Author's Note

I turned 19 on February eleventh. One of the many presents I got was Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim. From my journey through the game so far, I think I might already have a sequel in mind. But I'd first have to see how this story goes before deciding that.

Anyway, not the greatest chapter I've ever written, but this is mostly to get the introductions out of the way.

Exploration

Ak'zaka wandered around the town of 'Ponyville', taking in the sights as Twilight Sparkle - apparently a princess, from what she'd told him - led him around, accompanied by Spike. He was dressed in casual clothing, a simple vest and pants. He'd left his armor behind in the castle, having realized that the townsfolk were much more likely to trust him if he didn't look like he was ready for a fight to break out at any moment. It probably wouldn't have mattered, since the looks the townsfolk were giving him showed varying levels of distrust and caution.

"...And that is Carousel Boutique, the home of Ponyville's best seamstress and my personal friend, Rarity!" Twilight explained, pointing out a large building that Ak'zaka couldn't help but think looked like a small circus tent of some kind.

He silently made a note to try and avoid this building at all costs... though it was a little hard to do that when his guide was leading him right up to the front door. Twilight knocked on said front door a few times before a white unicorn appeared, a tape measure hanging around her neck; apparently they'd caught her in the middle of work.

Twilight said hello and quickly introduced Ak'zaka, explaining to her friend that he came from another dimension as she admired the patterns in his fur before abruptly vanishing back into her business, yelling something about an "IDEEEEAAAAAA!"

With a shrug, Twilight began leading Ak'zaka toward the marketplace, where he quickly found himself swarmed by ponies of all sizes and ages. The younger ones seemed to stare at him in wonder, while the older ponies showed a little wariness, though they too seemed curious.

Twilight yelled to get their attention, announcing that there would be a town meeting later today where they could introduce him properly. This seemed to satisfy most of the residents, though they still stared as Twilight led the Khajiit to a stand run by an orange 'Earth pony' wearing a hat. The pony - Applejack - whistled as she looked up at him, commenting on how tall he was as Twilight introduced him. He asked a few questions about her apple-selling business before Twilight pulled him away to go and introduce him to Rainbow Dash... who tried to tackle Ak'zaka the second she saw him, thinking he was some sort of beast that had taken Twilight hostage.

Fortunately, Ak'zaka had seen her coming and sidestepped her attack, readying a Bound Mace spell in case she tried again. Fortunately, he had no need of it, as Twilight was able to talk her friend down and introduce them without combat or bloodshed.

When told she was part of the weather team, he at first believed that she led a team to predict what weather would be coming to prepare the ponies accordingly; he was surprised to learn that he was wrong, she led a team that actually manipulated the weather! He couldn't help but wonder what sort of difference magic like that could have on this world's combat - as skilled as he was, he would be nearly useless going up against, say, a hurricane or tornado.

The second-to-last friend Twilight introduced him to was a shy little pegasus named Fluttershy... who froze up like a statue upon seeing him for the first time. She stayed stock-still throughout introductions, only managing a little squeak when Ak'zaka held out his hand in an effort to give a handshake. After being left hanging for approximately fifteen seconds, he coughed awkwardly and retracted his hand. Shortly thereafter, Fluttershy disappeared back into her house - and Ak'zaka could hear the clicking of half a dozen locks.

Shaking off the discouraging feeling of being feared, he followed Twilight to the final friend's business - a bakery shop, seemingly made of gingerbread (a rare commodity in Cyrodiil), named Sugarcube Corner.

Upon entering the darkened store, he was temporarily blinded when the lights flashed on, forcing him to shut them as he used a Bound Cuirass spell, fearful of an ambush. Blinking the spots from his eyes, he noticed how what seemed to be most of the town stared at him awkwardly, with what appeared to be the setup for a celebration laid out. The banner hanging above his head read "Welcome to Ponyville, Ak'zaka!"

He sheepishly dispelled the armor and laughed awkwardly. "Sorry about that - you startled me!" He said, rubbing the back of his head.

Twilight simply stared at him in surprise as the partygoers got over the awkwardness and resumed partying. 'That spell... instant protection, stable magical construction, no apparent weak spots; Shining Armor would be amazed if he found out about a spell like this!'

When they eventually left the party, it was nearly nightfall - not that someone could tell, given the sun stayed in place until Celestia abruptly decided to swap it with Luna's moon, bathing everything in darkness. Thankfully, darkness was nothing new to Ak'zaka - besides, he was a khajiit! He could see in the dark!

Of course, Twilight had no such luck, though she still knew her way back to her home from excessive experience. Upon entering her abode, she offered the battlemage a couch to sleep on, apologizing that she hadn't gotten around to furnishing the guest room yet. Ak'zaka simply replied that it was fine - he'd slept on hard, stony floors many times before, so something as soft as a couch was a welcome change.