Mori Pro Imperio: The Story of Pliton Calleius

It was still dark outside when I awoke in the straw bed at the inn. I sat up, and rubbed my eyes. I was sore all over from the fighting the day before, and I felt like I didn’t get enough sleep. I tried to fall back asleep, but when that proved futile, I got up as quietly as I could so as not to disturb Twilight, who was sleeping right next to me. I walked into the main hall, and sat down at a table, and ordered my breakfast: two slices of cooked beef and a tankard of mead. My breakfast came relatively quickly, and I devoured the meal.

Twilight woke up and sat down next to me about an hour after I had finished eating. She ordered her breakfast, and she looked out the window. The sun had just begun to rise, and the temperature was rising from bone-chillingly freezing to only very frigid. Twilight yawned audibly as she sat down next to me.

“Sounds like you slept well.” I said.

“Oh, I slept like a filly!” She said, stretching her arms and yawning again, “Who wouldn’t be after yesterday?”

I nodded my head in agreement as I finished my second mead of the day. I paid for our meals, and waited for Twilight to finish her breakfast: apple dumplings, a piece of warm bread and a tankard of dirty water. She purified it with her magic, and took a sip of it.

“Are we the only ones here?” Twilight whispered to me, “Because the owners seem to be hawking on us for more orders.”

“Oh, please.” I replied, “I have paid them plenty, though I am thinking about a hot bath before we leave.”

“That seems like a good idea.” Twilight said before taking a bite out of her dumpling. “It is freezing outside. I haven’t been this cold since I first journeyed to the Crystal Empire.”

“Crystal Empire, what’s that?” I asked curiously.

“It is a kingdom in the extreme north of Equestria,” Twilight explained, “Where the ponies there shine like crystals, and it is ruled by Cadence and Shining Armor. It’s just like Equestria, only with snow at the walls.”

“Wait, at the walls?” I asked, “It’s not in the city?”

“No,” Twilight said, taking a sip of her water, “There’s a spell that keeps the climate within the Empire warm. We could go there if you want to head back to Equestria again.”

I thanked her for the offer, and got up to pay for a hot bath for Twilight and me. They accepted my gold eagerly, and began to warm the bath. They would tell me when it was ready, so I sat back down next to Twilight.

“Hey, are you sure you want to head to the Summerset Isles?” I asked, “They’re hostile to outsiders.”

“They won’t be when they see my magical prowess.” Twilight explained, “They would be ignorant to kill an Equestrian.

Don’t worry, I’ve got this all planned out in my head.” She tapped her head with her hand, and chuckled. “Oh, you’re so pessimistic sometimes. You need to lighten up, Pliton.”

“The last time I lightened up,” I said, “I found out you were in Oblivion.”

“Oh,” Twilight said awkwardly. “Well, don’t worry about the Elves. Just let me do the talking.”

I sighed, and said, “Alright. But if you get me killed because of your curiosity…”

“Sir, your bath is ready.” The mistress said, “If you would just come with me.”

I nodded, and got up from my seat. I followed her to a back room, where a steaming stone bath lay. She told me I could stay as long as I pleased, and shut the door behind me. I stripped down, and climbed into the hot water.

It was relaxing when I climbed into the bath. As the heat washed over me, I couldn’t help but let out a long sigh as I relaxed my tense muscles. I stretched my body out under the water, and sunk my head close to the surface. I closed my eyes, and I almost fell asleep.

I was in the bath alone for a few minutes when the door opened again, and Twilight entered the room. The mistress gave her the same spiel, and left again. Twilight stood there, looking awkwardly at me.

“What is it?” I asked, “Don’t be self-conscious around me. I’ve seen you naked plenty of times before.”

“Well those times were different.” Twilight said, “Could you just look away please?”

She smiled shyly, and I rolled my eyes jokingly. I turned, and I heard her clothes hit the floor. She then climbed into the pool soon after, and had the same reaction as me. She stretched out, and looked at me.

“This is nice.” She said.

“Cost me a fortune though,” I grumbled, missing the fifty septims I had spent. She punched me in the shoulder, and told me to relax. “What? I am relaxed!”

