'You know, I should really stop pasting out all the time. It's getting old.' I thought as I was drifting in the darkness of the void once again. First time I experienced it was when I arrived in this world and the second time was when I met Kathuet and the rest of the Dremora army.

Though this time I as knocked out because a giant muscular dog threw me around like a chew toy.

Were it not for Applejack and her amazing strength, I would actually be a chew toy for the dog. I mean, I know I am in a world of magic, but there was no way Applejack was that strong against the Diamond Dog. I then learned later that Earth ponies have this natural ability that allows them to be strong or something. I'm not good with pony biology. I also figured out that before the caribou invaded, she used to work at a farm in Ponyville. They were, not kidding you, apple farmers.

I groaned as I tried to open my eyes. A bright light assaulted my eyes, blinding me with all its.....brightness. I groaned as I felt the light hit my eyes. "Oh my Celestia, he's waking up!" A familiar feminine voice said in an exciting tone. I felt some footsteps coming near me and saw some shadows hovering over me under my eyelids. "Marcus, can you hear me?" Lyra questioned.

"Yeah." I crooked, my voice sounding like Gollum for a moment. I once again try to open my eyes, my vision becoming clearer now and adjusting to the light.

I was in a room at a hospital, that much was clear. I was laying down in a hospital bed with a few layers of sheet covering my body from the cold. There was a tray being held up on the side of the bed. On it was a small glass of water in front of me. I saw Lyra, Bon Bon, Applejack and Rarity standing over my bed with looks of both concern and relief on them. Well, leaning was more like it. The walls were a bland green with nothing interesting about them. Right next to me was a window that revealed sunlight. I could actually see the entire city from up here. By the look of it, it was afternoon. Or noon. I don't know what the natural time on this planet. I'm not good with time. To the left of me were other beds that were currently empty at the moment, although there were signs that they were used recently. The crumbled up sheets and a big spot on the middle of the bed told me they were used recently. Did the girls sleep in this room while I was unconscious?

"Are you alright, sugarcube?" Applejack said as she looked at me with concern on her face. I could tell from her facial features, like her ears being folded like that of a dog caught doing something bad. She thinks that this was her fault somehow. In truth, she saved my ass from being pummeled by a big ass diamond dog. Maybe she thinks that she caused for me being in my critical state.

"Water." I crooked out. Bon Bon was the one to respond to my request, as she quickly went into the bathroom three beds down. I heard the sound of water coming out of the facet. Some seconds later, Bon Bon came back with a plastic cup full of water. I quickly grabbed the cup from her hands, giving her a nod of thanks, and downed the water. The taste of water drank from the water that was rested near me. The cool refreshing taste of water made my way down my lips and my throat. In all but five seconds, the entire cup was empty before me. I felt the thirst from before leaving my throat. I was still thirsty "Thanks." I said, the feeling of my normal voice returning to me. I turned and gave the cup to Bon Bon and gave her a nod. As if reading my mind, she went back the bathroom and filled up the cup. "Where am I?" I questioned as she came back with a fresh cup of water once again.

"You're in Saint Gumdrop's Hospital for the Sick and Weary." Bon Bon was the first to say. I almost choked on my water when I heart the name of the place. I already knew I was in a hospital to begin with, it was no surprise. It was the founder's name I was having trouble with. Gumdrop? Really? How ridiculous are these pony names? "Applejack brought you back after you were unconscious." The doctors thought you would bleed out and die, that there was no way they could save you with all the broken bones and slashes across your body." I shuddered when she said that. Was I really a clump of broken bones? How was I even still alive at this point? "They thought you would slowly die from laceration wounds, but Xucruroth healed you back up with that strange magic of his." Ah, so that creepy motherfucker had some tricks up his sleeve, or staff if you want to be realistic about it.

"It was pretty amazing." Lyre interjected. "When he said he could heal you, we all thought he was joking or something. He then put his hand on you and light suddenly came out of it. The entire wounds on your body disappear!" She sounded like she was in awe of the entire event. "You were still unconscious though."

"How long was I out?" I asked.

"Three days at most." A new familiar voice said. The rest of us looked to see Xucruroth standing in the doorway with two Daedric guards. Right behind him was Storm Strider and Nightingale, both of them seemed relieved that I was alive. They all entered the room and stood at the corner of my bed. "You are most fortunate that I know some spells that mend broken bones." Before any more could be said, I heard screeching coming from the long hallway right next to my room. I heard a couple of ponies yelped and things crashing. Before anyone could figure out what the hell was going on, a small flying figure quickly entered the room. I recognized the form of Norm flying around the room. He then decided to land and perch on the table where my water was at. I moved it away right before he landed on the table. He looked at me with curiosity, turning his head sideways. I decided to scratch him on the head with my left hand. He gave a loud purr as I petted him.

