boethiah, who he was expecting to put up a fight similar to what Molag Bal did.

That was before a women, one dressed in full black armor, appeared behind him, though her weapon was what appeared to be a longsword that gleamed in the light of the twilight realm he had created. Boethiah came at him, cutting gashes into his body left and right, barely giving him time to defend himself, before he forced her backwards to come up with a plan of attack. Several times he thought that he had her, but she continued to slip away from him and taunt him, all while cutting him down to his knees and eventually making him crumble to the ground. When she thought he was done for he snapped up and secured the powers of the fourteenth Daedric Prince.

Now he sat before the portal, allowing his magic to heal himself as he mentally planned out what he was going to do when he got around to summoning Dagon to this world. The barrier between worlds was weakening faster than he had expected, as it was now allowing each Prince more access to their abilities when he summoned them. When Dagon arrived he knew that the two of them would likely destroy the area around the tower when they fought, so he needed someplace where he could drain the final Prince. For now he was content to wait for once, as he was not ready for the Prince of Destruction in his current condition. He also knew that Sunset Shimmer was training herself to meet his own power, but she would be surprised when they met at the end of the world.

"Soon I shall summon Dagon," Tirek told himself, staring at the Razor as it floated in the air before him, "and then I shall be one step closer to ending this pathetic world."

44: The Island of Ash and Snow

Sunset stood on the docks that were outside Windhelm and watched as Delphine oversaw the boarding of their soldiers and supplies onto their fleet. The ships in question were actually half the size of the Emperor's own ship, the Katariah she learned, but they managed to carry at least thirty to forty people with some room to spare. They were taking one hundred of their soldiers with them, leaving the majority of them at Fellglow Keep to continue preparing for the coming battle with Tirek. The plan was actually simple; they were going to travel to Solstheim, figure out where Miraak was hiding, convince him to lend his strength to the cause, and then return to Skyrim for the coming war. She would be on the ship that had brought the Cultists to Skyrim in the first place, the Northern Maiden, but while she did that Delphine would have the their ships following behind her.

Captain Gjalund had, reluctantly, agreed to assist them in their efforts of finding Solstheim, as he knew the way to the island from all of his visits before the one with the Cultists. As she watched the sailors stare at the soldiers in wonder she noticed that Delphine was coming her way, to which she sighed and turned towards her Commander.

"Dragonborn, both General Tullius and General Orak report that their ships are ready," Delphine said to her, bowing her head respectfully once she stood before Sunset, "All three of our ships are ready for departure... all we need is for Captain Gjalund to get underway and we'll be able to start the journey to Solstheim."

"Then prepare to get underway Delphine," Sunset told the women, though she made a quick check of her armor to be sure that she had everything she needed, "I will speak with the Captain in a few minutes, I just need to make sure that my friends and I are ready before we get this journey started at long last."

Delphine nodded and headed down the path that she had walked up, returning to the ships so she could share the command with both of her Generals. Tullius was coming to make sure that Sunset focused on getting to Miraak and making sure that they could form some sort of agreement with him, while Orak merely wanted to make sure that whatever base they made on the island was protected from whatever enemies there were on Solstheim. All she hoped was that they could find Miraak as quickly as possible and get back to Skyrim before Tirek could absorb the remaining Princes, which she had no idea how many were left at this point.

None of the already drained Princes were willing to share the information about how many could be left with her, which told Sunset that, without their magic, they had no way of knowing. All they knew was that Mehrunes Dagon and Hermaeus Mora would be the last two Princes that Tirek would go through, though she could tell that they knew something that she didn't. Seeing how she didn't have the time to waste on asking a question that they would never answer Sunset had decided to head to Windhelm, though now they would be leaving the city and venturing someplace else for a time.

"We've been meaning to do this for some time haven't we?" Fiona commented, stepping up to Sunset as the rest of their group, including Serana, followed suit, "We were attacked roughly three weeks ago, yet we're only now heading to Solstheim to see what Miraak wants with you. I'm amazed that we took this long to plan on heading to the island."

"We've had other things to do first," Sunset replied, beckoning for her friends to follow her as she headed towards the Northern Maiden, "We needed to secure the Daedric Artifacts and create an Alliance that would stand against Tirek when the time came, though we have completed both of those objectives despite the time it took to do each of them."

"And yet we handed the Daedric Artifacts over to our enemy," Serana pointed out, bringing up Sunset's worst failure in this world, "and the Alliance that you put together nearly tore itself apart a week ago. I am somewhat... annoyed... with my father, as he swore that he'd aid you when delivered Revan's head to him, but decided to turn on you when the truth was revealed. I, on the other hand, will continue to stand beside you, regardless of what happens to Nirn while we gather our forces together."

Sunset nodded and crossed over the river that separated the Windhelm docks from the land across from it, though as she did so she could tell that the sailors and the guards were staring at her. As she approached the Northern Maiden she spotted Jarl Ulfric standing not too far away, though she had to wonder what he was going to do next. The last time they had spoken was when he tried to destroy the Alliance, but he had continued to insist that he and Tullius wanted her to step down from being the Archmage, so she could focus on her task. She was grateful that he wasn't trying to kill her, though she sighed for a moment and beckoned to her friends, who boarded the ship as she approached the Jarl.

"I will not apologize for the meeting right now," Jarl Ulfric told her, something that Sunset was actually expecting him to say, "All I will say, however, is that I wish you luck in finding this Miraak and ensuring some sort of Alliance with him. Talos guide your path."

Sunset briefly nodded her head to the Jarl, who seemed pleased regardless and beckoned her onward, to which she returned to the Northern Maiden and briefly spoke to the Captain. Then, once the sailor remembered the purpose for which he had been contracted by the Alliance, he shouted at the other sailors and they got underway. As the ship separated itself from the dock, and headed out into the open water, Sunset called out to Delphine as they neared the other three ships. Her commander called out a reply to her before shouting at the Generals, who called to their own sailors as the Northern Maiden passed by all of them.

Once they were in the open water Sunset turned around for a moment and watched as her fleet got underway, following her out into the Sea of Ghosts as they made their way to Solstheim.

"Here we are, Raven Rock, just as I promised you and your Commander," the captain said, beckoning to the small settlement that they were approaching, "Can't say I'm glad to be back, but make sure you give whoever sent those cultists to me a piece of my mind for me."

Raven Rock, Sunset noticed, was completely different from the settlements that existed throughout Skyrim, as these ones seemed to be crafted from some sort of large insect, which also included the ash she saw everywhere. As they had drawn closer to the island she had noticed that there was what appeared to be an abandoned fortress of some kind, one that happened to have a dock that they could whip into shape. She stared at it as they approached the settlement, deciding that it would likely be the best place for them to setup their forces until they were done with the island. She resolved to ask whoever was in charge of Raven Rock if they could use the fortress, though she was sure that she would have to run that idea by Delphine when they landed.

As the Northern Maiden finally docked in Raven Rock's harbor, which had room for one to two small ships, Sunset also noticed that Delphine had the other ships remain in the open water, though she was on a rowboat and was coming towards the dock.

"Ah, Gjalund," a voice said, causing Sunset to turn around and find a dark elf standing on the dock, though at the moment he was more focused on the Captain, "I was starting to wonder what had happened to you."

"We, uh... we were delayed by bad weather." the Captain replied, though Sunset wasn't surprised to hear that he was lying to the elf in an attempt to hide what had happened, "And before you even ask... yes, I have the supplies you requested. But..."

"But what?" the elf asked, though it was clear that he was clearly afraid of whatever the Captain might tell him.

"This load cost me double what we had agreed on." Gjalund replied, mentioning the supplies he had picked up before Sunset and her friends had commissioned him to bring them to the island, "The East Empire Company didn't give me a choice. They've raised their prices again, and there's nothing I can do about it."

"After all these years, they're gouging us for every last drake we have." the elf said, sighing for a moment as shook his head, "Let me talk to Lleril. I'll see what we can do."

"All right, Adril. Don't worry about rushing it." Captain Gjalund replied, offering a light smile to the elf in an attempt to make the matter seem less than it actually was, "Just pay me when you can."

Before Sunset really could say anything the elf turned to her and her friends, apparently surprised by the amount of people that had come to the island with Gjalund. He seemed to be studying each of them, as if he was trying to figure out if they were friendly or would turn hostile the moment he decided to open his mouth. In the end the elf sighed and decided on something, which Sunset knew would be directed at them.

"I don't recognize any of you, so I'll assume this is your first visit to Raven Rock, outlanders." Adril said, his eyes moving to Gjalund for a moment before turning back to Sunset, "State your intentions."

"We're searching for someone named Miraak," Sunset replied, deciding that telling the truth would be better in the long run, though as she spoke she spotted Delphine climbing onto the dock.

"Ah, that name has something to do with the Earth Stone, if my memory serves me right," Adril said, beckoning to the glowing stone not far from the small settlement, "but you seem to have brought an army to help you search for one person."

"We're here to ensure that the Warlord finds who she's looking for and doesn't get distracted," Delphine finally spoke up, causing the elf to turn towards her for a moment in surprise, "I also noticed that you have quite the fortress not far from the entrance to this settlement... are you, by chance, in the mood to let someone move into the fortress?"

"You mean Fort Frostmoth?" Adril asked, a light smile appearing on his face, before it disappeared moments later, "That place has been abandoned for two hundred years, though the Captain of the Redoran Guards, Captain Veleth, seems convinced that the ash spawn are coming from that place. We'll also have to inquire about the exchange with the Councilor, Lleril Morvayn, before either of us can do anything about it."

Sunset nodded and beckoned for her friends, including Delphine, to follow her as she made her way towards the entrance to Raven Rock that rested on her right. She waited until they were passed the two Redoran Guards that were keeping watch for trouble, where she stopped and turned to her companions. She knew that her course of action would be to head to the Earth Stone and figure out where Miraak was hiding, but she also knew that Delphine would like to get their base up and running before anything else.

"I can see it in your eyes," Delphine commented, a light smile appearing on her face, but unlike the one Adril had Delphine's stayed on, "and I agree with you Sunset, we must create a base of operations on this island. Fort Frostmoth may be covered and buried in ash, but with some work we should be able to whip it into shape for people to live in once more."

With Delphine agreeing with her Sunset led the group out of the tunnel and headed in the direction of Fort Frostmoth, though before they were even ten minutes outside the settlement she spotted someone in bone armor that was being attacked by three creatures that were clearly made from ash. Bjorn, needing no prompt from Sunset or Delphine, drew his bow, nocked an arrow, and loosed it into the chest of the creature to the Captain's right, knocking it to the ground almost immediately. Cicero and Raja took the one on the left, cutting the creature down before it had a chance to wound the Captain, who cut the final one down on his own.

"Thanks... I wasn't sure I'd make it off this farm alive." Captain Veleth said, sheathing his battleaxe before beckoning to the dead men around him, "I wish I could have said the same for my man here. I was searching for clues that might lead me to wherever they're coming from. I know it isn't the best place to start, but we know they've been coming from this direction."

"How about Fort Frostmoth?" Raja asked, though Sunset could see the piece of parchment that she had picked up, "Apparently there's someone called Falx Carius that's commanding the ash spawn living in the fortress... and he's not pleased with your settlement at all. We had best get in there and take care of this undead commander."

Sunset nodded her understanding and they continued towards the ash covered fortress, though as they did so she also noticed that Veleth was following behind them, almost as if he was eager to see what happened for himself. When they arrived at the fortress they discovered one lone ash spawn patrolling the ruined dock, to which Sunset forced it to explode with a well placed lightning bolt to the chest. Once that deed was done Sunset nodded to Delphine, who walked onto the dock and pulled out a war horn, which she blew into to signal to the ships. They waited as the ships came to the dock, though during that time Sunset was somewhat surprised that the ash spawn didn't come at them while they stood there.

"We will need to repair this dock first," Delphine commented, studying the rotting structure of the dock while they stood there, "then we'll need to figure out how to get rid of the ash... though I have the feeling that you'll figure something out Sunset."

Sunset knew that the women was right, as she already had several spells in mind that would hold up until they were ready to leave the island and, as a bonus, they wouldn't drain any of her own magic. While she thought about magic she could have sworn that she felt the presence of two Dragon Priests nearby; one when they were talking to Adril in Raven Rock, and one that was close to their exact location. She knew that, according to the dragons in the Forgotten Vale, that there had to be thirteen Dragon Priests in total, which meant that the other five had to be on Solstheim somewhere, one of which she was sure had to be Miraak. She resolved to hunt down the remaining Priests and make sure that they were awakened, because she was sure that she was going to need their power as well.

Once the ships neared the dock the sailors pulled out wooden walkways that they used to connect to the dock, before the soldiers marched off the ships and stopped before the group. Delphine then issued orders for them to enter the fortress and destroy every ash spawn that they found, though Orak declared that he wanted to put whoever was leading them down himself. Sunset watched as her forces entered Fort Frostmoth, but as they did so the commander of the ash spawn, Falx Carius himself, appeared near the top of one of the walls and shouted at his soldiers to form ranks and attack the 'invaders'.

A force of at least twenty ash spawn pulled themselves out of the ash, forming their bodies and their weapons, before they spotted their enemies and charged at them. Sunset's soldiers, who trained for the last two weeks for something like this, drew their own weapons and bashed their shields into the advancing enemies, knocking them back for a moment. The archers pulled out their bows and loosed arrows at the ash spawn that stayed in the back, pinning them to the ground so the rest of their forces could cut them down. Orak himself cut at least three of them down all by himself, but Sunset expected as much from the orc considering that he took out an entire fortress by himself in Skyrim.

Sunset watched as her forces advanced into the actual fort, where they encountered more ash spawn and put down everything that stood in their way, until they came to the final chamber and found the commander of the undead waiting for them.

"Your forces are formidable," Falx Carius commented, drawing his warhammer as Orak approached him, "I shall enjoy making sure that you are all turned into ash spawn, so that we may destroy the Raven Rock Stronghold..."

Orak charged forward, but when he drew close to the undead captain he pulled back and allowed the massive weapon to move passed where he had been standing, before delivering a cut to the captain's backside. Falx growled and turned around, swinging his weapon and hitting one of the support pillars that Orak taunted him towards, though all that did was make the captain even angrier. The taunting went on for some time, though each time the captain missed his mark Orak would cut him in some way to fuel the anger, to make him go into a blind rage. When the undead captain did go into a rage state he began to attack everything around him, though Orak simply dodged each of the attacks as he looked for an opening he could use.

When that opening revealed itself Orak disarmed the undead captain, picked up the warhammer, and smashed the head of the weapon into the captain's chest, destroying whatever was keeping him alive as he dropped to the floor, as a few minutes later he didn't get back up.

"Well then, I guess we had better speak to the Councilor," Delphine said, looking over at the Redoran Captain for a moment, before turning back to Sunset, "I suggest that you use whatever spell you've been thinking of while Orak, Tullius, and I head back to Raven Rock with Veleth, though if all goes as planned we should be back with news that this fortress will serve as our base."

Sunset nodded and followed the group of four out of the fortress, where she watched them return to the path they had taken to reach the fortress and begin the journey back to Raven Rock. Sunset, on the other hand, reached into her robes and pulled out two spheres, one made of silver while the other was made of quicksilver, but both of them had magical runes etched on their surfaces. She had painstakingly created these during her time in Labyrinthian, a secret project that she had kept hidden from everyone, so that wherever their base on Solstheim was located she could create a barrier that protected her soldiers.

She moved to the tower that overlooked one half of the fortress, where she flashed to the top of it and set the silver sphere down in the center, to which the magic inside the orb allowed it to suspend itself in midair. She then turned around and sailed through the air to the building diagonally across from it, where she lifted the quicksilver orb into the air and allowed its magic to take over. Once the two orbs were in the air she returned to the middle of the fortress and let the magic flow into her body, to which she activated the spell she had prepared in advance.

The moment she released the magic a shimmering barrier sprung up around Fort Frostmoth, which would be fueled by the two spheres until she told them to stop working.

"There, our soldiers should be safe from harm," Sunset said, silencing her magic as her friends approached her, "and, if Delphine says we need to find someplace else to make our base, then I can easily recall the spell and pick the sphere's up."

Bjorn nodded his understanding, though they all waited outside the fortress for Delphine and the Generals to return with news on who owned the fortress. An hour passed before any of them returned to the fort, though when they did Sunset noticed that they were accompanied by another dunmer, though this one was dressed up as a wizard. Captain Veleth was clearly back at Raven Rock, though Sunset wondered what the decision on the fort was as her companions approached her.

"We come baring good news," Delphine said, showing Sunset a smile as she did so, "Councilor Morvayn has agreed to give us control over Fort Frostmoth, which means that we can begin clearing out all this ash and whip this place into shape."

"That is good news," Sunset replied, before beckoning to the elf that had followed the group into the fortress, "and who might you be?"

"I am Neloth, Master Wizard of House Telvanni," the dunmer replied, though his eyes were looking at the two magical orbs that fueled the barrier above them, "I must say, I am quite curious as to what the magical properties of those orbs are... and if I might be able to study them at some point."

"We'll discuss that at a later date," Sunset told the dunmer, not really wanting to reveal how the orbs had been crafted, but figured that she'd tell the wizard something that would tide him over, "at the moment I am currently searching for Miraak, so any information you have on him would gladly be appreciated."

"Ah, but that makes very little sense." Neloth replied, shaking his head slightly, "You see, Miraak's been dead for thousands of years. There are ruins of an ancient temple of Miraak's toward the center of the island, so if I were you I'd start my search there."

Sunset nodded to the master wizard, grateful that she already had a base of operations and a possible location as to where she could find the person they had come to make a deal with. While Delphine, Orak, and General Tullius oversaw the building of a permanent base of operations here she would head into the nearby mountain and see what awaited her at Miraak's temple. With the barrier up her soldiers would be able to remove all the ash they wanted without having to worry about more coming inside and ruining their work, as the spell was designed to allow the ash to connect with the barrier and then slide off to the sides.

Soon she and her friends would meet the First Dragonborn and then discover what she needed to do so she could form some sort of agreement with him. Then, once they were done with Solstheim, they would return to Skyrim, find Tirek, and then destroy the demon before he had a chance to ruin Nirn.

Tirek stood on the terrace of his ruined tower, staring out at the open area of the Rift as he ignored the floating artifact that rested beside the portal behind him, wondering if he was even prepared to fight with Mehrunes Dagon. The majority of the other fourteen Princes had dealt some serious damage to him, damage that he was still recovering from, though he could not put it off any longer. Once Dagon was dealt with he had to summon Hermaeus Mora, though he had to wonder what damage the Prince of Destruction would do to this world. He had to resist the urge to sigh as he turned back to the open gateway, to which he summoned his magic and allowed the call to echo through Oblivion.

Not seconds later the portal was torn open as a humanoid creature, at least twice as tall as he was, baring four arms and having skin that was deep red, stepped out of the portal. Dagon only wore a loincloth that was fastened out of metal and some sort of chest piece that only covered his shoulders, leaving his chest wide open. The Daedric Prince stared at him for a moment, with a wicked smile that overtook his face, before all of his hands summoned what appeared to be daedric swords, though on his back he had a daedric greatsword.

"I thank you for summoning me, demon," Dagon said, beckoning to the sky for a moment, which was now filled with cracks, "Because of you the barrier between worlds is almost non existent, so I can now walk Nirn with my full power coursing through by veins... and I'll start by destroying you!"

Tirek barely had time to react as Dagon rushed before him and swung his normal swords at him, cutting into his arms and legs before kicking him in the chest. Tirek growled and summoned his magic into his right hand, but when he released it at the Prince all Dagon did was swing one of his swords at it and an explosion rocked the tower, shattering the floor they were standing on. Tirek leapt backwards and watched as the entirety of the tower below it crumpled under the weight of Dagon's power, something he had expected when he decided to summon the Prince to Nirn.

Dagon appeared behind Tirek and swung all four of his swords at his back, cutting four gashes into his back that destroyed the robe he was wearing, before an explosion rocked his back and blew him out of the air. He sailed through the air and hit the ground in what appeared to be a steam area, but as he coughed and picked himself up Dagon landed on the ground before him, cracking the earth beneath his feet. He then growled and gathered energy into his fist, which he then swung into the Prince's chest, but when the magic happened the energy appeared behind Dagon and the ground behind him began to quake.

Tirek's eyes widened as Dagon brought the swords down on his body, cutting into his shoulders and delivering two deep gashes that went from his shoulders and stopped at the bottom of his chest. Dagon then kicked him hard in the chest, to the point where he could feel his ribs cracking under the intensity of the blows, before he was blown back into the wall of earth behind him. As Tirek slowly picked himself up Dagon sheathed his four swords into his arms and legs before he drew his greatsword, but before Tirek could move out of the way he found the greatsword lodged inside his chest, going all the way through and pinning him to the wall.

"Death is what you deserve," Dagon growled, turning to go for a moment, but then noticed that the last person he expected to see again, Jyggalag, was standing up on the hillside nearby.

Before he could move towards the Prince of Order a rush of energy erupted from behind him, causing him to turn around and find a pillar of dark red energy ascending towards the sky, shattering the barrier between Nirn and Oblivion. When the energy stopped Dagon's eyes widened in surprise when he discovered that not only were his weapons gone, but every wound he had dealt to the demon had suddenly healed up. Tirek himself was now void of something to cover his chest, but his lower body had now deepened to a near black color while his chest, arms, and head had changed to a deep red color. His horns still only came out to about the top of his head, but Dagon knew that the demon was powerful thanks to the power of the other Princes coursing through his veins.

The instant Dagon tried to move Tirek appeared before him and grabbed onto his neck, lifting him into the air before taking his power from his body.

"You came close to killing me," Tirek growled, enjoying the rush of power he was feeling at the moment, "but yet you failed. Once I have your power, and the power of the final Prince, I shall destroy Sunset Shimmer and her allies, before shattering this pathetic world."

45: The First Dragonborn

Just as Sunset and her friends were preparing to begin the journey up to Miraak's Temple Sunset felt something that she had hoped that she would never feel while she was on Nirn. She looked up at the sky, passing the barrier that she had thrown up, and watched as the barrier that kept Nirn separated from Oblivion shattered before her very eyes. Everyone in the fortress, those attuned to the power of magic, also looked up at the sky along with her, though Sunset knew that many of them would be terrified of what the shattering of the barrier meant. It was quite possible that the forces of Oblivion might march on the rest of Nirn, but there was nothing she could do if the dremora decided to do so.

Though the only explanation she had for the barrier breaking like that was that Tirek was much closer to one hundred percent than she had originally thought, which told her that she needed to find Miraak, make an agreement with him, and then get back to Skyrim so they could fix what the demon had done.

"Sunset, does that mean what I think it means?" Delphine asked, her eyes widening as the barrier between worlds fell apart, "Does that mean that we have less time then we originally planned on?"

"Tirek's moving much faster than I thought he would," Sunset admitted, sweat rolling down her face for a moment, before she turned to the women, "We'll proceed with the original plan of whipping this fort into shape and finding Miraak, but the moment we're completed what we came to do then we need to go back and stop Tirek... before he does something to the rest of Nirn."

Delphine nodded her understanding and immediately shouted at the soldiers, who got underway in the task of shoveling out the ash and rebuilding any of the supports that might have been broken. Sunset sighed before heading out of the fortress, hoping that she could find Miraak swiftly so they could stop Tirek, though she had no idea how long Hermaeus Mora would be able to hold out if he was the last Prince left. She had to guess that Hermaeus was the last Prince left, as the shattering of the barrier would only happen when Tirek was close to max power, which would be when there was either one Prince left or none at all.

Sunset made sure to watch for any enemies that might be around them, but the few bandits that she noticed around their path glanced back at the fortress they came from and turned tail. She was pleased that the presence of her army deterred enemies from actually attacking her, as she was sure that the bandits were afraid that if they attacked the group they'd have an army running after them. When they finally reached the temple, which was an hour or two away from the fortress, Sunset found that it almost looked like it had been dragged out of the ash, like it had been swept clean by the bandits that happened to be roaming the entire place.

Even as the group approached the temple she could tell that the people that were working on the pillars were definitely brainwashed, as the moment Sunset approached one of them and tried to talk to them they completely ignored her.

"Oslaf, Ysra, please! You must fight against what is controlling you!" someone shouted, causing Sunset to run up to the top of the upper ring of the temple and find someone, another nord that was dressed in impressive looking armor, talking to two of the brainwashed builders, "You must leave this place! It is not safe here! We must go back to the village!"

"Is something the matter?" Sunset asked, wondering what the women was doing at the temple, though the women turned around the moment she spoke as if she was surprised.

"You there. What brings you to this place?" the women asked, completely ignoring her question as she decided to ask her own in return, "Why are you here?"

"I'm searching for Miraak," Sunset replied, though she had the feeling that the women was going to blame the supposed to be dead former Dragon Priest for all the brainwashed people around the temple, "There's a dangerous demon that just destroyed the barrier between Nirn and Oblivion, so we're here to find Miraak..."

"Something has taken control of most of the people of Solstheim." the women suddenly said, as if she had made a connection between what was happening around her and what Sunset had said, "It makes them forget themselves, and work on these horrible creations that corrupt the Stones, the very land itself. My father Storn, our shaman, says Miraak has returned to Solstheim, but that is impossible. Let us go. There is nothing more I can do here. The Tree Stone and my friends are beyond my help for now. We need to find a way into the temple below. Also, I am Frea of the Skaal."

Sunset heard what she believed was stone moving on stone, though when she turned to the left she noticed that a path had opened in the ground... one that appeared to head deeper into the ground. As she strode down the walkway she spotted several cultists, the same ones that had traveled to Skyrim so they could kill her, pull out their magic and shout at her. Lightning pulsed around her hand as she leveled her arm with one of the cultists, which crashed into the person and knocked them into the wall before his friends could even understand what happened. She then spun around and released two more bolts, which tore into the other two cultists and slew them where they stood, before she continued towards the door that would lead them into the actual temple.

Once they were inside the temple Sunset immediately moved down the corridor, passing by two rooms that looked like they were almost wrecked beyond belief. Frea wanted to check them out for any provisions that would help them for the coming trial, so Sunset sighed and decided to give her five minutes to look around both rooms before moving on. It turned out that there was nothing for them to take with them, which told Sunset that the cultists had taken what they needed and had left nothing behind for anyone else to take. They reached an area with what looked like pressure plates scattered about, but Frea ran forward and swung her arms, her axes taking off the heads of two cultists before they had a chance to even see who was attacking them.

Before they moved deeper into the ruined temple the two coffins that rested beside the open path, which had remained closed as Frea killed the cultists, opened and two draugr, Deathlords Sunset noticed, pulled themselves out of their coffins. Frea, seeing them, readied her axes, fully prepared to deal with them if they turned on them, but after a few seconds the two Deathlords simply knelt before Sunset.

"The Warlord has come," one of the two Deathlords said, speaking in the Dragon Tongue, to which Frea raised an eyebrow as she tried to understand what was going on, "Have you come to see Miraak?"

"I have indeed," Sunset replied, somewhat surprised to find draugr, on Solstheim no less, that even knew about her taking on the title and armor of Konahrik, "I assume that you can lead me to him?"

"We can do that and so much more," the second Deathlord replied, getting onto his feet while pulling out an ebony battleaxe, while his buddy pulled out his ebony sword and shield, "We shall destroy the invaders and lead you to the one you seek."

Sunset nodded and followed the two Deathlords down the pathway that Frea had been so eager to travel down, though when they reached the next chamber they found that they had a great view of the open pit like area, one that had a couple of drawn up corpses. Based on everything that Sunset was learning about the mysterious Miraak it seemed like he had betrayed the Dragon Cult and, she suspected, drawn up his enemies to display his power. While they followed the draugr, who were waking their comrades from their slumber, Frea spotted a chest on a platform above them and pointed it out to Sunset, who noticed the large chest and flashed up to it.

She found a few ebony items, mainly weapons, and took them with her, to which she handed them to Lydia so she could determine who actually needed them.

"Death to the False Dragonborn!" one of the cultists at the bottom of the pit shouted, but as she did so one of the Deathlords shouted down at them and knocked them off their feet.

Sunset followed directly behind her growing collection of draugr, noting how many cultists there actually were in the temple, telling her that Miraak had definitely put some time into building his forces to protect his temple. She knew that the First Dragonborn wouldn't have expected the draugr in his temple to turn on his forces, so it was somewhat amusing to see the cultist getting wrecked by the undead. They continued deeper into the temple, finding a few more draugr that joined their growing force, which Frea continued to stare at every time a group joined the horde. They eventually reached a long tunnel that was full of swinging blades, but Sunset knew that, just by looking at all the blades, that Miraak had devised this part of the temple to kill anyone who wasn't an ally to his cause, like the cultists.

"I am not going down there." Frea immediately said the moment they reached the swinging blade tunnel, though as she did so she sat on the ground before the first swinging blade, "It would be foolish to attempt it. You have a much better chance than I to make it through these traps. I have no doubt that lever turns these blades off. I shall wait here for now."

Sunset sighed and beckoned for her friends, and the draugr that followed her, to remain where they were standing, before she gathered her magic and flashed all the way to the other side. It was a teleportation spell, one that she had assumed she would actually never use while she was in Nirn, but it served its purpose in getting her to her destination. She then flipped the switch and turned the blades off, to which the draugr advanced up the tunnel and caught up with her, before they continued along the path that would take them to wherever Miraak was waiting for them.

The next area they came to had several raised wooden bridges, though Sunset had the feeling that the moment they walked down their bridge the other three would open and they would find a group of enemies waiting for them. Frea walked down the wooden bridge and sure enough the other bridges opened up, two draugrs and a cultist walking down to greet all of them. The two draugr stared at the force of undead that were following Sunset for a moment, but then they turned their blades on the unsuspecting cultist and ended his life before he could defend himself.

"Okay, before we go any further you need to explain yourself," Frea said, pointing one of her axes at Sunset and caused all the draugr to point their weapons at her, before Sunset held up her hand and had them back off for the moment, "I need to know why the draugr are following you, when they've only ever served the Dragon Priests of old."

"I am Sunset Shimmer, the First Dragon Priestess is all of history," Sunset said, bowing a tiny bit as she replied, before she beckoned to the armor she wore, "I was honored by the Eight Priests of Skyrim when I completed by training, to which I was immediately known as Konahrik, or Warlord in the Dragon Language. The draugr you've been seeing this entire time still serve their dragon masters, so now that a living Dragon Priest has appeared before they're eager to serve once again. I'm also here to speak to Miraak and form some sort of alliance with him, so if you'd like to see him destroyed then you better hope that he doesn't care about Nirn and attacks me.

Now come along and let the draugr clear out the cultists, because we are running out of time and I would like to make the most of what we have before we need to leave the island."

Frea stared at her for a moment, clearly debating on her chances to get at Sunset before the draugr had a chance to attack her, but sighed and nodded her understanding, though Sunset could tell that she wasn't happy about Miraak being let off like this. They passed though another iron doorway and came to yet another bridge, though this one was guarded by six skeletons, which they simply had to punch hard enough in the skull to make them fall apart. The ruined area that followed was easy for them to navigate, as they decided to walk over the wreckage and continue on their way, until Frea commented about there being a few spell tomes laying around a side area.

Sunset paid the spell tomes no mind, as she already had every spell she could ever know thanks to the training and knowledge she had received from the Dragon Priests.

They took the pathway down, even deeper into the island, causing Frea to comment on how powerful Miraak must have been to have such a large and terrible temple built for him. The small chamber they came to had a few coffins lining one wall, a coffin on the wall in front of them, a word wall to their immediate left, and the corpse of a dragon hung above their heads. Sunset barely paid the Word Wall any mind as the coffins around her opened up, to which the draugr Deathlords that emerged from it bowed to Sunset, while one of them turned to the iron door he had been guarding and opened it up.

They came to another chamber, though this one was filled with a bunch of stone tables, discarded food items, and a couple of mugs with empty bottles of ale scattered about the place. The draugr, having helped Miraak build the place when they were alive, immediately searched the chamber and found the lever that opened the hidden passage in the side of the wall. Sunset followed them even deeper into the ruin, where they came to another set of stairs that and followed the path even further down, turning around every now and then before they finally came to a lever sitting next to a bare stone wall, though one of the draugr pulled it down and the wall rose to reveal more stairs.

The next chamber they came to was massive, which made sense seeing how they had done quite a distance without coming to an area like the one they were standing in. At least twenty skeletons and ten draugr walked around the chamber, each of them looking like they were ready to deal with any intruders that might disturb them. That was, however, until the draugr noticed who was walking up the pathway and turned on the skeletons, shattering their bones before turning to the statue, one that Sunset noticed looked like a strange creature, at the top of the hill and opening another hidden passage for them to follow.

Sunset followed the group of draugr down the hidden tunnel until they came to a smaller room, one that had another statue of the strange creature in the center and had a large black book, a book that had black smoke rolling off of it, resting on a pedestal.

"There are dark magics at work here." Frea commented, staring at the black book as the draugr left the group in the chamber, "Ready yourself. This book... It seems wrong, somehow. Here, yet... not. It may be what we seek."

Sunset approached the black book and placed her hand on the cover, to which she closed her eyes and allowed herself to connect to whatever magic the book had. A moment passed before she felt the air around her change, not to mention that the book and the pedestal seemed to disappear completely, to which she opened her eyes and found herself in a strange realm. She found that the walls looked like they were made of books and scrolls, while there was an eerie black water surrounding the area that she didn't like the look of. Standing before her were four strange looking creatures that appeared like they were covered in large torn robes, though they looked nothing like the statue she had seen in Miraak's temple.

That was when she noticed the man standing in the center of all the creatures, wearing a dark green robe with gold pieces scattered about and a strange mask that looked nothing like the masks she had seen the Dragon Priests in Skyrim wearing. She knew who the man was without him having to even introduce himself, as there was no one else who could possibly be standing before her at the moment.

"Ahh... So you are the Dragonborn. I can feel it." the man said, turning to face her for a moment, before beckoning to the creatures and making them disappear completely, "As you no doubt have guessed I am Miraak, the one who betrayed the Dragon Cult so long ago. You are in the realm known as Apocrypha, the domain of the Daedric Prince Hermaeus Mora. When you recovered the Oghma Infinium my master began making preparations for your eventual arrival, though he never told me what he intended to do when you arrived. He's been most... eager... to have you visit his realm, so he can do whatever he has planned for you.

What he did not tell me was that you were to be named Konahrik, taking on the persona of the legend that the Dragon Priests had when we had first started out..."

"Ah, Miraak, I see you have met my latest Champion," a voice said, just as a cluster of eye balls appeared around them, though Sunset knew that Hermaeus Mora was now standing before them, "Sunset Shimmer, long have I been expecting your arrival in my realm. I have a test, of sorts, for you to pass if you wish to fight your enemy on equal footing. Long has your power been bound by seven emotions, each one weakening you in some way, ever since you first encountered your enemy and they have only increased in power ever since. Stand and witness what I am about to do to you."

Sunset moaned as she felt something inside of her shift, but as that happened she had to wonder what the Daedric Prince had in store for her and what he could have meant by her emotions were restricting her magic. A moment passed before seven streams of magic, each of them having their own different color, erupted from her horn and burst into the air, where they swirled around the walkway behind Miraak. A few seconds passed before six of the seven colors descended towards the walkway, where they formed into solid bodies that looked exactly like Sunset, though they each bore different expressions on their faces. One of them looked like they were mad at the world, another seemed to have complete despair written on their face, while a third had a hint of violence in their eye.

The seventh strand of magic, however, burst into flames as it neared the ground, but as it took shape Sunset's eyes widened in surprise as the She-Demon, in all her glory, landed in the middle of the six Sunset's.

"It is so good to be back," the She-Demon said, standing at her full height as she brought her wings back in, before she locked her eyes with Sunset's, "don't look so surprised, you knew that this day was coming. Behold, your Anger, Despair, Doubt, Fear, Hatred, and Violence stand beside me, while I represent your Pride."

"I got rid of you a long time ago," Sunset snapped, still not understanding how her pride could still exist, when she had gotten rid of it all after her defeat.

"And how we shall fight one last time," the She-Demon, Pride, replied, beckoning to the six behind her for a moment, "Lord Hermaeus Mora knew that you needed to defeat the emotions that were keeping you back, so he made this spell that allowed us to separate from you until we're defeated. Now you're likely thinking that you can simply run through this one Black Book and defeat all seven of us, but that is where you would be mistaken, as there are seven Black Books and seven of us. You must find each book and defeat the emotion that resides within, otherwise you'll never have the power to defeat your enemy... but let's face it, we both know that you'll never be able to defeat Tirek.

I am the better of the two of us, so when you fall to the ground in defeat you'll remember what it was like when you put the crown on and remember that only your own darkness can save you now."

Before Sunset could reply the seven emotions burst into the sky and separated into seven different directions, disappearing into the depths of the remaining six Black Books.

"Pride will be protected by six locks that will prevent you from attacking her first," Hermaeus Mora suddenly said, causing Sunset to turn to him for a moment, "so you must find the other Black Books and defeat the emotion that calls that book home, thus unlocking your full power. When the other six are defeated you will need to read this book again and face Pride at the summit of Apocrypha. Miraak, you will undo the spell that you placed on Solstheim and assist the Dragonborn in whatever way she needs... otherwise I might be forced to take drastic measures. This means that you will be returning to Solstheim with her, now that her enemy has broken the barrier between Nirn and Oblivion... though I will force your return if you don't follow Sunset's orders and assist her."

"As you wish, Lord Hermaeus Mora," Miraak sighed, though all that told Sunset was that the former Dragon Priest had been expecting a fight of some kind, yet that had been taken away from him and his assistance had been given to Sunset without his consent.

"Indeed," Hermaeus told Miraak, before turning to Sunset so he could finish whatever he had set in motion, "Dragonborn, starting tomorrow you will have three days to conquer seven emotions, to obtain your true power. I suggest that you get started, otherwise Tirek will open the way to your home world and burn your home to the ground before you have a chance to save it."

Sunset sighed and pulled out what she assumed was this realm's version of the Black Book she had found in Miraak's Temple, something that connected with the magic around her and ripped her out of Apocrypha. When she opened her eyes she found herself in the same location where she had found the book, with her friends and draugr army still standing around her, though the only difference was that Miraak had followed her. Frea, seeing the man that had brainwashed her people standing behind Sunset, immediately drew her axes, but Lydia stopped her before she could even reach either of them.

"You must let me put him down!" Frea nearly shouted, squirming against Lydia's iron hold, "He's brainwashed the majority of Solstheim and is making the people work on corrupting the Stones!"

"Then you'll be relieved to hear that my Master told me to return the land to what it once was," Miraak replied, crossing his arms as he stared at the warrior, "I am merely here to give my 'aid' to the Dragonborn, so she can save the world before its destroyed by her enemy."

"We don't have time for you two to argue and bicker," Sunset told them, sighing for a moment before turning to those around her, "Apparently we've got a few days for me to find all seven Black Books that are scattered throughout Solstheim, three of which I'm sure are buried with three of the Dragon Priests. So we're going to get out of here and search for those books... though I'll explain why we need them as quickly as I can while we travel."

She still had no idea what Hermaeus Mora hoped to accomplish by tearing the She-Demon out of her and telling her that she needed to defeat it, but she knew that she'd discover why when she beat the other emotions. What worried her was the time limit that she had been told about, something that told her that she was running out of time if her quest to save Nirn from Tirek. Hermaeus knew something about the demon that was ruining Skyrim, something that he apparently wanted to keep secret until the time was right to reveal what that was.

She didn't like whatever game the Prince of Fate and Knowledge was playing with her, but she knew that she'd have to play it if she wanted to ensure Miraak's help, despite the fact that the former Priest hated every moment of this.

Tirek grinned as he finished draining the Daedric Prince of Destruction, discarding him like a piece of trash in the wreckage of the tower he had been using as a base. Once Mehrunes Dagon was discarded he returned to where the portal to Oblivion had been, to which he removed the Skeleton Key, closed the chest, and banished the portal. There was one other place he could travel to so he could drain the final Prince, another place that his enemy would never expect him to visit. He turned to the path to the right of his former tower and followed it into the mountain side, where he traveled to one of the dwarven ruins that dotted Skyrim's landscape.

Thanks to Ancano's spies following Sunset he knew that his enemy had come here at one point, which led her to eventually discover the Staff of Magnus, but there was a storeroom he could use for his purposes.

Once he had entered the storeroom he turned to the door and used his magic to seal the door tight, allowing him the privacy he needed to finish his goal. He turned to the open room and summoned the now almost empty chest into the middle of the chamber, where he pulled out the Oghma Infinium and prepare to summon the portal to Oblivion once more. He worked his magic into the entirety of the chamber, building a prison that would allow him to keep the Prince in this area, but would also prevent the final Prince from attacking him. If Sunset had still been in Skyrim he would have had to summon the Prince without these safeties in place, but now that she was somewhere else he could do what he needed this time.

When he was ready he allowed the Oghma Infinium to float into the air before him and connect his magic to the portal, to which he could finally summon the last Prince of Oblivion.

"Hermaeus Mora, Daedric Prince of Fate and Forbidden Knowledge, I summon you," Tirek called out, letting his spell echo throughout Oblivion as it sought the Prince he was trying to summon, "Hear my call and appear before me."

He waited a few seconds, which was the normal amount of time it took for his spell to work, but when a few minutes had passed he turned towards the portal in confusion. The spell had never failed to summon the Prince the artifact was connected to, yet for some reason he could not summon the final Daedric Prince. He then spent the next hour repeating the summoning spell, trying to figure out why he was failing to call Hermaeus Mora into Nirn, especially when the barrier was broken. He growled and turned towards the door, magic swirling around his hand as he considered shattering the entire ruin and the area around it, but then he heard the sound of his spell working.

When he turned around, however, he found some strange creature, one that was a grotesque tentacled looking creature, had appeared in the summoning circle, though he could tell that it wasn't Hermaeus Mora.

"What are you?" Tirek asked, allowing the magic he had gathered to remain, just in the off chance that this was the Prince's way to attacking him so he could crush it instantly.

