Skyrim: tales of the Equestrian hero

Chapters

Chapter 1: Arrival
Chapter 2: the land of Equestria
Chapter 3: The Crystalling
Chapter 4: Baby Issues
Chapter 5: The Looming Thunder
Chapter 7: A New Day in Equestria
Chapter 8: Tamrielic Magic
Chapter 9: Dragons of Equestria
Chapter 10: Nightmares
Chapter 11: Realm of Terror, and Unexpected Encounters
Chapter 12: To Defy a God...
Chapter 13:...One Must Become a Devil (Part 1)
Prologue
Chapter 6: A Chat on History, Creation, and Magic

Chapter 1: Arrival

When Sahrot Strun had woken up, he found himself lying down on grass. as he got back up, he realized he still had the artifact in his hand. as he inspected the staff, he eyed a golden dragon carved into the shaft, at the head of the staff was a golden dragon's head, and inside it's mouth was an orb, which had golden streams of light coursing inside of it. he looked around, and realized he was now in a forest. Sahrot then recalled back to the portal in the crypt. wherever this portal had taken him, it surely was unfamiliar to what he has seen. as Sahrot got himself up, and started exploring, he had come across creatures he had never seen before. creatures with a sabre cat's head, the wings of a bat, and scorpion tails. gigantic multi-headed reptiles in bogs, plants that move and act like animals. Sahrot Strun was astonished by all this, a whole new world that he can explore. a world that has many possibilities, many new things to discover. but, he thought to himself, he cannot stay here, for he must return to his world, to his friends, and to his lover. he must return as soon as possible. he looked at the amulet that Akatosh had given him. it was an amulet with a golden dragon carved into the center, still hanging around his neck.

"Bormah (father) Akatosh, I will not fail you. Breyla, I'll be home once again, just wait until then." he whispered to himself

he looked back at the staff in his hand. this is what had brought him here, and this going to take him back. he didn't remember the specifics of the ritual, but he did remember that they had used his Elder scroll, and a large assortment of magical artifacts. though he may not have what he would need, he will not give up hope, and so he went on. as he entered a clearing in the forest, he heard twigs snapping. he stopped, listening to the sounds, trying to pinpoint the sounds. he soon realized that the sounds came from everywhere, and he heard growling in the bushes.

"So, I'm being ambushed. alright then, I guess I can have some fun." Sahrot whispered menacingly, smiling behind his helm.

the first of the attackers crawled out of the bushes, and eyed Sahrot. he recognized it as one of the Sabre cat-like creatures. then, another beast tried to pounce Sahrot from behind. it did not even touch him as Sahrot brought his fist down on it's head, forcing it to the ground. Before it can get up, Sahrot plunged his greatsword into it's neck, slicing through it's throat and setting it ablaze due to the enchantment on his blade. As he pulled the sword out of the beast, it's soul was absorbed into one of his soul gems. He swung his sword, and cleaved the arms off of the other beast. The creature roared in agony before dropping on the ground, convulsing from the pain. The three remaining beasts were circling Sahrot, preparing to strike. Sahrot was about to ready himself, until he felt the ground quaking under his feet. Sahrot steadied himself, as the beasts, sensing danger, had sprinted away from the scene. Sahrot turned around to see a gigantic form looming over the trees. it was a wolf-like creature, and it seemed as though it was entirely made of wood. the colossal beast roared at Sahrot, who had brought out Spellbreaker and his Daedric sword. He braced himself, as the monster swiped at him with it's gigantic paw. Sahrot tried to block the attack, but was swept off his feet, and sent hurling into the bushes. Sahrot stood back up, and struck the beast's foreleg with his sword. the monster keeled back in pain, as the wound had started to burn furiously. it tore off it's paw with its jaws, letting it fall to the ground in a burning pile. the creature glared at Sahrot with murder in it's eyes. Sahrot realized that the beast had a weakness for fire. so he put away his sword, and charged up a fire spell. his right hand was glowing with fiery power, as he launched a large stream of fire. it struck the beast in the side, burning it's way into the beast. it howled in sheer agony, as it had dropped down on it's side, trying to put out the flames. after seconds of wriggling, it stood back on it's feet, the burned area now a smoking, earth choked hole in it's side. the beast roared in fury, and pounced on Sahrot. he tried to dodge the attack, but was caught in the creature's maw. it bit down on Sahrot, trying to crush him, but to no avail, for Sahrot's Daedric armor had protected him, and showing no sign of damage. the creature shook Sahrot violently with it's jaws, trying to tear him to shreds. Sahrot pulled out his sword and plunged it into the monster's right eye. it roared in pain, and threw Sahrot away, sending him crashing into a tree. Sahrot winced in pain, as he landed on the ground. the beast then used it's other paw to pin Sahrot in place, making sure he could not fight back. The beast cackled to itself, thinking it has already won, as it lunged for Sahrot's head. But Sahrot only looked into the beast's eye, showing no hint of fear, and prepared his attack. He inhaled, and shouted,

"Yol, TOOR SHUL!"

with that, a swirling column of fire bursts forth in front of Sahrot, engulfing the monster in front of him. The beast howled in pain, as its body was being eaten away by the flames. With a low growl, it collapsed into a pile of burning wood. Sahrot, seeing this, had stood back on his feet, and used a frost spell to put out the fire, making sure it does not spread. Sahrot eyed the remains of the beast, now a smoldering pile of ash and wood. seeing his enemy defeated, he put away his weapons, healed himself with his magic, and continued onward to exploring.

***

Sahrot had been traveling through the forest for several minutes, until he had come across a dirt road near the end of the forest. after walking down the road for almost an hour, he had found himself at an unknown town. Sahrot was somewhat grateful to see civilization for once, and entered. upon going inside the town, he had expected to find people, only to find small equines living in the homes. he was about twenty feet into the town, when suddenly he heard a shrill scream to his left. He turned to see some strange equine running from him, screaming and shrieking along the way. The other creatures turned their heads toward all the commotion, and fled into their homes upon seeing the cause. Sahrot was alone for a bit, until a purple equine with wings and a horn flew near him. As she landed, Sahrot could see a tiara adorning her head, and an embroidered dress that covered her body. She eyed him intensely, seeing his Daedric armor and weaponry. Soon after, five other equines joined her side. When they were all lined up, the purple one spoke.

“I don’t know who or what you are creature, but if you had come to cause trouble, then we’ll stop you.” she said.

Sahrot was bewildered, for he would never dream of the day that he would come into a town full of pastel colored talking horses. He looked at the other the other five. He saw an orange equine with some type of hat, and a sky blue equine with wings and rainbow mane who was glaring at him, itching for a fight. A white horned equine with a purple mane was eyeing his gear with an appalled expression on her face. A pink equine with a puffy mane and tail was jumping up and down excitedly, with a huge grin on her face. And finally, a yellow equine with a light pink and flowing mane, who was hiding frightfully behind the other five. Sahrot looked back at the purple one, not at all intimidated.

“I have not come to cause trouble, I am merely passing by.” he stated.

The purple one had a look of surprise after he spoke, and was now very curious.

“Well, um…greetings, my name is Twilight Sparkle, and I am the ruler of this land, or at least, part of it." the purple equine stammered.

"Greetings." was all Sahrot said.

"Umm...would you mind coming along with me? There’s a lot I want to know about who and what you are. I know it would seem strange to ask that, but you...you are something completely unseen before.” She said.

“My name is Sahrot Strun, and I am an argonian. that is all you need to know.’’ Sahrot replied, turning to leave.

"W-wait! we have food, water, and shelter at the castle! we can help you, anything you need!" Twilight called out.

"The only thing I need is to find a way back home, princess. I appreciate your offer, strange as it is, but I must decline." Sahrot said nonchalantly.

As he turned to leave, a cyan blue blur raced towards him and stopped in front of him.

“Hey! If the princess wants you to go with her, then you better go, or you’ll be sorry!” the equine yelled.

Sahrot only looked at her with annoyance, though the equine could not see it due to his helm. He responded by getting a centimeter in front of her face, and replied,

“If you honestly believe your petty harassment is going to sway me, then you’re sorely mistaken.”

Sahrot could feel the electricity in his hands as his magical power courses through his body. He could see the equine in front of him becoming nervous not from the electricity, but because of the sheer power that was felt from his aura. The other five grew fearful as well, the yellow one having fainted. Before anything can get out of hand, however, Twilight stepped between them.

“Stop! Please, I don’t wish to instigate violence. Sahrot, please forgive my friend, she is usually brash, but she does mean well.”

Twilight pleaded. Sahrot looked down at the purple equine for a moment, then the electricity stopped coursing through his hands.

“I will forgive her for now, but mark my words. I am NOT someone to be talked down to.”

With that, Sahrot turned towards the opposite direction, and was about to head off, until Twilight stopped him.

“I sincerely request you to join me in my castle. We have plenty of food, drink, and room for you to stay in.”

she insisted. Sahrot turned back to her. He wondered why she would still want to give such a thing to a complete stranger. However, Sahrot was somewhat tired after all his travels, so he decides to sojourn in Twilight’s castle, at least until he is fully rested.

"fine then. but I will not stay long, for I have important business to attend to." he replied.

Twilight beamed at this, and beckoned Sahrot to follow him. he sighed, and followed the equine to her castle.

"Twilight, are ya sure that it's okay to bring something like him into the castle? n-no offence, sir" the orange mare said.

"none are taken. I do apologize if I came off a bit rude or intimidating, earlier. I just had a nasty day, today." Sahrot replied.

"oh, well, that's okay. we all have our ups and downs." the orange mare stated.

"by the way, can you tell me where I am, exactly? I have no idea as to what this place is", Sahrot asked.

"why sure. you're in the homely town of Ponyville. as for the country, you are currently in Equestria, the magical land of ponies", the mare replied.

"Right...so, what about that forest at the end of town?" Sahrot asked, pointing towards the forest.

"That is the Everfree Forest, a very dangerous place. ponies usually stay away from that area." the mare said.

"Hmph. from what I've seen of it, it pails in comparison to the perils that I have faced." Sahrot stated.

"what do you mean? have you actually been IN there?" Twilight chimed, joining in the conversation.

"indeed. while I was there, I saw some peculiar creatures. then there were these cat-like creatures with wings and stinging tails that tried to attack me." Sahrot told her.

"cat-like creatures? wings? you must be talking about Manticores, which are extremely vicious and territorial creatures, and their venom is filled with deadly toxins capable of killing a pony." Twilight stated.

"Hmm, so they were more dangerous than I originally thought. anyways, I fought back, killing three of them, but as they were about to attack, I heard a roar to my right, which had scared off the rest of them. coming out of the forest was a gigantic wolf-like creature, which seemed to be made entirely of wood." Sahrot explained.

"Wait, you had come face to face with a LUMBERWOLF, all on your own?!" Twilight exclaimed.

"if what that creature is known as, then yes, I have fought a lumberwolf. it proved itself worthy of at least a five minute fight. after that, I just burned it to death." Sahrot said blankly.

Applejack wore a face of complete shock. 'how can he just shrug off the fact that he fought, and killed, a lumberwolf?' she thought to herself. 'I gotta know what this guy's about. I'll start off easy, by asking his name.'

"So you said that yer name was Sahroot, Sayhrot?" Applejack asked.

"Sahrot Strun." he replied.

"Sahrot, huh? that's a pretty nice name." Applejack said.

"if you must know, that is not my actual name, but words of the dragons tongue." he stated.

"Dragons tongue? as in their language? Ah didn't know you were a type of dragon." Applejack said.

"I'm not. I am what is called an Argonian. we are a reptilian race who normally live in seclusion in a land known as Black Marsh. we are not in any way related to dragons." he replied.

"...uh huh. so if Sahrot isn't your real name, then what is your real name?" Applejack asked

"that is not something...I would like to remember. I don't believe I received your name, or your friends for the matter. can you tell me what they are?" Sahrot said.

"well, sure. mah name is Applejack. you already met Twilight." she said.

she pointed to the rainbow haired mare. "that there is Rainbow Dash. as you have seen earlier, she can be a little hot-headed, but she is great once you get to know her, and one of the most loyal ponies one can get."

"That would be something yet to be seen." Sahrot muttered, eyeing Rainbow Dash.

"Anyway, this is Rarity. she's a very talented designer, and makes some of the best attire in Equestria. she's also one of the most generous mares ever." Applejack explained.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, darling. I must ask, though, why would you wear such...frightening attire? Rarity said, looking disgusted.

"Daedric armor was never meant to look like a beautiful art-piece, Rarity. this armor was summoned from the realm of Oblivion itself. what it lacks in looks, it makes up for in strength. Daedric armor is the strongest armor there is, and that is what ultimately matters to me." Sahrot said coolly.

"likewise, I'm sure. but why wear armor? do you usually go out and fight?" Rarity asked.

"indeed. I am a warrior, and I have fought many foes in my time. but while that may be the case, I have taken several forms of art. the arcane arts is one such art. I have also taken poetry, and have become a bard, as well. I am also a fine smith, taught by the finest smith in my land, Eorlund Grey-Mane. through smithing, I have learned to make several types of jewelry, if that means anything to you. " Sahrot stated.

"Jewelry? that sounds incredible! can you show me your finest work?" she asked.

"Well, alright, if that is what you would want to see." Sahrot replied, pulling out a golden necklace. he hands it to Rarity, who inspects it meticulously.

"By Celestia, this is a true work of art! the design on the necklace, so intricate! the way the lines and curves were carved, so smooth and flowing, and the diamond, absolutely flawless! you are a truly talented individual, Sahrot!" Rarity exclaimed.

"I thank you for the compliment. if you wish to have the necklace, keep it. I can simply make another." Sahrot replied.

"Oh, thank you, darling! I will put this in one my finest jewelry collection! and in return, I will make you the finest attire I have ever made!" Rarity said, beaming.

"I appreciate the offer, but I must decline. you shouldn't need to waste your time on someone like me." Sahrot stated.

"Oh nonsense, darling. I am the Element of Generosity, and as such, I cannot allow such a selfless act go unrewarded. so for your act of generosity, I will make you the finest clothes I have ever made." Rarity said.

Sahrot said nothing in response, for he was processing how someone would be so generous to a complete stranger. he made it clear that she had nothing to owe him, yet she still wants to give him something in return. these...ponies were so kind to him, even when he made it clear to them that he was intimidating. he looked around the town, and saw the residents peering out of their homes, still looking frightful, yet also curious. when they him walking amongst the princess and her friends, they came out of their homes, and walking into the street. one of them approached the princess. she was a young filly, with a yellow coat, and red mane and tail. she had a mark on her flank, showing a shield with hues of purple and pink, with what appears to be a purple apple in the center. she was accompanied by two other fillies of the same age, bearing similar marks on their flanks. the first one went alongside Applejack, another one with a white coat and mane with two hues of pink went beside Rarity, and the third one, with an orange coat and purple mane, went beside Rainbow Dash.
Sahrot heard the yellow one talking to Applejack, looking at him from time to time as well.

"Who is this young one? a relative of yours?" Sahrot asked, pointing at the filly. the filly hid behind Applejack, looking somewhat frightful.

"Oh, this here is mah sister, Applebloom. Applebloom, this here is...a new friend of ours. his name is Sahrot, and he is currently lost right now. be a good filly and greet him proper." Applejack told her sister. the filly slowly left her sister's side, and cautiously walked towards Sahrot.

"H-hello, sir. my n-name is Applebloom. it's a p-pleasure to meet you." she stammered.

"it is nice to meet you too, Applebloom. you need not to be afraid of me, though I understand why you would be." Sahrot stated.

he lifted his arms to remove his helm, revealing his face. both Applebloom and the crowd around her gasped in surprise at what they saw. the helm revealed underneath a coal-black scaly, reptilian head, with curved, white horns adorning the back of his head. his eyes were a starry blue, like a lapis lazuli. but the thing that made them gasp was the large, jagged three-lined scar, with the middle scar going over his left eye. Applebloom backed away slowly, returning to her sister's side. Sahrot only sighed, looking toward the crowd, who still had shock on their faces after seeing the scar. Twilight approached Sahrot as he was putting back on his helm with concern.

"it's the scar, isn't it?" Sahrot asked.

"how did you get such a wound? what creature has given you such a scar?" Twilight asked, worry in her voice.

"trust me, you do not want to know how I received this scar, for it may leave you more confused and uneasy." Sahrot replied.

"W-well, um, I think we head to the castle now. I don't want to draw some unwanted attention on you." Twilight stated.
she led Sahrot out of the crowd, and the Main Six, with their new visitor, proceeded to Twilight's kingdom.

Chapter 2: the land of Equestria

Sahrot had his breath taken away at the sight of Twilight's castle. it was like a gigantic tree house...made of crystal. Sahrot was confused at the prospect of a crystalline tree, but shrugged it off, for he has seen much stranger things in the Shivering Isles. as they neared the gate, the doors opened, revealing a short, reptilian creature.

"Twilight! I had just organized the books of Starswirl's otherworld theory in your-?" the creature started, but stopped mid-sentence when it spotted Sahrot, who in turn kept his hand on his sword.

"T-Twilight, um, who, or what, is that?" the creature stuttered.

"Don't worry, Spike. he isn't going to hurt anyone." Twilight reassured him.

Spike sighed in relief, but still looked uneasy. Twilight went up to him and gave him a hug, further comforting him. she then started explaining the situation to Spike, as well as making introductions.

"Spike, this is Sahrot Strun. Sahrot, Spike. Sahrot is a newcomer, Spike, and I have offered him shelter in the castle. Sahrot, this is Spike, my personal assistant, and a great friend. as to what he is, well, he's a baby dragon." Twilight explained.

"Hey!" Spike exclaimed.

Sahrot was in utter confusion. a dragon? there are dragons here in this world? that does not bode well for him, for if these dragons are anything like the ones in Skyrim, they could be looking for him. but he looked down at the baby dragon, scanning his body. it was unlike he had ever seen of a dragon. the dragon had arms instead of wings, and was bipedal. Sahrot had never seen a baby dragon before, but he imagined them to be more akin to their parents.

"there are dragons here, in this world?" Sahrot questioned.

"Um, yes, there are. why do you ask?" Twilight asked.

"Strange...where do these dragons live?" Sahrot asked.

"Dragons usually live in secluded areas, like caves and ruins, but there is rumor that they have an entire civilization. I wouldn't really trust such a rumor, though. why do you want to know?" Twilight asked again.

"I-its nothing, there is no need to worry about it." Sahrot stated.

"Sahrot, please, if there's anything that's bothering you, I'm more than willing to help." Twilight offered.

"...I will explain my situation in the castle, somewhere private with you" Sahrot said curtly.

Twilight pouted slightly, but nodded in agreement. Twilight and her friends led Sahrot through the halls of the castle, passing through several waiting rooms, libraries, dining areas, and laboratories. they stopped at what appears to be a large bedroom, ornamented with crystal facets, while the furniture is made of regular wood.

"This will be your living quarter for as long as you may wish to be here. I hope you'll be comfortable here." Twilight said gingerly.

"this will surely do for now. I thank you for your hospitality, Twilight Sparkle." Sahrot replied. "I believe that you wanted to speak with me in private?"

"Oh, yes, there is. we should speak alone in the dining hall." Twilight stated.

With that, both Sahrot and Twilight left the group, and proceeded to the dining hall. there, Twilight closed the door behind them, and the two then seated themselves at the table nearest the door. Twilight wore a grin on her face, which made Sahrot somewhat uneasy.

"Okay then, first question: since you already told me who and what you are, can you tell me exactly where you're from?" Twilight asked.

"I hail from the land of Tamriel, and the province that I come from is known as Black Marsh." Sahrot answered.

Twilight's grin grows wider at the information, her mind burning with the endless questions yet to be answered.

"What is this 'Tamriel' that you speak of? is it another continent? and what is this 'Black Marsh' that you come from like?" Twilight inquired.
Sahrot closed his eyes and sighed, thinking back to his younger days, in the region of Black Marsh.

"Tamriel is a continent, overflowing with the history and cultures of it's people, including my own. as I explained earlier, I come from a race of reptilian hominids, known as Argonians. we live in the province of Tamriel known as Black Marsh, a dangerous and poisonous land, filled with toxic fumes, carnivorous plant life, venomous beasts, and deadliest of all, debilitating diseases that could easily kill a man." Sahrot replied. he opened his eyes to see Twilight's expression shift from excitement, to shock.

"Are you alright, Princess Twilight? I hope I did not make you feel uneasy." Sahrot stated.

"No, no, I-it's just that...you and your kind have LIVED in this kind of environment? how did your people ever managed to survive, let alone live inside such a harsh and dangerous land?" Twilight supplicated.

"Ah, well, you see, how we are able to survive in Black Marsh is a rather long and complicated topic. it would take a considerable amount of time to explain, as I will have to go into detail of my people's culture. so I will have to explain that in another time." Sahrot replied. Twilight frowned slightly at this, but respected Sahrot's choice.

"So, how exactly did you get here? it's obvious at this point that you don't belong in this realm." Twilight asked.

"Well, that should be easy enough to explain. I was in the Hall of The Nine Divines, one of the many places of worship to our gods. there, I was given an audience by Akatosh, the chief of the Divines. I was given a task to retrieve this staff." Sahrot pulled out the staff from his side, and shown it to Twilight. she levitated the staff from his hand, and inspected it further.

"this is a very peculiar staff...what does it do?" Twilight asked, handing back the staff to Sahrot.

"I honestly do not know. the only thing that I have seen this thing do is open a rift to other dimensions. this, along with an Elder Scroll, was what had ultimately brought me here." Sahrot stated. Twilight was astounded. this staff, along with this 'Elder Scroll', is what had brought him to the land of Equestria. just what kind of magic is powerful enough to do that?

"So, after I was given the mission, a courier had come to warn me of my wife being kidnapped. I raced back to my home, only to find it in flames, while my friends, along with the city guards, fighting off a group of Elves called the Thalmor. I helped to quickly defeat them, with only one of my friends injured, and just the dining area of my home burnt." Sahrot continued. Twilight had a look of worry on her face when he had told her of his wife's kidnapping.

"Oh, goodness, who could do that, and why would they even do so?" Twilight enquired.

"She was kidnapped by the Thalmor, a group of High Elves who see themselves and all elven kind as superior over the other races, being humans and the beast races. they had kidnapped her so they could get to me, and take my blood, to use it in their plans to enter your world." Sahrot replied.

"Wait, these Thalmor were the ones that brought you here? what were they planning to do when they entered Equestria?" Twilight asked urgently.

"They are the reason that I am here, though they did not intend to do so. they wanted me for my blood, so they can use the staff to open the portal, and enter into your world. they intended to kill me for my blood, but I had prevailed against their forces. I had fought their leader, and soundly defeated him. in his dying act, however, he struck me with a lightning spell, and into the portal, sending me here. I guess that would have been for the best, because if had they done so, they would have certainly tried to invade and conquer your world. of course, they won't be able to do so, as I now possess the means to enter other worlds. now, though, I am stuck in this world, with no idea on how to get back. I was hoping that with your help, I could find a way back to my world. if you could help me, then I would be eternally grateful to you." Sahrot said. Twilight thought about the situation before her.

'This being is from another world, completely alien to our own. he comes from a world that is rich with history, culture, as well as power. it seems as though they use magic as well, but how? I sensed no magical energy from him, yet he was readying a lightning spell. but, he needs help, and as much as I would like to have some answers, I can't deny him from going back home.'

"Yes, Sahrot, I will help you, in any way I can." Twilight stated. Sahrot sighed in relief, looking at Twilight with thankful eyes.

"Thank you, Twilight, and if there is anything that I can do to help you in return, then I would be glad to do so." Sahrot replied.

Twilight stared at Sahrot gleefully, as she levitated a quill and notebook to her.

"Well, there are still a lot of things that I would like to know. earlier you asked about dragons in our world, meaning that you had dragons in yours as well. you even said that you made your name from the 'dragons' tongue'. how is that so, and what is your connection to them?" Twilight asked earnestly.

"Ah, yes, the dragons of Skyrim. well, it is a very interesting story of how they came to be. it all began long ago, before the mortal races were created." Sahrot began, seeing Twilight writing in her notebook.

"The dragons, or Dovah in their tongue, were the children of Akatosh, the god of time. they were a powerful race, able to bend the laws of the world to their will. they do this through their own power, known as 'The Voice', and would form powerful effects, called 'Thu'ums, or 'Shouts'." Sahrot continued.

"The Voice? is that some form of magic? what could these shouts do? is it only usable by dragons alone?" Twilight asked, eagerly waiting for Sahrot's answer.

"In some way, I suppose. however, this 'magic' is quite hard to learn for mortals, but would be second nature those of the Dov. I am able to learn such words rather easily, as the blood of the dragons runs through me." Sahrot replied.

"Wait, dragons blood? but, you said that you were not a dragon. how can that be?" Twilight wondered.

"Though I may not be a dragon, I am still a child of Akatosh. you see, I am what is called a Dovahkiin, or Dragonborn. I am a mortal being, born with the blood and soul of a dragon. throughout the history of Tamriel, the Dragonborn were known to be powerful beings, with power so great, we could take on whole armies by ourselves." Sahrot went on.

"Wow, so you can do all of that? c-can you, perhaps, demonstrate to me the power of The Voice?" Twilight inquired.

"Hmmm....alright, but I'm going to use one of the safer shouts, so that you can see. this particular shout can turn me into an ethereal being, completely unable to be harmed, like a spirit. it would not last for long, but you may still be able to see it's effects." Sahrot stated. Twilight's eyes lit up with excitement and curiosity.

'Yes! he's going to show me some of his powers! alright, now lets see if he can truly turn make himself ethereal. maybe he can show me how to do it. oh, I just can't wait to find out!' she thought.

Sahrot rose from his seat, and stood three feet from Twilight. he took off his helm, revealing his reptilian face once more, as he breathed in. then, with the air filling his lungs, he shouted.

"Feim, ZE GRON!!!"

with that, his body slowly becomes transparent, until he could only be seen as a bluish outline. Twilight could barely believe what she was seeing. she reached her hoof out to him, finding that it completely went through him. he was right, he had become ethereal! she was at a loss for words, for only the highest level unicorns were able to use ethereal spells, and even then, they would only be so for a few minutes, yet Sahrot's 'shout' had lasted nearly half an hour, which she has spent taking notes and sketching his ghostly body. after the shout had worn off, Sahrot then began listing off several 'shouts', the most notable ones being the storm summoning shout, the slow time shout, summoning a hero from someplace called Sovngarde, and sending foes flung away by a powerful force. with that, began to tell the tale of the Dragonborn.

"We were so powerful, that even the Dov feared us, as we have the innate ability to absorb a dragons' soul, completely bound to our spirits, until a Dragonborn dies. one such Dragonborn was the legendary Tiber Septim, otherwise known as Talos. Talos was a mighty being, so much so that he, along with a massive army had conquered nearly all of Tamriel. after that, he had even ascended into divinity, becoming the ninth Divine." Sahrot finished. Twilight was in awe at what Sahrot had told her.

'A mortal being that has so much power, that he became a god? it was completely unheard of, for even the princesses themselves, though immortal, were not gods. could Sahrot be as powerful as Celestia and Luna, possibly stronger? and what about him absorbing a dragons' soul? does he actually go out and slay dragons, taking their souls to increase his power?' she contemplated.

"So, wait, you said that you can absorb the souls of dragons, so does that mean that you actively hunt them down?" Twilight asked nervously. she believed that Spike would be safe, but that raises a question; are the dragons of Equestria actually from Sahrots' world? if so, then the possibility of them raising a civilization is suddenly not so far fetched. she waited for Sahrot to answer her question, her worry becoming increasingly noticeable. Sahrot sighed, and simply replied,

"I only kill the dragons who have been threatening the lives of the people throughout the land, and only hunt down those who have burned down whole villages and towns. I do not hunt dragons for the sake of gaining power, and I'm certainly not going to kill your dragon, if that's what you're afraid of." Sahrot assured Twilight.

"Oh, well, I'm glad that I wouldn't have to worry about that, eh heh. so, now that we hav-" Twilight began, before a sudden creak of the main door gained the attention of both the princess and the Dragonborn. coming in through the door was a female pink unicorn, with a deep purple mane, complete with turquoise streaks through said mane. Sahrot noticed a mark on her flank, showing a double-hued blue streak, with what appears to be a star underneath it.

"Uh, hello, Twilight. I was wondering if yo-" the unicorn started, but immediately stopped when she stared blankly at the Argonian next to Twilight. she looked at Twilight for an answer, in which she received one.

"Oh, Starlight, I'd like you to meet our new guest, Sahrot Strun. he's...new, in our land, so it would be best to show him respect." Twilight stated.

"Greetings, Starlight. as Twilight here has said, my name is Sahrot Strun. it is a pleasure to meet you." Sahrot said, offering his hand.
Starlight shook his hand, and proceeded to talk with Twilight.

"Um, Twilight, I've been wanting to know more about the Crystal Empire, since I'm a little...lacking on the subject." Starlight asked.

"Well, of course! what is it that you want to know?" Twilight enquired.

"It's mainly about The Crystalling. I know that the others have explained it, but the information seems rather murky." she answered.
Sahrot glanced at Twilight, waiting to hear her explain this 'Crystalling' that Starlight had brought up.

