A Tale of the Misplaced Guard

Chapters

Not in Skyrim Anymore
Like a Potato in a Treasury
Getting to know the Apples
Pasts come to Light
A Darkness Shining in the Light
Apple Bucking Eve
Ulfgar's day on the Town
Off To The Forge
From the Shadows
The Applebucking Competition
Defense of Whiterun
Under the Veil of Night

Not in Skyrim Anymore

Into the battle Ulfgar went with his sword raised high. The manticore took a swipe at the traveler ahead of him and received a full forced punch from the traveler.

"Take that, you ruffian!" She shouted out.

The beast let out a full forced roar blowing back long flowing purple hair.

"My Hair!" she cried before a low growl reminded her where she was and she ran back to her friends.

"Wait." A traveler dressed in a pale yellow attire and a soft pink hair said in a voice so soft Ulfgar barely heard it.

He tried to place the travelers out of his mind and continued towards the creature. With his shield raised, he got close enough to go for an attack. He nearly placed a nasty slice on one of the travelers who had come up from behind him and straddled themselves on top of the beast.

"Yee-haa! Get along, little doggie!" She shouted out as the creature began trying to buck her off of its back.

With one good kick, the manitore tossed the traveler into the air.

"All yours, partner." She said to one to another traveler as Ulfgar began another attempt to attack the manticore.

"I'm on it!" One of the other travelers shouted out.

"Wait." The one traveler with the pink hair said quietly again behind him.

Ulfgar was losing his temper rather quickly. He was just trying to help these travelers but every time he goes for an attack, one of them decides to do something very foolish and nearly gets them killed. Now he was being blocked by a wall of colors. Wind and other debris flew past his helmet as the wall went faster and faster. Ulfgar could see the tail of the manticore rise up and ship down on the wall. The tail connected and sent a traveler out towards the rest.

"Rainbow!" One of the travelers shouted out.

"Enough of this bull..." Ulfgar growled to himself as he raised his blade to make a blow.

"WAAAIIIT!" The traveler with pink hair shouted out making ever creature in the clearing stop and look towards her. Ulfgar was stopped mid-swing as she approached the manticore. The beast roared and raised a paw to attack. Ulfgar moved in to block the blow that never came after a few words.

"Shh, it's okay." she gently said as she laid both of her hands on the paw that was not risen.

The manticore suddenly eased up and lifted his other paw to reveal a thorn as large as the daedric dagger he was carrying around stabbed into its paw.

"Oh, you poor, poor baby." The traveler said as she saw the thorn.

"Little!?" A traveler shouted out from behind him.

"Baby!?" Ulfgar sputtered out.

"Now this might hurt for just a second." She softly said as she reached for the thorn.

With one swift movement the thorn was out and Ulfgar was pushed back by a roar that could have been that of a dragon's voice.

"Fluttershy!" The group of travelers shouted out as he began to regain his footing.

With his stance firm, Ulfgar lowered his shield to see the manticore cradling the traveler named 'Fluttershy' and licking her face as if it was only a small house cat.

"Aw, you’re just a little baby kitty, aren’t you? Yes, you are. Yes, you are." She said after a short giggle.

Out of the corners of his eye slits he could see the other travelers passing by as he waited for the creature release the last one. The manitcore dropped her to the ground and headed into the dark forest, meaning that his sword was no longer needed. When she hit the ground he was there with an outstretched hand.

"Are you alright?" Ulfgar simply asked as she looked up to him.

All he got in reply was a quiet mumble that he could not decipher. She gently grabbed onto his armored hand and pulled herself up before heading up to catch up with her group. He noted that one had stayed behind and asked her something as she passed. As he came up to follow the group the small smile on her face disappeared and she turned to him with a serious look.

"If you need to get to a town then head the opposite way we are going, there is a small town there not far from the forest's edge." She said to Ulfgar as he began heading deeper into the woods, the same way they were going.

"After I saw you and your friends attempt to take down that manticore I changed my mind. You obviously need someone who can deal with the things that live out here." Ulfgar said as he continued to walk forward.

"Look, I appreciate you’re wanting to help, but I think I have enough on my hands working with the others. Not to mention Nightmare Moon trying to stop us from saving our Princess and ending her eternal night. So how about you head back that way and get to where ever you need to be." She said as her magic lifted him up and turned him around.

He turned around to find her jogging deeper into the woods to catch up with the others. A few things ran through his head. First off that girl was a mage, so he would have to remember to keep his distance from her in the future. Secondly was that this group was heading through a forest, and that meant that things are waiting out there to catch someone off guard. Thirdly was that she mentioned someone called Nightmare Moon, obviously a powerful mage if they could bring about eternal night. All of these things pointed in one direction, he would have to follow them to help defeat this powerful mage. Thoughts of his childhood flooded into his memory as the plan called for stealth. When he was young he was only a poor orphan who may have learned about the ways of the shadow and he may have made some connections with some shady characters that helped him with those skills. He made sure that the mage had disappeared from sight and then went into the foliage at the side of the path and followed along. The trail went deeper into the forest and slowly began thin to where a group the size that he was following would have to move into a single or double-file formation to move ahead. This allowed him to be able to catch up with them much easier. The tree canopy continued to thicken and the lights from the starry night disappeared and darkness took over. Ulfgar's sight adjusted to the darkness and allowed him to slip through the the trees as quietly as he could with all of his gear. Even though he was not as quiet as the shadows it was easy to follow these girls because they were talking so much that what little noise he made was a silent breeze. As he followed them he began to notice that they seemed smaller than he was. Even the mage had to look up to him.

"Oh wait. Ah think ah stepped in something." The traveler that he almost sliced open said with a strange accent.

A screech went out as a low red light began emerging from the darkness. The trees around him began to glow with an eerie light.

"It's just mud." The Traveler replied before her face was light up by one of the nearby trees.

From Ulfgar could see was that the trees seemed to have grown faces. None of them were moving and not one tree began talking, they just had faces on them. Confusion slowly crept on him as he witnessed the small path brightened and saw the five of the travelers huddled in a tight circle, including the mage. The one traveler not joined in with their fright was making faces to a tree he was standing near to. She had hair that was large and bounced with her every movement. Her clothing seemed to be made of any type of pink. He dared not moving one muscle in hopes that she would not notice him standing right there. Luckily she was too concentrated on making faces at the tree than noticing a armored man with a sword and shield standing only a few yards away.

"Pinkie, what are you doing?! Run!" The mage he had met earlier yelled out to her companion.

Her pink friend gave a small wave to him before turning her attention to her friends.

"Oh, girls, don't you see?" She said as music began to fill the air around them.

Along with the music the darkness began to be lifted and light began flashing throughout the trees. Ulfgar had many thoughts about what he saw. 'Why was the mage backing away from these trees, where are the music and lights coming from, and most importantly how is this woman standing upside down, in the air!?' He decided to leave the scene and follow the path ahead of the group, because frankly all of this was making him thinking that either this wasn't Skyrim or he had died and gone to some distorted hell. After some time he had finally left the music behind him and came across a river. He checked his pack and his straps before wading into the river. The river began to rapidly change from a calm flow to white rapids in mere seconds. Ulfgar's body was tossed against multiple rocks in the river before he washed ashore. Slowly he pulled himself up to shore as he pulled off his helmet to spit out water. Taking a look down river he could see the travelers talking with a giant purple sea serpent with half of a mustache. The sea serpent's tail thrashed about wildly causing the rapids which he had attempted to cross. He got up and began heading back down towards the trail while watching the silent conversation. Slowly words began to be heard over the waves until they began forming their own sentences.

"Oh Rarity! Your beautiful hair!" The mage said.

"Oh…it’s fine, my dear. Short tails are in this season. Besides, it’ll grow back." The Traveler who wore the fine white dress and flowing purple hair was cut back to her shoulders.

The mage began to walk across the river shouting out. "We can cross now! Let’s go!"

Suddenly she began rising from the water as part of the sea serpent gave them an easier path across his back.

"Bloody river with it's bloody sea serpent. I can't wait to start heading back to Skyrim." Ulfgar mumbled to himself as he began picking up the pace to catch up with the travelers.

Back into the woods he went drenched with water, he made a mental not to himself to give his armor a good cleaning after all of this is said and done. Going down his mental list he almost forgot he was following the group and was shaken back into reality when the purple mage shouted out.

"There it is!"

"The ruins that hold the Elements of Harmony. We made it!" She continued as the dull sound of footsteps increased in frequency.

"Twilight! Wait for us!" Shouted out the traveler with the strange accent.

'Twilight, interesting name but she is a mage so that is partially anticipated and nothing in this place seemed to make any sense.' Ulfgar thought to himself as he began running faster to keep up with them without blowing his cover.

"We’re almost there!" Twilight shouted in reply.

He could see the edge of the forest come up very abruptly and he slowed down to find out a sudden drop ended the forest where it was. A yelp came from the mage as he watch her almost fall off the edge before her friend with the hair of a rainbow came up and pulled her back. On her back was a pair of soft blue wings folded up.

"What’s with you and falling off cliffs today?" She commented as she looked at friend.

"Now what?" The Pink traveler asked as they looked at the remains of the broken rope bridge.

"Duh!" The rainbow haired traveler said as she flexed her wings out.

"Oh, yeah!" The Pink one replied as the wings must have slipped her mind.

Without another second wasted, she dived down into the canyon and returned from below with the other end of the bridge in her hands. She had one tied down before a fog began to drift in from the trees on the other side and she began to look for something.

Ulfgar only caught one sentence that she shouted out from the other side. "I ain’t scared of you! Show yourself!"

This was enough for Ulfgar to pull his bow back out. The golden bow faintly glimmered in the streaks of light breaking through the leafy canopy above him. He saw three figures come out and start talking with her. She seemed somewhat alright with these other figures. The traveler began to move towards the rope bridge again and the other figures said something that caught her attention. The tension in his bow was slowly eased until he heard the mage shout out.

"Rainbow!"

In a flash his bow was back to being fully drawn and strained his ears for a target.

"Don't listen to them!" The mage continued as the fog suddenly thickened around the figures and her friend.

After a few seconds he let loose an arrow into the fog and heard the unsatisfactory sound of the arrow digging itself into a tree. The mage seemed curious about his arrow but put the thought aside as her friend returned form the thick fog. They all cheered for their friends return.

"See? I’d never leave my friends hanging." She said to the mage as they made their way across the bridge.

They continued up to the ruins ahead as he quickly made his way across the bridge. As he reached the trees the mage drew her curiosity to his arrow that was lodged into a tree almost by the ruins entrance.

"Watch ya lookin' at there?" The one traveler said as she saw her friend stopping to look at the arrow.

"I don't know but I think were not as alone out here as we thought." The mage replied as she slowly continued her way into the ruins.

"Of course not silly!" Pinkie said as they headed inside.

Slowly he made his way up to the ruins. Off to one of the sides he saw a stairway leading up to a high tower. 'If the mage is weary of presence I guess I could take a quick look around in that tower over there.' Ulfgar thought to himself as he listened in on the conversation inside.

"Whoa…come on, Twilight. Isn’t this what you’ve been waitin’ for?"

"The Elements of Harmony. We’ve found them!"

"Careful…careful…"

"One, two, three, four…there’s only five."

"Where’s the sixth?"

"The book said, 'When the five are present, a spark will cause the sixth Element to be revealed.'"

"What in the hay is that supposed to mean?"

"I’m not sure, but I have an idea. Stand back."

" Come on now, y’all. She needs to concentrate."

Ulfgar heard the last sentence as he made his way up the stairway. As he was heading up he heard some strange noises from below him. A few seconds later, similar noises came from farther up the stairway. Curiosity drove him as he quickened his pace up the stairs. At the top he saw not only the purple mage from the travelers group but also another figure covered in decorative armor with a matching slithering sword similar to the appearance of a snake. The figure also had black magical wings and her left hand emitted a dark magical glow along with five stone spheres floating around her. As with most power hungry magic wielders she had an air of superiority around her and a low evil chuckle. The purple mage had gotten up and began charging magic in her hands.

"You’re kidding. You’re kidding, right?" The evil sorceress replied shocked by the idea of this one low mage going up against her.

Twilight charged forward towards the sorceress, who also began charging forward. Ulfgar pulled out his sword and charged out of the stairway. If this mage was going to go against something way above her head then he would try to help her succeed. When the two would have crashed into each other, Twilight disappeared into a flash of purple light. He grinned as he bashed his way past the sorceress. Turning around he faced up against the recovering sorceress. Ulfgar then charged into a duel with this mage, his only focus being on the fight. Within a few seconds he had only landed only three blows that slide through her heavy armor while he himself received some hits of his own. Ulfgar persevered though, and ran in for another charge. This ended him up thrown against one of the many pillars in the room. The Sorceress held out her free hand and shot out a bolt of lightning. Quickly he rolled out of the way and planted himself in between the sorceress and the mage he was protecting. The pillar was struck by the lightning and began falling apart in large chunks. Pain rushed through his body as he was slammed into the ground from behind. Slowly he began pushing himself and the other body off the ground.

"NO! NO!" She shouted out before vanishing into a mystical tornado and flew right over him

Ulfgar felt a hand press on his arm for a moment before a quick squeak and the weight quickly lifting off of his back. He wasted no time getting back up to his feet to watch as the stones now sparked at the feet of the sorceress and then blinking out.

"But…where’s the sixth Element?" Twilight questioned to herself more than to any of the other two people in the room

After a full throttled laugh and crushing the five stone orbs with just the force of her foot. "You little foal! Thinking you could defeat me? Now you will never see your Princess—or your sun! The night will last forever!"

"As a guard of the land, I beg to differ." Ulfgar said as he took up a stance in front of Twilight, who was just shocked at what had transpired.

"I don't think I have ever seen a guard dressed like you are. Albeit you are better trained than those foalish guards Celestia uses." She replied as she began to look him over from head to toe. "But nonetheless, I will not be stopped by a girl with some knowledge of magic or a mysterious man claiming to be a guard."

Twilight seemed to have recovered as the sounds of her friends sounded from the stairway entrance. "You think you can destroy the Elements of Harmony just like that? Well, you’re wrong—because the spirits of the Elements of Harmony are right here!"

The shards of the orbs began to glow in six different colors. Ulfgar could sense that Twilight was going to move on, so he decided to finish up what he began before.

"You have done crimes against Skyrim and her people. What say you!?" He shouted out before the mage behind him could continue.

"What?" She only replied after some time.

A long silence enveloped the room as he stood there with his sword and shield ready. He dared to move to show that he meant what he said. The silence quickly became awkward when he realized that no one was even responding.

"Um, Skyrim? Isn't that a place where children are taken to if they misbehave?" Twilight asked as she broke the silence.

He turned around and looked back at her in disbelief. 'Skyrim, a fantasy world? That can't be possible, I was born and raised there. Sounds like someone has had more mead than they could handle.' Ulfgar thought.

Twilight shook her head and looked back at the sorceress.

"Applejack, who reassured me when I was in doubt, represents the spirit of honesty! Fluttershy, who tamed the manticore with her compassion, represents the spirit of kindness! Pinkie Pie, who banished fear by giggling in the face of danger, represents the spirit of laughter! Rarity, who calmed a sorrowful serpent with a meaningful gift, represents the spirit of generosity! And Rainbow Dash, who could not abandon her friends for her own heart’s desire, represents the spirit of loyalty! The spirits of these five girls got us through every challenge you threw at us!" She explained as shards began to move and hover around her five friends.

"You still don’t have the sixth Element! The spark didn’t work!" The sorceress frantically replied.

"But it did. A different kind of spark. I felt it the very moment I realized how happy I was to hear you, to see you. How much I cared about you. The spark ignited inside me. When I realized that you all are my friends!" Twilight answered as she turned to say most of it to her friends.

"You see, Nightmare Moon, when those Elements are ignited by the…the spark that resides in the heart of us all. It creates the sixth Element. The Element of magic!" Twilight Sparkle continued as a sixth orb appeared before them and floated down above Twilight's head.

Hearing magic being charged behind him, Ulfgar turned to see the girls were lifted up in the air and powerful magic fizzled in the air. Twilight was brought closer to her friends and now wore some crown on top of her head. Two streams of rainbows burst forth from the group of six and shot down on the sorceress. A tornado of color surrounded the sorceress as she let out a desperate shout. When her eyes opened they were filled with a magical white light and a force wave blasted through the room. Pain stabbed through Ulfgar as he tossed into another pillar and soon blackness filled his world. The darkness was thick and solid until some noise began to break through. Light began to fill his world again as the noise turned into words being said.

"Gee, Twilight. I thought you were just spoutin’ a lot of hooey. But I reckon we really do represent the elements of harmony." A voice said from the light.

"Indeed you do." Said a new voice he had never heard before.

"Princess Celestia!" A voice he had heard of before.

'Twilight? Yes, I think that was her name.' Ulfgar thought as the light began to grow until he stared through the eye holes of his helmet.

"Twilight Sparkle, my faithful student. I knew you could do it." The new voice replied.

"I thought you told me it was an old folk tale?" Twilight Sparkle questioned.

"I told you that you needed to know to make some friends—nothing more." Princess Celestia answered in a soothing voice.

Ulfgar began to move his head when a shot of pain stopped him. He began to question the pain until all of the memories from before began to suddenly flash back in his head. Ignoring the pain, he looked down at his chest to find the sword impaled near the top right corner of his chest. 'The blade probably stabbed right between the top two ribs, nothing fatal but can kill if not carefully removed. I hope that mage is trained in the restoration arts.' Ulfgar thought to himself as his thoughts were slowly beginning to be filled with raw pain. The words that were said around him began to slur into mumbles as his world was driven into one of agony. Only one thought ran through his pain-addled mind. Get. This. Sword. Out. His hands fumbled down to the hilt of the sword and began pushing. The pain multiplied as the blade very slowly made its way out of his chest. His arms were almost fully stretched out when he realized his feet were not touching the ground.

"You know what this calls for!" A voice shouted out through the pain.

"Wait! Where is that man from before?" Another voice asked before the pain began growing like never before.

Looking back down, he watched as the slide back down the blade and fell down to the ground. When he touched the ground he instantly crumbled down to his side. Pain seized his muscles only for a few seconds before his arms moved back to the hilt and pushed the blade out. All around him he could hear the sound of footsteps and the sight of his own blood on his hands. The light from the windows was blocked by the travelers that he had followed to watch over.

"Oh, my... What happened to him, Twilight?" One of the voices said as his vision began to blur.

"I don't know, I think he might have tried to go against Nightmare Moon when I tried to activate the elements." Another voice said as the world slowly became black.

Ulfgar thought that this was it. Soon he would be sitting among the other warriors in Sovrengard. Just as the darkness was about to envelope him color burst into field of view. The pain he felt was now going away and he stared up at a new face that held her hands over his chest with a magical blue glow. This one looked similar to the sorceress but had none of the armor and had a more normal voice.

"I am so sorry! I never meant to do this." She said to him when she noticed his eyes were open.

"Don't worry. This is not the only time I have taken a sword to the chest." Ulfgar said as he began to look around

"Who are you anyways?" Twilight asked from above him.

"My name is Ulfgar, former guard of Solitude. I guess that doesn't matter now since I'm not in Skyrim anymore." Ulfgar said as he began pushing himself up.

"Stop! You shouldn't be moving right now, you need to rest!" The healer said to him.

"I have taken more than you could imagine. I think I can walk it off from here." Ulfgar said as he stood back up.

"Well Ulfgar, I guess we might have to find you some place to stay for a while." Another new woman said who was easily taller than the rest and had wings larger than the other two friends of the Twilight.

"Ah could always have another helping hand on the farm." The Traveler with the accent and a hat responded

"I think there is an extra room in the library you could use." Twilight replied as she went into thought

"There is a spare room in my shop. We would just have to tidy you up first."

"Thank you all for your offers, I’ll need think about them. There are actually a lot of things I need to think about." Ulfgar replied as he felt the area where the blade had stabbed him through.

No scar could be felt in the area. Looking down he saw that he was covered in blood. He tried to wipe of as much as he could so that he looked presentable in the town they talked of before. Looking back up he watched as the others began their way back outside. Before moving on he picked up the blade that once held him and tied it down with some of the other stuff he held. The one that healed him was lagging behind from looked like exhaustion and also guilt. Ulfgar walked up behind her and lifted her up.

"No lollygaggin'!" Ulfgar ordered as he lifted her up and carried her out of the room on his shoulder.

Like a Potato in a Treasury

Like Potatos in a Treasury

Ulfgar walked out of the tower and down to the ground with his 'criminal'. He set her down and nodded towards the group when she looked like a shocked chicken.

"Look, I don't like this place and it looks like you don't like it either. Let’s make both of us happy by leaving here." Ulfgar stated.

She quickly got the idea and caught up with the woman with the flowing magical hair. He stood away from the all of the others, content with the little peace he had. In his thoughts he took a look at the six travelers he had been following. Twilight seemed to be enjoying herself more than when he first saw her. Also he noted how the girls were about up to his eye slits on his helmet. Both of these thought was shook out of his head and he went back into his deep thought. 'Lets figure some things out. First off, I am not in Skyrim. So where am I? Secondly, since I am not in Skyrim all I have is what I brought with me. So I need to find some type of job and housing. Bringing up the last thing, I need to figure out where I am going to be staying for the first few days. Other than his gear, a few septims, and a wide variety of loot he had taken off the bandits. Nothing he had was enough to buy a house of any kind. He could possibly make his own tent, but the wildlife seemed more violent than the creatures he had grown to fear in his travels. Ulfgar was pulled out of his thoughts when one of the travelers began pulling him towards the others.

"Come on Ulfgar. No one can make friends by standing by themselves!" Pinkie exclaimed when he realized what was happening.

"I think I was doing fine where I was." Ulfgar replied as he was released.

"So, have you made a decision yet?" Twilight asked.

"I was just thinking about it before I was forced over here." He stated as he checked his straps.

"He seems a bit cold to me." Rainbow commented under her breath.