“I don’t believe you!” She said, splashing me playfully. I laughed, and splashed back. She squealed with laughter, and splashed again. I chuckled, and levitated a body of water over Twilight’s head. Her eyes went wide, and she told me not to. I smiled wickedly, and let go of the water. It splashed over her head, and she gasped as the hot water ran down from the crown of her head.

“Oh, that’s it!” She said, tackling me. She dunked my head under water, which almost suffocated me. Even though under different circumstances, it would have been euphoric, right now it felt like the opposite. I broke the surface, and gasped for air. Twilight caught me off guard, and pinned me against a rock.

She brushed up against me, and we stopped our horseplay (see what I did there?). We stopped laughing, and looked into each other’s eyes. Twilight blushed, and I could feel my cheeks flushing as well.

“Oh, sorry.” she said. “That was inappropriate.”

“No, it’s alright.” I said. Twilight looked at me, and inched closer to me. I wrapped my arm around her, and we just enjoyed each other’s company in the bath.

“You know every time we get naked doesn’t have to end dirtily.” I whispered into her ear. “I can be romantic.”

Twilight looked at me, and pecked my cheek. “You’re so sweet.” She said, “This is what I was always looking for in a stallion. It was hard finding one, because I lived in a country town, so the dating pool was limited. Then the Changeling War started, and I put romance on the back burner…”

I shushed her, and said, “Let’s just enjoy this moment together, okay?”

She blushed, and nodded. We cuddled together for a few minutes, and then Twilight broke away to clean herself. I did the same, and got out of the bath. I dried myself off with a bit of heat from a fire spell, and put my clothes on. Twilight came out of the bath, and walked across the room to find her clothes.

She looked truly stunning. Well, I had seen her naked before, but I had never seen her naked before. Whenever I saw her naked before this time, it was in the heat of the moment. I had never seen her like this without a sexual context.

The water stuck to her purple skin, and it glittered as the steam from the bath rose to the ceiling. Her body was perfectly shaped, with plenty of curves. Her long, purple legs would’ve put any other man in a coma they were so stunning.

She turned around, and I got a good look at her chest before she threw something at me.

“You’re such a perv!” She said jokingly. “Dear Celestia, you’re worse than an adolescent stallion!”

“What?” I said, “Is it wrong for me to admire your beauty?”

“When you’re looking at me like that, yes.” Twilight responded, walking up to me. She brushed my cheek with a finger, and kissed me for a second. She stepped back, and put her clothes on. She walked for the door first, and I followed.

We stayed in the inn for a few more minutes getting everything together. I put on my armor, and sheathed my sword. I thought I had lost my shield, but then I remembered I had lost it when I fought Hellstrike. I sighed, as that had cost me a good 100 septims, and it lasted only for a few weeks.

When I had everything together, Twilight was ready to leave. We thanked the owners, and left the inn. We walked outside of Kynesgrove, and I called for Midrotheyvkaal. He flew around some mountains in the distance to land in front of us.

“What do you require, Champion?” Midrotheyvkaal asked.

“We need to travel south,” I said, “Way south.”

“South,” Midrotheyvkaal said, “It has been ages since a dragon has left the cold of Skyrim. It will be good to warm these old bones. Where are we heading, Champion?”

“The Summerset Isles,” Twilight answered, “Princess Celestia would be disappointed if I didn’t get any Elven magic runes or spells.”

She climbed on first, and I climbed on behind her. The dragon lifted into the air, and soon, the town of Kynesgrove looked like a child’s play set. Midrotheyvkaal leaned forward, and we were off. He picked up speed, and soon, we were moving at a good pace.

“So, has anyone seen the Summerset Isles?” Twilight asked, eager to find out all she could about the Elven culture.

“Not many,” I said, “And they died a while ago. Since the Elves separated from the Empire and formed the Dominion, no one who isn’t Elven has been restricted access.” Twilight’s eyes went wide, and I said, “Don’t worry. They’ll be as curious, if not more, as you about what you know magically. It’s not every day an entire race just appears out of nowhere.”

Twilight nodded, and said, “I can’t wait until we get there. Like Midrotheyvkaal said, it’ll be nice to be warm again.” I snickered, and she said, “I was dying from heat exhaustion in Oblivion, I was not warm! Geez, you’re difficult sometimes.”