I looked at my right arm and moved it around a little bit. While it did hurt like hell, the pain wasn't as bad as I originally thought. I was pretty damn amazed, to be honest. "Yeah. I can see that." I looked back at him. "What happened after I was unconscious? Did we win?" The fact that I and the mares were still alive right now might confirm my suspicions, but I wanted to make sure.

Storm Strider was the first one that spoke. "We won the battle. The caribou army retreated after General Lanius was killed." That was a huge relief on my part. The dude was scary as fuck in my opinion. I was surprised that he didn't come at me during the battle. Guess he thought I was a weakling or something. "I have never seen so many caribous running scared in my whole life. You should have seen there faces." She grinned. "Wish I was part of the battle though. Would have been a sight to behold. After the caribou retreated, the diamond dogs that attacked us earlier scurred back at there holes at some point. I suspect that the dragon might have something to do with that."

"Dragon?" I said in confusing. Come to think of it, I did see some sort of dragon flying around before I fell unconscious. I thought I was hallucinating because of all the blood loss.

"Oh, I guess I forgot to tell you about that," Xucruroth said nonchalantly. REALLY?!?!?! You forgot to tell me we had a fucking dragon this whole time?!?!?! Sometimes I think Xavier is trying to troll me. "We had a dragon tucked away in Gaia Alaia in case if things.....went wrong." He said so casually like it was a normal everyday thing.

I stared at him with as much speculation as one could muster. "Why did you not tell me this before?" How can someone forget that they had a dragon, a real-life dragon mind you, hidden in the Daedric realm and forgot about it? "Furthermore, since when did we have a dragon?"

He shrugged his shoulder plates. "You never asked before now."

"........"

"......."

I open my mouth before I closed it again several times. Damn, I gotta give that to him. I didn't really knew if we actually had a dragon to spare. "And to answer your question, a while now." Xavier continued. "Before the Nords overthrew their dragon masters, Dagon wanted some dragons for himself for the future conquest of Nirn. So he sent his agents to gather as many dragon eggs as possible. In fact, I was actually on one of the missions myself."

"Really?" I said in a quizzical voice. "Did he succeed?" I don't remember encountering any dragons during my playthrough of Oblivion. Unless I missed it in some way, like a hidden easter egg.

"In a way." He answered. "Unfortunately, all but one of the eggs exploded when we got back the Daedric realm of the Deadlands. Mehrunes Dagon was not pleased with how things turned out. He pinned all the blame on me. That is how I was sent to Gaiar Alata in the first place."

Ouch. Talk about having the worst job ever. "So, where is this dragon now?"

He shrugged. "Before we could capture it again, he flew away. I already have scouts searching for him as we speak."

My heart literally stopped when he said the dragon is gone. Now I have to deal with both an army of rapist led by a mad king and a fucking wild Daedric dragon.

Maybe I should have stayed dead.

"It was something, I'll tell you what." Storm said as she started to talk. "That dragon was breathing fire like there was no tomorrow. I swear, I think the caribou were collectively shitting themselves when they saw the dragon." She smiled like she was thinking about it. "Most of the city was on fire during the dragon's rampage, but we managed to stow the fires after the battle thanks to the local Pegasi community. No one was hurt on our side, thank Celestia." That was a relief to hear. I was worried that the dragon might have hurt some people. "Not only that, but after that little scare, everyone thinks that you were that dragon."

"Really?" I questioned.

Bon Bon opened her mouth as of to say something, but she was interrupted by Lyra. "It was amazing!" She nearly yelled. "That dragon was like "RAWR", and then the caribou were like "AHH. A DRAGON!"" At this point, her hands were flying all over the place as if she lost control of her limbs. "And then the dragon swooped down and breathed fire and General Lanius was like-" Before you should say anything more, her mouth was cover by Bon Bon's left hand, making the rest of the words more like muffled nonsense.

"ANYWAY," She started to say. "Everypony thinks that you transformed into a dragon at some point and turned the tide of the battle." Lyra tried to keep talking despite having Bon Bon's hand covering her mouth. "You then grabbed Lanius and carried him off. Some say that you ate him in that state." Wait, Lanius was killed by a dragon? I didn't want to believe it at first. I mean, a motherfucker that calls himself the 'Butcher of Baltimare' doesn't die that easy.

