Corridor after corridor, archway after archway and the same marbled pattern over and over again greeted Bardac as he slowly crept his way through this strange castle. Every now and again the invisibility spell he cast upon himself had to be refreshed, though by now he had lost count how many times he had to cast it. Bardac didn't exactly have the best sense of time, or direction for that matter and after he found what felt like the hundredth dead end, he was debating whether or not to let the guards capture him. At least that way he would have a clue on exactly where he was in this maze of stone, however as he neared another archway, he could just make out the sound of talking.

“Princess Celestia, do you really think the creature is still inside the castle?” spoke a voice that was growing ever closer.

“I do. That wasn't a teleportation spell it used, it was invisibility. Which means one of two options. It was brought in using teleportation and is using the cover of that invisibility spell to escape or...” replied another, “Considering the actions of the creature a few seconds after its arrival. I am not entirely sure it was here by choice.”

The one who replied sounded oddly familiar and judging by the way the first had addressed the second, it was none other than the same white equine which he had encountered the moment he arrived. A few more seconds ticked by and as Bardac held himself close to the wall, he saw the figure of the equine he only knew as Princess and one other who was walking close by her side.

“I see,” murmured the smaller of the two, though if it spoke again Bardac didn't hear it as he slipped down the corridor the Princess and the other had just left. Though, just as he turned the corner, Bardac could feel the affects of his spell wearing off and judging by the sound of distant hooves, he was about to get some unwanted company fairly soon. Thankfully, there was a door that was ajar where Bardac had stopped and above the ever growing sound, he could hear a faint mumbling from inside the room. Weighing up his chances, he decided that it would be better for him to at least temporarily immobilize what ever was inside so he could get his bearings rather than risk a full on fight.

As Bardac slowly crept into the small room which he guessed was used for storage, he was met with a bizarre sight. Inside was one of the equines that Bardac could only assume worked for the castle, judging by the broom it had held within its mouth and each time the equine slid the broom across the floor, Bardac could feel an ounce of his sanity ebbing away. However, with a shake of his head, Bardac shut the door behind him as quietly as he could and not a moment too soon. As the latch clicked shut, he felt the effects of the spell leave him completely.

Thankfully the equine in the room with him was too busy mumbling to itself to notice that it wasn't alone, “Stupid guards... Sweeper do this, Sweeper do that... one of these days I'm going to shove this broom where Princess Celestia's sun doesn't—”

“I would not advise that,” interrupted Bardac, though a second later mentally cursed himself for doing so. However as the broom clattered out of the equines mouth, he could tell it was about to call for the guards. At least that's what he assumed by the equines large intake of breath. With a few long and rapid steps, Bardac intercepted the shout by grabbing its snout as tightly as he could without harming it, “Do not scream, do not make a sound... I am not here to hurt you, or any of these creatures. However, I do not know where I am, what I am doing here and most importantly. I have a strange feeling I assaulted an equine of great importance," after a few moments had passed and Bardac was fairly confident Sweeper wasn't going to make a run for it or scream for help, he released his hold on Sweeper's snout.

Sweeper didn't know what to do. He was just a servant of the castle and nothing had really prepared him to deal with this sort of scenario. However by creature's tone of voice, he was pretty sure he wasn't going to get harmed, “You're the one who assaulted Princess Celestia?” Sweeper asked in a hushed voice, after all news travelled fast in this castle and a single glance down to the creature's sword told him that he should try and play it safe for now.

“Celestia? That is her name?” replied Bardac with a tilt of his head, though soon after let out a sigh and sat down on a nearby barrel in the corner, out of the line of sight if the door was to be opened, “Just my luck...” and as he took off his helmet and pulled out one of his mead filled skins, Bardac muttered to himself, “I am getting far too old for this... I am Bardac, by the way.”

The scent of Bardac's mead got Sweeper's snout twitching and the longer Sweeper stood observing the actions of this bizarre creature in front of him, he started to think that there was more to this than meets the eye, “If... you really wanted to hurt the Princess... wouldn't you be gone already?” Sweeper asked, the suspicion dripping from his voice.