“What?” I asked, “I found it a little ironic.”

She hit my arm, and said, “Well, stop being smart. That’s my job.”

“I didn’t get the memo.” I replied. She laughed, and said, “Well I didn’t either. But I’m smart enough to know who the smarter one here is.”

I rolled my eyes, and she giggled, saying, “That doesn’t mean you’re dumb. Though jumping off of a dragon straight into a formation of Daedra was severely lacking real intelligence.”

Now it was my turn to playfully smack her. “Well I was smart enough to know we needed to close that portal as quickly as we could. Look where that got us.”

“You would’ve been dead if it weren’t for me, Pliton.” Twilight said.

“Yes, because arguing during a deadly fight helped me.” We both chuckled at my sarcastic comment, and sighed together. We began to just enjoy the view of the land. The large mountains of Skyrim protected the small plain cities and towns, and we flew over Whiterun after about two hours of flying. By now, the sun had fully risen, though it was still cold this high up in the sky.

For me, there was something liberating about flying through the air. Ever since I had ridden in that chariot on the way to the Imperial City, I had loved the freedom of the sky. The feeling of the wind smacking against my face, and the sensation of knowing I was not on the ground was addictive, and grew every time I lifted off.

We cruised through the sky throughout the day, and Twilight and I exchanged small talk unrelated to the Isles. We talked about everything from Twilight’s relatively easy life in Ponyville to my admiration of ancient Elven ruins in High Rock and Skyrim, and my wish to explore them when this was all over.

That was when we both fell silent; we had no idea what would happen once the Daedra and Changelings were expelled from Tamriel and Equestria forever. For some reason, I had thought that I would always be fighting, and would never settle down. Twilight had thought slightly about heading back to Equestria, but she also expressed a wish to living in Cyrodiil to study Tamrielic culture more.

Our conversation continued for a few hours, until Midrotheyvkaal told us he had to land to rest for a little while. I complied, and Midrotheyvkaal glided towards the ground. We landed gracefully in a small clearing in a forest, and Twilight and I hopped off of Midrotheyvkaal’s neck to find some meat to cook for a midday meal.

I grabbed my crossbow out of my knapsack, and loaded a bolt. I told Twilight to follow me, because I would teach her how to hunt. She seemed excited to learn about how to rely on the land for food, and followed me eagerly.

“You have to be quiet,” I whispered, “Both in vocals and in movement. We can’t risk scaring the animals.”

Twilight nodded, and quieted her walking. I wandered in the woods for a few minutes, until I found some tracks in the dirt. I knelt down beside them, and placed my hand inside one of the tracks.

“This belongs to a buck,” I said, “And it looks recent. He’s around here somewhere. This is where you have to pay attention, okay?”

“Got it,” Twilight answered. I stood up, and crouched down. I crept silently, following the deer tracks. We followed it for a little while, taking us through various clearings and meadows, until we found it drinking from a stream. I held my fist up to signal Twilight to stop.

I went down one knee, and raised the crossbow up. My breathing slowed as I aimed right at the buck’s neck. It was magnificent looking. It was larger than most deer I have seen, and it had the largest set of antlers I had ever seen in my life. Its tail flickered, and it turned around to look at us. Its eyes locked with mine, and that was when I pulled the trigger.

The deer yelped when the bolt entered its neck, and it fell to the ground. I got up, and ran towards where it lay.

“Pay attention,” I said, “This one’s still alive. This is how you break its neck.”

I knelt down beside it, and grabbed the buck’s head. I held it for a few seconds, and twisted it backwards very quickly. It yelped again for only a second. Twilight gasped as I stood up, and hoisted it onto my shoulders.

“Any questions, Twi?” I asked. She shook her head, and I walked on back towards where Midrotheyvkaal had landed.
The buck was heavy; it would feed us for a few days. I couldn’t help but smile at my luck for finding such a beautiful buck to eat.

We walked back in silence, and found the clearing again. Twilight sat down on a tree stump, and watched as I set the buck down. I grabbed a dagger, and waved Twilight over.

