When I awoke, I was in a green pasture, untouched by war. I was on a blanket, and was eating some of the most succulent food I have ever eaten. I was with a beautiful woman, and she was watching me eat. When she saw me looking at her, she crawled over to me, and stroked my neck lovingly.
"Are you still hungry, my love?" She said, getting closer to me, "I have anything you want."
"I'm fine," I said, "Where am I?"
"You are in the realm of the afterlife," She said, "All Equestrians who die, come to here to enjoy their eternal life. Since you are from Tamriel, but died in Equestria, you are considered Equestrian."
"Where is Twilight?" I asked, "I need to go back, I need to fight, and…"
"Shush yourself," She said, putting two fingers on my lips, "You need not worry about what goes on below. You are dead, you cannot go back. Everything will soon leave your mind about the mortal realm, and you will remain here for eternity." She leaned in, and kissed my lips tenderly. I kissed back, but remembered Twilight and Rainbow Dash, and how they needed me. I retracted from the kiss, and looked her in the eye.
"No," I said, "I need to go back; I was not ready to die!"
"You will stay here!" She screamed, tackling me and holding me down on the ground, "I will not allow you to go back!" Her face transformed from a beautiful maiden with glowing yellow hair to a deformed figure, with three eyes, all piercing red, and four arms.
"I will make sure you will not leave!" She screamed, "You cannot leave, you are dead!"
"My friends need me!" I shouted, wishing for a Daedric Sword. One materialized in my hand, and I slashed at the beast's chest. She screamed, and punched me in the side of the head.
"How dare you strike me!" She said, "I give you paradise, and this is how you repay me?"
I rolled, and got up. I lunged forward, and slashed my sword across one of her arms. The arm came off, and the blood that leaked from her body boiled the grass. She screeched, and I saw as weapons materialized in her three remaining arms.
She ran at me, and clashed a sword with my Daedric Sword. Sparks flew, and she spat blood in my face. I stepped back, and saw as another Daedric Sword materialized in my other hand.
"You angered the wrong Imperial." I said, smirking. I ran towards her, and swung my sword at her sword. She slashed at me with a war axe, but I deflected the attack, and disarmed her war axe. I turned, breaking from the sword lock, and sliced her other arm off.
"I will send your soul to Oblivion!" She screamed, dropping her swords, and making a Daedric Warhammer from dirt. She ran at me, and swung the business end at me. It hit me in the side, and brought me to the ground.
She brought the hammer up, and brought it down. I rolled out of the way, and kicked her in the groin. She back up, and I jumped up. I attacked with one sword, and whirled around her as I attacked with my other sword. I was too fast for her with the Warhammer, as I attacked her every time she left herself exposed.
I slashed at her chest again, and she fell to her knees. She looked up to me, and asked why I attacked her.
"Because I am not dead," I said, "You wouldn't have attacked me." I made my swords an x-shape around her neck, and pulled my arms apart. The body turned from the ugly behemoth to a black unicorn with decaying skin, and a rotting horn. Her eyes turned from bright yellow to dark green.
As her body turned, the world around me faded, and turned slowly into a blank concrete room, but then medical equipment materialized.
I was on a table, and I saw three Unicorn mages hard at work replacing my hands and feet, and repairing my insides.
"Where am I?" I asked, "Where's Twilight, and Rainbow Dash?"
"He's awake," one of the Unicorns said, "We need to put him under anesthesia. Doctor Whooves, if you will." A brown Earth Pony with darker brown hair came with a needle, and poked into my bicep.
"No!" I said, shoving him back, "I need to see Twilight! I need to… see if… she's… alright…" I then slipped back into unconsciousness, and I dreamt of a better world.
In the world, I was in a small town, with a large Town Hall, and a library carved from a tree. I was sitting in the square, with Twilight, and three children. The children were laughing, and I watched them, with my arm around Twilight. The children were a mix of Imperial and Equestrian, with two being Unicorns, and one looking just like me, only with light purple skin, and black hair with a streak of purple. He had light green eyes, and he was already my favorite.