"Oh, that's simple! the crystalling is the celebration of the birth Crystal ponies. when a baby is born in the Crystal Empire, they are brought to the Crystal heart. there, the parents are required to bring the purest crystal they could find. a crystaller would be chosen to present the child to everyone who comes, in which they would all share all the joy and happiness and feeding it into the crystal, which would then be transferred in to the Crystal Heart, increasing it's power. and since Shining Armor and Cadence are going to have a child, everyone in the Crystal Empire will be attending." Twilight explained.

"Well, that's quite an interesting tradition. I believe this 'Crystalling' ceremony will be today?" Sahrot asked.

"Of course! I just need to receive the invitation from my brother, Shining Armor, and we'll be off!" Twilight chortled with joy.

"Oh, so this Shining Armor is your brother? then congratulations, seeing as you'll be the aunt of their child." Sahrot replied, happy to see her excitement.

"Thanks, Sahrot. OH! that reminded me of something. Sahrot, as the princess of friendship, I invite you to join me and my friends for the celebration!" Twilight chirped. Sahrot was in utter confusion, for he did not expect her to invite him to a celebration. but, he should agree to her request, nonetheless.

"Alright, Twilight, I shall join you in your celebration. just tell what I would need to do." Sahrot replied.

"Oh, well, all that you would need to do is give a gift to the family, anything of your choosing." Twilight stated.

"A gift, you say? hmm...how about this?" Sahrot said, pulling out a book, which had a golden cover, ordained with what appeared to be a bird with it's wings outstretched.

"Um, Sahrot, what is that, exactly? Twilight asked.

"This is a spellbook, containing within it all the Restoration spells currently known in Tamriel. I would believe it would be helpful." Sahrot answered.

"A spellbook!? c-can I perhaps, read it?" Twilight pleaded. Sahrot looked at her for a moment, then decided to hand her the tome, which she had read hungrily. not wanting to interrupt her, Sahrot proceeded out of the door. he strolled down the hallway, eyeing the ornaments and rooms as he walked by. as he turned a corner, he spotted a balcony. he headed to the balcony, watching the town below him, and beyond. he breathed in heavily, wondering what in Oblivion would lie in wait for him in this world. first, the curse that was placed on him, and now this. he knew his life wasn't exactly normal, but he had just wanted it to be peaceful. he stood at the balcony for a few minutes, before turning to leave...and found a bright pink mare inches from his face. Sahrot yelped, instinctively stretching his arm to strike the equine. the pony quickly dodged in response, taking a few steps back. Sahrot then had the time to register the equine, and saw that it was one of Twilights' friends, Pinkie Pie.

"Hoh! By Akatosh, do NOT do that again." Sahrot growled.

"Okie dokie lokie!" Pinkie answered gleefully. Sahrot stared at her for a few moments, before taking his leave. yet again, he was stopped, as Pinkie had grasped his hand. he turned to look down at, slightly annoyed by her antics.

"What is it that you want, lady Pinkie Pie?" Sahrot asked, being formal.

"Oh, nothing really, I just wanted to let you know that soon, there's going to be a great party to welcome you to Ponyville!" Pinkie exclaimed. Sahrot was caught completely off guard from Pinkie's words. a party, for him? he thought that was completely un-needed.

"W-well, umm...I thank you for your offer, but I'm afraid that I must decline." Sahrot stated. Pinkie frowned slightly at Sahrot's words.

"Why not? aren't you into parties?" Pinkie asked.

"It is because I do not feel that a party would be necessary. celebrations are made for those who have done great deeds, and so far, I have not done such." Sahrot answered. Pinkie thought about it for a moment, and decided to respect Sahrot's request.

"Then I will make sure to set up a party as soon as you have done a great deed. hey, what's that over there? Pinkie inquired, pointing left from Sahrot. he turned just in time to see a snowflake nearing him. he snatched it from the air, and held it up to his eyes.

'This is a relatively large snowflake. it's almost as large as my hand, and what's this?' Sahrot thought, as he eyed what appeared to be...a stamp. curious, he lifted the stamp, along with part of the snowflake, and it revealed a parchment, which according to what it states, is a formal invitation to the Crystalling. Sahrot's eyes widened at the realization, and bolted down the hall, searching for Twilight. he found her in the library section, still reading his spellbook. Twilight up to see Sahrot at the doorway, making his way toward her.

"Umm, Sahrot? is there something wrong? she asked. Sahrot did not answer, and only handed her the invitation. as soon as she read it, her eyes lit up, and she bore a huge grin on her face. she shook Sahrots' hand, saying many thanks, to which he had replied with modesty. she quickly left the room, presumably to gather her friends. Sahrot sighed with satisfaction, as he walked down the hall yet again, and exited the castle. he strolled through the street, walking by the houses of Ponyville, occasionally waving at the ponyfolk of the town. he was about to turn to a corner, when he heard Twilight calling out to him.

"Sahrot! over here! the train station is to our left!" she called out.

Sahrot was again baffled by what he heard. 'what in Oblivion is a train?', he thought to himself. he thought about it for a moment, but decided it would be better to follow Twilight, and find out for himself.

Chapter 3: The Crystalling

Sahrot Strun spotted Twilight and her friends waiting at some sort of station, Twilight waving at Sahrot to come over. he obliged, jogging over to where they were. as he approached Twilight, she gave him a quizzical look, handing him his book of Restoration spells.

"I read through your book, but I just can't make sense of it. I know the nature of these spells, most of them being healing magic and ward spells, but I just can't figure out how to cast them." Twilight explained. Sahrot looked through his spellbook, opening to the beginning part.

"I do believe it's because you do not understand the nature of Tamrielic magic. the source of our magic comes from the energy within us, called Magicka. to unlock the Magicka, you must find the inner flow of your spirit. go ahead, focus in on that spiritual flow within your being." Sahrot stated.

"well...okay, I'll try my best." Twilight said. she closed her eyes, and began to concentrate. she focused deep within her conscious, trying to find that ethereal flow. as she had focused, she began to feel something, like a tiny trickle, ebbing into her mind. just as she tried to focus in on that trickle, her concentration was shattered when she heard the whistle of the train as it reached the station. she sighed, knowing that she had potentially come close to unlocking the flow of Magicka within her. she'll have to ask Sahrot more about the nature of Magicka when they board the train. Sahrot, on the other hand, was startled at the sound of the whistling of the horn, and quickly turned to see a steam-powered contraption rolling it's way to the station. he pulled out his greatsword, and prepared to battle the machine...until Twilight rested her hoof on his side. he turned to look at Twilight, who was shaking her head.

"Sahrot, that's the train! don't worry, its not going to hurt anypony. its only here to transport us to the Crystal Empire." Twilight explained. Sahrot stared at her for a moment, before sliding his greatsword back into its scabbard. Twilight sighed in relief, glad that the situation didn't get out of hand. the train stopped at the station, and opened its doors, letting all to come inside. Twilight and her friends were the first to enter, with Spike and Starlight following suit. Sahrot stayed behind, letting all the other ponies in first, before entering himself. once inside, he spotted Twilight in one of the seat to the left, in which she had beckoned him to her. once he had taken his seat next to her, the trains' engines revved up, and the party was off to the Crystal Empire. Sahrot watched through the window in wonder, seeing all the buildings, trees, signs, and ponies flash by as the train traveled by them. it seemed as though only the sky had remained the same throughout the journey. as Sahrot was staring out the window, he heard a murmuring sound where Twilight was. he turned her direction, only to find her moved to another seat, chatting with Starlight. he was only able to pick up bits and pieces from their conversation, and he believed that it was something about Starlight meeting a friend in the Crystal Empire. whatever the talk was about, it seemed to put Starlight into a state of nervousness, despite her best efforts to hide it. he decided it would be best that he stay out of the conversation, as it was not his business. the chat then ended between Starlight and Twilight, in which Twilight turned her attention to Spike. she told the baby dragon to write a letter to someone known as princess Celestia. he was not informed that there were other rulers in this land. he'll have to ask Twilight about this princess when she gets back. he didn't have to wait long, as Twilight then returned to her seat beside Sahrot. the Argonian did waste his time in asking Twilight his question.

"Who is this Celestia that you spoke of earlier? from what I have gathered, she's another princess, like you." Sahrot said.

"Oh! right, I was going to tell you about the other princesses." Twilight replied.

"Princesses? so there's even more rulers that I am not aware of?" Sahrot inquired.

"Well, yes. there are exactly others, Celestia being one of them. she is the princess of the sun, responsible for raising and setting the sun. next is princess Luna, Celestias' sister. she controls the moon, and monitors the dreams of everypony in Equestria, doing her best to eliminate nightmares. then there is princess Cadence, the princess of love, niece of Celestia, a personal friend of mine, now my sister-in-law, and is the one that we are celebrating the Crystalling with." elaborated.

"Hmm...and the royal sisters are also attending the Crystalling? do you think they will be accepting of me, possibly even help us with my situation?" Sahrot asked, yearning to know.

"Oh, they are definitely going to attend their nieces' Crystalling, and as for you, I have already sent a letter detailing your situation, so I'm quite sure that she will be more than willing to help you." Twilight assured Sahrot. he sighed in relief, happy that at least he will have help to get back home. he about to turn back to the window, when Twilight tapped him on the shoulder. he back to Twilight, seeing what she wants.

"Um, Sahrot? I've been meaning to ask you about the nature of Magicka." Twilight stated.

"Well, what is it that you would want to know?" Sahrot inquired.

"You see, back when I was concentrating on finding that 'flow', I found a small trickle of...something. I honestly don't know what it really is, but I believe that it was that Magicka flow that you were talking about." Twilight elucidated.

"Ah, yes, the Magicka flow. it would seem that you have actually found it. I am honestly surprised that you would find so soon. however, what you have found is exactly what you described; a small trickle. you would need to practice and learn more about magic in order to unlock more and more of your Magicka reserve. since you do not have the means, besides the Restoration spellbook, I certainly help you if you need it." Sahrot responded.

"Y-you really think that I found it? so that would mean that I could learn an entirely new form of MAGIC?" Twilight asked excitedly.
Sahrot nodded his head in agreement, which had Twilight quivering with giddiness and joy.

"So, how long is it before we reach the Crystal Empire?" Sahrot asked.

"Oh, it should be just a few more hours before we get there. do you want to get any refreshments?" Twilight asked, pointing to the waiter going down the isle, giving out refreshments.

"what kind of drinks do they have? any wine, or mead, perhaps?" Sahrot inquired. Twilight looked at Sahrot in confusion.

"Well, they do give out wine, but what is mead?" Twilight said, confused.

"Wait, you mean to tell me that you don't know what MEAD is?" Sahrot questioned.

"W-well, umm, I think I've heard about it before, but I had never tried it out. what is it like?" Twilight enquired, curious about it.

"I cannot just explain it to you, Twilight, besides that its a refreshing drink that will leave you in utter bliss, especially Honningbrew mead. you have to experience it in order to truly understand it. here, I think I have a few bottles inside my pack." Sahrot stated, rummaging through his bag. he looked through the pack for a few seconds, before pulling out two bottles.

"AH HA! here we are. two bottles of Honningbrew mead, just in time to spice things up. here, Twilight." Sahrot said, handing Twilight a bottle. she pulled out the cork, and took a whiff of the contents.

"Oh-hoh, wow. it smells absolutely delicious!" she exclaimed, gaining the attention of her friends.

"What's that you have there, Twilight? is it some kind of cider?" Pinkie asked, poking her head above Twilight.

"Its something called mead, and it's from Sahrot." Twilight replied. Sahrot thought about the situation for a minute, before pulling out a third bottle from his sack.

"Waiter! I would like to order eight cups, please." Sahrot called out. the waiter in turn brought him eight plastic cups, all stacked up.

"Um, Sahrot, what are you doing?" Twilight asked, seeing Sahrot pouring the mead into each cup.

"I realized that I did not offer any of your friends the mead, so I decided that I will split it amongst the eight of us." Sahrot replied, handing a cup to Pinkie.

'OOOH! it smells so good, I just cant wait to try it!" Pinkie exclaimed, downing the whole cup. the group waited in anticipation for Pinkie's reaction. Pinkie said nothing, but bore a gigantic smile on her face. it seemed to be the only reason needed for the rest of the group to join in. Sahrot handed cups to Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, Starlight, and Rainbow Dash. he then handed a cup to Twilight, and they all chugged down their glasses in unison. Applejack and Rainbow Dash seemed to have the greatest reactions, saying that it was best thing they ever had, even better than apple cider. the rest simply complimented the drink, saying that it was delicious. after a few minutes, however, everyone except Sahrot had started to get a little drowsy, as the drink is slowly getting sleepy. Twilight, in particular, had actually fell asleep. seeing as how everyone else is following suit, Sahrot sighed, and rested his head on the window. he closed his eyes, replaying the events that led him here in his conscience, as he we was slowly drifting off to sleep with them.

***********

Sahrots' eyes opened groggily, as he found himself comfortably tucked into a warm bed. he yawned loudly, rolling in his sheets, as he pulled himself out of bed. he spotted his armor laying next to his mounted weapons, along with his usual traveling gear. with another yawn, he rubbed his eyes, clearing out any dust that may have rested there. as soon as he cleared his eyes, he noticed that he was back at his home in Markarth. the entire place was clean, with no sign of damage or burned areas at all. he stepped into his washroom, where he proceeded to rinse his hands and face with the water pipe. he closed off the pipe, and walked right into the dining area, where he was greeted by his wife, Brelyna. she smiled warmly at him, and was accompanied by their children, Lucia and Hroar.

"Good morning, my love. I hope that you had a restful sleep." Brelyna said.

"Well, I certainly have enjoyed my rest. even though I had the strangest dream." Sahrot stated, recalling the previous events.

"Oh, what was it about?" Brelyna asked. Sahrot arced his back into a stretch, as he remembered his moments with those...ponies.

"It started off normal, I was just walking down the steps of the temple of the Divines in Solitude. I was then approached by a courier, who had told me that the Thalmor had ransacked our home, so I raced to Markarth, only to find you missing, so I had to find you in a crypt. I rescued you, then I was fighting the Thalmor, until one of them opened a portal into another world, and had blasted me into it. I then found myself in world governed by...magical, talking ponies. I was able to talk with one of the pony leaders into helping me find my way home, and...I woke up here. I guess it was all just dream, and it certainly was the strangest thing that I ever experienced." Sahrot explained, scratching his head.

"Wow, it certainly is something that is strange, love. but do not worry, you are home now, so please, sit down and eat, and let this troubling dream fade away." Brelyna said soothingly. Sahrot Strun was a little apprehensive, as he noticed that his wife did not speak like that, and the supposed dream he had felt all to real. he slowly moved to the table, taking his seat while his family dined. he inspected his food, which was a platter full of horker steaks, fried potatoes, grilled leeks, a goat's leg, steamed mudcrab legs, and a side dish of beef stew. he picked up the goat's leg, further inspecting, before taking a bite out of it...before spitting it right out. he looked into the bit area of the leg, only to find it rotten inside, with maggots crawling out of the leg. with a yell, he threw the leg away from him as hard as he could, tossing it near the front door. he glared at his wife, only to find her smiling once more.

"What did you do, Brelyna?! are you trying to poison me?!" Sahrot roared.

"Oh, Sahrot, you poor, sad fool." Brelyna spoke, with a voice that is not her own. Sahrots' eyes widened with shock and confusion, as he backed away from the table.

"Daddy, where are you going? don't leave us." 'Lucia' said.

"You...you are not my daughter," he stated coarsely. "you are not my family...this.. this is some kind of nightmare. this has to be the work of a Daedra, a-a Daedric Prince!."

"Oh, not just some Daedric Prince, Sahrot, THE Daedric Prince of dreams and nightmares." 'Brelyna' sneered.

"No...it's you...Vaermina." Sahrot whispered, fearful of what is to come next. 'Brelyna' laughed as she rose from the table, rising into the air, as the entire room began to darken and pulsate. she continued to laugh, as her body began to shrivel and tear. Sahrot looked around the room frantically, as it began to shift into a dark, empty void. he looked up at 'Brelyna', as she now rose several feet above him, and her skin was starting to fall off, revealing the Dreamweaver in her terrible form. the deity descended from the air, landing in front of Sahrot. she loomed over the mortal, making him seem small and frail.

"Yes, mortal fool, and now that I know you are no longer in Nirn, I can torment you for your act against me. and on top of that, I now have a new world for myself, and since it's not guarded by those damnable Divines, I won't have anyone to oppose me." Vaermina said, cackling to herself.

"No...no, I won't let you do that! not to these creatures, not to anyone! I will stop you, demon!" Sahrot yelled pulling out his sword. he swung at Vaermina with all his might...only for it to pass right through her.

"FOOL! WHAT DO YOU THINK THIS IS!? YOU ARE IN MY REALM, AND YOU DARE TO TRY AND STRIKE ME?! OH, YOU WILL PAY FOR YOUR INSOLENCE!" Vaermina seethed, preparing to strike down the bug in front of her. Sahrot ducked to the side as Vaermina unleashed a volley of bolts, continuously dodging her barrage. Vaermina ceased her assault, and instead summoned tendrils of pure darkness from the environment. they managed to snare Sahrot, and held him to the ground, as Vaermina hovered over him.

"And now, fool, it's time for me to exact my revenge." Vaermina said, sneering over her victim. but, before she could torture Sahrot, he began to fade, causing Vaermina to halt her attack. she knew what was happening; Sahrot Strun was waking up. the god watched as her adversary faded away from the dream realm, and into the waking world, smiling as she did.

'The mortal will not remember this encounter, as most mortals cannot remember their own dreams. but, if he does, then I will just have to silence him once and for all. for now though,' she thought, looking into the new world, 'I have a new realm for my taking.' with that, she laughed to herself in the cold abyss, and, moments later, other voices laughed along with her.

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

Sahrot Strun's eyes flashed open as he woke. he gasped as he rose abruptly from the seat, his heart was racing, and a cold sweat was forming on his brow. he put his hand to his chest in order to calm his heart, as he looked around his environment. he was back at the train, which had apparently stopped, meaning they had arrived at the Crystal Empire. he scanned the area for Twilight and her friends, but they were nowhere to be found. sighing, he reached for the sack beneath him.

'They most likely have left the train.' he thought, as he saw several of the ponies exiting the train. he gathered his things from beneath his seat. as he was walking out of the train, he glanced outside, to see an entire city made out of crystals. he was in awe, as he eyed the multiple buildings made of crystal, with several hues of blue and pink. the spotted the crystal tower in the center of the city, a radiant spire of shimmering marvel. he continued out of the train, confident that they would be there. he realized that he didn't have to find them after all, as he exited the train to find Twilight and her friends chatting with a unicorn stallion. he walked behind the group, the clamping of his boots giving him away, as Twilight turned around to see him.

"Oh, Sahrot, you're awake! great, now we can introduce you to my brother, Shining Armor." she stated. Sahrot looked at the stallion, which was Shining Armor. he noticed that he seemed off, as though he was deprived of rest. Shining Armor in turn fumbled his way to greet Sahrot, offering his hoof.

"Its nice to meet you, sir. I am Shi*haagh*ning Armor, and I heard some neat things about you from my sister." he yawned, clearly tired from whatever had taken his energy.

"It is indeed good to meet a member of Twilight's family, and I presume that there is more that I have yet to meet?" Sahrot enquired.

"What? oh, right, the baby! of course, just follow me!" he exclaimed, jogging to the tower. Twilight followed after him, along with her friends and Sahrot. as they neared the tower, Sahrot realized that Starlight and Spike were not present.

"What happened to your friends, Starlight and Spike?" Sahrot asked Twilight.

"They went on start Starlight's first lesson, and Spike went along to help her." she answered. Sahrot nodded his head in understanding, as they had finally reached the tower. as they neared the entrance, the pony guards saluted to Shining Armor, allowing him and the rest into the building. however, when Sahrot tried to enter, the guards had blocked his path.

"Stop there, creature! you will go no further." the guard yelled. Shining Armor rushed to the guard, annoyance played across his face.

"Stand down! he's a friend of Twilight, so he is allowed to come with us!" he exclaimed. the guards immediately stood back to position, letting Sahrot through. Shining Armor sighed as they walked up the stairs in the tower.

"I'm sorry that you had to experience that." Shining Armor said.

"It is of no trouble, they were merely doing their job. I would not hold it against them for that." Sahrot replied. Shining Armor said nothing, but was grateful that things would not go sour, as they climbed further up the stairs. Shining then turned right at the entry way of a hall, and as they walked down they all, they stopped at a door.

"Well, here we are, but Twilight, when you come to see the baby, you may be a little surprised." Shining explained.

"Come on, Shining, I've seen babies before! I'm sure this one isn't going to be any different." Twilight responded. Shining then opened the door, revealing three other ponies. Sahrot inspected the three, seeing that they are all had wings and horns, like Twilight. one of them was almost as tall as he was, her horn just barely reaching over his helm. she had a pure white coat, and a multi-colored mane. she also wore regalia, with a tiara upon her head, and a necklace around her neck. she bore a mark on her flank, which was a sun.

'So, this must be Celestia. and the one next to her is her sister, Luna.' Sahrot thought, looking over to the dark blue mare. she think moved his eyes to the third, this one with a pink coat, with a mane of purple, pink, and yellow striped mane. the mark on her flank was that of a crystal heart.

'And this must be Cadence, Twilight's sister in-law.' he thought. he walked in last, letting the others in first. as he walked in, the three princesses stared at him, Cadence with worry, Luna with curiosity, and Celestia with a smile.

"Greetings, newcomer. I believe that you are this 'Sahrot Strun' that I was told of?" Celestia asked, offering her hoof.
Sahrot shook hands with the princess, who was still smiling warmly at him.

"Yes, that would be me. it is a pleasure to meet you, Celestia." he responded. Celestia looked Sahrot up and down, eyeing the armor that he was wearing.

"I see that you have a rather interesting attire. why do you wear such armor?" Celestia asked.

"I am a warrior and an adventurer, princess Celestia. it is common for someone like me to explore places that are dangerous, to battle creatures and beings of great power. the armor that I wear now is the strongest in my world, made from the power of the Daedra." Sahrot replied. Celestia was confused, mainly about what a Daedra is, or what kind of world this being has lived in, but those would be asked later.

"I do believe that there is a baby to be met?" Sahrot enquired.

"Oh! right, the baby!" Twilight exclaimed, walking over to the crib. the rest of the group was behind her, as the baby has opened her eyes. she cooed as she saw the group before her... before unfurling her wings. the entire group save Sahrot, Shining Armor, and the princesses, gasped in surprise. the child giggled softly, chewing on her hoof, as the group looked to the princesses for answers.

"Sh-she's an alicorn." Twilight murmured. the rest of the group wore several expressions of confusion.

"But, wasn't the only way to become an alicorn was to commit a great deed, and earn the power of an alicorn?" Rarity interjected.

"I'm afraid that we do not know. the birth of an alicorn was something that Equestria has never seen before." Luna replied.

"We know that you are confused; we are as well, but there is nothing to fear, as I am sure everything will be just fine." Celestia added.

"YEAH! come on now, everypony, it's still just a baby! what's the worst that could happen?" Rainbow exclaimed. the rest of the group then agreed...that is, until the baby had sneezed, and accidently fired a beam of raw magic through the tower above. everyone had to shield their eyes from the sudden burst, and when the fire had ceased, everyone in the room glanced up to the now blasted ceiling. Sahrots' eyes widened at the amount of destruction that was caused by the blast.

"Please tell us that you have some way to suppress that child's power." Sahrot said.

"Well, um, we don't have a way now, but I'm sure that we will find one soon." Cadence replied.

"I sincerely hope that you do, otherwise, someone may end up hurt, or worse, dead." Sahrot stated.

Chapter 4: Baby Issues

"What do you mean? Sahrot, the baby isn't hurting anypony." Twilight questioned.

"Not yet, but now we have on our hands a volatile baby, whose magical bursts could blast someone to ashes in moments. I only advise that you find a way to keep her magic under control." Sahrot replied.

"I'm afraid that he is right, Twilight. for now, though, we will keep the child under close watch, until we have a way to curb the child's magical bursts." Celestia agreed. Twilight sighed in admittance, conceding with both Sahrot and Celestia.

"Well, alright. but we still have a Crystalling to prepare for." Twilight said. "I'm sure the townsfolk would be dying to see the baby."

"Alright then. hmmmm...does this place, by chance, have a library? I'd like to have a few looks at the tomes of this world, in order to be more familiar with this realm." Sahrot requested.

"Yes, there's one just four flights up from here." Cadence replied.

"Well, I'll be at the castle library, so if any of you require me, I will be there." Sahrot informed the group. he turned to take his leave, as the rest had begun to make preparations. Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Fluttershy were helping Shining Armor with his preparation, picking out several pure crystals, finding a Crystaller, and preparing the guards for presentation. the princesses have resigned in Cadences quarters, to help her regain her strength. Twilight and Pinkie Pie resided with the baby, watching over her.

**********

Sahrot had found the library, and as he had walked through the doors, his breath was taken away. the entire library before him was enormous, and was filled to the brim with books. Sahrot could not believe what he is seeing, as his eyes ran over every detail within the chamber. he then spotted a mare putting away a few books, and figured that she was the librarian. he strolled over to where the mare was, and saw through further inspection that she was old.

"Excuse me, but do you know if there is a book pertaining the history of Equestria?" Sahrot asked.

"History books are down the hall, five aisles to the right, and at your left side." the mare responded, not even turning to look at the Argonian.

"Thank you for your assistance." Sahrot stated, following her directions. when he had met his destination, he walked down the aisle, scanning the several books that were displayed. he stopped at a book titled 'The History of Equestria, and the Celestial diarchy'.

"This book will have to do for now. I wonder what kind of history these ponies have." Sahrot said to himself. he walked over to one of the tables, and resided in one of the chairs, as he began to read the history of Equestria.

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

Celestia and Luna had rested Cadence to her bed, so she can rest for the Crystalling. Celestia had brought her niece a simmering cup of tea before she spoke.

"This situation has grown far larger than expected. first, a being from another world has appeared in ours, and now an Alicorn was born." Celestia sighed, stirring the tea.

"I would have to agree with you, sister. I especially am hesitant about that being. every time I am near him, I feel an ominous aura about him. as we were in the room, I tried to look into his mind, only to be blocked by some unknown power." Luna stated. Celestia stared at her in utter disbelief.

"Luna, you know for a fact that mind reading is a forbidden practice. now you tell me that you tried to enter the mind of an alien?" Celestia said, speechless of what she had done.

"I know that it was forbidden, but I just had to know what is in his mind. what if he was a scout, and he was working with an invading force? what if he had planned to take control of Equestria, and was plotting our demise?" Luna answered, confident that she was right.

"...Luna, I know that you only did this to protect us, but you must also know that Sahrot has done nothing to harm any of us. from what Twilight has informed me, Sahrot is an individual who has been gifted with great power, and has used it to protect others. I am confident that Sahrot would not intend to bring us harm, and only seeks to return home." Celestia responded, shaking her head at her sister's actions. Luna sighed in, defeat, ultimately conceding with her sister.

"Perhaps you are right, sister. I may have been rather irrational with my decision. I am sorry." Luna said apologetically.

"I am not the one you have to apologize to, Luna." Celestia stated, looking out through the door. Luna sighed, nodding her head in understanding, as she slowly walked out the door, and to the castle library.

**********

Sahrot yawned loudly as he closed the fourth history book he read, stretching his back to alleviate the aching he was experiencing. he then decided to move on from Equestrian history, and into Equestrian magic. he stood from his seat, and casually strolled through the aisles, picking through the many tomes that are to be read. he stopped at a book that was encrusted with crystals and gems, and upon further inspection, had a crystalline heart embedded into the front cover. the book itself was titled 'A Crystals' Heart: A Beginner's Guide to Crystal Magic.' he grabbed the book from it's resting place, and returned to his seat at one of the tables. as he sat down, he opened the book to the first chapter. it goes into detail of the basics of crystal magic, and a crystal is needed for the procedure. before he could ponder of what he could do with crystal magic, however, his thoughts were interrupted by a the sound of someone clearing their throat. he lifted his head to see the princess of the night before him.

"Wow, you're quite the fast reader. you have read through four history books in less than an hour." Luna said, her tone somewhat off.

"Princess Luna? what are you doing here? do you require my assistance?" Sahrot asked, raising from his seat.

"N-no, there's no need for that. I only came here...to apologize to you." Luna stammered.

"Oh? what for, exactly?" Sahrot questioned, his eyes narrowing.

"Well, you see, back to when the child was introduced, I tried to read your mind. you were the very first being that we have ever met that was outside of this realm, you see, and I thought that you were possibly a threat. I realize now that it was out of my bounds for such an act, and for that, I have come here to tell you that I am sorry for trying to intrude you." Luna said solemnly, staring down at the ground. Sahrot was silent for a few moments, thinking about what the alicorn had done.

'She tried to enter my mind, and see what secrets that I have kept hidden from the world...why? why would she want to know? I am no threat to her, or any of the ponies of this world. I never presented myself as a threat, so why did she ever feel the need to do such a thing? hmmm...I will forgive her for now, but I will make sure that she will know that I would NOT tolerate such actions towards me.' he thought to himself. he sighed quietly, staring at Luna with a blank expression.

"I will forgive you for what you have done, Luna. I know that while you may have overstepped your bounds, you have only done so to protect your loved ones. I take it that you have found nothing in my mind?" Sahrot asked.