The creature approached him for a moment, apparently studying him for a few seconds, before it held out one of its hands, what Tirek assumed were its hands, and revealed a scroll. It floated there for a moment, but when it didn't leave that told Tirek that he was supposed to take it, so he did and looked at it for a few seconds, before he unrolled it.

"Let's see here," Tirek grumpled, staring at the words while he wonder why he couldn't summon Hermaeus Mora, "Ah, here we go; To the demon known as Tirek, I regret to inform you that, while Sunset Shimmer is being trained by the Daedric Prince known as Hermaeus Mora, the Prince will be unavailable for some time. In a few days, when her training is over, you may attempt to call on the Prince of Knowledge once more. Sincerely, the High Seeker of Lord Hermaeus Mora. Why you son of a..."

Once he realized that he had, somehow, been blocked from summoning the final Prince he turned towards the creature so he could kill it where it stood, only to find that it was also gone. The sixteenth and final Prince was unavailable at the moment, so he cooled his anger down and decided that while he waited he could focus on the spell that would take him back to Equus. He was preparing for when he broke Sunset Shimmer and her pitiful Alliance, where she could watch him open the portal to her home world and deliver total ruin to it. He could wait for a few days, but after that he would begin the summoning ritual many more times until the Prince graced him with his presence.

He was angry, but he knew that he could use that anger to destroy whatever he wanted... which he would store until it was time to break his enemy.

46: The Bloodskal Priest

It had taken about ten minutes for Sunset's friends to calm Frea down to the point where she would take them to her village, where they could interact with her father and, hopefully, discover if he knew where one of the other six Black Books were located. Sunset knew that Frea was still sore about them allying with Miraak, as he had apparently placed a mind control spell on the majority of the people on Solstheim, but she was pleased when the women sighed and admitted that they might need his knowledge. She could tell that the two of them were just like Delphine and Elenwen, though she knew that they might never reach the level of cooperation that the two former sworn enemies had.

Once Frea and Miraak had formed their shaky alliance the entire group departed from the final chamber of Miraak's Temple, where they slowly emptied out into the mountainside. The moment they were outside Frea pointed at one of the Six Stones that doted Solstheim's landscape, where the villagers that had been at work on it were gathering themselves and returning to their village. She apparently wanted to say something about how it was Miraak's fault they had been working on the Stone, but then decided not to say anything and beckoned for the group to follow her.

Before they did so Sunset turned to the draugr that had gotten her through Miraak's Temple, who were eager for her to issue them their next set of commands.

"There's a Dragon Priest buried near Fort Frostmoth, my base of operations," Sunset told one of the Deathlords, the one who had noticed who she was at the beginning of the temple, "you'll recognize it by the banner of the twin colored sun that will have been set up around the building. I need you and your soldiers to head to the buried barrow and dig the Priest out of his resting place... we're going to need him and the Black Book that he's no doubt guarding."

"It would be our honor to awaken Lord Ahzidal," the Deathlord replied, bowing his head before turning to his soldiers and shouting commands at them.

Sunset watched as the army of draugr advanced down the mountainside, taking a route that would take them around the Skaal Village and allow them to get to the barrow in question a lot faster. Her own soldiers knew that she was allied with the Dragon Cult, so she didn't have to worry about her soldiers suddenly freaking out and attack the undead. She turned back to the group and found Frea staring at her, as if she was the enemy for a moment before the women sighed and beckoned them onward once more. They followed the now freed villagers back to the village, where Sunset watched as loved ones were reunited with each other and caught up with what they had missed over the last few days.

"Father! I have returned!" Frea suddenly said, breaking from the group and approaching a group of people that tended the barrier that surrounded the village, though Sunset immediately noticed that one of them was very powerful in terms of magic, "I bring good news... and bad news."

"Frea! I had worried I would not see you again." the elderly man said, lifting his eyes away from the circle he and a few others had formed, to which he looked at his daughter and the villagers that had returned, "Ah, not only have you returned, but our people have been saved. Tell me, if this is the good news you have brought to us, then what would your bad news be?"

"Well... the man responsible for the suffering of our people is still alive," Frea said, pointing behind her, to which her father noticed the group of strangers that had followed her inside the village, including the one that Frea was referring to.

"Miraak... I should have expected that you would lead a frontal assault on the village," the man stated, sighing as he made no attempt to get up from where he was sitting, "yet I am not strong enough to get up and fight... not when I have been powering this barrier to protect the rest of my people."

"My Master told me to release your people, and all of Solstheim, from my control," Miraak stated in return, though Sunset merely watched and waited her turn to speak, "which I did before I returned to Solstheim. The Last Dragonborn is fighting an enemy that has shattered the barrier between Nirn and Oblivion, so she has been given my aid until her enemy is dealt with. She also requires your aid in finding the six remaining Black Books of Hermaeus Mora."

"Old Herma Mora... that answers so many questions," Storn said, shaking his head slightly as he shifted his gaze between Sunset and Miraak, "but I can offer you no aid in this besides the name of the elf that has been studying the Black Books... the dark elf wizard Neloth should have the information you seek. These books are dark things, unnatural... Herma Mora is planning something, of that I am sure."

Sunset resisted the urge to tell the shaman about what the Daedric Prince wanted her to do, which was recover all seven Black Books and defeat the seven emotions he had awakened. she had no idea how the man would react to Hermaeus Mora having the ability to do such a thing, as it appeared that the Prince was not well liked on Solstheim. Still, despite the fact that Storn could not tell them where one of the other six Black Books Sunset had a pretty good idea where she could begin looking for them. All they needed to do was travel back to her fortress and see if Neloth was still there, otherwise she was going to have to hunt him down to get the information she needed.

With Hermaeus Mora's time limit he had opposed on her she knew that she didn't have the time to be searching for the dark elf, not when she had three days to get the job done.

"Well then, I'm off to find Neloth then," Sunset said, before she turned and looked at her friends, "We're heading back to Fort Frostmoth, where we should be able to find the wizard and inquire about the remaining Black Books..."

"I might be able to help you there," Miraak interrupted, to which he received a glare from Frea, who apparently didn't like the fact that the former Dragon Priest was interrupting the person who had, in some say Sunset guessed, saved her people, "there is a mine in Raven Rock, one that's been closed for who knows how long. At some point that mine connects to a nordic barrow, one that will lead you to one of the four Dragon Priests that resides on this island; Zahkriisos. Just passed him you should be able to find one of the Black Books, not to mention the 'Test' that my Master told you about."

Sunset could tell that Miraak had picked up on the fact that she wasn't going to mention to anyone, including her friends at the moment, that her emotions had been released and that the She-Demon, Pride as she called herself now, was awake at long last. Calling it a test from the Daedric Prince sounded like a smart plan, but she also knew that Fiona would likely figure out that something was wrong and eventually ask her about it. Her friends had briefly seen the power that Pride had wielded when she was in control of Sunset's body, but Sunset knew that when she fought with the demon it would be like two of her fighting each other.

She also knew that when it came time to fight Pride that wherever they fought in Apocrypha, be it at the summit or someplace else, was likely going to be destroyed during their fight.

As they left the Skaal Village Frea followed along, telling Sunset that she intended to act as a representative for the Skaal, but Sunset knew what she was really up to; she wanted to keep an eye on Miraak and make sure that he stayed upon the path that he claimed that he was on. Sunset already knew that Miraak was well informed about her conflict with Tirek, considering that his master was the Prince of Fate and Knowledge, so she actually couldn't see the former Dragon Priest betraying her until the demon was defeated, though she suspected that he wasn't willing to do so when she had the Alliance backing her.

When they finally returned to Fort Frostmoth Sunset was surprised to see that her forces had already cleared out most of the ash that have covered the area, revealing the rest of the abandoned fortress that had buried by the ash. Her soldiers were hard at work making sure that the fortress was in livable condition, though she did take note of the banners that were hanging on the walls, the same ones she had told the draugr about. Many of her soldiers briefly acknowledged that she was present before returning to their duties, though there was someone that she needed to talk to before she considered delving into the Raven Rock mine.

She found Delphine, General Tullius, and Orak in the room where the undead commander had been slain, though it appeared his body had been moved someplace else. They appeared to be going over the possible locations that covered Solstheim, as if they were already trying to figure out where they could find something to aid them in their efforts.

"Ah, Dragonborn, we were wondering when you'd return," Delphine said, turning back and seeing Miraak for the first time, but she simply shrugged and beckoned the two of them over to the table, "I take it we have reached some form of agreement between the two of you in the time you were away?"

"In a sense," Miraak replied, leaving Sunset to know that he intended for her to speak up next, something that she had figured that she was going to have to do anyway.

"Then we should be ready to leave soon..." Delphine started, but when she looked up at Sunset she could tell that they had something else they needed to do before their departure, "Okay, what do we have to do now?"

"Hermaeus Mora has given me seven Tests," Sunset told the assembled group, which also included her friends, "I am supposed to find all seven of his Black Books, reach the end of whatever trial they throw at me, and then defeat the emotion that calls that book home. Fiona, I take it that you and the others remember your brief meeting with the She-Demon?"

"Its hard to forget something like that," Fiona replied, shaking her head as she remembered what the demon did in the brief time it had been in control, before her eyes widened as she made the connection, "No... don't tell me that one of the emotions that Hermaeus Mora awakened was her."

"She's the worst emotion of them all..." Sunset said, sighing as she realized that what she was about to say next might bring up more questions for her to answer, "...she's my Pride. She's taken on the darker side of myself, the past that I thought I had buried and forgotten about, but it seems that if I am to have any true chance at defeating Tirek I must first conquer the She-Demon."

"Let's not get carried away by telling stories," General Tullius stated, turning to the map for a moment, "So we need to find six more Black Books, which could be anywhere on the island. I guess someone will have to go to Tel Mithryn and see if Neloth knows anything about them... I can tell that he's got an eye for magical artifacts from the way he stared at those spheres you created."

"He might actually have one of those in his tower," Miraak commented, drawing attention to himself once more, "What? Lord Hermaeus Mora always keeps track of whose in possession of one of his artifacts, be it the Oghma Infinium or the Black Books, and he mentioned something about one of them being found by a 'dark elf wizard' a few days ago. Neloth is, by all accounts, the only dark elf wizard on Solstheim... not counting his fool of an apprentice."

"Wait, so Hermaeus Mora could possibly know where Tirek is located?" Sunset asked, just to make sure that she was understanding what Miraak was saying.

"Theoretically," Miraak replied, shaking his head for a moment, "I do not understand my Master some times, but that isn't important at the moment. We need to find those Black Books."

"Then while Sunset goes off to the Raven Rock Mine in search of one you can help Delphine map out the ones you know of," Fiona said, before beckoning to herself and the rest of her companions, "We, on the other hand, will go to Tel Mithryn and speak with Neloth... hopefully we can convince him to give us his aid in securing some of the Black Books."

Sunset nodded her understanding and made for the door to the fort, where she began the journey back to Raven Rock, though not a few minutes later she found the barrow that the draugr were supposed to be working on. They had already found the entrance and were hard at work clearing the inside out, but considering how many of them there were Sunset knew that if she woke another Dragon Priest, and his army of the undead, then they might be able get deeper into the barrow in a lot less time. She watched them for a few minutes before she sighed and continued on towards the settlement, where she knew she'd be able to find a way into the mine.

When she entered Raven Rock she easily found her way to the mine, as all she really had to do was ask one of the guards and was immediately pointed towards the opening in the mountainside. Inside the mine she found two people arguing about someone going into the actual mine in search of something that may or may not actually be down there.

"Damn it, woman!" the old man said, clearly upset with the woman, "I said to leave me be!"

"Crescius, last time you explored the mine you almost fell to your death." the woman replied, sighing as she looked at the man, "I'm not spending the rest of my days as a widow!"

"And I'm telling you that I'll do whatever it takes to find my great-grandfather's remains." the man, Crescius, snapped at her, "He's down here, I can feel it."

"That was almost two centuries ago." the woman countered, trying to come up with a way to stop the man from going into the mine again, "There may be nothing left to find."

"Just let me go, woman!" Crescius demaned, who was clearly determined to head into the mine.

"Crescius, you're an obstinate old fool and you're going to get yourself killed." the woman sadly said, as if she had no idea how to talk her husband out of his rash decision.

It was at that moment that Sunset inserted herself into the conversation, where she eventually reached some sort of agreement with the man and his wife. It was rather simple; she was to go into the mine and discover where his great-grandfather's remains were located, and then bring out whatever she could find. Since she was going down to find Zahkriisos and the Black Book he was guarding she figured that she could help someone out while she was trying to save all of Nirn. Once the arrangement had been struck, and Sunset had been given the key to the locked section of the mine, she ventured into the depths of the mine in search of the door that would get her closer to her destination.

The only enemies that she found in her way happened to be a few spiders, which she barely used her magic against and, instead, pulled out her ebony sword and cut them down. After breaking through the wooden barrier that was hiding the area that Crescius mentioned, and unlocking the door, Sunset discovered the nordic barrow that Miraak had mentioned. As she walked into the crypt she summoned her staff and started tapping it on the ground as she walked, to which the slumbering draugr awoke from their sleep and followed after her. She was thankful for the other perk about being a Dragon Priestess, the part where the undead draugr followed her orders and made sure that any other enemies were dealt with so she could reach her destination.

She eventually reached what appeared to be a drop off point and found what appeared to be some sort of entrance, with two skeletal corpses resting on the ground before it. She leapt down to the ground and approached one of the bodies, before moving onto the second one and finding the journal that Crescius had mentioned to her... as well as a strange two handed sword. She opened the journal and scanned it for any mention of the door and the sword, to which she discovered that the only way to progress passed the door would be to swing the blade and release the energy stored inside. Once she knew what to do she turned to one of the heavy weapon Deathlords and explained what she needed him to do, to which the draugr nodded and solved the puzzle in a few minutes.

She then found a swinging blade trap passed the door, but she merely flashed between the blades until she reached the end and flipped the switch, opening the way for the other draugr to follow her. She stopped before a nearly floated chamber, to which the sunken coffin burst open and the Dragon Priest, Zahkriisos, rose into the air, before turning and faced her. The Priest floated through the air and approached her, to which the draugr behind her knelt before the Priest they served in life, before Zahkriisos knelt before Sunset.

"Long have I awaited your arrival, Warlord," Zahkriisos said, greeting her to his tomb for a moment, "Am I correct in assuming that you have come to awaken the remaining Dragon Priests and collect the Black Books that we're guarding?"

"That is correct," Sunset replied, casting her eyes around the chamber for a moment, but didn't find anything that resembled a Black Book at all, "I assume you know where the one that was buried alongside you is located?"

"Yes," Zahkriisos answered, getting back into his floating position and leading the way to an area that was blocked by a gate, which he opened with a lever and revealed the hidden Black Book.

Sunset approached the Black Book and pressed her hand against it, allowing the magic around her to warp and shift, taking her from Nirn and depositing her into Apocrypha. When she opened her eyes she found one of the creatures that had been standing beside Miraak waiting for her arrival, as the moment she was able to move again it beckoned to her before heading into the depths of the Book. Sunset knew what the creature was doing, it was under order to get Sunset to her Tests, so she could fight the emotion that was resting at the end. She took the opportunity to take in the sights of the Daedric Realm, studying the puzzles that might be put in her way if Hermaeus Mora decided to take the creature away in the future.

She eventually came to what appeared to be a room that had a black pool in the middle of the area, though floating in the middle of the lake was one of her emotions, a deep grey one she noticed.

"There is no hope," a voice echoed as Sunset entered the room, while the creature stayed behind, "We cannot hope to defeat Tirek, not with the power he commands."

"Despair, turn and face me!" Sunset called out, drawing her ebony sword as she faced the hopeless version of herself.

Before she could do anything Despair turned towards her and enforced her power over the area, to which Sunset was forced to her knees as all the hope around her was stripped from the area. She knew that she should have expected something like this from one of the emotions, but she had no idea that the first one she encountered would have had access to this kind of power. As she struggled against the power that Despair was enforcing on the area she looked up and found that Despair was preparing her own attack, something that looked similar to the condensed energy beam she had used a few times.

"It is hopeless," Despair said, weakly pulling her arm up as she leveled it in Sunset's direction, "Tirek will win and we will lose... his power will erase this world and there is nothing we can do to stop him."

Sunset, deciding that a direct conflict wouldn't be in her best interest at the moment, gathered her magic into a shielding spell, wondering if she'd have enough time to counter something that was on the same level that she was. Despair, seeing that something was happening, ignited her power and a tidal way of magical energy tore towards Sunset, who grunted and activated her spell. The energy collided with her shield and moved around her, destroying the structures behind her as Despair released all of her power into the single blast. Even the lose of hope that Despair had imposed on the area was lifted, something that Sunset had been sure that would have been used to stop her from fighting back, so it allowed her to use her full power as well.

When the attack was over Sunset lowered her shield and found that the entirety of the area she had walked through had been completely torn apart by the power of one of her emotions, a powerful one she mentally added. She sighed and approached Despair, who frowned as she approached her and fell into the water, waving her arms as if it would help make Sunset go away. Sunset, on the other hand, knelt before the other her and embraced her, allowing the hope that she had inside of her to override the despair that her counterpart felt. The moment that the other her smiled, even weakly, she faded from existence, returning to her place in Sunset's mind that she had been torn from by the Daedric Prince.

With the deed done, and the emotion defeated, Sunset smiled just a bit and pulled out the book that had brought her here, allowing her to return to her draugr allies. With one more Dragon Priest awoken, and one of the seven emotions defeated, she could now leave the crypt with her undead soldiers and get to work finding the other Black Books. She only prayed that she had enough time to go through the process of finding each book and defeat each emotion, as she had no idea how long her enemy was willing to wait before beginning his plan to return to Equus.

She would complete the tests that Hermaeus Mora had planned for her and show the Princes that she had the potential to defeat the demon at his own game.

47: Anger and Doubt

When Sunset returned to Zahkriisos' tomb, and found the Dragon Priest and his soldiers waiting for her, she immediately gave the command for them to find the exit, to which she discovered that one rested up the stairs that that were behind the Black Book's pedestal. She took the book with them, as she decided that, if Neloth chose not to aid them without some form of compensation for his time, that it would make a great item to offer him. She had no need for the book now that she had defeated the first of her emotions, though she knew that the other books would share in its fate once she was done with them.

The instant that they found the exit out of the barrow they poured into a section of the ruin that was guarded by bandits, or what Sunset assumed were bandits, and she watched as the draugr tore into their enemies. The draugr carrying the Bloodskal Blade, the large two handed sword she discovered in the ruin, rained ruin upon the enemies that stood against them, energy waves tearing through the air and either slicing limbs off or outright cutting someone in half. She wondered several times if she made the right decision in allowing the undead soldier to keep the weapon, but when she spotted the creature making sure not to use it when its allies were near she quickly reconsidered that thought.

Once the ruin had been cleared of the bandits that called it home Sunset continued towards Raven Rock, where she planned on dropping off the journal she had discovered in the ruins of the barrow to the man who wanted closure. As she walked up to the Stone that Miraak had controlled she found that the guards continued to stare at her, though it took a few seconds for her to figure out that they were actually staring at the draugr standing behind her. She swiftly walked towards the middle of the settlement, where she asked one of the guards about the man she had offered her help to, before heading towards one of the houses near the wall.

She spent a few minutes in Crescius' house, giving him the journal and the news that he expected to hear, though he didn't seem to know what to think about the draugr that she had discovered in the mine. When she had her reward for the task, something that she really didn't want and accepted so the man didn't get annoyed with her, she bid the man and his wife farewell, where she returned to the street and headed out into the ash once more. The instant she neared the buried barrow, Kolbjorn Barrow she mentally added, the draugr that had been follower her bid her farewell and charged up towards the entrance, where she noticed them fall in with the other draugr she had awakened. She could tell that the draugr were eager to awaken Ahzidal, though from what she could tell they weren't at the tomb where the Dragon Priest was located.

As she and Zahkriisos moved towards the fortress she had to wonder what would happen if she added the forces of a third Dragon Priest to the work that was going on.

When she entered the main chamber of the fortress she found her commanders, and Miraak, standing over the map of Solstheim, though the moment that they passed through the door Zahkriisos summoned his staff and pointed it at Miraak, who merely looked at the Priest before turning his attention back to the map.

"As I was saying, this is where Dukaan should be buried," Miraak continued, telling Sunset that they had interrupted a meeting of some kind, while the former Priest pointed at a place that was north of his own temple, "White Ridge Barrow. There should be a Black Book somewhere near him, so not only can we defeat one of Sunset's emotions but we can ensure that another of the old Dragon Priests is awakened and his power is added to your forces."

"He's... an ally?!" Zahkriisos asked, though when he turned to Sunset to ask the question she could tell that he was shocked by what he had discovered.

"Yeah, funny isn't it?" Miraak commented, turning to face the Priest once more, "My Master has commanded me to aid Sunset Shimmer, known as Konahrik to the Dragon Priests of Skyrim, in her quest to defeat her enemy, the demon known as Tirek. Look, I'd love to rule over Solstheim once again, and crush whoever stands in my way, but this demon, this Tirek, will destroy all of Nirn when he tries to leave this world behind. I can't exactly rule an island if the world ceases to exist, so for the time being we must put aside our hatred for one another and focus on the larger picture... I can't believe I just said that."

"You said that there was another Black Book near where this Dukaan was buried?" Delphine asked, eager to get back to the task at hand as she beckoned to the map, as if she was trying to remember where Miraak had pointed to earlier.

"Ah, yes, Benkongerike," Miraak replied, turning to the map as both Sunset and Zahkriisos walked over to them, to which he pointed at an area that was near the Skaal Village, "There's another nordic barrow near White Ridge Barrow, so you could potentially awaken Dukaan and recover two more Black Books in a single day. This means that you could be halfway done in defeating six of the emotions that are preventing you from fighting Pride in one day, giving you the next two days to defeat the other four."

"I'd rather not face three of them in a single day," Sunset admitted, knowing how much power Despair had packed into her attack, while wondering how the fights with the remaining emotions would go, "but I don't have a choice in the matter. I need to have defeated all of my emotions in three days, because on the fourth day I believe that Tirek will make his move against Nirn and begin the process he's been devising that will allow him to return to Equus. So while the draugr are digging Ahzidal out of his tomb, and my friends are busy with Neloth, I'll head up to these two barrows and see if I can't swiftly eliminate whichever emotions are waiting for me."

Sunset secretly hated the very idea of fighting three different versions of herself in the same day, as there was no telling what types of powers that the other two emotions had up their sleeves. Despair could suck all the hope out of an area, though Sunset knew that if her enemy had continued to enforce that power on the room they had fought in then she could have lost the fight without lifting her magic to defend herself. She was almost dreading whatever power the other two emotions had to bring to the table, but she sighed and knew that she had to do what was necessary to save this world.

"Then I shall come with you and escort you to Dukaan," Miraak said, surprising Sunset for a moment, though she could tell that her commanders were surprised as well, "We're on a timeline that cannot be changed, so if you want to move fast and clear the obstacles that are preventing you from reaching Pride then you had better want someone whose studied the island along for the journey."

"I have the same experience that you have, Miraak," Zahkriisos countered, facing the former Dragon Priest as everyone else in the chamber backed up, though Sunset chose to stay where she was standing, "so just because your Master told you to accompany the Warlord doesn't mean that you can decide when to follow her and when not to follow her. You didn't follow her into the mine and awaken me from my slumber!"

"I was showing her commanders where the other Black Books I knew about were hidden!" Miraak fired back, clearly outraged by what Zahkriisos was saying, "We only have three days to get this whole mess straightened out, before Lord Hermaeus Mora has his power drained by the demon that we're fighting against, and I knew that Sunset needed to know where the other books were located. I spent the last hour telling her commanders where they were which, in case you haven't noticed, means that some of their forces have been sent out to clear the bandits and rieklings out so she can get to her destination faster."

"Will you two stop bickering?" Sunset shouted, summoning the Staff of Magnus and drawing her ebony sword, one of which she pointed at Miraak while the other was pointed at Zahkriisos, "I did not go through the effort to come to this island, find Miraak's temple, and then have seven of my emotions given life just so the two of you could bicker and argue with each other. We all know what would have happened if I didn't step in; you would have attacked each other and this entire fortress would have been blown sky high, giving Tirek the ability to destroy this world. I did not come to this island so Tirek could win and destroy Nirn, I came here to find allies and discover what I'm missing so I can defeat my enemy.

And if it will get the two of you to shut up and stop fighting then you both can escort me to White Ridge Barrow, so we can find Dukaan and defeat whatever emotion is waiting for me."

Sunset glared at Miraak for a moment before turning to Zahkriisos, though as she did so she allowed some energy to gather around the tips of her weapons. It was mainly for show, to dissuade what she knew would come next if someone didn't step in and make them stop fighting with each other, but she had to gamble on that fact. The two Priests looked at her, including her commanders, and studied her for any flaws that might tell them that she might not actually lash out at them if they continued to fight. Eventually Zahkriisos lowered his staff and nodded his head, to which she lowered the ebony sword and turned her full attention to Miraak, waiting for the former Priest to make his move.

Eventually Miraak sighed and raised his hands into the air, indicating that he was surrendering to her will and allowed her to dismiss the Staff once more.

"Fine, you win Dragonbo... I mean, Warlord," Miraak said, though Sunset wondered if he was actually sincere when he said her title or if he was mocking her, "Zahkriisos and I shall escort you to Dukaan... and whatever soldiers of yours are in the immediate area."

"Commander Orak went to Benkongerike," Delphine told them, which informed Sunset as to why she hadn't seen the orc when she and Zahkriisos had arrived, "He and his soldiers might have already cleared the area and are in the process of gathering whatever resources they can find, but you won't know until you reach them."

Sunset nodded her understanding to Delphine and left the fortress by the way she came in, though this time both Zahkriisos and Miraak were following her as they began the journey towards White Ridge Barrow.

By the time that they had arrived at their destination Sunset had come to the conclusion that before Miraak had been tempted by Hermaeus Mora he had been friends with the other four Dragon Priests, but now he was an enemy that wanted to enslave all of the dragons and dominate the entirety of Solstheim. She knew that the reason behind him suddenly being nice was because of the threat that Tirek posed to everyone, something that Miraak apparently hadn't been told about until Sunset had stepped foot on the island. Whatever game that Hermaeus Mora was playing seemed to be on a much larger scale the more she found out about it, though she had to wonder if he was playing against Tirek or someone that was equal to the demon.

She shuddered at the thought that there might be someone out there that was on equal footing with the demon, excluding the Divines she mentally added, and had chosen to remain hidden from everyone, except for Hermaeus Mora.

When they actually arrived at the nordic barrow Sunset found that there was no sign of her soldiers, which told her that Orak had come out with a team and was likely in Benkongerike, clearing the place out before they moved onto another barrow. Once they had passed through the door to get inside they found a second door that was locked, but Sunset merely moved the wooden bar out of the way and progressed deeper into the barrow. They found more dead bandits and the bodies of strange spiders, though Sunset paid them no mind as they went deeper into the ruin and searched for the missing Dragon Priest.

What they ended up finding was a large number of mind controlled bandits, whether they were corpses or still alive Sunset really couldn't tell, that had strange green spiders attached to them. Several of the people they found were actually normal looking, though they were angered the moment Sunset and her companions showed themselves. Zahkriisos, eager to show off his power, summoned what appeared to be a shield made of lightning as he drew his staff, to which he either blasted bandits with his magic or hit them with a charge from the staff. Miraak, on the other hand, drew his wicked looking sword and stayed beside Sunset, intending to slay any enemies that somehow made it passed the raging Dragon Priest.

Once the area had been cleared of enemies the trio crossed to a section of the ruins that had been covered by spider webs, though they easily tore them down and continued onward. The next area they came to had another Word Wall, with a coffin resting in front of it, though Sunset had no idea where the Black Book was supposed to be hiding. As she walked up to the coffin the lid slid off and Dukaan rose into the air, but the moment he noticed who had awoken him he returned to the ground and bowed his head respectfully. Sunset wasn't sure if she liked being bowed to by the undead, but it was something that came with her Dragon Priestess training and she knew that she'd have to get over it at some point.

"I am honored to have been awakened by you, Warlord," Dukaan said, pulling his head up and noticing her companions, "I see you have already awoken Zahkriisos and partnered with Miraak, so you know who I am already. I take it you are here for my aid in a coming war and the Black Book that I have been guarding?"

"That is correct," Sunset replied, somewhat thankful that this Priest wasn't already charging at Miraak and was being peaceful at the moment, "where's the book in question?"

Instead of answering her question with a response Dukaan pointed to the area they had come from, causing Sunset to turn her head backward and find that the Black Book she had come for was actually hidden below the area that overlooked the chamber. She felt silly for not finding it on her own, but now that she knew where it was she silently approached the book and placed her hand on ts cover, wondering which emotion she'd find inside.

When the world came back into focus, and she discovered that she was in Apocrypha again, she looked around for the path that she was supposed to take, but instead found what she assumed was the same creature that had helped her find Despair. The creature beckoned to her and floated off into what was supposed to be darkness, though a few seconds later the area around it lit up. Sunset fell in with the creature, wondering if this was Hermaeus Mora's way of ensuring that she reached her emotions, or if it was the creatures that called Apocrypha home wanting her to remove them quickly.

She followed the creature through the Black Book, pausing every now and then when the creature paused and nodded its head to creatures that looked almost identical to it. After what seemed like an hour's worth of walking the creature lead her to the peak of the area, where she found a deep red colored version of herself standing at the top, though her back was turned to Sunset.

"So, you've arrived at last," the red Sunset finally said, turning around to face Sunset, giving her the chance to see the anger in her eyes, "I was beginning to wonder if you were ever coming to fight me, or if you had decided to leave me here with my rage."

"I take it that your Anger?" Sunset inquired, wanting to make sure that she got which emotion this was correct before she started the fight, though she drew her ebony sword as she spoke.

"Of course I am Anger!" the red Sunset, Anger, shouted, while flames danced around her hands, "There are so many things that are making me mad and I shall relieve my stress on you... before you are completely destroyed by my power."

Sunset raised her shield in time to stop a volley of fireballs that had come her way, to which Anger stared at her and sailed into the air, shattering the barrier and tossing Sunset down the steps she had walked up. She immediately felt the darkness around her trying to take away her energy, but then a wall of flames erupted around the entire area, cutting the darkness to pieces and allowing Sunset to get onto her feet. She didn't need to be told that Anger was upset about the area they were in, as she had done through the effort to make sure that they could fight on fair ground.

"Does it not fill you with anger?" her emotion asked her, though she stayed out of reach as she taunted Sunset, "Does the death of Savos Aren not fill you with anger towards the Thalmor, who sent their puppet Ancano to the College to spy on everyone? Does the destruction of the College of Winterhold not make you want to shout to the skies in anger and destroy those that brought ruin to mages everywhere? Does the near destruction of Whiterun not make you want to raise an army of the dead and slaughter everyone that nearly leveled the city before the Forsworn arrived?

Does the fact that your own allies, the very people who trusted you the moment you invited them into your 'Alliance', tried to destroy everything you worked towards and incite a war against the dragons?!"

"Yes, those all fill me with anger!" Sunset shouted in return, before she sighed and faced her emotion, who was still standing on the stairs, "Yes, I should be angry at the Thalmor for sending Ancano to the College of Winterhold, but he made his own choices and paid for his actions with his own life. Yes, when the College was destroyed I got so angry that I wished I could have stopped Tirek sooner, but he played his cards right and there was nothing I could do to stop him in time. And yes, I was upset that the Stormcloaks and Imperials wanted to fight for Whiterun when Tirek was still at large, but that was because they had no idea that there was a monster going around Skyrim, absorbing the power people had inside of them and destroying places on a whim.

I know I should be angrier at the allies that decided to try and destroy me, but I promised them that I could keep the Daedric Artifacts safe and, as a consequence to my own arrogance, I ended up handing them to my enemy. I didn't want to be the leader of an army, Anger... all I really wanted was someplace that people could come to if their homes were destroyed by Tirek, a haven if you will. I was forced into this position because Tirek is going around and destroying whatever he wants, but in the end I was reminded that my mission was to fight Tirek. If there is anyone I should be angry with it me, not the people who have flocked to my side to face this danger, so come at me Anger and let's finish this."

Anger roared and the flames responded to her own anger, to which she leapt into the air and sailed right for Sunset, but that was something that Sunset had been expecting. She ducked to the side as Anger came near her and swung her sword, cutting into the robe that her emotion had been wearing and cutting a gash all the way down her body. Anger, seemingly not aware of what happened, turned around and came at her again, though Sunset sighed and continued her pattern, where she ducked and blocked some attacks before delivering her own to the insane emotion. Sunset almost pitied Anger, as her rage had blinded her to the point where she was unable to see anything coming until Sunset's blade had pierced her chest and ran through her heart.

As her emotion's rage poured out of her, and the flames around them died down, Sunset held onto Anger, sitting there until the two of them were whole once more. With the deed done, and the wall of flames taken care of, she sighed and pulled out the book that had brought her to this part of Apocrypha, to which she returned to the Priests that were waiting for her return.

"I take it that you were successful?" Miraak asked, spotting Sunset the moment she returned, though she could tell that he was eager to hear how she was progressing.

"Yes, my Anger has been defeated," Sunset replied, putting the second Black Book away before turning to Miraak, "So, shall we see what's waiting for me in White Ridge Barrow?"

The three Dragon Priests nodded and escorted her out of the barrow they were in, though it gave her a chance to see the draugr that had awoken and were following them outside.

Reaching Benkongerike was easy, as the four of them were able to lead the small group of draugr out of White Ridge Barrow, around the mountain, and stopped at the cave that was supposed to be the entrance to the barrow. When they arrived Sunset was pleased to find that there were several of her soldiers inside the barrow, clearing away the bodies of what appeared to be little blue people. She figured that those had to be the rieklings that Miraak had mentioned earlier, though it appeared that they didn't take too kindly to intruders and had fought back with everything that they had to offer.

She found Orak in the first chamber they came to, though he was making sure that the soldiers in that area were looking for anything that they could use before he ventured deeper into the barrow. When he spotted Sunset, however, he pounded his fist on his armor and bowed his head to her, to which the soldiers that didn't know she was there noticed her and bowed as well.

"You may return to what you were doing," Sunset called out, to which she watched as her soldiers went back to work, though she turned to Orak for a moment, "How far did you guys get before I arrived?"

"We got quite far," Orak said, beckoning for her to follow him while he spoke, to which they and the Dragon Priests delved deeper into the barrow, "The rieklings gathered all their forces here, in this one ruin, so we had to put up quite the fight to route them, though I am pleased to say that we did not lose any soldiers in the fight. It is truly a blessing that everyone survived, as the rieklings put up quite the fight and tried to make us leave without securing the Black Book that rests in this barrow. We have not seen many draugr in this place, but I am sure that there are some still intact that will heed the call of the Dragon Cult's Warlord, or the call of any of your fellow Priests."

Sunset nodded and listened to the rest of the report that Orak had been planning on telling Delphine, something that he was still going to do the moment they returned to the fortress. The rieklings had not only gathered all of their forces in this one ruin, but they had brought many of their resources with them, giving whoever managed to slay them all a trove of metals and ores. Orak was having several of his soldiers gather what they could and transport the goods to the entrance, where they would then cart everything to Fort Frostmoth when the secondary party returned with the wagon he had requested.

They eventually arrived at a locked gate, which cause Orak to apologize for not having it opened sooner, but Sunset told him that it was okay and immediately walked to the upper level to see if she could find the missing animal that would solve the puzzle. Once she found a torn off head that bared the likeness of a whale symbol she called to Orak, who nodded his head and swiftly moved the four pillars into the correct positions. When the door was open Sunset found a tunnel to her left, which wrapped around a bit before she found the item that she had been looking for; the third Black Book.

She sighed and placed her hand on the cover, allowing herself to be taken from the barrow and dropped off in another part of Apocrypha, with what appeared to be the same creature from before. She nodded to the creature and followed it through the Black Book, finding another creature she had never seen before, this one walking around as if it was a guardian. The other creatures that looked like the one that Sunset was followed aided them in solving the puzzle that Hermaeus Mora put in the way of anyone else that found the books, allowing her to get even closer to whichever emotion was hiding at the end.

When they arrived at the final chamber, something she knew because the creature didn't follow her inside, she immediately began to search for the next emotion, until she found a grey version of herself standing before a long corridor.

"You doubt your power," the other her side, waving a hand as the area behind her sealed itself, something that Sunset wasn't expecting, "You lack the conviction and the willpower to defeat Tirek... each of which are something that Pride does not lack."

"That's where you're wrong Doubt," Sunset fired back, drawing her sword once more, deciding that this emotion was going to limit her to her weapon, "I once doubted my ability to fight Tirek and defeat him, and even if that were true today I would still fight him... because the people of this world will rise up and continue to fight for what they believe in. I choose to fight Tirek with very fiber of my being, so if you doubt my ability to stand by that conviction then you might as well fight me and test my will. And I don't care what Pride has and what she doesn't have, she's just another piece of me that I should have made peace with a long time ago."

Doubt roared and charged at Sunset, though when she tried to use her magic she found that it was definitely blocked, so she raised her sword and parried the attack that came her way. Her emotion then called upon her frost magic and tried to freeze Sunset to the ground, but she had learned some evasive tactics from her time fighting her Dragon Priest trainers and put them to use. She then continued to dodge every attack that Doubt threw at her, searching for the opportunity to strike her down and close another wound that had been opened, but found none at the moment.

At one time Doubt scored a lucky hit and burned Sunset's right leg, though she wished she had magic to defend as she worked to find some way to end the fight. She sighed and hid behind one of the pillars, wondering what it would take to defeat Doubt, before she realized something and, in a moment of faith, closed her eyes. She listened to Doubt for a moment, tracking her through her footsteps, before leaping out of her hiding spot and planting her sword right into the emotion's chest. When she opened her eyes she found that Doubt had the look of confusion on her face, as if she couldn't believe that she had been cut down.

"How?" Doubt asked, though by how weak her voice was Sunset could tell that she was beginning to return to where she belonged and didn't have much time left.

"I have faith in all my abilities," Sunset replied, wrapping her arms around Doubt, "You told me that I doubted my power and prevented me from using my magic, but you forgot about my weapon skills. Don't worry, soon we shall be whole once more and we'll take the fight to Tirek... and we'll show the demonic centaur our true power."

Doubt managed a smile before fading completely, though Sunset felt tired after defeating the third emotion and immediately returned to where the Black Book had been located. When she returned to Bengongerike she swayed for a moment and caused Orak to rush to her side, though she could tell that Miraak knew that she was tired from her day of fighting her emotions. While she still had energy to spare she gave the order for them to return to Fort Frostmoth, where she intended to get some rest, somehow, before she sought out the remaining four emotions.

She hated giving Tirek more time to do whatever he was doing in Skyrim, but she needed to be in balance with herself before she hoped to have a chance at besting the demon in combat.

48: Ahzidal's Hatred

When Sunset woke up she pulled herself out of her bed and stretched her arms as she walked out of the room that she had been assigned, which had been one of the first rooms restored when the fortress was being cleared of ash. After defeating her anger and doubt she had been escorted back to the fortress by Zahkriisos, Dukaan, and Miraak, including the draugr that accompanied the newly awoken Dragon Priest. The instant they arrived Zahkriisos and Dukaan went to Kolbjorn Barrow and continued to oversee the extraction of the ash that blocked the way into the depths, though Sunset had gone into the fort to get some well deserved sleep.

Now that she was up she was ready to face whatever the day, and Hermaeus Mora, had to throw at her, though the instant she opened her door she found Delphine waiting outside, reading one of the various books that they had found throughout the fortress. The moment she opened the door her commander closed the book and got onto her feet, though Sunset could tell that something had happened while she had been sleeping.

"Bjorn and the others were able to speak with the Wizard Neloth," Delphine told her, though they began the short walk towards the room that held the map of Solstheim, "but we've come across a problem."

"And what would that be?" Sunset asked, though she sighed as she wondered what the wizard could want in exchange for her using his Black Book for a moment.

"I'll let him tell you himself," Delphine replied, beckoning to the door that led to the chamber that held the map, "after all, he insisted on coming here with your friends. He wanted to negotiate the terms of using his Black Book with the person who was actually going to use the book... and not her, as he called them, 'subordinates'. None of them appreciated being called your subordinates, but they knew you needed his Black Book and decided to bring him here, so you two could talk it out."

Sunset sighed and took a deep breath, bracing herself for whatever Neloth wanted from her before she threw the door open, where she found Orak, Miraak, Bjorn, and Neloth standing around the table. Zahkriisos and Dukaan would be at Kolbjorn Barrow, making sure that they cleared the way to Ahzidal, while the rest of her friends were likely training outside with the rest of the soldiers. Miraak and Bjorn noticed her the moment she entered the room, to which Orak and Neloth looked up from the map and turned towards her as she approached the table, where Delphine stood behind her and watched the wizard.

"I was told that you wanted to see me," Sunset said, turning her eyes to Neloth, though she could tell that he hadn't brought anything with him, "something about negotiating the terms on allowing me to access the Black Book that you have in your tower."

"Yes, I was told that you required my Black Book in overcoming a task that the Daedric Lord Hermaeus Mora gave you," Neloth replied, though Sunset could already tell that this might be trouble for her, "so I have a request; I'd like for you to hand over all the Black Books that you have collected. Its rather simply really, you just hand over the five your going to have soon, because I know your close to Ahzidal's chamber and the book he's guarding, and I will allow you to access the Black Book that I collected... and I'll even help you recover the last book that's locked away in Nchardak."

"Look, I'd love to hand all of them over immediately, but that presents another problem," Sunset told the wizard, beckoning to Miraak for a moment, "Hermaeus Mora wants me to defeat the seven emotions that he gave life to, seven of my emotions that are apparently restricting my full power, and one of those emotions is locked inside the book that was in Miraak's temple."

"Then why haven't you gone back inside and defeated that emotion?" Neloth asked, though Sunset could tell that he was eager to hear why she hadn't bested that emotion.