“And finally,” I said, “I’m going to skin him.”

“You’re going to what?” Twilight said.

“You heard me, skin him.” I said, “Deer skin is tough, and it doesn’t taste good. Now watch.”

I took the dagger to its neck, and cut open its skin. I grabbed the loose skin, and positioned my dagger horizontally under the skin. I dragged the knife across the neck, and smirked as after a few minutes, the skin fell to the floor. I continued the process along the entire body, until the buck was completely skinned.

“And now,” I said, getting up and wiping the blood on my legs, “We cook him.”

I sat down next to Twilight, and levitated the buck off the ground. Twilight then placed an aura around the buck, and I heated the inside with magic. I watched as the deer cooked from the high temperatures inside the aura. I licked my lips at the thought of eating some of the succulent meat this deer had to offer.

Meanwhile, Twilight just sat awkwardly next to me. I turned, and looked at her nervous face.

“What’s the matter, Twilight?” I asked.

“Well, I don’t usually eat meat,” she said, “But I watch someone kill an animal even less.” I looked at her, and she sighed, and said, “In Equestria, we usually live on a vegetarian diet. We are at harmony with nature, and Fluttershy is the epitome of this.”

“Now that’s a name I haven’t heard in forever.” I said when I got a chance, “You think we’ll see her again?”

“I don’t know.” Twilight said, “It’s just a matter of figuring out where Equestria is located here. Then it wouldn’t take too long for Shining Armor to ship the rest of the Royal Equestrian Army here. You can bet Fluttershy and the others will be with him.”

“Do you think Rainbow Dash has gotten better?” I asked randomly. Thinking about Fluttershy made me think of her relationship with Rainbow Dash, and I remembered she was still in a coma after what Mehrunes Dagon had done to her.

“I don’t know.” Twilight said, “But if anypony can help her, it’s Princess Celestia.”

“And if we want to talk with her,” I said, “That means we will have to stop in Stros M’Kai…”

“What’s wrong with Stros M’Kai?” Twilight asked, “What happened?”

“Oh,” I said, “That was when I became a fugitive. Do you remember my father?”

“Yes,” Twilight said, “I do. He was always nice to me.”

“Well,” I replied, “He was never my father. He was dead for awhile, and a Changeling had taken his place. Its name was
Warfury, a member of the Order of Eight. The trick is that when I killed Warfury, he morphed back into my father’s body.

“When my subordinates returned, they thought I had killed my father.” I continued, “They took me back to the Imperial City, and sentenced me to death by crucifixion. I escaped before that happened obviously, and I fled to Skyrim, where I made my way to Windhelm, and you know what happened from then on.”

“So that’s why you don’t want to return to the Empire.” Twilight said, “I get it now. You were accused of a crime you didn’t commit, and you ran away to avoid execution. It all makes sense now.”

“Now you know.” I said, “I’m no longer a Legate, I’m a wanted fugitive in the Empire, and I can’t be seen wherever there’s Legion.”

“That’s why you accepted coming to the Isles.” Twilight nodded her head, and said, “If not, you would return to the Imperial City, right?”

“If this hadn’t happened,” I said, “I would still be in the Legion, receiving a very nice pay. Now, I only have two hundred septims in my purse, and I am in need of new equipment.”

“Don’t worry about that.” Twilight said, “Worry about that buck. It’s starting to burn.”

I turned my head, and stopped heating the aura, and Twilight released the aura, and I let it down onto a cloth. I grabbed my dagger, and cut out a piece of a thigh, and sat down, content with my midday meal. I got Twilight a small chunk of the belly, conscious of Twilight’s contempt for eating meat.

I ate my meat slowly, because it had almost no flavor. I needed spices to make it better, but I am a soldier, not a cook. So I ate my meat without any flavoring, and it soon filled me up. Twilight meanwhile was eating her chop slowly and silently, chewing her food meticulously. I smiled when I looked at the way the sun reflected off of her purple skin. It made her skin radiant, and I fell in love with her again.

I got up, and folded the rest of the deer inside the cloth, and waited for Twilight to finish patiently. She finished after a few minutes, and Midrotheyvkaal woke from a slumber. He told us he was ready to make the next leg of the journey, and asked us where we should head when the sun went down.