"Was he killed by a dragon?" I asked. I don't believe for one second that he was dead.

"He is." Xucruroth said. "I have the dragon bring him to me before he could get away. I killed him myself." Now I definitely believe that he was now dead. If you fuck with Xavier, your asking to be fucked back in the ass, brutally and painfully. To be honest with you, I didn't want to face that crazy fucker anytime during the battle. It was like asking for my ass to be kicked.

"That's not even the best part." Storm Strider said. "The clans from different cities are scared of you now that King Dainn's best general was killed. Hell, there was even talk that King Dainn himself is running scared of you, and trying to convince the clans that he will handle it."

"You said something about clans. Aren't the caribou like......united?" I asked.

She shook her head. "Not necessarily." She said. "During the days after the Fall, we captured some caribou that have managed to give us information on their organization. They have separate clans occupying different parts of Equestria. Currently, we are in the Stonehoof territory. The other major clans that occupy different parts of Equestria are the Frost Wolves, Iron Hand, Horned Gods, and Bear Claw. They aren't technically united, but they do follow their king without question." This was something that was new to me. I was kind of hard to imagine that the caribou aren't really a united force and that they are more divided than I originally thought. This was good. If I could get to their so-called king and kill him, then the clans would turn against each other. This would leave my army sweeping across Equestria and the rest of their empire with little to no competition.

I didn't think it was going to be this easy. Then I realized that I have to draw him out somehow. Now that the rumors of me killing his top general have spread like wildfire, I doubt he would come out and challenge me. "So what your saying is that if I somehow defeated Dainn, his clans would turn on each other?" I asked, wanting to confirm this with the resistance leader.

She put her one of her index fingers on her lips, her face deep in thought. "It is a possibility." She said. "The clans aren't particularly loyal to King Dainn, but they do rever him as some sort of god after defeating Celestia. Killing him would put as much scare into them and turn on each other." In short, it was actually going to be easier to defeat Dainn and the other caribou tribes that occupy's Equestria. "Problem is, he never leaves Canterlot Castle after the Fall. Seiging it now might take forever now that he knows how he is dealing with. I also heard some rumors that he's pulling back some of his armies to deal with you." She smirked at me. "You're becoming really popular by the minute."

"Hold on," Applejack interrupted. "If we do kill Dainn, and that assumes we do, Equestria could be in much more danger than we thought. The clans could go wild and destroy Equestria." I could see something else in her eyes. A kind of desperation of sorts. "Not to mention that some of our family members are in those areas as well." Well shit, that was another thing to think about. If I do kill King Dainn somehow, the remaining clans would rebel and tear Equestria anew one. Not to mention the peo-ponies will suffer if that happens. I don't want any more innocent blood being spilled because of me. I need to be smart about this.

"We will defeat them." Xavier said. "But we need to be smart about it. Killing Dainn will be no easy task. We can kill Dainn if we want, but we may need the clan's loyalty to do that."

"What are you saying?" I said as I started to move my hands to the tray and pushed it away from me, making Norm fly away from me and landing on an empty bed next to me. He looked at me with those dark beady eyes. I pulled the sheet away from me to see what damage is on my body. I was completely naked beside in a hospital nightgown I am wearing.

"Most of these clans don't like Dainn." Xavier went on to say. "In fact, most of them would see him dead, but they don't want to kill him. They think that he is a reincarnation of some god they worship." He scoffed. "Barbarians would believe a shit is made by a god. Anyway, We need to prove to him that he is not a god at all."

"By doing what, exactly?" I questioned him. I swung my feet over the edge of the bed by this point. I propped myself up and started to stand. I was a little wobbly on the first footing and almost fell face first onto the floor. I flailed around like an idiot. Before my face could even say hello to the floor, Applejack grabbed me by my left and helped me up. I nodded to her in thanks.

"Simple: We draw Dainn out of his castle and challenge him to a duel." Xavier said like it was the simplest thing. "We will show the rest of their clans that their leader is not a god as they want them to believe."

That was.....a fully thought out plan for once. "But can't I just kill him when he is in my sights?" I asked as I stand once again, and pushing Applejack away from me. I was able to stand once again without my knees giving out. "Like, can't I just like.....ambush him before he could come and face me?"

Xavier shook his head. "You can, but the other clans think that you are dishonorable and try to destroy you, even if Dainn is gone. You have to show him that he isn't a god as everyone believes he is." That sounded like a good plan if anything. While my inner instincts told me that I should kill this bastard the moment I see him, I think trying to humiliate him might be the best option. If I can defeat Dainn in single combat, then I can show those clans that he isn't an immortal being.