"Because Pride is locked behind six locks," Miraak stated, causing the wizard to turn to him for a moment, "Lord Hermaeus Mora locked Pride in the Black Book that was in my temple and the only way for the Warlord to access her final emotion is for her to defeat the other six. This means that you'll have to settle for four of the books that you want, at least until she's done fighting her emotions, where she'd be able to hand off the last book you desire."

"Hermaeus Mora has always been a fickle Daedric Prince," Neloth admitted, letting out a sigh as he glanced from Miraak to Sunset, where his eyes stayed for a moment, "I should have expected something like this from him, but instead I chose to believe that I could simply ask for the remaining Black Books that weren't in my possession. Fine, I guess that I'll have to continue to play by the rules that the Lord of Fate has set upon you... and I'll accept the four Black Books once you have awakened Ahzidal, though I'll be expecting the final book once you've dealt with Pride.

Though at some point you simply must let me hold one of those spheres you created so that I can study the magic you built into it... and maybe a blood sample or two so I can better understand what manner of creature you are."

"I'd be glad to hand the Black books over when I'm done with them," Sunset told the wizard, as she had been collecting them for the exact purpose of handing them to Neloth the moment she didn't need them anymore, "but the manner of the spheres and my blood will have to wait until I'm done on Solstheim. That doesn't mean that the requests are being thrown away, they're merely being put at the end of my list so I can decide the answer for myself."

True be told she wasn't going to let the wizard take any of her blood at all, though she was just as keen on making sure that he didn't get his hands on the spheres either. She was thankful that she could duplicate many of the runes that Princess Celestia had taught her, and the powers that each rune commanded, in a world that was different from what Equus was. She didn't want to leave any more knowledge of her world than she already was, which was why she was so knee on making sure the spheres stayed with her or under her control. There was no telling what Neloth could do with the knowledge that the spheres could give him, so she knew that she'd be taking them with her the moment it was time to return to Equus.

Before Neloth could open his mouth to reply to her the door to the chamber opened and Fiona walked in, though Sunset noticed that she seemed eager to share her news.

"I've got good news," Fiona said, coming to a stop by the table, "We've managed to breach the tomb of Ahzidal, so all that we need to do now is head in there and speak with him. Would there happen to be a fifth Dragon Priest on Solstheim? Because I heard Zahkriisos mention someone by the name of Vahlok as I was leaving, though I wasn't sure if it was a person or a place."

"Vahlok the Jailer," Miraak replied, sounding as if he wanted to shatter the person to pieces, which told Sunset that it had to be the final Dragon Priest she was missing, "the man responsible for my defeat when I tried to take over Solstheim. He's strong in both the Thu'um and magic, so fighting him would actually be something you'd want to avoid... though if the other Priests are talking about him it is likely that he's in the process of waking up. Maybe the other three will pay their former leader a visit once you finish with the Black Book that Ahzidal is guarding, so they can explain the situation themselves."

Sunset knew that the five Dragon Priests that inhabited Solstheim were likely the most powerful Priests that the dragons had trained, which was evident in the fact that ancient lore told that when Vahlok and Miraak fought that Solstheim became separated from Skyrim. She was now as powerful as the Priests that were scattered across Skyrim were, though she had no idea if she could actually best any of the five that she was currently recruiting. If she and Miraak had fought in Apocrypha she knew it was likely that the Summit would have been destroyed, though she was thankful that Hermaeus Mora gave her something else to focus on.

"Then I shall head to Kolbjorn Barrow and speak with Ahzidal," Sunset told the people around her, though she took a moment to make sure that her weapons were ready for the coming conflict she was going to have with her next emotion, "Hopefully whatever emotion is waiting for me goes down quickly, because we're on the second day and there's still three more to fight after this one."

She knew that Hatred, Violence, and Fear were the only things keeping her from attacking Pride, so as she walked out of the fortress, with Miraak following behind her, she had to wonder which of them she would find inside the barrow.

As the duo approached the barrow, which was now cleared of all the ash that had invaded the place when Red Mountain had erupted, Sunset was pleased to discover that the draugr that had been sleeping inside the barrow had awoken and were standing around their comrades. She could tell that they had been helping the other draugr from inside their resting place, pushing against the ash as the others were pulling what they could out of the place. Many of the draugr bowed their heads to Sunset as she passed them, another reminder of her position as Konahrik, and she lightly repeated the gesture as she entered the barrow.

Once they were inside Kolbjorn one of the Deathlords, the one carrying the Bloodskaal Blade, beckoned for them to follow him as he began to traverse the entirety of the ruin. He lead them down corridors, through chambers that clearly had puzzles to reveal ancient treasures, and down a winding staircase that eventually took them to a massive chamber. The chamber had at least ten coffins lining the walls, but in the middle of it all there was a ring that looked like it was surrounded by blood and the body of the dark elf that had come seeking a set of relics known as 'Ahzidal's Relics'. Floating around the circle were Zahkriisos and Dukaan, which told her that they were here to oversee what was going to happen when their ally rose from the dead.

Sunset didn't need to be told that the blood and dead body were key ingredients in bringing the Dragon Priest back, so she patiently watched as Ahzidal rose from the stone seal he had been locked behind. He floated in the air for a moment, turning his head towards the two Priests he had known before his death, before he locked his gaze on Miraak and readied his staff, to which both Zahkriisos and Dukaan approached him and started speaking in the Dragon Language. Sunset didn't bother deciphering most of what they said, as she could tell that they were calming the Priest down and briefly explaining why Miraak was standing next to her.

Once Ahzidal was calmed down he nodded his head and bowed before Sunset, something that she had been expecting as the other two Priests had done the same thing when she woke them up.

"I still hate you Miraak," Ahzidal growled, before turning his full attention to Sunset, "I take it that you are here to recover my Black Book and have the three of us speak to Vahlok on your behalf?"

She considered telling the Priest that Vahlok hadn't been on her mind until Miraak had brought him up earlier, but then decided that saying that might land her in hot water with the three Priests she had awakened. She knew that there was nothing else for her to say besides the fact that she came for the Black Book and to awaken him, so she simply nodded her head.

"That is correct," Sunset told the Priests, though she noticed that both Zahkriisos and Dukaan floated eagerly nearby, "I assume that the three of you are eager to begin your journey to Vahlok's tomb and speak with him, so that he is up to date on what is happening on Solstheim at the moment?"

"We are Warlord," Zahkriisos replied, though he pointed at the door that rested at the opposite end of the chamber, "That will take you to the book that you seek, though we shall be heading outside so that we can begin the trek to Vahlok's tomb. We shall return when we have convinced him of what's going on and how you managed to team up with his sworn enemy."

Sunset nodded her understanding and ventured towards the door that Zahkriisos had pointed to, to which she walked along a tunnel that eventually deposited her in a room with the Black Book she had been searching for... and a statue of Hermaeus Mora that appeared to be overlooking the book. She stared at the statue for a moment, still wondering what game the Daedric Prince was playing, before she sighed and approached the Black Book, to which she placed her hand on it and allowed the magic to take over. A few seconds later her connection to Solstheim was gone and she knew that she was heading for Apocrypha, where her next emotion would be waiting for her arrival and their coming fight.

When Sunset opened her eyes she wasn't surprised to find that she was in another area of Apocrypha, nor was she surprised to find another Seeker, or the same one as it was impossible to tell the difference between them, waiting for her. This part of Apocrypha seemed to be partially covered in darkness, but as the Seeker beckoned her forward she noticed that it cast a light that allowed them to traverse the area without any of the nasty effects that were lurking in the shadows. She followed after it and kept her eyes peeled for whatever emotion that called this book home, giving her time to wonder what abilities this one had to throw at her.

She was fortunate that Miraak was willing to explain what the creatures she had been seeing were called, which gave her the ability to name the floating creature now that she knew what it was.

It didn't take them long to reach the end of the Black Book, something she had come to recognize by the larger versions of the Black Books sitting on a pedestal, though when the Seeker stopped moving Sunset immediately knew that her emotion was somewhere around them. As she started to look around a mass of shadows opened before the Black Book, to which a dark green version of herself stepped out of the darkness and stared down at her. It was then that Sunset noticed that her eyes were deep red colored and were surrounded by a light green color, though there were purple wisps of magic rolling off of her eyes... something she had briefly heard about from Princess Celestia.

This emotion was using Dark Magic, something that she had only used after tainting the Element of Magic, though it was the specialty of King Sombra, the Tyrant of the Crystal Empire.

"You finally decided to show yourself," the other Sunset said, though Sunset could tell that her emotion's voice was as cold as ice, almost as if there was nothing inside of her, "I don't know why you'd give up on your dream of ruling Equestria as suddenly as you did... it makes me hate who you've become and gives me the desire to CRUSH YOU!"

The moment that the emotion, Hatred Sunset determined, snapped those last two words out she pressed her hand against the wall she had come out of and activated her magic. The floor shook and Sunset rolled to her right, turning around in time to see a large grey crystal pillar erupt from the floor, though by the points she saw on the pillar she knew that her emotion wasn't messing around. She summoned her magic and charged out into the open, where she turned and fired a fireball right at Hatred, so merely caught it with her shadows and turned it into a chunk of angry red crystals.

Sunset knew that she should have seen something like that coming, as she had read up on a few of Sombra's combat abilities, the few that Princess Celestia bothered to record from her and Luna's fight with the deranged stallion. The problem was that she had no idea what else there might be besides summoning crystal pillars, turning her own magic into crystals, and using the shadows to inflict pain on those that challenged the user. Dark Magic was something that she didn't know too much about, but she knew that her emotion would either be making this all up as she went or she had a deeper understanding than Sunset did.

She took a deep breath and gathered more of her magic, as she didn't want to resort to the Staff of Magnus unless it was absolutely necessary, before she locked on to Hatred once more. She was surprised to find that the emotion hadn't moved an inch yet, which meant that she was either planning something or that she was overconfident in her abilities. Once she locked onto the emotion Sunset brought her arm back and released a volley of fireballs towards her, but then ducked behind a pillar the moment they were out of her hands. She stood there for a moment before she heard the thump of several large crystals hitting the floor, telling her that even a volley was no match for the darkness inside her emotion.

"Is this really the best you can do?!" Hatred shouted, darkness swirling off of her as she flicked her right hand towards the wall opposite of where Sunset was hiding, making a large crystal wall erupt from the darkness, "Are you really telling me that the reason you beat your Despair, your Doubt, and your Anger is because your a coward that cannot face reality without hiding behind something? Your just like the shy one now, hiding behind others while they pick your fights for you... I always hated her for always relying on others like that. Come on out Sunset, we both know how much you hate the school that shunned you after everything they did to you, even after you and your 'friends' saved them from the Sirens. Don't you hate how both versions of Twilight Sparkle think that they're better than you, how they think that they're much smarter than you and act like you know NOTHING?!"

When that word left her mouth Hatred turned towards the path Sunset had walked up and slammed her hand against the floor, causing a cluster of crystal pillars to erupt from the darkness and shatter the walkway into a thousand pieces.

"Or how about Miss 'I'm definitely better than everyone' Rainbow Dash?" Hatred continued, picking on the next friend that Sunset had, "Don't you hate how every time you try to come up with a plan of attack, be it in school or in any of the games she plays, that she constantly ignores you and makes it sound like whatever you were going to say was worthless? Or Rarity, who always says that she'll be able to lend a helping hand, yet either comes along with a line about how she needs to take care of her sister or never shows up at all? And what about Applejack, whose always fighting the lies and half truths that people tell all day, while always having something of her own to lie...

Okay, that's it, quit IGNORING ME OR I WILL REDUCE THIS ENTIRE BLACK BOOK TO ASH AND PERSONALLY DESTROY WHOEVER STANDS BETWEEN ME AND MY RETURN TO EQUUS!"

Sunset sighed and drew her ebony sword, to which she allowed her magic to wrap around the blade as she prepared the wave version of her condensed magic, but as she did so she got a better idea on how to best this emotion. She drew her right hand back and etched a rune on the handle, something that she would be able to attach to the moment that she hit her target. Then, once the blade was ready, she silently allowed more magic to gather around her as she stood up, as she prepared to end this fight once and for all. She stepped out of her hiding spot and locked her eyes with Hatred's eyes, before she pulled her arm back and threw her sword right at her emotion, as if it was a spear.

Hatred laughed as the sword met her shadows, which cooled the blade down and surrounded it with a chunk of crystals, but Sunset had been expecting that. The moment her sword was encased in crystal she flashed to it, using the rune she had drawn as a base for the spell, much to the surprise of her emotion. Before Hatred had a chance to defend herself Sunset brought her right hand back, allowed the energy to form a sphere for a moment, before she pressed the energy against her emotion's chest and allowed the beam of energy to tear through her. Hatred, now actually lacking her heart, crumpled to the ground, where Sunset sighed and watched the crystals shatter around all them, giving some normalcy back to the Black Book.

Sunset then knelt beside her emotion and watched as she broke up into bits of magic, swirling around Sunset for a moment before they settled into the place that she had been ripped from by Hermaeus Mora. She collected her sword a moment later, before she sheathed the blade and turned to the undamaged book, where she pressed her hand against it and allowed herself to travel back to Solstheim. Once she arrived she found Miraak standing beside the opening, telling her that he had been standing there the entire time that she had been gone.

"I take it that the fourth emotion has been dealt with?" Miraak asked, as he was curious as to whether she had succeeded or had escaped to rest before trying again.

"Hatred had been put back where she belongs," Sunset replied, picking up the Black Book before turning towards the exit, as she remembered that Neloth wanted all of them before giving her access to his book, "We had better get to Neloth and figure out which of the remaining emotions is hiding in his Black Book... then once that's done we'll need to recover the one from Nchardak and release the sixth lock. Then, and only then, will I have the ability to fight Pride."

As the two of them left Kolbjorn Sunset knew that things were heating up with her emotions, though it left her to wonder what Violence and Fear had in store for her the moment she discovered them. Neloth would be happy to have all seven of the Black Books once she was done with her emotions, though she really didn't care for them now that she had bested the emotion trapped inside of them. She hoped that Vahlok was willing to trust her enough so he could become an ally, because she knew that she wouldn't have enough time to fight a Dragon Priest along side her emotions.

And while she thought about this she had to wonder what Tirek was doing in Skyrim, with only Alduin and his brother to watch over their forces until they returned. She had the feeling that he was destroying something, but what she had no idea on and knew that she wouldn't figure it out until they returned to Skyrim.

Due to complete boredom while waiting to see if he could summon the Daedric Prince know as Hermaeus Mora, something that wasn't possible until he was done 'training' Sunset Shimmer, Tirek decided to visit the home of one of her allies. it would be time consuming, he knew that, but in the end it would allow him to relieve some of his anger and allow him to get closer to the time when he could summon the final Prince. As such he was walking through the Rift, looking for the opening that Revan had reported to him that would allow him to head to where Fort Dawnguard was located.

The wildlife, likely still attuned to Hircine and knowing full well what he did to the Prince, would not stand to let him simply walk anywhere and lashed out at him every chance they got. It was amusing that mere animals believed that they stood a chance against his power, but overtime it quickly lost its humor and he began to grow tired of the beasts. One wolf leapt at him and tired to bite his face, but he pulled back and slammed his fist into the beast's head, cracking the skull and killing the beast in an instant. Many more animals came at him, to which he used his magic to cut them into pieces, discarding them like the pieces of trash that they were.

When he finally found the cave that Revan had mentioned he allowed his magic to pool around his right hand, preparing an attack that he would use to destroy the base of one of Sunset's allies. It didn't take long for him to find Fort Dawnguard, though he took a moment to look around and found that someone had been inside recently, as in the last hour he reckoned. He missing Sunset's allies as they fled their base, but he would give them a taste of the power that they, and the rest of their pathetic allies, faced if they sided with Sunset Shimmer. He approached the main gate and slammed his fist into the door, shattering the wood upon impact as the earth reacted to his touch once more.

The structures around him cracked under the weight of the shifting earth, though as Tirek walked backwards to admire his work he watched as the entire fortress developed a massive crack. The fracture happened next, as the ground around him sunk into the ground and took some of the supporting walls with them, adding to the destruction that he had brought to the Rift. As the ground began to swallow the fortress the mountain it rested near fractured, the pieces of earth raining down onto whatever remained of the Dawnguard's base. Tirek made sure that every wall had been torn down and that the place had been buried beneath a massive rockslide, so when he was pleased with his work he turned around and began the journey back to his hidden base.

This would serve as a message to Sunset's allies, that if they allied with Sunset and fought against him, then he would shatter their homes and bring them the end that they craved. Then, when her allies were scattered to the four winds, he would turn his power on Sunset Shimmer and destroy her, as he had promised her, before he brought ruin to Equus once more.

49: Violence at Tel Mithryn

Sunset and Miraak returned to Fort Frostmoth, where they found Neloth speaking with Delphine in the middle of the courtyard, though it didn't take long for Sunset to figure out what the wizard was doing. He was beckoning to one of the two spheres that she had created for the fortress, which also told her that he was trying to convince her commander to possibly lend one to him for studying. Delphine, continuing to act as a commander should, appeared to be telling the wizard the same thing, which Sunset assumed was that he'd have to wait until they were finished with Solstheim and were preparing to leave. Even as she thought about the spheres she knew that she wouldn't be handing them over to the wizard, not when there was the possibility that they could be misused.

As the two of them approached Delphine and Neloth, who were deep in their conversation to not notice them coming, Sunset's mind was drawn to the question of which emotion she would be facing in Neloth's Black Book, Violence or Fear. She found it strange that Hermaeus Mora would take the time to separate herself from seven of her negative emotions, though as she thought about it she guessed that it was doing some good for her. She was feeling much better after each emotion had been defeated in whatever test they threw at her, almost as if she was becoming more balanced with herself. She couldn't tell if her magic was actually improving thanks to the Daedric Prince's trials, but it was helping her overcome the grief and guilt she had felt after her defeat... something that she had tried to heal and failed at the time, until this happened.

Now she was more at peace with herself and what she had done in the past, but she also knew that until Pride was defeated she could never truly be at peace.

"Ah, there you are," Neloth commented, turning around in time to see the two of them approach, breaking Sunset out of her thoughts as she and Miraak came to a stop in front of them, "I was beginning to wonder if your emotion had gotten the better of you, but judging by how you walked just now it seems that my earlier thought has been proven wrong; you defeated your fourth emotion and recovered yet another of Hermaeus Mora's Black Books. Well then, now that you have five of the Black Books, and I have the only remaining two of the island, I'd say that its time for the two of us to venture to my tower and make the trade."

"And once that emotion is defeated Sunset would have to clear Nchardak in order to release the final book," Delphine growled, apparently having caught on to the fact that the last Black Book wasn't available to anyone at the moment, before she turned to Sunset for a moment, "Your friends are coming along for the ride, so you can conserve your energy after fighting whatever emotion is resting inside Neloth's Black Book. They have the feeling that whatever emotion is waiting before Pride will require a lot of energy to fight, so they figured that it would be best for them to fight the dwarven ruin for you... only they can't go inside until Neloth opens the door, which he refuses to open until your finished with his own book."

Sunset glared at the wizard for a moment, wondering what he hoped to gain by making them wait until he and her friends had cleared the dwarven ruin before she could access the sixth book, but then she sighed and held up the Black Book she was currently carrying.

"So, where are we making the trade?" Sunset asked, as she really wanted to get underway so she could figure out which emotion she'd have to fight next, "We trading the books here, or are we heading to your tower to make the trade?"

"We'll make the trade at Tel Mithryn, my tower," Neloth replied immediately, though she could tell by the look in his eyes that he was glad that she was so willing to hand over all the Black Books she had on her at the moment, though he knew that the one that had been in Miraak's temple would be off limits until Pride was defeated, "You'll hand over the Black Books that you have already cleared out and then I'll unlock the door that will allow you to access my book... then I guess once your finished with mine we'll have to clear out Nchardak to recover the seventh and final Black Book."

Sunset nodded her understanding of the situation, not really liking that the wizard was forcing her to hand over almost all of the Black Books that she had collected to even touch the one he found, but knew that it was something that she had to do if she wanted to even get close to Pride. She didn't have time to waste on arguing over who got the Black Books and who didn't get them, as she only wanted them so she could defeat the emotion that was resting inside. Neloth could have all seven of them for all she cared, though she wished that he had been more understanding on the fact that the entirety of Nirn was going to be destroyed if she didn't defeat all her emotions before the third day was up.

Sunset, Miraak, and her friends then spent the next half hour walking across the ash covered land, following Neloth as he led them to a rather large mushroom looking tower. Sunset had never seen something like it before and asked about it, but all the wizard would tell her was that he had taken a bit of a larger tower and had grown in on Solstheim, resulting in what she was seeing before her. When they arrived at the tower another dark elf ran up to them, though it didn't take long for Sunset to determine that this had to be the apprentice that Miraak had mentioned some time ago.

Once they were all inside the main tower, and had ridden a well of energy to get to the top, Neloth had his apprentice clear a nearby table and soon everything that had been on it was in one of the surrounding boxes.

"There, that should be enough room for four Black Books," Neloth said, offering no thanks to his apprentice for what he had done, which Sunset was somewhat annoyed with, "Now then, place the four books on the table and I shall unlock the door for you."

Sunset nodded and turned to her friends, three of which happened to be carrying the books she had found between Miraak's temple and Kolbjorn Barrow. She had left them in Fort Frostmoth, so that they wouldn't get in the way, and her friends had offered to carry them to the tower, so she really couldn't say no to their aid. Now that they had reached their destination she briefly nodded her head to them and watched as the three Black Books were placed on the table, to which she reached into her pack and pulled out the one from Kolbjorn. Miraak held the book from his temple, though he often told her that it had been locked by Hermaeus Mora to prevent her from cheating, so she moved towards the table and placed her book with the others.

Neloth grinned the moment the four books were on the table, to which he turned towards the door that separated Sunset from his Black Book and opened it up, before stepping out of the way and beckoning for her to approach the book. Sunset nodded for a second before approaching the book, where she again wondered which of her emotions would be waiting for her inside the tome. She then sighed and pressed her hand against the cover, closing her eyes and allowing the magic to take over so she could find her emotion quickly.

When Sunset opened her eyes she found herself into yet another section of Apocryhpa, though floating nearby was the same Seeker that she had encountered many times before, or at least she assumed that it was the same one. There was no way to tell if this one was different from the others, preventing her from figuring out if she was being aided by only one Seeker or an entire group of the creatures. The Seeker beckoned to her and started down the path that would take them to where Sunset's emotion would be waiting for her arrival, which she knew had to be at the end considering that was where the others had been.

As she followed after the Seeker, who almost never looked back at her, Sunset wondered if she could possibly get the creature to speak, as she had no idea if they could thanks to Miraak deciding not to share that piece of information with her.

"Out of curiosity, do you guys speak at all?" Sunset tried, as she was growing tired of simply following the Seekers around and staring at the scenery of the Plane of Oblivion.

Rarely, a voice said into her head, causing her to look around for a moment before locking onto the Seeker that she was following, Lord Hermaeus Mora was right, you do catch on quick.

"I'm surprised that you actually answered me," Sunset admitted, as she had no idea if her idea of simply asking out work or not, "I was expecting you to remain silent until we reached my emotion."

With the exclusion of Lord Hermaeus Mora, we have only had Miraak to talk to for the last two thousand years, the Seeker reminded her, to which Sunset nodded her head for a moment, One forgets what's like to speak with someone that actually wants to have a conversation, instead of being ordered around by the same individual. We learned to simply follow whatever orders Miraak had for us, otherwise our Lord would have done something to us that would make us regret not following the former Priest's orders.

"So what exactly are you?" Sunset asked, before shaking her head as she thought of something better to ask, "I mean, I know that your a Seeker, but are there other ranks that you can achieve?"

Of course, the Seeker replied, though it made a noise that Sunset was unable to determine whether it was laughter or something else, There are three ranks; a normal Seeker, a Seeker Aspirant, and a High Seeker. There are few High Seekers in Apocrypha, though I am one of them. I am the eldest High Seeker in Apocrypha, former Second in Command of this Plane of Oblivion, though I am now third as Miraak has taken the role of second.

"Does that upset you at all?" Sunset inquired, wondering if it was possible for the creature to care about such things, or if she was being ridiculous with her assumptions.

No, it does not upset me, the High Seeker answered, not even taking a moment to think before giving her the answer, and even if it did I would have been struck down the moment I complained. Miraak is Lord Hermaeus Mora's chosen Second in Command now, and I will follow whatever order my Lord has for me, regardless of who ends up giving them out.

Sunset remained silent as the High Seeker escorted her through the Black Book, wondering if it had been a good idea to speak with the Seeker to begin with, but knew that it was impossible to go back. She had gotten the answer to her question, something that she hadn't been expecting when she asked the original question, so she was fine with the silence now. It gave her time to think about which emotion was waiting for her and what powers they might have in their arsenal, considering that the other emotions had a variety of powers. She had been caught off guard by the power that Hatred had been able to command, as she had been when the other three had revealed their own cards, so she wanted to be ready for anything.

When they finally arrived at the end of the Black Book, after taking maybe twenty minutes to reach it, Sunset found another version of herself standing before the book, a bronze colored version she noted. The only difference between Sunset and her emotion, a major one she mentally added, was that her emotion was wearing a suit of steel armor and carried a longsword in her right hand. She didn't need to be told which emotion this was, because she had never worn such a suit of armor in all of her time in Skyrim, but she approached the next emotion and slowly drew her ebony sword.

"Finally, I was beginning to get bored," the emotion said, moving her empty left hand to her for a moment, "I am Violence... and you shall provide me with the entertainment that I have been waiting for."

Sunset barely had time to raise her sword as Violence flashed in front of her, copying one of her most used abilities in an instant, before swinging her longsword at her, to which Sunset leapt backwards so the weapon would miss her. As she finished drawing her ebony sword Violence appeared before her again, though this time she had the opportunity to raise her sword into a defensive position, but when the longsword hit her weapon she noticed a crack develop on the blade. Then Violence twisted around and planted her foot in Sunset's chest, knocking her backwards for a moment before swinging her weapon once more, though this time it was aimed specifically at her sword, snapping the ebony weapon into two pieces.

When her weapon fragments fell to the ground, and Sunset backed away from her emotion, she noticed that Violence had a strange grin on her face, as if she was enjoying herself.

"Ah, that was definitely a good start... despite the fact that your weapon broke," Violence told her, staring at her with her wolfish grin on her face, "Now then, summon a new weapon and let us resume this fight..."

Sunset stared at Violence for a moment, knowing that she didn't have another blade to use at the moment and glanced at the handle of her weapon, which happened to be between her and her emotion. Magic swirled around her hand for a moment as she considered simply striking her emotion down, but knew that even if she did hit Violence with magic her emotion was going to show her true power. She sighed for a moment and snatched her sword's handle, allowing it to slide into her right hand as she debated what to do with what remained of her weapon. Sure, the blade had been snapped in half, but with what remained of the blade she could still use it, provided that Violence didn't attack and shatter the rest of it.

Violence, seeing Sunset grab a weapon, continued to grin widely as she dashed forward, bringing her weapon down on the blade that Sunset held and snapped the already strained weapon further. Sunset leapt backwards once more, but this time when Violence flashed up to her she teleported to the other side of the room, where she moved behind one of the pillars. Not a moment later Violence's blade erupted through the stonework, though as Sunset threw herself into the area in front of the pillar she turned and watched as her emotion cut the structure in half.

"Come on, fight back," Violence told her, holding her unsettling grin as she approached Sunset, "Your weapons are feeble and weak... summon something stronger and fight me!"

Sunset knew a fair number of weapon conjuring spells, some she had gleamed from the College of Winterhold and some from Equus when she raided Princess Celestia's library in search of information on the mysterious crystal mirror, but she had no idea which would be best for this type of fight. Before she could determine which spell to use, and which weapon to summon, she spotted what appeared to be a daedric sword resting near her, though she had to wonder where it came from. As she picked herself up she knew that she had underestimated how much power her emotion would pack into a single attack, something that she was going to have to watch out for when they crossed their weapons again.

As she stood back up she readied herself for when Violence struck again, though the emotion was merely standing in the same place she had been when she shattered the rest of Sunset's sword, grinning as if she was enjoying herself.

"Are you not enjoying yourself?" Violence asked her, causing Sunset to raise an eyebrow at her emotion, who ran her hand over her sword as if it was her closest friend in the world, "Come, listen to you instincts and you'll hear them screaming in joy... they'll be cheering for more as we clash with each other, until one of us lies dead on the ground. Come on now, if you don't raise your sword and fight me then you'll never be able to face Pride... despite the fact that Fear is waiting for you as well."

Sunset hated how some of her emotions made sense when they spoke to her, as she knew that if she didn't fight this emotion, and actually bested it in battle, then she would never move on to either Fear or Pride. Violence was powerful in terms of strength, she had the ability to copy and use the flash ability that Sunset had developed, and hadn't been damaged in any way since the fight had started. She knew that she was going to have to resort to tricking her emotion at some point in the fight, but right now she had no idea how she was going to inflict any damage on her enemy.

It was at a moment like this that Sunset mentally wished that Hermaeus Mora had chosen some other emotion to use, but knew that wishing for a change would not make it happen and that she was stuck with Violence.

"Would it be fair if I let you hurt me?" Violence asked, causing Sunset to look at her once more, wondering why she was so serious about the whole thing when she had that wicked smile on her face, "It would make it more interesting if the two of us were on even ground, though one cannot fault you for being so weak and feeble when your facing your violent nature. Pride will be annoyed that you were beaten early, but that's what she gets for overestimating your abilities in bat..."

Sunset decided that she had enough of the talking and decided to take action at last, to which she flashed right up to Violence and swung her new sword down at the emotion, who had enough time to parry the attack. Magic swirled around Sunset's blade, but instead of discharging it immediately she used it as a backer to her attack, increasing the power of her blows until she decided it was time to loose an energy wave. Violence grinned for a moment and started to push back, but when she did so Sunset leapt backwards and avoided the attack that was coming after it, though she landed not far away from her emotion.

Violence immediately rushed after her, giving Sunset the chance to flee somewhere else as she decided what she needed to do so she could best this emotion. Magic seemed to be effective against her, as she hadn't been expecting Sunset to use her own magical energy to empower her new sword, but it seemed to do the trick. She had the key to defeating her enemy, but she needed to plan a way that she could use it to her advantage and best Violence before the emotion wrecked the rest of the Black Book. She then remembered a duplication spell that several advanced unicorns used when they battled, giving the real one time to retreat and plan for what was to come.

Sunset grinned as she turned back and cast a light spell at Violence, one that was designed to give off a large flash when it went off, and covered her eyes the moment it went off. Once the spell had died down Sunset then proceeded to cast her illusion spell, allowing four copies of herself to appear around her, each of them looking exactly like she did, before she moved behind one of the pillars and waited.

Violence rubbed her eyes with her open hand for a moment before she was able to see again, though when she did she found that Sunset had summoned mirror images of herself. It was an attempt to stall for time while she thought up a plan that could defeat her, but she grinned and pointed her sword at one of the illusions, before she flashed towards it and cut it right in half. The other three of them stared at her for a moment before they realized that they were under attack, to which they drew their weapons and charged at the emotion. Violence brought her sword up and parried one of the attacks, before swinging her blade and taking the head of one of the illusions, to which she followed it up with parrying another attack and driving the blades of her enemies into their chests.

Once the illusions were dealt with Violence took a look around the immediate area, searching for any signs that would point to where Sunset was hiding so she could continue the fight. That was seconds before an energy wave struck her in the chest and knocked her out of the sky, forcing her to crash land next to the Black Book she had been standing next to while she waited for Sunset to appear. She turned back to the area that waited in front of the book and found that Sunset was standing there, only this time she seemed prepared to finish the fight they had started. At least Violence assumed she was ready, because there was a steady flow of magic constantly wrapping itself around the sword that Sunset carried.

"Well, look who worked up the nerve to fight me out in the open," Violence said, her grin returning to her face as she faced Sunset, "and here I was thinking that I'd have to cut everything to pieces just to find you. Now that you've finally come out of your hiding spot its time that we finished this fight... unless your here to surrender to me and all..."

Violence never finished that sentence, as Sunset pulled her arm back and swung her blade with as much force as she could muster, releasing a massive wave of energy that soared right into her emotion. Violence raised her hands and caught the wave before it could touch her body, but after the first few seconds she began to realize that she wasn't strong enough to counter the energy. The mass pushed on her arms, driving her backwards as she struggled to keep herself in the game, but then when she thought she had bested Sunset's attack the energy surged through her hands and struck her in the chest, resulting in an explosion that rocked the entire area.

Sunset held her ground as the smoke from her attack cleared, though as it did so she found that the copy of the Black Book was undamaged, though the surrounding floor had been completely destroyed. Pretty much the entire structure that had been surrounding the book was gone, save for the pedestal, so Sunset knew that she might have overdid the amount of power she had put into the blade. Violence finally appeared from the smoke, though Sunset was somewhat surprised to find that emotion was missing half of her right arm, which she supposed was due to the emotion trying to catch the energy, and that there was a large gash on her chest, as the energy had cut her armor into pieces.

Violence flashed to where Sunset was standing, but the moment she arrived she tipped just a tiny bit and fell to the ground, where she stayed as Sunset stood over her.

"That was... fun," Violence coughed, looking up at Sunset one last time before she returned to where she belonged, "When you finally get to Pride, and I'm thinking that you will, do me a favor and don't hold back as you beat her into submission."

Sunset barely nodded her head as she knelt beside her emotion and placed her hand on Violence's head, allowing the emotion to break up into bits of magic and return to where she belonged. Once that was done she braced herself for a moment, as her body was finally catching up with how much energy she had poured into that attack, though she knew that she'd have to sit out of raiding the dwarven ruin until she got her energy back. She sighed and turned towards the Black Book, where she walked over to it and placed her hand on its cover, allowing it to take her back to Neloth's tower.

When Sunset returned to Tel Mithryn she found that her friends were still patiently waiting for her, though by the looks of it Neloth had been trying to get them to do something for him. Miraak, on the other hand, was standing beside the door that Neloth had opened for Sunset, as if he had been waiting to see if she would return with good news. A few seconds passed before everyone noticed that she had returned from Apocrypha, to which Bjorn smiled at her as she stepped out of the room the book had been kept inside. She had no idea how long she had been inside the fifth Black Book, but she hoped that she still had enough time to fight Fear before the day was over.

"How are you feeling?" Bjorn asked, as he was deeply concerned for her having to go inside each of the seven Black Books and defeat the emotion that waited for her.

"I'm exhausted," Sunset admitted, as she knew that she had spent too much energy in her last fight, something that would take some time to recover from, "but the end result was worth it..."

"And so the fifth emotion has fallen," Miraak commented, immediately catching on to what she was saying, despite the fact that Sunset was going to say the same thing anyway, "only one of them remains before the way to Pride is open. However, you do need to rest if you are to have any hope of defeating Fear, who I'm sure will take a lot of time and careful planning to defeat."

"Well then, to Nchardak," Neloth snapped out, causing everyone to turn to him as he made his way to the beam that would take him to the entrance of his tower, "We've got one more Black Book to acquire, and another emotion to defeat, before you can finish playing Hermaeus Mora's little game and get back to the fate of the world... no pressure."

Sunset didn't know whether she liked the fact that Neloth was so willing to aid them, as long as he got the Black Books, or that she hated the fact that he had no respect for her or her friends and allies. It reminded her of who she used to be when she was studying under Princess Celestia, something that she was only now dealing with thanks to a Daedric Prince. She sighed for a moment before nodding to her friends, where she got back onto her feet and followed after the Master Wizard, knowing that she'd have time to rest when they reached their destination. She'd let her friends conquer whatever Nchardak threw their way, knowing that they would do whatever it took to make sure that she had the book she came for.

She also had the uneasy feeling that Tirek was out there destroying something, but she knew that she needed to complete the tests that Hermaeus Mora was throwing at her before she could fight the demon of equal footing.

50: Nchardak's Hidden Fear

Sunset and her friends followed Neloth as he descended to the ground floor of his tower, though they spent a good ten minutes making sure that everyone managed to reach the bottom level before they walked out into the ash once more. Neloth's apprentice, Talvas, accompanied them on their journey, no doubt to see his master perform his 'feats of magic' against whatever enemies happened to reside in the dwarven ruin. Sunset knew that they would find something to fight in the ruin, though she had the feeling that her friends would be able to defeat whatever waited for them, with or without Neloth and Talvas' help.

After a few minutes of walking they reached another one of the Stones that dotted Solstheim's landscape, though Sunset was somewhat pleased to find that it had been been released from Miraak's control, telling her that the former Priest had abided by his Master's orders. Miraak, on the other hand, seemed annoyed by the fact that he had been forced to give up all the progress he had made in enslaving the entire island, something that Sunset knew thanks to how Frea glanced at him all the time.

Neloth snapped his fingers as they encountered a group of ash spawn, summoning lightning into his hands before spinning around and planing the blasts into the leader's chest, obliterating the creature in an instant. He then snapped once more and a storm atronach appeared next to him, which lashed out with more lightning and struck one of the remaining enemies in the chest. He turned towards the remaining enemy and prepared to strike it down, but just seconds before he released the spell a massive ice spike struck the creature in the head and killed it almost immediately. He turned around and found that his apprentice had cast the spell, to which he sighed and nodded his head towards him, before turning back to the path and heading down the mountainside.

When they reached the front of Nchardak, which Sunset discovered that the majority of it had been buried by the water, the group found a nest of bandits patrolling the outside of the ruins, but none of her friends made a move at the moment, as if they were waiting for something.

"Go ahead guys," Sunset told her friends, including Miraak, Neloth, and his apprentice, before she beckoned to the bandits that were the closest to them, "Show them that you mean business."

"As Magic wishes," Cicero said, pulling out a bow, something he had picked up while traveling on the ships to Solstheim and trained with thanks to several of the soldiers, and loosed an arrow at one of the bandits.

Sunset had to admit it, and Bjorn did as well, but when the arrow struck the bandit they assumed that the person would turn toward them and sound the alarm, but he dropped dead, no doubt due to a poison that coated the arrow. Cicero then beckoned to the others and they advanced into the area that the bandit had been patrolling, though moments later the sound of weapons hitting each other could be heard. Sunset chuckled as she watched Fiona and Raja cut down whoever got near them, exchanging blows on those that fought them while appearing to not let anything touch them, while Lydia smashed those that approached her. Bjorn stayed beside Cicero, pointing out enemies that wanted to stay at the back and pin their friends with arrows, to which they loosed their arrows in unison and struck their targets down.

Sunset was impressed that her friends were able to curb the tide of a force of bandits, so much so that neither Miraak, Neloth, or Talvas needed to get their hands dirty with the business of slaying the bandits themselves.

"The Dwemer certainly knew how to build for the ages." Neloth commented, as if he was trying to impress Sunset with his knowledge on the dwarves, though while he spoke Talvas nodded his agreement with what his master was saying, "These towers have outlasted their creators by millenia. The book is housed inside that dome. I'll need to unlock the door for us. Lets get on with it. I had to clean out the riff-raff last time I was here, too. Where do they come from?"

"One can only guess Master," Talvas answered, causing Neloth to sigh as they followed Sunset's friends to the sealed off door, as it was the only entrance they could see.

"The Dwemer of Nchardak appear to have been fond of these control pedestals." Neloth explained, beckoning to the pedestal in question, "Luckily I found a cube to operate it inside on my last visit. I sealed the door when I left to keep out ignorant meddlers. Let me unlock it."

Sunset nodded and let the dark elf open the door, to which the group walked into the ruin and found a seemly empty room that had only one other exit point... and the Black Book that happened to be sealed beneath the floor. She knew that they were going to have to clear out the entirety of the ruin to get at the book, but she hadn't been expecting it to be found the moment they entered the first room. Even her friends seemed surprised by the fact that they discovered the book's location so quickly, though they also appeared to share her disappointment that they couldn't access it just yet.

"You can see the book right there." Neloth continued, sighing for a moment before he headed towards the other entrance, "So tantalizingly close... But trust me, no magic will open that. I'd have had the book already if I could. No, we'll have to do this the hard way. If we can restore the steam supply to this room, I'm certain I can open it. As you'll see, that's easier said than done. This way to the boilers."

The group followed the wizard into a lift and descended into the depths, though while they went down it gave Neloth time to tell them some things before they arrived at their destination.

"The last time I was here, I only explored a small part of the ruins." Neloth spoke, though Sunset had the feeling that he had enjoyed his previous visit to the ruins, "I was here alone then, and I find an assistant - or in this case a group of assistants - is absolutely essential for this kind of dirty, dangerous work."

The the lift reached its destination they immediately got off of it, following Neloth as he led them into a massive chamber that was mostly covered by water. Sunset had the feeling that to activate the boilers they'd have to drain the water enough to allow them access, but then what they needed to do after that was beyond her understanding. She had almost no experience with dwarven ruins and had no idea what to expect from this one, which was why she was somewhat glad that she was sitting this one out.

"Nchardak, The 'City of a Hundred Towers'." Neloth exclaimed, spreading his hands out to indicate that this was where they were supposed to be, "In its day it was the largest of the great Dwemer Archives and perhaps the most advanced. In the old stories, when the Nords came to conquer it, it's said the Dwemer sumberged the entire city beneath the sea until the invaders gave up. I have my doubts. But the city was a marvel of Dwemer engineering. Now... reduced to this."

As Neloth approached one of the two pedestals in front of them Talvas moved to one of the stone slabs that his master walked by, though it appeared as if he was studying them so he could tell them where they needed to go.

"The pumps only operate when a cube is in the pedestal." Neloth explained to the group that was following him, "And unfortunately, I have only one cube. These four boilers provide steam to the room upstairs. They're shut down, but they still respond to the control cubes. So, if we can find four more cubes, we can turn these boilers back on and restore steam power to the room upstairs. Then I should be able to open the book's protective case. Bring that cube. We'll need it. Talvas, have you made any progress reading those panels?"

"Yes Master Neloth," Talvas replied, turning to face the wizard for a moment, "This device shows the location of four more cubes in this section of the city. It looks like most of the cubes were moved to the lower levels, perhaps to try to control the flooding before the city was abandoned. Interesting. That would suggest that the city must have originally sunk during the first cataclysm of Red Mountain."

