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FUCK I LOST THE GAME!

"What is it?"

…

"I'm not sure. It looks like a monkey…"

…

"Is it dead?"

"I'm…" Kerik mumbled, hearing the sound of things moving away from him. "I'm not… a monkey…" he could feel the air on his chest, as well as his feet; the light breeze chilling the sweat on his skin. "Water…" He croaked; his throat dry. He heard the sounds of hooves on stone leaving, returning quickly at the same pace. He could feel a waterskin being pressed into his hand, which he closed around it. "Thank you…" he said before bringing the skin to his lips and releasing the kink he held into the material. The water flowed out into his mouth in large swallows, the tired Nord drinking all of it without spilling a drop. He let the bag fall from his grip, the soft material landing with a light thump as he pushed himself into an upright position.

Looking around he noticed more of the horse creatures that resembled the ones on the battlefield, save for these having weapons in reach or attached to them. Around him were three of the creatures, each differing slightly from actual horses. One seemed to be a horse of very small stature, the other having a pair of wings and the last having a horn atop its head. He shook off the questions buzzing in his mind, deciding to ask the important ones; starting with… "Where am I?" The creatures looked at him, strange and confused expressions hanging to their flesh while the spark of fear blazed in their eyes. The first to speak was the one with the horn.

"You are in Equestria," the creature spoke, its voice feminine and accented like an Imperial's. "Home of the ponies and future kingdom of the Unicorn Empire." The one with wings next to her bowed up, facing her with rage on its face.

"Unicorn Empire my flank," The creature spoke, its voice gruff and deep. "This is the soon to be Pegasus Commonwealth!" The last one spoke up, their voice rather neutral but still male.

"Stop your petty argument," he said. "It's pointless to argue over ownership when we all know it shall be the Earth Pony Confederacy." The three fell into intense argument at this point, Kerik giving them a blank stare as they fought amongst themselves.

'Maybe I'm fighting the wrong enemy,' He thought, sighing audibly. The three began to elevate in volume, each trying to yell over the other, as two more of the creatures walked into the room. These two were different, each having both the horns and wings while also being the size of a good draft horse. One of the two was white, glowing and held itself with an air of eminence and nobility. The other was a beep blue, its stance one more suited for combat or dueling. It seemed to have an air of ominous force, like a storm brewing on the coast and about to break over a mountain with all the force it could muster.

As if he had predicted the future, the blue creature walked up behind the three arguing ponies, a deadpan expression coating its face for three seconds before it reared up and struck out at the group, landing a punch on each of their muzzles in one stroke. "What are you three thinking," she scorned in a deeper feminine voice, anger painting her stance now. "This is the first contact this being has with the entirety of our race and you fall back into your petty squabbles! I have had enough of hearing your ever-changing forms of government! Be cooperative with each other or I shall have you all flogged for naught but stupidity!" the ponies body language and expression remained threatening as she looked over the three, relaxing and becoming passive again as she stepped toward Kerik. "My apologies, War Master," She said, bowing slightly. "These ponies are majorly the only ones that do not cooperate. May I be the first to welcome you to our home of Equestria, soon to be under sovereign ownership of the entire," she said deliberately, casting an angry glare back at the three ponies. "Species of ponies and ponies alone. I am Luna. May I ask your name, War Master?"

"Kerik of Windhelm," he said, looking over the room. It resembled a keep from Skyrim, but built to different proportions. "Where am I?" he asked, noting the banners that were flying. Each one had a figure emblazoned before a graphic design, the figure resembling one of the three, still arguing, creatures.

"You are in the city of Baltimare," the white horned and winged pony said, walking up to him. "It is around twelve kilo-strides from the battlefield you arrived in." Kerik gave her a confused glance, getting a slightly sheepish look from her. "A stride as nearly your height on a lateral movement. Just say that for us at a gallop it takes about one hour to cover." Kerik nodded, understanding striking him. "Pardon my lack of hospitality. I am Celestia, controller of the sun. This is my sister Luna, controller of the moon." She bowed slightly, trading royal niceties. "We should thank you for your unrequested assistance."

"Assistance Ma'am," Kerik asked in honest confusion, not knowing what he had done. "I don't recall helping you in any way, only killing a few dragons and not having the strength to chase the one that escaped." Celestia chuckled slightly, shaking her head.