"Well, nothing that I could read, anyway. I was not able to read your mind because there was...something, inside of you, something that was keeping me out, pushing me away." Luna said. Sahrot did not know what to make of Luna's words, but was grateful that she did not see anything.

"Well, at least you had seen nothing. but while I have forgiven you for what you have done, I will not forget." Sahrot said, taking his seat back at the table.

"So, just make sure that you do not do something like that again. this is your warning." he stated. Luna nodded her head in acknowledgement.

"I...I understand, Sahrot Strun. again, I am sorry for doing such a thing." she replied, eyes glancing down to the floor.

"It is alright, princess Luna, as long as you have learned not to make the same mistake again." Sahrot responded, turning his attention back to the book. Luna in turn turned to take her leave, quickly exiting the library. she sighed quietly, as she had taken the time to contemplate the events that transpired.

'He could have tried to hurt me, or threaten me in any way, yet he didn't. why? I have overstepped my bounds, so it was completely logical for him to do so. perhaps I was truly wrong about him, and of what he does.' Luna thought to herself. she walked up the stairs, and back to her sister in Cadence's quarters, still thinking of what had happened. Sahrot, on the other hand, had pulled out another book pertaining to using Equestrian magic for beginners, and began to read it. he turned the page to a picture of a young filly using magic, and the page goes into detail of how magic would work for beginners. Sahrot read how magic would be conjured from a spiritual energy that resides in all creatures, and how it can be used to manipulate the world around them. he tested a spell that could be used as levitation, and found that he could not do it. he tried again and again, to no avail, causing him frustration. sighing in defeat, he put both of the books away, thinking that Tamrielic magic would be enough for him. he then recalled back to what Luna had said, something about her being blocked by some force within him. Sahrot pondered what this had meant for a moment.

'Was this an affect of the curse? no one is able to read my mind because the curse is preventing them from doing so?' Sahrot thought. he sighed, grateful that the princess saw nothing, but is still angry with himself for receiving the curse. he decided not to think too much of it, and left the library, having read enough of the books there. he proceeded back to where Twilight and Pinkie Pie was, and entered the room. what he had found there had baffled him; the baby was flying around the room, carrying Pinkie along with her, as Twilight was trying to make sure she and the rest of the room was not blasted to pieces by the baby's magical fluctuations. Sahrot quickly casted a ward to prevent a beam of magic from striking him. the child giggled as she fluttered about the room, to the dismay of her rider. upon seeing Sahrot, however, the baby stopped midflight, her wings quickly folding back, as she flopped into Pinkie's arms. the child bore an expression of fear, as she stared frightfully at the armor-clad Argonian. Twilight was confused at what had frightened the child, but upon turning around, she found her answer.

"Sahrot! I thought you were at the library. did you find anything interesting?" Twilight asked.

"Well, I did find a spellbook for basic magic, but I was not able to cast a spell." Sahrot grumbled.

"Oh, well, everpony doesn't quite get to use magic on the first tries." Twilight comforted Sahrot. the Argonian then turned his attention to the child.

"I imagined that the baby was quite a handful." Sahrot stated, chuckling.

"Yeah, she was. I never thought I'd get this much active in taking care of a baby." Twilight responded, shaking her head. the baby hid her head into Pinkie's arm as the Argonian approached her.

"I'm guessing this is the first time she has seen me?" Sahrot inquired.

"I guess that would explain why she had been frightened by you. strange though, I would have figured she had seen you. you aren't exactly hard to miss, you know?" Twilight stated. Sahrot simply shrugged in reply, as he backed away from the child.

"Whatever the reason may be, I just don't want to scare the poor thing. however, I did want to talk to you." Sahrot said.

"Oh? well, what is it that you want to talk about?" Twilight asked. Sahrot said nothing, only motioning her to follow him. Twilight sighed, and proceeded out of the door with him. they stopped at the stairs, in which Sahrot had explained his situation to Twilight.

"So, there appears to be a problem between me and princess Luna. earlier, when I was first introduced to the princesses, Luna had apparently tried to read my mind. she was unsuccessful, but that means that I cannot trust her, and perhaps Celestia as well." Sahrot elaborated to Twilight, who was flabbergasted and confused about the information.

"But, why would she try something like that? mind reading is a form of magic that is largely shunned upon. it just doesn't make any sense as to why she would do that." Twilight whispered.

"She had explained that it was because she had seen me as a possible threat, so she had somehow tried to enter my mind without anyone knowing. yet, she had told me this information when I was at the library. as to why, I can only guess what had led her to do so. I told her that I had forgiven her for her actions, but has ultimately lost my trust." Sahrot responded.

"Well, I just hope you don't hold it against her." Twilight conceded, sighing. she looked up at the clock hovering over the crib, her eyes widening as she saw they were late.

"OH NO! we're going to be late for the preparations!" Twilight exclaimed, rushing out of the door. Pinkie followed after her, with Sahrot running close behind her. the child giggled and cooed, as she had once again spread her wings, and took flight, with Pinkie Pie holding on to her.

"Twilight, I'm going airborne!" Pinkie yelled. Twilight turned her head to see what she was talking, and saw Pinkie Pie clinging on to the baby. with a sigh, she conjured a sphere of magic to contain both the baby, and Pinkie Pie. with the child contained, the group has now entered the Crystal Heart area, with Twilights' friends and the princesses waiting.

"We're here! gotta say, she's a REAALLY strong flier." Pinkie exclaimed. Cadence only smiled, as she used her magic to separate Pinkie from the child. Pinkie exhaled in relief, as she was placed next to Twilight. the child, no longer having her companion, started to sniffle. her eyes began to tear up as she was being pulled down. then, out of the blue, she screamed, which was so loud, it reverberated throughout the area in shockwaves. everypony had covered their heads, and the screaming was painful to Sahrot's ears, as he covered them to muffle out the sound. the screaming had ceased, but in the process, the Crystal Heart had stopped rotating, and started to crack. the cracks had grown larger, until the Heart was completely broken. it shattered into several pieces, its shards falling into a pile around the column. the ponies gasped at the sight of the now destroyed Crystal Heart, fear growing in their hearts as they thought of the possible consequences of this action. Applejack approached the crystalline shards with worry apparent on her face.

"Ah reckon that this will make it hard to do the Crystalling." she stated.

"Its worse than that. without the Heart to keep away the snow storms, all of the Crystal Empire will be buried underneath a blizzard of ice and snow!" Twilight explained. she pulled away the curtains around the Crystal Heart to reveal dark and ominous clouds reaching their way to the Crystal Empire.

"But...wait, didn't King Sombra take over the Crystal Empire, and that the Crystal Heart was gone as well. there was no snow storms then." Applejack stated optimistically.

"The Crystal Heart wasn't gone back then, it was still there. King Sombra had just merely hidden it." Twilight interjected.

"I'm afraid that Twilight is right, Applejack." Celestia conceded.

"Hah! big deal, these clouds are just like any other I've dealt with." Rainbow exclaimed. she was about to fly toward the clouds, until a magically influenced curtain obstructed her path.

"That is where you are wrong, Rainbow Dash." Celestia said.

"The weather in this region has a will of its own, and cannot be controlled, even with our power." Luna explained. Sahrot listened in on the group, and upon hearing of the incoming danger, had promptly stepped outside of the curtained area, eyeing the storm currently looming over the borders of the city. Celestia had seen him walk away from the group, so she, along with Twilight and Luna, had followed him.

"Sahrot, what are you doing?" Celestia questioned. Sahrot had said nothing in reply, only staring at the storm, now reaching the furthest of buildings.

"...I will be able to stop the storm." Sahrot spoke suddenly. Celestia bore an expression of surprise, then confusion, at Sahrot's words.

"What do you mean, Sahrot?" Celestia inquired.

"I am the Dragonborn, princess. I know of powers that no normal mortal being would come to know. no storm, however large or powerful, can ignore the will of the Dov." Sahrot replied. he moved away from the group, and entered a central plaza. there, he halted the trio from approaching further, telling them to stay where they were.

"Stay there. you would not want to be near me, if you value your hearing." Sahrot stated.

"Wait, Sahrot wh-" Twilight started, but was cut off when Sahrot spoke.

"Lok, VAH KOOR!" he shouted. with that, a thunderous boom had erupted from Sahrot's voice, echoing across the plaza. Twilight had to cover her ears at the sudden noise, as she started hearing a ringing sound. Sahrot then looked back to the storm, which the three princesses had done the same. what the alicorns had seen astonished them. the storm clouds had begun to retreat back to the north, vanishing from view. Celestia stared at Sahrot, awed by the Argonians' performance.

'This individual has the power to overcome the mightiest of storms, and by merely shouting. what kind of power does he have?' Celestia thought to herself. Sahrot turned around to the group of ponies, now joined by the rest.

"W-what happened!? we heard a booming sound, and it was right here!" Cadence asked, worried.

"There is no need to worry. I have pushed back the storm, and have prevented it from entering any further for some time." Sahrot explained.

"What? h-how? a storm as powerful as that could not be held back, even with alicorn magic." Cadence questioned.

"There will be time to explain that later. right now we must focus on finding a way to repair the Crystal Heart." Sahrot stated. he turned toward the crystal tower, a thought running through his mind.

"Is it possible that there is a spell to fix the Heart?" Sahrot asked Twilight.

"Its worth the shot. how much time do you think we have before the storm comes back?" Twilight inquired.

"About an hour at most. you should turn your attention towards finding that spell." Sahrot responded. Twilight nodded her head in agreement, and she, along with her friends, rushed towards the library, in hopes of finding a way to repair the relic. the royal sisters did not leave, and instead had taken flight.

"We will keep the storm at bay, in case it forms sooner than previously thought. will you join us?" Celestia asked.

"Of course." Sahrot stated. the princesses then flew to the outskirts of the Crystal Empire, towards the few remaining storm clouds, with Sahrot following close behind.

Chapter 5: The Looming Thunder

Sahrot Strun ran for what seemed like an hour, never stopping until he had reached the outskirts of the city. he staggered out of the city borders, and into the freezing snow. his breathing was haggard, his legs quaking due to the run. he looked up to see the royal sisters, as they further ascended to the clouds. the storm had stopped dissipating, and started reforming, until it was a large wall of foreboding thunderclouds, heralding a wave of ice and snow. the sisters formed a barrier between them and the storm, and flew head first into the thunderous clouds. Sahrot breathed in deeply, preparing to shout away the storm once more. he stood tall amidst the wind-swept snow, his lungs filled to the brim, as he shouted yet again.

"Lok, VAH KOOR!" he roared. his Thu'um was loud and mighty, as it rose to part the turbulent clouds above. the storm started to gradually part. Sahrot was sure that the storm was about to fade, smiling behind his helm...until he saw that the storm had slowly reformed, and was gaining strength every second. Sahrot was flabbergasted at the sight, for even the combined efforts of the sisters and the Dragonborn were not enough to quell the massive storm. Sahrot gouged through his mind for anything that could help with the situation, as the clouds were beginning to gain speed towards the city, pushing back the princesses, despite their efforts. Sahrot thought hard of what to do next, running through the ideas in his head. he then stopped, as he had an idea of how to push back the storm. he inhaled yet again, preparing to shout once more. he looked not at the sky, but instead the ground, using a completely different shout, one that he had not used for some time now.

'I just hope this will work.' Sahrot thought grimly, as he saw the sisters being pushed back. with that, he shouted the words of summoning.

"Dur, NEH VIIR!"

*********

Celestia had started to grow weary of pushing back the thunderclouds, and as she turned to see her sister, she saw that Luna's strength was also waning. still, she reinforced her barrier as a lightning bolt had nearly struck her. the storm was gaining more and more land, as the princesses power had begun to falter. she shut her eyes as a sudden gust of icy wind had pelted her with tiny bits of frost. they were being pushed further back, as the storm was now entering the city. she blasted away a stratus cloud as it was approaching the city center. her mane was starting to freeze due to the cold, and ice had started forming on the front of her body. she looked to her sister again, this time she could see her fatigue, as her wing-beats had grown less active, and her horn was starting to flicker.

"Push them back, sister! the storm must not overtake the empire!" Celestia yelled. she did not know if her sister had heard her amidst the howling wind, but both she and Luna had heard a roar in the distance. she squinted her eyes to peer through the clouds, barely making out a figure in the distance. it was very large, with what appears to be broad wings that give it the ability to fly. it roared again, this time drowning out the howl of the wind. Celestia has now become fearful of the creature, as it came closer to the sisters. now it was visible, and Celestia instantly knew what it was; a dragon, with razor sharp fangs, spikes riddling his back, withered wings, and a crested head. Luna saw the dragon approaching, and grew frightened. Celestia aimed her horn at the beast, ready to blast it with her magic, until a familiar voice had shouted.

"Lok, VAH KOOR!" Sahrot yelled. the sky around the group began to part once more, but had resisted the shout, and had once again pushed back the sisters.

"Sahrot! is that you!? what are you doing on a dragon!?" Celestia yelled. there were so many questions she had, with little to no time to have them answered.

"There is no time to explain, just find Twilight and the others! if they haven't found a way to fix the Crystal Heart, then evacuate the city! we will hold off the storm until then!" Sahrot shouted.

"WHAT!? are you insane!? there is no way you could hold off the storm alone!" Celestia responded sternly.

"I am not alone, for I now have the help of another dovah! princess, please, just trust me on this. we must act now if there is any hope for the people of this land." Sahrot stated. Celestia looked through the sockets of Sahrots' helm, and into the eyes of the Dragonborn.
she saw his resolve to protect others, deep within the veil of darkness that obscures his eyes. Celestia sighed, turning her attention to the empire, now beginning to be blanketed with snow.

"Alright, Sahrot, I will trust you. but as soon as we are done, we will aid you once more." Celestia said.

"Best of luck to you." Sahrot replied, before he rode off with the dragon. Celestia watched him go for a moment, before she and her sister flew to the tower, hoping that Twilight and the others had found a way to stop the storm.

**********

Starlight sighed in frustration as she had exited the door of the house, thinking to herself of what had went wrong. Spike had followed her out, crumpling the list that Twilight had made and threw it away.

"Guess we won't be needing that anymore. I'm sorry that the lesson didn't go well." he said.

"Its not your fault, Spike, or Twilight's. its me that Sunburst doesn't want to be friends with." she stated.

"I never recalled him saying he didn't want to be your friend." Spike said.

"He didn't have to. I'm the one who ruined this lesson. I'd understand if Twilight would want to disown me her student." Starlight replied, drooping her head down.

"Don't say that, Starlight! Twilight took you in as her student because she believed in you, and I do, too. even if Sunburst doesn't want to be friends with you, you still have Twilight and I to be your friends." Spike stated reassuringly. Starlight lifted her head, a smile slowly forming across her face.

"Thank you, Spike, I guess I forgot about that. I still have you guys, even if one of you has dragons' breath." Starlight said jokingly. Spike looked at her in confusion, before breathing out from his mouth, seeing mist forming in front of him.

"Ummm, Starlight, that isn't dragons' breath. its snowing, look." Spike corrected Starlight, pointing up.

"Wait, what?" Starlight asked, looking up to the sky. she saw massive thunderclouds looming over the Crystal Empire, closing in around the entire city.

"I didn't know that it snowed here. wasn't the Crystal Heart supposed to keep away the harsh weather?" Starlight enquired, as she started to shiver.

"Yes, its supposed to do just that. maybe there's something wrong? oh no, if that's the case, then we'd better hurry back to the tower!" Spike exclaimed, dashing toward the tower, with Starlight following close behind.

**********

Twilight was frantically searching throughout the Crystal Library for anything that could help with the situation. she skimmed several books within the library, reading through the pages to find something, anything, to help with the situation at hand. she sighed in frustration after reading over forty books with nothing helpful. Cadence wasn't fairing much, either, as she flew around each aisle for the spell, with no success. Shining Armor, Pinkie Pie, and Rarity were too busy trying to detain the baby, as it flew around and teleported throughout the entire library. Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Fluttershy were sent outside to try and disband the crowd that had formed for the ceremony. their efforts were in vain, however, as the crowd refused to move. inside the castle, the child fluttered about the aisles in the library, giggling and firing magical bursts of energy along the way, damaging the tower. Shining Armor was chasing her down, along with Pinkie Pie, and were both starting to perspire from their efforts. the child flew around the corner, and into another aisle, only to be greeted with Rarity, who was armed with a butterfly net.

"Got you!" she exclaimed, holding her net up to snare the baby. the child would have flown right into the net, and be caught by Rarity, had she not teleported at the last second. Cadence looked to her distraught husband, not seeing the baby along with him.

"I thought you had the baby taken care of!" Cadence yelled.

"I'm trying!" Shining Armor replied. Cadence sighed with slight frustration as Twilight continued her search for the spell. as they continued searching, the library doors had opened, revealing Starlight and Spike.

"What's going on out there? we saw the strange weather, and the crowd of ponies outside." Starlight asked.

"Do you want the long or short version of the story?" Pinkie asked, clinging onto the child.

"Umm, short?" Starlight responded.

"Well, we had started the Crystalling, and we all met at the Crystal Heart, but then the baby had some difficulty with her magic, because she was actually an alicorn, and then she got sad, and cried so loud it shattered the Heart, and then the weather was starting to get bad, but Sahrot used his weird dragon magic to make the weather go away, and then he, along with princess Celestia and Luna, went of to push back the storm, but it seems like they're having some trouble." Pinkie explained.

"Oh. umm, alright then." Starlight said, more confused than before.

"Wait, Twilight! do you think this book is the one?" Cadence suddenly exclaimed, hovering down the book to Twilight. she took the book, reading through the contents, until she stopped at a page.

"The relic reconstitution spell! of course!" Twilight yelled in excitement. she read the spell, memorizing it so she could use it. just she had finished reading the last few lines, the child had begun to sniffle, until she sneezed, releasing an energy blast from her horn. the beam ricocheted off one the crystal walls, and bounded toward Rarity. she shrieked, lifting up a mirror from her satchel to block the beam. it bounced off Rarity's mirror to nearly strike Cadence, but was deflected by her shield, and headed towards Starlight. she had barely enough time to form a magical barrier around herself, sending the beam to Twilight, who ducked under cover, only to have the beam sear through the spellbook, including the reconstitution spell. the group gasped in shock at what had occurred, for their key to salvation was in ashes.

"I'm so sorry, Twilight!" Starlight exclaimed apologetically.

"Its not your fault, Starlight." Twilight responded, still shaken. she looked through the book one last time, but it was no use. the blast had destroyed the contents of the book, leaving only a large hole burned through it.

"Do you think that you could remember the spell?" Cadence asked hopefully.

"Well, I could try...but it would take time to remember it correctly, and I only read through it once!" Twilight stated.

"Oh, don't worry now, Twilight! if anypony could remember that spell, it'd be you! but I think you might want to start remembering now." Pinkie replied, pointing to a crack in the wall. Twilight looked through the crack, seeing the storm rumbling outside. the storm had nearly engulfed the entire city, smothering the area with snow. she saw the princesses descend from the sky, yet she saw a flying form amidst the clouds. she couldn't make out anything from the figure other than its size, which was gigantic. then she heard two voices, shouting in unison.

"Lok, VAH KOOR!"

with that, the clouds were being driven away, but started to crawl back to their former position. Twilight had covered her ears from the sudden boom, but as she moved her hooves from her ears, she was able to see the form now, and as she looked up, she saw that it was a dragon. she squinted her eyes at a black form behind the dragons' crest, and realized that it was Sahrot, riding the dragon to combat the storm.

"A dragon? how? when? oh goodness, this day has been nothing but pure insanity." Twilight sighed. "Well, I'll see what I can do, then. I just hope that I can remember it correctly."

Twilight went back to the desk that she was previously at, pulling out a quill and paper to write down the spell. Cadence looked at Twilight with worry, not all too sure of her sister-in-law's success.

"Shining, I want you to evacuate the city, just in case this doesn't work." Cadence stated. Shining Armor nodded in response, quickly moving outside. Starlight moved to Twilight's side, hoping that there was something she could do to help.

"Oh, hey Starlight, umm...how was your lesson with Sunburst?" Twilight asked.

"It didn't really work out. turns out he was a big, important wizard who is always busy, which is understandable." Starlight responded, sighing.

"I'm sorry to hear that, Starlight. I wished things could of gone better with your lesson." Twilight said, shaking her head.

"It doesn't really matter, what matters right now is that we try to fix this problem before its too late." Starlight replied. as she said this, Cadence, upon hearing the conversation, had approached Starlight.

"Well, I'm not familiar with the name Sunburst, but if he's an important wizard, then bring him here. we could certainly use his expertize in magic." Cadence said. Starlight's eyes lit up with realization, and a smile formed on her face.

"Yes, of course! I'll get him right away!" Starlight exclaimed, bolting out the door. Spike had followed her as well, hoping that he could help her. the two rushed out of the castle, and into the snow-covered city center. Starlight galloped to Sunburst's house, hoping that he could help with the situation at hand.

**********

Sahrot scanned the city for a moment, making sure the citizens were safe, before turning his attention back to the storm. the clouds have parted slightly, but still remained.

"Curse this weather, its as if the winds of Atmora have come to smother this land!" Sahrot muttered.

"Have no fear, Qahnaarin, we have at least kept the storm at bay, long enough for the people to evacuate. look, down below us!" Durnehviir responded. Sahrot looked down, and sure enough, the Crystal ponies, led by Shining Armor, the princesses, and three of Twilight's friends, were making their way to the train station. before they had reached the end of the city, however, they had stopped. Sahrot was befuddled by this, wondering why they had stopped. as if that was not confusing enough for him, they then turned around and headed back. Sahrot decided that he should investigate the situation.

"Durnehviir! let us see why they have turned back." he shouted.

"Of course, Qahnaarin." Durnehviir replied. the dragon then swooped down towards the group, landing just behind them. upon further inspection, Sahrot had spotted Starlight and Spike along with them, who were noticeably nervous when seeing the dragon, which was also mirrored by the citizens of the Crystal Empire.

"May I inquire why you have not fled to the station, and instead turn back to certain doom?" Sahrot asked.

"Sahrot, is that you? well, we actually found a way to drive back the storm, and fix the Crystal Heart." Starlight said.

"You have? then why are you returning the ponies to the city, wouldn't be safer for them to board the train, just in case it doesn't work?" Sahrot questioned. with that, an orange, slightly unkempt unicorn had stepped forth from the group, wearing a cloak, and glasses.

"E-excuse me, sir but we actually need the ponies in order for the spell to work." the unicorn said. Sahrot stared at him for a moment, before turning to Celestia.

"Do you think this will work?" Sahrot asked.

"I can only hope that it will." she replied. Sahrot sighed, as he thought over the situation. a few seconds had passed by before Sahrot had made his decision.

"Alright, but you must hurry, for I cannot hold this storm off forever." he stated. the unicorn bowed his head in thanks, and departed towards the tower, leading the citizens as well. Sahrot watched them leave, hoping that they would succeed, before a thunderous cloud loomed above him had caught his attention.

"Back to the skies we go, Durnehviir." Sahrot said.

"With pleasure, Qahnaarin." Durnehviir responded, taking to the air once more. the two further ascended into the clouds, once again challenging the might of the storm.

**********

Twilight had just finished writing down the final part of the Reconstitution Spell when Cadence had arrived in the Crystal chamber.

"Is it ready?" Cadence asked.

"Just about, I suppose. I hope this works." Twilight responded, handing the spell back to Cadence. Twilight sighed quietly, as she concentrated on the spell, while Cadence had read through it. a moment later, she had joined Twilight in the spell, pooling her magic into the Crystal Heart. they had continued to fuel the artifact, as an aura of pure magic had concealed the crystal shards, fitting them back into the original form of the heart. the two princesses had ceased pouring in their magic, as the Crystal Heart had floated into the air. Twilight held her breath in anticipation, as the heart hovered in the air. a few moments had passed, before the heart had collapsed to the floor in a pile of fragments, much to the dismay of the princesses.

"The spell failed, I don't know what else to do." Twilight said, sighing. she quickly scrambled through her head for any ideas as to why it did not work. she did not think on it long, however, as one of the curtains had been lifted, revealing princess Celestia and Luna.

"An old student of mine, Sunburst, believes he does." Celestia said promptly. she had taken a step to the side, revealing the orange unicorn behind her. he walked from behind Celestia, and to the heart, inspecting the damage.

"The baby did this?" he asked.

"I tried to put it back together with-" Twilight started, before Sunburst had spoke.

"The Relic Reconstitution spell, that won't do it." he stated. he opened the sack at his side, pulling out a book from it.

"The Crystal Heart has been around for millennia, restoring an artifact such as this would require something much more powerful than one spell. you would need to combine it with something else, something unique to the relic itself, SOMETHING that strengthens it and provides it with power?" Sunburst stated, twirling his hoof around. Twilight gave Sunburst a puzzling look before she realized what he was talking about.

"The Crystalling!" she exclaimed.

"Combining that spell, with the light and love of everypony gathered for the ceremony, together with, some nebulous weather spells to clear away the snow," Sunburst said, handing a scroll to Starlight.

"And a little fledglings' forbearance for the parents," he continued, handing a scroll to princess Cadence. "That should curb the little one's power fluctuations." he stated, tickling the infant.

"You must be Sunburst. Starlight has told us about you and your work. I guess you truly are a powerful wizard." Cadence said.

"Oh, I'm no wizard." Sunburst answered, getting a getting a gasp from everypony within the area.

"But he studied magic his whole life, just look at his house. he knows what he's doing, and since there's no better idea, what have we got to lose?" Starlight said, reassuring the other ponies. Cadence had passed the baby to Shining Armor, who had spoke to Sunburst.

"We thought of having Twilight as our Crystaller, but since she's going to be busy, we have decided to choose you instead." Shining said, handing the child to Sunburst.

"I-I'd be honored." Sunburst replied. as he said this, a distant shout can be heard, as Sahrot has been warding off the storm.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Twilight asked. with that, most of the group headed out of the area, leaving only Twilight, princess Celestia and Luna, and Starlight. the three princesses had started the spell, binding the shards into one whole piece. Starlight quickly read through the spellbook, before joining the princesses in repairing the heart. meanwhile, the rest of the group was outside, along with the citizens of the empire. Sunburst selected a crystal from the case, before making his speech.

"Citizens! I present to you our newest member of the Crystal Empire!" he announced. with that, Cadence and Shining Armor had lifted their child in the air, suspending her with their magic. the baby giggled as she unfolded her wings. the crowd gasped in awe and wonder, taking in the beauty of the infant. they bowed their heads, emanating the love they had felt into the ground. Sunburst quickly placed the crystal on the ground, absorbing the love-fueled magic. he then rushed back into the curtained area, jumping high so he may place the crystal into the heart. as the crystal has bound itself with the heart, the cracks had magically been repaired. with that, a torrent of pure magic had erupted from the Crystal Heart. it spiraled though the crystal spire, and into the sky, blasting away the storm clouds. high above the sky, Sahrot spotted a blinding flash of light, and covered his eyes to shield them from the blast. a moment passed by, as he anticipated the blast. he had felt nothing, however, and so he lowered his arm. he saw now that the blast of magic had cleared away the storm, leaving nothing but a clear, beautiful sky. he looked down at the city, seeing the snow no longer smothering the sheer magnificence of it all. Sahrot sighed in relief, glad that the ponies had succeeded.

"Let us land, Durnehviir, for there is no need to worry of the storm anymore." Sahrot said.

"Of course, Qahnaarin." Durnehviir replied, swooping down to the city below. it had taken only a few moments before they had landed. Sahrot stepped off from Durnehviir's neck, flexing his arms due to constantly straining to hold onto the dragon. he scanned the area, noticing the crowd of ponies at the crystal spire. they all had a strange, crystalline texture to them, confusing the Dragonborn for a moment. he moved around the crowd, receiving looks of wariness from the citizens. Sahrot ignored them as he approached Cadence and Shining Armor.

"I am glad to see that you are alright. is there a chance that the child will have any more magic fluctuations?" Sahrot asked.

"I don't think so. Sunburst has given us a spell to help our daughter with her problem. hopefully it works." Shining answered.

"If you don't mind me asking, what exactly is that on your skin?" Sahrot asked. Shining was confused for a moment, before looking at himself.

"Oh, this? its just an effect that the Crystal Heart has on ponies." Shining said.

"I see...oh! right, where is your sister, Twilight? I have a few questions for her." Sahrot inquired.

"she's right in there." Shining replied, pointing to the curtained area. Sahrot immediately headed in that direction, pulling away the curtains to reveal Twilight, her friends, and the royal sisters, all with the same crystalline texture on there coats. Twilight was talking with Celestia before turning her head to see Sahrot walking in. she smiled warmly at him, and motioned for him to come forth. he did so, and when he was just next to Twilight, Celestia spoke.

"Sahrot, on behalf of all the citizens of the Crystal Empire, we would like to honor you for your noble acts of courage." she stated.
Sahrot was confused for a moment, thinking of what the princess had just said.

"Honor me? why am I to be honored? it was through you and the help of Twilight and her friends that had ultimately saved the city. I had merely held off the storm." Sahrot questioned.

"That may be true, but if you had not held off the storm, then we would all have surely perished under its wrath. you had given us the time we needed to find the solution, and for that, we humbly thank you." Celestia answered, bowing to him. Sahrot said nothing in response, only bowing back in respect. as he got back to his feet, he saw that Twilight had given him a quizzical look.