"Or that the Dwemer's servitors continued to try to preserve the city after their creators' disappearance." Neloth added, turning to the panel while his apprentice nodded his head once, before he turned to the door to the left of the pedestals, "Three of the cubes are through here. This seems like a sensible place to start. We should be able to unseal this door with the control cube I gave you."

"I'll wait in the room with the Black Book," Sunset said, to which Bjorn turned to her and nodded his understanding, "I'll regain whatever energy I can for the fight with Fear... something tells me that I'll need every ounce of power I have to best her."

Sunset didn't like to leave her friends and have them fight her battles, but they all knew that her fight with Violence had taken a lot out of her and that she needed to be prepared for her fight with Fear. She had seen how skilled her friends were in combat, especially when they were working together, so she had faith that they would be able to complete the trails that the ruin was going to throw their way. As Bjorn pressed the cube into the pedestal and opened the door for them to move onward Sunset turned around and walked back to the entrance of the ruin, with Miraak in tow. He had been told to help her accomplish her goals, but it seemed like he was choosing to be some sort of protector while she regained her energy.

Sunset merely wished her friends luck and hoped that they would clear their task quickly, only because they were running out of time before Tirek brought about the end of Nirn.

Once Bjorn and his companions entered the next area of Nchardak they immediately found a cube sitting on a pedestal, not a few step away from the door, and beckoned for Cicero to pick it up, who grinned as he lifted the cube off of the pedestal. The moment the deed was done they heard the familiar sound of the dwarven machines waking up, though as they turned to the now opened walkway they found a trio of dwarven spiders making their way up to them. Neloth and Talvas, eager to get underway, each summoned a lightning bolt and threw them into two of the automatons, blasting them into the walls as the third one continued towards them. That was before Lydia took out her battleaxe and smashed it into the spider, crushing the gears and shattering whatever was keeping it alive, as it dropped to the floor in a heap seconds later.

They followed the pathway the spiders had come from, as it was the only way they could go besides turning around, where they came to a submerged chamber that had a simple bridge for them to cross. Once on the other side Neloth pointed out the pedestals, to which Cicero eagerly placed his in the one one the right and allowed the water level to decrease. The bad news was that the metallic creatures that called the chamber home woke up and decided to attack them, but they had been prepared for something like that. As the smaller creatures, the spheres and spiders, came towards them Neloth and Talvas focused their firepower on the two massive centurions that had awoken as well.

Lydia would not allow any of the creatures to approach her friends, so she stayed at the front of the walkway and made sure that if any of the creatures wanted to fight her friends they would have to go through her first. In a few short minutes, however, the fighting was over at the moment, thanks to the fact that the ranged attacks picked off the enemies that either ran from Lydia or took down the centurions before they could reach their destination. With the chamber cleared at the moment they approached the middle of the chamber, where Bjorn put the cube into a pedestal for a moment to raise a bridge that was blocking the way, before tossing it up to Cicero, who activated the actual walkway.

They then moved into the upper area, where they quickly searched for the third cube for a few seconds before Raja discovered it, though as it was removed the water rose once more. They briefly backtracked the where they set down the cube at the end of the walkway, retrieving it and forcing the water to rise back to covering the entire chamber once more. Talvas beckoned them to a door that had been closed when they had first entered the chamber and they came to an passage that was almost filled with water, though it gave them the ability to swim up to the next doorway.

Once in the next chamber they found a duo of dwarven ballista, both of which seemed eager to fight them off, before they heard something else awaken from its slumber... which turned out to be another centurion. Neloth, deciding that they didn't have time to waste, snapped his fingers and a storm atronach appeared beside him, to which he directed it towards the centurion as the group dealt with the two ballista. It was rather short lived, as the moment the atronach was finished with the creature it had been summoned to kill it proceeded up the stairs and tore the other two enemies apart. When their enemies dead the group moved up to the next pedestal and removed the fourth cube, forcing the water level to rise once more and opening the way for them to return to the main chamber.

They returned to the two pedestals for a moment, giving Raja and Cicero time to place a cube in both of the pedestals, causing the water to lower enough for them to walk into the other area that held another cube. As they walked down the pathway they were attacked by more dwarven creatures, which Neloth concluded that they had been tied to the water level and only came out when it had reached the depth they were currently at. It was another easy fight, as it was mostly spiders and a lone sphere, but as they began towards the next door Bjorn spotted two more of the ballista machines waiting for them, to which he beckoned for Neloth and his apprentice to take one out while he and the others focused on the last one.

Neither machine stood a chance against the combined barrage of spells and arrows, giving the group the ability to open the next door and walk into the final chamber. Once they were through the door they found an area that was divided by water, though it seemed that the only way they would be able to move forward would be to lower the three bridges that connected the room together. Bjorn, holding the cube that he had picked up at the beginning of the ruin, found a trio of pedestals sitting above their heads and walked up there, wondering if the three of them moved the bridges at all. He gently moved the cube into the one on his left, causing one bridge to lower while another rose up, before he tried the middle one, lowering the raised bridge into place.

Neloth had him stop there, as he had blindly guessed the combination he needed to get them across the three lowered bridges, but as they started walking more spiders and spheres came out of their hiding places and attacked them. They fought on the bridges, tossing the remains of their foes into the water that surrounded them, before they finally crossed the final bridge and found another pedestal waiting for them. Neloth, still carrying the last cube from the last room, placed the cube on the pedestal and lowered the water, but before any of them could move a nearby pillar broke into pieces. With the way now open he told one of them that they would have to go down into the now uncovered area and recover the final cube, to which Bjorn said that he would be right back.

Bjorn quickly found his way into the opened area, avoiding the metallic bodies they had dropped into the water, before opening the path he needed to take and proceeding onward. He then turned into an area that had spinning blade traps and the cube locked behind a door, but he sighed for a moment before heading inside the instant the two blades had separated from each other. He quickly unlocked the gate, collected the cube, and hightailed it out of the chamber as the water began to rise once more, though the moment he returned to the area his companions were standing in Neloth noticed him and removed the other cube, rising the water even further.

With the cubes in hand they returned to the door that they had entered and returned to the main chamber, where they swiftly made their way up to the two lone pedestals that overlooked everything. Cicero picked up the cube he had sent down and the group approached the four boilers, where they quickly placed the cubes into the slots and reactivated the machinery that would allow Sunset to access the final Black Book. The moment the boilers were on a bridge lowered and another centurion appeared on the opposite side of the chamber, though it noticed them and immediately started coming their way. Neloth, growing tired of having to fight the creatures that called Nchardak home, snapped his fingers and threw a lightning bolt at the centurion, which was followed by one from his apprentice.

Once the two mages made short work of the centurion they returned to the lift, which Sunset had sent back down the moment she and Miraak had arrived at their destination, and they began the journey back to the reading room. The moment they reached their destination and moved into the reading room they found Sunset sitting on the ground with her back leaned against the wall, while Miraak was standing close by with his gaze turned towards the door that would take them out into Solstheim. As they walked into the chamber Sunset pulled her head up and noticed them, to which she got onto her feet and stretched for a moment, before walking over to the button that Neloth was moving towards.

"Now that the boilers are working, it should be simple to release the book from it's protective case." Neloth told them, pressing the button and allowing them all to watch as the seal that prevented someone from taking the book opened before their eyes, to which it was raised into the air by a pedestal, "Go ahead Dragonborn, its time that you dealt with your fear."

Sunset nodded her understanding and approached the Black Book, casting a quick glance around to make sure that no one got caught in the spell when she traveled to Apocrypha, before she placed her hand on the cover and allowed its magic to take her to her next destination.

When Sunset appeared in the next piece of Apocrypha she was greeted by a moving walkway that was surrounded by the same eerie water she had seen everywhere else. The High Seeker that had been helping her throughout the other books was nowhere to be seen, so she figured that either he stopped showing because he had other business to attend to, or Hermaeus Mora didn't want to give her any more help. Either way she flashed over to the walkway, crossed through it swiftly, jumped over to what she assumed was the key to activating the other bridge, and then flashed to the book that would take her further.

The next area she came to seemed to be a simply spiral corridor, though when she activated the key to move on she found that it was actually a large room, but without anything trying to kill her. She swiftly advanced into the next area, where she found that she could either leap down to a section of it and explore or move into the moving passageway that would likely take her to her goal. Along the way she spotted several of the Lurkers staring at her, but they simply kept their distance from her as she unlocked the way that the passage was taking her down.

She then found herself standing on a balcony of sorts with the copy of the Black Book resting on a structure in front of her, but as she activated the key that would allow her to move on she still found no sign of Fear. With the other emotions it had been easy to find them, as the Seeker had brought her right to them, but it almost seemed like this one wanted to be alone for the moment. Unfortunately she had no time to waste at the moment, so she needed to locate her missing emotion, do battle with it, and defeat it so she could have access to Pride. She walked onto the bridge as she looked around for any signs that would point her in the direction of her missing emotion, but she was beginning to think that Fear was hiding herself on purpose.

"What is it that you fear?" a voice whispered, causing her to look around for the one who had spoken, "Death? Absolutely not. How about failure? No, that's already happened and you've overcome it. Maybe a person perhaps? Certainly not any of the Princesses and your collection of friends. Oh, but now I can see your FEAR!"

Sunset looked down at the level she had chosen not to look at and found a dark purple version of herself, Fear she realized, standing there and glaring up at her. She cursed herself for not checking the entire area to the best of her ability, because now her emotion had the drop on her and she was ill prepared for whatever she brought to the fight. She did notice that Fear didn't appear ready for a fight either, but she had thought the same way when she faced Despair and that had nearly cost her everything.

"You fear Tirek!" Fear shouted up at her, causing Sunset to stop in her tracks for a moment, "Don't even bother trying to fool yourself into believing that you don't fear him and the power that he already commands... and the power that he's sure to bring to the fight if you dare to strike him. You cannot win Sunset Shimmer... and I'm going to prove it to you."

Sunset watched as Fear's body began to break apart, swirling together as strands of darkness seemed to merge with whatever she was doing, before a massive red arm broke out of the vortex and grabbed onto the area around it. She watched as a second red arm repeated the same process, though not seconds later a massive black body seemed to emerge from the darkness. Her eyes widened as she recognized the form from all the stories she had heard and all the books she had read, as it was the centaur form of Lord Tirek. She then understood the game that Fear was playing, she was forcing her to face the one creature that she feared, though she knew that the emotion would likely be copying the power's of the demon as well.

When the vortex died down Fear stood tall before Sunset, taking on the size of a giant, as the hooves touched the water below her and the head was all the way up at the pedestal the copy of the Black Book.

"Come then, Sunset Shimmer," Fear taunted her, her voice twisted into a mockery of Tirek's own voice, "come and face your fear."

Fear pulled her left arm back for a moment before swinging it towards the bridge, causing Sunset to flash to the balcony she had been standing on before activating the bridge, pausing to watch the structure shatter into pieces. Fear then pulled her other arm back and repeated the process, again causing Sunset to move out of the way, but this time when the fist struck the balcony she noticed that there were waves that followed it. That alone confirmed her suspicions that Fear would replicate the powers of Lord Tirek, to make it seem like she was actually fighting the demon and force her to face her fear.

The emotion turned towards her as she landed on the structure that the copy of the Black Book rested on, but she was forced to move as another attack crushed the area to pieces seconds later.

"Get back here you coward!" Fear roared, magic forming around her right hand, which cause Sunset to flash into the air as she attempted to flee, before the hand punched the air and cracks started to spread out.

The force behind the attack was enough to knock Sunset out of the air, forcing her to land on one of the walkways she had used to reach the end of the book, before she turned around and found the gigantic form of Lord Tirek slowly approaching her. She hated to admit it, but this time running away and planning her next move was proving to be ineffective at the moment, so she sighed and faced her emotion. She knew that if she could deliver a good blow to either the heart or the head she could manage to win this fight, but considering the size and power that Fear commanded she also knew that it would be tricky to do that.

Fear, seeing that Sunset was choosing to fight this time, grinned and pulled her magically charged up arm back, but this time she swung downward at the walkway... aiming right at Sunset the entire time. Sunset groaned as she engaged her magic, flashing out of the way as the fist struck the structure she had been standing on, shattering the entire thing and causing ripples to occur. She landed on Fear's left arm, something that she hadn't been expecting when she got out of the way, but didn't have time to think about it as she was forced to run up the arm before Fear grabbed onto her.

Fear noticed this and tried to shake her off, so that she might get a better shot at crushing Sunset into the ground or one of the walls, but all that did was make Sunset sink her sword into her arm to keep from being blown away. Once she determined that shaking her arm wasn't going to work she settled down and decided to grab her, to which Sunset pulled her blade out of her arm and swung it, cutting a gash into the palm of her right hand for a moment. Sunset took that opportunity to flash onto the other arm before beginning to run up it, her eyes focused on Fear's head as she gathered more power into the daedric sword.

This time Fear swung her arm into one of the massive walls that surrounded them, forcing Sunset to flash to another structure before the attack happened, making her come up with another plan of attack. At first she couldn't come up with anything, but then she remembered this weird game that Pinkie wanted her to play, something that involved a mortal killing giant creatures by running up their bodies and delivering decisive blows to key locations. She had no idea what it was called, but she decided that she might as well try to combat Fear that way, to which she converted the energy stored in the blade into a magical chain that would allow her to pull off some of the crazy moves that Pinkie had mentioned.

Before she had time to consider where to strike first Fear turned towards her and struck the structure, causing it to collapse as she flashed towards one of her hind legs. As she briefly touched the new structure she knew that she had little time to enact her plan, so she threw her sword towards Fear's left hind leg and nearly cheered when it dug into her, to which she pulled onto the magic and sailed through the air. As she got ready to bounce off her landing and do it again, this time aiming higher, Fear's left hand came closer, so she instantly revised her plan and, when the arm came close enough, she latched onto it.

This time when she landed on Fear's arm she immediately ran up it, not giving her emotion time to strike her, though she did swing her sword and cut gashes into the arm. She then noticed the right arm coming her way, but this time she was ready and swung her blade into the side of the hand as she leapt off the left arm, activating the chain and swinging around until she was on the back on the right hand.

"I will not be defeated so easily!" Fear roared, annoyed beyond belief that Sunset was playing this game with her, especially when she could shatter the majority of this area on her own.

While she had the opportunity Sunset pulled one of the last soul gems she had been carrying, as she usually didn't pick them up anymore, and gripped it tight as she tossed it into Fear's mouth as the right arm passed by so her emotion could glare at her. She did see it disappear into the massive mouth, so she allowed her magic to silently gather inside the gem, so that she might have an ace up her sleeve if this plan she was currently on failed. Fear turned to another one of the walls and swung her arm at it, intending to crush Sunset, but she was prepared for it and latched onto another part of her emotion, moving out of the way before she could be hit. When she swung towards Fear's head she finally thought that she'd be able to end this fight, but then her emotion smacked her from the air with her replication of Tirek's spell and forced her to the ground.

It went on this way for a good ten minutes as Sunset tried to get close enough to do some serious damage, but every time she tried Fear would simply knock her back to the ground and force her to try again. It was getting tiring, so when she determined that she wasn't actually doing anything more than annoying her emotion she summoned the Staff of Magnus, intending to deliver enough charge to the swallowed soul gem to do what she needed.

"Do you surrender, Sunset Shimmer?" Fear asked, magic swirling around her right arm as she prepared to crush her anyway, "Do you submit to your fear?"

"Never," Sunset replied, activating her magic as a glow appeared in Fear's chest, before a massive explosion tore a hole in her emotion's chest, causing her eyes to widen in surprise.

"Curse... you..." Fear moaned, collapsing into the water as the guise she had been wearing shattered, leaving the wounded emotion floating in the eerie water.

Sunset sighed as the magical toll caught up with her, nearly knocking her to the ground, but she managed to flash to where her emotion was floating so she could return her to where she belonged. Fear glanced up at her for a moment as her body began to return to the magic she had been crafted from, but unlike Violence she said nothing to Sunset. Then she broke up into pieces and the magic returned to Sunset, who felt better now that she had conquered six of her emotions, despite the powers that they had commanded. She glanced up at the floating copy of the Black Book and grunted as she flashed up to it, tapping the cover so she could return to her friends.

When Sunset appeared in Nchardak she nearly collapsed, mostly due to how much power she had been pouring into her attacks, though Bjorn was ready to catch her the moment she returned to the ruin. She was thankful that her friends were concerned for her well being, though when she looked over to the other side of the chamber she found that Neloth was just staring at her. She knew that he wanted, and she was more than willing to let him have the book now that she had completed what she needed the book for, so she pulled herself to a standing position and faced the wizard.

"I take it that you succeeded in defeating your emotion?" Miraak asked from her right, cutting off the wizard before he could say anything, something that Sunset was fine with at the moment, "Or do we have to wait for you to regain your energy so you can try again?"

"Fear will not trouble me anymore," Sunset replied, before turning to Neloth for a moment, "and that means that you can have this Black Book. Before you get the last one I need to get a good nights sleep, so I can fight Pride on equal ground..."

"Then I shall take this Black Book back to Tel Mithryn and meet you at your fortress tomorrow morning," Neloth said, picking up the Black Book and heading for the exit, "I am eager to hear how well you will do in the final Black Book, so I will be sure to arrive before you venture into the tome and face your trial. I hope that you rest well Dragonborn, because your final test will also be your most toughest one of them all."

Sunset knew that her battle with Violence and Fear were the toughest she had experienced in her time on Nirn, but she knew that Neloth was right about her final fight being the toughest one of them all. If she were to fight Pride now she knew that she would be completely destroyed, giving her emotion what she and the other six wanted... her body. She needed to rest and regain her power, something that everyone around her agreed on, so they made their way out of the dwarven ruin and started the journey towards Fort Frostmoth.

Sunset would defeat Pride and gain whatever power Hermaeus Mora was trying to make her regain, confident that she would then have the power to put up a decent fight against the demon.

51: Pride

Sunset moaned as she pulled herself from her bed, stretching her arms as she touched the stone floor before rubbing the sleep from her tired eyes. The moment that Fear had been defeated she and her friends had returned to Fort Frostmoth with the good news, to which Delphine had eagerly suggested that she rest up so she could be ready for her next fight. Delphine then assured her that she would make sure that no one would awaken her until noon the following day, the third day that Hermaeus Mora said she would have to defeat her emotions, but Sunset had told her that she would most likely awaken before then. She was definitely sure that it was before noon, as she hadn't been awakened by a pounding on her door, but she knew her friends and allies were anxious for her battle with Pride.

Truth be told she wasn't as anxious as they were for the fight, as Fear had pulled some interesting abilities on her during their fight, so she wondered what powers Pride would bring to the table.

She sighed as she straightened her armor for a few minutes, making sure that she was somewhat presentable for her friends and allies when she walked out the door, before walking over to the room's exit and opened the door. The guards that Delphine had posted at her door, the ones that were supposed to awaken her at noon if she didn't get up before that point, saluted her as she walked out into the hall. She nodded to them and the trio of them quickly walked to the room where Delphine and the other Captains would be waiting for her, along with Miraak and her friends. She supposed that Neloth and the Dragon Priests might have arrived as well, as Neloth wanted the Black Book she still carried, and she was eager to hear what Vahlok had to say about her alliance with Miraak.

When she opened the door to the main chamber of the fortress she found her Commander and Captains pointing at the map once more, no doubt trying to determine if they could convince any of the locals to come with them when they departed from the island. She didn't need to ask them what they were doing, as she had also determined that it was only a matter of time until Tirek attacked the whole of Nirn and they needed very able body person to fight against him. She also knew that if Tirek came to Solstheim he would have shattered the landmass already, so there was no reason for her to worry about that at the moment.

"Ah, Dragonborn, your awake," Delphine commented, looking up from the map as the door opened, before she, Orak, and Tullius walked over to Sunset, "Dukaan and the other Dragon Priests, including the one called Vahlok, have returned to the fortress, though they seemed to make it clear that they wanted to talk with you before you ventured into the final Black Book. In other news Neloth and his apprentice arrived a few minutes ago, though they are patiently waiting out in the courtyard with the rest of your friends... where he's been trying to convince them to let him touch one of your spheres.

Bjorn's been telling Neloth that the only way he'd get his hands on one of those spheres is by asking you once your done with your trails, which I am glad to say are almost over."

"You and me both," Sunset replied, though she didn't tell Delphine that she had no idea how long it would take to defeat her final emotion, nor did she have any idea what powers Pride commanded.

The group walked out into the courtyard, where Sunset found her friends sitting in the middle of the area, trying to entertain Neloth and his apprentice until she arrived. She also noticed that the three Dragon Priests had indeed returned from their venture into Vahlok's tomb, as she noted that there was another Priest floating along side them. She case her eyes to the barrier she had created for a moment, making sure that it was still holding up to the harsh ash that the locals had warned her and her Captains about, though she was pleased to find that it was still holding strong. Once she was done with that she returned her gaze to the Dragon Priests, where she nodded her head and swiftly approached the four of them.

As she walked up to them she could tell that Vahlok, the only Priest that wasn't wearing a mask at all, had some powerful magic around him, which she expected to find since he had bested Miraak so long ago.

"Lord Vahlok," Sunset said, switching to the Dragon Tongue, as the Dragon Priests rarely spoke in English or anything else, "It is a pleasure to finally meet you."

"Likewise Warlord," Vahlok replied, though she immediately noticed that his eyes zeroed in on where Miraak was standing, as if he didn't trust the former Priest at all, "I was informed that we have entered into a temporary alliance with the Traitor... though it seems that the news was correct, despite how much we hate each other. I have been told that there is a creature, called both a demon and a dremora, that is reshaping the whole of Skyrim and that you have been raising an army to fight him... though even I can tell that this is a mere fraction of the soldiers that are under your command."

"Our main forces are back in Skyrim, waiting for us to return," Sunset told the Priest, thankful that he understood what was at stake at the moment, "I'll be heading into the final Black Book soon to deal with the last trial that Hermaeus Mora has set for me, so when I finish we'll be packing up and heading back to the mainland."

"Good, I eagerly await the coming battle with this demon," Vahlok said, giving off a sound that Sunset assumed was a chuckle of some kind, before returning to the other Dragon Priests.

Before Sunset could even move Neloth approached her, though she could tell that his apprentice was annoyed about something and knew that he'd likely be asking her about the spheres once more.

"Good to see that you are up and about once more," Neloth commented, his eyes scanning over her body as if he was checking for signs that would indicate that she should still be in bed, "Before you delve into the last of Hermaeus Mora's Black Books I have a question to ask you; might I have one of the spheres to study while your busy fighting this pride of yours?"

And there it was, out in the open, something that Sunset knew was coming from the moment that Delphine had told her that the wizard was asking Bjorn about the issue. It seemed that no matter how many times she told him that she'd get back to him when she was done with the trials he just didn't seem to listen to her.

"Once I'm done with Hermaeus Mora's trial I'll get back to you on that," Sunset told the wizard, noting that he seemed annoyed about the entire thing, "besides, that barrier is the only thing keeping the ash out of the fortress at the moment. One sphere would filter half of the ash to the area around the fort, while the other half came inside and started covering everything once more, so you'll just have to wait."

"Fine, get on with it then," Neloth sighed, beckoning to the area around them, as if he had no idea where Sunset would open the final book, "I guess I can settle for learning the secrets of Hermaeus Mora and the secrets of one of your spheres at the same time... provided you pass the trial and beat the demon your at war with."

Sunset sighed for a moment before walking up to the middle of the courtyard, where her friends had been waiting for her arrival the entire time. They had prepared a small sitting area for her, where she could cross her legs and read the book, though she as glad that they had done something like that to begin with. She took a deep breath before she sat down in the prepared area, where she noticed that her Captains, her soldiers, her friends, and the rest of her allies gathered around her. She had no idea if this last fight was going to be broadcast to the fortress, how she had absolutely no idea, or if they were simply watching over her while she fought her last emotion.

She cast one last look around the courtyard before reaching into her pack and withdrawing the last Black Book, which she gently placed on the ground before her and touched the cover, allowing the magic to happen once more.

When Sunset came to she found that she was standing in the area where she had met Miraak and learned that her true purpose on Solstheim was to best her own emotions. She looked around her immediate area, looking for anything that might indicate whether she was going to be escorted to the summit or if she was going to have to walk there herself. She waited for a few minutes, to be sure that she gave the High Seeker enough time to realize that she had returned once more, before she sighed and determined that she would be venturing through the last area of Apocrypha by herself.

Once she had come to the conclusion that she was supposed to venture onward by herself she sighed for a moment before getting underway, where she walked up the staircase that her emotions had landed on when Hermaeus Mora had released them. Resting at the top of it was a pedestal that she knew would take her deeper into the book, so she walked up the massive book and teleported to another area. She then found an area that had several Seekers floating around, though they merely glanced at her as she approached and went back to what they were doing, allowing her to continue on her way.

After a few minutes she discovered a ledge that also appeared to be a staircase of some kind, but before she could begin to ponder how to open the way she spotted a large book that seemed out of place. She quickly walked over to the book's pedestal and grabbed it, causing the staircase to slide out and open the way for her to continue once more. At the top of the staircase she discovered another book, one that took her to an area that seemed to be filled with a winding passageway that was her only way forward. She followed the route for a few minutes, finding more Seekers that wanted nothing to do with her, before she discovered another book that was out of place and added it to her growing pile as the way forward opened itself.

The next passageway ended up being a dead end, as both routes she could take ended up shrinking back into the wall she had chosen to travel down, but when she used the exit she discovered that it had actually taken her deeper into the book. She repeated this method for a time, where she was ignored by the Seekers that floated around her, the Lurkers never came out to fight her, and she found two more large books that she knew had to be important in some way, otherwise they wouldn't have been left out in the open like they had been. She eventually came to an area that had five pedestals, four of which were arranged in a circle around the one in the middle, and she also happened to have four books, so she knew that she had found the puzzle the books belonged to.

She walked around the circle and stared at the four pedestals, finding that one had a tentacle symbol, one had a pincer symbol, one had an eye symbol, and one had a fang symbol. She quickly glanced at the titles of the four books she was carrying, carefully reading them before figuring out that they were the keys to the puzzle before her. Boneless Limbs, the first one she collected, she decided to place on the pedestal with the tentacle symbol, while Delving Pincers went on the pedestal with the pincer symbol. She then turned to the pedestal with the eye symbol and placed Prying Orbs on top of it, before turning to the pedestal with the fang symbol and gently placed the final book, Gnashing Blades, in its proper place.

With the four pedestals now having a book on top of them Sunset watched as the pedestal in the middle of the chamber phased for a moment, before a book appeared on top of it. She grinned to herself and approached the new book, allowing it to teleport her even deeper into the Black Book, where she appeared before an open area that had two Seekers floating before a Word Wall. Behind the Wall stood the summit, the tallest point of the Plane of Oblivion, where she knew Pride would be waiting for her arrival so they could start their fight. She glanced around for a moment, finding that there was actually no book to take her up to the summit, before she sighed and allowed her magic to flow around her for a second.

She burst into the air and sailed over the eerie water, heading right towards the largest tower, but when she arrived at the base of the tower she merely redirected herself and sailed up the side of the tower. The instant she reached the top of the tower she broke off her magic and landed on a walkway, where she didn't have to look very hard to find her final emotion. The only strange thing was that Pride was looking more like a red version of Sunset, minus all of the demonic features she had the last time they had seen each other.

"I'm must say, I'm impressed that you got here in twenty minutes," Pride said, crossing her arms as she looked at Sunset for a moment, "but that's to be expected when none of the Seekers and Lurkers are willing to fight against you. Honestly, I expected one of the other emotions to kill you before I got a chance to do it, but this is one instance where I'm glad that my original assumption was proven wrong. This means that I can defeat you myself... and then deal with that demon before I resume our conquest of Equus."

"You know you'd never win, right?" Sunset asked, causing Pride to frown at her for a moment, as if she was annoyed by the very idea of losing, "Even if you somehow managed to defeat me in battle, which I highly doubt, then Tirek will likely crush you into the ground and destroy both Nirn and Equus. And even if, by some miracle, you managed to defeat the demon then none of the Princesses would let you get very far before your either banished or sealed in stone. Only together can we stand a chance at defeating Tirek, but it seems that we'll have to fight each other before that can even come close to happening."

"I will enjoy defeating you, Sunset Shimmer," Pride replied, holding her right hand out with her fingers pointing right at Sunset, "but before we get started I had better cancel this illusion spell and show you the demon once more."

Sunset watched as Pride's armor, a mockery of the Dragon Priest armor she was wearing, morphed into the flaming dress she had worn when she had tainted the Element of Magic, which was followed by her hair catching fire. Pride's wings erupted from her back and settled back into place, while her ears lengthened to what they had been like when she had assumed this form. Sunset then watched as Pride's gloves and shoes were ripped to shreds, as she now had clawed hands and feet in place of her ordinary hands and feet. It was odd seeing something new happen to her demonic side, but then Sunset noticed a small hole, roughly the size of her fist, form above Pride's chest, giving her the ability to see all the way through the demon's body.

Once Pride's magic had settled down Sunset knew that she was gazing upon the true form of her demonic nature, though it made her wonder what powers Pride had to show her.

"It is good to be free once more," Pride said, stretching her arms as her gaze shifted away from Sunset for a moment, as if she was looking towards wherever Hermaeus Mora was located, "I was told to contain my power until you arrived, otherwise I could have destroyed this entire tower in anticipation of your arrival, so you can thank the Lord of this realm for that. Now then, we had better get started."

Sunset drew her daedric sword as Pride moved her legs out and pressed one of her hands against the ground, though Sunset recognized the motion as she had seen several pegasi do the same thing when they wanted to get an extra burst of speed when they took off. Before she had time to prepare either a condensed magical wave or sphere Pride burst into the air, though Sunset quickly found Pride's hand gripping her face before she was thrown backwards. She sailed through the air for a few moments, but when she spotted herself nearing another tower she engaged her magic and corrected her course as she flashed to the top of the new tower.

As she gathered herself and formed a plan of attack she couldn't believe how much power Pride had put into that one motion, as she had been thrown quite the distance from the top of the tower. From that one attack she knew that her final emotion was strong, so she knew that she had to come up with a plan of attack that would actually work against this foe.

"Too slow," a voice behind her said, causing her to turn around and Pride standing right behind her, who proceeded to slam her fist into Sunset's stomach before kicking her off of the tower, "Now I'm starting to wonder how you managed to defeat any of your emotions."

Sunset growled and thrust her sword into the side of the tower, catching it after a few seconds and stopping her fall at the moment, giving her the opportunity to prepare for anything else Pride might throw at her. As she waited for a moment she noticed Pride leap off the top of the tower, heading right towards her no less, so Sunset yanked her sword out of the tower and tapped into her magic. She burst into the air and sailed right up towards her emotion, though this time she allowed her sword to gather energy as she drew ever closer to Pride. Once she was close enough Sunset pulled her arm back for a moment and then swung her sword towards Pride, allowing the energy stored in the blade to erupt outwards in a torrent of magical power.

The explosion that followed tore a massive hole into the tower, but as Sunset flashed to the top of a nearby tower she turned back to see if she could spot Pride, though she worried that the attack had done nothing to her emotion. Before she had time to really do anything Pride landed in front of her and swung her fist at her, though this time Sunset was ready as she used the sword to parry the attack as she ducked under her emotion's arm to get a better shot. Pride, realizing what was coming next, leapt into the air as another energy wave rippled through the air, barely missing her as it sailed through the air and collided with another tower, blowing the top of it to pieces.

Once the attack was out of the way Pride landed behind Sunset and kicked her in the back, knocking her to the ground for a moment, but to be sure that nothing else happened she picked her up by the neck and threw her down towards the eerie water below. As Sunset fell she noticed Pride leap into the air and hold her right palm towards her, though as she noticed magic gathering in front of Pride's palm she paled as she realized what was coming next. Pride began to release a rapid succession of energy beams, small charges designed to either hurt Sunset or tear anything else they hit apart, down towards her, though Sunset had enough time to raise a shield before one of them collided with the wall, knocking her into the water.

She kept the shield up as the water surrounded her, which began to result in her sinking into the eerie water while Pride looked down at her and prepared a powerful energy beam. As Sunset sunk into the water she could not believe the power that her emotion commanded, and she was painfully sure that this wasn't all of it, and she started to wonder if she could actually win this fight. After a moment of consideration she sank into a sitting position, crossed her legs, and closed her eyes, just as the rest of her spherical shield was swallowed by the water.

Back at the summit Miraak, having touched the book Sunset was holding to come and watch the fight, stepped towards the edge of his tower and watched the fight unfold. A large eye surrounded by an eerie darkness appeared beside him, telling him that his Lord was eager to see which one of the two survived the fight. Suffice to say that Miraak was not pleased to find that Sunset was already bested by her emotion, as she had sunk into the water and had merely given up when she realized that Pride was too much for her to handle. He knew that she had bested the other emotions already and was fully prepared for this right, but everything he saw made him reconsider that fact that he had believed that she could best Pride in battle.

"With the Warlord dead her army will separate into a horde of people acting like chickens with their heads cut off," Miraak commented, his gaze fixed on Pride at the moment, who was still holding onto the spell she hadn't gotten to use, "though that emotion of hers might actually be able to defeat this demon she warned us about."

Now Miraak, you might be right about Pride being able to defeat Tirek, Hermaeus Mora said, his voice stretching as the former Priest turned to look at his master, but when did I say that the Dragonborn was dead and that Pride had won the battle?

Before Miraak could reply he suddenly felt the entire tower shake under the pressure of an intense magical signature, causing him to turn back to where Pride was and find that the area Sunset had sunk into was bubbling. He did not understand how Sunset could still be alive, as he was sure that the water would have eventually crushed the barrier and swallowed her whole. Then, as he tried to wrap his head around what he was seeing, the tower shook again, though this time it was even stronger than the previous one. Whatever was happening between Sunset and her emotion was allowing Sunset to awaken her true power, which he slowly realized was why his master had set up this entire set of trials for her.

She is learning to use her instincts and her defeated emotions, Hermaeus Mora said, his eyes staring at the tower the two were currently at, though he was enjoying the notes he was making on what he saw, The real fight is coming.

The water around Sunset turned into a vortex as she looked up at her emotion, who seemed pleased that she hadn't given up after being wrecked in such a manner. Sunset had no intention on allowing the She-Demon to win this fight, so she was determined to face Pride and use every ounce of power she had to defeat her final emotion. She braced herself as she flashed through the air, causing Pride to discharge the beam she had been preparing and blasted the water Sunset had been standing in. Sunset, on the other hand, came to a stop right behind Pride, who barely had time to turn around as she planted her foot so hard in Pride's chest that she knocked her into the air.

She growled as she flexed her wings and corrected herself, somewhat surprised that Sunset had found the power to actually become faster than her and deliver a blow at the same time. She suspected that she was finally tapping into her true power once again, something that would be incomplete until she was defeated in battle, but Pride had no notions of allowing herself to fall here. She grinned for a moment as she held her right arm back, energy gathering into the shape of a dark green lance that was made of pure magical energy. Sunset stared at her for a moment, as if she was studying the attack that she was using, but made no attempt to stop her from crating it or using it.

Pride swung her arm and let the lance go, allowing it to fly through the air towards Sunset, who barely moved as the lance literally missed her by several inches and flew into the distance behind her. The moment the lance hit the tower behind her it exploded, releasing a massive wave of power that shook the entire area around them while destroying most of the structure it had come into contact with. Pride would have been annoyed with that result if it had been any other attack, because no mater how strong she was the lance spell was actually one of the toughest to control.

Instead of trying the spell again she flapped her wings and headed straight towards Sunset, who looked at her for a moment before flashing into the air in front of her and swinging her sword at her. Pride had enough time to use her claws as a shield, causing sparks to fly between the meeting of them and the sword, before the two of them were opposite of where they started. Sunset turned around and flashed up to Pride, rapidly swinging her sword at her emotion, who had enough time to use her claws to barely block each attack before she spotted an opening. She swung her arm at Sunset, but instead of it hitting her target Sunset's left arm shot up and grabbed her hand out of the air, blocking the attack.

Before Sunset could strike Pride her emotion ripped her arm out of her grasp and kicked her in the chest, sending her flying through the air as she neared another tower, though this time she spotted Pride flying after her. Sunset grinned for a moment and swung her sword, allowing the pressure of her attack to instantly stop her movement and shatter the tower she was passing. As the pieces fell on the two of them Sunset flashed up to her emotion, but instead of landing a blow Pride burst into the air and climbed to the top of the wreckage, only turning back to watch for Sunset. That was seconds before Sunset flashed into the area behind Pride, but as the emotion turned to face her she grabbed onto her left arm and swung her sword downwards, severing both Pride's left wing and the majority of her left arm, before kicking her in the side and sending her sailing into the top of a not yet destroyed tower.

As Pride picked herself up she glared at Sunset, who merely landed on a tower that was close by, though she was annoyed with how powerful her opponent was now. She had been kicked Sunset's ass the entire time, but then she suddenly got a massive power boost that was allowing her to dominate the entire fight. She suspected that it was because of the fact that she had bested the other six emotions, giving her the ability to see how she could have defeated enemies like Hatred and Fear. As she stared at Sunset she grunted and focused her magic, forcing a new arm and wing to be created from the magic around her, which she flexed to be sure that it was in working order.

"You... bitch!" Pride shouted in anger, her magic flaring as another lance materialized in her right hand, this one pulsing more than the previous one, "I'm going to enjoy tearing you to pieces!"

As she prepared to loose the lance she spotted something that she wasn't expecting; energy was gathering in front of Sunset's horn, as if she was preparing one of her condensed magical beams. Pride had no idea how much power she could possibly be pulling into the one attack, but judging by the strands of magic that were being pulled into it she knew that it might be able to equal her own attack. She growled as she pulled her arm back for a moment and then threw the lance towards Sunset as hard as she could, letting it sail through the air towards her opponent. Sunset, on the other hand, merely stood there for a moment before releasing the magic, allowing a beam of red energy to roar through the air.

The instant the two attacks met there was an explosion that tore the area they were both standing on to pieces, while also producing a smoke cloud that was far greater than what Pride was expecting to find. Before Pride could even move to another area she was knocked out of the air, but she instantly found Sunset's left hand gripping her neck as she was pushed backwards. Then Sunset spun around, bringing herself to a normal standing position, before she threw Pride through the air, making her travel at speeds that even her wings couldn't counter, before she crashed into the side of another tower.

Before Pride even had a chance to pull herself out of the crater she had made, and get to safety so she could plan a new course of action, she looked up and found another beam heading her way, to which she paled at it impacted her in the chest and destroyed the tower she had been thrown into.

Sunset calmly walked through the air as she kept her gaze on the tower she had thrown Pride into, keeping her eyes peeled for anything that would tell her that her emotion was still kicking. As the smoke cleared she found that, even with the amount of power she had used in her last attack, Pride was definitely alive, but as she approached the top of the ruined tower she found that the lower half of Pride's body had been destroyed by her attack. Even her wings were damaged, as the right one had been completely obliterated, along with the majority of the arm again, and the left wing was bent out of shape.

"It looks like... you've won..." Pride coughed, though she was breathing heavily as she stared up at Sunset, "I never thought that... it would end this way. I always thought... that I would be... the victor. I guess there's... one last thing I need to do..."

Sunset was caught off guard when Pride extended her left hand, not in an attempt to attack her once more, but in the sense that she was trying to shake hands. Sunset sighed and gripped her emotion's hand, though when she did she could feel the power that Pride had flowing into her body, removing the last of the barrier that was keeping her from using her full potential. Pride managed to get a smile on her face as what remained of her body slowly broke apart, joining the void that had been left inside Sunset when her emotions had been ripped out of her.

"One more thing!" Pride snapped, as if she was issuing a command to Sunset before she completely disappeared, "Use our full power and destroy that foul demon..."

Sunset smiled as Pride stated at she shared her desire to end Tirek, something that she hadn't been sure on when the emotions had been released, but now had confirmation on.

"Don't worry Pride," Sunset said, staring into the eyes of her emotion as she continued to fade away, "I don't plan on letting Tirek destroy anything else, though I'll settle for making him pay for what he's already done."

Pride smiled as the last of her body broke into pieces, joining the magical stream and returning to the place she had been ripped from, until there was nothing left of her. Sunset stood there for a moment, letting her power settle down now that she had full reign over it all once again, before she turned to the tower that was Apocrypha's summit. She immediately spotted both Miraak and Hermaeus Mora standing on the top of the tower, or floating in the Prince's case, so she engaged her magic and leapt into the air. Seconds later she disappeared before their eyes, only to reappear behind the pair not a few seconds later, to which she turned to face them.

"I see that you succeeded in defeating Pride," Miraak commented, though it was clear that he was making an effort to hind the fact that he had believed that she had lost at one point, "which means that you now have complete control over your magic once again."

"Yes, I'm now as powerful as I had been when I left Equus," Sunset remarked, not bothering to mention her visit to Earth to the former Priest, "I might not be as powerful as an alicorn, but with this power I will be able to confront Tirek and give him quite the thrashing. Oh, and I'm sorry for destroying most of this part of Apocrypha, Lord Hermaeus Mora."

In time Apocrypha can be rebuilt, Hermaeus Mora told her, as if the destruction of his realm didn't matter to him, however, the same cannot be said for Nirn. I have given you all the time you needed to prepare for you fight with Tirek, but the demon is nothing but persistent. He has tried to call me to Nirn for some time now, but I have been able to resist the call and focus on preparing you... though now it seems that he'll finally get what he wants. You know what I mean.

"Unfortunately, I do," Sunset replied, as she had known that it was a matter of time until Tirek called on Hermaeus Mora, "Then I shall gather my forces and head back to Skyrim, so we can put an end to him once and for all."

You have two, maybe three, hours before he arrives, Hermaeus informed her, causing Miraak to turn to him in confusion while Sunset stared at him, He will have felt the battle between you and Pride, so once he has drained me he'll come here to investigate. In that small window I can provide you and your allies must leave this island... or it shall become your grave.