"Maybe he would be more civil if he knows who we are rather than just some random ladies." The one in the white dress countered.

"I guess." Rainbow replied.

"Then I guess I'll begin; my name is Twilight Sparkle." The purple mage began as she held a hand to her chest.

"My name is Applejack. Pleasure to meet you!" The one with the accent exclaimed with an outstretched hand.

Ulfgar grabbed her hand and was surprised by her grip. She had strength that was usually had by the men of his world. The thought of Skyrim eased him. This one he would easily get along with compared to the others.

"My name is Rarity, I own and operate fashion boutique back in Ponyville." The one with the white dressed said.

"My name is Pinkie Pie. Since you are new around here, I need to throw you a super awesome 'Welcome to Ponyville' party!" The pink one excitedly exlaimed, seeming to bounce where she stood.

"My name is Fluttershy." The one that had tamed the manticore said barely loud enough for him to hear through his helmet.

"I'm Rainbow Dash, Best flyer in all of Equestria!" The one he saw talking with the shadowy figures stated.

"I have a few questions for you Mr. Ulfgar." Twilight stated more than asked.

"Just Ulfgar, It's my only name."

"Okay, now how exactly did you get here?"

"Well, all I know was that I was fighting a dragon in the town of Whiterun before...Before some college mage tried to deal with the dragon!" Ulfgar began to explain before anger overflowed him.

"Woah there partner, just simmer down! Let’s just take it easy."

"What is the matter deary?" Rarity asked.

"It is just how all the mages that go to that accursed college seem to think that they own everything. When something goes wrong for them they blame anything but themselves!" He replied as he pulled himself back together.

"They can't be that bad!" Twilight shot back as she

"They destroyed almost an entire town with one spell gone wrong and sent me and a dragon off here!" He replied trying not to burst out again.

"I must say that your outfit is, unique to say the least. How could one wear something so rough?" Rarity asked as she eyed his attire.

"What's wrong with it? It keeps me warm from the cold air of Skyrim and can block a good number of attacks without being too heavy." Ulfgar asked in reply as he looked at what he wore.

"It just looks like..." She began.

"It has been dragged through a thunderstorm." Rainbow Dash finished.

"Well, I can't look nice after dealing with a cave full of thieves, a frost troll, and a dragon in one week." Ulfgar replied as he heard something coming towards them.

Turning his head he noticed three golden objects being pulled towards where they stood. As they neared he could see that they were chariots that were being pulled by horses that had wings. In front of these chariots were two figures clad in golden armor. As they got closer the details on the armor could be seen; a star made out of a single diamond was placed right over the center of their chests. Their armor looked almost exactly what the imperials back home wore. On top of the helmets were blue hairs that looked like a warhorse's mane; short and cropped. The Chariots landed down in what space was open near the ruins they stood by. The others quickly got on to the chariots while he crept cautiously towards the armored, winged men and the golden chariots.

"Come on! We don't have all day!" Rainbow shouted out from the chariot closest to him.

"Man was not meant to fly." Ulfgar mumbled as he pulled himself up to a seat in the chariot.

"But it's the best thing to ever experience!" Rainbow Dash replied.

"As my time as a guard, the air is the last place you want to be. It either means a dragon snatched you up or a man decided to mess with a giant or its mammoths." He shot back as he concentrated on the floor of the chariots and not the scenery that was flying past him.

"Well if you don't care for the flight, maybe we can just chat." Rarity said.

"Sounds good." Ulfgar simply replied as he felt butterflies in his stomach.

"What did you do as a guard?" Rainbow Dash asked sounding still edgy from the flying thing.

"I mostly deal with petty thievery and drunken brawls. Been too long since we've had a good bandit raid." He replied.

"What does that mean!?" Applejack shouted out.

"Walking around town and roughing up a few idiots gets dull very easily." He replied turning his gaze towards her without looking over the side.

"You could say that fighting off a bandit raid is like flying to you, Rainbow Dash." turning towards her.

"Back in Skyrim, do you have any family?" Rarity asked.

"I only have a cousin, other than that you could say that I have an adopted family." He replied quickly and hoping that something else would come up.

"Do you know what happened to your actual family?" Rarity continued digging into the chink.

"I don't know what happened to them." He replied harshly trying not to think about what did happen.

"Don't you worry; I can already see Ponyville from here!" Applejack commented.

Without thinking he looked up and watched as a town was slowing moving towards them. His stomach quickly tightened up and he looked back down at the floor just trying to stop the feeling from growing. This entire place seemed crazy in his mind. All he wanted was to be back in Skyrim. He didn't care where he ended up but anywhere in Skyrim would be easier for him to handle than this place.

"My word, are you doing alright?" Rarity asked.

Ulfgar was about to reply when he felt as though he were falling. More careful this time, he raised his head and looked past Rainbow Dash's head to see the buildings he saw before were now breaking over the edge of the chariot. The feeling in his stomach grew until the chariot was rocked from easing itself onto the ground. As the chariot slowed to a stop, Ulfgar took his queue to get off the wretched chariot and move off towards a tree. His legs felt like jelly as he made the trip. He took a few seconds to steady his breath and lose the nauseous feeling he had gained before. He could feel sweat slowly dripping down his face. A few moments later he lifted the helmet off his head and felt as a cool breeze brushed across his face. There always seemed like a different perspective with his helmet off. As if he was given different eyes to see through. He could see the forest to his right and a wide open field stretching out to some mountains on the horizon. A castle made out of pure white stone and trimmed with shining gold. This sent a cold shiver down his back as he remembered his time when he had taken to a dwarven ruin to rest for the night. It didn't help that the entrance collapsed on him and he had to make his way through the ruins filled with dwarven traps and contraptions. Not to mention the Falmer camp he had to sneak past with an injured leg and multiple cuts from dwarven mechanical balls. His hand began going up to his face to feel a scar that graced his lower face. Footsteps heading towards him made him quickly toss his helmet back on and direct his attention to whomever was approaching. Behind him he found that the six girls he had met before had gathered around him along with a child that looked to be Argonian.

"So have you thought about your plans yet?" Twilight inquired.

"I thought about staying at Applejack's if there are no objections." He stated as he saw a look in Twilights eyes that reminded him of the Thalmor.

"Sounds good as long as you don't mind a few rules and working on the farm." Applejack commented.

"I’ve worked on a few farms in my time." He replied.

"Okay, Rule number one: no having weapons out on the farm. If you need to get something done, we have tools for that. Rule number two: since you are staying on the farm you will have the utmost respect for me and my family. Got all of that?" She said with a face similar to one of those Imperial officers.

"Yes ma'am." Was all that Ulfgar could muster up at the moment.

"Good, and don't call me ma'am. It just makes me sound like a princess or some fancy pants person up in Canterlot." Applejack replied as a smile spread across her face.

"Alright, do you know where I can sell some stuff?" He asked as he adjusted his pack.

"No but you can set up a stand in the market tomorrow. I can even let you use the old stand we used to have!" She said as she nodded towards the other end of town.

Ulfgar got the message and waved to the other girls standing there. Twilight still had that look, like if she was going to break me just to get answers. Applejack said her goodbyes and started through town. He followed behind her as she pointed out various parts of town. Such as the library which was in a tree, a bakery that looked to be made out of some type of cookie, and the town hall. All through town he watched as the other villagers eyed him fearfully and headed inside their houses.

"Don't worry about them. They'll get used to ya' after a while!" Applejack stated as she watched what was happening

"It doesn't stop that feeling of being a potato in a treasury." Ulfgar mumbled to no one in particular.

"I've heard my share of sayings but that one is new." Applejack said as the edge of town could be seen.

"Back in Skyrim, your pay either came from your employer or the treasury. Anyone that has seen the contents of the vault are stunned at the amount of gold, silver, and other goods stored there. One time the treasury in Markarth got stolen dry by thieves. When the vault was opened again in the morning, it was filled to the brim with potatoes." He explained as they left the town and down a lonely dirt road.

Applejack seemed to ponder what he said and lose attention to her surroundings. Ulfgar on the other hand watched all that was around him, out of habit and amazement. He had had an apple a few times on his journey but had never seen the tree that grew them. Also he noticed a child with an oversized bow trying to follow them without drawing attention.

"Do you happen to have any siblings?" Ulfgar asked as he continued to watch a red bow out of the slit of his helmet.

"I do, how did ya' know..." Applejack said as she turned to look at him.

Ulfgar simply nodded back towards the shadows under the trees. Applejack squinted into the shadows until she saw the bouncing red bow. A look of small irritation spread on her face as she stopped in her place.

"Applebloom! What are you doing!?" Applejack shouted out.

"Drat! How did you see me?" The child replied.

"I didn't, our new guest did. Now get out here so you can explain to me what you were doing."

Out of the trees came a child that had red hair and a bow of nearly the same color. She seemed to find the ground real interesting.

"Well?" Applejack restated with a stern voice.

"I was playing in the orchard when I saw you coming home with this person. I decided to follow to see if you found a very special somebody." Applebloom replied as she played with the dirt with her right foot.

Applejack looked like she was trying to respond but seemed to be stopped whenever she wanted to talk. Ulfgar knew that this would just make things worse and took matters into his own hands.

"I walked into your sister and her friends when they were off on their adventure. I went along with them and helped them in the end. I decided to move to Ponyville and your sister said it was okay for me to stay until I get a place to call my own." He explained as he knelt down to close to her height.

"So where did you come from mister?" She asked looking up at him.

"Far beyond the mountains to the northwest." Ulfgar answered to the child.

"So where exactly did you come from exactly?" Applebloom continued to inquire.

"Right about now it would be time to get off work and head off to bed." He replied giving the most generalized answer he could think of.

"WOW! What is it like back where you came from?" Applebloom excitedly asked, completely forgetting about what she first thought.

"Well, it is far up in the north. So far up that most of it is covered in snow. Also there are trees there which are more than five men wide! Now let’s head up to the house, it has been a long time since I left home." He replied, pushing himself back up to his feet.

She ran up and led the way down the path. Applejack waited until he was next to her and nudged him with an elbow.

"Thanks for getting me out of that situation back there. I didn't really know what to say." Applejack confessed.

"Don't worry, those cocky adventurers aren't the only ones with honeyed words." Ulfgar said as he continued forward.

A house began appearing over the tops of the trees and he could see that Applebloom had already reached the house and excitedly waited with a large man and an old lady in a rocking chair. The man stood there wearing only a pair of pants letting his non scared chest show. The old woman sat there with a green dress and a white apron. Ulfgar still could not shake that one feeling he had since they passed through town. When he got up to the house, Applejack took up the lead and greeted them first. He reached the porch of the house and was met by an excited Applebloom.

"Hey Mister! This is my big brother, Big Mac and my Granny Smith!"

"Greetings." Ulfgar said with a nod to the two.

"So you’re the new farmhand? What qualifies you for this?" Granny Smith questioned as she leaned forward.

"I have worked on a few other farms on my travels." He answered.

"How good are you in a fight?" She asked next getting looks from all three of her grandchildren.

"I am skilled at all types of fighting but I prefer a combination of a sword and shield." he replied without hesitation.

"How about hand to hand?" She continued as Applebloom suddenly had a large grin on her face.

"I have dealt with more than my good share of brawls in my time." Ulfgar replied.

"Granny, you aren't actually thinking about that are you!?" Applejack asked in disbelief.

"Since he is going to be working and sleeping here; why not set him up in the Applebucking Competition; maybe even teach the Pears a thing or two." Granny Smith stated.

"That sounds fine. Is that all for now? Being on the road as long as I have wears a man out." He asked as the load on his back suddenly felt heavier.

"Big Mac can show ya'. I have a feeling you'll fit right in here." Granny Smith answered giving him a wink.

Big Mac nodded for him to follow. They both went over to a red barn with white edges. The bare-chested man opened a door and motioned for Ulfgar to head inside. He was more than happy to step inside. The barn had various tools on the walls and hay all throughout its interior. Ulfgar spotted a loft up ahead and headed straight for the ladder. Once on top he tossed down his pack and rolled his shoulders. Behind him he heard the door being shut, meaning he was left to himself now. He quickly undid the straps on his armor and placed it in a pile off to the side. The hay looked so comfortable compared to the thin cloth that was supposedly called a makeshift bed. A small breeze brushed against his skin, touching him with its soft, immaterial fingers. Unfortunately it did not have the chilling bite that he had come to love. Laying himself on a pile off to the side of the loft, he looked through a small window. Hoping dearly that those he had left behind were doing fine; even though a small voice in his head said otherwise. His eyes closed shut and within a few minutes he had drifted off to sleep.

Getting to know the Apples

Early morning with the Apples

Even though Ulfgar's sleep was deep, it was nowhere close to peaceful. He was plagued with strange visions of his childhood. The times he had running around the Solitude streets, avoiding any Imperial soldiers stationed there and the Jarl. The time he found a girl trying to stand up against the local thugs that were around his age of ten. How he had helped her out and soon became friends with the newcomer. Lastly was a dark figure that took them out of the city and gave them a home and a family far south in the hold of Falksreach. The most vivid and frightening vision was the girl with tears running down her face and a knife in her hand on the hilt of a knife plunged into his chest. Feeling the knife plunge into his chest pulled him from his sleep. Bolting straight up, Ulfgar wondered where exactly he was. Slowly the memories slide into his mind and pulled away the visions from his sleep. He lifted his right hand up his chest and felt a small scar. The old wound hadn’t healed correctly after getting infected about two days after being stabbed. He looked out the small window up to his left and saw that the sun had not yet lightened the starry night. With a low moan he pushed himself off his hay pile and took a look around at his surroundings. Down on the ground level of the barn was a water trough that he didn't notice the first time he had passed through. Ulfgar climbed down the ladder and walked towards it. The calm, clean water seemed to be calling his name as he began to get closer to it. Walking up to the water he could see the beaten up reflection of himself. His brown hair had grown down to his shoulder and his beard was scewered by the two jagged scars running up his chin. He felt the scars again as he remembered his run in with his first troll. It would have killed him if he had not fixed his armor at a nearby mine. Done with looking at his reflection, Ulfgar tossed water onto his grime covered face and also some onto his chest. He then pulled out a steel dagger he never took off his body and began cutting his hair down to a more reasonable size for in town. The hairs few down into the water below, clumping together after touching the water. Watching through the falling hairs, he watched as his long hair turned into the short cropped hair of a war horse. After removing what hair he could from the water, he walked back to the loft and began going through his pack. Digging deep into the pack he found exactly what he was looking for, a small stone about the size of his hand. With his steel sword in hand, he began running the stone slowly against the blade's edge. With each stroke of the stone the nicks on the blade were smoothed out and formed back into one solid edge. The dark world that he woke up in slowly changed with his blade, filling the world with color and light while the shadows pulled back from the morning sun. Not soon later did a rooster sing its morning song. Other animals began joining in with the melody while he continued to focus on his task at hand. The noises from outside grew louder as the door was opened by a dark silhouette.

"I see I don't have to wake you up." Applejack stated as she walked into the barn.

"A good morning to you too. I guess this can wait for latter." Ulfgar replied as he tossed the sword and stone back towards his pack.

"We got breakfast cooked up at the house. Just remember the rules." Applejack said as she leaned up against a wooden post.

"No weapons and respect those housing me. Sounds just like when I was traveling." Ulfgar replied as he slipped his helmet on and headed down the ladder.

"Good, maybe you can tell some stories of your travels." Applejack hinted at as he got off the ladder. "Also I think you can leave the helmet behind, I don't think we are going to get attacked anytime soon."

"Let’s just say it makes me feel comfortable. Just like you and that hat of yours. As for stories I have plenty of them to share if you don't mind to some raw parts." Ulfgar answered as he began heading over to Applejack.

"Maybe later, my stomach is just growling for what Granny has cooked up!" She said as she pushed herself off the pole.

"Speaking of Granny, what is this ‘apple bucking’ thing she mentioned yesterday?" He asked as they began walking out of the barn.

"I still can't believe that she thought about that! Anyways it is a competition between a good majority of farmers in Equestria. The competition goes from one farm to another as the honor of holding the competition. This time we are holding the event, the farmers should be here about a day or two from now."

"What about the pears?"

"They are just a bunch of hot headed pear farmers. They won the competition the last few years and had the idea to shove that fact in our faces." Applejack answered with a tired voice.

"They sound no different than the drunks back in Skyrim." Ulfgar commented as they stepped onto the porch.

Applejack almost stopped in confusion before the thoughts of yesterday began to flow through her head. "Ah think it's going to be hard for me to get used to you being from Skyrim." She said as she opened the door.

The smells of fresh baked pastries and the sweet scent of apples wafted out of the doorway as the door opened. Ulfgar was entranced by the smells coming from deeper in the household. The sturdy feeling of the house reminded him of his childhood and the feeling of being secure. Idle conversation floated with the smell and supported his feeling.

"So what do you think of the new guy? I think he’s pretty nice for someone not from around here!" The voice of the child from yesterday said in a voice filled with excitement and drowsiness.

Ulfgar followed Applejack on a short trip through the house until a kitchen with a table in the middle appeared around a corner. The three others were sitting at a table with food steaming on the table. The smell just made him stop in his tracks as he stared down at everything there.

"Are you alright there sonny?" Granny Smith asked as he just stood still.

"Yes, I just haven't had a good warm meal without having to worry about being attacked since I was in Solitude." He replied not realizing he wasn't watching what he said.

"I never heard of Solitude before, must be way up in the north. Now come over here and eat up. We need you ready for work today and the competition soon!" Granny Smith said as she patted an empty place at the table.

"Not a lot of people know of the area I come from, being separated from the rest of the world by mountains and tundra." He replied going along with the flow.

"So why are you still wearing that helmet? Did you sleep with it on!?" Applebloom began shooting off questions.

"No, I just have worn this helmet for so long and through so much, I just feel odd without it on in a strange area." Ulfgar answered as he began looking at the surrounding food.

Before he could touch any of warm food lying out in front of him, a dog starting to bark outside. Ulfgar suddenly felt himself becoming filled with energy and devoid of emotions. Despite the calls of the elderly woman in the green dress and the child he would have sat across from, Ulfgar headed back outside. Heading outside he could see a group of three walking up looking as if they had just bought the land. He could see one of them had what looked like a horribly deformed green apple on his shoulder. Ulfgar made his way off the porch and slowly walking towards the group of people. They were pointing at things on their way up to the farm and bumping into each other as if they had just walked out of a tavern.

"What's your business here?" Ulfgar flatly asked as the group had gotten closer.

"We're here for the Applebucking Competition and some fun until then! Now where is the Cider?" The largest of the group shouted out.

"I would suggest you go back and wait until then. Drunks are never any good." Ulfgar shot back as he continued towards the three.

"Oh? And who are you to be messing with the Pears!?" He shouted back almost tipping himself over.

"I am a guard from the northern tundra who has dealt with drunken men to frost trolls. Now turn back around before anything bad happens to you and your friends." Ulfgar replied with a voice as cold and harsh as his old homeland.

"Maybe we should just come back later for the competition... Come on Bartlett!" A woman about the same age as Applejack tried to move the big man.

"Come on Sweet-Roll, Let your cousins show you a good time! We don't get to see you much when you're in Canterlot with your dad." The other man tried to persuade the woman.

"I've got this! I mean how hard to knock some sense into this tin-head?" The man called Bartlett shouted out as he stumbled towards Ulfgar. "Now stop moving around so I can hit you!"

Ulfgar just stood there as the man began stumbling towards him "Tin-head?! You obviously know nothing about armor or anything close to it!"

Now both Bartlett and Ulfgar were heading towards each other with very similar intents. Bartlett was drunk and wanted to show some form of dominance. Ulfgar just wanted to beat this man senseless for having the mere idea of being a drunk, running around town for 'fun'. The two collided with each other with fists flying, the calm countryside was soon filled the sounds of the hands against metal and the sound of other people rushing towards the outbreak.

"WOAH THERE! What is going on here!?" Applejack shouted out as she stormed towards the two.

"I, am teaching this man who the Pears are!" Bartlett replied, with bloodied fists and a bruised face.

"Teach? you only have been slapping me!" Ulfgar shot back from behind his helmet.

"That is what you think..." Bartlett replied slurring his last few words. Giving the Nord a push to make a point.

"Don't you push me!" Ulfgar shouted out as he pushed the arms off to the side.

Bartlett just released a drunken chuckle and gave another push. "Why, are you just going to tell on me?"

"I heard that some men can use their armor so well that it becomes a weapon in their hands. Let’s test that out..." Ulfgar said as he pulled off his helmet.

With the helmet off he took a quick look at the empty eye slits staring back at him. A quick movement with his hands he gripped the helmet by the eye slits and slammed the sturdy helmet into the Pear's head. The big man fell down with a soft thud and didn't move. Taking another look at the helmet, there was now a nice dent right near right eye slit of the helmet. He tossed the helmet off to the side and moved towards the pile of the man called 'Bartlett'. Ulfgar bent down and began picking the pile of drunken muscle onto his shoulders.

"What was that for!" The other man shouted out.

"I have found out from my years of guard work that drunks that are knocked out are always the easiest to handle. Now, can you show me where I can set this drunk down?" Ulfgar stated moving towards town.

"Um, right this way. I guess you could place him in their motel room." The woman replied.

"I got my eye on you though." The other man stated as they made their way into town.

"Just relax Anjou, he is just trying to help out. You even said yourself that Bartlett had a few too many." Sweet-roll shot to the man as the Apple's families house disappeared over the hill.

The trip was silent for most of the time. Anjou stayed behind him while Sweet-roll just walked quietly in front. Ulfgar did not mind the silence except for when he his stomach started rumbling when they had gotten to the edge of town. Sweet-roll had finally slowed down enough to where he and her were walking side by side.

"I'm sorry for my cousins. They are not the brightest of folks but they always take care of family, such as me." Sweet-roll apologized, rubbing the back of her neck.

"No need to worry, I am the same way about my family. Even though there have been some rough feelings between me and them." Ulfgar replied carefully choosing his words.