“Are you familiar with the island of Stros M’Kai?” I asked as I walked towards his neck.

“Yes, Champion,” Midrotheyvkaal answered, “Shall we head there?”

“With haste, my friend,” I said. I helped Twilight up, and climbed behind her. Midrotheyvkaal threw his wings out from under his body, and began to flap them powerfully. He lifted into the air, and he began to fly towards Stros M’Kai.

“Wait a minute,” Twilight said, “If we’re heading to Stros M’Kai, won’t that mean you’ll be captured again?”

“I am certain the Legion has left Stros M’Kai.” I said, “It’s just whether or not Celestia and the Equestrians are still there. If they are, you can be reunited with your teacher, and tell her of your quest down south.”

“To Stros M’Kai it is then.” Twilight said, “It’s been so long since I’ve talked with the Princess.”

“You spoke with her regularly?” I asked.

“I was her most faithful student.” Twilight explained, “I would tell her every week of my progress of discovering the true magic of friendship. There was a theory developed by the ancient mage Starswirl the Bearded that if a Unicorn had many true friends, his or her magical ability would be amplified by the true magic of friendship. Princess Celestia assigned me the task, and sent me to Ponyville to study this theory, and put it to the test.”

“And you did during the Changeling War?” I deduced.

“Yes, I did.” Twilight said, “Since most of the Unicorn mages had many friends, we were feared by the Changeling Army. It was one of the main reasons why we won the war. Since I have such good friends and I bear the Element of Magic, I was the most powerful mage besides Princesses Celestia and Luna.”

I had forgotten that Twilight was the bearer of an Element of Harmony.

“We used the Elements of Harmony to banish the Changelings from our dimension,” Twilight said, “And open the portal between Equestria and Tamriel. The true potential of the Elements are unknown, but there were theories by Starswirl and other ancient mages that if the Elements’ true power were unlocked, it had the power of merging separate universes and dimensions into one.”

“And that’s what happened?” I asked.

“Well, yes and no.” Twilight answered, “We merged two dimensions, Tamriel and Equestria, but we did not merge universes. The magic that would require is unknown to my friends and I. I assume we will have to grow into better friends to achieve such a feat, though I doubt after what has happened here that the Princesses would want to try this out.”

“I can see why.” I said, “No one wants to spark a massive war.”

Twilight nodded, and said, “I wonder what the Elves will think about the knowledge I hold of Equestrian magic.”

“I think they will be most interested,” I said. “But I also think they will be disappointed when they figure out that some of the more major spells can’t be performed by a non-Equestrian.”

“Wouldn’t anypony?” Twilight asked, “I was disappointed when I figured out I couldn’t perform some of the more complex Conjuration or Alteration spells of Tamriel.”

“I know that with enough practice you can.” I said, “Because other than the Princesses, I think you would be the first Equestrian to conjure a Daedra or be able to turn invisible for extended amounts of time.”

Twilight smiled, and our conversation died. We were both content to just look out at the view. We were nearing Colovian Highlands, which meant that Stros M’Kai was not too far away at this pace. The clouds wrapped around the peaks of the mountains, and gave them a crown. I had never been able to see anything like it this close, and I couldn’t take my eyes off it.
Midrotheyvkaal kept flying on, and Twilight and I sat together, unable to figure out what to say to each other. We were really biding our time until we reached the island.

It was a few hours before we saw Stros M’Kai on the horizon. The sun was beginning to set, and we were flying over the ocean, so it was decided between us that we would have to spend the night there. I felt a little apprehensive about risking capture, but it was my only choice.

So, we flew on. Midrotheyvkaal picked up speed so that we would land before it got dark. The sky was beginning to grow orange, and Twilight and I watched the sun set slowly over the horizon. Twilight had grown drowsy, but her excitement grew the closer we got to Stros M’Kai.

“I can’t wait to talk with Princess Celestia.” Twilight said, “I just hope she’s still there.”

There was nothing I could say that could help. I had to admit, chances were that the Princess had left with the Legion. But, since there was still a chance she could be there, we had to try it. Twilight figured it would be better to try and fail than to never try in the first place.