"I'm glad you decided to come with us," Twilight said, "It was best for you, and for me."
"That's great," I said, kissing her cheek. I looked to my left, and saw Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy, with a small little Unicorn girl, with navy blue skin, and yellow hair. They both looked to me, and waved. I nodded in greeting, and they came over to the blanket we were sitting on.
"Having fun?" Fluttershy asked the children, "Would you like Diamond Dancer to play with you?"
"Yeah, Aunt Fluttershy, that would be great!" One of the kids said, and the Unicorn came over, and they started to play.
"I'm so happy Diamond Dancer plays well with your fillies," Fluttershy said, "I hoped they would, because she was adopted, and…"
"Don't say anymore, Fluttershy," I said, "I made sure the kids would mix well with you two and any fillies you decide to adopt. Isn't it what friendship is all about?"
"Yes it is, sweetie," Twilight said, nuzzling into my shoulder, "Do you think your family misses you?"
"Definitely," I said, "I'm sure they miss me terribly. I just feel so bad about lying about my death."
"It needed to be done," Twilight said, "They wouldn't let you leave alive. Especially with us Equestrians, from what you told me, they wanted you to stay in Cyrodiil, even though you wanted to go to High Rock. They wouldn't let you go there, let alone another dimension."
Rainbow Dash, who was playing with the kids –or fillies as I had just called them– stopped, and walked over to where we were talking, and sat down next to us.
"So," she said, "What are we talking about?"
"Oh," I said, "My family back in Tamriel."
"Maybe we can go back," she said, "Besides, I think the Legion would need you, especially since you were promoted to Legate."
"Yeah," I said, "Especially with the Almderi…" As soon as I said that word, the world faded away.
"No, no, no!" I said, as Twilight, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash and the kids faded away, along with the town, and the world around me. "Don't leave me! Twilight, don't leave!"
I opened my eyes in a cold sweat, and saw that the operation was over. My body was scrupulously clean, and there wasn't a single scratch or scar I could see. The one they called Doctor Whooves was sitting next to my bed, and looked up from a clipboard when he heard me scream.
"Calm down," he said, putting his hand on my shoulder, "Everything's all right. Twilight is right outside. What's wrong?"
"Uh," I stuttered, "I, it must have been hallucinations."
"The anesthesia does that," he said, writing down something on his clipboard, "Well, there's no need to keep you here. You're free to go, Tribune."
I nodded, and got out of the bed. I saw that I was in hospital gowns, with no pants. I immediately covered my genitals, and asked for some clothes. The doctor got me some normal robes, and told me I could leave.
I walked out of the door, and saw Twilight sitting in a chair outside the door. She looked up to me, and her expression lifted immediately.
"Pliton, you're alive!" She said, jumping into my arms, "Oh, I was so worried! When you passed out inside Oblivion, I thought you were dead!"
"I wasn't dead," I said, "I was in a realm, where a maiden was feeding me, where I was forgetting the mortal realm, and all things concerned with it."
"That," she said, letting go of me and gasping, "Must've been Queen Chrysalis, queen of the Changelings. She is a master wizard and enchantress; she can make you forget about somepony who was standing right in front of you. What did you do to her?"
"I," I said, looking into her violet eyes, "I beheaded her. She turned into an Orc-like figure, with four arms, like Mehrunes Dagon, who I fought with Rainbow Dash in Oblivion."
"That means she must be dead," She said, "Pliton, we need to get to the castle, Princess Luna needs to speak with you, they told me whenever you woke up."
I nodded, and we walked hurriedly off. I let my hands hang loosely by my side, but was captivated as she took my hand, and held it in her own. I looked to her, and she looked back. She blushed, and she let go of my hand.
"I'm sorry," she said, "That was unprofessional."
"To change the subject," I said, looking forward, "How long was I out?"
"About a week," she said, "In the meantime, the Changelings have all but vanished, which makes sense when you told me about your encounter with Chrysalis. The siege of Canterlot has ended, closing the Gate to Oblivion cut off reinforcements. We pushed them back to Baltimare, where Daedric forces still reside, their only stronghold in Equestria."