"Really, I hope things straighten out with them. My dad doesn't really like me hanging out with my cousins much." Sweet-roll quietly said.

"Yeah, hopefully... The name is Ulfgar by the way." He said after drifting off in thought.

"Nice to meet you. Strange name you have there though. Where did you say you were from again?" Sweet-roll replied with a small smile on her face.

"I come from far in the north where the winters are harsh and almost year around. I have been traveling since I lost my job." Ulfgar admitted shifting the weight of the man on his shoulders.

"Wow, losing your job and having troubles with your family. No wonder you seemed a bit short tempered back there." She replied while trying to envision herself in his position.

"You don't really think about it when there is so much happening around you. Like being attacked by a frost troll as you're heading through a mountain pass. That is how I got these scars here." Ulfgar said as he tilted his head a bit.

"Oh, that looked like it hurt." She commented before blushing and looking down towards the ground. "Here's the building here, Room 102"

"You got a good head on your shoulders Sweet-roll. I respect those who are like that. Maybe some other time we can talk." Ulfgar said as he stood next to the door.

This just made her blush even more as she opened up the door. Inside there was two beds, a dresser, and a chair in the corner. Ulfgar dropped the body on one of the beds and made his way out. On the way out Anjou bumped into him, looking down at the man he saw anger in his face. Now done with the drunk Pear problem, he headed back for what breakfast was left and a full day of work. The quiet walk gave him time to think about things. Heading back to the farm he reminisced on the old memories of what good memories he had of his family. In the distance, the Apple family farm emerged from the other side of a hill. 'Other than the drunk, this day is going along pretty well!' Ulfgar thought to himself. As the house grew larger he could see Applebloom sitting out on the porch swinging her legs. When she saw him walking up, she got up and started towards him with a bag in hand.

"Hey mister!" She shouted out.

"Hello Applebloom, what's this?" Ulfgar replied.

"I saved you some food from breakfast! What happened to your face?!" She shouted out as she leaned in closer to look at his face.

"This came from a nasty creature from my travels. Would have killed me too if I had not had fixed my armor earlier." Ulfgar answered as he knelt down to look inside the white bag.

"By the way what's your name mister?" Applebloom asked as she handed over the bag.

"Ulfgar, thank you for these Applebloom!" Ulfgar replied as he gave her a pat on her shoulder.

"Also Big Mac and Applejack are out in the fields. She seemed upset when she went out. Well I got to be going now Ulfgar, Granny is teaching me how to make apple pies today." Applebloom said before running towards the house.

Ulfgar stayed where he was for a few moments. "I guess I might have gone a bit too far with using the helmet." He said to himself.

Walking up to the barn, the door was ajar. Inside he could see that everything seemed fine. climbing up to the loft he could see that his helmet sat there in front of his bags. A book laid on top of his pack opened up to the inside cover. A black hand showed with the title on the next page, 'A kiss sweet mother'.

Pasts come to Light

Past comes to Light

Time seemed to stop as he stared at the blackened hand that was laid out before him. Any thoughts as to what Applejack was mad at before was now wiped away with what was right in front of him. Only one thought ran through his mind, she knows. He did not know what she knew but she definitely knew that part of his past. Quickly he jumped down to the ground and bolted out of the barn. Looking around outside, he didn't have any idea where to start. Ulfgar recalled that he had heard nothing when he was heading out to town or heading back to the farm. So he decided to begin his search the other half of the orchard. Unlike the forests he was used to, light somehow managed to push through and give the area a gentle glow. Normally the sun would be blocked out by the thick canopies and made the area beneath them dark as night. Ulfgar blew past the trees and headed down the rows. The trees flashing by and beams of light shooting down every once in a while made his mind flash into an old memory. The passing landscape began blurring into the image he saw in his mind. Ulfgar found himself running through the forest of Falkreath that he had once known. Running through the trees he sprinted for some unknown reason. Reason caught up to him as an arrow embedded itself into a tree he was coming up to. Chancing a glimpse behind him, he saw a party of four men on horseback chasing after him. One of the men notched another arrow and pulled the string back to his cheek. Options began running through Ulfgar's mind as he turned to look where he was going. The sight of a lake appeared through the trees. An idea popped into his mind as grinned from underneath his cowl. His smile disappeared as an arrow embedded itself in his left arm. Taking a sharp turn in the trees, Ulfgar bolted into a clearing dotted with buildings. There was a lumber mill, a house and a small shack between the lumber mill and the lake. Ulfgar made his way towards the shack while he heard the frustrated voices of the men behind him. As he ran towards the shack, he noticed that the lake was giving off the red glimmers of the setting sun. The shack turned out to be a small butchers shop with different types of meat lying around. Hoof steps sounded as he pulled himself up to the rafters above the bloody mess below him. With a quick pull, the arrow came out while he suppressed a pain filled scream as the men talked outside.

"Did you see where he went?"

"I didn't see him after he lost us just before this mill."

"I think he headed back into the woods when we lost him."

"It's getting dark out as well. Check this area and then we'll head back. He is now in his element here with the darkness."

A few seconds later a man walked into the butchers shop and looked around. An urge pulled at Ulfgar to drop from the beam he was sitting on and pierce the man's heart with his dagger. Even though the pull was there he knew better than to do that. Ulfgar might have considered himself one of the best Dark Brotherhood assassins out there but certainly not the greatest. That title would fall upon Babette, Nazir, or Astrid. The man began moving deeper into the shack and shook his head. Ulfgar slide his hand over the hilt of his dagger as the man’s eyes began moving up to where he hid.

"Hey, what are you men doing here!? Get out of here now!" A female voice shouted out as the eyes were about to pass over him.

"We're just looking for a convict. The bloody thief got away with about 500 Septims and got our Captain while we were preparing to chase after him." One of the men explained as the one in the shack moved outside.

Ulfgar had to smile at that, now the thieves’ guild had that going for them. Obviously luck was on his side again today.

His thoughts were interrupted by the woman again "Well he isn't here now, so get off my property!"

"We're getting off, no need to worry. Come on men, we know where to go at dawn." A man said as the sound of his pursuers remounted their horses and headed out back the way they came.

Seconds passed to minutes as the silence filled the area. Footsteps began to grow closer to the shack. The woman walked and looked over the area. She then looked straight up at where he was as if she watched him climb up there.

"You alright?" She replied in a deeper voice than when she was talking to the men outside.

"Wha'..." Ulfgar began before light seemed to shine on her face to show a man’s face with a wheat stalk hanging out of his mouth.

"Didn't to expect you to snap like that." She replied as the world seemed to melt away to the sun filled day back in the orchard.

"Hmm... Oh, I just got lost in thought. Sometimes the past catches me from time to time." Ulfgar replied as he replied to Big Mac's comment.

"Well that past of yours somehow got my sister in a mood I have never seen her in before. Mind explaining what that might have done that?"

"As far back as I could remember, I was an orphan. Every day of my life was spent doing what I could to live another day. That would include things from pickpocketing some snob nosed noblemen to taking a loaf of bread or doing some odd end jobs for the townsfolk. One day I saw a new kid in town, she was an orphan as well. I first met her when she was trying to hold off the local gang of children. I stepped in and helped her out. After that we soon became brother and sister in each other’s eyes. A few years passed before a dark figure came by and asked if we wanted a family. Without any hesitation we said yes, and then began our life with said family. It might have not been the best family but it was a family, until someone tried to get rid of me and my sister. When she died, I went back to my original home of Solitude and became a guard. After time the family had changed, people died and others took up their spots. They came after me with a second chance with the family. I declined, but offered to be their eyes and ears in Solitude. The one responsible for my sister's death was still alive there. If she found out I was still alive, I would be dead before I could put my boots on." I answered as I began censoring almost everything about the Dark Brotherhood.

"Anything else?" Big Mac asked as if he could see I was holding something back

"And my family might have been a part of an assassin's guild that was slowly being exterminated." I replied giving only a small bit of information.

Big Mac looked like he was going to inquire further but was stopped by a voice. "Hey Big Mac, do you have a moment?"

Applejack's voice was unmistakable through the trees. Ulfgar gave a quick hand sign to Big Mac with the intent of 'If you have any mercy, don't betray my spot'. After that he bolted up into the leafy boughs of the nearest apple tree. A few seconds later Ulfgar could hear her soft footsteps walking towards where he just was.

"Do ya’ have a minute? I have some things on my mind ah have to sort out."

"Eeyup." He simply replied.

"I have been thinking of that newcomer. Have you really thought about him yet?" Applejack hesitantly asked her brother.

"Nope, I haven't even heard his name yet." He stated.

"I've talked to him and his name is Ulfgar. I know that this might be strange but he comes from Skyrim." Applejack confessed as Ulfgar began to sweat up in his spot.

"Skyrim? Are you sure?" Big Mac inquired breaking his usual simplistic replies.

"As sure as rain, but I am not sure about his guard past though." Applejack continued as her voice seemed to grow closer to his tree.

"Why's that?"

"Even though he seems good, he seems to be holding a lot of things back." She continued as her hat could be seen walking up to the tree and leaning against it.

"Have you talked to him about it?"

"No, but there was a book that I found on top of his pack about a 'Dark Brotherhood'. From what I saw it they were some type of contract killers." Applejack tried to explain.

"Maybe there is a reason for it. Have you asked him about it?" Big Mac asked baiting his flustered sister.

"No, he just got here yesterday..." Applejack replied as she went straight for the bait. "I'll ask him about it later. I guess I'm just worried about Applebloom and Granny."

"Granny Smith has always had a way of seeing who people were before knowing them. Now let’s get back to work, apples don't harvest themselves." Big Mac said as he went up to the tree and slammed it so hard that the apples fell from the tree.

Ulfgar took a quick look around him and saw that his tree was still laden with the red fruit.

Fear of discovery crept through him as Applejack spoke "Sounds good! Some work will do my mind good until he comes back."

He gripped onto the strong limbs of the tree as he saw the hat turning around. Ulfgar saw her body leaning away from the tree as a leg shot out and impacted the tree’s trunk. Vibrations shook through his entire body shooting memories trying to escape from a Dwemer ruin as the supports had finally taken enough abuse. He could smell those filthy insects that worked with the Falmer and hear the sound of them trying to land a shot of acid on him. The thoughts vanished with the apples falling down to the ground. Relief finally settled over him as the hat below him disappeared off to the next tree and repeated the process. Seconds turned to minutes before another knock came on the tree. Ulfgar jumped down to from his spot in the tree and stretched out his arms.

"You need to go talk to Applejack." Big Mac stated as he leaned against the tree.

"Are you sure? She doesn't seem to be in the mood for a chat with a 'contract killer." Ulfgar questioned.

All Big Mac responded with was a small nod before moving back to his work. Ulfgar frowned a little before moving in the direction of the empty apple trees. Ulfgar did not have to jog long to hear someone slamming against a tree. He could see the farm girl slamming her foot into the tree with such strength that it reminded him of a horse. His mind began to smoke as he saw the apples fall down nicely into a bucket placed at the base of the tree. Such things should not even happen! Apples fall straight down, whether there is a bucket there or not. Why does this world seem to love to break what rules there were back in Skyrim?

"Don't worry your little head Ulfgar! You'll get used to it!" A familiar voice shouted out from behind him.

Quickly, Ulfgar turned to face the bright eyed face of Pinkie Pie. There was no way that she had walked up to him without making a noise.

"What are you two doing out here!?" Applejack shouted out towards them, pulling their gazes towards her.

"I'm just telling Ulfgar here that things aren't as weird as they seem." Pinkie Pie said as she patted Ulfgar on the back.

"You made colored lights appear out of nowhere! Not even a mage with years of focused practice can do that!" Ulfgar countered as he turned to see if Pinkie was just pulling his strings.

"It was nice for you to stop by Pinkie but me and Ulfgar have some work to do." Applejack stated as she gave Ulfgar a glance that could cut a man in half.

"That's okay. I have some other things I have to work on today too. See ya later Ulfgar!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed before heading off into the woods.

Ulfgar watched for as long as possible before Applejack gave a large cough. Turning around he could still see that she still had a bone to pick with him "How much do you know about the brotherhood?"

"Enough to know that you weren't telling the whole truth before!" Applejack shot right out "Now I am not sure if I can trust you with any of my family or friends!"

"I have no plans on making myself more of an outcast than I am right now!" Ulfgar replied trying to defend himself.

"I thought you were just an ordinary man before that seemed only a little bit off. Now all I can see is some masked assassin with blood-stained hands!" Applejack continued, not even throttling back her unrelenting force.

"Well I guess it is time for a tale then..." Ulfgar began with a heavy sigh.

"I don't want some yarn of a tale, I want the truth!" Applejack shouted, looking to be at her breaking point.

"Really? Because last time I checked my entire life was a lie, just a tale for misbehaving children! My childhood consisted of trying to find enough food for me to survive each day without being dragged off to some cell where not even the light of day could break through. My adopted family was built around death and deception! One member of that family turned someone I thought of as a sister against me! I can sometimes feel where that dagger slid right next to my heart. Where each beat of my heart met the cold metal of a dagger dripping with poison! I have had to lead a life of lies just so that I can hopefully live out the rest of my years without having to worry about some target painted onto my back with hatred, envy, and lined with gold! According to this world, I am a lie not even supposed to be real. Something that isn't supposed to be living and breathing right here in front of you! Damned is the man who is too stubborn to listen to another man's ideas." Ulfgar countered with a deep burning rage that had been locked up for a long time.

Applejack stood there with a blank face. She stood there trying to come back with something but nothing was actually voiced. Ulfgar didn't know if it was from his unbridled rage or just from the realization that everything in his life was now being told was a complete lie, not even meant to exist. Nonetheless she leaned up against the recently emptied tree and seemed to be willing to listen to his side of the story. Ulfgar watched as his rage subsided and returned to its lightless cage. He thought about his life and pondered where to start. Finally he knew where everything would play along nicely.

"It all began the day she came into Solitude." Ulfgar started as his memories began flowing through his mind as the trees seemed to melt away from his vision to be replaced by the streets he had grown to love. "In the early days of the month of Sun's Dusk, when the cold winds of the northern ice sea began to blow down into Skyrim."

A Darkness Shining in the Light

A Light Shining in the Darkness

To him, retelling his tale was more like taking a step back in time and watching as the events unfolded before him. The stone streets were cold to the touch while snowflakes floated down upon Skyrim. People walked through the streets trying to gather what they needed for the day before the storm decided to take a turn for the worse. Among the giant moving wall of people, a boy was moving around in just a red shirt, pants, and a pair of very worn-down shoes. He merged into the throng of people and began slowly moving towards a heavy set man with a thick green jacket with fur coming up around the collar. The boy had watched this noble man come in with one of the few Imperial soldiers here in Skyrim, who had retired to the barracks upon completing his mission. When the boy was close enough he 'accidentally' bumped into the man and quickly apologized before heading the other way. Leaving the wall of people it could clearly be seen that the boy had stolen a pouch of septims from the noble man. A quick glance inside further enlightened the boy with the knowledge that the coins were the real thing. He was heading up to the guard barracks to hopefully find some sort of job or at least warm up by one of the fires roaring in the courtyard. On the way up he heard some commotion coming out of one the alleyways along the way to the guard barracks. Curiosity got the better of him as he went to investigate the noise. The commotion was coming from the local band of bullies who had found a new victim to terrorize. When he was able to get closer, words began to form from the noise.

"Look here, you have two options here. You can either pay the ten septim toll or leave Solitude, there are no other options." Raddin, a boy who was better at words and intimidation than actual fighting said.

"Yeah, what he said!" The not so bright but built-like-a-bull Lakkan said trying to sound as convincing as his friend.

"You idiots actually think that I'm just going to give you what little I have!"

Lakkan gave a questioning look over to Raddin and the other two boys before wiping the look off his face.
Ulfgar had already buried his small stash in a patch of dirt and was heading towards the group. She had got one of the boys in the eye and Lakkan in the gut but was losing her ground fast. With one swift motion, Ulfgar kicked out Raddin's right leg while pulling the back of his shirt. He went down like a stone and pulled himself away from the commotion before seeing who had attacked him. Raddin gave Ulfgar a dark look while he held the back of his head.

"What are you doing here, aren't you supposed to be off picking some noble's pockets?" The boy next to Raddin asked seeing that Raddin had pulled himself off to the side.

"I was just on my way up to the guard courtyard when I heard some commotion over here." He calmly replied giving a small shrug.

"Well we still have you outnumbered three to two. You're going to regret coming here to help her!" He shouted out charging towards Ulfgar.

Ulfgar had been in his own fair share of fist fights to know that in order to win; you have to give out what you take. Frenzied, unorganized punches landed all around his body while he waited for the right moment. The time came when the boy tried to go for some type of power hit, pulling his arm far behind his head. Ulfgar bolted forward and landed a punch straight onto the boys’ face. A resounding crack and subsequent crying a few moments later ended the brawl. Looking back towards the girl, he watched as she laid on top of Lakkan landing blows left and right straight to his face with both of his arms trying to block the blows. The last boy was standing in the corner looking utterly scared about everything that had just happened.

"I think he has had enough." Ulfgar stated to the girl who was wailing away.

"Maybe. Do you promise not to mess with me again?" She replied, throwing in a question towards Lakkan.

"I promise! Now let me go!" He hastily replied with a new black eye.

"Good, now scram!" She shouted out as she got back up to her feet.
The boys ran off back into the streets of Solitude with a new set of memories and injuries. The air grew silent with the snow softly falling through the air.

"Are you alright?" Ulfgar asked trying to get rid of the awkward silence as it began to lay itself down over the scene.
Unexpectedly she ran straight towards Ulfgar and began to break out into sobs. After a few seconds of Ulfgar feeling even more awkward and her continuing to cry, she replied. "Yes, it feels nice to find someone that actually cares."

"I was just passing by and found a princess in peril. What else was I supposed to do?" Ulfgar replied, falling into a joking smile.

A quick slug to his arm, she smiled back. "My name's Rostei, and what might be the name of my gallant nord hero?"

"Ulfgar, want to head up with me to the guard's courtyard. I could introduce you to some of my friends up there." He offered as he held out a hand.

She grabbed a hold of it before they broke out into a race through the falling snow. He recalled her beating him up the hill and the curious looks from the guards standing at the gates to the courtyard and those out in the courtyard itself.

"So this... Rostei and you grew very close." An out of place voice asked as Applejack suddenly appeared leaning against the cold stone wall surrounding the courtyard.

"Yes, from that first day we grew together into an unbreakable bond that was almost close enough to be children bound in blood. We stayed together on our own for two and a half years before we got our chance to leave Solitude." Ulfgar replied as the scene began to mold and change before his eyes.

"What happened to the kids in the alley way?" Applejack questioned before any scene could been formed.

"Raddin ran off as soon as he could and made his way to the Imperial Empire. Now he is a cock-sure legate of the Imperial Army. Lakkan slowly became a friend of ours and soon became the Captain of the guard in Solitude. He is one of the reasons I was able to become a guard in the first place." Ulfgar answered while the snow turned into the cool breeze and warm rays of sun of spring. He watched as a younger him stood with Rostei down by the Solitude docks where they liked to laze around.

"I’ve known you for long enough to know that stupid grin on your face. What happened?" Rostei replied in a set of leather armor she had received from one of the guards.
Ulfgar had grown up with Rostei for a good amount of time, but going back into his memories, she had definitely changed from the child in the alleyway. She now stood tall and had long light brown hair. Her emerald green eyes seemed to not only calm you but dive into your thoughts. The child had disappeared and left behind a young lady who turned heads whenever she passed by.

"Well, you know how you like elven things? Today on my hunting trip I found a small group of elves dead in the forest and one of them had this." Ulfgar explained as he pulled out an elven dagger that he had fined tuned when he had gotten back.

"Wow, I can't believe you found this! Oh thank you so much, Ulfgar!" She shrieked as she pulled Ulfgar into a hug.

"You could say that, I guess." A man commented from behind them.
Turning around they could see a man wrapped up in red and black Redguard clothes. Underneath was a man that had a black beard and a weathered face.

"Who are you?" Rostei questioned as she re-positioned her grip on her new dagger.

"I could ask the same. A lady of Solitude doesn't wear armor nor have a liking for weaponry. Also your friend here didn't exactly just find those dead bodies." He replied as he nodded towards Ulfgar.

"What does he mean Ulfgar?" She asked not taking her eyes off the man.

"You see, one of those elves had a bounty on his head that I was planning on getting. Your friend here met them first when they 'requisitioned' his deer and three rabbits after beating him down. After they moved on and thought they had left him behind, they never saw him coming. I haven't seen someone with skills such as his in sneaking and with a dagger outside of the Dark Brotherhood." The man explained as Rostei began making side glances at Ulfgar. "He had followed them through the woods until they had stopped to have their meal that they had freshly taken. Oh the blood that was spilled there was glorious. I could have sworn that a smile seemed to spread on his face as he took that same dagger and slowly pressed it into the elf that had first beaten him. This man seems to be an artist with the black ink of the shadows and the red paint of blood."

"Is this true Ulfgar?" Rostei questioned Ulfgar as her grip on her new dagger slackened.

"I couldn't let those elves go free after how they taunted and insulted me. After I killed the first one with an arrow to his chest I seemed to have been pulled along by some invisible river." Ulfgar tried to explain himself.

"Ah, so Sithis has his eyes on you. The Dread Father seems to have plans for you." The man commented as a new sparkle appeared in his eyes.

"Dread Father... Then you are..." Rostei began after some time of thought.

"Yes, I am one of his children. It also seems he has taken a liking to your friend here." The man replied.
Rostei turned to look at Ulfgar to try to see some hidden joke or trick that he was known to do once in a while. Looking back at where the man was standing showed that he seemed to disappeared into the air. The only thing there was a small scroll wrapped up and sealed. Inside was the black hand of the Dark Brotherhood with a simple message. 'We Know'

"So the Dark Brotherhood is a group of assasins. How can you plead not guilty if you're saying the opposite?" Applejack asked as she appeared in front of his younger self and Rostei.

