This is it. She's going to die; this creature, who's saved our asses so many times, is going to get stomped on by this Dra- Wait. What?Aendal blinked when Lokahzoor's frost breath attack wrapped itself around a giant bubble of pink that suddenly appeared around Twilight. "Haran! Now!"

Lokahzoor's torrent of frost stopped as an arrow sank into the soft scales on his belly; the massive creature roared and turned to face the invisible threat, and another cone of freezing wind engulfed the earth in front of him. The frosty air found purchase on nothing but snow and a few tundra bushes, however, as an invisible Haran rolled up underneath Lokahzoor's head and grasped the horns on his jaws. "Orc, the legs! Hit the blasted le-" The Argonian's raspy voice was cut short as the dragon slammed its own head into the icy ground to shake the assassin off. With a groan, Haran released Lokahzoor's head and reappeared slumped to the ground, his hands on his bruised stomach, the invisibility potion worn off.

"You think to defeat a Dov with simple parlor tricks and pointy sticks?" Urgak let loose a battle cry as he rushed the dragon's rear; as his claymore started to come down, Lokahzoor's spiny tail slammed into the Orc's stomach and sent him careening into a snow drift a few meters away. "Fools, all of you."

"Hey! Dragon!" The frost dragon turned its thorny head to face the direction of Aendal's voice, only to have an arrow bounce from the hard scales of his cheek, just below his eye. "…Oh. Oh, Azura, I missed." The Bosmer dropped his bow and rolled, his back barely nipped by the stream of frozen air from Lokahzoor's drew his longsword and took up a fighting stance as the dragon's ice-blue eyes bored into his own. "You want this? Come get some, you scaly bastard!"

"Should we go help them, Arch-Mage? There's a Unicorn down there; it looks like a losing battle." Mirabelle Ervine, a Breton woman in her mid-thirties turned from the eye-glass to look at Arch-Mage SavosAren, a concerned look on her tan, weathered face.

The Dunmer Arch-Mage brought a hand up to stroke his dark, knotted beard as his sanguine eyes stared through the looking-glass to the battle being waged outside the town, less than a mile away. A smirk formed across his lips as he spoke."No, not yet. Let's see what the little Unicorn can do, first."

Lokahzoor reared his thorny head back to charge up another breath attack as Aendal stood in front of him, weapon at the ready. Just as the dragon was about to let his spell loose, a small sphere of flame collided with the side of his head, the recoil sending the aim of his spell wide. "You!" The white-scaled beast turned his attention to Twilight just as another firebolt struck him in the face, the heat of the small fireball scorching his white scales. "I'm going to enjoy devouring you, Unicorn…"

Lokahzoor jabbed his head forward, his maw open wide, intent on devouring Twilight in a single bite. Just as his fangs were about to make purchase on her armor, she disappeared in a bright flash of light, and reappeared just out of his reach. "No, you're not!" Twilight's voice quaked as she spoke, and she was clearly shaking. The steely determination that burned in her eyes declared that it was from the cold, rather than fear.

The purple Unicorn flinched and shrank back as a huff of Lokahzoor's icy breath blasted through her mane; the frost dragon drew his head back to suck in a deep breath for another frost breath attack, but stopped as an arrow struck him inside his mouth, the steel tip burying itself in the Dov's tongue. Lokahzoor let out a cry of anguish as he stumbled back, and quickly turned to face the new threat: a pair of guards from the town had finally worked up the nerve to attack the beast. Bellowing with rage, Lokahzoor charged at the pair, using his wings to drag him forward before he lunged at the closest guard. The Frost Dragon snapped the young man up in his jaws and shook him; the creature's fangs and the force of the shaking was enough to tear the man's armor asunder, along with the soft flesh beneath.

Lokahzoor tossed the broken man aside as the second guard brandished his sword, and the dragon had what Twilight thought was a massive grin splitting his scaly lips. "Run away, little man. I haven't time for morsels like you." The beast turned to focus that grin on Twilight, and her heart sank as she looked to her weakened and injured friends. "No, I have bigger and better things to garner my attention."

Twilight felt an icy pit form in her stomach as she glanced to her wounded comrades. Urgak and Haran were both either unconscious or dead; the Unicorn was unable to tell from her position. She turned to look at Aendal, and the Bosmer gave her a small smile and a curt nod. It wasn't much, but it was more than enough to steel her resolve. She lowered her head and dug her hooves into the ground, a death glare burning in her eyes as she watched the dragon soar into the sky, circling overhead. Lokahzoor dove toward Twilight, his frost breath attack billowing from his jagged maw, and again skittering off the surface of Twilight's shield. The Dov cursed, pulling himself back up into the sky to align himself for another attack.

