"Ready the archers!" I looked back for a second, and saw about two hundred Imperial archers raise their bows.
"Aim at target, on my mark!" The Praefect roared, "Fire!"
A wave of flaming arrows left the bows, and rained down on the city of Whiterun. The Plains District was lit aflame by the arrows hitting the roofs of houses and citizens and Stormcloak defenders. I grimaced as I heard screams of women and children burning alive, but I marched onto the walls.
"Ready the battering ram!" The battering ram was put up against the door, and Imperial soldiers pulled back the wooden ram. They let it go, and it buckled from the impact. Arrows rained down on us, but still we beat the door.
"Onager rounds inbound!" Someone screamed, and I turned back, and saw flaming pots filled with oil rain down on the walls and the city inside. I'll give it to the Stormcloaks; they know how to keep order in a burning city.
Finally, the door succumbed to the relentless beatings of the battering ram. We ran inside the city, and found Stormcloak defenders waiting for us.
"Charge," the Praefect shouted, "For the Empire!" We screamed as we brandished our swords and spears and charged at the Stormcloaks.
Adrenaline was pumping through my veins as we hit the Stormcloaks initially. I raised my sword, and brought it down on a Stormcloak shoulder. It lodged itself deep, and blood spurted from the wound. The Stormcloak screamed, and I dragged it out of his shoulder and slashed at his neck. His head rolled off of his body seamlessly.
Another Stormcloak charged at me, eager to avenge his friend. I brought up my shield, and blocked his Warhammer attack. It buckled my knees, but I kicked at his shins, and brought him down. I brought up my sword, and drove it into his eyehole. He screamed for the first few seconds, but stopped.
I drew out my sword, and looked elsewhere. The Imperial infantry, along with the support of the Auxilia, easily threw back the initial Stormcloak defenses. The battering ram continued to the second gate, and began to beat at the door when we finished off the last Stormcloak.
"Hastati," the Praefect yelled, "Take up the front! Principes, take up support! Auxilia, take the rear!"
"Yes sir!" I yelled with the others, and, being a Hastati, took up the front of the battering ram. The ram retreated from the door, and slammed into the door. The door buckled, but did not collapse. My anxiety built up with each strike, as the real fight would soon begin.
Suddenly, the door crumbled from one last strike from the ram. The door to Whiterun was finally open. We charged inside, and threw javelins into the air, hoping to take out an unlucky Stormcloak.
We ran into the city, screaming shouts of death to Ulfric and to the Stormcloaks, as Stormcloak cavalry flanked us. The horses ran straight through us, and their spears ran through several men.
It was mass confusion around the gates. We were caught completely off guard. The Stormcloaks had shown their hand, and we were unprepared.
A horse went straight for me. The rider smirked, and lowered his spear, so that it would go straight through my chest. I bent my knees, and whirled my steel sword with my hand. Once the horse drew near, I rolled out of the way. The spear got a glancing blow to my right arm, enough to make it bleed.
I slashed at the horse, and cut its leg clear off. It whinnied and threw the rider off as it fell to the street and died. I ran straight at the rider, and bashed her head with my shield. Not done, I slashed my sword across her neck, and watched the blood leak out of her body.
I turned, and saw a Stormcloak bring a Warhammer to my legs, tripping me and brining me to the ground. He was about to finish me off, when the heavens themselves seemed to split.
Hundreds, no, thousands of dragons went flying through the gash in the sky and rained fire and destruction on Whiterun. Stormcloaks and Imperials joined together in an unannounced truce to kill the dragons. Imperial onagers and Stormcloak ballistae fired at the dragons, bringing down a few dozen.
Hundreds of Imperial and Stormcloak archers sent flaming arrows into the sky, claiming more dragons. Those still on the ground with no ranged weapons merely stood and watched, until someone, no one knows who, started fighting again. The battle reignited, even with thousands of dragons battling both sides.
I took defensive formations with my detachment, and we raised our shields against Stormcloak attacks. Sweat was beading from my brow as the Stormcloaks brought down battleaxes, swords and great swords, maces and Warhammers against our shields. We attacked around our shields, and soon Stormcloak bodies littered the area around the abandoned battering ram.
When all seemed to descend into Oblivion, it seemed that more than dragons came from the split sky. What looked like chariots drawn by angels, carrying female and male warriors, some with horns on their heads, came from the sky, and down into Whiterun.
"Men," the Praefect yelled, "Take them down!"