As we flew closer, we couldn’t help but notice there were a number of ships sailing towards Stros M’Kai. We couldn’t figure out why there would be so many ships sailing to and fro around the island.

“The Legion must be leaving now.” I said, “Though that seems unlikely, given the time I’ve spent away from there.”

“Only one to find out, right?” Twilight asked. I smiled, and shrugged. Midrotheyvkaal flew lower towards the water, and sped towards Stros M’Kai. The ocean water stung against my face, but it was also refreshing in a way. It was a nice welcome back to the warm island. Regardless, the water still stung, but Midrotheyvkaal paid no mind to it. I figured it was because the dragons have such thick skin, but I wasn’t really concerned with it.

My main concern was with all these boats. They looked like they could certainly be Legion boats, but there truly was no way I could identify them, because they flew no flag. That made it damn near impossible to identify it.

Midrotheyvkaal landed us close to the walled city of Stros M’Kai, and flew off into the mountains to rest. Twilight and I were left alone, and we decided to head into the castle as quickly as we could.

We exchanged little conversation as we approached the gates. I looked up when I heard an Equestrian guard looked down and asked us for identification.

“I am Twilight Sparkle of Ponyville,” Twilight shouted, “And I bring with me Pliton Calleius of Skingrad. We request entrance into the city.”

“Of course, Miss Sparkle!” The guard said hurriedly, “Quickly you fools, open the gates! The Princess will want to see her!”

Twilight looked at me, and smiled. “I knew she would be here.”

“I know not to doubt you now.” I replied. The doors opened, and I held out my hand. “Shall we?”

She grabbed it, and we walked inside. What hit us first was the odor of sweat, blood and feces. When we truly entered the city, we saw numerous Equestrian soldiers in their gold-painted armor training inside the gates. They stopped when they saw Twilight and I walk past, but went back to training when we left their sight.

“Are you really that attractive?” I asked.

“No, it’s just that nopony gets to see a Harmony Bearer every day,” Twilight said. “You’re jealous, aren’t you?”

I shrugged, “Well I’ve never had a woman for this long before.”

“Terrible excuse!” Twilight said, and punched me playfully. We both chuckled, and walked up towards the massive castle. I noticed that in the city, there were no Legionnaires to be found. My confidence increases with each and every step. That was a good sign, and my fears all but remained the more I walked inside the city.

We reached the castle after a few minutes, and the doors were opened for us. We made our way to the Throne Room, where Princess Celestia was looking over a rather large scroll. She looked up when she heard the door close, and her eyes lit up when she saw Twilight.

“Is that you, my faithful student?” Celestia asked. “I thought you went missing when the Legion relieved us.”

“I didn’t go missing,” Twilight said, “I was kidnapped by a Changeling, and brought to Molag Bal and Queen Chrysalis. I stayed there captive for a month, until Pliton rescued me in Windhelm.”

“You sure do get around places quickly, Pliton.” Celestia chuckled. “You also have a lot of nerve coming here, being an escaped fugitive.”

“Your Highness,” I knelt down before Celestia. “My father was really the powerful Changeling Warfury, a member of the Order of Eight. He deceived the Legion into thinking he was my father, and made them think I had murdered him.”

“But they didn’t believe you?” Celestia asked.

“No, they sentenced me to be crucified,” I told the story for a second time, “But I escaped before I was to be executed. I ran away to Skyrim, and aided in the liberation of Windhelm, where I rescued your faithful student.”

“That is all good,” Celestia said, “But why are you here? Do you seek amnesty from me, Calleius?”

“No,” Twilight said, stepping forward. “Princess, I am telling you that we will both be journeying to the homeland of the Altmer in the Summerset Isles. I wish to go there to learn Tamrielic magic before we all leave for Equestria when the Daedra and Changelings have been purged from this land.”

“I don’t think that we will be too far away from Tamriel.” Celestia explained, “When Molag Bal merged our dimensions, Equestria appeared a few hundred miles east of Stros M’Kai. The first groups of the remainder of the Royal Equestrian Army are arriving here. You will soon be reunited with your friends, Twilight Sparkle.”