"Wait," I turned my head towards Storm Strider, realized something that she said. "you said Dainn doesn't come out of his castle, correct?" She nodded. "Then how do we get him out of the castle if he's never been outside."

"Simple." Xavier said. "We'll keep finding these "Elements of Harmony" wielders and hope that they haven't been broken yet. We already have three of the elements so far, but the other three are still out there. I already sent spies in some possible locations a few days ago. After we find them, we will assault the Crystal Empire and destroy this so-called "Crystal Cock." The last part he added with malice and contempt. "There sorcery is a joke if anything. If any Daedric Princes were to hear of this, they would wipe these pathetic creatures from the face of the earth."

I raised an eyebrow at the mention of this "Crystal Empire" and "Crystal Cock", more so at the mention of the "Crystal Cock." Seriously, are these guys really so inept that they named their magical device the Crystal Cock? Can't they name it something that's a little more evil like Magical Mind Controler of Doom? I swear, the caribou have no sense of courtesy whatsoever. "What's a Crystal Empire?" I questioned, trying to bright the question out to distract myself.

Before Storm said something, the sound of heavily armored boots coming towards my room interrupted her. After a few moments, a Dremora came running into the room, his dialect switching to Daedric language. Xavier turned to the runner and begun to speak in the Daedric dialect. I didn't know what the hell they were saying, but from the sound of the Dremora breathing heavily, it sounded important. The rest of the ponies turned to me for an explanation, like I knew what they were talking about. I shrugged, having no idea what they were talking about.

Once they were finished talking, the Dremora saluted and left the room. Xavier then turned to me. "It seems Kathuet is back from his raid, and he's brought back something special."

Oh yeah, I just realized that the only two beings that aren't here to see me was Kathuet and Venom. "Where's Venom and Kathuet?" I questioned Xavier. Even after the battle, I haven't seen these two for a while. Hell, they aren't here to even see me. Actually, Tirek wasn't even here either. I kind of get why Tirek wouldn't come here. That fucker was big as a bulldozer. I think he would demolish half the building if he ever stepped inside.

"Kathuet had gone out on several raids after you were unconscious." He said. "He had managed to secure some supplies for us and save some slaves along the way as per your request." Good on him. "He's also captured some caribou along the way. We sent them to the dungeons for now, along with some stallions that had......'lost it' during the first week." I raised and eyebrow when mentioned the stallions 'losing it'. My guess is that whatever magic was in the air was making the stallions mad or something. "As for Venom, she down at the tavern on the lower side of the city, probably getting drunk as usual." Yep, that sounded like her alright. There was this one time she actually showed up drunk during our training session, a few weeks before the attack on Ponyville. She then asked me to attack her and I did, defeating her easily. Of course, the morning after that, she got revenge on me by making me run ten miles through the darkest and most dangerous corner of the Everfree Forest.

With nothing but my underwear.

I shuddered at that moment. "So, what's this special package he brought back?" Applejack said. I was wondering what type of "special package" he brought back. Maybe someone important, like one of the Elements? Or a weapon we can use against the caribou?

"I do not know the exact details, but he says that he wants to "unveil" it in front of Marcus. Said it was a 'surprise'." He said, quoting two fingers up to emphasize his point. "I suggest getting out of that gown and go see that Kathuet has planned. While I would love to join you, I have some.....important projects that require my attention." He bowed his head. "It is good to see you back again, Marcus. Farewell." He then exited out of the room with two of his guards in tow.

"This 'gift' must be very important if Kathuet wants you to view it." Strom commented as she turns her head to me. "I'll go see what all this commotion is about." She motioned for her own guards to come with her as she walked out of the room. "Oh, and its good to see that you are alright." She said as she soon out of sight of my vision.

The entire room was empty save for Bon Bon, Lyra, Rarity, Applejack, and my falcon.

There was silence for a few seconds before I started to stretch my back, hearing some bones pop and feeling them back into place. I turned to them, decide that it was time to ask. "Why did you do it?"

"Come again?" Bon Bon said, know exactly what it is I am talking about.

"I think you know." I said to them. At that moment, their ears drooped down while they're eyes turned down. I got to admit, they were downright adorable if I wasn't angry at them. "You all not only stole some armor from the Dremora, you unwilling went into battle. Just what the hell were you thinking?!?!?" The thing you have to understand is that I am trying to put everyone out of harm's way as possible. That means putting civilians, and ponies, out of the battles and into somewhere safe. Granted, the underground in the city was not the smartest place to put them, especially when those Diamond Dogs started to attack. It was either out of luck or stupidity that kept the dogs from discovering the ponies in the first place. They were also lucky that they all focused on me and my forces, to begin with.