"After the first few contracts, you find out there is a reason behind every kill; A womanizing bandit that decided to have a bit too much fun, an arrogant drug smuggler who wasn't careful with his stock, or even an Imperial that is becoming a eyesore to his neighbors and community. Every target is a just kill in their own way once you see the world is not black and white, but many different shades of grey." Ulfgar said with a sad sigh as Solitude and Rostei began fading away into an orchard that was saturated with color.

"So what’s next?" Applejack asked seeming interested in hearing more of his tale.

"Not today... Later we can continue this tale, but I need some time. I'm sure you have something else that needs to be done rather than to listen to me ramble on about my life." Ulfgar replied as revisiting his early years began lighting some emotional flames that had been cold for a long while. He felt like time had dragged him through those years again, leaving him an old man. Slowly he began sliding down the side of the tree until he was sitting on the ground his arms lying on his knees.

"Alright, maybe harvesting some apples will help you." Applejack said seeing the fires inside him being rekindled.

Ulfgar just sat there staring down at the ground at his feet

"You alright there, sugarcube?" Applejack asked as the silence drew uneasiness from deep inside her.

Ulfgar didn't reply as he kept his eyes down on the ground. Not a sound came from him except for his breathing. The air around them seemed to grow colder just from Ulfgar's silence, making goosebumps appear on Applejack's exposed arms.

"Come on Ulfgar, everything will be alright." Applejack tried to persuade Ulfgar from his silence.

"Will it?" He finally replied.

"I'm not much at predicting the future but I think you will do fine right here in Equestria. Who knows, maybe you might become one of the Princesses Royal Guards." Applejack replied as she walked over to him. "It isn't every day that a man risks his life to save six girls in an effort to bring order back to Equestria."
"It's just my job." He replied simply not raising his head to look at her.

"It may have been your job but even after being turned around by Twilight you still went out of your way to help us. We may not have come back if you hadn't tagged along." Applejack countered softly as she kneeled down in front of him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

Ulfgar raised his face to Applejack and looked into her with eyes devoid of any emotion. The shine that they had earlier back at the ruins and earlier that day was gone; leaving him hollow and stone cold. Applejack could tell from his look that he carried a burden heavier than anyone could imagine. But deep down, she saw a small sliver of hope that burned brightly; a hope of somehow redeeming himself of past failures.

"Look here Ulfgar, I don't know what you did back In Skyrim, but I see a good man standing in front of me. Not some crazy assassin out for blood; all I see is a man with a harsh past. If you allow me, I can help you out with what you’re going through. It was tough for me to get over the loss of my father but I pulled through with the help of my Granny Smith. Now I want to help you out with your past." Applejack offered as she gave him a small squeeze on his shoulder.

The sliver of hope inside of him grew as she said these words. It grew inside of him and brought back the shine that she had seen the first time she had actually met him. After a few seconds he pushed himself off the ground and stretched. Applejack stood up as well with a grin across her face.

Ulfgar looked at Applejack and smiled. "I never thought someone like you could have such honeyed words. I'll have to keep an eye on you."

The lightness of his voice showed a side of him that didn't seem possible. As if there are two sides to him, one cold and precise and the other side almost as normal as a regular person. Applejack thought for a moment about how Skyrim might be different from Equestria but the people living there might be just the same as here. Living and working to make a life for themselves and for those they cared about. Maybe Skyrim was just like Equestria, only exaggerated in how the people acted. They shared a laugh until a child's voice cut in.

"Are you sure you this guy isn't your special somebody? Because it sure looks like it!" Applebloom asked catching them both by surprise.

Apple Bucking Eve

Ulfgar's eye twitched involuntarily at the thought of a child being able to sneak up on him. In his own defense he had other things on his mind but that did not stop himself from mentally kicking himself. Applebloom stood with her hands behind her back, waiting for an answer. Applejack on the other hand looked to be fumbling with an answer in her mind while on the spot. Her cheeks turned a light rose red as she tried to find something to say. Ulfgar mentally sighed to himself as he stepped up to the stage.

"How did making apple pies go?" Ulfgar asked hoping his instincts were right.

"Oh, it was fun. Maybe you can learn some time!" She replied, seeming to move past her first inquiry.

"Possibly, after this competition. It sounds like I'll have to keep my mind sharp for it." Ulfgar continued as he began to mentally smile.

"That's right, tomorrow is the Competition! Maybe we can call it Pear Bucking this time around!" She replied as her child's imagination began taking over.

"Hold on Applebloom, just because they are jerks doesn't mean we do the same to them." Applejack said as she noted what her sister said.

"But Applejack..." Applebloom began.

"No buts! You saw how the Pears were acting yesterday. Do you want to look like that?" Applejack questioned before her sister could say anything to come back with.

"The girl didn't look bad, she even wanted the other two to calm down!" Applebloom countered with desperation.

"She is actually a cousin of theirs. Lives in Canterlot with her father, who does not agree with the pears." Ulfgar commented seeing the sibling battle escalating.

"Really? Maybe Twilight has heard of her. She came from Canterlot just the day before Nightmare Moon returned." Applejack said with relief in her eyes.

"Next time I see her I'll ask. That is if she allows me any time to talk about something else other than where I came from." Ulfgar replied after he let out a chuckle that turned into a sigh at the mere thought of what could happen.

"Don't worry about Twilight, she means well. She just hasn't yet developed her people skills yet." Applejack tried to assure him. "Anyways, I think it's about time for some lunch. No one can work on an empty stomach!"

"That sounds good, hopefully I won't miss out on the food this time around." Ulfgar commented as he followed behind Applejack and Applebloom.

They walked through the orchard back to the peaceful farmhouse. The girls seemed to be chatting up in the front but it seemed to be about how Applebloom made an apple pie and other such things. Ulfgar had to nod his head to the two ladies as he saw how close they were. Back in Skyrim, siblings always seemed to fight with each other for a wide variety of things. It was rare to find any two siblings that actually didn't bother each other. These two in front of him, even though there were a few sibling battles, they were thicker than thieves. The sight almost dragged him into another memory. Along with the two girls in front of him, another group of figures was walking along beside them. Snow fell heavily onto the two cloaked figures and the light of some unseen stars seemed to be shining down on them. The figures turned their head back to show a soft, curious face along with a long strand of hair falling down out of her hood. Her lips moved but no words were spoken. Ulfgar did not need to hear the words to know what she was saying. She was speaking his name in a whisper that could destroy mountains. His name seemed to be bouncing off every single object on the way to the farmhouse. The snow seemed to grow and began coating everything with a heavy sheet of virgin snow. He could feel the snow falling down on him and filling him with a deep sense of cold and acceptance. Silence was the one thing that did not come with the falling snow. His name seemed to be growing in volume as it blocked out the sound of the birds and the rustling leaves. The storm began to grow to such size that Ulfgar could barely see the two Apple girls in front of him. Even though he could not see them, years spent in similar storms allowed him to be able to somehow know what was there without actually seeing it; a sixth sense of sorts that he had stashed away. With the apples still in front of him the other woman's face seemed to be staring at him as if waiting for some answer.

"What is it that you want?" Ulfgar hissed to the two quiet, cloaked figures.

"A guard like you shouldn't be out in a storm like this without his helmet." She replied with the corners of her mouth pulling into a smile.

"I would have it but some drunk brute made me use it in order for him to 'relax'. Ulfgar replied as his voice began being drained of emotions.

"You need to be more cautious Ulfgar, after you joined the guard your skills have been slipping. Your small victories on the road are nothing compared to what you use to go up against with only a dagger." The woman replied after a light chuckle.

"I have been training for the day I can finally complete my own contract. I have not forgotten what she did to Rostei." Ulfgar replied as an ember of his rage begin to grow.

"No need to get upset. You might make our father disappointed in you." She said as she pouted.

"What father, mine died before I could remember." Ulfgar replied as his rage was diluted with confusion.

"He is our father like we are brother and sister, Ulfgar. Ever since you left the brotherhood he has kept an eye on you. Isn't that right father?" She replied after a light chuckle.

Now the other figure turned its head to reveal a hood filled with the darkest of shadows. Swirling around in the body-less cloak. Two eyes appeared quickly and stare towards Ulfgar. He did not need any explanation as to who the woman was mentioning.

The two glowing eyes the color of blood continued to stare into him as an ominous voice spoke. "Long has it been since you have been home Ulfgar. Long has it been since the contract that was falsely made against two of my children; one fulfilled and the other still in motion. For you I have but one contract to fulfill, kill the treacherous child of mine that has strayed from the ways of the Brotherhood. I will leave you here in this place until the time has come to fulfill this contract. When it is time, I will bring you back home."

The figure turned its head back around while the woman spoke again. "It is not every day that you receive a contract from the Dread Father himself. Oh and Ulfgar, don't let a little thing like a Daedric blade scare you. Maybe it was placed there for a reason."

She said that and turned her back around and walked with the Dread Father into the storm. Ulfgar suddenly the storm was turning from bad to worse as he found himself lost within the snow storm with no indications of where he was. It even seemed like Applejack and Applebloom had been consumed by the storm. The sun that once shined down on him was hidden behind the thick clouds of the sudden storm. Once again he could hear his name being whispered all around him. He threw his hands over his ears to stop the noise. It did nothing as the whisper turned into a shout that seemed to be accusing him of some wrong he had committed.

He felt himself being smacked as the storm dissolved away from sight. "Ulfgar, snap out of it!"

His senses began returning to him as he realized where he was. He now stood at the edge of the orchard. Applejack was standing out in front of him with a look that was a cross between panic and confusion. Behind her he could see the farm house with Granny Smith sitting on the porch.

"I...I think I'm fine now." Ulfgar replied as he brushed her arms off of himself.

Are you sure, just a little bit ago you were talking to somebody that wasn't even there? Now you have me wondering what exactly my friends and I found in the Everfree Forest." Applejack asked with a questioning look in her eyes.

"I'm fine, it was... just some memories catching up with me." Ulfgar reassured her with a small lie.

He could tell that she knew it was a lie. "We can talk about it later if you want."

The newest addition to his reply seemed to ease her a bit as she backed up a few steps. They continued their journey to the farm house with only the noise of Applebloom asking her sister about his condition. The trio moved into the house and into the kitchen he was in this morning. Applejack moved towards a large white box with two door handles on it and pulled one open. From inside a light turned on showing the wide variety of food placed within little shelves inside the white box. After a few seconds he could feel a cold, soft breeze brush up on his legs. For a brief second he could’ve sworn that he was falling back into some type of trance or memory. That thought was swept aside as Applejack closed the door to the white box and a stronger breeze pushed into him. Applejack held a multitude of things in one of her arms as she placed the items aside on a counter top. Curiosity got the better of Ulfgar as he walked up to the giant white box that was about his size and opened the door that Applejack had just closed. Inside he could see a glass orb shining a bright light onto the contents of the shelves. The cold breeze that he had felt before began blowing into him. Slowly he closed the door and stood there for a few seconds. He continued opening the door and closing the door until Applebloom took notice.

"Whatcha doing there Ulfgar?" She asked as Ulfgar was entranced by the magical white box.

"What is this thing? It seems like there is some magic running through it." Ulfgar replied as he backed away from the magical white box.

"You mean the refrigerator?" She replied in a questioning look as the discussion caught Applejack's attention.

"This thing seems to be able to stay cold on the inside even if it is a warm day." Ulfgar mumbled to himself in an attempt to wrap his head around what it was.

"Are you telling me you don't have refrigerators back where you came from?" Applebloom asked.

"The weather helps a lot with preserving our food and the salting out meats help as well." Ulfgar replied as his head was swirling just trying to understand this white box.

He began his way out when Applejack called out to him. "Where are you going? I almost got the sandwiches done."

"To grab something to drink." He simply replied as he began his way out of the farm house.

"Where are you headin' sonny?" Granny Smith asked as he stepped out onto the porch.

"Just grabbing something to drink." Ulfgar replied stopping at hearing her voice.

"You know we have milk and water in the fridge, don’t you?" She replied looking at him through squinted eyes.

"So much is going on that I need a little mead to help me along. Not to mention that mysterious white box you have in there." He replied as he headed towards the barn.

The trip was short and he quickly found himself shifting through his stash of items. Within the piles of weapons, armor, and various other items he found his small pile of honeybrew mead that he got from the local meadery before heading inside the walls of Whiterun. Ulfgar spent a little bit of time with the mead back in Skyrim and this batch that he had his hands on was the best he had ever tasted. Grabbing one he headed out the barn door and uncorked the mead. A quick swig of the bottle and the golden contents flowed smoothly down his throat. His mind felt like a large burden had been pulled off his shoulders. Passing Granny Smith again he raised his bottle and nodded towards her. She let loose a small chuckle as he stepped inside the house. Ulfgar re-entered the kitchen to find the two sisters happily eating some sandwiches. Applebloom smiled and waved at him with a mouth full of food while Applejack gave him a quizzical look.

"What's that you got there?" She asked after swallowing what she had in her mouth.

"Just some mead, all of this picking apples by kicking the trees and white magical box that is able to hold a part of winter inside itself is running my mind up a wall. It just seems to add to the feeling of a potato..." He began explaining.

"...In a treasury. Well maybe tomorrow will make you feel just fine with the flood of farmers flooding in. There always seems to be something happening when everyone arrives." Applejack finished for him before taking another bit of her sandwich. "Take a seat here and have a bit, I'm sure you'll like your's."

Ulfgar didn't need to be told twice as he pulled out a chair from the table and sat down. In front of him laid a sandwich with white bread, lettuce, tomato, and some sort of meat. He lifted up one of the two slices of his sandwich and took a bit out of it. The flavors inside the sandwich seemed to explode inside his mouth. He had tasted all of these things back in Skyrim but here, the flavors seemed to be exaggerated. Delight danced across his mouth as he relished in the meal.

"I take it you like it?" Applejack inquired fully well knowing the answer from his face.

"These are the freshest things I have ever tasted!" Ulfgar replied, smiling, as he began to think. "You know ever since I arrived here; I think I have smiled more than back in my old homeland."

"Are you pulling my leg?" Applebloom as she stopped mid-bite by the seemingly absurd statement.

"Seriously!?" The voice of Pinkie Pie shouted out from directly behind Ulfgar.

Ulfgar nearly choked on his second bite from the second sudden appearance of the super hyper Pinkie Pie.

"Afternoon Pinkie, want some lunch while you’re here?" Applejack offered, seemingly oblivious to what had just happened.

"No thanks, I ate before I got here. Is it true what you said earlier?!" Pinkie Pie replied as she turned her attention back to the Nord.

"I am very serious, just as real as you somehow always pop up out of nowhere." Ulfgar replied after clearing the blockage in his throat.

"Oh that; my Pinkie senses told me something was happening here and so now I'm here! If what you’re saying is true then I better get right on that party of yours!" She replied ending the last statement as if it was the most important thing in all the land.

With that she gave a quick wave to the Apples and headed out the door. Ulfgar strained his ears after the door shut but could not hear the slightest sounds of her departure; no wood creaking under her weight or sounds of rocks grinding against each other as she walked away. He got up out of his chair and took a look out the window. No bright pink person was walking anywhere away from the door. It was as if she just opened the door and disappeared off to where she was before or some other place yet unknown to Ulfgar. 'Seems like the girl has the laws of the world wrapped around her finger...' Ulfgar thought to himself before taking a good, deep drink of the mead. Heading back to meal at hand, he was glad the meal in front of him, that seemed to be exploding with flavor, took his mind off the mysterious pink woman.

"You seem to be going through that mead there pretty fast..." Applejack began with a slightly concerned tone.

"It is the only thing keeping me sane right now. Only problem is that I don't have any harder stuff if anything else happens." Ulfgar replied with deadpan voice as he began getting back into his sandwich.

Applejack gave him a quizzical look before finishing up her sandwich. Applebloom finished up her sandwich and headed off somewhere else in the house to 'wash up' after her meal. The door opened and Granny Smith began moving along the long hallway.

"Hey Ulfgar, once we get these apples picked maybe we can head down to town and sell some stuff. I can sell my families apples like usual and you can sell the stuff you said you wanted to get rid of yesterday." Applejack offered as she swallowed her last bite of her sandwich.

"That sounds good, I mean what exactly I’m going to do with all the dwemer gears I have." Ulfgar replied as he began relaxing as the natural laws began sliding back into place.

"Ah, you two look so sweet there. Don't let this one get away, he looks like a keeper." Granny Smith replied as she passed by the kitchen door.

"Granny!" Applejack shouted back as her cheeks turned slightly red.

Ulfgar on the other hand looked at his current bottle of mead and began draining the rest of the bottle's contents down his throat.

Ulfgar's day on the Town

Ulfgar pulled himself from his sleep before his mind could judge him for any more of his past. Pulling himself up from the pile of hay drove away the images from his head. He stopped himself before reaching his things when he notice someone else in the barn. Without any thought he rolled off the loft and pulled himself to the shadows. After a few seconds he heard a slow clapping coming from a lone silhouette in the empty barn.

"Very clever. I guess you’re the one that Sithis brought over?" A soothing feminine voice commented.

"You know of Sithis?" Was all that Ulfgar could reply with.

"Oh yes I do, and no matter what he says he is the cutest little thing you can ever see. Just him trying to be this big lord of death and nothingness." the voice replied to him.

"How can you say that? Do you know how much..." Ulfgar began before he was cut off.

"Power he has? Yes I do know, who do you think let him gain a hold in his realm? You might see his power as ‘earth shattering’, but to the other gods, he is like a child trying too hard to show that he is not a child. What can I say, I'm a sucker for the new gods. They just remind me of when I was that young." The silhouette finished as she walked closer to him.

"New god, hasn’t Sithis been around since time began?" Ulfgar inquired as the new entity seemed to be relatively 'friendly'.

"Time is not just some simple thing that just has a beginning and an end. It is like a rope that is intertwined to itself. It will keep on going but you will be no closer to the beginning or the end. The rope will keep on continuing until something stronger than itself snaps it apart." The silhouette explained as a low light began filtering through the eastern windows of the barn.

"So if Sithis is a ‘new’ god, who are you?"

"I'm glad you asked Ulfgar. I come with many names since I am a god, but you can just call me Morrigan. If you must refer to me, call me by 'the voice'. As for how long I have been here, take how long you think Sithis has been around and multiply that by 13." She answered as the light began showing her form

She stood about as tall as himself, and made herself look as if she were a goddess of war. She had a unique set of armor that he had never seen before in his life. It was a dark green similar to that of a leaf of an aged tree. The armor was a mix between heavy and light armor. Heavy metal guarded joints at the shoulders, elbows, and knees. Other than that a strange leather and metal strip design guarded everything else. She had brown hair that was cut above the shoulders. A smile was on her face before it quickly switched to a frown of annoyance.

“And here I thought Sithis had matured somewhat since our last encounter. Branding someone is not something that is smiled upon!” Morrigan scolded as she walked up towards Ulfgar.

Ulfgar stood where he was, carefully watching Morrigan, as she walked up to him. When she got close enough she placed her hand over the black sign of the Dark Brotherhood and began mumbling some words. The light around them seemed to bend and flow around her out-stretched hand. The light then washed over his shoulder to the point where he had to look away, or else be blinded by the intensity. Seconds passed before the light died down and Ulfgar could look back at his shoulder. Morrigan and the Black Hand were gone. He stared in disbelief at what had happened.

Even though she was not physically there, he heard her voice softly floating through his head "If Sithis is this protective of you then there must be something special about you. So I'll be keeping an eye on you..."

Only a few moments passed before the door to the barn was opened and a familiar silhouette appeared in the doorway.

"Good Morning, Mister Ulfgar! Applejack wanted me to come and grab you for breakfast. What are ya doing over there in the back?" Applebloom shouted as she walked through the open door.

"Just indulging in some old habits of mine. I usually don't have people like you and your family coming in to call me over for breakfast." Ulfgar answered quickly.

"Okay then, maybe you should get something on. I don't think Applejack or Granny Smith would appreciate that very much." Applebloom replied as she stepped out to the middle of the barn.

"Will do, you seem awfully excited this morning." Ulfgar commented as he moved up towards the ladder.

"Why wouldn't ah be!? Today is the big Apple-bucking Competition! Too bad tomorrow I have to head back to school..." She exclaimed before growing quieter at the last part.

"You go to a school?" Ulfgar couldn't help but ask as he reached the top of the ladder.

"Yeah, but I'm one of the few there not to have a cutie mark yet. I mean learning all that stuff is fun but I get picked on by Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon." Applebloom explained as she played with the ground with one of her feet.

"What was that?" Ulfgar asked, his voice muffled as he began putting on his original guard armor.

"Most of the kids at my school have their cutie marks already but I don't have mine yet." She tried to explain again.

"You're still confusing me, what is a cutie mark?" Ulfgar questioned as before letting out a small sigh at the sight of his dented helmet.

"You don't know what a cutie mark is!? Are you just trying to pull my leg?" Applebloom inquired, seemingly forgetting about her troubles at school.

"Where I come from, we don't have this...cutie mark." He replied as the last two words had trouble leaving his mouth.

When he turned back around he saw that the girl's jaw was almost literally touching the floor. Not only that, but her eyes were as big as a dragon's. Ulfgar had to give off a small chuckle at the sight before a small idea popped into his head. Quickly he began gathering a few things to go along with his helmet. Even though this town seemed very out of place, every town had a blacksmiths shop. From there he could easily have acquire the proper equipment to fix some of his gear. With the few things gathered together, Ulfgar wrapped them up in a blanket that he would keep his things in if he couldn't find an Inn by day's end. He headed down the ladder with this collection of items and rubbed Applebloom's head as he moved towards the house. This snapped her out of her trance and she began jogging to catch up with him.

"So you’re tellin’ me that you don't know when you find your special talent?" Applebloom inquired once she caught up to him.

"You need more than one special talent to make their place in the lands I came from." Ulfgar tried to answer.

"So you’re saying you guys get more than one special talent?" she questioned, more confused with the answer.