The Unicorn mage readied herself, and focused all of her magical energy into her horn as her shield dissipated. Twilight's horn was encased in magical, violet light, and it began to spark. She dumped more and more energy into her horn as it was wrapped in the radiance of several layers of overcharge, brilliant sparks of energy spitting from her aura before she loosed a beam of pure magical force at Lokahzoor. The dragon tried to bank away from the blinding beam of light, but it struck him hard in his side, causing the creature to tumble out of the sky and into the snowy field a few meters behind Twilight.

Twilight slumped to the ground, her eyelids fluttering as she tried in vain to escape the fatigue that accompanied over-using her magic. "A-Aendal, I'm gonna pass out now, if that's alright with you." The purple mage collapsed onto her side as her heavy eyelids slid shut, and her breathing slowed as she drifted off to sleep.

Aendal, on the other hand, was more than wide awake. The Bosmer brought up his longsword and twirled it in his fingers, a confident smirk on his face as he slowly made his way across the white field to his broken quarry. Lokahzoor tried to bring himself up to his feet, but slumped back down as his muscles gave way, the two-ton monster slipping a little farther down the gentle slope of the field with each attempt. Aendal laughed at his efforts, standing in front of the Frost Dragon and leaning forward, his hands resting on the pommel of his sword as the tip dug into the icy ground beneath him. "Not so great and powerful now, are you?"

Lokahzoor snarled at Aendal and tried to bring himself up to his full height again, his frost attack building in his throat before he stumbled again, his wing slipping underneath him as he slid down the incline. The dragon's eyes shot wide open as he rolled over the edge of the massive cliff at the bottom of the field's incline, letting out an ear-splitting roar as he tumbled end-over-end through the ice and into the frozen water, hundreds of feet below. Aendal just smiled to himself as he pivoted on his heel and sheathed his blade, making his way across the field to gather up his friends.

Twilight yawned as she woke, the grogginess of sleep still weighing down her eyelids. The mid-morning sun was warm on her face as she stretched beneath the blankets that covered her still-waking form, and a smile graced her features. A dream; that's all it was. Thank Celestia, it was all a dream! The purple Unicorn curled forward and sat up in the soft bed, about to call out to Spike when her heart sank: She was surrounded by stone walls; mahogany dressers and bookcases lined the dorm room, and a single window allowed beams of sunlight inside. "Where am I..?"

"Ah! Good to see you're awake!" Twilight jerked back on the bed, startled by Arch-Mage Savos Aren's sudden, boisterous greeting. "My apologies, dear – I didn't mean to startle you."

As the purple Unicorn regained her mental faculties, her eyes shot wide open when a sudden reminder hit her like a baby-grand piano. "Where are Urgak, Haran and Aendal?" She was in the middle of climbing out of her comfortable bed when Savos placed a hand on her shoulder, a gentle smile on his face.

"Calm yourself little one, your friends are safe. They're being seen to in the other rooms in this section of the College. You're currently in the Hall of Attainment; a few of our students were gracious enough to give up their rooms for a few days while you and your friends recovered. Your Argonian friend has a few broken ribs and a fractured arm, and the Orcalso has a few broken ribs, but he's also got a concussion. Our healers are spectacular mages, however, and will have them back to fighting form in no time." Savos returned to his seat and crossed his legs, reaching onto the end table next to the bed for a bottle of mead as he spoke, "Your friend, Aendal, is in the Arcanaeum speaking with our resident librarian, Urag."

Twilight immediately hopped out of her bed, her legs nearly giving out as she landed on the floor next to the comfortable mattress. "Well, let's stop wasting time and go find them! I need to see for myself that my friends are okay." She gave Savos a hard, determined stare, and was given a cheerful laugh in response.

"Alright then, dear, have it your way," Savos said as he rose to his feet, setting the bottle of mead back down on the end table after taking a swig. "We shall go check on your friends." He started to walk toward the door, and then suddenly stopped in his tracks, a chuckle escaping his lips. "Oh dear, where are my manners? My name is Savos Aren. I am the Arch Mage of this college. Aendal told me your name is Twilight, correct?" He was given a nod in response, and he smiled as he led her out into the foyer of the Hall of Attainment, and Twilight's eyes widened when she caught sight of the beam of light that shot up from the magical wellspring in the center of the circular room.