Bardac sighed deeply before taking a long and much needed swig of his mead, “I would be, if I could find my way out of this accursed place... I feel like I have been walking for miles,” Bardac grumbled as he wiped his lips with the back of his hand, “Just point me to the exit and I will hap—” though what ever Bardac was about to say got rudely interrupted as the door to the room burst open in a flash of bright light.

“Limbs where we can see them!” came a voice from outside the door, it would appear that the guards had managed to track Bardac, though how that was possible was completely escaping the Nord for the time being.

“Sorry for this Sweeper,” sighed Bardac as he rose to stand and as he placed his helmet back on and stored the skin away, Bardac slowly approached the equine.

Sweeper blinked several times he asked. “Sorry for—” but as he found himself being picked up underneath Bardac's arm with a strong grip grasping his stomach, Sweeper couldn't help but let out the smallest of whimpers.

“Trust me,” replied Bardac quietly as he slowly drew his sword and placed the tip against Sweeper's throat, “I will not harm you, just... try not struggle,” he added as he slowly rounded the door to come face to face with the equines that were waiting for them, “Make a move and the blood of this equine will be spilled,” and just to prove his point, Bardac forced the tip of Dawnbreaker a little more firmly against Sweepers neck, causing Sweeper to whimper out loudly.

Silence was all that greeted Bardac, the guards didn't know whether to look shocked or disgusted so they settled on something in-between as one of them approached and asked, “Now... don't do anything rash now. Innocent blood doesn't have to be shed. What is it you want?”

Bardac considered his options for a moment before replying, “A way out,” though he made sure to keep a tight grip on Sweeper, “This one is coming with me until I am clear of this castle... just in case you decide to try anything funny,” while Bardac hasn't been in a situation nearly as bizarre, he was quite familiar with dealing with hostages.

The guards muttered between themselves before one of the group stepped forward and said, “Follow me. I will escort you out of the castle,” while this particular equine looked familiar, right now Bardac had slightly bigger issues to deal with than remembering why.

So far Bardac was feeling fairly confident, but as he passed corridor after corridor, he noticed that each one had at least two or three guards stationed at its entrance except for the ones that the equine in front was leading them through, “Guards stationed at every corridor except the ones we are being led by... Why do I get the feeling they are leading me exactly where they want me,” Bardac muttered as quietly as he could down to Sweeper, who by now had gone fairly limp as Sweeper accepted his fate as Bardac's hostage.

After leading Bardac through what felt like fifty or so more turns and corridors, they eventually reached the light at the end of the tunnel, though Bardac had to squint slightly. The low sun irritated his eyes after being indoors for so long.

“Another guard will escort you through the town and out the gate,” spoke the guard that had been escorting them, “You will be outside Canterlot before morning.”

As Bardac and Sweeper stepped out through the final archway and into the light of a sunset in what appeared to be a garden, Bardac finally realised a little too late just where he'd seen that equine before, “I knew it...” Bardac hissed to himself as he felt Sweeper jerk from his arm. Bardac turned just in time to feel a bright beam of light strike him in chest, sending him careening backwards into the high wall that surrounded the garden. As his back struck the stone wall, it was mere seconds before he felt heavy shackles attach themselves to his wrists to pull them apart, though as Bardac looked around. He couldn't see anything or anyone that was close enough to do it, though he did notice that the long chains that were as thick as his leg seemed to hover in mid-air. Then it hit him, “Magic...” Bardac muttered loudly.

“Don't struggle, those shackles are made from the strongest metal in Equestria. Not even a dragon could break free from them,” spoke the guard that had escorted Bardac and Sweeper out. A huge smirk was plastered over its face, “But don't feel too bad, you gave us a good run for our bits,” and as the guard turned to look up at a balcony above, it called, “It's safe your highness. The creature is restrained.”

“You are that guard that was standing next to the Princess when you had me cornered back in the Throne room...” Bardac said to the guard, his muscles strained under the force that the shackles and chains were placing with their pull.

The guard turned to face Bardac with that smirk still plastered over its snout, “Took you long enough to notice,” the guard taunted, but had to jump back as Bardac lurched forward even under the strain of the chains, “More power! The creature's stronger than it looks!”