"What is wrong, Twilight?" he asked.

"I've been wondering...where did that dragon come from?" she said. now everyone in the room was looking at him, wanting to know the same.

"The dragon that is currently outside is an old friend of mine. his name is Durnehviir, and I have summoned him from the Soul Cairn." Sahrot answered.

"An old friend? you're friends with dragons?" Luna enquired.

"Yes. in fact, I am friends with three of the Dov so far." Sahrot stated.

"Dov? what is a Dov?" Cadence asked, walking into the room.

"It seems as though you did not explain to them of my connections with the dragons of my world, Twilight." Sahrot said, turning to her. she blushed slightly as the attention then shifted to her.

"What's he talking about, Twilight?" Rainbow asked.

"Eh heh, umm, its kind of a long story." she said."

**********

An hour had passed by in the crystal spire, as Twilight had explained to the princesses what kind of being Sahrot was. when she had finished, Celestia remained quiet, lowering her head as she was pondering on the situation. after a few moments, she lifted her head, looking directly at Sahrot.

"Where is the area in which you landed?" Celestia asked.

"It is somewhere in the Everfree forest, nearby a swamp-like area. why do you ask?" Sahrot said.

"Is it still open?" Celestia inquired.

"I honestly do not know. I do not think that it's open, however." Sahrot stated.

"How do you explain the dragon, then?" Celestia questioned.

"As I had stated earlier, I had summoned him from the Soul Cairn, one of the realms of Oblivion." Sahrot said.

"What is this Soul Cairn, and Oblivion?" Luna chimed in.

"Oblivion is an alternate plane of existence that is separate from my own. its inhabitants are known as the Daedra, with most of them being demonic, or beastlike in appearance and personality. they follow the Daedric princes, god-like beings who have created their own realms within Oblivion." Sahrot stated.

"God-like? what are these Daedric princes like?" Cadence asked.

"Well, for one, they have no gender, as they are gods, but they have taken forms suiting their personality. they have played several roles in the lives of mortals, whether it is to genuinely help them, or to toy with them for their gain. most of them are evil and corrupt, but there are two who are known to be good, and caring for the people of my realm. one is known as Meridia, the Daedric prince of light, and life." Sahrot answered.

"What's this Meridia supposed to do?" Twilight inquired.

"Not much is known about her, save that she is spiteful towards those of necromancers and undead. I have served her once, and so she has rewarded me with this." Sahrot said, pulling out something from his pack. it was a sword, bathed in a warm, radiant light. a
single gem rested in the middle of the guard, a burning, shimmering light emanating from its center. the rest of the ponies gasped in awe at its beauty, before Sahrot placed it in his sack once more.

"I do believe that we are getting off track. you have asked me of how Durnehviir has been able to come here." Sahrot stated abruptly.

"Oh! yes, of course." Celestia said.

"To be truthful, I honestly don't know how he would be able to appear. all I know is to call his name, and that's all it would take to summon him. if you wish to know, you should try asking him." Sahrot answered, pulling back the curtains. to everyponies surprise, they saw that the dragon is now gone.

"W-where did he go?" Twilight questioned.

"Do not worry, he has merely returned to the Soul Cairn." Sahrot said.

"So...he has the power to traverse realms?" Twilight asked.

"Only when summoned. and do not think that I can use him to travel back to Nirn through the Soul Cairn. I have tried traversing with him before, and it has not worked." Sahrot answered. he turned to Celestia once more.

"Is there any more questions you need answered?" Sahrot asked.

"There are some questions I would like answered, but not for now. I do not wish to hold you here for too long. after all, the train should be arriving soon." Celestia stated. upon hearing this, Twilight immediately looked around the room, spotting the clock on the wall.

"OH NO! WE'RE GOING TO BE LATE FOR THE TRAIN!" Twilight exclaimed. she then ran through the curtains, and to the train station, with her friends following suit.

"WAIT FOR US, TWILIGHT!" Shining yelled. he then galloped after her, with Cadence trotting behind with the baby. Sahrot sighed with slight annoyance, before bowing to the royal sisters, and bolted after the group. Celestia watched him go, unsure of what to think of the argonian.

'Well, he seems to be good at heart, since he helped save the city. he does seem to have a short temper, however.' Celestia thought, recalling back to Twilight's report. 'But, then again, he has been through a lot. traveling through different realms can certainly put anypony on edge.' she turned away from the curtains, and looked to her sister, who nodded in understanding of what she had wanted. they both channeled their magic, and had teleported to the Canterlot castle, where Celestia had begun to devise a way to return Sahrot to his home.

Author's Note

in case anyone did not know, this is the Dragonborn who knows all the shouts and spells in the game (DLC included). also, I'm going to take a few liberties about the timing of the shouts, for convenience. :twilightsmile: also, sorry if this took so long to make, I had to work on a few school projects. :pinkiesad2:

Chapter 7: A New Day in Equestria

It was early at dawn when Sahrot had awoken from his sleep. he yawned slightly, still trying to get himself fully awake. he was used to waking up early, as he wanted to have as much daylight as possible. he rose from his bedroll, rolling it back up and tying it back on his pack. he then slipped on his armor, retrieving his weapons along with it. he then remembered about the staff in his pack. he pulled it out, examining it once more.

"I wonder how this thing works." he whispered. with that thought in mind, he decided to test it out. he pointed it towards the ground, near the door. he then channeled his magicka through his hand, and into the staff, activating it's power. the staff then started to glow, as the orb inside was now a shimmering white light, illuminating the room in a brilliant radiance. for a moment, nothing seemed to happen, but as Sahrot continued holding onto the staff, he noticed the room getting brighter, not from the staff, but from the sun. he turned around to see the sun, and found that it was not dawn, as he expected, but instead in the late morning. he quickly cut off the magicka flow, ceasing the magical effect of the staff. he stared at the staff in his hand, speechless at what it could do.

'It has the power to manipulate time itself? Oh, by Akatosh, this is not good. thankfully, its within my hands, and not the Thalmors'. I MUST keep it with me at all times, then. I shall not toy with this relic any longer.' Sahrot thought to himself. he put the staff back into his pack, slipped it on, and exited the room. when he entered the hallway, he looked left and right for any indication for where Twilight could be. he decided to go left, and walked down the hall. after a few minutes of walking, Sahrot was able to smell something. he sniffed the air, still walking down the hall, and noticed that the smell was rather sweet, like a recently baked pastry.

'Perhaps princess Twilight is having breakfast now. I wonder, just what could it be that she would have? hopefully, it is something that I could eat.' Sahrot to himself, his stomach growling lightly. he continued down the hallway, until he had come across two doors. he was able to smell the food much more now, and it was starting to make his mouth water. he hadn't eaten since yesterday, as he had no food with him, and was a bit on edge when it came to eating their food. now, though, he cannot wait, so with a slight push, he opened the doors in front of him. he saw that it was the dining hall that he had seen yesterday, except now the table is lined with several pastries and fruits. Sahrot then spotted Twilight sitting at the end of the table, eating some kind of round pastry, with cream on top. as soon as the door had shut behind Sahrot, Twilight lifted her head from her dish, spotting Sahrot at the doors. she smiled and waved him over to her, which he obliged. Sahrot then took a seat next to the princess, taking off his helm, and placing it beside him.

"I see you have your things with you. are you planning on going somewhere?" Twilight asked.

"Not at all, Twilight. its simply that I always have my things with me, in case I ever need them." Sahrot replied.

"Oh, well alright, then. did you sleep well?" Twilight said.

"I slept just fine, though I had to resort to my bedroll. it would seem that the bed in that room was too small for my size." Sahrot responded.

"Really? then I'll have arrangements made to get you a larger bed. you shouldn't have to be sleeping on the floor." Twilight stated.

"Its really not a problem, Twilight. I have slept in much worse environments." Sahrot assured, but Twilight was not hearing it.

"Please, Sahrot. no pony, or anyone in general should ever have to sleep like that. I wish to make your stay here a comfortable one, especially after all the help you have given us yesterday." Twilight asserted.

"Well, alright then, if that is what you want to do." Sahrot concurred. he looked away from Twilight for a moment to eye the food that is in front of him, his stomach growling loudly at the sight of it all.

"I see you have quite the selection of sweets here, princess." Sahrot remarked.

"Oh, right, I just made an order of it and had it brought here, in case you were hungry. I hope it wasn't too much." Twilight replied.

"Well, I didn't really eat anything yesterday, but even then..." Sahroot began, scanning the food. "I suppose that if there are any left-overs, then it could be saved for later."

"Alright then, since we got that out of the way, how about you get yourself something to eat. you're more than welcome to dine on the food, Sahrot. you can eat as much as you like." Twilight beamed, pointing towards a plate. Sahrot nodded a thanks to the princess before diving right into the food. he pulled several cakes from one of the bins, along with many slices of pie, cookies, and whatever else may be there, quickly piling up his plate to the point of overfilling. he then stopped at the round pastries, just like the one Twilight was eating, and asked,

"What exactly is this?"

"Oh, these? these are just pancakes." Twilight replied.

"Pancakes? how do you eat these pancakes?" Sahrot said, perplexed.

"Simple, you put atop some maple syrup, then a small scoop of butter, and then you eat it with a spoon and fork, like this." Twilight said, demonstrating for Sahrot. upon seeing Twilights' demonstration, Sahrot then began to follow suit, eating the pancakes alongside everything else he had on his plate. when he was done, about half of the food on the table had been consumed, with Sahrot finally satisfied with his meal.

"I humbly thank you for this delectable breakfast, Twilight. it was very delicious, and if there is anything I can do to repay you, then just ask me." Sahrot stated, rising from his seat.

"Its no problem at all, Sahrot, you don't owe me anything." Twilight said.

"Please, Twilight, there is no need in acting modest." Sahrot responded.

"Well...there is that magical demonstration that you said you would show me." Twilight thought aloud.

"Oh, I did say that, didn't I? well, if that is what you wish, then so be it. though, I think it would be a good idea to hold it outside, in order to prevent any damages." Sahrot answered. with that, Twilights' eyes lit up at Sahrots' words.

"Just like a magic show! that's a great idea, then everypony in Ponyville can watch as you show us all what Tamrielic magic looks like." Twilight exclaimed.

"Well, um...are you sure about that? I must warn you that some of the spells I know are very dangerous to anyone that is near me, so if you really want that, then there must be a safety zone established, say, a thirty-foot radius." Sahrot cautioned.

"Oh, of course, Sahrot. so, when do you plan on showing us?" Twilight inquired.

"I would say during the afternoon, to have time for preparations." Sahrot responded.

"Alright then. I'll be sure to have everypony to see what you can do." Twilight said.

"In the meantime, I'll be taking walk around Ponyville, in order to be familiar with the place." Sahrot replied. they both shook hands in agreement, and Sahrot then left the dining hall, and exited the castle, ready to explore the town of Ponyville.

***********

Today was a particularly bright and joyful day in Ponyville. the flowers are blooming in the weather, the children are having fun with each other, and everypony in general was having a good time. however, a certain pony was currently busy with farm work in order to enjoy the day, and that pony was Applejack. Applejack was just about done with rallying the pigs back in the pen with her dog, Winona. she went inside the house, and was about to get her trusty companion a tasty reward, until she noticed that the box of dog treats was empty.

"Aww, dag nabbit, we ran outta dog treats again! Ah'm sorry, Winona, we're out of treats for ya." Applejack said, frowning to her dog. Winona whimpered for a bit, and rubbed her nose gingerly against Applejacks' foreleg.

"Don't you worry a bit, Winona, Ah'm gonna go out in Ponyville and getcha some treats." Applejack reassured Winona. the dog then barked happily at Applejack, waving her tail back and forth in excitement. Applejack smiled and patted Winona on the head, before grabbing her bag of bits, and headed out the door. it had taken Applejack about ten minutes to reach Ponyville, and was greeted by all the residents. she walked through town for about five minutes before taking a turn to the right, into the market area. she then stopped at the local store that was nearest to her, and entered. as she strolled into the store, she noticed the Cakes couple was also in the store, and turned to greet them.

"Howdy there, Mr. and Mrs. Cake." Applejack began.

"Oh, hello Applejack, it's so nice to see you." Mrs. Cake replied.

"So what are ya'll up to this time of the day?" Applejack inquired.

"Well, we just came in to get some baking supplies, as we're running out, especially the flour." Mr. Cake said.

"Really now? from the looks of things, Ah thought you had at least enough for a couple more days." Applejack stated.

"That's what we thought, too, until princess Twilight had ordered a large delivery of baked goods by morning, so we had to use up almost all our supplies." Mrs. Cake responded.

"Huh? why would she want to do that?" Applejack asked.

"She didn't exactly say, she just said that it was for a guest, and that she didn't know what amount he would eat." Mr. Cake answered.

"Hmmm...if Ah to guess, Ah'd say that it was for Sahrot." Applejack thought aloud.

"Sahrot? you mean that scary-looking, two legged, reptile guy?" Mr. Cake asked.

"Don't worry about him, he's actually a nice feller, once ya to know him. he actually played a supportive role in saving the Crystal Empire yesterday, and Ah suppose Twilight's doin' this to thank him." Applejack responded.

"Really? that thing actually helped SAVE the Crystal Empire?" Mrs. Cake questioned, doubt being apparent in her tone. Applejack didn't like the way Mrs. Cake referred to him as a thing, and decided to clarify to her about her word choice.

"Now listen here, Mrs. Cake. Ah know that you're a good pony an' all, and that you have yer doubts about Sahrot, but Ah can tell you that Sahrot has done nothing so far to warrant any negative feelings toward him. he's actually a nice person, and he's even helped save the Crystal Empire, so much so that without him, we would've all been buried underneath a sea of snow and ice." Applejack retorted.

"Oh, I meant no offense, dear, its just that, well, we don't know what he is. he is just so mysterious, and he looks so intimidating, especially in that armor." Mrs. Cake stated.

"Well, looks are one thing, actions are another, and so far, Sahrot has shown through his actions that he is a good individual, who would help anyone in need. Ah wish you a good day, and hopefully y'all can be a little more open to him." Applejack said, before going off into one of the aisles, leaving the Cakes to do their shopping. with them behind, Applejack went on to find the dog treats in one of the many shelves of pet food. she then went on to purchase the treats at the check-out, and exited the store. as she left, she turned back to the direction she came, clutching the treats in her right hoof. she waved at a few of the locals as she walked by them, who smiled and waved back. she was about to make another turn, until she saw something in the corner of her eye. she turned to look at it, only to realize that it was Sahrot, who was calmly walking around the town, as if exploring it. she began to feel curious, wondering why he was out at this time of the day. she decided that she would find out by talking to him, and strolled over to him.

"Howdy there, Sahrot." she greeted. Sahrot turned from his focus at a floral shop, and instead looked at Applejack.

"Ah, greetings again, Applejack." Sahrot replied.

"So, what're ya doin' in this time of the day?" Applejack asked.

"I've decided to do some sightseeing around this town, in order to get familiar with the place." Sahrot answered. "What are you doing?"

"Oh, Ah've been getting some treats for my dog." Applejack said. "Enjoyin' the sights?"

"So far, yes, the town here is beautiful, full of color, life, and people. I did not know that you had a dog, though." Sahrot responded.

"Well, ya do now. her name's Winona, and she's my trusty companion." Applejack said proudly.

"Oh, well that's good to hear, then. a person can always benefit from having a companion alongside them. " Sahrot stated.

"Well, thanks, Sahrot. anyway, Ah'm gonna head back to my farm, now. see ya around." Applejack stated, before turning towards the direction where her home is. before she could leave, however, Sahrot remembered what was planned for today, and decided that Applejack should know as well.

"OH! Applejack, I nearly forgot to mention, Twilight is planning on putting up a public magic show for the people of Ponyville." Sahrot informed Applejack.

"Really now? who exactly is going to be putting on the show?" Applejack asked.

"That would be me, actually." Sahrot replied.

"Wait, what? YOU, are gonna put on a little show, displayin' all yer fancy magic, here, in public?" Applejack questioned.

"Yes, that would be the case. I know it may sound like a very strange idea, but I decided that it would be a good idea to show them of what I am, and what I am capable of. by doing this, I believe that they may become a little scared, but at least they will know that I am honest to them, and then I would be able to assure them that I am not a threat, with you and your friends' help, of course." Sahrot answered. Applejack stared at Sahrot for a moment, wondering if this really is a idea.

'Ah don't exactly think that this is a great idea, but if Twilight and Sahrot are fine with it, then Ah suppose it could work. it is best to be honest about what a pony can do, after all.' She thought before speaking.

"Alright, Sahrot, if you and Twilight are okay with this, then Ah suppose that it will be fine. I'll be sure to tell Pinkie, Ah'm sure she'll spread the word much faster. well, see ya at the show, then." Applejack said, turning once again away from Sahrot, and heading back to her home.

"Of course. be sure to bring along your family, because its going to be a spectacle." Sahrot called out.

"Will do." Applejack replied, before turning the corner.

'Ah'm sure that it is going to be quite a show. Ah wonder if Applebloom would want to see the show? hmm, probably will. whelp, Ah guess that would be more of an incentive for her to finish up her chores.' Applejack thought, before turning another corner. she walked for a few more minutes, until she came across Sugarcube Corner. she went inside for a small bit, just to tell Pinkie about the coming event, which she happily agreed to spread around the town. with that done, she continued on with her walk back home, to give Winona her treat, as well as tell her family about the upcoming magic show. Applebloom's friends were there as well, and were cheerful about it, Applebloom seeing it as an opportunity to take a break from the daily chores. that is until Granny Smith chimed in, saying that they've still got work to do. with that in mind, Applebloom's friends left, saying that they'll wait for her at the tree house when she was done. after they left, the Apple family continued with their chores, working vigorously to finish. when they were done, it was early in the afternoon, a perfect time to head to the show. and decided to go and see it when they were all done with their chores.

**********

It was afternoon in the town of Ponyville, with its residents buzzing over the news. word has spread around that there was supposedly a magic show today, and the one who was demonstrating was the mysterious being called Sahrot Strun. several ponies chattered about the creature, wondering what in the world it was. they heard of what had happened at the Crystal Empire, and felt somewhat at ease when they heard of Sahrot's contributions to saving the city. however, some were still wary of him, feeling that he may still be potentially dangerous.
meanwhile, Sahrot himself was waiting beside Twilight as preparations were being made. Sahrot had instructed Twilight's helpers to set up several targets, a single chunk of iron ore, a large boulder, and for Twilight herself to set up a magic field in case things may get out of hand.
as preparations were finishing up, a crowd was starting to gather around the sets. Twilight's friends were the first to arrive, with Applebloom and her friends accompanying Applejack. Sahrot noticed a large, red stallion and a small, old, green mare with Applejack as well.

"I take it that they are your family?" Sahrot asked.

"Yep. this here is Big Macintosh, my older brother," Applejack started, pointing to her sibling.

"Eeyup." was all that he said.

"Ya already met Applebloom, so Ah wouldn't think there'd be any need for an introduction." Applejack went on. Sahrot looked down at the young yellow filly that accompanied her, smiling behind his helm as he waved to her and her friends.

"And now, Ah'd like to introduce ya to our grandma, Granny Smith." Applejack finished, pointing her hoof to a shorter, old mare, who was covered in a green coat, and wiry hair that was tied up in a bun."

"So yer the new face in Ponyville, eh?" Granny asked.

"Yes, that would be correct, madam." Sahrot stated, bowing respectively.

"Oh, there's no need for that, sonny, though Ah am grateful fer the gesture. some ponies nowadays have no respect fer their elders." Granny replied.

"it was nice to meet you, Granny Smith." Sahrot responded. "Twilight are the preparations ready?"

"Yes, just about." Twilight replied, motioning her hoof towards the set.

"Alright, then, I suppose that I should get going, then. hopefully you all may find this performance entertaining." Sahrot said, before back to the central stage. "Wish me luck."

"Oh! and one more thing, I sent a message earlier today to the princesses, so they should be arriving right about..." Twilight began, but before she could finish, a flash of light emanated just in front of the group. when the light died down, it revealed both princess Celestia and Luna.

"...Now." Twilight finished, turning to the princesses.

"Greetings, again, your majesties." Sahrot said, bowing respectively.

"It is good to see you once again, Sahrot." Celestia replied, bowing back. "My former student Twilight has informed me that you would be demonstrating your magical abilities in a magic show."

"She would be correct in saying that." Sahrot stated.

"Well then, I hope that it would be quite entertaining. I wish you the best of luck, Sahrot." Celestia responded, smiling at him. Sahrot bowed his head slightly, before waving the group off. he walked over to the stage, facing dozens upon dozens of ponies, including his new friends, whose eyes are all on him. he sighed quietly, before he looked to the crowd.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I am Sahrot Strun. I came to your world by accident, and I know that you all may be a little worried and confused by my presence. but fear not, for I am no threat to you, or any other individual in Equestria. I am honored to have the hospitality of one of your rulers, Twilight Sparkle." Sahrot began, looking towards Twilight, smiling behind his helm as she appeared to be flustered when all the attention shifted to her. " I have gathered you all here at this time to show a demonstration of my power, that way you may be familiar with what I can do, and to hopefully entertain you all." with his speech finished, Sahrot then turned from the crowd, and instead to one of the targets, which appeared to be some kind of straw-stuffed mannequin shaped like a pony. with his sight on the target, he raised his hand toward it, as the magical energy stored in his body flowed into it, and he prepared to fire a spell.

Chapter 8: Tamrielic Magic

Sahrot's hand began to glow with a magical aura, as electricity started running down his arm. he released the energy building up in his arm, and directed it to the target, with several streams of electricity flowing out of his hand. the streams struck the target, which in turn caused it to set ablaze from the electricity. some of the crowd members gasped in awe at the sight, while Sahrot's friends, particularly Twilight, watched with excitement. with the first target down, Sahrot pointed his other hand at another, this time incinerating it with a blast of fire. he turned to a third target, and blasted it with a stream of ice, watching as the dummy was coated in a layer of frost, already seeming to fall apart due to the cold.

'These targets seem to be particularly weak. they're falling apart already, even though I'm only using novice level spells.' Sahrot thought to himself. he decided to leave the targets alone for a moment, and address the crowd of what is to happen next.

"Those were were only novice level spells of the school of destruction. now I will demonstrate some spells of the illusion class." he said aloud. "I am going to need a volunteer."

the crowd went silent for a moment, the ponies looking at one another with worry and confusion.

"Do not be afraid, these spells are not physically harmful in nature, so there is no need to worry." Sahrot stated, hoping to calm the crowd. the ponies still looked around as if unsure, until princess Celestia walked forward, much to everypony's surprise.

"Oh, so you wish to help me, your highness? I am honored to have you aid me. do not worry, I will only use illusion spells, so it is nothing serious." Sahrot explained, watching as Celestia passed through the barrier.

"I would hope that it is not. I will help you demonstrate, though I did not expect that you would require the help of another." Celestia replied. with the princess at his side, Sahrot began using his magic. his right hand began to glow in a green aura, before he casted it on Celestia, enveloping her in a green light.

"Goodness, I-I feel so...powerful, almost as if I'm invincible." Celestia stammered, getting a gasp out of the crowd. she looked towards Sahrot for an explanation.

"This spell is known as 'courage', and the effect it has is that it gives the one whom it was casted upon a sense of empowerment, as well as boost their vitality and stamina a little." Sahrot explained. his hand was consumed in magic again, this time in a red aura.

"I will warn you about this one. this next spell is called 'fury' and what it does is drive anyone under the effect into a berserker rage. so if you do not wish to under go this, then we could move on to the next class, Alteration." Sahrot said.

"Yes, perhaps that is best, for I do not know if I could handle the spell." Celestia answered. Sahrot nodded in response, before his hand glowed in an orange aura, and he pointed it to a piece of iron ore on one of the the tables. seconds later, the ore flew from the table, and into his hand. Celestia's eye's widened a bit, surprised how the ore was in Sahrot's hand without him grabbing it.

"Telekinesis." Was all he said after Celestia asked him.

"Now, with a spell known as Transmute, I am going to turn this chunk of iron ore into silver, and then into gold." Sahrot said. his hand glowed green again, and the ore had indeed changed from iron into silver. he used the spell again, and this time, the ore was now of gold. everypony in the crowd gasped at what has happened, Twilight looking at Sahrot with shock and excitement. satisfied with his performance, he handed the ore to Celestia.

"You can keep this, if you like." he said. he turned back to the crowd, this time looking at Rainbow Dash.

"You. I would like you to come over here for a moment." he said, pointing at her. Rainbow stared at the argonian at first, but shrugged and flew to him, landing right on the stage.

"Is there something you need?" she asked. she felt nervous being here with him, but she didn't show it.

"Why yes, actually. I just need you to help me with a little demonstration." he said. with that, he took off his helm, revealing his scarred face once more, much to the dismay of half the crowd. he knelt down to be at her level, but still had to look down at her.

"I want you to hit me, right here." he said calmly, pointing to his cheek. Rainbow Dash, along with her friends, the princesses, and the crowd let out a collective gasp of shock and confusion.

"And WHY would you want me to do that?" Rainbow questioned.

"As I said, it is for a demonstration. do not worry about hurting me, as I have taken a lot of pain in my life." Sahrot replied. Rainbow stared into his eyes, wondering if he was telling the truth.

"Are you sure about this?" Rainbow asked.

"Yes! now hurry up and do it already, unless your scare-"

WHACK!

Sahrot's head was forced to his right side, where he could see the crowd gasp in shock. he felt a slight pain in his cheek, and he tasted blood in his mouth. he turned his head to see Rainbow dash, who had her hoof held up beside her.

"How was that, then?" Rainbow said, smirking. Sahrot spat the blood in his mouth, and smiled at the rainbow-haired mare.

"Is that all you've got? it wouldn't be too bad a blow, especially if you were a child, but I'm honestly disappointed." Sahrot responded coolly.

"Wait, that didn't hurt you?" Rainbow asked.

"No, not really, though I can't say I was surprised." Sahrot stated.

"But, how can you just shake it off like it's nothing?" Rainbow inquired.

"Oh, please, Rainbow, its as I have said, I have taken in a lot worse pain in my life. I've been pelted by hundreds of arrows, stabbed and slashed multiple times, and bombarded with several spells. I've been electrocuted, frozen, set on fire, paralyzed, bludgeoned, poisoned, and sometimes, all at once. almost every single day in my life, I've had to protect people from bandits, wild animals, magic-users, dragons, werewolves, even undead creatures, such as vampires and ghouls. despite what I'm faced with, though, I do it all with a smile on my face, knowing that the people would be safe, and the threat eliminated." Sahrot elaborated. with that, Rainbow, along with everypony else, had looks of absolute horror upon their faces.

"Y-you had to go through all of t-that?" Rainbow stammered.

"Anything to keep the innocent safe, my friend. but enough of that, time to move on with the demonstration." Sahrot said, his left hand now being enveloped in a turquoise aura. when he had cast it, the aura encompassed his entire body, leaving him with a bluish tint.

"Now hit me again." Sahrot said. Rainbow looked at him with uncertainty, before sighing and raising her hoof once more.

WHAM!!

Rainbow's hoof connected with Sahrot's cheek once more, but this time Sahrot's head didn't even budge, nor did he feel any pain. the one who was in pain was instead Rainbow Dash, who was clutching her right hoof in agony.

"OH GOODNESS, MY HOOF! ARNGH, WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU!?" Rainbow yelled.

"Well, I simply used another spell, called Dragonhide. this spell essentially hardens my body and armor, making it as tough as the hide of a dragon, hence the name." Sahrot explained. "So, how does it feel?"

"Like I just punched a steel wall." Rainbow muttered. "Think I might have damaged it a little."

"That's not good. here, let me help you with that." Sahrot replied, kneeling once again. he placed his left hand under her hoof, and raised his right one over it. then, his hand shimmered with a golden light, which flowed from his hand, and into the injured hoof. for a few seconds, the hoof was bathed in the light, until Sahrot stopped the spell. Rainbow looked down at her hoof, shocked that there was no pain. she flexed her hoof, feeling no pain whatsoever.

"H-how'd you do that?" she whispered.

"A simple Restoration spell, my friend. hopefully that hoof of yours will get better. oh, and you can head back to your spots if you want." Sahrot said. "Well, time to move on to the next type of magic, Conjuration."

With that, both Rainbow and Celestia took their places, as Sahrot shot both hands forward. instead of his hands being covered in an aura, two spheres of a violet light formed in his hands. then, the spheres suddenly grew larger, and and started to take form. now, instead of the orbs, two spectral blades were in the argonian's hands, much to the surprise of the ponies.

"This spell is called 'Bound Sword', it allows me to summon summon the powers of Oblivion to formulate these blades into my hands. I can summon other weapons too, such as..." He began, cancelling out the spells in hands, and banishing the blades into nothingness. with that, his hand glowed again, this time summoning a bow and arrow. he promptly draws an arrow from his quiver, aiming his sight on one of the untouched targets. he then fired the arrow, watching as it sliced through the air, before embedding itself into the head of the dummy. after the crowd gasped at his performance, he summoned forth a giant battleaxe, thereby getting rid of the bow and arrows. he leaped from the stage and landed next to one of the dummies, in which he proceeded to chop into pieces. he banished the axe from existence, and started to draw out his magicka reserves.