"Where I come from, they are more or less just trained skills rather than your special talents. We have to practice and understand the skills we want to use if we want to be successful." Ulfgar explained, trying to get his idea across.

"So you don't have a special talent then?" Applebloom asked, viewing him being talentless as though he were born without an arm.

"Generally that would be a yes. You might find one or two people in the world of the north that seems to be a master at his or her skill. For all I know they might have just been practicing that skill since they were young." Ulfgar replied before looking down at her distraught face.

"Think about it this way, if they still pick on you, just point them my way. I doubt they will want to pick on you when I'm standing in the same corner as you." He continued in hopes of somehow cheering her up.

This was one of the few things that always pulled at him. Ever since he was growing up as a child in Solitude, some of the guards tried to help him along. From taking him in for a few days to teach him the skill with a sword or just to have someplace warm to eat. Since then, Ulfgar wanted to pass down that unwarranted generosity. His comment seemed to brighten her up somewhat as they stepped onto the porch of the farm house. Applebloom sped in front of him as he continued walking at his usual pace. The kitchen was in the usual condition he had always seen it. There was a table of warm food and the family housing him were already in their spots with one chair still empty.

"Good mornin' there sonny. I hope you’re ready for what is happening later today." Granny Smith stated as she gave him a greeting nod.

"You look a little bit tired today, having trouble sleeping?" Applejack asked as he began sitting down in his chair.

"Just the usual. Being trained for action and traveling through the wilds for most of my life has made me into a light sleeper. It's just hard to adjust to not being in constant danger, that's all." Ulfgar stated as he motioned towards the food.

Applejack looked at him for a few seconds longer, trying to see through his blanket of half-truths. This did not last long before she began filling up her plate with the variety of food at the table. Even though the morning meal was good, Ulfgar was thinking of his eventual trip into town that day. He knew that just the way he looked would cause them to push themselves away. A small voice in his head thought this actually might be good, since it would make it easier to make his way to where ever the blacksmith was. Another even smaller thought asked how he would find the blacksmith when the town was easily larger than the towns that dotted the Skyrim tundra.

"Don't worry about that, I'm sure a big strong Nord such as yourself can find a blacksmith in no time!" The voice of Morrigan chuckled through his head.

Ulfgar momentarily paused for a second before realizing that the voice did not belong to someone at the table. This urged Ulfgar to finish up the warm meal and continue on his journey. More so to think himself still sane even though voices that were not his own echoed through his head.

"I hope you’re ready to pick some more apples before we all get caught up on the festivities." Applejack said to him.

"Actually I was thinking of heading into town, I need to get some of my equipment fixed. Who knew some men's skulls were thick enough to dent a helmet?" Ulfgar replied, adding the last part in as he saw the Applejack was going to counter him.

"That sounds alright, just be sure to get back before sun down." Granny Smith replied, waving him off with a small smile.

With that Ulfgar downed the last of his milk and headed out of the kitchen. As he stepped onto the porch, an idea popped into his head. He went back to the barn and went back up into the loft. Once he had gotten to his pack, Ulfgar began searching through his bag to find some things that he could get rid of. The pile was not much, but it filled an extra sack. With this additional sack of items and his rolled up supplies, he made his way back into the morning sun. Ulfgar took one look at the farm house before heading down the lone dirt road heading through the orchard. As he reached the other side of the orchard, he began looking over the town in hopes of finding what he wanted to find. The town appeared to come straight out of a fairy tale with the bright colors and the friendly townsfolk. The total lack of any type of guards made him uncomfortable as he stood in the shadow of the apple trees. After taking in a deep breath he looked up at the roofs of the houses, more specifically he was looking at the chimneys. Many of the chimneys emitted a soft, white cloud. The only exception being what looked to be a wooden-shingled building far off on the other side of town. This chimney seemed to be spewing smoke into the air that was darker than any other chimney. With a small sigh, he left the security of the trees and trekked back into the town he had left so eagerly a few days before. The townsfolk didn't seem to mind him unless they took a look at what he was wearing. Those who did notice him stared before taking a few cautious steps back. Ulfgar just kept on his way through the streets towards the thick smoke on the horizon of thatch roofed houses. Down the roads he walked until he had reached a large courtyard filled with wooden stands and their vendors. The sight made him relax a bit. If anyone was tolerant of different people, it would be the stall vendors. With the slight feeling of security, he made his way through the markets. The stalls where vastly different from the ones he had seen back in Skyrim. Rather than having a multitude of things to sell at a stand, they contained only a few items. An example being one stand that only sold carrots and carrot products while another stand only sold pears and pear products. Even with the strange selling pattern, it did not seem to stop the vendors. Through the market he went, listening to the surrounding conversations and watching the crowds. Strangely, just walking through this crowd of people, no matter how they seemed to view him, made him feel like he was back in Solitude. His old habits began to kick before he felt a tap on his shoulder. Turning around Ulfgar came face to face with Rainbow Dash.

"By the gods, what is with you people and sneaking up on me?" Was all that Ulfgar could reply with.

"And a good morning to you too. I was just lounging up there on a cloud and saw you walking through the markets. So I thought I could show you around." Rainbow Dash replied with a simple shrug of her shoulders.

"I guess..." Ulfgar began before his thoughts strayed to a conversation off to his right.

"What do you mean you still expect payment, I don't even know any of you?" The voice of a woman asked in exasperation.

"Well we were the guards for your shipment and they told me that you would have some sort of payment at our arrival here." The silver-tongued man said, trying persuading the woman.

"I told my supplier that I would pay the Caravan Master, not the guards. You didn't even try to hold off the bandits!" She shot back at him.

"We were only lucky enough to get out of there alive. I lost three of my men to those rouges!" The man replied as his temper began to rise.

"So that explains why your standing here now hoping for some bits form me. I told you that I was going to pay the Caravan Master. Your payment comes from the Caravan, not me." The woman stated.

"Where are you going Ulfgar?" Rainbow Dash asked him as he began making his way towards the conversation.

Ulfgar could tell from the few sentences he heard that this was something that needed to be dealt with before it got out of hand. Also from how the man spoke, it was obvious to him that this man was one of the rouges that hit the caravan. Quickly he could spot out a lone woman in a green shirt and dark red hair with a group of three men clad in leather armor. On the men he could tell one of them was already slowly sliding his hand down to some hidden weapon. He quickened his pace towards the argument.

"Look, I'm sorry that your shipment did not come in, but my men and I are going to stay here until we get our payment!" the man in the middle of the group explained in a harsh whisper.

"I barely had enough money to pay the Caravan Master, let alone the amount you’re asking me for!" The woman countered as she crossed her arms.

"Well you know how things go, but we are still going to get our money." The man replied, seeming to regain his cool once again.

At this point one of the men began moving in towards the stall vendor.

"Seriously Ulfgar, what are you doing?" Rainbow Dash tried to ask again.

"Do you have a blacksmith in town?" Ulfgar asked as he closed the distance between him and the situation.

"Yeah but no one ever..." She began answering.

"Take these things down there for me please, something else has come up." Ulfgar explained as he began handing over the roll and the bag.

"Hey, what are you... Geez, what are you carrying? Bricks?" Rainbow Dash replied as she was surprised at how heavy the load was.

As Ulfgar gave her the blanket roll, he quickly pulled out his shield from the edge. He slide on his Solitude shield as he made the last few steps to the men.

"What is going on here?" Ulfgar ordered as he easily slipped back into his stone cold guard routine.

"Just a payment problem. It’s no concern of yours." The man replied taking no heed to look at Ulfgar.

"Just a payment problem doesn't include three men with armor and a hidden blade. Now tell me what is happening or else I will force you to tell." Ulfgar replied with more drive in the second part.

"And what do you think gives you the right for such action? We are just some guards from a caravan raid." The silver-tongued leader replied with venom in his voice. "Now if you could kindly leave us, my men and I have some business with Miss Roseluck here."

Rage grew within Ulfgar as the man still did not acknowledge him. His men on the other hand gave each other quick glances as their leader went unknowingly of the armored man behind him. Within mere seconds, that changed as Ulfgar took action. With his right hand, Ulfgar grabbed the leader by his hair and slammed down on the back of the leader’s knee with his foot. Now the man was staring up at Ulfgar in shock. The man's pain soon shot through his body as he was held down.

"Gahh, who are you to think you can just do this with no repercussions?!" The man shouted in pain and anger.

"I am a guard and I can clearly see that this is a failed attempt at getting more money that from the caravan you mentioned."

"You can't be a guard, you don't light up the area around you with golden armor!" The man shot at Ulfgar with fury.

"Your right, I prefer durability than looks." Ulfgar replied without showing any emotion.

"Then what are you going to do? You can't just turn me in without turning yourself in as well. Impersonating a guard is not taken lightly." The man replied as a smile began spreading across his face.

"That is where you’re wrong. I am a guard from far into the North where we don't deal with your ilk. We either toss you into a cell where you don't see the light of day again or just place your head on the executioners block." Ulfgar replied as he leaned in close to the man's face.

"Let’s settle this then! Just you, me and my MEN!" The man replied before his hands started to glow red.

Ulfgar wasted no time and slammed the side of his shield straight into the man's forehead. Adrenaline began pumping through his body as he moved up against the leaders’ henchmen. With his now free right hand, Ulfgar lifted first henchman by the throat and tossed him violently onto the ground. The last henchman was already on him with knife in hand. Ulfgar blocked the attack with his shield and ducked under the man's outstretched arm. While the man was trying to figure out what was happening, Ulfgar kicked the back of the man's knee and grabbed onto the man's knife-wielding arm. Placing his other foot on the man's back, Ulfgar pulled back on the arm that was in his grasp until he heard a sharp pop. With that Ulfgar released the man's arm before pushing down hard with his foot sending the last man's skull crashing into the hard dirt. He waited a few seconds to make sure the man was still breathing before turning his attention away from the small skirmish and to the lady that the men were trying to rob.

"Are you alright ma'am?" He asked simply in a plain voice.

"Yes... Yes I am, I don't know what would happen if you would haven't stepped in. My name is Roseluck by the way." The woman replied as the shock began subsiding.

"Always glad to uphold the law. Nothing good ever comes from men like these."

"Hey, would you mind helping me out? You might have heard that the caravan with my latest shipment has gone missing. The forest that it has to go through to get here from Dodgeville is not known to be the safest. I need someone like you to help get my shipment back."

"I can help out with that, just when do you need me to head out?" Ulfgar asked, the tingling from the adrenaline rush beginning to wear off.

"Tomorrow would be best, I still have to tend to my stall for the rest of the day. I can help see these men away from town." Roseluck replied with a small smile.

"Well then I will meet you here next morning then! Now if you excuse me I need to be heading off towards the blacksmith." Ulfgar replied, knowing that he was spending too much time there already.

With that Ulfgar made his way back into the crowd to find that Rainbow Dash was still floating where he had left her with his stuff. Ulfgar frown at the sight of the winged woman with her jaw nearly touching the ground.

"I thought I told you to head off towards the blacksmith with these?" He chastised her in a hushed voice to avoid more attention.

"That. Was. Awesome! You were just on top of those guys like it was rehearsed!"

"Just another case of petty thievery in my book." He replied with as he took his items back, adding. "Now how about that tour you mentioned?"

Rainbow Dash quickly shook her head and motioned out towards one of the streets leaving the market courtyard. "Down this road we can hit the town hall and the library before ending up at your spot of interest!"

They both shared a smile as they walked away from the courtyard. Onward they traveled as Ulfgar ignored the looks he received as he walked around with his battered shield on. Their first stop was easy enough to spot; a large circular building straight down the road.

"This here is the town hall. Other than the usual meetings and such, you can find odd jobs and houses for sale here!" Rainbow Dash pointed out as they entered into an open ring around the town hall.

"I wouldn't mind some odd jobs..." Ulfgar said to himself as they walked past.

"So what happened back there?" Rainbow Dash inquired as they began heading down another road.

"You mean back at the market? Just some bandits trying to squeeze out a few more septims from the unlucky victim of a caravan raid. Tomorrow I will be lending my shield to help find her supplies." Ulfgar clarified to her.

She stared at him with a confused look before seeming to remember that he was not from here. "Here we just call our money ‘bits’, but I guess that might take a while for you."

"Not at all, I'll just claim that I come from a land far into the north. Luckily no one will want me to delve into my life story."

"I'm guessing that you’re going to help The Apples set up their Apple-bucking thing later today, since your living with them." Rainbow Dash commented as Ulfgar could see a tree of almost Falkreath standards began peaking from around some of the nearby houses.

"You could say that..." Ulfgar said as they neared the giant tree.

"Okay then. Well, over here we have our library. My friend, Twilight, lives here along with Spike."

"Who's Spike?" Ulfgar questioned as he did not recall any dog from their entrance into Ponyville.

"Spike was the Salamander that joined us when we got back into town. I've heard from Twilight that he’s been asking a lot of questions about you."

"Ha, it wouldn't be the first time I have caught someone's attention." Ulfgar commented as they walked past the tree.

"So what exactly is in those bags you’re carrying?" Rainbow Dash asked as they moved away from the tree and towards the grey smokestack that Ulfgar had been following.

"One is just full of assorted things. I just need to find someone that would want to buy these things from me. All they do for me right now is weigh me down. This one right here though holds some equipment that needs to be repaired." Ulfgar answered.

"Seriously?! You were just talking to probably the best person for that. Roseluck does all sorts of stuff with things she gets from other towns. I bet you 5 bits that she would go crazy to get her hands on what you have in there." Rainbow Dash commented seeming to forget once again this was only his first week in Ponyville.

"I guess I might have to make another stop back there after the blacksmith..." Ulfgar mentioned before he could hear a door shut and the sounds of footsteps nearing them.

Turning around he could see the Salamander named Spike running up to them while Twilight Sparkle was following with a notebook in hand. Ulfgar groaned as he knew what the notebook would probably be used for.

Off To The Forge

Ulfgar stood with Rainbow Dash as he observed Spike and Twilight heading towards them. Spike was at a full out sprint towards him while Twilight was following behind at a brisk walk.

"Looks like someone is popular." Rainbow Dash commented to Ulfgar.

Spike stopped himself in front of the Nord and gazed up at his face. "Wow, you are tall..."

"Good morning Ulfgar! It's good to see that you’re already getting comfortable with the town!" Twilight chimed as she approached.

"You should have been at the markets this morning Twilight! Ulfgar here took down three guys by himself!"

"Really..." Twilight mumbled to herself as she scribbled something down on the board.

"What are the notes for?" Ulfgar questioned as she finished up a quick note.

"Well after you and Applejack left, the Princess asked for me to keep an eye on you. Add to that the fact that you said you're from a land that does not exist here and you’re a person with certain set of... talents, makes you a person of interest here in Equestria." Twilight Sparkle explained with a smile as she looked up at Ulfgar.

"So...what’s with the notes?" Ulfgar questioned again , adding a hint of annoyance in his voice.

"It is so that I can attempt to get a better idea of who you are. With these I can not only know who you are but also what the world you lived in was like." Twilight answered, not seeming to acknowledge his frankness. "So what are you guys up to?"

"I was just giving Ulfgar here a quick tour of Ponyville before hitting the blacksmith. You thinking of tagging along?" Rainbow Dash replied as she gave him a slap on the shoulder.

Ulfgar sighed mentally before Spike spoke up. "That would be awesome! So Ulfgar, what is it like to be a guard in..."

"Spike!" Rainbow Dash and Twilight simultaneously shouted.

"Um, is there something else I missed while I was away?" Ulfgar questioned.

"No, nothing at all. Just the idea of not mentioning where exactly you’re from!" Twilight quickly replied as she quickly showed a large grin and pulled the board close to her chest.

Ulfgar stared at her for a few seconds, knowing full well that she was holding something back. He was going to investigate further but felt a tap on his shoulder. Turning his attention away from the lying mage, he looked up at the floating woman.

"Maybe we should get back to the tour. The blacksmith is just down this way. But before that, we'll pass by the town bakery. I'm sure Pinkie Pie would love to see you again."

"She was the energetic one, correct?" He half asked to remind himself.

"Yeah. Don't worry though, you'll get used to her in no time!" Rainbow Dash replied as they began walking down the road again.

"Is she also a mage like Twilight?" Ulfgar questioned.

"Pinkie? No she just a regular person like you and Applejack. It is just a case of getting used to her, that's all." She answered as they passed by a fountain.

"So what were you mentioning before Rainbow?" Twilight asked as she walked up on the other side of Ulfgar.

"Oh right! You should have been at the markets this morning! There were some guys with Roseluck that weren't from town. They were all standing around her herb stand when Ulfgar went in. I didn't hear what they were talking about but all of a sudden, Ulfgar just takes down all three of them at once! He was like 'BAM' and 'SMASH'!" She exclaimed as she retold what happened.

"Wow! That sounds so cool! I wish I could have seen it!" Spike shouted out as they came up to a wide intersection.

"Are you even trying to adjust to Ponyville?" Twilight shot at Ulfgar.

"Well I'm a head taller than most people here and larger than most of the townsfolk. Not to mention how everything seems more... 'colorful' than my home." Ulfgar casually countered.

"Well maybe if you tried they would look past those things." She replied seemingly intent on her notes on Ulfgar.

"Maybe you could explain why they are backing away from me as if I were some daedra?" He questioned her.

"You're just... different from what they are comfortable with." Twilight Sparkle answered after some thought.

"I swear this place is peaceful version of the Imperium..." Ulfgar mumbled to himself as they continued on.

Just after his comment, Ulfgar's attention was pulled away towards the most interesting building he had ever seen. The entire building looked like a giant sweet roll that had a candy covering nearly every single open spot. Quickly his thoughts rushed to images of the lady in pink that seemed to just appear out of thin air. Subconsciously he looked over his shoulder to make sure she wasn't there. A small wave of relief washed over Ulfgar as he turned back towards where the building was. The only problem was that a certain someone's face was all that he saw.

"Good Morning Ulfgar!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed.

Ulfgar simply stood there as he waited for his heart to start beating again.

"Good morning Pinkie!" the other three responded.

"Hi guys! So are we giving Ulfgar here a tour? You must be new, how can I be so silly! Why else would we be out here? Unless we're doing that one thing we promised not to tell Ulfgar about." Pinkie Pie rambled to her friends.

"Pinkie!" Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash simultaneously shouted out.

"By the Gods, hopefully this is all just some horrible dream." Ulfgar whispered to himself as he felt as if the gods were just playing some horrible trick on him.

'No need to worry about that Ulfgar. I can assure you that all of this is real! You just need to hold in there for a few moments longer.' Morrigan's voice stated inside of his head.

'And why would that be? This already seems like insanity to me, and I've not even been here for five days!' Ulfgar quickly shot back at Morrigan.

'I've been taking a look at other things happening around here and it seems like you might become the man of the hour!' She cheerily replied before becoming quiet again.

At that moment, Ulfgar could see two figures off in the distant crowds a few roads down that appeared to be just standing there. From the eyes of any of the others that stood around him chatting to each other, they’d look to be a part of the crowd. From what he saw it was a different matter. They were definitely following them, there was no doubt about that.

"These packs are getting heavy here. How about we continue this tour?" Ulfgar urged the others.

"So why are we heading down to the blacksmith?" Twilight Inquired.

"Ulfgar has some stuff he needs fixed up so I decided to make a small tour out of it. I mean, how could you pass up a tour with one of the coolest people in Ponyville? No, in all of Equestria!" Rainbow Dash boasted as she floated a little bit higher into the air.

"Oh, why didn't tell me about that then? I have a spell that I can use to restore items back to tip-top shape." Twilight questioned Ulfgar.

"I don't trust magic." Ulfgar stated as he could see a building with a horseshoe hanging out above the door.

"What do you mean you don't trust magic!?" Twilight interrogated him.

"Such raw power shouldn't be in the hands of anyone that wants to change the world. Next thing you know there is an army of undead just walking around." Ulfgar replied, growing more infuriated at the mage.

"Well it looks like we're finally here! How about we get inside." Rainbow Dash quickly commented as the tension between Twilight and Ulfgar grew.

The group moved inside as Ulfgar took one last glance down the street. The two figures were still the same distance behind them as before. His intuition was telling him that they weren't just some curious townsfolk. As they entered the blacksmith’s shop, Ulfgar had to stop to take it all in. Out of all the places he had been here in this world, this one seemed to make him feel right at home. The dark inside of the smithy and the cold hard stone felt just the same as the ones back in Skyrim. The only thing that seemed out of place was a pair of bells that hanged just at the edge of the front door. From out of a doorway a child walked into view before leaning on the doorframe. This one wore tan shorts with a simple orange shirt on. The child’s hair was a very deep purple that was barely light enough not to be mistaken as black. She seemed uninterested with them for only a few seconds before her eyes light up.

"Hi Rainbow Dash, I didn't think I would see you here!" The child replied in a gravelly girl’s voice.

"Hi Scootaloo, I have a friend here who has some stuff that needs fixing." Rainbow Dash replied as she looked over at Ulfgar to check that what she said was right.

"No problem. What would it be today? A mailbox or a broken weather vane?" Scootaloo replied seeming to know what usually comes through the door.

"I have nothing of that sort with me." Ulfgar began.

"Scootaloo, who's here?" a deep voice asked from deeper in the building.

"We have a traveler here, says he has something out of the ordinary!" Scootaloo shouted deeper into the building.

Footsteps could be heard coming down the hallway. A man soon appeared with a red flannel shirt and a pair of navy blue pants. His face consisted of a pair of rosy cheeks, a pair of sparkling blue eyes, and a large black beard. His skin was the skin of a blacksmith, tanned by both the sun and the forge. Muscles could be seen wherever clothing didn't cover up the skin. With a quick glance at the group his eyes landed on Ulfgar.

"So you got something different for me to work on? I hope so, or that is one ugly cat scratch you have on your face there." The man replied as he cracked a smile underneath his beard.

"It's just some shaving razors and some throwing disks." Ulfgar replied as he followed along with the blacksmith.

"Those don't really look like razors there..." Twilight commented with neither of the two men taking a notice.