One by one, equines were appearing around the garden. Some with wings, some with horns to create a semi-circle around Bardac, cornering him against the crescent shaped wall behind him. With the loud pop. Princess Celestia herself appeared in the middle of the garden, flanked by what seemed like an entire platoon of guards. It took a moment for any of them to speak, but eventually it was Celestia who broke the silence, “Struggling is pointless. Explain to me why I shouldn't throw you in the dungeons this instant for taking one of my subjects hostage,” Celestia said as she gazed down at Bardac, the strength of her voice was not something to be taken lightly.

As Bardac struggled against the ever tightening chains that were slowly forcing his arms apart, he couldn't help but meet the gaze of Celestia, though he couldn't help but wonder why she didn't mention the assault, “It seemed a good idea at the time,” came Bardac's reply, much to the annoyance of the guards around him, “Sweeper was not under any harm... I do not hurt the innocent,” though he hardly expected them to believe him.

“Why should we believe you?” spoke the guard that had taunted him before, it was clear this particular guard was going to be a thorn in Bardac's side.

Celestia on the hand spoke loudly, “Light Flight, enough,” then she turned her attention to Sweeper who was standing behind her, “Sweeper, is this true?” she asked in a much more motherly voice.

Sweeper nodded quickly and replied, “Bardac had plenty of time to hurt me, I think he just confused and wants to get out of here.”

“He? Bardac?” blurted out Light Flight as she turned to eye Bardac with a hawk-like stare.

“I'm pretty sure... at least, I don't know any mares with such a deep voice,” answered Sweeper with a tilt of his head.

Bardac for the time being had been fairly patient with these equines, but enough was enough. Slowly he rose to stand and with a loud grunt, shattered the shackles surrounding his wrists as he drove his arms forward, “I do not mean to interrupt, but they were getting a little painful,” Bardac said as he slowly rubbed his wrists.

Light Flight jumped back quickly, a pair of hidden wings burst from her back with what appeared to be thick, razor sharp blades attached to the leading edge, “How did you do that?!” Light Flight demanded loudly.

As Bardac knelt down to pick up a few pieces of the shattered shackle, he replied. “Easily,” and with a flick of his wrist, he tossed a few of the steaming pieces towards Light Flight and Celestia.

Celestia gazed down at the pieces, bemused by how such a creature could break chains strong enough to hold a dragon, then she noticed the distinct frosty pattern that covered the surface of the broken pieces, “You froze them?” Celestia asked as she looked up towards Bardac.

“Melting them would of gotten your attention a lot quicker than freezing them until they were brittle. The chain was strong, the shackles... not so much,” responded Bardac as he took the chance to look around. While he didn't feel it was wholly necessary to be giving these creatures pointers on their capturing style, it was doing the trick to bide him a little time while he figured out just how to get out of this mess.

With a raise of her eyebrow, Celestia said, “I will keep that in mind...” but soon turned to Sweeper and smiled kindly towards him, “Thank you Sweeper, please take tomorrow off. I am sure you'll need time to relax.”

Bardac watched as Sweeper left the garden and was about to call out when an arrow shot past Celestia and struck him squarely in the heart. Thankfully his armour was thick enough to absorb most of the force, but the head of the arrow still lodged itself firmly in the metal of his breast plate. This shot caught Bardac off guard and within half a second he had already drawn his sword and with a flick of his hand, purely out of instinct and reaction fired an immense gout of fire towards the direction where the arrow came from.

“He's attacking! Fire! FIRE!” bellowed one of the guards as a salvo of arrows and bright white spells erupted from the guards aimed directly at Bardac.

Without a second to spare, Bardac knelt down and drove his fist hard into the stone floor, a colossal wall of ice soon followed as the arrows struck with dull thuds, the spells in the mean time burst against the wall, breaking off giant chunks of ice that smashed against the ground.

“Cease fire, cease fire!” bellowed Light Flight as she tried to reign in the guards, but it was too late. With almighty roar of battle, most of the group had already started to charge the crumbling wall of ice where Bardac knelt behind. However as they rounded the crumbling ice, he was no where to be seen.

With a curse of frustration, one of the guards called out, “He's gone invisible again! Spread out, he's not far!”

Celestia, who had simply watched on was growing ever more concerned about this creature, he certainly wasn't from Equestria which begged the question from where exactly did he come from. However it wasn't the time to be thinking of such things as the cold feel of steel made its presence known against her throat. One slip and she'd be dead within a minute.