"And now for the grand finale!" Sahrot yelled, slowly moving his hands around. his hands and arms were then consumed in a burning flame, though it did not hurt the argonian. then, he suddenly slammed his hand into the ground, which in turn brought forth a massive explosion of fire. all the dummies, used or not, were completely smothered in the flames, which had covered the area that was not blocked by Twilight's barrier, excluding the stage. Twilight strained to contain the blast, while most of the crowd cowered in fear. a few moments passed, as the smoke within the barrier cleared, revealing an ash-swept floor. there was, however, no sign of Sahrot anywhere. Twilight, along with everypony else, were looking around the place, trying to find the argonian.

'He couldn't have gone anywhere, and he can't be hard to find...' Twilight thought '...Oh no, what if he...?'

she looked back at the stage, fear gripping her heart as she thought of the worst thing that could have happened right now. she had walked a few feet towards the stage, worried if she was right.

"BOO."

Twilight jumped so high in the air that she was well above the houses. as she descended, she was able to see Sahrot looking up at her with a smile on his face. she slowly landed on her feet, as she glared up at the argonian.

"WHY DID YOU DO THAT!?" she yelled. Sahrot only looked down at her with the same grin on his face.

"Sorry if I truly frightened you, but I just couldn't resist the opportunity." Sahrot stated. Twilight just stared at him angrily for a minute, before sighing with a smile of her own.

"Okay, I will admit that it was a little funny." she began, but looked at Sahrot again with a serious expression. "But don't do anything like that again. I honestly thought that you were...were..."

Sahrot's expression softened at what she said, and so he knelt down to her level.

"Listen, I am sorry about what I did then. I know that we may have only met for a day, but I see that you care for me, as I do for you. so, if you wish, I will not try to prank you from now on." he said. he extended his hand toward her. she put her hoof in his hand, and they shook, thus sealing the deal. with that done, Sahrot looked at all the ponies that made the crowd. they simply gawked at him response, unable to speak.

"Well, I thought that there was a celebration to be made of my arrival and performance." Sahrot said aloud. as if on cue, Pinkie rushed to and from the SugarCube Corner, and soon, a massive party ensued.

"COME ON EVERYPONY, LET'S GET THIS PARTY STARTED!!!" Pinkie yelled. the crowd then started to applaud, both at Sahrot's performance, and the celebration that ensued.

Author's Note

sorry if this chapter was rather short, but I just wanted to get this one out of the way in order to move on to more interesting things, like the dragons, and the changelings. also, I'll skipping on a few moments from season 6, just to get the plot moving.

Chapter 9: Dragons of Equestria

Six days had passed since Sahrot's arrival, and he had begun to settle in this new land. during his stay, he had been exploring the Everfree Forest, searching for the spot where he had landed. it had taken him hours, but he managed to find it. he led Twilight to the exact same spot where he had landed. she was able to sense an energy-based fluctuation, but she not able to do anything else beyond that. they had just gotten to the castle when the princesses had arrived. they went inside to chat about current events, Sahrot informing them of the spot where he landed, and of the energy disturbance there.

"I'm honestly surprised that you are taking the whole 'trapped in another world' situation rather well." Celestia commented, taking a sip of her tea.

"I've actually been in this kind of situation before. I was transported to a plane of Oblivion, once." Sahrot replied.

"Oh? how was that like?" Twilight asked.

"It was the strangest experience I've had thus far. I was taken to the Oblivion plane known as the Shivering Isles, ruled by Sheogorath, the Prince of Madness." Sahrot answered. he was about to explain further, until the doors to their meeting room burst open, revealing a disheveled Rarity, alongside Spike, who was glowing brightly.

"Twilight, I need your help, we were in the mines, until Spike started glowing like this!" Rarity yelled, holding out Spike. the young drake stepped nervously towards the princesses, unsure what to do.

"I know what this is. the dragon lord is summoning all dragons back to the dragonlands." Celestia said, shaking her head.

"The dragon lord? who is that supposed to be?" Sahrot asked.

"The dragon lord, as the name implies, is the ruler of all dragons in Equestria, and it is said that all dragons follow him or her without question." Luna explained.

"And he is calling forth all dragons to him, for whatever reason it may be." Celestia continued. "The glowing will not stop until all dragons are present before him."

"I've never heard a dragon do that before. I must wonder if these dragons are truly like the ones on Nirn." Sahrot thought aloud.

"Well, only one way to find out." Twilight said, beaming. "I for one would love to go there. we are severely lacking in dragon culture, and this is the opportunity of a lifetime for us to find out!"

as she said this, everyone in the room besides her and Sahrot just stared at her with unamused expressions, which caused her to feel rather awkward.

"Well, I'll be going with him too, I don't want to see my Spikey-Wikey like this." Rarity said. Sahrot ignored her and looked towards the princesses.

"Then I will join them as well. I wish to see what these dragons are like, and if they could possibly help me." Sahrot stated. Twilight looked at him with uncertainty.

"Are you sure about this? it could be dangerous." she said. Sahrot only chuckled at what she said.

"Twilight, did you not hear about what I said at my performance? I have been through much pain in my life, and I have slain many dragons as well. I don't think I'll have much of a problem." he responded.

"Well...alright." Twilight conceded, unsure how to respond to his logic. "But how could they possibly help you, though?"

Sahrot thought for a moment at what Twilight said, before replying, "I do not know, but I can only hope that they are like the dragons of my world. if that were to be the case, then they may be able to find a way to get me back home."

He then looked down at Twilight, who seemed content with his answer.

"Well then, since that is settled, how about we get to the dragonlands?" Sahrot said. Celestia nodded her head, before using her magic to summon forth a map, which had a marked area near the center.

"This map will show you how to navigate the dragonlands, and where you should go. my sister and I can teleport you near the dragonlands, but as soon as you enter it, you may find that your magic will be harder to use. this is because the area has natural fortifications against any kind of magic. once you leave the land, however, you can use your magic regularly." Celestia explained, handing the map to Twilight. "Are you all ready?"

"Yes we are, princess." Twilight said. Celestia nodded her head as the small group huddled closer together. the celestial sisters began using their magic to envelop the group in a bright light, before they sent them off.

"I hope that they will be alright. I am not sure that the dragons will help Sahrot, though." Luna thought aloud.

"We can only hope for the best, sister." Celestia responded.

**********

When the light died down, and Sahrot was able to see again, he saw that he and the others had been teleported to a narrow valley. he scanned the area around him, seeing a forest behind them, and a barren wasteland ahead of them.

"If I had to guess, I would say that is where we need to go." Sahrot said, pointing to the wasteland.

"Yeah, you would right in saying that." Twilight replied, looking over the map. "It says that the area we would need to go would be here, in the center of this land."

"Oh, lets just get this over with, I don't want to be in this rugged area any longer than I need to." Rarity said. everyone else nodded in agreement, and headed out. it had taken them hours of walking, since none of them, besides Sahrot, was able to use their magic effectively. once they had gotten close, they were able to spot a massive gathering of dragons surrounding a mountain, who, to the disappointment of Sahrot, had little resemblance to the Dov.

"Well, that crushed my hopes of getting back home." Sahrot grumbled, folding up his arms.

"Hey, don't give up just yet. you still got us, remember?" Twilight said reassuringly.

"Oh, I'm not giving up yet, Twilight. I'm just a little annoyed that I've ran into a dead end, is all." Sahrot responded.

"Sshh! keep it down, or they might see us!" Spike whispered.

"Oh, right! I nearly forgot about this." Rarity said, pulled out some strange garment.

"Rarity, what in Celestia is that supposed to be?" Twilight asked, looking it over.

"It's a special rock disguise, deary, and I'm sure we'll need it, since we're in an area filled with dragons, and I don't think that we'd be welcomed here." Rarity explained.

"Well, okay, but what about Sahrot?" Twilight stated, pointing to the argonian.

"Do not worry about me, Twilight. I can handle myself. besides, it seems that there's room for only the two of you, and barely at that." Sahrot said, dismissive towards the disguise.

"Um, alright, then, but just try to be careful." Twilight said. Sahrot nodded in reply, watching as Twilight and Rarity both got into the disguise. he had to admit, it looked very convincing, though he thought the two eyeholes were a dead giveaway. with the two ponies in their disguise, they then head off to the gathering. when they arrived, the other dragons eyed Sahrot and Spike warily, or more specifically, Sahrot.

"Well, look who showed up! and he brought along a friend, too!" someone yelled. when the both of them turned around, they spotted the source of the voice. it was a dragon, roughly shorter than Sahrot's chest, with red scales and a yellow frill. it seemed to be male, due to it's build and voice, and it was sneering at Spike. "It's our 'little pal, Spike!"

"Do you know this dragon?" Sahrot whispered to Spike.

"Yeah, his names Garble, and he's essentially the biggest jerk I've ever met." Spike grumbled as the dragon approached them. Sahrot didn't like the sound of that, and he especially hated bullies. the dragon walked right up to the argonian, looking straight into the sockets of his helmet.

"And what are you supposed to be, 'cause you're certainly no dragon." Garble stated, glaring at him.

"At least not any dragon that you may have heard of." Sahrot said calmly. Garble only snorted in response, and turned his attention Spike.

"So, is he supposed to be your bodyguard or something? did those puny ponies send him with you, little baby dragon?" Garble sneered, pinching Spike's cheeks. the small dragon slapped away his hands, starting to get annoyed by him.

"Will you just leave me alone?" Spike grumbled.

"But why would I want to do that? I'm just having a little fun." Garble said teasingly. before he could do anything else, though, a gauntlet-covered hand firmly grasped his left shoulder, before pulling him away from the small dragon, and back to the argonian.

"Listen here, you worm. I don't want to see you anywhere near this dragon, or bothering him in any way. is that understood?" Sahrot said coldly. the dragon looked at the argonian in disbelief, before narrowing his eyes.

"And what if I don't follow along?" he said angrily. Sahrot said nothing in return, but gripped Garble's shoulder even harder, making the dragon wince in pain. he then spoke three words.

"IIZ, SLEN NUS!"

After he spoke, the dragon in front of him was now encased in solid ice, frozen stiff like a statue. the argonian promptly let him go, watching as he fell to the ground in a solid thud. looked at the other dragons nearby, who seemed to be shaken by what he did.

"And that applies to all of you, as well," Sahrot said. "If any of you mess with me or him, then you answer to me. is that clear?"

the other dragons quickly nodded their heads in answer. satisfied, he turned to Spike, chuckling to himself when he saw the young dragon stare at him in awe.

"I-I do-wh-wha?" Spike stammered.

"I take it you've never seen my true power?" Sahrot said, already knowing the answer.

"Um, yeah, h-how'd you do that?" Spike asked.

"This is the power of the Dovah, Spike. I have been born with the blood and soul of a dragon, thus I am able to speak and understand their tongue rather easily." Sahrot answered.

"I'll have to ask you about the dragons you know about when we get home, 'cause I have no idea what your saying." Spike said. "Though it was pretty cool what you did back there. no pun intended."

"Of course, Spike, and I meant what I said to him. friends have to look after each other, after all." Sahrot replied. Spike said nothing in reply, but smiled faintly at what Sahrot said, glad that he considered him a friend. the two of them waited for a moment, wondering why they were even here, before they heard massive wing-beats. they turned around to see a gargantuan dragon that was half the size of the mountain land upon it. he turned his eyes to the mass of dragons before him

"DRAGONS OF EQUESTRIA, HEAR ME! I have been Dragonlord for longer than any of you can remember, and my reign has been extraordinary!" it shouted. "AGREE WITH ME!"

with that, every dragon started cheering for the massive dragon before them. Sahrot simply rolled his eyes at the scene, while Spike was quaking on his feet.

"Who's that supposed to be?" Sahrot asked one of the dragons.

"H-he's Dragonlord Torch." the dragon stammered.

"And who's that?" Spike asked, pointing at a blue dragon floating next to Torch.

"That would be princess Ember, the Dragonlord's daughter." another dragon answered.

"Unfortunately, according to the dragon laws, it is time for me to step down. sad, I know." Torch said. he then looked to the dragons, annoyance appearing on his face.

"BE SAD!" he roared. the dragons did as he told, and started to cry, Sahrot looking at the display in disgust.

"This is why I have summoned you, to compete for the throne, in the gauntlet of FIRE!" Torch announced, getting cheers from the crowd of dragons.

"Whomever has the strength and fortitude to retrieve this Bloodstone Scepter, from the heart of the Flame-cano," Torch began, holding up said scepter. "Will become the new Dragonlord!" with that, he flicked the scepter into a large volcano, which let out an explosion of magic that washed over the dragons, who now no longer glowed. Sahrot had an expression of boredom at what the Dragonlord said.

'So, the giant idiot wants these dragons to play fetch in order to become the ruler? how absurd, I'll just take my leave here, then.' he thought to himself. he turned around to face Spike when they both heard a sneeze coming from the 'boulder next to them. the other dragons turned towards them in confusion.

"OH, eh, excuse me." Spike quickly said. the other dragons then turned away from them, thinking they now know who it was.

"The gauntlet is dangerous, as I have designed it myself, and only dragon with my ferocity, strength, and determination, will be able to finish. we will gather at the cliff, when the sun is at its peak!" the Dragonlord finished, gaining more cheers from the dragons beneath him.

"I don't want to be Dragonlord, or dragon toast, and I stopped glowing, so lets go." Spike said. Sahrot nodded in agreement, and the two start to head off, pushing their 'boulder' together. the Dragonlord lord then notices them leaving, and his expression became that of confusion.

"Wha, where do you two think you're going?!" He boomed, halting them. the other dragons quickly separated themselves from the two, as Torch eyed them. they turned to face the Dragonlord, Spike become nervous, while Sahrot stood motionless, his expression unreadable due to his helm.

"Um, we were just leaving to get home." Spike said. the dragon lowered his head to their level.

"You don't get to leave unless I say so." he replied.

"And why would that be?" Sahrot asked. the dragon reared his head back up, confused at what the argonian said.

"Because I am the lord of all dragons, therefore you do as I say!" Torch. Sahrot simply shook his head at what the Dragonlord said.

" We are citizens of the pony kingdom. we follow their rules, not yours. well, HE, is a citizen of the pony kingdom, and I hail from a different land all together." Sahrot elaborated. the Dragonlord snorted at the argonian's words, while Spike looked at him nervously.

"And who are you supposed to be, little dragon, to question my authority?" Torch demanded.

"Who am I?" Sahrot replied, pulling off his helm to reveal his face. "I am Dovahkiin, the Dragonborn. slayer of Alduin, the World-Eater. the savior of Nirn, my homeworld. I am the mightiest of the Dovah, the TRUE DRAGONS! and yet here all you overgrown snakes with wings are, claiming that you are anything like us, when in reality you are all just pathetic little weaklings with no spine, whatsoever. let me show what a true dragon looks like!"

with that, he turned around and shouted, "DUR, NEH VIIR!"

a massive violet vortex then formed at his feet, a form taking shape in the center. when the vortex settled, a dragon that was slightly more than half the size of Torch took its place.

"It, it can't be..." Torch began in disbelief. the other dragons looked at this new dragon with fear, not knowing what it was.

"Ah, Qahnaarin, what is it that you need of me?" Durnehviir said. he then turned to the 'dragons' before him. "What manner of creatures are they?"

"They believed themselves to be Dov, like you and I." Sahrot explained.

"These small little lizards? Bah! as if they could ever measure up to you and I." Durnehviir snorted.

"I-I don't believe it...a wyvern." Torch began, gaining everyone's attention. "Then, the legends are true, then."

"What legend do you speak of, Torch?" Sahrot asked.

"It is the legend of the wyverns, dragons so ancient and powerful, that we thought of them to be mythical...until now." Torch grumbled.

"So the Dovah are to your kind what an alicorn would be to pony-kind, rare and mysterious." Sahrot said.

"Aye, the wyverns ruled over our kind a long ago, but have mysteriously disappeared. now, we have ruled over ourselves, but it seems as though that will change." Torch replied.

"Hold it there, I do not wish to rule over you. we simply wish to leave." Sahrot stated. the Dragonlord perked his head up at this.

"Y-you mean it?" he asked.

"Yes. however, I wish to know of what you know of the Dovah." Sahrot stated.

"O-Oh, yes, of course!" Torch boomed. "The only thing that is known of the wyverns is that they have a temple, hidden somewhere in the world. I do not know where the location is, since it was as forgotten as the wyverns themselves."

"Well, it doesn't exactly help my predicament, but it is a start." Sahrot muttered, putting his helm back on. "Oh well. I believe that we're done here. Twilight, Rarity, you can come out now, we will take our leave."

with that, the two ponies emerged from their hiding spots, shocking the 'dragons', making Sahrot snicker a little.

"Amazing, an entire species of dragons so mysterious, not even the dragons know them, except for a hidden temple somewhere in the world. oh, this will certainly be great to write a story on!!" Twilight said, giggling from excitement.

"Well, you can tell Celestia about what has been learned here when we get back to Ponyville." Sahrot stated. he then hopped onto Durnehviir's neck. "You you like to join me?"

Twilight's pupils expanded when he said this. she rapidly nodded her head, wanting to know what it was like to ride a dragon. Sahrot smiled and moved up to give them room. they all got onto Durnehviir's neck, hanging onto Sahrot just in case. they then took to the skies, soaring upwards while Twilight and her friends held to Sahrot for dear life. it had taken them minutes before they reached the outskirts of the dragonlands. they landed just beyond the border, where Durnehviir departed, and Twilight teleported them all back to Ponyville. once they had arrived, it was late in the afternoon, so Twilight dropped of Rarity at her house, and the rest walked back to the castle, where they rested until the next day. that is, except for one.

Author's Note

as you may have noticed, I have changed the story of this specific scenario. this is what is essentially going to happen from now on, seeing as how a dragonborn might change things up a little bit. :twilightsmile:

Chapter 10: Nightmares

Sahrot laid in his bedroll, contemplating about the things that have happened since he had gotten here. he had thoughts of how he was to get home to his wife and children, and how they must miss him. at this point, they might think he would be dead.

'hopefully that is not the case.' Sahrot thought to himself. 'Maybe my friends back in Skyrim is trying to find a way to get me back home as we speak.'

he yawned loudly, getting up from his bed to relight the candle next to his bed. he then pulled out his journal from his pack. he had been writing about the events that occurred since he was here, and tonight he decided that it was going to be no different. as he started writing down the events that happened today, he heard a faint whisper. it was inaudible at first, but as Sahrot listened in, he could hear a woman's voice, speaking the words,

"You will fail..."

"You will give in..."

"Your friends will die..."

"Your family will die..."

"Everyone will die...by your hand..."

"And then, you...will die."

Sahrot felt a chill running down his spine. the voice was familiar, eerily familiar, but he wasn't able to identify it. he rose from his bedroll, looking around in the faintly illuminated room, trying to find the source of the voice.

"Who are you? WHERE are you?" he demanded, scanning the area for any indication. as he continued to search the area, the candle on the desk had been blown out, leaving the argonian in complete darkness.

"If you think that I am blind in the darkness, you are sorely mistaken." Sahrot muttered. he drew forth his hands, slowly moving them through the air, summoning forth his power. when he was done, he casted the spell, allowing him to see perfectly.

'Good thing I had the Vision of The Tenth Eye, or this would have been difficult.' Sahrot thought to himself. he looked around the room again, but still saw nothing.

"Fool. do you really I would reveal myself to you?" it whispered.

"What do you want from me?" Sahrot growled, drawing out a sword.

"What do I want, Dragonborn?" it said menacingly. "I want...to see you suffer."

after it said this, Sahrot's body began to feel weak. he groaned loudly as he feel to his knees. he saw black spots forming in his vision, until finally, he laid to the ground, unconscious. nothing happened for a moment, it was complete silence. then, a voice could heard, laughing softly to itself, waiting to reap it's prize.

**********

Sahrot had awoken with a start, looking at his surroundings. he found himself in what seemed to be a dense marsh, filled with all types of life. he spotted a narrow river that was running through the dense vegetation, brimming with a multitude of fish. he then realized where he was.

'This was my home...' he thought to himself. he looked down at his hands, and saw that they were smaller, and younger. he lifted his left hand to where his scar was, and felt...nothing.

"H-how could this be?" he whispered to himself. "Am I in some kind of dream? but, it all feels so real. no, this is not real, but an illusion."

he slowly rose to his feet, pushing himself up from the ground.

"Whoever you are, I demand that you release me from this illusion, and to leave me be." Sahrot yelled. he waited for some kind of response, just anything at this point. what he didn't expect was all of reality to ripple, as a form slowly materialized from the environment. upon fully forming, Sahrot instantly recognized who it was.

"Vaermina. I should have known." Sahrot growled. "How did you get here? you should still be in Oblivion."

"Are you not aware of whom you are speaking to, worm?" Vaermina said. "I am the weaver of nightmares, the destroyer of dreams, the collector of memories. the realm of the mind is my domain, and I can traverse into anyone's mind through their dreams, and I have been in your head for some time now."

"But why? why are you doing this? what have I done for you to do this to me?" Sahrot questioned.

"Why?" Vaermina whispered venomously. "It is because you have rejected me. you have turned down my artifact, a chance to become my champion."

"Wait a minute, you have gone through all of this, just because I did not wish to be your champion?" Sahrot asked, his anger starting to rise. what in Oblivion makes you think that I would even ponder on the idea of being your champion?! you are a Daedric prince, you are utterly evil! you are a cruel, heartless demon! what gave you the faintest idea that I would EVER serve you in any-!"

before he could finish, something struck him from his right side, sending the argonian flying across the river, and landing on the other side.
just as he was getting back onto his feet, another force struck him in the back, forcing him back into the ground.

"You DARE speak to me in such a manner?! KNOW YOUR PLACE, YOU WORTHLESS LITTLE ANT!!" Vaermina screeched. she stopped her attack on Sahrot, and summoned forth a mass of shadowy tendrils, which latched onto the argonian. they held him down as Vaermina hovered over him. she hoisted him into the air, having one tendril wrap around his neck tightly.

"Oh, I am going to enjoy tormenting you tonight," Vaermina sneered. "And the best part about this is, no-one will hear you scream."

with that, she tossed Sahrot to the ground, grinning when she heard him cry out in pain. she then snapped her fingers, and the environment around them melted away, revealing a dark and twisted realm. the air seemed thick, and pulsating with darkness, while horrid monstrosities of the nightmare realm stalked the area, looking their next victim to prey upon. Vaermina smirked as the tendrils grasping Sahrot then formed into a massive hand of dark miasma, and started to slowly crush the argonian.

"Welcome to Quagmire, mortal fool. here you will remain until I have broken you mentally, until you are but an empty husk, with no thought or feeling." Vaermina said, cackling. "Once I am finished with you, then I shall have all of Equestria bask in my terrible glory!" Sahrot can only watch with growing fear as the Daedric Prince of nightmares planned to unleash it's greatest nightmare upon him.

**********

Twilight had been wandering through the hallways for a little while checking in all the rooms to see if they are alright. when she had reached the door leading to Spike's room, she gently knocked on it, just to see whether he's asleep or not. when she opened the door, she found the young dragon sound asleep in his bed. she smiled as she closed the door, happy that the dragon was able to sleep. she then walked over to the door that led to Sahrot's door. when she knocked on his door, she heard nothing. it was strange to her, since he was here, he was always up at this hour, either reading a book, writing in his journal, or meditating on his 'magicka flow'. she decided to investigate further by opening the door and peaking inside. besides the light emanating from outside, it was pitch black in Sahrot's room. she had to use a light spell in order to see in the dark, and what she saw made her very worried. in the center of the room was Sahrot's body, which was slumped over and motionless. Twilight quickly ran to the argonian, shaking his body in order to wake him up.

"Come on, Sahrot, please wake up." She said urgently. she went to touch his head, but instinctively pulled it back when she found out it was ice cold.

"Oh no, Sahrot, what happened to you?" she asked worried. "There has to be something going on here. wait, maybe Luna might know!"

with a new sense of hope, she quickly wrote a letter to the princesses, urgently asking them for their assistance.

'I just hope that they can help, I don't know what to do.' she thought herself. an hour had passed before both princess Celestia and princess Luna had arrived. they walked into the room Twilight and Sahrot were in, already sensing the urgency of the situation.

"What has happened here, Twilight?" Luna inquired. Twilight looked up to her with worried expression.

"I-I don't know, just found him like this, slumped to the ground, his head freezing cold, I don't know what's going on." Twilight replied. "I was hoping that you would know what to do."

"I'm not sure if I know of this ailment myself, but I will try my best to lift him from it." Luna said. "The only problem is, I can't reach his mind, for something is preventing me from doing so."

"Then, how can we possibly help him, if we don't even know how to?" Twilight asked, starting to become fearful. they thought solemnly of what to do, and how they would be able to help the argonian. they didn't think on it much, however, when they noticed a faint glow coming from Sahrot's pack. curious, Twilight went over to investigate, rummaging through his pack until she found the source.

"Wait a minute, this is that sword that Sahrot talked about, Dawnbreaker." Twilight said, pulling out the blade with her magic. it was now shining brightly, the gem in the guard of the blade shimmering with a fierce light.

"I wonder why it's like this. Sahrot said it only glowed brightly when undead creatures are nearby." Twilight thought aloud, holding the sword in her hooves now.

'That may be, but undead are not the only beings that are tainted by darkness.' a voice spoke. Twilight looked around the room wildly, trying to pinpoint the source of the voice, confusing the princesses in the process.

"Who are you? show yourself!" Twilight yelled.

'I am nowhere in this room, Twilight, or this realm, for that matter. I am speaking to you through this very sword.' it replied. 'The others in this room cannot hear me, unless they too hold the blade.'

"So, who are you supposed to be?" Twilight inquired.

"Twilight, who in Equestria are you talking to?" Celestia asked, getting worried.

"Oh! right, sorry. apparently somepony is communicating with me through this sword, though I really don't know how." Twilight said quizzically.

"Wait a minute, somepony is communicating with you through that sword? what is he or she saying?" Luna asked.

"You can find out if you grip the sword with your hooves." Twilight replied. the two princesses looked at each other with uncertainty, before slowly moving to where Twilight is, and gripped the blade.

'Good, now that I have all of your attention, introductions can be made.' it said. 'I am Meridia, the Daedric Prince of Light.'

"Meridia? as in one of those god-like beings that Sahrot talked about?" Twilight asked. "Well, at least you're one of the good ones, at least as far as we know."

'Indeed, and do not worry, I am here to help.' Meridia said. 'There is an evil presence here, and that is the the power of another Prince.'

"Another Daedric Prince is here as well? is it one of the evil ones?" Luna asked nervously.

'One of the most evil Princes. her name is Vaermina, and she is the Daedric Prince of Nightmares. she relishes in tormenting mortals with nightmarish apparitions and evil omens.' Meridia said seriously. Luna's heart grew cold with fear at what she said. she had dealt with nightmares throughout her life, but to know that there is a god-like being that creates nightmares to terrify people, just for amusement, was too much for her.

"And she is what is plaguing Sahrot's mind, making him like...this?" Celestia inquired, pointing towards the argonian.

'Yes, she has been in the mind of my champion for some time now, planning on seeking vengeance against him.' Meridia replied.

"But why? what did he ever do to her in order for her to seek revenge?" Twilight murmured.

'He has essentially rejected her offer to become her champion, and has thus angered her. now she wishes to torture him, until he has gone insane.' Meridia responded. 'Which is why I have revealed myself to you through this blade. it has the power to banish any darkness, and it will help you to enter his mind, for Vaermina is keeping you out. but hurry now, for even Sahrot himself cannot hold out much longer from Vaermina's nightmares.'

with that, the blade glowed even brighter, as it spewed forth a beam of energy into Luna, who stepped back in shock.

'I know that you are the one that has dealt with nightmares before, therefore I have given you the power required to lead them through Sahrot's mind. Vaermina will be significantly weaker, as it has taken a lot of energy for her to remain in Sahrot's mind. be wary, though, for even I do not know what dwells within his mind, and Vaermina is slowly gaining her strength.' Meridia explained. Luna nodded solemnly, before turning to the argonian.

"Alright, now that I have the power to go into his mind, I must tell you that if you wish to enter, then be prepared, and stay close to me, for those who know little of mindscaping can easily get lost, possibly forever." Luna stated. Twilight gulped out of fear, but nodded in understanding. Celestia nodded as well, and Luna looked towards Sahrot again.

"Now, I will bring us into his mind. our physical bodies will remain here, but our mental forms will travel into his mind." Luna said. she then charged up a spell, as Celestia and Twilight drew closer to her. then, pure white tendrils of energy sprang out of her horn three of which attached to the foreheads of the princesses, and a fourth linking them to Sahrot. then, with one final burst of light, the minds of the princesses were pulled out of their bodies, and into the mind of the argonian, leaving four bodies lying unconscious.

**********

Twilight found herself surrounded by darkness, unable to see anything, despite using her magic to cast light.

"Hello? is anypony out there?" Twilight called out. for a few seconds, nothing happened, but after that a bright flash of light appeared before her. she shielded her eyes from the light at first, but lowered them, now able to see again. she saw the princesses in front of her, Luna's horn glowing brightly.

"Apologies, Twilight, but this new power seemed more difficult than I thought." Luna said glumly.

"I'm just glad that you were able to find me. where was I, by the way?" Twilight asked.