"Well let’s set your stuff down over here and see what we have to work with. The name's Iron Anvil by the way." The Blacksmith said as he motioned over to a large, fairly open work counter.

"It's just the ones that needed some attention. Wouldn’t want them getting dull now." Ulfgar mentioned as he rolled the blanket out onto the table.

There, laying out in front of them, was a Nord steel sword and hand ax, a variety of daggers. Along with those was a pair of steel Nord gauntlets, steel shin-boots, and his Guard helmet. Ulfgar also tossed up the shield that he had on his arm. He took a glance over at Iron Anvil to see the man's face light up at the sight before him.

"This is more like it; I feel like a kid again on Hearth Warming Eve! Now tell me this; you mentioned that you had other things?" The man chuckled as he picked up the steel sword.

"Of course." Ulfgar answered. "I'm guessing you wouldn't mind working on a suit of steel plate armor if I happened to have one?"

"Oh, you don't know how much you have made my day. Now let’s see what we can do with these." Iron Anvil replied after letting out a hearty laugh.

"Well look at that, you came into town and already made a friend!" Twilight Sparkle commented.

"Oh, can I see?" Spike asked as he attempted to look over the edge of the table.

"It looks you have yourself a little following there! What was your name again?" Iron Anvil asked as he set the sword down.

"My name is Ulfgar. I hail from a city in the far north." Ulfgar answered as he lifted up his helmet to check the dent again.

"Well Ulfgar, I am glad a man like you stepped into my shop today! Well I can just take these here..." Iron Anvil began.

"Why?" Ulfgar inquired as he watch Iron Anvil move to take the items.

"Well I was just guessing that you would leave these with me so that I could work on them while you go do other things in town." Iron Anvil replied, stopping where he was.

"I had to do other things in town to get here! I would never miss out on a chance to put the sword to the wheel." Ulfgar explained as he set the helmet back down with the other pieces of equipment.

"Well I guess I shouldn't be surprised. You have the body and mind of a guard. I'm guessing that was what you were back up north." Iron Anvil said as he waved them further inside.

"I was, and I could guess the same for you." Ulfgar replied as he rolled up his equipment before following the burly man inside.

The sounds of footsteps behind Ulfgar told him that the others had decided to stay. When he entered the forge room, Ulfgar noted two things. First was the beaten-up golden armor that stood silently in the corner. The armor was almost exactly the same as the guards that he had seen when the chariots had arrived. Second was that the forge fire did not burn a warm orange but rather a cool blue. As Ulfgar set down his things, Iron Anvil came up and unwrapped the items from the blanket.

"If you don't mind, I think I'll start with your helmet here. It looks like it has seen the most action out of everything here." The blacksmith mentioned as he lifted the helmet up and looked into the empty eye slits.

"Go ahead, I just feel good working with my equipment again." Ulfgar replied as he lifted up the steel sword.

"This will be interesting, I never seen a blacksmith at work!" Twilight Sparkle exclaimed as she flipped to another page on her clipboard.

"I'm not too sure about that Twi. I think it might get a little bit dull watching two men beat away at some stuff with a hammer." Rainbow Dash commented as she floated in the doorway.

"Hey, Rainbow Dash! If you’re getting bored here, do you want to see some moves I've been working on?" Scootaloo immediately asked after Rainbow Dash's comment.

"Sure, that sounds good. Let’s go see what you can do!" She replied as she followed Scootaloo back out of the doorway.

"Can I come too?" Spike questioned as he quickly followed them out the doorway.

As they made their way out of the room, Ulfgar spotted a pair of small wings on the child's back.

"Where in Equestria did you get this helmet? It's tougher than most things around here." Iron Anvil asked between the strikes of his hammer.

"It is made out of a type of iron only found in the north; although I’ve made improvements to it here and there." Ulfgar answered as he sat himself down in front of the Grindstone.

After that the room stayed mostly silent, other than the sounds of the two men working and the scribbling of notes. Once Ulfgar finished up with the sword, he moved on to the ax. As he slowly moved the blade of the ax up and down the spinning wheel, he found his gaze settling onto the unusually mesmerizing shower small sparks. The sparks slowly turned to embers before growing into roaring flames. Ulfgar then found himself standing in the middle of raging inferno. He was surrounded by a burning building only barely managing to stay upright. Support beams were falling left and right while the wooden walls were groaning under the pressure. His mind raced trying to come up with an escape route. Strategies flooded his mind until he heard a familiar scream. Without another thought, Ulfgar raced through the burning building to find a woman dressed up in an outfit of the Dark Brotherhood. She was pinned underneath a fallen support beam engulfed in flames.

The woman turned her hidden face and looked over to him with frightened eyes. "Ulfgar!"

He wasted no time running up to her and grabbing hold of the burning beam. As heat burned its way through the simple gloves that he wore, the beam was lifted off of the woman. Once the beam was high enough, Ulfgar tossed it to the side. He picked the woman up as he barreled straight through another door. A mental sigh of relief swept through his head as he found himself out in the bittersweet grasp of a Skyrim snowstorm. Ulfgar fell to his knees as the adrenaline began to wear off. The woman that he still held leaned in closer to give him a hug.

"Thank you Ulfgar, maybe some time I should be the one do the life-saving!" she quietly chuckled into his ear.

"Maybe someday..." Ulfgar began as he relaxed with the woman snuggled close to him.

"Are you alright?" A new voiced asked as the snowy world began dissolving away.

"What?" He replied as he found himself back in the smithy with a madly spinning grindstone in front of him.

He found the ax he had been working on in his lap while his arms were shaking slightly. He flexed the one arm that once held his childhood companion. He felt the small hope that was just inside him float away as he realized she was just a memory. He quickly got up and dropped the ax with his other things. He didn't care that it clattered against the various daggers and armor. Ulfgar leaned up against a wall as he delved into his mind. All he was thinking about were two things; why was he beginning to suffer from these flashbacks and why did she have to be the one that was gone. These thoughts seemed to drown out the hammer blows and the questions of the curious mage. With all that he had been through, this one thing had already caught him off guard twice already. He felt a soft hand grab onto his arm, trying to get his attention. Quickly he pushed himself away from the wall and the maelstrom of thoughts. The room had gone eerily silent as he began focusing on the reality at hand. The hammer blows had ceased as Twilight looked up at him with a questioning gaze.

"Are you alright Ulfgar?" She asked him again as she gave him another shake.

"I'm fine." Ulfgar simply stated as he finished pulling his mind back together.

"Well I fixed up the armor you brought in. Your helmet here was the trickiest thing to put back together." Iron Anvil commented, directing the conversation elsewhere.

"Nicely done, it looks as good as new!" Ulfgar chuckled as he glanced over where the dent used to be.

"I have to say I'm glad to have worked with something out of the norm!" Iron Anvil replied before he heard the chime of bells.

"Well it sounds as if my time is up here. I guess I should be heading back to the farm." Ulfgar said as he began rolling up his equipment with the exception of his helmet.

"Oh, don't you worry my friend. I'm sure we’ll be seeing each other again!" The burly man chuckled as he patted Ulfgar on the back.

"How much do we owe you?" Twilight Sparkle asked as she began moving towards a pocket on her shirt.

"Owe me? Working with such unusual equipment like this is payment enough!" The man answered before slipping into a bellowing laugh.

Ulfgar smiled at Iron Anvils’ cheery personality as he slipped on his helmet. Once he’d secured his helmet, he felt as if he had rediscovered a part of himself. He slipped on his shield as he moved towards the front door. There in the lobby was Rainbow Dash, Scootaloo and Spike. Scootaloo was trying to impress Rainbow Dash with some of her own stories of 'Awesomeness' as Spike followed along.

"So that's how I tried finding my cutie mark in being a Ranger!" Scootaloo finished with a smile as she looked up at Rainbow Dash's face.

"Equestrian Rangers, hmm? I never heard of them." Spike commented.

'Ah kids, you have to love them. So filled with raw excitement.' Morrigan said in his mind.

'What I would love more is to get these memories to stop haunting me.' Ulfgar stated to her.

'That you're going to have to do yourself. I don't have any control over your mind.' She replied.

'So I'm guessing you're not here to just to talk about children.' Ulfgar said after a mental sigh.

'Oh you don't have to be so serious all the time when you talk to me! Just think me as a friend helping you out every now and then!' Morrigan suggested in her usual cheerful, casual tone. 'Anyways you are correct. It seems like your little vigilante justice episode in the market has the guards riled up. I would suggest doing those other things you do best!'

'Well I guess the Brotherhood taught me some other useful skills.' Thought to himself.

"We can still go around and do some other activities. No need to head straight back to the orchard just yet." Twilight suggested as she stepped up next to him.

"I'm fine, Applejack wanted me to get back once I was done to help out around the farm." Ulfgar lied as he headed out the doors.

Once he was out of the building he retraced his original route until he found himself an alley way. From there he melted away into the shadows and began his improvised way back home.

From the Shadows

For as open this town was Ulfgar was surprised at how many alleyways he had found. They were almost exactly to how he remembered the ones in Riften were like, dark and cramped. As he moved his way through the buildings, he kept an eye out for those two cloaked figures. He could easily spot out the guards out on the street from their bright golden armor; just not the two he had seen before. Ulfgar knew that the latter could be even more dangerous than the guards. The more time he spent moving through the alleyways, the more his gut tried to tell him something. As he came up to a fork in his path one of them walked around a corner and stood in front of him.

"Well look what we found here Midnight!" A female voice exclaimed from underneath the cowl

"State your business." Ulfgar replied quickly, already slipping into his guard mentality.

"I think we should do the question asking here." a male voice commented from behind Ulfgar.

"Who are you?" Ulfgar interrogated the one in front of him.

"I thought I said we would be the ones doing the questioning." Hissed the male voice that was behind him.

From the sound of the man's voice and the soft footsteps behind him Ulfgar could guess that the man was easily within arms reach. He flexed the fingers on his right arm as he waited for the moment. It didn't take long for that moment to arrive.

"Midnight, wait!" The cloaked woman in front of Ulfgar shouted as an arm shot out from underneath her cloak.

Ulfgar cut off her warning by quickly turning around and slammed a clenched fist straight into the man's throat. With one fluid motion, Ulfgar grabbed ahold of an outstretched arm and pulled it over himself. Now both of the cloaked figures were in front of him. The man clenched his throat as he tried to breathe. On both of their wrist, Ulfgar could see that they wore silver gauntlets with gold trimming. Along with that the man's cloak had fallen back to reveal shining silver armor. The closest thing that Ulfgar could compare it to was the few cases of glass armor that he has seen. That is where the comparisons ended though. This armor seemed easily more decorative that what he had seen back in Skyrim. A large emblem with two winged unicorns were displayed right on the breastplate. The gold trimming seemed to flow across the armor as if it was a living, growing, vine. As Ulfgar's attention was caught on the armor, the woman jumped over her companion and lunged out at Ulfgar with her other arm. In response, Ulfgar pulled his steel dagger out of it's hiding place and stretched out his arm. His blade laid softly on the woman's bare neck as her hand was only inches away from his face, filled with some magical spell.

"Well it looks like we're at a stand off." The woman replied as a strand of amber hair fell down onto her face.

"I seems so... now who is going to start talking first?" Ulfgar replied as he kept his eyes solid on her eyes.

A heavy silence filled the alley with the exception of the shuffling of the woman's companion.

She stayed exactly where she was when she began. "Who exactly are you?"

"My name is Ulfgar, and you two?" Ulfgar answered, quickly following with his own question.

"My name is Amber Dawn and my partner here is Midnight Shine." She replied.

"Where are you from?" Midnight Shine questioned as he began pushing himself back up.

"A place far north of this town..." Ulfgar began.

"What town?" Amber questioned

"Have you ever beyond the frosted tips of the border mountains?" Ulfgar countered.

"Sadly I have not had the opportunity to. I'm guessing I'll have to go on your word then." Amber answered as her hand seemed to die down in intensity.

"Anything else?" Ulfgar asked as he flexed his fingers that were holding his knife.

"How did you see through our cloaks? " Midnight coughed out in a raspy voice.

"That does bring up a good question. How exactly did you do that?" Amber commented, making her had grow once again in magical light.

"See through them, all I saw was two suspicious characters following me and some acquaintances of mine to the blacksmith." Ulfgar stated as he slowly began pulling himself from his guard mentality.

"Now that comes back around to my first question. Not anyone can see beyond the magic embedded in these cloaks." Amber said as she narrowed her eyes at Ulfgar

"I was a guard surrounded by thieves rummaging through your pockets, assassins trying to put a knife in someone's back, and mages trying to somehow land their name in history with some new spell. Easily within a few weeks you notices things like cloaked figures." Ulfgar answered with a quick summed up version of Skyrim.

"It's supposed to make use blend in to the untrained eye. You somehow were able to see past that. I guess that would be a question for later." Amber said to herself. "How are you doing there Midnight?"

"Man you suck, I barely can breath!" Midnight coughed out as he held a hand to his throat.

"Well it was either that or breaking your arm. I figured you would prefer the later." Ulfgar simply stated as he chanced a quick glance over at him.

"Hey, I think I see something down in the alley!" A voice bellowed as it was followed by the sounds of hushed whispers and clanking armor.

Ulfgar hesitated for only a moment before he pulled himself back into the shadows before pulling himself up the one of the wooden supports of a building. He waited there as he listened to the sounds of guards storming into the alleyway. Of the many things he did not care for, this was very high up on the list. That along with flying and any magic other than the restoration arts. A guard soon came into Ulfgar's sight with his shining golden armor and white wings. The guard's curiosity was quickly leaving from the alleyway scene and up into the sky. Sadly Ulfgar would be in the way of the blue sky. All scenes left Ulfgar as he felt that the surface behind him disappeared and he was pulled backwards. In seconds his mind caught up with him and he was staring up at the smiling face of Pinkie Pie.

'Well this... This i didn't see coming.' Morrigan stated as she spoke up in his mind

'Welcome to the group.' Ulfgar thought to both Morrigan and himself

'I've never been invited into a group like this. Do we get cake!' Morrigan cheered

"Hi there Ulfgar! Seems like you got stuck in a doozy here!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed.

"I'm not even going to ask how you happened to be here." Ulfgar replied as he began to sit up.

"You don't have to worry about that. I just had a feeling that you would need some help here!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed as she helped Ulfgar to his feet.

"So what now, are the guards going to burst in from the windows?" Ulfgar asked as he felt that somehow he had just jinxed himself.

"Of course not Ulfy! they're just going to come in through the front door like everyone else! Now lets see about getting you back to Applejack's place." She said in her usual cheery voice as she began to pull something from out of the shadows.

As she did this Ulfgar could hear a knocking at the door. Soon the sound of a door being opened and voices could be heard. Before Ulfgar could make any type of plan he found himself shoved into some sort of pipe. His whole upper body was trapped inside this 'pipe' while his legs below his knees were unconstrained.

"Pinkie, what are you doing!?" Ulfgar shouted out with no regard to the increasing sound of boots heading up stairs.

"This might be a little bit loud..." Was all that she replied.

Ulfgar was confused for only a second before he was blasted out the window. His mind completely shut down on him with pure shock. There was only one thought that hung in his barely active mind. He. Was. Flying. He had experienced many things before in his life but this one had sent him into a new plane of fear. Not even his first sight of a dragon had sent his mind into a panic like this. So there he was, flying through the air in a cloud of brightfully colored confetti. The ground below him seemed as small as a child's playset. The people down below him walked around doing their usual routines. Seemingly unaware of the man trapped in the cloud of confetti. The town slowly began to push away from him as the trees took their place. His chest began to tighten slowly as the trees began growing. Now his mind began flooding with thoughts. They necessarily weren't about him falling to the ground. Only a sliver of the thoughts were of that subject. The rest were seemingly random thoughts such as how was Whiterun doing after the dragon attack? What jobs did Applejack have planned for him today? and where was the equipment he had? A few seconds passed before that one thought grew in his mind. Where was his equipment? Frantically he attempted to move himself around to hopefully catch a glimpse of his things. That time drew to a close when he barreled through the leafy canopies of the apple orchard. His fall was not eased by any of the branches when he slammed into the ground. After that the pure force of the landing threw him further into the orchard before he finally rolled to a stop. Out of all of the pain that he was experiencing, where his shield met his arm held the largest amount of agony. Ulfgar rolled over to his back as his entire body burned with the fire of pain. He lied there as he weaved his hands through the lush grass on the ground. He looked up towards the sky and saw that the confetti was softly snowing down around him.

"By the Nine, I swear that I will never do that again!" Ulfgar vowed to himself as the roaring flames of pain died down to a simmer.

'I'm surprised that you didn't break anything from that fall.' Morrigan commented in the most serious voice he had heard from her.

'I blame the pink one for that...' Ulfgar replied before thinking back on the previous few minutes of his life.

'Well it looks like you have a some company coming by.' Morrigan stated as the sound of beating winds soon joined in with the clanking.

'Great...' Was all that Ulfgar could respond with before something began to push through the branches of the apple tree

Ulfgar waited where he was a he slowly began moving his hand towards where his hidden dagger was. The person was obviously one of the guards he had only glimpsed before. As the guard began to emerge from the branches, Ulfgar began noting a few things. Firstly was how the armor did not seem fitted for the guard; being easily to large for the owner. Secondly the guard seemed to be more worried with the branches in the way than the armored man lying down on the ground a few yards away. Thus bringing up the third thing, they seemed to be more worried with smaller things than what could turn the situation very ugly. The guard finally made their way through the branches and began to look over the area. Ulfgar only caught a glimpse of a smooth skinned face and a pair of emerald green eyes before the visor fell into place. He waited for what possible questions they were going to ask about his equipment or if he was just recently in town.

What actually happened surprised him when they asked in a muffled voice. "Are you alright there?"

He let out a small chuckle to himself before responding. "I just had my first flying lesson without wings!"

"What?" was all that the guard could reply with.

"I was in town and falling behind on my schedule. My friend, Pinkie Pie, decided to shoot me across the sky to help me out." Ulfgar answered as he tried to figure out more about the guard.

"Was it fun?" the guard continued questioning, seemingly not worried about what had the guards scrambling about.

"This man was not given wings for a reason. Now all there is to get back... Where are they?" Ulfgar replied as he slid off his shield before falling silent.

"What?" The guard replied as their hand pushed up the visor.

"Dammit, where are they!?" Ulfgar shouted out loud.

'Where did what...' Morrigan and the guard questioned him.

As if by demand his steel sword shot down from the sky above and impaled itself into the ground, whistling past his helmet. Moments later, various other parts of broke through the canopy. Ulfgar cautiously turned his head to his right to find the sound of scraping metal as the hilt kissed the front of his helmet. He let out a sigh of relief as he thought he was back on the 'regular' path of life. Pain began to flare up through his body as he pushed himself up to a sitting position. Before he could get up to his feet, the faint sound clanking could be heard filling the death like silence.

"If you don't mind, could you help me out here?" A unhindered voice asked between grunts.

Ulfgar turned to see the guard pinned to a tree with another of his swords stuck in between two different shoulder plates. He had to pull his eyes off of her long hair that matched the color of her eyes. Never before had he seen any hair that looked that color without looking like it was dipped in something.

'Really, you have already seen flowing hair with blue, pink, and turquise and you think this is different? Morrigan inquired from within his mind.

'The other one had magic, same as Twilight. Only mages want to change their hair color.' He replied as he got up face to face with the hanging guard.

"Are you caught anywhere else?" He asked he guard as he eyed how the sword made its way through the armor.

"I don't think so... So much for a quiet tour in Ponyville." She answered after a few moments of shifting around.

"Seems like the entire country is quiet from my perspective." Ulfgar commented as he wrapped his hands around the hilt.

"Well I have heard that Fillydelphia and parts of Manehatten are worse than here. But you seem like your from Stalliongrad so this is quiet by what you've seen."

"North of there actually, Beyond the borders." Ulfgar added before he grunted, slowly sliding the blade out of the tree.

The guard gave a short yelp as she dropped down to the ground. Ulfgar lent her a hand as she was getting up. Her hand felt very gentle and soft. This sparked up Ulfgar's curiosity, his only failing trait.

"How long have you been a guard exactly?" He inquired.

"Oh just a week and a half, I just finished training two weeks ago. My name is Emerald Shores by the way!" she chimed as she took pride in being a guard.

"Well you don't see that everyday!" Ulfgar commented as he gave a small chuckle.

"Oh, is it because I'm smaller than you... and some of the other guards!" She quickly shot back at him.

"No, no it is not that. It is just that most of the people that become guards where I come from got badly injured while adventuring while they were younger. Either that or they are old war horses that don't have the stamina they use to." Ulfgar answered as he started to retrieve his scattered goods.

"Why wouldn't someone want to be a guard? It is one of the best things to do! You get trained on being the best in both flight and body. You get to see all types of different places once you have been in there for a bit. Not to mention a free pass into Canterlot every so often for a variety of things!" She exclaimed as she seemed to lose herself in joyous thought.

"Sounds like a whole lot more than what we got for being a guard. Sounds like there might be more to it." Ulfgar stated as he searched for his equipment.

"Well... we are, sort of the... We are the military if Equestria is attacked. But that is really not likely ever to happen. At least not in my time period." Emerald Shore added on.

"And how did you come to that conclusion?" Ulfgar grunted out as he pulled an ax out of one of the apple trees.

"From how Equestria hasn't been in a war in a thousand years! Sure there are some troublemakers here and there, but nothing more than some minor robberies." Emerald Shores stated making it seem like everything was well here Equestria.

Ulfgar just started to chuckle again as he had picked up the last of his gear. He turned to face Emerald Shores to apologize again for his own actions. The only problem was that it wasn't her there but Rostei clad in her Dark Brotherhood linens with her arms crossed in front of her chest. He easily remembered that look that she gave him whenever he crossed a certain line.

"Just go along with it alright." She replied as she unfolded her arms.