“Call off your guards,” came a hiss within her ear as Bardac appeared standing close to her side, his blade against her throat, “If they continue I will have no choice but to defend myself.”

Before Celestia could reply, Bardac was blown away by the force of an immensely powerful spell. His body struck the tall wall in front of her. None of her guards could create such a spell and as her gaze rose skyward, she saw her sister, Princess Luna flying down towards her.

“Did the foul beast hurt you sister?” asked Luna as she landed close to Celestia's side.

Celestia shook her head slowly, “No Luna, he didn't and I do not think he ever had the intention to do so. That is the second time he's had the blade of his sword against my neck but has not followed through. But... I think you overdid it,” though she couldn't help but notice the air taking on a strange feeling, like when a lightning storm was brewing. When she looked over to Bardac to see if he had recovered from being blown into the wall, she let out a silent gasp as her pupils shrank.

The source of heavy static in the air was Bardac, who was still sprawled out at the base of the wall, his helmet had been blown off from the force of the blast and a large, bloody wound could be seen near the base of his skull. It was clear he'd hit the wall pretty hard, but that didn't explain the crackling of electricity that arced its way across his body. Slowly, Bardac started to stand, his right hand bracing himself against the wall while keeping a firm grip on Dawnbreaker. His breath came deep but ragged. Then, with a great inhale of breath, Bardac let out a blood-curdling roar as he willed his body to stand straight, “DISCORD! I WILL SEND YOU TO OBLIVION WHEN I FIND YOU!” and as Bardac unleashed the full force of his voice, every window that could be seen shattered. Then, as Bardac exhaled slowly, he went completely silent except for the occasional crackle of electricity that coursed around his armour.

Luna and Celestia were quick enough to block their ears with their wings, as were most of the guards, but some of them were not so fortunate, “Get the wounded out of here,” commanded Celestia as her wings flattened against her side, “Luna... did he say Discord?” she asked as she looked over to her sister.

Luna let out a low groan, her ears were ringing as she muttered, “I'm not sure... I couldn't hear much after that, but it did sound li—” but she never got a chance to finish her sentence as an immense bolt of lightning struck her square in the chest. The force of the spell dropped her to the ground, the electricity causing her muscles spasm in agony.

“Luna!” gasped Celestia as she turned to face Bardac, though let out a small gulp as she did. The stare Bardac was giving her could only be described as murderous. However, her hesitation did not last for more than a second or two as her horn started to glow in a powerful golden light, “How DARE you strike my sister!” the powerful beam of light that erupted from her horn towards Bardac caused the very ground to shake beneath her hooves. She half expected Bardac to at least make an attempt to dodge, but when she saw him simply standing there, she couldn't help but wonder if he had simply given up.

Bardac, in fact had not given up. Instead he waited until the very last second to pull his shield from his back and intercept the spell. As the spell struck the surface of Spellbreaker, a low hum could be heard as the spell vanished into nothing, absorbed by the shimmering ward that now glistened around the surface of the shield. With a glare at Celestia, Bardac raised his hand once again, lightning crackling between his fingers as he called out, “If you wish to harm me... then you must have the will to kill me.”

These words sent chills down the spine of each and every guard. They'd never met a creature that could stand up to Celestia and Luna like this. Unfortunately none of the guards had much experience in actually delivering a fatal blow, since it wasn't the done thing in Equestria, however they couldn't speak for Luna or Celestia. After all they had lived for a lot longer than any of them.

Luna by now had recovered from the electrocution brought on by Bardac's spell and started to stand, but before she could retaliate, she was stopped by Celestia who laid a wing over her back, “What do you propose we do about this creature?” muttered Luna, “I don't want to take another hit like that...”

Mulling her answer around in her mind for a moment or two, Celestia looked around at the guards that were still on high alert as they waited and watched for Bardac to make his next move, “I'm not sure,” Celestia finally responded, “But, I think it's time to stop this nonsense,” she then looked over to Bardac and called out, “I am willing to give you one last chance to surrender. If not, you leave us no choice but to strike with full force.”