"That's good," I said, "And all this happened in a week?"
"Equestria isn't all that big." Twilight said, "It's about half the size of High Rock and Skyrim combined. Tamriel is many times bigger. We can traverse the entire land in days, not weeks."
I nodded, and looked to Twilight, thinking about if I should tell her about my hallucinations while I was under anesthesia. She turned to face me, and it caught me off guard.
"Do you have something to say?" She asked, "We need to get to the Princess."
"Yes," I said, thinking of something off the top of my head, "Where is Rainbow Dash? I saw Dagon take her down, and I haven't seen her since."
"She's fine," Twilight said, "We'll see her after. Let's go, now Pliton."
"Alright," I sighed, and walked after her. The hospital was full of Equestrians who had gruesome battle wounds. One with a bloody bandage around her eye looked at me, and begged me to help her. My heart wrenched for her, but I couldn't do anything.
All I could do was get a doctor to look at her eye. Once the doctor came, I walked off. We got out of the hospital, and I began to see the city of Canterlot, and what the war has done to it. Buildings were destroyed, some were still burning. Some buildings had only four walls, and nothing inside them. Others still had entire facades falling off. Some Equestrians were rolling wheelbarrows, cleaning up debris, although it was useless.
We came up to the Castle Gardens, and the destruction stopped. Officers, Wonderbolts and various generals walked past us, relaying messages to other Equestrians. Shining Armor was studying a map inside a tent with Spitfire and Soarin', but stopped when he saw Twilight. He walked to her, and embraced her. Twilight was caught off guard, and looked to me for advice. I shrugged, and smiled.
"I'm sorry," Shining Armor said, letting go of Twilight, "I needed that. I'm guessing you're both here to speak with the Princess?"
"Yes," Twilight said, "Could you take us to them?"
"Of course, Twilli," he said, punching her arm. "They're inside the castle. Let's go, Spitfire, Soarin'." They nodded, and came out of the tent.
"We're still trying to close the Gate to Oblivion over Baltimare," he said, "We're going to need you and the Wonderbolts to close it, just like Canterlot."
I nodded, and said, "I'll be glad to see the Daedra seen away from Equestria, sir," I said, "Are there any more places the Daedra are?"
"Not that we know of," he said, "Ponyville, Fillydelphia, Los Pegasus, and Manehattan have all been liberated in the past week, and the Daedra have been confined there. We are besieging it, but to no avail; unless we close the gate."
The door into the Throne Room was opened, and Princess Luna looked up.
"Tribune," she said, bringing her hand in salute, "I have a message from the Legion in the Imperial City."
"Yes, Your Highness," I said, "I was expecting such a letter." She handed me the letter, and I opened it.
"Tribune Pliton Calleius," the letter read, "Due to your performance inside Canterlot and closing the Gate to Oblivion, you have been promoted to the rank of Legate. Carry your new rank with pride, and continue to help the Equestrians in any way possible. We await your return to Cyrodiil. Eight Divines guide you, Legate," I looked to the signature, and was mildly surprised when it read, "General Tullius."
"Now," Shining Armor said, "When can the Fifteenth Division move to Baltimare, Your Highness?"
"You can deploy whenever you feel you are at full strength, General." Luna said, "You sustained many casualties during the siege, and I won't let you leave until you feel you can move."
"I feel I can move today, Your Highness," Shining Armor stood erect, "If I can take the Fourth with me, which is under Prince Blueblood's control."
"That would leave Canterlot severely undermanned," Luna said, "I can't risk that."
"But, Your Highness," I said, "If I may, the Daedra won't come back, unless they break out of Baltimare and come here. They cannot reopen closed gates. It doesn't happen."
"Alright," Luna said, "General, I will allow you to deploy tomorrow. You may leave."
"Your Highness," Shining Armor saluted, and walked off. I bowed my head, and left after him.
Once we got out of the Throne, a pink Unicorn Pegasi with dark violet hair with streaks of rose and gold ran up to Shining Armor, and embraced him.