"You were in the part of his mind that functions only when conscious. since he was not, then all would be is pure darkness." Luna explained. "Now that we have found you, I believe we should be off."

Twilight nodded in agreement, and they then walked further down the other direction, Luna taking the lead. they had walked for what seemed like an eternity, with the area around them constantly shifting. they would often see huge swamps, forests that ran for miles, endless deserts, and icy tundras, and it felt as if they were actually there.

"These must be the places he's been to." Twilight thought aloud. her theory had been proven correct, as now they were in what seemed to be the Everfree forest.

"That would be because we are traveling through the area of his mind containing his memories." Luna said.

"Wait, so we're traveling through his memories?" Twilight inquired.

"Yes, that would be the case." Luna responded.

"Are you certain that he would be alright with us wading through his memories?" Twilight asked.

"The memory banks are the fastest route to the Dream Realm." Luna replied.

"Dream Realm?" Twilight asked.

"It is what I call the section of the mind responsible for conjuring dreams," Luna began. "And the fastest and most direct path there is through his memories."

"Well, okay," Twilight murmured. " But what do we do against this Vaermina? I mean, can we even beat her?"

"I...am not certain that we can," Luna began. "But even so, we mustn't lose hope. the best we can hope to do is seal her away from Sahrot's mind."

"Hmmm...alright. now which way do we go from here?" Twilight asked, looking around their new environment. they were now on the very top of a mountain, with wind-swept snow blowing across their faces.

"We must keep moving downwards fro-GET DOWN!" Luna yelled, pulling the other two to the ground. they were about to ask why, until they heard a roar overhead. they looked up to see a massive jet-black dragon with glowing, crimson eyes. it landed just in front of them, staring intently at another figure. when they focused their vision on the figure, they found out who it was.

"S-Sahrot? is that you?" Twilight called out

"No, Twilight, this is another memory of his. we should simply move on." Luna said, standing up. Twilight looked at the memory once again, seeing Sahrot and the dragon now fighting. she then turned away, and continued to follow Luna.

"We are almost there, I can sense it." Luna stated, picking up a faster pace. the others followed her closely, and walked for several minutes. the environment shifted again as they walked, this time in the outskirts of the Crystal Empire. still, they continued southward, until they arrived at a barrier of darkness that separated the memory banks from the Dream Realm.

"This is it. this is the place where Sahrot and Vaermina are." Luna began, turning to princess Celestia and Twilight. "This can be very dangerous, for as soon as we enter in, it will take a long time for us to leave, and I don't know what horrors Vaermina has. so be on your guard at all times."

"Okay, princess Luna, we'll do our best." Twilight said, smiling. "Lets just find Sahrot and rescue him. then we can deal with Vaermina."

"Do not forget what Meridia said, Twilight." Celestia stated. "Vaermina's strength is growing, even as we speak. she may be weaker now, but we do not know if we are even strong enough to face her head on. we must formulate a plan once we enter inside."

Twilight nodded solemnly in agreement, and the three prepared themselves for the worst once they passed through the barrier, and into the unknown realm that awaited them.

Chapter 11: Realm of Terror, and Unexpected Encounters

Nothing could have prepared the princesses for what they saw. the area before them could only be described by only one word: horrifying.
they saw a land that is constantly shifting, from a cold, fog-choked forest in the night, to a fiery wasteland, with desecrated buildings and lava flowing through them. each environment had various creatures roaming about, starting with simple beasts, to demonic beings so terrifying that none of them would ever be able to conceive, until now. but the one element of this nightmarish realm that remained constant, and the worst thing of it all, were the screams. the stood in abject fear as they heard the screams and wails of the tortured souls in this realm, all of them crying out in pain and fear, hoping that someone would help them end their nightmares, but no one came, no one but the fiendish apparitions that stalked this plane, hunting for their next prey.

"Thi-this is s-so..." Twilight began, tears streaming from her eyes. Celestia went to her side to comfort her, pulling her in for a hug. Twilight silently sobbed in her former teacher's side as Luna continued to scan the area, trying to block out the screams. she looked for any indication of where Sahrot and Vaermina was. she didn't have long to find out, however, as a feminine voice boomed over all the screams.

"Ah, it seems as though we have some trespassers in my domain." it said coldly.

"Vaermina! we have come for Sahrot Strun! release him to us and return to your realm in Oblivion!" Luna called out.

"I don't think you understand, child," Vaermina stated. "You are the one in MY world. welcome to my little corner in Oblivion, Quagmire!"

with that, a form appeared before them. it appeared to be humanoid in form, though it was shrouded in robes, with a dark mask obscuring the face. it's physique appeared to be female, as indicated by the curves of it's body.

"So, you must be the rulers of this land." Vaermina said, turning her attention to Luna. "And you must be princess Luna, the one who banishes away nightmares."

Luna stared at the being in complete shock, and was about to ask how did she know before Vaermina interrupted her.

"Yes, I know who you all are, and you're probably wondering how. the simple answer is that I've been seeing what the Dragonborn has seen through his memories. honestly, it's not hard to figure out." Vaermina spat in annoyance. "Though I must ask, how did you get in his mind? even with your dreamscaping abilities, it should have been impossible for you to penetrate my defenses."

"And what if we do not wish to tell you?" Luna asked.

"Then you will simply be destroyed by my subjects." Vaermina retorted, snapping her fingers. the ponies looked around in fear when they started hearing growls and roars, and were soon surrounded by unfathomable horrors.

"I-it was Meridia that helped us to get in." Luna stuttered out, looking up at the Daedra.

"Hmm, I suspected that Meridia would try to stop me. her efforts are in vain, however, if she had sent you lot to stop me." Vaermina said.

"Why are you doing this?" Twilight demanded, gaining the attention of Vaermina. " Why are you torturing all these people, including Sahrot?"

"I'm sure Meridia has told you of why I am torturing that fool, but for everyone else, well, it's just in my nature." the Daedra replied, shrugging her shoulders.

"But why go through all this trouble just to torment one being? we know that it has taken a considerable amount of your energy to just maintain yourself in Sahrot's mind." Celesita chimed in.

"Ah, how observant of you, Celestia. I do plan on doing more than just torturing Sahrot, I plan on taking his body, to use him as a vessel until my power has returned, and be able to conquer the world." Vaermina responded. "But now that you all are here, I can get rid of you personally. MINIONS! DESTROY THEM!"

with that, she vanished, leaving the princesses to fend for themselves against the oncoming horde of nightmarish atrocities.

"You two go on ahead, we will deal with them here, you go find Sahrot!" Luna yelled.

"What!? you are fighting against them on your own!?" Twilight questioned.

"Oh, I am not alone. trust me on this, Twilight, I can handle them. you and my sister can go find Sahrot, he is just ahead of this area!" Luna barked. Twilight looked at Celestia, who nodded her head solemnly.

"We must leave now if we are to reach Sahrot in time, Twilight. come, Luna will deal with the monsters, and we will find him." Celestia said reassuringly.

"Well...okay, but as soon as we get Sahrot, we'll be coming back for you!" Twilight promised to Luna. the princess of the night smiled warmly in appreciation, before turning her attention back to the horde. seeing the enemy getting close, Twilight and Celestia flew off above the horde, shooting down any flying monsters in their way. with them now gone, Luna closed her eyes, calling out to a being in her conscious.

'Are you ready for this, my old friend?' she thought to herself. 'good, now let's see how Vaermina's minions fare against your nightmares.'

with that, she opened her eyes, now glowing pure white. her horn glowed brightly as a speckled darkness slowly seeped out of it. the darkness began to take the shape of a tall unicorn, and it started growing. it continued to grow until it was gigantic, dwarfing even the largest of the creatures approaching them.

"Now, how about we fight fire with fire?" Luna stated, grinning. "Tantabus, I use your power against these monsters! show them what true nightmares look like!"

The Tantabus nodded in agreement, summoning forth an army of their own nightmares. with the Tantabus drawing energy from the nightmare realm, it fired a beam of pure darkness at the oncoming monsters as they were almost upon them, obliterating the first row of monsters.

"ATTACK" Luna roared. the Tantabus's creations roared in compliance, charging right into a horde, ensuing a massive battle against nightmares.

**********

Twilight and Celestia flew for what seemed like an eternity, blasting away any nightmarish monsters in their way. they briefly turned their heads to see if Luna was alright, but gasped in shock to see a gargantuan unicorn made of darkness leading a massive army of nightmarish creatures against the horde.

"Luna is using the Tantabus against the nightmares, and she's winning?" Twilight thought as she continued to look. indeed, it seemed as though Luna was winning against the monsters, as she along with the Tantabus were slowly overpowering the horde.

"I guess she was right in saying she was able to handle them." Celestia replied, shooting another monster out of the air.

"Yeah, it's surprisingly easier than I thought." Twilight added.

"Do not get cocky, Twilight. the real fight is with Vaermina, and if she was able to overpower Sahrot, then it's going to take all of our power to stand a chance against her." Celestia replied. Twilight gulped when she realized that they were indeed going to have to fight Vaermina, but still hoped that they would be able to beat her. they would have to be cautious, though, for they have no idea of what the Daedric Prince was capable of. they continued to fly through the dark land, watching as the area beneath them shifted, revealing all types of terrains and creatures. as they were flying, Twilight spotted a creature that was all too familiar to her.

"A human! that's a human down there!" Twilight yelled, pointing at the bipedal creature. it was smaller than an average human, indicating that it was a child. it appeared to also be female, as it was wearing a wearing a dress, and had long hair. it was currently running away from a group of cloaked humanoids, who were giving chase to her.

"Get the girl! make sure she doesn't escape!" one of them shouted.

"LEAVE ME ALONE!" the girl screamed back. the princesses hovered over the air, unsure of what to do.

"We've got to help her." Twilight said, looking worried.

"But what about Sahrot? we need to get to him as soon as possible." Celestia interjected. Twilight watched with conflicting emotions as the robed beings caught up with the girl, and captured her.

"Got you, you little runt!" one of them sneered.

"Get away from me! my father is the Dragonborn, and he'll beat you to a pulp when he finds out about this!" the girl shouted, spitting into the face of her captor. Twilight watched with a chilling realization as the robed being wiped the saliva from his face.

"She said that her father was the Dragonborn. Sahrot is the Dragonborn. does this mean that she is Sahrot's daughter?" Twilight thought aloud. "If so, then we have to help her!"

she turned her head to Celestia, who nodded her head in agreement, before they both dove towards the child.

**********

"Don't think for a second that your father will help you anytime soon, worm. he's long dead, and you know it. just like you will be now!" the cloaked one holding her said, raising his sword to strike. the girl raised her arms, preparing for the blade to pierce her. it did not, however, and she instead found her dropped to the ground. she groaned in pain, closing her eyes to help clear her mind. when she opened them again, she thought that her head was more damaged than she thought. right in front of her were two equines, with bird like wings and conical horn protruding from their foreheads. the only difference between them is that one of them is smaller, up to her height, and purple. the other one was much taller, and white. she wasn't able to make much out other than that. what really surprised her, though, was when they spoke, sounding female.

"Leave the child alone at once, or we will use lethal force, if necessary." the purple one spoke.

"It's them, it's the invaders!" one of the cloaked figures shouted.

"KILL THEM!" the one in the lead shouted. they charged right at the equines, changing from the cloaked figures to demonic beings brandishing swords. the girl looked closely, realizing that they were wearing the same kind of armor that her father wore. the two equines stood their ground, firing several blasts of energy at the monsters. one of them was struck in the head by one of the blasts, burning through his skull. he fell to the ground, his head completely incinerated, as it's body dissipated. the others were not fazed by this, and continued to press the attack. the purple equine conjured a bubble of energy around her, blocking the sword strikes of two of her attackers. it then used the shield to force them back, knocking them from their feet. it then fired more blasts of energy at them, turning them into wisps of smoke in seconds. the white one used it's magic to grab one of the monsters and slammed it into two others, before levitating a sword and using it to cut off the head of another. now, only three of the monsters remain, holding their weapons closely.

"Are you ready to give up? you're clearly outmatched." the tall one stated.

"NEVER! we will fight to the very end!" the one on the right said. they roared in unison as they charged towards the equines, their swords raised to strike them down.

"So be it, then." the tall one replied. it then conjured up a blade, which radiated with energy. it then swung the blade forward, cutting the one in the middle in half as they neared it. the two other monsters clashed with the tall equine, sparks flying everywhere as their blades struck. the purple one used it's magic to rip out the sword from one of the monsters' grasp, exposing him to the tall one's blade. the sword sliced through the beast's neck like a hot knife through butter, as it's body fell over and dissipated into nothingness. the final enemy stood it's ground against the tall one, blocking it's strikes, and returning them with a vengeance. the tall one managed to get a strike in against the monster, only to widen it's eyes in shock at seeing the blade barely leaving a scratch. the beast picked up on it's momentary distraction and swung it's blade downward with all it's might. the tall one had barely enough time to raise a shield around her, protecting her from the attack, but also banishing the sword in the process. the monster raised it's sword to strike again, only to find a blast of energy to it's face, killing it almost immediately. the purple one sighed in relief as it's horn stopped glowing, watching the form wither away into darkness. the two equines took a moment to rest, before turning their attention to her. the girl backed away fearfully as they approached her, fear starting to grow in her heart.

"Do not worry, little one. we have come to help you." the tall one said.

"Wh-who are you? what are you?" the girl asked.

"I am princess Celestia, and this is my former student, Twilight Sparkle." the tall one replied, pointing to the other equine. "As to what we are, we are ponies, more specifically, alicorns."

"Alicorn? you look like unicorns, except with wings." the girl said, her fear melted away.

"There are some of our species that are unicorns." Twilight replied, walking up to them. "We've come to rescue you from those monsters. we also want to know of how you have met our friend, Sahrot Strun."

the girl's jaw immediately dropped upon hearing what the alicorn just said.

"Y-you two know know my father!? where is he, is he okay!? it's been eight days since we've last seen him, and most of my family believes he's dead! please, you have to tell me!" the girl begged.

"Please calm down, child. your father is alive, though I'm not sure if he's alright. come, I'll explain the situation as we get to him." Celestia said, motioning the child to hop onto her back. the girl nervously got onto the alicorn's back, holding onto the princess's neck.

"Alright, now that you're safe and sound, lets head off, shall we?" Celestia said, smiling at the young child. the girl nervously nodded her head, and the three beings took to the skies, the girl hanging onto Celestia's neck for dear life. they ascended high above the land, stopping just below the dark clouds hovering above them. they flew northwards, and flew as fast as they could.

"So, what's your name, little one?" Twilight asked.

"M-my name is Lucia." the girl stuttered.

"Well, its a pleasure to meet you, Lucia." Twilight said, smiling. "So, how exactly have you come to know our friend, Sahrot?"

"Oh, well, I met him when I was ten years old. I'm twelve now." Lucia began. "I was on the streets of a city called Whiterun, abandoned and poor."

"Abandoned? as in you were an orphan?" Twilight asked, shocked. "My goodness, why was that?"

"I was once living on a farm in the countryside with my mother. unfortunately, my mother became sick, and eventually died, leaving my aunt and uncle to take over the farm. they then threw me out, saying that I was worthless to them, and so I had to walk all the way to Whiterun." Lucia explained, sniffling. Celestia looked back at Lucia with sorrow in her eyes, while Twilight was starting to shed tears.

"I've been living on the streets for months, then, and I was constantly hungry. I wasn't completely alone, however, as a man named Brenuin was kind to me. he was homeless, like I was, and he suggested that I take take up begging, so I can at least get enough money to survive." Lucia continued.

"Why didn't anyone else try to help you, child?" Celestia asked, a hint of anger in her voice.

"Most people in Skyrim were born with hearts colder an ice. they were either too busy or didn't have the money." Lucia replied coldly. " I was in the town square one day, begging for money in order to buy an apple, when I met him."

"You mean Sahrot?" Twilight asked. Lucia nodded her head, holding onto Celestia's neck tightly when she reared her head to strike down a flying monster with her magic.

"He seemed big and intimidating at first, but when he first talked to me, he was the kindest person I ever met. I asked for a single septim from him, but he gave me twenty instead. when he asked why I was here, I told him the same thing I told you now. he asked if I wanted to be adopted, saying that he has a house and room for me to live in. I accepted, and and got my things as he escorted me to his home. it was a big mansion, and it was in the middle of a forest near a town called Falkreath. there, I met my new mother, Brelyna Maryon, and and my adopted brother, Hroar." Lucia stated.

"What were they like?" Twilight asked, curious.

"Brelyna is a Dunmer, or Dark elf. she likes to read books and study magic. she can get a little sloppy with her casting, however." Lucia said, snickering a little.

"You know, Lucia, this Brelyna that you know of reminds me of a certain somepony." Celestia replied, grinning at Twilight. the purple alicorn looked at Celestia in confusion, Lucia giggling as she caught on to what she was implying.

"Brelyna told me that when they first met, she asked him for help with one of her spells, saying she needed someone to test it on. when my dad obliged, she said the spell she had used made him look green. when the spell wore off, they continued with the spell." Lucia said, stifling her laughter. "She then said that she accidently turned him into a COW. she tried to undo it, turning him into a chicken, a mudcrab, and even a horse, before finally changing him back into his regular self!" Lucia explained, laughing softly. Celestia too joined in with the child's laughter, before sharing her story.

"Ah, this reminds me of the time my former student discovered her talent in magic. she was a filly at the time, studying magic and reading many books, just like your mother. when she became older, she took a test to see if I will accept her under my tutelage. she was rather messy with her magical output, turning her own parents into potted plants." Celestia stated, giggling at Twilight's flustered appearance. Celestia and Lucia had a good laugh, which was dampened when Lucia started to explain her brother, Hroar. he too was an orphan, and lived in an orphanage in a city called Riften. he, along with the other children, commonly treated terribly by an old, cruel woman, ironically named 'Grelod the Kind'. according to Hroar, she would beat them maliciously, berate them with words such as 'riff-raff', and 'guttersnipe', and even refused to have any of them adopted. then, one day, Grelod was mysteriously killed, and he, along with the other children, were happy that she was killed. Hroar then met Sahrot two days after the incident, and promptly adopted him.

"My goodness, they were actually happy that she was killed? that's terrible, even if she was a horrible woman, nopony deserves to be killed like that!" Twilight exclaimed.

"The world can be a cruel place sometimes." Lucia replied. "How much longer until we get to my father?"

"We should be arriving in a few minutes. when we get there, you must wait outside until my sister arrives, for your safety." Celestia stated, looking ahead at the structure ahead of them. it was a castle, shrouded in darkness, with a moat of what appeared to be blood surrounding it.

"You have a sister? what is she like?" Lucia asked.

"Her name is Luna, and she looks like me, only smaller, and has a blue coat, and a mane like the night sky. once you meet her explain who you are, and follow what she says." Celestia elaborated. Lucia nodded in reply, as the two alicorns descended upon the dark castle, hoping to save their friend from the clutches of the evil goddess, and banish her from his mind, and their land.

Chapter 12: To Defy a God...

As Celestia and Twilight landed upon the base of the castle, they shivered as the air became chilled. Lucia hopped off of Celestia's back and hid in one of the nearby structures. Twilight eyed the entrance to the castle cautiously, looking for any way to open it. the entrance to the castle was a massive metal gate. it was adorned with several curved spikes, their purpose already made apparent with corpses. Twilight had to keep herself from vomiting as she saw several humans, elves, and even argonians hanging lifelessly on the gates.

"I see that two of you have arrived to my little abode. please don't mind the decoration and the atmosphere, do come in!" Vaermina's voice echoed. as if triggered by her request, the gate slowly opened, revealing the inside to be devoid of any light.

"You think it's okay to trust her? I can't see a thing through that darkness." Twilight murmured, peering into the entrance.

"It would be unwise to do so, Twilight. we should wait until Luna has rejoined us." Celestia answered.

"But how long would that take? even if she's already done with that horde, she'll still have t-" Twilight began. she was never able to finish what she was saying, as a flash of light erupted between the two princesses. the light vanished, revealing princess Luna in it's place.

"Ah, it is good to be back in your company, sister." Luna began, looking around her environment. she looked into the dark entryway, not able to see anything beyond a few feet.

"I take it that this is where Vaermina and Sahrot are?" Luna said. she then notices a young human girl walking towards them.

"Sister, who is that?" Luna asked, pointing to the child.

"Luna, this is Lucia. she is the daughter of our friend, Sahrot Strun." Celestia explained.

"Hi." Lucia said meekly, waving her hand at the lunar princess.

"Sahrot's daughter? she doesn't look to be relat-" Luna began, but immediately realized the answer. "He adopted you, didn't he?"

"Yes." Lucia answered. Luna felt a pang of sorrow for the girl, wondering what could have happened to her to where she ended up being adopted. before she could say anything, however, Vaermina's voice boomed once more.

"I see that Meridia's new pet has arrived. good, now we can start the fun. do not worry, for there is nothing in the halls to harm you." she said.
as if on cue, the halls to the castle were lit with a dim light. the group looked inside, but could hardly see anything, they began to worry, not believing the Daedra's word for a second. they huddled together, trying to formulate a plan on how to deal with the dark god, or at least save Sahrot.

"The best we can do so far is to tear Vaermina's grasp from Sahrot's mind," Luna began. "But it would mean bringing her into the waking world, and I'm not sure if even we can deal with her there."

"I do not think that would be wise, sister. we know very little of what she could do, and I'm not sure you would have anymore power to deal with her, after you cast the spell." Celestia spoke. as she said this, a faint glow was emanating from Luna's side, as the Lunar Princess's head lifted slightly. the rest of the group stared at her curiously, before she looked back at them.

"I was just speaking with our friend, Meridia." Luna stated, pulling out Dawnbreaker. "According to her, if Vaermina were brought out of Sahrot's mind, she would be severely weakened, and thus would have to withdraw back to Oblivion. the only issue, however, would be to locate her connection to Sahrot's mind, and sever it."

"But where could that possibly be?" Twilight asked.

"That would be Sahrot's own conscious being, his very mental projection of himself. Meridia explains that Vaermina will most likely meld his conscious with her own form, thus taking control of his body. we must must act now if we are to stop her in time." Luna explained. she turned towards Lucia, addressing her directly.

"It would be wise for you to wait here, so you would not be in peril." She stated.

"But I want to be with my father! I need to be there with him, we promised to always be together!" Lucia exclaimed, turning towards the entrance. Celestia saw what she was about to do, and moved to stop her.

"Please listen to my sister, child. where we will go is not safe, and I'm sure that your father would not wish to see you harmed in any way." Celestia said, hoping to discourage the girl.

"I can help you though! I know restoration magic, see!" Lucia stated, lifting her hands up. her palms then glowed a shimmering gold, which healed a wound Celestia had not even been aware of until now when she approached her. "Please, I just want to help him. he's helped me when I was cast out onto the streets, now I want to help him back."

Celestia said nothing at first, as she was contemplating on the child's words. her dedication to her father, even if it would put her in danger, touched her heart, and wanted to grant her wish. however, she would be in great peril, especially when they face Vaermina. she did not have time to ponder her decision, however, as shadowy figures were emerging, and the darkness started to envelop the surrounding area.

"I grow impatient of your indecision, fools. either accept my offer, or be one with Quagmire." Vaermina boomed.

"Well, I guess that means you'll be coming with us after all." Celestia stated, drawing the child to the center of the three alicorns. they formed a protective circle around Lucia, and backed away warily from the approaching shadows. they moved away from the darkness, and into the gaping entrance of the castle. once they all stepped foot into the entrance, the massive gate slammed shut, separating them from the outside. the group looked around the room they have entered in, taking in the new environment. it seemed to be some kind of dungeon, complete with several cells, each of them seeming to be filled with blood, and some still had body parts. Twilight shuddered at the sight, hoping to escape this place as soon as possible.

"Stay with me as much as possible, I shall take the lead through this place." Luna said firmly, stepping ahead. the others followed suit, with Celestia taking the back. they continued forward warily, as the environment around them became more visceral and horrifying. as they were moving, an inaudible whisper was heard. each member of the group looked around for the source of the voice, all of them feeling uneasy. the voice of the whispering sounded hoarse and gruff, akin to an aged and battle-hardened warrior. as they moved further, they were able to hear what the whispers said.

"Confound it all. even now, when I am at my most powerful, I am still powerless to stop her. I can feel the bond between us all waning, it won't be long before I completely fade from the mind, and Vaermina becomes one with my body." it said.

"Who are you?" Luna called out. a sharp inhalation was heard, shortly accompanied by the rustling of metal against stone.

"Who is out there? are you agents of Vaermina? have you come to gloat at my peril? answer me!" the voice commanded.

"Please, be calm, we are not any of Vaerminas' lackeys." Luna stated. the voice did not respond, but instead more rustling, and a head that appeared from between the bars of a cell door. the head was that of a male argonian, it's head covered in silver scales, and adorning a set of curved horns. the argonian eyed them for a moment, before realizing who they were.

"Luna? Celestia? Twilight? is that you? how did you get here?" the argonian inquired. he then looked down at Lucia, recognizing her as well. "Lucia?"

"Father?" Lucia began, before Luna took a step forward.

"Sahrot? is that really you in there?" Luna asked, staring at the argonian.

"Well, not exactly. I am merely a small part of myself, a collection of all my knowledge and intellect." 'Sahrot explained.

"But, wait, if this is only a part of you, then what happened to the rest?" Twilight asked.

"Up ahead of me are some representations of my emotions. sadness, fear, joy, all are accounted for except for anger." 'Sahrot' began. "You see, Vaermina is trying to take over my body by breaking my will, and the process is faster without the emotions and mental fortitude in the way. all that stands between her and my being is my anger and willpower. please, you need to free us."

"Do not worry, I will have you freed and united once more." Luna stated, pulling out Dawnbreaker. 'Sahrot' backed away from the cell, as Luna swung the blade down upon the door, cleaving it. the two pieces fell to the floor with a loud clang, and the silver argonian stepped out. 'Sahrot' appeared to be wearing some kind of greyish-white robe, with bits of steel plating on his wrists, shoulders, and leggings. he wielded a staff in one hand, and carried a sword on his hip.

"Shall we carry on?" Luna asked.

"Yes, the emotions should be in the chamber just ahead, at our left side. we must make haste, if we are to stop Vaermina in time." 'Sahrot' said, taking the lead. the others followed behind him, as they neared the door, and entered the chamber. what they saw were several argonians, each a different color, trapped in cells, and even bird cages for the smaller ones.

"So...these are all the aspects of Sahrot's being?" Twilight asked, looking around in awe.

"Yes, and we must free them, so I can become whole once more, thus hindering Vaermina's attempt to take my body." Sahrot explained, before moving to one of the cells. it contained an argonian wearing a yellow tunic, his scales a sickly gold hue. he looked up worriedly at 'Sahrot', but the fearful expression lessened to a degree once he realized who it was.

"Oh, Knowledge, it's you. thank goodness." the argonian said, sighing.

"Do not worry, Fear, I have come with reinforcements to aid us in our peril." 'Sahrot' replied, ripping open the cell door. he casually tossed away the door as Fear stepped out. he was relatively shorter than the silver argonian, as well as thinner.

"Wait a minute, so all the names of the aspects are based off of what they represent?" Luna asked. she may have known many things about the mind, but sentient aspects were not what she expected.

"Yes, of course, I am Knowledge, and he is Fear. come, let us free the others." Knowledge explained, moving to another cell. the others followed suit, Celestia and Luna working on the rest of the cells, while Twilight and Lucia reached the ones hanging in bird cages. Twilight grabbed two cages with her magic and cautiously pulled them down from the ceiling. two argonians were revealed inside the cages, each a foot shorter than Twilight. they seemed to be nearly identical, save for color, as one was orange, and the other, purple.

"Hey, good looking, what's your name?" the purple one asked, looking over the alicorn.

"Umm, Twilight?" she answered, not sure how to respond.

"Twilight, huh? nice to meet you, my name's Lust, and let me tell you, you have some very beautiful eyes." Lust said, taking her hoof and kissing it.

"Uhumm, yeah, nice to meet you too." Twilight said awkwardly, backing away from the small argonians.

"Lust, stop messing around with Twilight and get over here. and take Greed with you!" Knowledge yelled, apparently able to hear him.

"Fine, whatever. come on, Greed, lets go." Lust said, before turning around and finding Greed wrestling Lucia for her necklace.

"Really, Greed?" Lust said with a sigh, before tearing Greed away from the young girl, who looked worried.

"Don't mind Greed, he just has trouble keeping his hands to himself." Lust explained, tugging away a disgruntled Greed along with him. as he passed by Twilight, he gave her a playful wink, before moving along. Twilight stared at the argonian for a minute, before shaking her head, and walked with Lucia towards the rest of the group. after two full minutes of freeing them, they all gathered around a large door, all the other aspects freed. Twilight took a moment to observe them. she already met Fear, Lust, and Greed, so she looked at the others. the one that stuck out the most was a tall argonian, even taller than Knowledge. he was wore simple clothing, which was a navy blue, along with his scales. what she noticed the most, though, was the somber expression that he wore.