Bardac didn't even bother to respond with words, instead he raised his sword and shield, the tip pointing square at Celestia before he dropped into a heavily defensive stance. It wasn't so much the guards he was concerned about now, instead his focus was on these two, larger equines. They seemed to pose a much greater threat to him.

With a sigh, Celestia said, “I see... force it is then,” her horn then started to glow a deep, shimmering gold. In front of her the ground rumbled and split as a large stone wall rose from the ground, “I wish it didn't have to come to this,” Celestia said quietly before launching the wall directly at Bardac.

Bardac's eyes widened as the wall of rock flew towards him. He didn't have time to shout, nor put up any barrier to protect himself, instead he dropped both sword and shield before bracing his arms out in front of him. With an almighty roar, Bardac lunged against the wall, his hands glowing with a bright orange light. But even with every ounce of his magical and physical might pushing against the wall, he started to feel himself slide backwards, albeit very slowly.

Celestia, who had expected Bardac to put up a fight, had not expected the wall to come to such a sudden halt, even more surprisingly was after a few seconds, the wall started to slide slowly towards her, “Impossible...” Celestia hissed to herself, her horn glowing brighter and brighter as she put even more power to push against Bardac's sudden and powerful resistance, “Luna, now!” Celestia suddenly called out.

This was the sign Luna had been waiting for and with a booming voice, she bellowed, “Quickly! While the creature is distracted. Fire!” and with a flash of bright blue light, Luna disappeared only to reappear a second later hovering behind Bardac. Her horn started to glow with a deep blue light and as a beam of bright green light erupted from her horn towards Bardac, the guards surrounding him unleashed the same bright green beam.

As the first beam struck Bardac, he wondered just what they were planning. However as a numbness started to creep up his limbs, his eyes widened even further. Limb by limb, he was starting to loose feeling as his body was struck by multiple spells, this sort of magic was new and alien to Bardac. But, he wasn't going to go down without a fight and with a great inhale of breath, Bardac released the stone in front of him and bellowed out as the power of the thu'um coursed through his body, “Fus Ro Dah!”

The guards and Celestia in front of the stone dove for cover as hundreds of stone projectiles came hurtling towards them, “What in Equestria was that?” groaned Light Flight as she picked herself off the floor, she hadn't been quick enough to dodge one of the smaller pieces of rock that had struck her square in the side.

Luna landed quickly next to Celestia and helped her sister off the ground, “Celestia, are you okay? Did you get hit?” she asked quietly as she laid a wing over Celestia's back to comfort her.

“No, but it was a close call,” replied Celestia and as she looked over to where Bardac stood, she let out a loud gasp, “How? How is he still standing? There was enough power behind those spells to bring down a horde of dragons...”

The guards watched in silence as footstep by footstep, Bardac started to walk towards Celestia. Bardac's expression was empty and vacant, but as his hand rose inch by inch, one of the guards yelled, “He's going for them again! Take him down!” and with another volley of powerful spells from the guards that were still standing that struck Bardac's body from all angles, it seemed as though it was over.

Celestia rose her hoof to bring an end to the volley of spells, but as she did so, her expression was a mixture of sadness and strange admiration, “Enough... it's over,” Celestia said quietly.

“What do you mean? He's still standing!” hissed Luna loudly, though as she took one look at Bardac's face, she understood, “Oh...”

Bardac's body had refused to fall, but his eyes were blank and his face expressionless. The first volley of paralysing spells had taken its toll and caused him to fall unconscious, but with years of training and a will of steel, his body still urged him to fight. Though the second wave of spells finally did the trick and brought an end to the struggle.

“Take him down to the dungeons, lock up his sword and shield... and keep him sleepy,” Celestia said with a commanding tone to the guards that were still picking themselves up among the rubble, thankfully none of them were seriously injured.

Light Flight frowned slightly, “Keep him... sleepy?” she said.

Celestia gave a single nod, “His strength is lethal. If we keep him sleepy, perhaps we can get some answers out of him without another fight.”

“I will station a few of my guards down in the dungeons too, we might need a medic too. That wound on his head could become infected if left,” Luna said as she took one last look at Bardac's body. By now the guards had collected his sword and shield and was slowly dragging him off down into the dungeons located in the bowels of the castle.