The Unicorn let out a small gasp as she looked into the pool, her eyes filled with wonder as she peered into the bright blue liquid. "What is this?"

Savos smiled, turning to look up at the beam of light that pierced the center of the building, a hint of amusement in his voice as he replied, "It's just a pool of water with a directed Mage Light spell set into it. Not much more than a fancy parlor trick."

Twilight's smile faded a little, though its remnants still tugged a bit at the corners of her mouth as she followed Savos into the room next to the one she'd been staying in. Urgak lay in a bed inside the room, muttering something under his breath as a young Bosmer woman in brown robes finished tying the bandages on his torso. "Ow!" He shot forward and gripped at his side, directing a fiery glare at the Bosmer. "Don't tie 'em s'damn tight, woman! Damn!" The young woman shied away, mumbling a string of apologies as she quickly scampered out of the room. Urgak leaned forward and winced, looking up at Twilight, a smirk tugging at the corners of his mouth. "So, Twilight. I hear you're th' one that saved our asses out there. Took down a dragon, huh?" The Orc sidled to the edge of the bed and slowly rose to his feet, one hand clutching at his bandaged ribs as he made his way over to the Unicorn. He placed a hand atop her head and smirked, looking down into the bewildered expression on her face. "Thanks."

Twilight just stood in shock as Urgak patted her head, then turned to lie down on his bed. "How… How's your head? And your ribs?"

Urgak chuckled, immediately regretting the sudden motion in his chest as he leaned forward to grip his side. "I'll be fine. Damn dragon hurt me pretty good, though, so I'm bed-ridden for a few days. Healers did what they could. Now get outta here an' lemme sleep." The Orc's last words were spoken in a huff, before he slumped back on the bed and closed his eyes.

Twilight nodded and turned to Savos, who then led her to the other side of the Hall of Attainment, to where Haran was resting. The Argonian was sitting up in bed, reading a book titled "Cabin in the Woods" when Twilight entered his room. He looked up from his book and smiled slightly, snapping the book shut and setting it aside. His torso was wrapped up in gauze, as well, and his left arm was in a sling. Out from the top of the bandages on his chest, Twilight could see the top of a branded-in tattoo: what looked like a side view of a hooded man's head. "Haran, I'm glad to see you're doing alright. How're you healing up?"

The assassin gave a raspy chuckle and sidled back on the bed so he could sit up more comfortably, and said, "I am healing well, thank you. That dragon did me some damage, but I will be alright. It is all a matter of letting the bones set, you know. The Elf tells me you killed a dragon! Well done, Twilight."

The Unicorn mage blinked and sat back on her haunches, staring up at Haran. "That's what Urgak told me, too. I passed out after my spell hit, but it was only a stun spell. It wasn't supposed to kill him…" Twilight frowned and looked down at her hooves. "How did he die?"

"The Elf said he rolled off the cliff near where we were fighting, and into the ocean. Apparently, he could not properly use his wings – if that is the case, then he likely drowned. You did good work, little one. No need to be upset over killing a worthy foe," Haran replied, lifting his book back up and opening it to the page he'd left off. "Now if you will please excuse me, I am just about to get to the good part."

Twilight gave Haran a gentle smile and a nod before she turned and exited his room, looking up to Savos, a questioning look in her eyes as she parted her lips to speak, "So, do you mind if we go see how Aendal is doing?"

Savos nodded, a bemused smile on his face as he led her to the exit. "Yes, we'll go see what your friend is up to. I'd like to know what he thought was so urgent to discuss with Urag…"

"And you're sure you don't have it?" Aendal begged, leaning a ways over the counter in front of Urag, a look of desperation in his eyes.

"For the last time, Aendal, no! I don't have a damned Elder Scroll!" Urag growled, his features softening when he realized he was over-reacting."Even if I did, it would be under such tight security that not even a Nightingale could get to it. Now, I've got books about Elder Scrolls, but trying to find an Elder Scroll in my library is… Well, it's like looking for an Elder Scroll in a library. It's asinine."

Aendal frowned and moved a chair over to take a seat next to Urag's desk, crossing his calf over his knee and relaxing before he asked, "Well, do you have any idea where one could find an Elder Scroll?"

Urag tapped a green finger on his desk, thoughtful for a moment before he replied, "Well… I don't. However, I do know someone who might. An old friend of mine, Septimus Signus, is one of the greatest Elder Scroll researchers in Tamriel. He's holed up North of here in the ice fields, obsessed with some Dwemer ruins he discovered a little while back. If anybody would know where to find an Elder Scroll, it'd be him."