"That is how you helped us," she explained. "You see, we are at war with an idea manifested. Discord, as he calls himself, is corrupting the world as he sees fit and destroying the natural order. He is a malevolent force, ruining the land, tainting the skies and poisoning the waters. He takes ponies and other beings of Equestria and unmakes them, recreating them as he wishes them to be and inflicting endless pain on all within his reach. And I fear that reach is ever expanding." Celestia sighed and turned around to face the arrow slit in the wall. "Every week, discord can affect farther and farther from his hold on Cavalry Mount. Now the Dragons have sided with him, and even those we once thought allies, the Griffins, are starting to ignore us when we request aid. The only free species besides us that remain are the Entians, tribes and the Shadeskaul. The tribes will not have a part in our war, and the Shadeskaul are pacifists that live on the frozen seas." Celestia took on a look of sadness, slouching slightly and looking off to the side slightly.

"Enough, sister," Luna said in a not-too-unkind tone. "This talk does you no good, only bringing you pain and sorrow." Celestia nodded slightly, obviously unconvinced but trusting her sister's advice. "We have yet to make a statement to the public," Luna said, looking toward Kerik. "On the battle I mean. Undoubtedly, the ponies of the Free Republic are eager to hear about the victory, even at the cost of loved ones." She turned and gestured to a large chest against the wall. "We have your armor stored in there," she said. "When you wouldn't wake, we removed it to allow our healers past the wards they contain, but it seems that you need no healing. You may join us at the keep gates once you finish dressing if you wish." Luna led her sister out of the room, staying behind the bickering trio of ponies to keep them moving as the guards took their own exits.

Kerik waited for the sounds of hooves on stone to diminish to the monotony of traffic before standing from the table. The blanket that had once covered his legs fell to the ground, the cold air hitting his skin like a knife and causing a shiver to run through him. 'It must be close to harvest,' Kerik thought as he walked to the chest. He opened the trunk, kneeling down and removing six rather heavy pieced of armor, holding the helmet in his hand after setting the others aside. He stared into the Daedric piece, his reflection gleaming on the polished black horns. The item reminded him of the head of a dragon, and that was exactly why he had kept it from the dungeon he cleaned out. He had been paid handsomely for his efforts, but nothing amounted to the worth of the full set of armor he had found. 'This may not leave a good first impression on them,' he decided, remembering the appearance of the dragon he had tangled with. He laid the helmet next to the other pieces, reaching for his pack. He lifted the framed leather sack, opening the tie on the top and digging through poultices, potions and food until he felt something soft. Withdrawing his hand, clutched in his fist, was a set of clothes; black leather boots, tan leggings and a red and yellow tunic.

…

Kerik closed the door to the room behind himself, turning back to the fore and tying an Elven sword and Orcish dagger to the belt around his waist. He sighed, running a hand through his hair to pull it out of his face before nodding to the pony guard that had been stationed outside the room. "Everything is in order sir?" the pony asked, a smile painted on his muzzle underneath the imperial style helmet he wore. Kerik simply nodded to the pony, still unnerved by the fact that they talked. It wasn't the strangest thing he had experienced, but it was definitely among the top twenty. "Very good," the pony said. "I am Ridge Runner, and I am to help you find your way around the keep and the rest of the city. My orders are to take you to the gates if you wish. I must say that Celestia and Luna would highly appreciate it if you do." Kerik looked down the hall to the right, then to the left before returning his vision to Ridge Runner.

"How highly," Kerik asked, raising an eyebrow. Ridge runner smirked, nodding up the corridor before setting off.

"It would be up there sir," Ridge runner said. "Somewhere between gifts and a kiss, though I doubt you would get one from Celestia. She may just be the most prudish pony in existence. But Luna…" Ridge Runner chuckled mischievously. "I've heard some of the stories that float around the barracks about those she calls to her quarters. And not just the stallions," he gave Kerik a wink, causing him to laugh slightly. "So you want to go to the Gates then?" he asked.

"Only if the kitchen is in the other direction," Kerik said. "I don't want to walk farther than I have to right now. Being unconscious is not the same as sleeping."

"Then you are in luck," Ridge runner said. "The kitchen is on the way. We will only have to take a small detour." He directed Kerik towards a left fork, guiding him deeper into the halls along the counter clockwise curve. "Since it is between meals, you will probably only be able to get bread and milk. Those are always up for the taking. Ale is one bit a pint and Mead is two bits a flagon." Ridge Runner opened a wooden door, the smell of cooking food wafting out and causing Kerik's mouth to water.

"Mead sounds divine right now," Kerik said, walking in and waiting for the pony. "Sure wish I had some of your money. But all I have are these Septims," Kerik reached into a pouch at his waist, pulling out a handful of the inch and a half wide gold coins.

