Chapters Ak'zaka raised his hands as a heavy mace appeared in a flash of red light before bringing it down on a zombie summon. Turning, he raised a hand and blasted a necromancer with a Lightning Surge spell, sending him sprawling backwards as arcs of electricity danced across his skin. Turning again, he smashed his mace into another necromancer's side before smashing apart a skeleton summon with another blast of lightning.
He spun yet again and grabbed a third necromancer by the neck, the Shocking Touch spell sending plenty of electricity coursing through the villain's body as Ak'zaka ducked under the axe of yet another skeleton summon before lashing out with his bare fist as his conjured mace vanished.
He'd gotten word from the new Arch-Mage that more hostile necromancers had popped up in the northern parts of Cyrodiil. He'd been sent, along with several other battlemages, to exterminate this threat. Unfortunately, the necromancers were ready for their arrival, and had a small army of undead summons waiting to strike. Within the first few minutes, Ak'zaka was the only one left standing, the rest either slain, or having fled to get reinforcements.
He'd managed to bottleneck the necromancers and their summons in a tunnel as he'd fought, allowing him to only need to fight a few at a time. It was how he'd managed to cut down or destroy what remained of the group. Considering he couldn't see any of them left, he should be in the clear-
The rustling of fabric caught his attention. He spun, conjuring up his mace mid-swing, as the head necromancer - the only one he'd missed, come to think of it - raised a scroll and rapidly read the incantation. The paper burned away as the magic contained within activated, blinding Ak'zaka for a moment with bright light as horrible agony wracked his body.
The Khajiit wondered if this was what it felt like to be on the receiving end of his own spells before everything went dark.
"...you think it is, Twilight?"
"I don't know, Spike, but if it's wearing armor then it must be sentient! Just think of what we could learn!"
Ak'zaka blinked; he was lying facedown on what felt like stone. He stayed still as this 'Twilight' continued to ramble on about the many things they could learn from him. He stirred a bit.
"Um... Twilight?"
"-maybe even more of them will appear! Imagine it, Spike, just-"
"Twilight? "
"-maybe we could even establish trans-dimensional relationships-"
"TWILIGHT!"
"What is it Spike?"
"I think it's awake..."
Ak'zaka stared in surprise at the purple... 'unicorn' in front of him, who stared back in equal surprise. Then again, who'd ever heard of a unicorn with wings?
"Um... hi?" He said uncertainly.
Author's Note
Ak'zaka is based off of my character in Elder Scrolls Oblivion, just with a few differences. I found slinging spells at my enemies very... therapeutic after a 9-hour shift at work.
Anyway, this was mostly just the introductory chapter, which is why it's so short. Other chapters will be longer.
Interrogation - I Mean, Interview.
Ak'zaka sat in on a small couch inside of what appeared to be a large castle, made partially of crystals. It reminded him a little bit of the Ayleid ruins he'd been to.
"So, mister... Ak-zaka, was it?" The unicorn-thing (apparently known as Twilight) asked uncertainly.
"Ak'zaka." The khajiit replied calmly, having lowered his battlemage hood to reveal his feline features.
"Ak'zaka, yes... if you don't mind me asking, what exactly are you?"
"I am what is known as a khajiit, one of the many humanoid species populating the lands of Tamriel."
"And... what's this 'Tamriel' like, compared to Equestria?"
"Is that what this realm is called?" Ak'zaka asked with a chuckle. "Interesting name, I suppose. I'd probably say that this 'Equestria' and Tamriel are rather similar, actually. The only significant differences that I can see would probably be the inhabitants."
"Realm, you said? So, the 'people' Tamriel believe in other dimensions?" Twilight asked.
"Believe? We have definitive proof. There's still the remnants to Oblivion Gates all across Cyrodiil from the Oblivion Crisis a few years ago. The arch-mage of the Mages Guild - long before becoming the arch-mage - actually closed nearly every single one of them by himself. Besides, doesn't my presence here prove that there are other realms?"
Twilight was furiously scribbling this down on a piece of parchment as Ak'zaka spoke, nodding.
"Do all unicorns use telekinesis to write?" Ak'zaka asked after a moment.
"Every unicorn I know does, though I have heard of a few unicorns using their mouths to write." Twilight responded distractedly.
"Do all residents in this realm know telekinesis?"
"Just the unicorns; the pegasi, however, are able to fly and walk on clouds, and the Earth ponies are much physically stronger."
"Hmm. That would certainly explain some of the other... 'ponies' I've seen around here." Ak'zaka mused to himself, glancing out a nearby window.
"So, you said... Khajiit, was it? You said they were just one of the races your dimension housed, correct?"
"Indeed. The other races include Bretons, Argonians, Imperials, Redguards, and Dunmers."
Twilight rapidly began writing down this new information before asking for some more information about each of them - their differences, their different cultures, and so on. Ak'zaka sighed - he was going to be here for quite a while.
"...and that was how the Oblivion Crisis came to an end." Ak'zaka finished. By now, Twilight's notes spanned across several whole scrolls and a whole bunch of spare sheets of paper. Said notes lay in a semi-organized pile as she finished the last sheet of paper and lay it down. Her horn lit up again as she picked up and shuffled through her notes with a critical eye, making sure they were in the proper order before calling for Spike.
The baby dragon walked inside wearing an apron, apparently having been in the middle of cooking a meal... probably dinner, judging by how long he'd spent answering questions. Looking out the window, however, he was surprised to see the sun still sitting high in the sky.
"How long is a day in Equestria?" He asked, still looking out the window as Spike gathered up the notes.
"Twenty-four hours; why do you ask?" Twilight asked.
"Then why has the sun not moved at all in the eight hours we've been sitting here talking?" He asked, turning back to her. He raised an eyebrow at the sight of Spike burning the letters with green fire but deciding to ignore it in favor of of the question at hand.
"Because it's not time for Princess Celestia to lower the sun yet."
"So, this... 'Princess Celestia' raises and lowers the sun?"
"Of course! Doesn't someone do the same in Tamriel?"
"No-one on our earth, that's for sure. But there has been a lot of controversy over what deity controls the movement of the sun, I know that much." Ak'zaka replied with a shrug. "I personally don't give it much thought, honestly."
Twilight began rapidly writing this down on the last sheet of paper she had, before frowning and peering into her inkwell. "Spike, could you go get one of my spare inkwells, please?"
The baby dragon nodded and headed out of the room as Ak'zaka watched him go. "So... why did he burn all the notes you'd just taken?"
"His fire is special." Twilight explained. "By engulfing something in his fire, he can send it straight to Princess Celestia herself."
"Huh. Interesting." Ak'zaka said before turning back to the window in time to see the sun abruptly setting, it's spot in the sky being replaced by a crescent moon.
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.