Celestia let out a long, tired sigh and muttered to herself, “I hope I haven't just made a mistake,” after all, she just witnessed what Bardac could do when backed into a corner, she just hoped that the guards down in the dungeon could keep him restrained.

About half an hour later, a colossal vibration shook through the castle, it felt as though an explosion had gone off in the depths of the castle itself. Celestia knew there was only one possible explanation for this and as she made a bee-line to the entrance of the dungeons, she saw a single guard coughing loudly near the door, “What happened?” Celestia asked urgently as she looked over the guard for any sign of injuries.

“Bardac,” coughed the guard as he shook his head a couple of times. His ears were still ringing loudly, “We tried taking the bags off around his waist. My partner got one but when he cut it open, this strange liquid drained out,” the guard explained before finally standing up straight, “Next thing I know... he blew the cell apart.”

Celestia didn't need to be told anymore, “Report to the barracks and get those cuts seen to,” she said said before heading off towards the direction of Bardac's cell. When she arrived she was met with a peculiar sight, Bardac had indeed blown his cell apart, but what she didn't expect to see was Bardac sitting on a nearby table, casually drinking from one of the bags that the guards had tried to take off of him, “What is the meaning of this!” demanded Celestia.

“They tried to steal my mead,” came Bardac's reply, perhaps a little too casual as he wiped his lips with the back of his hand then gestured to the four guards that he'd pulled from the rubble earlier, “Rule number one... never steal a Nord's mead.”

“A... Nord?” asked Celestia as she blinked rapidly, she never expected Bardac to seem so casual after all that had happened, though even in her thousands of years she'd never heard of such a creature as a Nord. Though turning her attention to the guards, she was pleased to see that none of them looked seriously hurt besides the odd cut, but as she got back to the matter of what to do with Bardac, one of the guards started to stir with a low groan.

Bardac looked down towards the guard and snorted loudly, “Serves you right... I warned you not to take it, but did you listen? No...” with a shake of his head, Bardac got off the table and approached the guard. However, he soon found himself completely unable to move.

“One more step and I'll blow you through the dungeon wall. It's over a thousand feet to the forest below,” spoke Celestia, her words as sharp as any sword.

With a sigh from his lips, Bardac called out with the power of his thu'um, “Feim!” and within a second, his body started to glow with a ghostly bluish-silver light, not only that, his body became completely see-through as he turned to face Celestia, “What ever you are thinking... I would not advise it.”

Celestia's eyes widened, she'd never encountered such magic before and even though her spell was in full effect, Bardac still managed to step forward towards her and when he did, she felt herself taking a step back, though why she didn't know, “What... who are you?” Celestia finally managed to say.

“I am Bardac, Nordic warrior of Skyrim,” replied Bardac as the effects of his Thu'um started to wear off, “Who are you?”

Celestia drew herself to stand in her most regal of postures, trying not to let her nerves get the better of her. It wasn't that she was afraid of Bardac, but the fear of the unknown had taken root inside her mind, “I am Princess Celestia, Co-ruler of Equestria and raiser of the sun.”

With a of his eyebrow, Bardac laugh, “Raiser of the sun? I find that hard to believe...” though a moment or two later, he added, “But I am standing here, talking to a horse... who has wings and a horn. Right now I will believe anything.”

“We're ponies,” responded Celestia, her own eyebrow raising slightly.

Bardac just shrugged and said, “Pony, horse... same thing. You both have four legs and eat apples.”

Celestia was about to reply when the dungeon filled with the sound of thunderous hooves against the stone floor followed by the call of, “Celestia! Are you okay?” the voice belonged to Luna and Bardac guessed he had about five seconds to act before he was overrun. He didn't like fighting in such confined quarters.

“Well, Princess Celestia. This is where we part ways... I will be back for my sword and shield in due time, but for now I would like to wait for things to... calm down. I bid you a good evening,” Bardac said as he stretched out with a sigh.

Celestia let out a dry laugh and replied, “What do you plan to do... go out the win—” but as she watched Bardac do exactly what she just said, her jaw dropped. The sound of shattering glass echoed through the dungeon and as she rushed up to the window-sill and looked down, the only thing she could see was the darkness of the forest, “Me and my big mouth...”