'So he must be Sadness.' Twilight mused, feeling rather depressed looking at the figure. she then noticed a bright green argonian that was just as tall as her bouncing around merrily. 'And that must be Happiness.'

before she could further analyze the other aspects, Knowledge, with the help of the princesses, slowly pushed open the door, revealing a wide, empty chasm of a room. from where they stood, the faint sound of screaming could be heard from the void, and it was truly dreadful. as the screams continued, crying out for it's pain and suffering to stop, peals of laughter are what answered it's cries, as it's master worked away at the hapless victim.

"That would be Willpower, and judging by the screams, Vaermina is winning in her struggle for Our body." Knowledge said with a heavy sigh.

"If that's the case, the-" Luna began, but was cut off by a mighty bellow that echoed throughout the room. it was filled with such a baleful malice that it shook everyone present to the core.

"Fortunately, Anger seems to be able to hold her off. how is he doing that, there's no way even hi-" Knowledge stopped speaking when a realization hit him. "Oh no."

"What? what's going on?" Twilight asked, worried by what the silver argonian was saying.

"I will explain later, right now we must aid them before it is too late! come, hurry!" Knowledge exclaimed, before running headfirst into the void, disappearing into the darkness almost instantly. the princesses looked at each other in worry whilst the other emotional aspects hurried after him. then they followed behind, with Lucia taking the back, as they plunged into the abyss.

Author's Note

and that is another chapter done for now, hope you may enjoy it. sorry that it may seem a little shorter, it's just that I've been having so many ideas going through my head, along with schoolwork, that I haven't been able to spend much time on it. :fluttershysad: but do not worry, I believe that I may have time to write another chapter during winter-break, so be on the lookout in case another chapter pops up. if you have any questions regarding this chapter, feel free to ask, and I'll answer to the best of my ability. :twilightsmile:

Chapter 13:...One Must Become a Devil (Part 1)

It was only a few seconds that the group had to walk through the abyss, but the absolute darkness was a terrifying experience for Twilight. however, as they exited to the other side, what she saw made her very soul shudder with horror. standing before them now was Vaermina, and Sahrot. however, this Sahrot was much different. he still had the same body and armor, but he was several feet taller, almost as tall as a building! he also seemed to be split down the middle, in two halves. the right half was a radiant, shimmering gold, and the left...was utterly terrifying. it was crimson in color, and in it's chest, a pitch black discoloration was emanating outward, traveling in long, snake-like tendrils about the rest of the left side, like some kind of disease. it was like looking at a void, as it slowly eats away everything in it's path. the red half wore an expression of pure rage, while the gold one seemed to be in agony. it was at this moment that Vaermina turned her attention to the recently arrived party.

"Ah, so you have finally arrived, I see." the Daedra said, sneering down at them. "And I see that you've made some new friends as well."

"Vaermina, this game has gone long enough! release Sahrot now, or we'll have to use lethal force!" Celestia commanded, glaring up at the Daedric Prince.

"Oh, maybe I will, once I find out what he's hiding." Vaermina stated. Celestia continued to glare at the Daedra, while Twilight puzzled over what she said.

'What he's hiding? what in Equestria is she talking about? questions for later, Twilight.' she thought to herself.

"I must ask, though, Celestia, why would you want to save this wretched soul?" Vaermina asked.

"Why? because he is our friend! he has helped us in dire times, and we have come to his aid in return." Luna replied.

"Hmm, so he did not tell you? did he not tell you of what he's done, of the amount of innocent blood on his hands?" Vaermina spat. "I may be the conjurer of nightmares, but I've not spilled a single drop of blood in all my existence. he did, however."

Celestia narrowed her eyes at the Daedra with suspicion. she did not trust the monsters' words, and Vaermina could see it in her eyes.

"Perhaps you can learn the truth from Sahrots' Knowledge. go ahead, ask him, for he cannot lie." Vaermina stated. with that, all three princesses slowly shifted their gaze to the silver colored aspect.

"Is it true? did you really did what she said you've done?" Twilight asked. she was having doubts herself, but she barely knew anything about Sahrot. she looked directly at Knowledge, who sighed heavily, as he prepared to give his answer.

"...yes, it is true that I have done many terrible things. I do have innocent blood on my hands. I have taken the lives of many innocent people." Knowledge stated.

The trio of princesses only stared back at him with expressions of shock, the most expressive being Twilight. however, one word was uttered that wavered over the air.

"H-how?"

It was not the word itself that had such an effect, but the voice of the one who had spoken it. all eyes shifted on Lucia, who was starting beginning to cry.

"It...was because I...was weak. very weak." another voice answered. it sounded just like Sahrot, and soon everyone present turned to the Will/Anger fusion.

"What do you mean?" Twilight implored, very much confused.

"I was...weak...I could not control the...the rage inside of me, a rage that f-festered for many years. it was something that I have tried to keep under control. you must understand, I did not...want them killed. but he, HE made me do it." Will said.

"Who is this he, you speak of, Sahrot?" Luna inquired.

"Oh, yes, please do tell us, Dragonborn, who has supposedly made you do these heinous acts?" Vaermina asked, a cruel smile on her lips.

"...the Dread Father has done this to me...foisted a veil of bloodlust upon my senses, made me wild...made me, g-go on a s-s-slaughter." Will stuttered. the aspect of Will started to buckle in the knees, as if collapsing from a great weight. the ponies looked at the fusion with both confusion and worry, while the child and Prince had expressions of horror.

"The Dread Father has ensnared you? this is bad, terrible, even..." Vaermina muttered darkly.

"Wait, what's going on?" Twilight asked, very much confused.

"What's going on is that we have a major threat on our hands. if what he said is true, then Sithis has corrupted his spirit, which means he is a threat to us all." Vaermina declared, flying into the air. with a flick of her wrist, the Daedra levitated the fusion of Anger and Will up with her. then her eyes glowed brightly, and all the other emotional aspects were lifted off the 'ground', and were veering towards the fusion, and a bright light formed around them all when they made contact. once the light died down, all that remained was a single being.

"Sahrot!" Twilight shouted, making her way to approach him. she was stopped, however, when a large wall of black flames blocked her paths.

"Do not interfere, pony," Vaermina growled, making the alicorn shiver. "I have only reformed him again so I can properly dispose of him."

"W-WHAT!?" Twilight screamed. she glared up at the Daedra, who glared right back.

"You heard me, pony," Vaermina spat, sounding completely serious. "He is a threat to all of us. if he lives, he will bring chaos and destruction to all that is!"

Twilight stared at Vaermina for a moment, pondering on what she said for a moment, before using a shield spell to help her move past the flames.

"I don't care what you say, Vaermina! Sahrot is our friend, and we would never abandon our friends in their time of need!" Twilight yelled back.

The Daedric Prince shifted her gaze to the Celestial sisters, who stared at her warily.

"I take it that you are of the same opinion?" she inquired.

"Yes, monster, we are." Celestia spoke, charging her horn. Vaermina growled, and was about to attack, until she was stopped by a voice.

"Vaermina, wait!" Sahrot yelled, gaining the Daedra's attention. "Please, don't hurt them. your quarrel is with me. just let them go, and you can do away with me in whatever way you wish."

Upon hearing his pleas, the Aspect of Nightmares smirked, and looked down at the ponies beneath her.

"You see? even your precious friend agrees with me, even if only because I could destroy your minds in an instant. it would be wise for you to heed his words, and leave immediately, or I-AARGH!" Vaermina was cut off from her speech as she felt a searing pain in her side. she glared hatefully at the midnight blue alicorn, who had a blade of pure light in her magical grasp.

"We will not monster! we will never abandon those in need!" Luna roared.

Vaermina immediately shot her hand out, and summoned forth a swirling black mass. she aimed it to the ground, and fired. as the black mass was descending, it began to mold, to take shape and grow. once it landed, formed into a massive Daedroth, covered in pitch-black scales.

"Destroy them." Vaermina said. the Daedroth obliged by roaring loudly at the ponies before it.

"NO!!" Sahrot yelled, fearful for his friends and daughter. he tried to squirm out of her hold, but the Daedra held fast, as she turned her attention back to him.

"They made their choice." she spat, as the princesses battled the monster. "And now I will deal with you."

Sahrot made a split decision, and shouted right into Vaermina's face.

"YOL, TOR SHUL!" he roared. Vaermina screeched in surprise and pain, as her head was consumed in flames. this allowed Sahrot to be free from her grasp, and he rushed over to the group immediately. with a thought, he conjured up a Daedric sword and shield, and leapt on the Daedroth's back, plunging the blade into it's shoulder. the Daedroth roared in agony, and shook violently, but the argonian wouldn't let go. with the beast now distracted, the three princesses were now able to gain the upper hand. Celestia and Twilight blasted it, and Luna was able to land the finishing blow by driving Dawnbreaker through the Daedroth's eye, burning it's brain. the Daedroth growled weakly, before collapsing to the ground. Sahrot slid off it's back, as it slowly melted into a black mass, and faded away. he looked at Luna with a curious expression.

"You seem to do well with a blade." he remarked.

"I've had time to practice." she replied, turning the handle to him.

"You're going to need that more than I will for the moment." he stated, pointing to Vaermina. Luna nodded, turning her attention back to the Daedra.

"Twilight." Sahrot addressed, gaining the young alicorn's attention. "Please watch over Lucia."

"I-I will." Twilight said, sounding nervous.

She went to the young girls' side and cast a shield spell over them, tensing up for what's to come next. Sahrot and the Celestial sisters went to battle with Vaermina herself. Celestia summoned a twin set of blades, each blazing with the power of the sun, and slashed them across Vaermina's arm. Luna did much of the same with Dawnbreaker, leaving a deep gash in her leg. Sahrot opted to use a combination of destruction magic and shouts, launching several incendiary attacks into her side. Vaermina roared in fury, and sent a volley of spikes at Luna. the lunar princess was able to dodge and slice through most of them, but ended up with a few cuts and nicks. with a flash of her eyes, she summoned a bed of black tendrils, which managed to ensnare Celestia for a moment. she managed to hack away the tendrils, but not before she was struck in the side by a powerful bolt of lightning. she cried out in pain, and slumped to the ground, the electricity locking up her muscles.

"CELESTIA!" Twilight cried out, rushing to her side. Lucia followed close behind, and soon they were at her side. Lucia prepared a healing spell, which helped ease the pain, allowing Celestia to breathe regularly.

"It's alright, Twilight, I'll be fine." Celestia said softly. "Just take care of the child."

At that moment, Sahrot was with them now, and with a much more powerful healing spell, he was able to get Celestia back on her feet.

"Thank you. now, lets get back to the fight." Celestia said calmly, before taking off. Sahrot rushed back into the battle, sending more destruction spells Vaermina's way.

Vaermina was not in a good position against her opponents. under the combined might of a solar princess, her lunar sister wielding a weapon of one of her hated enemies, and a dragonborn, she won't be able to last much longer until she is forced out of Sahrot's mind. so, with a flash of her eyes, the entire landscape changed with a lightning strike.

**********

A huge bolt of lightning descended from the sky, blinding everyone in its' vicinity. it faded away as soon as it appeared, however, replaced instead by a quiet night in some unknown swamp-like area. the princesses looked around the area in confusion, wondering where they were. Lucia stuck to Twilight in fright, worried of what might happen next. Sahrot, however, stood quietly, his eyes transfixed on something in the distance. the others noticed this, and followed his gaze to find a cottage near a large river. curious, they were all about to approach him, until a huge mass of shadows caught them in it's clutches.

"Nrrgh, what?! how did this happen?!" Luna cried out. she tried to swing Dawnbreaker at the darkness, but it was quicker, smacking the lunar princess in the face, causing her to momentarily drop the blade. Luna shook her head, and tried to reach for it, only for it to fade out of existence.

"Oh, you won't be needing that anymore." a dark voice chuckled.

"SHOW YOURSELF, DEMON!!" Luna yelled, snorting in anger when she was responded by cackling laughter. Twilight on the other hand was trying to call out to Sahrot.

"Sahrot! Sahrot, what are you doing?!" she cried, trying to gain his attention. the argonian did not move, however, still keeping his eyes on the cottage ahead.

"He cannot hear you, fool. he is under my spell, now." the dark voice answered. with that, Vaermina herself materialized out of the ground, standing next to Sahrot. she rested a hand on his shoulder, and looked to the cottage as well.

"Perhaps, I should bring it closer. after all, what fun is watching a show in the distance, when one could get close in all the chaos?" Vaermina whispered darkly. she stretched out her hand, and the cottage was immediately close, so close that everyone present was almost next to it.

"Let the first act begin." Vaermina spoke, before fading away once more.

With that, a rustling was heard in the nearby shrubbery. from there emerged a group of humanoid figures clad in dark leather robes, ten total. the ponies watched with suspicion and worry as the hooded figures made their way to the cottage door, before stopping. they huddled together for a moment, seemingly discussing their next course of action, before dispersing. six of them hid by the sides of the cottage, while the other four made their way to the front door. one of the four walked up to the door, knocking it rather loudly. a commotion was heard within the cottage, and a faint light could be seen from one of the windows. a figure approached the door, the light growing lighter, until it stopped, and receded back, the light growing dimmer. the figure at the door seemed to grow impatient, and knocked on the door, even louder then last time. a voice was then heard from the inside, calling out to the beings outside.

"I do not know what you are doing here, Thalmor, but you are not welcome here." it stated, sounding deep and gruff.

"Not until we have acquired what we have set out for. we have reason to believe that your son, Silent-Foot-Shadow, is a worshiper of Talos. if you turn him over to us peacefully, then there will be no harm brought upon you. if not, we will have to use force. lethal force, if necessary." the lead figure, now identified as a Thalmor, spoke.

"What madness do you speak of, elf? none of my family worship any gods but our own, and Talos is not one of them. even if my son was a believer, we would not hand him over to the likes of you." the voice responded.

"If that is your answer, then you are a fool. we will have your son, even if we have to kill your family to get him!!" the lead Thalmor cried out.

He extended his hand to the door, as flames began to form in his palm. the figure then stepped back, as the flames shot from his hand to the door, bathing it in it's heat. the door was left badly damaged, and reduced to rubble as the figure kicked it to pieces. the Thalmor peered into the darkness for a few seconds, before he heard a low whistling sound. he turned too late, as an arrow struck him in his left temple. he fell to the ground, dead. the other three Thalmor immediately jumped into action, storming into the house, releasing fire balls everywhere. soon the entire room as ablaze, revealing a lone male argonian, a bow and arrow at the ready. he fired an arrow at a Thalmor preparing to fire a lightning spell, hitting him square in the heart. the Thalmor clutched the arrow in his hand, gasping, before falling to the floor. the argonian was not able to fire again, however, as the Thalmor next to him was able to fire a lightning bolt straight into his chest. the argonian dropped to his knees, taking in ragged breaths as he tried to stand up. he was almost on his feet, until he was kicked down by the Thalmor. the elf then bent down to the argonians' level, holding a dagger to his throat. the argonian could see the features of the elf, noticing that he had a short beard.

"This is what happens when you try to stand in our way, lizard." he said, snarling. "But don't worry, you'll join your family soon enough."

"...heh...heh heh...I believe that you are sorely mistaken, you pointy-eared bastard." the argonian said, smiling smugly.

"Hmm, let me guess, they were able to sneak out from the back? how fortunate, that just makes this whole ordeal easier. like I said, you'll be seeing them sooner. except for your son, of course." the Thalmor stated, grinning darkly at the argonian.

He then drove the dagger into the argonian's left hand, causing him to cry out in agony as it was pinned into the floor. the Thalmor then stood up and left the burning house with his comrade, leaving the argonian to try pulling out the dagger from his hand, as the cottage collapsed around him. he looked at the Thalmor in anger and desperation, before he was finally smothered by the flaming debris.

**********

The ponies watched the scene concluding, standing in horror by what they witnessed, as well as confusion. what is it that they were witnessing, and why? however, Lucia was thinking differently from the rest.

'Is...is this what I think it is?' Lucia thought, trembling slightly. 'Is this the thing father was talking about? why he never...talked about his parents?'

she was not able to ponder further, however, as the scene changed from the burning cottage, to a blurring scene of trees racing by. in the center were three individuals; a slender, curvier argonian, indicating a female, as well as what appeared to be a much younger version running alongside her, holding something in her arms. following behind them was a young argonian male, holding in his hands a bow and arrow, as well as a small sword on his side. they kept on running, until they came to a clearing. the adult female then turned to the young male, speaking to him in a language the ponies did not understand. she then pointed to the right side urgently, and the young male nodded nervously. he then took the younger females' hand, and bolted in that direction. the adult now stood alone in the clearing, stood with her hands to her sides. she then held up one hand, which was immediately bathed in a blue light. the argonian's eyes seemed to glow the same color for a moment, until she cancelled the action, dispelling the faint light. she then reached from under her garment, pulling out a dagger. she made her way to the left side of the clearing, making drag marks along the way, before she hid in the bushes. soon after, the remaining Thalmor were entering into the clearing as well. they looked around for a bit, trying to locate any sign of their direction. one of them spotted the marks made by the female, pointing it out to the rest. they soon followed the trail of marks, much to the females' satisfaction. she picked up a stone, and tossed it to the far left of their position, gaining their attention. two of them split off into that direction, with the argonian following silently behind them.

"Do you think there's an ambush?" one of them said quietly.

"Of course not. they're nothing but bipedal lizards, they aren't smart enough for that." another one answered.

"Are you stupid? two of our own were killed off already, there's no telling what might happen." the first one retorted.

The other made to reply, but instead cried out in pain, clutching his left leg.

"What's happened to y-" the Thalmor began, but was silenced as a blade a driven into the back of his skull, killing him instantly. the female argonian silently laid the body down. the other one, however, collapsed to the floor, unmoving. the argonian swiftly moved back into the shrubbery as the other Thalmor rushed in to investigate the commotion. upon seeing the two corpses, they immediately stuck together, preparing for a fight. they weren't expecting to hear two of their comrades crying out in pain, clutching their legs, then falling dead seconds later. the argonian female silently chuckled at their consternation, and slowly made her way through the shrubbery quietly. soon she was back in the clearing. still holding onto her dagger, she made her way to the direction of the young ones, until she heard a sound behind her. she turned around too late, as a pale green orb of light quickly slammed into her back, causing her body to freeze. she fell to the ground, still as a statue, as the remaining Thalmor made their way towards her.

"I must say, that was a good plan you had there." one of them said, approaching her steadily. "Unfortunately, it wasn't good enough."

he bent down and picked up her dagger from her grasp, and inspected it with intrigue.

"Hmm, I must say say, this is a high quality poison you have on this dagger of yours. it must very potent, for it to kill off my men so easily." he remarked before he turned his attention back to the argonian. "I wonder how it would effect an argonian? how about we find out?"

With that, he quickly jabbed the dagger into her chest, causing her eyes to dilate in shock. he stood up from his position, holding his hand up in the air. his hand then glowed a faint blue, and his gaze locked towards the left.

"Ah, I see that you were also trying to divert our path as well. clever." he stated.

The argonian did not reply, as her vision was starting to darken, her blood running cold. the Thalmor noticed this, and smirked down at her.

"I guess you argonian aren't much better at resisting poison." he stated derisively. "Oh well, at least you will see your husband very soon. that's one thing you could at least look forward to."

he then left the dying argonian to her demise, as he and his associates trudged onward in the direction of the remaining argonians.

**********

The scene ends, and the princesses were now left stunned. with what had just seen, they were beginning to mull things over, putting things together in their heads. however, the scene changed yet again, this time revealing the young argonians. they appeared to be in a clear pathway, and in the distance was a small settlement. the young male stepped out of the darkened canopy, and into the moonlight. the princesses gasped at what they saw, while Lucia's heart cold. the young argonian looked identical to Sahrot, only two feet shorter, and with no visible scars. he appeared to smile with relief when he saw the settlement, and he led the younger female in that direction. however, they weren't able to make it far until they heard the faint sound of a twig snapping. young Sahrot immediately turned his attention behind them, drawing his bow out, and notching the arrow. he then whispered to the young female next to him, motioning his head in the direction of the village. the girl nodded her head nervously, before turning around and running. as soon as that happened, two of the Thalmor emerged, spells at the ready. Sahrot immediately shot the one closest to him, lodging the arrow in his throat, killing him almost instantly. he quickly notched another arrow and fired it into the other ones' chest. he was shocked, however, when the arrow barely pierced into the vest. a light blue hue shimmered in the area the arrow struck, and faded away in a second, as the arrow fell to the ground. the Thalmor only smirked at the young argonian, before shooting his hand out at a certain direction, and fired a light-green orb. Sahrot turned to the direction where it flew, and he gasped in fear. the orb was headed right for the young female. as soon as it struck, she had little time to turn around. now she laid on the ground, completely immobilized. Sahrot was not able to turn around in time to see another green orb smack into him, making his body freeze as well, and he fell to the ground, helpless. the Thalmor looked down at him with a sneer, before turning around to his two other cohorts.

"Go get the girl." he said simply. they obliged, and made their way to the young female, grabbed her, and made their way back.

"Sir, the young female was carrying this in her hands." one of them said, holding out the item in question.

It was an egg, about the size of a mans' head, with a light blue color, with grey splotches all over the shell. the other Thalmor took it into his hands, inspecting it for a moment.

"An interesting egg you have here." he said, scratching his beard. " I wonder what will happen if I drop it?"

Sahrot immediately tried to get his body to move, but he could barely even shake his body.

"Oh, don't even bother trying to move, Silent-Foot-Shadow. that spells' going to keep you down for a while, now." the elf said. "And as you may guess, we can't exactly let your family live, seeing as how they're witnesses. I must say, you have a quite a formidable family, even took out a lot of my men,but I digress. I'm going to make you a deal. if you come with us quietly, with no problems at all, we'll leave the egg alone. after all, its only an egg. if not, however, then it's going to be smashed. what do you say?"

Sahrot moved his head slightly, trying to turn his head to face the young female.

"Hmph, I'm guessing that you're wondering about your sister, and what will happen to her? well, that's simple. she's a witness, and we can't have any witnesses." the Thalmor said, motioning to the other Thalmor, who nodded and turned his attention to the young female, pulling out a shortsword from it's scabbard.

Sahrot was now shaking desperately, trying in vain to get up and save his little sister, but couldn't even move his legs. he watched in fear and despair as the Thalmor raised the blade over her sisters' heart, poised for the lethal strike. he couldn't bear to watch, and so he closed his eyes and prayed desperately in his mind for someone to save them.

SHUNK.

THUD.

Sahrot slowly opened his eyes, dreading the worst had come true. he was instead greeted by the Thalmors' body, as it slumped to the ground in front of him, an arrow piercing through his heart. it was only a few more seconds before a second one holding his sister was shot down as well, leaving only one left. it was at that moment that several argonians emerged from the foliage, each wielding a bow, their arrows pointed straight at the Thalmors' heart. one of the argonians, a limber female, walked forward to the Thalmor, holding out her hand. the elf snarled, and handed it over the egg to the female, who gave to one of the others to guard. she then bent down to pull Sahrot to his feet, the spells' effect having worn off. as soon as he got to his feet, Sahrot immediately turned around and punched the Thalmor hard in the jaw, knocking him to the ground. he pulled out his sword and held it to the elf's throat, glaring hatefully into his eyes.

"What did you do to my mother and father?! where are they?!" he yelled.

The Thalmor stared back into his eyes with a cold sense of cruelty.

"Dead." was all he answered.

As soon as that word was uttered, Sahrot appeared to be utterly shocked, speechless by that word. his eyes had visibly shrunken as he started to stare lifelessly into the Thalmors' eyes. his dark chuckle was what snapped Sahrot out of his apparent trance. his expression contorted into one of unadulterated wrath, and he violently threw the Thalmors' body to the ground, and jumping right on top of him. with his sword, he drove it deeply into the Thalmors' chest, driving through it's resistance almost instantly. this caused the elf to cry out in pain. Sahrot pulled the blade out, splattering blood over his pants, before stabbing him again, this time through the sternum, shattering the ribcage. Sahrot kept on driving the blade in and out of the Thalmor's body, not stopping even after the elf was long dead. soon, his entire front body was drenched in blood, the elf's body a mutilated, torn fleshy pulp. Sahrot was breathing heavily, as he raised his sword to strike one more blow to the elf, until a pair of hands held him back

"PLEASE, BROTHER, STOP THIS!!" his sister cried out, holding his hands at bay. the older argonian tried to struggle for a moment, until he turned to look at her. she stood behind him, holding his bloodied hands with her own. her once clean hands, now stained with the blood he spilled. at that point, his anger withered away, locked inside his heart. now, he was left with overwhelming, paralyzing grief, as his eyes stung from the tears that flowed like rivers down his face. his sister grabbed him in a tight embrace, and he hugged her back, comforting her as best as he could, given the situation. it was a vain effort, because their loss was too much to bear for them.

They had lost their home.

Their innocence.

Their family.

Author's Note

I was sooo tempted to have a cliffhanger right at the end of those bold/italicized words, but I decided against it for your sake. the next chapter may be coming soon, so keep a lookout. :twilightsmile: also, sorry it took so long to write a chapter. (schoolwork and all that jazz) :twilightsheepish: so hopefully, this extended chapter would serve as a nice reward. thanks for reading.

Prologue

"You must head to the Nordic crypt, hidden beneath the snows of the northern mountains. there, you will obtain my artifact, the Grand Staff of Time. go now, my son, and reclaim my artifact, and reclaim your title as the rightful Hero of Skyrim." Akatosh bequeathed.

"I will head there at once, Bormah Akatosh. I will not fail you. I will prove myself worthy of your guidance." Sahrot answered.

Akatosh spread his wings abroad, stretching them to the point in which they engulfed Sahrot's vision. then Akatosh's body glowed brightly, his golden scales becoming a burning white. his form illuminated the darkness that surrounded the two beings. as he glowed brighter, Sahrot felt his body being tugged away. as he slowly began to dissipate, his mind ebbing away from consciousness, Akatosh spoke once more.

"I will always be watching over you, wherever you go, my son."

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

when Sahrot opened his eyes, he found himself back in the temple of the Divines, still kneeling down. he got back to his feet, and exited the temple. as he left, he checked his inventory for anything to drink, specifically a bottle of Honningbrew mead. he instead found a map, which had a location marked somewhere in the freezing mountains of the north. looking toward the horizon, knowing this is his chance to redeem himself and clear his name, has filled his heart with determination. and so, he had set out, heading toward the north, to retrieve the artifact and return it to Akatosh. As Sahrot reached the end of the stairs of the temple, a Nord courier had run up to him.

"I h-have, (gasp), urgent news! your housecarl, Yngvar the Singer, has sent me from Markarth to get you! a band of Thalmor magicians has raided your home! they are still there, fighting with Yngvar, and your friends!" the courier cried, panting as he did so.

Sahrot's blood ran cold at the news, and his heart burned with rage. his eyes glowed a bright red, which had scared the courier.

'But why?', Sahrot thought. 'why would they do that? I'll have to ask my housecarl about that'.

He then headed to Markarth to check on his housecarl, Yngvar. as he left Solitude, he summoned his steed, Arvak. the spectral stallion galloped forth to his master. Sahrot hopped on the saddle, and was off to Markarth. after two hours of traveling on horseback, Sahrot had arrived at the gate of Markarth. he hopped off his horse, and entered the city. upon entering, he saw his house was set ablaze. without hesitation, he bolted toward his home, hoping that everyone was fine in there. as he ran up the stairs, he could hear the crackle of electricity, and when he reached the top, he saw his companions, Farkas and Lydia, fighting alongside Yngavar, along with several guards. he looked at their adversaries, the Thalmor magicians. they were using high level destruction magic, as one of them blasted a guard with a wave of fire. Sahrot pulled out his greatsword, and joined the battle, cleaving one of them in half, while setting it ablaze, due to his enchantment, which has also absorbed the Thalmor's soul. the corpse did not even reach the ground as Sahrot cut the arm off of another Thalmor. the magician cried in pain as he clutched the stump where his arm was. he did not even look up to see the giant Daedric blade swinging down on his head, cutting all the way down to his torso. as Sahrot pulled the blade out of the burning corpse, a magician had cast a lightning spell on Yngavar, pushing him back and leaving a large burn mark on his chestplate. Sahrot made quick work of the Thalmor by eviscerating him, setting his organs on fire, and hurried to Yngavar's side.

"don't worry, Sahrot, it doesn't hurt that bad." Yngavar said coarsely.

Regardless, Sahrot healed his wound, and brought him back to his feet. the battle had finally ended, and there was only one Thalmor left. he stood quivering under Sahrot's eyes, which were still glowing red.

"Why are you here? what did you take?" Sahrot growled, as the guards were putting out the fire.

"W-I-I'LL NEVER TELL! THERE'S NO WA-" the Thalmor did not finish speaking, as Sahrot had gripped him by the throat.

"YOU WILL TELL ME, OR I WILL CRUSH YOUR SKULL, AND RIP OUT YOUR HEART!!" Sahrot barked, his armor beginning to darken.

The Thalmor squirmed in his grasp, choking as he did so. Lydia ran up to Sahrot's side before he could kill him.

"Sahrot, stop! he's the only one who can tell us where the rest of them are! where Brelyna is!" Lydia yelled.

Sahrot's eyes then returned to normal, and looked back at Lydia with shock in his eyes.

"Brelyna? she in not here? where is she then?!" he shouted.

There were a lot more Thalmor than before, Sahrot. they had stormed into the house, stolen everything magical that they could find, and kidnapped Brelyna." Lydia said.