Ulfgar just stood there near motionless as she began to step closer to him. The world quickly transitioned from the sunny orchard of Equestria to one of the snowy streets of Winterhold. It was snowing more heavily than usual for the time of year. This amount of snow had forced nearly everyone into the safety of their homes, the castle, or even the local tavern. Even with this abundance of snow, she had her mask off. The look on her face turned from annoyed to apologetic in seconds.

"There is no need for these questions anymore Ulfgar. I just want to get this out of the way without anymore torture!" Her voice begged as she stepped right next to Ulfgar.

She was close enough that he could hear her breathe and almost think that he could feel it brushing up against his neck. She wrapped one of her arms around him as if she was going to hug him. The next thing he knew he could feel something diving into his chest as if it was on fire. It stayed in there for a second before he felt it slide back out, leaving the fire still inside the cut. Another look at her face showed that she was actually crying, he had never seen her cry before. She placed a soft kiss on his forehead before pulling him in close with an intimate hug.

"Rostei?" He quietly asked, astonished by what happened.

"I'm sorry..." He could hear her whisper into his ear as Emerald Shore inquired at the same time.

He watched as she slowly began to walk away from him. Before her form was engulfed by the storm she looked back before drifting away into smoke. From where she stood just before Emerald Shore came up with her golden armor destroying the rest of the memory. She walked towards him with a worried look on her face.

"Are you alright, sir? You're shaking as if it is winter." She inquired as stopped a few step in front of him.

"It was just a moment ago..." Was all that he could reply with as his mind raced to make him remember where he was now.

"You are starting to act like grandpa. Who, as a matter of fact, was the first reason I wanted to be a guard!" She continued on as she seemed to ready to stop showing her enthusiasm for being a guard.

"Good... That is good to know. Well we best start heading back our seperate ways now. It is good to see the future of the guard is in good hands!" Ulfgar stated

"Alright, I'm glad to hear that! Also, before we go, who is Rostei?" She asked as she lifted herself off the ground.

"She was an old friend of mine." He answered simply as he felt a small flicker of old emotions growing again.

"Oh, alright... See you later then!" Emerald Shore exclaimed as she shot back up before.

Now Ulfgar was alone once again. Not even the voice of Morrigan chimed in. He stood in that section of the orchard before heading away from the butchered up section. Time passed before he came out to the lone path that would take him back to the Apple's house. By the time he reached the open pasture of the farm, he had regain his composure and snuffed out the embers that were licking his heart earlier. It was probably a good thing since he found that he was not the only one that was there that afternoon. Not only were there a multitude of farmers that seemed to be chatting to each other or funneling themselves into the barn. But he could see Rainbow Dash and Twilight Sparkle standing on the porch with Applejack. They stood there talking to each other until they turned their attention to him.

"Great, first I get shot out of a cannon and now I am the center of some conspiracy with their little group." Ulfgar muttered to himself.

'Hey, at least you're not watering the orchard right now with your blood! Right?' Morrigan finally piped in with her usual enthusiasm.

All that Ulfgar replied with was a low grunt and "I just wish I was back in Skyrim... Then at least I wouldn't be flying!"

'Oh you big baby! I thought you were a guard or something strong like that?' Morrigan teased him, ending with a small giggle.

Ulfgar let loose a low groan as he made his way into whatever battle he was going to find this evening.

Author's Note

Well here I am again. College is starting and now my writers block is finally taking its leave! Hopefully with my more open mind and time schedule I will be able to keep this story more alive than it has been recently.

The Applebucking Competition

To say that he just simply strolled through the crowd would have easily have been a lie. He did not know if it was from his height, his armor, his usual guard demeanor, or just being new in general that cause the various farmers to step back as he passed by. For one thing he knew it was not his muscular build that kept them back, for many of them had muscles that were large enough that you could see a giant, pulsing, web of veins flowing underneath their tan skin. He continued his way through the parting crowd with his course planned towards the house. A soft hand on his wrist pulled him away from his plan. Ulfgar turned around to see a familiar face.

"Good evening, Ulfgar! Seems like you got your helmet fixed." Sweet Roll greeted him.

"Yes I did, feels like new again. Speaking of my helmet, where are your cousins? They don't seem like the ones to let you roam around by yourself." Ulfgar replied as he began scanning the crowd.

"They were here earlier; they left just a while ago saying they forgot to do something back in town." She replied as she rubbed the back of her neck.

"So you're just standing around by yourself?" Ulfgar questioned.

"Well I know some of the other people here but that is just through my cousins... and they don't usually make good friends with people." She explained as she began to grow quieter.

"I have an idea, follow me." Ulfgar stated that made it clear she would have to think fast.

"What exactly do you have in mind?" Sweet Roll asked as Ulfgar was already moving away.

"You're going to meet some of my companions. They seem beyond normal to me, but I think a lot of things are not normal here. Anyways, they most likely will treat you as a friend." Ulfgar explained as they made their way out of the crowd.

“Are you sure that they will?” She inquired, seeming worried about meeting new people.

“They took in an old, lost, war horse like me and showed me a world that I never knew could exist.” He answered with after stopping for a second to think.

"Maybe I could just head back and wait..." Sweet Roll tried to begin.

"Nonsense, you have no need to worry. Anyways I think some of those kids in there are pickpockets. Bloody thieves..." Ulfgar quickly replied, mumbling the last part to himself.

"What was that?" She asked as they neared the front porch.

"Well afternoon there Ulfgar, Rainbow Dash and Twilight stopped by to check if you got home alright! I heard there was a commotion in town about some thug." Applejack greeted Ulfgar as he stepped up on the porch.

"Hey Ulfgar, why didn't you tell me you were actually in the Apple-bucking?! This is one of the cooler things that came to Ponyville! You might have had me rooting for the wrong guy!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed.

"Hi there, Ulfgar, I was just dropping by to check to see if you got home past all of those guards!" Twilight quickly replied as she placed on the fake smile that gave away her cover.

"Twilight, why are you out here? I thought you were still in Canterlot." Sweet Roll asked as she broke out of her shy shell.

"Sweet Roll, I could ask you the same thing. I was sent out here to make some friends. From what I have experienced since I started three days ago I have to say it amazes me!" Twilight replied as she seemed equally shocked.

"I'm here with my cousins; they always want to see their little cousin. I just find it hard to be around them when they seem so different at this... competition." Sweet Roll answered Twilight.

From there the two began losing themselves in their own conversation about Canterlot, leaving the other three on their own. After a few moments Ulfgar decided it would be time to place his various armaments somewhere where the drunks can't get to them.

"Do you know where I could place these temporarily? I don't think the barn would be the best place." Ulfgar asked as he broke the silence of the three.

"Oh, that would be a good idea. We could place them in my room. I doubt anyone would be in the house anyways." Applejack answered as she seemed to forget what Ulfgar took into town with him.

They headed in with Applejack taking the lead. Ulfgar glanced at some of the pictures that graced the walls. He watched as time reversed itself in the pictures. One of the last ones was one had a very young Applejack with the same hat she had now. Along with her was a man wearing a blue jacket over a white shirt along with a similar hat. Ulfgar thought about asking, but thought better of it. Unless she mentions it, he wasn't going to bring it up. Asking questions sometimes helps but then could leave you bleeding in some back walkway. Onwards he followed as they headed up stairs. Applejack headed into one of the doors. He followed inside to find a simple room. There was a bed, a nightstand and some various decorative things around the room. Other than that there was just a desk, with a large mirror attached to it, pushed up to the wall.

"Well here we are, you can set you stuff over there. Luckily you got back when you did. We were just about to start without you!" Applejack said, seeming to make some small talk.

"I'm just glad I'm back. Being on my two feet again feels so great." Ulfgar replied as he laid his gear down over by the closet.

"What do you mean? I don't see any wings on you." Applejack asked as they headed back towards the porch.

"Your pink friend shot me up into the air in a cloud of confetti!" He answered, heading down the stairs.

Applejack's only reply was a fit of laughter that followed him on his way out of the house.

"I'm sorry but that just tickles me. A big man like you being afraid of something as trivial as that, you just don't see that every day!" Applejack began to explain as they walked onto the porch.

"What did I miss?" Rainbow Dash quickly asked after seeing Applejack's face.

"I just got my encouragement for the Tournament." Ulfgar replied as he leaned on the porch railing. "Can we get started now?"

"Not just yet cowboy, just one more thing. You're going to have to take that armor off your chest. This is about how tough you are, not your armor." Applejack answered.

"Fine, I'll be back. I'm guessing the same goes for my helmet as well." Was all that he said as he headed into the house again.

"I wonder how built he is?" Rainbow Dash openly asked.

"Why are you thinking of that?" Applejack questioned her back.

"Well did you feel how heavy his stuff was? I could barely hold it! I bet he is like one of those pin up guys." Rainbow Dash explained.

"The ones wearing nearly nothing and are all oiled up?" Applejack inquired with an unimpressed look on her face.

"And you're not curious!? The guy seems like one of those people that fights bears with only their hands!" She countered.

"Even though he is staying here doesn't mean I'm thinking about what is underneath his armor!" Applejack replied, defending herself.

"What are you two bickering about?" Twilight Interjected.

"It looks like girls back in Canterlot that would fight over the same guy." Sweet Roll commented.

"You are being pretty defensive Applejack. Why would that be?" Rainbow Dash inquired in a poke fun attitude.

"I'm just saying that I'm not fantasizing over him, unlike other people." Applejack answered as she eyed Rainbow Dash.

"What can I say; he may have just got here but seems to be warming up pretty quickly. It makes a girl wonder." Rainbow Dash simply replied as she gave a small wink.

"What, too soon? You guys are creeping me out here." She added on as silence engulfed the group.

"Best be cautious about such things." Ulfgar stated from the doorway.

Their heads turned towards the door to see Ulfgar heading through the doorway. He had a slightly amused look on his face as he walked onto the porch. For the first time they found Ulfgar without his usual chainmail. They had all seen his face and the scar that graced the lower part of his face; but they were not prepared for his chest. A multitude of scars ran across his chest. They even looked that some of them had made their way to his sides, and back, as well. One that seemed to stick out from the rest was one that looked recent. It stood right over his chest and was only about an inch long.

"Well are we going to get started or are we just going to stand here?" Ulfgar questioned as he began making his way to the barn.

Applejack gave a small nod as she rounded up the other farmers outside of the barn. The other three followed her since they didn't want to get tangled up with those who would be going up against Ulfgar. With Applejack's beckoning call, the crowd of people standing around quickly flooded into the barn. The only thing that was left behind was the refreshment tables.

Once inside Ulfgar found that the only open area in the barn was a circle formed from a fence and a wall of bodies. A small table was set up in the front with granny smith sitting behind it with a small metal box and a large board behind her. She waved him over to the table with a small smile.

"Glad to see you made it! Applejack was worried you might have not made it in time. Anyways, you're in the next match sonny. Remember this is just with what you have, nothing from outside the ring." She greeted him. "Now don't forget to have fun!"

'You don't hear that every day when you are about to walk into a fight.' Morrigan commented as they moved away from the table.

'For how peaceful they seem, this does seem out of place.' Ulfgar replied as he began heading back towards the ladder to the loft.

He found his way to the back side of the barn towards where the ladder to the loft was. Even though he wasn't going to go through his things, he didn't fully trust those around him. The current, and future, drunks were mainly the ones he did not trust. Throughout the barn he had found that impromptu tables had been set up. Many of the tables had large mugs of something he hoped was similar to mead. It would either help dull the pain or help his mind relax from the messed up logic that existed here. As he reached the ladder he made his place at a lone table that stood quietly in the corner. From here he could see that he wasn't going to stand out as much. They matched him easily in muscle and some also in height, albeit their bodies lacked the 'beauty marks' of scars. A small smile came across his face as that use to be one of Rostei's phrases.

"Hi there Ulfgar, glad to see you made it!" Applebloom's voice called to him from above.

Looking up he could see her smiling face from the loft. "Enjoying the view?"

"This is the best seat in the entire barn!" She replied with a smile.

"While you're up there, make sure nobody goes nosing around my things." Ulfgar added.

"Will do! Oh, it looks like the first round is already done." She commented as she pointed towards the ring.

"The Winner is Bartlett Pear! Next Round, Sauerkraut against Ulfgar." Granny Smith announced after the ringing of a bell.

"Wow, you’re going up against one of the Cabbage patch brothers! Good luck out there Ulfgar!" Applebloom exclaimed before giving him a thumbs up.

"Pretty fast round if you ask me." Ulfgar mumbled to himself as he made his way towards the circle.

He made his way through the crowd to find a rather large man standing in the ring. He had a large mustache that curled at the very tips. His chest was matted with a large coat of hair. A small twinkle of excitement showed in his almond eyes as Ulfgar entered the ring.

"A funny name you have there Ulfgar, I’m going to guess you are not from the Heartland of Equestria. Who are you here with, The Turnips, the Carrots, maybe the Oranges?" Sauerkraut inquired as he waved Ulfgar closer.

"The Apples gave me a roof to sleep under so, in return, I help them where I can." Ulfgar replied as he walked towards the circle center.

"Ah, well may the better man win!" He commented as he raised his fist.

Ulfgar gave only a grunt in reply as followed in suit. Slowly they began to draw in closer. The impatience of the crowd grew with each passing second. They jeered at the two in the ring as they studied each other’s movements. Sauerkraut struck first with a swift left hook. Ulfgar made no attempt to block the blow as he moved in with his own assault. Within three blows, Ulfgar had already pushed the man back against the wall of bodies. He continued to fight until the man crumpled down to the ground. Sauerkraut struggled to get up to his knees as he spat out a wad of blood. With the ring of the bell Ulfgar knew for sure that it was actually over.

"The Winner is Ulfgar; next round is Napa against Anjou!" Granny announced to the crowd.

"You...you are a tough, I'll give you that. Just where did you learn to fight?" Sauerkraut asked between breathes.

"From my time as a homeless orphan and maybe a little bit of fighting wolves that caught me without my weapons." Ulfgar answered as he offered his hand.

"How do the wolves look after you're finished with them, running away with their tail between their legs?" He replied as he pulled himself up.

"Dead mostly, maybe one or two ran away before I could get to them." Ulfgar stated.

"Beating wolves to death... I'll keep that in mind." Sauerkraut commented before he hobbled away.

"Better be careful Ulfgar. Hate to see you pulled out of here unconscious!" Anjou chuckled as he passed by Ulfgar.

He gave no reply as he moved back into the crowd. His mind began pulling in everything that he could from around him. Anjou seemed like he had already won the match. No one would be that cocky unless they had something planned. From what he had seen in this place, he was either facing being drugged or being poisoned. Either way Ulfgar was not going to be excited with it. Back over to his back corner he found an eager Applebloom still up in the loft.

"Wow Ulfgar, that was amazing! You didn't even seem to know he was hitting you!" Applebloom exclaimed, looking at him like the hero of the day.

"It is a little trick that I learned back home." Ulfgar commented as he leaned against the ladder.

"Can you teach me? I could use it for all sorts of things!" She eagerly asked him with her eyes filled with hope.

"And this is why I worry about leaving you around children." Applejack stated as she walked up

"Is it because I followed you home?" Ulfgar jokingly replied. "Anyways, what brings you back here?"

"First off it was to find Applebloom. Secondly was that the others were curious where you disappeared to." Applejack replied with a small grin.

"How do they like this little event you're hosting? Of all the things I have seen here this is a bit... Unusual." He inquired as he looked towards the barn door to see a very curious face of Rainbow Dash.

"Rainbow finds it exciting while the other two seem a little bit more nervous about it. I don’t blame them; this is probably their first time." Applejack replied as she rubbed the back of her neck.

"Did Rainbow Dash want you to ask me a question for her?" Ulfgar asked as he kept his eye on the multi-colored girl.

"NO! She is just curious about something, I mean." She instantly countered, seemingly waiting for a different question.

"Well lets bring them over here. If they have questions about me they can ask me. All of these whispers and questions make me think someone wants my head!" He commented as he made a waving gesture to Rainbow Dash.

Quickly she ducked back down into the crowd. The tips of her wings still peaked over the top of the surrounding crowd. He gave out a small chuckle as Applejack disappeared back into the crowd again. As his chuckle subsided he began taking a look around him. There was a mug sitting almost innocently at the table. He stared at the mug for a while trying to think how it got there. Quickly his mind began to swarm around how it could possibly get there. His mind focused less on what was in the mug but more of why the mug was there. It certainly wasn’t his and it couldn’t have been Applejack’s either. While his mind was preoccupied he faintly heard the sound of the bell off in the distance. All that he caught was that Anjou had lost to a 'Peach' and two others were called to the circle. As the idea was figuring out the last few pieces, he felt a pair of arms wrap around his neck. The scenery of the barn melted away two a similar scene. He was now leaning against a wooden beam in a large tavern. The room was filled with drunken travelers and weary adventurers. One man stood out with his luxurious attire. He mostly kept to himself, only eyeing those who neared his seat.

"Well Ulfgar, it looks like we have our work cut out for us this time. A room filled with sell-swords and the target being the lonely looking mage with his liquid pride." Rostei whispered into his ear.

"What's the plan, the drunken brawl I guess?" He softly asked.

"I think we should go with the poisoned mead. No one would notice another pretty bar maid walking around." She replied.

"Fine, just be careful out there. I don't want to see you fooling around with one of these drunks. The last one you played with ended up being one of the guards." He warned her, thinking of his jog through the Falkreath woods.

"Please, can't I play just a little bit?" She teasingly replied.

"I swear that you’re going to put me in an early grave." He stated, feeling uneasy since he knew now what was to come.

"Alright Ulfgar, I promise I won't play with any of the other boys here. Once we get done here, let's take a little detour on the way back. I think some honey-brew mead would do some wonders!" Rostei replied, giving him a small squeeze before moving off towards the bar.

"Is he usually like this when I'm not around?" Rainbow Dash asked Applejack, snapping Ulfgar from his thoughts.

The bar scene quickly vanished like smoke revealing to him his new companions; Along with Applejack, stood the other three. Rainbow Dash and sweet roll had a curious look on their face while Twilight face told him that she knew what was happening. Applejack just seemed to be too annoyed by something else to give any notice of him zoning out.

"Seriously, this is the time you want to talk about this? With him right there!" Applejack quietly shot back.

"Better question, are you always like this when he's around?" Rainbow Dash replied with a grin on her face.

"Are you always so curious when there are bare chested men wrestling around?" Ulfgar questioned back as his mind still worked on the mug.

Rainbow Dash quickly blushed and floated back a little bit. A quick glance from Applejack showed her gratitude. Twilight seemed to be the only one that caught it as Rainbow Dash was attempting to avoid attention and Sweet Roll was standing over by Twilight.

"So, did anyone see my first match?" Ulfgar asked to move onto a different subject.

"Not really..." Sweet Roll began answering.

"It was amazing; you didn't seem fazed at all with any of his hits!" Rainbow Dash interjected.

"Yeah, he was like Pow, and Bam, and Kablam!" Pinkie Pie shouted out from one of the hay piles up in the loft.

"Oh, hey Pinkie!" Applebloom greeted the newest addition

"Am I the only one that surprised by this still?" Ulfgar asked to the others.

"Yeah, you probably are." Rainbow Dash replied with her arms crossed.

"The Winner is Mandarin! Next match, Bartlett and Ulfgar." Granny Smith announced after the ringing of a bell

"Oh this is going to be fun..." Ulfgar whispered to himself as he moved away.

"Mind if I have a sip of your cider, sugar-cube?" Applejack questioned him.

"Don't touch that mug!" He ordered before he was enveloped by the crowd.

As he moved off towards the ring he could hear the others conversing with each other, something about him and the cider. His mind tried to tell him that something was bad was happening behind him but his focus was on something else. Stepping into the ring he found the muscle bulging man already there. A grin was spread widely across his face as he watched Ulfgar emerge from the crowd.

"Well look who it is, the mysterious Ulfgar! I think this is time I repaid you for the last time we met!" Bartlett greeted him before charging towards Ulfgar.

Ulfgar quickly dodged out of the way and landed his own blow on the man's side. Bartlett stumbled off to the side before standing back up and getting back into a stance. Once again he tried to rush Ulfgar but to find two more blows landing into his soft sides. As he steadied himself once again he took a hard look at Ulfgar. Ulfgar let himself stay loose as he waited to see what the big man would do. Bartlett carefully crept forward before throwing a punch at Ulfgar. He almost saw this coming and leaned off to the side just enough so that the arm was right by his face. From there Ulfgar grabbed the arm and threw the man down to the ground. Rising for the third time to his feet he had a face mixed with rage and confusion.

"How is this possible, no man is possible of this?" Bartlett shouted out as a small drop of blood started falling from his nose.

"Of what, beating the champion at his own game?" Ulfgar mocked as he drew in closer.

"Still being able to fight, let alone stand." Bartlett answered as he eyed Ulfgar.

"Just because you willed it..." Ulfgar began before a familiar voice pierced Ulfgar's ear.

"Applejack, are you alright!?" He could hear Twilight asked, panic filling her voice.

Ulfgar could not sum up anything to reply with. His rage boiled to new heights as he felt his thoughts disappear. He lunged towards the man in front of him. There was a flash of shock on his face before Ulfgar began landing blow after blow down upon him. Bartlett broke out of the maelstrom of hardened fist and attempted to throw a punch of his own. Ulfgar let out a dark laugh before grabbing the hand without even moving. He squeezed his hand as he watched the man cringe in pain. With a swift movement, he released the hand and moved forward. From there he grabbed the back of Bartlett's head and slammed it down on his waiting knee. Bartlett cried out as blood began spewing from his nose. Ulfgar did not give the man a second of peace. He was on him again with a flurry of iron fists that all made their mark. Time seemed to come to a halt before the sharp cracking of bones sped time back to its normal speed. Before Ulfgar the bloody form of Bartlett barely stood before him. He tossed Bartlett off to the side before heading out of the ring. Ulfgar thought about saying something witty to warn the man about if this ever happened again, but there were more important things right now. There was a ring of the bell but the attention of the crowd was moving away from the ring with the crippled man inside. Instead they watched as Ulfgar bull his way to where he had left his companions to find them surrounding Applejack. She was moaning while writhing on the ground in pain with Applebloom kneeling by her head. Lying next to her was an empty mug with most of its contents poured onto the ground. He knelt down next to her and swiped his finger inside of the mug. There was still a small amount of liquid still sitting inside the mug. With a small amount on his finger, he gave it a taste. The bitter taste of a poison exploded in his mouth. Spitting out what he felt his rage still wanting him to take revenge.