"By the gods," Ridge runner exclaimed as he looked over the coins. "Is that one coin or something like fifty silver?" Kerik held up a finger, getting a gasp out of the pony. "That's worth at least seven bits in just gold alone. How many do you have?" Kerik added up the math in his head, coming out with seventy thousand bits.

"That is fragile information that could ruin out budding relationship," he said, giving the pony a playful smirk and a wink. "Come, I'll buy you a flagon or two."

...

"Yesterday, we achieved a great triumph," Luna said from the steps of the fortress, the gathered crowd cheering at her words. "Our losses were great, but through the sacrifice we were able to rout the largest Dragon offensive yet. Now we can take the fight to them, on their own land! We have pushed them back from our borders, and they are frightened by our force!" The ponies gathered cheered again, roaring praise for her, chants of her name filing the crowd. Luna let the praise soak in for a moment, raising her hoof to call for silence.

"Even though, we would have not won for one being," Someone in the crown yelled her and her sister's name, another yelling the name of his or her war god. "No, I must admit that not even I or my sister could defeat their advance force, and it was not divine." She turned around, beckoning to something unseen. The ponies gasped as a six plus foot tall creature walked up to the podium, a gilt sword at its waist and garbed in deep blue clothes. Its hair was the color of sunlight, its skin as pale as snow. "This is Kerik, a warrior from another world. He fell from the sky to the battle, not knowing what was happening, raising his weapon in our defense against the dragons, slaying the largest warrior next to the Red King himself." The crowd murmured at the sight of the human, one daring to ask the right question of whose side he was on. Luna looked at Kerik, the nord giving her a shrug. "Unfortunately, his side is yet to be determined, but I can tell you that his loyalties lie neither with evil nor the dragons. He is a being of worth, a warrior of might and a creature of valor. He possesses power greater than many, his voice filled with a strength that can topple a wall." One pony cried shenanigans and farce, Kerik raising his hand and casting arcs of lightning to the sky, thunder echoing around the area as the crowd went silent.

"Because I haven't chosen who to help does not mean I am weak," He stepped down a stair, glaring into the crowd. "And the more I look the less of a choice I want to make. You are all cowards, the whole lot. Where I am from, when war came, there was not a man or woman that did not answer the jarl's call. Even children made their contributions by caring for the family trade in their parent's absence." He let his harsh words settle in, the edges sinking like daggers in their egos. He turned around, seeing a disapproving look from Luna, Kerik simply smirking and giving her a wink.

"What would you have us do," A pony yelled from the background. "We have no training, no ability to arm ourselves! Would you have us fight with just our hooves, with no barding, no protection? I do not know about your world, but on ours, Dragons breathe fire!" Kerik turned back to them.

"Yes, they breathe fire on Skyrim, but also ice, make the heavens rain flaming stones and roar with a force that can topple castles," A murmur rolled through the crowd. "That's right, if you were to face Alduin, the bane of kings and the most powerful beast in Tamriel, you would not survive." He took another step down, the crowd backing up slightly. "If you rally, and answer the call to arms like my kinsmen have, then I will aid you, but until then, I will not raise my blade unless mine own life is threatened." He placed his left hand on the pommel of his sword, turning and walking back to Luna's side. "I'll be inside should any dragons attack the city," And with that he walked back through the doors.

…

"What were you thinking," Celestia demanded, slamming her hoof down on the table, knocking a goblet of wine over. Two servers from the kitchen hurried over, cleaning the spill and refilling the cup. "Not only were you out of line, but you may have placed a target on your throat!" She slammed her hoof down again, a server lifting the cup before it struck. "You could have undone everything I have worked for in this city, and if word of your little soliloquy reaches the other cities of the Free Republic, then we will lose the modicums of trust we have with the city-states, effectively neutralizing our combative force!" Across the table, Kerik sat in a chair that had been made to his requirements, his foot on the edge of the table and the chair balanced on its back legs. He sipped mead from a tankard, his demeanor calm and his face unchanging as he stared down the white horse. "Well? What do you have to say for yourself?" Kerik drained the last of his drink, snapping his fingers.

"More mead," was all he said, holding out the cup as a server poured more honey-wine into it. He took drink as the pony bowed and stepped back, lowering the mug and wiping his lips with a sleeve.