I shouted my approval as I finished off another Stormcloak, and we pushed on through their ranks to combat with the foreign warriors. I was running on fumes and adrenaline, but I had never felt so alive. I yearned to spill more blood for the Empire, to put down Ulfric Stormcloak and his little rebellion and unite Skyrim once and for all.
We came onto them in the Wind District, and our first contact wasn't too friendly. We attacked them ferociously, even the Principes, who were farther back, attacked them.
I had just slit one's throat, when one with what looked like rainbow hair flowing with the wind stopped us by using a wall of fire to separate us. She had a horn, as well as wings. I figured there was a first time for everything, I guess.
"They're using magic!" I screamed, "Get the Mages up here! Take them out!"
"No," she yelled, "You will not harm us anymore. I am Princess Celestia of Equestria, and I demand you stop this assault or face the consequences!"
Someone shouted at her why, and she responded with, "A great disaster is about to come upon this land. I am the harbinger of this message, as I have seen what this disaster will do."
"And what disaster is this?" I asked, "Nothing can be more disastrous than the Aldmeri Dominion, the Stormcloaks, even Alduin and the dragons! Why, the Empire has never been so threatened since its beginning!"
"That is exactly what I mean," Celestia said, "This disaster will be worse than this Alduin and the Aldmeri Dominion! This disaster, if it goes on as I have seen, will destroy all life in the land!"
"Someone get General Tullius!" I said, and the Praefect rode off on his horse to General Tullius to bring him up. Celestia brought down the firewall, and the Equestrian warriors mingled with the Imperials, but the Stormcloaks had cowered, and ran to consolidate their forces around Jorrvaskr, the Eastern Wind District and Cloud District, where they were holding the Imperial-supporting Jarl Balgruuf the Greater.
Six of them came straight up and mingled with the Imperial troops, particularly me, who they saw as our leader. As I would learn later, their names were Rainbow Dash, Twilight Sparkle, Fluttershy, Rarity, Applejack and Pinkie Pie. They had the skin of a human, but their hair was not like anything I had ever seen. Their hair was any and every color, from gray and black, to blue and pink and purple.
They wore little armor, leaving bare skin across much of their bodies. Apart from the breastplates, armor piece, gauntlets, boots and steel helmets, they wore bare skin, leaving very little to the imagination about what their bodies looked like under the armor. Their eyes were different from what I was used to as well, as their eye color was very resembling to their hair color or the exact same color. Also, on the breastplates, above the left breastplate, there was a signature mark which distinguished each set of armor.
All wore these sets of armor, except for the horned ones, which wore mage's robes, which left much more to the imagination, as they were loose-fitting. They also had the mark, although it was stitched on, over the left breast.
"I imagine you are a leader figure," the horned one they called Twilight Sparkle said, "They seem to listen to what you say."
"No," I said, "I am the lowest of the low, only a Hastati among thousands in the Imperial Army."
"Tell me more about this Empire," she said, "I am curious to know more."
"This Empire began with the uprising of Cyrodilic human slaves against the Ayleid, which had been oppressing us for centuries." I began, "We were led Alessia, who was known as the Slave Queen. She was our first Empress; she was given the Amulet of Kings from Akatosh, the Dragon God of Time. Over time, our Empire grew from a small city-state in modern-day Cyrodiil in the south to include much of the continent of Tamriel, including Skyrim, where we are now."
"And what of these Stormcloaks," she asked, "They seem to be an enemy of the Empire."
"Those Stormcloaks," I said, spitting on the ground, "Are the scum of the land. They think they are better than the Empire, and think Skyrim should be ruled by the Nords, the native race of Skyrim. Led by Ulfric Stormcloak, former Jarl of the Fortress of Windhelm, and High King of Skyrim, forced us out of Skyrim five years ago. Since then, we have been consolidating strength, and have mounted an invasion."
"So," she said, "You are winning this war?"
"We were," I said, "Until the Redguards to the southwest declared war. With them, the damned Stormcloaks and the Aldmeri Dominion, the Empire has never had so many enemies."
"And how has the Emperor dealt with these threats?" She asked, "I'm curious to see what is going on in this land, so I can infer what will happen when this disaster strikes."
"What kind of disaster will happen to Tamriel?" I asked, "I have seen many disasters strike Tamriel in the past five years."
"I don't know," she said, "But I know it will be far worse."
"Speaking of dragons," I asked, "Why did you bring dragons here?"
"Because we cannot control them, they just followed us." Twilight said. At that moment, an arrow barrage came down on us, and we scattered. The Praefect ordered us to head up and rout the rest of the Stormcloaks, no formation, no nothing. He wanted to see how the Equestrians fought, and this was a perfect chance.