Aendal was about to speak, but was interrupted by the sound of the Arcanaeum doors opening with a loud creaking sound. The pair turned to see Savos standing in the doorway with a mild smile on his face, Twilight standing next to him, her eyes wide as saucers and mouth agape.

"I, but… B-books… So many, books…" Twilight swooned and wobbled on her hooves, then collapsed to the floor.

The Bosmer quirked a brow when Twilight passed out, Urag sat back with his arms crossed, and Savos just laughed. The Archmage strode across the room to one of the many shelves in the rounded-out library, and plucked one of the many tomes from the shelf. "On Oblivion, from the Second era. This ought to wake her up." The Dunmer strode back over to Twilight and knelt in front of her, holding the book in front of her nose and wafting air toward her muzzle.

The Unicorn sniffed at the air, barely conscious until she recognized the musty scent of an old book. Immediately her eyes shot open, and she pounced the book with a ferocity Aendal hadn't seen since they tangled with Lokahzoor. "Mine!" The purple creature immediately opened the dusty old tome and began reading, a wide grin stretching over her features as she absorbed every bit of knowledge, flipping pages faster than anyone's eyes could keep up with. Urag stood when he saw her snatch the book from Savos' hands, and angrily marched across the library to where the Unicorn was sitting back on her haunches, nose in the crevice of the book.

Twilight looked innocently up at him, and the Orsimer continued to glare daggers down at her, his arms crossed over his robed torso. "Damage these books and I'll have you torn apart by angry Atronachs. Are we crystal clear on that?" His voice was a low, guttural growl that froze Twilight's blood in her veins. All she could manage was a sheepish nod. "Good. Aendal here tells me that you're in search of an Elder Scroll. As insane and idiotic as I think that is, I do know a man who may be able to help you."

Twilight's face lit up with elation, and she immediately shot to her hooves and brought her face as close to Urag's as her height would allow. "You do?! Where is he? I need to see him as soon as possible!" The look in her eyes only became wilder as she shouted, making even Urag want to step back a little.

Just as Urag was about to speak, everything stopped. Urag stood there, hands frozen in front of him as he prepared to push Twilight away, a look of anger stuck on his face. Twilight waved a hoof in front of his face; her excitement from just a moment ago vanished into the ether. The Unicorn looked around, nervous – she couldn't heareven the sound of the giant, green man's breathing. It was as though she'd been placed into a vacuum. "Uh… Hello?"

Twilight turned to the center of the Arcanaeum as a swirling wind began to blow around the room, focusing on a small ball of light that started to form in between the frozen Aendal and Urag. The light began to pulse and grow, sparks of electricity striking the ground around it. After a few moments, the ball of white-hot energy was roughly the size of a beach ball, and ceased growing, though the swirling wind never stopped. The purple Unicorn was about to step forward to inspect the ball of light when one of the bookcases against a stone wall swung forward as though it were a door.

Out from behind the bookcase, seeming to have just appeared out of thin air, stepped a tall, pale-skinned human. He was dressed in a dual-colored overshirt, his left half red, the right half purple, with white frills where the collar buttons were left open. He also wore a black leather belt with a drooping sheath that held a steel dagger, and his legs were covered in indigo pants with a swirling pattern that would have made Rarity green with envy. His pale forehead wrinkled as he frowned, brushing yellow crumbs from his white goatee as he strode toward the white ball of energy. "Blasted thing never did work properly," he mumbled and batted his hands at the ball, the energy dissipating into nothingness. "Go on, shoo! Get out of here!"

Twilight looked up at the man, then turned her gaze to the bookcase he'd walked out from, a perplexed look twisting her features. There was nothing behind the bookcase but a stone wall! Where did he even come from? Who was this man? Why did he look like a waist-coated banker? "W-who are you? What did you do to my friends?" Her voice rose with that last question and she steadied her stance, her eyes narrowing at the pale man with the strange, cat-like eyes.

The strangely-dressed man simply smiled and walked toward Twilight, his boots clicking softly on the stone floor, his voice sprinkled with an almost musical accent. "Oh, ya know me quite well, miss Sparkle. Or at least, I know you. Well, really, I know everybody. You've just been a particular subject of interest for myself an' me colleagues, lately. Clavicus Vile, in particular." His smile twisted into a smug grin when he noted the look of near shock on Twilight's face. "Oh, I know all about yer little deal with the Prince of Wishes. I was instrumental to you summonin' old Clavvy." The strange man snapped his fingers and a large tome materialized in the air in front of him; he caught the book and waved it in front of Twilight, the arch on the front facing her. "This look familiar t'ya, at all?"