Celestia guffawed at his blasé attitude, effectively dumbstruck and without words to express her rage toward him. Luna giggled slightly at her sister, falling into a gut hold as she continued to stay mouth agape and half-upright. "Calm sister," she giggled. "And close your mouth, it is most unbecoming." Celestia closed her jaw, glaring at Luna as if to set her on fire. "Look at it this way," she said, waving a hoof to Kerik. "If this warrior can stare you down in the height of your scorn and anger, imagine what he has had to see and do. I could wager that this… Man, was it?" Kerik nodded, his tankard affixed to his lips like it was built there. "I could wager that he could take on an entire assaulting force by himself." She sank into her cushion further, imagining the sight of the battle. What I would give to be a part of the defense." Kerik and Celestia both raised an eyebrow, looking at her. Luna woke from her daydream, noticing not only Kerik and Celestia, but Hurricane, Platinum and Puddinghead were all looking at her. "What? It would be a glorious fight…" Kerik shook his head and continued to enjoy his drink as Celestia took her turn to laugh, Luna's muzzle blooming with a slightly brighter blue.

"So Celestia," Hurricane spoke up, setting his plate of food aside. "Your sister mentioned attacking the Dragons on their own ground. Do you believe this to be truly possible? I mean no disrespect, but our friend here stated it quite plainly. We do not have the recruiting numbers we need to take the fight farther than our own borders." Celestia was about to reply, but Kerik cut her off.

"You have to rally more efficiently." The room turned to face him, confused by his sudden interest. He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I'm surprised you all made it to this point." He set his tankard down, picking up a plate and sliding it into the middle of the table, an ice sculpture of a dragons head dominating the small plate. "The plate is your forces, the sculpture is theirs." He tossed several knives between the two, the tips sticking in the wood. "That is the border. Plates," he called, snapping his fingers. Twenty small plates levitated to his side, Kerik taking several and placing them around near his side of the table. "Where do most of your soldiers come from?"

"Cloudsdale."Commander Hurricane said, Kerik placing a plate forward of the others. "Baltimare," another plate… "Buckingham," Another… "And Eastpony." Another plate.

"The advance force is already at the border, correct?" Nods waved at him, Kerik moving the plates near the line of knives. "If you can rally and equal force from each of those cities, you could breach their border defense, using systematic and precise pressure from Siege engines and magicians. Each of these obstacles will fall, and you are free to move in." He tossed the plates until the created a cal-de-sac with one exit for the sculpture. "Once there, you will fight them until they run, keeping them funneled toward their capitol city."

"You mean Canterlot?" Princess Platinum asked. "But that is the most heavily fortified city in their territory, there is no way we could get in." Kerik ran a hand over his face, sighing through his nose.

"With a name like Canterlot I would suspect it was once ruled by your kind," The table nodded. Kerik waved his hands in the air. "Then there must be someone or something to tell you how to get in! Are you all stupid or just too stuck up in your nobility to see the answer before you?" The ponies recoiled at his remark, save Luna, who simply smiled and took a drink to hide it.

"Who in their right mind would lead this suicide charge?" Commander Hurricane said, his resolve regained. "Certainly not me, I have not an urge to send ponies to their deaths." Kerik tapped the handle of the wooden fork he had made against the table, thinking on the subject. The remaining ponies, save Celestia and Luna, expressed their positions in the negative, Kerik dropping the fork.

"Fine," he said, touching a hand to his chin. "If you can muster the force, I will lead them all." He picked up his cup, taking a quaff as the three ponies stared at him in disbelief. "What," he asked. "If you three aren't competent to take charge, then I will lead them all in by myself. I like killing dragons." He finished his drink, taking a loaf of bread from the table and standing. "C'mon Ridge Runner, I want to see the town." Ridge Runner bowed slightly, leading Kerik out of the dining hall.

The ponies sat there in silence, the tribal leaders poking their food with forks as Celestia stewed over on what had happened. Luna sighed, wiping her mouth on the back of a hoof and standing. "I don't know about you three, but I'm with him. I will take a detachment as well when the time comes. Until then I am going out, show him the sites with Runner."

…

Kerik descended the stair, noticing they were slightly longer than the stairs they used in Tamriel. "So…" Ridge Runner began. "What were the towns where you are from like?" Kerik looked down at him, walking to the fortress wall with the pony.

"You mean the cities?" Ridge Runner nodded, stopping next to the gates as the guards opened them. "Well, usually they were divided into quarters or sections in Skyrim. Usually a high cost residential, low cost residential, industrial and market sections being the largest if they had more than that." The doors slid away, revealing the rest of the city to their elevated view. Just like Windhelm, Kerik could see the noble housing and market area, the low cost residential being outside of the inner walls and surrounded by a wooden defense. The Industrial District was directly beside the market district, smoke rising from a foundry. Farms squared the rolling hills beyond the outer walls, roads passing outside the houses that headed them. "Just like this in fact," He said, a pang of homesickness running through him as he thought of Windhelm and his wife sitting at home alone.