That was the news that Sunset had been dreading, that despite her efforts Tirek would follow her to Solstheim and destroy the entire island to get at her... and she only had two to three hours to get everyone away before it became a reality. She glanced to the middle of the floor they were on and found the copy of the Black Book that would take her back to Fort Frostmoth, to which she hurried over to it. She wasted no time it touching the book, allowing the magic to surround her as she hurried back to her friends and allies that were waiting on news of her success.

When Sunset opened her eyes she found that she was still in the middle of the fortress, but as she looked around she found that those that could sense magical energy were staring at her. Even those that couldn't sense her power knew that something was up, as they kept their eyes peeled for anything that could go wrong now that she had returned to them. She knew it was because of her full power, something that was now going to bring the complete and utter destruction of Solstheim on them all. She sighed and pulled herself up onto her feet, to which she was rapidly approached by Neloth and his apprentice, though she had no time for him asking her for the spheres.

"Here," Sunset said, tossing the last Black Book to Neloth, who caught it almost immediately, "I have no need for it anymore."

"Pride is defeated? Delphine asked, to which Sunset nodded her head, "Then we had better get packing and get back to Skyrim, because there's no telling when our enemy will try to break the world."

"He's coming here in two to three hours," Sunset informed Delphine, and both her friends and Neloth at the same time, "Hermaeus Mora told me that my fight with Pride has reached Tirek and he'll be coming here... though he'll end up destroying all of Solstheim when he arrives. Delphine, we need to evacuate everyone from the island, meaning the Skaal and the residents of Raven Rock, before Tirek arrives and finds that we're not here anymore."

Delphine cursed and started shouting orders, to which her soldiers started running around and began collecting everything that they had taken from the ships. Sunset snapped her fingers and the barrier around the fortress came down, to which the spheres floated over to her and she returned them to where they had been hidden. As things were slowly returned to their places on the ships she began to wonder if they'd manage to get everyone off the island before Tirek arrived, though she knew that they had to try. She only hoped that the Skaal and the residents of Raven Rock were willing to listen to her and her Commander, otherwise they'd go down when Tirek showed up.

Either way the final confrontation would be happening on Skyrim, though she silently wondered how much of it she and the demon would ruin before one of them was defeated.

Tirek walked around the small base he had made the dwarven storeroom, as that was the only thing he could call the place, into the location that he could call the final Prince of Oblivion to. After his first failed attempt, and the appearance of one of the Prince's underlings, he had tried a second time and met only failure along the way. In his anger he had traveled to the location of the Dawnguard and shattered the fortress, just to cool off as he showed Sunset's allies what would happen to them if they continued to aid her. Now that he had returned to the storeroom he was ready to try the summoning ritual once more, only this time he hoped that the Prince would come so he could drain him dry.

Floating before him was the Oghma Infinium, the artifact of the Prince known as Hermaeus Mora, though it had been suspended in the air as he went to cool off, though he was prepared this time.

"I call forth Hermaeus Mora," Tirek intoned once again, allowing the magic to surround the book as the portal to Oblivion opened before his eyes, "the Daedric Prince of Knowledge and Fate!"

The portal rippled for a moment before a grotesque green void of tentacles and eyes appeared before him, though as he prepared to fight he noticed that the creature made no move towards him. He thought it was strange, considering that the last few Princes had put up quite the fight before he had managed to grab onto them and steal their powers. Why one of them wasn't attacking struck him as odd, but he made sure to keep his defenses up in the off chance that this was a trick to have him lower his guard.

I am Hermaeus Mora, the being said, his voice stretching as he spoke, how Tirek had no idea, Ah, the demon known as Tirek has finally gotten what he desires. Tell me, why have you not drained me yet?

"Your making me lower my guard," Tirek growled back, as he wanted to be sure that there was no attack before he got what he wanted from the Prince, "You won't trick me that easily!"

It is my fate to have my power drained, though even I have fought against that in my own way, Hermaeus told him, still floating in the spot he had arrived in, Claim the prize that you crave and get on with your pitiful war, though you will pay the price for draining all sixteen Princes of Oblivion.

Tirek, still not sure why the final Prince had simply given up as he did, moved in and grabbed onto one of the tentacles that was waiting near where he was standing, allowing the energy to flow into his body. He had no idea what price the Prince had been talking about, but he knew that he would use his full power and crush Sunset Shimmer... before he shattered the world that she was trying to protect. Then, once all of Nirn was burning, all of Equus would be his to do whatever he wanted, without having to worry about anyone getting in the way of his victory.

52: Devastation

"Move it soldiers!" Delphine shouted, turning to her right and watching a group of soldiers haul a chest full of gear towards the dock, "We don't have time to waste! Get everything back on the ships and get ready to depart!"

Sunset watched her Commander work as she whipped the soldiers into a frenzy to leave Solstheim, which had happened soon after she had told General Tullius to visit Raven Rock and tell the dark elves living there that they needed to leave as well. Captain Orak, on the other hand, had been assigned to visit the Skaal Village, where he could attempt to convince the people there that they needed to leave their home behind. She hoped that Frea would understand the message and could bring them to the fortress, where they all could get on the ships and leave before her enemy arrived.

Thanks to Hermaeus Mora she knew that Solstheim was going to be destroyed in a few hours, there was no preventing that from happening, but she was going to make sure that Tirek paid for everything that he's already destroyed.

Shortly after Delphine started shouting commands at the soldiers the seven Black Books, all of which Neloth had been carrying with him at the time, glowed for a moment before Miraak returned to the fortress, though he wasn't alone. Three dragons materialized in the air above the fortress, though Miraak informed Sunset that they were allies and that Hermaeus Mora had used some of his energy to allow them to return to Nirn with him. Sunset didn't know whether or not Alduin would be pleased with Miraak joining the army or not, but at the moment she was more focused on getting away from the island.

"Dragonborn, we have come as you have asked," a voice said, just as Frea and the rest of the Skaal entered the fortress, "Tell me, is it true that your enemy will be coming here to destroy Solstheim? Can we trust what old Herma Mora told you?"

"I have no reason to believe that the Daedric Prince was lying to me," Sunset replied, sighing as she cast another glance out to the ships as she slowly counted down the time they had left, "Tirek has destroyed Winterhold, ruined the Thalmor Embassy, and shattered the town of Falkreath, just to name some of the horrors he has committed. He's likely done other things that I'm not even aware of yet, so saying that he'd come here and destroy the island isn't a stretch for him."

"Hermaeus Mora was not lying when he told her of the demon's plans to come here," Miraak spoke up, causing Frea to turn towards him once more, though that was when Sunset noticed that the anger she had seen in the nord's eyes had been replaced by concern for her people, "He will come here and destroy Solstheim... though if you want revenge against the demon for taking your home then you might want to get on the ships. I'm under the assumption that once we land in Skyrim we'll be getting the army together for what will likely be the last great war in all of Nirn's history."

Sunset hoped that she had enough power to defeat the demon without risking everyone's lives, but knew that by working together they could overcome any obstacle. She had been thinking about the best place to conduct a battle with the demon, but every time she considered where to do it she continued to return to the plains around Whiterun. It was the perfect place to fight, but the only problem was that she was going to have to ask the Jarl to evacuate everyone before Tirek arrived, so they could avoid unnecessary deaths. She also took into consideration that the demon might also arrive and crush the entirety of the city without looking for her, giving her another reason to get the people away before he arrived.

"Then its a good thing that I gathered up what weapons and armor we had before departing from the village," Frea commented, beckoning to the nordic weapons that the Skaal were carrying before tapping her own axes, "If this is to be a battle for all of Nirn, then by the will of the All-Maker we will stand beside you and fight this demon until we have breathed our last breath. We will see ourselves to the ships and make ready for departure."

Sunset was, once again, amazed by how quickly the people around her were changing because of Tirek's presence and his constant desire to bring about the end of their world.

"I hate to admit it Adril, but it seems that you were right," another voice said, causing Sunset to turn around and find a pair of dark elves, with two Redoran Guards standing nearby, at the fortress' entrance, "I am Lleril Morvayn, the Councilor of Raven Rock, and I have come to understand that you met Adril when you first arrived in our fair settlement. Your General, Tullius I believe it was, came to us and told us that we needed to evacuate the settlement before a 'demon' arrived and destroyed the entire island. We planned on coming here to learn the truth from you, but it seems that the Skaal had the same questions that we had and learned the truth about our island's fate... something that I never would have ever dreamed possible."

"And now that we know the truth we can begin evacuating people before disaster hits," Adril continued, though his gaze moved up into the mountains for a moment, "You know, I had always planned on roaming the wilderness of Solstheim and visit all of the ruins that it held - on the outside I mean - but then I became Second Councilor and focused on making this place thrive once more. Its kind of sad that everything is going to be gone in a matter of hours."

Sunset nodded her head and allowed the four dark elves to depart from the fortress, allowing her to return to her work as she wondered when Tirek was going to arrive.

Tirek grinned as the last of Hermaeus Mora's power was drained from his body, to which he dropped the tentacle he had been holding and stared at his hands for a moment. He knew that his horns had not grown very much over the last few Princes he had drained, but with his power at one hundred percent he could afford to overlook the medium sized horns. The only other thing that was left was the cuffs that wrapped around his wrists, a silent reminder of his time in Tartarus before he escaped when Cerberus left his post. The last item on his agenda was to show Sunset Shimmer his power, and crush her in the same instant, before he tore open a portal that would take him back to Equus... and to the Princesses that had defeated him.

Still so confident in your ability to win I see, Hermaeus commented, weakly floating in the air as Tirek faced him, Sunset Shimmer is a force to be reckoned with... as you'll no doubt soon find out.

"And I am constantly growing tired of you all saying that she has the power to defeat me," Tirek growled in return, turning back to the door so he could leave the storeroom, "I shattered an entire town before her eyes and she fled in fear. I have broken mountains and she has allowed despair to fill herself. Even her allies doubt her ability to defeat me, which only transferred to her over time."

Ah, but that is where you are wrong, Hermaeus countered, a small chuckle echoing throughout the storeroom, She has defeated the emotions that have been holding her back this entire time, giving her the ability to command all her magic without her fear of you blocking the way. She has the ability, and the power, to defeat you and send you back to where you belong.

"Then I shall simply destroy her before she has a chance to return to Skyrim," Tirek said, blasting open the door to the storeroom before walking outside, "and then I will tear this entire world to pieces."

Tirek then burst into the air and turned in the direction of Solstheim, following the magical energy that he knew was now the result of Sunset fighting against her own emotions. He grinned as he traveled towards his rival's location, knowing that he would give her something new to fear before the day was even over... and cause her to fail the people she was protecting.

Hermaeus, on the other hand, merely floated out of the storeroom and headed in the direction of Fellglow Keep, where he could join the other Princes and prepare himself for what was coming.

Once a fool, always a fool, Hermaeus chuckled, though his foolishness will cost him greatly.

By the time that all three of their ships were at the maximum number of passengers they could safely carry, counting the Skaal and several of the villagers from Raven Rock among their numbers, an hour and fifty minutes had passed. Once they were ready to go Sunset had given the command for them to begin the journey back to Skyrim, but she decided to stay for a moment so she could watch for Tirek. If the demon did arrive and destroyed the island she could easily flash through the air and land on one of the ships, so she wasn't concerned about escaping the island at all.

Her flagship was the last of the three ships to leave the dock, though as she watched the ships move out to the Sea of Ghosts she felt something disrupt the magic in the air. It confirmed her suspicions that Tirek had deployed a spell to hide his power from her, though whatever he was doing had revealed himself to her.

"Warlord!" Miraak called down to her, as he was flying on one of the dragon's back, Sahrotaar she recalled, "I felt that as well; the demon is accessing the Tree Stone that my Temple was built around. I don't know what his purpose is, but you have his location."

Sunset nodded her understanding and watched Miraak fly out to the ships, before she turned around and flashed through the air, choosing to arrive at her destination quicker. As she traveled through the ash she spotted several of the native creatures running towards the water, almost as if they could feel that something terrible was coming and were wanting to be as far away from the event would begin. She quickly arrived at the temple, which was now clear of both the bandits that Miraak had controlled and the villagers that had been working on it, but landed at the steps so she could silently walk up and observe what was happening before charging blindly into battle.

What she found was Tirek standing before the Stone in question and had his hand resting just above the pillar, though she quickly realized that there were small cracks beginning to form on it.

"You arrived quicker than I thought you would," Tirek said, barely turning towards her as she revealed herself, "and I can see that Hermaeus Mora was not lying when he said that you conquered your fear... though I shall make an effort to remind you why you once feared me."

"You might as well surrender Tirek," Sunset replied, quickly drawing her sword and summoning the Staff of Magnus, to which she pointed both at her enemy, "I'm not going to let you destroy Nirn."

"Ah, but you know that commanding me to surrender wont work," Tirek said, turning to face her now, though his hand remained near the Stone, "You and I will clash before the end of this world, and I have accepted that we are destined to do that, but you wont survive what's coming, Sunset Shimmer. The Daedric Princes may say that you have the power to defeat me, but now that I have my pull power there is nothing you can do to stop me. Now watch closely and witness the power I command."

Before Sunset could do anything Tirek summoned magic into the palm of his hand and then pressed it into the Stone, causing the cracks to continue to grow for a moment. After a few seconds, during which nothing else happened, Tirek growled and poured more power into the Stone, to which the cracks grew even more. Then, to make his point, Tirek drew his fist back and then slammed it into the ancient Stone, shattering the ancient structure and causing the ground to shake. The small scale shaking quickly evolved into a major quake, which told Sunset that Tirek had done something more than shatter the Tree Stone.

"What have you done?" Sunset shouted, forcing herself to stay balanced as the earth shifted beneath her feet.

"I have shattered all the Stones in an instant," Tirek replied, grinning as he teleported into the air, though by the way he was pointing Sunset could tell that he was preparing to depart, "and so this island will die, sinking into the sea with everyone that lives here. I'll see you in Skyrim, Sunset Shimmer."

Sunset stared at her enemy as he departed from the island, but before she could follow him she felt the ground shake even more than the previous times, causing her to decide that leaving would be best. She got into the air and headed towards the ships, casting a look back at the island to be sure that nothing was rising into the air to block her path. It didn't take her long to find the ships, as the flagship was still the closest to the island, and she rapidly descended to the deck before turning and facing Solstheim. The middle of the island seemed to be getting bigger and bigger, but then it suddenly collapsed on itself and started dragging the rest of the island into the Sea of Ghosts.

Everyone was helpless as they watched the island shatter under the destruction of the Stones that had kept the land together, sinking into the hole that the Tree Stone had made until there was nothing left of Solstheim. Sunset turned to Delphine and had them get underway, now even more determined to stop Tirek before he managed the same destruction to one of Tamriel's provinces.

Getting back to Windhelm was easy, but when they arrived Sunset found that Jarl Ulfric and Elenwen were there to greet her and her ships when they arrived. Neither of them were pleased to hear that Solstheim was gone, destroyed by the demon no less, though they seemed glad that her trip was not wasted. Sunset was offered the chance to rest before they got underway, but she merely shook her head and started towards Whiterun, leaving behind an order for Delphine to get the soldiers prepared while she spoke with Jarl Balgruuf. Instead of wasting an hour on jumping from place to place Sunset used a small amount of magic and cast a teleportation spell, allowing herself to jump to Dragonsreach in a matter of seconds.

Once she arrived in the building she immediately set out to convince the Jarl to evacuate the people who lived in the city, which was harder than she expected.

"I'm glad that you returned Sunset," Balgruuf said, moving his right hand to his face for a moment, "but we simply cannot just evacuate everyone from Whiterun. We'd be sitting ducks for that demon to attack..."

"He's only interested in me," Sunset told the Jarl again, "and there's plenty of room in the Fellglow Keep for people, be they sick or healthy, so you don't have to worry about them. I'm only asking that you do this as a precaution, as I have no idea if Tirek will destroy something else to make the point that he's at his full power. I'd rather not take the chance and have him fire an attack at the city."

"And you're positive that he's coming to Whiterun?" Balgruuf asked, as if he was deciding whether or not he should move his people, "Or, as you have told me, the plains surrounding my city?"

"The plains are the most logical place to have a fair fight," Sunset replied, tapping her staff once while she spoke, "its mostly an open area, with a few places to hide, but for the most part it would be the two of us fighting in the open."

The two of them stared at each other for a few minutes before Balgruuf sighed and nodded his head, as if he was admitting defeat and knew that Sunset's plan would ensure that his citizens would be safe from harm. He then started issuing orders to Irileth, who would oversee the relocation of the citizens of Whiterun to Fellglow Keep, giving Sunset time to prepare for Tirek's arrival. She knew that he would come here, though she didn't know if he'd stop somewhere before attacking the city or if he came straight at her with the intent on crushing her in battle.

While she waited for her enemy she stood in front of the statue of Talos, going through each and every spell she had used throughout her life and the few that she had only read about. She needed a plan of attack for when Tirek arrived, something that would catch the demon off guard and give her a fighting chance at besting the demon. She also considered pouring every ounce of her power into her attacks and wear the demon down until she could win, but she merely waited as the people around her made their way out of the city.

An hour passed after her arrival in Whiterun before anything happened, as the moment the sixtieth minute had passed there was the sound of stone cracking as something landed hard on the walkway near the statue. Sunset turned to her left and found Tirek standing there, though it was clear that he was looking around for other people to kill before they got started with their fight. She sighed for a moment and then picked herself off the ground, dusting off her armor as she turned to face the demon, while drawing her sword in her right hand. That was when she noticed that he, too, was carrying his own ebony sword, something that she wasn't expecting from the demon, as all of their clashes had been spell against spell.

"I see that you moved everyone out of the city," Tirek commented, a grin appearing on his face as he turned to face her, "well then, we had best get started... and don't bother asking me to move someplace else. Only those who have the power to move me can tell me where we will fight."

"Is that right?" Sunset asked, though she was as calm as she could possibly be as she looked at the demon, "Well then, I guess its time we got started."

Before Tirek had a chance to move Sunset flashed in front of him, grabbed his face with her left hand, and burst into the air, sailing through the air to the west for a moment before tossing Tirek straight at the ground, hard enough that he created a small crater when he landed. As he picked himself up, with a look of sheer disbelief on his face, Sunset lowered a bit and looked down at him, wondering what his next move would be.

"I see that your training has done you some good," Tirek laughed, as if the fact that Sunset could move him actually excited him, "but now its time to show you my true power!"

Light blue magic rippled across his body before he disappeared from where he was standing, only for him to reappear not a few feet behind Sunset. He then swung his arm at her and released the energy stored within his sword, causing an intense wave of energy to head right for Sunset, who merely turned around and summoned a shield to block the attack. The moment that the two spells collided the area around them was flattened, as the rocky ground had been turned smooth under the pressure of the attack. Sunset was surprised that he was copying her own attacks and using them against her, but she refused to show any emotions during this fight.

"You must be surprised by the power I command," Tirek stated, as if he expected her to be surprised by the collision of their spells, "The last time I fought a creature worthy of equaling my power we shattered the very ground we fought on, though it seems that this time I'll be the one doing the breaking. You, on the other hand, shall provide me with the perfect opportunity to test my powers before I open the portal to Equus."

From that point on Tirek went on the offensive, throwing mockeries of her condensed energy wave at her as they battled in the air, while Sunset stuck to using her defensive spell. Each time the wave met one of her shields the ground beneath them was flattened, creating a smooth area to walk on while crushing anything that happened to get in the way. One time they happened to be close to a large hill when the spells collided, causing about half the hill to disappear into nothingness as it was flattened. When the next one came at Sunset she tried a different method and teleported away for a moment, appearing at the top of the watchtower she killed her first dragon at.

Her plan to get some form of attack in her mind ended up failing, as it turned out that Tirek was skilled at reading where she was teleporting to as he appeared above her.

"You cannot run from me Sunset Shimmer," Tirek shouted, swinging his blade at her, but as the energy tore into the tower and crushed it into the ground Sunset appeared near Fort Greymoor for a moment.

Tirek appeared close behind her and swung his sword at her, though as Sunset noticed that it wasn't designed to release the energy this time she blocked it with her sword and pushed to keep the demon's blade from reaching her. The result of their blades connecting was the creation of a swirl of dust, pushing all the smoke and dust from the area as the two of them stood there and stared at each other.

Balgruuf and his army, perched on the road behind the Honningbrew Meadery, watched the fight unfold before their very eyes, though as they did so he had to wonder if Sunset had a chance at winning this. Irileth seemed positive that Sunset could win the fight, so he sighed and watched the event unfold before his eyes, wincing when the watchtower was completely destroyed. He was waiting to see if there was a chance that he and his forces would be needed for this fight, but as they waited he spotted a massive caravan stopping near him, to which he spotted Delphine and her army.

"By the Divines, its already started," Delphine almost cursed, spotting the destruction that Sunset and Tirek had already caused, "I guess all we can do is wait until we're called on."

"And if the Dragonborn falls?" Balgruuf asked, not that he was crazy about fighting the demon now that he had observed his power.

"Then Nirn will fall with her," Delphine replied, beckoning for her soldiers to prepare for their attack if they were called upon, "but not before we give the demon a piece of our minds."

"You know, I figured something out from our exchange," Tirek commented, still trying to press down on Sunset's blade and snap it, who was defending to the best of her ability.

"Oh?" Sunset stated, not sure what he was talking about, but decided that if it opened a weakness for her to use then she might as well let him talk, "And what would that be?"

"Despite the amount of training you put yourself through we're still on two separate levels," Tirek told her, his grin returning now that he had determined that she was weaker than he was, "And, if I will it so, I could apply enough power to my blade and snap your pathetic weapon before your very eyes!"

Tirek pulled his arm back for a moment, as if he was pouring more power into the blade, before he swung his sword at Sunset again, but this time Sunset summoned a shield that stopped the sword dead in its tracks. The energy from the blade rippled behind the shield and struck the fortress, which shook under the pressure from the attack and had its structure shatter into pieces. Eventually the entirety of the fortress was scattered across the ground, but all Tirek could apparently do at the moment was stare at the shield that had blocked his powerful attack.

"Why are you so surprised?" Sunset asked, curious as to why he was staring at the shield like he was, "Every unicorn that has trained under Princess Celestia studies both offensive and defensive spells, both of which I'm quite skilled in if you hadn't noticed. In fact there's one shield spell that catches weapons and stops them dead in their tracks... oops, you've already seen that spell now..."

"It seems that I underestimated your abilities," Tirek said, drawing his blade back as he leapt backwards a couple of feet, remaining in the air like Sunset was, "but that will soon come to an end. During my time in Tartarus I picked up on several spells that the Wardens used to seal prisoners away, mostly to prevent any of them from escaping... though thanks to Cerberus leaving his post, and them scattering about to keep the other prisoners in line, I managed to make my escape. I used several of these spells to keep the Daedric Princes from leaving my presence once they were summoned, but now its time that I used the most powerful one of them on you!"

Tirek summoned a sphere of green energy into his left hand before holding it towards the sky, to which Sunset noticed that the air seemed to grow heavier all of a sudden.

"The unending crest of eternity, stripping away one's power," Tirek intoned, his voice louder than it normally was as the pressure increased with each word, "The arrogant bonds of torment, binding one into place. Bring forth Tartarus' Flames and inscribe the power of Space and Time. Unite! Take form! Fill the air and lock this one out of existence!

Sealing Spell Number Five, Prison Sphere!"

The air around Sunset shimmered for a moment before green energy erupted from the air beneath her feet, circling to the area above her horn and creating a spherical structure around her. She stood there and watched as the area between each of the bars sealed itself with the same green energy, while using the pressure she was feeling to keep her in one place. Sunset understood why this was a spell that the Wardens of Tartarus would use, as the intense pressure she was feeling was designed to keep her in one place while the sphere sealed itself around her. It would then give the caster the ability to move her wherever they wanted... or in Tirek's case keep her sitting there as he broke open the portal to Equus and destroyed all of Nirn.

As the sphere closed around her Sunset also noticed a flaw in the workings of the spell, something that would allow her to show Tirek just how wrong he was.

Once the sphere was locked up, and the area around it had returned to normal, Tirek grinned as he marveled at the fact that his foe didn't have a spell for countering his own. With his work done he turned towards the eclipse he had created and began to gather the power necessary to tear open a portal that would take him back to Equus. Not a few seconds later he heard a cracking sound, causing him to turn around in time to see Sunset shatter the Prison Sphere with the Staff of Magnus. He stood there with his mouth wide open, wondering how such a spell could have worked on his fellow inmates and yet fail against a mere unicorn.

"Your spell is designed to work against those that are weakened from their time in Tartarus," Sunset told her foe, sighing as she looked at her sword for a moment, "not against someone like me. Now, I do believe its time that I return the favor."

Sunset flashed through the air and appeared in front of Tirek, but this time she swung her sword and it bit into his chest, cutting him front his left hip and going all the way to his right shoulder. The moment the blood started dripping he disappeared from where Sunset was standing and appeared above what had been Fort Greymoor, all while making sure that the wound wasn't going to make him lose the fight. Then, after a few seconds of studying the attack, he growled and turned back towards Sunset, wondering how a mere unicorn could block his own attacks, shatter one of the strongest sealing sells that he had, and then wound him like she had done.

"Are you pleased with yourself?" Tirek shouted, anger filling him as his magic flared all around him, "Are you pleased that you managed to stop every one of my attacks? Are you pleased that you managed to shatter my Prison Sphere? Are you pleased that you managed to wound me?"

Sunset had to wonder if Tirek was actually losing his mind, because while she was happy that she was actually holding her own against the demon she would only truly be pleased if she actually won the fight. She had also seen something like this when unicorn's got extremely mad, as their bodies turned white and their manes and tails caught on fire, so she had to wonder what was going on. After a few seconds she began to notice the energy gathering around Tirek, but as she was about to say something he grinded his teeth before finally snapping.

"Don't be so conceited," Tirek snapped, his anger going over its boiling point at that moment, "UNICORN!"

Tirek cuffs shattered in an instant before he was absorbed by a massive pillar of terrible red energy, one that ascended towards the sky and rocked the ground around them. Sunset stood her ground and waited for whatever was happening to stop, so she could figure out if her foe was still alive or if his anger had forced him to explode. When the pillar finally died down Sunset's eyes widened as she spotted Tirek standing in the same position he had been in before his anger broke, but he had changed. His arms were red colored, his chest was black, and his lower body was grey colored, but that was before she spotted that his horns were much longer than they had been before and that his feet had been replaced by hooves.

That was before Sunset noticed that Tirek was now three times as tall as he had been before the pillar had appeared, turning him into a giant of sorts.

"I must thank you, Sunset Shimmer," Tirek said, his voice sounding more powerful than it had previously been, while red magic arched into the area between his horns, "for without you overpowering me I would have never discovered that I was never at my full power. Now, allow me to truly show you what I cam capable of."

Before Sunset could even lift a finger a sphere appeared between Tirek's horn, before he turned in the direction of Whterun and released the magic. The sphere surged towards the city and only stopped when it hit its destination, the Gildergreen Sunset was able to make out, before the following explosion rocked the entire area. She had to close her eyes and hold her ground as the wind whipped around her, but when it finally died down she opened her eyes and her mouth widened when she witnessed the destruction Tirek had caused. The entirety of Whiterun, everything from the bridge that was used to access the main gate to Dragonsreach itself, was gone, erased from Skyrim in a burst of energy that left a smoking crater in its place.

"Now then," Tirek said, a grin appearing on his face as Sunset turned towards him, "I do believe its your turn to get hurt."

53: The Shattering

Sunset had know all about the devastating power that Tirek commanded, all thanks to the tales that she had managed to get out of Princess Celestia or read about in the Royal Library. She had listened to Princess Twilight when she described her battle with the demon, imagining the destruction they had caused during their clash. She had played out a dozen different scenarios that could have happened if she had ever come across the demon, before she had arrived in Skyrim and found that he was here. She thought that she could easily gather together an army and have them fight against the demon, but every plan that she could have come up with crumbled when Tirek finally reached his full power.

She now knew that she was outclassed in terms of power and destructive capabilities, but the destruction of another city made her even more determined to stop the demon before he could tear open a hole back to Equus.

"I must say, I'm surprised that you aren't running away in fear," Tirek commented, staring at Sunset as if he was actually surprised that she wasn't running away, "I guess this means that I can shatter you beneath my power and break whatever hope you managed to create in your army."

"And yet you speak like a broken record," Sunset said, holding her blade out as her magic wrapped around it, wondering how much damage her energy waves could do against a fully powered Tirek, "I'm getting tired of listening to you talk."

"Then come at me, Sunset Shimmer," Tirek growled, bracing himself for whatever she was about to do, while clearly preparing his own attack, "and let us destroy Skyrim together."

Sunset looked at Tirek for a moment, studying what her opponent might have hidden up his sleeves, before she sighed and pulled her arm back, allowing the magic around her sword to take on the shape of her energy waves. Once she was sure that it was ready she swung her arm and let the magic fly, allowing it to ripple out of the sword and surge through the air towards her enemy. Tirek, on the other hand, merely let the wave approach him, before extending his hand and stopping it before it could even touch his chest and wound him again. He struggled with keeping it away from him, but then he twisted his wrist and shattered the spell around him, causing the energy to dissipate as he turned his attention back to Sunset.

Sunset was somewhat surprised that Tirek had managed to catch and deflect her attack as if it was nothing, but she knew that his power boost was aiding him in this fight.

Before she even had a chance to figure out what to do next Tirek flashed through the air and appeared before her, swinging his fist, which was surrounded by magical energy, right at her. She leapt out of the way as Tirek's fist connected with the air, cracking the area around the impact zone and knocking her backwards just a bit. That was when she noticed that the ground was also shaking in the same direction that her enemy's fist was facing, which told her that he would now destroy the ground without having to actually touch it. While she was in the air she also noticed that her army had arrived to help her, though they were standing beside Jarl Balgruuf's soldiers as they waited for her to call on them.

She had a spell designed for this situation, but before she called her soldiers into battle she wanted to be sure if she could fight the demon alone... or if she needed to call on them.

Once Sunset corrected how she was standing she held her arm out once more and gathered more energy into the blade, but while she did that she made sure to begin charging the Staff of Magnus as well. She figured that if Tirek needed all of his concentration to stop one of her attacks then she might as well prepare two of them, one for a distraction and one to wound him. She hated to fight dirty like this, but considering that her enemy had the powers of multiple Princes running through his veins she had decided not to take chances anymore. Now that Tirek was at full power she needed to score every wound she could on him, which would aid her in eventually stopping the demon before he ruined Nirn further.

She swung her arm and let the energy wave ripple through the air, but this time when it neared Tirek she followed it and moved to the side, knowing that her enemy wouldn't expect her to get so close. As Tirek caught the energy wave Sunset appeared behind him and thrust the Staff of Magnus forward, releasing a super charged bolt of green lightning at his back. Before the attack could even reach him, however, Tirek turned around and threw the energy wave into the lightning bolt, forcing the two attacks to cancel each other out. Sunset had a moment before Tirek would be on top of her, so she immediately flashed out of the way and rapidly descended towards the ground.

As she neared the ground she flipped around and landed without causing injury to herself, though she was now positioned to where she could keep her eye on Tirek while planning out her attacks.

"I don't know whether I should be pleased that you tried something different," Tirek shouted, allowing everyone in the vicinity to hear him, "or annoyed that you believed that a sneak attack would actually work against me. I guess that your prize for trying something new, that failed to work against me, should be your defeat, in front of your friends and allies no less!"

Sunset had a brief moment as Tirek flashed through the air and appeared before her, with magic swirling around his fist again, but this time she threw up the strongest shield that she could call on. As the bright red shield phased into existence around her Tirek smashed his fist into the edge of it, the force of his attack transferring into the area behind her. She was thankful that she hadn't landed near her friends, otherwise she would have been concerned that the transfer of power might have hurt one of them in the process. As she defended against the demon she could tell that the ground behind her was shattering under the weight of his power, but she knew that she could not give up.

After a few seconds Tirek leapt backwards and then disappeared, but Sunset's shield shattered under the pounding it had endured when Tirek had been standing in front of her. She huffed for a moment and tried to catch her breath, knowing that the shield had actually taken quite a bit out of her in order to counter the power that Tirek had used against her. Not a second later one of her soldiers shouted that something was coming straight down at her, so instead of looking at whatever it was, and likely getting hit in the process, she threw herself to the side and rolled away from whatever it was. The moment she stopped rolling she cast a look back and found that Tirek was the one who had been coming down at her, as his fist was stuck in the ground for a moment before he pulled it out.

The instant Tirek advanced on her Sunset decided it was time to let loose with every spell that she could muster at that moment, as she started throwing fireballs, ice spikes, and lighting bolts at the demon. As he began to shrug off her attempts at hurting him she moved into the more advanced spells that she had picked up on, igniting the ground beneath her feet as she loosed a swarm of massive fireballs at the demon. She even used the Staff of Magnus every now and then, loosing a streak of green lightning in order to try and push Tirek backwards just a bit, before she had to charge it up for the next volley of spells. With every step that Tirek took to get close to her Sunset backed up, though she knew that her back was facing the Throat of the World without even having to look back.

At one point Tirek reached forward to grab her, but the impact her spell had on his reaching hand threw her backwards, getting her out of range for the briefest of moments.

"Quite the arsenal you have there," Tirek commented, drawing ever closer to her position, to which Sunset could see that he was preparing to smash her into the ground, "but, as I expected, you don't have enough power to wound me anymore. Any last words before I crush your fighting spirit and begin this world's destruction?"

"Just a few," Sunset growled, pressing her hands against the ground for a moment, willing one of her most powerful offensive spells into existence, "Flame Emperor."

The entire area around her, going from the crater that used to be Whiterun all the way to the Meadery, ignited as flames started to dance around her, causing Tirek to stop his advance and study the spell that she was working into the area around them. Sunset smirked for a moment as she moved her right hand behind her, allowing the flames around them to gather around her arm as they began to form a massive sphere of flames. The sphere quickly grew to be the same size that Tirek was, but before the demon could even realize what was going on, or even move for that matter, Sunset roared with all her might and swung the sphere towards him.

The instant that the fiery sphere connected with Tirek the entire area around him burst into flames, including the mile behind him as the excess flames burned the land behind where he was standing.

Once the massive sphere was gone Sunset dropped to her knees and started to wipe the sweat from her brow, feeling dizzy thanks to the amount of power that she had put into the attack. It was a spell that only powerful unicorns, like herself and Princess Twilight before she became an alicorn, could wield without wiping out their entire supply of magic, while Princess Celestia herself could use the spell maybe five times in rapid succession before showing strains of being tired. Sunset had used it maybe twice in her entire life, the first time was to be sure that she could actually cast the spell successfully, the second had been during a fight in the middle of the Everfree Forest. She grinned as she looked around her, confident that she might have chased Tirek away for the moment so she could prepare for the next stage of this battle.

That was seconds before a hand emerged from the flames and grabbed onto her neck, chocking her as she was lifted into the air, while she wondered how her spell could have done so little.

"I see you had one last trick after all," Tirek commented, the smoke dissipating enough to reveal that he had taken very little damage from the attack, as all he actually had were some marks to show where the sphere had hit him, "Its a shame that it actually didn't do more damage to me, not with how much power you poured into the sphere to actually create it, but all that shows you is that you are outclassed. Now Sunset Shimmer, its my turn."

He threw her into the air and then pulled his left arm back towards his right shoulder, though Sunset didn't have to guess what he was about to do to her. She could only curse herself for using the majority of her power in that last attack, as now there was absolutely no way for her to actually dodge the attack. As she descended towards the ground, and towards Tirek, she could feel something aiding her as a light blue shield began to materialize around her, but she knew it wasn't going to be fast enough. Before the shield could completely form around her, and likely protect her from most of the damage, Tirek swung his fist right into her side, releasing the energy he had been gathering. The initial impact actually cracked several of her ribs as the pain shot through her body, to which she coughed up blood as the rest of the attack followed soon after.

The ground behind Sunset cracked under the weight of Tirek's power, though everyone watched as the shifting earth traveled in the direction of High Hrothgar and they silently held their breath. Moments later they could see the mountainside crack under the pressure as well, to which everyone in Sunset's army watched in horror as the Throat of the World, the largest mountain in all of Nirn, shattered before their eyes. Pieces fell in every direction, some landing nearby while some rolled down the opposite side of the mountain, no doubt crushing Iverstead in the process. Once the ground had stopped shaking, and what remained of the mountain was stable, Tirek grabbed onto Sunset before she hit the ground and tossed her into the dirt himself, just to show that he was superior.

Sunset wanted to scream because of the pain, but she refused to give her enemy the satisfaction that he had broken her, not when she still had a plan.

"There, do you see what I am capable of?" Tirek shouted, looking at all the people who were watching from the hillside, "I have broken both your champion and your chances at ever defeating me. Now its time for me to leave this pathetic world behind, so enjoy your last moments before your world is obliterated."

Tirek turned his back on all of them and flew into the sky, traveling to a point that Sunset assumed had once been the very top of High Hrothgar, before stopping. Sunset then noticed the green energy from before, when Tirek used the Prison Sphere seal of his, wrap around Tirek's arms as he forced his hands into a crack of some kind. When he started pulling Sunset immediately realized that the crack was widening, telling her that he was preparing to break through the already strained, if not non-existent, barrier that separated the worlds. Sunset moaned for a moment before she pulled herself up, to which she summoned a horn from her magic and lifted it to her lips, blowing out a single note that resonated across the plains of Whiterun.

Tirek, hearing the horn, turned away from his work and looked down at the ground, where he found a massive army leaving the fortress that Sunset had claimed as her own, joining up with the forces that had witnessed her get smashed into the ground. That was seconds before he heard another war horn, this one coming from the area to the north of him, but when he turned towards it he found an army of the dead marching. He had known for some time that Sunset had been recruiting both the living and the dead for her personal army, but the amount of soldiers in both of them were more than Revan had reported. He grinned for a moment before placing a seal on the crack, keeping it safe from harm as he lowered back to the ground, where he could find out what was happening.

"Are you alright Sunset?" Bjorn asked, helping his friend onto her feet while keeping his eyes on the demon, who was floating down to them at the moment.

"I've seen better days," Sunset moaned, tapping the Staff of Magnus on the ground for a moment, "but now that we have gained Tirek's attention we must make sure that he doesn't complete his ritual and open the way to Equus... otherwise this world will be destroyed."

She would have said more, but as she was about to she felt a change in the air, causing her to turn to the left, along with anyone else that was attuned to magic. Around the area where Fort Greymoor used to stand was a small crack in the air, one that immediately began to grow as it traveled down the length of the plains. After a few seconds the air shattered and the way to some new realm was open, but as Sunset and her allies watched she noticed a line of soldiers walking out of the hole in reality. These soldiers wore crystalline armor and carried a variety of weapons, though all this told Sunset was that she likely had another enemy to contend with.

That was before she noticed another figure, this one at least twice as large as the other ones, emerge from the hole in reality, though this one wore armor that labeled him as the leader and carried a massive two handed sword on his back.

"It seems like Jyggalag has come out to play," a voice behind Sunset said, causing her and Bjorn to turn around and find sixteen people, the Daedric Princes, standing behind them, though she could tell that it was Mehrunes Dagon that had spoken, "I guess this means we can settle the score with him at long last."

It seems that he has grown tired of watching, Hermaeus commented, his one eye glaring at the Prince in question, I would say that he's breaking his own rules, but I think I see why he's chosen to come now. Dragonborn, you summoned your army in what was supposed to be a one on one fight, so in his mind you broke the rules and now must suffer the consequences. Do not worry, your allies will be fighting this enemy for you... even those you may not have considered allies.

Sunset wanted to ask the Prince of Knowledge what he meant, but then she heard another war horn, this one vastly different from the ones that Sunset and the draugr used, and turned towards the mountain the lined up with Jyggalag's army. For a moment there was nothing on the mountain that she could see, but then something began to shimmer as a line of horses began to appear out of thin air, with riders on their backs. The shimmering riders continued to pour out of whatever portal they were coming from, but when she looked at who was leading them she spotted a nord that seemed to step out of the legends, for she was looking upon Talos, the God of Man.

As she realized who was leading the riders Sunset then came to the conclusion that his soldiers had to be the honored dead of Sovngarde, brought back to Nirn to protect their world one last time.

It seems odd, doesn't it? Hermaeus asked his fellow Princes, That we, the Daedra, will be fighting alongside the Aedra, fighting against one of the most powerful beings in all of Nirn.

"Honestly, I could care less," Clavicus replied, swinging his axe for a moment, while Barbas growled at Jyggalag, "As long as we defeat both Tirek and Jyggalag, and get our powers back, then I guess I can suffer our temporary alliance with the Aedra."

As the new army came to a stop Talos looked down at Jyggalag, who barely turned when he and his forces had arrived on the battlefield, but that was to be expected considering the Prince of Order believed that he was above everyone, including Akatosh. Talos almost grinned as he remembered Akatosh saying that they would be visited by the Prince and that they would be 'locked' out of Sunset's fight the entire time. Akatosh had only pretended to play along, but now that Jyggalag had made his move it was time to stop playing along and fight back, which is why he brought an army with him.

He turned to his forces for a moment, including the three warriors that he had called upon to ride along side him when they entered the world once more, before tapping his shield.

"Gormlaith, I want you to take your company down towards Sunset's army and join their assault," Talos commanded, drawing his sword while his soldiers followed suit, "Hakon, I want you and your company to ride with me as we meet Jyggalag's forces head on. Felldir, I would like you and your company to head around and strike the Prince from behind. Remember men, this is a battle for all of Nirn, so do not give your enemy a chance to stop you and take as many of them down as you possibly can."

"Yes, Lord Talos," the three warriors said, saluting the Divine for a moment before moving into their indicated positions, allowing him to sound the charge when they were ready.

"Come then, soldiers of Sovngarde!" Talos called out, moving his horse forwards as he began the charge, "Let us give the Prince of Order a battle he is likely never going to forget!"