Twilight's eyes widened when the book was waved in her face, and every fiber of her being screamed at her to snatch the tome from his hands and crack it open; the logical side of her brain, however, knew that book all too well. It was the Treatise on Daedric Princes, the book that had gotten her into this whole mess. The Unicorn mage had to force her eyes away from the book to avoid the desire to read it, biting her lower lip. "Just… Who in Tartarus are you? And what do you want with me?" Her voice was strained, as though she had swallowed a particularly scalding hot gulp of liquid.

The waist-coated gentleman laughed; a jovial, sinister sound. "Oh, dear Twilight… My name is Sheogorath. I'm the Daedric Prince of Madness, and ruler of the Shiverin' Isles. A lovely place in the summer, wonderful scenery. Terrifying scenery. And cheese! All the cheese you can eat!" He shouted, his booming voice shaking the foundation of the College. "I'm the one that wrote that book; I'm glad t'see ye're still quite fond of it. Could only stand to read it once, meself. Too dry for my tastes; not soggy enough."

Sheogorath smiled as he strode to a bookcase, and set the Treatise on one of the shelves, chuckling as he continued his speech. "O'course, ya must be wonderin' why I'm here. What my great plan is for ya, and yer friends. Well, I don't much care about your friends. They could all leave, for all I care. Or stay. It doesn't matter. You, however, need to listen and listen well. This quest Clavicus sent'cha on?A sham." He turned to face Twilight, crossing his arms over his chest. "Oh, sure, there's an Elder Scroll here in Skyrim. Findin' it won't do ya any good; ya won't be able t' read it, even if ya did make it all the way into Blackreach without dyin'. My advice, if ya don't wanna die and have your soul stuck in Clavicus' plane of Oblivion for eternity?" He walked back over to Twilight and knelt down in front of her, staring into her eyes. "Stay at the College a while and learn how t' use yer magic properly before you leave t' talk to Urag's friend. You die, and Clavicus gets your soul. We don't need that."

Twilight just sat back on her haunches and stared as Sheogorath continued his rant, her jaw slack and eyes wide as dinner plates. "I, but… Why, why would you write that book? Why do I have this pull to it? Why does Clavicus want my soul? That was never part of his deal!" She shouted, her look of bewilderment becoming twisted with disgust. "Why do you even care? You helped him set up the deal!"

Sheogorath just grinned at Twilight's reaction; she was taking it quite well, all things considered. "All in good time, my dear; all in good time. Can't reveal too much at once now, can I? It'd ruin the surprises. Especially the startling surprises! I do suggest you take my advice, though. Being stuck here in magic kindergarten is far better than being a slave to Clavvy for eternity." The Daedric lord snapped his fingers, and disappeared.

Time slowly began to pick up where it left off, as everyone in the Arcanaeum, save Twilight, reached up to hold their heads, their faces twisted in pain. Aendal shook his head, rubbing at the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger. "I have the worst headache, just now. What happened?"

Twilight just sat there, speechless as her brain tried to register what just happened. Aendal, Savos and Urag chatted amongst each other, trying to discern why they were all stricken with sudden migraines, when Twilight finally spoke up. "I… Do any of you know anything about someone named Sheogorath?"

Immediately, all eyes were on the purple Unicorn, Savos being the first to speak. "Yes. He's one of the more powerful Daedric lords of Oblivion. Why do you ask?" His voice was calm, as always.

"Well…" Twilight looked around, frowning as she replied. "You're going to think I'm insane. He just… Stopped time and came in here and warned me about talking to your friend." Her gaze turned to Urag, who simply gave her his signature flat, dead-pan stare. "He said I need to learn how to use my magic properly if I'm going to get out of Blackreach alive. I don't even know where that is! And I can use my magic just fine!"

Aendal quirked a brow at Twilight before he spoke up, taking a step forward, "Twilight, the only way we got away from that dragon was because of a spell that ended up knocking you unconscious. It seems that you can only use combat magic properly when you've been pushed into a corner, or the rest of the team is in grave peril. If the Madgod actually did tell you that… Well, I hate to agree with him, but you do need some practice that won't possibly get you or the rest of the group killed."

Before Twilight could even respond, Savos clapped his hands together and smiled warmly, reaching out to place a hand atop Twilight's head, avoiding her horn. "It's settled, then! Twilight, I want you to get started in Tolfdir's class in just a few hours. Welcome to the College of Winterhold."