"Are you alright," Ridge Runner asked, noticing the change in his voice. "You seem a little down all of a sudden." Kerik shook his head, taking a step forward and descending the stairs from the fortress.

"I'm fine," He lied, continuing into the city. "How about you show me to a forge and where I can buy some steel, eh? It's my trade," Ridge Runner nodded, stopping and turning back as a voice called to them. "Miss Luna, why are you here?" She trotted up to the two, forming a lopsided triangle before looking at them both quickly.

"I want to see the city, maybe learn something of Kerik's skills; what he can do for us while he's here," She gave the duo an eager smile. Kerik and Runner looked at her, finding her behavior slightly out of place. "Well," she questioned. "What are we waiting for? Let's go."

…

Kerik dunked the glowing sword into the trough of oil and salt water, steam and fire rolling off the surface as the heat boiled the solution of brine. The steel stopped glowing, Kerik grasping the blanked handle and pulling it from the water, holding it up and testing the weight, making sure the weight was correct for his hand. He had created one of the curved Redguard swords he had longed for for so long, knowing it could easily lop limbs from an attacker with little effort. "That is craftsmanship," he said in a dreamy voice, swirling the still burning hot blade by his side. "The weight is in the front, the handle being long enough to wield with either two hands or one, allowing for finesse or a simple edged bludgeon." He took the blade to the granite wheel, working the pedal as he ground the flats to a shine. Ridge Runner gave the pony beside him a bag of coins, the transaction going silently as Kerik continued to admire the forming piece of art with a ravenous glee. Luna stood beside him, watching with meticulous precision as he sharpened the weapon.

"Where did you learn to craft blades like this," Luna asked, getting a glance in response.

"In Whiterun," he said, testing the edge on a block of wood, splitting the fibers against the grain nearly perfectly. "I was an adventurer when I began, like so many warriors in Skyrim, and I needed some armor and weapons. I met a smith, Eorlund Gray-Mane; he worked at the Skyforge, something that predates history. He agreed to train me in the ways of metal and fire, and here you have evidence that he is still better than me…" Kerik held up the edge of the blade before Luna's eyes, showing her the small ripple in the steel. "He never makes mistakes." Kerik sighed and wrapped the blade in linen, swearing under his breath. "I'll have to start over, but I'm not about to waste this nearly perfect blade." He went about the forge, returning tools to their places and restocking the coal for the smelter from the forge owner's shed. "I will be back later this month, reforge the steel and hammer out the defects before I temper it," He turned around, tying the blade to his belt by the wrappings. "Thank you for letting me use your forge," he said, bowing slightly. The blue pony bowed back.

"Anytime I can help, sir," she said. "I would like to learn some of your techniques. You hammer style seems perfect for a new design of barding I'm creating for Celestia, as well as your heating method." Kerik nodded, turning to face Ridge Runner and Luna.

…

"So why did you choose to be a warrior." Luna asked, sitting on a cushion as she watched Kerik cover a rack with his armor and weapons. "From what you've told me, you were happy to be an explorer." Kerik shrugged, leaning against the pommel of his sword.

"It isn't as simple as one would think," He said, laying the blade on a rack. "The saying that Blood and Silver is what flows from Markarth is true for all of Skyrim. If you don't have money, you don't have the things necessary to explore." He took an axe from his pack, hanging it on some rungs. The entire room suddenly smelled of death to Luna, Kerik pulling a pair of black and red gloves from his pack. "Things like medicine, properly fitted armor and arms, food, maps… Things that you would die without. I took to sellswording, mercenary work. It began as clearing areas under contract of danger. Bears, Wolves, Undeath, traps and the like were my responsibility to remove from the area before historians, scholars and archaeologists would excavate. Then I began bounty hunting, chasing men across the country and bringing them to justice for their crimes. But when the dragons came, everything changed. I was pitted against one for my life, and before it died by my hammer it screamed Dovahkiin. Then I was summoned for a greater purpose by the Graybeards, to save Tamriel." Kerik placed the last of his items in a chest, locking it and setting the key around his neck on a leather thong. "I have taken many lives, and I know that I must take more before I am free from strife. Hopefully this war will be my last." He stood and took Luna's hoof, helping her to stand before walking her out of the room.

Well there it is; the second chapter you all wanted. Thank you for your stunning reviews, and remember that this story is kept going only as long as you all review.

AedanRyche