“Really?” Twilight asked, giddy as a schoolgirl, “This is such a surprise!” Her eyes then dropped, and she asked, “But what about Rainbow Dash?”

“She does seem to have put the Unicorn doctors in Equestria into quite a predicament.” Celestia answered, “While she is not weakening, they cannot find a way to make her conscious again.”

“Then all hope is lost, then.” Twilight said, hanging her head.

“Fear not, my student.” Celestia got up from her throne, and lifted Twilight’s chin up with her hand. “You can recall I said Unicorns. I said nothing about Alicorns.”

“You mean you can bring her back?” Twilight asked.

“I’m saying I can try.” The Equestrian Princess said, “I don’t know if I can, but you can be sure that I will try my hardest.”

Twilight couldn’t help but smiling after hearing this. She got up, and wrapped her arms around the Princess, thanking her profusely. Celestia just smiled, and nodded. Twilight let go, and backed away. Celestia turned to me next.

“I know that you cannot be seen where the Legion goes.” Celestia said, “But, I am able to make you an officer in the Royal Equestrian Army, if you so desire.”

“I thank you humbly, Your Highness.” I said, “But I must decline. I feel that being independent of an army will help us more than if I were part of a military outfit.”

“I understand, Pliton Calleius.” Celestia said. “You are both welcome to stay here as long as you want. I believe your friends will be arriving here in two weeks by boat. You can stay here until they arrive.”

We thanked the Princess, but explained this was only for the night and to inform her of Twilight’s escapade into the home of the Elves. Celestia understood, and gave us her blessing as ruler of Equestria. We thanked her again, and left her to her business.

We walked into the main hall, and saw there was food waiting for us. Sadly, there was no meat, but I would cope. We sat down together, and Twilight fixed herself a salad, while I grabbed a few apples, and was content.

I ate the apples, while Twilight expressed her excitement about her friends returning to Tamriel. We then talked about how long we would stay in the Isles. Twilight conjured a map of Tamriel, and we studied the geography of the Isles, and its distance to Stros M’Kai. We estimated we would be about a day’s flight away from the Isles, and that we would stay there for about a month and a half, and return to Stros M’Kai to greet Twilight’s friends.

I agreed to whatever Twilight said, instead focusing on my apples. They were just sour enough to be delightful, but not enough to taste dreadful. We finished our meal and our planning in about an hour, and we found an empty room to sleep in, because we were both exhausted from traveling the entire day.

We climbed into bed together, and almost immediately fell asleep. When we awoke, the sun was rising, and we headed to the main hall to eat some breakfast. Twilight again made herself a salad, though she grabbed a few apples as well. I opened my knapsack, and chopped a piece of deer meat from the day before. We both ate our different meals, and prepared to leave for the Summerset Isles.

We were about to head out, when we ran into none other than Twilight’s friends: Applejack, Fluttershy, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Rainbow Dash, though she was being carried by Applejack and Fluttershy. Twilight’s eyes went wide when she saw her friends, and theirs had a similar effect.

“Twi, is that you?” Applejack asked, “And you’re, um…”

“Pliton,” I answered for her.

“Ah was just about to say yer name.” Applejack chuckled, and said, “What are y’all doin’ here?”

“We’re just about to leave, really.” Twilight said, “For the Summerset Isles, home of the Altmer.”

“Oh, that’s a shame.” Fluttershy said, “We’re told we were heading to the mainland. It’s so sad we can’t spend more time together.”

“Sad?” Rarity asked, “This is terrible, tragic, unthinkable! Here we are, seeing you two for the first time in months, and you’re just about to run out!”

“Well, what if you went with them?”

Everyone turned to see that Princess Celestia had walked up behind them. We all knelt down in her presence, and Applejack took off her hat. We got up, and Applejack asked what she meant.

“Why don’t you travel with Twilight and Pliton?” Celestia asked. “I think a little time away from battle would do you all good. But,” she said, walking towards Rainbow Dash, said, “But the main reason I’m here is to see what I can do about your friend. Follow me, my little ponies.”