Sunset watched as the army of soldiers charged down the mountainside, heading right towards Jyggalag's army, but as she watched them she noticed a force of dragons appear behind them as Alduin flew into battle. Delphine, knowing that she was going to be commanded to join the battle as well, sounded the charge and Sunset's army got underway, joining with the draugr that were heading towards the Prince of Oblivion. Jyggalag, on the other hand, shouted a command and arrows were loosed into the sky, though one dragon was unlucky and was knocked out of the sky thanks to a rain of arrows, but as he landed near Jyggalag's army he picked himself back up and charged at the soldiers under the Prince's command. That was moments before the three conjoined armies barreled into Jyggalag's army, where the riders either fought on their mounts or took to the ground to fight their enemies.

The only people that weren't charging forward were her friends and the Dragon Priests, which also included Miraak, though as she counted who wasn't moving she noticed that Tirek was moving back into the sky.

"Now what do we do?" Miraak asked, coming to a stop beside Sunset, while her friends joined them, "Its going to take a miracle to stop someone of Tirek's power."

"What about that prophecy you were told Sunset?" Bjorn asked, recalling that Azura's priestess had mentioned something about an alicorn fighting Tirek, "Do you think its possible for an alicorn to arrive and fight that... that demon?"

"He's boring a hole into Equus as we speak, so its unlikely that the Princesses will be able to assist us," Sunset replied, sighing as she remembered that this prophecy made no sense when it was originally given to her, and it still made none at this point in time, "and the only way that someone like me could even come close to harnessing the power of an alicorn is if I suddenly ascended to being one, but the only known unicorn to have become an alicorn was Princess Twilight and she had the Elements of Harmony with her when it happened. Besides, I'm almost out of juice and we don't have anything to achieve the process that happened to Princess Twilight, but..."

"Then we offer our power to you, Warlord," Morokei suddenly said, cutting Sunset off and them all to turn towards him for a moment, "We will give you the strength you require to fight this demon and stop him before he brings an end to this world."

"Morokei, do you realize that you'll all die if you do this?" Miraak said, surprising Sunset when he spoke, as if he wanted the other Priests alive for later, "If you all give Sunset Shimmer your power, the very force that's keeping all of you alive at the moment, then you'll all dissolve into nothing but dust and ash."

"And we are willing to accept that," Morokei replied, turning to Sunset once again, "Warlord, you will be the last living Dragon Priest when this madness is over, though you will also have the power to stop this demon from his vile plans. I'm sorry, but there's no talking us out of our decision."

Sunset sighed and nodded her head, beckoning for her friends to step back as the twelve Priests gathered in a circle around her, while Miraak took a step back as well. For a moment nothing happened, but then as she was about to say something Sunset began to notice light blue streams of energy flowing out of each of the Priests and beginning to swirl around her. Some of the magic, for that was all she could name what was around her, flowed into her side that Tirek was struck and Sunset felt the bones he had cracked move back to how they normally were, as if she had never been hit to begin with. Once her side was healed she could feel the power entering her body, filling her magic back to its maximum before forcing the store of energy to grow even bigger.

As this happened Sunset noticed the golden bracelets that her friends were wearing, the ones that Knight-Paladin Gelebor had created when Pride had come out in the Forgotten Vale, and noticed that the five stones were starting to glow.

"Of course!" Serana said, noticing the look that Sunset had on her face, as she had realized what was going on at the same time, "We don't actually need the real Elements of Harmony, all we actually need are the five of you, the people who best represent each Element. Guys, form a pentagram around the circle and wait for a signal to raise your bracelet into the air, because there's no way that Tirek is going to be ignoring this."

"I would if I could," a voice said, causing the vampire to look into the air and find that Tirek was slowly walking down towards them, "but one doesn't ignore their enemy when they're powering up, so I figured that I'd snap her in half this time to be sure that she doesn't get back up to challenge me again."

"That's where your wrong, Tirek," Serana shouted, knowing that the demon might take it as a challenge at this point, "true power doesn't come from one person, but rather from a group of people that want the same thing. Thanks to Sunset Shimmer I can see that, by working together with others, we can accomplish things that normally couldn't be done by someone on their own. I know that you are likely tired of hearing this, but true power comes from five Elements; Honesty, Loyalty, Generosity, Laughter, and Kindness. With the powers of everyone united for a single cause we will defeat you, Demon of Oblivion, and cast you back to whatever foul hole you crawled out of."

As Serana spoke out the names of the Elements Bjorn and his friends raised their arms that bared their bracelets into the air, to which a stream of magic burst out of the gemstone and connected with Sunset. For a moment nothing happened, but then Sunset smiled and closed her eyes, allowing the magic to overtake her, just like she had done when she stopped the human Twilight from destroying everything.

Tirek watched as a pillar of red energy, this one taking on the appearance of flames, engulfed Sunset Shimmer, but this time he would not allow another alicorn to be created. He raised his hand and summoned a sphere of energy that would not only obliterate her, but everyone else that stood around her at the moment. Before he could release it, however, something massive barreled into his side and knocked him out of the air, to which he turned around and found Alduin glaring at him. A second dragon joined the battle, to which he spotted Miraak on its back, before a winged creature joined them, to which he recognized the Vampire Lord form of Lord Harkon.

"Out of my way or I will destroy you!" Tirek shouted, leveling his arm with the pillar of energy, fully intending to take Sunset out before she had a chance to complete her transformation.

Alduin tried to barrel into Tirek again, but this time he took the full force of the attack that was meant for Sunset and part of the left side of his body was torn to pieces, barely missing his wing. As he corrected himself both Harkon and Miraak flew at their enemy, loosing spells that were merely designed to stall him until Sunset completed whatever she was doing. Miraak delivered a cut to Tirek's chest, distracting him from the fact that Harkon was assaulting his backside the entire time, but all that really did was make their enemy even madder at them. At one point the duo overestimated their abilities and he took advantage of it, cutting a deep gash across Harkon's chest before grabbing onto Miraak's head and crushing it in his hands.

That was before he discovered what he actually crushed had been the metal mask that the Priest had been wearing, revealing a nord that looked like he was in his sixties. Tirek then poured his power into his sword, the one thing he bothered to keep once reaching his full power, and swung it at the dragon, cleanly cutting the beast in half and obliterating both it and the person riding it. That was when Alduin slammed into him again, but at that point Tirek had decided that he had had enough of the dragon and repeated the attack, though all that did was diagonally cut the left half of Alduin's chest off and force the dragon to crash to the ground.

"These are the all mighty beings that Sunset allied herself with?" Tirek asked, knowing full well that Sunset could have crushed them on her own and was disappointed in their abilities, "Oh well, I guess that means that its Sunset's turn now..."

That was seconds before a ripple escaped from the pillar of energy, which had actually gone all the way to the sky and created a massive circle of flames in the sky. As the pillar rapidly dissipated into nothingness, and the Priests that had fueled it collapsed into heaps of ash, Tirek's eyes widened as he spotted a figure appear in the middle of the mass of flames. Sunset Shimmer, dressed up in the same armor she had been wearing when the pillar first appeared, floated there, but as Tirek studied her he found several differences. One was the fact that her horn was now as long as Princess Celestia's was, while the second difference was the fact that her hair was on fire, moving in the same motion that Celestia's mane moved in.

The third thing, and the most shocking difference of them all, was that Sunset now had a fully grown pair of wings attached to her back, exactly like the other Princesses and every pegasi he had ever encountered.

"'When the hero fights the Demon of Oblivion the sky shall be torn asunder'," Sunset said, recalling the piece of prophecy she had been told, the entire thing making complete sense to her now, "'and, in her hour of need, an alicorn with a flaming mane shall descend upon Nirn, to end the fight with the Demon itself.' Come Tirek, let us finish this fight at long last."

54: Battle of the Gods

"Im... Impossible," Tirek shouted, staring at Sunset as she floated there, trying to comprehend how the unicorn had taken on the form of an alicorn, "Unicorns don't just transform into alicorns like this..."

"And how do you think Princess Twilight became an alicorn?" Sunset calmly asked, turning to face Tirek as she noticed a look of confusion cross the demon's face, "Oh, you didn't know that Twilight was originally a unicorn, did you? I'm not familiar with the exact specifics on how she became an alicorn, though I do know that it had something to do with one of Starswirl the Bearded's spells. Think about it this way Tirek, I took on this form thanks to my friends, which is roughly what I assume Twilight went through before..."

"Does it look like I care?!" Tirek roared in anger, apparently not pleased that she was trying to explain what the error in his logic had been, "I'll still shatter you and everyone that has followed you!"

Sunset sighed and held her sword before her, staring at the blade for a moment as she wondered if this time she'd be able to actually hurt Tirek with her condensed energy wave. She stayed that way for a moment, staring at her weapon, before she flared her wings and flew up to her enemy, who barely had time to move before she swung her blade at him. A wave of energy collided with Tirek, forcing him backwards before he broke out of the attack, smoke rolling off of his body as he glared at her. She looked at him before flying down to him, spinning as she dodged the sword attack that came her way before swinging at him once more, forcing him to take the full force of the swing once more.

Tirek appeared some distance before her once more, with more smoke rolling off of him, though it was clear that he was impressed by the power she was wielding, while at the same time having the same confidence he had been showing throughout the entire fight.

"Your condensed energy waves have some more power to them," Tirek commented, his grin returning as he looked at her, "but not by too much. You'll never be able to defeat me with this power!"

"Now when did I ever say that those attacks were the condensed energy wave?" Sunset asked, sighing as she held her arm out to her side, allowing the magic to gather around the blade once more.

Tirek's eyes widened as a mass of energy wrapped around Sunset's sword, on a level that he had never seen in all the times that they had fought each other, and he knew that, in that instant, he would be in trouble if the attack hit him. Before he had a chance to move Sunset swung her arm and the energy was released, which resulted in a massive wave of red energy roaring through the air towards him. He thrust his hands forward and formed a shield around himself, determined to show Sunset that he was still stronger than she was at the moment. The impact of the wave, however, shattered his shield in an instant and allowed it to dig into his chest, exploding the moment it reached its intended target.

The sky lit up as the explosion happened, though the force of the attack went waves of air towards the ground and stopped the armies in the middle of their fight, forcing them to turn to the sky. When the smoke cleared everyone saw Tirek floating in the same position he had been in when the attack hit, only how he had a bleeding cut on his chest. Tirek stood there for a moment before turning around and bursting into the air, heading towards the crack that he had created, determined to finish his mission before Sunset could stop him. Before he got anywhere near the crack he felt a hand on his shoulder and turned a bit to find that she had already caught up with him, as if she was traveling faster than he could.

"Not happening," Sunset said, pulling her arm back and yanking Tirek backwards, to which she threw him towards the ground and got him away from the crack between worlds.

Tirek growled and flipped around, correcting his course as he tried to determine what was suddenly fueling the change in his opponent's abilities. Dark red energy swirled through the air, gathering into a sphere in front of his left hand for a few seconds, before he swung his arm and released the attack. A wave of energy rippled through the air, surging towards where Sunset was floating, but all she did was extend her hand forward as the wave hit her. The energy surged passed her and Tirek grinned, believing that his enemy had been caught in the attack, but when it cleared up he found that Sunset had blocked any damage she would have taken by simply raising her hand, stopping the center of the attack from even touching her.

It was at that moment that Tirek realized that he should have had Revan destroy Sunset before this moment, as now that he was actively fighting her he was getting the feeling that he had allowed her to progress a little too much.

"You are definitely powerful," Tirek commented, magic gathering around him as he wondered which spell he should use against Sunset, so he could distract her and give him the chance to finish off this world, "but I wouldn't push your luck, for soon I shall bring an end to you and this world."

Lightning flashed through the air and sped towards Sunset, though she merely swung her sword at it and shattered the spell before it could even collide with her. Tirek growled and summoned more of his magic, blackening the sky around the crack he had created as more pieces of lightning appeared around him. He waited a moment, allowing his magic to shape them into sinister looking blades, before he thrust his hand forward and sent the swarm of blades at Sunset. For a moment Sunset stood there, taking in what Tirek wanted to use against her, before her own magic ignited and streams of silver magic flew out of her horn, targeting the blades that were the furthest away from her.

As she tore many of the blades apart Tirek joined the battle, swinging his arm at Sunset while she, in turn, defended with all her power, the collision of their power rippling across the sky above them. Sunset knew that the collision between their powers would cause some sort of reaction to the world below them, so she knew that she needed to wrap this up fast before something else got destroyed. As they clashed Sunset summoned more power into her blade and threw Tirek backwards, while the ripple of her power tore through the remaining blades that her enemy had summoned.

As Tirek stumbled backwards Sunset pulled her arm back for a second, allowing her magic to quickly gather inside the blade, before she swung her sword and let the energy burst into the air, slamming into Tirek and exploding on impact. As the energy rippled across the sky Sunset turned to the crack for a moment, noticing that it spread just a tiny bit more, confirming her suspicions that their fight was endangering the balance of Nirn. She then turned back to the smoke and watched as it cleared, revealing that Tirek was still standing there, with another cut to his chest that was running parallel to the first one.

"How?" Tirek shouted, glaring at Sunset as he floated there, wondering how he was being overcome when he had nearly broken her half an hour ago, "How are you so strong all of a sudden? Even with your power boost you shouldn't be this strong!"

"I'm getting tired of explaining it to you," Sunset said, sighing as she held her sword out once more, allowing the magic to gather again, "so let me put it this way Tirek; the two of us are on equal footing at the moment and our battle is slowly doing more harm to this world. Nirn can handle the various gods, be they the Aedra or the Daedra, battling each other, but now that you've crippled many of them Nirn is struggling to keep up with the strain. The Princes must have their power restored to them, otherwise this world will cease to exist..."

"Does it look like I care about this world?" Tirek roared, the air around him whipping into a whirlwind for a moment due to his anger, "I WILL SHATTER YOU AND THIS PATHE..."

He was cut off as Sunset appeared before his and swung her sword across his chest, cutting another gash into him that ran opposite of his first cut, before she spun around and delivered a parallel wound to the new one. As Tirek began to correct himself, so he could deliver an attack of some kind to his enemy, Sunset planted her right foot hard in his chest and sent him flying through the air. Before Tirek had a chance to do anything Sunset appeared in front of him, this time leaving her sword where she had previously been floating, and grabbed onto his horns. That was seconds before she pulled down on his horns and brought his head down to her right knee, before extending her right hand and summoning her sword to her, to which she brought it down and severed Tirek's left horn.

The result of the horn being completely severed was an explosion that rocked the skies, though Sunset appeared a few feet away and kept her eyes on the smoke, knowing that Tirek could easily regrow the horn in a matter of seconds. When the smoke cleared Tirek was definitely standing there, though to Sunset's surprise the horn she had cut off hadn't grown back at all... and it didn't look like it was even beginning to grow back. There were even scratches from the blast that had rocked him, though it was clear that Tirek was not pleased with what she had done to him and was planning on paying her back.

Sunset noticed that the other effect that their fight had on the world was that the fighting below them had completely stopped, as if none of them wanted to miss the outcome of this conflict.

"You know what?" Tirek suddenly said, magic outlining his form once more, to what Sunset had no idea, "I've got several spells that could end this fight in an instant, though I guess its time that I used one of them and finished you off once and for all!"

Sunset was expecting some sort of attack like spell, but when Tirek moved his arms the air around them seemed to slow down, as if time itself was slowing down. As Sunset understood what the spell was doing she noticed that Tirek was unaffected by the spell, indicating that the spell was designed to slow the enemy done to deal damage. She could barely move to defend herself, but as her eyes tried to watch Tirek something touched her shoulder and restored her to normal speed, allowing her to catch up with what was happening and raise her sword to block the strike that had been coming at her.

Tirek was clearly surprised when Sunset snapped out of the spell, but to go one step further Sunset wrapped her magic around Tirek's sword and yanked it out of his hands, before snapping her fingers and conjuring four silver chains out of thin air. The chains wrapped around Tirek's arms and legs, though Sunset knew that they were merely designed to hold the demon in place so she could get some form of attack out. As Tirek struggled against the chains Sunset gathered a massive amount of energy into her sword, which resulted in an intense amount of flames rolling off the blade as she prepared her attack.

"Your chains cannot hold me!" Tirek shouted, snapping the one that held his left hand back, to which he immediately started to reach for Sunset so she couldn't finish the attack.

"It was never meant to hold you," Sunset merely replied, before swinging her sword right at the center of Tirek's and releasing the energy she had gathered.

The resulting explosion rocked both the sky and the ground, causing everyone beneath the fight to try and hold their ground as they witnessed a battle between godlike creatures. The mushroom cloud of smoke took some time to dissipate completely, but as the cloud appeared Sunset burst out of it and flew a few feet away, so she could watch for her opponent. Everyone watched as the smoke cleared and revealed that Tirek was still standing there, but this time there was a massive cut on his chest that indicated that he had been wounded. Sunset was amazed by the damage the attack had caused, because she was beginning to think that she'd have to think of something else besides running his power down to defeat him.

Tirek, on the other hand, seemed completely shocked by the power that Sunset was using against him... along with the surprised look he had when he realized that she had, somehow, broken out of his spell. After a moment the reality of his situation seemed to return to him, as he touched the latest wound on his chest and looked at his blood, though Sunset had to wonder why he was bothering to do so. She had, after all, wounded Tirek several times in the past and had drawn his blood several times, so she saw no reason for her enemy to do so at this moment in time.

That was before Tirek closed his fist as hard as he could and let his fingernails dig into his palm, all while glaring at Sunset with anger and hate so strong that the air around his body seemed to turn dark for a moment.

"Enough of this pointless fighting," Tirek shouted, bringing the palms of his hands close together as his magic started to take the shape of a sphere, "its time I ended this and blew this world to pieces!"

With that said Tirek burst into the air and traveled up to where the crack he had created was located, which had grown over the course of their fight. Once he was where he wanted to be he turned back towards Sunset and pulled his hands apart, raising them above his head as if he was holding a large sphere above his head. That was before the small sphere he had created expanded into a massive flaming sphere, though Sunset could tell that it could easily be the same size as what Whiterun used to be before its destruction. Sunset wasn't surprised to see that he was trying to overpower her once more, but when she took the size of the sphere into consideration she discovered something that she wasn't expecting.

She came to the conclusion that if Tirek dropped that sphere, and she somehow allowed it to touch the ground below them, it could likely tear the entirety of Skyrim to pieces... if not the majority of the northern part of Tamriel before Tirek made the crack grow any bigger.

"You want to know something?" Tirek shouted, allowing his magic to pour into the sphere, giving it an even bigger mass before he threw it at his target, "I developed this spell in the off chance that I would find worlds worth destroying, but never got around to actually using it in battle... until now that is. I call this the Planet Buster... I'll let you figure out why I call it that!"

Sunset, now understanding that he fully intended to obliterate everyone, not to mention a vast portion of Tamriel, turned towards the ground and flew down to a patch of earth that wasn't near anyone... which happened to be the area in which the Meadery had been standing. She stabbed her sword into the ground before moving her arms all the way out to her left and right, her palms facing the direction she was pointing the arm in, before she started to gather magic above her palms. She grunted as two small spheres formed before her palms, feeling the ground shake as she created her counter attack, before she moved her hands close to each other and allowed the two of them to merge into one sphere.

Once the sphere had taken shape she began to pour more of her power into it, getting it ready to counter the power that Tirek was preparing above their heads.

"Its time to DIE!" Tirek shouted, throwing his arms towards the ground, indicating that it was time for his spell to do what it had been crafted for.

The massive sphere began to lower down to the ground, breaking all of the clouds that happened to rest around it, but as it came closer to the ground Sunset merely stood there. A few seconds passed before Sunset thrust her hands forward and released the magic, resulting in a massive beam of energy erupting from her palms and heading up to the sphere. When her beam hit the sphere it managed to stall its descent, though after a few seconds she realized that the sphere was definitely stronger, seeing how it had been given more time before it had been released. As the sphere slowly resumed its descent, fighting against the power that Sunset was pouring into her beam, Tirek began to laugh, as if he was convinced that he was going to win this fight.

While Tirek laughed, and his vision of her was obscured by the massive sphere, Sunset's horn lit up and she wrapped her magic around the handle, allowing the blade to glow. She was confident that she could prevent the sphere from touching the ground, though she knew that she needed a spell that could destroy the massive sphere before it touched the ground. When Sunset was sure that the sphere had reached the area that the top of Dragonsreach had been at she yanked her sword out of the ground and, in one swift motion, swung it right at the middle of the sphere.

The instant the wave of energy hit the sphere it dug into the massive of energy and cut it right in half, going all the way through the massive sphere before reaching the end. Tirek had no time to move before the wave struck him in the chest, which exploded on impact and was followed by the two halves of the sphere exploding in a massive mushroom cloud of sorts. The force from the two explosions rocked the ground once more, this time knocking several people off of their feet as the wind reached them, but Sunset held her ground and waited for her enemy to show himself. This time a figure burst out of the smoke and lowered closer to where Sunset was standing, before the smoke cleared and revealed that Tirek was still in one piece.

The damage done to his body, on the other hand, was yet another massive cut to his chest area, which also included a variety of cuts to both his arms and his legs.

"DAMN YOU!" Tirek shouted, though Sunset could detect that he was getting reaching the end of his power, though she did notice that the same green energy from before had appeared around him once more, "I am getting tired of you interfering with the destruction of this world! I guess its time to show you what I am truly capable of!"

This time when Tirek burst into the air he sailed right up to the crack and stopped, but unlike the other times he didn't begin the creation of a spell that would require Sunset to block it. An eerie green barrier surrounded Tirek and the crack as runes danced around the edge of the barrier that touched the sky... runes that Sunset discovered that would prevent someone from breaching the barrier until the wards were taken down. That was before a massive green circle appeared in the sky, with Tirek and his barrier in the direct center, though Sunset noticed that there were sixteen smaller circles that rested on the larger one. She immediately knew that it was a last ditch attempt to break the world, as Tirek had apparently given up on fighting her directly and was now planning on defending himself until he broke through the veil between worlds.

"Sunset!" Serana called out, rushing to her friend's side as she looked up at the demon, "What's he doing now?"

"He's locked himself in a nearly impenetrable barrier," Sunset replied, before noticing that in the middle of the smaller circles was what appeared to be a miniature statue of some kind, statues that looked like the Daedric Princes that the demon had drained, "Oh, now I see what he's doing... he's using the power of the Daedric Princes to protect himself while he shatters the veil between worlds. I would normally say that this was clever thinking on his part, but it gives us the opportunity to reverse some of the damage he's caused without actually trying to destroy him. I need to inform the Daedric Lords of this discovery before Tirek accomplishes his goal."

Serana stood there for a moment, taking in what Sunset had told her, before nodding her head and running to their friends, to which she quickly shared the command to find the Princes and bring them to Sunset. In a matter of minutes the sixteen Daedric Princes were standing near Sunset, as Talos and his army were currently fighting Jyggalag in an effort to make sure that he didn't interfere with whatever Sunset had planned.

"Raja tells me that there's a slim possibility that we might be able to recover our powers," Nocturnal said, crossing her arms as she stared at Sunset, clearly still willing to blame her for everything that's happening, "and I'd like to know if your telling the truth... or if your just wasting our time."

"First a question for all of you," Sunset quickly said, knowing that time was definitely running out for them, "Do you guys still have the artifacts Tirek used to summon you?"

But of course, Dragonborn, Hermaeus Mora commented, pulling out his ancient tome as the other Princes did the same, It would have been unwise to leave them behind. After all, they still contain a small fraction of our power... seeing how we created them anyway.

"And that's exactly why I wanted to speak with you," Sunset replied, pointing up at the larger circle, where the Princes all found miniature statues of themselves floating some distance away from the barrier, moving in a circular motion the entire time, "Tirek is using your powers to protect himself, but at the same time it gives us the opportunity to use your artifacts and recover what was stolen from all of you. The sudden loss of power will force him to revert back to a stage where he doesn't have one hundred percent power, giving me the opportunity to deliver the finishing blow."

"So its possible to fix all of this and defeat that demon?" Sanguine asked, though Sunset could tell that he wanted all of this to be over so he could return to his Plane of Oblivion.

"Honestly, I'm not sure," Sunset admitted, moving her finger towards Tirek for a moment, "but even if this is impossible, and Nirn is destined to be destroyed, I will still use every ounce of power I have to prevent that end from happening. I know I haven't done much to earn back any of your trust, but trust me when I tell you that I will not rest until Tirek is defeated."

"Well then, we had better get started," Clavicus Vile said, dropping to his knees as Barbas growled beside him, "Personally, I'd like to have Nirn exist so I can offer more deals to people... there's no fun with it being gone."

Before anyone could stop the Prince he and Barbas burst into the air, using the mask he had been summoned with to track down the statue that contained his power. Sunset watched the Prince go, noticing that when he followed after the statue he was surrounded by silver energy, as if he was fighting the power that Tirek commanded. The other fifteen Princes shared a look between themselves before following Clavicus' lead, leaving Sunset to watch as fifteen more silvery trails flew into the air and zeroed in on the statue that contained that Prince's powers. After a moment she sighed and burst into the air herself, magic gathering around her sword as she decided to act as a distraction for Tirek, so he couldn't prevent the Princes from recovering their powers.

When Sunset reached the barrier that protected Tirek she swung her sword at it and pressed it as hard as she could, forcing herself to remain in that position while keeping Tirek's eyes on her.

"You just don't know when to give up," Tirek moaned, turning towards her for another moment, clearly annoyed that she was still trying to stop him, "When will you learn that your power boost means nothing more than prolonging your defeat and that you don't have the power to stop me?"

"Maybe when you figure out that you can never win this game," Sunset fired back, pressing against the barrier as she forced Tirek to look at her, "I get it, your a powerful creature that believes that he doesn't need anyone to fight at his side, but that's where you have proven just how wrong you really are. Unity, Harmony, Friendship, it doesn't matter what you call it, because it can overcome the power that any one person can command on their own... and its time that you realized that you've lost this fight."

"Bold words coming from someone who's losing this fight," Tirek replied, turning back to the crack before gripping the two halves with his hands, where he braced himself to pull the hole open even further, "Congratulations though, you have a front row seat to the end of this pathetic world."

That was before a bolt of lighting flashed through the barrier and zapped his hands, forcing Tirek to release his grasp on the crack as smoke rolled off his hands. Sunset grinned as she noticed that one of the statues shattered and the Prince, Clavicus she realized, moved out of the way as he took his power with him. The barrier rippled as a second and third statue were torn apart, leaving Tirek to roar in pain as the power was ripped out of his body, returning to the Daedric Lord it had been taken from. A moment later Tirek turned back to the crack and continued to try and force the halves further apart, as if he no longer cared about his body at this point.

Sunset poured more power into her sword and cracked the barrier, feeling the power keeping it in place weakening as the Princes took back their powers one by one. After a few more seconds the barrier shattered and let Sunset get at Tirek, who turned around in surprise as Sunset swung her sword right into his chest, releasing the power once more. The resulting explosion tore the circle Tirek had created into pieces, shattering the remaining statues and restoring the Princes to their full power at long last. Sunset appeared a short distance beneath the smoke, watching for signs of Tirek as she wondered if he had survived the full might of her attack this time.

After a few seconds another figure burst out of the smoke and landed parallel to where Sunset was standing, but when the smoke actually cleared Sunset discovered that Tirek, now lacking the power of the Daedric Princes, had reverted to the form he had been wearing before the destruction of Whiterun. Tirek looked down at himself, running his hands over himself as he realized that he had been lost power this time, before his anger returned and he turned towards Sunset.

"What have you done?!" Tirek shouted, magic gathering around him as he resigned himself to one more attack, "What have you done to me this time?"

"I've ended this game," Sunset replied, just as the sixteen Princes floated down to where she was standing, all of them facing the demon that had taken their powers, "Nirn will return to what it was before you drained the Princes, minus the places that you've already destroyed, so all that's left to do now is send you back where you belong."

"You don't have the power to call upon Tartarus!" Tirek shouted at her, though now he wondered if he'd be able to touch Sunset before the Princes got to him first, "And even if you did somehow manage that, which I know you can't, I would only escape my prison in a few years, to ruin Equus once more. You, and the rest of Equus, will never be rid of me..."

That was before Sunset appeared in front of him and swung her sword at him as hard as she could, cutting from his left side all the way to his left shoulder, creating a vertical cut to his growing list of wounds he had suffered during the fight. This time when she cut Tirek she noticed that the wound carried the same eerie green color as everything else he had done, so before whatever spell he was going to use went off she flapped her wings and backed up so she didn't get caught by it. As she drew closer to the Princes she noticed that whatever Tirek had prepared for her hadn't done anything, leaving her to wonder if he had set a trap for her or had been caught off guard.

Before she could say anything the latest cut grew twice as wide as it normally was and the green energy seemed to go into a frenzy, moving through the air without a purpose. Then the air behind Tirek darkened as a massive twenty foot tall door appeared behind him, one that was made out of what appeared to be some dark purple metal. There was a line that went down the middle of the door, separating it into two halves while keeping the large skeletons on the door apart from each other. One skeleton had his eyes covered by a black blindfold while his right hand reached over his body and gripped an area near the line, while the second one appeared to have his mouth sewn shut as his hand repeated what the first one's did.

There was also three sets of chains linking the two sides together, but as they all watched the two skeletons started to pull the sides apart from each other, straining the chains before they snapped. When the two sides were fully apart from each other they revealed a fiery red portal that led to another realm, one that Sunset could only describe as Tartarus. Once she made that connection she realized that Tirek had been wrong, she apparently had wounded him to the point where the Gates of Tartarus had opened, no doubt the Wardens intended to call him back to his prison at long last.

As she completed that thought a massive clawed hand, one that had three digits and a thumb instead of the usual four, reached out of the gate and closed around Tirek's body, preventing him from going anywhere. As the clawed hand kept Tirek in one place a shadowy figure stepped out of the gate, one that Sunset knew had to be one of the Wardens she had read about in her studies, so she knelt before the being as it approached her.

Rise Sunset Shimmer, the Warden spoke, its voice oddly calm as it spoke, while Sunset drew herself up to a standing position again, You have done well in your fight against this prisoner, the demon known as Tirek, and in the process saved this world from complete obliteration. We will take the prisoner back to where he belongs, but first we must return the power that he has stolen from this world, though only you can decide what to do with this power.

Sunset, and everyone else present, watched as the Warden touched Tirek's shoulder and the energy the demon had stolen over the last few weeks poured out of him, forming a dark swirling sphere as he slowly reverted back to the old man he had been when Sunset had first discovered him. Once the last drop of all the power he had stolen had been drained out of his body, to which the massive hand had to tighten its grip a bit to prevent him from sliding out, the Warden turned to Sunset and let the sphere float over to her. She gently touched the sphere and watched as the shadowy figure seemed to nod to her, before turning back to the open gate and disappearing into the depths of Tartarus once more. The moment the Warden was gone the massive hand began to withdraw into the gate, all while Tirek started to shout at Sunset with promises that he would burn Equus to the ground the next time he escaped.

Once the gates had closed Sunset, and everyone else, watched as cracks formed all across the entirety of it, before it shattered into a thousand pieces that turned into mist seconds later. Before Sunset could decide what to do with the energy a large figure appeared before her, to which she realized that Jyggalag had come for her and intended to kill her with his weapon, but as the sword came down she found that it was blocked by the Wabbajack.

"We can't have you killing our little mortal minion," Sheogorath commented, forcing Jyggalag back with only his artifact, "especially not after she's saved the world! We need a party... with blood, a fox, a severed head... and the CHEESE! Oh, and of course, you're not invited... Jyggalag."

"Illogical, her presence here threatens the natural order of the world," Jyggalag replied, his voice cold and calculated, though it was clear that he was staring right at Sunset, "she needs to be destroyed..."

That was when Sheogorath hit the Prince of Order upside the head with the Wabbajack while wearing a crazy look on his face, almost as if his artifact had been a bat.

"Out with you!" Sheogorath shouted, smacking the Prince of Order again, only this time right in the chest, "Get out of Nirn before I skip rope with your entrails! Or maybe I'll turn you into a cheese wheel... no, wait, that would be a terrible idea. Order flavored cheese... makes me shiver just by thinking about how bland it would taste. Well? Get out of here before I make you leave the hard way... its not like I have an eternity to wait. Actually... I do. Little joke."

"You heard the Madgod," a voice said, just as an elderly looking man appeared beside Sheogorath and Sunset, one that she immediately knew had to be Akatosh himself by the way he spoke, "Go back to Oblivion, Jyggalag, before I am forced to make you go."

"You have no power over me!" Jyggalag said, swinging his sword as he approached both the Madgod and the Chief of the Divines.

Akatosh sighed and held his hand out, to which Jyggalag was blasted back so hard that his chest armor shattered the moment he was struck there. Even with his armor destroyed the Prince of Order got back up and tried again, to which Sheogorath pounced on him and either smacked him with the Wabbajack or what appeared to be a large fish. Sunset stood back and watched the Prince of Order get trashed by the Madgod, before he managed to throw Sheogorath to the side and approached Akatosh. That was when the Chief of the Divines touched Jyggalag's bare chest and a portal opened behind the Prince, to which the Divine forced the Prince backwards.

"You are banished, Jyggalag," Akatosh said, sighing as the portal closed, before he turned back to Sunset and the other Daedric Princes, "Now, it is time we all went back to our homes, so that the veil might begin to heal once more."

The Daedric Princes looked at each other, clearly debating whether they wanted to anger Akatosh at the moment, before they decided to leave in peace... this time. Sunset watched as a number of portal opened all around her, allowing her to watch as each of the Princes returned to their various Planes of existence. It allowed her to see some of the planes that weren't well documented, for a brief moment anyway, before that Prince closed the portal behind them. One Prince opened the portal to his home, but as he stalled for a moment he turned back to Sunset and flashed his insane smile once more.

"Remember what I told you back in Pelagius' mind?" Sheogorath asked her, one foot inside the portal while the other half remained in Nirn, "Do make sure that you tell Discord about his roommates wanting to meet him again... otherwise I might turn you into cheese or skip rope with your entrails! Ta ta."

As the last of the Daedric Princes left Nirn, and his portal closed behind him, Sunset turned towards the ground for a moment and watched as the last of the forces of Sovngarde, including Talos, returned to their realms as well. Once the forces of the Sovngarde had returned home, and their portal was closed, Akatosh sighed and snapped open a portal for himself, but before he left Sunset to her own devices he turned to her for a moment.

"I am glad that Kynerath chose you to be the hero that Nirn needed," Akatosh told her, a small smile appearing on his face for a moment, "I know that Nirn will live on and prosper thanks to everything you have done, so you will be receiving something from the Divines as thanks for what you have done for us. I can only wish you good luck and a long life."

With that said the Chief of the Divines entered his portal and returned to Aetherius, allowing it to close behind him and leave Sunset to wonder what reward she was going to be getting from the Divines. She sighed and looked down at the orb of stolen energy, before turning her gaze to the crack Tirek had created and knowing what she needed to do with the energy. She held the sphere out for a moment and connected her magic to it, allowing the magic to burst out of the container and follow her commands, to which she sent it to the crack. She watched as the stolen energy worked through the damage Tirek had done, repairing it to the state it had been in before the crack had even occurred.

With the deed done Sunset smiled and let her exhaustion from all the fighting she had done catch up with her at last, allowing herself to go limp as she fell towards the ground. The last thing she saw before she closed her eyes was the form of a pair of white wings spreading out around her, almost as if they were trying to embrace her.

55: Awakening

Sunset moaned as she felt the light of the sun fall on her face, but as she tried to move she discovered that all she could actually do was remain wherever she was laying. She tired to open her eyes so she could get an idea of where she actually was, but found out that her weakened nature was leaving her with the ability to barely open her eyes at all. She decided to leave them closed for the moment, knowing that she would eventually regain the strength to not only open her eyes and see what was around her, but also move on her own. As she came to that conclusion she could have sworn that she heard someone talking to someone else, or a group of people when she heard the third voice speak up.

She couldn't quite place any of their voices just yet, though she was sure that one or two of them were familiar to her in some way, so she allowed herself to drift off to sleep once more.

Sunset didn't know how long she actually slept for, but when she tried to open her eyes this time she weakly opened them and stared right at a curtain that was preventing the sunlight from entering her room. She moaned as she turned her head to the other side of the room, finding a door that she suspected led outside wherever she was resting at the moment. She did notice that she was resting in a bed, a nicer one than the others she had spent the last few weeks sleeping in she noted, before she heard a beeping sound. She turned to the source of the noise and found a simple hospital machine, one that merely fed a body the nutrients it needed while the body was down, hanging near her bed.

"A... hospital?" Sunset weakly said, nearly coughing due to how dry her throat was at the moment, "I don't understand... Nirn doesn't have... any... hospitals..."

As she thought about what she was trying to say she could feel herself remembering what had happened before she had woken up in the room. She remembered fighting the demon known as Tirek, using the power of the Dragon Priests and her friends to defend a world from being destroyed. They had fought each other, breaking the ground around them, before she had managed to devise a plan to take back the power he had stolen from the Daedric Princes. And, somehow, she had managed to open the Gates of Tartarus, call forth one of the legendary Wardens that make sure that the prisoners never escaped from their cells, and send the demon back where he belonged. Then she restored balance to a world in peril, sending the Princes back where they belonged before repairing the damage that had been done.

Just remembering what she had done before waking up in this room made her sweat just a bit, so she lifted her front leg up and started to wipe her brow... before she stopped and stared at her limb. It wasn't a human arm that was wiping the sweat from her brow, but rather the front leg of a pony... an amber colored limb that ended with a hoof. Her eyes widened as she found the energy to remove the sheets that had been covering her, discovering that she had returned to her original body at long last. She even looked at her flank for a moment and stared at her Cutie Mark, tears coming down her face as she realized what gift Akatosh had given her.

All this time she thought that she had returned to Earth, where she had stepped into the portal that had taken her to Nirn, but in reality she had returned to Equus... she had returned to her home at long last.

"Sunset?" a voice by the door said, causing her to turn towards it and find a lavender alicorn, Twilight she realized, standing there, "Are you okay? Why are you crying?"

"Its... its nothing Princess Twilight," Sunset replied, though she could almost hear the joy in her own voice at the moment, before she tried to wipe away her tears, "those were just tears of joy. I'm overjoyed that I'm back home."

"Oh, well that's a relief," Twilight said, turning to look at the door for a moment, as if she was debating whether or not she had something to tell her, "Are you well enough to have guests... or should they come back in a few days?"

Sunset had to wonder who was currently waiting outside the room she was in, as she was sure that most ponies had forgotten about her the moment she ran away and didn't return for some number of years. She chuckled for a moment and smiled at Princess Twilight, knowing that she would be able to rest later once all of her visitors had been taken care of.

"No, you can invite them in," Sunset answered, leaning back as she turned her head towards the door, to which Twilight seemed to smile for a moment before moving towards the door.

"Come on in girls!" Twilight said to whoever was on the other side of the door, "Sunset's awake and she's ready to speak with all of you."

Sunset watched as five mares walked into the room, though she wasn't surprised to see who Princess Twilight had been speaking to before she had awoken. One of the mares had an orange coat with a light grayish olive mane and tail, though she was wearing a cowboy hat and had three apples as her Cutie Mark. The next was a cyan coated mare that had a rainbow colored mane and tail, though Sunset didn't need to see the lightning shaped mark to know who she was. She also spotted a white coated mare that had a purple colored mane and tail, though the diamonds on her flank gave Sunset an idea of who she was. She then spotted a shy mare that had a near butterscotch yellow coat that was accompanied by a light pink mane and tail, with a trio of butterflies for her mark. Lastly she noticed a light raspberry coated mare whose eyes widened the moment she noticed Sunset, so she immediately knew who she had to be.

"Girls, this is Sunset Shimmer," Twilight said, turning to Sunset for a moment, "Sunset, these are my friends Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie... though I think you gathered that before I told you."

"Actually, it was nice to have them introduced before I started guessing," Sunset admitted, as she had seen the resemblance to her own friends on Earth in each of the mares, but decided that she would let the Princess introduce them to her, "Its very nice to meet you all."

"Oh, are we going to have a party?" Pinkie asked Twilight, who sighed the moment that the very idea of a party was even mentioned.

"Not right now Pinkie," Twilight replied, but then continued before the party mare could deflate herself, "but when Sunset is allowed to leave the hospital we'll see about throwing her one."

"Besides, I'm sure that the party will be awesome," Rainbow suddenly said, a smile appearing on her face for a moment, "that is, when we get around to it."

Sunset could see the idea rolling through Pinkie's head as she mentally planned the party that they would be having when she was let out of the hospital, which also made her wonder something. She remembered beating Tirek and saving Nirn, but that was all she recalled before awakening here, so she had no idea how long she had been out for.

"Princess Twilight," Sunset said, to which Twilight turned back to her, "How long... how long have I been in the hospital?"

"One whole week," a new voice said, one that Sunset hadn't heard in years and caused her to turn towards the door once more, where she found a white alicorn waiting on the other side of the room, "You've been in the hospital for one week Sunset Shimmer."

"Princess Celestia..." Sunset started, unsure of what was coming her way, but she knew what she had to do, "I'm sorry for all the trouble I caused you before I, um, went through the mirror..."

Sunset stopped speaking when Princess Celestia walked towards her, worried that there might be some punishment that she had escaped that was coming for her. What actually happened was that Celestia wrapped a wing over Sunset and touched her with her nose, all while Sunset noticed that there was a kind smile on the Princess' muzzle.

"I forgave you long ago," Celestia said, pulling back to look Sunset in the eye, "I should never have shown you that mirror until you were ready for whatever it would show you, so it is my fault that you felt the need to investigate it... and the world on the other side. I should have tried harder to get your mind off that mirror and the possibilities that it showed you, but I failed to stop you and you disappeared without a trace. I waited for your return, even after Twilight came back and told me about how she redeemed you, yet I feared that you might decide to stay on the other side.