"Honey," she said, "Please don't tell me you're leaving for Baltimare."
"Alright," he said, "Spitfire, tell her."
"He's leaving for Baltimare tomorrow." Spitfire said, "I'm terribly sorry for your husband's indecency."
"You better be," she said, smacking Shining Armor, "I meant that figuratively."
"Ow Cadence," he said, rubbing his cheek, "It was a joke, come on."
"Oh alright," she said, kissing his cheek. She turned to Twilight, and said, "Is this your boyfriend?"
"What," she said, blushing, "Him? No, not in a million years, why would you say that!"
"I'm Tribune," I said, stopping myself, "Sorry, Legate, Pliton Calleius, from the Fourth Imperial Legion. I come from Tamriel, where Princess Celestia is now."
"Oh," Cadence said, whispering to Twilight, "He's cute."
Twilight blushed, and shoved her playfully, "Cadence!" She said, "Not in front of him!"
"Oh," she said, smiling evilly, "So you do like him?"
"No," Twilight said, "I already told you that!"
"Um," Shining Armor said, "Ladies, save the gossip, please. I need to speak with the Legate, alone."
He nodded to Spitfire and Soarin'. They nodded, and escorted Cadence and Twilight away.
"Now," he said, "We need to talk. About Twilight, what Cadence said has got me thinking."
"I know what you're thinking," I said, "We're only friends. Nothing else, it's just that we've helped each other a lot on the battlefield, and we've become really good friends."
"Alright," he said, "I'm just worried that you might want to pursue her, you know?"
"Yes sir," I said, "But I don't, if you get me. I don't want to be the one to pursue. I'm not going to be the one who asks her out, I'm not even Equestrian."
"That's the thing that worries me," he said, putting his hand on my shoulder, "That she might be falling for someone who isn't from Equestria. I would be fine if you were from Equestria, but you're from Tamriel."
"That's the point exactly," I said, "I want to find an Imperial girl. That's why I'm leaving Equestria after this is over."
I didn't like lying to Shining Armor; he was a nice enough guy. But if I told him I loved his sister, I was afraid he would separate Twilight from me. I couldn't bear the thought of that. I figured lying to him would be better than telling him the truth.
"I'm glad," Shining Armor smiled, "How about we get a pint, man? I'm parched."
"My thoughts exactly, sir," I said, "Let's go."
"Cut the sir," he said, "We're off hours."
"Got it," I said, "Do they have mead?"
"They have everything," he said, "They have wine, mead, beer, whiskey…"
"What's beer and whiskey?" I said, "In Cyrodiil, we have wine and Nord Mead, we don't have beer and whiskey."
"Oh," he said, "You'll find out."
We walked outside the castle, and into a beer hall. We sat down at the bar, and the bartender came right over to us.
"What'll it be, General?" He said, cleaning a mug.
"I'll have the usual," he said, "And get this guy some beer."
"Coming right up," he said, "Who's the friend, General? He doesn't look local."
"He comes from the land where Princess Celestia and the others went," he said, "He's with me."
"Alright," he said, putting two large mugs on the bar, and filling them with beer. Shining Armor thanked him, and handed me a mug.
"To Equestria," he said, clinking his mug with mine, "Bottoms up, Pliton."
He put the mug to his lips, and tilted it back. I did the same, and let the beer slither over my tongue. I loved beer from the first drop I tasted. It was better than the best Nord Mead anyone could come up with, it even topped Black-Briar Mead. I chugged half the mug, and put it down on the bar.
"Not that fast," Shining Armor laughed, "I can see you like beer, then."
"Yes," I said, taking a sip, "Better than what we have back home."
We clinked mugs again, and we gulped more beer. Soon, we finished the mugs, and I offered to show him what we had back in Tamriel.
"Bartender," I said, "Could we get some sack mead here?"
"Yes you can," the bartender said, "You drink this a lot back home?"
"Only thing we have that is close to beer," I said as he put down two mugs of mead and took our empty beer mugs. "I used to get drunk off this all the time years ago."
I started to drink, and Shining Armor took a sip, and began to drink more of it.