'Revenge can come later; her life might not last till later.' He thought to himself, surprised at how quiet it was in his head.

The others were trying to tell him their own, frantic, views on what happened but he ignored them as he bolted towards the ladder. Up he went as he moved towards his bag. Once there he began shifting through the multitude of various things cluttering it. Deep inside the small red bottle that he was looking for emerge out from the clutter. He ignored the ladder; jumping down to the ground and feeling the pain ripple up through his body. He took a knee next to Applejack as he uncorked the bottle in his hand.

"Drink this; it will remove the poison from your body." Ulfgar stated as he lowered the bottle to her mouth.

Hesitantly she raised her lips to the bottle before Ulfgar poured the entire contents into her mouth. Tossing the bottle, he held her nose and mouth shut. Applejack, along with the others, panicked as he seemed to be trying to kill her. Seconds passed before she finally drank what filled her mouth. With the antidote down her throat, Ulfgar removed his hands and stayed knelt next to her. Applejack’s pain filled movements died down until her only movement was her chest rising and lowering with her eased breathes. The silence that had fallen over the barn was quickly dashed away with an impatient yell about the next match. From there the attention was brought back to the ring and soon two new contestants were called to the ring. With the deathly silence gone, Rainbow lunged towards Ulfgar with fury in her eyes.

"What was that for!?" Rainbow Dash shouted out, standing over him with her wings out stretched over him.

"The potion works wonders but tastes like it passed through a skeever. I couldn’t risk her spitting it back out.” He replied standing up to face her.

"So you have to suffocate her to get it down her throat!? Rainbow Dash continued in her anger.

“With no other way to go, the last place it can go is down. “ He answered back with his stone cold guards voice.

"Are you sure it is going to work? How do you even know it even works?" Twilight quickly asked, looking very panicked

"I've seen it cure everything except three things, and for those I don't think anyone knows a cure for them." Ulfgar answered as he began stepping closer to Applejack.

"What are the three?" Twilight inquired, being tormented by the possibilities

"Lycanthropy, vampirism, and death... I’m sure that these are still incurable here as well." He stated as he knelt back down next to Applejack.

"There can't be something like that, nothing can cure, nearly everything! The innumerable different qualities has to go into that is impossible. Some of the ingredients would have to nullify each other if they were combined together. If they actually did work, to gather all the necessary resources would easily take a lifetime for just one potion." Twilight lectured with all of her knowledge.

"Applejack will be fine, she will be weak at first but the poison will be gone.” Ulfgar ccontinued before giving Applejack a light slap on her cheek.

Almost instantaneously she slugged Ulfgar right in the jaw before slowly sitting up. "You could have warned me!"

"See, she is just fine. The differences of our two homes are a two way road." He replied to Twilight as he began checking over Applejack

"Still doesn't make it right not to tell me!" Applejack countered as she began to sit up

"After the many years that I have been alive, I still don’t care for the taste. If you coughed it up, we might be talking to a corpse right now." He told Applejack with a serious tone.

“What do you mean, I only had a sip of you’re…” Applejack began to defend herself.

“First off it wasn't my drink. I don’t even know what fills these mugs. Secondly there was enough poison to kill a small horse. I would guess some amateurs tried to rig the game and dumped the entire container in here.” He stated, making his two points very clear to her.

"Is there any side effects like feeling really weak and sick?" She inquired, attempting to get up on her feet.

"No, that would be from the poison. You might be cured but you have to take some time to recover. I would suggest sleeping it off, a good rest can do wonders." Ulfgar answered as he helped her up to her feet.

"I think we should get over to the hospital, just to be sure.” Twilight stated, still visibly shaken.

With one arm hung around his neck, Ulfgar help Applejack towards the door. A glance back towards the ring and he could see two new contestants brawling it. The pears seemed to be missing from the crowd. He could imagine one of two outcomes of what he had done. Either they would see the wrong of their ways and change. Or he could have just created his first rivalry in Equestria. Ulfgar continued his way to the door with these thoughts in his mind. The crowd interest was intent on continuation of the competition. Their attention was seemingly on the fight and the board that Granny Smith stood in front of. Her eyes looked towards them and showed a deep sorrow in her eyes. ‘Keep her safe’ was the message that her eyes begged before calling out the next round. As they headed out into the cool night air, Ulfgar could already sense that something was amiss.

“Something isn’t right here…” Ulfgar began to say to the others.

"Of course it isn’t, I just got poisoned by someone that wanted get you!” Applejack remarked as she shifted to get a better position.

“It is probably just the change in situation, Ulfgar. You’re still wound up from the competition.” Twilight assured him with a soft smile.

“No this is different, can’t you hear it?” He urged the other, feeling his gut twisting into knots.

“Hear what?” Sweet Roll asked, seeming as confused as nearly everyone around him

“That’s it; I've been falling asleep recently to the various sounds of the night. Now you could hear your own heart beat.” Ulfgar explained as his eyes shifted towards the dark shadows at the edge of the orchard and the house.

“He does have a point; it does seem quiet for the farm.” Applejack commented as she began looking around.

Punctuating her observation, an arrow could be heard whistling through the night before grazing Ulfgar’s neck. Warm blood began seeping out of the cut and down his neck. It slowly trickled down his neck and began flowing down the crevice between Ulfgar’s neck and Applejack’s arm.

“Bloody bandits…” He cursed under his breath as silhouettes emerged from the darkness.

“Is that what I think it is?” She asked in hushed tone

“Yes, that is definitely blood…” He began to answer before being cut off by a voice from the darkness.

“Well look what we have here boys. I guess this was the guy the guards were talking about before. I bet we could make a pretty penny if we can turn this guy in. We might even get more money than what Silver Liar was thinking of scraping off that girl working with the caravan!” The voice greeted them as silhouettes appeared out of the darkness.

“Ulfgar, what are they talking about?” Sweet Roll asked him with a doubting tone.

“What we are talking about is how your big friend there stirred up a ruckus in the market today. Even though the thugs he roughed up happened to be some co-workers of mine, I didn’t really care for them. Now if you hand the big lug over, we can both go our merry way.” The voice explained as one of the silhouettes slowly began to draw closer to them.

“What makes you think we’ll just hand him over?” Rainbow Dash questioned him with her usual feisty attitude.

“Hmm, let’s think about this. You have four citizens and one thug on your side. I on the other hand have nine well trained men and women on my side. I have swords, axes, bows and arrows; you maybe have a knife at best!” The voice continued explaining.

“You would be surprised what I can do with just my hands.” Ulfgar threatened the voice as he motioned for someone to take Applejack.

“I would be since you can’t seem to understand that you are coming with us!” He shouted back quickly losing the taunting voice he had before.

"What I can't understand is how you expect the Royal Guards not to catch on." The voice of Emerald Shores inquired with the moon at her back.

'Sorry I was gone; I had some business to attend to. What did I miss?' Morrigan suddenly asked, oblivious to the current situation.

“You know, they do say there is nothing like a good bandit raid!" he replied before sprinting out towards the silhouette right in front of them.

Defense of Whiterun

Ulfgar smiled when he finally reached the plains of Whiterun. Since the Civil War had begun in Skyrim, his life has not been the best. First off; the thieves’ guild had reached its dark claws into his old home of Solitude. Not only that, but the Imperials had removed him from guard duty in an attempt to have more control over the city. His options were to be like the homeless men out in the markets from now on, or move to Whiterun and possibly get a job there. With his cousin in the guard it would be simple enough to become a guard there. He shifted the weight of the pack as he grew closer to the city of the Companions. The trip had been long but profitable. A few thieves tried to rob him but their light armor stood no chance against his blade. Other than the stolen goods from other poor travelers, he had managed to take a mysterious blade from one of the bodies. The jagged edges on the blade boasted how it was a Daedric dagger but he could feel powerful magic flowing through the blade. Ulfgar was just glad that he never ran into any trolls along the way. He might have been able to take down an entire bandit group, but a troll would just be too much. It was not long before he stood inside the walls of Whiterun, home of the Companions. Ulfgar's first stop was the guard headquarters to find his cousin. Then he could focus on this mysterious dagger.
"A Solitude Guard, what would bring you out here?" A woman asked as he passed the market stands.
"Various things, do you know where I can find Fjolfrin? I believe he is a guard here."Ulfgar said as he slowed down.
"You would have to ask a guard for that one. They look and sound the same to me." The woman said before preaching about her vegetables and fruits.
Ulfgar decided that when he got up to Dragonreach he would ask one. They would be swarming like bees up there close to the jarl. Villagers of Whiterun seemed to have pushed the thoughts of the Civil War to the back of their heads from what Ulfgar could hear. He only heard bits and pieces of what worried them most, dragons had been seen around the area and it would only be a matter of time before one would attack Whiterun. He walked up through the districts passing the mead hall of the companions and a preaching Talos worshiper. The immense size of the Dragonreach amazed Ulfgar as he came up to the palace and began stepping inside. As he began walking up into the main chamber a man in a dark blue cloak, that marked him a court mage, came up to him.
"Excuse me but could I ask where a solitude guard like you got a dagger like that?" He began as he motioned towards Ulfgar's curiosity.
"I pulled it off the corpse of a thief, could you possibly help me with it? There is some strange magic around it and I can't tell one enchantment from another." Ulfgar replied as he held it out to the court mage.
"Follow me to my work area where I can get a better look at this." The court mage replied as he began walking away.
"What is with all the guards here? I understand that there is a Civil War going on but I never realized that Whiterun was so prepared for what's to come." Ulfgar said as he made his way through a throng of local guards.
"Whiterun is still undecided on the Civil War. These men are for the defense of Whiterun and other towns in the hold against Dragons." The court mage answered while deep in thought about the dagger.
"Let's see what makes you so special..." The court mage said to the blade more than to anyone else.
"This blade was made by some powerful smithy and enchanter. Other than being a Daedric blade it is also enchanted with two different powers. One that pulls the energy out of an opponent and one that steals their life away. Never before have I seen such a blade before. I am willing to buy it off you for a good price." The court mage said after a few minutes of tinkering around with the blade.
Before Ulfgar could give an answer a fierce roar pierced the air and sent everybody into a panicked frenzy. Guards were running out into the town streets and servants were running to find some place to hide from the creature.
"If you’re going to fight off the dragon then I suggest you take this blade back. I may be a wizard but I am no good around such weaponry." The mage said as he handed back the blade before running out into Whiterun proper.
Ulfgar placed the blade back in its place and started for the large doors of Dragonsreach. Outside the town could be seen in chaos; houses were burning, villagers were running here and there, and guards and other citizens had their bows drawn trying to land a shot on the dragon up above. He raced down the steps leading to the houses of Whiterun while pulling out an elven bow, another little treat from the thieves he met on the road. Ulfgar was only able to fire a few arrows off before hiding behind a house for cover. The flames engulfed an unlucky villager who was running towards a group of companion warriors. A Whiterun guard standing behind him tapped his shoulder.
"Psst, I know who you are..." The guard began before the dragon landed in the street beside them.
"We can finish this chat latter, but we have a dragon to take care of." Ulfgar cut in before charging the dragon with his sword and shield out.
He did not notice how he was the only one charging towards the dragon or the man standing in the street wearing blue robes. Ulfgar only thought of avoiding the burning flames and the powerful jaw of the dragon in front of him. Behind him, the man in blue struggled to find some scroll in his pack. Once he found the one he needed a burst of blue and purple magic engulfed Ulfgar and the dragon. The magic engulfed them both in a magic ball and quickly shrunk until the magic dissipated and nothing stood in the street anymore. The citizens of Whiterun cheered the man on as it seemed he had destroyed the dragon. If only they had realized that the spell was made by one of his friends at the Mage Collage to conjure up a group of magical warriors.

====================

Ulfgar saw the magic closing in around him and the dragon until it pulled the dragon through a strange magical portal. He was left alone in the closing magic sphere until another portal opened behind him and sent him flying through. Seconds turned to minutes as he was pulled through the giant magical hole. The magic hole began to fade and flicker before dropping him down in the middle of a thick forest. He stayed right on the ground where he was until he finally caught his breath. Slowly he got up and took a look around, all he could see was trees, weeds, and darkness. Everything seemed foreign where he was. Even the colors of everything around him seemed to pop out at him. He pushed himself up off the ground and tried to find his way with the stars he knew so well. To no avail, what little the trees allowed him to see, even those celestial bodies, was foreign. All he could trust in now was what he had with him, well maybe not the dagger but everything else should be fine. Off into the woods he went chopping away the underbrush with his sword on a trip he was sure was hopefully just a dream. Through the woods he went until he came upon a clearing with a road leading through a small pass with a group of 6 young women, wearing very strange clothing, walking down the path. He gave a sigh of relief and sheathed his sword.
"Hail Travelers." Ulfgar shouted out as he waved his now free hand.
The travelers stopped their progress on their trip and stood there to stare at him.
"Could I join you in your journey? I just need to follow you until we reach the next town then I'll be on my own way." Ulfgar began to say.
Halfway through his inquiry a roar shook the trees that surrounded the clearing. All of their heads turned to see what looked like a daedric spawn. It looked like a saber cat but with large bat wings and a strange multi-part tail with an interesting end. Ulfgar did not need anyone to tell him that this was a threat. Without a second thought he pulled out his sword and took up a defensive stance.
"A Manticore!" The traveler dressed in a variety of purple shouted out.
Ulfgar gave the traveler a questioning look before looking back at the 'manticore'.
"The longer I'm here the more I think this isn't Skyrim." Ulfgar mumbled to himself.

Under the Veil of Night

Calm Before the Storm

The sun had began to set over the distant mountains when the two apple sisters and Ulfgar began their way back from a long hard afternoon of apple picking. Even though Ulfgar did not have another 'episode' during that time. That did not keep from the two sisters from keeping a close eye on him. With the sun going down, they began their way back to the farm house for dinner. The last rays of light began shining down on the orchard when the farm house came into sight. Lights could be seen inside beckoning them as the stars slowly began dotting the eastern horizon. Applejack and Applebloom soon broke out into a race towards the house. Ulfgar continued his slow pace as a few thoughts ran through his head. The two largest of the thoughts circled around how Sithis had personally contacted him for a contract. Secondly was that strange white box that this family called a 'refrigerator'. He had personally seen nothing like it at any point of his life. What even prodded him more was that these people seemed to take this magical box for granted. It surely would have taken a very skilled mage to be able to just enchant such a box, not to mention keeping the spell going day and night to keep the food cold inside. This thought was one of the many that pestered him since he had been shown that this is not his own world. He turned his head up to the newly appearing stars of the night. The stars did little to comfort him as they were as foreign to him as the town just outside the farm was. He forced a smile as he thought about how willingly they had opened up to them. The small thought eased him a bit but he still wished he had not dented his helmet to 'pacify' the drunk earlier that morning. He walked into the light shining in from the open door of the house and casually looked around. There were no lanterns or torches to be seen, only strange bulbs hanging from the ceiling and small pedestals. Ulfgar wanted to go investigate the strange light; but decided better for both him and his hosts if he acts somewhat 'normal'. The family was once again gathered around the wooden table in the kitchen, seemingly eager for him to move along.

"Come on now sonny, we don't have all day!" Granny Smith insisted as she pointed with a fork.

Ulfgar took his seat as he attempted to figure out this family he was with. They seemed like a good hardy group that reminded him of his fellow Nords. The only problem was that they seemed fine in a world with nearly controlled by magic. The idea of magic being acceptable, other than the restoration arts, seemed unthinkable! He gave a quick glance at the white box over on the other side of the room before refocusing on the family in front of him. A short second passed before they began eating away. Ulfgar shrugged off his concerns and began digging into his own meal as well.

"So are you two boys ready for Tomorrow evening?" Granny Smith asked after talking to the two girls about recent events.

"Eeyup!" Big Mac replied

"Just another day on the job." Ulfgar stated before taking another bit his mash potatoes.

"I heard that you used to be a guard up in... Solitude was it? What was an average day there?" Applebloom asked after taking a sip of her glass of milk.

"There was a lot of things that went on, but to put it simply I usually dealt with petty thievery and drunken brawls." Ulfgar replied.

"Sounds like you have to be tough to live in Solitude?" Granny Smith inquired.

"If anything, Solitude is one of the calmer cities in the territory. If you want, I can share a tale or two while we are here."

"Just as long as there’s nothing too nasty for the table." Granny Smith replied as she seemed to grin about hearing some tale outside of Equestria.

"Ok, now where to start. How about the tale of the Beggar Prince."

With that he began telling the tale of Wheedle, the prince of beggars.

====================

Applejack watched out the kitchen window as Ulfgar walked into the shadows within the barn. He seemed to be carrying some heavy pack even though all he had now was just what he had on. It was obvious that she was curious about him but she didn't know yet if she should feel safe with him or afraid of him. He seemed nice enough and had already stood up for her family that day. Even with that his past life in Skyrim seemed all but nice and peaceful. If there was anything for sure, Ulfgar did seem to have a certain way with words. Being able to make them flow like a river on a hot summer day. Just the two stories he had told today made her feel like she was watching everything over his shoulder. She tried to shrug off the feeling but something kept nagging at her. This feeling was trying to tell her something but she couldn't tell what it was saying. With all of the dishes washed up and the table cleared, she went off to get ready for bed. As she did, the feeling still poked at her. With the stars lighting up the night sky, Applejack moved off toward her room. She moved towards the window in her room and looked over the large span of apple trees that her family owned. The cool night breeze brushed her face as she began thinking about the last few days. Not only Ulfgar, but how she had helped her friends stop Nightmare Moon from bringing her eternal night. She thought about having Twilight over some time to help out with harvesting apples sometime after apple-bucking season. Even though it wasn't the prime harvest time for the apples, she would be the only one still able to work after apple-bucking season was over. It was rare for anyone there to be able to walk away and still do a full day’s work the following day as if nothing happened. Farming definitely made for a tougher person, but not a one-man army. Thinking about the various other things in the world, other than the mysterious man from Skyrim, she did not hear her sister walk into her room.

"Applejack, can you answer a question of mine thats’ been gnawing at me?" Applebloom asked after lightly rapping on a nightstand.

"You scared me there Applebloom, but yes I can try to help you out." Applejack replied after recovering from the sudden pull back into the world.

"What do you think of Ulfgar? He’s nice and all but also reminds me of one of those Royal Guards." Applebloom asked as she looked up to her sister.

Applejack was going to answer right away but stopped herself to think. After some time she gave her answer. "I just don't know Applebloom. I guess we will have to find out for ourselves.”

With that Applebloom said good night and hurried off towards her room and closed the door. This left Applejack alone in her room with the cool breeze from outside still softly blowing. She shut the window and headed over to her bed.

"I guess we will have to get to know Ulfgar just the same as Twilight. I just hope nothing goes wrong." Applejack whispered to herself before getting into bed.

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Dinner had passed and Ulfgar had showed himself back to his loft in the barn. Even though this world seemed at peace, the peace made him feel like something big was going to happen. Like the calm before the storm as the sailors on the docks have said before. This uneasy feeling grew up to the point where he found himself sharpening the blades of his sword and two of his own daggers. The daedric blade he left alone because the powerful magic seeping from the blade made him uneasy about touching it. Even with the magic, it seemed to be calling out to him to just pick the dagger up and give it a little attention. Ulfgar ignored the silent call as he focused on sharpening the weapon in front of him until it was better than when it was created from the fires of the blacksmith's forge. The task at hand allowed him to slip away from the world and all of his troubles, past or present. The moon and the stars had found their place in the night sky when Ulfgar was finished with his work. From the small window behind him, his work shined in the soft night light. His work brought him comfort as he placed the weapons back by his bag while he lay on the pile of hay he had slept on the night before. He laid on the pile of hay with just his pants, letting the night breeze brush against his scarred chest. Like the night before, he was quickly pulled away into a deep sleep. Only to find his dreams were missing and the visions of another man playing through his mind. At first things were distorted and distant. After things began to clear, Ulfgar did not care. In front of him sat his target, sitting upon an empty shelf. He was filled with rage but was stopped quickly when the person turned and viewed three others tied up with bags on their heads. He had seen this before; this was a way of bringing in people of interest into the family if they had killed one of their targets. Whomever he was watching went up and began interrogating the targets to see if they were the one with the contract on their head. After a few minutes of pushing them for information, the only ones left alive in that shed were the mercenary, Astrid, and the person he was watching through. As Astrid began talking to the person again, he could hear a voice calling him from all around him.

"Here begins the undoing of the false leader of the last of my children. Initiating this new child of mine will bring order back to the brotherhood and start a new revival. This newest child is the Listener that we have been waiting for. One that will purge any traitors from the order." The voice explained as Astrid placed a key into the gloved hand of the person.

With that the vision dissolved away until he found himself starring up at the wooden roof of the barn. There was a freezing touch on his shoulder as he moved into a better position. Looking over at his right shoulder, he saw a hand-shaped mark emitting a blue light. Within a few seconds the light died down until all that was left was a black hand. The skin was so smooth that it would almost seem that he was born with it.

'I guess I might have one of the mages here check that out for me. The one thing I hate more than mages is being cursed by one of those mages.' Ulfgar thought to himself before he moved into a different position and slipped back into the darkness of sleep. Only when the darkness laid its heavy blanket on him did he begin to begin to relive his life. The empty slits of his helmet watched as he was tormented through the night with his past actions.

Author's Note

Here you go! With the holidays and other pressing issues, this was placed on the back burner for a while. Other than that I have a clear idea of where I am going to take this from here. So hopefully no more long delays between chapters along with more action than scene setting!