“Princess Celestia! Are you hurt?” called Light Flight as she landed and skidded to a halt, though when she saw Celestia's face which was still staring out the window, she could only come to one conclusion, “He went out the window, didn't he...” Light Flight groaned deeply.

Luna's expression went from concern to shock, “He did WHAT?!”

“Get a search party. Get that Nord back here at once,” commanded Celestia as she turned to head out of the dungeon, “Get those guards to a medic and... somepony fetch me a cup of tea...” Celestia huffed deeply.

Light Flight stood to attention as Celestia walked past, “Yes Princess,” she then turned to the platoon of guards that had followed them down, “Pegasi, I want a grid formation over that forest on the double. Unicorns, see if you can't trace his magic... let's move!” and with a single flap of her wings, Light Flight disappeared through the window and into the darkness below.

“Celestia! Wait!” called Luna as she emerged from the entrance of the dungeon and approached her sister who had stopped in the middle of the corridor, “What did you call him? A Nord?”

With a nod of her head, Celestia replied, “That is what he called himself, he also called himself a Nordic warrior of a place called Skyrim...” sighing, Celestia started down the corridor once again with Luna in tow, “Just before you arrived and he jumped out of the window, I had him held in my grasp.”

“Then... how did he jump out of the window?” Luna asked in confusion, “If you had him restrained, how did he escape?”

“Well that's just it...” Celestia said with a murmur, “He shouted.”

“Shouted?”

“Shouted...”

With a tilt of her head, Luna let out a worried sigh, “Just like he did outside with the stone. I wonder what other magic tricks he is hiding...”

Celestia shook her head slowly and said, “I do not know and I do not want to find out. But he is too dangerous and unpredictable to have running around Equestria.”

“But...” whispered Luna as she gave a quick look around to make sure she wasn't overheard, “The drop was over a thousand feet... what makes you think he survived the fall?”

“I cannot say for certain,” answered Celestia as she placed a wing over Luna's back, “But, if or when the guards find him, I hope he's in a reasonable mood...”

Two hours had passed since the guards had gone out searching for Bardac. Celestia had retired to her suite after lowering the sun while Luna, after raising the moon, had taken Celestia's place on the throne for the night time duties. The peace didn't last for long though as with a bright flash of light, one of the unicorn guards sent to look for Bardac returned, slumped on the floor, barely able to get to his hooves.

“Oh no...” sighed Luna as she got off the throne and approached the guard, though as she laid a wing on his back, she was shocked to discover he was ice cold, “What happened?”

“He... he was waiting for us. Ambushed us then disappeared in the forest,” the guard groaned as he finally gathered the strength to stand without the risk of falling, “Froze the entire group... I was on the outside so I only got hit lightly. He's dangerous, far more dangerous than we first thought.”

Luna frowned as she asked, “But... what of the pegasi? They would have been above him.”

The guard simply shook his head slowly, “I... I don't know, we were separated earlier. I haven't heard anything from their group,” though one by one, bright flashes were popping throughout the entire throne room.

The unicorn guards that were once down in the forest had finally thawed and gathered the strength to teleport into the throne room, much to Luna's dismay, “Celestia is not going to be happy about this...” she sighed before addressing a nearby servant, “Gather some tea and coffee. Perhaps something a little stronger to help these guards warm themselves up,” and as the servant bowed towards Luna and disappeared from sight, Luna too disappeared with a flash of her horn.

Celestia was enjoying a relaxing cup of tea in her suite, or at least she was until she heard an urgent knock on her door, “Enter,” Celestia called as she looked up from her book and as Luna entered, Celestia caught sight of the expression on her face, “Please tell me they found him...” Celestia said hopefully.

“They found him...” replied Luna, her voice taking a stony edge, “But he ambushed the unicorn group and froze them in place. No sign of the pegasus group of yet though. So there is still hope.”

With a groan, Celestia rose to stand before gazing out of her window at the forest below, “We don't know if he can fly or not, but since he did not possess wings, I am not sure he can... which means the pegasus group will have the advantage,” she said thoughtfully.

“We can only hope sister,” Luna said, “I must return to the throne room, in case the pegasus group returns. Rest well.”

As Luna left Celestia to her thoughts, Celestia remained staring down at the forest below, “Be safe, my guards...” Celestia murmured quietly to herself, “Be safe...”