We followed her to the Throne Room, where she had a table placed in front of her. She placed Rainbow Dash down on top of it, and placed her hands on Dash’s neck. Her horn had a pale gold aura form around it, and the aura soon surrounded Rainbow Dash. Celestia closed her eyes, and grunted as she performed what seemed to be a complex spell.

Sweat dripped from the Princess’ forehead as she struggled to awaken Rainbow Dash. This went on for a few minutes, until Princess Celestia finally stood back, and started to breathe heavily.

“I’m sorry,” she panted, “I cannot seem to wake her.”

Everyone hung their hands, until we heard Rainbow Dash grunt and roll over. We all turned our attention to her. She
stirred for a few minutes, and then sat up suddenly, gasping very audibly.

“Where am I?” She asked, “What is Princess Celestia doing here?”

“RAINBOW DASH!!!!!!” Twilight and her friends shouted as they ran over to her to wrap their arms around her.

“Whoa, what are you doing?” Dash said, “I just got knocked out. I wasn’t out too long, was I?”

“Not too long,” Pinkie Pie said, “Only a few months!”

“What?” Dash asked, “I was out for that long?”

“Yes,” Celestia said, “The Daedric Prince Mehrunes Dagon did quite the works on you. You were rendered unconscious and were placed under a coma for an extended amount of time.”

“Where the hell is he, then?” Dash stood up, “He’s going to pay!”

“Dash, he’s dead.” I said, helping her down off the table. “Molag Bal killed him.”

“Why would he do that?” Dash asked, “Wasn’t Mehrunes Dagon Molag Bal’s biggest ally.”

“He killed Mehrunes Dagon in a massive power grab.” I explained, “He proclaimed himself King of the Daedra, with Chrysalis as his Queen. They then merged the dimensions of Equestria and Tamriel using my blood.”

“Why your blood?” Dash asked. “I am so confused right now.”

So, we told Dash everything, everything since the Battle of Canterlot, which seemed so long ago. We told her about how Twilight and I left for Tamriel to fight the Daedra at Stros M’Kai, and that I was named Talos’ first Champion. She said I was too wimpy to be a champion of a deity, but I knew that was her way of congratulating me.

We then told Dash, and the others, about what happened to Twilight and I during the Battle of Stros M’Kai, about how Twilight was kidnapped and taken to Oblivion, and I became a fugitive from the Empire. They were shocked when I told them this, but I insisted we continue on.

We then told them about how I journeyed to Windhelm, to assist in liberating the city. That was when I got Twilight back, and when I was given a dragon to have dominion over from the Dragonborn. Everypony thought that was cool, and then Twilight and I decided to tell them about our relationship with each other.

“Well, congratulations, Twi!” Applejack exclaimed. “I’m so happy for ya!”

“Oh, this is so romantic!” Rarity said, “Right out of a novel!”

“Will there be a party involved?” Pinkie Pie asked, “Can I throw a party? Please? It’s been forever since I’ve thrown a party!”

“You two look happy together,” Fluttershy said. “This is just so unexpected!”

“Unexpected?” Dash scoffed, “I was out for months, and I could see this from a mile away. It’s about time Twilight found somepony,” I cleared my throat, and she rolled her eyes, “Someone to love.”

Celestia blessed our relationship, and walked with us as we exited the city of Stros M’Kai. I turned to everyone, and asked if they wanted to see my dragon. They all said yes, especially Fluttershy, which surprised me a little. She then told me she loved animals, and that she has never seen an adult dragon before, though she’s seen a baby one.

I called Midrotheyvkaal, and he flew out of the mountains. Everyone was awestruck by the size of him as he flew and landed in front of me. When he did, I noticed a small purple dragon on his back.

“Spike, is that you?” Twilight asked.

“Well, yeah!” Spike said, jumping to the ground, “You think I would stay in Equestria?”

He jumped onto Twilight’s shoulders, and I turned to everyone.

“Shall we be off then?”

Tell me what you think! Well, I’ve finally done it, I’ve brought back the rest of the Mane 6! I knew it had been a long time since they have made an appearance, so I thought why not bring them back now? Anyways, I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Next chapter: Twilight, Pliton and the others arrive in the Summerset Isles, but will they be well received? Find out in the next chapter of Mori Pro Imperio: The Story of Pliton Calleius!