When I heard that you were planning on returning home, even if it was for a few weeks, I was overjoyed with the idea of being able to mend our friendship. So I went to Twilight's castle and waited there, with her and her friends, for what seemed like hours, before your friends sent Twilight a message through the book you left so they could communicate with you while you were gone. When Twilight and I studied the mirror we thought it had malfunctioned, sending you somewhere else in the sea of stars, though we were determined to bring you back. My sister, Luna, took over the duties of Canterlot while the two of us worked hard to figure out what happened to you and where you eventually ended up, so that we might be able to devise a way to safely bring you back.

It wasn't until a week ago that we felt the another anomaly occur in the mirror, but when I dared to look at it I found that someone I knew that had to be you was fighting Tirek. You did what Twilight and her friends did when she fought the demon, you called upon the power of Harmony and sent the demon back to Tartarus, where both Twilight and I are sure he'll never be escaping from ever again. When we saw you fall from the sky I threw caution to the wind and charged into the mirror, though whatever magic had taken you there merely helped me come to your aid as I wrapped my wings around you and brought you home.

We brought you to the hospital and got you the attention you needed... though I am overjoyed to see that you are definitely making a recovery from your ordeal."

Sunset smiled as the tears from earlier returned, as she was thankful that the two Princesses had never stopped looking for her when she disappeared and, more importantly, that she was forgiven by everyone she had wronged at this point. Before she got comfortable and started answering whatever questions remained, as she was sure that Twilight's friends had some things they wanted to ask her, she noticed that the lavender Princess had something on her mind.

"What is it Princess Twilight?" Sunset asked, wondering what could be bothering her friend at a moment like this.

"Oh I'm just thinking of all the information we can record about this world that you discovered!" Twilight eagerly said, telling Sunset that the Princess wanted to know everything about the world she had left behind, "But I know that we can wait until you've recovered from your fight with Tirek... I did the same thing after my friends and I defeated him, not to mention the creation of my castle. Besides, as Celestia continued to tell me, you don't have to call me Princess Twilight anymore... considering that we're already friends. That's not mentioning that you earned your wings after your fight with Tirek."

"Twilight, I took on the power of Harmony to stop Tirek," Sunset pointed out, as she was positive that the incident in Nirn had been exactly like the one on Earth, "I didn't become an alicorn like you... not with permanent wings."

"Is that so?" Celestia commented, using her magic to pull over a mirror, revealing a large bandage wrapped around Sunset's chest, before she unwrapped the linen cloth to reveal what was beneath it, "Tell me, what do you see?"

Sunset's eyes widened as she looked at her reflection for the first time since she had woken up, as she hadn't felt the desire to do so when she thought she was her normal unicorn self. Her horn had retained some of the length it had acquired when she had transformed, because it was now twice its normal size, but it was at least half the length of Princess Celestia's horn. Her mane and tail had almost returned to how they normally looked, but there was still a small hint of the fire they had taken on when she had taken on all that power. The biggest surprise was that she still had her wings, which were roughly the same size as Twilight's own wings, but she was surprised that they were still there.

"I don't understand," Sunset said, not believing what her reflection was showing her, "I redirected all the power back into the world to prevent it from breaking... how can i still be an alicorn?"

"That's because of the Tree of Harmony," Celestia replied, smiling at Sunset as she walked over to her side and draped her wing over her once more, "I don't know how they did it, but when your friends in that world used the power of their friendship to empower you they somehow tapped into the power of the actual Elements.. or rather the Tree itself. Sunset, the Tree of Harmony gave you the power you needed to defeat Tirek... just like it did when Twilight and her friends needed a way to defeat him before he ruined our world..."

That was before a Solar Guard entered the room, trotted up to Princess Celestia, and whispered something into her ear, to which she sighed and pulled her wing back. Sunset immediately knew that something urgent must have come up for one of the guards to deliver news to the Princess while she was visiting her, though she was a little sad that she couldn't have a little more time to catch up with her former mentor.

"My sister needs me back at the castle," Celestia sadly said, allowing everyone to understand that she desired more time with Sunset, but had to leave on business, "something about the Dragons and some riots. We'll catch up later on... when my sister stops burying me under the mound of paperwork she's no doubt left for me to sort through."

As Princess Celestia left the room the majority of Twilight's friends, who hadn't spoken because they wanted to hear what had happened to Sunset, excused themselves so they could get back to their daily lives as well. In a few minutes the only ponies that remained in the room were Twilight and Sunset, but before either could say a word another pony, this one with a coat that looked like a mix between pink and purple, hurried into the room. Before the mare closed the door a dragon, the size of a filly, followed her inside, before she gently closed the door and turned to look at the room.

"Ah, Starlight Glimmer, Spike," Twilight said, welcoming both her student and her assistant as she turned to face Sunset, "I'd like the both of you to meet Sunset Shimmer. Sunset, this is Spike, my assistant, and Starlight Glimmer, my new student. What brings the two of you to the hospital?"

"We got mail!" Spike exclaimed, reaching into his bag and pulling out a letter, one that was larger than most of the ones that usually came to the castle.

"We get mail all the time," Twilight countered, looking at the letter and wondering what was so special about it, "I don't see how that would require the two of you to run all the way to the hospital to deliver it to me."

"That's because its a letter for her!" Starlight continued, pointing at Sunset for a moment, "Its not only got her name on it but its also sealed with a mark that doesn't come from this world, so I figured that we would bring it to you attention."

Sunset stared at the seal that Starlight mentioned as Twilight floated the letter over to her, recognizing the dragon emblem she had seen on the Book of the Dragonborn, which Elenwen had showed her at her embassy. She gently took the letter in her magic and broke the seal, gently removing the contents of the envelope as she discovered that it was actually a letter. Before she started reading anything she looked up and found that Spike, Starlight, and Twilight were waiting for her to get started, though she also noted that Twilight was prepared for her first notes on Nirn.

"Dear Sunset Shimmer," Sunset started, unfolding the letter as she went about her reading, "I would pray that this letter reaches you intact, but Akatosh has told me that he and the other Divines will ensure that this reaches you in one piece. I hope that you are safe and are recovering from your fight with Tirek, as that is what everyone in Skyrim, and across the whole of Tamriel, are doing at the moment. I merely wish to inform you of the damage the demon caused outside Skyrim's borders, as there is plenty of depressing issues to tell you about, but there are also good things as well.

I don't know if you recall the attack that shattered High Hrothgar, but it had another effect as Red Mountain, in Morrowind, became active and started spewing lava once more. I am sad to say that a good portion of Morrowind is now covered in lava or buried under the ash once more, but at least half of it is still livable at the moment. Another of the demon's attacks caused serious damage to Cyrodiil, as the entirety of the Imperial City collapsed during a major earthquake that caught everyone by surprise... but I have been told that the new Emperor, and whoever was to succeed him, had perished in the quake.

Your fight also caused tsunamis to hit the continent, as we have received reports that at least half of the remaining provinces had been overtaken by water... though it doesn't look like the levels will be receding anytime soon. Unfortunately the Summerset Isles was completely destroyed by the tsunamis, as were the Thalmor agents that called the Isles home at the time it was hit. We aren't sure of how many members of the Aldmeri Dominion survived the Second Oblivion Crisis, which is what many call what Tirek did, so as such Elenwen has been put in charge until one of her superiors reveals themselves.

Here's the real kicker; Elenwen's first order as leader of the Aldmeri Dominion was to get rid of the ban on the worship of Talos, as she said, and I quote her on this, 'We cannot continue to deny the presence of Talos, not when he stopped Jyggalag from striking at the one person who could stop Tirek from destroying our world'. You should have seen Ulfric when she made that announcement, as he fell to his knees and praised Talos for everything that Elenwen said... it was rather strange now that I think about it. As a result of her announcement the Civil War is officially over and everyone, be they Imperial, Stormcloak, or the Thalmor, can focus on trying to rebuild the world after what happened to it.

Elisif, the former Jarl of Solitude, has officially been crowned as the new Empress of Tamriel, though she has called for Ulfric, Tullius, and Elenwen to be her advisers for the rebuilding. Jarl Balgruuf and I have come to an agreement regarding the fate of Fellglow Hold; it is to keep the land it has been given and serve as one of Skyrim's holds. The Jarl is moving to Rorikstead, where he promises to build something akin to his former city and rule over the remainder of his land... while helping Siddgeir rebuild Falkreath. The Skaal, now forced into living in Skyrim, have been offered the area that used to be Winterhold, but from what I hear it sounds like they're planning on becoming the ninth hold in Skyrim... whenever they decide on their name anyway.

Lydia, Raja, Fiona, Cicero, Serana, and I will remain in Fellglow for the rest of our days, helping the people that were displaced by the destruction across the entirety of Tamriel. We have commissioned someone to build a statue, not as big as Azura's broken statue, of the hero that saved all of Nirn from complete destruction... though it won't be done until we manage to get some of the other key repairs done first. Both Elenwen and Elisif promise that you will forever be remembered for everything you did for Nirn, whether it be in books or in a few crafted statues. We all wish you well, wherever you are, and hope that you continue to do great things for others.

Sincerely,

Bjorn Wyrmsblood, Stewart of Fellglow Hold, 5E 001

Sunset smiled as she reached the end of the letter, as it warmed her heart to hear that everyone in Skyrim was doing well, despite the hardships that the continent was forced to endure because of the demon. She looked up at the three who had been listening to the entire reading, finding that they had no idea what she had been talking about the entire time. Even Twilight seemed lost, as it appeared like she was expecting notes on the world and had received a few lines that she could have written down. Sunset chuckled as she laid her head back down on the pillow, looking at Twilight the entire time as she prepared to tell her something.

"I'll tell you about Nirn later Twilight," Sunset said, to which she saw Twilight's eyes light up for a moment, "but that's when I've recovered from my 'ordeal'."

Twilight nodded her understanding and beckoned for Starlight and Spike to follow her as they resumed whatever was on her list for that day, as Sunset was sure that there was something else besides visiting her. Before she completely relaxed she placed the letter on the stand beside her, definitely glad that Akatosh had taken her friends' letter and sent it to her. She sighed and closed her eyes, knowing that she would have a few more days before she was discharged from the hospital now that Princess Celestia knew she was up.

Her life was back to normal at last, despite the fact that she was an alicorn, but she could overlook that for a time before she settled into whatever role she would be given later on.

Author's Note

As I wrap up Sunset's story I have a question for you all; would you like to see Sunset travel to other worlds, or would you like to see a new crossover with a different character?

56: Madgod's Promise

The doctors had kept her in the hospital, the Ponyville Hospital she discovered on her second day of awakening in the same bed, for three days after she had woken up. Sunset really didn't mind the fact that the doctors asked her to stay for a few more days, as it gave her time to recover her energy while they made sure that she hadn't sustained any serious wounds from her fight with Tirek. She didn't think that they would find anything wrong with her body, considering that she had been healed when the Dragon Priests gave her their energy and power, but she let them do their jobs.

While she waited for the doctors to finish their tests she had a few visitors come to see her the entire time, mostly the fact that both Princesses Celestia and Twilight came to check up on her and hear about her adventure in Nirn. Even Starlight Glimmer, Twilight's student, seemed eager to hear about the world she had visited, so much so that Sunset worried that she might investigate the mirror at some point in the future. The Princesses listened to her for an hour or two every day, so they could understand everything that she had done through, but they all knew that it would take at least a week to tell the whole tale... or two if she kept getting interrupted by all the questions Twilight wanted to ask her.

When she was finally discharged from the hospital, with a clean bill of health, she found that Twilight, Starlight, and Spike wanted to show her around the town, so she could become familiar with her surroundings. They took her to Sweet Apple Acres and introduced her to the rest of the Apple Family, to which Sunset admitted that she was sure that she would never be able to remember all of their names after the first visit, but knew that she would try to do so in the future. Once they were done there they traveled over to Carousel Boutique, where Sunset discovered that she and Rarity would be spending the rest of the morning designing the dress that would be the one she wore when she eventually had her coronation as the newest Princess of Equestria... which they both knew was coming.

When lunchtime came around the four of them went to one of the restaurants around the town, to which Sunset discovered that many ponies she met were surprised to find another alicorn walking among them, though they did bow their heads as she passed. After all her time in Skyrim she was used to the attention, so she merely bowed her head back in return as they sat down, ordered something to eat, and eventually ate their meal.

Once that was done they continued to where Rainbow Dash's house, the massive cloud house she lived in, happened to be floating that afternoon, but discovered that she was out at the moment. They backtracked to Sugercube Corner and discovered that Pinkie Pie had the day off, but when Twilight inquired where she could possibly be all she learned was that her boss had no idea where she was. With two of her friends missing at the moment Twilight decided to head to Fluttershy's cottage, where Sunset would be able to meet her animals and get to know the sky pegasus.

"Oh my," Fluttershy said, surprised to have company over sooner than what Twilight had told her to expect them by, "please... come in Princesses..."

"Fluttershy, I've told you that don't need to add my title all the time," Twilight said, not surprised to find that her friend had slipped into the habit once more, "I just came to show Sunset where you lived and have her get to know you... and your house guest that lives with you."

"You have someone else living here?" Sunset asked, turning to the shy mare for a moment, not really surprised to hear this piece of information now, as she had been in the hospital for the last few days, 'Who is it, if I can be so bold?"

"Its... Discord," Fluttershy weakly replied, so softly that Sunset was sure that she had missed what she said, so she decided to ask the question one more time, "Its Discord... Discord has been my guest for some time."

"The Spirit of Disharmony?" Sunset said, her eyes widening when Twilight shook her head 'yes' to answer the question, before she regained her composure, "That's nice... I'll have to hear the story as to how you managed to befriend him some other time. So, where is he anyway? I would definitely like to meet him."

It was the mere mention of the Spirit of Disharmony that made her remember her promise to Sheogorath, back when she quested for the Daedric Artifacts. Sheogorath had asked her, in his own roundabout way, to speak with Discord when she returned to Equus, to inform him that his 'roommates' wanted to speak with him... or something like that. She still wasn't sure how the two chaotic beings knew each other, but she figured that, since she was already near Discord anyway, she might as well keep her promise to the Madgod. Fluttershy was kind enough to point her in the direction of the shed in her backyard, where she informed Sunset that Discord went out there from time to time to be alone.

She quickly excused herself and walked into the backyard, where she discovered a normal shed that she assumed was Fluttershy's shed and that the one closer to the trees had to be her destination. Once she got close to the door she raised her hoof and tapped on the metal, to which she waited for a few seconds before the door opened before her eyes. She found a creature, one that was a mix of a various of creatures, sitting on a stool and focusing on something on the bench in front of it, to which Sunset assumed that the door had been opened by its magic.

"Ah, the lovely Sunset Shimmer, the latest alicorn to join the Sisters," the draconequus spoke up, turning to Sunset for a moment as she entered the shed, to which it closed the door and returned to whatever it was working on, "I am Discord, the Spirit of Disharmony, the Lord of Chaos... and the undisputed King of the Dance. Now, what can I do for you?"

"I merely came to tell you that your former roommates missed you at the last anniversary of your graduation," Sunset told the draconequus, somewhat surprised that she was on speaking terms with the Spirit of Disharmony, but noticed that his ears perked up the moment she mentioned the anniversary.

"I don't know what your talking about," Discord quickly replied, summoning a glass of brown liquid, which Sunset assumed had to be his favorite chocolate milk, before he drank some of it, "I've never graduated from a university, not do I have any other roommates besides dear Fluttershy... whose friendship I will never break ever again."

"Now when did I say that you graduated from a university?" Sunset asked, to which Discord did a spit take as he discovered that he had, accidentally, spoken one word that had doomed his chances to making her think that Sheogorath had fooled her the entire time, "So Sheogorath was telling the truth after all; the two of you graduated from the University of Chaos and Madness... it still seems strange to consider that something like that even exists."

Instead of replying to Sunset's statement Discord remained silent for a moment, as if he was trying to think of a way to salvage this conversation while getting rid of the idea of the fact he went to school to learn his trade, before sighing to himself. The following instant Discord snapped his claws and a portal opened up behind him, to which he pulled himself out of his chair and approached the swirling mass of magic. Before he stepped into the portal he turned to Sunset and picked her up, to which he ignored her shocked expression before walking into the mass of magic.

When the two of them stepped out of the portal, or being carried through in Sunset's case, she discovered that there were in a place that looked like the area where she had 'fixed' Pelagius' mind. As Discord set her down she realized that she had, somehow, taken on the form she had worn while she was traveling through Skyrim, including the armor she had worn. She wondered if her armor had been stored in some space between worlds, as it hadn't come with her when she woke up in the hospital, or if it only came into existence when she wasn't in her natural form.

Before she could even begin to ask Discord what he was thinking by snatching her, which she was slightly annoyed with, another portal opened up on the other side of the area the two of them were standing in. She watched as Sheogorath stepped out of the portal, to which he clapped his hands and closed his entrance, before staring at the two of them.

"Well now, ain't this a surprise!" Sheogorath said, walking up to Discord and holding his fist out, to which the draconequus bumped his own fist into the Madgod's, "Discord, the Spirit of Disharmony, has finally paid me a visit... I don't know whether I should skip rope with some entrails, preferably yours if possible, or bury you under a mountain of cheese. Well, no matter. I'm just happy that you got the message... a shame really, as I had a variety of messages I could have tried! A song! A summons! A death threat written on the back of an Argonian concubine!

The last one is always my favorite... but I decided to settle for sending a mortal to deliver the message, which actually sounds boring now that I think about it."

"Ah Sheogorath, have I have missed you over the last thousand years," Discord replied, apparently not caring about the death threat part, which Sunset figured made sense seeing how the two of them went to the same university together, "Tell me, is there anyone else coming to this little get together... or shall we get the party started?"

"I tried to contact the others, but they're either sealed off beyond my reach or flat out refusing to speak with me!" Sheogorath said, pulling the two of them closer to the table in the middle of the area, which Sunset knew hadn't been there a few seconds ago and merely decided not to question it, "That reminds me, where were you a year ago? You missed the nine hundred and ninety-ninth anniversary of our graduation... much to the annoyance of the rest of our class."

"I was sealed in a statue for the last thousand years," Discord countered, shaking his head for a moment, "Honesty Sheogorath, I tried to leave my prison, but the power of Harmony is not easily defeated."

"I hate to agree with you, but I can understand that statement," Sheogorath spoke, turning to the table for a moment, as if looking for something that wasn't there, "I felt the magic of Harmony when young Sunset here harnessed its powers... you aren't leaving that pink mare behind for a new apprentice are you? I rather liked that pony... she's got a certain spark of chaos inside of her that reminds me of the good old days when we would prank our instructors. Its a good thing that your giving her secret lessons on how to control her powers, though I'm honestly surprised that young Twilight hasn't caught on yet...

...Now where has all the food gone? I could have sworn that I had something prepared for this event... bah, its missing, just like my luggage was when I was told to leave Pelagius' mind."

Another portal opened up at the end of the table and the sound of a cannon could be heard going off, just as a variety of food items, including plates and utensils, landed all the way down the table. Sunset looked at the portal for a moment before Pinkie, the one from Equus, walked out of it and pulled her cannon out with her, something that Sunset was sure that she would have seen at her own party... sometime in the future. As the portal closed Sunset also determined that she had found the answer for why no one had an idea of where Pinkie had wandered off to... as she had been busy preparing for this event.

"Oh good show Pinkie," Sheogorath exclaimed, walking up to the Equestrian and patting her on the head for a moment, "Everything is infinitely more interesting whenever you show up... I could just give you a strawberry tart."

"And he had to go and blow my secret lessons to the first Equestrian that wasn't Pinkie Pie," Discord moaned, moving one of his clawed limbs to his face, telling Sunset that he and the Prince of Madness got along at times, but then also didn't get along at other moments, "Look Sunset, don't tell Twilight about this until I'm ready... though I've got something shiny for you if you do so..."

"DISCORD!" Sheogorath shouted, his voice booming despite the fact that he and Sunset weren't that far away from him, "Stop messing around and have fun... that's why you came here. Otherwise I might have reveal that embarrassing secret that resulted in your total defeat when Princess Celestia and Princess Luna used the Elements to defeat you."

"How could you possibly know about that?" Discord moaned, his ears folding back as he realized that the Madgod wasn't bluffing.

"I wanted to see how you were faring with your powers and the world you were from," Sheogorath merely replied, shaking his hand as he beckoned to the table, "Now, either party with the rest of us or the entirety of Equus will know the secret that you've been keeping from them... and trust me, I don't need to use my powers to do it either."

For the next few hours the four of them sat at the table and had a feast from the variety of foods that Pinkie had brought along, though how she did so Sunset didn't care to ask. She knew that there were somethings in the universe that you shouldn't question, so she merely accepted the impossible acts that Pinkie, Sheogorath, and Discord did while they sat at the table. For the most part Sheogorath and Discord shared a few stories from their time at the University of Chaos and Madness, where they would either pull pranks on their fellow students, the noobs as Discord originally called them, or on an unsuspecting instructor... to which they would later get detention for their actions.

At one point Sheogorath turned to Sunset and asked her a question that she hadn't been expecting, to which the other two stopped talking to hear the reply.

"So, what are you going to do with your souvenir from Nirn?" Sheogorath asked, devouring a whole section of a cheese wheel before turning to her, "After all, Akatosh made sure that it came through the rift with you... I'm just shocked that you haven't noticed it yet."

"I have no idea what you are referring to," Sunset replied, which was true because the only thing she had been carrying when she fell from the sky was her sword, and she knew that it hadn't come through with her.

"Oh really now? Then allow me to enlighten you," Sheogorath said, standing on his feet as his voice boomed for a moment, to which his staff appeared in his hands, "The Wabbajack! Huh? Didn't see that coming, did you? Okay, so maybe it isn't the Wabbajack that Akatosh sent you... but its like the Wabbajack, even if its powers are completely different. Come on now, it isn't hard to guess what the Chief gave you... unless, of course, this is your first time."

Sunset would have had no idea what the Madgod was talking about if he hadn't mentioned that her 'souvenir' was like the staff he carried, as it informed her of what it could be. She got out of her chair for a moment and moved a bit away from the table, to which she snapped her fingers and conjured something she wasn't expecting; the same chest that she had used to store the Daedric Artifacts inside. She quickly opened the lid and found a note waiting at the edge of the storage space, so she pulled it out of the chest and started to read over it.

"To the brave and courageous Sunset Shimmer," Sunset read, wondering what she would find in the short letter, "We have returned to you the chest that bore the artifacts of the Daedric Princes, along with something that will let you remember the friends you made and the changes that occurred during your fight. This item is no longer needed in Nirn, so maybe it can help you in the future... if you decide to explore more worlds. From the Divines of Nirn."

Sunset placed the note back in the chest and focused on the other item that was waiting for her, to which she reached inside the chest and grabbed onto what it was, before pulling herself backwards and making the item follow her. Once she got back on her feet she stared at the Staff of Magnus, the magical artifact that had been the reason she had allied with the Dragon Cult to stop the destruction of Winterhold. She was sure that the staff would have done more good in Nirn then float inside her chest until she needed it again, but she did enjoy the feeling that holding the staff gave her.

"Don't worry Sunset, I promise not to tell Twilight about your souvenir," Pinkie said, before performing a strange sequence of motions that Sunset had never seen before, "Cross My Heart, Hope to Fly, Stick a Cupcake in my Eye!"

Sunset knew that the Pinkie from Earth had a similar chant she used when she promised to keep a secret, but she really didn't recall ever hearing that Pinkie ever using it in the past. She also didn't know why Pinkie even bothered to promise that she'd keep it a secret, but decided that she was being herself and guessed that Pinkie thought she'd want to keep the artifact's existence a secret. Sunset had the feeling that Twilight might run some experiments on the staff if she knew that it was in her hands... or hooves as she finished that thought.

"And now, a present from me to you," Discord said, snapping his claws and summoning what appeared to be a golden bracelet, "a little accessory that will help you fit in better with the residents of whatever worlds you eventually journey to... that's considering the fact that you decide to do so in the future. If not, then you can wear this as an additional reminder of your travels through Nirn... or whatever you decide to remember by wearing it. Oh, and look at the time, you had better get back to the cottage before someone notices that you've been gone for more than a few minutes."

Sunset wondered if Discord was hiding something from her or if he truly was giving her a golden bracelet with no strings attached, but she knew enough from her dealing with Sheogorath to know that there was something else he wasn't telling her. She decided not to press her chances at figuring anything out and moved both the staff and the bracelet into her chest, before she closed the lid tight and banished it back to wherever it originally came from. Once that deed was done Pinkie bounced over to her and beckoned for her to follow her back to Equus, to which Sunset turned to the two insane creatures for a brief moment, before sighing and following the party mare back home.

It wasn't until Sunset and Pinkie had crossed through Discord's portal, taking them back to Equus, that the Spirit of Disharmony sighed and returned to his seat for a moment.

"Is there a reason you didn't tell her about the side effects of that bracelet?" Sheogorath asked, leaning back in his chair as he sipped from his wine glass, his eyes staring right at Discord, "Not that its any of my business, but there are some things that I'd rather not be told and have the opportunity to guess at, while other times I like to have all my cards at once."

"Are you referring to the slim chance that she might age backwards, lose her memories, or have both happen to her?" Discord said, summoning his endless glass of chocolate milk, "Honestly, there's a one percent chance that, whenever she goes to another world, of those side effects coming into play when she arrives in whatever world she lands in. Considering the way she looked at me before leaving I would have to wager that she's not even thinking about heading off to another world... which means that she would need an e reason to go off on another adventure."

"And the power sealing spell?" Sheogorath asked, bringing up the other spell that Discord had carefully placed on the bracelet, "I assume you have a reason for that one..."

"To make her future travels fair with Nirn," Discord replied, shaking his head as he stared at his former roommate, "She started her journey with little magic and gave it the ability to grow along the way. Besides, it wouldn't be fair to whatever hero she meets if she had all of her amazing powers and basically blew everything up before something could get near her."

"What a seeming plain and boring plan you've created... I always knew you had it in you!" Sheogorath said, getting to his feet and turning to his portal, which had remained open the entire time he had been sitting in his chair, "Well, I suppose it's back to the Shivering Isles. The trouble Haskill can get into while I'm gone simply boggles the mind... and I haven't even been done for more than a few hours. Oh, and if you ever find yourself up in New Sheoth, do look me up. We can share stories about the good old days and share some of our favorite foods. Ta ta old friend."

As Sheogorath disappeared into his portal, and closed it once he was through, the entire place shifted on itself, until it closed down and forced Discord to return to his shed moments later. He opened the door for a moment and watched as two ponies, one of them now not wearing the armor she had been wearing earlier, walked into Fluttershy's cottage, unaware that they had been followed out of the party area a few moments later. He sighed and closed the door once more, before pulling a map out from under his desk and unrolling it, revealing the pictures of the various ponies he had decided who had the potential for a journey away from Equus.

One of the pictures, belonging to Starlight Glimmer, had a red circle around it, as he had determined that she was a prime candidate for this sort of thing, considering what she had done before Sunset's return. Now all he had to do was pull the switch that would start an adventure and grab some popcorn, because he was sure that whatever happened would be interesting to watch.

Once Sunset had returned to Twilight, Starlight, Spike, and Fluttershy, with Pinkie in tow, they bid farewell to the cottage and returned to Ponyville, where Twilight informed Sunset that she would be staying in the castle until they determined a permanent location. As they walked Sunset came to the conclusion that she had only been in that strange realm for a few minutes, as none of her companions seemed worried that she had been missing for some time. Pinkie, of course, remained silent about the entire thing, merely returning to her usual happy persona as they drew closer to the crystal castle that Twilight said was hers.

Sunset had to admit it, but she was impressed by both the actual size of the crystal castle and how much it actually looked like the Crystal Palace the last time she was there... though she really didn't remember much about that visit, as she had focused on one thing at that moment. As they approached the main door to the castle Sunset spotted some Solar Guards walking around, to which Twilight informed her that they were merely there until she created her own group of guards... something that she didn't agree with.

As they walked through the castle Twilight showed her the mirror she had used to travel to Earth when the Sirens had been growing in power, though Sunset wasn't sure if she was happy or sad when she saw it again. The mirror reminded her of the pony she used to be, long before Twilight chased to her Earth to recover the Element of Magic and, in the process, showed her just how powerful Friendship truly was. After a few moments Spike separated from the group and went to the library to continue organizing the titles, while Twilight said that she wanted to show Sunset to her new bed. Before following after her friend Sunset turned back for a moment to see Starlight staring at the glass, though she was sure that she had seen some level of interest in Starlight's eyes, to which she worried that the mare might fall into the temptation that had swallowed Sunset up so long ago.

As Sunset followed Twilight to her new chambers she knew that she'd have to keep an eye on Starlight, because there was no telling where that mare would end up if she decided to access the mirror.

57: A New Beginning

Sunset yawned and stretched her wings as she stared up at the crystal ceiling, where she could reflect on the last two days before having to head out into Ponyville again. Pinkie had been true to her word and hadn't told Twilight about the Staff of Magnus, though she had been careful not to summon the chest since they returned from Sheogorath's realm. She had no doubt that Twilight would have detected the surge of magic if she had decided to summon her chest, so she didn't want to reveal the staff to anyone else. She was somewhat surprised that Twilight hadn't detected the magic that Discord used to stabilize the portal to take them to Sheogorath, but suspected that it was because the Spirit of Discord had some powerful magic of his own and that she hadn't gotten around to studying it.

Pinkie had thrown Sunset her 'Welcome to Ponyville' party the day after their return from the Madgod's realm, to which she acted like her normal self and threw the largest party Sunset had seen since her departure from Earth. There were quite a few patrons that weren't Twilight's friends, allowing Sunset to meet ponies from around the town and get to know them for a few hours. She recalled meeting one Derpy Hooves, who had taken a muffin and ate it while talking to Sunset, which had seemed to calm her down after she couldn't find one in the beginning. Princess Celestia had sent a letter explaining that she wasn't about to come to the party, though she also said that she and the other Princesses, including Twilight, were coordinating their efforts to make Sunset's coronation... which wasn't going to happen for a few few weeks.

Sunset didn't mind the delay, because it allowed her to get to know everypony without them treating her like a Princess... despite the fact that several of the ponies she met called her by the title anyway.

On the second day she, Twilight and Starlight had taken a seat in the castle's library, to which Spike brought in some drinks and snacks before taking his own seat. She had promised to tell Twilight about Nirn, which had led to Twilight telling her that she wanted to know more about the world she had visited, so she merely sighed and got on with her storytelling. She described how she had entered the portal and appeared in Nirn, how she was captured by the Imperials and thrown in a cell, and her initial reaction to meeting Tirek for the first time. She then told them of how she, the demon, and the Stormcloaks had been taken to Helgen to await their fates, before telling them about the arrival of Alduin the World-Eater and how she and her friend Bjorn escaped with their lives.

She then went into great detail about the beginning of their adventures, where they went to Whiterun and explained that the people wouldn't accept that dragons had returned, which in turn led them to Bleak Falls Barrow. She described the chills she got from her first trek through a nordic barrow, which eventually ended with the finding of the Dragonstone and her apparent ability to read the Word Walls. The tale turned to returning to Whiterun and delivering the Dragonstone to the Court Mage, which was when they discovered that there was a dragon burning down a nearby watchtower.

That was when she and her friend fought a dragon and discovered that, when the dragon died in battle, that Sunset had the ability to absorb the souls of dragons, much to Spike's initial horror.

"You killed dragons during your time in Nirn?" Spike asked, though Sunset could hear the fear in his voice as he thought about what she had done.

"Not really, I only killed three of them myself," Sunset admitted, a small smile appearing on her face, "besides, I eventually formed an alliance with the leader of the dragons, Alduin himself, and began to recruit others to the cause of defeating Tirek."

She went into detail about her travels while trying to save the College of Winterhold, to which her companions' eyes widened when she told them of the Hold's fate. During that part of the tale Twilight nodded her head when Sunset had made friends with the vampire Fiona and her own Housecarl, Lydia, as if she was already connecting the dots herself. Sunset then continued by telling them about how she had managed to collect the fifteen Daedric Artifacts, merely saying that they were objects of great power and leaving it at that, and sealed them in a chest that she and her friends believed to be impossible to open.

She then told the three of them about lending her aid to the Dawnguard and the Volkihar vampires, to which she had formed a shaky alliance between the two factions and her own, the Fellglow Alliance. She described, in detail, her journey to recover the missing Elder Scroll, which had been lost along with Serana's mother, before mentioning the venture into the Soul Cairn, where she gained the assistance of another dragon and a powerful vampire. That eventually led to her and her friends discovering the location of Auriel's Bow, during which Twilight whistled when she learned that Sunset had experience with the powerful pieces of knowledge.

The Forgotten Vale turned their heads when they learned that Sunset's dark side, the demon called Pride, had destroyed her enemy for her, but before she could turn on her friends Gelebor had crafted special bracelets that looked like the Elements of Harmony. Sunset then revealed the part where she learned that the artifacts she had gathered had been stolen by Tirek, who was in the process of bringing the world closer to the end by draining the Princes. She described how her alliance had nearly come to an end, but the people who had turned against her had merely justified her stepping down so she could focus on learning the skills necessary to defeat Tirek.

She then told them about the island of Solstheim, where she traveled to so she could find the former Priest known as Miraak, though when they finally met she revealed that the Prince Hermaeus Mora released the emotions that were restricting her power. She sighed as she explained how the had to find the seven Black Books, where she would defeat one of her emotions before moving onto the next book and the next emotion. She then described, in great detail, the fight between her and Pride, to which the two of them destroyed a good portion of that section of Apocrypha, before she was told that Tirek was going to ruin the island.

Once she revealed that the island was destroyed she and her soldiers returned to Skyrim, where she managed the evacuation of the people of Whiterun before Tirek arrived. She then went into great detail about her fight with the dreaded demon, which brought about the destruction of the city of Whiterun and High Hrothgar when Tirek gained complete control of his power. She then told them about how she summoned her army and started a two way war that pitted her forces, which included the dragons, the people displaced by Tirek, and apparently the forces of Sovngarde, against the enemy, the Daedric Prince known as Jyggalag.

She didn't go into great detail about the end of the fight, because she had been told that the three of them had seen the fight while staring at the mirror, but she did describe the feeling she got when the Warden appeared before her. Once she had finished her tale she could see the sheer awe in Spike's face, as if he had imagined the glorious adventures she had gone through and wondered what it would be like to lead his own adventure. Twilight also seemed impressed with what Sunset was able to do, though she could tell that her friend wanted to go back to Nirn so she could find the Elder Scrolls she had left behind and learn what they had to offer.

Starlight, on the other hoof, clearly had the hunger in her eyes for an adventure on the other side of the mirror, the same look that Sunset knew she had been wearing when she had seen the mirror for the first time. She wondered if she had tempted the mare into heading into the mirror at some point in the future, so she was determined to make sure that it didn't happen... otherwise she'd be following the mare to save her.

"Well, I can't believe that we've been sitting here all day," Twilight commented, despite the fact that they had paused for lunch and a light dinner during the story telling, before looking at the pile of notes she had created, "Celestia is going to be interested in reading all of this... when she has the time to do so. We had better get some sleep, because I'm sure that you're tired from all the information that you gave us, Sunset."

Sunset nodded and bid her friends goodnight, before walking through the hallway and approaching the crystal mirror for a moment, wondering if she should have told Starlight about her experiences on Earth, before starting in on her journey through Nirn. She sighed before heading to her room, where she closed the door and climbed into her bed, but she made sure that she kept her ears open, in case something happened during the night.

After a few hours of sleep Sunset heard the sound of hooves running down the hallway, to which she threw off her bed sheets and rushed to the door, tearing it open with her magic and heading into the hallway. She immediately started to look around for whatever she heard, but as she did so she found that Twilight was also running down the hallway as well.

"Twilight, what's wrong?" Sunset asked, looking around for anything that was out of the ordinary, during which she followed her friend towards the library.

"Someone's gone through the mirror!" Twilight replied, though Sunset figured that Twilight could feel the power of the mirror being accessed, as she had the most experience between the two of them at this point.

Sunset worried that it was Starlight that had gone through the mirror, but she decided to wait and see what they found in the library before saying anything. When they arrived at the library they found that the mirror was returning to its natural state once more, indicating that it had been used in the last few minutes, but as they looked around Twilight indicated that she found something. Sunset walked over to where Twilight was standing and looked at what she found, discovering that it was a note that had been written roughly ten to twenty minutes ago.

"Dear Twilight," Twilight read, levitating the note in front of her, "Please don't be bad at me, but after I heard about Sunset's adventure I decided that I wanted to know more about the worlds that she visited for myself... or maybe one that she hasn't been to before. I don't know when I'll return, but when I do I will have quite a bit of knowledge to share with you. From Starlight. Is she serious? Doesn't she know how dangerous traveling through the mirror can be, now that its no longer attuned to Earth?"

"Well then, I guess I know what I'm doing next," Sunset said, sighing as she pulled out the bracelet Discord had crafted for her and attaching it to her front right leg, "Twilight, tell Princess Celestia that Starlight's traveled through the mirror and that I've gone in after her. Once I've found her I'll find a way to return through the mirror, though that all depends on where the two of us end up and where the actual mirror rests."

Twilight clearly wanted to say something to talk her out of heading into the mirror, but then shook her head and discarded whatever she was about to say. She knew that Sunset was Starlight's best chance at finding her way back home, as she knew it had taken her friend some time to find her way through Skyrim before coming home.

"Then be safe Sunset," Twilight said, draping a wing over her friend for a moment, knowing that it would be some time before they saw each other again, "and when you find Starlight, and I know that you will, make sure that the two of you get back here in one piece... because she is getting a lecture when you return."

Sunset nodded and approached the mirror, which started to swirl as she stepped up to it, as if it knew that she was following Starlight and was merely showing her the way. She sighed for a moment and looked back at Twilight, who nodded once more, before bracing herself and throwing herself into the mirror, allowing the magic to take her to where Starlight ended up. She closed her eyes and waited for the magic to end, not knowing that Discord's bracelet activated the spell he had woven into the metal.

She was off to save Starlight, and that was all that mattered to her at the moment.

Author's Note

To those who voiced their opinion on Sunset going on another adventure, I present you with the follow up; The Starlight of Solana

1: Portal Malfunction

It was a quiet Saturday afternoon around Canterlot High School. The students would be gone for the next two and a half to three months for their summer break, though the teachers and staff would return on Monday to slowly prepare for the following year of students. Construction workers had been called in to repair the Wondercolt statue that had been resting before the doors to the school, the horse having been destroyed in the third magical event the school had seen in the last year of studies. It was all because of some stolen magic and some peer pressure that forced a young girl to use something that she didn't understand and, well, the rest was history.

It would have remained a quiet afternoon had Sunset Shimmer and her friends stayed away from the school, but that was impossible as the base of the Wondercolt statue served as a magical portal between two very different worlds. Sunset's home world, the place where she had been born, laid on the other side of the portal, which was now opened almost all the time thanks to her friend Princess Twilight. The alicorn had, upon hearing of Sunset's distress at the Siren's arrival in the school some months ago, fashioned a device that allowed the portal to remain open, instead of having to wait nearly three years for it to open on its own. Sunset had resisted the temptation to return home for quite some time, choosing to remain with her new friends and finish her final years as a student of Canterlot High School before she even considered returning home.

Now, however, summer break had arrived and the girls were all talking about their plans, but Sunset had decided that it was time for her to return home, even briefly, and finally speak with her former mentor, Princess Celestia, once more.

"Are you sure you want to do this darling?" the purple haired girl, Rarity, asked her friend, who was standing beside the statue as they started saying their goodbyes to each other, "We can still go to the beach and have a relaxing summer, all while having the boys stare at us."

"I'm sure of it Rarity," the flame haired girl, Sunset, replied, patting her friend's shoulder, "I need to do this sooner or later, or I'll never be able to truly move on. I haven't seen Princess Celestia in three years, and I think its time that we finally close up our wounds. Besides, Princess Twilight will be there and I hear she's dying to know more about her human self... though its a shame that Twilight couldn't be here today."

The girls knew that Princess Twilight came from a place called Equestria, but Sunset never bothered to explain to them that Equestria was just one of the lands that existed across the whole world of Equus. There were multiple lands and kingdoms that existed across the entirety of Equus, like the Griffin territories, the Dragon territories, and even the Badlands, where she was sure that the Changelings had their base of operations. And then there was Tartarus, the land that acted as a prison for some of the most vile of creatures across Equus, such as the monstrous centaur known as Tirek.

Sunset shivered as she recalled how Princess Twilight had explained her battle with the demonic creature, where she had wielded the four of four alicorn princesses to combat Tirek, breaking the ground around them until she and her friends had turned the tables on him. She never fully explained how they had managed that feat, but there was never enough time for them to truly finish the tale, as more problems continued to pop up in Sunset's new world. She resolved to finish the tale when she arrived in the castle that Princess Twilight had been awarded for the defeat of the demonic creature, something that she wanted to see from the moment she had been told about it.

"We'll have a party when you return!' the pink haired girl, Pinkie Pie, exclaimed, blowing up a balloon before twisting it into the form of a sword, "Maybe a warrior party or something!"

"Um, Pinkie, I don't think we'll be needing such a party," Applejack said, tipping her hat up while glancing over at the party girl, "but we can plan something for when summer ends."

"Ooh, like a 'Going back to School Party'?" Pinkie exclaimed, excitement filling her eyes, "Oh, I have so many ideas that I can use that I can't wait for summer to end. But wait, if I want summer to end than I wont be able to party as much as I had planned for..."

Sunset had to resist the urge to laugh, because Pinkie was always being true to her random self and made no sense some times, which was fine with her. She glanced over at Futtershy, who was standing behind Applejack at the moment, and sent a smile her way, trying to calm her down before she left. And Rainbow Dash was fiddling with her guitar, clearly waiting to see Sunset left so she could get on with the practice session that the girls had planned. Sunset would have stayed to practice as well, but she needed to head into the portal so she could visit Princess Twilight and Princess Celestia.

"Look girls, I'll be gone for three months," Sunset reminded them, diverting the attention back to her for a moment, "Fluttershy has the book that I use to converse with Princess Twilight, so you'll have a way to contact me once I'm back in Equestria. And Pinkie, I really don't want to see a entry from you until tomorrow, so I have time to settle before replying."