"It's like beer," he said, "But it's not."
"Yeah," I said, "It's wine, but flavored with fruit and honey. We say the gods drink this instead of water."
"Now that's my kind of heaven!" We both laughed at that, and downed more mead.
We drank for another half an hour, and stumbled out of the bar.
"Mixing beer and mead was not a good idea," Shining Armor said, "But we took it too far by mixing beer, mead and whiskey that was too much!"
"No it wasn't too much," I said, "It was perfect. We just had too much."
"Like one glass!" Shining Armor said, "Now, where is Twilight? She can take away the hangover like nopony's business."
"Really, she can?" I asked, "She can do anything!"
"Yeah," he said, "The perfect sister. You know, I like you. Now that I know you don't love her, you're a pretty cool guy. We should drink more often."
"Yeah," I said, leaning on his shoulder, "That beer is some drink. Tell me how to make it, I can be the richest man in Tamriel!"
My vision blurred in and out. I was lightheaded, and stumbled over everything; I was definitely and obviously drunk. We wandered the streets of Canterlot, talking about things I will never remember, although I do vaguely remember something about the Daedra being so damn ugly. We were in front of a restaurant, when we stumbled and fell into the streets.
Luckily for us, Twilight and Rarity were eating at the restaurant, and saw us fall. Twilight ran out of the door, and checked for our vital signs.
"Oh," Shining Armor said, "Twilli, look at you! You're so tall! Did you take something to do that?"
"Yeah," she said, "It's called standing, and you lying down on the street."
"Doesn't sound like a drug," Shining Armor said, "So, how is the dinner?"
"Fine," she said, "Until you ruined it. Look, you got Pliton drunk too!"
"Hey," I said, "I got myself drunk, he was just with me. Do you like beer?"
"Not at all," she said, her horn glowing, "I don't drink. Lucky for you both, I can make you sober."
"I already told him that," Shining Armor put a finger up, "Thank you very much."
She smacked him, and touched my head with her horn. Immediately, everything was gone, my light-headedness, my blurry vision, my lax muscles. I was sober. I thanked her, got up, and dusted off my robes.
"Sorry about that," I said, "It's just…"
"Don't," she said, tears welling up in her eyes, "Just go. You've already embarrassed me enough."
I said goodbye, but she didn't listen. I walked away, but Shining Armor caught up with me, and patted me on the back.
"Alright," he said, "You hungry? Because I know a great place that serves the best slabs of meat in Canterlot."
"I don't know," I said, "Did you see the way she was crying? I think we really struck a nerve."
"She hates the drink," he said, "My father used to drink, a lot. He used to beat me, and Twilight always tried to stop him with her magic. That's why she knows that spell, to take away the drunken anger that was my father's."
"Wow," I said, "And you drink why?"
"Because," he said, "I need to just let go sometimes. Come on, the pub's up here."
He walked forward, but I stopped, and thought better of it. As much fun as he is, he would ruin my reputation with Twilight. I couldn't tell him that, so I needed to think of an excuse.
"I think I'm too tired," I said, "I'll just eat at a hotel I'll be staying at."
"Are you sure?" He said, "This pub's got the best meat in town."
"No sir," I said, "I'm fine. We've got an early morning tomorrow. Good night, sir."
"Legate," he said, and walked inside the pub.
I walked off, and looked around for a hotel. I had always called them inns, but the people here called them hotels. I wanted to seem normal here, even though I wasn't, so I called them hotels. I figured that the Equestrians were much different than Imperials or Nords or Altmer, they lived a different lifestyle then I was used to. They were much more laid back, while in Cyrodiil, we were always doing something, we had no time to lounge around.
I told you there was going to be some bumps! Now Twilight actually might hate Pliton because of his actions, and I think it's going to take a lot to recover from this stumble for Pliton. Also, I don't think Chrysalis is done yet, but I'm not sure. I won't upload the next chapter for awhile, because I have very limited Internet access at the beach, but I will upload anytime from Saturday to Tuesday. Read and review, and I will thank you in this section next chapter!