I grabbed my sword, and ran up the stairs to Dragonsreach, the Palace of the Jarl of Whiterun. The Stormcloaks had set up barriers, and coated the stairs in flammable oil. Once I saw one drop a match, I jumped down into a water pool surrounding the Palace. The heat of the fire burned my back as the water turned to steam.
The pain was indescribable, worse than having a sword slice your arm off. I screamed out in pain, tears running down my face.
Hearing my scream, three Stormcloaks dropped down into the empty pool, and unsheathed their weapons. Grimacing in pain, I stood up, and grabbed my sword.
"Alright," I said, "Who's first?" A Stormcloak ran towards me, and I ran into him, bashing my shield into his chest. With him down, another Stormcloak tried to get me from behind. I turned around quick as an arrow, and deflected his strike from the battleaxe he was wielding.
I kicked him back, and turned to see the final Stormcloak come at me, war axe in hand. I rolled out of the way of his hack, and sliced at his side. I smirked as his insides came spilling out, and he went to the floor with a pool of blood surrounding him.
"Next," I said, whirling my sword, forgetting the burns on my back. The first Stormcloak was back, and he slashed at my shield arm. I brought my shield up, and deflected the blow. I swung my sword around my shield, and caught his arm. He screamed in pain, and I drove the sword into his neck. I dragged it out before he fell to the ground.
The final Stormcloak standing, with the battleaxe, charged at me. He brought the axe up, and swung at me. I jumped back as it lodged itself into the floor. Seeing it was futile trying to pull it out of the ground, he brandished a dagger, and stayed where he was, waiting for me to make my move.
I charged at him, shield up front, and sword raised, ready to slice his head off. He brought the dagger up, and parried my attack. I gripped my shield harder, and smacked his helmet with the sharp edge of the shield. He staggered back, one hand on the side of his head where I smacked him with my shield.
"Last mistake," I said, driving my sword into his chest, "Filthy Stormcloak." I kicked him back, freeing my sword from his chest. I cracked my neck, and climbed back onto the staircase.
The Imperials, aided by the Equestrians, had pushed the Stormcloaks back into Dragonsreach. I climbed up, and found Twilight Sparkle running up the stairs.
"Are you alright?" She asked, seeing the burns on my back.
"Yes, I'll be fine," I said, but went down to my knees after another surge of pain.
"Here, let me help you." She said, and her horn lit up in a purple light, and the pain in my back was gone.
"I didn't know you knew that kind of magic," I said, "Knowing that you are a warrior mage, I thought you would've known the School of Destruction, and not Restoration."
"What are you talking about?" She asked, "I don't know what you mean of these Schools of Magic."
"In Tamriel," I said, "There are five Schools of Magic: Alteration, Destruction, Restoration, Conjuration and Illusion. Many mages in war know Alteration, Destruction or Restoration, but since you were just fighting, I though you only knew Destruction spells."
"Not in Equestria," she said, "There is just magic, no divisions."
"Alright," I said, "Let's go to the Palace."
"Did you do that down there?" She asked, running beside me and seeing the empty pool.
"Yes," I said, "I am one of the best individual fighters in the Centuria." I replied, as we came into the Great Hall, where the Praefect, General Tullius and Princess Celestia were confronting Jarl Vignar Gray-Hair.
"Vignar Gray-Mane, Jarl of Whiterun," General Tullius said, "Surrender the city and hold of Whiterun to the Imperial 4th Legion, or face the consequences."
"And why should I do that, Imperial?" Vignar said in a hoarse voice, "I'm already dying, and you killed most of the citizens with that onager barrage. Who is there left to kill, General?"
"I could crucify you," Tullius said, "All your family members, the rest of the surviving Stormcloaks, and every other damned citizen in the city and hold, lining the way to Solitude."
Vignar pondered his choices, rubbing his white beard, and said finally, "Alright, I surrender."
"Alright then," Tullius said, "Men, take Jarl Gray-Hair, the highest ranking Stormcloak officer alive, and the most outspoken Stormcloak supporter in the city and crucify them in front of the gates."
I know I might have thrown you right into the story, but I think I would've wasted time if I started with the siege of Markarth and Solitude, so I thought Whiterun would be a good starting point, especially since everyone who has played Skyrim knows Whiterun like the back of their hand. The next chapter will be mostly characterization about Pliton mixing with the Mane 6, but it won't last long. Please leave a review for me so that I can change anything.