Pinkie nodded and Sunset turned towards the portal, bracing herself as she stepped into the magic, letting it take her from this world and take her back to her home world. As she felt the magic around her she noticed something odd, almost as if winter had somehow gotten inside the portal's magic and her body distorted. She glanced back at the opening that lead to Canterlot High and noticed Pinkie freaking out, her body bringing about one of those tremors that she called her 'Pinkie Sense'. Sunset closed her eyes and wonder why it couldn't have come sooner, to warn her that something was wrong.

Though as that thought entered her mind she blacked out, letting the magic take her wherever it was dragging her.

The next thing Sunset remembered was landing on the ground, but instead of finding the crystal ground that Princess Twilight had promised her she found snow all around her. There were dozens of trees and a worn out dirt path near her location, but she began to wonder exactly where she was if she hadn't gone home to Equus. She looked down at herself and found that she was looking the exact same as when she had left Canterlot High, which meant that the portal must have malfunctioned for something like this to have happened. Her hand reached for her forehead, though she wasn't expecting her hand to bump into something, which caused her to look up and find her unicorn horn attached to her once more.

She may not be in Equus or Earth anymore, but wherever she was had magic and had allowed her to have some access to her magical abilities, something she missed while attending Canterlot High.

She moaned and pulled herself off the ground, dusting the snow off of her body before looking around the immediate area to figure out where she was located. Based on what she could see around her landing point there wasn't much to go on in terms of landmarks, so she sighed and got on the dirt path. She figured that if she followed it long enough she would eventually be led someplace where she could get a map and figure out where she actually was. She silently hoped that the natives of this world had a school for magic, so she could figure out a way to open a temporary link to the connection between Equus and Earth and return home.

She followed the road for about thirty minutes, taking in the sights around her, before she came to a crossroads, with one direction heading to the west while the second was pointed to the east. There was a sigh post that had the names of various locations, such as someplace called 'Riften', 'Windhelm', and 'Whiterun', but none of them meant anything to her. Before she could decide which direction to take she heard the sound of marching and turned to her left, finding a small unit of soldiers coming her way. They were all dressed up in blue chainmail armor, while some of them carried what appeared to be large swords, axes, and what she assumed were warhammers.

Their leader was dressed differently than they were, as he was dressed up in a fur suit that seemed almost out of place among all the armor clad soldiers. Even from her distance she could feel that he had the air of authority around him, something that she was somewhat familiar with when she trained under Princess Celestia.

Then she heard the sound of another unit of soldiers coming from her right, causing her to turn and find a group of soldiers wearing what appeared to be steel suits of armor while some wore just leather armor. Unlike the other soldiers this unit was equipped in the same manner as their allies, as they each were carrying what appeared to be a single steel sword and shield. It was painfully clear that the second force was a well trained and well organized military force, though Sunset realized that if the two forces attacked each other she was caught between the two of them.

She considered walking back the way she came and finding another path to a town, but before she truly could decide on a course of action the chainmail wearing soldiers drew their weapons the moment they spotted the other force, who pulled their weapons out in return. Arrows flew between the two forces as she quickly backed up the road, not wanting to get caught in the crossfire as the two armies began to clash in front of her. Several soldiers dropped to the ground, their allies not even bothering to check on them at all, for a few minutes until a third unit of soldiers, armed like the organized group, flanked the chainmail soldiers.

The man glared at the soldiers around his own, apparently considering his options with his smaller force, before he opened his mouth to command his soldiers.

"ENOUGH!" the man shouted, stalling all the soldiers around him, even his enemies, "We are outnumbered. Let there be no more bloodshed today."

Sunset watched as the organized soldiers disarmed the chainmail wearing soldiers and bound their wrists, apparently taking them into custody , while the commander had his mouth bound shut as well. She would have turned around and done the other direction, back the way she came so she could figure out a new plan of attack for this strange world, until she turned up the road and found a few soldiers standing in front of her. She tried to leap back and get them out of her face, but one of them grabbed onto her arm and prevented her from going anywhere, which was seconds before she found her own hands bound.

The minute she began to protest that she was never a part of the madness she had seen she found the base of one soldier's sword smashed into her face, knocking her to the ground and forcing her to black out.

"Ugh...where am I?"

That was what Sunset asked the moment reality finally returned to her, though when she looked around her immediate area she found she was in a jail cell. The leather bindings that had been placed around her wrists earlier, which was the last thing she remembered, had been replaced by iron bracers that kept her chained to her side of the cell. When she looked down at herself she found that whoever had captured her, against her will she mentally added, had removed her clothes and replaced it with worn out rags. Plus there was the matter of her cellmate, some poor soul that was also chained up to the opposite wall, but was somehow still dressed in a black robe.

"You are in Fort Neugrad, prisoner," the nearby guard replied, having heard her question and turned to look at her, "I don't know what you did to earn your place in this prison, Breton, but you and your cellmate will be heading to Helgen first thing tomorrow morning with the Stormcloaks that were brought in with you. I hope you enjoyed your trip to Skyrim, because its about to come to an end."

As the guard went about his rounds Sunset was stunned, not only was she in a completely foreign land, for the second time in her life it seemed, but she was also on death row. She had to wonder for a moment if karma was getting back at her for all the times she was rude and mean to the students of Canterlot High School, but decided that it couldn't be that simple. She had paid for her crimes against the school and even saved them from the Sirens, though none of that seemed to matter at this point. The guard had given her a valuable piece of information though, but she wondered how long it would remain relevant to her current situation.

"I'm definitely not in Equus anymore," Sunset said to herself, sighing before returning to her side of the cell.

"Equus...now that's a name I haven't heard in a while," her cellmate suddenly said, though Sunset was more surprised by how his voice sounded disturbing and evil at the same time, rather than being caught off guard that he could speak.

Sunset's body seemed to go cold as she recalled her mentor mentioning, in passing at the time, about an encounter she and her sister had with a certain demonic creature. Princess Celestia had mentioned how uncaring the creature had been towards the citizens of Equus and was obsessed by his desire to rule everything. A creature whose own brother had turned on him, so that the Princesses could devise a plan and imprison him in Tartarus, until he escaped to rain havoc on Equus once more, only to be stopped by Princess Twilight and her friends. She knew exactly who she was sharing a cell with, but all that thought did was fill her with absolute dread.

"Hello..." Tirek said, turning his eyes upon her, "...Equestrian..."

10: The Augur of Dunlain

A few hours had passed since Sunset and her companions, now with the addition of Fiona the Vampire, had stopped the Caller from tearing open a hole between Oblivion and Nirn. She had arrived with the simple task of recovering the books that had been stolen from the College of Winterhold, but that changed when Sunset met Fiona and her sisters, who had been buried. She learned that it was Tirek who was behind giving the Caller the knowledge of a way to tear a hole into the barrier that protected Nirn from the realms of Oblivion. She was also quickly learning that Tirek had been in Skyrim much longer than she had been, but had waited some time before putting his plans into action.

As she waited for Fiona to finish saying goodbye to her sisters' graves she had to wonder what Tirek was doing at that exact moment, what foul plan he had in the works that she would eventually uncover.

"Bjorn told me a little about the danger that Tirek could bring to Nirn," Fiona suddenly said, walking up to Sunset, who was leaning on a wall on the outside of the keep, "but I got the feeling that there is more to the story than I was told."

"There's only so much I can tell you about Tirek," Sunset admitted, letting out a sigh as she spoke, "the truth is that my knowledge of him pales in comparison to Princess Celestia, my former mentor when I lived in Equus. She and her sister, along with Tirek's brother Scorpan, laid a trap for their enemy and then fought him together, before eventually defeating him and sealing him in Tartarus. Now I am positive that he won't fall for a trap the second time around, so my only option at the moment is to figure out a way to fight him and harness the power to defeat him."

"Bjorn also mentioned that you wanted to hunt down the Daedric Artifacts," Fiona commented, reaching into her pack, something she recovered after defeating the Caller, and pulling out a journal, "so I present you with this, my personal notes on where I believed that each of the sixteen artifacts were located. Originally I planned on gathering a coven of like minded vampires to recover the artifacts and seal them somewhere where no one would think to look for them, but the Caller got to us first. Think of it as a checklist; you'll be able to keep track of which Daedric Lords you've dealt with and which ones you still need to contact in the future."

"I... I cannot express how much something like this means to me," Sunset replied, amazed that someone would have put so much effort into the search for all sixteen artifacts, "I'm positive that Tirek will go after them at one point or another, so this gives us a starting point that he doesn't have. Thank you Fiona."

Fiona smiled at Sunset and bowed her head slightly, though now that she was done with the graves they quickly gathered up the rest of their gear and set off. However, they didn't get very far as they returned to the cave they had set up their temporary camp in and decided to use it for a quick nights rest before they set out in the morning. Fiona was decently surprised to see the camp, but she was thankful that they weren't sleeping in the ruin she had called home for some time.

As her companions went about setting up their bedrolls and getting a light supper prepared Sunset opened the journal and began with the first entry, Azura's Star. She read the various notes that Fiona had made, noting that the artifact had been destroyed by Martin Septim during the Oblivion Crisis before returning some hundred or two years later, surprisingly in Winterhold. There were a few more notes that Fiona had made, no doubt putting down each story she had encountered about the whereabouts of the Star, but it was clear that it had suddenly disappeared again. Still, Sunset considered having any knowledge about one of the artifacts, even if said information was where it had last been seen, an advantage over her enemy.

When the early morning arrived, about five in the morning according to both Bjorn and Fiona, the group packed up their camp and traced their steps back to the road they had used to get near the keep in the first place. Along the way they found a man, one that Sunset noted was dressed up as a jester, standing beside a wagon that had a busted wheel and muttering to himself about his mother the entire time. Fiona quickly promised to talk with the farmer up the hill and departed from the group for a moment, where she walked up to the house, knocked on the door, spoke with the man for a moment, and then returned to them. Once she was back she told the jester that the farmer had agreed to fix the wheel, even saying that he had apologized for turning the jester down several times before.

With the good deed done, and another four hundred septims added to their stash, they continued down the road, looking out for any more people that might need help or dangers that would need to be taken care of. While they walked Sunset also noticed that there was what appeared to be a Word Wall near the other side of the mountain that the keep had been built into, though resting on it was a dragon. It was then that Sunset had to consider leaving the dragon alone, no doubt to hurt people in the area, or take a detour and make sure that the area was safe.

A minute later she sighed and turned off the road, causing her companions to follow her and ask what she was doing, before they noticed the dragon she was heading towards.

"Why are we heading towards a dragon?" Fiona asked, not really sure why they were heading towards the Word Wall.

"I don't want to leave one of them in an area where they can hurt people," Sunset replied, drawing her staff as they approached the wall, "besides, I'm the only one who can get rid of them at the moment."

Fiona appeared to have another question that she wanted to ask, but the moment they drew close to the wall the dragon twisted its head around and stared at them. Sunset, seeing how the element of surprise was gone, gripped her staff, summoned some flames to dance around the weapon, and charged up the hill. As she did so she noticed that the dragon's head followed her, giving her companions time to attack it without having to worry about it turning back to hurt them. The moment that Sunset reached the top of the hill, where she spotted the dragon script on the wall and the coffin that rested next to it, she turned around and smacked her flames into the side of the dragon's head, causing it to roar and leap into the air.

The dragon circled to face Sunset and readied its breath, but this time Sunset was ready and summoned a barrier around her, just in time to block the frost breath from touching her. As she did that Bjorn and Lydia pulled out their bows, readied a set of arrows, and took aim at the dragon's side, loosing them into their target before it had a chance to fly off again. The dragon raised itself higher into the air for a moment, as if taking stock on the four of them, before it moved its head back towards Sunset and readied itself to give her another taste of its freezing breath. Seconds before the dragon loosed its breath Sunset tapped her hand on the ground and a barrier wrapped around her and her companions, who had moved to her side while the dragon had been looking at them.

Once the dragon silenced its breath Sunset lowered her shield, gathered her magic into her left hand, and charged out of the area she had been standing in, flames trailing behind her. Before the dragon had a chance to move she swung her arm and the magic rippled through the air, colliding with the beast's chest and exploding on impact. The impact knocked the dragon out of the air for a moment, forcing it to land in the area between the Word Wall and the path Sunset had taken to get to the hilltop, but as it did so it noticed that Sunset was coming its way once more. Sunset used her flames on the dragon's head, as a distraction as she moved around to the side and switched her staff for her sword, swinging her blade into the beast's side and igniting her magic.

The second explosion knocked the dragon onto its side, but Sunset was satisfied with the damage as she noticed that the light faded from the dragon's eyes. That was followed by its body breaking apart before their eyes and its soul phasing into her body, giving her the knowledge that the dragon had.

"Dragonborn," Fiona breathed, now realizing exactly what the other reason for them to come here had been, "I never thought that I'd have the honor of traveling with a hero of your caliber."

"I'll never get over how odd it feels to take their souls," Sunset admitted, turning to the Word Wall and the stone coffin, "but be ready, because I don't think that we're done fighting just yet."

As Sunset and her companions slowly approached the coffin she got the uneasy feeling that something powerful was waiting for something to disturb its sleep. Then, when Sunset was just a few steps away from the coffin, the lid popped open and the creature that called it home woke up, but she wasn't expecting something to levitate into the air and stare at them. The draugr was dressed in a robe of sorts that mimicked the scales of a dragon, with cloth pieces that reached down past its knees and showed off the sides of its chest a bit. The creature wore a mask that she swore was made of iron, though when it turned towards Sunset she noticed that it carried a staff in its right hand.

"A Dragon Priest!" Fiona said in awe, preparing her weapons as she waited for something to happen, "Be careful, these undead are incredibly powerful, as they served under the dragons before their defeat."

Lydia and Bjorn loosed a pair of arrows into the Dragon Priest's chest, but as the arrows neared it Sunset watched as the creature simply turned to the side and let them hit the wall. She summoned her magic into her hand again, though she waited a moment as Fiona appeared behind the priest, swinging her weapons at it and missing as the draugr continued to dodge. As her companions tried to hit the creature Sunset noticed that it continued to stare at her, as if it was trying to determine what she was and if she was an ally or an enemy. She glanced back at the Word Wall for a moment, wondering if her companions could keep the priest busy for a few moments so she could see if the wall held a Shout that would aid them in defeating their opponent.

Sunset turned and approached the wall, feeling the energy as she felt not one Word of Power become known to her, but all three words to an entire Shout; Zul, Mey, and Gut. Once she had the words, to a Shout she was sure wouldn't be helpful in this fight, she turned around and ignited her magic, allowing it to swirl around her arm as she turned her attention back to the Dragon Priest. As it turned out the priest was just staring at them, though its attention seemed to rest solely on Sunset and had stalled when she took the wall's words. She stared at the creature for a moment, wondering why it was stalling, almost as if it was studying them.

Then, before any of them could react, the priest turned towards the other side of the mountain and was off, leaving them there to wonder what had just happened.

"Umm, are they supposed to flee?" Sunset asked, canceling her magic and sheathing her sword.

"I've never heard of a Dragon Priest fleeing from a fight," Fiona admitted, worried about what a newly awakened priest would do, "but it seems that it noticed that it was outnumbered and decided to flee. I just hope it isn't going to torture some unfortunate people and begin a new reign of terror in Skyrim."

When Sunset and her companions returned to Winterhold it was almost noon, but Sunset was just fine with that as they had the books that Urag wanted and they had dealt with a dragon. Besides the priest that ran away she considered that they were off to a good start for the day, though she wondered what would happen when she turned the books over. As they approached the College Fiona also pointed out that a large statue overlooked the small town, the same one that was made in the image of Azura. Sunset made a mental note to trek up there and see what the Daedric Prince wanted in exchange for her artifact.

As they walked into the College grounds Sunset waved to her fellow apprentices, who waved back and whispered among themselves, and several of the Master Wizards followed suit. She had the feeling that something happened before she even reached her destination, but as they opened the doors to the Hall of the Elements she spotted something that she wasn't expecting to see so soon; the orb from Saarthal.

"Wow, they worked fast," Sunset commented, turning towards the Arcanaeum, "I thought it would take them a week minimum to get that thing out of Saarthal."

Lydia and Bjorn, seeing the orb for the first time, were amazed that such a thing existed, though Fiona merely stared at it for a few seconds before they followed Sunset. When they walked into the Arcanaeum Sunset noted that there were several Master Wizards moving books around and sharing their own notes with each other. It was clear that they were likely researching the orb, though she had to wonder how much more the library could offer them.

"Well, well. You seem to be in one piece!" Urag said the moment he took the books from Sunset, a small grin appearing on his face, "I'll look these over, and inform Mirabelle if I find anything relevant. Night of Tears, eh? I remember this one. Well, isn't that interesting. Did you read it yourself? If I recall it correctly, that has some interesting implications. You should mention that to Tolfdir."

Sunset nodded and returned to the hall where the orb was located, where she found Tolfdir walking around the orb, making notes on a slip of paper and muttering to himself. She informed the Master Wizard about the books, to which he seemed delighted to hear and commented that he'd reread the book later, before telling her that none of the known languages seemed to match the writing on the orb. All that told Sunset was that the orb was ancient and likely contained a vast amount of magical energy, which she knew Tirek would be coming after at some point.

"I'm afraid I must intrude." Ancano said, stepping between Sunset and Tolfdir for a moment and interrupting them, "It is urgent that I speak with your associate immediately."

"Now, I..." Tolfdir exclaimed, clearly outraged by the elf's actions, "This is most inappropriate! We are involved in serious research here!"

"Yes, I've no doubt of its gravity." Ancano replied, clearly not caring about what they were doing, though Sunset noticed a strange look in his eyes, "This, however, is a matter that cannot wait."

"Well, I'm quite sure I've never been interrupted like this before..." Tolfdir angrily huffed, before turning to Sunset for a moment, "the audacity!... I suppose we'll continue this at some later time, when we can avoid interruptions."

Sunset turned to the elf for a moment, wondering what that look in his eyes had been, before she sighed and beckoned for him to move, to which he glared at her.

"I'll explain this to you," Ancano said, leading her to the Archmage's Quarters, "I'd like to know why there's someone claiming to be from the Psijic Order here in the College. More importantly, I'd like to know why he's asking for you specifically. So we're going to go have a little chat with him, and find out exactly what it is he wants."

Sunset was sure that the elf was up to something, but when she heard that a Psijic Monk was here at the College, after telling her that they couldn't interfere with her affairs, she knew that she had to meet him. Besides, she was interested in hearing if the Order knew anything about what Tirek was doing, or if they could track him and tell her where to find him. So when they reached the Archmage's quarters Sunset immediately approached the monk and he held his hand up for a moment, his time stopping magic igniting and slowing everyone else down.

"So," Sunset said, staring at the monk for a moment, "I was told that you guys weren't allowed to interfere with my affairs."

"That was true before," the monk replied, "but this object... The Eye... is immensely powerful. It is because of this that I am to the College in person and not as my projection. The Eye is interfering with everything, though many in the Order fear that it will be misused. Indeed, many in the Order believe it has already... Rather, something will happen soon, something that cannot be avoided. The only way for you to stop the Eye is to find the Augur of Dunlain. He will tell you what you need to know."

"Than I shall find him," Sunset replied, though when she saw the monk start to lower his hand she stopped him for a moment, "Wait, before you go I need to ask you about someone named Tirek. Have you or anyone in the Order noticed anything strange lately... besides this Eye business?"

"We... we have felt a disturbance that is connected with that... that demon," the monk answered, "we are not sure of the damage he can cause in the future or how he'll go about gaining his full power. We also have no idea where he is at the moment, so you are on your own for the moment."

Sunset nodded and time resumed its natural pace, though she had to grin when the monk told off Ancano and walked out the moment he finished with the elf, who was fuming. The Archmage looked lost for a moment, but when Sunset asked about the Augur he told her to tell Tolfdir that he had better stop telling stories about him. With that information in hand she returned to the Hall of the Elements, where she found the Master Wizard still studying the orb as if noting had happened. When she approached him she simply asked about the Augur, where she was told that he would still be in the Midden, an area beneath the College that many of the mages stayed away from.

He even pointed out an entrance to the Midden that she could use, to which she nodded and left the Hall of the Elements with her companions following behind her. The area beneath the College turned out to be a place where Sunset felt that something unusual, though she believed that it had to be the pull of the Augur. She followed the pull through the entirety of the Midden, where she found many slaughtered creatures that had called the place home before she eventually passed through another door and entered another area of the Midden. In the second area she found more slain creatures, though besides the Augur's magic she swore that she felt Ancano's magic lingering everywhere.

Eventually she came to a third door, but this one was locked and a voice told her that she would only be disappointed in her search, as if it wanted her to go away. But before she could respond to it she heard the voice say something else.

Still you persist? the voice said, Very well, you may enter.

The door opened and Sunset entered the chamber, where she found a ball of magical energy appear before her, which she assumed was the Augur.

"So," Sunset said, wanting to verify her theory first, "you're the Augur of Dunlain?"

I am that which you have been seeking. the spirit said, Your efforts are in vain. It has already begun. But those who have sent you have not told you what they seek. What you seek.

"I was told to find you," Sunset told the spirit, "I was told that you could aid me in finding a way to stop the interference of the Eye."

Indeed. the spirit said, And so you have come looking, though you do not know why. Like others before you, you blindly follow a path to your own destruction. The Thalmor came seeking answers as well, unaware they will be his undoing. Your path now follows his, though you will arrive too late. The one who calls himself Ancano. He seeks information about the Eye, but what he will find shall be quite different. His path will cross yours in time, but first you must find that which you need.

"And that would be?" Sunset asked, not sure what the spirit was talking about.

You, and those aiding you, the spirit said, wish to know more about the Eye of Magnus. You wish to avoid the disaster of which you are not yet aware. To see through Magnus' Eye without being blinded, you require his staff. Events now spiral quickly towards the inevitable center, so you must act with haste. Take this knowledge to your Archmage.

Sunset nodded as the spirit seemed to fade away, though whatever his body was made of seemed to remain behind for a moment, before she turned to her companions. She beckoned for them to join her as she made her way back to the College grounds, though she was worried that things were getting out of hand. She needed to find Tirek, but now she had to deal with Ancano and whatever plans he was currently cooking up.

"Ah, she and her companions are gone."

Tirek was mildly annoyed with how close Sunset Shimmer came to discovering where he was living at the moment, but he was thankful that she was on an errand for someone and couldn't stay much longer. Once he heard the sound of a door shutting he tapped his staff on the ground and took a deep breath, soaking in a bit more of the College's magic for a moment. Ancano had gotten his knowledge from the Augur and was waiting to use it against the College, though now that both he and Sunset were distracted it was Tirek's turn with the powerful Augur of Dunlain.

He approached the door that covered the Augur's chamber and pressed his hand against the wood, soaking the magic into his hand before opening the door and forcing the Augur to show himself.

"Ah, the Augur of Dunlain," Tirek said, a small grin appearing on his face, "Your going to tell me what I need to know, just as you did with Ancano and Sunset Shimmer... and I won't take no for an answer!"

You wish to know how to acquire your full power, the Augur replied, but I cannot tell you what you already know.

"Ah, a wise guy eh?" Tirek remarked, closing the door behind him and holding his empty hand forward, "Very well, I shall slowly drain you of your magic until you tell me exactly what I need to know. If you give it to me then I may be persuaded to let you go... for the moment."

Very well, I shall tell you what I know. the Augur said, The key to acquiring your full power is...

21: Esbern, Rahgot, and the Missing Element

With the weapon Volendrung, Malacath's artifact, safely secured in her personal chest Sunset and her friends bid the orcs of Largashbur farewell and entered the Rift once more. Sunset was quite pleased with her progress in collecting the Daedric Artifacts, as she now carried four of them and one of those four happened to be the Dawnbreaker, which she carried on her belt and used from time to time. That was four artifacts that Tirek couldn't get his hands on anymore, though she had to admit that the remaining eleven would take some time for her and her friends to recover.

Though now that they had completed the reason she had wanted to come to this region of Skyrim for Sunset wondered if they could just leave and go look for another artifact, but then she remembered her promise to Delphine and sighed, before telling her friends where they were heading next.

They returned to the road they had taken while they had been following Chief Yamarz and continued along it, heading back towards the area where the giant's cave had been located. Eventually they reached the fork that the former chieftain had turned right on, but instead of following that path they turned to their left and continued along the road, where they could see one of the gates that made up the entrances to Riften. The guards took one look at them, almost as if they were trying to determine what trouble they were bringing to the city, before they moved out of their way and opened the gate for them, allowing Sunset and her friends to enter the city.

As they entered the city Sunset looked around, silently wondering where they were going to find this Esbern, before she remembered that Cicero had stolen the journal containing that very information. Before she could turn around and ask the jester what the book said on Esbern's whereabouts she spotted the last person she expected to see in Riften; Raja, the khajiit they had shared a carriage ride with not too long ago. She was sitting on a wall next to another nord, who seemed to be in the process of selling some people some type of potion, though they weren't taking any of it as they walked away.

The only thing different about her, Sunset noted, was that she was wearing what appeared to be a black suit of leather armor, that had a variety of pockets and pouches.

"Come on Brynjolf," Raja said, patting the nord on the shoulder, "I've told you three times now, but I don't think this 'Falmer Blood Elixir' is ever going to sell."

"I just had to try Guild Master," Brynjolf replied, sighing for a moment before packing up the rest of the potions, "I was just wondering that, now that you've restored us to our former glory, if my plan had any success to it... but it turns out that not even our uncanny luck could help me out on this one."

"Glad to see you're finally accepting this for what it is," Raja commented, sliding off the wall and coming to a stand beside the nord, "Now that we're done with this I've got some missions that you and Karliah need to hand out to the rest of the Guild... and you know where some of the gold will be going to."

"Yes Guild Master," Brynjolf moaned, as if he had been told the same thing so many times already, "I'll see to it that half of your share is send to Aventus Aretino in Windhelm, though I'll never understand why you'd give up half of your spoils with so little effort."

"There is something personal that I don't expect you to understand," Raja said, glaring at the nord for a moment, before sighing and lightening her gaze to a friendly look once more, "suffice to say that there is a kindness to be repaid and leave it at that..."

That was before Raja and Brynjolf turned around and spotted Sunset and her friends staring at them, though as they did so Sunset noticed another sigh come out of Raja.

"And here I was hoping that this day would never come," Raja commented, passing by Sunset's group and beckoning for them to follow her and her companion, "though it seems like I have some explaining to do."

Raja led them into the Ratway, the underbelly of Riften, before arriving at the Ragged Flagon, where the master thieves liked to hang out and watch for any possible new recruits. The thieves that Sunset met when they arrived weren't too pleased to have their new boss bring in a group of people that weren't going to be joining them anytime soon. They were also less than pleased when they spotted Cicero, while told Sunset that that Thieves Guild and the Dark Brotherhood didn't exactly like each other, though none of the thieves dared attack them when they realized that Sunset was the Archmage of the College of Winterhold.

Once they had settled down, and were seated at a table, Raja began her explanation by apologizing to Sunset for the deception when they had first met each other on the carriage. She had been weary from her journey from one of the sacred locations to the Thieves Guild, one that she would not name nor give the area in which it could be located, and Whiterun was the only immediate area that had a carriage for her to ride. Despite the fact that she could have gotten away with theft in the city she decided to be out before anyone noticed her or recognized her, which was where they had met on the carriage. Her journey to Riften was half true, as she had originally arrived in Skyrim about two months before meeting Sunset on the carriage, but she was also telling the truth when she had said that she was heading there for her sister.

As it turned out her sister needed help transporting some large iron coffin to someplace in Dawnstar, though Cicero had to take a moment to chuckle to himself, and the Thieves Guild were the only people her sister could turn to. The leader of the Dark Brotherhood had, upon hearing of the fact that a dremora named Tirek was stalking Skyrim, absorbing the magic of whoever he touched, insisted that they move the Night Mother to a location that only a few knew about, though she also insisted that she wasn't to know the location either. It was then that Sunset learned that Raja's sister, the elusive Snowheart, was actually the Listener for the Dark Brotherhood, who had sent Cicero to Sunset in the first place.

Once the tale was done Sunset decided to ask about the man they were looking for, the elder Blade named Esbern, though Raja nodded and beckoned her to follow her into another area of the Ratway known as the Ratway Warrens. Sunset beckoned for her friends to remain behind, so they could relax while she had a talk with the man that Delphine wanted them to save before doing anything else. As the two of them walked into the Warrens Sunset also had one last thing to ask Raja, though she wanted to be away from the other thieves before she bothered to ask the question.

"Is it secret?" Sunset asked, silently pulling out the journal Fiona had given her and turned to a certain page, "Is it safe?"

Raja looked her way for a moment, apparently going to ask what in Oblivion was she talking about, before she spotted the page Sunset had opened to, containing a detailed picture of a key she had given back to its master not so long ago, and nodding her understanding.

"As safe as it could possibly be," Raja commented, continuing down the hallways as Sunset followed her, "I pray that the Key stays where it is this time and doesn't get stolen again."

Sunset nodded and made a mental note to cross the Skeleton Key, which had been rumored to be hidden somewhere known only to the Thieves Guild, off of the list when she had the time. They came across some people who seemed like they were ready to go insane, though that wasn't until Sunset noticed the iron door that was covered in chains and locks. She approached the door and knocked on it, letting the sound echo throughout the chamber before she heard someone on the other side move towards the door. An area near the top slid open, allowing her to glimpse an old man who seemed like he was getting closer to death with each year that passed him, before he immediately told them to begone.

That was, however, until Sunset dropped the bomb on him that she was the Dragonborn and that Delphine had sent her to find him, which caused the man to unlock the door in a hurry. Once she and Raja were allowed inside the room Esbern, now giving up the charade he had been holding onto while trying to convince them to leave, turned on them and asked what they wanted.

"So, Alduin has returned," Esbern commented, cutting Sunset off as she tried to explain what was happening to the old man, "I knew it... I knew that this would happen and no one bothered to listen to me. I guess now we'll have to find Alduin's Wall and discover the method the Nordic Tongues of old used to defeat him in battle."

"Actually, there's someone worse than Alduin around," Sunset explained, dropping the second bomb, the existence of Tirek and how much power he had at the moment, on both Esbern and Raja, "Winterhold, and the College, have been completely obliterated, the Thalmor Embassy has been ruined beyond belief, and Tirek's out there somewhere doing Celestia knows what. I'm in a race against time, as I need to collect every Daedric Artifact and make sure that they're secured, so I can eliminate any chances of him getting anywhere near one hundred percent of his power."

"And if you were to fail Dragonborn?" Esbern asked, worry and dread filling his eyes as he asked the question, "What would happen to Nirn if this Tirek gained his full power?"

"The true End Times," Sunset replied, sighing as she thought about it, "He'll bring about the end of Nirn and shatter this world under his hooves, before beginning the journey to my home world to repeat the process once more. I have a temporary alliance between Alduin, Delphine, and the remainder of the Thalmor that reside in Skyrim at the moment, including four of the fifteen Daedric Artifacts already secured in a place that only I can access."

"Ah, the Dragon Cult," Esbern commented, as if something dawned on him, "I read stories about one of their number, a priest called Rahgot, who was posted out here in the Rift, before the downfall of the Cult happened."

Sunset's eyes lit up the moment she heard there was another priest, one who hadn't been awakened yet, that she could interact with and send towards Labyrinthian. She pulled out her map and had Esbern circle the area where the ruin Forelhost was supposed to be, before wrapping her map up and beckoning for the two of them to follow her outside. They quickly retraced their steps through the Warrens, leaving behind the people that Sunset had heard speaking behind all the closed doors, before they returned to the Ragged Flagon. Once they were back Sunset gathered up her friends and started to make arrangements for Esbern to be delivered to Fellglow Keep, though as she did so she noticed that Raja was doing it already.

Once the deed was done Sunset and her companions left the Flagon behind, though as they left Sunset noticed that Raja was still following them, pulling on a pack and checking her weapons.

"What?" Raja asked, noticing the look that Sunset was giving her, "I may be the Guild Master for the Thieves Guild, but Karliah and Brynjolf are more than enough to run this place until we're done kicking this 'Tirek's' ass all the way back to Oblivion."

Sunset sighed and moved on, not really sure what to make of their newest addition to the group as they quickly made their way out of the Ratway and exited Riften through the gate they had entered from. Though as they followed the path to Forelhost Sunset overheard Cicero welcoming Raja to the group, though she wasn't too shocked when she heard what he called her.

"Ah, welcome to Magic's team, Kindness," Cicero said, a smile appearing on his face while they walked, "I am Cicero, the Fool of Hearts, and I have been named Laughter by the Night Mother. And now that makes six of us. Six Elements to do battle against the dreaded enemy that even the Night Mother would fear to face... if she could walk and fight that is."

Sunset was beginning to wonder if the Listener, Raja's sister, was actually someone else from Equus, one that knew about the Elements of Harmony, and was silently helping her gather the people who represented a certain Element. Either that, or Cicero was insane and was correctly guessing what Element Sunset believed each of her friends could represent.

Not half an hour later the group was standing before the ruin known as Forelhost, though as they approached the ruin's entrance Sunset noticed that someone had made camp in front of the main door. That someone, she eventually discovered, was an altmer dressed up in the clothes of a Stormcloak officer.

"You there," the altmer called out, seeing the six of them approach and getting onto his feet in a hurry, "The General sent me to... acquire... a weapon of incredible power for the war effort. Will you help me acquire the staff of the Dragon Priest called Rahgot?"

"Just unlock the door and let us inside," Sunset replied, knowing that she could likely get the door unlocked with Raja's abilities, but also figured that the altmer had the key and was going to trade it for help in retrieving something from the ruin, "We'll see what we can recover once we're inside the ruin."

Sunset had the feeling that the altmer was lying about the war effort and was just going to use them to recover Rahgot's mask, though she had no intention of fighting one of her allies... she merely wanted to wake him from his slumber. The moment that the door was unlocked the group walked inside, their weapons drawn as thhe busted down the wooden door that rested just a few steps in front of the main door. That action immediately caused the ghosts that inhabited the ruins to awaken from their slumber, turning to face the intruders as Lydia severed the ghostly head of the first one she came to.

As they fought the first wave of enemies Sunset noticed that several of them, maybe the most intelligent of the former Dragon Cultists, stared at her from a moment before nodding and fading from existence. She had no idea what that was about, but she figured that if it meant they had to fight less draugr and ghosts then she was okay with them disappearing.

They passed by several sleeping areas, where even more of the undead rose up to greet their living intruders, and Sunset spotted a journal that had somehow remained intact over the years. As her friends destroyed the undead she picked up the journal and skimmed through the pages, finding that they had a lot of stuff to go through to reach the inner sanctum. Or, if any of them were masters at picking locks, they could open the well without getting the key and save maybe an hour or two before the flames got to them. One ghost, finding that Sunset was into the journal and wasn't paying attention, drew back its arm and swung at her, but that was before Lydia dashed forward, raised her battleaxe, and disarmed the ghost before driving her weapon through it completely.

They rounded a few more corners before they came to a large wooden door that lead deeper into the ruins and was guarded by a single draugr deathlord. Sunset held up her hand and stepped down to where the draugr was standing, backing up just a tiny bit when it swung its greatsword at her and missed. The draugr swung again, but this time Sunset disappeared before the blade could touch where she had been standing, reappeared behind her enemy, and drove the Dawnbreaker so hard into the draugr's chest that it dropped its weapon. Then she spun around and let the charred corpse fall to the ground, swinging her sword as she sheathed the blade on her belt once more, slightly pleased that she had acquired the artifact first.

They continued through the door and delved deeper into the ruins, eventually coming to a hallway that had several open coffins and a group of draugr that was waiting for them. Lydia, Fiona, and Cicero charged forward, their weapons cutting into the draugr that stood before them, though one of them hit Cicero on his right arm and caused him to back up. As the others fought Sunset raised her hand to the wound and called on one of the healing spells that she knew, using some of her magic to seal the wound and make it look like it had never happened in the first place.

Once the group of draugr was taken care of Sunset turned to the left for a moment and spotted the side passage that the journal had mentioned, though she backed up to avoid the swinging blade trap and timed the swings before moving towards the locked gate. Raja, eager to move things along even faster, produced a lockpick, slid it into the keyhole of the gate in front of them and turned it several times before pushing the gate open. With the gate out of the way they descended into the water and made their way even deeper into the forgotten ruin, coming to yet another area with a group of freshly awoken draugr. Sunset's friends stepped forward and began to fight the draugr, though both Cicero and Raja snuck around and delivered punishing blows to the backs of their enemies.

They rounded yet another corner, passed through another door way, and walked up a set of stairs before they came to an eating area that housed another group of draugr. Sunset wasn't surprised by how many of the undead they had already seen, but they were nowhere near the end of the ruin and yet more of them seemed to spill out of the walls. Then something strange happened, the majority of the draugr in the eating hall backed off and returned to their coffins, while the others that stood their ground looked confused before they charged at Sunset's group. The draugr never reached them, as Sunset spun the Staff of Magnus around and struck many of them with her magic, either blasting them into the walls or crushing them into the floor.

"I have never seen a ruin where some of the denizens choose not to fight the invaders," Raja commented, worrying that something wrong was going on, "I do not trust those that still sleep."

Sunset paid it no mind, as she silently wondered if they somehow, in some way, knew that she was allied with two of the Priests that had led the cult when it was still in power. As they walked even deeper into the ruins Sunset spotted another dragon claw, much like the golden one that she and Bjorn had found in Bleak Falls Barrow not so long ago, made of what she assumed was some green material. As the group moved further into the ruins she stopped by the pedestal and picked up the claw, though she heard a gate open up somewhere in front of them after she picked up the claw.

They rounded yet another corner and walked up one of the infamous Hall of Stories until they came to the Nordic Puzzle Door that Sunset was expecting that they would find, though she put away the Staff of Magnus for a moment. She approached the door and stared at the bottom of the claw, seeing the ancient combination and placing her spare hand on the top ring until she saw the fox symbol. She smiled and moved the second ring until the next symbol, the owl symbol, appeared on the door and moved onto the last ring, the lower ring. Before she moved the last ring she had everyone back up, just in case the combination on the claw was wrong and she sprung the traps that the door had. Once the last ring showed the snake symbol Sunset pressed the claw against the keyhole and waited a second, hearing a click as the door began to shudder and move down.

As the door moved down Sunset was surprised to find a good deal of draugr waiting for them, though not one of them made a move towards them and the two groups stared at each other for a few minutes. That was before the group of draugr parted, half moving to the right while the other half moved to the left, and the entire group of them knelt before Sunset. She had no idea why they were doing it, but as she walked up the stairs, with her friends following behind her, she spotted the only person, or undead, that could have given the command; Rahgot.

"Ah, Initiate, I have been waiting for you," Rahgot said, though Sunset was able to understand what he said, as she had done when she had spoken with Morokei, "Tell me, where shall I meet the other Priests?"

"In Labyrinthian, Lord Rahgot," Sunset replied, showing respect to the powerful Dragon Priest, "That's where the others are meeting at the moment, along with Alduin."

Rahgot seemed to nod and started shouting commands at the draugr that were standing by the stairs, which got them into motion as they grabbed weapons and whatever else they needed. Sunset knew what it was; Rahgot was preparing whatever remained of the ruin for departure, so they could journey towards Labyrinthian and join with the other two. As he did so Sunset bid him farewell and walked out the back entrance, appearing above the altmer's camp and spotted a Word Wall not too far away. There she learned the word Strun, before she turned towards the camp and leapt down, followed by her friends, where she spotted the altmer trying to send someone else into the ruins.

Both the altmer imposter and his latest recruit, a nord warrior, charged at the group, but Lydia approached them and took their heads, letting them hit the ground and allowing them to move on once more.

"Let's get out of here," Sunset said, pulling out her journal and making a note on the Skeleton Key, "I've got some planning to do before I know where we're going next."

"So, when do you think we'll head inside the Sanctuary?" one guard, a member of the Penitus Oculatus, asked his partner, "Don't get me wrong, I want to see the Dark Brotherhood burn, but how long must we wait before starting the assault?"

"We'll be heading in soon," his partner said, patting his sword for a moment, "just as soon as the rest of the oil arrives."

"How about never," a second voice said, causing the two guards to pale for a moment, before their lifeless bodies hit the ground, "And now for the prize."

Tirek stepped out of the shadows and approached the Black Door, just as it opened and an old man stepped outside, though he was surprised by who was standing before him. Tirek stepped forward and grabbed the man by the throat, draining his body of all his magic before tossing the dried up body into the black pool. He then approached the door and extended his hand, crushing the metal before the way into the Sanctuary was open for him, to which he grinned.

As Tirek stepped into the lair of the Dark Brotherhood a werewolf leapt out of the shadows and charged at him, though he smacked it in the nose before throwing it into the wall, giving him the best opportunity to drain it dry as well. As he stepped further into the Sanctuary two more assassins came towards him, one a lizard and one an old women, but he shattered the lizard's spine before taking the women's right arm off. With the two of them crippled it made them easy targets for him to absorb their magic, breaking them into husks before discarding their lifeless bodies as well.

He then spent the next half hour scouring the Sanctuary, looking for what he had come for, but the more he searched the more he was beginning to realize that his target was no longer here.

"Looking for something are we?" a voice said, just as another woman, younger than the other one, stepped out of the shadows and faced him.

"Where is she?" Tirek demanded, knowing that this had been the last known location of his target, yet it wasn't here at all.

"The Night Mother?" the woman asked, as if to verify that was who he was looking for, "I'm sorry to say that I have no idea where she has been taken. Only one person was given that information, but I don't know which person that was. Go ahead, search all of Skyrim for the Night Mother... you'll never find her!"

Tirek appeared before the woman and grabbed her neck, lifting her into the air as he slowly, and painfully, drained her of everything she had, before tossing her lifeless body against the wall. Then, for good measure, he set the entire Sanctuary on fire, burning away everything that the assassins had brought into the area as he made his way outside. Once he was outside, and the other guards from the Penitus Oculatus had arrived, he took great pleasure in draining each and every one of them until they were dry.

"No matter," Tirek said, a small smile appearing on his face, "there are other ways for me to gain my full power."