Silence reigned again as each of the mares reflected on my question. "We just wanted to help you." Bon Bon was the first to speak up. She looked at me with her cream-colored eyes. "We know that you can handle yourself, but....."

"A lot of us have some stakes here." Applejack said firmly. "Like I said back during your wrestle with the diamond dog, me and the rest of the gals have been victims of the Fall for far too long. We've been beaten, raped, humiliated, and thrown out like some discarded toy. We want to fight back, instead of letting someone fight our own battles." I could see some fire in her eyes as she spoke. "I lost Granny Smith to those bastards so its high time I start to pay them back."

"We are with Applejack on this one." Lyra said as she held Bon Bon's hand. "They took out lives away from us, so its high time we take it back."

"While I don't like fighting on my part," Rarity said as she chimed in. "I would personally try to support you all the way. I would love nothing more than to fucking kill any caribou I see for what they did to Spiky-Wiky! I'll make sure to cut off the fur of every caribou I see and make a sweater" Everyone, including me, looked at Rarity like she grew a second head then murdered that head and acted like it never happened. I don't think I ever heard her use profanity before. She seemed like the more posh-type of person. It's kind of weird.

She readjusted her mane. "What?" She asked. "I can swear too."

"What Rarity is trying to say," Bon Bon said after an awkward moment. "is that all of us here like you as a friend, and and we hate to see you hurt yourself over us. Friends don't let other friends fight each battle alone." She said with a sincere look on her face, showing that she cared for me.

Now, I ain't one for a pity party (Pinkie Pie throws those around since the caribou routed from Equestria. Very good party. I recommend going to one). While I was grateful for Applejack coming to the rescue and all, she almost put her and the others in harm's way. I wanted nothing more than to breathe them, tell them that they can't fight in this war I started. It was too risky, and there was a huge, HUGE chance that I may not come back the same after that. I don't want that happening to the girls. I mean, they'd already been through enough shit as it is. The last thing I want them to do is to fight in the army.

However........

They have been through so much and endured much as well. They have been beaten, raped and humiliated to the point of breaking. That is something that you can't come back to, or forget in this case. Applejack mentioned how she lost someone named "Granny Smith" during the Fall. I could tell that it was a family member she loved dearly. I can understand why she was angry. After my grandpa died, I did cry over it. My grandpa was a very good man. He was hard working and provided much for my father when he was young like me. He would use to tell stories about his great-grandfather who was a tank driver during the time when Isreal was at constant war with several of its neighbors like Egypt and Jordan,

Plus, whenever we visited him, he would give me and my brother some candy from around the world. He traveled around the world a lot, so he would buy some candy for us.

Still, that gives them no excuse to put themselves in harm's way for me. "I know you all want to help me out on this fuck fest I'm in," I told them bluntly. "but I can't let you." They tried to voice their concerns, but I held up my hand to stop them. "This isn't up for debate. I know you lost everything to the caribou, but you have to think of yourselves for once. What would happen if any of you died?" I let that question hang in the air. They opened their mouths several times but nothing came out. "All of you have something to live for, wither they be family or friends. As for me, I got nothing to lose." That was a total lie. If there was a small chance that there was some sort of spell or whatever to get me back home, then that's good enough for me. "Besides," I look to Rarity and Applejack. "the city needs to recover, and who better to lead them than the Elements?"

They all gave me looks of concern. They were definitely caring of me, which I respect in a way. I could see it in there eyes that they want to help me out. Maybe I might indulge them in doing that in the future. Applejack certainly is strong to lift anything heavy, so maybe she might be of use to me........

A nurse walked into my room with my clothes being held in her hand. She laid them down on the bed next to me and told me that my clothing was pressed and cleaned. She then left the room. "Now if you'll excuse me, I need to get dress." I announced. They nodded and went out of the room, with only Lyra and Bon Bon look at me for a second before they left.

With them gone, I stretched before I started to strip out of the hospital nightgown and into my regular clothes. Once I finished fashing my laces on my shoe, I started to walk out of the room. Norm flew and landed on my shoulder. I smiled as I walked past the halls of the hospital and into the main door of the building.

As I exited the building, one thought came to my mind. 'I wonder what this "surprise" Kathuet has?

Author's Notes:

In the words of a wise master: "Kept you waiting, huh?"

Sorry for the long delay. I got no excuse other than college and a job. Hopefully, you'll enjoy this chapter.