Upon hearing the dire news, Sahrot turned his attention back to the Thalmor, who was still coughing from Sahrot's grip. he picked him back up, and brought a dagger to his throat.

"Tell me where they went, and I might let you live." Sahrot whispered venomously.

The Thalmor looked down at the dagger with fear in his eyes.

"T-they went to a-a crypt, u-up north." the Thalmor whimpered.

"Where? put it on the map, show me where it is!" Sahrot yelled.

He had taken out the map, and showed it to the Thalmor. the Thalmor pointed at a location in the northern mountains. as Sahrot looked to the location, he realized that this is the same location as the artifact he was supposed to acquire. after seeing the whereabouts, he threw the Thalmor to one of the guards.

"Make sure he's locked up. I'm certain the Jarl will want to have a word with him." Sahrot said.

The guards nodded in response, and walked off with the Thalmor in their hands. Sahrot then instructed Yngavar to take a rest at the nearby temple of Arkay. he was about to decline, but he then keeled forward in pain, and agreed. as Yngavar left, Sahrot then entered his house. it seems most of the damage was in the dining area, as the other rooms were intact. he looked around the house, seeing that most of his magical items had been stolen. he cursed his luck, and entered the master bedroom. he opened his secret chest, and sighed in relief to see that his weapons were still here. he then rummaged the items for the Staff of Magnus, Dawnbreaker, Spellbreaker, Auriel's bow, the Wabbajack, and Azura's star. there will most likely be many of them when he gets there, so he is going to need these to fight against them. he left his home, and out of the city. Farkas and Lydia were waiting for him there, ready to go. Sahrot nodded to them, thankful for their help. once they reached the stables, they got on to there. horses, and strode toward the mountains.

**********

It had taken the group up to six hours in order to reach the location, having to leave the horses behind in order to climb the mountains. they made to the entrance, when they discovered foot prints, still fresh in the snow.

"These prints are fresh, which means that that they've just arrived." Farka explained.

Sahrot only nodded in response, before he and his companions entered inside. upon entering, they quickly went exploring around the crypt, and had encountered several Drougr, which they had taken care of swiftly, reducing them to heaps of ashes. After that, they had come across a series of traps, many of which they had gotten through easily, but have fallen to a few clever ones.

'Whatever this artifact is that I am seeking, it must be of high importance for it to end up in this place, as well as having the Thalmor in this place, too.' He thought to himself.

He and his companions continued on, coming across more Drougrs and traps. He paid no mind to them, for he has explored crypts several times before, and has passed them all. After that, he came across a large gate, with three obelisk-like constructs at the front, each with an animal on them. Sahrot put his weapons, and searched the room for a clue to opening the gate. after 15 minutes of searching, he had found the corpse of an adventurer lying in a room at the right of the gate. after searching the body, he found a journal, which after reading it, contained the code for the door; a snake to the left, a fish in the middle, and a hawk at the right. after returning to the gate, he switched the obelisks in the correct order, and pulled the chain, causing the gate to open, revealing a long hallway. as he walked through, however, he heard a distant chanting at the end of the hallway. he continued on wary not to trigger any traps that may be present. as he neared the end of the hallway, the chanting grew louder, and Sahrot recognized it as Dovahzul, the dragon language. he peered through the grate cautiously and quietly, and what he saw made his anger flare. in the center of the room was a massive gathering of Thalmor magicians. they had a large array of magical items, including, to Sahrot's surprise, an Elder scroll, several amulets, and several masks of the Dragon-priests.

'What are they planning to do with these items?' Sahrot thought to himself.

With that, he heard a shrill scream, which he recognized was his wife, Brelyna.

"Let me go, you Thalmor heathens! if you so much as lay a finger on me, then my husband will see to it that your heads are mounted on spikes!" she yelled.

The Thalmor restraining her only slapped her face in annoyance, which fueled Sahrot's anger.

"Just shut up already. we want your husband here because he is an essential part in our ritual." The Thalmor muttered.

Sahrot then turned to his housecarl, Lydia, who was awaiting orders.

"I need you to sneak around the back to those guards, and silently kill them. make sure you don't draw attention to yourself." Sahrot instructed.

After his housecarl went to do so, he turned to his trusted companion, Farkas.

"I need you to stick close to me, we're going to kill these bastards one at a time. Once we get to Brelyna, I want you to take her to safety, and inform Ulfric Stormcloak of this incident. I want these Thalmor to be wiped out from Skyrim once and for all." Sahrot stated.

"You have my word, and shield, harbinger." Farkas replied.

Sahrot nodded in response, as the two snuck behind the Thalmor nearest to Brelyna, and promply killed them where they stood. The Thalmor holding Brelyna spun around to see what had happened, only to see a massive sword cleave his head in two. As the now dead Thalmor fell in a puddle of his own blood, Sahrot embraced Brelyna in a tight hug, in which Brelyna returned.

"Brelyna! are you okay?! did they hurt you? please tell me you're alright." Sahrot pleaded.

"I'm alright, Sahrot, the only thing these bastards did was slap me, and...burn our house down. Is your housecarl okay? they had been fighting him, and ransacked our home after kidnapping me." Brelyna asked.

"Don't worry about the housecarl, I healed him when I saw him. He's currently at a temple for his wounds to be treated. As for the home, I managed to salvage most of our property, and have sent them to our home in Whiterun." Sahrot replied reassuringly.

"listen, I need you to follow my companions, Farkas and Lydia, out of this crypt, and to the safety of Ulfric Stormcloak. tell him what has happened here, and to get rid of those Thalmor bastards. but most important is your safety." Sahrot said.

"But, wait, Sahrot, were are you going? you can't fight them by yourself! there's too many of them, they'll kill you!" she begged.

Sahrot then let go of her, and proceeded to the chamber.

''I'll be fine, at least you'll be safe. I'm going to kill them all. I'll make sure you will not be followed.'' Sahrot said. "Farkas, take her to Windhelm, and stay with her and the children. I'm staying behind so they won't follow you." Farkas nodded on response.

"Come on, Brelyna, we have to go, now." Farkas said.

Brelyna was starting to tear up at this point, but promptly said, "I pray for your safety, my love. make sure they never hurt anyone again."

She, along with Farkas and Lydia, then left the room, and to the surface. Sahrot turned back to the door to the ritual chamber.

"It's time I finally end this, once and for all. it will not be for vengeance, but to protect the world from people like you." Sahrot whispered.

With that, he entered into the chamber, ready to cut down any Thalmor bastard that comes his way. he took out the Staff of Magnus, and readied his shield, Spellbreaker. as he neared the middle of the room, he the Thalmor still chanting, a large stream of light resonated from the magical items and the Thalmor, and into a staff that had a golden dragons head at the top. the staff glowed with power, and a ray of magic shot forth from the staff, and into the Elder scroll. Sahrot eyed the staff, believing that this is the artifact that he was supposed to retrieve. he then charged the Staff of Magnus, and shot a stream of energy at the group, draining them of their magic. the Thalmor moaned in response, and turned their attention to Sahrot. they shouted at him in defiance, and all charged up for a magical assault. Sahrot quickly pulled up his shield, and a ward appeared, blocking off all the magical attacks. once the onslaught had stopped, Sahrot rushed forward, putting away his staff, and bringing out his sword. with one swing, he decapitated the first three Thalmor, and maiming another two with a second swing. the Thalmor just kept barraging Sahrot with more destruction spells, which Sahrot blocked with Spellbreaker. he slashed open a Thalmor's stomach, spilling out his organs on the floor. Sahrot stood for a moment, preparing to cast a shout.

"Tiid, KLO UL!" he shouted.

With that, all time has slowed to a snails pace, all except for Sahrot. he put his things away, and charged a spell. he summoned all of his magicka, as his arms pulsated with electricity. he then focused his hands at the Thalmor, and released all he had on them. a giant surge of electricity erupted from his hands, and incinerated the first five Thalmor in front of him. he then proceeded to incinerate the rest of them, turning the stream of energy on their bodies. once time had gone to the regular pace, all that was left of the Thalmor were several piles of ash. Sahrot turned his attention back to the staff, which had resonated with power. he walked towards it, and was about to grab it, until he was struck by a bolt of lightning. the electricity coursed through his armor, and damaged his nerves. he cried out in pain, as he fell to his knees. he turned his head to see a Thalmor standing amidst the ashes. he wore black robes that flowed around him.

"At last, the final component to the ritual." he said coolly.

"What in Oblivion are you talking about, you worthless bastard?! what ritual are you trying to complete?" Sahrot questioned.

Well, I should not tell you of our secrets, but since your going to die anyways, then I don't see the problem. what we are trying to do...is go to another world." the Thalmor replied.

"What are you talking about? there is no such thing as another world." Sahrot muttered.

"Oh, but there is. through hundreds of years of studying, we came upon a grand discovery. as it turns out, Nirn was not the only world the Divines have created. they have made another world, one that has many possibilities awaiting for the Thalmor to exploit. with the Staff of the Dragon God, we can open the portal leading to that world. all we need now is the blood of a dragon. of course, to get the blood from a dragon would mean certain death. which is why we had wanted you here." he whispered.

"If you think you are going to kill me, then you are so-AGAHGH!" Sahrot screamed, as he felt cold steel piercing through his skin.

he looked at his hand, where he saw a dagger wedged between the crevices of his gauntlet. the dagger then flew out of the crevices, covered in his blood. the dagger landed in the Thalmor's hand, and he smiled with his prize.

"You see, Dragonborn, I have my ways of getting what I want. and now I want you dead. the dagger that stabbed you was coated in a highly deadly poison. you'll only have a minute to live, given your status." the Thalmor sneered.

Sahrot looked at his hand as his vision had started to blur. he could not reach for his poison cure, as his body was convulsing, his hands rendered useless. he thought desperately of what to do, until an idea came to him. the Thalmor turned his attention to the ritual, as he chanted the final words to activate the portal. he left a drop Sahrot's blood onto the Elder scroll, which had made it glow with radiant energy. a bluish orb of energy formed above the scroll, and had only grown larger, until it filled half the room. inside the orb, trees could be seen, forests expanded for miles, cities were blooming across the land.

"At long last, our work is finally finished! this world will be ours for the taking!" the Thalmor screamed.

He did not notice, however that a certain Argonian warrior had used his Histkin to heal himself, and had pulled out his sword to plunge it into the Thalmor's back. the Thalmor screamed in agony, as his organs were now skewed. Sahrot pulled out the blade, and left the Thalmor on the floor.

"Your plans end here, bastard. I'm not going to let whatever scheme you have come to fruition." Sahrot growled.

He ran towards the staff and pulled it out of the ground. the light emanating from the staff began to fade. he then picked up his Elder scroll, and put it in his pocket. with that, the portal was starting to close, the images starting to fade away

"NO! I'M NOT GOING TO LET YOU GET IN OUR WAY!" the Thalmor screamed.

Before Sahrot could do anything,the Thalmor charged up a lightning spell, and blasted Sahrot into the portal. the Thalmor then smiled weakly, as he drew his last breath, knowing he had won in the end.

Chapter 6: A Chat on History, Creation, and Magic

The group has just made it to the station when the train had arrived. Twilight sighed in relief, glad that they had made it to the station on time. she turned around to count heads, making sure that everypony was there. Sahrot flinched slightly at the sound of the hiss of the steam engines, not quite used to the contraption. the passage doors opened up, allowing the current passengers inside to exit. as the ponies exited out of the train, two ponies had caught Twilight's eye. she squinted eyes to see the two amidst the other ponies, and upon seeing who they were, smiled with excitement.

"MOM! DAD!" she called out. the two ponies looked in the direction where Twilight was, immediately spotting their daughter and her friends.

"TWILIGHT, THERE YOU ARE!" the mother said, as both of them were walking over to the group. they stopped just a few feet, however, when they saw the armor-clad argonian behind them.

"T-Twilight, what is that thing?" the father stammered, his eyes shrinking.

"Oh, right. mom, dad, this is Sahrot Strun. he's a friend of mine, and he's rather new to Equestria." Twilight replied.

"Greetings." Sahrot stated, bowing his head.

"Umm, hello, Sahrot. I am Twilight Velvet, and this is Night Light, my husband. we are the parents of Shining Armor, and princess Twilight Sparkle." Velvet responded.

"MOM! there's no need to refer to me as princess, I'm still your daughter." Twilight exclaimed.

"Oh, honey, there's no shame to it. you were always my little princess, so it's fitting that I would call you as such now." Velvet said reassuringly. Twilight's cheeks blushed slightly from embarrassment, averting her eyes from Sahrot as he looked at her.

"It is an honor to meet the parents of the royal princess." Sahrot said, bowing to them.

"Oh, of course." Velvet replied, bowing back. she looked away from Sahrot and at Cadence, noticing the baby that she held.

"So is this the new bundle of joy I've heard coming in?" Velvet stated, walking towards Cadence.

"Oh, yes, this is the one all right, mom." Shining said, tickling the infant.

"Aww, isn't she the most sweet and adorable thing you've ever seen, dear?" Velvet asked.

"Can't say that I've seen anything more cute than this, sweetie." Night Light said. the baby cooed in happiness, as Velvet gave her a kiss.

"So Cadence, are you going to give her a name, or are we just going to call her 'the baby'?" Velvet asked jokingly. Cadence thought about it for a moment, pondering on what would be a good name for the child.

"We were thinking...Flurry Heart." she stated decisively.

"You know, to remember the occasion." Shining added, nuzzling Cadence.

"Goodness, how could ANYPONY forget about that?" Rarity chimed in.

'Well, I think its a perfect name." Twilight said, kissing Flurry on the cheek. Sahrot stood by the train door, observing the family. he smiled behind his helm, glad that they are happy. their merriment reminded him of his own family. he recalled back to the time he and his family had cheerful times, like running with his younger sister through the marshes, playing tag with the other children, and sculpting houses out of mud. his mother would often bake them cakes and pies, while his father was out fishing and hunting, bringing back plentiful amounts of meat to eat. then, his baby brother, being only a year old after his hatching, would often crawl around the house, in every nook and cranny. Sahrot sighed as he remembered those days, feeling a sense of peace. that is, until the other memories crawled into his mind, memories he thought he had buried forever. memories of blood, fire, and screams of anguish flooded his senses, taking him back to a day, a day that changed his life forever. it was only for a moment, but it was enough to bring him to his knees. his heart was racing, and his arms and legs were shaking underneath his weight.

"S-Sahrot, are you okay?!" Twilight exclaimed, rushing over to him. his sudden collapse had caught the attention of the entire group, who watched over the argonian.

"I am fine, Twilight, I m-merely lost my footing. excuse me please, I-I will wait on the train." Sahrot stuttered, rising back on his feet, and rushed into the locomotive. he found himself an empty seat, where he sat down, and proceeded to cast a Calm spell on himself, bringing his heart to a steady pulse. he sighed heavily, resting himself into the seat, until felt a peculiar moisture beneath his eyes. he touched them through his sockets, and found that they were completely wet.

'Tears,' he thought to himself. 'It has been several years since I had ever shed a tear, I had forgotten how they felt.' he looked outside to see Twilight staring at him through the window, somewhat confused. Twilight, on the other hand, thought to herself about Sahrot's peculiar actions. she noticed a green glow emanating from Sahrots' right hand, and placed it at his chest, enveloping him in a green aura briefly. she turned her attention away from Sahrot to see Flurry start to sniffle, her eyes becoming watery.

"Oh, don't cry now, Flurry! there's nothing to be worried about." Cadence said, rocking her child to calm her down. the child stopped sniffling, but instead pointed somewhere at the ground with her tiny hoof. Cadence didn't pay it much heed, but Twilight followed with her eyes to where the child was pointing. the area she spotted had two small, but dark, moist spots in the pavement. she noted that it was also the area in which Sahrot had apparently lost his footing. she thought to herself of what this meant, and decided to go into the train to find out. she spotted Sahrot sitting alone in one of the seats, and walked to him.

"Is everything alright, Sahrot?" Twilight asked.

"Oh, of course. everything is fine, Twilight, there is no need to worry about me." Sahrot replied.

"Well, alright then." she said, taking a seat opposite him. she didn't really believe him. she knew there was something wrong with him, but she won't try to question him, as he will most likely not take it too kindly. she thought of how to approach the situation, when she saw Starlight chatting with Sunburst. they exchanged a few words, then hugged each other, and parted ways. Twilight felt somewhat hollow inside, thinking that she had somehow failed her pupil. she watched Starlight followed the rest of the group as they entered the train, each taking their seats. Spike sat beside Twilight, who sighed with a tinge of sadness.

"What's wrong, Twilight?" Spike asked.

"Oh, I really don't know, Spike, I guess that i have a lot to learn about being a teacher." Twilight stated.

"What are you talking about? your lesson went perfectly! Starlight and Sunburst got over their pasts, and rekindled their friendship." Spike said.

"No thanks to me, however. I know a lot happened, I just wished I could've given my pupil the attention she needed." Twilight replied, looking over to Starlight.

"Well, I know that she needed to be led to the right path, but giving her the space to make her own decisions went pretty well, after all, isn't that how Celestia taught YOU?" Spike stated, pointing at Twilight.

"...You know, I haven't really thought about that, but I guess it is." she responded, smiling.

"You know, I think you're a better teacher than you thought." Spike said.

"Thanks, Spike." Twilight replied. with the thought now cleared, she again thought about Sahrot's situation, wondering how to approach it. then an idea had come to her.

"Sahrot, I've been meaning to ask, how exactly did you stop Luna from entering your mind?" Twilight asked.

"Well, I honestly do not know, Twilight. I do believe that her magic simply has no effect on me. why do you ask?" Sahrot stated.

"Oh, well, I just wanted to figure out why it didn't work," Twilight replied. "Oh! that reminds me, I was just going to ask you if you could teach me to use your magic?"

"Well, I guess I could, but why are you so interested in learning Tamrielic magic? is you're own form just not enough for you?" Sahrot questioned.

"No, its not that, I just want to understand it. its just so...new. I've never seen this kind of magic before, and it seems to be fueled by a completely different source of energy. I know you explained that your magic comes from within you, but can you describe the nature of this energy?" Twilight asked.

"Hmmmm...well, I suppose I have not been thorough in explaining Magicka, so I will do so now. Magicka is the spiritual energy that resides in all of the living beings of Nirn. however, Magicka is merely stored within us, we do not generate it. the source of Magicka comes from a plane of existence, known as Aetherius, and flows out through our sun." Sahrot explained.

"Wait, your magical energy comes from another plane of existence, and travels into your world via the sun?" Twilight asked.

"Yes, for you see, the sun in my world is essentially a massive tear within time and space. the stars of my world are also torn holes, but they are much smaller." Sahrot answered.

"...Massive tears in time and space? really? please, tell me, what could possibly have caused those ruptures, because I very much want to know." Twilight asked, barely holding back the excitement in her voice. she quickly pulled out her notebook and quill, gesturing Sahrot to continue.

"Well, the tears were created when several of the Et'ada had escaped from Nirn." Sahrot stated.

"Et'ada?" Twilight said quizzically, scribbling down notes.

"Yes, the Et'ada, or 'Original Spirits', are the gods of my world. they originate from the plane of Aetherius, but after the creation of Mundus, the mortal plane, most of them had fled Mundus, tearing holes in the mortal plane. there were some who stayed behind, giving away a large sum of their power, to complete Mundus. these gods were the Divines, with Akatosh being the chief of the other gods. some of the ones who had fled still lost some of their power, and were not able to return to Aetherius. these gods are the Daedric princes that I had mentioned earlier." Sahrot responded.

"Wow, goodness gracious, your world is sounding more spectacular by the minute!" Twilight exclaimed, scribbling down notes. "So, how were these gods of yours created?"

"Hmm...well, according to some records, the Et'ada first came to be after the clash between Anu and Padomay. you see, Anu and Padomay were the two primordial gods in existence, and they predate the creation of the Et'ada, Aetherius, Nirn, everything. they lived in Aurbis, or the universe before the other planes, and were complete opposite forces. Anu represents all that is good; light, order, life, and stasis, while Padomay represents all that is evil; darkness, chaos, corruption, despair, death, and madness. the two beings clashed, and fought until they had drawn blood from one another. these droplets of blood would form Aetherius, and the Et'ada, the Aedra, or the Divines, were formed from the mixed blood of the two gods, except for Akatosh, while the Daedra, excluding Meridia, were formed from the pure blood of Padomay. after this, Anu had been reflecting his own existence, and decided to birth his own soul to better understand the nature of himself. this birth led to the creation of Anui-El, the avatar of Anu, and the soul of all living things. but just as Anu created Anui-El, Padomay had created an avatar of his own, named...Sithis." Sahrot said, muttering the name as if in disgust.

"Sahrot , is there something wrong? I noticed your change of tone when you mentioned this 'Sithis'. is there anything that I should know about him?" Twilight asked.

"Oh, no, there's nothing that you need to worry about, Twilight. anyways, Anui-El saw that all of Aurbis was filled with chaos and darkness, so in order to bring order and balance, he created Auri-El, or Akatosh, the god of time. with this, order had come, balanced by the power of time itself. with this, he helped some of the Et'ada find purpose in their existence, thus creating the other seven Divines. However, when Sithis had seen what has become of the universe, he wanted to eradicate it all, as he saw it as an affront to the 'truth' of what reality is. so he created a god himself, known as Lorkhan, to convince the Et'ada to create a new plane of existence, in order to weaken the spirits. they obliged, not knowing it would cost them most of their power. this plane is known today as Mundus, the mortal realm, as you already know. one of the Et'ada, Magnus, had set the plans to construct Nirn itself, but after some time, he realized what would happen if Nirn was created, and so he fled Mundus, tearing through the plane, thus creating the sun. soon after, most of the other Et'ada left as well, but some were too late, as a considerable amount of their power was given to Mundus, thus they were not able to return to Aetherius. instead, they were trapped in the void known as Oblivion. the rest of the Et'ada, the Aedra, or Divines, had stayed, however, and finished forming the Mundus plane. but, after seeing the treachery of Lorkhan, and losing most of their power, the Divines had punished Lorkhan by tearing him apart, and have used his pieces to mold the world of Nirn itself. since the Aedra had lost most of their power, they could not return to Aetherius, and were bound to Mundus. so, they decided that they shall be the gods of Mundus, and have created the mortal races. that, my friend, is how my world came to be." Sahrot finished.

Wow...I never thought that there would be so much detail and knowledge in just the creation of your world. that was such a fascinating and insightful story, Sahrot!" Twilight said cheerfully.

"So, tell me Twilight, how exactly was your world formed?" Sahrot asked.

"Oh, well...I'm not entirely sure about that. the topic of how my world was created has been a heated debate within the field of science and magic. some ponies believed that the world was created by mere chance, and their most common theory was that it was formed by large clumps of debris from asteroids, water from comets, and life from small, microscopic creatures. the ponies on the other side of the coin believed that it was created from some mystical being, which might explain how we can use magic, but has left the details of the formation rather obscure. then their are some that believed in an explanation that is quite similar to yours, Sahrot. all in all, nopony is sure how the world was made." Twilight answered, shrugging her shoulders.

"Hmmm...so you and your people are not sure of your worlds' creation? that is a rather strange thing to me. what of the princesses, do they know anything of this sort?" Sahrot questioned.

"I'm afraid not, Sahrot. even they don't know how the world really formed. like I said, nopony really knows." Twilight replied. Sahrot said nothing in response, only resting back into his seat, contemplating about why no one of this world would know of its creation.

'Its very clear that this world runs on some sort of magical power, though it is something that is unfamiliar to me. the people of Nirn uses Magicka, and that comes from Aetherius. could it be that this world is running on a similar source? well, there is no way of finding out, but hopefully they would discover it soon enough. I would surely love to learn how to harness this type of power, if I can. ' Sahrot thought to himself.

"So, Twilight, is it alright with you to explain to me how your magic works?" Sahrot asked politely.

"Oh, of course!" Twilight stated, beaming. "Where do I begin? well, Equestrian magic has been around for as long as anypony could remember.
its what allowed us to become prosperous and thriving, giving us the power to push back the strongest of storms, grow ripe and plentiful crops, and defeat the greatest of evils."

"Right, but at the same time, it can prove to be rather destructive when placed in the wrong hands?" Sahrot interjected.

"Well, of course it would be. that's why we have-HAD the Elements of Harmony, in order to fend off such beings who would be dangerous." Twilight stated.

"Is that so? hmm...well, if you are willing to explain to me, what are these so called 'Elements of Harmony, and what exactly happened to them?" Sahrot asked.

"Alright then. the Elements of Harmony are ancient relics of mystical and powerful magic. they were six Elements in all, each aspects in harmony and friendship: Honesty, Loyalty, Laughter, Kindness, Generosity, and Magic. they were first used by the princesses when they have done battle with Discord, the spirit of chaos. he was terrorizing the land of Equestria one thousand years ago, bending the laws of reality and manipulating the ponies under his rule, just for amusement. when princess Celestia and Luna had fought Discord, they used the power of the Elements to defeat him, and encase him in stone for over a thousand years. he is free now, and has actually become an ally to us. anyways, the second time they were used was when Celestia had to banish her sister to the moon for a thousand years, just like Discord. this was because Luna had been consumed by her jealousy towards her older sister at the time. as you have seen earlier, she has returned to us now, but not as she is now. she was able to escape from the moon, aided by the stars themselves. when she did, she was in the form of Nightmare Moon, which I can only assume is her alter ego born from her envy. I was a unicorn, still under the tutelage of Celestia at the time she arrived to Equestria. Nightmare Moon threatened to overthrow Celestia, and shroud the entire world in eternal night under her rule. me and my friends were there at the time, and we had taken it upon ourselves to stop Nightmare Moon, as Celestia was nowhere to be found. we figured that if we could obtain the Elements, we could defeat Nightmare Moon, and find Celestia. when we arrived at the location of the Elements, we split up in order to cover more ground. I was then confronted by Nightmare Moon, who had taken me to the location of the Elements. I was able to trick her for a short time , and tried to activate the Elements with my magic, but failed. however, when my friends had come to my side, I realized something. in order to activate the powers of the Elements, we had to embody the aspects that they represented. and so, we became one with the Elements. Applejack was the Element of Honesty, Rainbow was the Element of Loyalty, Pinkie was the Element of Laughter, Rarity was the Element of Generosity, Fluttershy was the Element of Kindness, and I, Magic. together, with the combined power of the Elements, we were able to banish the wicked Nightmare Moon, leaving behind princess Luna. Celestia returned shortly after to reunite with her long lost sister. many months after that, and just days after I became princess, an incident happened where several vine-like tendrils invaded Ponyville from the Everfree Forest. it wasn't long afterwards that we discovered the princesses had been captured. we were then able to find out what was going on: the Elements' source of power, the Tree of Harmony, was attacked by the vines. so, in order to save the tree, and Ponyville at large, we had to deliver the Elements back to the Tree of Harmony, giving it it's former strength, and destroyed the wicked vines that threatened us all beforehoof. Celestia and Luna were found yet again, but the Elements were lost to us, and instead replaced by a great power, granted to us by the tree itself. it also gave me the castle that you had seen earlier in Ponyville." Twilight explained.

"...So, let me just get this straight. the Elements of Harmony are magical relics of great power, each representing six aspects of 'friendship and harmony'?" Sahrot asked.

"Yep, pretty much." Twilight replied.

"...You know, I have heard many strange things regarding magic, but this is by far the strangest of all. magical items that are powered by a tree, each item with specific aspects. very much different to that of Tamrielic magic, let me tell you." Sahrot stated.

"Well, I'd imagine that would be the case. is it possible for you to demonstrate the magic you possess? if so, then perhaps you can do so when we reach the castle?" Twilight requested.

"I'm sorry, but that would have to wait until tomorrow, as night will be upon us when we return." Sahrot responded. Twilight was a little disdained by that, but agrees to it, as everypony would need some rest once they get home. they continued to talk as the train made its way back to Ponyville, and when they finally arrived, Twilight Sparkle had waved her friends goodbye as they departed to their homes. She, Spike, and Sahrot then strolled back to the castle. Sahrot made his way to his living quarters, with Twilight thanking him again for his help, and bidding him goodnight. he then unpacked his gear, setting them beside his bed, though he kept his armor on, and tried to lay onto the bed. he found the bed to be too small for his liking, and instead slept on the floor, using a bed roll he had always carried with him. He blew out the candle on his shelf, and before going to sleep, prayed to the Divines and Meridia to watch over Brelyna, Lucia, and Hroar, and to aid him in his quest to return to Tamriel.

Author's Note

Apologies to any who may find this chapter rather dialogue heavy, but I decided that this would be a good place to explain some events in the Elder scrolls universe, as I felt it was a good way of building character for Sahrot, as well as build a strong friendship between him and Twilight. the idea behind Sahrot's personality is based upon that of the Storyteller from Shoddycasts' 'Fallout Lore Series' in the fact that he enjoys traveling and exploring, as well as talk about historic events, or adventures that he had made, but is tight-lipped about his personal life, even around close friends and family. his backstory was made to be loosely similar to Guts, from Berserk. I'll delve deeper into his character later on, but this is just a basic description. :twilightsmile: Oh! I nearly forgot. in my earlier note, I stated that Sahrot knows every spell in the game. well, that's not entirely true. Sahrot despises necromancy, and stays away any from any kind of spell associated with it (except for soul trap). :pinkiecrazy: