Ponies and Grey Wardens: The Equestrian Age

Chapters

The Smallest Archdemon
Books, the Best in Anesthetic
Mutual Confusions
A Meeting of Royals
Magical Differences
The Witch of Everfree Forest
Wolves and Nighttime Pains
Reunion
First Impressions
Shale's Nightly "Adventure"
Old Debates and Old Wounds
Oghren: Master Planner
Grey Perspectives
An Old Flame and a Sudden Spark
Willingly Blissfully Ignorant
Shipping
From Scholar to Damsel
A Minor Problem
Beware the Shy Ones
Bedtime Surprises
M.I.A.
What You Can't Copy
Impulsive Incidents
A Monster of a Coincidence
Awkward Tension
Understandings
One's Self-Worth
A Lamppost in Winter
The Illusion of Choice
One-Sided Conflicts
Life Lessons
Feelings Laid Bare
A Simply Perfect Day
What's Worth Protecting
Family Reunion
The Return
The Silenced Song
Fond Farewells
Bonus Chapter: What's Worth Telling
Ancient Magics
Tea Time Troubles
A "Normal" Day in Ponyville
Undeserved Consequences

The Smallest Archdemon

Spike grumbled to himself as carried another stack of books toward the shelf where they belonged. With the earthquake leaving the library in disarray, he had little choice but to re-clean everything. His growing aggravation toward the situation was heightened as he was quickly abandoned by Twilight, the young scholar having run off outside to see how much Ponyville had suffered.

“Good excuse,” he muttered angrily as he placed the books neatly on the shelf. Heaving a dejected sigh, he looked around the library to see everything was once again in tip-top shape. Gaining a sense of satisfaction, the dragon assistant turned toward his next target, the door leading to the basement, where he was certain another mess was waiting for him.

The basement was simply a single room with a short, spiraling staircase that led to the bottom, that had a smaller room connected to it. Bookshelves were carved into the wooden walls much like the library above, but they were mostly filled with Twilight's personal collection of books from her time in Canterlot, research notes she had written in her studies, as well as a few books that the scholar says are “not something for a baby dragon to read.”

Spike groaned loudly as he saw it was as messy as the rest of the library home. Nearly every book had fallen from its respective shelf and was either cluttering the stairs or in one of the large piles on the bottom floor. Knowing the job needed to be done, and with no magically gifted unicorn to assist him, the dragon began the arduous process of putting everything in its proper place.

It didn't take him very long to clean up the staircase and begin on the bottom floor. There wasn't very much floor left for him to stand on however, though the tall piles of literature made it easier for him to place the books that belonged on the highest shelves.

Holding a large stack of books, Spike walked across the room toward the correct shelves they should be on. The trip was short lived as he felt his foot strike something hard and metallic. A gasp escaped him as he was tripped and his small body toppled forward, sending books flying ahead of him. Grunting in his mixture of mild pain and agitation, he sat up and rubbed his aching shin.

As he looked back to where he had started his crash landing, the young dragon was surprised as he saw a metal rod jutting out from the pile of books he had walked across. Curiosity outweighing his annoyance, he slowly approached the strange object and tapped it with his claw. When nothing happened, he gained an inclination to see exactly what was uncovered, so his hands grasped the metal object and he began pulling. What he first realized was how heavy it was, the claws on his toes dug into the wooden floor as he pulled back with all of his might. His small arms strained as he continued his attempt, his curious mind fueling his determination.

Then suddenly, the object began to move from the strength of the baby dragon. Unfortunately for Spike, he was ill prepared for it to suddenly become loose and he stumbled back as the resistance gave way.

Shaking his head to regain his senses, Spike stood back up to look at what he had uncovered. It was a large handle that was attached to an even larger blade. The dragon was mesmerized by the blade's glassy blue surface, looking as though it was made from gemstones. Though beyond that, he was only able to stare at the foreign object with a blank mind. The only thing he could compare it to was a kitchen knife, though for what kind of cutting it would be used for he didn't have a clue.

As he examined it more closely, his mind began to remember where he had seen something like it before. In Canterlot Castle, such objects were actually an occasional decoration within the regal halls, though mostly around the guard barracks than anywhere else. The purple-scaled dragon couldn't remember what they were called, only able to remember being repeatedly told that he should never touch them.

Now, there was nopony to say such a thing. Looking around, Spike made sure that there wasn't a soul nearby to catch him as his clawed hands wrapped around the handle of the sharp object. Without waiting for another moment to pass, he bent his knees and and tried lifting the heavy piece of metal. The sheer weight of the object when compared to him was lost to the dragon as he attempted to lift what little he had a hold of.

A comical display of overexertion was twisted onto the assistant's face as his cheeks turned red, his eyes bugged out, his scales became wet with sweat and his breath was held. Spike could almost feel the weapon beginning to lift ever so slightly off of the ground, making a steady pace upward higher and higher by the centimeter. But the dragon's grip slipped as his pounding heart nearly stopped and a cold chill shot straight up his spine.

In his startled fit, Spike relinquished his hold on the object and frantically looked around. Expecting somepony to be there with him, he looked up at doorway leading back to the library, not even seeing Twilight's return. Confusion crept into the dragon's mind as he could have sworn he had heard something, not a voice, but a noise that inanimate objects could not make. Yet that was all that was around him.

Again, Spike jumped up in fright, nearly leaving his scales behind, as he heard the noise again. It was much more clear this time, sounding like a pained groan. What made him even more terrified was how close it sounded to him. Turning toward where it had come from, his eyes fell onto a large pile of books. Minutes went by as the little dragon kept a fixed stare on the pile. Spike's breathing became stunted for a moment as he witnessed several books shift slightly in their position, as though something within the pile was moving.

With slow, hesitant steps, the assistant crept toward the pile. Expecting for a horrific monster to jump up from the pile without warning, Spike retrieved a single book lying at his feet and tossed it into the pile. Flinching back as the book collided with the others, Spike breathed a sigh a relief as nothing happened.

The reassurance allowed the young dragon to step onto the pile and dig into the books, tossing them aside as he kept his eyes peeled for any kind of movement. As the pile became smaller and smaller, the lack of finding anything worthwhile made it startle the assistant even more as he came across the head of a strange creature buried underneath the heavy works of both fiction and non.

Spike had never seen anything like it. Having a pale, nearly flat face and a black mane, it was obvious that whatever he had uncovered was no pony. Moving more books, he found that the head was connected to a body, one that was wearing strange, metal clothes.

With his curiosity overpowering his rational fear, Spike climbed on top of the creature and looked over him. Not sure if it was dead or simply asleep, the dragon poked the creature's face with his claw. He immediately stopped the action as the creature's eyelids began to quiver.

Another groan escaped the creature as his head began to shift to the side. Spike was forced to jump off of his chest as the creature slowly sat up, the remaining books that covered him falling away without notice. His hand reached up to rub the side of his head while his eyes slowly opened. In his groggy state, it took several moments for his sights to became restored to him. As his eyes fully adjusted to the waking world, the first thing that came into his view was the small, purple-scaled dragon.

Now, after nearly dying at the hands of a blood mage, having much of his blood magically sucked from his body, as well as having suffered the sensation of traveling to another universe entirely, the commander's mind was far from rational. By this, it would be completely understandable for what one would see and hear to be blown out of proportion. Just as the commander's mind could only register one single detail as his gaze became fixed on the baby dragon before him. “Archdemon!”

“W-what?” Spike stammered as the creature he had uncovered stood up. What the dragon realized at that moment, was how imposing the creature was, with his towering height and strange attire.

The commander didn't hear the question spouted from the frightened assistant. Instead, his gaze darted toward his sword that was lying on the ground. With quickened reflexes he snatched the blade and held it up. “I don't know where you came from, but I won't allow you to taint my lands! I'll slay you here and now, before you can spread your Blight further!” His eyes wide and wild, the commander swung the heavy sword down with all of his strength.

Spike cried out in panic as he jumped out of the way, the tip of the sword smashing down on the wooden floor exactly where he stood.

“You won't get away from me that easily, Archdemon!” the commander shouted, swinging the sword at the dragon again. Spike grabbed a thick tome from the floor and held it up in his defense. It provided little protection as the blade tore through it and tossed the pieces across the room.

Seeing the creature stepping toward him, raising the weapon for another strike, Spike looked toward the stairs leading out of the basement and ran for it. Screaming at the top of his lungs while his arms flailed wildly, the young dragon ran up the stairs as fast as his legs could carry him.

The commander was quick to give chase to the frightened dragon, bounding up the stairs with a much greater speed. The small, purple Archdemon was the only thing in his sights as broke the gap between them with every step he took. He was right on the dragon's tail and ready to make his next attack as Spike ran through doorway that led back into the library.

What the commander didn't notice however, was that the doorways in this new world were much shorter than those of his own. It didn't even register to him as he smashed face first into the wall above the doorway, throwing him off his feet in a violent crash. With the speeding chase suddenly halted, the commander's unconscious body fell back, tripping down the stairs with several loud thuds as his body struck nearly every step on the way down. It ended with one final, agonizing crash that even made Spike cringe.

Then, as the library became silent once again, Spike poked his head down into the basement. There, lying sprawled out on the floor, wast the body of the creature, looking even more out of it than when Spike had first found him.

As if the floor was about to collapse under him, Spike took cautious steps as he made his way back down the stairs. His eyes were riveted to the creature's face, not sure if he was dead or not.

Reaching the fallen form of the creature, Spike kept his distance to him as he stared at the creature for sometime. Not seeing any movement from him, the dragon assistant picked up a book and gave it a toss. With a heavy thud, the book hit the creature's head and slid across the floor, not causing a single stir from him. Spike then approached the creature, sanding next to his head as he braced himself for anything.

As the creature continued to remain still, Spike began to poke his cheek with his claw. Once again, not a thing happened. Slightly worried now, the baby dragon placed his clawed hand just below what he was assuming was the creature's nose. His heart skipped a beat as he felt the soft push of air against his hand, causing him to retract it back and bring forth a relieved feeling that he didn't kill the creature.

“Spike?!” a voice shouted in bewilderment. The assistant wheeled around to see Twilight standing in the doorway and looking down at him, her eyes widened in shock. “What... what's going on?!”

Uncertain as to how he could answer his caretaker, Spike began to blather, his gaze repeatedly shifting between the unicorn and the unconscious creature at his feet. With no idea what to say, the dragon could only blurt out a single sentence. “I didn't do it!”

Books, the Best in Anesthetic

Utter shock was all Twilight could express as she stared down at her assistant and the strange creature lying unconscious beside him. From the commotion she had heard on her way back to the library, it sounded as though some kind of monster had broken into her home. What was now passed out in her basement was far from what she was expecting.

“What is this thing, Spike?” she asked, as though her infantile assistant would have all the answers to the many questions that were swimming through her mind.

“I-I don't know!” Spike shouted, clearly distressed by both his caretaker's arrival and being attacked by the creature that was now at his feet. “I just found this thing buried under the books. It woke up and started calling me an Arched-emon or something, and then he starts screaming and swinging that big knife thing at me!” He pointed toward the sword that was near him. “It ended up knocking itself out on the door.”

As the dragon explained the situation, Twilight slowly trotted down the stairs, the creature never leaving her sights. All she could think about was the creature's appearance, trying to place it with any species she had researched or read about. Sadly, nothing could come to mind, despite her vast knowledge on the fauna of Equestria.

“Do you think this has to do with that weird earthquake from before?” Spike asked, finding the silence of the unicorn unnerving.

Twilight blinked at the question, almost chuckling at the idea. “Oh, of course not,” she replied. “Natural disasters and strange creatures have nothing to do with one another. Maybe a twenty foot mole monster, but that's preposterous as well. No, the earthquake is just a simple coincidence. Though...” she rubbed her chin in thought, “that still doesn't explain what this is or where it came from.” Another few moments went by in silence as the scholar thought on their next course of action. “Let's bring it upstairs, then I can figure out what to do. Grab it's legs, Spike.”

Seizing the creature's body in a magenta glow, Twilight levitated it slightly off of the ground, while Spike reluctantly held up the feet at the heel. Backpedaling up the stairs, the lavender mare kept her focus on lifting the creature up each step. She took her time with the task, not wanting to strain herself with carrying the heavy body up too high.

After they managed to reach the top of the stairs, it became simple for the pair to carry the creature into the library. Thankfully, Spike's excellent job at cleaning provided ample room to set the creature down. With that task complete, Twilight was trotted back down into the basement, taking only a few moments to return with the glassy blue weapon floating above her, finding it much lighter than the creature itself. Unsure of what to do with it, she simply set it down on the table, making sure to keep it in the exact center to prevent any accidents with the sharp object.

“Okay,” Twilight murmured, “what to do with this creature.” Biting her lower lip, the young unicorn began pacing back and forth, her head lowered while she stared down at the floor in an expression of deep thought. “So there's a strange, possibly dangerous creature lying unconscious in the library. What to do... what to do.” A few moments passed with the only being made was four quickened hooves striking the wooden floor. “Get help from somepony?” She quickly shook her head at the idea. “No no no, that wouldn't end well. A strange creature showing up at the same time of an earthquake, there would be a panic before they even understood anything.” The unicorn grimaced as she recalled how the inhabitants of Ponyville reacted toward Zecora. Now with a creature that even her own knowledge couldn't identify, chaos would surely ensue in a maelstrom of screams, panicking ponies, thrown houses, and more screams.

“Maybe we can get the princess?” Spike suggested, his emerald eyes repeatedly drifting toward the creature uneasily.

“Oh no, I can't do that,” Twilight muttered in reply, as though it was her own suggestion. “This creature could be potentially dangerous. I can't involve the princess, not without knowing how much of a threat this thing is.” Several more minutes passed with the mare nearly wearing a rut into the floor. As it seemed her perplexed state would continue into hours, her spirits uplifted as she turned to her assistant. “Spike, go get a quill and scroll.”

Without delay, the dragon ran off and quickly searched through their supplies. It took only a moment for him to return with a quill, inkwell, and piece of parchment in hand. Twilight was already busy with the creature, setting it's body in the most open space in the library.

“Alright then,” she said, her voice brimming with determination, “I am going to do this as scientifically as possible. I'll examine this creature and gauge if it's any kind of threat. Spike, write down everything I say.”

“Gotcha,” Spike replied, his quill at the ready.

Twilight nodded as she looked down at the creature with a discerning gaze. The scholar started with its face, seeing its black hair and smooth skin. Its hair was long and parted at the center, the bangs tucked back behind the ears. She also noticed a thin, shadow of facial hair that covered the lower half of the creature's face.

“Hm,” she murmured. “The creature appears to be masculine, based on size and thick shape. This will be assumed until proper...” she cleared her throat forcibly, “attributes can be fully known. Face appears to be hairless in some areas, lacking a coat. The creature also appears to have a mane, though it seems to grow in a strange way, sprouting all across the top and back of the head.”

There was one detail that she needed to know about the creature, his diet. Without actually seeing how he acted once hungry, there was only one other way she could think of with finding it out. Her gaze then fell onto the creature's mouth. What stood out to her was how pronounced his lips were, appearing like no other animal she had ever seen. She soon found herself touching them, placing her hoof against his mouth and slowly shifting the soft lips back and forth. A light, wet squishing sound came from it as the small amount of saliva within reacted to the movement. Twilight gave her head a quick shake as, breaking away the near trance she was in.

Remembering the task she was on, the scholar looked about the room for a moment. Finding what she was looking for, she levitated a small quill toward them. Pushing it into the creature's mouth, she used it to separate the lips and allow her to view the white teeth that were within.

“How interesting,” Twilight whispered, amazed as she examined the creature's dental work. “The creature appears to have teeth akin to that of both plant and meat eaters. This must mean a diet that consists of both foliage as well as animals, hopefully such a mixture would mean much smaller animals as it's prey.” She gulped forcibly. “Hopefully much smaller than a pony.”

Finding nothing else that was too noteworthy, Twilight set her sights lower and detailed the creature's body. It was obvious the creature was far from being a pony, with long limbs and an obvious bipedal stature. His armor was also something that caught her attention, seeing the black metal with a faded gold added to it. She also noticed the symbol on the chest, showing two, crudely made griffons that stood back to back, their wings fanned out to the sides.

“The creature's torso appears to be similar to that of a minotaur,” Twilight continued, hearing the faint scratching sound of Spike's quill against the parchment, “though being much smaller in terms of muscle. He also appears to be wearing a strange suit of armor. The craftsmanship is like nothing I've ever seen, having much more detail put into it than that of the royal guard armor, as well as covering the entirety of the body save for the neck and head. A strange symbol is also present on the armor, depicting two griffons. Research must be done on possible affiliation between the creature and the Griffon Empire. Perhaps this thing is a pet of sorts to nobility, dressed as a loyal protector? Theories cannot be made until further information is acquired.”

Twilight's gaze then drifted down below the waist of the creature. She noticed a lack of a tail, though she wasn't sure if he didn't just have a small one that was beneath the armor or not.

“His legs are straight and segmented into a thigh and shin,” Twilight said, “much like the legs of a young dragon.” There was a pause in the writing as Spike involuntarily peered down at his own legs.

As the scholar's gaze landed on the creature's feet, a thought occurred to her and one of his metal-clad feet was engulfed in a magical glow. All the mare had to do was give a slight tug and the metallic boot was pulled free. Setting it aside, she saw that underneath of the boot, the foot was covered in a light brown cloth that was laced at the top. It wasn't difficult for her to remove that as well, displaying the creature's bare foot.

Twilight's eyes then focused on the small appendages that were at the end of the foot. “The feet of the creature end in stubby, rounded toes that lack any form of claw. There is however, strange plates of what look like hardened flesh that cover the top of the tips. They appear to hold no purpose, being smooth and not sharp in the slightest.”

Though she wanted to try and remove all of the armor, the scholar was uncertain she would be able to easily. Having removed his boot, Twilight looked back toward the creature's hand, eying the gauntlets he wore. Grabbing the right one in a magical hold, the unicorn slipped the gauntlet off with as much ease as she had with the boot. “Hm,” she murmured as she eyed the bare hand. “His hands are much like his toes. There are no claws or even talons to see, as they simply end with the same hardened plates.”

As she continued to examine the hand, her eyes caught something that stood out. On one of his fingers, she could see a coloring of brown at the base of it. Leaning her head closer toward it, she noticed it was band of what looked like wood that wrapped around the appendage. Again, she leaned closer toward it, attempting to examine it further. It was then that she felt her heart stop beating as she witnessed the fingers on the creature's hand twitch.

Twilight gasped as she retracted back, seeing the creature's face quivering as well, hearing groans emanating from his waking form. “Oh no,” she breathed, feeling her heart racing as she began to panic. “He's waking up!” She began to look frantically about the room, trying to find something that could help her in any way. “What do I do? What do I do? I'm not ready for this! I-I'm not prepared yet!” Her sporadic gaze then fell on a large tome that was on the nearby shelf. With nothing else to go on, she grasped it in a magical aura and levitated it above her head, her desperate eyes locked onto the creature's head.

The scholar didn't make her move though, within that instant, she felt her body freeze solid as the creature's hand reached up toward her. The action was not one of a viscous physical intent. Instead, the bare hand was pressed lightly against her cheek, rubbing the spot with a tender touch. Her body warmed to the contact, especially as his hand trailed downward, caressing her neck with his smooth skin,.

The creature looked up at the mare with a half-lidded gaze, a kind smile parting his lips. “Easy girl,” he whispered in his barely conscious state, still rubbing her neck in a comforting motion. Twilight could only stare down and meet his eyes, locked in a firm hold that neither of them could break. It was quickly ended as the unicorn brought the tome she had down hard, striking the creature across the head and knocking him out cold.

A long, awkward pause was quickly created then. All Twilight could do was look down at the creature she had just assaulted, feeling her skin continue to react to the strange sensation of the creature's touch. “That... was weird,” she murmured. The young scholar had never been touched in such a way, she was almost reeling with the amount of care and sentiment placed into it, as well as feeling the new found sensations course through her.

Twilight's blank expression was quickly shattered as she heard a knock at the library door. She jumped as the sudden knocking continued, being followed by a familiar voice on the other side. “Twi, are ya there? It's me, Applejack.”

“Applejack?!” Twilight gasped, becoming frantic once again as she looked down at the unconscious creature lying before her. Trying to block out the sound of her friend's incessant knocking, her gaze focused on the second floor of the library, where her bed was kept. Without taking the time to think her plan through, she turned back to the creature and picked him up with her levitation. With a single swing of her head, she tossed the creature across the room, throwing him onto the ledge of the second floor.

A loud crash sounded as his body landed on the wooden surface. It was quickly followed by the thud of his missing gauntlet and boot as the unicorn threw those too. A fourth item was sent flying up to the second level as well, a baby dragon who screamed as he sailed through the air, hitting the floor with his own thud.

“Spike, make sure he isn't seen,” Twilight called. The scholar then turned toward the door to answer it, her breathing turned heavy from her magical exertion in haphazardly throwing the heavy creature. “I'm coming, Applejack,” she shouted to the door.

Taking one last look behind her, the lavender mare nearly bit her own tongue off as she saw the creature's weapon still lying out in the open. Levitating it up, she tossed it up to the second floor with everything else. The action elicited a cry of shock from Spike as the large blade stabbed into the wall next to him, missing him and the creature by mere inches.

With everything as it should be, Twilight put on the best false smile she could muster before opening the door, revealing her orange-coated friend waiting patiently outside.

“Howdy, Twilight,” Applejack greeted, stepping into the library as Twilight stepped aside to invite her in.

“Uh.. H-hello, Applejack,” Twilight returned, her brow beginning to sweat as her stress was building. “What brings you here?”

“Oh I was just checkin' on everypony,” the cowpony replied, looking about the library. “After that sudden earthquake and all. Things didn't get too bad down at the farm, bunch of apples fell from their trees and Apple Bloom's a bit shook up, but nothing too bad. Ah just wanted to make sure Ponyville was alright, seein' as how it was a lot worse up here.”

Spike made sure to keep himself and the creature at the furthest wall of the bedroom, preventing their visitor to see them unless they were to make their way upstairs. His attempt to conceal their mysterious guest was nearly stopped as he heard light groans escaping the creature. The baby dragon looked to see him stirring, his head lolling from side to side as he was propped up against the wall. Only a quick search was needed before Spike found a book sitting on the nightstand beside Twilight's bed.

Applejack and Twilight both jumped as they heard a loud thud sound off from the upstairs area. “What in tarnation was that?” the blonde-maned mare asked, looking up toward the source of the noise. Twilight could feel her heart pounding forcibly against her chest, as though it was about to burst out of her.

“It was nothing,” Spike shouted, his voice carrying down to the library floor, “just getting a nasty looking spider.” Tilting her head slightly in thought, Applejack appeared to accept it and turned back toward her unicorn friend. Then once again, the heavy sound of a book striking something hard sounded off. “Got it that time.”

“So, Applejack!” Twilight said loudly, diverting her friend's attention away from her scaled assistant. “How's everypony else in Ponyville?!”

“Oh, uh...” Applejack murmured. “Well, Ah haven't checked on Fluttershy yet. Thinkin' I probably should, all those critters she's got, there's no tellin' how frantic they'd be after an earthquake like that.”

Twilight nodded her head frantically. “Okay then, why don't you go and do that now, I just have a few things here to pick up myself.”

“Twilight,” the orange-coated mare said, “are you feelin' alright? You're lookin' as though somethin's wrong.”

Applejack soon regretted the question as she saw her friend reply with a large grin, she could have sworn she heard motion creak loudly, like a rusty hinge on a door.” Oh that's absurd,” Twilight said, even her tone making the earth pony uneasy, “everything is absolutely fine, couldn't be better.... heh-heh.”

“Uh... well, alright, Twi,” Applejack replied, taking a step back toward the door. “Ah'll just be gettin' out of your mane then. But if you need anythin', you know where to find me.” Without waiting for a farewell from the unicorn, Applejack turned toward the door and trotted out of the library.

Waiting still for several moments to make sure her friend was actually gone, Twilight collapsed onto the floor, heaving a heavy, drawn out sigh of relief. “That was close,” she breathed, feeling her tensed nerves slowly relax. Her gaze then drifted upward to the bedroom, her mind racing with what she should do next. An idea then came to her, as she was certain she had some spare rope lying around somewhere.

Mutual Confusions

Light groans were the first action of the commander. As though waking from a sleep that was ended far too early, his eyes lazily opened while he tilted his head from side to side. A few minutes ticked by as his mind preformed the slow task of turning itself back on. Then, the pain hit him like a charging ogre.

The commander grunted sharply as he felt the splitting headache he had. The pain seemed to originate from several different spots in his head, feeling as though someone had tried to crack his skull open like an egg. On reflex, he moved his hands upward to rub the very spots that were causing him such misery. To his surprise, he realized that he his hands were tied up, both arms being pulled behind his back while his wrists were bound together.

As the knowledge that he was bound made it through his senses, his eyes fully adjusted to his surroundings. Though the room he was in was dark, he could make out the wooden wall he was lying against, as well as what looked like a bed, the commander didn't recognize any of it. Of course, it never being a good sign to wake up in a place you've never seen before, especially to wake up with your hands tied together, the commander's mind was put on full alert as he slowly brought himself to his feet.

The action must have caught the attention of someone as the moment he was fully upright, a bright light flashed on out of nowhere, blinding him and causing him to stagger back against the wall.

“Oghren, is that you?” the commander shouted, his mind immediately being drawn toward the dwarf. “I swear, if this is one of your sick jokes, I'm going to-” The commander was stopped as he heard movement within the darkness beyond the light that was aimed at him, following it was a feminine voice that he didn't recognize.

“So you can talk,” the voice said, sounding like she was making an observation. “I wasn't sure if it had just been a parlor trick you had learned, much like parrots I've seen.”

“Who's out there?” the commander snapped, trying look beyond the light and peer through the darkness. “Where am I and why am I bound?”

“It was just in case you were to become hostile upon waking up,” the voice replied. “Now, I need you to calm down before we can go any further.”

The commander would probably laugh if he wasn't so furious. To think, that whoever had him was attempting to reason while he was vulnerable. His eyes darting across the area he could see, he noticed a familiar looking blade jutting out of the wall just beside him. It looked as though it was stabbed into the wood, he didn't have the faintest idea as to why.

Not wasting a moment to think on the reasons for it, the commander jumped toward the sword turned his back to it. Raising his arms up, he brought his wrists to the blade and pressed the space between them against it. After dragging his bound hands across the sharp surface, the ropes were cut and he felt the joy of freedom. Immediately grabbing his sword and prying it from the wall, he held it up in defense as he prepared for whatever kind of fight his captor was going to put up.

Much to the commander's perplexity, no action was taken against his freedom. “I want answers, now!” he yelled, his body tensed as the lack of any real information was getting to him.

But there was nothing, no creature or guard to attack him, no sounds from anyone that was within the veil of darkness, not even the previous woman he had heard said anything, there was just silence. The commander was preparing to simply charge forward and see what came of it, seeing as he could see that whoever captured him failed to remove his armor, or hide his weapon for that matter.

Suddenly, the commander's eyes widened as the sword in his hands was enveloped in a magenta glow. Having never seen anything like it before, he was far too shocked to keep a firm grip on the handle, making it all the easier as the weapon was plucked from his grasp, being yanked away into the darkness. Barely enough time was given to even think on the subject as the commander felt his feet leaving the ground. With a painful thud, he was pushed against the wall behind him, realizing he was unable to move as his body was engulfed in a similar aura.

“W-what... what is this?” the commander asked angrily, never seeing any kind of magic like this. “Who are you? An apostate? A demon? Show yourself!”

A few moments passed before he heard a response, noticing it was the same woman as before. “I need you to calm down,” she said, coming off as reluctantly stern. “Trust me, I mean you no harm.”

“How does one gain trust?” he retorted. “All I have is a captor's word while I remain bound and vulnerable.” There was a long pause, leaving the commander to stay suspended in silence. Then, the sensation of falling struck him as he collapsed onto the floor, whatever magical force that had kept him pinned having left. Following it, to more of his surprise, his sword came sliding across the floor toward him. Retrieving it, he stood up and looked back into the darkness.

“Please, put away your weapon now,” the feminine voice said in a calm and patient tone . Seeing as how he doubted anyone would be foolish enough to arm him if they meant to cause a conflict, the commander figured he could show a little trust to whoever he was conversing with. With a hint of hesitation, he complied with the request, putting his sword into its sheath on his back. Not prepared to be taken as a fool however, he made sure to keep one hand locked firmly around the hilt.

“Now, show yourself,” the commander ordered, keeping his own tone as level as possible. In response, the light the continuously shined at him disappeared, submerging the room in darkness. As he stood in the black abyss around him, listening for any sound to be wary of, he was suddenly blinded once again as the entire room became lit.

Seeing his surroundings clearly for the first time, he was taken aback by how much it contrasted from what he was expecting. Seeing as the few times he had managed to be knocked unconscious and captured, he always awoke in a dungeon of some sort, to now wake up in what looked like a library was certainly a change.

Only a few moments were spent on gazing at where he was. The commander's eyes soon fell upon who was with him in the room, seeing a short creature that stood on four legs, having a vibrantly colored purple coat and looking at him with a widened gaze. To him, it looked like some kind of mutant horse.

All the commander assumed upon seeing the creature was that it was some kind of a pet, his eyes looked beyond the animal to see where the owner would be, but he saw nothing. A sound of movement coming toward him forced his sights back onto the strange creature, who was now taking a step closer to him.

“I suppose I should ask if you are alright,” the creature said, her voice matching that of the woman he had heard within the darkness.

The commander had little time to piece two and two together however, as the shock of seeing the horse-like creature talking to him, caused him to jump back and collapse onto his rear. His eyes widened in startled surprise as he withdrew his sword and held the tip out at the animal.

“Stay back!” he warned, his commanding voice causing the creature to halt in her advancing step. Somewhat relived by it follow his command, he decided to try his luck and search for an answer. “What are you? What kind of magic allows you speech?”

The horse-like creature stared at him in an elongated pause, tilting her head slightly in a quizzical stance. To the commander, it looked as the she was gauging him, as though she hadn't expected his reaction. “Do you not know?” she asked, sounding slightly confused.

Lowering his sword slightly, the commander matched the stare of confusion that was directed at him. “Know what?”

“What ponies are, of course.” Though the word wasn't one he had never heard before, he was certain that it didn't imply to such a strange creature that was now talking to him.

Horses were a rare sight in Ferelden, being a native creature in Orlais. His own was gift from the Orlesian Warden-Commander. It was of course before the incident that involved the commander's head being separated from his shoulders, adding in to an apparent dragon and maleficarum related plot against the Chantry.

He also knew of what ponies were, though he was only aware that they were different from horses based on size alone, supposedly being much smaller versions of the beasts. The commander had made it a joke toward Oghren that they were basically the dwarves of hooved creatures, being a perfect mount for him. The creature that was now before him however, though sharing a small likeness with the animals, looked like nothing he had ever seen.

Just looking at her made his mind question its own sanity. She obviously wasn't any kind of darkspawn, there wasn't a demon he had ever encountered that looked remotely like her. He could only think of the “pony” as some kind of spirit, though he wasn't sure if they could take such strange shapes.

“Such large eyes,” the commander thought to himself, noticing the abnormal orbs that were staring at him, feeling as though they could peer straight into his soul. With much of his surprise slowly ebbing away from him, curiosity soon became dominate as he leaned forward toward the creature. Beginning to wonder if the “pony” was even real or not, he reached out with his finger extended as he neared the creature.

The “pony” took notice to the action, her eyes following the finger as it came closer, her vision crossing as it got near her face. With only a few hairs away from her, the commander threw caution to the wind and poked her nose. He immediately retracted his hand as he felt the soft fur of a coat and warm touch of flesh, having expected for his hand to simply go through her.

“So... you are real,” he said, unable to stop staring at her.

Twilight frowned as witnessed the creature's reaction to her. The young unicorn had expected for many different outcomes for when he would wake up, but this wasn't one of them. Not even knowing what ponies were, he seemed out of sorts with what was around him. She was beginning to think that there was more to the creature than she had originally thought.

With nothing better to think of, the scholar figured she could start off with the basics. “How about we introduce ourselves?” she suggested, earning a questioning look from the creature. “My name is Twilight Sparkle, I'm the student of Princess Celestia.”

Twilight noticed the creature continue with a puzzled expression, clearly not recognizing either names. There was a small pause that was formed after she had introduced herself, but after a few moments, the creature developed a more relaxed posture as he sat on the floor and cleared his throat.

“Uh... well... I'm Commander Cousland,” he replied, “Warden-Commander of the Ferelden Grey Wardens.”

It was then Twilight's turn to look at the commander strangely. Besides his name that sounded rather strange to her, barely a word of what he said made any sense to her. Commander was something she did recognize at least, it being a title used in pegasi leadership during the separation of the three tribes, but such a title lost its relevance centuries ago. There was also grey, but she had her doubts he was implying the color. Him being a commander of some kind at least explained his armor and weapon.

Twilight gave her head a slight shake, clearing her mind of the confusing thoughts until she was finished conversing with the commander. “If you don't mind me asking, what exactly are you?”

“I'm... a human,” Commander Cousland answered, appearing somewhat hesitant as he found it strange to be conversing with the four legged animal.

Again Twilight was faced with a word she didn't know. The well read scholar couldn't ever remember a time she had ever found the word human in her studies. Then again, she figured an unknown name would fit for an equally unknown creature.

“And what are you... exactly?” the commander asked.

“Well... as I said, I'm a pony,” Twilight replied. “A unicorn to be more specific, we are the magically gifted of the ponies.”

“Magically... gifted...” the commander repeated, his head bending down to stare at the floor as he began mumbling to himself. “That magic... can't be from the Circle... no no... This isn't right... where can I... I don't think I'm in Thedas anymore... No! This could all be a trick of demons... they could be trying to fool me to... No... this isn't the Fade, feels too real, not at all like before...”

Twilight stepped closer to the human, seeing obvious signs of distress written on his face. “Are you alright?”

The scholar jumped back as his head shot upward, looking at her with a need to speak. “Please, can you tell me... where I am?”

Twilight paused as she thought on the question. Again, his confusion to what was around him, despite having somehow appeared within her home, pointed to there being more to what was going on than what was clear. “You're in my home, a library within the town of Ponyville, that's in the nation of Equestria.”

Commander Cousland collapsed backward as the information was presented to him, pressing himself against the wall as he stared blankly downward. “Equestria...” he said, continuing to show his confusion. “No... this place... it can't be real. Where am I...? How could I have gotten here?” He stayed silent for a moment, his gaze turning into a look of deep thought. “I remember... the cave, we went after Avernus and he caught us... There was so much pain... that dark blood, the Eluvian, something went wrong and then the bright light where we – ah!” His face scrunched in pain as his hand reached up to clutch at his head. “My head, feels like it's going to split open.”

Seeing that the human was in need of help, Twilight approached him, not a single motion of hesitation in her step. “Follow me,” she said warmly, grabbing his hand with her magic and giving him a slight tug, “I might have something to help calm your nerves.” With no other option he could see, Commander Cousland slowly stood up, allowing himself to be led by the unicorn.

A Meeting of Royals

Alistair looked around the cold stone walls that surrounded him. The chamber was a good size, looking as though it could fit several people within it. The air itself was thick and musty, making it difficult to breath. There wasn't a window anywhere in sight, preventing any fresh air from ever reaching him. Shackles and chains were staked into the floor, he noticed that they were in sets of four for some odd reason. A wooden door was at the far corner, plated with metal and having a square hole cut out at the top, small bars filling in the gap to allow a look within. It wasn't hard for him to figure out he was in a prison.

A few details did make the king scratch his head however. The overall cleanliness was an easy thing thing to spot. Cobwebs blanketed the ceiling and corners of the room while everything had a layer of dust and grime, it looked as though the place hadn't been used in centuries. What also made his nerves itch was the solitude he felt. He would assume that there would be other prisoners, or at least a guard of some kind to watch over him, but there was nothing.

There was no way of knowing how long he had been there, he barely knew how he had gotten there in the first place. All he could remember was running through a castle before being attacked by some strange looking beast. How he even got to the castle in the first place was its own mystery. His captors had taken his sword and shield, though his armor wasn't touched, save for his gauntlets and boots for a reason he couldn't fathom.

All he could do was sit in the silence and grasp at mental straws. Thoughts began to creep into his mind as he remembered a similar experience of imprisonment, locked away in the Denerim dungeon. At least then he had clear head and knowledge as to why he was there, stabbed in the back by his conniving sister-in-law faster than a dwarf takes to ale, and he was also with his good friend who could easily think on his feet. And though it was wishful thinking, Alistair had his doubts that there was a man-hungry guard watching over him at the moment, ready to foolishly enter his cell for a chance encounter with the king.

“Hm,” the Warden-King murmured, the gears in his head turning with ideas, “maybe... this is all a dream.” Eying his bare arm, he reached down and pinched the soft flesh, flinching immediately as he felt the sharp sting. “Ouch... that hurt. Guess I can't be dreaming then. Too bad, that would have made this so much easier.” He stared down at the floor for a moment as he began to think. “Although, I could be in the Fade. You can feel pain in the Fade, right?”

Thinking back, Alistair tried remembering when he and his friends braved the abomination filled halls of the Circle Tower, a good amount of time had gone by since then. There, they had actually fought in the Fade, having been brought there by a powerful demon. It was a strange battle, one that he was certain they didn't go through unscathed.

“Yeah,” he muttered, fully remembering that day, “I remember taking a few blows from that sloth demon. I also remember going 'ahhrgh' when it happened as well, so I must have felt some pain.” Resting a hand on his chin, Alistair raised his other arm up and slowly lifted it up and down in the air as he stared at it. “Really don't think I'm in the Fade anyway, just doesn't feel all that... Fadey.”

Everything became silent once gain as Alistair quietly sat still and thought on the situation. Memories of the confrontation with Avernus were brought to his attention. He could remember riding to the village, meeting his Warden friends and advancing on the cave that housed the blood mage. As he tried to remember what happened further, his mind drew a blank.

“Oh, I know!” Alistair exclaimed, his mood uplifting as he realized what was going on. “We found Avernus, killed his sorry maleficarum ass and went back to the village to celebrate another job well done. We had drinks to enjoy the company of old friends and Oghren did something to mine as a joke, the sneaky dwarf bastard. Now, I am just inside my own mind, creating this bizarre situation while in the real world, I'm running around in my undergarments declaring that the Maker is really a filthy nug named Tessy.” Moments passed as he allowed what he had just said to settle, half-expecting to hear someone chastise him. As he thought on his previous idea, a frown formed on his lips as he heaved a sigh. “That's ridiculous. What am I, stupid? And why have I been talking to myself this whole time?”

Alistair laid back against the wall, staring up into the ceiling as he tried thinking of a better solution. However, his train of thought was derailed as he heard noise sounding off in the distance. Standing up, the king approached the wooden door and listened carefully. The faint sound of footsteps could heard growing steadily louder. From the sound of them, he could only guess there had to be four of them, and they seemed to be wearing wooden shoes.

As he continued to listen in, he heard one of them speak. “But to throw it in the dungeon, that just seems unnecessary. You could have simply brought it to me, or a guard could have watched over it.” The voice was that of a woman, chiming with a melodic tone. Just hearing it made Alistair want to smile, his mind already picturing how gorgeous she must look.

“Maybe I should parade all strange and dangerous creatures down the halls then, sister,” came a second feminine voice, her overly sarcastic tone sounding forced. “The thing nearly attacked me, I had to keep it away from the staff to prevent their harm, you've seen the weapons it had.”

“Perhaps, but we should learn more about this creature before drawing such conclusions. Once I've seen it for myself, I'm certain we will know what we need to.” Hearing the voices and footsteps sounding right outside his door, Alistair quickly backed away from it, preparing himself for whatever was about to transpire.

As the footsteps stopped, the metallic sound of iron grinding against itself sounded and Alistair watched as the door opened. The king's eyes widened as his expectations shattered, seeing two four-legged creatures stepping into his cell.

Stumbling back, Alistair fell down as he stared up in surprise to the creatures, seeing not another soul behind them. He recognized the smaller one of the two, being the same one that he had ran into within the castle halls. The other was slightly larger, having a contrasting white coat, and a large mass of multi-colored hair that flowed freely in the breeze, despite there being no wind in the windowless cell.

The white one looked down at the surprised king with her own unexpected look. “So our guest is awake,” she said, her voice being the same as the beautiful one he had heard through the walls, making him all the more shocked.

Before anything else could be said, the darker one stepped forward and glared down at the king. “Tell us now, creature, what are you? Perhaps a changeling in disguise? Maybe an assassin sent after one of us?”

“What... what am I?” Alistair asked, bewildered by the question. “What are you? You're the strange monsters here, not me. Are you some kind of spirits possessing the bodies of horses or something?” His eyes ran up and down them for a moment, trying to figure out what exactly he was looking at. “Hm, you're not ugly enough to be darkspawn or abominations... “

The king nearly swallowed his tongue as the azure creature stamped her hoof down hard, nearly cracking the stone flooring under them, her face was twisted into a glare of unbridled rage as she locked onto him. “THOU DAREST INSULT THE PRINCESSES OF EQUESTRIA?! HOLD THY TONGUE, CREATURE, WHILEST THOU STILL HAVE IT!”

Her voice was loud, booming with enough force to cause an earthquake, creating its own echo that reverberated through the mind and soul of any creature unfortunate enough to be caught in its wake. Alistair was against the wall by now, wide-eyed as he shook uncontrollably. He could feel every hair on his head pulled back, as though it had just been caught in a violent gale. “Andraste's blood!” he gasped. “You could make even the Grand Cleric herself wet her robes, and her viciousness can make an Archdemon reverse its Blight.”

While the two held another staring contest, one looking on in fear while the other held anger, the tallest one eyed Alistair with a look of understanding. “Calm yourself, sister,” she said, comfortingly nuzzling against her as the azure one's face softened to a mild agitation. “I feel that our guest is not familiar with where he is.”

“Oh,” the Warden-King blinked, taken aback by her calm and pleasant demeanor, “well you'd be right in guessing that. Can't say I've ever been in a dungeon owned by strange, horse-like talking animals before. No... this is a pretty high notch on the strange scale, and I have seen a lot... well, several strange sights in my time.”

“What is your name, and what manner of creature are you?” the white one asked, seemingly ignoring Alistairs talkative nature.

Alistair remained silent for a moment, thinking on how he should answer. “My name's Alistair... Theirin, Alistair Theirin. Just a simple, nothing-special human who happens to be locked in a strange dungeon...” Gauging their reactions, he could tell that his name didn't ring any bells with them, that was good. He figured he didn't need to reveal his title just yet, seeing it as one of those details he could put off until last minute.

“Well, Alistair,” the white one said, “I am Princess Celestia,” the princess then nodded toward her company, “and this is my sister, Princess Luna.” Luna nodded subtly in response.

“Nice to meet you, I guess,” Alistair replied. It was hard for him to sound entirely sincere, still technically being a prisoner and all. “I'd probably ask where I was, but according to Shouty over there, it's someplace called 'Equestria'. Can't say I've ever heard of it... then again, I'm not very good with direction and geography.” He scratched his chin as he thought on something. “That's probably why I was never allowed to hold the map...”

Luna took a step forward, her gaze still holding a fierce shimmer as she made herself as intimidating as possible. “Do you expect us to believe such tales?” she asked in a commanding tone. “Tell us now, what is your purpose here?”

“Look,” Alistair replied, being as blunt as possible for the abrasive creature, “all I remember is going after this murderer with my friends. Things went very wrong very quickly, as they seem to always do around us. Then the next thing I know, I'm running through a strange castle before being attacked by you.” His shoulders lifted up as he shrugged out his clueless perspective. “All I have to go on is that you had something to do with this, but seeing the reactions I'm getting, that possibility looks rather bleak. And that's just wonderful for me.”

The azure princess huffed in agitation. “And you still think such lies will be accepted? I suggest you begin telling us your intentions, or else you will be-”

“Now now, sister,” Celestia interrupted, her demeanor of pure serenity never faltering, “we must show patience to this... human. His confusion seems genuine, I feel he is telling us the truth.”

“But, Celestia-” the princess tried to protest.

“Patience, Luna,” the older sibling urged, “he has taken no aggressive action against us, and his armaments are in our possession.” Her eyes drifted toward Alistair. “That is assuming you don't have any other abilities we are unaware of.”

“Other abilities?” Alistair murmured, not knowing if they thought he was a mage or something. “Well, I don't mean to brag, but I like to think I have a quick wit and amazing reaction speed. I once fought against a witch in a battle of wordplay, trouncing her at every turn. Then again... I think she left while she was still in the lead... Oh, I can also do this.” The king then proceeded to snap his fingers, creating a long silence except for the echoing sound generated by his action. Both princess eyed him with a raised brow, looking at him as though he were crazy. He wasn't really sure why he thought that would impress them.

“Such a strange creature,” Luna murmured offhandedly.

Alistair managed to give a weak chuckle. “So I've been told.”

“Perhaps we should adjourn to a more comfortable setting,” Celestia advised. “There, we can learn more about one another to assess what exactly has occurred.”

“That sounds wonderful,” the king said happily. “Not that I mind conversing in dark, filthy dungeons or anything.”

“Then let us depart,” Celestia said, turning toward the door and ushering the human through. Stepping out of the cell, Alistair followed the white-coated princess as she walked up a nearby, winding set of stairs. Luna brought up the rear, the king could feel her eyes burning into the back of his head.

Again, Alistair was noticing how decrepit the area around him looked. The cold, grey walls of stone were cracked or dirty. Everything looked more fitting to be apart of old ruins rather than a still occupied castle. “You're prison seems a bit aged,” he said, remarking on the sights. “A prisoner could easily break out if they gave enough effort.”

“The dungeons are rarely used actually,” Celestia replied in a matter-of-fact tone. “You would be the first creature to be placed there in many centuries.”

“Really,” Alistair questioned, “you know that for certain?”

The princess nodded. “Of course, I was the one who placed them there.”

“Wait...” the Warden-King muttered, finding something off with that statement, “exactly how old are you?”

A smile formed on Clestia's lips as they continued to walk. “One should never ask a mare about her age. Especially when they are a princess.” Alistair's expression immediately deadpanned at the answer. He could remember the last time he had heard such a response. Gaining it from an old women who later turned into a dragon and tried to kill him.

The spiraling stairway soon ended and Alistair found himself being escorted into a large hallway. There, one of the patrolling beasts he had seen previously was standing guard. His stone-faced expression faltered slightly as he saw the princess exit the dungeon with the human beside them

Celestia approached the guard, causing him to straighten his posture even further, making it look as though he was causing himself pain. “Would you please spread the word to the others within the castle that we have a guest with us? He will be staying here for an unknown amount of time, coming from a far off land and they should not worry when they come across him.” Without a word, the guard bowed his head down respectfully before galloping off to do as he was instructed. “That should help prevent any unwanted surprises.”

Continuing down the expanding hallway, Celestia leading the way, Alistair's stride was slowed as he was unable to keep himself from gazing about the area. He could see the beautiful white walls and elegant rug at his feet. Pieces of art in terms of paintings and tapestries hung on the walls, while large windows gave him a view to a vast and glorious land beyond. Looking out into the horizon, he could see an expansive forest that eventually ended, allowing him to see the small dots of what looked like a quaint village in the distance.

“Amazing,” Alistair murmured, “without needing to worry about being attacked or gored by an unknown beast, I can actually see the quality your castle has. Such a pristine look and beautiful architecture, I feel like I'm in Orlais.”

“Do you feel threatened here, Alistair?” Celestia asked, showing a slight concern as she addressed him.

“It's nothing personal,” the king remarked. “I've just never had good fortune whenever I've woken up in a place that was different than where I passed out in. Last time, I woke up in a prison, awaiting my execution under the order of my sister-in-law and her insane father. The time before that, I was nearly butchered before being saved by an old woman who I later find out only did so to advance her schemes in ruling the world... or something along those lines.”

“That sounds... unfortunate,” the princess replied, a worried tone in her voice.

“I've had to deal with far worse, trust me on that,” Alistair reassured. “Fortunately, I had a good friend by my side throughout it all.”

They soon stopped in front an impressively large double door. Alistair noticed that there were handles on it, though he questioned the reason why. It was obvious that the hoofed creatures could operate it, lacking the necessary appendages for it. He could only assume that they pushed against the doors to open them.

Alistair was then shocked to see that Celestia's horn had developed a golden glow, matching the one that engulfed the handle of the door. Just as the handle was engulfed, the door began to move aside on its own, allowing them entrance into the room beyond.

“W-what was that?” Alistair breathed, jumping back in surprise at the feat, pointing a near-shaking hand at the door.

The princesses both looked at him in confusion for several moments, before Celestia's gaze turned upward toward her horn. “Oh, do you not have magic where you are from?”

“Well yeah, we have magic,” the king said, unable to stop staring at the white horn, “but not that kind of magic. Magic's supposed to blow things up, hurt people or on a rare occasion not hurt them. It makes lightning and fire and a whole lot of other bad, nasty things happen. Are you telling me all you horned creatures can do magic?”

“Yes,” Celestia nodded, gaining a shuddering expression from the human in response. “Perhaps... explanations are in order, from both of us.” Without another word, both princesses entered the room, leaving Alistair to continue to stare off at what he had seen, becoming steadily warmer under his collar.

Magical Differences

The abysmal nothingness stretchered as far out as the eye could see. There was a perpetual silence that was only broken by the echoing footsteps of the commander as he traversed the black void. With no idea of where he was or how he had gotten there, he had no other choice to to move forward, hoping that blackness would end. A sliver of cold ran up his spine continuously, like a snake slithering across his back. His skin crawled as the isolation and barren emptiness played with his mind.

Without warning, he jerked his head toward the side, seeing the same nothing that was all around him. Swearing he had heard something, a whisper aimed toward him, he gave his head a shake to clear it. Continuing his trek, he barely trekked a few feet before he heard it again. Certain it wasn't his mind playing tricks with him, he turned around to where the sound originated. Once again, there wasn't a single detail that marred the nothingness that went on and on.

Forcing himself to move forward, the Warden kept his gaze straight ahead, blocking out any foreign noises. But he was unable to prevent the whispering, striking against him like a hammer. What was different this time however, was that the whispering did not stop. There was no more doubt that he was hearing something real. The whispers continued flowing into his ears, unintelligible, sounding as though they weren't even human. As he tried to listen closely to what the voices were saying, it only made the whispering come at a much more powerful rate, cluttering into his mind like a swarm.

Breaking out into a run, the commander clutched at his ears, trying to stop the meaningless cluster of voices. They did not stop, his attempts at escaping them only made it worse. Further and further he ran, every sense his body had being attacked by the overbearing sounds. Not a word of it he could make out, especially as each voice drowned out the other.

Collapsing onto his knees, he cried out into the void to make the plaguing voices stop. Even his own voice was lost among the sea of whispers that he was submerged in. His head felt as though it was going to split open, to be torn apart by the relentless sounds. Then, just as the commander felt that he could not stand a second more, the whispers stopped.

It was almost maddening, to hear the sweet, siren tune of complete and total silence. The commander's hands began to shake as his intensified breathing slowly ran its course, every fiber of his mind still reeling from the ordeal. Looking up and out into the abyss that was still before him, his eyes widened as he saw something forming within the nothingness.

The black silhouette of a creature stood just in front of him, its visage shrouded in darkness, all he could make out was a simple outline of a bipedal monster. Reaching over his back to grab his sword, the Warden's motion was halted halfway as he felt his body freeze in place. He could only look at the creature as it stood over him.

As he struggled against whatever force that bound him, he suddenly felt a tight hold grasp against his neck. Sputtered breathing was all he could manage as the Warden's feet were lifted off of the ground. It felt as though an invisible hand had wrapped its fingers around his neck, slowly crushing his throat with an unnatural strength.

The commander hovered above the ground, the non-existent hand that was clutching his neck keeping him in the air. It brought him up toward the creature's face, only being able to see the outline of it. It was then, he heard another whisper. Unlike the ones proceeding it, this one he could understand. The hollow voice sounded weak, but no less malevolent and chilling. “Where... is.... the call...”

As the voice ended, the commander's eyes widened as he saw four long blades appear from within the darkness. Each blade was almost rectangular, parallel to one another and pulsating with a powerful, blue glow. Unable to move, he could do nothing as the blades were brought down on him.

The Warden lurched upward in his bed suddenly, gasping sharply for air as the impenetrable darkness around him vanished to reveal the basement floor, the waking world hitting him like a splash of cold water.

The action made one lavender mare jump back in a startled fit. A sharp cry of surprise erupted from Twilight, causing the human's gaze to turn to her.

Another yelp of shock came from the Warden as he saw her. With the sudden presence of the unicorn, the surprised commander tumbled back out of his bed and crashed onto the floor with a heavy thud.

“Goodness,” the scholar breathed, pressing a hoof against her chest to feel her beating heart, “you scared me half to death.”

Slowly, the Warden manged to drag himself back onto the bed, allowing his dazed mind to focus on the pony in his basement room. “Twilight.... what are you....? Wait... were you watching me sleep?”

“What?” she blinked. “No I... well yes, but not for very long. I was just coming down to wake you up for lunch and well... it's not everyday you get to see the sleeping habits of a new species... Do you know that you mumble a lot in your sleep?”

The Warden couldn't help but frown. “I've been told so,” he murmured. Though he felt somewhat disturbed by the fact he was being observed in his sleep, he couldn't say it was the first time such a thing had happened. “Wait, how late is it?”

“Oh,” the unicorn replied, “well, since you never woke up this morning, I figured you needed to sleep a little longer given what you've been through, so you kind of missed breakfast. Now it's nearing lunchtime and I wanted to make sure you were up to eat. I'm sure your species needs its nutrients just like any other, so I made sure to wake you up myself.”

“Uh,” the Warden murmured, having not expected the sudden, long winded explanation, “well, ok. Thanks, I guess... Just give me a minute and I'll be up.”

Twilight gave an affirmative nod of her head. “Alright then, I'll see you shortly.” With that, the young scholar trotted back up the stairs, leaving the commander to fully awaken himself.

Sitting on the side of the bed, he stretched his arms out as far as the could, feeling the satisfying pops of his joints that had been stiffened in his sleep. Releasing one final yawn to drain himself of his drowsiness, he rubbed his eyes thoroughly as his mind drifted toward the dark abyss he had visited only a few moments ago.

It was a nightmare, having just awoken from it made that proof enough. Though, the Warden-Commander couldn't remember the last time he had experienced one. It was an odd feeling, to say the least. Everything had felt so real to him, but then again, that was how many nightmares worked. Giving his head a quick shake, he cleared his mind and tossed his wandering thoughts on the subject aside, seeing no point in dwelling on it.

Standing on his feet, he fidgeted with his clothes, straightening them to make them look more presentable. His armor made it into his thoughts as he pondered whether or not to put to heavy metal back on. There were heavy doubts that he would even need it, seeing little chance in actually being attacked while within the strange library. The Warden figured the simple garments he wore would be enough, though only a simple display of fabrics he wore underneath his armor for protection, they were much more comfortable than wearing the actual suit.

Entering the library and walking toward where he had sat down with the unicorn for tea, the commander sat down on the pillowed seat and waited silently. Only a few minutes of solitude were had before Twilight entered from another room, levitating a tray above her. She smiled upon seeing the human and placed the tray on the center of the table.

On the tray, three sandwich sat on their own separate plates. Twilight swiftly placed each plate by its owner, one for herself, one for the Warden, and one for the empty place between them. Their third soon accompanied them as the young dragon Spike came walking in, carrying his own tray of three cups filled with their drinks.

After Spike sat down at his own spot, the drinks were passed between them. The commander noticed he was being watched, catching Spike's emerald green eyes focused on him. All he could do was give a weak smile as the young dragon silently turned his head away. Trying to ignore the strange look, the human looked down at his sandwich, causing his stomach to growl as if on cue.

The silence between the three of them was quickly noted by the out of place human as he again felt eyes falling upon him. Looking up, he could see both Twilight and Spike watching him expectantly, seeing how their guest would react to the food being given to him. Not wanting to disappoint them, he picked up his sandwich and took a bite.

That very moment was instantly regretted as the commander nearly heaved what little remained within his gut. Spitting out what he had bitten into onto his plate, the commander was disgusted to see the assortment of grassy greens within the wad of saliva soaked bread. “What is this?”

“Do you not like it?” Twilight asked, her frown of disappointment evident. Feeling something leftover in his teeth, the Warden reached into his mouth and felt his stomach churn as he slowly pulled out a long strand of green, looking like a piece of a plant's stem. “It's a dandelion sandwich. Your kind can eat plants... right?”

The commander removed the top slice of bread on the rest of his uneaten sandwich. To his surprise, he saw the yellow flowers placed neatly in a row just below, like one would for a normal sandwich. “By the Maker,” he said in bewilderment. “Why would I eat flowers? What do you think I am, some kind of-” He stopped himself as he realized what sort of creature he was addressing. “Oh, that's right, ponies... Well no, I don't eat such things.”

“I guess that's my fault,” Twilight replied, sadly looking down in dejection. “I should have asked what kind of foods you ate, not just assume.”

“It's alright, Twilight,” the Warden responded, picking the last piece of foliage out of his teeth. “I can understand that you're not used to seeing something like me.”

The unicorn thought silently for a moment as she stared down at her own food. “Well, is there anything that you would like? Perhaps we can make something else.”

Thinking on the subject, the Warden pondered what types of food that he could have in the strange world he was in. Meat was obviously out of the question, despite his hungry stomach craving just that. “Do you have any fruits or vegetables?” he asked. “They're not much, but I can eat those plain.”

Twilight's ears perked up at that, her lips parting in a confident smile. “Oh yes, we can arrange that.” She stood from her seat and beckoned for her dragon assistant to follow her. “Give us a few minutes to get everything ready. Then we can eat and discuss more about your world.”

“So... I'm not even in my world anymore...” Alistair murmured, the realization to his predicament rattling in his head.

“That is the best I can think of,” Celestia replied, her tone holding a great amount of sympathy as the human's arrival made sense to her. “Despite my many years ruling Equestria, I have never encountered such creatures like you. And if what you say of your last memories before coming here are true, then a powerful magical spell must be involved.”

The princesses and Alistair were situated within the banquet hall of the castle. A long table stretched out for them to sit at, decorated with bouquets of flowers held in crystalline vases and the finest plates the Warden-King had ever seen. At the far end, the only two seats were taken by the princesses, while Alistair took the first one on the side next to them.

Not only was it odd for the king to be sitting down on pillows with royal equines, but his body was tensed from the continuous approach of the serving ponies who came by. They first came in carrying trays of tea and small cookies for them to have as they talked, followed by the occasional refilling of the kettle whenever needed.

Stares were given as they walked by the human, never taking their eyes off of him, looking at him as though he might up and attack them at any moment. For every stare they gave him however, he gave one right back. His eyes continuously locked onto the horned ponies as their added appendage glowed with a magical aura, levitating whatever it was they were carrying at the time.

Within the first few minutes, Alistair was told of the strange setting he had ended up in, filled with pegasi, earth ponies, as well as the magically adept unicorns. In turn, he explained what had occurred prior to him waking up within the castle. Strange looks of confusion were given by the princesses as some of what he had said was beyond their current understanding.

Alistair now leaned forward onto the table, rubbing his brow as what he was being told slowly made sense to him. “So that Eluvian brought me to another world entirely, that's just brilliant. All I wanted was a little time away from court, see an old friend and maybe have a drink or two, but of course this happens!” Groaning loudly in an unnecessary fashion, he bit into a cookie as he stared up at the elevated ceiling. “Well... I guess things could be worse. I've certainly wound up in worse places than magical-happy-land.”

“Alistair,” Celestia began, catching the king's attention, “now that you are aware of where you are, I would like to know more of your own world.”

“Thedas?” Alistair questioned, only just realizing that the two princesses were as clueless about his world as he was about their own. “Well...” he thought aloud, tapping a finger against his cheek as his mind worked out what to say, “it's a bit like your own I suppose, at least from what I've seen. Blue water, bluer skies, green grass, trees everywhere... a lot of dirt... the works.”

“And what of other creatures?” Luna asked, raising a questioning gaze. “Are all other sapient inhabitants as thick as yourself?”

Alistair chuckled lightly, finding a hint of familiarity in the dark princess's attitude, reminding him of a certain woman he traveled with once. “Well, there's actually an entire race thicker than I. There are several other races other than humans though, the elves, qunari and dwarves to be exact.”

“What are they like,” Celestia asked, intrigued.

Alistair cleared his throat as he realized he was going to be talking a lot. “Well, we're all a bit the same in certain physical aspects. Two arms, two legs, walking upright and all that normality. But appearances and culture differ a lot between us. Dwarves, for instance, are really short.” Using his hand, he raised it above the ground to show them the average height a dwarf would be. “Tiny little fellows who are as hairy as they are small. They tend to live underground and are notorious as merchants, blacksmiths, strong warriors and drunks. Now the elves, are nearly the exact opposite of them. They're a little shorter and skinnier than humans in appearance, and they have,” he brought his index fingers against his ears, “pointed ears. The ones who don't live in our cities live out in the forests, holding a deep connection with nature as they try and piece together their ancient history. Besides that, you'd know an elf by the scarring chip many of them have in their shoulders, holding onto the longest grudge in history.”

“What about these 'qunari' you mentioned?” Luna asked, attempting to hide her fullest interest toward the subject of otherworldly races.

A silent pause slowly formed around them as Alistair thought on it. “To be honest, there isn't a whole lot known about qunari. They're not a very talkative bunch, I've only ever known one on a personal level, and he wasn't one for idle chit-chat. But, they're much like humans in appearance, though bigger and having a darker skin tone. From what I've come to understand, their society is very strict with honor and everyone is very dedicated to their place in life. They're apparently a bunch of sticks in the mud though...”

“Your world certainly sounds interesting,” Celestia replied, finding a fascination with what she was being told. “What of yourself and your comrades you've mentioned? 'Grey Wardens' I believe you called them.”

“You want to know about the Wardens?” the commander asked, finding the question rather sudden. Reaching into the bowl before him, he grabbed another piece of sliced vegetable from the large bowl that was set infront of him and tossed it into his mouth. The bowl was filled with lettuce and different sliced vegetables. It seemed like a mess of slop one would give to livestock, but he was told it was something called a salad.

Twilight nodded her head excitedly, the young scholar having soaked up every little morsel of information she was learning about the land where the Warden had come from. After learning of the different races who inhabited his world, she was now curious about the title her guest held. “You said you're the commander of them, right? Are they a form of military?”

“I suppose they are,” the Warden murmured, having never really thought of them like that. “And I'm not the commander of he entire group. I lead the Grey Wardens who inhabit Ferelden, one of the many nations in Thedas.”

“So there are more all around the world?” Twilight asked.

“Many more,” he replied. “Actually, Ferelden has very few in comparison to the other nations. We've been slowly rebuilding our ranks when several years ago, there were only two Grey Wardens within all of Ferelden, myself and my friend Alistair.”

“So... you were the commander of one?” Spike murmured, sounding unimpressed.

The Warden chuckled. “Well, I wasn't the commander yet. The current commander, and all of the other Grey Wardens were lost in a massacre of a battle during a war with our greatest enemy, the darkspawn, called a Blight.”

Twilight involuntarily grimaced at the word. “Darkspawn?” For a reason she couldn't understand, just saying it filled her with a momentary sense of dread.

The Warden slowly nodded. “Horrific monsters that live in the deepest, darkest reaches of the world. They're less than animals, having only the instinct to free their masters from their underground prisons, called an Archdemon.” The commander's gaze drifted toward the purple-scaled assistant. “An Archdemon is an ancient deity that holds the appearance of a massive dragon. Once freed, the Archdemon leads the darkspawn to the surface, then the Blight begins. During a Blight, the darkspawn will slaughter any creature that isn't like their own, corrupting the very land they walk on.”

Twilight could only shake her head at the senseless concept. “But why... why would they do such a thing? What is their purpose?”

“Darkspawn have no purpose,” he answered bluntly. “All they ever do is continuously search for an Archdemon to lead them to the surface, then they'll keep killing every living thing until the Blight is either stopped, or they eradicate all life.”

Looking down aimlessly at the table, Twilight could barely comprehend such horrific creatures that only want to kill. Such a darkness seemed nonexistent in Equestria. “And how, would you end a Blight?”

“Kill the Archdemon,” the Warden replied, saying it like it was a simple feat.

“K-kill it?” Spike stammered, not liking the idea of killing a dragon, even one from another world.

The Warden nodded. “It's the only way to end the Blight. The Archdemon controls the darkspawn through a mental link connecting them all, severing that connection drives them back underground, and it's only Grey Wardens who are able to kill an Archdemon.”

“What do griffons have to do with it?” Twilight asked, still curious as to what they had to do with it all.

Surprised by the question, the human looked down at his chest, forgetting that he wasn't wearing his armor. “You know what griffons are?”

“Yes,” the scholar answered. “They have an empire far to the east of Equestria, a few are citizens here as well. Are they also a race in your world?”

“Heh, not exactly. They were once wild animals that the first Grey Wardens used as mounts to fly into battle against the Archdemon. They have long since gone extinct, now only serving as the symbol Wardens are known for, being seen as the main opposition against the darkspawn. We hold greater ability against the darkspawn than normal soldiers, being able to sense where they are and having a resistance to their corrupting taint.”

Trying to fathom what she was being told proved difficult for the scholar. A threat that couldn't be defeated with their magic, one that needed to be killed in order to stop, it sounded too horrifying to think about. The more she thought on it however, the more she was aware that the Warden had magic in his world as well. “So what is magic like in your world?” she asked, determined to know as much as she could on that particular subject.

“It's a very dangerous thing,” Alistair responded simply, answering the question that Celestia presented. Though both princesses seemed shocked to hear about the darkspawn, there was still the matter of what magic was like where the human came from. “In Thedas, magic's a lot different than what it's like here.”

“How so?” Luna inquired, her curiosity overpowering her abrasiveness toward the man.

Alistair thought hard on how he should explain it to them, figuring he shouldn't go too deeply within the religious aspect of it all. “Well, here, you can apparently pick up things, move the sun and moon, make weather, all of that fun sounding magic. Where I'm from, it's more zappy zappy kaboom dying person, than anything else.”

“So you have many offensive spells?” Celestia asked, trying to follow what the human was saying.

“Well there's more than just that,” the king said. “Most magic stems around the natural elements. Like shooting fire, lightning, ice. I've even seen some mages create roots that grab onto your legs. There are also some spells that can heal and create protection... but you're more likely to get a fireball to the face rather than a protective shield. Then, there's blood magic... but I really don't feel comfortable discussing that.”

The princesses both frowned at the statement. “Is something wrong?” the sun princess asked sincerely.

“No no,” the Warden-King replied, “I don't mean any kind of insult by it. It's just not something I'd want to bring up here. It's the most dangerous form of magic a mage can perform. It's also one of the reasons why mages are made to live inside the Circle Towers to train in their abilities.”

“Made to live?” Luna repeated in a scrutinizing tone. “Do you mean like a prison?”

“No, it's not like that at all,”Alistair quickly said, sounding far more defensive than he wanted to. “It's a school for mages to learn to control their magical abilities. Untrained mages are as dangerous to themselves as they are to others. They either go to blood magic and attack everyone or the demons get to them.”

Celestia's ears perked fully upright as she listened intently. “Demons? What are they, Alistair?”

“A nasty bunch,” Alistair murmured. “Very dangerous creatures, maybe even more so than the darkspawn. They live in a realm where the magic that mages use exists called the Fade. The Fade is parallel to our own world, containing spirits of both good and bad intentions, demons are the bad ones. When a mage sleeps, their mind is like an open invitation for demons to break free from the Fade. They use mages to come through into our world, driven by a coveting need and will destroy anyone who tries to stop them. Once a demon enters our world, they are a powerful threat that will take many lives to put down. The less experienced a mage is, the more likely a demon will find them and use them.” A dreary sigh was heaved by the king as he stared off into his surroundings. “Demons are the main reason mages are seen as dangerous people. If demons are far from your own worries, than you are certainly fortunate.” His thoughts turned to a certain mage he had met before, a fellow Grey Warden who his commander friend had saved from execution. “Actually, I happen to know a mage who would probably love it here.”

The pounding, splitting headache was the first thing Anders felt as he opened his eyes to greet his surroundings. Heavy groans of misery escaped him, his head feeling like it had the time he had told Oghren he could drink him under the table, it was a mistake. Feeling a soft cushion underneath him, the mage realized he was lying atop a bed of some kind. Rising from his flattened position, he sat up to look around.

Nothing looked familiar as he found himself in a small room. The walls were uneven and never flat, forming a near circular path around him. Shelves carved into the walls held alchemical vials, a set of wooden bowls and an assortment of odd looking plants. Strange masks hung on the walls and were set against the walls, each having elongated faces and markings painted on the front. Most notable was a large cauldron placed in the center of the room, holding a stagnate, green liquid inside.

Anders' confusion to what was going on was only heightened as he heard the soft purr of a cat and turned toward the source. His eyes widened in surprise as he saw a four legged, black and grey colored creature standing across the room. It hadn't noticed him stirring, the creature's attention being placed on the white cat that sat on the table before it.

The Witch of Everfree Forest

Anders watched as the white-furred feline, Ser Pounce-a-lot, playfully pawed at the creature's nose. It didn't take any hostilities toward the action, instead he saw its lips curl to form a smile. All the mage could do was lie idle as he stared at the creature. Having awoken in a strange place, right next to a creature he had never seen before, while his dear cat friend was directly in its sights, he was far too confused to think of any type of action he could preform.

Then, his body tensed suddenly as he saw the creature turning its head toward him. Thinking fast, Anders fully collapsed himself onto the bed and shut his eyes, creating the ruse that he was still asleep, even forcing a small amount of drool from his mouth for added effect. Moments passed and the mage thought his plan had succeeded. That changed quickly however as he heard a voice speaking to him.

“I request you cease your pretend drooling, there is no one that you are fooling.”

Knowing he had been caught by whoever it was that had rescued him. Sitting back up on the bed, Anders was surprised as he there wasn't a soul within the small home except for the creature and his own cat. Watching him rise, the creature approached Anders with a soft smile.

“It is good to see you finally awake,” the creature responded, making Anders' eyes grow wide. “For you, many a healing brew I had to make.”

“You... can talk?” Anders asked, taken aback by the surprise, but the novelty ended quickly. The mage had once seen darkspawn gain such an ability. To him, that shock took the cake for any others.

“Just like I know you can as well,” the four-legged creature replied, “it was your unconscious moans that rang to me like a bell.”

A crooked smile sprouted from Anders' lips as he eyed her strangely. “She's rhyming,” he thought to himself, “is that intentional?”

“So...” Anders trailed off, looking at his surroundings once again, “who are you exactly? Can't say I've ever had to wake up in such a place. Though,” he chuckled lightly, “I can't say it's the worst I've experienced. Imagine, waking up to an angry templar standing over you. Or even worse, waking up to an angry templar while having a little company within the bedsheets. Now that wasn't one of my best mornings.”

The creature stared at him for a long pause, holding an expression that he could only match with confusion. “I know not the things of which you speak, but Zecora is the answer that you seek.”

“Zecora?” Anders thought. “Bit of an odd name, I've heard worse though.” Once again, his eyes took in the details of his surroundings. He certainly wasn't in the typical Ferelden abode. Much of his attention was focused on the vials holding strange liquids inside and the cauldron in the center of the room. “She must be a Witch of the Wilds, that would explain the décor... and the fact she's an animal.”

Anders didn't know a lot about such mages. Only that they could shapeshift into different animals and lived outside of civilized societies, and that they liked to steal children but he had his doubts about that one. However, he did now that his dear commander had saved Ferelden with a Witch of the Wilds before. Though the commander didn't answer to the mage's pestering questions himself, Oghren provided a great source of enlightenment, including divulging several juicy details.

Noticing his master was awake, Ser Pounce-a-lot approached the bed and leaped up toward the sitting mage. Without a care in the world, the snowy feline curled up against Anders' warm body and quickly fell asleep. Only a small purr was uttered as the mage gingerly stroked the animal's coat.

“It was certainly a surprise to find you,” Zecora remarked, eying the cat, “especially as I saw that you were not one but two. You were sprawled out on the forest floor, looking not like an animal but perhaps something more. So I brought you here to my hut, to treat your wounds and heal your cuts.”

“She's still doing it,” Anders thought. “There has to be something wrong with this girl." Thinking on what she had said, the mage looked himself over to notice his appearance. The legs of his robes were torn and dirty. A mild ache could be felt across his body, simple enough to go unnoticed unless focused on. Several small tears were covering his arms as well, were he could see red lines of shallow cuts across the limbs.

The mage's mind turned to the last thing he could remember. Traversing the dark forest with his fellow Grey Wardens, entering the musty cave, finding the blood mage they were searching for, then everything going dark. Now, he was in the home of a shapeshifter who seemed far too antisocial. Then again, she did save him from the untamed wilds, so she couldn't be all bad.

“Well, Zecora,” Anders began, “thanks for... you know, not leaving me to die and everything. “ Though the thanks wasn't entirely genuine, he wasn't one to see someone helping someone else without reason. The last time somebody had saved him, he ended up drinking a chalice full of poisonous blood and fighting off a small army of darkspawn.

A simple nod was had by Zecora in response, accepting the sentiment of the gesture while ignoring the awkwardness it was delivered in. “Perhaps I could ask what sort of creature you are,” she replied looking at him with an eye of interest, “being one of the strangest beasts I have seen thus far.”

“Uh... Well, I'm a human,” the mage replied, taken aback by the question. It was strange to him that she would never have seen a human before, or isn't one herself for that matter.

Then, a plausible thought came to him. “She must be a Dalish elf. Makes sense I guess, with their affinity for all things green and furry. It even explains the... desired form.”

As he formed his own conclusions toward the identity of the one who saved him, the white ball of fur lying next to him had awoken. Stretching out on the bed beside his master, the cat playfully sank its claws into the mage's thigh. The sudden sharp sting jolted Anders from his own thoughts and forced him to look down at his feline friend. “Oh, how could I forget about you?” he asked sweetly, “Zecora, this is Ser Pounce-a-lot, my cat and faithful companion.” A annoyed huff then escaped him as he quickly realized his own introduction had been missing for some time. “And I'm Anders by the way.”

“It's a pleasure to meet you both, that much is true,” Zecora said with a smile. “Since the times I see new creatures are very few.”

“Right...” Anders murmured, putting on a false smile as he felt his stomach churning from all the rhyming. Sitting there for several moments, it came to his attention that his fellow Grey Wardens were probably worried sick about him, or at least mildly unhappy. “Well, thanks once again, Zecora.” He stood up from the bed and looked around for his things. “But I really need to go and find my friends, they're probably out there looking for me.”

Only a few seconds were needed for him to spot his staff and bag, both carefully placed against the wall on the far side of the hut. Taking them both, Anders approached the bed and picked up Ser Pounce-a-lot, taking extra care with the cat as he gingerly placed him into his bag.

“Take care,” he said to the zebra, bowing his head respectfully before heading toward the door.

As he left the hut, Anders was greeted with what the outside world held. Immediate surprise struck him quickly, seeing an expansive forest stretching on without a conceivable end. Everything about it looked foreign to him, from the trees that were sprouted from the ground, to the grass that he was treading on.

Not a single ray of light shined through the roofing of tree leaves from where he was, putting the area in a dim setting that made it difficult to see very far. An overbearing feeling of foreboding made itself a constant sensation as well, whispering in the mage's ear that he shouldn't be there.

“I must really be deep within the forest,” Anders thought to himself, his idea of locating the other Wardens looking daunting. “Guess I'll have to rely on my innate sense of direction and unparalleled survival skills to make it through this." Allowing a moment to pass with his latest thought, he was unable to stop himself from groaning pitifully as the realization hit him that he had neither of those things. “I'm screwed.”

“Are you sure you wish to go alone?” Zecora asked, stepping out of her hut after the mage. “The land is dangerous where this forest has grown.”

Anders shook his head. “Thanks for the offer and all, but I think I can handle myself. Plus, a few of the guys I'm looking for might be a bit... startled to see you.” He didn't feel like mentioning it, but he also felt like he'd rather go one on one with an Archdemon than listen to more rhymes.

A firm nod of understanding came from Zecora as she smiled. “Then I must say to you farewell, and hope that in your journey all goes well.”

Anders matched her smile as he waved goodbye to her, quickly turning his back and stepping deeper into the first direction put in front of him, trying to hide the thick grimace that became sculpted onto his face. “Does that one even count?” A large gap was soon made between himself and the strange shape shifter he had encountered. Despite the oddity of it all however, she had aided him when he needed it, that much he couldn't deny.

Trekking through the dark forest, the mage looked for any signs of familiarity that could help guide him back toward civilization. A living guide would have been greatly appreciated, but he had his doubts that Zecora would know where the village was. Especially if she had never seen a human before.

“Where do you think we should go, Ser Pounce-a-lot?” he asked to his bag soothingly, opening it fully to peer down at his contented kitten. As though it fully understood, the white cat poked its head out from the bag and looked around the area. Stopping its sightseeing, Ser Pounce-a-lot meowed lightly as he gazed out toward an oncoming clearing that was to their right. “Good choice, kitty.”

Following his cat's instruction, he altered his direction and made it for the clearing, seeing the light from the sun shining down through the opening.

Stepping into the clearing, and seeing the area lit up for the first time, Anders found himself staring off into the strange scenery. There wasn't a thing that looked like it was supposed to. The grass seemed greener, the sky was a much brighter blue. Even the trees looked as though if he were to touch them, point would be left behind on his hand.

None of it sat right with him, forcing a hint of worry into the mage's mind. It was made even worse as a persistent sensation of being lightheaded weighed down on him. He couldn't explain it, but it felt as though something was terribly wrong with himself, other than the usual things anyway.

Suddenly, Anders was snapped back to reality as he heard a ferocious snarl behind him. As he turned around, he was startled to see several pairs of pulsing yellow eyes staring straight at him from within the darkness of the forest. More snarls came from that direction, added by swift movement that he couldn't see clearly.

Slowly, the eyes came closer, the beastly snarls becoming louder along with them. Anders was far from a helpless child, readying himself as he jumped back with a determined gaze on his face, making sure to keep a grand distance away from the creatures. Then, as the beasts broke into the clearing and were drenched within the warmth of the sunlight, Anders couldn't help but burst into laughter.

They were a pack of wolves, but not like anything he had ever seen. Their bodies weren't of flesh and fur like the ones he was accustomed to see. In their stead, the bodies of the wolves were made up of twisted branches, forming together to form their legs and bodies. Even their teeth were nothing more than triangular splinters. What made it even more funny to him was seeing several of them actually having leaves growing on them.

“Oh my goodness, my sides are hurting now,” Anders breathed, wiping a tear away. He had nearly toppled over onto the ground as his lungs were spent of their air. The wolves were not deterred by his reaction however, slowly making their way toward him, their vicious growls never lessening. All the mage could do was grin devilishly. “I'm not sure what kind of spell created you creatures, but your master must be a fool if he thinks you're worth anything.” Holding out his arms, his grin turned into a wicked smile. “You're all nothing but kindling to me.”

Anders continued to keep his arms held out, summoning forth his great magical power as he prepared to make a spectacle out of the wooden wolves. Knowing he was ready, he reared his arms back and then threw them forward with a great display of force, his eyes brightening as he could already see the wolves turning to ash before him.

But nothing happened. There was no flame, not a fireball or an ember to speak of. A spark wasn't even made as Anders stared at his own hands in surprise. “Okay, let's try that again,” he said patiently. Going through the motions again, he threw his hands forward, bringing the spell forward to summon a blazing heat. Once again, nothing happened.

The wolves, seeing no threat from their prey, continued to clear the space between them and the dress wearing biped. Hunger could be seen within their yellow eyes as their tongues made of small vines ran across their sharp teeth.

“Come on magic,” Anders said in an uneasy sternness, as if bargaining with the properties of magic. “This is the part where everything gets really hot and stuff catches on fire!” But as he tried once again, there was nothing. Anders found himself unable to his magic to defend himself, and a pack of wooden wolves closing in on him.

As he backed away in fear from the coming beasts, only a single word could be uttered from the mage as he gulped sharply. “H-help.”

“Do you really think she will be able to help?” the commander asked, eying Twilight questioningly as she looked down at the note she was writing, nibbling the last piece of carrot he had from his salad.

“Oh yes, I'm certain that the princess will know what to do,” the lavender mare responded with the epitome of certainty. The quill within her magical grasp continued to scratch against the parchment she had in front of her, writing out her latest letter to Celestia. “She's one the most powerful ponies in Equestria, next to her sister. If anypony is able to help, it will be her.”

There was a small amount of reassurance the Warden found in her words. From what Twilight had already told him, Princess Celestia was certainly someone he would want to meet. The scholar spoke quite highly of her whenever she had been brought up, reminding him a little about how people in Thedas would regard the Maker and Andraste.

“There, that should do it,” Twilight said with pride in her voice, looking over her letter to check for any mistakes.

Dear Princess Celestia,

I have come across a strange creature the other day. A creature that I am sure nopony, including you, have ever seen. He is a strange looking, bipedal creature called a hue-men. Just as I have never seen anything like him, he has never seen a pony before. Though we got off on the wrong hoof with the first few minutes of our encounter, I have come to trust this hue-men and see that he is of no threat to us or anypony else. Enclosed with this letter will be my report on his attributes and appearance.

The main reason I write this letter now because of the strange circumstances that have brought this hue-men to my attention. Now, this may sound laughable, but he is from another world entirely. Even I had much disbelief about this, but there is evidence supporting this theory that have made me certain of it as a fact. He is from a world not like our own, where magic does exist but appears to have significant differences when compared to our own.

I write to you now to inform you of this discovery, as well as ask for your wisdom regarding what we can do. As of now, he has no possible way of returning to his world, and the I am doing my best to keep his arrival secret from the rest of Ponyville to not cause a panic. Also, I am certain that you will wish to meet him as well. There are many interesting facts about his land that I can't simply put in a single letter. I will await your reply with bated breath.

Always,

Your most faithful student, Twilight Sparkle

Seeing nothing wrong with her letter, Twilight stood up from the table and trotted off toward a small desk set against the wall. Inside one of the drawers, a bright red ribbon was levitated out, a golden seal placed on the very center of it. The small report she had made was also lying on the desk and was then added with her letter and furled into a single scroll.

Returning to the table, Twilight approached her dragon assistant as he began to stack the dishes to take to the kitchen. “Spike,” she said, “I need you to send this letter right away.”

“Ok,” Spike replied, taking the scroll in his claws. Staring at it intently, he held the scroll up and took a deep breath. As he exhaled, a green flame flowed from his mouth and engulfed the scroll. Rather than turning it to ash, the scroll became a plume of smoke instantaneously and flew away.

Seeing the action take place, the commander's eyes were wide as he once again saw a feat he thought was impossible. “What... what was that?” he asked.

Twilight giggled lightly, still forgetting that her guest was unaware of so much. “It's a spell that allows Spike to send letters straight to the princess. It will reach her in no time, so a response is sure to come quickly. She will most likely want to set up a meeting with you as well, that way she can see you for herself and she can offer you her help.”

“What do you mean you can't help?” Alistair asked, shocked at what he was hearing. “I thought you princesses were supposed to be crazy powerful with magical goodness and whatever else that makes you tick.” Looking out one of the towering windows that were within the banquet hall, the Warden-King pointed sharply toward the sun that was still high in the sky. “You move the sun for Maker's sake, how can't you help me?”

A long pause was had between the three of them as both princesses could only frown while they shook they heads slowly.

“You overestimate our abilities, Alistair,” Celestia replied, her tone very patient and considerate. “You come from another world entirely. Such an occurrence has never happened. Though there are many spells that exist, many that can do wondrous things, there simply isn't one that could send a creature form one world to another.”

Alistair sank down in his seat, sighing heavily as his sunken gaze looked down at his empty teacup. “So... I'm stuck here.”

“I'm afraid so,” the alabaster princess responded. “But we will offer what assistance we can to help you. As for now, you may stay within the castle while we try and find a way to aide you.”

“Stay in the castle?” Alistair repeated, taken aback by the gesture. “Really? You actually trust me?” His eyes drifted toward Luna as he said it.

A controlled breath left the azure princess as she met the Grey Warden's gaze. “Perhaps I was too... hasty to deem you a threat against us. Having discussed with you in a calm manner, I realize that your being here is neither a danger to us or-” Luna was suddenly cut off as all eyes were locked onto a puff of smoke that trialed through the air as though it had a mind of its own.

The smoke flew about the room, twisting and turning with no discernible path. Then, the smoke flowed downward in front of Celestia, forming into a large ball. After only a second of momentary pause, the smoke disappeared and a scroll was left in its place.

Both Luna and Alistair eyed the scroll with interest and curiosity as it fell onto the table before the eldest princess. Taking it into her magical hold, Celestia lifted the scroll into the air and unfurled it. As her eyes ran left to right, reading the words that were written, her white lips curled upward as a soft smile became apparent on her face.

Wolves and Nighttime Pains

The wooden beasts stepped closer and closer to Anders with each passing moment. Their ominous patience was clear as every movement they made toward their prey was slow and without brashness. All the mage could do was stare at them, his eyes wide with terror while slowly backing away. Without his magic, he couldn't defend himself and was now an easy target.

One of the wolves, having moved toward the mage's right side, lowered itself toward the ground. Slinking back, its legs bent down and it leaned backward into the darkness of the forest. Then, the wolf lunged forward. Teeth barred, clawed paws outstretched, eyes locked into a fixed stare of blood lust, the wolf threw all of its weight toward the mage, ready to tear him down and finish the prey off.

Anders had only a moment to react to the attack. Gripping his staff tightly with both hands, he swung the thick stick of hardened wood in one quick arc. The swing found its mark as a sharp squeal and pained whimper shot into the air. Struck across the side of its face, the wolf was thrown to the ground, sprawling against the leaf covered forest floor for only a few moments before it was on its feet once again, rejoining the pack to await its turn to strike again. The wolf was not the only one feeling the repercussions of the attack however. A painful shudder vibrated down the length of the staff and through Anders' arms, rattling the teeth in his skull and forcing grunts of pain from him, not being used to the taxing, physical effort of swinging a weapon against an enemy.

Undeterred by the mage's attack, the wolves held their menacing stance. Another one, displaying just as much ferocity as the previous, prepared itself for an attack. It was quick to leap forward, its mouth wide open to bite down on its prey. Anders' reaction speed was less faithful this time around, causing him to lift his staff up in defense as the wolf came down on it. Its splintered fangs gnawed against the staffs wooden surface, grinding down on it with a powerful force.

The sheer strength in the attack forced Anders to stumble back. Fending off the wolf proved even more difficult as it thrashed wildly with the staff still in its mouth. The Grey Warden mage felt his arms quickly tiring, both from the wolf that was restrained against him, and his split focus as he could see the rest of the pack slowly advancing toward him from the corner of his eye.

Then, sound of snapping wood cracked through the air of the forest, like mighty tree limbs being torn from their trunks. Again, Anders stumbled back, feeling the heavy weight of the wooden wolf suddenly leave his hold as it bit through the staff, splitting it into two large pieces, as well as several splinters that were still being spat out by the victorious wolf.

With nothing left to defend himself with, Anders threw the two pieces of staff at the wolves. One missed in a pathetic toss that had more panic in the motion than careful aim. The second, found its mark, smashing against the head of one of the wolves with a painful, hollowing thud. But the wolf merely shook its head to regain the rattled senses, looking only more angrier than it was previously as it continued to approach the helpless prey.

Anders was in a full panic now, he had nothing else he could do, unless he were to become cruel enough to throw his own cat to them as a distraction. Unbridled terror forced its way through his body, causing his limbs to tremble in uncontrollable spasms and his face to quiver sporadically. All he could manage to do was back away, step by painfully slow step. He knew that trying to run was as pointless as it was obvious. The beasts would catch him within moments, pouncing on his back, pining him down to the ground, his screams echoing through the forest as their jagged fangs would tear him to pieces.

A thick root of an ancient tree proved to be the only resistance needed for him to be stopped in his pitiful attempt at prolonging his survival. His heel struck it violently, throwing him off balance and causing his collapse onto the ground. Every pair of yellow eyes seemed to flash as the wolves witnessed their prey becoming even more helpless than before. Anders wasn't able to get up as he sat there, paralyzed in a horror stricken stare while the wolves kept their eyes on him.

The third wolf to decide that it was time to strike made itself known as it bent its wooden legs and jumped. Its eyes pulsed with eagerness as it came lunging toward the mage. Anders cried out in fear, but his breath was caught in his own throat, producing only a raspy groan that was drowned out by the blood-chilling snarls of the wolves, each one ready to overtake their prey.

As the wolf came down on him, Anders shut his eyes, not wanting to see the gruesome end to the greatest mage to become a Grey Warden in Ferelden history. It forced his world into darkness, where all there was were the sounds of the snarling wolves, and his own pathetic whimpering. It made it all the more shocking to him, as he awaited his own demise, when instead of the sound of his own rending flesh, he heard the familiar sound of cracking wood and a shrieking yelp of pain.

Anders' eyes flared open, looking out to the world at just the right moment to catch the body of the attacking wolf as it toppled onto the hard ground. It laid sprawled out on the forest floor for only a few moments before it staggered onto its feet, swaying back and forth in a dazed state. Several of its barked fangs were either chipped or missing, with cracks running across its face. The mage was sickened as he saw a thick, transparent-brown liquid oozing from the wounds.

But the wounded wolf only passed under his gaze for a few moments, what caught his full attention was what had stopped it from finishing him off. There, standing beside him, was the last face he remembered seeing before being thrust into this madness.

“Zecora!” Anders breathed, having never felt so happy to see someone save him in his life. She stood her ground against the wolves, a thick sneer stretching her face as she caught their eyes and glared them down. The wolves even seemed to hesitate in their continued advance, looking wary to attack her.

Anders managed to clamber onto his feet, wasting no time to get out of the vulnerable position he was in while on the ground. Standing at Zecora's side, he looked back at the pack of monsters as they began to get over their fears of their newest prey.

“What... what are these things?” Anders asked, having seen nothing like them before.

“They are called timber wolves,” Zecora answered, not faltering in her readiness as the wolves prepared for another attack. “It is best not to attack, but turn and run on your hooves.”

Without saying another word, Zecora turned her head to face the mage and gestured toward their right side. Anders needed little else to tell him what to do and he was quickly bolting away from the clearing, running as fast as his legs could carry him. Of course, the wolves didn't want their prey escaping. Half of the pack were already preparing to give chase, turning in the direction the mage was running and taking off.

Zecora was prepared for this however, already jumping in their path with her back turned to them. The wolves were too focused on the human to react as Zecora's back legs kicked hard, her hooves smashing into their faces with a powerful force. Each wolf was thrown back into the others, disorienting them and allowing the zebra to run.

Four hooves proved to be superior to two feet as Zecora quickly caught up with the fleeing mage. Passing him, she was able to lead him through the forest as the snarls and howls of the bounding wolves could be heard behind them.

Anders could feel his heart trying to burst through his chest, his lungs aching from their overuse. Fighting against his exhaustion and fear, he continued to run as as fast as he was able. As they continued to flee, Zecora and Anders could hear the sounds of the wolves dying down, becoming quieter with every couple of feet they crossed.

Then, there was nothing at all. As though the wolves had given up their pursuit, finding the prey to be far more trouble than it was worth. Anders found a clear reason as to why as he followed Zecora into a much smaller clearing, where the hollowed out tree that was her hut stood proudly. Their speed was only lessened after the front door was thrown open and both Anders and Zecora were left panting in her home.

Through his own haggard breathing, Anders' fears suddenly rose up again sharply as he remembered his companion. Nearly tearing off the lid to his bag, he looked into it to see Ser Pounce-a-lot curled up at the very bottom, growling only slightly in annoyance at the disturvance before he was fast asleep once again. Relief washed over the mage as he knew that all was right.

Zecora herself seemed unshaken by the events, only tired from her own part in the escape. Her body soon tensed as her eyes widened, feeling the human suddenly latch onto her, his arms wrapped around her neck in a tight hold as she felt the side of his face pressed against hers.

“Maker praise you, Zecora!” Anders cried in a hysterical joy. “You really saved my hide back there! I would kiss you if I wasn't sure you'd boil me alive for it!”

Zecora remained silent for several minutes, trying to retract herself from the clinging mage slowly. As it appeared he would never release her, she pressed a hoof against his chest and pushed forcibly, managing to break his hold around her neck and slide him a comfortable distance away from her. “I had heard those beasts coming when you had gone,” she murmured in reply. “I could not leave you to face them alone.”

“Well, you still saved me... again,” Anders said, lips quivering in an weak smile.

Staying silent, Zecora approached the window looking out to the forest. Staring through it for some time, she turned away from it and crossed over into a small room that was connected to the center one. Anders watched as she began to backpedal out of the room, dragging a large blanket with her teeth. Seeing the effort in it, the mage was quick to get onto his feet and assist her, taking it into the center room where she folded it into a thick rectangular shape on the floor.

“It is getting late, you should rest,” the zebra said, indicating the blanket. “For tomorrow, to find your friends, we will need to be at our best.”

“'We'?” Anders murmured. “I said before, I really don't think you should-” His words were caught in his throat as Zecora's expression deadpanned. It was in her eyes, a questioning glance that asked if he had forgotten the events that just transpired outside of the hut. “Right... I'll just... shut up and go to sleep now.”

Not saying a word, Zecora gave a firm nod before turning to her bed and climbed on top of it. It took only moments for her to become perfectly relaxed, her eyes fully closing before her chest began to rise and fall at an even pace.

Anders lied down on his own blanket. His bag was kept on, not wanting to disturb his feline friend any further. Sleep did not come as quickly or as easily for him as it did for Zecora. The mage was left to stare up at the blank ceiling, his mind abuzz with what was going on. Strange creatures, strange forest, and his magic not working for him, he knew that the next day would be difficult for him. Soon enough however, his eyelids fluttered several times, his tensed muscles relaxed, and his waking world collapsed to allow his mind to drift away into sleep.

A peaceful rest was not had for long. Only a few hours were gained before Anders began to toss and turn atop the blanket he rested on. Light moans left him while his face quivered as though in a cold shiver.

He awoke with a start, disoriented, the world around him becoming a hazy blur. Getting onto his feet made this worse as he thrashed about wildly, heavy cries of pain leaving him as his hands shot up to clutch at the sides of his head, his eyes shut as tight as iron.

There was a dreadful pain within his own mind. It rattled through his brain with no warning or pause. A horrifying memory was forced through his thoughts on the day he first encountered darkspawn after becoming a Grey Warden. His mind had become wracked with tormenting anguish, as though the insidious creatures were clawing into him from the inside.

Now, the pain was once again upon him, forcing wails of torment to echo through the hut, waking Zecora to see the mage in agony. But she would be unable to help him as Anders felt his pain becoming focused, as though finding the source of it in a specific direction.

No other thought could make it into his head. There was nothing else, only the pain, the pain and the source of it. Anders was forced to do the only thing he could, bursting through the door of the hut and charging into the forest. Zecora gave chase, her heart fluttering its rapid beating as she knew where the direction would lead the panic stricken human.

The human mage was not the only one with sleeping troubles. Back in Ponyville, within the basement of the library, the commander thrashed about in his bed.

Rapid hisses of breath came rapidly through gritted teeth. A cold sweat soaked his hair and face while his body rolled back and forth in a painful spasm. Not too long did the action continue until he managed to topple over off of the bed and crash onto the floor, the pain of it not even registering to his already tormented mind.

Heavy groans of pain and misery flew from his throat as his fingers dug into the sides of his head. It felt as though there was an orchestra within his skull, his brain being beaten like a drum.

Though his eyes were open, they saw nothing. Just a wild blur were all that befell his gaze. Completely consumed by the pain within his own thoughts, the commander charged up the stairs and tore through the door leading into the library itself, nearly breaking it from the hinges.

The crash alerted Twilight and Spike, who both awoke with a startled fright. They looked downstairs to see the Warden rushing toward the front door, bursting through it in a wild charge and into the abandoned streets of Ponyville. Twilight quickly rushed to the ground floor and began to chase after him, but she didn't need to go far as she heard a loud crash occur just outside, followed by a series of groans that echoed into the dark library.

Rushing outside, the librarian and assistant were astonished at what they saw. Lying in a crumpled heap of limbs, were two humans. They immediately recognized the features of the commander within the darkness, but the other human was new to them. With dirty-blonde hair and long, torn robes that came down to his ankles.

They both stayed lying on the ground for some time, grunting and moaning in pain as they rubbed their heads tenderly. After a quick shake of his head to regain his senses, the Warden looked at what he had ran into and gasped in surprise as his eyes laid on Anders.

“A-Anders?” he breathed in bewilderment.

The mage in question looked around in a dazed confusion at first. When his eyes fell on his commander, a cheerful smile stretched his lips as his eyes developed a distant haze. “Oh... hey, when did you get here?” Another groan escaped him as he flinched and patted the side of his head. “Man... do I have a headache. Where are we anyway? Back at the village?”

He looked around, but it was too dark to make out any details in the scenery, only see the outlines of houses in the distance. But inevitably, his eyes fell on the worried face of Twilight, as well as her dragon helper who stood in front of a massive tree shaped into a house.

Anders' eyes widened as he saw the unicorn, a sharp intake of air sounded in his throat but being caught halfway, causing him to choke and sputter as he spoke. “W-what is that?” he asked, pointing at her. “Another witch?”

“I'm Twilight Sparkle,” the scholar replied. “A unicorn... are you another human?” The mage didn't manage a an answer as Twilight's attention darted toward the rest of the town. Squares of yellow light could be seen floating in the darkness, windows of homes that were waking up. No doubt hearing the commotion that was going on. “Quickly,” she called, rushing back into her home, “get inside before somepony sees you.”

Seeing Twilight's urgency, the Warden didn't hesitate as he stood up and stepped into the library. It took Anders much longer to be so trusting, only able to stare at the creature beckoning him. Then, he felt a nudge from behind, trying to push him to continue forward. Turning to see the source, he was surprised to see Zecora standing there, silently guiding him into the library.

As they were all inside and the door was shut, everything became dark and difficult to see. After a few moments of the visitors feeling around in the blackness that engulfed them, a small light illuminated a small portion of the floor. It was from Twilight, levitating a candle that held a dim flame, her face held an expression of pure curiosity as she looked between the new human and Zecora.

“So... your name is Anders?” Twilight asked, recalling the name the Warden had used outside, as well as him mentioning it when he was discussing how he had arrived to their world.

“Uh... yeah...” the mage replied, unable to take his eyes off of the candle that was floating in midair.

The scholar nodded slowly as her gaze fell back onto the zebra. “And what are you doing here, Zecora?”

“Oh,” Anders breathed as he followed the unicorn's stare. “She was the one who found me in the forest.” Rubbing the back of his head, he chuckled uneasily. “And... she ended up saving me from a pack of these strange monsters.”

Zecora nodded her head in reply to the mage's story. “Tonight we were having a restful sleep, when I heard a mighty crash and shouting peep. The human Anders was charging out through my door,” her eyes drifted and fell onto the commander, “so I followed to discover he had found one more.”

“Yeah...” Anders murmured, beginning to rub his head again as he thought on what had happened mere moments ago. “I just... had this terrible pain going through my head. I had thought I could feel the source of it... but when I ran, I just ended up crashing into you.” The commander was taken aback by the statement, having suffered the same way.

Twilight, smothering a coming yawn, realized how late it was. Her warm gaze turned to Zecora, who was standing patiently still as the events began to unfold around her. “Well, Zecora, thank you for coming here. But, I'm sure we can take care of Anders now.”

Zecora looked between the two humans for a time, as if weighing her own need to be associated with what was going on. Coming to a conclusion, the zebra nodded her head drearily as she turned to leave the library, stepping into the nighttime air with a sheepish wave goodbye of her hoof.

“So...” Anders murmured, folding his arms as his brow began to furrow deeply. “Not that I mind standing around in a perpetual state of confusion, but... does anyone mind telling me what is going on?!”

“Do you not know?” Twilight asked, having thought Zecora would have already had a discussion with the dress wearing human. An agitated shake of his head made it clear that Anders wasn't aware of his situation. “Oh... well, you're in-” The commander quickly held up his hand to silence the unicorn.

“It's late, Twilight,” he murmured, his voice sounding as tiered as his body was. “You can go back to bed, I'll tell Anders all he needs to know.”

“Are you sure?” the librarian asked, looking at the Warden worriedly.

“I'm certain,” the commander replied with a soft smile, reaching down to take the candle for himself. “What he doesn't learn from me he will surely figure out by tomorrow when we go to Canterlot.”

Twilight looked uncertain at first, but as she raised her hoof to her mouth to stifle another yawn, she saw the wisdom in his words and nodded her head in agreement. “Alright then. But...” her eyes locked onto his with a serious expression, “is something wrong? Why did you act the way you did before?”

The Warden bit his lip as he thought on his response, unsure of how to address the question. He wasn't even aware of what had gone on himself. “It was nothing...” he said, being as simplistic as possible, “just... a bit of a nightmare.”

The unicorn still looked worried, but she soon forced a smile and turned toward the stairs. “Alright then, goodnight, Warden... Anders.”

The Warden then gestured for Anders to follow him, heading for the door that would lead them to the basement. As they descended the stairs to the ground floor, his thoughts quickly returned to what had caused him so much strife before.

What exactly had happened, he couldn't say. It had certainly felt like a nightmare, but not like one he had ever seen. His mind burned with a searing heat that forced him to run wildly away, focused on what felt like the source. It ended as soon as he had ran into Anders. Perhaps he was sensing his approach?

Rubbing his eyes, the commander tried recalling what it was like to sense darkspawn, to feel their approach from far away. He could remember having painful headaches when he had first became a Grey Warden, his mind getting used to detecting the foul monsters. He also knew that Wardens could detect one another, though not to the same degree as with actual darkspawn. It was always faint, like a nagging prick at the back of his mind.

All the commander could assume was that it had been a reaction his body was having to being in this strange world of magic and talking ponies. With no darkspawn to sense, not even deep below the surface, his mind was grasping at the only thing it could, another Grey Warden. Anders had apparently gone through the same thing, if what he had said was true.

Seeing more important matters at hand, the Warden put it out of his mind and sat down on the floor of the basement with Anders. There, within the small light that the dim candle gave, he told the mage of all that he knew of where they were, and of the inhabitants of the strange land they were in.

All throughout it, Anders looked at his commander like one might a crazed drunkard in a tavern, telling farfetched tales that were clearly derived from the empty mug in their hands. But, eventually, his expression shifted to one of awe and shock as the details turned to the magic that the ponies had. The commander himself was surprised by his reaction when he had finished, with the mage holding an expressionless display of deep thought.

“A world of talking, magical horses huh?” Anders murmured, scratching his chin. Then suddenly, his eyes widened as deep grimace appeared on his face. “To think, I was this close to kissing one...”

Reunion

The smallest of the diamond dog leaders whimpered pathetically as its legs flailed about uselessly on the ground while it was being dragged through one of the many tunnels it had dug. Desperately trying to escape, it clawed frantically at the hand that was locked firmly around its neck. Though its claws were jagged and sharp, they couldn't even scratch the hardened exterior of its captor's body, having regarded the dog with less interest one would have toward a buzzing fly or biting mosquito.

Its sniveling whimpers and grunts of exertion were all the sound it made, being easily drowned out by the loud thuds of the golem Shale's tread. The golem's interest was pointed forward, further along the ever expanding system of tunnels that it had been traversing through for what seemed like an incalculable amount of time. Of course, it couldn't be sure with the disorienting effects on time the sky-less caverns had.

The native dogs had abandoned the area some time ago. After the scores that had already fallen in their attempts to overtake the living statue, it eventually made it into their heads that the golem was not a being to be trifled with. So they left, leaving behind their leaders without a moment of hesitation, their loyalty seemingly nonexistent.

Now, Shale was left to trek onward though the underground tunnels. So many branching paths made up the network of passages, each glittering with gems that had yet to be dug from the walls. Only the dim flickering of dying torches allowed light to be seen, creating shadows that danced incessantly against the rocky walls.

There were many pathways that looked as though they had been made by some other creature. While the ones made by the dogs were crudely dug through, there were a few that showed care being taken into account. Posts of wood were pressed against the sides, making certain that a collapse was unlikely. Metallic tracks also became evident in such tunnels, always rusted beyond use with the occasional cart that was either topple over or missing the wheels. Shale could only assume that a mining operation had been made there, with the original inhabitants leaving for an unknown reason, and the dull-witted dogs took their place.

Shale cared little for the reasons however, only wanting to leave the infernal maze of rock and dirt. Eventually though, the golem's hopes were met as light could be seen pouring into the far end of the tunnel. It caused the statue to quicken its pace, adding length to its strides as the enticing light grew closer with every step.

The golem almost sighed in relief as the tunnel ended to an opening leading to the vastness that was the outside world, where it could see a bright blue sky and hear the grating chirp of far off songbirds.

All around the immediate area, it was just as barren and dull as inside the tunnels. With flat, dirty land that held no spec of green foliage or any sign of life. Nearby, a cliff rose up high, where Shale could see the openings to more tunnels.

Only just now remembering the panic-stricken canine in its grasp, Shale's eyes darted toward the creature and immediately narrowed. Without a word, the diamond dog was lifted up higher and slammed into the wall of the tunnel entrance, causing it to yelp in pain and stop its futile attempts at freeing itself.

“Creature,” Shale said, in its usual flat tone. “It will tell me where I am, or I will shatter its head against the nearest rock.”

The diamond dog had apparently gotten the message as it flinched and whimpered once again. “W-we are at the Diamond Ridge!” it shrieked in fearful reply. “Many gems inside, still so many to find and dig.” It shook uncontrollably as its eyes were wide with fear. “You can take what gems you want! Just p-please don't hurt me!”

Disgusted by the creature's cowardice, Shale swiftly responded by throwing the terrified dog headfirst into the rocky wall of the tunnel. Only a stunted whine of pain was uttered before the creature's body slumped down into a heap on the ground, a small pool of blood expanding around it.

Though the sight looked to speak against it, the golem was near certain that the creature wasn't dead. It had noticed, when tearing through the many that were unfortunate enough to try and impede the statue's path, that they had very thick skulls. In too big of a hurry to do anything too malicious to any of them, Shale was sure it hadn't actually killed any of them. Except, possibly, for the first one, who it had snapped the neck of.

Now, Shale looked out to the scenery that stretched out for it to gaze upon. Toward its left, it could see an ocean of trees, only able to see the very tops of the green leaves as they were pressed tightly together. Just beyond the forest, the makings of a small village could be seen, clearly different to the one Shale had visited prior to ending up in the strange tunnel.

As Shale looked toward its right, the golem could make out more mountains that pointed high into the sky, disappearing into a layer of the fluffiest clouds it had ever seen. Most noteworthy about them however, was what Shale could see attached to them. An impressive city that clung to the side of the mountain like a dog might to the leg of its master. Though the golem didn't have any personal tastes in architecture, it had to admit that the city was certainly beautiful, looking as if it was sparkling in the sunlight. Even from the distance, a castle could be seen residing within the hanging city.

Now, there was a choice of two paths for the golem to take. Of course, Shale's eyes were more concentrated on the grand city, rather then the humble village. One of the few things it could say it learned on its travels was the more impressive a structure looked, the more likely one was to find something of use.

So with sights set toward the high mountains, Shale took its first steps forward. An unbeatable determination swelled within its rocky chest, knowing that it would either gain the answers to the questions it sought, or it would undoubtedly crush the head of the ruler who called the castle their home.

Tentative steps were taken as Twilight slowly made her way onto the Ponyville train station, using as much grace and subtly she had when infiltrating the Canterlot Archives. The train had not yet arrived, forcing her to wait. Her eyes shifted back and forth, fearfully searching for anypony who might suspect her. All it would take was one wrong move, one mishap to ruin her plans to smuggle two humans out of town and into the capital of Equestria.

“Howdy, Twi!”

Twilight jumped, her heart halting its quickened pace while her lungs pumped in rapid succession. Wheeling around toward the source of the voice, the unicorn was startled to see her friend Applejack approaching, a curious expression written on her face.

“What are you doin' down here at the station, Twilight?” the farmpony asked. As an answer wasn't immediately given, Applejack's gaze drifted toward what her scholarly friend was standing next to. A large crate, about the same width of a pony but nearly twice the height. “What's this thing for?”

“Oh! Applejack!” Twilight finally said, the volume of her voice being far too loud, all the while her mind was becoming a tempest of random answers and replies. “Well, uh... I was just... going to Canterlot!”

Applejack tilted her head slightly at the answer, raising an eyebrow toward her friend as she could clearly see the uncomfortable demeanor the unicorn had. “Canterlot, huh? Seems kind of sudden.” Her gaze sights then returned to the create and she repeated, “And what's the crate for?”

“Th-the crate?” Twilight blinked, having momentarily forgotten about what was sitting just beside her. “Oh... well, that's... that's just books!”

“Books?”

“Yes,” the unicorn nodded firmly, an unnerving smile spreading her lips apart, “just some books I don't have room for in the library. Celestia wanted me to visit Canterlot for a day or two and I figured I could take few extra books up to the castle. Spike's staying here to look after the library while I'm gone, I figured he would run into him first if you needed me and that's why I didn't tell anypony, heh-heh.”

“Oh, alright,” Applejack murmured, accepting the sudden answer. “Seems like a mighty large crate just for books though. But, I know how much you like readin', Twilight.”

Twilight opened her mouth to reply to her friend, but the words were caught in her throat as a sudden, muffled cough was emitted from the crate.

“What was that?” the farmpony asked, looking at the wooden box suspiciously. As she stepped closer toward it, raising an ear to press it against the side, Twilight charged forward, bumping into her friend and pushing her away.

The scholar raised a hoof to her mouth and let out a hacking cough, causing several other ponies to stare at them from afar. “That was just me,” Twilight said quickly in a foe-hoarse voice, coughing once again into her hoof, “my throat's just a little sore.” The ruse sounded more akin to the last breaths of a dying animal rather than a pony with something stuck in their throat.

A worry look crossed Applejack's expression, soon turning to normal as the unicorn made no other noise. Before she could even utter another word to her friend however, the loud, ear-splitting screech of the train coming to a halt broke through all other sounds.

“That's my ride!” Twilight said quickly, silently thanking Celestia for the save. “Now, Applejack, I must be off. Goodbye for now.”

“So long, Ah guess,” Applejack replied. “Ah can tell the others where you are so they don't worry.”

Twilight nodded absentmindedly, her focus being brought onto the crate as she lifted it with her magic. Subtle sounds of annoyance and protest could be heard within as it tipped from side to side due to the weight, but they were just quite enough to not go unheard by the other passing ponies.

Though the crate was quite large, the very end of the baggage car of the train had a much wider door. It allowed the unicorn to effortlessly guide the crate inside and set down without incident. Then with one final goodbye to her friend, Twilight boarded the train, her thoughts immediately moving toward the very contents of the crate.

“By Andraste's burning corpse,” Anders growled from within the confines of his wooden prison. “Why are we doing this all again?”

“Because,” the commander snapped, his mood no more pleasant than that of the mage, “we are going to their capital to meet their rulers. We don't want to be seen by any of the other ponies yet, as to not cause a panic. And this crate would be much roomier if you hadn't shown up out of nowhere at the last minute!”

Even with only one person, the crate was quite small. Now, Anders found himself pressed against the hard wood wall of the right side of the create, while the commander had his back pressed against the left side. Their feet could barely be flattened on the floor while their shoulders felt as though they were being crushed. Space between the two Grey Wardens was nonexistent as well, effectively causing them to be spooning one another in a standing position, a posture that neither of them found enjoyable. Two small holes were cut into the crate at the top, allowing fresh air and small shreds of light to come through.

“Oh, that's right, blame me,” the mage retorted. “Anyway, why can't we sit up with the purple creature? I bet she's as comfortable as can be.”

Anders was certainly right about the studious unicorn. As Twilight had found an empty spot for herself on the train, her tensed body relaxed as she sat down on the cushioned seat. With the smooth ride of the train and the softness on her rump, it wasn't difficult for her to enjoy the ride to Canterlot, even while smuggling two foreign creatures to the castle.

As the trip continued, time ticked by without pause. It made things especially difficult for the two humans as they had trouble occupying their attentions while within their cramped quarters.

Things became especially tormenting for the commander as Anders passed the time by singing. “Ninety-nine darkspawn in the Deep Roads, Ninety-nine bloodthirsty darkspawn. You cut one down and turn around, Ninety-eight darkspawn in the Deep Roads.” To the commander's chagrin, the song continued for sometime. Each excruciating moment of it was forever burned into his mind.

“Fifty-four darkspawn in the Deep Roads, Fifty-four bloodthirsty darkspawn. You cut one down and turn arou-”

“Will you shut up?!” the commander bellowed, unable to take it any longer. “I never want to hear you say the word darkspawn to me ever again!”

“Well excuse me!” Anders scoffed, sounding as though he was deeply offended. “Far be it from me to try and be entertaining.

A contemptuous sigh was forced through gritted teeth as the Warden attempted to shake his head in dismay. “Just don't sing,” he said gruffly.

The mage stayed silent for some time, his mind working out possible ways to entertain themselves. It was proven difficult with his commander's breath on the back of his neck. “Hm... I suppose we could try a few jokes,” he suggested. There was no response from his crate-mate however. “I could make one about your sword digging into my hip, but I don't think that would be very appropriate.”

There was then a response from the Warden as he groaned loudly, lightly thudding the back of his head against the wall of the crate. “I swear, Anders, if I actually had my sword I would run you through with it.”

The mage scoffed once again. “And if I had my magic, I'd light your trousers on fire.”

“You've done that before!” the commander shouted. Almost on reflex, his hand balled into a fist and he jabbed the mage in the side.

A sudden grunt of pain left Anders as he felt the blow connect to his ribs. “Hey, don't hit me!” he snapped, throwing his bent elbow back and plowing it into the commander's side.

Unbeknownst to Twilight or the many other passengers who were aboard the train, a small war was going on within the baggage car. With the Warden-Commander and mage striking one another repeatedly in the same spot.

Their crate rocked back and forth from their blows, nearly falling over once or twice before it settled itself. Neither of the occupants within were paying attention to their surrounds while their battle raged on. It didn't occur to them as they felt the train come to a sudden halt, nor did the notice as that they were moving through the air. So caught up with their physical struggle, they didn't even notice their crate being carried into a massive castle to come to another eventual stop.

Only after the side of the crate they were leaning on was removed, causing them both to tumble out of the crate and into a heap on a smooth, tiled floor, did they stop. While they laid there, groaning in pain, their hands clutched at their sides, feeling raw bruises that were tender to the touch.

“Ugh, man,” Anders moaned, wincing every time his fingers grazed over his wounds, “I think you broke one of my ribs.”

As they came to realize that they were no longer in the crate, or the train for that matter, the commander and mage both looked up to find themselves in a regal chamber. Rich tapestries hung on the walls while windows of masterfully crafted glass gave breathtaking views to a land that was as beautiful as it was peaceful.

It took them several moments to catch Twilight standing next to them, but her eyes were not upon them. Instead, her gaze was fixated elsewhere, straight ahead as she held a look of surprise. Both Grey Wardens followed it and saw three figures standing before them.

The first two seemed obvious enough. Though neither of them had ever seen them before, only hearing vague descriptions, even otherworldly creatures would know the princesses Celestia and Luna at first glance. Both of the royal figures held looks of amusement, as if they were watching two clowns flop about on the floor.

“So, are these the friends you mentioned?” Celestia asked, not to either of them or even her student. Her question was directed to the third figure standing beside them, a human with a mildly embarrassed smirk on his face.

“Yeah,” Alistair said with a nod as he folded his arms, “that would be them, unfortunately.”

“Alistair?” the commander muttered as he picked himself off of the ground, the surprised look on his face matching that of Twilight's perfectly.

“Aw,” the Warden-King sighed happily, “did you miss me? Can't say I've felt any different.”

“Huh, so he is alive,” Anders murmured as he jumped to his feet.

Alistair and the commander approached one another, clasping their hands together in a tight grip, both of their faces relived to see one another. “I'll admit,” the Warden murmured, “I was a little worried about you.”

“When have you ever?” Alistair teased.

The Warden-Commander shrugged as a grin replaced his relieved expression. “Not for you exactly,” he said. “It just wouldn't look good for me to be responsible for the death of our king.”

Both princesses became visibly surprised by that. “You're a king?” Celestia asked, regarding Alistair strangely. All the while Luna's reaction held a look of shattered perspective, her mind abuzz with questions on how the human she had been conversing with previously could ever hold the title of royalty.

Alistair shot a glare toward his friend before he turned toward the pony princesses, a forced smile on his face as he chuckled uneasily. “Well...” he murmured, “it might have slipped my mind... But... yes, I sort of am the ruler of my country.”

The air thickened with an awkward silence as both princesses continued to stare at the newly established king strangely. Even Anders and the commander made no sound as they watched the event unfold, mostly out of curiosity as to what was going to happen.

But no show came from the sudden realizations between the three rulers as the doors at the far end of the room were suddenly flung open. A guard, dressed in the uniform of golden armor, galloped frantically into the room. Fear as evident on his face as his eyes threatened to bulge out of his skull.

“Your Majesties!” the guard shouted, galloping around the other visitors without so much as a passing glance. “W-we are under attack!”

“Under attack?” Luna breathed, as surprised as the five others within the room. “Who would dare attack us here?”

The guard shook his head. “I-I don't know. I've never seen anything like it before. It stands tall like a minotaur, but its body is covered in thick, rock armor and it glows like a powerful magical spell! It's trying to break through the castle wall!”

The commander, Alistair and Anders all looked at one another. Their jaws hung open as they each shared similar thoughts, all wondering how coincidental the strange world of talking ponies might be.

First Impressions

Twilight and the three otherworldly humans followed the frantic pace of the royal guard who had discovered the threat to Canterlot. They ran across the high stone wall that spanned across the side of the capital that faced the towering mountain it was situated on.

Though it took a great amount of convincing, they had been able to coerce the princesses to allow them to face the attacker personally, with the Fereldeners almost certain that what they were about to face was no domestic attacker, but someone far more dangerous. Alistair's sword and shield were also returned to him, just in case their haunch was wrong and they were indeed running headlong into danger. It didn't little to aide the confidence of the commander and mage however, both being weaponless and one being without magic.

“We could always throw rocks at it,” said Anders, adding a weak chuckle as he made light of the situation. Not another soul laughed however as they continued to race toward the creature who was attempting to break through into the castle.

Only minutes passed before they became aware that something was nearby. The air became filled with the noise of crumbling rock and viscous thuds against stone.

Looking over the side of the wall and into the grounds outside the city, Twilight's eyes widened as she saw a creature unlike anything she had ever seen. It was a human made of rock, or at least that was the best she could immediately describe it as. To her horror, its massive hands were balled into fists and it was punching the side of the wall. Already, a large hole was made halfway into it, nearly causing the entire section to crumble.

“Shale, it is you!” the commander shouted, his face brightened with a look of joy that matched that of the others. Both ponies accompanying the humans looked at him with shock, more evident on the guard's face as he saw that the strange visitor held familiarity with the attacking enemy.

The creature stopped striking the wall and looked up, its glowing eyes squinting as it saw three familiar faces staring down on it. “Is that really it that I see?” it asked, its voice coming dangerously close to sounding surprised.

“It sure is you oversized ornament!” Anders shouted down. “We're all here!”

Seeing an issue with yelling several feet from one another, the commander turned to Twilight with a request. “Twilight,” he said, “do you mind bringing our friend up here with your magic?”

The scholar's first reaction was something of an oddity to the Warden as he saw her display an expression of utter bewilderment, staring at him as though he had asked her to declare herself queen and take over Equestria. “You want me to what?”

“You can do that right?” he asked, wondering what he could have possibly said wrong. “With your levitation I've seen you do?”

Twilight shook her head. “That's not the point,” she said quickly. “This creature is attacking us, I can't just bring it up here.”

Once again, the Twilight was surprised by the Warden's reaction to the situation as he laughed heartily. “Is that it? Don't worry, this is all one big misunderstanding.” As the young unicorn still looked unconvinced, the commander knelt down to her level, looked her in the eyes, and gave the biggest smile he could. “You can trust me.”

Wavering between the expectant look the Warden was giving her and the little voice in the back of her mind that shouted to her it was a bad idea, Twilight went against her better judgment and nodded her head. “Okay, I'll do it.”

“You won't regret it,” the commander said, making the scholar think the exact opposite of those words. The Warden-Commander looked back down toward his rocky companion and shouted, “Don't worry, we'll have you up here in a second!”

Without another word, the three humans watched Twilight as she stepped closer toward the edge. Her gaze became fixed on the golem as her horn lit up with a magenta glow. As its own body began to glow, Shale looked curiously at its hands, seeing no immediate threat toward the magic.

Gritting her teeth, Twilight used her spell and lifted the golem partway off of the ground. It was a much heavier weight than she had anticipated, causing her body to tremble as put everything she had into not dropping it.

Seeing her in trouble, the guard assisted Twilight with the spell, adding in his own magic to help alleviate the strain it was causing her. In a matter of seconds, the golem's hands grabbed onto the edge of the wall, managing to pull itself up the rest of the way with its amazing strength.

Standing firmly on the wall with its comrades, Shale gained a clear view at the two ponies who stood with them. A long, gratingly awkward silence built around them as the golem said and did nothing for some time. All that occurred was its glowing eyes staring intently at the quadrupedal creatures. The longstanding silence was interrupted as Anders coughed loudly into his hand, an attempt to shatter the overbearing tension.

“Well then,” the commander said, clamping his hands together as he turned to the golem. “Shale, this is Twilight, a unicorn who found me when I came here, she's a friend.” His gaze then turned toward the scholar. “Twilight, this is Shale, a wonderful companion who helped us save our land from the Blight.”

Feeling a need to break the ice with the newcomer, Twilight smiled lightly as she thought of something funny. “Shale, huh?” she asked coyly. “Is that your name or what you're-”

“If it asks if that is what I am made of, I will take great pleasure in crushing it until it's a fine paste beneath my foot,” the golem interrupted, looking down on the unicorn with a glare of warning.

Twilight took an immediate step backward, unable to stop herself from looking fearfully toward the threatening creature. It caused the commander to kneel down next to her again and whisper, “Don't mind Shale, that's just how it likes to talk to people sometimes.”

“Really?” Twilight murmured, becoming wary to being near the golem.

The commander nodded firmly. “Oh yes,” he said. “We've all received quite a number of threats from Shale since we've known each other. But don't worry, Shale isn't one to harm anyone unless actually provoked or attacked.”

Once again trusting the commander's word, Twilight released a weary sigh as she muttered, “Alright.”

As the commander reassured the lavender-coated mare, Alistair turned to the golem with an expression of pure relief. “I'm really glad it was you who was out here. Had it been an actual enemy... well, I doubt we would have fared too well.”

Anders huffed fussily as he folded his arms. “Thanks for the vote of confidence,” he said crossly. “It's good to know how much faith our king puts in his men.”

“Right,” the Warden-King said sarcastically, “a weaponless warrior and a mage who can't preform magic. I'm sure you two would be able to battle even the mightiest of house pets.” Anders responded with an angry waggle of his hand, not saying a word as he was unable to summon a retort against his king's words.

Ignoring the sudden spat, Shale's gaze stayed firm on the king. “I wanted to find answers as to where I am. Having been attacked by these strange canines with no familiar ground, a castle seemed like the most appropriate place to start.”

“You couldn't have used the door?” said Alistair, raising an eyebrow questioningly at the golem.

“It isn't always the best choice to rush headlong into the unknown,” Shale replied, its tone shifting to a notable condescending one. “Perhaps that is something a fool like itself would prefer, but not I.”

It soon became Alistair's turn to cross his arms indignantly. “This coming from the walking brick wall with fists,” he chided.

With the threat nullified and everything once again returning to a blissful peace within the city of Canterlot, a slow pace was all that was had as it became time to once again explain what was going on during the short trip back to the castle. Both the Warden-Commander and Alistair spent most of the time talking, having learned the most about what was needed to know between the two of them.

Shale didn't show any real reaction toward the news that they were no longer in Ferelden, but a land of magical talking ponies. In fact, out of all of them, the golem's reaction was nonexistent. Then again, as both of the more senior Grey Wardens knew from personal experience, Shale didn't care for most things. This was just another annoyance on the long, painfully slow journey that was called life for the statue.

“Well, at least you three are all fine being here,” Anders remarked coldly. A clear frown could be seen on his face as they continued into the castle, returning to where the princesses were waiting for them.

The commander chuckled lightly. “Someone's mad that they can't shoot fireballs anymore,” he said teasingly.

“Shut it,” the mage snapped, not bringing himself to look at the Warden's face.

Twilight, who kept her attention focused on the group of outsiders, held a curious stare as she eyed the robe wearing human. “You lost your magic, Anders?” she asked.

A shrug was the first response from him, his attempt to pass off his own inability lightly. “In a sense,” he muttered, still sounding heated toward the subject. Still, the answer did little to lessen the scholarly curiosity that the unicorn held.

Noticing it for himself, the commander turned to her and explained with an even tone. “You see,” he said, “in actuality, there is little to no magic in our world. It all comes from the Fade, which is its own world entirely. Most creatures are connected to the Fade, but it's a very weak hold. Mages are special cases where they can actually tap into the magical energies within, using it in spells and whatnot.” A mimicking shrug left the Warden as he saw the answer to the problem clearly. “Since we are no longer in our world, we are apparently no longer connected to the Fade. Thus, no more magic for poor Anders.”

“I suppose it's like going tranquil, but you get to keep your personality,” Alistair remarked, eying Anders' moody behavior with great joy.

A light scoff left the mage. “I'm sure I'd still be considered a monster by your paranoid templar buddies,” he retorted. “Anyway, the sooner we find our way back home the better. I feel way to vulnerable unless I'm able to shoot things with lightning or pretty fire.”

“Don't worry,” the commander reassured. “We're in the home of the two rulers of the land, if anyone can help us, they can.”

A sudden, sputtering cough left Alistair's mouth on that instant. All eyes were soon frozen on him as he tried forming as much of an innocent look as he could. “Actually...” he murmured, trailing off as a polite way to shatter their expectations couldn't come to him.

The commander was the first to see that their king knew something that they didn't. “Alistair,” he said firmly, “what are you not telling us?”

Alistair's lips tightened. His eyes avoided contact with any of his companions as he kept them forward. Inwardly, there was a sigh of pure relief as he saw that they were approaching the doors that led them back to the princesses. At least with them, the bad news would sound a lot better. The other two Grey Wardens were about to press the matter further with their king, but they too became silent as they stepped into the chamber.

Princess Celestia and Princess Luna both stood by, eagerly awaiting the news on the threat. Their faces failed to show it however. While the elder sun-princess kept her mask of regal calm about her as she waited, her sister's face held a flat, stone-faced expression that seemed greatly weaker in comparison.

“Good news,” Alistair said, his tone holding a great deal of familiarity with the two rulers, “the threat wasn't actually a threat... Though you may want to have someone take a look at your wall, it's kind of... in disrepair...”

Both princesses were silent as their eyes wandered toward the newest edition to the strange assortment of creatures they were meeting. There was a momentary falter in their blanked expressions as a subtle hint of surprise crossed their faces. It was clear that they weren't expecting for them to return with a glowing, rock-human.

“The creature who is accompanying you,” Luna said, breaking the silence between the two princesses, “what is it?”

“Oh, this is Shale,” Alistair said, gesturing toward the mobile statue. “Shale's what we call a golem, very strong and resilient. Though completely lacking in any form of a sense of humor, and don't even try to get anything in the way of an emotional response.”

Though the eyes of the princesses were still trained on the golem, the others failed to notice how strangely their rocky friend was behaving. Shale's body was stiffened, perfectly still, appearing as if it was once again paralyzed like when the commander and Alistair first met it. The glowing eyes were wide as its mouth gaped, holding a fixed expression of utter shock.

None were able to fully see exactly what the golem was staring at, looking off in the direction of the two princesses. But it didn't matter to Shale if they saw. In its world, all Shale could see were the appendages that clung to the sides of both pony princesses. Though folded flatly against their bodies, it could see perfectly what they were, seeing every detail in the feathered wings.

Twilight and the three Grey Wardens quickly became aware of the golem's behavior, hearing the sound of grinding stone as its hands clinched tightly into fists. Shale's arms trembled as it looked like the stoney hands would shatter under the pressure it was putting them through. No one was able to prepare themselves for what happened next.

Shale released a bellowing growl of fury, rushing forward toward the princesses at an amazing speed for the heavy frame. Twilight, the Warden, Alistair and Anders were all thrown aside as its tree trunk-sized forearm struck them away.

“What are you doing?!” Alistair shouted, scrambling onto his feet alongside the others.

The words of the king never registered to the furious golem. Shale continued to charge, both princesses holding their own looks of surprise as its massive fist swung downward on them. They managed to jump out of the way just in time as the floor where they were just standing was shattered into a million pieces, evidence of the immense power that was housed within the creature of rock and lyrium.

Another growl of anger and frustration left the golem as it charged after them again. Twilight was already on her hooves and rushing the princesses aide. Her horn turned bright with a magenta glow as her eyes stayed perfectly focused on the rampaging golem. Only a moment occurred between the casting of the spell and its appearance as Shale's body began to glow with the same color that engulfed the unicorn's horn.

Shale was held in place, the levitation spell working well enough to halt its progress forward. But the golem wasn't ready to give up there. It thrashed wildly like a trapped animal, swinging its heavy warms around at anything and everything that was near it. The floor underneath it became cracked and cratered as its feet were brought down on it hard.

A noticeable strain was on Twilight's face as she tried her hardest to keep her spell going. With the burdening weight the golem had, coupled with its flailing body, the unicorn's spell began to falter. Within moments, the aura of magical light around both the scholar's horn and Shale dissipated, freeing the golem once more. The construct's primal rage hadn't lessened in the slightest, in fact, Shale appeared all the more furious. More roars of anger and fury erupted from the stone mouth, nearly shaking the chamber like an earthquake.

With its freedom reattained, Shale charged once again toward the princesses. Celestia and Luna held their ground, standing in defiance and readied for the attacking creature. But thanks to Twilight's momentary stall, Alistair managed to rush forward as well.

Shale's fist was raised once again, its gaze set on the princesses and ready to deal a fatal blow in a single swing. Just as the golem swung, a cry of opposition was heard as Alistair jumped between the princesses and rampaging construct.

“Shale, stop thi-” The Warden-King was unable to finish. His commanding shout was cut off as the might stone fist struck a different target than its intended.

Only a sudden gasp of pain left him as the Grey Warden raised his shield. Shale's fist struck it squarely in the center, pushing it against his chest and throwing him through the air. Thankfully, he was still donned in the armor of his station, protecting him from much of the attack. But it still failed to protect him fully as his body was sent sailing across the room, had it not been for the thick wall of stone he struck, he would have surely flown much further.

The surface of the wall was cracked terribly on his impact, nearly breaking a hole into the other side. Even with his armor, the pain of it was immeasurable. As the force of the crash finally died, the king's body slouched down against the wall and lied still.

Anders ran to Alistair's side, worried for his king and fellow Warden. Despite his noble actions however, it did little to quell Shale's fiery rage. It continued after the princesses, with nothing else to stop it.

Again, as Shale raised a fist to strike at the two winged princesses, it swung its powerful fist forward. Everyone within the chamber were suspended in looks of horror as they were unable to do anything to stop the construct. Then, their expressions shifted into shock as Shale's fist stopped in mid-swing. Held in place, the golem's entire arm was swallowed by a bright golden glow. Everyone looked toward Celestia, seeing her horn emanating with the exact same color.

Shale tried to fight the hold that was placed on it, its arm shaking fiercely in its attempts, but it wasn't strong enough to break the power of the sun princesses. Just as the golem was prepared to attack with the other arm, Luna's horn began to glow as well. A magical beam of light shot from the tip of the horn and circled around the floor at Shale's feet.

Suddenly, chains of a glowing silver shot up from the ground, wrapping around the golem's arms and legs. They tangled around the four limbs like coiling snakes, locking in place and holding the furious construct back.

Seeing it as a chance to act, the commander rushed forward. He was forced to put faith in the magic of the two princesses as he stood before the straining golem. Without his armor or a weapon, if it was able to break free, he would surely be obliterated by a single blow. “Shale!” he shouted, trying to get through to it. “Listen to me! The princesses aren't our enemy! They're not even birds! They're just ponies like the others! You have to calm down, you're not one to lose control like this!”

Time seemed to pass by at a much slower rate as Shale's struggling slowed lessened. The furious growls died down to sudden grunts of exertion and then became nothing. Soon enough, the golem was simply standing idle, its eyes locked onto the commander while it remained bound.

When he was certain that the golem had calmed down, the Warden-Commander turned to the princesses. “Uh... could you... release our friend now... please?” he asked, the uneasiness in his voice almost palpable.

“Your so called friend attacked us!” Luna shouted. The commander could feel his body burning from the frightening glare she directed at him. “Now, you wish us to just release it?!”

“I can explain,” the commander said quickly. “Shale has a... a thing with birds. And well, we kind of failed to stress the point of what pegasi are...” Both Celestia and Luna kept scrutinizing gazes on him, looking unconvinced. “I swear, Shale is a well behaved person.”

Though Celestia's mood seemed to shift toward complying with the Warden, Luna's gaze fell onto Shale, still glaring the golem down. “I want to hear it say so itself,” she said firmly.

The commander nodded his head as she stepped aside. Shale continued to eye both princesses simultaneously, remaining quite as it sized them both up. After what seemed like an eternity of perpetual silence, Shale spoke. “I really don't know what came over me. I suppose I have just never encountered such large birds before.”

“They're not birds,” the commander said, stressing the point as much as he could. “More like, horses with wings.” Though the Warden didn't see it, both pony princesses eyed him strangely at the word.

A subtle nod shifted the golem's head back and forth for a split second as it returned its gaze toward the royalty before it. “Alright then, I may have... overreacted and as these humans would say 'lost it'. I apologize,” the golem finally said. Though, with its tone, an actual sincerity in the words were completely nonexistent. It took a quick word from the commander to assure the princesses that it was the best they were going to get.

“I think that will be enough,” Celestia then said, her calm gaze turning to her sister who seemed reluctant. Their horns both sparked another bright light for only a moment, then the magical bindings locked around Shale disappeared.

Everything became silent as the tension immediately built around them. The three earlier combatants stared at one another without saying a word. It seemed that they were waiting for one to make an aggressive move against the other. Even the commander took the precaution to step backward, unprepared in the case that something were to actually happen.

Eventually, as things wound down from the monumental misunderstanding between the otherworldly golem and the pony princesses, the four outsiders stood together in an unorthodox audience with the rulers of the land of Equestria. Even Alistair stood with them, his injuries minor, sporting only a few sore ribs and several bruises on his body. He was forcing himself to remember to thank the blacksmith who had made his armor.

“So,” Luna said, pacing the floor in front of them all, her eyes fixating on each of them in turn, “we have a psychotic statue, a magic user who can't even use magic,” her gaze lingered on the commander for a moment, “a...”

Alistair politely cleared his throat to gain her attention. “Hero of our land, Princess,” he said.

“A 'hero' then,” Luna murmured, continuing her pace before stopping once again on Alistair, “and a creature of royalty who behaves with the least amount of noble etiquette I have ever seen.” The king in question shifted uneasily in his spot. “They must be giving such titles away in your world if you managed to acquire such a prestigious one.”

Several sets of eyes suddenly darted toward Anders as he tried to suppress a laugh and failed miserably at it. “Ouch,” he chuckled out. “Though, funny story, he actually got the job by default, if that makes you feel any better.”

“Hey,” Alistair protested, sounding offended. “I'll have you know, within the first few days of becoming king, I helped to stop a civil war and a Blight.”

The commander nodded his head in agreement, a small smirk appearing on his face. “You also executed your brother's father-in-law within your first few minutes of accepting the position,” he said casually.

The three ponies all looked at the king in shock, even Celestia's usual serene expression was broken. Alistair's own reaction was an angry glare which he shot toward his friend. “Yes,” he said, keeping his voice as calm as possible, “he was also a traitor who happened to be responsible for killing my brother in the first place, starting a civil war, and nearly killing both of us on a number of occasions.”

“True,” the commander said in agreement.

Anders, having a great need to change the subject, decided to do so himself. “Okay then,” he said, raising his voice slightly to gain the attention of everyone, “so now that we all know each other and have had our wonderful first impressions, do you think we can start talking about getting back to Ferelden?” The mage eyed the commander mostly, causing him to look back toward the princesses for answers. Anders pointed toward them both. “You two are really powerful in magic, right? So, can you just zap us with some sort of spell to send us home? Should we, maybe, hold hands and think happy thoughts to make it work better?”

Celestia and Luna looked at one another. Seeing how saddened their expressions were becoming, the commander could tell they weren't going to like what was coming next.

“We are sympathetic towards what has happened to you all,” Celestia said, her tone making it clear to everyone that no good news was coming. “But... I am sorry, there isn't anything either of us can do to return you home.”

“What?!” Anders breathed, looking as though he had just been physically struck.

“Really, Princess?” Twilight asked, Celestia's words coming as a great shock to her. “There isn't anything you can do?”

“No,” the sun princess said flatly. “Perhaps there is a way of some kind that can help send you back to your world, but currently, such a means is beyond our knowledge.”

“So there really isn't anything you can do?” the commander asked, having expected that something would have been possible.

Celestia shook her head. “There is not,” she said. There was a clear look of disappointment on her face as she said it. It was obvious that it pained her to be of no use to them. “But we will offer whatever aide we can to you all.”

Minutes passed as the Grey Wardens held their heads down dejectedly. Even though Alistair already knew, it still hit him hard to realize they had no way of reaching Ferelden. As time passed, they could see the light that was pouring into the chamber dimming. They all looked out to see that the sun was beginning to set over the horizon.

The princesses noticed it as well. The two royal siblings exchanged glances once again before Luna stepped away from her elder sister and trotted from the room. “If you'll excuse me,” she said simply, “there are a few royal duties I must attend to now.”

After the her sister was gone, Celestia regarded the outsiders with a warm smile. “It certainly is getting late,” she declared. “As guests, I insist that you stay here at the castle for the night. Alistair can attest that you will come under no ill treatment for your staying here.”

The Warden-King nodded his head in approval, though Anders held his own agitated look. “Yeah, I suppose that will work,” he said bitterly. “Seeing as we're going to be stuck here for a while.”

The Ferelden visitors were given their own room for the night, except for Shale as it was explained to their pony hosts that the golem didn't sleep. Though the ponies were wary to allow the golem to wander the castle while the rest of them slept, they trusted the word of the visitors, if with a small amount of reluctance.

Alistair was already quite fond of them room he was in, having already stayed there during the previous night. It was a well decorated room, with fine fabrics hanging across the walls and over the bed. The bed itself was the softest thing he had slept on, that was even including his royal bed back at the castle.

Now, the Warden-King stood before a large mirror that hung on the wall. With slow, hesitant movements, he removed his armor, taking extra care due to his sore body. It took only a few minutes for the light clothing he wore underneath to show. Though it was still a simple attire, even for a king, the cloth used was still of fine make.

As his armor was fully gone, he examined himself further in the mirror, fixated on his own appearance as he made sure everything was in its proper place. He was almost certain that his lungs had switched places with his stomach.

With his view stuck within the mirrored, it surprised him as he saw a mass of white step within the reflection. Turning around quickly, he caught the serene gaze of Princess Celestia upon him as she watched him from within the door's threshold.

“Oh, Princess Celestia,” he breathed, slowly recovering from the sudden shock. “How are you?”

A soft smile appeared on her lips as she stepped fully into his room. “Perfectly fine, thank you,” she replied. “I've just come to check on our royal guest, to see how well you were doing. You did take a severe blow form your friend.”

“I'm quite alright,” Alistair said reassuringly. “Maybe a bruised rib or four, but I've taken far worse beatings in my time.” He nodded toward his shield and chest piece that were on the floor beside him. Both pieces of protection were dented terribly, the shield suffering from the worst of it. “Though... my armor might make it look a lot worse than it actually was.”

“I will ask the royal armorer to repair your equipment,” Celestia responded. “It is the least I can do for what you have done.” Her smile seemed to grow as she lowered her head slightly, preforming a bow for the Ferelden king. “I was unable to properly thank you before, Alistair, for what you did when that golem reacted the way it did.”

“Oh that?” Alistair murmured, surprised that she was bringing it up. “It was nothing. It's not like I really did anything. Besides, you were able to handle Shale on your own. I just... you know, got in the way.”

“Nonsense,” the princesses retorted. “You held a wonderful sentiment in your actions, and for that I thank you.”

Though he was worried it may seem rude, Alistair was unable to stop himself from chuckling. “You're sweet, Princess,” he said. “Probably the nicest magic user I've ever met. Though, the only other mage I'd consider inherently nice was this woman I traveled with for a time. She had this grandmotherly feeling about her,” his expression deadpanned for a moment, “which I later found out was just a facade she used to get into your head... Anyway, I should be thanking you, Princess. Allowing me and my friends to stay here.”

“Of course,” Celestia replied. The princess then turned toward the door, stopping just at the threshold as she turned her head back toward the king. “Goodnight, Alistair.”

Alistair smiled as he gestured a simple farewell to her. “Yeah, goodnight to you too, Princesses.”

To the Grey Warden's surprise, he heard the princess giggle softly. To him, it sounded almost musical. “You can simply call me Celestia, if you wish, Alistair.”

“Oh, okay then,” the king said with a nod. “Goodnight... Celestia.” Without another word, the princess departed from the room. Moments after he was certain she was gone, Alistair found himself gasping sharply. To his surprise, he realized he had been holding his breath.

Shale's Nightly "Adventure"

With its companions preforming their biological need of sleep during the night on the strange new world, Shale was left with nothing to do. The golem became much more bored than it usually was, especially since it couldn't go back to its old pastime of simply watching them sleep, watching the subtle changes their bodies make to pass the time that seemed to slow to a crawl whenever night fell.

Walking through the corridors of the castle, Shale's discerning gaze noticed the many differences the royal home had when compared to the one Alistair ruled in. A far cry in comparison, making the old Ferelden keep look more suitable for a king of beggars. Thinking on the pristine walls of the Canterlot castle, Shale's mind drifted toward the denizens who walked the very halls.

Such strange creatures to the golem, having many handicaps when compared to the bipedal, taller, handed creatures that it was used to dealing with. It became clear to the golem that the ones of the magical variety had a few advantages compared to the others, drawing a parallel to the magic users of its own world.

With the late hour, there were very few who still remained within the waking world. Only the occasional guard who stood as stoically as a statue that couldn't move, or a servant whose work was just coming to and end. Every one of them eyed the golem with strange glances. Many of them were hesitant, fearful and suspicious, though they didn't dare show it, Shale could see it in their eyes, the enormous size of them making it all the easier. But Shale cared little for the approval of the talking animals, only caring that the winged ones kept their distance, lest they learn what it was like to incur a golem's wrath.

It was something else on Shale's mind, how it had lost control over the supposed rulers of the land. A fleeting sensation of embarrassment could almost be felt by the construct, not being used to losing control like a common flesh creature. It considered the general size and demeanor the princesses had as being the main cause. The golem had never encountered any sort of bird that size, though having read about such creatures in books before. The thought of such beasts was almost enough to send a shiver down its nonexistent spine.

At the far end of the hallway it was walking down, Shale could see a flickering light through an open doorway. The small glimpse of life in the otherwise dead castle held a miniscule amount of interest to the construct's flat-lining curiosity. Approaching the room, a faint sound of hooves clopping against the hard floor could be heard, growing only slightly louder as it came closer.

Stepping into the room, Shale could see an aged stallion trotting back and forth busily across the chamber. Wrinkles were beginning to form on his face, while several hairs in his dark-red mane and tail were discoloring, losing the luster that youth once held. Small eyeglasses clung to the tip of his nose, seemingly defying gravity as there was nothing else supporting them on his face.

“Yes, yes, here you go,” the stallion said cheerfully, taking a small sack to the end of the room and dropping it on the ground. The golem noticed a door-less entryway being put into the wall, leading outside where it could see the beginnings of a garden and the vast night sky. Through the doorway, a group of rabbits came hopping in. They approached the sack and opened it, finding small pellets of food inside which they were quick to begin devouring. “Bit of a late night snack, eh?”

The stallion turned around and jumped in a startled fit as he noticed the construct standing in the room, looking more like a flinching tremor due to the pony's age. His frightened expression slowly shifted to one of curious detailing. It looked as though his eyes were closed, the large orbs merely stuck in a permanently deep squint as he scoped the golem out from head to metaphorical-toe.

“Oh, hello,” the stallion murmured, adjusting his glasses with his hoof. “You must be one of those strange newcomers I've heard mentioned.” He nodded his head slightly, taking his thought as fact right away without needing any outside input. “Yup, there's been plenty of rumors circulating about you all. Though, I'm not one to judge a creature by their appearance.”

The stallion paused for several moments, as though waiting for Shale to speak. When not a word was uttered from the disinterested construct, the stallion smiled even larger. “Not much of a talker, huh?” he asked. “That's fine.” He bowed his head slightly in a gesture of respect. “I'm the caretaker of the royal animals. Usually they can just fend for themselves out in the gardens, but I do often see them looking for help with a small injury or...” his gaze turned toward the rabbits that were finishing off the last of the food that was in the sack, “a simple treat. Can't say I get many visitors. Though, this lovely pegasus stops by every now and then. Very young, sweet and full of potential.” A light chuckle left him as he eyed the golem more. “She's just about as talkative as yourself too. But look at me going off on things I'm sure you don't want to hear. I'm actually preparing to retire to my quarters myself, much like everypony else has evidently done. I'm just waiting for the return of-” The stallion was cut off as the elegant call of a bird sounded loudly.

Through one of the windows at the top of the room, a large, brightly colored bird swooped down and hovered near them. Its feathers were vibrant shades of red and orange, with a beak that blended in with the colors of its body.

The caretaker beamed gleefully as he held out his hoof for the bird, which wasted no time in perching on it and standing there with a posture of elegance and pride.. “Ah, there you are, Philomena,” he said with cheer. “Did you enjoy your nighttime flight?”

The bird referred to as Philomena chirped happily in response, her heading bobbing up and down in a simple nod. The animal's gaze soon drifted away from the pony and landed on the golem company. Shale matched the stare that the bird directed toward it, having one filled with contempt while the creature's was one of curiosity.

Noticing the interest that they both had with one another, the caretaker chuckled with mirth. “She catch your eye, eh?” he asked, giving another, much softer chuckle. “That's Philomena, Princess Celestia's prized pet phoenix. Quite a beautiful little bird, isn't she?” Shale didn't answer, never taking its glowing eyes away from the phoenix, half-expecting it to lunge forward at any moment.

Philomena left the stallion's hoof and slowly flew about the room. Eventually, she hovered toward Shale, looking to perch atop the golem's broad shoulders. As the tips of her talons touched the rocky surface, the construct's large hand struck out. The mighty palm nearly caught the phoenix, but Philomena was very quick, flying out of the way just in time and squawking indignantly. The action looked more like Shale was attempting to shoo the bird away, rather than strike it out of the air.

The caretaker simply smiled at what he thought was just a playful excursion by them both, turning his back to them and looking toward the rabbits who sat before an emptied food bag. “I've actually helped to care for her since she was hatched years ago,” he went on, trotting toward the bag to pick it up. “It's not often a pony can obtain one, needing to get one as an egg and wait for it to hatch. Even then, the parents aren't ones to just let their eggs go.”

As the stallion bent down to grab the bag, the rabbits each shared devious looks toward one another. Just as his teeth were about grasp it, the rabbits snatched the sack and took off into the garden, leaving the caretaker to frown at them impatiently. “Little mischief makers,” he murmured, beginning to take off. He was already outside as his voice echoed into the room toward shale, shouting, “Don't worry, I'll be back in a moment!”

Neither Shale nor Philomena had payed attention to the event, barley even noticing that the caretaker had left. Their eyes were still focused on one another as the phoenix landed on a table beside the golem. She tilted her head to the side, still holding an inquisitive look, though mixed with an understandable sense of caution and dislike. Shale could only scowl as it took an immediate step back, remembering its promise to the commander to remain on its best behavior, and finding it difficult while in the presence of the detestable avian creature.

Noticing the negativity it was receiving, the phoenix's eyes narrowed and held a mischievous glint within them. Within that moment, Shale was taken aback as the phoenix's bright orange, triangular tongue stuck out through her beak, waggling back and forth before being retracted back. A loud, rumbling growl echoed within the golem's mouth in response, one that could make even the bloodthirsty of wildlife tremble with a sense of fear. But the phoenix seemed unaffected by it, and was far from done. Philomena teased the newcomer further as she turned around and lifted her tail feathers up at it, shaking her rear in a childishly mocking manner, all the while chirping words of a bird language that could only be assumed as playful insults.

Feeling its very limited patience having run its course, Shale reacted in the most sensible way it knew how. In one swift motion, the construct lifted its bulbous fist up and brought it down hard on top of the table with a trembling force.

A loud thud shuddered through the room, coupled with cracking wood, crunching bone, and a sudden squawk of surprise that was cut off halfway. All that could be seen on the table was the large cracks in the wood, as well as the brightly colored plumage of the phoenix's tail and wings sticking out from beneath the construct's clenched fist.

Removing its hand, Shale held the greatest look of satisfaction its stone face could muster as it looked down at the corpse of the phoenix. Philomena's body had been crushed, her chest nearly flattened while her small legs and wide wings were crooked in unnatural angles. There was only a momentary twitch in the feet before the bird's movement stopped entirely, a small pool of blood expanding around her broken form.

Shale continued to admire its work, deeming it a victory against birds everywhere, the future and its consequences for itself and companions never coming across the golem's mind. With its attention focused solely on Philomena's corpse, the construct was mildly surprised as, without warning, her body burst into flames. The fire danced wildly across the lifeless bird, consuming it entirely as her feathers and flesh singed and burned away. Within a matter of seconds, the phoenix was gone, leaving nothing behind but a pile of ash. Even the blood had been vaporized, leaving the table clean if not for the ashes.

Not a word could be uttered about the event. Shale's own thoughts remained curious, having never seen the corpse of a bird react in such a way. Though, it surmised that it could simply be what happens to birds in the strange world of magic and talking ponies, making the prospect of hunting the flying pests down all the more intriguing. But the golem's idea was soon shattered, its eyes widening as it witnessed the ashes beginning to glow.

A mystical hum twinkled in the air. Bright lines of magic encircled the air around it, appearing to be coming from with the pile itself. Before a question could be raised about the events, the ashes flew into the air. Then, in one majestic flash of a blinding light, the ashes formed into a bird's visage and transformed into a phoenix that held the exact appearance of the slain Philomena.

Shale could only gape in horror as the phoenix soared into the air with a renewed vitality. Philomena perched herself on a decorated rod that jutted out from the stone wall, looking as though it was made specifically for the purpose. Her beady eyes glared down at the construct as her tongue stuck out once again. Too stunned to realize it, Shale was caught off guard as the caretaker returned to the room, the emptied sack of food in his mouth.

Setting the bag aside, the stallion became the perch of the phoenix once again, her leering gaze never leaving the construct. The caretaker, having no idea of what had transpired, simply beamed at the bird. “Such remarkable creatures,” he said, his tone filled with admiration. “The only ones that are able to actually revive themselves after serious injury or the end of the natural life. They burst into flames and are reborn from the leftover ashes. You must admit, that such a feat is truly extraord-” The caretaker's continued rambling was stopped as his gaze left Philomena to regard the golem visitor. He was surprised as he saw that Shale was no longer with them in the room.

The construct had departed long ago, making certain to keep as much distance between it and the seemingly demonic bird it had encountered. Deciding to spend the rest of the night standing idle in any of its companions rooms, Shale's mind began to swim with troubling thoughts of immortal birds. It nearly shuddered at the idea of such beasts in its own world. Now, the golem wanted nothing more then to leave the horrific land of colorful talking horses forever.

Old Debates and Old Wounds

The three Grey Wardens awoke to a beautiful morning, well rested and ready to take on whatever the day had in store for them. That day proved to hold little as they were all quickly met by Twilight, the young scholar already having their plans for the day figured out.

To better adjust the four newcomers, it was decided they were to be given a full tour of the castle. Though to the Fereldeners, it seemed more like a way to keep them out of the princesses' hair as they planned on what to do about the otherworldly visitors. Twilight herself had volunteered to do so, a grand idea as she already knew the castle layout and was the most comfortable being in the presence of the bipedal creatures. The idea itself garnered mild groans from both Anders and Alistair, but the commander accepted the gesture well and led the others to follow the unicorn.

As Twilight played tour guide, her voice continuously rattled on about the castle and the many different rooms it held. They saw the banquet hall and dungeon first, both of which Alistair was already familiar with. Then they came across the library, a personal place of interest for the student as she spent much of her time there while staying in the castle under Princess Celestia's tutelage. There was a moment where they were to visit the gardens and where the royal animals were kept, but after several vocal protests made by Shale, which nearly shattered a few eardrums, they skipped it.

Time continued to pass as their tour took quite some time to complete, mostly due to the fact that the three humans preferred to drag their feet. There was also the problem of their location, much of the tour was spent walking the maddeningly long hallways that the castle held. While they were very beautiful pieces of architecture, they were all identical to the other and it became old quickly.

Their time walking from location to location, several feet behind Twilight as her joyful trotting was much quicker than their begrudging trudge, it allowed them chances to speak to one another. The commander himself felt a need to discuss a few things, it being the first time he was given the chance since arriving in the strange land.

“So why did you not tell the princesses you were our king?” Commander Cousland asked, eying Alistair with an accusatory expression. “Seems like an important detail to simply slip your mind.”

A huff left the Warden-King as he folded his arms. “You know how I feel about my title,” he responded. “I figured it didn't matter if they knew who I was.”

“Didn't matter?” Anders mimicked, walking beside his fellow Grey Wardens. “Heh. Only you would think letting these creatures know you're important is unimportant.” A cheeky grin widened his lips as he held his chin in thought. “Although, we are in a land with two rulers who have not only managed to keep their land in a perpetual state of peace for the last thousand years, but they also move the sodding sun and moon like it was nothing. When compared to your own abilities well... talk about inadequacy issues.”

“It's not that!” Alistair snapped, glaring daggers at the mage. “It's just, what bit of my kingly power holds in this world? Now it's just a title that puts me in a position above the rest of you in their eyes, and I don't want that.”

“Or maybe you just don't like sharing a pedestal with other royalty,” Anders chided, his mirthful look never ceasing.

“And what's that supposed to mean?” the king growled.

Anders was quick in adopting an expression of innocence. “I've heard the stories about the time you visited Orlais and met the empress. You two made quite the impression on one another. Not to mention how she cornered you in your chambers and you two,” the mage raised a fist to his mouth and coughed forcibly, “consummated the truce between our lands that your brother didn't have the chance to.” Alistair didn't say a word, his face aghast as he stared at Anders.

“That's ridiculous,” the commander remarked, rolling his eyes to the absurdity. The mood on his face soon shifted however as he smirked and said, “I heard it was a broom closet.” Anders clamped a hand over his mouth as he burst into a momentary fit of laughter, causing Twilight to look behind her and toward the humans.

“Shut it, both of you!” Alistair hissed. “First of all, that didn't happen! Second, it's things like that that make me hate the idea of being referred to as a king!” Slowly, Alistair's agitation subsided. Sighing, he looked toward the two Wardens and murmured, “It's like back when I was a Warden and templar in training. I could do something stupid or make a fool of myself without so much as a sideways glance, because that was who I was. Now as a king, people can easily see how I am far from any sort of royal material.” He pointed down the hall, as if the subject of his direction was actually there. “You both saw how Princess Luna looked at me when she found out I share an authoritative position like her own. I'm almost certain she would have had me thrown out of the castle if it wasn't for Celestia's influence.”

A frown formed on the faces of the two Wardens. They both began to realize that their king had a point. But the commander's frown didn't last very long, his attention peaking as something his friend had said caught his focus. “Wait a minute,” he muttered, looking at Alistair with a raised brow, “'Celestia'?”

Noticing it himself, Anders matched the commander's look as he too stared at their king. Alistair's lips tightened quickly however, showing a hesitancy toward replying. As the two current Grey Wardens were about to press the sudden subject, they were interrupted as the sound of galloping hooves echoed down the hallway. Everyone looked toward the source to see a guard approaching them.

The guard halted as he made it toward the outsiders, catching Twilight's full attention as well. “Ahem,” he breathed, gaining their curious glances from everyone there as he stood at attention. “Princess Celestia would like to invite you all to the banquet hall for dinner.”

“Dinner?” Alistair questioned, his eyes immediately becoming drawn toward the nearest window. To his surprise, he could already see the sun nearing the far off horizon, the sky shifting from blue to orange and the foreshadowing darkness that was soon to come. Mild groans escaped the three humans as they realized how much of a day they had wasted that could have been put to getting them home. The king rubbed his eyes as he thought on the prospect of a good meal and turned to his fellows and said, “Well, let's not make her wait on us.”

Within the banquet hall, Celestia sat happily alongside her student and the visiting creatures from the land of Thedas. The sun princess took her rightful place at the end of the table. Twilight sat next to her on the right side of the table, while the commander took the place next to her at her own right. Alistair sat across from Twilight at the end of the left side, while Anders took the seat at the king's left. An empty spot existed next to Celestia, the second seat in the widened end of the table. A spot meant for Princess Luna who was not there. The princess of the night was away, busy with business of the royal kind. Though, the excuse was taken differently among the three humans, already knowing the pony princess' disposition toward them all.

Luna's absence was quickly forgotten however as the servants began to bring in what they would be dining on. Despite staying in a castle of vegetarian ponies, mouths began to water as they glimpsed at the amazing spread that had been created for them. A wide variety of dishes were made, using vegetables in ways that seemed unbelievable among the humans. Culinary masterpieces were brought to them, with delectable soups, casseroles and salads. A long slab of banana bread wafted its scent straight into their nostrils, making them all eye it like a shortened skirt of a curvacious woman. The only one of them not enticed by the meal was Shale, having taken to standing away from the table, such confections being of no interest to the golem.

As the feast began and went on, it was difficult for a word to be said. Even whilst in the presence of polite company, it was difficult for the three Grey Wardens to keep to their manners. A loud slurp or sudden moan of savory delight would often escape one of the three, being quickly met with a quick apology and embarrassed expression.

Soon enough however, the three slowed down their eating, no longer looking like a pack of starved animals. With their eating more tame, it allowed discussion to be brought up. Many important things needed to be talked through. One detail in particular was nagging the commander's mind, certain that it could not be stalled for a moment longer.

“We all aren't here,” the Warden-Commander said, almost offhandedly as he nibbled on a piece of bread he had soaked in his latest bowl of soup. The near silent murmur was heard by them all however, their eyes focusing on the commander with interest. Noticing the curious glances directed toward him, the Warden was compelled to elaborate. “We are forgetting something. Though we've been fortunate in finding each other after being separated, this wasn't our entire group. We're forgetting about the templar Corvick. He was with us in the cave.”

Both Anders and Alistair blinked forcibly as they were struck by the realization, just now figuring out that the commander was right. “I had forgotten all about him,” Alistair muttered, beginning to rub his chin in thought. “I mean... it makes sense that he should be here. After all, we all ended up here.”

“Who's Corvick?” asked Twilight, curious as she hadn't heard the name mentioned before.

“Someone else who was with us right before we were sent here,” the commander replied.

A small frown appeared on Celestia's expression as she became fully aware of what they were thinking of. “If there is another of your kind within Equestria,” she said with sincerity, “then I will send word to be on the lookout for such a stranger.”

“Maybe he wasn't sent here along with us,” Anders said, little worry in his voice for their still missing. “Maybe we were only sent here because we're Grey Wardens and Shale...” his eyes shifted toward the construct, “well, that was just a fluke.”

“It's not something we can rule out,” the commander added. “He could be dead for all we know. It's not as though Avernus' spell, for whatever he was attempting, left us unscathed. Felt like I was being torn apart from the inside. I can't imagine what it would have been like for someone as old as he was.”

Anders let out a breath of amusement as he took a small bite from his latest salad. “The world would certainly be a better place without him,” he said snidely.

All Alistair could do was look at the mage, mortified. “How can you say that?” the king responded. “Templar or not, he was still an innocent man.”

From the look of the mage's face, it was all he could do to not start laughing, treating it as though the Warden-King had just told the greatest joke in all time. “Innocent? Ha!” the mage chortled. “There's nothing innocent about Knight-Captain Corvick. The guy was about as sadistic toward mages as they come. When I lived in the tower, all the other mages could ever talk about, besides what new spell they could shoot from their fingers, was the exploits of that monster. He's slain more mages than any other living templar, not to mention made tranquil more than anyone else combined. By the Maker, he even wore a tranquil brand just so he could use it whenever he thought a mage was out of line.”

“You stayed within one of those schools, Anders?” Princess Celestia asked pleasantly, listening in on the discussion amongst the Wardens.

“A school?” Anders scoffed, his scrutinizing gaze looking between the princess and Alistair. “Oh yes, of course he would try and tell you such a lie.” The mage shook his head as his eyes narrowed. “It was a prison, plain and simple. The templars were our jailers while the older mages were as submissive as trained dogs.”

“You know it's nothing like that,” Alistair retorted, his tone rising steadily.

Anders rolled his eyes, making it clear to everyone that he was doing it. “The words of an ex-templar. It's all the same, from every single one of you. Going on about the light of the Maker and why magic is bad, yet all I've ever seen it do is blind you.”

Having enough of the mage's tone, Alistair's gaze became a leer as he stared down his fellow Warden. “Pray tell, Anders. What do you even know about the 'strife' between mages and templars? From what I've gathered, you've hardly spent any time with the tower at all. Most of the time, you were out on the run after your latest escape, or you were locked away as punishment after you were captured. So please, tell me exactly what makes templars so horrible to you, other than the same prattle that every mage seems to speak as though it was first-hand experience!”

For a long time, there was only silence. Princess Celestia, the commander and Twilight only watched as the king and mage both went at it. Now, they still remained silent, realizing quickly that it was a debate that none of them had a right to be apart of. Anders himself looked almost struck by the words, staring at Alistair with a growing look of contempt.

Then, Anders' eyes seemed to darken as his gaze lowered down to the table. “You want to know what I have against templars?” he asked gruffly, not even looking up at the king he was addressing. “Years ago, after I was dragged from my mother, from my home, by templars who wanted to lock me away in the tower along with everyone else, I became friends with two mages. They were brother and sister, twins from Amaranthine who were several years older than myself. And they were prodigies, the First Enchanter himself praised them for their ability to control magic. But their skill only caused the templars watching us to be more paranoid toward them, as if they would suddenly turn to blood magic, just like that.” Anders snapped his fingers.

The look in Anders' eyes was becoming distant, his mind no longer in the banquet hall with the others as he recalled old memories. “I will never forget the day when I was practicing my magic alongside them,” he continued. “They were practicing high level spells that were far beyond my understanding. And then... something went wrong.” Placing his hands on the side of the table he was facing, the mage closed them tightly around the surface, trying to hide the small trembles that shook them. “The brother fell, his body not moving at all... All I remember hearing were the panicked wails of his sister, trying to help him with her magic. But there was nothing she could do... his heart seemed to have just stopped.” Anders paused as he took a long, and much needed, breath. “With nothing else to try, she cut herself in desperation, using the power of her blood to try and save her brother. The templars there, who had been watching from afar the entire time... cut her down without a moment of hesitation. The brother died shortly after, unable to get help in time...” A shaking sigh rattled from the mage's throat as he relinquished his tightened hold on the table, turning his sunken gaze back toward his king. There was no hint of the funny, sarcastic Anders that the other Wardens knew of. “You might think you know about templars, what it's like in those towers. But the truth is, you don't know a thing.”

It was Alistair's turn to look stricken, the mage's words pounding against him like a hammer. “I'm sorry, Anders,” he murmured, as though the simple gesture had any meaning. “But that doesn't change the threat that magic brings to Thedas. It doesn't change the truth of the dangers mages posses if left unchecked.”

“And how so?!” Anders snapped, his anger peaking as he glared at the Warden-King. “What makes a mage any more deadly than bandits who plague the roads? What makes blood magic so much more lethal than a sword through the chest?” With a fiery swing of his hand, Anders gestured toward the commander. “What if our dear Warden-Commander were to suddenly turn on us? How many do you think would fall to his blade before he was stopped? Greater numbers than a simple maleificarum or abomination would produce, I'm sure!”

“And what do you know of blood mages and abominations?!” Alistair shot back, his tone now rising with his anger. “Exactly what have you seen in the dangers of magic in your years as a mage? How many abominations have you ever seen? Having to face off against such people, their power used against their will by the dark entities that have taken control of them!”

Still, the three spectators at the table never said a word. The commander simply bidding his time, waiting for the inevitability of the discussion to come to pass. Twilight on the other hand, payed great attention to what she was hearing, using it to grasp at the concepts of the world they were form. Even Celestia had her attention caught as well, her gaze glued to the king as he continued to rant.

Alistair raised his arm to point an accusatory finger at the mage. “You weren't there in Redcliffe, Anders,” he said sharply. “You didn't have to see the massacre that had befallen the peaceful village. To see so many lives taken in such a short amount of time. Then, to find out that all of that death and destruction was caused by only one person. A child, possessed by a demon, unable to control his power as so many people were hurt.”

Though no one saw it, Celestia's normally serene expression of indifference was beginning to falter. Her face lapsing into a look of sadness and concern as she continued to take in every word that Alistair said. To keep her facade going, the princess levitated her tea to her lips, barely taking a sip as she began nursing the drink. It did little to help as the bottom of the porcelain cup began to rattle uneasily against the saucer that was lifted with it.

“He was consumed by his own desperation,” Alistair continued, his anger not yet subsiding. “And that's what demons do, they feed off of every bad emotion you have, using it as a way to take control of you until you're nothing but a puppet being forced to watch as you harm everyone around you. You see it in their eyes, the glimmer of life within them all but snuffed out, seeing nothing but darkness. And you're forced to take them down, to destroy the innocent life of the mage along with the demon just to stop the destruction. It's like a living nightmare!”

Suddenly, the loud clattering of a dish broke through Alistair's rant. He turned toward the source, just as everyone else within the room did. Their gazes fell on the spot at the very end of the table, where Princess Celestia sat. She had placed her teacup back down onto the table with such a force, the saucer underneath of it had nearly shattered. Now, the princess looked between her guests, her face lit up with a frantic need.

“I-I'm sorry,” the princess said quickly, rising from her seat, shaking the table with her hast. “I've just... just come to realize I have something important I must attend to.” She bowed her head down sharply in farewell. “Please, continue to enjoy your meal.” With that, Celestia turned her back to them and hurriedly left the room, her stride taking her through a small door at the far end of the chamber with an amazing speed.

A stark silence befell the hall once again. The previous argument between the two Grey Wardens had been extinguished as everyone looked toward one another in surprise. Though Celestia seemed adept in keeping her emotions in check, her ability failed her at that moment, it was clear to them all that something was wrong with the princess.

Twilight began to rise from her own seat, her mentor's plight on her mind. But the unicorn stopped mid-way as a hand was placed on her shoulder. She looked to see the commander staring at her, shaking his head lightly and causing her to sit back down without protest, but not lowering her worry.

The commander's gaze then shot toward Alistair, making the Warden-King retract slightly in surprise. Not saying a word, the Warden-Commander raised his arm and jabbed a finger toward the doorway that the princess had exited from. Alistair simply held an expression of confusion, looking toward the commander with a gaze that asked 'Why me?'

Still, the Warden kept his hardened gaze on Alistair, matching the look a father would show toward their disobedient child. Again, he pointed sharply toward the door, silently commanding his friend to go. The unspoken conversation between them was however pointless, as everyone could easily see the strange gestures that they two Wardens were performing.

But after a moment of hesitation, Alistair submitted and rose from his seat and took off after the princess, gaining the feeling that he was to blame for the sudden departure.

Some time had gone by after the two rulers had left. No one had anything to say, continuing to hold a familiar silence about them. There was still food to be had on the table as well, but none of them touched it. Their appetites had left them.

It was with the overbearing silence however, that caused them to nearly jump out of their seats, the chamber shuddering as the large double doors that led into the banquet hall were thrown open. Twilight, Anders and the commander all gaped at what they saw, seeing a figure standing in the doorway. The young scholar was the most surprised of them all, having never seen the odd creature before, though having seen something similar.

Like a man, but nearly half the size, the fiery red hair on his face was parted as a wide grin stretched his mouth to near supernatural lengths. His echoing laughter and booming voice immediately flooded the chamber. “By the ancestors! It's about sodding time I find you blasted nug-humpers!”

Oghren: Master Planner

The two Grey Wardens could only stare off in stunned silence as the red-headed dwarf strode into the banquet hall, an oversized grin still etched onto his face. Twilight's own expression was one of a mild shock, having not expected the strange creature but having gotten used to seeing new things since she had met the visitors.

“O-Oghren?” the commander stammered out, unable to believe his own eyes. As far as he knew, there was no reason he was seeing the dwarf standing before him now.

“I'm sure not your mother,” the dwarf chided, folding his arms as he was standing next to the Warden. “I gotta say, you got us all worked up when you never got back from that cave. Though, I knew I'd find you sorry lot sooner or later.”

Anders was already out of his seat, approaching the other side to better see the newcomer. “How... how did you get here?” he asked.

Oghren blinked distantly, his eyes looking around the room he was in. It appeared as though he was just now taking in his surroundings. “Where's here?” he muttered gruffly.

“You're in Canterlot Castle,” Twilight answered, approaching the dwarf with the same curiosity she held when first meeting the commander.

The dwarf's quizzical gaze fell onto the unicorn, looking at her like one might look at an obvious absurdity in a dream they were having. A stubby finger extended out and pointed at the scholar as Oghren said, “Shush, creature. Oghren has to talk to the people now.” Ignoring the confused stare that the statement elicited from the unicorn, the dwarf's sights were set back onto the two Wardens who were with him. “Anyway, it's good to see you all here, and... not dead.”

“You still haven't answered my question,” Anders pressed, rubbing his temples as the constant stream of confounding confusion was making his head hurt. “How did you get here?”

“Huh?” Oghren breathed, staring at the mage as if he had just asked him to drop his pants. After a few moments of a forced silence, the dwarf gave his head a quick shake. “Oh! Well... I don't really know...”

Not quite sure if there was something wrong with the dwarf or he was just drunk, the commander took a deep breath as he looked him in the eye and said, “Just tell us what happened after we went into that cave, Oghren.” His tone came out slow and over-pronounced, sounding more like he was talking to a mentally inept child.

Scratching the short hairs on his chin, Oghren's gaze turned blank in thought. “Well... you guys were taking your sweet time to kill that blasted mage. I figured blondie over here went and tripped on his robes again.” A glare was earned by Anders but was otherwise ignored. “When none of ya never came out, me and the others went in after ya. Surprisingly we didn't see any of you. A lot of blood and a lot of bodies though...” He chuckled heartily as his eyes lit up for a moment. “Some of the softies actually heaved a couple times all over the ground. Heh, like a bunch of first time drinkers it looked. Anyway... we never did find any sign of you, just this stupid looking mirror with a bunch of cracks in the glass.”

“The Eluvian,” Anders muttered.

Oghren shook his head. “No, I'm not hungry,” he replied before continuing his explanation. “We stayed in the village, searching the forest for any sign of where you went, or at least were that blood mage slithered off to. But we didn't find a thing. The others began to worry, but I knew it'd take a lot more than some sissy mage to take down the hero of Ferelden!” The dwarf paused for a few moments as he became somewhat hesitant toward continuing. “Though... I did kind of slack off on the search for you guys after a while. Spent a lot of time in that tavern, wouldn't believe the different kinds of ales they had there! After I was good and drunk off my ass, I went back to that cave. I'm not too sure what happened after that, but I remember I really bright flash of light from that mirror, right after I brought my ax to it.”

The commander and Anders could only stare at the dwarf in bewilderment at the claim, completely astounded at what they had just heard. “Wait...” Anders breathed, shaking his head in disbelief. “You see a damaged Eluvian, an ancient and magical artifact with more power within it than you can even comprehend... and... the first thing you do is hit it with your ax...?”

Oghren shrugged in a nonchalant manner. “It seemed like a foolproof plan at the time,” he defended.

Pinching the bridge of his nose, the mage released a shuddering sigh that sounded as though his very soul was exacerbated. “Not when it's a fool who devises it.”

“Credit where it's due, Anders,” the commander murmured, holding his chin in thought as the listened to his comrade. “Ogrehn did manage to find us after all.”

The aforementioned dwarf shot the mage a mocking look before he started talking again. “After the bright flash, I found myself drowning. With enough thrashing about, I managed to climb up onto dry land.” The eyes of the listeners ran up and down the dwarf's frame, once again noticing how damp he looked. “For some reason, that stupid light had plopped me smack dab in a small lake just outside this ginormous castle. Figured I was in that Orlais place, what with the dainty looking castle. So I figured a Grey Warden of my amazing stature would get a nice, warm welcome, maybe a chance at the local wines heh-heh. So I walked through the front gates, the fellas guarding it ushered me in without a word, as if they were expecting me or something. Then I find myself here, with you fools staring at me like a blindsided nug who got into the liquor barrels.”

“Hm, guards must have let you in thinking you were apart of our group,” the commander said, mostly to himself. Celestia had made it clear that her staff would be aware that they were staying in the castle, he didn't think her word would be taken to heart so well though. “But hold on a second,” the Warden eyed his dwarven friend strangely, “you just walked in? The guards or any of the other creatures didn't surprise you in the slightest?”

Oghren managed to match his commander's curious expression, his gaze slowly shifting toward Twilight who had remained silent throughout the reunion. He stared at her for some time, making the unicorn shift slightly on the spot uneasily. Then, his gaze on her widened as he leaned in closer to her.

The foul breath of the drunkard made the scholar's nose twitch and her expression to subtly change into one of disgust that she tried her hardest to hold down. Even as Oghren was just a few breaths away from her, she held her ground. Still just staring at her, the dwarf reached out his armor-clad hand and tapped his finger between her eyes. It made caused Twilight to blink and step back abruptly, nearly gasping for the fresh air that was had as she developed a healthy distance between herself and the dwarf.

“She's real...” Oghren muttered, looking at his hand blankly. “I figured I was still drunk.” A light chuckle escaped him as his lips parted into another grin. “I remember once in Orzammar, drank so much that I thought everyone there were darkspawn. Nearly cleaved three smiths in two before I got calmed down, good times.”

“They're real,” the commander said with a nod, remembering his own bout against reality as he became aware of the colorful equines. “And... you're not in Orlais.”

As Oghren looked at his commander in confusion, the two human Grey Wardens took the time to explain to the dwarf exactly where he was. How the Eluvian had not sent them to another place in Thedas, but that they had ended up in another world entirely. A world where their kind never existed and magic was as plentiful as the air they were breathing.

The events within the banquet hall going on without his knowledge, Alistair continued after Celestia, having gone through the same doorway she had used to leave her guests so abruptly before.

It was a much different area than what they had usually seen. There was a series of hallways that were drastically smaller in comparison to the grand ones they had been using before, with towering white walls and gaping windows. The ceiling of this one was only a few feet taller than the king himself, with walls made of dull stone, both having little in the way of decoration. It seemed clear that it wasn't used often, or at least not by typical guests. All the Warden-King could assume was that it was used primarily by the staff, servants and guards alike if they needed to get through the castle to accomplish their duties.

Not a soul could be seen using it now however. The hallway occasionally branched off abruptly, never stretching very far. Torches hung sparsely on the walls, giving only a flickering light in the shadowy corridors. Every so often a wooden door was fixed into the walls, leading nowhere but small rooms that stored wooden crates and barrels.

Just as he was about to give up, thinking that the princess had somehow disappeared out of thin air, Alistair heard something. It was soft, silent, sounding restrained beyond human understanding, the sound of sniffling and stunted sobs. Turning the corner, the king found himself stopping on the spot, his feet unresponsive as saw the white form of Celestia standing just a few feet away.

The princess' head was lowered down halfway, her ears lying limply against her head, even her flowing mane and tail seemed to sag down lifelessly. It was clear that the saddened sounds were coming from her, it becoming even more apparent as Alistair stood there behind her. Simply being a witness to it made his own heart twist in agony within his own chest, even if he wasn't sure why.

Realizing he had to say something, Alistair cleared his throat lightly. Celestia's ears twitched at the sound, and her head became raised slightly, even more clear was how her posture seemed to stiffen at the discover she was no longer alone. “Uh... Celestia,” the king began, unsure as to what he could really say, “I'm... really sorry if what I said or did had... offended you in any way. It really isn't my intention, especially since you've-” Alistair was stopped mid-sentence as the sun princess turned to face him. His breath was caught in his throat as he saw her alabaster face, glistening with the moisture that had fallen from her eyes, seeing the pain that was written into her expression.

“No... it's not that,” Celestia said, her steady voice beginning to shake slightly. “It's just... your words, what you said about those creatures from your world... it seems to open old wounds.” Though Alistair wasn't sure of her meaning, he felt as though he had no right to know. Then, the princess' expression shifted, turning into a needing plea. “Please tell me,” she begged. “That child, the one who turned into one of those monsters... what became of him?”

Celestia's question resonating within the Grey Warden's mind, Alistair managed a soft smile as he took several steps toward the princess. “He was saved,” he replied. “Thanks to the help and perseverance of a good friend, he was freed from the evil within him, saving his life from being consumed. It made me realize that no matter what, anyone can be saved given the chance.”

The answer had a small affect on the princess, her pained expression faltering as a weak smile appeared on her lips. But it didn't last long as it became clear she was still hurting. Alistair continued to stand there awkwardly, uncertain as to what he should do. But then, a thought came to him, forcing him to swallow the ever expanding lump in his throat. He stepped forward, the back of his mind silently whispering not to continue, but he ignored it. Though he was aware that what he was about to do had a high possibility of ending horrible wrong, he couldn't stop himself as he approached the princess.

A light gasped escaped Celestia as she felt the human's arms wrap around her neck, while his chest pressed against the front of it, forming a hug made awkward by their obvious differences in anatomy.

Even Alistair was surprised, both with himself for attempting the action, and toward Celestia as he felt her accept the gesture, feeling her chin resting on his shoulder. Even more shocking to him was the feeling he received as the tips of his fingers began to touch the luxurious mane of the monarch. It was far from he had had expected, assuming his hands would pass through it like smoke or mist. Instead, his fingers parted the colorful hairs like silken curtains. It even continued to move, wiggling and writhing between the appendages. Things became that much simpler for him as he placed his hands on the back of her neck, caressing the short, white coat on it with a gentleness he didn't even know he had.

As the comforting gesture continued between them both, Alistair felt a sudden cold chill on his face. With Celestia's own acceptance to the sentiment, she began to rub her cheek against the king's, nuzzling against him and making the tears still clinging to her face smear against his flesh, but not a word of protest was uttered from the Warden.

The two rulers stayed like that for some time, as Alistair was determined to keep his hold on the princess for as long as he needed, not wanting to see a single ounce of sadness on her face when he was finished.

“Bah,” Oghren scoffed, shaking his head slightly in disbelief as his fellow Wardens were finished with their explanations. “Just when I think I've got this surface world figured out, it manages to throw more surprises at me... Times like this I miss being underground.”

Twilight frowned slightly to the dwarf's clear indignation. “I'm sorry if you are upset,” she said. “We will do our best to make your stay in our world as accommodating as possible.”

Oghren stared at the unicorn strangely for several moments, still not used to seeing an animal talking to him, at least not when sober anyway. “It's fine,” he replied gruffly. “We'll be right with each other if you pay attention to my rules.” The dwarf held up three short fingers as he continued speaking. “Don't touch my junk, don't touch my booze, and don't get between me and my enemies... But seeing as we don't have any enemies yet... just don't touch my junk or booze, got that?”

“Uh...” Twilight trailed off, having a difficult time discerning what the dwarf meant by 'junk'. “Alright, you don't have to worry about a thing.”

Looking satisfied, Oghren turned back to begin speaking to his commander, being cut off as a familiar voice broke into room. “Oghren... is that you?!”

Everyone turned to see Alistair approaching them, his surprised evident on his face. Celestia was also right behind him, her composure having been regained. Their departure had been completely forgotten by the others, being too enamored with the appearance of their short newcomer. It made things all the easier for the two rulers as the events could easily be swept under the proverbial rug.

The red-headed dwarf smirked as he saw his king approaching. “There you are, King Bastard,” he chided. “I was wondering when you'd show up to say hi.”

Before Alistair could even begin questioning his own surprise and bewilderment, he was quickly filled in on the details that had led that dwarven friend to arrive in Equestria with them.

“So you shattered the Eluvian...” Alistair murmured, thinking on the tale. There was a short silence as the Warden-King said nothing, his eyes examining the dwarf for the first time. Something caught his eyes right away, as he noticed several cuts running across the dwarf's face. They were small, only showing up as red lines and no longer bleeding. It made the king look further down his body as he noticed several dents forced into the dwarven sized armor, where small shards of something could be seen protruding from the center. “What happened to your armor?”

The question brought on curious glances from everyone else, even Oghren looked down on himself in surprise, only just now noticing the state his gear was in. “Huh,” he breathed, “must be from that mirror thing. When it up and went boom, pieces of glass went everywhere. Some of them cut me, but I was too busy worrying about not drowning to notice or care.”

With his gaze fixated on one of shards that was still piercing through Oghren's armor, near the left shoulder, Alistair knelt down and grabbed the edge of it. With a sudden tug, the shard dislodged from the armor and the king held it up.

It was a shard of glass, obviously from a mirror as it was reflective on one side and blank on the other. At the very tip of it, a red blotch of blood could be seen, having pierced through the armor and punctured the dwarf's flesh beneath.

“How did you not notice this?” Alistair asked, looking back at the hole in his armor and seeing small drops of blood seeping through it.

A prideful huff escaped the dwarf as he flexed out his arms. “Just in case you've forgotten, I'm a sodding dwarf! We're as tough as the stone we live in! Not like you surface dwelling humans and elves, with skin as soft and delicate as an infant's.”

Wiping the blood coating the shard on his pant leg, Alistiar continued to examine the piece of glass. Something about it made him certain that it was no ordinary glass. “Anders,” he said, holding the shard out to the mage, “take a look at this.”

Accepting the Eluvian shard, Anders stayed silent as he examined it himself, turning it over in the palm of his hand several times. “This is strange...” he muttered. “Though my being here has drained me of my own magic, this shard is still holds its enchantment. I can... feel the magic still trapped inside, even in such a fragmented form, but it's faint.”

“Let me see it,” Twilight said, stepping closer to the mage as her own curiosity was getting to her. As Anders held out his open hand, the scholar took the shard in her levitation and brought it closer to her to examine it herself. Her eyes became glued to it like a cat with a piece of yarn. “You're right,” she eventually responded. “I can feel it too. A small trace of magic within it.” It almost made her spine quiver, the magic feeling so forign to her, like nothing she had ever encountered before.

The Grey Wardens began exchanging glances to one another, each one of them thinking of the same thing, and they all knew it. Alistair was the one to speak it first though. “You don't think... we could recreate it, do you?”

Anders suddenly felt expectant gazes on him, being the only mage within the room. “Well... I'm not sure,” he replied uneasily. “I mean, almost any magic can be copied... but something like this is beyond my own ability. I don't even have my own magic...” Staring down at the ground, Anders began rubbing his chin in thought. “Maybe... if we were able to get a mirror big enough for us, we could try to give it the same enchantment the shards have... but even then, it's no surefire thing.”

“Perhaps we can help,” Celestia said, stepping forward as her gaze remained locked on the shard. “Though your magic may be somewhat different to our own, it is still magic. There are many accomplished unicorns within Canterlot, with their help, we could endeavor to remake this 'Eluvian' you've mentioned.”

They spent the next few minutes prying the shards of glass from Oghren's armor, never hearing a single utterance of pain from the dwarf as they did so. Eventually, they had over a dozen shards of the Eluvian placed in an unused plate from the table, each varying in size and all giving off a strange power that only the three magically adept creatures in the room could feel.

Celestia lifted the plate up herself, her horn glowing with a golden aura that matched the one around the plate. The princess closed her eyes for a moment, as if in a deep concentration. Then suddenly, the large doors to the banquet hall opened and a unicorn guard posted just outside came galloping in.

“You called, Princess?” the guard said stockily, bowing his head as he stood before the ruler.

“Yes,” Celestia replied, hovering the plate in front of the stallion, who took it in his own magical grasp for her. “I would like you to take this to the university, tell them to examine these glass shards thoroughly and see what magical properties they possess. I will be there tomorrow to offer my assistance and explain to them their importance.” The guard eyed the shards quizzically for a moment, but without a word, he nodded his head in affirmation before galloping off and out of of the chamber.

Large smiles of excitement began to grow on the faces of the Grey Wardens, each beaming as the answer to their predicament had been found. Thanks to the alcoholic dwarf Oghren, they now had a way of returning home. To them, it seemed that all of their problems within the Equestrian land were now gone. Sadly, they couldn't be more wrong.

Grey Perspectives

A joyous time was had within the castle. With a means of reaching their home having been discovered, the visiting Grey Wardens all celebrated the end of their troubles. Celestia and Twilight also took part in the merriment, sitting with the visitors in the banquet hall and enjoying the pleasure of their company..

Before things were able to get underway however, Oghren voiced his displeasure with the choice of local beverages. The dwarf found little joy as he tasted tea for the first time, finding it offensive to his tongue and nearly spitting it out onto the table, calling for a strong brew that could knock him off his feet.

The others held glances of concern as none of the humans figured that the peaceful land would have such a thing as alcohol. Such a horrifying idea nearly made the dwarf go into a panic, having brought none of his own concoctions from Ferelden. But Princess Celestia was quick to the rescue, calling in her servants to bring in a special treat.

Dozens of bottles were brought in, set onto the table where the food from their dinner used to be. Each one looked more enticing than the last. Oghren wasted no time in snatching one and guzzling it down with reckless abandon. The dwarf looked like he had spent days in a desert and was just given water, making the ponies in the room stare at the unprecedented sight that the others were far more used to than they should be. The three human Wardens each took their time, uncorking the bottles and sniffing the contents before taking their own swigs.

The brew tasted strongly of apples, but as it flowed down their throats and into their stomachs, it burned like a tamed fire, leaving them feeling all the warmer for having drank it. Perhaps not the strongest kind of ale they had ever tried, it was still a gift graciously accepted by them all, able to finally slake their thirsts after having gone dry ever since they each arrived in the colorful world.

So with the arrival of the refreshments, their pseudo-party was underway. Their laughter filled the chamber to the brim, making the stallions guarding the doors just outside raise questioning eyebrows toward what was going on behind their backs.

Jokes and amusing stories were told to liven up everyone's spirits. Most of them came from the four Grey Wardens, with their world of adventure and conflict, they had many tales to spin. Twilight was particularly enamored as the the commander and Alistair took turns recounting their epic battle against the Archdemon. Going into grand, and occasionally embellished, detail in how they fought their way through an army of bloodthirsty darkspawn, scaled the to the top of the infested castle, to end in a finale with the fall of the tainted Old God and the end of the Blight.

As more and more bottles were drained, the subject of their merrymaking began to change. Much of it originated from the foul-mouthed dwarf, his jokes taking a vulgar turn. Thankfully, most of them were lost to the princess and scholar, not understanding the context and realizing they should be grateful for it. Though, there were several that they did understand, mostly involving bodily functions while others were about certain nether regions.

But even in the presence of royalty, who wasn't Alistair, their enjoyment was not stunted. Celestia herself partook in it all alongside the Grey Wardens. Even some of the fruity alcohol graced her lips. It was in small amounts as she still drank from a teacup, but there was no overlooking the rosy tint that quickly developed over her alabaster cheeks. Sadly, the same couldn't be said for her student, as the lavender-coated unicorn simply sat there and laughed along with the group.

It was this very sober sharpness that allowed Twilight to see what had gone unnoticed by everyone else. That a certain Commander of the Grey had managed to slip away from the escalating celebration, disappearing from the chamber while his companions continued without him.

The only other soul to notice was Shale, as the construct kept its position at the far end of the room, watching the uninteresting event unfold in front of it. But just as it cared little for the acts of fun its friends were having, Shale saw no reason to give the absence of the Warden much thought, even as that one departure turned into two.

“Hm,” the Warden-Commander murmured in thought, his index finger running across the velvet covered spines of the books he was examining.

The royal library was all but deserted, with a serene sense of seclusion that the Warden was certain couldn't be found anywhere else within the castle. There wasn't even a guard within the area to trek by, disturbing the otherwise peaceful setting. It was the stark contrast the quiet chamber had in comparison to his previous location that made him seek it out, as well as a burning curiosity he had developed that needed to be slaked.

The library was a marvelous room that was given the same care and beauty that the rest of the castle was given. With towering walls that was either a smooth white marble, violet coated wooden boards, or gargantuan bookshelves making them up. Two floors made up the chamber, though the second was merely an extended platform tracing the wall, allowing easier access to the uppermost shelves. The selection of literature was impressive as well, though the human wasn't sure on the exact details of many of them, he was able to discern that they covered a wide variety of subjects.

One tome in particular caught his eye, 'Equestrian Myths, Legends, and Mares' Tails'. The last bit brought a soft chuckle from the Warden's throat, still getting used to the strange differences that the language of the ponies had compared to his own. Like a bad joke that was taken far too seriously.

Retrieving it from the shelf, the commander began to turn the pages, his eyes scanning the titles of the old tales for anything of immediate interest. His attention was so undivided, he didn't even notice the audible creak of the library door opening, or the soft hooffall breaking through the threshold.

“What are you doing here?” a familiar voice asked curiously.

The commander yelped in surprise, being too immersed in the previous serenity. His grip on the book was lost as it tumbled from his hands and fell to the floor. Trying his best to save it, the Warden's arms flailed in the simple confines of the book's descent, with them finally wrapping around the piece of literature and clutching it tightly, fearful that it could fly from his grasp at any moment. With the book safe, he turned around and peered at the source of the sudden visitor, seeing Twilight watching him from afar.

“Oh... Twilight, you startled me,” the commander said, taking several deep breaths before centering himself.

The unicorn trotted forward, clearing the gap between them both. “I saw you leave and was wondering what you were doing,” she replied, her expression turning to one of worry. “I thought you would have wanted to spend more time with your friends.”

The Warden couldn't help but smile lightly at Twilight's sudden concern, seeing a simple innocence in it that showed she hadn't spent nearly enough time with the other Grey Wardens to understand. “It's not that,” he responded. “I've just never been able to stand celebrations for very long.” Old memories crept into his mind as he recalled the days following the end of the Blight, how everyone in Ferelden wanted to celebrate with the famed hero and king who had put an end to it. It sent shivers down his spine as the exhausted warrior had simply wanted to rest after the arduous ordeal, having seen off his friends who were eager to part and continue on with their own lives. “I came here for a little peace,” he waved the tome that was still clutched tightly in his hand, “maybe spend the night with a good book or two.”

Twilight's face noticeably brightened as she stared at the book he held. “You like to read?” she asked, surprised. It was the first time she had ever noticed, seeing as the commander showed no interest to it earlier, especially since he was staying in a library prior to coming to the castle.

Almost as though he was embarrassed by the fact, the commander shrugged offhandedly. “It's always been something I've enjoyed,” he said. The Warden took a seat on a set of miniature stairs that were leading up to bookshelves, clearly set there for decoration, but offering a comfortable spot to rest for tall creature. “Though, I suppose it was my mother's doing when I was young. While father made sure his sons were versed in the art of combat by blade, mother made sure to create a balance by forcing us to study history and gain a knack of literature. Though my brother lost the taste for it as he got older, I realized it could be enjoyable.” An amused chortle left him as a fond memory returned to him. “Oftentimes, it would be a great annoyance to my friends when we adventured together. I would occasionally stop to read a new tome we would encounter in our journey. Now, without having to worry about us staying here, I can relax and find a little peace to read.”

“I mostly just read spell and history books,” Twilight admitted, stepping closer to the Warden and sitting down beside him. “Though, I do sometimes read a work of fiction every now and then, if the mood's right.”

With the commander's mention of his family still hanging in the air, the subject of their conversation shifted toward the topic. The commander told his equine listener of his life as the child of a Teyrn, a seat of power that was second only to the king himself. He told her of his noble father, his kindhearted mother who was as deadly with a bow as she was gentle with her family, and his brother who was currently watching over the homestead.

In turn, Twilight spoke of her own family. She told the Warden about her foalhood desires to learn magic and how her parents always did their best to nurture her talents. It was even their help that caused her to become Celestia's student, bringing her to the life she now had. Though, she was embarrassed to say how anti-social she had become as a result of it all, even if it all changed after her moving to Ponyville.

It was a joyful time they spent together, simply sitting there and chatting over the simplicities in their lives. Nothing about it was similar to their previous conversations, stiff words being spoken about their worlds as an explanation to bring their curious minds to rest. Now, it was just them enjoying the company of the other, talking to one another in the friendliest of manners. The commander himself was surprised by how easily he could speak to the mare, always considering himself a better listener than a speaker. But he could chat with Twilight as though she was a longtime friend, and listen to her with the same amount of interest.

As their topic of their early lives and families had run its course, the commander's thoughts returned to the old book he still had. Eager to learn a little more about the wondrous land he was now in, he began searching through the tome with an open mind. Twilight found herself sharing in his enthusiasm, inching herself closer and closer to the human,bringing their sides together to share the book with him and offer her own personal knowledge on the old legends of Equestria. The commander didn't seem to notice the closeness, neither did he notice the unicorn's tail occasionally brushing up against him, or at least he didn't let on that he did.

Looking through the book, Twilight pointed out the more exciting tales, such as the founding of Equestria and Discord's fall. The commander was especially interested as the unicorn told him of how the chaotic spirit broke free not too long ago, nearly taking over the land until she and her friends were able to stop him. Though, he showed more concern as she told him of her first adventure with her friends, about Nightmare Moon and the princess she had now become.

“So Luna...?” the Warden questioned, still mulling over what he was told.

Twilight nodded her head, a sad frown crossing her mouth. “Yes,” she answered, “she turned evil, a long time ago. Nopony knows how, only saying that she was 'consumed' by her own emotions, how she felt neglected in comparison to Celestia. When she was free, my friends and I were able to stop Nightmare Moon and bring Luna back.”

A light huff left the commander as he held a scrutinizing gaze. “And she's so abrasive to us,” he chided.

“It's not like that,” Twilight defended. “When I first met her after what happened to Nightmare Moon, she wasn't used to being very social with anypony. She just needs to get to know you a little longer.”

“Maybe,” the Warden murmured. His lips parted into a smile as he eyed the mare next to him. “Though, I'm still surprised by what you've told me already. I never would have guessed that my caretaker is as much a hero as I am.”

“W-what?” Twilight breathed, becoming surprised by the sudden praise. “I'm not a hero! Especially not like you.”

A chuckle escaped the Warden as he shook his head in disagreement. “Nonsense. Saving your land from two powerful threats, with the help of your friends along the way. It sounds uncanny in its familiarity. I never thought magic would be such a good thing for anyone before.”

The Warden-Commander's statement forced Twilight to frown. Her mind returned to the heated argument between Alistair and Anders, both fuming over a topic that seemed brought up more often than not within the world that they came from.

“I want to know something,” Twilight said, her tone becoming serious as she faced the commander and looked him directly in the eyes. “You've already mentioned how magic is different in your world, how it acts and how the people who use it are treated. You're friends have have shown how they both feel about it, but... I wanted to know...” She broke the lock their eyes shared for a moment, hesitant over her own question. Taking a breath and preparing herself for any sort of answer she might receive, she returned her gaze to the Warden with an even greater firmness. “What do you think of magic?”

Taken aback by the question, the Warden did not reply right away. He couldn't say he was utterly surprised by the question, having assumed that the inquisitive scholar would ask it sooner or later. A pause gathered between them as he thought out his answer. Though, to put it frankly, he couldn't say he had ever actually thought on the answer himself. Perhaps it was the lack of ever needing to that caused it, or maybe he wanted to avoid the discussion entirely, knowing the split it could create amongst his friends and companions.

“To be honest,” the commander said, trying to sound as serious as possible through his own apprehension, “I really can't say I have anything against them.” Even though he was absolutely certain that his answer had no trace of falsity to it, it made him feel like he was convincing himself more so than he was Twilight. The unicorn developed a weak smile nonetheless, seemingly accepting the answer.

It probably could have been left at that, a simple answer for a more complicated question. But the commander felt that there were still misunderstandings that the naïve pony wasn't aware of. Heaving a sigh, the commander looked down at his own hands, twiddling the fingers back and forth as he chose to go further with his reply.

“It's not as though I have never seen the destruction that magic can create,” he murmured, glancing toward Twilight as he spoke to her. “Just like how Alistair explained Redcliffe, I was there, I had to face off against the evil that magic had brought there.” His gaze turned distant for a moment, his mind remembering the battles had against the child abomination, the death that occurred because of it all. “But, I've never been given reason to think that magic is so much worse for the world than anything else. Alistair was practically raised to think so, though he does have his moments where he can look past his bias for the greater good. As for Anders... well, he isn't one to take to heart the consequences of his own actions, much less those of his peers.”

“From what Alistair said,” Twilight replied, “magic in your world does more harm than good.” She could remember how passionately he spoke about magic, as though it were a burden to have it.

The commander shook his head lightly. “The truth is, mages aren't as terrible as they are made out to be. But some of what Alistair has said is true. When untrained, mages can do great harm to themselves and others. The boy in Redcliffe was one such mage, his mother being too fearful of the tower to get him the help he needed. Even Anders nearly injured his own family by accident before he was sent off to train.” Their gazes connected once again, while the Warden's held a questioning look. “Is it not the same here? Do unicorns have trouble with their magic if left unchecked?”

Twilight nodded her head slightly. She knew that proper learning was needed for unicorns versed in magic however, she couldn't think of a time she had personally hurt anypony with her magic. Though, there was no ignoring the time she had accidentally turned her parents into potted plants, or the occasional incident caused when she was in over her head when attempting a spell.

Nodding himself in understanding, the Warden continued. “I don't even have any personal gripe with magic. Most troubles I've ever had were caused by normal people, mostly with them trying to kill me for one reason or another. In fact, I've met several mages who used their abilities with the purest of intentions, helping me to save Ferelden from the evil we were fighting.” He paused for a moment as his eyes narrowed with contempt. “It's just the ones who choose to attack innocent people and deal with demons who make the others look dangerous. I wish it wasn't true, but it is. Maybe someday, people will see that not all mages are bad, but I don't know when that will be. Things will certainly have to change among the templars as well, or nothing will ever get better.” The commander chuckled softly as he beamed a large smile toward the mare. “But it's those like you and your princesses, having such power over magic and doing nothing but good with it, that let me look at mages without concern.”

Twilight was quick to shake her head. “I'm not that powerful,” she said bashfully, eliciting another laugh from the human.

“Come now,” he teased, “there's no need to be modest. You've already told me of your exploits, and you're the student of Princess Celestia for Maker's sake. You're quite talented, there's no shame in acknowledging it. And I've seen your kindness firsthand, so there's no disputing that either.” Twilight blushed at the compliment, unsure of how to respond herself. Seeing her obvious tentativeness toward the subject of praise, the Warden couldn't help but grin, thinking of a way to help lighten the mood and lift their spirits.

With a devious smirk, the commander held up a bottle he had snagged from the table before his leaving. Popping the cork free, he brought the glass container to his lips and drank deeply from it. Savoring the final taste of the apple flavored drink, his arm extended out toward the mare. “Here,” he offered.

Twilight gazed at the bottle hesitantly, her mind already racing toward denying the request. Drinking was never something she found herself doing often. It was rare, especially due to her own mental scar brought on due to the time she had mistook a bottle of hot sauce for one such drink, nearly melting her throat and turning her mouth into a raging firestorm, making an already annoying day all the worse. But as she looked back at the commander, seeing his large smile and expectant gaze, it became nigh impossible to refuse him.

Matching his kind expression, the scholar enveloped the bottle in a magenta aura, levitating it from his grasp and toward her own lips. Tipping it up, she allowed the fluids to flow freely, feeling her throat gain a pleasant warmth as she gulped the liquid down. The sound of a stifled laugh was heard as the commander became amused at her tenacity, watching her own drink last much longer than his own. But it soon ended, finished by a smack of her lips and a girlish burp that elicited a bubbly giggle from the mare.

They passed the bottle back and forth between themselves, taking equal shares of the tasty drink. While they drank, to ease the tension caused by the Warden's own incite into his feelings, they spoke casually about old times. Their stories were far less heroic and exciting than their previous ones but held a comedic value that they both found great amusement in.

Alistair shifted uneasily in his seat, having been there for far too long. The Banquet hall had quieted down greatly as time went on. The weary Princess Celestia had taken her leave some time ago, heading off to her quarters to turn in for the night. Anders had left not too long after, barely able to keep himself standing as he made the foolish mistake of trying to keep up with the insatiable Oghren in drinking. The dwarf himself was the only other one besides Shale to remain in the chamber, greedily sucking down every last drop from every bottle down, like a ravenous animal. The Warden-King was certain he wouldn't stop until everything was gone.

The merriment that had once been brimming within the room was now dead, leaving the king to simply sit in place and nurse the last few drinks of his current bottle, his mind slowly turning to the company that was once present. Alistair was unable to keep the princess out of his mind. Though it seemed strange to admit it, he felt sorry for the equine ruler.

What had occurred before, her mask of serene indifference breaking, her near emotional collapse, made it clear how burdened she was. Regarded so highly by her people, she needed to make herself look as strong as possible. But she still had feelings, just like anyone else. It made the king think of his own people, how their expectations for him made his position all the more daunting. He couldn't imagine what kind of pressure it put on the princess, seeing her face such troubles on a much grander scale.

Deciding it was too late to continue drinking or thinking, the king swallowed what remained of his last bottle and carefully got to his feet, doing his best not to lose his footing and collapse onto the ground. Not sparing a word to his dwarven companion, he left Oghren behind and stumbled out of the chamber.
The trek through the castle hallways back to his room was a difficult task to accomplish. To Alistair's surprise, the tiled floor seemed to shift and slide back and forth under his feet, making sure footing almost impossible as his feet treated the ground like it was covered in soap.

Everywhere around him, the world seemed to move out of control. With the castle itself spinning in a nauseating sequence, and the surroundings becoming blurred through his drunken gaze, it added grander obstacles to prevent his passage. It also didn't help that the many hallways in the castle looked pretentiously similar. But the determined Grey Warden was certain he could make his way back on memory alone, taking his time to stagger about near aimlessly.

Alistair's conviction and resolve paid off however, as he found his hands pressing against the door to his room. Figuring that his other two companions had already put themselves to bed, the king opened the door as quietly as possible, being courteous enough to try and not disturb them.

A silent sigh of relief dripped from his throat as he looked to see the fuzzy image of a large, blanket covered rectangle lying on the floor just a few feet from him. It wasn't hard to tell that it was a bed and Alistair was eager to feel the soft caress of the sheets on his person and drift into a much needed sleep. By the time the Warden-King managed to lift the covers and climb onto just the edge of the mattress, he found the last vestiges of his strength leave him, forcing his body to go limp on the small portion of his bed and lose consciousness almost immediately.

An Old Flame and a Sudden Spark

The castle library became filled with the laughter of the only two denizens within it, rivaling that of the chamber they had both been apart of previously as they held a much greater vigor. It was difficult for either of them to find the time to breathe as Twilight told the Warden of the fun times she had had with her friends, how the peacefully quiet town of Ponyville was anything but.

Gasping for breath as he clutched at his sides, the commander managed to compose himself long enough to speak. “S-so, it was just some wild flowers that did all of that to you? And you thought it was an evil curse?! Ha!” Moisture dripped down his cheeks as his eyes overflowed with tears.

Twilight herself was laughing nearly as hard as her company, partly because the Warden's laughter was as contagious as the flu, and that she realized a long time ago how amusing hindsight could be at times. “It wasn't one of my best moments,” Twilight admitted, her own fit of giggles ending. “But at least we were able to end the rumors about Zecora. She's even become a good friend to us.”

“That's good to hear,” the commander said, thinking on the odd parallels that the zebra's story had to his own world. Having been treated strangely because of how different she was, which led up to her being looked at as a witch who would curse anyone in spite. It made him think of two other witches, ones who he had personal affiliation with. One of which having many tales and superstitions about her, several actually turning out to be true.

The old memories caused the Warden to absentmindedly rub his thumb against the base of his finger, feeling the smooth wood that was wrapped around it. There was a long silence created due to his preoccupied mind, one that the young unicorn picked up on. Twilight also took notice to his current action, her eyes being drawn to what was on his finger. It was a ring, the very one she had seen when she was first examining the human, back before she had a grasp on who the Warden was. It was overlooked after everything else that had occurred that day, but now her scholarly mind was becoming curious. “What's the ring for?” she asked, having no better way to steer the conversation toward it.

In Equestria, at least for ponies, Twilight knew that rings were only ever seen as marital tokens. They were used primarily as part of the ceremony, a symbol of the couple's love and all of the basic sentiment. Though, as far as she knew, they weren't typically worn much after that. Considering the creature she was now with had an advantage with the fingers he had, it would be much easier to wear a ring without it being cumbersome. And the more the unicorn thought about it, there were many customs that were shared between the two worlds, so it was possible this was another.

“Are you married?” Twilight then asked, her tone much more hesitant and cautious than she realized.

The Warden-Commander blinked in surprise, just realizing his own action as well as the curious gaze that the mare directed toward him. “What? No,” he replied with a chuckle, remembering the last time someone had asked him that very question.

“Oh,” Twilight breathed, sounding somewhat embarrassed for her assumption. “Then what is it for?”

Almost involuntarily, a weary sigh left the commander, his eyes becoming locked onto the piece of jewelry. “It was given to me by someone... I was once close to,” he replied. “The ring is enchanted, it allowed her to sense where I was if I ever fell into harm.”

The commander held out his hand for Twilight to see it clearly. It was beautifully crafted, carved from wood and polished to perfection. As she examined it, the unicorn began to stare more and more intently at it. The grain itself seemed to shift and change as she watched it. Like one might see images in clouds, she could swear she could see something on the wooden surface. It appeared similar to some of the creatures she has seen in the care of her friend Fluttershy, but it held no definite shape. As though her mind was playing tricks on her, it contorted into a new shape seemingly at random. So slow and insignificant, it was a debate as to whether anything about it had changed at all.

The simple appearance of the ring wasn't the only thing that the scholar found odd about it. There was a strange, magical, aura she could sense surrounding it. The thing was indeed enchanted, but not by any spell she had ever seen before. It made her think of the strange magical properties that the Eluvian shards had, being so foreign to her, and yet still so different when compared to the shards as well. The enchantment felt distinct, almost unique, as easy to notice as a dot of black on a white canvas.

“Morrigan was her name,” the commander murmured, his thumb beginning to rub against the ring once again. “A mage, very powerful, having the ability to transform into various animals due to her unique training. She was intelligent as well, but very naïve to the civilized world. Having lived most of her life in a swampy forest, she had trouble grasping certain aspects of social interaction and behavior.”

Twilight listened to the Warden intently, her mind interested in hearing about the woman. She could sense the passion in his voice, clearly she was someone special to him. “Was she one of your friends on your journey?” she asked.

Nodding his head, the commander continued. “She was the first one to join me and Alistair, being very reluctant at first but realizing her own need to do so. It caused a bit of trouble between us though. Alistair was always suspicious of her, due to the fact she was an apostate. Her own feelings for him were mutual, but she wasn't as abrasive toward me. She was actually one of the first mages I had ever met, since my upbringing made such encounters rare, but I never held her power against her.”

“Really?” the unicorn questioned. “I figured Alistair wouldn't want her to come.”

“Oh he didn't,” the Warden laughed. “But he had no choice. At the time, it was just the two of us against a power mad tyrant and an army of darkspawn. Morrigan was offering her help and he wasn't going to look a gift ho-” the commander paused for a moment, his eyes drifting toward the mare beside him. “Uh, he wasn't going to... take it for granted... He eventually got over it anyway, though it didn't stop them from sharing snide comments to one another and generally complaining whenever they had the chance.”

A simple smile crossed the commander's lips as he recalled fond memories. “She was very intent on distancing herself from everyone else. Every time we made camp, she would always set herself far away from the rest of us. It made me feel sorry for her at first, looking so lonely. So I began talking to her, getting to know her and learning about the legends that were garnered by her abilities.” He became quiet for a few moments, scratching his chin in thought. “I'm not sure how it happened, but eventually... we began to develop feelings for one another. It was actually sort of cute how she reacted to it, such emotions being completely new to her. But she always tried making it clear that no good would come of it... Of course, I was a Grey Warden, destined to throw my life away in constant struggle against the darkspawn.” A frown creased his mouth as his shoulders shifted, his body heaving a sigh. “Though... it wasn't until the Blight was ending did I realize what she meant.”

“What happened to her?” Twilight asked, noticing that there was a hint of pain showing in the Warden's eyes as he recounted the story.

“A number of things,” the commander said cryptically. “She left after the Archdemon was killed, having fulfilled what she needed to do, the reason why she joined us in the first place. From what I've gathered, it was difficult for her, due to what happened between us, but it was something she had to do. I didn't hear from her for two years, then our paths crossed again. It wasn't going to last, I understood why we couldn't be together, but it didn't make things any easier. She then left once again, vowing we would never see each other after that. She was right, it's been a few years since then, and I've never heard from them again.”

“'Them?'' Twilight questioned, gaining a sudden surprised look from the Warden.

“Her,” the commander quickly corrected, playing it off as a slip of the tongue.

The scholar frowned sullenly. “I'm sorry for bringing it up,” she murmured.

“It's alright,” the Warden reassured, giving her a weak smile. “It's all old history now. I learned long ago that you can't dwell on the unfortunate circumstances in life. You take the bad in stride and cherish every moment of good, despite the obvious pains that such things can create. Now, I've learned to accept what has happened and move on.”

Twilight smiled at the human's words, finding a great deal of wisdom in them. “That sounds like wonderful advice,” she murmured sheepishly.

Involuntary to Twilight's actions, her mouth opened and stretched wide as a yawn forced itself out. Her lavender eyelids began to flutter as a feeling of drowsiness started to set in. The alcoholic drink she had consumed and the increasingly late hour were beginning to take their toll on the young unicorn. Losing her strength to fight it and stay awake, she leaned against the warm body of the commander, resting her head on his lap and using him as a pillow as sleep began to overtake her.

Before the Warden could even respond to the action, Twilight's eyes were closed and her breathing lowered to a soft rhythm, she was fast asleep. Not having it in him to disturb her, he simply let her be as he slowly took the last few sips of the bottle still in his hand. All the while, he began to absently stroke the mare's mane lightly, not noticing the smile the action formed on her lips.

With the library now quite, the commander was left alone with his thoughts. Much of his own inner dialogues were spent on him telling himself that there wasn't a thing weird or strange with his current situation.

The library was not the only part of the castle to find a peaceful sleep. Alistair's own was starting to become one of his greatest as his mind drifted off to a world that was his own, where anything could happen and he made it so.

Now, the Warden-King was lying in his own bedchamber within Denerim. The bed was as soft as it possibly could, the air was a cozy and comfortable temperature, and a beautiful maiden stood beside the bed, awaiting her king's command to begin the coming festivities.

Despite his position and power, very little had changed in Alistair's personal life upon accepting the throne. That included interactions of the opposite sex, or lack thereof. The king realized long ago that while his life may be void of a female companionship, he could at least enjoy their company within his own dreaming state without worry. Surely no one would suffer him for that, to take part in his natural needs, even though it technically wasn't real.

Now, he was preparing himself for the enjoyments that only his own head could provide. To pat himself on the back, he had to admit he had certainly outdone himself with the woman who was now before him. She was beautiful, with long, flowing hair that looked as soft as a cloud. She was clearly elven, with her pointed ears, though being slightly taller with her long, lanky limbs. Her skin was somewhat pale, but there wasn't a flaw on her natural body. That very body was dressed in a simple white nightdress, being held on her figure by two small straps on her shoulders.

With a smile that could melt the coldest of winters, the elven woman sauntered around the bed, swaying her hips in a tantalizing way that forced the king to stare in awe. Reaching her side of the bed, the maiden pulled the covers up and climbed in, lying on her side to face her king.

Alistair did so himself as well, lying down on the side opposite of her own so he could gaze into her loving eyes. Still unsure of himself in the ways of such excursions, the king took slow, almost hesitant motions as he reached out to his companion and began to caress her soft cheek and move down to her shoulder.

The elf moaned softly at the touch, her sultry gaze wordlessly asking her partner to continue further. Alistair complied as he quickly cleared the small gap between them both. With an unwavering confidence, the king leaned his head forward and planted a loving kiss on the woman's lips. It was a simple action, but no less affectionate.

Alistair then became surprised as he felt the maiden's tongue thrust forward and into his mouth, almost hungrily so. The action was filled with a fiery passion that caught the Grey Warden off guard, having never received such initiative before in earlier encounters. But Alistair returned it with just as much gusto, kissing his elven companion as deeply as his own tongue playfully fought against the invader.

Their kissing never faltered as Alistair began to move his hands about her body, caressing her smooth flesh and running his fingers across her hip and thigh. With one hand, the king pressed his palm against his partner's breast, kneading the soft, sensitive flesh and causing her to moan into his mouth.

Though the actions were enjoyed by both parties, Alistair's thoughts slowly became clouded and hard to focus. To his shock and disdain, he could feel his lucid dream collapsing into darkness, like a tether on his subconscious being pulled by a great might. It was all slipping away, his bedchamber, his elven maiden, all of it becoming lost as the waking world forced him away from it.

The waking world came back to him slowly, everything blurred in his drowsy state. His eyes refused to open on reflex, waiting to be forced open to greet the light of the morning. But as the king's mind began to clear itself, his senses began to feel the same sensations he was experiencing within his dream. It soon dawned on him that his lips were still pressed against those of someone else, as well as the soft flesh that his hands were touching.

As Alistair's eyes flared open, his vision was dominated by a sea of pristine white. To his horror, he recognized the equine face, his heart sinking into abysmal depths.

At that moment, Celestia's eyes fluttered open. The princess' pupils became still as her gaze was locked with Alistair's, leaving them both to stare in a time-ending stillness for a brief moment. Then, Alistair's body pulled back abruptly, breaking their kiss and removing his hands from her body, which were much lower than they would be on any humanoid woman.

A loud thud reverberated through the room as the Warden-King tumbled off the side of the bed and crashed onto the floor. With his mind too far gone to respond to the pain, his head bolted upward and began to look about the chamber in a panic. “W-where am I?!” he cried, realizing he wasn't in his own room. The chamber he was in was much more glamorous than the simple quarters reserved for guests, with an elegance that was meant only for royalty.

“Th-this, this isn't my room!” Alistair ranted, his frantic gaze falling back to the stunned Celestia. “Y-you... I-I-I was- Oh Maker no!” Stumbling to his feet, the Warden-King's entire body began to shake and tremble with the look of horror plastered onto his face. “I-I'm sorry! It wasn't-! I didn't-!”

With a mad cry, Alistair bolted from the chamber, nearly tearing the doors off of the wall in his exit. The king sprinted down the massive hallways of the castle with terror propelling him forward, screaming hysterically all throughout it.

Willingly Blissfully Ignorant

The Warden-Commander could barely stand, his beaten and battered body weighing him down with each passing second. All he could do was use the last of his strength in keeping himself up, while his haggard breath was the only sound he could utter. A sudden, violent shove, coming from the darkness that surrounded him tossed him backward and into the flat surface of a wall.

Crimson droplets of blood began to cover the commander's lips as he coughed continuously, both from his injuries as well as from the horrid stench of the heavy breathing that washed over him like a plague. Not even the decaying remains of a darkspawn could produce such an odor, burning his nostrils and making it nearly impossible to breath as the acrid stench filled his lungs. Where the breathing came from, all the Warden could see was a black, empty abyss. Marring it, was an even blacker silhouette, as though the empty darkness already surrounding him was lesser compared to it.

Attempting to step forward, to defend himself until the bitter, inevitable end, the commander was struck back once again. The physical blow rattled his brain and nearly cleaved his head from his shoulders with an unnatural force.

Now, there was no fight left in the Warden, barely able to move. There was nothing more than the last vestiges of his own willpower that managed to simply keep him on his feet.

The opponent against the Warden continued to loom over him. Its heavy breathing never ceasing, it sounded pained and difficult to continue itself, despite the Warden doing no harm to it. But it wasn't just a silent attacker, it spoke. Every word, every syllable it uttered, burned both the commander's ears and mind. Even as he could hear it ringing through his ears right next to him, the creature's echoing voice forced itself into his mind, mixing in with his own thoughts and taking over to where there was nothing but the corrupted noise, inside and out.

“Where... is his song? The clarion call... of the beautiful one? What... have you done with it?! No dulcet order... No... beckoning melody... Only silence... like the others.” The darkness gained a faint glow of brilliant blue, separating into four separate lights. It solidified and formed into four blades, each perfectly paralleled to the other. Before the Warden could react, terrible pain wracked his body as the blades were plunged into his chest. Blood splashed onto the ground in great puddles as the blades dug deeply through his flesh. “I shall be free... I shall hear the call again!”

Completely helpless, the commander cried out in unimaginable pain, feeling his very soul being rent from his body.

Commander Cousland lurched upward, gasping sharply for air and choking on his first conscious breath of the new day.

Frantically, his hands ran across his body, searching it for any fatal wounds. Finding nothing there, it soon dawned on him what had happened. “It was just... just a nightmare...” he murmured, as though he were trying to calm his own mind with the realization. As his heavy breathing began to lessen, the Warden wiped the cold sweat from his face and stared off into his surroundings.

The library greeted him indifferently, looking the same as the night before. But his detailed examination of the chamber was halted as a sudden pain shot into his head. Groaning miserably, the human rubbed his temple tenderly in an attempt to stave off the rushing aches going through his skull.

Inquiries arose within his thoughts as to what the cause of such grief was. Before any other thought could come to him, the Warden became surprised as felt a bottle pressed against the side of his head. It was the bottle from the previous night, still clutched tightly in his hand, having been emptied by him before finally resting. It then hit him that he had just gained the answer to his question as he set the glass bottle aside.

With the repercussions of his night of merriment being noted, the Warden-Commander tried his best to ignore the self-inflicted pains as he tried to piece together what exactly had happened during the night. All he could think of was a faint screaming, echoing at the latest hour. But he couldn't remember anything following it, pushing it away as creation of his own imagination.

A silent murmur alerted the Warden, causing his gaze to travel downward. There, everything became clear to him as he saw Twilight lying on the floor beside him, barely a foot away. The unicorn was still lost in her own sleep, resting on her side as her body shifted itself slightly to become more comfortable.

Smiling softly, the commander simply sat in silence as he waited for his grogginess to dissipate. Watching the scholar beside him sleep, there was an odd feeling of being compelled felt by him. Unable to help himself, the warden hesitantly reached out his hand toward the helpless mare. Being as quiet as possible, the commander's hand lowered and he began to scratch the lavender pony just behind the ear.

Twilight's ear fidgeted at the touch for a moment, but a delighted smile formed on her face. Then, to the commander's surprise, her hind leg began to shake in a light kick. The Warden-Commander clamped his free hand over his mouth, smothering the coming laugh that would surely wake the mare. Amusing memories came to him as he thought on his mabari hound that was back home, most likely causing problems for the Wardens at the keep. Retracting his hand, he stood up and made his way toward the door, stepping lightly as to not disturb the other occupant.

With nowhere better to go, the Warden decided to go back to the banquet hall. As the morning light flooded the hallways through their massive windows, his sensitive eyes began to burn, forcing him to walk blinded as he continuously rubbed them while, his punishing headache returning as well. It made his trip through the castle all the more cumbersome, but he managed to find his way and enter the large chamber.

The commander sat himself down at the dining table, bringing his elbows to the surface and resting his head in his hands. There was little noise to be heard around him, save for the light echoing sound of hooves striking the tiled floors while the servants made their morning rounds, each clop rattling in his own mind like the beating of drums.

One of the passing servants noticed the human's condition, offering a cup of Equestrian coffee to help ease him. It wasn't much, tasting far too sweet for to what he was used to back home, but he drank it without complaint. Time itself seemed to stand still as the Warden sat idle and sipped his steaming drink, it nearly made him jump as a servant polity cleared her throat to gain his attention.

“Hm?” he questioned, eying the pony with a half-lidded gaze.

The mare looked troubled and hesitant as she approached the human and began speaking. “I... um, I-I think there's something wrong with your friend.” She tilted her head off toward the far end of the chamber. Following her direction, the Warden-Commander noticed a familiar form at the tables far end.
Oghren was lying on top of the table, unmoving on his back while his limbs were sprawled out in all directions. The whites of his eyes were all that were seen while his mouth hung open, releasing a foul odor that could make a rotting corpse gag. Several bottles were strewn around him, all as dry as a bone. With his armor still worn on his body, it was impossible to see the steady rise and fall of his breathing chest. The dwarf appeared dead, at least to those who didn't know him.

Giving a hearty chuckle, the commander turned to the servant and said, “Don't worry about him, that's just how he sleeps.” The mare grimaced noticeably at the reply, but said nothing as she returned to her work, taking care to keep a healthy distance away from the sleeping dwarf.

As the world once again became lost to the Warden, his solitude was broken a second time as he heard the pronounced thud of footsteps coming toward him. Not bothering to turn and look who they belonged to, he continued to drink his coffee as he waited for his company to make itself known.

The identity was soon had as the familiar voice of Alistair rang into his ears. “I trust you had an enjoyable night,” he said, his tone sounding muffled and cross.

“Perhaps I did,” the commander toyed, turning to face his friend. “Not all joys in life are had through the bottle, you should- Maker's breath!” The Warden was startled as he laid eyes on his fellow Grey Warden. Alistair's eyes were heavily sunken, with faded black circles running around them and noticeable bags drooping down below. “What happened to you? Did you not sleep last night?”

Alistair flinched at the question, his throat bulging for a moment as he swallowed hard. “Of course I did,” he said quickly. “Like a baby. Just still, a little drowsy from the night before is all. I'm fine. Nothing's wrong.” The king's appearance and tone said otherwise, but the Warden didn't argue with him, knowing it would go nowhere. It was Alistair's way to avoid everything until absolutely necessary, using his sense of sarcasm to help in that effect.

The Warden-King sat down next to his friend while the commander returned his attention to his drink. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Alistair's posture looking fidgety and his eyes appeared wide, almost unblinking. Before he could bring the behavior into question, Alistair decided to speak first. “Do you know what we're going to do now?”

Thinking on the question, the commander gestured with a simple shrug. “Wait and see if the unicorns can do anything with the Eluvian shards I guess,” he answered simply. “I think Twilight's going back to Ponyville today, figured I'd go with her and introduce us to the locals.”

Nodding his head, Alistair appeared as though he was simply waiting for the answer to be said, rather then wanting to know what it was. “Right... right... Uh, you think I could... head off with you guys too?”

“You sure?” the commander questioned, raising an eyebrow toward his peculiar friend. “I figured you'd want to stay here. To check up on the progress on our way back home. Plus I'm sure you'd rather spend your time with fellow royalty for a change.”

“No!” Alistair blurted out quickly, immediately becoming tight-lipped over his sudden outburst. “I-I mean... no. I think we'd all be better off if we stay together. We just found everyone, it wouldn't be good to separate again.”

Though still wary about his friend's attitude, but the commander pushed his concern aside, figuring that if it was important enough he would learn it eventually. Giving an accepting nod, the Warden returned to his drink, trying to rid himself of the throbbing in his skull. Once again however, the sound of hooves growing steadily louder caught his attention quickly.

Becoming irritated by the lack of peace he was trying to obtain, the commander turned toward the source to see Princess Luna approaching them, her eyes set on Alistair. The king himself seemed to turn to stone as he too noticed the nightly princess, his body stiffening to rival Shale's rocky exterior.

“Morning, Princess Luna,” Commander Cousland greeted with a halfhearted wave of his hand.

Luna regarded the human for a moment, but quickly returned her gaze toward the only other royal within the room. “I hope the castle has been a comfortable stay for you and your companions,” she said. Her gaze then drifted toward the unconscious dwarf using the table as his bed, her regal face of indifference faltering slightly into a scowl before disappearing.

“It's... it's been nice,” Alistair replied, unable to hide a subtle quiver in his voice. There was an apparent uneasiness about the king, made especially obvious as he avoided looking the azure pony in the eyes.

“That's... good to hear,” Luna responded, noticing the Warden-King's behavior but choosing to ignore it. “I just came by because I feel as though I have been... unpleasant, toward both you and your companions.” Though the princess had noticed Alistair's strange ways, she failed to see the deadpanned expression written on the commander's face as he listened to her speak as though he wasn't there at all. “My behavior should have been more befitting a princess of my station, but I failed in that regard and you have my apologies.”

Sweat began to form on the king's brow as he was silently begging for the princess to leave. “That... that's good t-to hear,” he stammered out. “No problem and uh... thanks.”

Luna smiled slightly at the reply, at least glad to have her apology accepted so quickly. “Good day then, human,” Luna said, turning back toward the door and walking away to fulfill whatever royal duties she has. As she exited the chamber, the princess didn't make it far, as her voice carried back into the room for the two Grey Wardens to hear. “Oh, greetings, sister. It is certainly a beautiful morning you have brought us today, as you do everyday.”

A pleasant laugh was given by a familiar voice as she spoke. “Thank you, Luna. And good morning to you as well.” It was Celestia, her voice easily distinguishable. The sound of her hoofsteps then came as her approach seemed imminent.

There was a sudden gasp as Alistair shot upward, his eyes becoming wild as he looked about the room in a haste. “You never saw me! I wasn't here!” he shouted to his fellow Grey Warden. Just as the commander was about to speak his growing confusion, Alistair dived underneath of the table, hiding in the shadowy world that was shrouded by the tablecloth.

As the commander's brain was having trouble processing the strange event, a presence could be felt just behind him. With his own body stiffening in a similar fashion to Alistair's, the Warden turned and jumped slightly as he noticed Princess Celestia standing before him.

“Oh!” the Warden-Commander started, his forced smile growing painfully wide. “P-Princess Celestia, uh... how are you?” She wore her usual soft smile, but to the Warden it appeared weak, as though there was something troubling her.

“I am fine,” the princess replied casually. Staying silent for a moment, Celestia's gaze traveled about the room, taking in the area in a single glance. “Have you, by chance, seen your friend Alistair recently? He seems to have disappeared.”

“A-Alistair?” the commander questioned, using every fiber of his willpower to not allow his eyes to drift downward and betray his friend's location. It made things all the more difficult as he was terrible at bluffing. “Uh.. well, you just missed him actually. He left not too long ago, I think he was muttering something about... taking a stroll through the castle gardens.”

“Alright then,” Celestia replied, her gaze lingering on the Warden for several moments. “Farewell.” With that, the princess departed from the banquet hall, while the commander had an idea as to where she was headed.

As minutes began to tick by in tense silence, Alistair finally rejoined his fellow Warden and climbed out from underneath the table. For a long time, the commander simply stared at his king, not saying a word. All the while, Alistair's expression shifted into an unnerved state that appeared as though he was about to have a panic attack.

Just as the silence was becoming too much to bear, the Warden-Commander heaved an agitated sigh and rubbed his eyes thoroughly. “You know what? I really don't want to know what that was all about,” he dismissed adamantly. It was a fact that held no doubt within his mind.

Having made his point clear, the commander returned his attention to his coffee, determined to finish it and find some semblance of peace. But as though there was a higher power working against him, a heavy thud mimicking the pace of footsteps slowly approached them. A loud groan left him as the unique sound already clued him in on who was coming, catching the gaze of Shale as he turned around.
“I see it have finally awoken from its necessary slumber,” Shale said somberly, addressing the commander before turning its sights to Alistair. “And the dull-witted king has shown its face as well. I am curious, what caused its rather loud session of screams during the night? They sounded quite terrified.”

“Screams?” the Warden questioned, eying his friend quizzically.

Alistair's cheeks brightened to a reddened tone while the rest of his face paled. “It was nothing!” he quickly said. “Just... just a bad dream, that's all!”

“It sounded much worse than that,” Shale went on, its glowing eyes locked onto the king's worsening expression. “Very distressful and terrified, it must have been something bad. I am curious as to what exactly.”

“I said it was nothing! Now shut it!” Alistair growled, shooting a leering stare at the golem, his cheeks beginning to look as though they could burst into flames at any moment.

“Is that blood rushing to its face?” Shale inquired, almost in a teasing manner. “That is when you biological creatures experience loving feelings and embarrassment, isn't it? It must have been a terrible event last night, with your face nearly as red as a freshly crushed pigeon.”

“I said shut up, Shale!” Alistair snapped, his voice rising with the flush of anger on his reddened face. It looked as though he was about to challenge the golem. “I swear, if you don't keep quiet, I'll use my sword as a chisel and chip you down to the size of the dwarf you once were!”

Shale said nothing however, made no move against the sudden threat that the Warden-King had issued to it. Instead, the construct simply stood there, eying Alistair silently. Though to the commander, he could swear that he saw the makings of a smile making its way onto the stony mouth, or at least the closest thing to a smile that it could form.

The tension flowing between the two was suddenly shattered as Oghren's sleeping form decided to roll over, causing the dwarf to tumble off the side of the table and crash onto the floor. Being roused awake by the hard pounding of the floor, he jumped up onto his knees and began shouting. “I told ya to not touch my junk!” he cried belligerently. Grabbing his ax, he threw it wildly, sending it across the room before collapsing back onto the floor in a dead sleep.

A startled cry erupted through the chamber as the large ax stuck itself into the far wall, nearly striking a poor, unsuspecting servant as she was passing by. Terror was written onto the mare's face as she stared wide-eyed at the weapon, seeing her life flash before her eyes before she fainted on the spot. Alistair and the commander both looked at the display with shock, realizing that they were better off away from the castle, lest the end up killing one of the poor creatures.

Shipping

As everyone became fully awake and joined together in a single room to discuss their plans, it was quickly decided that they would all go to Ponyville. Alistair and Commander Cousland were already adament about the plan, while Shale cared little to where it would wait for its chance to leave the painfully colorful world. There was little argument to be had from Oghren and Anders, with the dwarf still too tipsy to offer a rebuttal and the mage's head throbbing with the force that only a hangover could bring.

As their plans were made certain and decided, they were approached by a guard and told to meet within the throne room. While everyone else headed for the chamber without delay, Alistair became noticeably hesitant, almost having to be dragged there. Soon enough however Twilight and the five outsiders entered the the large room to find a princess awaiting them.

Luna stood silently as she watched the group enter the chamber, her eyes focused on each of them at once. A respectable distance was made between them and her, more for formal custom than anything else. As they waited for a response however, the azure princess said nothing, simply holding an expression of expectation within her gaze, as if waiting for their approach.

None of them made a step forward however, each waiting for another to do so instead. The commander himself was waiting for his king to take the position to see what was wanted of them, but the royal Warden made no such attempt. It created a thick silence within the throne room, one that lasted several unnerving moments.

Suddenly, the Warden-Commander was pushed forward by a violent shove, nearly knocking him to the floor in a stumbling heap. Turning around angrily to see the culprit, the Warden witnessed Alistair wearing the worst expression of innocence he had ever seen, as he kept his eyes skyward with a nonchalant blankness on his face. Seeing himself singled out, the commander stepped forward to the princess, shooting a glare toward the Warden-King before doing so.

“You wanted to see us, Princess Luna?” the commander asked, keeping his tone as cordial as possible, not wanting to incur any sort of wrath from the touchy mare.

“Yes,” Luna replied evenly, holding her regal mask of cold indifference in her expression as she addressed him. “My sister regrets not being able to see you here herself, but she is currently away to supervise the examination of the items you had given to her, and she has asked me to see you here.” There was a sudden, drawn out breath that then came from Alistair. It sounded like a sigh of relief.

Essentially being told that the princess wouldn't be there if she didn't have to be, the commander's polite smiled lessened slightly, quickly giving a weak chuckle to keep things going. “It's quite alright,” he replied. “We understand that she is trying to help us the best she can.”

Luna nodded slightly before saying, “Yes, I am aware of your plan. But I also know that even with this sliver of an idea you have, there is no guarantee when you will be able to leave. As such, Celestia has asked that I give you this.” A brown sack became caught in a silvery-blue glow, being lifted into the air and placed into the Warden's hand. The metallic clink of coins bumping into one another could be heard as he shifted the sack in his palm. “This should be enough in monetary funds to aid you in your stay within our land.”

Weighing the hefty bag of coins in his hand, Commander Cousland gave an appreciative smile and bowed his head as he graciously said, “Thanks you, this is very generous.”

As the commander dismissed himself back to the group, he tossed the sack of coins to Alistair, designating him as the one to hold their money. It brought on a sudden whine from the king as he doubted his own ability to handle the responsibility. While they bickered, Twilight approached the lunar princess.

“You are taking them back to Ponyville, are you not?” Luna then asked, regarding the student with a questioning gaze.

“Yes,” the lavender unicorn nodded, taking a glance toward the strange creatures and unable to keep herself from smiling. “I think that would be for the best.”

Again, the princess' gaze steadied on Twilight for several moments, as if dissecting her for muted information. “If that's your desire,” she finally said. “But I would request that you keep watch over them. I do not wish to receive word of any incidents brought on by them. Do you understand?”

“I understand, Princess,” the mare reassured. “I will keep my eye on them and make sure nothing happens.”

“Very well,” Luna responded. “Then I must ask. How do you plan on bringing the creatures to Ponyville?”

Twilight turned to look at the otherworldly group, a large smile expanding on her lips as she already knew what she could do. Having worked so well before, she had no doubt in her mind that it couldn't succeed again. It was a brilliant idea.

“This is a stupid idea,” Alistair growled agitatedly, feeling his nose nearly breaking as it was smashed against the side of the crate he was facing.

The other Grey Wardens were all in similar predicaments, feeling compressed in the limited confines of their box cage. It was almost nostalgic for the commander and Anders, having gone through the torment once already. Now, two more joined the party as they were all cramped in a standing position within a new crate, one that wasn't even twice the size of the previous one. Shale was the lucky one, traveling in the train's luggage car with a tarp thrown over it, standing as perfectly still as a statue. It was a position that the golem was adept at, for obvious reasons.

“Like you'd have found a better way,” the commander chided, his mood faring no better than his companion.

An annoyed huff came from Anders as he rolled his eyes. “We could, you know, walk. Like normal people,” he retorted. “Nothing says suspicious like being smuggled into town.”

“He has a point,” murmured the Warden-King in agreement.

“Yes, and probably cause a mass panic while we're at it,” the Warden-Commander shot back. “That's bound to happen without a ready explanation. You were at Vigil's Keep, Anders, you know what trouble misunderstandings can bring.”

Anders scoffed. “That was different,” he said. “They were darkspawn for Andraste's sake.”

Oghren, who had remained utterly silent all throughout their claustrophobic travels, suddenly released a pleased sigh. “Ah, that's much better,” he murmured.

The three humans held looks of inquiry as Alistair asked, “What's bet- Oh Maker's breath, Oghren!”

Loud cries of disgust and agony erupted from within the crate, the wooden box shaking back and forth violently. The humans pounded against the wooden walls of their prison, trying to free themselves as their nostrils burned and their throats gagged. For all they could tell, a giant rat had just voided itself within the small space that was their crate.

“Damn it,” the commander shouted, trying his hardest to beat his side of the crate open. “Oghren, how could you?!”

“Seemed like a good a place as any,” the dwarf remarked, a devilish smirk on his face as he stood contentedly in place, inwardly laughing like a madman.

As the other Grey Wardens tried desperately to escape, continued to rock back and forth. Eventually, it was too much for the vertical box and it toppled over, causing the Wardens to crash into one another in a single heap of four bodies. They stayed like that for some time as the train neared its destination. Twilight was surprised as she went to retrieve the crate, seeing it lying on its side and looking heavily battered.

Thankfully, the torment of the Wardens neared an end as the unicorn hurriedly took the crate and Shale's unmoving form across Ponyville and into her humble library home. Sounds of sharp gasps erupted in the library as soon as the crate was opened, the passengers within scrambling out of the foul box to take in as much fresh air as their miserable lungs allowed.

“Thank the Maker,” Alistair managed to say, still gulping down air like a glutton, “it's finally over.”

“It couldn't have been that bad,” Twilight said skeptically.

The unicorn flinched as the royal Grey Warden turned to her with a terror inducing glare. “You have no idea,” he snapped.

With their lungs refilled with precious, non dwarf contaminated air, the Grey Wardens climbed to their feet and stretched their aching joints. Having been within the library before, the commander and Anders were both already aware of their surroundings. But for Alistair, Oghren and Shale, it was another new place in the strange world they were in.

As they were looking about their surroundings, they didn't notice the scurrying feet of a certain assistant as he came toward the source of the sudden commotion.

“Oh, you guys are back!” Spike said happily. Running up to his unicorn caretaker and giving her a hug, he then turned to the three newcomers and stared at them some time. It was easy to tell by their reactions that they were surprised.

“W-what is that thing?” Alistair asked, jumping back as he witnessed the tiny dragon.

“It looks like a scaly nug!” Oghren answered, staring amusingly at the infant reptile.

Spike folded his arms and glared indignantly at his spectators. “I'm a dragon!” he growled fiercely, sounding more like a stubborn child than a ferocious beast.

The young assistant's attempt at appearing intimidating backfired as the loud dwarven Warden burst into a bellowing laughter. “Ha! The thing's so tiny. I've seen sodding rodents that are bigger!” Spike puffed out his chest angrily while huffing in agitation, causing small trails of smoke to spark from his flaring nostrils.

“Oh, Spike,” Anders said, eyeing the dragon expectantly. “Where's Ser Pounce-a-lot?” The small kitten had been left behind, his mage master putting him in the care of the assistant while they were away at the castle.

Spike gained an even fiercer look as he pointed off to the far side of the room. “That... beast is over there.” Anders gasped in shock as he saw where his beloved feline friend was. Against the wall, a small fort made out of books was erected. Trapped inside, the white-furred face of Ser Pounce-a-lot could be seen.

“Ser Pounce-a-lot!” the mage cried as he rushed to save his pet, demolishing the book fort and rescuing the trapped cat.

Twilight looked at her assistant sternly. “Spike,” she said in a scolding tone.

The young dragon turned to his caretaker without the slightest bit of remorse. “That thing is a monster!” he said angrily. “It wouldn't listen, it made a mess out of everything, and it tried to claw my eyes out. And look at this.” A clawed finger pointed down to his own chest, showing several red scratch marks running across the dragon's soft underbelly.

Anders remained unconvinced himself however, holding his precious cat in his hands while he nuzzled him softly. “Was the big bad dragon mean to you?” he cooed softly. “It's okay, Anders is here now.” Oghren made a loud gagging noise as he turned away from the obscene scene, while the other Wardens simply rolled their eyes at the display.

The Grey Wardens all waited quietly at the front door of the library. They were alone as Twilight and Spike departed some time ago to gather the townsfolk, their plan being to introduce the otherworldly guests to everyone at once. Sounds of movement and muffled voices could already be heard just outside, clearly the gathering ponies as they waited outside of the library.

“So,” Oghren said to Anders, his passive-aggressive tone sounding provocative, “since you're no longer a mage, what will you tell these pony creatures when they ask why you wear a dress?”

“I don't know,” the mage replied, matching the dwarf's tone to perfection. “Will you be telling them that they're most likely to be killed by you in drunk induced rage?”

Oghren huffed slightly. “Just maliciously scarred,” he retorted. “They should be afraid of you anyway. How cuddly you get with furry animals, I'd be watching my hide around you.” The low laugh came from the dwarf as he grinned at his human companion.

“That's disgusting,” Anders replied, grimacing deeply. “Besides, you're one to talk. I've heard about how you were banned from getting near the stables back at the keep. Though it doesn't surprise me, with what happened to your first wife, a step down the womanly ladder would be all you could get.”

A deep growl escaped the fiery dwarf as his eyes began to narrow up at the human. “That was for a completely different reason! You should watch what you say. I saw what happened with that dalish girl after that darkspawn mess was sorted out. Like where her staff landed as you tried playing the cuddly man around her. You're voice got a little higher for awhile after that.”

Anders folded his arms as he kept his gaze straight forward. “This coming from the dwarf whose wife left him for another woman,” he muttered, just loud enough for the dwarf beside him to hear.

“Pansy,” Oghren muttered back.

“Slack-jawed brute.”

“Templar's bitch!”

“Degenerate!”

“Pathetic worthless mage!”

The residents of Ponyville began to group together in front of the massive tree that made up the town library. Twilight and her assistant Spike both stood idle as they awaited for the word to fully spread that they were to meet there. The unicorn's five friends were already up at the front row, looking about curiously at what was so important, murmuring to themselves as they came up with their own answers.

“What's going on?” one of the ponies asked, causing several more to voice their similar question. As it looked like most of the town had arrived, Mayor Mare stepped forward, holding a questioning gaze similar to those around her.

“Yes, Twilight,” the mayor said. “Just what is it that's so important.”

A silent pause came from the scholar as she prepared herself for the worst, silently hoping that nothing would go wrong. Clearing her throat thoroughly, Twilight replied, “Everypony, if you would please listen, there is something very important I must explain to you.”

As the murmuring stopped, Twilight felt all of the many eyes immediately rivet onto her, making her shift uneasily in place. After taking a deep breath, she readied herself completely. “Alright then,” she called out to the crowd. “I have called you all here because, not too long ago, Equestria has received strange visitors, the likes of which nopony has seen.” More murmuring erupted into the crowd as the ponies looked at one another in confusion. Twilight waited for it to die down before continuing. “Now, don't worry. These visitors are from... a very far away land. They are going to be here for a little while as they prepare to go back to their home. The princesses have already seen them for themselves, judging them to be friendly creatures Now, they may look strange, they might even look dangerous at first glance, but I assure you that they can be very nice and-”

Twilight was interrupted as the door to the library was suddenly flung open. The bodies of Anders and Oghren tumbled out in front of the crowd, forming into a mass of flailing limbs, loud grunts, and thrown punches. Though the dwarf was greater in physical strength compared to the mage, Anders had the advantage in height, making it more difficult for Oghren to find the right places to plow his fists into.

The crowd of ponies looked at the scene in shock, seeing the strange creatures fighting one another.

From within the library, the commander and Alistair both looked at the scene in exasperation. The commander held Oghren's ax, having plucked it from his back before the inevitable scuffle started so no one would end up hurt, while Alistair managed to slip Anders' bag off of him, keeping the small cat within safe. Both of the two Wardens had matching expressions as they looked down at the floor and pinched the bridge of their noses.

“Shale,” the commander murmured, “would you please stop them?”

Heaving a sigh, the golem stomped toward the still brawling Wardens and grabbed each one by the backs of their shirts. With the construct's mighty strength, it was able to lift both of them off of the ground with each hand, giving Oghren a much greater distance from his feet to the ground given his shortness.

The air became still as Anders and Oghren hung in the golem's grip and the many ponies stared at the creatures in utter shock, even Twilight's own eyes were wide, too afraid to say anything out of fear of starting a mass panic.

Setting the dwarven ax away, the Warden-Commander stepped forward, causing the gazes of the many ponies to lock onto his sudden movements. Standing before them all, the commander looked out to their silent, waiting forms and decided to speak. “Everyone... Everypony,” he quickly corrected himself. “It is wonderful to finally see you all here. Me and my companions have heard a great deal of your land and your people from both Twilight and your princesses. Now, we simply wish to stay here among you while we prepare a way for us to return to our own home. We do not want to appear hostile or antisocial. Please, feel free to ask us whatever you'd like. We would be happy to answer any question you have about us.”

Though many of the mares and stallions looked shocked and cautious toward the human, none became fearful or panicked as he spoke to them, a fact that made Twilight breathe a well deserved sigh of relief. There was even one mare who looked positively ecstatic to see the bipedal creatures, a unicorn who looked on from the crowd with a large smile, one that kept growing to grand proportions. Though none of the Grey Wardens noticed her, or how unnerving her gaze on them might be.

Things quickly began to die down, most ponies returned to their lives before the librarian interrupted them, several ponies took it upon themselves to give a friendly hello to greet the visitors. Twilight's five friends especially stayed, having many questions popping into their heads as they kept their sights on the commander.

After everyone else was gone, Twilight and the commander took it upon themselves to explain what was going on. They told the ponies the gist of what was going on, that they were from another world, as well as how they were planning on returning. They were accepting enough, if a little confused toward the initial secrecy that their librarian friend had.

The commander then departed from the company of the six mares, leaving Twilight to continue conversing with her friends. He took the chance to breathe the fresh air in deeply, finally feeling free for the first time, not having to hide from unsuspecting eyes. His personal enjoyment soon ended as he heard someone approaching him. As he turned to see who it was, Alistair looked at his friend with a smile.

“So... that went well,” the king muttered, looking over toward Anders and Oghren who were still directing heated glares to one another. “At least they seem accepting enough, though I'm sure things will get a little tense for a while.”

The commander shrugged. “They just need to get used to us. We've already seen from Twilight and the princesses that they can be understanding when they need to be.”

“True...” Alistair trailed off, a subtle frown creasing across his mouth for only a moment. “Anyway, I figured with us being shown off to the town, we can get some supplies.” He held up the sack of coins that Luna had given them. “That library's not going to be big enough for us. So I figured we can buy a few bedrolls and food here, then camp out just outside of the nearby forest. It'll be just like old times.”

“Camp out?” the commander questioned, looking away awkwardly from his friend.

“Of course,” Alistair said with a nod. “I've already told Oghren and Anders while you were off talking to Twilight's friends. You're coming with us too... aren't you?”

The Warden-Commander began to scratch the back of his neck in his uncomfortable state, his gaze turning toward the nearby lavender-coated mare before being shifted back to his royal friend. “Well... It's not like it doesn't sound like fun or anything... But Twilight's offered to let me stay in her house and everything... I just don't want to seem ungrateful to her.”

Alistair was a little surprised by the answer. “Oh,” he replied. “Well that's fine I guess. If she's being so generous and all.” Despite his quick acceptance to his friend's wishes, Alistair kept a suspicious gaze on him. The Warden-King's eyes suddenly widened as a shuddering thought entered into his imagination. He quickly shoved the thought out of his mind, telling himself how much of an absurdity such a thing was.

From Scholar to Damsel

Twilight's gaze was focused as she concentrated on her current task. The small bands of metal that floated before her spun and twisted in the air, held there by the magical glow of her horn. They began to bend and form into shapes, connecting to one another as their visage became flawless. Not only was the appearance of the metal changing, but the properties as well, gaining immaterial additions that only the unicorn could conjure.

Soon enough, the shape she was attempting to make with the bands was nearing its completion, already looking familiar to her. All it caused was for the unicorn to put more of her focus into her project, not allowing her mind to wander and risk ruining her magic or the item itself.

But her attention wasn't fully placed in what she was doing. Perhaps if it had, she wouldn't have heard the audible creaking of the front door to the library as it was opened and then shut. It made her body tense up as she quickly released the bending metal bands from her magical hold and placed them into a small box, which she hid underneath of her bed before investigating the cause of the disturbance.

As Twilight looked down into the ground floor of the library, she saw the Warden-Commander there. The human didn't notice her as he was busy himself, double-checking the strap on his scabbard as he swung his mighty sword over his back and secured it in place. While he was finished donning his weapon, the commander's eyes drifted upward, catching his unicorn spectator.

“Oh, Twilight,” he said with a murmur, as though he hadn't expected to see her, “what are you up to?”

“Nothing in particular,” the lavender mare replied, her gaze directed to the blade that he was now wearing. “Are you doing something?”

Noticing her questioning look upon his weapon, the commander smiled as he said, “Just grabbing my sword before I head out. I'm going to go into the Everfree forest and look around. Figured I should at least take some protection with me just in case.”

A momentary lapse of worry crossed the unicorn as she trotted down to the first floor to stand before the human. “Is something wrong?” she asked, figuring that there had to be a problem to risk a trek through the dangerous terrain.

“It's nothing too concerning,” the Warden answered. “But I've learned about the old ruins that are deep within the forest. It might be nothing, but where I'm from, old ruins in forests usually mean there's something to find. Maybe even a way to help us get home if the Eluvian shards turn out to be a lost cause.”

Though she was about to dispute such a claim, Twilight found herself unable to. In fact, it was in the old ruins where she and her friends had found the Elements of Harmony, which they've used to save Equestria twice already. But that expedition was brought on out of necessity, certainly not a passing fancy that could easily spell trouble.

“You shouldn't go into the forest,” Twilight warned, a look of concern crossing her. “It's a very dangerous place, filled with all kinds of creatures that will attack you on sight.”

Commander Cousland eyed the mare questioningly. “Your friend Zecora lives in the forest,” he said in retort. “And you've said how you've visited her several times. It can't be that dangerous.”

Twilight shook her head. “Her hut's not that far,” she said. “The deeper you get into the forest, the more dangerous it gets.”

To the unicorn's shock, the commander laughed at her warnings as though they were a joke. “Trust me, Twilight,” the smiling human reassured. “I've gone through dangerous forests before. Fighting off werewolves, possessed trees, and enough undead to fill a cemetery. I think I can handle whatever this 'dangerous' forest of yours can throw at me.”

Seeing that the Warden was dead set on traversing the forest, Twilight saw no other option then to assist. “Fine,” the scholar relented. “But if you're going into the forest, then I'm going with you.” As it looked like the human would protest, she raised a hoof to silence him. “There will be far less of a risk if somepony who actually knows the area goes with you. Even if you're capable of handling yourself, the creatures in Everfree can still be very dangerous, and... I really don't want to see anything happen to you.”

There was a mild surprise gained in the commander's expression as he listened to the mare, questioning if he had heard her wrong. “I was charged with watching over you,” Twilight quickly added. “By the princesses no less. It would be awful if you were to be injured under my watch.” Hearing that, the Warden's expression flattened as he realized she just wanted to babysit him.

“Alright,” the commander sighed, relenting to the librarian's wishes, “you can come, I guess.”

“Good,” Twilight said, feeling somewhat proud of herself for bringing the great warrior to at least accept her help. Then, a thought came to her as she realized he only ever mentioned himself in the expedition through the forest. “What about your friends? Are they coming along?”

A light chuckle escaped the commander as he shook his head. “Thankfully no,” he replied. “There isn't any need to bring a large party through. Besides, while they're all great comrades to have in a fight, I wouldn't get much peace and quiet from this if they came along.” He paused momentarily as he thought on what to say. “They are... very talkative at times. Mostly it's about gossip, which they do more than a group of maids in their free time.” The commander pinched the bridge of his nose as he let out a sigh. “Most of the time, it's about me. You'd swear they thought I was deaf or something.”

“Okay then,” Twilight said with a nod. “Then let's get going.” The determined unicorn was already to door and ready to leave. “We'll need to stop by Rarity's for a moment to let Spike know where we'll be though.”

Their trek through the forest was as uneventful as the commander had thought. No giant monsters swooped down from the heavens to tear them to shreds, the ground didn't open like a maw to devour them whole. Even the trees surrounding them looked to be as sentient as the dirt they walked on, a fact that was a relief to the Warden, having not wanted to inspect every conspicuous looking plant for signs of danger.

However, what made the commander laugh off the dangers of the Everfree forest was what made the lavender-coated mare with him concerned. It wasn't the lack of beastly creatures that was catching her attention, it was the lack of anything. As they delved deeper into the forest, there was nothing around them to indicate any sign of life. The air was mute of any delightful birdsong, the trees and plants around them was void of the buzzing of insects. She had even expected to feel the burning gaze of stalking animals, hiding within the thick foliage to spy on the two visitors with curious stares. It all made the forest eerily quiet, almost dead.

But it didn't take long for Twilight to become at ease with her surroundings. The young scholar almost wanted to kick herself for becoming worried for not seeing some kind of monster lunging at them, wanting to admit to herself that she was sounding ridiculous. To her, it was their own personal silence that was making her feel so tense. Deciding to break it, the scholar thought on a question.

“What are werewolves?” the unicorn asked.

The sudden voice caused the commander's gaze to land on her. “Werewolves?” he murmured, seeing the question coming out seemingly at random.

“You mentioned you have them in your forests,” Twilight continued, happy to hear the sounds of conversation penetrating through the maddening silence. “I've never heard of such a thing before. What are they?”

Remaining silent for a moment as he thought on his answer. “Imagine a bipedal dog,” he said, trying to paint a mental picture for her. “With sharp fangs and claws, really big, overly aggressive, and none too bright when it came to deep thought.”

As Twilight put the details through her head, she frowned slightly as only a single image could be thought up by her, appearing all too familiar. “I think we might have something like that here,” she replied, wondering if werewolves also liked shiny objects.

“Well, the ones from my world are actually people inflicted by a terrible curse,” the commander said. “It changes them into those monsters, freeing them up to infect others and attack the people around them. I had actually helped to end the curse for a large group of werewolves once.”

“Maybe you do know how to traverse through forests,” Twilight said, realizing her own previous aversions were now pointless.

“More so then you would think,” the Warden responded. “There are a lot of small forests around Ferelden. The land around my home had a nice one too. My brother and I would often explore it as children. Once, we were even able to convince father to camp out with us for a night.” A fond sigh escaped him as he remembered the good memories. “We had actually planned on doing it again once, take my brother's son with us on the trip. He was getting at that age, always wanting to be an adventuring warrior like how he thought of us.” His happy smile slowly retreated into a saddened frown, clearly showing signs of inner pain that Twilight was able to catch. “We never got the chance though...”

The sudden shift in tone and enigmatic end wording caused Twilight to eye the commander inquisitively. Surely it was a topic worth investigating, her mind already working out possible solutions to her questions. Though she didn't know why, it seemed to be a touchy subject, so asking straightaway looked to be both rude and impossible.

As she was about to begin tactfully wording her response, Twilight was stopped as she looked ahead of herself, seeing what she was looking for, but was surprised to have seen it so soon. Several feet ahead of them, a gaping wound was open for all to see. A chasm of grand proportions yawned wide, having no bottom but an endless abyss. Both ends of the earthly scar were connected by a single, rickety bridge. The boards forming into a path looked more like large splinters than anything else, while the ropes securing it all in place appeared to be on the verge of unraveling.

What had surprised the scholar about it was their speed at which they had found it. They had been traveling for some time, but she had expected it would take much longer for them to reach the bridge. She remembered the time it took when she had first headed off toward the ruins, her friends beside her. Though the more she thought on it, this time around, there weren't any sinister trees, injured manticores, or flamboyant sea serpents trying to bar their way. It seemed practical to think that their journey would take less time, with the trip itself being much less fraught with danger.

“What are the chances of that thing falling out from underneath us?” the commander asked, eying the perilous bridge with uncertainty.

“It should be safe,” Twilight replied, her own voice lacking any form of actual certainty.

Still doubtful, the Warden found a small a rock lying on the ground nearby. As he picked it up and threw it, the stone sailed through the air and thudded across the planks. A long stillness fell between them as they held their breaths, thinking that a simple exhale would cause it to collapse. But as nothing happened, the Warden-Commander scoffed at his own trepidation and stepped toward the aged bridge.

Even with their uncertainty being repelled, there was still a thick tension in the air as the commander held a tight grip on the rope railing and tentatively stepped from one board to the other, with Twilight bringing up the rear. With every step, a loud, moaning creak was given as response. Each board cried out from the sudden weight being forced onto it, making traversing the bridge all the more nerve-wracking.

When the bridge finally ended, and both travelers found themselves on stable ground, sighs of relief left them both as they began to relax their aching muscles, having grown taut during the suspension. It was during their moment of reprieve that they heard it, the unmistakable sounding of stretching rope, the loud cracking of wood. As Twilight and the commander looked toward the bridge, they caught their last sight of it as the ropes holding it place suddenly snapped. The entirety of the structure then plunged down below into the depths of the chasm below them. The two companions looked down over the edge, their eyes wide as their imaginations played out with the idea of them still being on the bridge.

An uneasy chuckle left the Warden as he turned away from the cliff, lest he be inflicted with vertigo. “I guess we'll have to find a different way back,” he said, sounding almost relieved at the loss of the precarious bridge.

Just after where the bridge once stood, there was the point of their journey. A large castle, or what was left of it, stood crumbled against the withering effect of time. What was once great walls and towering structures, was left a barren ruin. There was no sign of it ever having any form of life, a far cry from the magnificence that the Canterlot Castle showed.

Surprisingly, a large wooden door that made up the entrance was still useable, allowing them to open it easily and step inside. The first room was a large antechamber, completely open with multiple stone columns that raced across the wall, where they once held up a ceiling that was no longer there. The entirety of the chamber was empty, save for a single structure in the very center. It was a sculpture, looking like a piece one would have in a garden or park square. It was composed of several elevated bases and a large orb in the very center. What looked like stands jutted out from the sides of it, empty with a spherical impression left.

Though the commander didn't know where he was, Twilight could easily remember the ruined chamber, where she and her friends had found the Elements of Harmony. She could remember the uncertainties and fears she had during that time, the doubts that plagued her when the idea of defeating a powerful being such as Nightmare Moon came to mind. But they had succeeded, saving not only Equestria, but Princess Luna as well.

“What is this place?” the commander asked, looking about the ruins with a curious glance. For all he knew, the mare accompanying him was just as clueless as he was, but his assuming question was backed with the fact that such a place was almost literally in her backyard.

Twilight's thoughts turned to the many history books that had passed under her studious gaze over the years, each filled with morsels of information that she consumed joyously. “It was once the castle of Princess Celestia and Luna,” Twilight replied. “It was damaged and abandoned after Nightmare Moon came. After she was defeated, Celestia moved to Canterlot, where the castle of the unicorn royalty stood. They had little actual power by then, so there was no issue when she made it the new Equestrian capital.” Though, not all of the royal unicorns had liked the change. A long running feeling of animosity was felt among some members of the family, lasting even until modern times. Twilight chose to not mention the subject however, being thankful that their bipedal visitors never had the displeasure of meeting Prince Blueblood.

“Abandoned seems like a positive word to this place,” the commander murmured as he looked around. “It looks like the forest conquered the place.”

They continued to look around the ruins. When compared to Canterlot Castle, the old place was considerably smaller. Everything looked as though there was a larger sense of modesty back then, with little in the way of actual décor other than what was sculpted among the walls. Sadly, there didn't seem to be anything worthwhile to find. If there had ever been anything, it was taken or lost long ago.

A small doorway to the east of the ruined castle led to a large clearing. Several stone archways were placed into the ground, forming what used to be a path around the clearing. Most notable about the area was large patches of ground where the plants of the forest were much more plentiful, looking healthier than anything else they had seen before. From what the area looked like, they could both assume that there was once a garden befitting royalty there.

They could imagine the many colorful flowers stretching on for sometime. They could almost see the hard working ponies as they tended to the plants, taking great care to make sure the soil was healthy and weedless, with all of their now having gone to waste, providing a home for the dense foliage of an unforgiving forest.

While outside, they began to look around for any sign of importance around them. The commander looked high and low, unable to find a thing. Though the more he thought about it, he realized he was half-expecting to see a large sign posted in front of the ruins that pointed his way home. It didn't help that the Warden's attention was stunted by the overhanging feeling that permeated his senses.

Ever since they had gone into the depths of the forest, the Warden-Commander was unable to shake the overbearing sensation that he was being watched. It wasn't the normal feeling either, it felt more like he was being examined by a gaze that didn't see him as a person, but as a subject to be dissected for information.

Just the sensation alone was a foreign concept to him. Being a Grey Warden, he could sense darkspawn whenever they were nearing him or his friends, it made the paranoia of watching the shadows for lurking monsters an intangible concept to him. Now, he was unable to alleviate himself of the sensation. It forced the commander to shake his head thoroughly, shrugging the feeling away as Twilight's own unfounded concerns getting to him.

The commander took several deep breaths to relax himself. In his own consuming silence, a sudden noise caught his attention. His head jerking toward where he had heard it, his eyes were set on a bird perched atop one of the stone archways of the garden. It was a raven, or at least looked like one. The bird's size was nearly twice that of a typical raven from his world, while its eyes were a pale blue surrounded by a shimmering green.

The raven turned its head to the side, looking down on the Warden from its perch. It was probably curious as to who the new visitor was. The bird had most likely seen many ponies in its time, the commander doubted that it had ever encountered a human before. It almost seemed impossible, but the longer the commander matched the staring contest set by his avian opponent, he could swear he could see the feathered creature grinning at him.

Choosing to forfeit the contest, the Warden-Commander broke away from the raven, waving his hand toward it in an attempt to shoo it away. When the raven stayed where it was, not about to be sent off by the bipedal intruder, the commander turned his back to it and explored the area, never leaving the raven's gaze.

Twilight remained closer to the side of the castle, looking around for anything of importance that she knew wasn't there. It seemed to her that the trip was just a waste of time, she had her doubts that there was anything else that the castle had to offer, now that the Elements were no longer forlorn.

Through her halfhearted examination of the area, the young unicorn's attention was caught as she heard the rustle of leaves nearby. Just a few feet away from her, there was a large assortment of bushes. Their leaves shook and rattled as though being played with by the wind, but it was clear that it was from something moving inside.

Curious, Twilight inched herself closer toward the bushes, trying to see what was inside. As she was just a foot awway from the shaking mass of leaves, there was a loud hiss as a trio of snakes burst out from within, donning black-scaled hides and long, pointed white fangs.

A startled yelp came from the mare as she jumped back, her large eyes growing even wider with fear as the snakes began to slither toward her. Seeing their approach, the fearful unicorn bolted off in the other direction, running as fast as she could.

“Snakes! Snakes!” she cried out in a panic. Even the sounds of her frantic hoofsteps as she galloped with all of her might could not drown out the creatures. Their bodies sliding across the forest floor as they chased after, their sharp hisses that grew steadily louder as they closed the gap between themselves and the retreating librarian.

“Twilight, what's going on?” Commander Cousland shouted, appearing in the lavender mare's path as he heard the cries. Before any form of deduction could be made to see what was taking place, the commander was surprised as Twilight suddenly leaped into the air toward him.

The unicorn latched onto the human's side, keeping herself suspended above the ground, like a frightened cat in a tree. “T-Twilight!” he shouted, feeling the full weight of the mare crashing into him. With the sudden addition of weight, his standing form faltered as he stumbled backward, unable to keep solid footing.

His foot striking what was most certainly a large tree root and nothing else, the commander tripped, causing himself and Twilight to fall down to the ground. Unfortunately for them, the area was a steep slope with no nearby flatland. They both tumbled down the incline, striking the ground and narrowly avoiding the large rocks and trees on the hill in their descent.

At the bottom, where the slope finally ended, the commander struck the ground first. A large pain shot through his body as he landed flat on his back, the hard sheathe he was wearing smashing against his spine. It didn't end there as Twilight came second, landing on top of the downed Warden and crushing his lungs.

Winded, the Warden-Commander gasped for air as both his chest and back throbbed in excruciating pain. As his lungs were replenished with life-sustaining oxygen, his eyes narrowed as he looked up at the sky angrily. “What was that, Twilight?” he asked crossly.

“I-I'm sorry,” the mare quickly said. “I-I'm really afraid of snakes, a-and there were a whole bunch of them chasing me. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to panic.”

The commander's steaming agitation deflated as he received his answer. The scared unicorn's voice was still quivering from her heart-pounding fear, and such a detail was not lost on the Warden. “It's alright,” he groaned in crass sarcasm. “My sword broke my fall. And... I guess I broke your fall.”

“I'm really sorry,” Twilight apologized again, looking the human in the eyes to express how genuine it was. It was then that she really noticed her higher alleviation when compared to him, how she was almost looming over him, their faces just inches apart due their combined positions. She could actually feel his pounding heart, its pace was quickened, no doubt from the tumble they both endured.

“Uh... Twilight,” the commander said.

“Y-yeah?” the mare replied, being broken away from her own inner thoughts.

The Warden-Commander gave a weak smile.“Could you... get off of me, please?”

Twilight then realized that she was indeed still pressing the Warden down with her own body. “I-I'm sorry,” she quickly said, apologizing for the third time as her cheeks flushed for a moment and she scrambled off of the human, allowing him to sit himself up and hear the painful cracking sounds of his bending back.

As Twilight was picking herself up, her leg flinched as she stood up on it. There was a sudden jolt of pain that shot through her body, making the mare release a pained gasp. The sound immediately alerted the nearby Warden, causing his gaze to look down on her with worry.

“Is everything alright?” he asked, eying her closely to see what had happened.

Not wanting to appear a bother to him, the scholar nodded her head and said, “Yeah, I'm-” She cut herself off as she tried putting all four of her hooves firmly on the ground, once again feeling pain course through her limb. “Okay, no... my leg hurts.”

Having noticed it himself, the commander knelt down beside her. “Lie on your side,” he requested, waiting patiently for her. Twilight did as she was told, lying on her side as the Warden held her hind leg.

The limb tensed for a moment at the sudden touch of the human's hands, but Twilight made no protest as he began to rub and press his fingers against her skin, starting at her hoof. The Warden remained silent as he continued up her leg. As he made it halfway, a sudden press at the hock made Twilight flinch and pull her appendage away from him.

“Well, it's not broken,” the commander said. “You've just hurt the muscle a little. Can you put any weight on it?” Twilight got back up on three legs and hesitantly lowered her fourth down flat on the ground. As she attempted to put equal weight on it, her body shuddered and she quickly lifted it, causing her to hiss lightly in pain. Watching her, the commander rubbed his chin in thought. “Hm, well, we can't have you traveling like that.”

Twilight eyed her injured leg herself, feeling it throbbing painfully from her attempts to stand on it. “I could just try and-” she attempted to say, but she froze, voice and all as the Warden wrapped his arms around the mare and lifted her up.

“There we go,” the commander murmured to himself. Twilight's chest was pointed upward while her back was held in the Warden's arms, allowing her injured leg to hang down freely and not be crushed underneath of her. He held her almost like a sleeping human infant, a really large, lavender-coated infant.

“I-I don't think this is necessary,” Twilight murmured, her cheeks blushing a bright red from her strange position.

“Nonsense,” the Warden-Commander replied, “you won't be able to get around easily on that leg. You don't have to worry about anything, I wear a heavy suit of armor, I won't have a problem carrying you.” With his determination set on being the unicorn's legs for a time, Twilight found herself unable to argue.

With the Warden-Commander providing the mobility, Twilight provided the direction as the two made their way through the forest to reach Ponyville. It proved difficult at times, having to make it out of the area they had tumbled into, as well as the Warden's limited speed with the extra weight he carried. There was never any sense of being lost or stranded between them. They both stayed positive and were eager to make it back to Ponyville to relax.

“I suppose there's some cruel irony in this,” Twilight said as they traversed through the forest. As her Grey Warden chauffeur eyed her curiously, she continued. “I was worried that you'd get yourself hurt out here, then I'm the one who gets injured.”

The commander chuckled in amusement, a large smile etched onto his face. “Don't beat yourself up about it,” he replied. “You know, it's always a joke amongst us Grey Wardens and the new recruits, who always think becoming one of us will mean they'll always be aiding lovely damsels in distress. Truthfully, we spend most of our time fighting hideous creatures and nearly getting ourselves killed as a result.” Another chuckle left him. “This is a welcome change of pace from fighting hideous creatures.”

Though Twilight would have never thought of herself in such a way, she then became curious if that was how the Warden actually thought. It was just one more thing to bother her mind as she stayed in the strange position of being cradled by the human. She couldn't say she hated it, but it was still a very strange experience.

It wasn't as though she was always being carried by humans, or even carried at all for that matter. Now, all she could think about was how she was in his strong arms, without nary a worry to be had. There was an overwhelming feeling of safety from it, just lying in his grasp filled her with a sense of protection that she never knew of. She felt as though all of the evils of the world could came after them now and no harm would ever befall her.

Almost to her dismay, such a feeling had to come to an end as the commander stopped walking, his gaze turning skyward as the light penetrating through the thick canopy above them began to dwindle. The shadows of the trees were beginning to dissipate, leaving behind pure darkness that would consume the entirety of the forest. Soon enough, it would be too dark to see past their own noses, and the nocturnal denizens of the forest would come out of hiding.

“Let's make a camp for the night,” the commander said, knowing they would never make it through in their current state. “We can get back to Ponyville in the morning.”

In the middle of the night, Twilight quietly woke from her sleep. Barely lifting her head, the unicorn's gaze looked about the small clearing that they had made their camp in.

A crackling fire burned several feet away, one that provided them with a small amount of warmth and light to fight against the cold darkness of night. The small pile of leaves left underneath of her injured leg was still here, keeping it off of the hard ground. Everything was as it was before she had fallen into a deep sleep. But just as she made that claim, she realized it was not true. There was something different, something that had changed.

It soon came to her as she felt a soft fabric covering her body. It almost felt like a blanket at first, but as her drowsy eyes peered through the darkness to examine it, she noticed the two sleeves protruding from the sides. It was a shirt, having thick padding on the inside, providing a soft cushion to protect the body from the metal armor that was worn over it. As it came to her where the shirt had come from, Twilight's eyes darted toward the one person who was with her in the camp.

The Warden-Commander wasn't too far away. He was sitting down cross-legged next to the warm fire. Within the light of the dancing flames, she could see that his chest was bare, his hairless flesh exposed to the elements. It was also clear to her that he wasn't sleeping, his open eyes could be seen, catching the flames that they were staring into. The sword that he wore was unsheathed, the blade lying across his lap while he kept one hand gripped tightly around the hilt.

Things were quiet, still, with the only sound being made was the crackling pops of the campfire. Even as the trees began to rustle, a cold wind being blown through the trees, the commander did not falter in his silent vigil, keeping his eyes open and his wits sharpened for anything.

Even Twilight was unaffected by the chilling air that passed her by. The lavender mare's entire body felt warm, burning away any freezing sensation on her, but it was not due to the pseudo-blanket that was draped over her.

A Minor Problem

Oghren kicked at the dirt as he sighed in boredom. The local tavern had kicked him out, a judgment that seemed a tad extreme to the dwarf. Whilst in a drunken haze, he had only smashed half their tables, chopped their bar in two, broken the nose of a stallion and marked his territory in one of the corners. He had thought the last one was rather funny, given the four-legged animal patrons who surrounded him. The many Ferelden bars he had been banned from were for far worse reasons, he couldn't fathom the true reason for gaining their ire.

Now, with nowhere to go and nothing to drink, the dwarf was at a loss. All he was able to do now was aimlessly wander about Ponyville, his attempt to find something, anything that would save him from the mind-numbing nothingness that was currently facing him.

Strangely enough, as if an unforeseeable force heard him in his hour of need, something did indeed make its way to the dwarven Warden.

As Oghren turned into a small alleyway, he stopped as his keen warrior sense, while not currently being diluted by alcohol, made him aware that he had been followed. Turning on his heel, the dwarf looked in the direction behind him and saw a unicorn with an aquamarine coat standing just a few feet away. A large grin parted the mare's lips wide, giving an easy glimpse at her white teeth.

While the dwarf looked at the pony questioningly, she began to step forward. Her movements were slow, like a wild cat stalking its prey. The large eyes she had were unblinking as her pupils never left the Grey Warden for a moment, almost appearing as lifeless as a doll's.

When the unicorn was only a few inches from the dwarf, her grin seen to grow even larger, her eyes sparkling with building joy that threatened to flood out like a broken dam. “H-hello, tiny human,” she greeted, her voice shaking slightly with excitement.

Oghren glared at the creature in front of him, a scowl forming on his face. “I'm no sodding human,” he said curtly. “I'm a dwarf, a mighty good specimen of one too.”

“Is that what they call a tiny human?” the mare asked, clearly not understanding him.

“No,” Oghren growled, actually feeling insulted to be compared to them. “Dwarves are ten times better than any human could ever be!”

Almost regretting his reply, the dwarven Grey Warden was surprised as the mare squealed in joy. “Really?” she gasped. “That's amazing!” Her eyes then began to look the dwarf up and down, making him feel like a dirty noble hunter being sized up. As she had gotten a fill of her sightseeing, the unicorn's gaze lingered longingly on the grubby hands that were at his sides, and she whispered, “You have really nice hands.”

Though having never expected to be given such a compliment, it didn't stop Oghren from gazing on his own appendages with interest. “Well, they've never done me wrong before,” he said, remembering the feeling of his fingers wrapped around his ax, clutching a bottles and mugs filled with his favorite ales, pressed gingerly around his favorite blade as he gave it a good polish.

As the dwarf began to smile happily at his good, hand oriented memories, the aquamarine unicorn began to look around hesitantly. With blushing cheeks, she inched herself closer toward the Grey Warden. “Um... c-can I ask you a favor?” she asked, her eyes filled with hope and need.

Then Oghren didn't refuse her outright, it was response enough for the mare to ask her favor. Practically leaning against the dwarf, the unicorn brought her muzzle to his ear and whispered in a hushed tone so only the dwarf would hear. As she spoke, Oghren's expression began to shift. It started off as startled confusion, having never expected such a thing from one of the colorful pony creatures. Then, as she made her request clear, the dwarf's lips twisted into a sleazy grin that he wore just as easily as his own armor, immediately knowing that he would indulge the mare with whatever she needed.

As the morning sun was already hovering above the land, Twilight began to stir from her slumber. Feeling the warm light on her face, she opened her eyes and was greeted with bright shine of daylight and the earthy aroma of the Everfree forest. Her drowsy mind beginning to work at full speed, the scholar's thoughts quickly turned to her last memory of the previous night.

Looking down on herself, Twilight was surprised as she only looked upon her own bare body. A soft chuckle caused her sights to dart toward the middle of the clearing, seeing the commander already on his feet, stretching his arms and back with moans of relief while his stiff joints popped and cracked. She then noticed the piece of attire that he was wearing, his shirt, in its rightful place over his chest.

“So you're up too, huh?” he murmured, bending his limbs several more times before he slung his sword over his back.

Twilight was simply lied there, looking off aimlessly as her mind began to race with questions. Thoughts on the previous night began to force her to bring up an important debate, the reality of that very night.

The more she thought about it, the more she questioned it. There was no way for her to truly know, the idea of asking was out of the question, for so many reasons that she didn't even want to bring up. Besides that, one detail continuously plagued her thoughts, forcing her to think on all that had been occurring in recent events. If it had been an illusion of her own mind, then why?

Unable to see the internal storm raging inside the unicorn's mind, the Warden held a pleasant look about him as he approached the mare. “You ready to get going?” he asked. “I'm sure everyone's getting a little worried about us.”

Twilight couldn't help but smile a little at the thought of her friends worrying about her, despite both of them being perfectly fine and in no danger whatsoever. She continued the smile as she eyed the commander and nodded. “Yeah, let's go,” she replied.

This time, there wasn't a tense moment or hint of unease as the human knelt down and scooped the mare up into his arms. As she adjusted herself, becoming as comfortable as she could be, Twilight gave a firm nod to the commander, who returned the gesture and set off into the forest.

A thick silence developed quickly between them both as the commander marched on, Ponyville in his sights. For the Grey Warden, he was simply preoccupied with getting them both home to safety, but Twilight's own stilled tongue was brought on by her own rampaging thoughts, questioning everything over and over again until her head was beginning to hurt. Just as it felt like she would explode into a torrent of questions and demanding answers, she was surprised as another voice spoke first.

“Twilight,” the commander said, his voice barely above a murmur.

“Yes?” the curious unicorn replied, eying the human questioningly.

Before he said another word, Twilight could feel the Warden's chest rise and fall as he heaved a sigh saying, “Have you ever felt as though you have failed those closest to you?”

Confusion was what showed itself in Twilight's expression, as plain for the commander to see as the trees that surrounded them. It was a strange question, one that the scholar had no real way of answering as abruptly as it was asked. However, the commander was not searching for an answer.

“I've found myself reliving my many past failures, especially since we've come to be in your world,” The commander continued. Twilight's features began to shift into a look of concern as she heard the melancholy tone in the human's voice. It sounded sad, filled with misery that she herself couldn't fully comprehend.

She knew of the gut wrenching thoughts that failing could bring, especially being the student of the princess. It was always a stressful time as she always wanted to succeed in everything she did, to never disappoint her teacher in any way. But, inevitably, failure was sometimes the only option she had. Despite it however, the princess of the sun never looked at her with anything but pride.

“Celestia says that a failure is just another way to learn,” Twilight responded, remembering her old lessons, the many she had that had nothing to do with magic. “They teach us how to better ourselves and to never repeat them.”

Rather than help the commander as Twilight had predicted, her words only seemed to cut a deep frown into his face. “But what if the price of failure is too high?” he asked.

When Twilight returned to her previous look of confusion as she stared at the Warden, it was clear that more elaboration was needed. “I'm surprised none of the others have told you already,” the commander responded. “Of how I became a Grey Warden.” The frown on his face receded as his expression became utterly flattened while he continued. “It was shortly after the Blight had first started, darkspawn were roaming the lands in small amounts and everyone was preparing their soldiers to fight them off. It was the same for my father as well, who had already sent a large group ahead to meet our king and the Grey Wardens to fight the main horde, my brother Fergus was apart of that group. The rest were awaiting the arrival of the soldiers of one Arl Howe, a friend of my father's who fought with him in the war against the neighboring country of Orlais.”

“Your people went to war against one another?” Twilight questioned, astonished at such an idea.

The commander shrugged and said, “Humans aren't ones to accept peace and love as easily as you ponies. But the war has long since ended. Though many veterans still hold old hatreds toward them. My father actually had several friends from across the border, one of many facts that made Howe look at him with a bitter hatred and jealousy.” Another sigh escaped him as he paused, the noise shuddering from his throat. “My father never even realized it until Howe's men attacked our home, slaying everyone there.”

A sharp gasp left Twilight as her eyes widened with shock and horror. Such a despicable act was nearly impossible for her to comprehend. “Wh-who would do such a thing? Why do such a thing?”

“He was jealous of my father's influence,” the commander replied flatly. “Howe figured with him dead, he could elevate his own power in the land.” The Warden-Commander didn't have it in him to tell her that his heinous plan had actually succeeded, if only for a short time. “So he attacked in the dead of night, with most of our guards away to fight the darkspawn. They spared no one, even slaughtering my brother's wife and child. Everyone I knew, the staff who tended to the keep, the guards who I had known all of my life, even my parents, they all died that night. I barely survived myself, but with the help of the visiting Grey Warden Commander, we had managed to escape, and I became a Grey Warden as a result.”

Almost afraid to ask, Twilight looked the commander in the eyes and said, “What happened to Howe?”

The Warden paused, looking as though he wasn't about to answer her at all. Closing his eyes, he took a steady breath and said, “For some time, all I could think about was finding the bastard. To make him pay for what he had done. But there was also the matter of the Blight that was bearing down on us, threatening to destroy Ferelden. So I was forced to continue on with Alistair to help stop it. Eventually... I started to think more on fighting the darkspawn than anything else, realizing the greater threat that they posed. But, our paths eventually crossed, and I killed him.”

Twilight was surprised at how he said those words, his tone sounding so cold. She almost expected to see mist forming from his breath. But the commander didn't notice her reaction, his own mind lost in old memories. “The saddest thing about it, was the fact that it wasn't even because of what he had done to my family. We were trying to save the current Queen at the time and he had simply... thrown himself in our way. It was then that I realized I had lost my drive for revenge against him long ago, that my duty as a Grey Warden had made me see what was more important.”

“Was it ever something you wanted?” Twilight asked. Through the short time she had come to know him, she never would have thought that the commander had an ounce of vengeance within him.

“Maybe not,” the Warden muttered in reply, unsure of it himself. “But it was after the Blight was over that I began to think on all that had happened. The people hailed me as their savior, they called me the 'Hero of Ferelden.'” His eyes narrowed with a bitter anger. “It wasn't long before I grew to hate that title. All it ever did was remind me of what had happened, how I was able to save Ferelden from the darkspawn, yet... I had failed to protect those closest to me.”

“You can't blame yourself for that,” Twilight tried saying, but the commander merely shook his head.

“I still failed them,” the Warden said definitively. “Even now, I'm forced to face my failures. It's my fault we're even in your world, when I foolishly trusted a murderous mage. It all makes me wonder if I deserve the praise I receive as Ferelden's 'hero.'”

As she heard the Warden speak on his inner pains, all Twilight could do in response was frown at him in a scolding look of disappointment. “I remember before, back in the castle, you told me how one can't dwell on the bad things that happen in life, how you need to move on from them. Can you not move on from this?”

Surprise showed clearly on the Warden-Commander's face, having not expected for his own words to be thrown back at him in such a way. But, as he realized that what the mare was saying rang true, a weak smile parted his lips. “I suppose you're right,” he said, huffing in a mild amusement. “There really isn't anything I can ever do that will change what has already happened. All I can do now is, as you've said, learn from my mistakes. And if I ever find something that's worth protecting, I'll make sure nothing ever happens to it.”

The commander looked at Twilight and broadened his smile, as though silently thanking her for listening and offering such helpful words. It made Twilight smile herself, despite hearing of such terrible events, she was happy to be given the trust to hear them. Neither of them said a word after that, there being no need to as the Warden trekked onward, both himself and his happy burden feeling as though they didn't have a care in the world.

Such sentiment didn't last long however. In an act of defiance, a thunderous roar shattered through their silent joy, the earth underneath of them nearly shuddering as a result. There was no time to question or act before the creator of the sound made itself known. A row of trees was suddenly torn from the ground in a single motion, being sent through the air to crash into broken heaps of wood deeper in the forest. With a small clearing having just been made, the Warden's eyes widened in shock as they laid upon a creature unlike anything he had ever seen.

The creature held a similar appearance to a bear from his world, but with the few similarities it had to the beasts, it differed by a great many more details. With a massive fame of dark magenta, the bear's entire body was translucent, save for the sharp fangs that were within its maw and its beady, blazing green eyes. What looked like small stars twinkled within the bear's body, as though the silver lights had been plucked from the night sky and consumed by the beast. A dull light shined from a marking on its forehead, a large depiction of a six pointed star.

“What is that thing?” the commander gasped, having never expected such an awesome creature to dwell within such a land.

“It's an ursa minor!” Twilight answered, her own eyes as wide as they could be. The ursa was far from being the same one she had encountered before. The child she had faced was dwarfed in comparison, this one looking nearly twice the size. Before long, it would no longer be able to be referred to as a minor.

The ursa minor's eyes were locked onto the duo, its lips quivering as it gave a menacing growl. The ground around them shook as it stepped toward them, each massive paw striking the forest floor with a mighty pound. It looked furious, not at all like the innocently cranky beast that the unicorn had faced off against before. This one looked aimed to kill.

“What... what do we do?” Twilight murmured, with no idea or plan herself. When there was only a few feet separating them, the ursa minor raised up one clawed paw, preparing to bring it down on them.

Weighing his options, the commander's mind raced as he tried to see the best course of action. With such a large beast, it would be almost impossible to fight it within the cramped confines of the forest. Thoughts on a fight were made especially pointless as he knew Twilight's injury made it impossible. Just as the ursa swung it's paw down, the commander shouted, “We run!”

Jumping out of the way, the Warden-Commander just barely managed to dodge the ursa's swipe. A large crater was dug into the ground, with chunks of dirt, roots and rocks flying in all directions. The commander then started to run, holding onto Twilight as best as he could while weaving himself through the clustered trees around them.

The ursa roared in anger, charging after the two in a mighty pursuit. Once mighty trees were knocked over and trampled as the rampaging best tore through them, its burning gaze never letting go of the human and pony. With its massive size, it easily cleared the distance between them, already upon the commander within seconds.

Seeing the impending attack of the bear, Twilight's eyes were shut tight as she concentrated. A bright, magical glow formed around her horn, increasing in intensity by the second. Just as the ursa was ready to jump at the fleeing creatures, there was a brilliant flash of light around them. When the light was gone, so too were the Warden and unicorn. The ursa's speeding chase came to a stop as it looked around in furious confusion, trying to locate its missing prey.

When it seemed as though they were gone, another bright flash occurred a distance away, with the commander and Twilight appearing where it occurred.

The commander stumbled forward, feeling his insides churning from the sudden sensation of teleportation. Planting his feet firmly on the ground, he managed to steady himself and not collapse. Even Twilight looked disoriented, not used to casting the spell to work on more than one person. Sadly, she was only able to take them a mere fifteen feet away.

Hearing the telltale sounds of the ursa minor charging at them once again, the commander took off at a greater speed. Twilight did the best she could to help, concentrating as hard as she was able to, powering up her spell and teleporting them once again. After a second time, the commander was ready for it, not breaking his running stride as they reappeared several feet away from the pursuing beast.

They had to get out of the forest, hoping that the creature would eventually give up, or they would gain ample room for a fight.

Beware the Shy Ones

Rapping his hand against the door, Alistair waited patiently with Anders by his side. The humble Ponyville home was still, without a pony nearby. But if what they were told was true, it was where they needed to be.

Only a few moments needed to pass before the door creaked open, revealing an earth pony mare with a blue and pink mane that swirled at the ends. Etched into her face was a look of the purest disdain, one that seemed to deepen the moment her eyes fell on the two humans at her door. There were three pieces of candy making up her cutie mark, contrasting greatly with her rather sour appearance.

Having not expected the mare's expression, Alistair smiled nervously as he cleared his throat saying, “Uh... heh, hello,” he greeted, sounding more like he was going to attempt to sell her something. “Sorry to bother you, but we're looking for a friend of ours.” He brought his hand a few inches above his waist. “About yay high, scruffy red hair, endearingly foul-mouthed. We were told he was near here.”

The mare didn't say a word, didn't break her hardened expression, but she did step and gesture for the two to come into her home. Within the quaint quarters of the pony, the two Grey Wardens noticed that it was furnished similarly to what one would expect from a human. Furniture of all types were spread about the first room, a plush rug spanned out across the floor. Alistair even noticed several framed pictures of their host, each one of them showed her with another mare, appearing quite happy next to the aquamarine unicorn. Alistair had little time to dwell on the pictures however, as loud screams reverberated through the house.

Both Grey Wardens developed looks of horrified shock as cries of delight could be heard from within the home. They were never-ceasing, squealing with a high-pitched passion that sent shivers up their spines.

From within the inaudible cries, a voice could be heard between them, sounding like a whore in the throes of pleasure. “Yes, yes, yes!” the shrill, feminine voice moaned out. “Run your grubby fingers through my mane! Yes! Just like that, keep going!”

It took only a moment for the humans to put two and two together, sadly, the answer was a shuddering realization that made their horror-filled expressions all the more severe. Despite the loud, and obvious, commotion, the mare who had let them in simply stood idle, her glowering expression unwavering.

“I-I-I don't understand,” Alistair murmured, mostly to himself, his voice barely able to be heard over the overzealous creature behind closed doors. “He... he's married isn't he? Last I heard, he ended up starting a family.”

As Alistair turned his question toward the mage next to him, Anders' face twisted into a grimace that threatened to permanently freeze it that way. “As far as I know, he still is,” he eventually answered.

For what seemed like the longest minute in the history of time itself, the Grey Wardens stood there silently. They were both paralyzed, rooted to the floor as if the planks under them had grown hands and were keeping a firm hold on them. As the screams continued, ironically becoming hoarse from their overabundance, Alistair and Anders were unable to keep their imaginations in check, creating horrible images to pass through their thoughts.

Before the mentally scarred Wardens could do anything else, the screams began to die down. Just as they did, a nearby door opened and Oghren stepped into the room. As he was busy adjusting his gauntlets to fit comfortably over his hands, the dwarf nearly bumped into his companions who looked at him as though he were a demon.

“Oh,” Oghren murmured as he noticed his fellow Wardens. “What are you ladies doing here?”

“We were... looking for you,” Alistair answered, now regretting the decision to seek the dwarf out.

“ For me, huh?” the dwarven Warden said. “Well, aren't I special, gaining the king's attention. I didn't even need to start drinking or nothing.” Without waiting for a reply, the dwarf gave a simple gesture of farewell to the earth pony mare and walked out of the house, not noticing her spiteful gaze on him.

As they walked outside, with no immediate sense of direction while they put distance between themselves and the home of the two ponies, Alistair and Anders merely followed behind Oghren silently. The dirty dwarf walked as nonchalantly as he possibly could, not seeing the traumatized stares burning into his nape. When the silence became too much to bear, Anders groaned in despair and pointed toward the home they were previously within as he gained the attention of both the dwarf and the king. “You mind telling us what in Andreste's charred corpse was that back there?!” he shouted.

“You going native on us, Oghren?” Alistair added, his tone remarkably more calm compared to his mage companion.

Oghren simply raised an eyebrow questioningly at his fellow Grey Wardens. It lasted for nearly a minute until his eyes widened in understanding. To the surprise of the two humans, the dwarven warrior's head bent back and he barked with laughter, sounding as though they had just told him the funniest, dirtiest joke he had ever heard.

“What?” the dwarf asked, coming down from his amusement. “You think I was rutting with that creature back there or something? Ha! Such filthy minds for humans, I was just giving the lady one of my famous massages.”

Alistair and Anders both looked at the dwarf as though they had just been punched in the gut. “A massage?” Alistair said, complete bewilderment in both his voice and expression.

Oghren gave a simple nod and shrug. “I suppose a bunch of creatures with nothing but stumps don't know much about a tender touch.” The dwarf scratched his chin in thought as he began to murmur aloud. “She was a bit excitable though. Really got to enjoying Oghren's services, a little too much maybe... But, I've been with far worse females anyway. You've met Branka.” An amused grunt left him as his lips twisted into a grin. “Then again, all the ladies love it. Really helps with the more stubborn ones too, helps to... get the horses out of the stable, heh-heh.”

“Maker help us,” Alistair groaned, holding his face in his hand.

With the tension slightly relieved, Oghren's gaze locked onto the Warden-King, his brow rising again as he searched for answers.. “So what's the royal bastardness and his skirt wearing fool want with me again?” he asked, the matter of their search for him having gone unspoken.

“We're going to head off into the forest,” Alistair replied, getting over his exasperation toward the dwarf and ignoring his comments on his lineage. “Our fearsome Commander of the Grey seems to have gotten himself lost and hasn't returned since he left yesterday.”

“Oh yeah,” Oghren replied as he remembered, developing a crooked smile as a result. “I remember seeing that horned purple one going in with him too. Yeah, I bet he's lost all right. Heh-heh. Lost rolling his oats, moving on to whiter pastures, mounting the forbidden horse and getting acquainted with her all-winking eye.”

Anders quickly held a hand over his mouth, stifling a sudden fit of chuckles trying to burst free. “Oh goodness,” he forced out as he calmed down. “I'll admit, that last one's rather clever.”

“Ha! Those weren't even my good ones,” the dwarf responded, holding a prideful grin all the same. “I'll save my best for when we find our missing commander, since he's come down with the case of barnyard fever.”

“How about you shut it and we go find him?” Alistair snapped suddenly, looking down on the dwarf with a narrowed gaze.

“Whoa there,” Oghren responded, raising his hands up defensively. “Try to lighten up a bit, huh? It's not like you're the one bedding these grass chewers. You can't even bed your own kind.”

Alistair's face nearly turned red as he growled in angry disdain. He said nothing in retort however, knowing he wouldn't win a battle of wordplay with the dwarf. “Let's just get going,” he said, turning in the direction of the forest and walking off without another word.

Just as they made it to the outskirts of the town, with nothing but one big empty space between them and the forest, they could vaguely make something out coming towards them. Within moments, their sights were focused on the spot, seeing the visage of the commander bursting through the forest, Twilight clutched closely to him.

Even when out of the forest, the Warden-Commander kept running. His face dripped with sweat, his panting breath and his feet digging into the earth were the only sounds he made.

“Is that him?” Anders wondered aloud, trying to peer across the vast distance. It seemed obvious enough, being one of the only humans within the world. “He's running awfully fast.”

“Why is he holding that unicorn too?” Alistair murmured, seeing her lavender coat stick out clearly.

Oghren gave an amused grunt as he kept his eyes locked onto the same scene as the others. “Probably tiered her out,” he said, giving a laugh at his latest joke. But the dwarf's laughter was never finished, it was cut off and drowned out by a thunderous roar, piercing through the air and making the three Wardens jump back in surprise.

They weren't even able to question where the noise came from. Their answer showed itself as the massive ursa minor burst through the trees of the forest, tossing many aside. Despite no longer being within its natural home, the ursa was no more deterred as it had been moments ago. The beast continued to charge, bounding forward with its eyes firmly fixated on the fleeing human.

Not even giving his friends a passing glance or word, the commander reached the dumbstruck Grey Wardens and passed them by. Now the ursa minor was heading in the direction of them all, as well as Ponyville itself.

Close to the edge of the town, the commander knelt down to his knees and carefully placed Twilight onto the ground, were he was sure she was a safe enough distance away. “Stay here,” he said to her, making his tone firm against his heavy breathing.

“We can't let it get into Ponyville,” Twilight urged, knowing what kind of damage the rampaging beast would cause.

With a knowing nod, the Warden-Commander got back to his feet and grabbed his sword. Holding the large weapon with both hands wrapped securely around it, the Grey Warden met the colossal bear head on and charged after it.

Seeing the coming battle, Oghren's face lit up with mirth as he brandished his own weapon with the skill of a battle-hardened warrior. “Finally,” he bellowed with glee, “something I can swing my ax at!” with a cry of excitement, he ran forward alongside his commander.

Following suit with his comrades, Alistair readied his sword and shield. Having beaten such gargantuan beasts before, the king was determined to prove his strength against this challenge as well. Just as Alistair began to charge into the fray, Anders' voice rang out. “What am I supposed to do?” the powerless mage asked.

With a stunted shrug, Alistair turned his gaze toward him and said, “You can cheer us on.” Missing the dirty look given to him by the mage, Alistair rushed toward the ursa, already slowing down itself as the two warriors were already nearing it.

Miniscule in comparison to it, the ursa halted in its charge and raised a paw high into the air, ready to swipe at the creatures charging at it. While it swung at them, the commander and Oghren jumped in opposite directions, narrowly dodging the thick, azure claws of the beast as they slashed trenches into the ground.

As it began to raise its paw up, Alistair was already upon it. Sword in hand, just as the ursa's paw was rising back up for another swipe, the king thrust it forward, stabbing through the large forelimb. The moment Alistair made his attack, so to did the other Wardens. In unison, Oghren and the commander swung their weapons with all of their might, their blades slicing into the ursa's sides with ease.

It's mouth opened wide, a bellowing roar erupted from the beasts maw. The ear-splitting cry was heightened by its pain, brought on by the prey it had never encountered before. Holding triumph in their faces, the Grey Wardens prepared themselves for another attack, ready to take the beast down. But as the readied their weapons for another blow, they became wide-eyed as their gazes were locked on the cuts they had already made.

The injuries did not bleed, not a single drop of any fluid of any kind was spilled from the deep gashes that they had created. Before their very eyes, they witnessed the cuts slowly shrink, the flesh around it melding over it and disappearing as though they had never struck the beast in the first place.

Too shocked at what they had seen to make another attack, the voice of Twilight broke through their stunned paralysis. “It's an astral beast!” she shouted toward them. “You can't wound it!”

“What?!” Alistair snapped, jerking his head toward the innocent mare. “How is that even fair?!” Too angry and bewildered to notice, the ursa opened its mouth wide and lunged its head forward at the king. Alistair stumbled back and collapsed onto his back, the ursa narrowly missing him as its jaws clamped shut, chomping down with a powerful force that would have torn him to pieces on the spot.

Though the beast could not be fatally wounded, it could still feel pain. It was with this knowledge that made the Warden-Commander unleash a flurry of attacks on the beast's hide. Perhaps if injured it enough, the oversized bear would determine that they were not worth the effort and retreat back into the forest. It wasn't the most sound of plans, but it was the only one he had.

The ursa minor roared louder and louder as it felt the piercing pain of the blade tearing through its body. But the pain inflicted only seemed to make the beast even angrier, its attacks becoming more vicious as it swiped and stomped around them, attempting to rend or crush the small adversaries. The ursa then got lucky, its back paw kicking out and striking Oghren with a heavy force. The small dwarf was thrown across the field, tumbling across the ground before he came to a stop. Thankfully, his armor protected him from the brunt of the attack. As he rose back to his feet, he stumbled forward for only a moment before charging at the beast yet again.

In the commotion, voices could be heard in the distance. They were coming from the town and as they became more clear, the commander could see a group of ponies approaching them, alongside the familiar visage of Shale, having taken notice to the war against nature that was happening just outside the quaint town. Recognizing the ponies as Twilight's friends, he was immediately struck with worry, knowing the fight would become more dangerous if the gentle creatures endangered themselves.

To the shock of the three warriors however, the ponies proved to be more of a fighting force then they realized.

Rainbow Dash continuously flew high into the air before plunging straight downward on top of the beast. With her cyan legs outstretched, she crashed down on the ursa's back with a powerful velocity. Though the attacks did little to actually injure the it, the bear's swinging limbs were continuously lessened as the persistent pony was ceaseless.

There was a flash of pink that rushed around in all directions as Pinkie Pie put to use her inexhaustible supply of energy and bubbly voice to gain the ursa's furious attention. As the massive animal aimed its attacks at her, the pink mare easily dodged them all, darting about with such a speed that none of them could follow her.

Thick ropes were tossed about as the cowpony Applejack swung lassos around the creature's legs, attempting to interrupt the beast's thrashing and to end up binding the large animal in place. It proved difficult however as her strength was little in comparison to the towering bear. Even with the help of Rarity, who was pulling on the ropes with her own magic, there was little threat.

While the rest of her friends made themselves useful in the battle against the ursa minor, Fluttershy remained skyward, looking down on the scene in horror. The timid pegasus could barely witness the terrifying scene taking place in front of her, to actually attempt to stop the rampaging beast wasn't even a thought in her mind to attempt. All she could do was hover in place, her body shivering with fright.

Shale made itself busy as well, utilizing its great strength as it charged headlong into the creature. With its massive fists of stone, the golem made strike after strike on the ursa's transparent hide. Every blow was with bone-shattering force, though questions had to be made if there was even bone to break. Even still, every attack rippled the beast's flesh and sharp growls of pain were uttered from its maw. Though there was no physical evidence of the construct's blows on the creature, they were indeed causing it pain.

Just barely avoiding another swipe from the massive bear, Shale's fist clenched tight, ready to make a finishing blow. There was a moment, just a split-second where the ursa's gaze was lowered, attempting to look upon the dwarf that was still hacking at it. In was in this moment that Shale struck, swinging its massive arm upward, until a mighty crack sounded like a shuddering boom. Shale's fist connected with the bottom of the ursa minor's jaw, hitting it with such power that the beast was nearly thrown off of the ground.

Everyone jumped on the spot, stopping their own actions as the force of the blow could even be felt by them. The ursa's head reeled, looking dazed as its eyes crossed and body swayed. It looked as though the creature was finished, knocked out by the golem's might. But just as it looked like everything was over, the beast's dulled, green eyes burst open with a blazing life. With an unforeseeable speed, the ursa's head shot downward, its muzzle opened wide with every razor sharp fang gleaming in its maw as it clamped down over the golem, Shale disappearing inside.

Raising its head upward, the front of the beast's neck bulged grotesquely, an outline of a thrashing statue displayed clearly against its skin as the rocky meal slid down the creature's throat. Mixed expressions of disgust and utter horror were held by the ponies and Grey Wardens, barely able to comprehend what had just happened, even as the animal licked its chops in satisfaction.

“B-by the Maker, that thing ate Shale!” Anders shouted from the sidelines, his voice rising with the unmistakable sound of disbelief.

His knuckles aching, turning white as the grip on his sword tightened, the commander glared at the ursa fiercely, his own expression having been twisted into a furious rage. “We have to take this thing down, now!” he shouted.

Knowing that such a horrific thing could be repeated again, everyone silently nodded and continued their fight against the ursa. With a skill gained through years of practice, Applejack managed to wrap her lasso around its muzzle, keeping the rope tight as she yanked back as hard as she could.

Seeing what the earth pony was attempting, Alistair and Oghren both joined end, abandoning their fruitless attempts at attacking the beast with their weapons and pulling on the rope along with the mare. Pinkie Pie and Rarity joined in as well, keeping the rope in their tightened jaws and pulling back with all of their power. Even Anders offered his own strength, taking up the rear as he dug his heels into the dirt and pulled.

As Rainbow Dash was about to join her friends herself, a firm hand gripped her hoof. Turning toward it, she saw the Warden-Commander eying her determinedly. “Try and get me onto the creature's back,” he said, pointing toward the ursa as it fought against the rope around its mouth.

Not questioning him, the cyan-coated pegasus held onto the human's arm as best as she could with her hooves, flapping her wings faster and faster to carry the extra weight into the air. Even with her amazing flying ability, it was difficult to carry the heavy human into the air. Most of the way up, her hold on him faltered, causing him to slip and plummet to the ground.

With his quick reflexes, the commander caught the ursa's long tail, preventing his crash landing. Pulling himself up onto the beast's backside, the Warden charged forward, running up its back with his sword ready in his hands.

The ursa could feel the Warden as he kept running forward, shifting its body and back and forth in an attempt to throw him off. But the commander kept sure footing, never losing his balance as he made his way toward the creature's head. As he stepped between its two shoulders, the commander jumped as high as he could. In his inevitable descent, the commander aimed his sword downward, eying his target clearly as he came down on top of the star that was marked on the ursa's forehead.

The sword plunged deep into the beast's head, tearing through its body with ease. What would have been a finishing blow to any other creature, did little against the colossal bear they were facing. Instead, the Warden used the weight of his attack to force its head down even further.

With the commander's attack adding to the efforts of the others, the ursa's body looked ready to collapse. The ponies and Grey Wardens never let up as they pulled and pulled with all of their might, not letting up until their foe was taken down.

But even their latest efforts were for naught. The ursa gained new found strength, jerking its head upward sharply, yanking the rope from everyone's grip and throwing them across the area. Even the commander was unable to stay atop it as, blade and all, he too was thrown into the air, only to fall the great height and crash onto the awaiting ground.

Feeling the pain of his impact wrack his body, the commander was unable to recover in time as the raging ursa minor raised its paw into the air once again. The Warden could feel the shadow of the massive limb hanging over him, even as it was swung downward on top of him, the sound of its impact echoing loudly across the sky.

So certain he had been crushed, the commander was surprised as he opened his eyes and found that he was still amongst the living. There, between himself and the oversized paw of the ursa minor, a rippling bubble of magic flashed with a light magenta glow. Turning his gaze across their battlefield, the commander smiled as he saw a familiar unicorn, standing on three legs while her horn glowed with a matching color.

Realizing that its prey had not been crushed into a nothingness like it had intended, the ursa reared its head back and released an earth-shattering roar that made everyone's blood freeze in their veins. While the earth calmed after the quaking bellow, the ursa leaned back, lifting its forepaws into the air and standing at its full height on its back legs. Holding its front paws out, the bear's eyes were locked onto the commander and the miniscule bubble that surrounded him.

Knowing that the ursa was preparing to slam its full weight on top of them, the commander readied himself. As he got onto his knees, the magical shield around him disappeared, allowing him to get to his feet.

Then, the ursa minor began to descend, its paws aiming straight for the ground. Everyone scrambled to get away in time, trying to get a healthy distance away. But there was not enough time to avoid the landing. The moment the gargantuan creature struck the earth, the ground rippled like water, throwing large chunks of dirt and rock in all directions, including the ponies and Grey Wardens.

Their bodies sailed through the air, eventually crashing down onto the ground with hard thuds. Midway through his own flight however, the bag that Anders' wore opened. From within, the white-furred cat Ser Pounce-a-lot came flying out. Trying his hardest, Anders' swung his arms in the air, attempting the catch the darling feline before they came crashing down. But the mage's heart skipped a beat as he was unable to save his companion.

Frozen in the air, left unmoving by the terror that was coursing through her body, Fluttershy's eyes caught the sight of the plummeting cat. The pegasus mare's mind barely had time to process what was happenign as her wings were already flapping at amazing speeds and she was tearing through the air like machine.

Just in time, Fluttershy was able to catch the frightened feline just before it hit the ground, barely noticing the sudden thump as Anders' own body came to a crash landing. Holding the cat close to her, Fluttershy slowly descended and gingerly placed the small creature on the ground, where she then began to search it diligently for any sign of harm that may have befallen it.

A sigh of relief left the mare as she saw that there wasn't a thing wrong with him, other than a little shook up. With Ser Pounce-a-lot safe, Fluttershy's eyes narrowed, her gaze intensified as a blazing firestorm erupted within the meek mare.

The still rampaging ursa was stopped as the small form of Fluttershy darted toward it, hovering just inches away from its face. It looked at her with the same ferocity that it did with everyone else, but that was when the poor creature made its mistake. As the ursa matched the pegasus' gaze on it, its eyes were frozen in place as they were locked onto the intense stare that previously fearful mare had developed.

Even as the Grey Wardens began to recover and pick themselves up off of the ground, they too were unfortunate as they looked up at what was going on, their own sights being riveted in place as they gazed into the frightening sight that Fluttershy was creating.

“Now you listen here, mister!” Fluttershy snapped, her quite voice sounding terrifying. There was a momentary falter in her gaze as the ursa began to shift in place, looking as though it was about to take off running. Fluttershy caught the action however, her eyes looking as though they were about to spew fire at any moment. “Sit!”

At her command, the ursa minor didn't waste a single moment as it threw its backside down onto the ground, creating another rumble from its large weight. Even the four Grey Wardens did the same, sitting down hindquarters like dogs who were obeying their master.

“Just what do you think you're doing?!” Fluttershy continued. “Running around, shouting up a storm and attacking people have done nothing to you, hurting poor, innocent kittens! And look at you, not even fully grown yet! I have half a mind to search the forest, find your mother and tell her what a naughty boy you've been!”

As the pegasus laid into it, the ursa minor's blazing green eyes dulled. Their color drained along with its anger, changing into bright red pupils that were lost in a sea of yellow. Those very eyes began to shimmer with moisture as its lips quivered, it looked as though the once ferocious beast was about to start crying.

Seeing the drastic change in mood that the ursa was having, Fluttershy's fierce gaze on it softened ever so slightly. “Now,” she said, her tone lightening little by little, “you ate someone that would very much like to be not eaten. Spit him up, please.”

Not even a moment after Fluttershy made her command, the ursa minor's cheeks puffed up like balloons. It's head lowered to the ground while it opened its mouth and made a sickening hacking sound. Then, a squelching splat sounded and everyone stared in shock as they saw Shale's body lying in a massive puddle of a sticky blue substance. Sprawled out on the ground, the golem remained motionless, holding what looked like the best expression of sheer horror that the construct could conjure frozen onto its face.

“Good,” Fluttershy said, her fiery voice having now dropped considerably, still holding a stern hold to it however. “Now, I want you to go back to your home and think about what you've done. I don't ever want to see you hurting anyone else ever again.”

With its head nearly dragging across the ground, its tail tucked between its legs, the ursa minor sulked away and walked back into the forest. Each pounding step it took became more distant by the second, until eventually, it vanished utterly.

Everypony there cheered in admiration for their friend, congratulating the pegasus for a job well done. The Grey Wardens on the other hand merely stared off into the nothingness around them, too stunned to say or do anything else. They were Grey Wardens, having defeated the most vicious of monsters that their world had to offer them, conquering each challenge through their strength alone. Now, they were upstaged by the most timid of pegasi one could find.

Realizing everything that had happened, a crazed smile twitched onto Alistair's lips. Collapsing onto his back and gazing up at the big blue sky, the king began to chuckle softly. The exhausted chortle began to intensify as moments ticked by, turning into a massive fit laughter that caused the nearby ponies to stare at the human as though he had just gone insane.

From his race through the dense Everfree forest and his battle with the ursa minor, the Warden-Commander was far too tired to stand. With his sword stabbed into the ground like a post, he leaned against it for support, with his arms draped across the guard and his face pressed against the pommel. As he rested there, he found Alistair's maddened laughter contagious, having realized the cause of it himself. Following the lead of his king, the Warden matched the laugh with is own, as though the great battle that they had just waged was one big joke.

Never had their strength and combative prowess ever been proven so utterly useless. It was a momentary sensation as to what Anders must feel like ever since he arrived to the Equestrian land. And never before had they ever been so glad for such a thing to happen.

Bedtime Surprises

Though the ursa minor had been sent back to the forest, there were many things that remain because of it. The field on the outskirts of Ponyville was riddled with battle scars and rubble, in desperate need of earth pony aide to return it to its former glory. The group of ponies and Grey Wardens were exhausted after their conflict with the beast, most returning to their homes to rest as they knew the ordeal was over. Many whispers quickly traveled across the town, ponies quietly discussing the strange newcomers and how they risked their lives against the ursa. There was also the matter of the traumatized Shale, who was in need of a good wash and would most likely gain a new found hatred for large digestive systems to go with its 'bird thing'.

For the Warden-Commander, things weren't quite finished yet. With the havoc brought on by the ursa being over, there was still the need to tend to the injured Twilight. Thankfully, the humble town was equipped with a local hospital.

Inside one of the small clinical rooms that the hospital had to offer, the commander stood in the corner while Twilight sat down on the barely cushioned table that was meant for her. A counter with an assortment of items was at the far end of the wall, with jars filled with tongue depressors, cotton swabs and colorful lollipops, as well as boxes of tissues and stacks of paper cups. The more advanced equipment was either stored in small drawers on the side of the counter or placed neatly on the cabinets that hung above it. There were even several posters hung up on the wall, most depicting different parts of a pony's anatomy, each part labeled correctly.

In the small room along with the two was the doctor himself, a stallion unicorn who wore a white coat around his body and a pair of glass on his nose. Silently, the doctor first examined the injured leg thoroughly, tapping the limb with a small mallet made of hardened rubber.

Twilight's leg flinched and jerked back slightly as the doctor found the right spot. Taking more care this time, the doctor lightly tapped up her leg even more, seeing just how far the injury went. As he finished the unicorn set the mallet away and held a calm smile. “Nothing to worry about, Miss Sparkle,” he said coolly. “The injury is far from serious and can be remedied easily.”

Without another word, the doctor eyed the exact spot on the scholar's leg were the injury was and gained a noticeable look of concentration. His horn glowed with an auburn color that matched perfectly with a glow that developed around Twilight's leg. The mare showed a mild discomfort to what was happening, feeling small stings and needle-like prickles of pain as the doctor's magic began to work.

Twilight continuously braced herself for an oncoming pain, just waiting for it to occur. To her surprise however, there was nothing. The throbbing annoyance that had persisted through her leg was no more, feeling as though it had ebbed away into nothingness.

“That should do it,” the doctor said, the magical glow around his horn disappearing. “With the injury so minor, you won't even have to worry about any soreness.”

Sliding off of the table, Twilight landed gracefully on her four hooves, once again bracing herself for any sudden jolt of agony as her weight was put on the previously aching limb. “Thank you so much, Doctor,” she responded happily. While the unicorn trotted merrily out of the room, the spectating Warden held a look of surprise.

The commander had never seen magic work on the body in such a way. Though in his world, such things as healing magic existed, it was very limited. At best, a mage could help restore energy or vitality in a pinch, helpful in combat when injuries begin to put a toll on you. As for actual injuries themselves, he never knew of any advanced spells that would heal in such a way, save for a few less than fatal cuts.

Pondering how advanced Equestrian magic was compared to what they had in his world, the commander was about to leave the room as well. He was stopped however as he caught the doctor offhandedly muttering, “How strange.”

“Is something wrong?” the commander asked, turning a questioning gaze at him.

The doctor appeared somewhat surprised that the human had heard him in the first place, slightly adjusting his glass with his hoof as he shook his head. “Oh no, nothing to be worried about,” he said definitively. “I was just thinking on Miss Sparkle's injury. Just a little surprised that she wasn't able to heal such a minor thing herself. I know how learned she is, one would think she was more than capable of such a simple spell.” A mild shrug left him as he turned his attention to a set of papers nearby. “Perhaps I'm making too many assumptions. After all, it still takes much study to learn even basic healing magic, and I doubt she aspires to become a doctor herself.”

“Right...” the Warden murmured, thinking on the doctor's own thoughts. Exiting the room, he gave a simple farewell to the doctor before he left the hospital entirely.

As he made his way back through Ponyville, the library in his sights, the commander's steps were slowed as he found his mind wandering toward what the doctor had said. It was like a nagging insect buzzing in the back of his mind. Realizing that he was putting too much thought on something so inconsequential, the commander pushed the thought aside.

With his attention being put more into where he was going now, the commander stumbled as he came to a sudden halt, nearly tripping over Oghren as he stood directly in his path. “Oghren,” the commander snapped, seeing the dwarf's presence as deliberate, “what are you doing?”

The dwarven Warden folded his arms, a toothy grin appearing on his face as his gaze held a knowing look about it. “I could as you the same thing,” he replied. “Or maybe I should add a who into there?”

Raising an eyebrow in confusion toward the dwarf, the commander made no answer, simply not understanding what the short warrior was getting at.

“I know what you've been up to, getting back in touch with your wild side like you did with that venomous witchy one,” Oghren continued, his grin growing more and more by the second.

“Excuse me?” the commander questioned. Though he wasn't fully aware of what Oghren was getting at, he did know that the dwarf's mind was almost entirely one tracked.

“You know what I mean, don't deny it,” the dwarf answered cryptically, seemingly finding a great deal of enjoyment at what was being left unsaid. “Romping through the hay, mounting the inverted saddle. Heh-heh, you dirty Warden you.”

In no mood to play word games with the dwarf, the commander sighed as he said, “Go find some children to scare or something, Oghren. I'm too tired to be bothered with you.” Ending the discussion there, the Warden sidestepped the dwarf and returned to his previous journey. Despite the distance that was quickly made between them, the dwarf could be heard shouting something after him. Unable to fully hear what he had to say, the Warden could only make out something having to do with a sword being sheathed.

The inside of the Ponyville library was about as cozy as it could be. The Warden-Commander was quickly relaxed as he rested himself in his basement dwelling. The bed was as warm as he could hope for, the serene sense of peace was palpable as there wasn't a noise to be heard other than those he deemed worthy to make himself.

Frankly, the Warden was mostly happy to be out of the Everfree forest. No longer did he feel as though every shadow was watching him, as though every leaf and branch within the forest had grown a pair of eyes. Even when he was escaping the mighty ursa that had attacked them, he was certain that such eyes had never left him, always watching him, almost gauging his actions.

It had brought on an unnatural unease that the Grey Warden could barely handle. With the feeling as though something would lunge out of the darkness to attack, he had to keep his sense alert, ready for anything. Things were especially bad during the night, keeping him from sleeping, seeing it as a trap for himself as well as his company. Now, such feelings were gone, with the forest nothing but a distant memory to him.

Having collapsed onto his bed, the commander was ready to spend the rest of his time there in a perpetually relaxed state. Though he was immeasurably tired, from both the events having to do with the ursa minor as well as going through the previous night without a moment's rest, he decided to first relax himself with a bit of light reading before bed.

A book had been picked at random from one of the many shelves that were carved into the walls, without giving the title but a simple glance before he rested against the headboard of his bed and began to read. Had he actually checked to see what the book itself was about however, the commander would have been spared the surprise he gained as he found out exactly what kind of book he had obtained.

It was a love story, being a considerably tame claim as the contents were more then a little risque, which surprised the Warden that Twilight would own such a book. The story was set long before the founding of Equestria, in the old land that the three pony tribes once called home. The two main characters were Princess Garnet, a sheltered unicorn who was the second child of the Unicorn King and Steel Spear, an adventurous young minotaur who had stumbled away from his home and into the foreign lands of ponykind.

They both found each other through unusual circumstances, both struck with curiosity toward the other. Fearful of what might happen if such a strange creature was found, the princess kept her minotaur companion hidden. In the secret cover of night, they met one another to share tales of their two different worlds, quickly forming a bond that turned into a deep love. But as the princess' strange actions were noticed by her father, fear gripped her heart as she realized the dangers and folly of their love.

Surprisingly invested in the story, the commander continued to read. Every word that passed under his eyes played out in his mind like a scene from a play, making it easy for him to see that things were picking up.

“Princess Garnet lifted the hood of her cloak as she stood beneath the archway, her heart pounding against her chest forcefully with her building anxiety. The princess' gaze looked around desperately, the lack of any other creature making her brewing fears nearly burst within her.

But, just as her worry was about to overtake her, a soft and familiar sound came to her ears. Looking toward the source immediately, she felt her beating heart skip as Steel Spear emerged from the darkness, his own face lit up with happiness as he laid eyes on the unicorn.

'I-I was worried I wouldn't see you again,' the princess murmured, her voice sounding pained as she spoke.

Steel Spear's own expression shifted to worry. 'Is it Sir Aegis?' he asked, almost regretting the question as the mare nodded.

'I think he is close to discovering what I have been doing,' the unicorn whimpered softly. 'Soon, he'll discover you as well. I-I can't let that happen. We can't,' she bit her lip, tears streaming down her eyes, 'we can't see each other any more.'

Visibly struck by her words, the minotaur fell to his knees before the princess, his own eyes welling with droplets of moisture. 'Please, Garnet,' he whispered, 'please, don't say such a thing.'

Princess Garnet's body began to tremble, showing clearly even through her attempts to look strong and unwavering. It was impossible however, with the pain that wracked the inside of her chest, the pain of her heart being shattered. 'You need to understand,' she said shakily. 'When the king, my father, catches us, he'll have you... have you...' She could barely think on the reality of their consequences, much less openly say it. But she knew she had to, to convey the importance of her decision. 'He will have you executed.'

'You don't know that,' Steel Spear tried saying, pressing his hands against the mare's shoulders. 'We can talk to him! He will see who I am, who my people are, what we mean to each other! He will understand that!'

Despite the minotaur's words, the princess again shook her head. 'You don't know my father,' she said in a shuddering sigh. 'He can't even trust the pegasi and earth pony tribes. He will never see you the way I do.'

Unable to take it, Steel Spear threw his arms forward, wrapping them around Princess Garnet's neck and holding her in a warming hug. 'I can't accept that,' he whispered softly.

Princess Garnet shuddered as she felt the loving embrace of the minotaur. She wanted him to stop, she wanted to push him away, to yell and scream at him to disappear and never come back, but she couldn't. Sobbing, the princess wrapped her forelegs around him as well, fearing that if she let go now, he would forever be lost.

'Please,' she begged through her wet sobbing, 'I-I don't want to see you killed. You have to go. You have to forget about me and return to your own people.'

Breaking away slightly from his hold on her, Steel Spear looked the princess in the eyes and shook his head defiantly. Wiping away the tears that were staining her coat, he whispered, 'You know I can't do that. But what I can do, is fight for you. I will storm into your father's throne room if I must, I will command him to see reason. Then, I will accept whatever fate that is chosen for me. Because if we can't be together, I will resign myself to my own end.' Planting a soft, momentary kiss on the mare's lips, the minotaur smiled. 'I love you Garnet, you and only you. Any life I could have without you would be worthless, feeling as though I were already dead. I love you, pony or not, and I will never leave you.'

With what he needed to say having been spoken, even Garnet herself was unable to help but smile at them. She felt her heart warming at his claims, her mind realizing that the strange creature she had found was truly all that she ever wanted in life. Without needing another word to be said, the princess leaned her head forward, bringing her lips against his as they kissed passionately.

Becoming lost in one another as they continued to kiss, their thoughts were already matching the other as they were prepared to show one another their love in the grandest of ways. The minotaur's hands ran across the unicorn's body, caressing her legs and sides, feeling her soft mane and coat between his fingers. Soft moans escaped Garnet as her lover did so, always turning into puddy at his touch.

Things escalated quickly for them, the heat of their bodies making things all the easier as the princess' restraining cloak was discarded, thrown aside to no longer shroud the full beauty of her body.

Their tongues invaded the mouth of the other as their kissing grew more heated, never letting up as neither wanted to turn away. But soon enough, their hungry kissing was broken, their mouths hanging open as they panted heavily, Steel Spear falling onto his back while the princess fell atop his chest.

Sweat was already beginning to build on their bodies, despite the cold night air that was swirling around them. The chilling wind only served to make them want to continue at an increased pace, their eyes meeting and staying locked. Becoming stranded in the vastness of each others eyes, Steel Spear's lips parted into a loving smile. Princess Garnet gained a sultry smile of her own, holding an expecting gaze about her as she stared into her lover's face.

Feeling the minotaur's hands clutching her gingerly at the sides, the princess braced herself knowingly. The few seconds of anticipation were almost too much for her as her flank was lifted up by her strong, bipedal mate. Then, she was lowered down once again, feeling the sudden plunge of Steel Spear's-”

“What are you reading?” a young voice asked curiously, Spike's head poking up over the book as he attempted to see what was inside.

A startled yelp leaving him, the Warden-Commander quickly slammed the book shut with a thunderous clap. His entire back arched as he sat upright, throwing the small dragon through the air. Startled himself, Spike's own shock caused more then a cry of surprise.

As the infantile assistant's back struck the floor, his mouth was thrown open as a stream of green fire erupted from his maw. The flames shot forward, blasting the commander and the bed he was on with an inferno. Panicked screams escaped the Warden as he jumped out of bed, crashing onto the floor and throwing himself around as he felt the flames on his own clothing.

The basement was filled with the sounds of crackling flames and screams of terror. Turning the once simple room into a den of fiery chaos as the Warden thrashed about on the floor and Spike merely screamed on the spot, unsure as to what he could do.

Then, the room became filled with steam and sharp hissing as a small wave of water splashed down on top of them from above. Both Spike and the Warden-Commander were soaked, including the lump of charred cushion that was once able to be called a bed. Lying on the floor and panting heavily, the Warden's upward gaze made him see the large bucket floating over him, as well as the lavender unicorn who stood at the top of the stairs.

“What's going on here?” she demanded, looking between her assistant and house guest. Seeing as what the issue was in the first place however, the mare's eyes soon fixated on the baby dragon.

“I'd like to know that too!” the commander snapped, glaring down at the dragon as he rung the water out of his shirt. The fabric had been burned badly, with large black scorch marks dotting it endlessly. Even some of the thick padding on the inside had been burned through, making it almost unwearable. It was also the only shirt that the human had.

Feeling the two gazes locked onto him, Spike got onto his feet and stared at the floor in unease. “I... it wasn't my fault,” he simpered. In a flash however, his mood ignited into one of anger as he pointed an accusing claw at the human next to him. “You're the one who did it!”

“What?!” the commander bellowed in outrage, standing over the reptilian fire starter. “I'm not the one spitting fire balls everywhere!”

“You surprised me!” Spike retorted. “I can't always control it when I'm surprised!”

The commander stared at the dragon in perplexed shock. “You live in a library within a tree!” he snapped, seeing the accident just waiting to happen. “Yet you can't control your flame?”

“Only sometimes,” Spike shot back angrily. “Besides, all I wanted to see was what you were reading! Then you start screaming and throwing a fit!”

“Will both of you be quiet,” Twilight snapped, unable to take their fighting any longer. “It was an accident. No one is hurt and the fire has been put out.”

Heaving a sigh, the commander calmed himself and mutter, “You're right, nearly being cooked just isn't something I'm used to.” Looking himself over, he noticed his parts of his skin having reddened due to the flame, luckily all he really suffered was a ruined shirt and parts of his hair being singed. He was almost certain portions of his eyebrows had been burned off as well.

Spike looked down at the floor, kicking his feet back and forth childishly. “I'm sorry,” he murmured. “I didn't mean to set you on fire.”

“No harm done I guess,” the Warden replied resignedly. “At least Twilight got that water ready in time.” His gaze drifted toward what was left of his bed, rendered useless by the dragon's flame. “I guess I'm out one bed now though.”

A frown formed in Twilight's expression as she looked at the damaged bed. It was far too ruined for her magic to make any worthwhile repairs, leaving it simply as a waste of space. “It's too late to get a replacement now,” she murmured aloud.

To the commander, it meant that they were now three people with only two beds. Part of him was inclined to take Spike's, given his responsibility in the situation. The idea didn't stay in his head for very long however, having seen the miniscule basket that the glorified pet called a bed. With no other choice, the Warden gave a simple shrug saying, “It's no problem. I can just sleep on the floor for the night.”

The unicorn craned her head and eyed the human with a mild concern. “That's not something that's very good for you,” she said in a matter-of-fact tone.

Another aloof shrug was gained from the Warden as he replied, “It's fine. During my travels, I spent all of my nights sleeping outside. My bed, if you could call it that, was nothing more than a blanket on the ground.”

“It's still not good for you,” Twilight argued. Before the commander could even say another word, the unicorn's horn glowed and a large blackboard was pulled up in front of them.

The Warden-Commander found himself playing student as his new pony teacher levitated a piece of chalk and began marking the board with quick swipes. Unable to get a word in, he was forced to listen as Twilight etched equations and visual diagrams. Speaking a mile a minute, she explained how sleeping on a flat, hard surface for a bipedal creature would not only be uncomfortable, it was potentially dangerous to their health. It was one long winded, one-sided lecture on the differences between bipeds and quadrupeds that allowed ponies such as herself to sleep comfortably enough on floors or the ground if necessary, and how two legged creatures such as himself needed padding and cushion.

“Alright, alright,” the Warden said, interrupting the mare his head felt crammed with unneeded knowledge. The many facts and details were now swimming in his head, barely able to be comprehended by him. “You're right, floor's bad, bed's good. But that still leaves me without a bed.”

Twilight smiled, mostly out of having the human agree with, not knowing it was to simply keep her quiet. “That won't be a problem,” she said, pushing the blackboard aside and trotting up the stairs, “we can share my bed.”

His mouth open in surprise, the Warden was certain, if not hoping, he had heard the unicorn wrong. “Wh-what do you mean 'share'?” he asked hesitantly, following after her up the stairs and into the first floor of the library.

As they stepped into the library, Twilight went further up to the bedroom level and pointed at her bed. “It's big enough for two,” she said factually. “It would be like a slumber party! Except... we'd go straight to sleep.” She smiled at the Warden, even as he became visibly apprehensive. “We're not strangers to one another, I have no problem with you sleeping with me.”

The commander's eyes widened slightly. “What?!” he breathed, becoming nervous. “I-I mean, I really don't think- It's just that-”

“Is something wrong?” Twilight asked, eying him inquisitively. “Have you never shared a bed with anyone before?”

A light shade of red formed on the commander's cheeks, shadowed as he lowered his head to stair at the floor. “No, I mean, I have, but... It's not like that, we just... ugh.” He groaned in his building fluster of annoyance.

Twilight's own idea was one of innocence, seeing nothing wrong with two friends to share the same bed if need be. She could remember her first slumber party within the bark covered home she lived in. When her friends Applejack and Rarity had to share her spare bed when sleeping, even if it didn't amount to much actual sleeping. To the commander however, his own ideas of sharing a sleeping space amounted to only one thing, being details he wasn't about to explain to the mare.

Pausing to rub his eyes, the commander heaved a disgruntled sigh and said, “Just... never mind. I'd be grateful to share your bed with you.” The Warden realized how foolish he was, knowing the innocence in Twilight's offer and allowing his mind to wander too far.

Twilight gave a smile in response as her gaze drifted toward the nearby window, seeing the light of the sun fading over the horizon. Seeing the coming darkness of nightfall elicited a yawn from the young scholar, making her exhaustion known to her. “It's getting late,” she murmured, turning back to the Warden sleepily. “After all that's happened these last two days, I think we should turn in early for a good night's sleep.”

In declaration of how tired she was, the lavender-coated mare yawned again. It infected the commander as well, forcing him to display his drowsiness. “I suppose you're right,” he said, seeing the unicorn's bed looking more and more comforting by the second. Before going to it however, his eyes darted toward the small dragon next to them. “Just watch yourself. I don't feel like waking up to find that I've been baked alive in my sleep.”

Spike folded his arms and stuck out his long, forked tongue. The little dragon didn't say a word edgewise as he clambered toward his own bed, a small basket with a blanket and pillow resting inside. It looked far too small to be considered comfortable by any standards, but as the infantile assistant climbed into it, he curled up snugly within and immediately began to snore in a deep sleep.

Following the dragon's lead, Twilight approached her own bed, levitating a second pillow and placing it next to her own. She smiled at the Warden once again as she lifted up the covers and took her place within, sighing happily as she rested her head against her soft pillow.

Frowning slightly but forcefully sucking it up, the commander abandoned his aversions and took the other side of the bed. Thinking better of it, the commander simply rested on top of the covers, lying flat on his back as he stared up at the ceiling.

Seeing that everyone was situated, Twilight's horn glowed for just a moment, causing the lights within the library to faded into nothingness. “Good night,” the unicorn whispered as she situated herself in a comfortable sleeping position.

The commander's entire body felt stiff, being far more uncomfortable with his situation then he first realized. Even as his body lied as close to the edge of the bed as possible, it didn't feel right to him. It became clear to him that a good night's rest was going to be difficult for him to obtain.

In the dead of night, the Warden-Commander stirred in his sleep. His eyes fluttering open, he was greeted with a surprise he was not prepared for.

Twilight's peaceful face fully encompassed his vision, the tip of her nose just a few hairs away form his own. Holding back the sudden jolt of alarm, the Warden stayed as calm as possible as his drowsy mind began to work.

Through the night, he and Twilight had apparently cleared the space made between them both in their sleep, meeting in the middle of the bed. They were both on their sides, facing one another in an empty stare. The commander also noticed his arm wrapped around the unicorn's side, holding her close as her own foreleg did the same.

With slow movements as to not wake her, the commander inched himself away from Twilight and back to his side of the bed, nearly slipping off of the edge as he returned to it. With room to spare, the Warden sat up and began to rub his eyes thoroughly, feeling a queasy sensation in the pit of his stomach. All he could think about now was what had gone on in his sleep.

As Twilight began to shift once again in her sleep, attempting to subconsciously find the coziest spot on the bed, the commander noticed that she had managed to shift a large portion of the cover off of herself. Almost absentmindedly, he reached and and pulled the warm blanket over her, causing the mare to latch her hooves around in happily and become still.

It took several moments for him to realize that he was actually smiling at the sight, seeing the mare as she slept. Holding his hands in his face, the commander's light groan was muffled as he whispered to himself, “Ugh... What am I doing?”

Though the question was the epitome of rhetorical, there were already half a dozen answers buzzing in his mind, none of which he liked in the least bit. No vocal answers were given either, as the library was submerged in silence, only broken by Spike's loud snoring, sounding almost impossibly eruptive for the small dragon to produce.

Cautious to returning to sleep, not wanting to know what would happen the next time he awoke, the commander sat there in silence. It was within that very silence that he was alerted to a noise, the audible sound of a footstep thudding against the wooden floor.

Jerking his head up, the Warden attempted to look through the blackness that surrounded him from all sides. The thudding strike of footsteps continued, sounding small but no less noticeable. They were approaching him, coming closer and closer by the second. Just as they were almost next to them, the commander prepared to leap from the bed to face their intruder. But just as he readied himself, his entire body froze in place, seeing a womanly figure emerging from the darkness toward him.

The commander gaped as he saw her. She was a human, with smooth, delicate skin and jet black hair that was tied back in a rounded bun, allowing her short bangs to hang freely in her face. The woman wore all black, as dark as her hair. Around her waist, a skirt stitched together by pieces of black cloth swayed with her movements, hanging just below her knees. Her upper body was somewhat revealing, with a loop of cloth that she wore around her neck and just over her chest. “Morrigan,” the Warden breathed, his voice only rising to a sharp whisper.

As she approached, the commander attempted to stand, failing at it as soon as he tried. Morrigan said nothing, not a word or a sound from her, only keeping her amber eyes locked onto the Grey Warden before her, keeping him rooted in the bed. All he could do was stare at her in utter shock, having not seen her for sometime, only to encounter her now in such a strange land.

The moment she was beside him, the commander tried to speak, to say something, anything to the woman he had cared for years ago. To his surprise however, before an utterance of any word or syllable came, the woman reached out and sharply pulled the Warden forward.

The commander's head was nearly torn off as Morrigan forced his face into hers, pressing their lips together in a deep kiss, her fingers digging sharply into his nape. It was a rough, needy act of affection, one that caught the Warden by surprise, having never seen the witch behave in such away. The surprises continued as he felt her tongue thrust into his mouth without warning, fighting against his own as if locked in combat.

Though the occurrences and actions were strange, the commander did not care. At that very moment, he was filled with a welling sense of happiness and joy as he tried his best to return the affection that the woman was giving to him. To his despair however, he felt his body showing more and more signs of just how tired he truly was, feeling his exhaustion beginning to overtake him.

Raising his hand up, the Warden wanted to run his fingers through her black hair, to caress her body as lovingly as he could. The appendage barely lifted a foot off of the bed before dropping down limply, having no more energy left in it to move. Morrigan continued locking lips with the Warden as well, never letting up for a chance to breath or to say single word. But neither of these things were on the commander's mind as his attention was focused solely on the beautiful woman before him, fighting the rampant need to rest as his body felt weaker and weaker by the second.

Before he knew it, the commander's eyelids became as heavy as iron, causing them to droop down and blur his vision. As though on cue, Morrigan's tight grip on his neck waned, her lips separated from his own and her arms extended to gingerly lower his numbed body onto the bed.

With no strength to move or to speak, all the commander could do was look up in his dazed state, his eyelids closing more and more as a thick darkness began to overpower his conscious mind. The last thing he saw, before the waking world was taken from him, was Morrigan looming over him, her lips parted into a wide grin.

M.I.A.

With a pleasant smile, Alistair shifted happily in his sleep. As the king of Ferelden rolled onto his back, his hand rose up and rubbed against his nose, pawing at it like a cat playing with a ball of yarn. “Mmm, that's... kinda nice,” he murmured lightly, his smile growing. Too deep in his sleep, the Warden-King wasn't aware of the company that rushed toward him and his makeshift camp, or the hoof being pressed against his side.

“Alistair... King Alistair,” the mare urged, nudging the slumbering king with hoof.

Alistair did little in way of a response, only adjusting himself slightly and mumbling, “Oh.... not bad... for royalty...”

The hoof now digging into the king's ribs, the unrelenting pony shook the human almost violently. “Please, wake up,” the mare begged.

Still, there was no sign that Alistair was about to wake any time soon. Too caught up in whatever form of dream he was having, he continued to mumble. “...a-almost... watch the... horn...” he muttered.

A huff of frustration left the mare's nostrils as she glared down at the incessantly sleeping royal. Emanating from the pony's horn, a sudden spark of magic grew and then vanished within moments. Just as the spark was gone, Alistair's eyes flew open, a startled cry leaving his throat. His entire body jumped into the air by nearly an inch, feeling as though he had just been struck by a bolt of lightning.

Scrambling to an upright position, Alistair's gaze darted about until it landed on the mare standing before him, making his eyes widen in horror. “I swear, it wasn't my idea!” he cried, holding his hands up and cringing back like he was preparing for something to strike him.

After a moment of tense silence where nothing happened, the Warden-King's eyes focused more clearly on the unicorn, recognizing the purple mane and lavender coat. “Twilight?” he questioned, his voice rising as the name grew into an uncertain vocalization, unsure if he was right.

The young scholar didn't notice it however, her mane a disheveled mess and her eyes wide with near-panic. “King Alistair,” she said quickly, seeing that she had gained the king's attention, “he's gone!”

Crooking an eyebrow, Alistair drowsily looked around. As his eyes fell on the still sleeping forms of Oghren and Anders, as well as Shale standing stoically off in the distance, there was a small click in his mind as he slowly pieced together who the mare was referring to. “What do you mean gone?” he asked placidly through a coming yawn.

“When I woke up this morning,” Twilight began to say, her rising anxiety showing in her voice clearly, “he wasn't there. He just disappeared and I don't know where he went or why. I think something bad might have happened to him, I-I just can't find any clue or anything to what happened and-”

The Warden-King raised his hand, cutting the unicorn off as he eyed her skeptically. “Okay...” he murmured, running by what the mare had just blurted out. “So... he's just gone? Are you sure he didn't just go somewhere without telling you?”

Twilight shook her head vigorously in response. “No,” she stressed. “I would have known if he had left. I know he would have said something. And he left his sword behind, I'm sure he wouldn't normally do that!”

Though Alistair was about to simply ignore the mare and attempt to go back to sleep, he couldn't help but notice how she was acting. The scholar was frantic, with a pleading need for help in her eyes over the lost human. It appeared as though his disappearance caused her a great amount of distress. Too tired to put a lot of thought as for the reasons however, Alistair gave a weary sigh as he rubbed the drowsiness out of his eyes. “Look,” he said evenly, “I know you're supposed to be watching us, making sure we don't burn down anything or what have you, but he's a big boy. You really don't need to worry if he decides to walk off or do something. The chances of him getting into any sort of trouble are slim.”

As the king spoke, a large rock was hurtled through the air, striking Alistair in the side of the head. Along with the rock, an agitated voice spoke out. “Will you shut your traps, I'm trying to sleep!” a half-sobered Oghren shouted.

Rubbing the throbbing side of his head tenderly, Alistair shot a fierce glare toward the sleeping dwarf muttering, “Unlike some of us.” As Twilight continued to stare at the king unconvinced, he sighed once again as he decided on an ultimatum. “Okay, how about this. Maybe let me sleep a little bit longer, not be so cranky for the coming day. Then, if our darling friend hasn't returned, we can look around for him. That sound fair?”

Twilight's expression was quick in showing that she didn't like Alistair's plan in the slightest. But as she tried calming herself, the unicorn's mind soothed with the notion that she was simply overreacting. “Okay,” she breathed evenly.

Happy to have helped, though mostly so he could get back to sleep, Alistair gave a smiling nod and said, “Don't worry your mane over it. I'm sure he'll be back in no time at all. He's probably just off enjoying himself or something.”

As the commander opened his eyes, they were immediately faced with more darkness. It was all around, suffocating him as it surrounded from all sides. Trying to move, he found himself too weak to. His entire body felt sore, as though he had been poked and prodded like tenderized meat.

It took several moments for his senses to fully returned to him, as they did, the shock struck him hard as he realized that he wasn't too weak to move, he simply couldn't.

His arms were pulled up diagonally, both being completely swallowed up by a substance he had never seen before. It was like a hardened rubber, holding a bright green colorization. It bound his arms better than any rope or shackle ever could. Even as he tried to wiggle his fingers, the rubbery substance stretched for only a moment before becoming resistant to his waning strength. The commander tried to pull and yank his arms away, only tiring himself out all the more in his attempts.

The same substance was around his legs, encircling them and keeping him glued to the floor. It reached up and up his legs, consuming every inch of his shins and most of his thighs. Strangely enough, the substance broke into a V shape as it neared his waist, making him realize that his pants had been torn off of him, leaving him only in his undergarments. The commander also noticed that his shirt had been ripped off of him as well, with only small shreds of it remaining, hanging loosely on his shoulders and draping across his back.

It was almost impossible to see where he was, the impenetrable darkness encompassing him making sure of that. Wherever he was, it was an intolerable place. The room was outrageously hot, making it difficult for him to breath the warm air. Sweat dripped down his face like rainwater, covering his entire body in a slick coat of his own fluids. Panting like a dog in summer, the Warden's tongue lolled out of his mouth, rising up and down with his rampant breathing.

In spite of the futility of it, the commander continued to struggle against his bindings, trying to pull his arms and legs free with all of his remaining strength. It was all he could think of doing, having no idea of where he was or how he arrived there. Grunts of exertion left him as it felt as though his arms were being ripped from their sockets. Even as his limbs screamed in pain, he did not stop, not until he realized he was not the only one within the room.

A soft giggle echoed through the room, a sultry sound that forced itself through the human's ears. “Well, well, well, it seems you've finally awaken,” a pleasant voice cooed seductively. The feminine voice made the commander's heart strike his ribs with a powerful force. Something about it he recognized, how the dulcet voice sounded, the pleasing tone used, perfectly reminding him of a certain spirit from his world. It reminded him of those who preyed on desire.

“Don't hide within the shadows!” the commander bellowed, thrashing against the rubbery bindings that never faltered against his tamed might. “Show yourself, demon!”

A coy scoff could be heard from the darkness. “Demon?” the voice questioned. “Now, now, it is not the time for such filthy names... not yet anyway.”

To the Warden's surprise, his demand garnered more than a vocal response. As the voice finished, its echoing voice dying down and leaving the room in silence, there was the unmistakable sound of hooves stepping across stone. The commander's eyes strained as they tried to pierce through the darkness, attempting to see his captor for what they were. As the hoofsteps became louder, and signs of movement twisted within the shadows, the human gaped at the creature he saw emerging from the black abyss.

In some cruel, twisted way, the Warden was immediately struck with visions of Celestia. The creature before him did not look like the loving princess of the sun however, in fact, she appeared like the exact opposite.

Standing on four hooves, her body was covered in a jet black chitin, holding onto a dull shine even within the lack of light around them. The creature's hair hung limply around her head, lifeless as several large strands obscured portions of her face, as though it were an attempt to appear cute. Across her back, transparent, papery wings twitched and buzzed without warning, looking tattered and impossibly delicate. As though a mockery to the magical equines he had encountered before, a large horn jutted from her forehead, a gnarled, crooked branch of an appendage that was a far cry from the ones that gave unicorns an appearance of magnificence.

As she approached him, the Warden's eyes traveled across her body, stopping as they reached her flank. There was a noticeable uniqueness to her stride, a special sway of her haunches that was impossible for any bipedal female. Surprising him even more was her form, her black hide looking so soft and smooth. The Warden could imagine what it would feel like, to run his hands across the surface of her body, to caress her soothingly, enjoying every inch of her body until he could make his way to her-

The Warden-Commander shook his head violently, not stopping until he could feel his brain rattling in his skull, trying to rid himself of thoughts not his own that were trying to invade his mind. Too gone in his own thoughts however, it struck him hard as the creature stood before him.

Standing just a few inches away, a sudden sensation struck him like a boulder as a thick, musky scent entered his nose. As he took it in, an unnatural warmth swarmed across his body, making his heart pump even faster as he could feel his heated blood course through him. It was made even worse as he could feel her hot breath on him, adding to the scents in an intoxicating combination.

Still the commander fought on, shaking his head continuously to regain his dwindling senses. The creature noticed it as well, eliciting a teasing giggle from her.

“Such a strong will,” she chided. “You certainly are something special.”

The Warden could barely keep his head up, feeling his physical strength being sucked away from him. With little else able to be done, he glared at the faux-equine before him, panting out, “What... are you?”

An expression of surprise crossed her dominating visage as she heard the question, disappearing in an instant as her lips spread wide, showing her pointed fangs in a gleeful smile. “Oh... I am so many things,” she replied, taking a great deal of satisfaction from her teasing remark. “But, I suppose you will need to know me more formally... before we get to know one another in other ways.” Stepping back, she raised her head up to look away aimlessly, looking as though she was trying to strike a regal pose. “I am Queen Chrysalis, ruler of the changelings. You should feel honored, few are ever graced with my beauty.” Chrysalis eyed the trapped human with a seductive, half-lidded gaze. “And so very few entrap my attention so well.”

Without another word, the queen approached the Warden again. Unable to move, there was nothing to be done and the Warden could only stare at the changeling ruler as she came closer and closer, being lost in the vastness of her shimmering green eyes. Even as she was already upon the human, she did not stop her advance, her head leaned forward until the entirety of their vision was the others eyes. Then, the queen pushed forward one last time, forcefully bringing her lips against her captive and kissing him deeply.

Too weak to move, the Warden could only writhe and squirm in place as he felt the changeling's mouth on his own, feeling so warm and moist, creating a loud, wet squishing sound between them. Before long, the commander's eyes opened wide, nearly bulging out of his skull as the queen's tongue invaded his mouth.

But Chrysalis' was not simply playing a round of wrestling with the human's own tongue. Instead, the commander gagged as her tongue began to extend, stretching out as it traveled deeper within his mouth. The Warden's body shuddered as he felt it sliding like a snake down his throat, cutting off his airway and suffocating him. All he could do was struggle in vain as the tongue thrashed about inside of his throat, his vision blurring as his inability to breath was taking its toll on him.

Everything began to fade, the wet sensation of Chrysalis' lips, his numbing limbs as they remained restrained, the rising heat the threatened to cook him from the inside out. The commander could feel the coming darkness overtaking him, his own mortality making itself known clearly as the chilling hand of death loomed over him patiently. As unconsciousness began to take him, a sick sense of mercy was shown as Chrysalis retraced her tongue.

Queen Chrysalis pulled away from the human, breaking their kiss while several ropes of saliva stretched between them, tethering them together for several more moments before they broke. The Warden-Commander became a coughing, sputtering mess as he tried gasping for breath, copious amounts of spit falling from his lips in large globs. It was a sickening thought as he knew that most of the mixed fluid was not his own, unable to drive his mind away from the bitter-sweet taste of her mouth.

As the royal changeling's tongue slithered back into her mouth, it glided across her lips, wetting them even more as she smiled joyously. “Mmm,” she moaned, “such a delicious morsel of a creature.”

The commander had no word of retort to say, hanging limply against his bindings as he continued to gasp for air. He didn't stop in his deep breathing, almost afraid that his ability to would be taken form him once again.

“I was so curious when I had heard that strange new creatures had appeared in Equestria,” Queen Chrysalis explained to him. “But of course, you would turn out to be such a wondrous species.” A pleasant sigh escaped the changeling, sounding like swooning young girl. “I was entranced the moment I saw you. Never before have I encountered creatures who held such... expansive emotions within them. Like a whirled of feelings that could consume anything around it.”

The commander flinched as the changeling queen advanced on him again. Rather than ravish him this time however, she simply rested her chin on his shoulder, nuzzling her cheek against his as she whispered to him, her words tickling his ear. “But you caught my attention over the others. You especially held such deep feelings in you. A deep love, something to be treasured always... The pain of heartbreak, such a difficult thing to go through.... Mmmm, even... a faint rekindling?”

Pulling away from the Warden, Chrysalis held a sultry expression on her face, her eyes never letting the human go. “I can share so many things with you,” the changeling queen softly said. “I can bring back so many experiences for you, even make new ones as you'd like.”

A bright glow of fiery green began to emanate from Chrysalis' horn, drawing the commander's eyes to it like a trained animal. Within moments, a powerful burst of magic encircled the ground around her, erupting in a twirling magical fire that engulfed her instantaneously. Just as quickly as the green flames appeared, the vanished, leaving behind a new form standing in the changeling's place.

The Warden-Commander gaped in stunned silence as he saw who was now standing before him, Morrigan, appearing just as she did when they fought against the Blight, when they were both together. She was perfect, down the last detail, save for one flaw as her expression continued to hold the seductive gaze of the changeling queen.

“A rather strange form you're so fond of,” the shape shifted queen murmured, looking at her body curiously. “This delicate frame... Such a thin body and small hips, I do not see the appeal. And... what are these doing up here?” Bringing her hands upward, she began to fondle her newly acquired breasts.
Finishing her self-inspection, Chrysalis sauntered toward the Warden, holding her arms out as though to hug him. Being unable to hug her himself, the queen merely draped her limbs across his shoulders, holding tightly onto his neck as she brought her legs up and wrapped them around his waist. “You enjoy this, don't you?” she asked rhetorically, cuddling against him, planting light kisses onto his chest and neck.

The commander said nothing, desperately adverting his gaze from her as he continued to struggle against the rubbery shackles that held him tight. Seeing little rise out of him, emotional or otherwise, Chrysalis pouted before climbing off of her captive. As she began to eye him closely, a wicked grin appeared on her lips. “Perhaps...” she murmured, “you would like to slake your more... exotic tastes.”

Stepping back, there was another flash of green magic as a matching burst of flame consumed the witch of the wilds. Within that instant, the flame was gone, leaving behind a new form. It was a unicorn mare, her lavender coat being a clear reminder as to who the form was.

“Perhaps this is more enticing to you?” the queen asked, her voice matching that of Twilight's perfectly. Seeing the sheer look of horror plastered onto the commander's face only served to part her lips into a lecherous grin. “Oh, but why would a strong, virile specimen such as yourself want a form so timid and inexperienced in such important matters?” she teased coyly.

Still not finished however, the queen used her new body to the fullest, her eyes lighting up with devious intent. Turning her back to the commander, Chrysalis raised her lavender-coated haunches into the air, swaying her backside back and forth provocatively. Using her hoof to rub the soft flesh of her flank enticingly, the changeling licked her lips as she lifted her tail upward, exposing herself to the commander.

A mighty roar of frustration erupted from the Warden-Commander as continued to struggle against the green substance that held him. But just as it had all the many times before, his bindings held strong, without the slightest notion of weakening. Too weak to struggle anymore, the Warden's body shook as he mentally fought against the invasions of the changeling queen, his resistance dwindling.

Seeing her coming victory, Queen Chrysalis formed another swirl of green magic around her, reverting back to her true form. “My, you resist my power so well, better than anyone else I've encountered. It only increases my interest in you though.” She giggled joyously. “Your kind has such strong forms of denial. You fight back the truth that's welling up inside of you, holding it down with a force as strong as steel. But you can't hide anything from me.”

“You showed such interesting things when you visited the forest,” the changeling ruler continued, circling the bound human and she forced him to listen to her. “You were like a white knight for that little student. Doing exactly what I expected as you defended her from that forest, tended to her injuries. You even fought that ursa with such valor and strength, until that flying pest severed my hold on it anyway.”

Once again, the commander felt the changeling ruler's lips brushing against his ear, her voice softly whispering to him. “You have such love within you. I want you to give it to me. Give it to me, and I'll give so much in return.”

The afternoon sky hung over Ponyville like a clock, showing the denizens below how much of their day had passed.

Running toward the local library, the four Fereldeners approached a frantic Twilight. Pacing back and forth, the scholar looked at the bipedal creatures expectantly. Catching her gaze, Alistair himself frowned. “So... you haven't found him either?” the king asked, already knowing what the mare's answer would be. Worry began to make its way to the Warden-King now, realizing there really was something wrong.

“And you haven't either,” Twilight muttered sullenly, sitting down as her saddened gaze fell to the ground.

The sound of galloping hooves caused them all to turn their heads toward the three mares rushing toward them. Applejack, Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash all stopped in front of the library, joining the others.

“Have you found anything?” Twilight asked, almost pleading with her friends as she held a weak glimmer of hope.

“Me and Rarity weren't able to find him at the farm,” Applejack said with a dejected shake of her head.

Rainbow Dash hovered in place as she shook her head as well. “I've flown over the area at least a dozen times and haven't seen any sign of him. Fluttershy says that none of the animals she's talked to have seen anything either.”

As eyes became drawn toward the third, unspoken mare, Pinkie Pie jumped up and down merrily. It took several moments for it to register to them all that she was sporting a large beard made out of frosting. “I haven't seen 'im either,” she said, almost singing it out. “I checked every cake in Sugercube Corner, and he just wasn't in any of them.” With her report finished, the bubbly mare's tongue stuck out and lapped up her sugary facial hair in a single swipe, causing her to smack her lips happily.

“So he's not in Ponyville,” Alistair murmured, grimacing deeply. “That's not good.” His eyes drifting off toward the town outskirts, he looked to Twilight questioningly. “Would he have had any reason to go back to the forest?”

Twilight shook her head. “No,” she answered, “there wasn't anything there worth a second visit.”

“Maybe he's hiding,” Oghren shrugged, showing little concern for his missing commander. “It's what I've done. Especially after being with a clingy human.”

Alistair heaved a sigh as he glared down at the dwarf. “Oghren,” he said flatly, “shut up.”

“Just giving suggestions,” the dwarf murmured, folding his arms indignantly but remaining quiet.

Then, Pinkie Pie gasped sharply, an idea hitting her suddenly. “Ooo ooo, I know!” she said excitedly, making everyone look at her with bated breath. “I didn't check any of the pies! He could be in one of them, I'll be right back!” Before another word could be said, the pink-coated pony darted off, disappearing within seconds.

“Say what you will about the plan,” Anders said as he watched her leave, “at least she comes up with them fast.”

An angered grun left the Warden-King as a wolfish glare shot toward the mage. “We're missing one of our own, our friend, and you're making jokes. Now's not the time.”

Matching his narrowed gaze, Anders retorted, “It's not like there's much else to do now. We don't have a lot of options. It's not like we have some magical pointer to guide us to him. I know, maybe before this happens again, to help anyone who might be looking for us, we can shove lengths of rope up our-”

“Wait,” Twilight said, her eyes widening with her sudden realization. She wanted to kick herself for not thinking of it sooner, remembering one important detail about the commander.

Closing her eyes to concentrate, Twilight's horn began to spark with a magical magenta glow. Everyone stepped back to give her room as the sparks intensified, bursting from the appendage and fading as it reached the ground. As she concentrated, the scholar tried to focus her magic, searching for a distinct trace of magic, a black dot in the white canvas of their world.

Twilight gasped as she felt it, the indistinguishable magical aura that she had felt once before, wrapped around the commander's finger. It was faint, being a grand distance away from where she was, but she was certain she could follow it. As her gaze became riveted to the spot, she realized that she was looking in the direction of the Everfree forest.

“He's in the forest,” Twilight said to the others, gaining looks of confusion over her sudden knowledge. “I think I'll be able to find him.”

Though there was a look of uncertainty in his face, Alistair nodded his head firmly. “Alright, lead the way and we can follow you,” he said, gesturing to the other Wardens around him.

“Into the forest?” Shale muttered, a hint of apprehension in its voice. “I think... it would be better if I stayed here. Just in case it happens to return on its own.”

A stifled laugh came from Anders as he smirked at the golem. “You're just scared you'll get eaten again,” he teased. The mage quickly jumped back as the construct's eyes jerked toward him, looking as though it was about to strike him with one of its massive fists.

“Maybe you should stay too then, Anders,” Alistair suggested. “You wouldn't be much use to us in there anyway. Besides, in case we get lucky and it turns out he's just sleeping in a bush somewhere, you'll be here in case he shows up.”

“Fine by me,” the powerless mage said, sounding disappointed but realizing his limits.

Alistair looked to Twilight and nodded toward the forest. “Alright,” he said, “lead the way.”

Giving her own determined nod, Twilight charged into a gallop and headed toward the forest. Focusing her full attention into where she was feeling the commander's ring, she led her two friends and the two Grey Wardens into the forest, ready to face whatever unknowns that lurked within.

What You Can't Copy

The Warden-Commander's physical strength had left him. All that kept him standing were the green bindings that suspended him in place. Queen Chrysalis could see it as well, see the draining resistance in his eyes, seeing his acts of defiance lessening.

“You must be so exhausted,”the queen said tenderly. “Why don't you relax? Taste the pleasures that life can bring, that I can bring. Things would be so much more enjoyable if you were to submit to me willingly.” Allowing for the Warden's chin to rest on her hoof, the changeling queen lifted his drooping head up, forcing him to look her in the eyes as she spoke to him soothingly. “All you have to do is tell me what I want to hear. Just tell me that I am all you'll ever need. Tell me that you'll love me and me alone, you'll love your new queen.”

Looking her straight in the eyes, seeing the entirety of his gaze flooded with her shimmering green orbs, the commander's gaze twisted into a fierce glare. “Sod off,” he spat, “you... whoreish... demon!”

Chrysalis did not take the reply well. As her own expression darkened, the changeling ruler spun around violently, causing her tail to swing up and smack the restrained human across the face. The sheer force of it felt as though the commander was about to be thrown out of his bindings, his cheek stinging with pain like he had been cracked with a whip.

“Such insolent rudeness,” Chrysalis breathed, her voice turning into a low hiss. Her angered appearance lasted for several moments before she gave a calming breath, knowing she was still in control. “No matter. You will learn your place soon enough. When I'm through with you, you'll be begging me just for my touch.”

With a devilish smirk, Chrysalis stepped back from her captive, her horn glowing with a bright green aura. Unable to do a thing to stop her, the commander was helpless as a small beam of magical light extended from the twisted horn, striking the Warden in the center of his forehead.

A short cry of pain came from the commander, feeling as though his skull was being ripped in two. The changeling's magic was forcing itself into his mind. Like long, sharpened claws, the magic dug into his thoughts and emotions, ensnaring every fiber of his conscious mind. The Warden-Commander could only writhe in place as he felt his control over his own thoughts being taken away.

But the commander wasn't simply going to allow himself to be beaten so easily. Such methods of control were common place in his world. In Ferelden, he had fought against the most insidious of blood mages, shrugged away the enticing deals of demons, conquered the maddening calls of an Archdemon. “Get... out of my... head!” he growled, thrashing his body about as he tried to resist her.

Despite the act of defiance from her captive human however, Queen Chrysalis showed no sign of worry. All that came from her was a mocking laughter, seeing her victory coming soon.

Following the lead set by Twilight, Alistair, Oghren, Applejack and Rainbow Dash rushed through the Everfree forest. Twilight's gaze was set straight forward, her mind focused as she concentrated on where she could feel the commander's ring. Even the two Grey Wardens were prepared, each holding a tight grip on their weapons as they prepared for anything.

“Do you know what we're looking for?” Alistair asked, concern in his voice as he wasn't sure what to expect.

Twilight shook her head. “I don't,” she replied. “I can only find where he is. Maybe he's just lost, or just lost track of time. There's no way to be certain.” Though, as she said those words, she realized herself how much false hope she was filling them with.

There were too many uncertainties, too many unknowns. Twilight had no idea what was going on. She didn't know where exactly the commander was, what had happened to him. She didn't know if it was because of something, or someone. It was all too frustrating for her. Even if she was able to locate where he was, it didn't give her any insight onto what his condition was. It made her worry all the more, a small part of her thinking that they wouldn't like what they find.

Fighting to push her fears away and press on, Twilight kept her attention on the only hope they had of finding the missing Grey Warden.

They traveled for sometime, Ponyville becoming further and further away the more they ran. The trail took them deep within the forest, deeper than any of them had ever gone before. Despite the sun hanging high above the sky when they left, the area looked as though nightfall had suddenly descended on them.

Everything was bleak and gloomy. The plants around them held dark shades that seemed to move on their own as the group passed them by. A foreboding feeling of malevolence surrounded them, like the forest itself was telling them to turn back. Applejack and Rainbow Dash both looked around cautiously as they continued, knowing why the forest was considered so dangerous. For the two Grey Wardens however, they held no such fears as they pressed onward, as fearless as the Warden-Commander was when he first faced the land. Even Twilight was not deterred in the slightest, even if their search was taking them into the deepest, darkest, most dangerous reaches of Equestria, she wasn't going to give up until they found their lost companion.

Their pace began to quicken as Twilight galloped faster and faster, she could sense that they were coming closer to the commander's ring, knowing that it wouldn't be long before they found him. The young scholar's heart was racing, her concerns peaking as she prepared herself for whatever they might find. Bursting through the dense foliage of the forest, they came into a small clearing. The sky was still blocked away by an expansive stretch of canopy, but the small area was void of trees, allowing them to look around them.

It was in the clearing that they spotted it, a large pile of rags on the ground, easily distinguishable among the fallen leaves and grassy ground. Twilight gasped as she ran ahead toward it. As the others followed, they could see the unicorn searching through the pieces of cloth, tossing them aside carelessly while a look of desperation was etched onto her face.

A shuddering whine then came from the lavender mare as she levitated a small object. It took a moment for the others to see it, but Oghren and Alistair both showed shock when they recognized it, a small loop of wood carved into a ring.

“That's his,” Alistair murmured, examining the area more closely.

Oghren gave a grunt of agreement as he said, “Yeah, he never took the ugly thing off back at the keep.”

“He was here,” Twilight said definitively, looking down at the rags that had been strewn about. It was easily to tell what they once were, with several of them holding blackened scorch marks on them, the tattered remains of the commander's clothes. It made her heart sink as she realized she could no longer track him, not even certain any more if he was still in the area.

“What sorta thing could've done this?” Applejack murmured.

“Maybe he was attacked by something?” Rainbow Dash suggested, eying the tattered clothing. “Timber wolves could have done this, maybe even a manticore.”

“If those are wild animals, I doubt it,” Alistair replied, checking the ground around him. “There's no blood. Whatever tore his clothing didn't want him injured.” He pointed off to the edge of the clearing. “Look there.”

Where the clearing ended and the rest of the forest continued, there were several spots where the ground was disturbed. It was easy to see in the clearing, where the thick plants of the forest didn't fully cover the ground. The patches of exposed dirt followed in a straight line, appearing as though something had been dragged.

“Whatever had him must have been getting tired,” Alistair murmured. “His padded clothes would have given him a bit of extra weight. So it must have stripped him to make carrying him a little easier.”

As Alistair examined the spot more closely, everyone jumped as he was suddenly pulled into the forest, dropping his sword and shield as he disappeared within the trees. Everyone looked at the spot in shock, hearing the startled yelps from Alistair.

“What are you?” his questioning voice came from within the forest. “G-get away from me! What are you doing!” Another scream echoed through the forest, sounding off with the sounds of a struggle. Ready to charge in after him, the others were again shocked as the Warden-King came bursting back into the clearing, grappling with another creature as they fought one another. When the gazes of the others were on them, Alistair and his opponent broke away and stood up, facing the group as they gaped at what they saw. There were two Alistairs.

“Great,” Oghren said sarcastically, “now there's two of the royal bastards!”

“What?” one Alistair said in shock as he eyed his doubleganger. “Th-that's not me!”

“Don't listen to him!” the other Alistair said, pointing an accusing finger at his twin. “I'm Alistair!”

“Nonsense,” retorted the first. “They can see you're a fake! Look at you. My forehead is not that big!”

Though the two Kings of Ferelden bickered like the real one, they also both looked exactly alike. Down to the last detail, the two Alistairs wore the same clothing and held the same faces. The three ponies looked between the two in confusion, partly having no idea what was going on while they were also unable to tell one apart from the other. Oghren however, having known the real Alistair for far longer than the others, simply grinned as he rubbed his chin in thought.

“I'll figure out who the real sodding Alistair is,” the dwarven Warden said.

Both Alistairs looked relieved as Oghren approached them, eying each of them with a discerning gaze. Several moments passed in silence as the dwarf circled them several times, checking every detail in how they looked, even noting their postures. Turning to face them both, the dwarf held a toothy smirk as he pointed to the first one.

“Tell me,” Oghren said firmly, “who was the first woman you've bedded?”

Alistair's jaw dropped at the question, his eyes glaring at the dwarf before they looked away. “What kind of a question is that?” he said in a huff.

“Then I guess you're not the real royal pansy then,” the dwarf said, grasping at his ax handle.

Folding his arms indignantly, Alistair looked off into the forest and silently muttered, “I've... never bedded any women...” It took only for a moment for his face to develop a bright shade of crimson, unable to meet the unblinking gazes of either the three nearby ponies, or the dwarf who was grinning from ear to ear.

The other Alistair looked at his counterpart in shock. “Don't tell them that!” he shouted, his own face having developed a similar red coloring.

Everyone then found their gazes turned toward Oghren, who was bursting with a mighty laughter. “Ha! That was too rich!” he bellowed happily, small tears forming on the corners of his eyes. “That wasn't even my test, I just wanted to see if you'd answer.” Calming down from his fit of joy, the dwarf turned away and walked toward the forest. “Nah, I've got a better way to figure it out.” Grabbing a large branch that had long ago fallen from its tree, Oghren carried it toward the two Alistairs. Holding it with both hands, the dwarf's eyes drifted between the humans, each gaining a large amount of sweat on their brows. Without warning, the dwarf swung the branch out, cracking it against the first Alistair's shin.

With a shrill cry of pain, Alistair grabbed his leg and collapsed onto the ground, cursing the dwarf's name a thousand times over as his aching limb throbbed. “You filthy, swill drinking, bastard of a dwarf!” he shouted through his pain. “You are the worst investigator ever!”

Oghren simply shrugged as he tossed the branch aside. “At least we know who the real Alistair is,” he said dismissively, grabbing his ax and swinging it at the second Alistair, the imposter.

But the fake Alistair was quick, before the dwarf's ax connected to him, he jumped out of the way. As he landed several feet away from them, his body was consumed by a bright flash of green. To everyone's surprise, Alistair no longer stood there, instead, a four legged monster of a creature stood in its place.

The creature was about the size of a pony, with a curved horn, papery wings, and a blackened body. White fangs showed in its mouth as the creature hissed angrily at them, its blue eyes narrowed into a glare.

“That's a changeling!” Twilight said, scolding herself for not realizing it sooner.

“Stone preserve us!” Oghren spat in disgust. “To think, being Alistair was an improvement for the ugly blighter!”

“What are changelings doin' here?” Applejack questioned aloud. “And what would they want with that commander fella?”

Rainbow Dash landed with a sharp thud, glaring at the changeling challengingly. “You better tell us where he is,” she warned, standing on her back legs as she punched the air with he forehooves. “We kicked your tails back at Canterlot, we can do it here too!”

The changeling didn't say a word. Instead, it smirked as it made a sharp whistling noise. Just as the high pitched sound died, the trees around them began to shake as the leaves rustled together. Flying from within the treetops, four more changelings landed next to the fourth. All holding smirks on their faces, their bodies were consumed by a fiery green magic, and the three ponies and two Grey Wardens stood in their place.

“Now that's one handsome dwarf,” Oghren said, eying his twin with a smirk.

“Of course you'd be the only one to think so,” Alistair murmured crossly, standing on his wobbly leg as he fought back the throbbing pain in his shin. Retrieving his arms, he held them up and eyed their changeling counterparts. “Seems a bit obvious who is who now though, we're the ones with weapons.”

Looking down at their own empty hands, the imposter Alistair and Oghren looked to one another and grinned. Breaking a branch from a nearby tree, the false king held the stick out like a blade. To the real Alistair's surprise, the piece of wood was engulfed in the same glow as the changelings were, leaving a sword that matched his own in the changeling's hand. With another branch in hand, it too was engulfed, creating a matching shield to go with its new blade. The same was said for Oghren's double as well, now carrying a large ax in its grasp.

“Ha, clever little nug-humpers, aren't they?” Oghren laughed, brandishing his ax with great mirth. “That just makes this more of a fair fight!”

Without waiting another moment, Oghren charged forward, crying out in his excitement for battle and forcing the others to follow his lead. The group of changelings charged forward as well, ready for a fight themselves as they were set on protecting their queen.

Alistair's sword clashed against that of his imposter's. The shape shifted human grinned maliciously as it put all of its strenght into pushing the king back. Raising his shield up, Alistair smashed it against his oppenent's chest, throwing the changeling back. They slashed at each other several times, either dodging the others attack or causing their blades to strike one another, sending painful vibrations to shudder through their arms.

One thing that Alistair quickly noticed was the dropping speed in his opponent. Even the changeling noticed it itself, its face showing concern as it was having trouble keeping up with the Grey Warden's speed. In a desperate act, the false Alistair swung his blade downward as hard as he could. But the real king jumped to the side to dodge it easily. Quickly countering, Alistair swung his sword outward. A loud clang of metal on metal sounded as the changeling's sword was struck form his grasp, sending it flying in the air. The blade landed on the ground with a heavy thud, causing it to be engulfed in a green glow and revert back into the stick that it truly was.

Alistair held his sword up triumphantly, smirking at the changeling as it looked at the king in shock. “You might be able to copy our appearance,” he said with a soft chuckle, “but you can't copy ability.” Swinging his blade out again, he slashed across the imposter's chest, cutting him deep as the changeling was thrown to the ground.

A thick, viscous green fluid oozed out of the wound as the changeling reverted back to normal. It hissed weakly in pain as it clutched at the gash that the king had created. Ready to finish it off, Alistair approached it, his sword ready. But before the final strike could be made, the changeling sprang to its feet and bolted off into the air, disappearing through the forest canopy.

Rainbow Dash and her doubleganger chased one another through the sky. The changeling's wings were fast, that much the pegasus had to admit, but one thing she quickly learned about their abilities was that they couldn't copy everything.

With a superior speed and agility, Rainbow Dash out maneuver her double at every turn. Despite its obvious inability to keep up, the changeling kept trying. Even as the fake Rainbow Dash began to pant heavily, its tongue hanging out of its mouth, its flapping wings slowed down. Just when it looked like the changeling could fly no longer, the cyan-coated mare saw her time to strike.

Flying high up into the air, Rainbow Dash's eyes locked onto the exhausted mess that was her opponent. The loud, crackling boom sounded as Rainbow Dash darted forward, her speed increasing by the second as she came closer and closer toward the helpless changeling. Too weak to fly fast enough away, the imposter was unable to defend itself as Rainbow Dash crashed into it with her four hooves pushed forward.

The changeling was struck out of the sky, being sent nearly fifty feet over the forest before it disappeared inside of the trees. Rainbow Dash beamed proudly as she relished in her own victory. “That'll teach you to mess with us ponies,” she said in triumph.

Back in the forest clearing, Oghren was enjoying himself. Easily dodging the swings of his opponent, the dwarf grinned happily as he began to toy with his inexperienced opponent. “Come on you disgrace of a dwarf,” he taunted, “you can swing better than that!”

The changeling only growled in anger as it clutched its ax tighter, swinging as wildly as it could at the infuriating dwarf. But Oghren could only continue laughing as he easily dodged the sloppy attacks. It almost turned pathetic for the Grey Warden to watch as the faker showed clear signs of fatigue, not used to handling such a heavy weapon.

With one final swing, the changeling missed, causing the ax blade to be lodged in the dirt. It was unable to pull the ax free, continuously tugging and pulling at it. But the ground held the weapon tightly, not letting it go against the waning strength of the creature. As it struggled, Oghren raised his own ax high, a large grin plastered on his face.

Putting and end to their farce of a battle, Oghren swung his heavy ax down on top of the imposter. Seeing the attack coming however, the changeling relinquished its hold on its own ax, abandoning it and jumping back just in time as the dwarf's own blade smashed the ground where it had been standing. Reverting back into its real form, the changeling flapped its wings hurriedly and flew off into the air, its eyes widened with terror.

“That's right,” Oghren shouted after it, “you better run like the two-faced kitten you are!”

Even Applejack was having no problems against her own opponent. The strong workhorse was easily the better of the two. Though the changeling knew it as well, it wasn't about to give up as easily as its companions might. But as it charged at the quick-witted farmpony, the changeling was quick to regret its move as she reared back, bent her legs toward herself, and kicked out with all of her strength.

A sudden cracking sound filled the air as the imposter Applejack was sent flying like a rag doll. It crashed to the ground hard, lying there for several moments before it wobbled back onto its four legs. The changeling's face was contorted in pain as its nose was crooked toward the left, clearly broken as a green liquid began to drip out of it. Glaring fiercely at the mare responsible, the changeling smiled and shouted, “Somepony help! Ah need some help with this one!”

Before Applejack could question the changeling's motives, she was startled as she narrowly dodged the swipe of a razor sharp sword. “What in tarnation are you doin'?!” she shouted, glaring at Alistair as he prepared to swing at her again. “Ah'm the real Applejack here, ya idgit!”

A huff of disbelief came from the Warden-King as he said, “That's just what a changeling would say. Do you think I'm stupid or something?”

About to answer him herself, Applejack was stopped as her changeling copy stood behind the distracted human. “Yes Ah do,” it said, grinning wide as it turned around and bucked hard.

Alistair was struck in the back, throwing him off his feet and causing him to crash into Applejack. The pony and human tumbled into a heap on the ground, too disoriented to stand right away. The changeling advanced on them slowly, it's eyes gleaming as it became consumed by its green glow once again, changing itself into a copy of Alistair. Its intent was made clear quickly as it used its newly acquired hands to pick up the sword that the Grey Warden had dropped.

Standing over them, the changeling held up the sword, ready to cut them down. Applejack and Alistair watched with horror on their faces as they saw their coming end. As the changeling swung Alistair's sword down, there was the sickening sound of metal piercing flesh and the splatter of blood.

Both Applejack and Alistair gaped as they followed the gaze of the paralyzed changeling, seeing the large ax that had been lodged into its side. Large amounts of its green blood began to flow from its wound as the ax was pulled free, like a river with a broken dam. It stained the clothing that it had taken from Alistair, washing down its legs and pooling on the ground at its feet.

The changeling's grip on Alistair's sword was lost as it fell forward, falling onto its hands and knees to reveal the beaming face of Oghren behind it, his ax dripping with the creature's blood.

Its entire body shaking, the changeling remained still as its blood poured out of it, not even able to fly away as pain wracked through its body. Oghren saw it to, making his grin all the deeper as he stood at its side and said, “Let's see you fly away from this.” Without warning, Oghren raised his ax over the defeated changeling and brought it down, cleaving its head from its shoulders.

Applejack gasped as she turned her head away, not wanting to see the horrific sight. Alistair's face paled as he watched his own head roll across the ground, green blood still oozing from the half of its neck that the head managed to keep. With a heavy thud, the rest of the changeling's body collapsed into the dirt, causing a small splash as it landed in the thick puddle of its own essence. Before long, the lifeless corpse was consumed in a bright green flash, revealing the headless form of the changeling's true self. Even the head reverted back, its lifeless blue eyes looking away aimlessly.

Alistair looked between the dead changeling and the still beaming dwarf, glaring at the short Warden angrily as he said, “If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were pretending that was really me!”

“Now why would I want to kill our bastard of a king?” Oghren replied coyly with a smirk, wiping his ax off on the grass to clean the blood from it.

“Ah don't think that was necissary,” Applejack murmured in disgust, making sure to avert her gaze away as she stood on her four hooves. Oghren merely shrugged as he continued to eye his beloved ax, making sure there wasn't a drop of blood left on it.

Twilight's own fight with her changeling counterpart was different than that of her friends. She didn't charge at her opponent as blindly as the others. Only standing a few feet away from the creature, the scholar only glared it in anger, no longer calm or collective in her situation.

“Where is he?!” she demanded, wanting answers from the changeling. The imposter merely smirked tauntingly, enjoying the scene of the mare being so riled up. But it was not fully prepared for the consequences of its silence.

In a bright flash of magenta magic, Twilight disappeared. The changeling was startled as it turned around to see the mare directly behind it, her horn crackling with powerful magical light. The ground underneath of the changeling began to shake, large cuts being made into the earth itself. As the shaking ceased, a large portion of the earth was lifted up into the air, made into a platform of dirt that the changeling was situated on.

Jumping off of the rising platform, the changeling tried to gallop away, beginning to show signs of fear on its face. It didn't get very far before Twilight threw the floating piece of land at it, the changeling barely had enough time to dodge as it crashed with a thunderous bang. Thrown to the ground by the impact, the changeling scrambled in place as it tried desperately to get away from the crazed unicorn.

Reverting back to its real form, the changeling's wings flapped wildly as it tried to fly away. To the creature's horror however, it found itself unable to move. Though its wings were flapping as hard as they could, it could not move an inch. Instead, it noticed that its entire body was held in a magenta glow.

Twilight stepped closer toward it, causing the helpless changeling to flail its legs about in a panic. Staying silent, Twilight turned her head toward the right, throwing the changeling through the air and smashing it into a far off tree.

As it slid down the side of the tree, the changeling again tried to run, to flee for its life, but again it was prevented. A bolt of magic shot from Twilight's horn and struck the tree. Within moments, several of the branches began to bend and stretch down toward the changeling. The wooden limbs grabbed onto the sturggling creature like hands, wrapping around its body and pressing it against its trunk, keeping it locked firmly in place.

“Now tell me!” Twilight shouted angrily, her fierce glare never faltering as she looked the changeling in the eyes. “Where did you take the human?! What did you do with him?!”

The two Grey Wardens and two ponies, having already dealt with their own opponents, approached the scene with shock etched into each of their faces. None of them, not even the close friends of the unicorn, had ever seen her act in such away.

“Twi, you need to calm down,” Applejack urged, almost afraid to see what her friend might do.

Twilight didn't answer, not even turning to look at her friends as she never allowed the trapped changeling out of her sight. Seeing that it wasn't talking, the furious unicorn fired another spell into the tree. In an instant, the massive plant was ripped out of the ground, flying high into the air. Dirt and pieces of broken root were thrown in all directions as the tree began to spin clockwise in midair, becoming a large blur of its natural colors as it picked up speed.

The ground shuddered as the tree was slammed back down into the hole it had been torn from, nearly causing the others to collapse onto the forest floor. Still bound to the tree, the changeling was wide-eyed, its entire body shaking like a leaf in a windstorm.

About to demand answers from it again, Twilight was stopped as the changeling began to shout. “There!” it cried out, its voice a crackling hiss in its throat. “The creature's th-that way!” The changeling nodded its twitching head toward the far end of the clearing.

Twilight eyed the direction for several moments before turning her gaze back to the terrified changeling. “You better not be lying,” she warned, turning away from it yet again as she headed off in the direction she was pointed to. The others slowly followed her, unsure of what to say.

Though it took some time, the magical glow emanating from Queen Chrysalis' horn died down. Her black lips parted into an excited smile as she looked upon the once defiant human.

The Warden-Commander barely moved, only a small sway or twitch of a muscle. Simply allowing himself to hang freely by his bindings, his eyes looked aimlessly forward, not even focusing on the changeling ruler before him. The color of his irises, the black of his pupils, even the whites in his eyes were gone, replaced by shades of a dull green.

A merry giggle escaped Chrysalis as she said, “Now, tell me, who do you love?”

Raising his head up, the commander's face looked dazed as he stared at the ruler with a half-lidded gaze. “I love you... my queen,” he responded obediently, his voice as dulled as his expression.

The muscles in Chrysalis' cheeks were straining as her smile encompassed most of her face. “Yes,” she said eagerly. “And what will you do in service to your queen?”

“Anything...” the Warden replied. “I will do... all that you wish... my queen.”

“Good, good,” Chrysalis said. “You will stay obedient. You will do what I say, without question, and I'll make sure you enjoy it as much as I do. Hopefully soon, you'll learn to be more accepting of what you want, without the need for such... encouragement.”

Tilting his head up and down, the commander nodded weakly.

“I suppose I can release you now,” Chrysalis murmured, eying her newest pet. “Then you can show me just how you'll please your queen.” Another giggle came from the royal changeling as the commander began to nod his head up and down with a new energy, displaying his eagerness clearly.

As her horn began to glow, ready to release the commander for her needs, she was stopped as a changeling came galloping toward her, breathless as he panted heavily.

“I said I wanted no interruptions!” Queen Chrysalis snapped, her face twisting into a fiery scowl as she glared down at the changeling.

“My queen,” the changeling said, its voice shaking. “We're under attack!”

“What?!” the ruler shouted. “That's impossible, they could never have found us so quickly!”

The changeling shook its head. “It's not them! It's a-” The changeling never finished, it's sentence was cut off by a sharp, pained gasp that was followed by the splattering sound of blood.

Though the commander's mind was enthralled, it was not too far gone to fully miss what had happened. Even as he heard the frightened screams coming from his queen, or the bright flash of green light. Then, the commander felt alone, abandoned as he could no longer feel the presence of his queen. The commander hung there limply, without his mistress to give him command.

But within the darkness surrounding him, it became clear that he was not truly alone. The Warden-Commander could feel it, even in the small sliver of control he still held, he could feel the dark presence standing before him.

There was the thick, heavy breathing that sounded all too familiar. But as hard as the commander looked, all that was there was a black nothingness. Even as he felt fingers wrapping around his neck, tightening like the coils of a rope, it only ever felt like the darkness itself was strangling him.

The commander tried to gasp for breath, feeling the hold on his throat becoming tighter by the second, the heavy breathing increasing. But his trouble breathing was not his only concern, as he felt something pierce into his chest, tearing into his body like a knife through butter.

It felt as though his soul was being ripped from his body, his flesh merely getting in the way as the sharp, piercing blade was pushed further into him. The Warden's mouth hung open as he tried to scream, but no sound came out, not even the smallest utterance of a word could be formed. All he could hear was the sound of his own flesh being cut into, the echoing drip of his blood pooling below him, and the heavy breathing of the darkness itself.

But something else was soon added to his hearing. A loud explosion and crumbling rock echoed through the cavern as a dull light flooded into the area. There was a fierce, angered snarl was caused and the commander felt the sharp pain in his chest leave him, making him gasp for air as whatever held his neck was gone.

Twilight and Alistair ran into the chamber, with the others taking up the rear to watch their backs. They stopped as their eyes fell on the commander, seeing him strung up and lifeless. Neither of them noticed the slaughtered changeling in the corner of the chamber.

“By the Maker,” Alistair breathed, his eyes wide. “What were they doing to him?”

“We need to get him down,” Twilight quickly said, rushing to the Warden's side.

Alistair did the same, his sword in his hand as he cut into the rubbery substance that bound his arms. Against the sharp blade, the bindings were broken, allowing the commander's hands fell limply at his sides. Twilight was already at work on what was around his legs, her horn sparking for a moment as the green substance was quickly disintegrated.

With nothing holding him up, the commander slumped forward, nearly collapsing onto the ground. Alistair was quickly however, grabbing his friend by the shoulders to keep him standing. “Come on,” Alistair said, giving him a light shake. “You still in there?”

The Warden-King smiled as the commander's head began to move, his green eyes shifting about slowly before they fell on the king who was holding him up. With loud cry, he tackled into Alistair, knocking him onto the ground as he climbed on top of him.

“Where is she?!” the Warden-Commander shouted hysterically, grabbing onto Alistair's neck. “Where is my queen?! What have you done with her?!” Alistair thrashed on the floor, trying to pry the tightening grip off of his throat. But the commander's hold on him was not lowering, only becoming tighter as the king coughed out his last breaths.

Desperate, Alistair began to punch the commander's ribs, trying to force him to let go. But the Warden didn't even flinch as he kept squeezing his neck. Looking as though he was about to snap the king's neck, the commander was stopped as he was suddenly struck in the back of the head.

Seeing his freedom, Alistair threw the commander's body off of him, causing him to lie unconscious on the floor. Rubbing his neck and gasping for air, the king's gaze slowly drifted toward Twilight, seeing his shield floating in her levitating grasp. “Thanks” he managed to croak out, looking down at his downed comrade. “We... we should probably get him out of here.”

Twilight nodded as she set the large shield down, using her magic to keep part of the commander standing as Alistair held his arm across his shoulders to bring him to his feet.

A pained groan was the first thing that came from the commander as he regained consciousness. It was pain that he felt, every nerve in his body throbbing ceaselessly. As he opened his eyes, he found himself lying on his back, a cover folded over his body as he looked up at a carved wooden ceiling.

Sitting up, the commander's head began to swim, feeling like he was about to throw up. Little else could be done however, as an excited shriek tore into his ears and he was immediately attacked.

Twilight, having seen the human stirring, cried in surprise and rushed toward her bed where he lay, wrapping her forelegs around him in a tight hug. “You're finally awake,” she said happily, her hold on him growing stronger by the second, “I was so worried!”

But the Warden barely noticed the sentiment as he felt an unbearable pain shoot through his body with the pony's contact, starting at his side. “P-please, please,” he begged through his pained shouts, “you're hurting me!” Realizing that she was in fact doing just that, Twilight's face became flushed as she pulled away. The freedom allowed him to look himself over.

The commander was shocked at what he saw. The upper-right side of his body had been wrapped up in bandages. He could feel the injured flesh still throbbing, starting right below his shoulder and moving down, there were clear traces of red staining the white of the bandages. A long cloth was looped around the left side of his neck to reach down to his right arm, becoming a sling to keep his limb in place. The commander didn't realize its purpose until he tried to move it, feeling the wound in his chest flare up with pain at the action.

“What... happened?” he asked, eying Twilight questioningly.

The unicorn frowned, not meeting the human's gaze. “You were kidnapped,” she said sullenly, “by changelings. Do you not remember any of it?”

As the Warden-Commander attempted to, to recall the last things he could remember, he felt a sudden jolt of pain in his head, making the memories a blur in his mind. “I... I really don't...” he muttered. The last thing he could fully remember was the night he had been in Twilight's bed. Then, only darkness, a sultry voice, pain, and heavy breathing.

Twilight's expression deepened as she looked the commander over, her eyes lingering on the wounds in his chest. “I've never heard of changelings causing such physical harm to someone before,” she murmured. “How... are you feeling?”

The commander was somewhat surprised by her question, sensing a great fear in her tone. “I'm fine... I guess,” he replied, doing a mental check on his own injuries. “Body hurts, can barely move, and... I have this splitting headache right here...” He began to rub the back of his head with his good hand.

An amused laugh echoed through the room as Alistair walked upstairs from the library floor. “Then it's just another day as a Grey Warden, huh?” he muttered, a relieved smile on his face. “You feeling okay? Not... a litle strangley or anything?” Not getting a response from the commander, saved for a look of confusion, Alistair chuckled and continued. “You had us a little worried. You've been out for over a day.” He gestured toward the young scholar. “Twilight here was at your side the whole time, doing her best to make sure you were patched up right and getting rid of whatever magic those creatures had put on you. If it wasn't for her in the first place, we probably wouldn't have found you when we did.”

“Really?” the commander muttered, eying the mare with a smile. “Wow... thank you, Twilight.” The lavender librarian developed a light shade of red on her cheeks, even as the Warden laughed. “I guess you won't have to worry about telling the princesses something's happened to us, huh?”

Twilight blinked for a moment, her eyes falling to the floor. “Yeah...” she mumbled, “the princesses...” Lifting her gaze up for a moment, she eyed the commander's chest and quickly turned away. “I... should probably change your bandages since you're up, check to make sure your wounds are clean. I'll go get the supplies.” Without another word, the mare trotted off, a noticeable skip in her step as she disappeared to gather what she needed.

With the scholar gone, Alistair developed a large grimace as he muttered, “Man, you should have seen that girl in action before. I mean, wow, nearly pissed myself watching her go.”

“What are you talking about?” the commander questioned, crooking an eyebrow toward his royal friend.

“Twilight,” Alistair said, “she was downright crazy when we were looking for you. Like the actual 'stabby stabby' kind of crazy I usually think crazy people are. Just what she did with one of those changeling things to get him to talk, just... wouldn't have expected her to do it.” The commander didn't say anything, his eyes now looking aimlessly in the direction that the unicorn had disappeared in. “But I suppose it's all done now. You're okay, not dead or anything like that.” Alistair gave a weak chuckle. “I guess this is just another reason why we should get home as soon as we can, huh?”

The commander blinked as what Alistair said sunk in, slowly nodding his head as he muttered, “Yeah... another reason...”

Impulsive Incidents

With a small stride, Anders walked the long distance out of Ponyville. Humble homes occasionally caught his eye, the equine denizens inside giving a small smile or wave of the hoof if they spotted the human. Since the mess with the ursa, the ponies of Ponyville no longer looked at the bipedal newcomers strangely, realizing that they meant no harm. The more the Grey Warden thought about it, the more he realized he kind of liked the attention.

Sure, there was fame to be had back in Ferelden. After all, he had helped to save Amaranthine from the invasion of darkspawn that had threatened them. But even being a hero didn't help most people who only saw a mage outside of the tower when they looked at him, despite being a Grey Warden. At least the ponies didn't have any aversion to him, even if he wasn't technically magically gifted at the moment.

Pushing his own musing aside however, Anders turned his gaze forward as the passing houses ended and he was exiting the quaint town. Only a few times did his straight sights falter as his eyes drifted down to the bag at his side.

It didn't take the mage very long to spot where he was headed, seeing the small cottage set just on the edge of the Everfree forest. The home seemed to always move with life, whether it was from a flock of birds flying around the many feeders that were hung outside, or the scampering critters who jumped in and out of several burrows set into the ground. Anders could even spot a modest chicken coop, with several of the white feathered poultry pecking at the ground aimlessly.

As his distance from the house began to shorten, the mage was unable to keep his eyes from looking suspiciously toward the forest. The dark depths within the trees seemed to always move and shift, as though the emptiness was alive, ready to swallow up anyone foolish enough to go near it. Though Anders knew he was being overly paranoid, it didn't stop his cautious stares. Having seen what had happened to his commander, he knew he wouldn't stand a chance against any malicious creatures in his current state.

Standing just before the small door leading into the cottage, Anders could hear a faint humming from within. It was from a soft, feminine voice that sang absently. Pausing to take a steady breath to ready himself, the Grey Warden lightly knocked on the door.

Immediately, the humming was stunted, being replaced with a sharp, squeaking yelp that sounded as though a large mouse had its tail stepped on. There was a long silence as the mage simply stood there, judging whether or not he he had just done something wrong without knowing it. Just as he was about to try knocking again, a quiet, mewling voice whispered from behind the door.

“Wh-who is it?” she asked. Though the one speaking must have been just behind the door, she was barely audible, making Anders' stay silent for several moments as he made sure he had heard the question correctly.

“Uh... I'm one of those visiting Wardens,” Anders replied. “You're Fluttershy, right? I came by because I wanted to talk to you about something.”

Another pause was developed as the mage continued to stare at the door patiently. After several moments of no response, the door slowly creaked open just enough to allow a small glimpse at the yellow-coated, pink-maned pegasus Fluttershy. The mare looked up at the human as timidly as one might expect, tilting her head just so to allow her mane to fall in front of her face, hiding most of it.

Feeling that things were beginning to get awkward, and having no idea why, Anders decided to speak as it looked like Fluttershy wasn't about to any time soon. “Well...” he murmured, “hi, I guess. If you didn't already know, my name is Anders. I'm one of the humans are are apart of our group.” Still not vocally replying, Fluttershy managed a simple nod, still wary of the strange creature at her doorstep. “Now that that whole ursa nonsense is finished, and our dear commander isn't dead or anything, I just thought I should stop by to say thank you.”

Her worry and aversion lessening, Fluttershy's expression slowly shifted to one of curiosity, bringing her to opening her door slightly more and shifting her mane as to not obscure her gaze. “Thank me?” she asked, her voice still soft and hard to hear. “What did I do?”

Smiling, Anders reached into his bag and held up the fluffy white form of Ser Pounce-a-lot. The feline meowed pleasantly as it looked around, seeing yet another new place in its own adventure in Equestria. “I saw how you saved my cat's life when we were attacked by that ursa creature. It really means a lot to me and I just wanted to thank you, maybe let him try and show his thanks too.”

A light gasp escaped the pegasus as her door opened to its fullest. Fluttershy stepped out of her home, eyes riveted onto the cat in Anders' arms. Her wings beginning to flap, she hovered in place and held out her forelegs. Seeing what she wanted, Anders carefully handed over the white cat and Fluttershy was immediately enraptured by it. The quiet mare cradled the loveable cat and nuzzled her cheek against him affectionately. Ser Pounce-a-lot returned the affection just as quickly, rubbing against the pony and purring with joy.

“Oh, he is so cute,” Fluttershy cooed, unable to take her eyes away from the creature. “What's his name?”

“Ser Pounce-a-lot,” Anders said proudly, “the bravest Grey Warden feline in Ferelden!”

Still enthralled by the cat's cuteness, Fluttershy turned herself in midair and slowly flew back inside her house. “Come in,” she urged invitingly, “I have some cream that I'm sure he'll love.” Accepting the gesture, the Warden mage followed the fluttering pegasus, politely closing the door behind him.

Fluttershy's cottage was a cozy little home. Plush carpeting was stretched out over portions of the floor, with several pieces of furniture that all had fluffy pillows stacked on them. Even more houses and baskets were inside then there were out, either hanging on the walls, from the ceiling, or sitting on the ground.

The occupants of those very homes were seen clearly as well. Animals of all colors, sizes and species scurried about as they sensed the strange creature coming into their owner's home. They ranged from many different kinds of animals, from typical pets one might have in their home, to creatures who clearly lived in forests or fields. Many of the animals Anders didn't even know what to call, having seen none of them before. The sight of them actually made the mage a bit more hesitant to fully enter the home, but after taking a few subtle whiffs of the air, he was shocked to find that the air inside the cottage seemed even cleaner than the air outside. He could even swear that everything looked sparkling, cleaned to perfection without the slightest trace of filth. It made him think that the pegasus was some kind of witch, having no idea how she could keep so many animals from making a mess.

Fluttershy was too busy to notice the human's curious glances about her house. With Ser Pounce-a-lot held safely in one foreleg, the pegasus continued to hover as she picked up a small saucer with her mouth, laid it on the floor, and dipped a glass bottle of cream into the dish. Immediately, the white cat jumped from the pegasus' hold and began to lap up the delicious meal. Fluttershy watched happily, her face beaming with joy from simply seeing the cat enjoying her treat.

“So... you like animals?” Fluttershy asked, sitting down on the floor beside the hungry feline.

Anders nodded as he sat down as well, eying his furry companion merrily. “Well,” he murmured, “I mostly like cats. It's just that, years ago, one of my only friends was this mouser in the mage tower where I lived. I was always being locked up as punishment for causing trouble.” He held out his hand and began tapping his fingers as he thought aloud. “Setting the Knight-Commander's robes on fire... Repeatedly crying 'demon!' throughout all hours of the night... There was the time I made this one templar's ale boil right before he drank it... And there's all the times I tried to escape from the tower... Heh. I was always alone when they did it, but the tower's mouser was able to get in. Oh, he was such good company when I was alone.”

Politely nodding her head, Fluttershy listened to what the human was saying. Though she wasn't fully aware of what she was being told, the animal caretaker was able to get the gist of it all. She especially took notice to how the mage held similarities to herself. For a long time, she couldn't say she had very many pony friends. But she was able to see the unconditional love that animals could bring, just like Anders seemed to have with his feline friend.

“Ser Pounce-a-lot was actually a gift from my commander,” Anders continued, his eyes drifting toward his favorite animal. Ser Pounce-a-lot had quickly licked the saucer dry, meowing with satisfaction before it lazily walked toward Fluttershy, rubbing against her affectionately before he climbed onto Anders' lap and curled up into a white ball of fluff. “The poor little guy was homeless at the time, so I decided to take care of him.” The mage began to stroke the cat's fur gingerly, eliciting a purr that was eager for him to continue. “I had first thought to simply watch over him until we could find him a home, but I quickly grew to love him. He's a bit of a lazy cat though, but he is wonderful company when we aren't off protecting Ferelden.”

After Anders was done speaking, there was a noticeable change in Fluttershy's mood. She no longer looked meek or timid, giving a warm smile as she sat with the human without looking the least bit nervous or uncomfortable. It made their conversing all the better as she began to talk about her own affinity for critters of all sizes and species. It almost seemed funny to the mage, a talking animal taking care of other animals. It forced him to remind himself that humans didn't exist in this world, making his Ferelden perspectives practically useless.

Seeing that the imposing creature was no threat, the many animals in Fluttershy's cottage began to poke their heads out of their hiding places. Many curious eyes were on him, watching his movements carefully. Several of the larger animals even took the chance to approach him, sniffing him several times before they lost their apprehension and went off on their merry way.

Looking at many of the different animals, there was one in particular that made Anders' drifting gaze linger. A small white rabbit was standing on the top of the couch. The creature didn't hold any cautious fear in him at all, simply standing there with his paws crossed and eyes narrowed in a look of pure vigilance. It reminded the mage of the commander's mabari, seeing as the beast never liked him. He assumed it was because he most likely smelled of cat all the time, but it never made him dislike the creature any less, certain that the hound would try and devour his beloved cat if given the chance.

Noticing where Ander's gaze was focused, Fluttershy smiled and said, “That's Angel, he's one of the first animals I've ever taken care of.” Seeing that his caretaker's attention was on him, the rabbit jumped down from the couch and ran up to the yellow pegasus, never letting the human out of its sight. “I found him when he was just a baby, he had gotten stuck in a nasty thorn bush.” Angelsmiled, hugging the mare with its forepaws.

“He is a cute little thing,” Anders said with a grin. Extending a hand, the mage went to scratch the rabbit's cheek with his finger. Just as his finger was close enough, Angel snapped at him, causing him to retract his hand back quickly, narrowly avoiding his finger from coming in contact with the creature's big buck teeth.

“Angel Bunny,” Fluttershy scolded, looking down on her pet with a mild expression of agitated disappointment. “You should be nice to our guest, he was just trying to be nice.” Though her attempts were admirable enough, the pegasus' soft voice did little to provide an authoritative tone for the rabbit. All that came from it was the creature's continued expression of ire toward the human, making him fold his small paws and take several steps away from him.

The small bit of commotion also had an effect on Ser Pounce-a-lot. Waking from his short nape, the furry feline climbed down from his owner's lap, looking about aimlessly until his eyes fell on the nearby rabbit. Seeing that he was in his sights, Angel backed away slowly, swinging his paws down as though he was going to karate chop the approaching animals.

Despite the obvious signs that Angel didn't want the him near him however, Ser Pounce-a-lot heeded nothing and instead leaned back and pounced on the rabbit. Even though Anders had never seen his feline friend catch a single mouse before, he was surprised to see such skill in the attack as the white-furred cat landed atop the fleeing Angel, with the perfection of a well-trained predator.

Pinning down Angel with his greater size, Ser Pounce-a-lot purred happily as he playfully nuzzled against the rabbit. Angel showed complete shock to the action, momentarily fearing that he was done for. Picking himself up off of the ground, the white rabbit smiled before he looked around the room, making sure no one was watching them. Then, long-eared creature leaned forward and wrapped his forepaws around the cat's neck and gave him warm hug.

“Aw,” Anders said with an air of amusement. “I think Angel made a new friend.”

Realizing that the human and Fluttershy were both watching him, Angel quickly released his hold on Ser Pounce-a-lot, causing the cat to meow softly and push against the rabbit playfully. Having been discovered though, an embarrassed Angel quickly bolted off, hopping away with an amazing speed. Both Fluttershy and Anders began to laugh at the display, while Ser Pounce-a-lot looked between the pony and human in clueless confusion.

There was little about his current situation that the Warden-Commander could say he liked. Being stuck in bed as he was barely able to move, let alone carry one with his day, wasn't something he was particularly fond of.

Alistair had at least taken the time to explain to him what happened during his ordeal. Having it explained to him what changelings were, about their queen, as well as his own condition when he was found, the commander was able to slowly regain bits and pieces of his memory of the event. Queen Chrysalis was one, her ebony lips always crooked into devilish smiles, her sultry voice forcing itself through his head, nearly being strangled by her snake-like tongue. It all made him shudder as he recalled his treatment.

But even with his understanding as to what happened, there was something that was still bothering him about it. He had apparently been put under a spell when his friends had found him, making him unaware as to what was happening, even when Chrysalis realized that they were coming to save him and fled before they entered the cavern system where he was kept. There was just something about it all that didn't sit right with him, as though his mind was trying to tell him something that it just didn't understand. But the longer he realized he couldn't place it, the easier it was to shrug away.

Even with his ordeal being over, the commander was still troubled with his own injuries. His muscles were as stiff as stones, making any movement a strain for him. Simply moving his right arm was an impossibility, always sending stabs of painful agony through the wounds on his chest. Thankfully, Twilight was eager to help him in anyway she could. Sadly, it was one of the biggest reasons he was having trouble.

Though Twilight's intentions were good, she was far too dedicated than the Warden wanted. Waiting on him hoof and hoof, she did everything she could for the human from fluffing his pillows to incessantly asking him if everything was to his liking. It made things especially bad for him as he realized he was taking the mare's bed, as a replacement for the one Spike burned hadn't been acquired.

It reminded the Warden-Commander on his childhood years back at his father's estate. There were so many servants ready to tend to his every need, even walking him from place to place if he had the mind to demand it. Such treatment was never to his liking, always fighting for his independence and thanking the Maker when he was finally able to obtain it when he reached the age of manhood. Now, it all seemed to come back to him in full force as Twilight played the part of servant.

“You really don't need to be doing all of this,” the commander said for what felt like the thousandth time. “Go and have fun with your friends or something, I'll be fine right here.”

Twilight simply shook her head, for what also felt like the thousandth time. “You're still hurt,” she said definitively, her eyes lowering with sadness. “You wouldn't even be like this if it wasn't for me. It shouldn't have been so easy for the changelings to capture you. It's... it's all my fault.”

The Warden looked concerned as he laid eyes on the mare. It hadn't occurred to him that she was blaming herself for what had happened. Laying a comforting hand on her, the commander firmly said, “Twilight, what happened wasn't your fault. It wasn't anyone's. I don't blame you, neither should you blame yourself.” A small smile grew onto his face. “What matters is that you managed to find me. You showed bravery and rescued me from those creatures. For that, I can't thank you enough.”

They remained silent as the commander's words took hold, a small smile developing on the scholar's face. The quiet stillness around them was soon broken however, as a loud, gurgling growl emanated from the Warden's chest. His face quickly flushed with embarrassment as he looked down at his stomach.

“Oh,” Twilight said, suppressing giggle, “I guess you're getting hungry.” Realizing that he hadn't eaten anything for a while, the commander had no other choice but to nod, causing the mare to smile excitedly as she turned away and began to trot down the stairs. “I have just the thing to try, and I know you'll like it.”

Being left alone, the solitude allowed the commander a moment of peace and quiet without Twilight fussing over him. Though, it immediately hit him how little there was to do but stare at the wall in his current condition.

As he looked around aimlessly, the Warden began to absently tug on the pair of pants he was wearing. Having woken up in them, it had surprised him at first until it was explained that they had been put on him in his unconscious state. Rarity had made them, to replace his garments that had been shredded by the changelings. He hadn't yet seen the shirt, but the pants themselves were a faded purple shade in color that were a little baggy on him as she didn't have his correct measurements. And though they weren't padded like his old clothes, the fabric was thick and very strong. The commander was rather thankful for them, not wanting to have to walk around in his undergarments until they managed to get back to Ferelden.

While his eyes began to drift about the room once again, the forlorn basket that Spike slept in caught his attention. It had seemed peculiar when he had first realized that he hadn't seen the scaly infant since he had regained consciousness. When asked, Twilight said she had sent him off to help Rarity in her boutique while he recovered. Though the Warden was quick to say that he didn't mind if the little fire starter was nearby, having assumed that being cooked alive wouldn't happen again, the scholar laughed it off and said that it was more of a treat for Spike than anything else. As the commander learned, the purple dragon enjoyed assisting the alabaster unicorn whenever he could.

The Warden-Commander's internal musings were soon stopped as Twilight returned. Levitating in her magical grasp was a small bowl, a thick, brown colored liquid shifting inside. To the Warden, it looked like a stew that had all of the actual food taken out, leaving nothing but broth. Despite the sight of it looking unappetizing, Twilight held a cheerful expression as she sat at the human's side.

Things quickly made the commander begin to question why such a soup was an ideal meal for someone in his position. There seemed to be a guarantee of a mess with his one arm and upright sitting position. Things soon became clear however as the spoon that was halfway submerged in the liquid was picked up by Twilight's magic, dipped into the soup, and carefully floated toward the human. She was planning on feeding it to him.

“Now just hold on,” the Warden-Commander objected, making the mare eye him with confusion. “Okay, you helping me out here and there while I'm like this is one thing, but this is ridiculous. There's no way you're feeding me like some inept infant.”

Twilight eyed the bowl she was levitating a gave a simple nod. “Okay, here,” she said, placing the bowl of soup in his good hand and watching him expectantly.

Holding onto the liquid meal, the commander began to ponder how he would accomplish this with only one hand. He was tempted to simply tilt the bowl and drink from it like that, but seeing the steam bellowing up from the surface, it was quickly decided that he didn't want to take the chance of spilling any of the hot liquid onto his wounded chest.

Placing the bowl on his lap, the commander took the spoon in his left hand. Though he was right handed, it didn't seem like too hard of a task to simply change things up for once. That train of thought derailed rather quickly however, as he lifted his unsteady arm up to bring the spoon to his lips. The soup he had managed to scoop up in the spoon was already falling from the edges, landing back into the bowl with miniature splashes. By the time he managed to get the spoon to his mouth, it was empty except for a few meager drops.

Seeing Twilight still eying him with expectation, the Warden-Commander dropped the spoon into his bowl and huffed indignantly. “Fine, I guess you can help,” he muttered, already feeling like a child.

Twilight simply nodded once again and took the spoon back in her levitating grasp. Dipping the utensil down into the soup once again, she carefully brought it up to the human's mouth, where he accepted it and first tasted the broth that the unicorn had made.

To the Warden's shock, he felt as though he had just taken a spoonful of an actual lamb stew. From the tender meat to the scrumptious potatoes and varied vegetables, it all fell onto his taste buds as he eagerly swallowed the soup down. “Mm,” he managed to murmur, having realized how long it had been since he had a meaty taste in his mouth.

The delighted surprise quickly shifted however, as he eyed the pony feeding him. Thoughts on Twilight preparing such a meal, getting the ingredients ready, including the lamb. A moment of horror crossed his face as he asked, “Twilight... did you actually... cook meat?”

The mare tilted her head slightly in confusion before realization hit her and she shook her head with a merry laugh. “Of course not,” she said through her joy. “I figured you might be wanting something like that though so I made this special soup for you.” Dipping the spoon back into the soup, she brought it to her own mouth and tasted it, showing her own delighted expression to the taste. “It's a magical dish. The taste becomes whatever the person eating it is craving at the time. It's actually something that's used for pregnant mares a lot, it helps with the cravings.

Slightly ignoring the fact that he was eating a delicacy for expecting mothers, the commander was surprised that the scholar would go through so much trouble just to give him a taste he had been missing for so long. It was almost sweet, in an animal helping to feed him another animal kind of way.

Regardless of the meaning however, the Warden-Commander did complain in the slightest as Twilight continued to feed him the specially made meal. Nearly every drop of it was savored, missing out on only a few that managed to escape his maw and slide down his chin, which were quickly wiped away by his free hand as to not provoke Twilight into pushing a rag into his face.

Soon enough, the bowl was emptied and the commander's hunger was sated. A satisfied smack of his lips was followed as he patted his stomach, feeling it warmed from the inside due to the hot meal. “That was delicious, thank you so much, Twilight,” he said graciously.

“I'm just glad you liked it,” the lavender-coated mare replied.

Setting the bowl aside on a nearby table, Twilight's eyes began to trail aimlessly about the room. It seemed as though she was looking everywhere but where the human was seated, biting her lower lip to fight back the urge to talk. After what seemed like a tense moment of silence, she looked the commander in the eyes and said, “I... I have something I want to give you.”

The Warden looked at her with surprise, the statement seemingly appearing out of nowhere. But there was no time for him to speak as Twilight trotted toward the other side of her bed, lowering her head down beneath it. “I was planning on giving it to you sooner but... you went off into the forest and then... the changelings,” she murmured aloud from underneath the bed.

Within moments, Twilight returned to the surface, a small box floating along with her. Not saying a word, the mare set it down on the commander's lap, watching him with baited breath as he eyed it in a mixed expression of curiosity and confusion.

Acting on the curiosity, it was easy for the Warden to remove the lid of the box, to see what was inside. He became wide-eyed at what he saw, barely believing what he was seeing. Wordlessly, he reached inside of the box and held up the item for both himself and Twilight to see.

It was a pendent, made from a light metal that the Warden couldn't place. The pendent's shape was what fully caught his eye, being of two gryphons with their wings flared out. It was almost a perfect match to to the symbol on his armor, the symbol of the Commander of the Grey. A strong chain encircled it, making it clear that it was to be worn around the neck.

“I made it with an enchantment,” Twilight said, breaking the silence that was between them both. “I remembered that you were having trouble sleeping. Wearing that will help calm your thoughts when you sleep, giving you a more peaceful rest.”

The Warden was speechless, unable to say a word as he stared at the pendent in his hand. Realizing that he wouldn't be able to put it on himself, Twilight took the time to levitate it up and put it around his neck. She had to lean forward slightly, pressing herself against his good shoulder as she made sure the chain was fastened correctly, but the pendent was a perfect fit.

Still, little was said from the commander as he continued to stare at the gift. In all honesty, he couldn't remember the last time someone had ever given him something like this. He had been one to give gifts before. Sometimes a flower or a pair of boots to his companions when he encountered the items, but he had never received anything from them. Perhaps a grateful villager would give him something after he helped them in some way, but they were always rewards.

All that he could think of was the ring that Morrigan had given him. Even then, the Warden wasn't going to fool himself into thinking that the sentiment wasn't somewhat tainted by the witch's main goal, her reason for wanting him protected since the beginning of their journey together.

“Twilight I... I don't know what to say,” The commander said in a hushed tone. A surprise to Twilight came when the Warden leaned forward toward her, wrapping his useable arm around her and holding her in a warm embrace. “Just... thank you.”

Twilight felt her entire body heat up from the comforting hug, returning the affection as best as she could as they remained like that for several moments. It almost made her want to cry when they finally broke apart, but they didn't separate very far.

Their eyes met and stayed locked onto one another, both faces smiling warmly. To Twilight, just seeing the Warden there, safe and sound, filled her heart with a wondrous joy. It was something that the scholar couldn't explain. Yet the longer she stared into the commander's eyes, the more she realized that she didn't care to figure it out.

Such a carefree feeling made it seem all the more natural as she absentmindedly leaned her head forward. Her common sense thrown to the wayside, the young scholar saw nothing else, thought of nothing else except for the commander and the ever-decresing distance between them. All that was happening seemed to be second nature to her, even as she cleared the final gap between them both, pressing her lips against his.

The commander's eyes widened as he felt the tender kiss of Twilight. Surprise and confusion flowed through him in tidal waves within that single moment. But, as he felt the soft touch of the mare's lavender lips against his own, those feelings easily dissipated. Eyelids drooping to a soft, half-lidded gaze, the Warden's eyes flushed with a dull shade of green. As if suddenly compelled to, finding a previously inert sensation of longing, the human cupped the mare's cheek in his hand and returned the loving gesture.

Their lips remained entwined for several moments. Twilight felt lost in the action, never wanting to part. But soon enough, her senses caught back up with her, crashing into her emotion-addled mind like a train. She pulled back, breaking the kiss and backpedaling several steps as she stared wide-eyed at the human. A sharp gasp escaped her as she noticed the fading tint of green in the Warden's eyes, how his pleasant expression of bliss shifted to surprised shock over what had just occurred.

An expression of pure horror was written on the scholar's face as she slowly backed away, her heart thrashing into her chest, feeling as though it would burst in any moment. “I-I'm sorry,” she stammered out, tears welling in her eyes.. “I-I-I didn't- I didn't mean to- I'm sorry!” A bright light emanated from her horn, the coming spell consuming it completely.

“Twilight, wait,” the Warden-Commander tried saying, but it was too late. In one blinding flash of magenta light, Twilight was gone. Even as the commander moved to stop the unicorn, he was stopped himself as the sudden motion tore into his chest, his wounds burning like fire. The agony was too much, immobilizing the human and preventing him from doing a thing as the panicked Twilight disappeared.

A Monster of a Coincidence

For what felt like hours, Twilight paced back and forth mindlessly in one of the many back alleys of Ponyville. Small bits of grass and dirt clung to the bottom of her hooves as a large rut was worn into the ground underneath of her. None of it was even remotely noticed by the troubled mare however, he mind racing at incredible speeds as all that she could think about was what had happened between her and the commander.

“H-how could I do that?” the lavender-coated mare said worriedly, talking as though a clone of herself was standing right next to her. When said clone never responded however, it only made her talk even more. “Why did I do that?! I-I didn't mean to! He was just there and I- Oh Celestia, why?”

There wasn't even a simple notion of reason or purpose she could gather as to the cause of what had happened. It felt more like she was watching a pony who looked exactly like her locking lips with the human, only to realize she was the one facing him. The scholar could remember the display of shock written on the Warden's face, the tell-tale shade of green that flashed clearly in his gaze, shifting his mind to a compliant state. It made what had happened all the more horrifying.

“He was grateful for me helping him,” Twilight continued murmuring to herself. “I just wanted to take care of him, make sure he was safe. The changeling magic wasn't even fully out of him yet. Then I just... I took advantage of him!” Tears began to form in her eyes yet again, following the same path down her cheeks the ones flowing hours before them did. “H-he probably hates me now... Of course... I would too.”

As much as she desperately wanted to, Twilight was smart enough to know that she couldn't just pretend that it never happened. She would have to face the commander sooner or later, and the sooner she did so the better chance she had of salvaging the situation. So with a heavy sigh and an even heavier heart, the young scholar wiped her face clean and slowly made her way back to her library home.

When the mighty tree of a building came into the unicorn's view, every step she made toward it became a challenge. It felt as though large weights had been tied to her legs and tail, holding her down and making her short trek all the more arduous. The queasy feeling in her stomach and the quivering flutter in her heart made it all the worse for her, especially as she stood before her own front door and lifted a shaking hoof to open it.

Entering her home, Twilight's trepidations were quickly replaced with confusion and worry. Immediately upon opening the door she caught sight of the Warden-Commander.

The human had managed to get himself out of bed. He was wearing the matching purple shirt that went with the pants that Rarity had made for him. The article of clothing was just as baggy as the pants, it was a good thing however as a noticeable bulge could be seen at the right side, where his still slung arm pressed against it from the inside and the empty sleeve hung limply in place like a cape.

There was a noticeable tension in the Warden's body as Twilight laid eyes on him, but he didn't look in her direction or even acknowledge her presence in any other way. His eyes remained straight ahead as he worked on the strap to his sword's scabbard. Every movement he made was slow and cautious, a clear amount of strain on his face as he fought back the pain that his movements were bringing.

“What... what are you doing?” Twilight asked, doing her best to keep her voice as steady as possible.

Even when asked a question, the commander didn't turn to face the mare, not even looking at her. “Just grabbing my sword before I leave,” he murmured, his tone unnervingly flat. “I hope you won't mind if I leave my armor here for now, not like I can wear it anyway.” From what little could be seen of his face, the unicorn could see a deep frown chiseled onto his expression.

Twilight's eyes kept locked onto the commander her own sadness made palpable on her face. “You... you're leaving?” she questioned.

A subtle forward tilt of his head was passed as a nod by the human. “Yes,” he replied, “I'm going to make camp with the others. It will make our stay here... easier for everyone.”

Droplets of moisture began to form in the corners of the mare's eyes again, now seeing what she was fearing. “Please, listen,” she tried saying. “What happened before... I-I just don't know why but-” She was stopped as the commander raised his hand up, silencing her.

“There's nothing to say,” the Warden said coldly. “What happened happened.” Managing to throw his blade over his shoulder and strapping it across his chest, the commander turned toward the door, his eyes never drifting toward the saddened mare. “I do not blame you for any of it. It was a mistake and nothing more. To make things easier however, I can at least stay with the others until we are able to leave your world and get back to our own.”

Stopping in front of the door to open it, the commander's hand lingered on the doorknob for several moments. Despite his distant demeanor throughout the brief exchange, the Warden managed to give one simple courtesy before departing. “Goodbye, Twilight,” he said, opening the door and stepping out of the library.

Watching his back turned to her, Twilight could only stand there as the Warden set his sights toward the forest clearing where the other Grey Wardens had set up camp. Though she didn't know why, the unicorn wanted to chase after him. She wanted to scream out for him to stop and try to explain herself even more. But the confused scholar didn't even know why she wanted to do such things, let alone know what she could possibly say to the human.

As the Everfree forest came closer and closer, it was easy for the Warden to spot where his companions had set up their camp. It was set up much like their old camp back when they fought against the Blight. Their few bedrolls were scattered about in random directions. Each simple bed was easily distinguishable as to who the owners were, Alistair's was the tidiest with little in the way of personalization to the immediate area, Anders' could be seen with a small coating of white cat fur clinging to it and a bowl set beside it to be filled with water for his furry friend, and Oghren's was a stained mess of a piece of fabric that was as tattered as it could be with many empty bottles surrounding it like a sea of glass. It was completed with a small fire pit in the center, one that would provide moderate heat and light in the cold nights to come.

The other Grey Wardens were also nearby, their ears picking up the sound of approaching footsteps that caused their eyes to look toward their commander on reflex. Alistair showed a momentary look of concern as he approached his friend, eying him up and down to ascertain the reason for his visit.

“What's going on?” the king asked curiously.

With a weak smile, the Warden-Commander replied, “Nothing, I... just figured I would join you guys here at camp. Just in case something were to happen that needed us.”

“Oh, okay” Alistair muttered, silently questioning if there was more to it than that. “Well, we've got plenty of room. Just pick your territory and claim it as your own.” With a simple nod, the commander approached a barren patch of dirt and grass that was unoccupied.

Watching his commander acquire his sleeping space, Anders smirked wryly and said, “Got tired of the mare and her cozy tree house? Can't blame you though. I'd want to get out of there quick-like too if I was kidnapped and raped while I was there.”

Just as the words left the mage's mouth, the commander's head jerked toward him, his eyes piercing like daggers and almost causing the robe wearing human to swallow his tongue. “Not. Another. Word,” he said warningly.

Holding up his hands in defense, the coy mage muttered, “Alright, alright, touchy subject, I get it. My lips are sealed. Or at least moderately closed.”

A frustrated huff left the Warden as he tossed his sword on the ground and carefully sat down along with it. Pressing his back against a nearby tree, the commander quickly developed a standoffish demeanor as he shut his eyes to rest and think.

Two days passed with little happening in the way of excitement, nothing compared to colossal bears attacking or shape shifting monsters anyway. It was welcomed greatly by the Warden, wanting nothing more than to simply have the rest of their time in Equestria go by without anything else happening. Even with what he wanted known clearly to him, it did nothing to prevent him from becoming stir-crazy.

It was something he couldn't figure out. Like a shadow as black as night and as thick as fog, the feeling of impending doom loomed over him. But no matter how badly the sensation got, nothing ever came of it. Perhaps he really was getting stir-crazy, maybe he was just paranoid after what had happened with the changelings, he wasn't sure.

With his stay within the camp of his fellow Wardens, the commander also noticed the changes coming over his friends.

Alistair seemed just as paranoid as he was, for a completely different reason. The nights he had slept in the camp were anything but peaceful. The royal Warden seemed to constantly wake up in his slumber, either in a cold sweat or his face coated in a dark red. It somewhat reminded him of his behavior before they left the castle, but the commander had already told himself that he wasn't going to care about anything that involved the king.

There was also a noticeable change in Anders' mood. It seemed uplifted. When they had first settled themselves in to their fate of being stuck in the land of magical equines, the mage was clearly disgruntled and frustrated about it, impart for losing his magic in the process. Now however, he seemed much more cheery than he usually was, always heading off into town for whatever reason. He never said why but the commander didn't care to pry, he was simply glad that at least one of them was able to enjoy their stay in Equestria.

One silver lining in an otherwise stormy sky, was the Warden-Commander's healing injuries. Already he was able to move his arm without pain. Though his muscles were still taut and the wounds in his chest weren't fully closed, he was able to manage well enough as to not be hindered too badly. It was actually surprising to see how quickly he had recovered. Then again, having realized how advanced the ponies were with healing magic, he could guess at what sort of treatments he received while he was unconscious.

Deciding to take advantage of his ability to walk unhindered once again, the commander decided he could give his stiff muscles a stretch and visit Canterlot castle, wanting to check on the progress made with the Eluvian shards.

The trip to Canterlot was surprisingly uneventful. The unassuming human riding the train and walking the streets of the royal capital garnered little in the way of stares, much less than he had first expected. Though some ponies did rivet their eyes to him, several murmuring to themselves in hushed tones, they were few and far between.

The more the Warden thought on it, the more it made sense. With their stay within the castle as well as their exploits in Ponyville, it seemed more than likely that rumors of the strange bipedal creatures would spread like wildfire. It made things all the more easier for the human as he entered the castle and gained an audience with the princess.

Celestia was found within a rather small chamber of the castle. It seemed appropriate to assume that it was where many of her royal decisions were made, seeing the room filled to the brim with paperwork. Shelves upon shelves of scrolls were placed against the walls, several looking incredibly old and dusty, with clear tears and creases in the paper.

The princess herself had her alabaster rump resting on a massive plush pillow, with a large table set up before her that had even more papers spread out across it. She was busily scrawling across one, a large quill held in her golden magic while it occasionally dipped into the nearby inkwell. At least a dozen official looking ponies surrounded her, all appearing patient as they waited for their princess to give them her attention. Most of the ponies looked as though their business was more important than anyone else each giving the others shifty glances in silent attempts to show their superiority.

Surprisingly, the guard outside of the chamber had allowed the human inside, no doubt assuming the visiting creature had important business with the princess. Celestia's focused gaze was torn away from her work immediately upon the commander's arrival, looking at him with a mixed expression of surprise and relief.

“Ah, Warden-Commander,” the princess said, choosing to use his title rather than his name, perhaps to convey his important to the other ponies. It seemed to work as their expressions of self-importance seemed to dwindle as quickly as their hopes for attention did. Celestia noticed it as well, eying each of them with a warm smile. “I'm sorry, but if you will excuse us for a few moments...”

The princess didn't have to say another word for the ponies to turn toward the door and begin leaving. None of them looked too happy about it, casting angered looks toward the human as they passed by. Several even muttered crude insults, mostly being about an outside gaining the princess' attention so readily. As the last of the official ponies had left, the door glowed with in golden light and shut itself.

“You seem to have bought me a few minutes to breathe peacefully,” the princess said, smiling cheerfully as she set her quill down. “It is good to see you well, Warden. I had received a report on what had happened just the other day. It saddens me to think that changelings are still on the prowl here in Equestria.” A look of regret crossed her for a moment, lasting barely a second before she regained her smile. “But it is wonderful news to learn that Twilight and your companions were able to drive them off.”

A weak smile was all that the commander could give as he muttered, “Yeah, I am too.”

“Now,” Celestia continued. “Is there a reason for your arrival? I do not recall sending for you.”

“You didn't,” the Warden replied. “I needed a slight change in scenery and thought I would see how our way back to Ferelden was going.”

Upon hearing his reasoning, Celestia's smile inverted and became a frown. “I... am sorry,” she replied with disappointment, “but things have been going much slower than I would have hoped. Though we are sure that the magic within the pieces of the artifact you have provided could be recreated, it has proven difficult for any of the most powerful unicorns in Canterlot to understand fully how this foreign magic works.”

The Warden-Commander crossed his arms as he looked down at the floor in thought. “If Anders hadn't lost his magic, he would probably be able to help,” he muttered. There wasn't any other magical power that he could think of to help the unicorns learn to control their world's magic. He doubted that Morrigan's ring would be able to help, only having a basic enchantment to it. Anders' staff would have been a possible choice, but sadly, it was broken in the forest.

Sensing the human's growing concern, Celestia smiled softly and said, “It is only a matter of time, there is no need to worry.”

“I suppose you're right, princess,” the Warden returned, gaining little in reassurance from it however.

Just then, the door to the chamber opened to a guard carrying a scroll in his mouth. His attention fully on the princess, the guard ignored the visiting human and brought the scroll to Celestia. “Here is the letter you wanted, Princess Celestia,” the guard said, standing at attention as he placed the rolled up piece of paper on the table.

With a simple nod, Celestia said, “Thank you, you may leave now.” Heeding the princess' words, the guard bowed his head for a moment and immediately left the room, not even glancing toward the Warden.

The commander barely noticed it however as he watched the princess unfurl the scroll and read what was written. As her eyes ran from left to right, reading each line that was written, her face showed concern and worry. “Oh dear,” she murmured offhandedly, seemingly forgetting that the Warden was in the room with her.

“Is something wrong?” the commander asked, realizing that it had to be important for the princess to react in such a way.

Celestia's gaze looked up to the Warden for a moment before she set the note down on the table. “Hopefully not,” she replied, taking a another piece of paper at the far end of the table to examine. “There seems to be a bit of trouble in Hoofington however. Some time ago, there was a report stating sightings of some kind of monster just outside of town.”

Unsure as to why, the Warden-Commander's breath was caught in his throat. Just the simple description made a strike in the back of his mind, filling his heart with a sudden sense of dread. “A... monster?” he questioned aloud.

“Yes,” the princess replied. “At first, we thought nothing of it. Ponies can... overreact at times and it wouldn't be the first time such a sighting was proven false.” A small sigh left her as she continued. “But, we had not received any other word from Hoofington since then. A small group of guards were sent there to investigate, just to make sure. They were supposed to report back the other day but haven't. I do not wish to assume the worst, but I will need to send more guards to see what has been going on.”

Growing steadily more worried the more he thought about it, an idea came to the commander that forced him to speak it. “Why not send us instead?” he requested, gaining a look of surprise from the princess.

“Send you?” she repeated.

The Warden-Commander nodded. “Please, princess,” he said, his concern showing in both his expression and tone. “Me and my Wardens are more than capable of handling any kind of monster. And not to sound rude, but I'm certain we are more qualified than your guards.”

A short pause was all that was needed for Celestia to think on the request. “If you truly wish to help,” she replied, “then you have my thanks. Tomorrow, I will have a chariot sent to Ponyville to take you to Hoffington. Go there and locate the guards as well as whatever it is that is causing this disturbance.”

“Without fail,” the Warden, acknowledged. With a gesture of farewell, the commander turned to let the princess be. Before he was able to leave however, Celestia's sudden voice caused him to stop.

“Before you leave,” the princess said. “I would like for you take Twilight with you to Hoofington.”

“T-Twilight?” the commander asked. As he questioned it, he could feel the princess' gaze locked on him. Her eyes stayed with his for several moments before they lowered slightly. It quickly made the Warden uncomfortable, though the princess seemed to look at it, it wasn't directly.

“Yes,” the princess then said. “I have no doubt that she will be able to assist you with whatever is happening in Hoofington.”

A small sigh escaped the Warden, as subtly as he could to avoid the royal equine from noticing. “As you wish, princess,” he said with resigned weariness, having no choice but to respect her decision.

“One more thing as well,” Celestia quickly said, before the human had chance to try and leave. “After you have returned, I would like to ask that you speak with Alistair and have him visit the castle himself. There are several important matters that I wish to discuss with him.”

Giving a firm nod and respectful bow, the Warden-Commander turned and left the chamber, muttering to himself, “”Alistair?'” in confusion. Shrugging away the princesses choice of title, or lack thereof, the commander simply kept his gaze forward as he thought on what he had learned.

The commander could only hope that the supposed monster was nothing of the sort, perhaps paranoid ponies seeing things. The wrenching feeling in his gut made it difficult to put hope into the idea however. There was also a grand amount of dread from Celestia's decision to have Twilight go with them, having wanted to avoid such interaction. He especially didn't like how the princess had looked at him, as though she were reading his mind or something.

Had the Warden followed the princess's gaze however, he would have seen where it had landed. He would have seen that she was eying his neck, more specifically, the pendent that was hanging from it.

Awkward Tension

“Wait, we're doing what now?” Alistair asked, staring at the Warden-Commander as he was told the Warden's plan.

“Seeing what's happening in Hoofington,” the commander replied, leaning against one of the many trees in their camp. “Whether it's a monster or just a misunderstanding. The princess will send a ride for us tomorrow.”

Alistair nodded his head slowly, showing his understanding. “Okay...” he murmured. “And why exactly is this our problem? I mean, do we really want to get involved in their own affairs?”

There was a slight hesitation in the commander as he sighed and looked his friend in the eyes. “I wouldn't volunteer for this if it wasn't important,” he said firmly. “Don't.... just don't ask me why, but I need to see this monster for myself, if it even exists. I'm asking you to come with me, Anders is still deadweight, Shale wouldn't even fit in the chariot, and I have a much less likely chance of getting an ax to the back with you rather than Oghren.”

Though Alistair was still wary of getting entwined with problems that weren't his own, the king wasn't dull enough to not notice that there was something more complex than what the commander was telling him. But the look on the Warden's face showed that he probably didn't know everything himself either. “Alright, fine,” he replied. “We'll face this so called monster together.” His eyes trailed down to his friend's chest, seeing a spot of white bandage appearing near the collar. “You sure you can handle it though?”

Moving his right arm around as a test, the commander ignored the stiffness in his aching muscles, looked to his fellow Grey Warden and smiled, saying, “Of course. Wounds are practically gone. I'll be able to handle whatever beasty happens to get in our way.” Almost forgetting it, the commander was quick to add what else the king needed to know. “Also, when we've sorted out this monster business, you need to go back to Canterlot and tell Princess Celestia what happened.”

Alistair blinked forcibly at what the commander said. “Wait... why me?” he quickly asked, his voice holding a tinge of fear in it.

“She asked to speak to you,” the commander said with a shrug, still not wanting to know the full reason. However, it was clear that the sudden idea was horror to the Warden-King, making the commander sigh crossly and add, “Look, I don't know what's going on between you two, I really don't care. I don't care if you accidentally insulted her or if you took a saddle and tried to break her as your mount.” There was a noticeable cringe in Alistair's expression. “What you need to remember is that not only is she the ruler of this land, she's also one of the most powerful creatures in it, she can force you to see her. And I really don't need to mention that she has our only chance of returning to Ferelden.”

A grimace forced itself across the king's lips as he sullenly murmured, “I guess you're right.” He sounded as though he had just been strong-armed into submission.

“Good,” the Warden returned. There was a long pause as he slowly worked himself up to say the last thing that needed to be said. “Now, if you'd be so kind, you need to go see Twilight and tell her what we're doing. She's supposed to come with us to see this monster and I need you to collect my armor, be better if we wore ours just in case.”

Folding his arms, Alistair looked at the commander skeptically. “Why do I have to do it? It's your armor, and I'm not the one getting invitations to sleep in comfortable beds instead of the dirt.”

Another sigh left the commander as he began to stare at the ground dejectedly. “Just do it, alright? Listen to your commander for once.”

“Excuse me?” Alistair scoffed. “You might be the Commander of the Grey, but I'm the King of Ferelden. You have to listen to me.”

The Warden merely shrugged as he eyed his friend with a smirk. “It's never stopped you from following my orders before. Besides, you've said it yourself that you have no power here, while I'm still your commander, king or not.” He pointed off in the direction of the library. “So go see Twilight, that's an order.”

There was a momentary lapse in the Warden-King's expression, a look of defiance that quickly fizzled out as he realized that the commander was right. Giving a glare in response, Alistair turned toward the library and headed off, saying, “I'll remember this when we get back home. Lock you up in the dungeon for a week or two.”

Laughing slightly, the Warden shot back, “I broke us out last time, remember?”

The next day, after the two Grey Wardens were well rested, they donned their armor and prepared themselves for whatever was waiting for them.

Going to the library to find their third companion, the commander and Alistair were both surprised at what they saw waiting for them. A large golden chariot sat nearby, sparkling in the sunlight. It looked as though it had been carved from solid gold, from the wheels to the cushioned seat they were meant to sit on. At the very front of it, two pegasi guards were strapped down like beasts of burden, each waiting with a stoic stillness that made them look more like white-coated statues more than anything.

Twilight was already inside the chariot when the Wardens arrived. Hearing their approach, the scholar's eyes slowly drifted toward them with no motion of alertness. Almost immediately, as her eyes fell on them, she averted her gaze to look forward, becoming just as still as the guards pulling the chariot.

“Celestia certainly knows how to travel,” Alistair said with a laugh. Looking down at the side of the chariot, he could almost see his reflection staring back at him through the golden surface. “Shall we get going then? I like to get my monster slaying done early.”

Twilight barely responded, giving little but a nod of her head. The two Grey Wardens took it as their cue to hop aboard. Taking the center seat as the commander sat down on his right, Alistair noticed the lack of an actual seating. Just a simple soft layer of cushion set down on the floor of the chariot, forcing them to sit cross-legged. They were again reminded of the difference in postures that their two species had.

Seeing that everyone was situated, the two guards unfurled their wings, took a short running start, and took off into the air. Just as the pegasi were flying in the air, so too were the three passengers on the chariot as it hovered just behind them.

Alistair's eyes were wide as his hands instinctively clamped down on the chariot's front, his head jerking from side to side as the ground became a distant memory. “By the Maker,” he breathed, “we're flying!”

“Fastest way to travel, Sir,” said one of the guards. “We'll be in Hoofington in no time.”

Excitedly, the Warden-King's gaze darted in all directions as he saw the scenery from an aerial view for the first time. A large portion of the ground was covered in dark greens from the Everfree forest, stretching on as far as the eye could see. “This is amazing,” he said with a childlike wonderment. He could feel the wind in his hair, see the vastness of the open sky ahead of him, grasp at the complete freedom that only being so far away from land could bring.

As the king became used to his gravity defying state, he became more relaxed as he rested against the back of the chariot and enjoyed the unique view he was given. It was what allowed him to take notice to his fellow passengers, how their own moods differed so greatly from his own. Twilight at his left and the commander at his right both looked as though they were trying to imitate Shale on any given day. Their gazes simply looked out in opposite directions as they said not a word, making little sound save for that of their own breathing.

It didn't take Alistair very long to feel a powerful tension in the air, almost thick enough to make him choke on it. The king could barely comprehend what was happening in front of him, only feeling awkward for now realizing he was stuck in the middle of it, literally.

“So...” Alistair muttered, attempting to start a conversation. “Do we have any idea of what kind of monster we're dealing with here? Not another golem eating bear I hope... heh...” Neither Twilight nor the commander responded, acting as though Alistair wasn't even there.

Realizing there would be little in the way of talking, Alistair kept silent as they continued to sail through the air, his curious mind wondering if he had missed something.

In only a few hours, the golden chariot began to descend. The three passengers looked down below them to see a skyward view of a small town. It was obvious enough to them all that the simple place was Hoofington, looking only half the size of Ponyville with very little in regards to structures that stood out.

There wasn't even a drop of sweat on the brows of the pegasi guards as they landed just on the outskirts of the town, not looking the least bit exhausted after their trip. However, there was a subtle sigh of relief as the two humans and mare jumped down onto the solid ground.

They all looked at their surroundings, each having never seen the area before. The structures in Hoofington were what stood out the most, made mostly of stone walls and wooden roofs, unlike the simple straw rooftops that Ponyville had. It reminded the humans of buildings in their own land, holding similarities in appearance. Similar to Ponyville however, there were no roads or walkways, leaving an open, grassy area for the ponies to trot across.

Another similarity to Ponyville was the vicinity it had to the Everfree forest. Hoofington was just above the northern border of the forest, looking just as dark and foreboding as it did anywhere else. They could only assume that it had its own fair share of stories of beasts to scare them into keeping their distance.

To the two Grey Wardens, the small town was vaguely reminiscent to the village they had been to just before they were sent to Equestria. One grand detail about it was what clued them in quickly to it, the town looked deserted.

“Where are all the ponies?” Alistair questioned, looking into the empty streets of the abandoned land. The houses looked just as dark and empty, with windows blocked by locked shutters and no light coming from any of them.

“Maybe there really is a monster,” Twilight murmured, worry showing clearly on her face.

The Warden-Commander turned to the two guards, each looking about the area for themselves, small signs of fear showing in their expressions. “Are you two here to help too?” he asked, guessing that their elevated views could be of use.

The guards both looked to one another uneasily for a moment before one of them said, “Uh... we usually just pull ponies from place to place. We don't know anything about fighting monsters...”

Deadpanning, the Warden sighed as he silently muttered, “Of course not.”

Alistair then turned to Twilight and the commander and said, “Well, if we're going to find out what's going on, then we better get to it. Let's look around and see if we can find any sort of clue about this monster or the missing guards.”

A huff left the commander as he crossed his arms. “Knowing our luck, the monster is most likely to find us first,” he responded.

“True,” Alistair said. “Which is why we need to be cautious. Just look for answers and if you find whatever it is that's out there, don't fight it alone.”

“Let's just get this over with,” the Warden said gruffly, moving ahead into the the town as the others watched. Alistair couldn't help but frown while Twilight's face showed only sadness.

It was hard to find any shred of a clue as to what they were looking for. Alistair searched and searched the town to the best of his ability, but there was no other sign of a disturbance other than the inactivity of the ponies living there.

With nothing to find outside and as it appeared that there wasn't a living soul around, the Warden-King approached the first home he found. With a polite stance, he lightly knocked on the door, hoping that someone was inside to hear. To his surprise, as soon as the first knock sounded, there was a muffled shriek coming from inside. It took a moment for him to realize it, but someone was certainly in the home.

“Is anyone there?” Alistair called, knocking on the door again. “I just want to find out what's going on. I'm here to help.” There was no answer. Though it seemed impossible, the house seemed to become even more quiet, as though still from a frightened tension.

Whoever was inside certainly wasn't coming out. Alistair thought on the reasons for not even answering him, unable to figure it out. Even if there had been a monster, he was sure they would be happy to have the prospect of help. It wasn't as though they could think he was a monster. It wasn't as though he looked like a monster and, as far as he knew, monsters couldn't talk.

Unlike Alistair and Twilight, the commander's first idea was to check the area outside of town, to look into the Everfree forest. He kept his wits sharp and a cautious hand on the hilt of his sheathed blade as he slowly made his way deeper in the forest. It only seemed reasonable that whatever it was they were looking for resided in the forest. Darting back and forth, his eyes searched for any out of place sign that would show where such a vicious creature had been.

Just like the last time he had been in the forest, everything was silent and still. There were no animals scurrying about or birdsong whistling through the trees. It all seemed too easy to immediately think that it was the cause of changelings however. There wasn't a single moment where he felt like he was being watched like before, he truly felt alone in the shadow forest. The only thing else he could feel was a headache he couldn't explain, a small pulse of pain in his skull that got on his nerves more than anything. But as he continued to search the forest, he gasped as he finally found something.

Deeper within the forest, the trees showed clear signs of misuse. Large cuts were made into the thick trunks, slicing in deep with little care for the tree's well being. They didn't appear to be like the claw marks of any creature he had ever seen. The cuts were far too clean and always came in sets of one, unless there were creatures that had singular claws that he didn't know of. Several trees had even been cut down, fragments of broken bark and wood lying about between the stump and the base of each fallen tree. It took several moments for the commander to realize that they were forming a path, leading straight into a small cave nestled in the side of a rocky cliff base.

The commander's steps slowed and he unsheathed his blade, holding it out defensively as he approached the mouth of the cave. Being no fool, he was aware that approaching the home of any kind of beast, monster or not, would be met with furious retribution if they were nearby.

Not letting his guard down in the slightest, the Warden peered into the cave and searched for any signs of movement. As he saw nothing leaping out after him, it was easier for him to begin looking around. The first peculiar thing he noticed was just outside at the cave entrance, the rocky earth was blackened and scorched, as though a fire had been there. It was odd, but the commander wasn't about to jump to any conclusions. His own world had dragons who could create their own fire, who was he to assume that Equestria didn't have others. But even as he tried to tell his own mind what he wanted to think, as he turned to look deeper in the cave, all he could do was look on in horror at the scene he saw.

At the far end of the small cave, nearly a dozen bodies were strewn about on the ground, as carelessly as one might discard clothing. They were all ponies, many of them wearing the golden armor of a royal guard.

The commander's stared at the horrific scene, feeling a sharp pain in his chest at the sight of such a senseless massacre of innocents. Several of the guards were brutally wounded, missing portions of their limbs or sliced open so deeply that he could see exposed bone and innards, leaving pools of dried blood to stain the cave floor. He could barely breathe as many of them were already decaying, the acrid stench in the cave making it hard for him to breathe. To add to his compounding vision of horror and disgust, the commander was shocked as he realized what had killed most of them.

The guards were all unicorns, making the Warden remember that they were the most plentiful back at the castle. Their helms had been ripped from their heads, showing a wound that nothing in Equestria could make.

Every one of them looked the same, their eyes rolled back into their skulls, each wearing a marking on their foreheads. It was below the base of their horns, a dark symbol of a sunburst looking as though it had been burned into their flesh. Veins colored in an unnatural blue were shown visibly around it, looking all the more ghastly.

Staring at them, seeing the markings on their faces, made the Warden's thoughts race. Suddenly, his entire body shuddered, feeling a sharp pang of dread in his heart as he realized something. “Twilight,” he breathed, before bolting out of the cave, fear and desperation propelling him forward as he ran back to town in search of his companions.

Twilight slowly trotted through the town, her gaze looking this way and that for any sign of trouble. Other than the lack of ponies however, the young scholar couldn't see anything that marred an otherwise peaceful visit. Then again, even as she did her best to try and find clues to what was going on, her best was lessened greatly by her current halfhearted demeanor. Her saddened gaze and inverted smile of an expression were plain to see, if there was anyone around to see it.

Though the reasons for her current mood were obvious, the unicorn spent little to no time thinking on it. Using the current monster hunt as an excuse, she pushed away her thoughts on her current company, as well as past events having to do with them.

Perhaps if her spirits had been higher, her mood a beaming joy to match that of Pinkie Pie's, she would have been aware of the chilling sensation of eyes on her all the sooner. Perhaps if her senses were as sharpened as the warriors who were accompanying her, she would already have been aware of the approaching presence while it was still a distance away. But it wasn't until she heard the abrupt step right behind her that she took notice to it, her entire spine freezing as her heart pounded with fear. Twilight barely had a moment to turn around and jump back as she narrowly evaded the sharp swipe aimed for her, almost having her head cut off.

Eyes widened with terror, Twilight could see pieces of her mane falling down to the ground in front of her, telling her just how close of a call she had. Looking up at the menacing presence in front of her, the mare was gripped with stunned shock as her eyes laid upon a human standing before her.

The human's eyes were wild, his pupils only existing as small dots in an otherwise sea of white nothingness and red veins. His short, greying hair was matted and filthy, matching the filth that coated the cracked and dented armor he wore, bearing an insignia of a sword on the breastplate. Only small tatters of robes he once wore around his waist were still clinging to him. In his hands, a shield that was just as damaged as his armor, and a sword, the grey steel stained with dried blood.

“You-you're a human,” Twilight said, slowly backing away from the crazed creature. “You need to listen. I know your friends and can take you to them, they're all here in Equestria.”

The human didn't seem to listen, all he did was stare at the unicorn with an unbridled fury, his haggard breath being the only sound he created. “You will fall, demonic creature!” the human bellowed, gripping his sword even tighter as he charged at the mare.

Twilight gasped as she saw the sharp blade swinging down on her. With quick thinking, her horn sparked with a magical glow just before a bubble of a shield expanded around her. As the human brought his blade down on the pony, it struck the shield instead, only causing the surface of it to ripple on the impact.

Seeing his attack to have failed seemed to only send the human into more of a rage. Crying out furiously, he viciously hacked at the shield wildly. Though the shield was strong, every impact made it that much weaker, making it more difficult for Twilight to keep it strong.

Just as the human was preparing another barrage of attacks, Twilight used her levitation to lift him into the air and throw him into the side of a nearby building. The human struck it hard, grunting in pain as he dropped his arms and fell to the ground, collapsing onto his hands and knees.

Looking as though the fight was out of him, Twilight removed her shield and cautiously approached him, keeping her distance in case she needed to throw him again. But with movements as quick as lightning, the human grabbed his sword and plunged it into the ground.

A bright circle of blue and white flames erupted out of the ground around the human, expanding outward like a wave. Twilight was unable to get away in time as the flames washed over her, her mind already preparing for the unimaginable pain of her flesh burning. Surprise caught to her quickly as the pain never came, to her astonishment, she felt no different once the flames had died down.

Despite her momentary relief however, the human stood up, maddened face twisted into a savage look of triumph. Slowly, he approached her, blade still in hand. Twilight's own eyes narrowed with determination, ready to smash the human against the wall if she had to. But as she prepared to do just that, terror was felt by her as she realized she couldn't.

Panic surged through her entire body as she tried desperately to perform a spell. Nothing happened as she found herself unable to think properly. Her thoughts raced at an unintelligible rate inside her head. The unicorn could barely think straight, let alone concentrate enough to use a spell. All that came from her were dim sparks of feeble magical power, not even the simplest of levitation spells could be grasped by her as her vision became encompassed by the human looming over her.

Tossing his sword aside, the human instead grabbed Twilight by the neck. The lavender-coated mare tried to run, kicking out desperately to get away, but the human's physical strength far outmatched her own, managing to hold her in place with little effort. Her eyes were as wide as they could be as she felt his grip tightening and his lips becoming crooked into a hideous grin.

“I will cleanse you of your sinful curse,” he said, holding up his other hand to dangle over her face. Wrapped around his finger, Twilight could see a ring made of a glowing, crystalline rock that held shifting shades of blue. A sunburst symbol was formed into the ring itself. Even in her current state, the unicorn could feel a powerful magical energy pulsing from it, made even more clear as it was brought closer to her.

Still fighting back, Twilight struggled in vain as the human's hand was brought closer to her. She could feel her skin burn just from the close proximity of the ring. Her frantic thrashing soon stopped as her body seized up, frozen with a crippling fear that she had never felt before.

Two cries then filled the air, one of anger and the other of pain. It barely registered to Twilight as the human holding her down was no longer there, or when another human quickly took his place. It took several moments for her to recognize the black-haired human looking at her with a worry, to hear his voice frantically calling her name.

“Twilight...? Twilight? Are you alright?” the commander said hastily, his hand running across her forehead for any sign of any mark. Not seeing anything, the Warden carefully left the unicorn's side, his gaze burning as he glared down at the human lying on the ground a few feet away.

Slowly standing up, the crazed human clutched at his side, droplets of blood pouring from between his fingers. A large portion of the lower half of his breastplate had been shattered, leaving behind a stinging wound were the commander's blade had connected, having such a force that easily threw him off of the unicorn. It wasn't fatally deep, his armor had helped to that, but blood still poured out of it like small rivers.

“Corvick!” the Warden bellowed, stomping toward the human as he attempted to stand. “You murderous templar bastard!” With a swift kick, his armor-clad boot struck the templar square in the face, throwing him back to the ground and allowing the commander to pin him down.

Sitting on top of the Knight-Captain, the commander forced his head against the ground with one hand while he brought his other fist down on him. Again and again the Warden punched Corvick as hard as he could, not stopping even as he heard the cracking break of his nose, or seeing his grey hair turning crimson.

The Warden-Commander was far too furious to notice, the templar's hand reaching out, grasping his discarded sword and swinging it up to smash into the commander's side. Though the blade wasn't able to pierce his armor, the blow twisted the Warden's face in pain as he felt the impact of it shudder through his wounded chest.

Corvick managed to throw the Grey Warden off of him with ease, wiping the blood off of his face without a care as he grasped at his sword and shield, spitting out globs of blood onto the ground. Recovering from the strike, the commander grabbed his own blade, holding it out threateningly.

“I will cut down every last demon, every abomination here without fail!” Corvick shouted in madness. “This land will be purged of the corrupting nature of magic! Those who use it, and those who dare fall prey to its influence will all fall to the Maker's might!”

“Listen to yourself, you fool!” the commander retorted angrily. “We're not in Thedas, the Maker holds no power over here! There are no demons or abominations, just innocent creatures you've been slaughtering!”

“Lies!” the captain cried out, holding his sword up as he charged forward. The commander blocked the sudden swing with ease, holding his sword upward as the loud clang of metal against metal sounded off. To his surprise however, he felt his knees tremble under the force of the attack, far more than he had expected.

Corvick swung again, with a greater speed this time that the Warden barely managed to block. Countering, the commander's sword swung outward and smashed against the templar's shield, being stopped on the spot as it made contact.

Again and again they made their attacks, fighting off one another while the air was filled with their blocked assaults. Despite his wounds, Corvick continued to fight, his strength never faltering. It was a great surprise to the commander, to see the old templar fighting on. It made no sense to him, the old man was outmatched by any means he could think of. The commander was his better in every way, in both ability, strength and youth. Yet, Corvick's swings were powerful, far stronger than a man of his age and skill should form. More surprises came as the Knight-Captain's shield swung upward without warning, striking into the commander's wounded shoulder. A gasp of pain left him as he fell backward, losing his grip on his sword as he collapsed onto the ground.

Corvick stood over the fallen Warden, swinging his blade down one last time. There was the loud echo of metal clanging against metal as Corvick's sword was stopped, blocked by another sword grasped in Alistair's hand.

“About time you show up,” the commander muttered, picking himself up and holding his sword steady.

The Warden-King scoffed as he eyed his friend, saying, “I would have figured that my Commander of the Grey could handle himself.”

Breaking away from Corvick, both Grey Wardens stepped back, their blades at the ready for further conflict. The templar's head jerked between the both, his wild eyes never blinking as they darted to them. But Alistair saw no need for further combat, his gaze narrowing as he looked at the templar.

“Stop this now, Corvick!” Alistair demanded. “As your king, I command you to drop your sword and surrender!”

The Knight-Captain stared at Alistair for the longest time, staring at him as though he were looking at a demon giving him orders. As his eyes fell to the bloodied blade in his hand, he softly murmured, “The king... fallen under the sway of mages, now their puppet...” There was a moment where he almost appeared confused, looking around the area as though he wasn't aware of what was happening. “But... maybe... could be wrong... maybe I am... No! No, you are right! I shall not give in to the corruption! Not like the others!” Brandishing his sword, he aimed it toward Alistair as he continued to rant. “I am the hand of the Maker! It is through me that his will is done! This world will be cleansed of magic, to be freed of its evil!”

Again Corvick attacked, lunging at Alistair with an anger burning brightly inside of him. It was all the king could do to stave off the attack, now feeling the powerful fury that was inside of the mad templar. The commander joined in the fight without a moment of hesitation, swinging his massive blade at Corvick as the templar managed to deflect the blow with his own weapon.

Even against two opponents, the aged templar managed to fend them off, using his sword and shield to their fullest as he blocked their attacks and swung his own. Even as the commander could feel his strength waning, his previous injuries sapping him of his energy far quicker than he wanted, he could see Corvick still had power in him to spare.

Realizing that with whatever was keeping the templar going, they would soon fall to their own exhaustion. With nothing else to think of, the Warden-Commander disengaged from the fighting and stepped back. As Alistair fought Corvick alone, the Warden gripped his sword tightly with both hands. Steadying his mind and preparing his muscles, he raised his sword up high and charged forward.

The Knight-Captain saw the attack coming easily, already preparing to bring his blade up to block it. As the commander brought his sword down, using the last vestiges of his strength in the swing, there was only a moment of resistance as the blade struck Corvick's sword and shattered it in two under the might of his own superior weapon.

As Corvick became stunned at the loss of his sword, it was easy for Alistair as he swung his own blade outward, slashing his arm and forcing him to drop his shield from the pain. With nothing left to use in his defense, the templar was easy to defeat as Alistair continued his attack, swinging his large shield forward and smashing it across his face. The tremendous force threw the templar off of his feet and onto the ground in a powerful thud. His body laid there, unmoving save for the blood that dripped from his wounds.

The weight of his sword seemingly tripling in moments, the Warden-Commander sheathed the long blade as he could no longer hold it. Both Alistair and the commander panted heavily as they recovered, their aching muscles screaming at them for their overuse.

“What... what happened to him?” the Warden asked, aiming the question to the only other templar in the area. All he could think about was the crazed look in his eyes, like he wasn't even human any more.

Alistair merely looked down at the unconscious Corvick for a moment, looking away quickly as he shrugged his shoulders. “I don't know...” he murmured. “Lyrium withdrawal would be my best guess. They give you less and less as you get older, preparing you for when you finally retire as a templar. Would explain his strength too, I suppose, body tries to make up for it with adrenaline. Saw it happen to one guy... my first year under templar training, completely lost it. Took half a dozen people to restrain him. Really makes me glad I got out before they started feeding me that poison.”

With a shake of his head, the commander turned to Twilight who had watched the ordeal, making sure to kick the downed templar for good measure before he approached her. “Are you alright?” he asked, looking concerned until her eyes slowly focused on him.

“I... I don't know,” she murmured, looking around in her disorientation. “M-my magic... I can't use....”

Eyeing the mare himself, Alistair replied reassuringly, “Don't worry. Corvick's a templar. He can disorient mages with this fancy technique of his. Make it near impossible for them to shoot magic with a fogged up head.” He scratched his chin in thought. “Shouldn't last so long though... might be due to our different worlds, dunno.” Looking back down at Corvick, the king's eyes became drawn to the glowing ring he wore. Slipping it off of the templar's finger, the king examined it, disbelief evident on his face. “This can't... this can't be what I think it is.”

Catching his friend's shock, the Warden allowed Twilight to recover in peace and stood by his side as he too examined the ring, seeing the crystalline rock pulse with magical power. “That's lyrium stone,” he murmured in astonishment.

Alistair's eyes were glued to the sunburst symbol on the surface of the ring. Though he held it in his hand, he still couldn't believe that it existed. “Why... why would he have such a thing?”

Folding his arms, the Warden couldn't help but direct an expression of contempt at the unconscious Corvick. “Anders said he wore a Tranquil brand to use on mages when he saw fit,” he replied.

“No...” Alistair breathed. “The Knight-Commander wouldn't allow something like this. The Rite of Tranquility is only used after he and the First Enchanter have deemed it necessary.”

“And yet here this is,” the commander said crossly, pointing at the brand. “Should I also show you the bodies of the ponies Corvick killed when using that thing on them?” The more the commander looked at the ring, the more he slowly gained a crazy notion. “Though maybe... we can use this.”

“Use it?” the Warden-King questioned.

The commander nodded. “Yeah,” he said. “The princess said that they're having trouble handling the magic from our world. With a little lyrium to help them, they might be able to recreate the Eluvian.” He reached out to grab the ring from Alistair's hand. “They just have to avoid direct contact with-” The moment his fingers touched the stone, the Warden-Commander recoiled back. Gasping in pain, he nearly fell to his knees as his hands shot up to clutch at his head, feeling a momentary sense of agony course through his skull.

“Whoa, are you alright?” Alistair said, moving to the Warden's side.

Wide-eyed and breathing heavily, the commander gave his head a quick nod as he said, “Y-yeah... yeah, just a little headache is all.” His eyes drifted toward the brand still in Alistair's grasp, looking at it with a new sense of caution.

A weary sigh escaped from the king as he looked around at the still deserted town, he was certain after the commotion they had just caused, it would be a while for the ponies to leave their homes. “Maker's breath,” he murmured sullenly. “We've really brought a lot of mess to this world. I don't know how I'm going to explain it to Celestia.” He then swallowed a lump in his throat, formed by the compounding fears of what was inevitably coming.

With the “monster” having been dealt with, there was still a great deal to be done. After the commander explained what he had found in Corvick's cave, the two Grey Wardens were able to locate their chariot and bring the two pegasi guards up to speed.

One of the guards quickly took off on his own, heading straight for Canterlot to deliver the news of what had happened. They would need a large number of helping hooves to deal with the situation caused by Corvick's actions. Alistair was prepared to wait for the coming guards, to help watch over the unconscious templar until he was dealt with. It was something that the king wasn't particularly fond of, but he knew that the princesses had every right to know of what happened, as well as their own hand in the whole mess.

Twilight was able to fully recover from what the templar had done to her, allowing for the commander and herself to leave with the remaining pegasus, who was all too happy to get out of Hoofington. Though their speed was much slower with a single guard pulling them through the skies, both the commander and Twilight were happy to be heading to Ponyville, wanting a chance to rest after their ordeal.

Sadly however, that did not make the trip back any more relaxing. Twilight and the commander both took up their exact same spots in the chariot, though things were considerably more silent and still now that Alistair was no longer a safe buffer between them, leaving only an empty space. Even the guard occasionally looked back toward them, sensing a growing tension himself.

There were only a few times when Twilight dared to allow her gaze to drift, to tentatively shift toward the commander. The action only last for a split-second, the mare almost becoming fearful of the idea of being caught stealing glances. But as she looked at the Warden, she noticed how distant he had become. Silently he sat there, holding an expression of deep thought as his gaze looked outward aimlessly, focusing on nohting at all. The last attempt the mare made to look at the Warden lasted longer than the previous ones, her gaze lingered as her eyes focused on his hand. To her surprise, she saw the Warden absentmindedly toying with the pendant he was still wearing, holding it between his fingers.

Understandings

Sitting down at the small table just outside Fluttershy's cottage, Anders watched as Ser Pounce-a-lot happily played with the small ball of yarn that the pegasus mare had gotten for him. The white-furred feline pawed and jumped at the small sphere, chasing after it as it rolled too far from him. Angel also joined in the merriment, the rabbit playfully taking the yarn as Ser Pounce-a-lot tried to reclaim it.

The sight brought a smile to the mage's face as he found himself enjoying yet another day within the colorful land that he as his companions were stranded in. A perfect shade of blue coated the sky with just the right amount of clouds hanging within it to give enough detail to the blank, blue surface. There was a cool breeze that flowed by, causing a rustle in the nearby tree leaves and helping to carry birds as they flew around the cottage, singing their melodious tunes. It was just one more perfect day out of the many he had been seeing.

However, it didn't take long for his thoughts to linger on his fellow Grey Wardens. Memories of his past encounters with them soon ran through his head, causing a slight frown develop in his expression.

“Is something wrong, Anders?” Fluttershy asked, sitting at the other end of the table and eying the human worriedly.

It surprised him at first, having not expected for the mare to notice his lowering mood so quickly. Then again, the more he thought about it, Anders could see where she got the skill. When tending to so many animals, none of which able to vocalize their problems, it seemed obvious enough that she would be able to tell if something is wrong with but a glance.

A reassuring smile came from the mage as he replied, “No, I'm fine. It's just... I don't know, things seem to be getting a bit strange around here lately.” His mind again wandered toward when he had last seen his commander, having been told what had happened in Hoofington.

“I heard you're closer to being able to go home,” Fluttershy remarked softly. Though she had been spared the more gory details about recent events, the timid pony wasn't completely out of the loop.

Anders gave a simple nod as he grimaced momentarily. Just the thought of what had happened, knowing that a templar was the cause of so much strife. It seemed like just another strike against them to the mage, again having to realize their impact on the world and his own life. The mage found some solace knowing that templars didn't exist in a peaceful land like Equestria though, he could only wish that it was like that in Ferelden.

Pushing his own personal thoughts away though, Anders gave a shrug as he returned to watching Angel and Ser Pounce-a-lot play. “I'm mostly concerned for the others,” he murmured. “Alistair's been acting like he's about to have a panic attack, hopefully his trip up at the castle loosens him up a bit. Our valiant Warden-Commander's been a tense mess for a while, seems like something's bothering him but he doesn't let any of us in on it. And Oghren... well, he's never liked a place unless you had a constant supply of drink and eye candy. Half the time I expect him to get stir crazy and light the town on fire to curb his baser instincts.” The mage rubbed his eyes as he heaved a much needed sigh. “I guess they're all just getting homesick, we've been gone for a while and I'm sure their absences have been noticed a long time ago.”

Fluttershy's head then lowered, her own simple smile lessening into a noticeable frown. “Oh,” she murmured, “I guess... you're eager to go home too...”

It took a moment for the mage to realize that the mare seemed to think he wasn't enjoying her company. The notion brought on a laugh from him, causing the yellow-coated pegasus to look up at him strangely. “Not really,” he said after his fit of amusement was ended. “To be honest, I doubt anyone in Ferelden is looking for me. I'm not the Commander of the Grey or King of Ferelden. Nor do I have a wife and kid waiting for me.”

“What about friends?” Fluttershy asked, looking at him with what could only be discerned as pity.

An aloof shrug came from the mage as his eyes turned back toward his feline companion. “Can't say there are many of those either. Most of the others are more... comrades I suppose. Didn't make any friends back at the tower either. Not many mages want to hang out with the guy who constantly gets in trouble with the templars. I don't blame them though, wouldn't be the first time a mage was guilty by association.”

The more Anders thought about it, the more he realized he didn't have anyone close in terms of a friend. Though he was friendly with several of the Wardens who had joined the commander along with himself when Amaranthine was in trouble, fighting talking darkspawn wasn't the sort of bonding activity that cemented them as best buddies. Anders had seen how Alistair and the commander acted toward one another, having known their history as they fought together against the Blight. It wasn't the kind of thing he had ever seen for himself. Save for the few cats in his life, he had little knowledge in the ways of true friendship.

Again Anders shrugged as he thought more in on it, playing it off as a simple matter. “I know the Grey Wardens are like a family to one another and all,” he continued, “but kinship only goes so far, and I doubt any of them in particular would miss me.”

“Oh,” the pegasus mare muttered, looking back down at the table in sadness, “I'm sorry for that...”

Anders himself wasn't able to look at her without gaining a wide smile, at least she seemed to care, if a little too much. “Don't worry about it,” he said reassuringly. “It just makes things that much more special when you do come across those who you can really bond with.” He looked the mare in the eyes, his smile growing by the second. “So for that, thank you, Fluttershy. I never would have thought that it would take me being thrown into a whole new world to meet someone I could call a friend.”

Fluttershy developed her own cheery smile, nodding her head as she showed that the feelings were mutual. It didn't take long for their quiet moment to end however, as Angel tossed the ball of yarn toward them, hitting the mage in the head with it.

Grabbing the ball and glaring down at the rabbit, the mage was taken by surprise as Ser Pounce-a-lot jumped straight for him, his eyes locked on the toy in his master's grip. Anders yelped in surprise as the furry feline crashed into his face, knocking him to the ground.

Lying there, he stared up at the sky as Ser Pounce-a-lot pawed at his hand, trying to get him to relinquish his hold on the prize. Angel Bunny merely stood over the human, looking as though he was laughing. Added to it however, the mage's ears picked up a soft giggling. Turning his head slightly, he caught sight of Fluttershy gazing down on him, holding a hoof to her mouth in an attempt to suppress her own bubbling amusement.

Just the sight of her enjoying his incident brought the mage into his own chuckling fit. And as he laid there, his laughter melding with that of Fluttershy's, a crazy idea slowly made it to his thoughts. Though, as their enjoyment continued, second by second, that idea seemed a little less crazy.

Even though the castle was missing a good amount of its usual denizens,having gone to Hoofington, the halls were bustling with passing ponies like a busy city. Much to Alistair's dismay, he was caught in the middle of it. A number of guards and official looking ponies surrounded him ever since he had arrived. They continuously asked him questions on what had occurred in the small town. It took some time, but Alistair managed to convey to them what had occurred, of Corvick's attacks as well as their idea to use his lyrium ring to help re-create the Eluvian.

It was easy to see that the king's explanation gained furious responses from the many ponies. Things almost seemed as though they would turn on him as well, for allowing the mad templar to be loose in Equestria. Thankfully however, they were able to see reason and not cast blame on anyone but the crazed human.

Corvick hadn't regained consciousness since both humans had arrived in Canterlot. It made things all the easier as he put in the dungeon, with a guard posted just outside his cell to keep watch. Alistair made it clear tthat he he himself was appalled by the templar's actions, telling the distrustful guards that he would allow any punishment they saw fit, or to have him face justice in their own world when they returned.

After what seemed like hours, the large number of ponies began to shrink until the Warden-King was left alone. A sigh of relief left him as his moment of peace was gladly taken. With Corvick taken care of for now and the lyrium ring having been handed to unicorn with instructions on its use, it seemed that Alistair's business was done.

As he stood alone in the chamber he had been left in, showing little purpose save assaulting people with questions, he twiddled his fingers as he tried to figure out what to do next. He had actually expected to be thrown in front of Princess Celestia, to tell her of what happened in person, but it seemed that the ponies he had talked to managed to fulfill that purpose for him. There was no doubt in his mind that the information had been relayed to the white-coated ruler, making him think that seeing her personally may not happen. To Alistair's own logic, he figured it would be easy enough for him to simply slip away back to Ponyville, avoiding any such face to face chat with the royal equine. He would be lying if he said he wasn't mentally crossing his fingers for the possibility.

Just as he was about to prepare his escape however, the doors to his small waiting chamber opened. The pounding heart in his chest lurched for a moment as he expected to see the sun princess step through. Instead, much to Alistair's surprise, the azure pony Luna stepped into the chamber.

The nightly princess' gaze immediately fell on the king, making him squirm on the spot uneasily. However, he did take notice to the fact that her expression didn't seem to be as abrasive as it usually appeared, a detail he was hoping was a positive note.

“Greetings, Alistair,” Luna said, her tone much more pleasant than the Grey Warden was expecting.

“Uh... hello, Princess Luna,” Alistair returned, unable to discern why she would have come.

There was a long pause between them as Luna kept her eyes focused on the human. They held no real intent to them, as far as Alistair was able to deduce, but seemed to gauge his current demeanor and reaction. As it seemed they would do nothing but look at each other in silence, the princess gestured toward the exit and said, “Would you walk with me?” Though she was making a request, Alistair knew he had little in the way of choice. Nodding to show his acceptance, he approached the princess and together, they slowly walked down the grand halls of the castle.

Though the castle hallways were filled with passing ponies when Alistair had first arrived, things seemed to have quiet down as their current location looked utterly deserted. There wasn't a single soul besides the two royal figures to be seen, giving them complete privacy as they made their way forward.
“Look, princess,” Alistair said, figuring out what she was most likely wanting to talk about. “I really am sorry for what happened in Hoofington. What Corvick did was irredeemable and I will make sure he faces justice when we return home, that is if you aren't planning something for him already.” It seemed like a long shot to assume that the peaceful land had much along the lines of punishment.

Again there was a silence as Luna said nothing right away. It appeared as though she was thinking what to say, something that made the king eye her curiously. “It is alright,” she finally said, her voice much more calm than one would expect. “I understand that this was through no fault of your own. And I do feel it would be appropriate if your fellow human was dealt with fairly in your own world, seeing as he belongs there.”

The princess' answer surprised the king, having expected Luna to go berserk over what had happened. “I promise he will get what he deserves,” he said determinedly.

As they continued to walk down the many hallways, each as empty as the last, their slow trek created another long silence between them both. This time, it appeared as though the princess of the night was questioning herself on something she wanted to say. Eventually however, she did manage to speak. “Alistair,” she murmured, “may I ask you something?”

“Of course,” the Warden-King answered, his curious mind wondering where this was going.

“What do you think of my sister and I?” Luna asked.

Alistair stared at the princess with a look of confusion, unable to tell the purpose of such a question. Not wanting to go back on his word however, he gave it a bit of thought before carefully saying, “Well... you're alright.” Luna continued to eye him with an expectant gaze, making the king realize he had more elaboration to do. “I mean, I have nothing against you or anything, heh. You have been a bit... moody around us, but I can understand you are just being careful. And after what Corvick has done, I can see why you might want to look at new creatures suspiciously. But I can always respect that you don't let being a princess keep you from acting the way you think you should.”

Again, Alistair silenced himself as he thought on his next response, digging into his own thoughts to bring out his answer. “As for Celestia,” he said, a small sigh escaping him as he frowned, “I just really feel sorry for her.”

“How so?” Luna asked, holding an inquiring gaze toward the human.

“Don't get me wrong,” Alistair explained, “she's wonderful. One of the kindest creatures I've ever met and a grand ruler to top it all off, but... I can tell there's so much more to it than that. Believe it or not, I'm the royal bastard who took the throne.” He paused for a moment, eying Luna for a reaction to his claim before continuing. “I grew up knowing I would never reach any kind of grand status, I never even wanted it. Then suddenly, I'm shoved into the throne because the rest of the royal blood is gone. When your land still has scars from a long war with its neighbors, and a Blight bearing down on you, you can imagine what it must have looked like for this nobody to appear out of nowhere and claim that he was of royal birth. Luckily, when I helped to end the Blight, it made people look up to me a bit more as a leader.” Another sigh left him as he began to rub his eyes. “Then, the real trouble began.”

Luna was attentive as Alistair explained it to her, his own experiences during his rule. “Never before had I felt so useless,” he said. “So many people looking up to me, having such grand expectations for my ability. It was such a crushing blow to realize that I was still the same man I was before. Being king changed nothing, and yet I was looked upon as infallible. No matter what I did, I always second guessed myself, questioned if my decisions were what were best for everyone. I had to behave like I was expected to, fearing that I could shatter the hope that the people had for me as their ruler, become something that I just wasn't. I can see the same thing when I look at Celestia.”

Remembering what had happened on the day that the Grey Wardens had managed to find one another again, Alistair could recall the sight of the princess during their royal banquet, after she had abruptly left the table and he went after her. “I've seen the way that your people look at the two of you,” the king continued. “Their reverence to you knowing no bounds. I can see how it effects Celestia, how she stunts her own emotions as to not disappoint those around her. She's a ruler first and a person second, giving simple smiles when she could be extraordinarily happy, or a frown when she really feels crippling sadness. With everyone looking at you in such a way, it must be torture for her to put aside her own needs and feelings for the good of everyone else.”

A weak smile made it to his face as he said, “I feel lucky with my own situation, having made wonderful friends and companions before I was given my power. They've helped me get through the more troubling aspects of being king. But I think Celestia feels much more alone. I've seen how close she is to Twilight, her own student, yet she still looks at the princess with the same higher standard.” His eyes locked onto Luna's for a moment. “I'm sure you even look up to her too, your older sibling who could do no wrong. It makes me think that no one really knows what she's like, as the pony she is, not the princess her title says she should be. With so much weight she has to carry from day to day, it must be hard on her.”

There was a subtle sniffling sound that came from the dark princess, a soft smile expanding on her lips as her eyes glistened. It look as though she was about to cry. But no tears fell, instead, her smile only grew. “It's been so long,” she whispered silently, “so long since anyone has ever been able to understand...” Before Alistair could even register the princess' actions, he was taken by surprise as she leaned forward and lovingly kissed him on the cheek. “Thank you.”

Then suddenly, her entire body was encompassed in a bright light. Luna grew noticeably taller, her azure body shifted to a pure white, and her twinkling, star studded mane became a flowing mixture of vibrant colors.

Alistair stumbled backward, falling down as his backside struck the floor. “C-Celestia?!” he blurted out, gaping at the princess now standing before him.

An amused expression developed on the sun princess' face as she looked down on the human. “I was able to tell you were trying to avoid me,” Celestia explained. “So a change in form was necessary for us to talk. Though I've realized my inability to impersonate my sister well, it seemed to have worked nonetheless.”

All Alistair could do was stare at the equine ruler with shock, his mouth opening and closing like a fish's as words failed him. Eventually however, his ability at speech returned to him, making him no more intelligible. “L-look, about-about what happened that night,” he stammered out in his horror, “I-I-I swear it was-”

Celestia raised a hoof in the air, indicating a need for silence. The blabbering king's mouth clamped shut tightly, as quickly as one of her own loyal subjects. “Oh, Alistair,” she said through a melodious giggle, “I always knew what had happened was a simple accident, and I understand completely.”

“R-really?” the king questioned, slowly picking himself up off of the floor.

“Of course,” Celestia replied reassuringly. “I was never upset at you for what happened.” With an ever growing smile, she brought her head closer toward the king's, her lips almost tickling his ears as her voice lowered to a soft whisper. “Only a little disappointed that things had such an abrupt ending.”

With that, the smiling princess turned around and left, having other matters in the castle that required her attention. It left Alistair to simply stand there, wide-eyed as his face burned with a blindingly bright shade of red. A certain spot on his cheek burning even more intensely.

One's Self-Worth

As the Warden-Commander sat at his table silently, his eyes slowly drifted about the area, casually taking in the sights that surrounded him. Ponies sat at similar tables to his own, usually with others as they cheerfully chatted with one another, just far enough away as to not be overheard by anyone not trying to listen in. Several of them had plates set before them, some kind of pony-favored food placed atop it. One mare in particular was enjoying a sandwich that was nothing more than several dandelions between two slices of bread, making the commander's stomach churn.

Though the Warden wasn't fully aware of what a restaurant was, where he was currently resting, his best guess was that it was simply a tavern that didn't serve any kind of ale. Either way, it left him to simply nurse his cup of coffee as he allowed his gaze to wander. Occasionally his sightseeing was interrupted by the passing waiter, checking on him to see if he would like any kind of meal. He always turned them down though, unsure if he could stomach any kind of food. Eventually, his self-imposed solitude was once again broken, not by a passing waiter, but by a familiar face.

“This seat taken?” The commander looked forward to see Anders standing before him, a friendly smile on his face and a glass cup in his hand. With a simple move of his hand, he gestured for the mage to sit, which he immediately took.

While Anders situated himself at the table, the commander's eyes remained focused on what was in his hand. The glass was filled with a strange brown liquid, a fluffy foam bubbling at the top of it and a juicy cherry placed above it all. “What is that?” he asked in a flat tone, as Anders took a prolonged sip from it through a straw.

With a smack of his lips, Anders eyed the glass and said, “I think they call it a 'milkshake.' It's really sweet. Supposed to have milk, chocolate, ice and cream in it or something.” He stirred the straw around for a moment. “Haven't seen any ice in it yet, but I guess it's to keep it cold.” After taking another enjoyed sip, the mage plucked the cheery from the peak of the milkshake and twisted the stem off of it. Lowering his hand down toward his bag, Ser Pounce-a-lot's furry white head immediately popped out and the feline snatched the cherry within moments, disappearing back into his traveling home to nibble on the treat.

Both Grey Wardens sat there in silence for a time. The commander remained silently, doing little else but suckle away at his coffee while he eyed Anders, wondering what the mage was thinking. Anders simply looked about merrily as he drank his milkshake, oftentimes waving to a passing pony who would wave back in the friendliest of manners, even if they hadn't met one another before.

“Such a peaceful place, isn't it?” Anders murmured offhandedly. “You could never find such a calming sense of ease back home.”

“Perhaps,” the commander returned, looking about at the scenery for himself. “Even still, hopefully they'll be able to get the Eluvian remade soon. We can leave this world before we cause it any more trouble.”

“Before a templar causes it any more trouble,” Anders corrected. “As far as I've seen, the rest of us have only helped the people here.”

The commander shook his head. “It was still our doing that he was here,” he murmured. “And the longer we're here, the more of an impact our presence will make when we leave.”

With his own shake of his head, Anders said, “Us coming here was an accident, nothing more. Accident or not though, I won't say we were better off never coming here. I've come to see this world for what it is and enjoy my time here.” Absentmindedly looking down on his glass, he began swirling his straw through the rest of his shake. “And... I was thinking that that time didn't have to end. I was thinking about staying here... in Equestria.”

A small amount of coffee was immediately sucked into the commander's opposite tube, causing him to release a sputter cough as he stared at the mage in disbelief. “What?” he questioned in his bewilderment. “Anders, do you even know what you're saying? We don't belong here, none of us do.”

Crossing his arms, a spark of defiance flashed in Anders' eyes. “And who is to say that?” he retorted. “These ponies have been more than happy to allow us to stay. I'm sure they would take no issue if we made things more permanent.”

The commander rubbed his eyes as Anders tried to explain himself, still hardly able to believe what he was hearing. “And you'd give up everything you had in Ferelden?” he asked. “To never go back, to stay here as a powerless mage?”

It was Anders' own time to show mock-confusion, as though disbelieving what the commander was asking himself. “What is there for me in Ferelden?” he asked rhetorically. “I've no reason to need to return, I'm not the ruler of our land like Alistair.” The commander looked as though he was about to say something, to speak against the mage's claim, but Anders continued uninterrupted. “And what of my magic? I'd say it's a small price to pay to stay in such a wonderful land. A land that doesn't have bandits slaughtering innocent travelers for coin, or darkspawn biding their time underground, or even templars just waiting for a chance to execute me, Grey Warden or not.”

“Yes, you are a Grey Warden, Anders,” the commander said sternly. “You pledged yourself to the Wardens just as the rest of us did when you went through your joining. You can't just walk away from that.” His arm swung out, indicating the expansive town around them. “And what of these ponies? Sure they are friendly, but to abandon your own people?” Even as he made his points clear, the commander continued to speak, barely realizing his own words until they were out of his mouth. “How about such things as a relationship? It must be a lonely thing to find you're the only one of your kind.” The commander blinked as he said those final words, barely recognizing them as his own. They almost sounded like an excuse, like he was grasping at straws for some unknown reason.

Anders merely sat there, eying the commander closely for a moment before casually saying, “That seems a bit shallow, doesn't it?” As the commander matched the mage's previous investigating stare, Anders gave a simple shrug. “I mean, you wouldn't fault me for falling for an elf or dwarven gal, right? What makes one of these ponies any different? It's all about innermost feelings and that tripe, isn't it? I don't think a little difference in posture and body hair should change that.” He rubbed the back of his head as he smiled awkwardly. “Not that I'm saying my eye's been caught or anything... heh” A wry smirk stretched the corner of his mouth as he looked his commander in the eyes. “You're one to talk anyway. I've heard about you and that shape shifting witch. How wild the two of you were as you used her talents for... other purposes.”

The Warden-Commander's face flushed for a moment as he glared at the mage. “Now where did you hear a fool thing like that?” he asked, his tone sounding more like a demand than a question.

“Oghren,” Anders said breathlessly, chuckling uncontrollably.

A weary sigh escaped the Warden as he rubbed his eyes, silently muttering, “I'm going to strangle that dwarf.”

Wiping away a tear from his eye, Ander's sudden burst of amusement quickly died down. As soon as it did, the mage noticeably stone-faced, making the commander lock their gazes together with an iron-clad firmness. “In all seriousness here,” Anders said, his tone reflecting his hardened stance, “I have the utmost respect for the Grey Wardens and what those like you have done, but... do you really think we have any importance now?”

“Not important?” the commander questioned, not understanding him. “Of course we are, we protect the land from-”

“From what?” Anders stressed. “From what lowly amounts of darkspawn are lucky enough to escape to the surface on their own? The ones that can easily be handled by common soldiers? All our job now is to sit around and wait for another big black dragon to pop out of the ground for another Blight. I know we're all about vigilance and everything but come on, we've fulfilled our purpose.” He pointed a firm finger toward the commander. “You ended the last Blight, remarkably so I might add. I think you've more than earned the right to retire. Can we honestly expect that the next Blight will come in our lifetime? Or even the lifetime of our children?” A melancholy sigh left him as he continued to look the commander in the eye. “I think there's only one thing that we need to ask ourselves now. Does Ferelden really need us?”

The Warden-Commander said nothing, his eyes breaking away from Anders as they looked aimlessly away, lost in thought. The mage's words struck him deeply, that single question playing back in his mind at least a thousand times within the few seconds that silence fell between them. Anders could see that there wasn't going to be an answer from the Warden, not soon anyway.

“Anyway, it's my decision, not yours,” Anders said as he stood up from the table, abandoning what was left of his milkshake. “You might not have reason to want to be here, but I have no reason to go back. And maybe... maybe I've found reason to stay.” With nothing left to be said, Anders excused himself and left the commander alone with his thoughts.

As time began to pass, the Warden continued to simply sit there in silence, his mind already bursting with thoughts and questions, many of which he didn't know if he wanted answers to. Eventually, his unfinished coffee and Anders' milkshake were taken away, and more and more ponies around him began to leave as the blue sky slowly darkened.

While he continued to sit there in silence, all that he could manage to do was keep his gaze lowered as his thumb gingerly rubbed against his finger, feeling the loop of polished wood that was wrapped around it. It was difficult for him to realize how much time was passing in his own idleness, he barely even cared to realize it as his focus was lost on the simple action. Before long however, a surprise came to him as he realized where his other hand was, brought up to his neck to grasp at the pendent that hung from it.

The Warden's focus on his finger left him as he lifted the pendent up to his gaze, looking at symbol of the Commander of the Grey replicated so well, all for a simple gift that held such a strange meaning to it. A saddened sigh escaped the human as his thoughts drifted to a certain someone, and the more his thoughts lingered, the more Anders' last question plagued his mind.

“Come come now, Spike,” a feminine voice said. The commander was broken away from his mental silence as his eyes followed the source of the voice, seeing a white-coated unicorn trotting by. A bag filled with what looked like fabric was floating along with her as she continued forward.

Trailing just behind her, the small dragon Spike was carrying a tower of similar bags, filled with fabrics ribbons and spools of thread. The stack of supplies was easily taller than he was, making it difficult for the stubby-armed assistant to carry them well, causing him to lag behind the passing mare.

As though feeling the commander's gaze on her, Rarity's head turned toward the spectating human, her demeanor brightening slightly as she changed direction and headed toward him. “Oh my,” she said with delight. “It's wonderful to see you.” She paused for a moment as her eyes looked him up and down. “I must say, those clothes look much better on you than I thought. I'm so glad I was able to see you in them.”

Looking at his clothes himself, the Warden gave a weak chuckle and said, “Yeah... I guess I never got the chance to thank you for them.”

“No need to say a thing,” the unicorn replied firmly. “It was the least I could do after what happened with those changelings, I was just glad to know that everyone was alright.” Again her eyes drifted to the humans attire, her smile lowering slightly to a momentary frown. “Though... I do admit that they are a little big on you... But that was the best I could do with what measurements I managed to get. Twilight nearly threw me out of the library, thinking I was going to accidentally hurt you or something, she was doting over you something fierce.”

“It's fine, really,” the commander reassured. A struggled grown from Spike caused the human's gaze to drift toward him for a moment, seeing the dragon still having trouble with his large load. “Uh... are you going somewhere?”

Rarity looked at the single bag she was carrying, as though he was indicating that specifically. “Oh yes,” she answered. “I simply had to get a few things for a new order I'm working on. Me and Spike were just heading back home so I could get to work.”

“Ah,” the Warden muttered, still staring at the dragon. “Well, how about I help a little too? It's the least I could do for the clothes.” Without waiting for an answer, he took a good portion of what Spike was carrying, earning an agitated glare from the dragon in response.

“Alright then, thank you for the help,” Rarity said, before turning back onto her original path and leading her two helpers to her boutique. They made it there in no time at all. The alabaster mare then opened the door and began taking what the two assistants were carrying, levitating them into her home until they were both empty handed.

“That's it?” the commander asked, making sure there was nothing else she needed.

“No, that was all I needed,” Rarity answered, giving a big a smile to the Warden. “Thank you again for your help.” Her violet eyes then fell to Spike, who was grinning from ear to ear as she happily patted him on the head. “And thank you, Spikey Wikey.” She then turned back into her boutique, while Spike stared at her dreamily. As front door to the clothing store shut, the Warden eyed the purple dragon for sometime, causing him to look up at the human questioningly.

“What was that?” the commander asked, nodding toward Rarity's boutique.

The dragon quickly became sheepish as he looked around in a poor attempt to look innocent. “What was what?” he murmured, walking away from the building quickly.

Not about to let the infantile creature get away easily, the commander followed after him, saying, “You were staring at her like a child struck with his first crush.” Within that moment, he then realized his own words and a huff of amusement escaped him. “Oh... I see, you do have a little crush.”

Spike's eyes widened as as his cheeks shifted to a dull red, being surprisingly noticeable for having scales. For a moment, it looked as though the dragon was about to deny any such claim that the human could make. But he just huffed in agitation, folded his arms, and said, “Okay, yeah, I like her. So what?” The dragon's clawed hands clasped together, his eyes sparkling with wonderment. “She's the most beautiful creature in the world, and you better not say a thing to her!”

A small shrug came from the commander as they continued to walk. “Seems like an odd pairing,” he murmured. Strangely enough, the thought of little scaled ponies with serpent-like tails and spines came to mind, making him shudder slightly. “Anyway, isn't she a bit old for you? Not to mention way off on the species scale.”

“No it's not,” Spike said defensively, his cheeks puffing out slightly in his indignation. “I like her and that's all that matters. I just know that she'll feel the same way too... someday.”

Again the commander was unable to keep his own amusement in check as he chuckled lightly, being given another glare as a result. “Are you sure you even really like her?” he asked. “You're pretty young to think you've found your lifelong partner. Everyone thinks they've found true love with someone, you'll realize when you're older that there's more to it than that.”

Spike scoffed as he muttered, “You sound just like Twilight.” The statement caused the Warden to eye the dragon curiously as he continued. “She's always talking about how I don't really know who I like, that my head's too young to be sure.” He began flapping his fingers up and down on his thumb, as though his hand were talking. “Blah blah blah... But I know that Rarity's the most beautiful mare there is, and I don't have to know that with this,” with one claw, he tapped his head. “That's all Twilight ever does. She thinks and thinks and thinks, but I know you can't think about why you like someone. Just like I can't think about why I like the delicious taste of gemstones...” he licked his lips hungrily, “I just do. That's why I know I like Rarity.”

Another sound of amusement left the commander. But instead of it being one of mockery, the human knelt down next to the dragon, smiling cheerfully as he placed a hand on his scaled shoulder and said, “Well, I still think you're a bit too young to know for certain, but you at least seem to understand how it all works. So you keep trying to get your mare, but keep an open eye just in case you start liking someone else.” The commander smiled as he gave a wink. “Maybe even a nice girly dragon.”

Spike shook his head stubbornly as he said, “No, only Rarity. But... you at least listen, unlike Twilight. She has no room to talk anyway, it's not like she's ever liked somepony before.”

The commander blinked, his smile shrinking terribly fast. The purple dragon didn't seem to notice as he began walking away again, causing the human to shuffle his feet after him. They walked in silence for a few minutes before they again stopped, this time in front of a large tree made into a library.

“Well, thanks for the help with Rarity, I guess,” Spike murmured, still not liking the fact that the human stole some of his thunder. “But I need to get back to Twilight. She's been acting a bit weird lately and I need to see if she needs help with anything.”

“Yeah... so long, Spike,” the commander murmured, barely audible for the dragon. Then with a simple wave goodbye, the scaled assistant ran toward the library, disappearing inside.

Alone once again, the Warden-Commander walked away silently, his gaze set skyward as he saw the blue in the sky darkening. It was getting late, much more quickly than he had realized. Looking toward the horizon, he could see the vast shades of dark blues and fiery oranges that came as the last vestiges of sunlight fell over the land as nightfall was soon coming to replace it.

It was there, stuck between night and day, that Equestria seemed to look the most beautiful. During that wonderful time of the day where there truly seemed to be a balance between the two royal sisters and their continuous cycle of light and dark. The more the commander thought on it, the more he realized how much he would miss the Equestrian twilight.

A Lamppost in Winter

Lying on his back, his body swallowed by the plush cushion of his bed, Alistair stared up at the shadowy ceiling placed above him. By the time his need to be within Canterlot castle had ended, the hour had become far too late for him to make it back to Ponyville, leaving him to once again rest in one of the castles guest rooms. He hadn't yet discerned whether it was a blessing or a curse.

The bed was soft, being the most comfortable piece of furniture that the Grey Warden had ever encountered. It was made all the better as, just the other day, he had been sleeping on the hard ground. Despite all of this however, the king was unable to find a peaceful rest. So he simply laid there, abandoning the covers long ago.

His body was far too warm, as though it was the peak of summer outside. To make matters worse, the royal Warden felt an unbridled sense of energy and stamina, as though he could run the entirety of Ferelden in but a moment, his heart pumping more and more blood throughout his body. Even with his full alertness however, a storm of thoughts ravaged his mind as he blankly stared upward.

So many thoughts and questions rushed through his head, being understandable after what had all occurred. He began to think on Corvick, his actions as well as what happened to him. It made the Grey Warden think on his own arrival, as well as those of his companions.

Remembering how he felt when he had first awoke in the strange land, he recalled how wary he was of the strange, four-legged creatures. He had thought of them as monsters at first, having never encountered anything like them before. Of course now, he's come to understand them, but didn't make his reaction to them any better. What if he had attacked one of them, thinking they were some form of threat, like Corvick must have done. The same could have happened for any of the others. He could only thank the Maker that no other incidents had occurred, and that Corvick's own rampage was stopped.

In his right mind or not, Alistair was unable to think on the templar without feeling a flare of anger inside of him. Just the thought of the lyrium brand he had, though now made useful in returning them home, filled him with a fury that only such an abominable object could bring. He already knew that the first thing he would do once they were returned to Ferelden was have a chat with the Knight-Commander. The king didn't care how much actual power he had when it came to the Chantry and their templars, he wasn't going to turn a blind eye to what he had found.

But soon enough, his angered thoughts died down, paving the way for other ones. Unable to stop it, his mind began to wonder to someone else, to think on Princess Celestia. Immediately however, he forcibly pushed such thoughts aside, already feeling his cheeks burning as though they were being roasted. Then, Alistair's mind went blank as, in his alert state, he thought he heard a soft creaking noise.

Sitting up slightly, the Warden-King's gaze looked outward. It was hard to see in the darkness, only the outlines of the furniture and other objects in his room could be discerned, barely anything but blobs in the black nothingness. His gaze eventually drifted to the door, seeing it opened wide like a gaping maw, he was certain he had shut it before retiring.

Alistair's heart then lurched, his vision slowly improving as its focused gaze grew more and more accustomed to the darkness, he could see the faint outline of someone standing just beyond the threshold. Their posture was easy to see, with four legs resting on the ground, as well as a height taller than the average pony he had encountered. There was no doubt in the king's mind as to who it was.

Then, the darkened silhouette disappeared, leaving the doorway to be nothing but a black void. Beads of sweat formed on the human's brow as his unblinking gaze lingered on the spot for several moments. “She's just checking up on everyone,” Alistair's inner voice said. “Yeah, she's only worried for everyone's well-being, that's all. I would too if I had a crazed creature locked away in my castle. I should just lie back down and go to sleep, there's nothing else to be done, just need to stay in bed and rest.” Not heeding what his rational mind was saying, he climbed out of bed and slowly crept out of his room.

The grand halls of the castle were eery at night, there was only the dim light from stars shining through windows to offer any sight in the darkness. Even still, Alistair slowly made his way down the hall, the heavy thudding of his own heart making his ears hurt.

Just ahead of him, almost like a trick of the shadows, the king was faintly able to make out what looked like a billowing tail disappearing behind a corner. Swallowing the lump in his throat, Alistair moved in that direction, feeling like a common thief as he kept his steps light and movement silent.

“She just has something important to tell me,” Alistair thought as he continued forward. “It must be big, if it couldn't wait until morning. I'm certain it has to do with the Eluvian, they were already able to remake it and she's eager to let me know.” The breath was stolen from the human's body as he saw a light coming around a far off corner, a paroling guard passing by as his horn was lit up like a lantern. Hurriedly moving down the latest hall he had seen faint movement going into, the king managed to disappear just in time as to not be seen by the guard. He waited for several moments until the guard's light disappeared deeper into the castle, making the Grey Warden wonder why he was being so cautious.

Continuing onward however, Alistair kept his eyes open to pierce through the darkness, seeing just a glimpse of movement before it disappeared behind another corner. It almost felt like some sort of childish game, it brought on the question as to what would happen when it was finished. Still, despite his own head speaking against it, he kept following, his mind no longer in command of his body.

Eventually, the hallway ended, and Alistair came face to face with a single door. It looked grand and regal, so recognizable to the king as it soon became hard to breathe, realizing that it was the door to Celestia's quarters. The door wasn't fully shut, opened only a crack and showing nothing but darkness within.

“By the Maker!” cried the king's reasonable mind. “This isn't right! It has to be some sort of a trick. A trap laid by some kind of monster, or changeling, or something! That's the only explanation here! Just don't go in, Alistair! Turn around, leave and find help! Run screaming like a little girl if you must. But whatever you do, do not go through that door!” He pushed open the door.

The room was as dark as any other, making it difficult for him to see as he entered. The moment he was past the threshold, the door quietly shut, causing the king to jump. With slow, almost trembling steps, Alistair stepped forward, trying to see through the pitch black abyss surrounding him. Nothing could be seen, no outlines of objects or people, as though his eyes had been permanently shut.

Alistair then froze, stopped in his tracks as he became fully aware of another presence in the room with him. There was a sudden crackle of a spark and a candle became lit. It might as well have been a dull sun as it illuminated a portion of the room with a flickering light. With his sight restored, Alistair let out a sudden gasp as he realized he was now looking directly into the alabaster face of Princess Celestia, her eyes sparkling in the candlelight.

A half-lidded gaze remained locked onto the Warden-King's eyes, making his sights freeze onto her with no hope of escaping. Celestia's perfectly white coat was only marred by a single detail, the light, pinkish shade of red adorning her cheeks. Her soft lips were stretched into a beautiful smile, but not one that Alistair had ever seen from her before. It wasn't like the ones of kindness or motherly pride like she usually wore, it was instead an expression of the deepest of longing. Alistair faintly recognized it, having seen such an expression from the witch Morrigan when she would idly stare at the Warden-Commander, certain that no one was looking.

Alistair began to speak her name, wanting to simply say something that would end the terrible noiselessness that had fallen between them. But the king was not able to, his tongue was silenced by another as the sun princess leaned forward and kissed him deeply. It was a needy, hungry act of passion that nearly knocked the Grey Warden off of his feet. Any trepidation that he may have felt fizzled as he felt her pristine white lips thrust against his own.

They broke away, their eyes never separating. Alistair found himself breathing heavily, his lungs all but emptied. Celestia leaned forward once again, but rather than lock lips for a second time, she nuzzled her cheek against his and softly whispered, “It has been several centuries since I've last met one who could understand, to see beyond my tiara and power. How strange it must be that it was one who isn't even apart of this world.” There was an odd tug felt by the king. As he looked down, he noticed the golden aura that was surrounding his padded shirt, unwrapping itself from his body like a present.

Nervousness taking over, Alistair took a sudden step back, his eyes as wide as they could be and unblinking. “C-Celestia,” he muttered, his tone made barely audible from his fear at being overheard, “I-I-I really don't think this is- I mean, I-I've never-” Without warning, the Warden-King backed into the foot of the nearby bed, causing him to fall backward onto the cushioned surface with a startled yelp.

Before he could even react, a sudden addition of weight fell atop the king. In moments, Alistair was looking up at Celestia as she lied on top of him, her sultry gaze never faltering. He was utterly caged by the princess, her slender legs pressed against his sides, keeping him in place. Just as before, as the Grey Warden attempted to say something, he was stopped as the princesses pressed her mouth against his.

This kiss was much gentler than the last, much more intimate as Celestia explored the human's mouth. As though they had a mind of their own, Alistair's arms reached out and began to caress the pristine body of the loving princess. His hands ran across her long neck, tenderly rubbed her back, until the tips of his fingers finally landed on the plump royal flank at the end, eliciting a small moan from the equine ruler.

When they broke apart this time, their faces did not separate very far. Celestia remained close to the human, her warm breath washing over him as she said, “Just for tonight... as my sister rules the sky... I wish for just one night to not be a princess. Where there is no castle or royalty,” she kissed him again, a short peck on the lips, “just us.”

A familiar tugging sensation was felt, as Alistair's gaze drifted downward slightly to notice the light glow on the garments he wore below his waist. More of his nervousness and uncertainty began to pour out of him, a culminating fear of the unknown. He tried speaking, even as Celestia planted light kisses on his lips, moving down to his cheek, his neck, his chest.

Even as his mind became a swimming mess of new sensations and compounding anxiety, Alistair held just enough of his rational thoughts to speak. “I-I really don't think this is a good-” he tried saying, almost incoherently so as his words rolled off of his tongue at an increasing pace. “This isn't- We really shouldn't- If someone were to-” his words were cut off as he gasped sharply. “Sweet Celestia!”

A delighted smile spread out across Twilight's face as she looked around her home. Utter amazement washed over her as began to realize sensations she had never known before.

It took her no time at all to realize that she was dreaming. Several things clearly made it obvious. The inside of the library was easily three times the width that it usually was, having a larger assortment of books that the unicorn knew didn't belong. There was also the fact that the roof of the tree was missing. It looked as though it had been blown off, with time freezing moments later as several pieces of it simply floated in place high above her. With the ceiling missing in her home, Twilight was also able to see the ever-expansive sky that loomed over her. Colored her in a misty, dusky color, it stretched on as endless as an abyss.

Though she wasn't sure, Twilight could also make out what was most undoubtedly Canterlot castle off in the distance. It seemed only a small portion of its rocky perch was attached to it as the rest of the mountain was nowhere to be seen. An odd sense of unease fell over her as she looked at the castle. The usual pristine white walls were gone, coated in shadowy darkness. The scholar was forced to look away, pushing the castle out of her mind.

Never before had the lavender mare ever felt so lucid, so in control while her own dreaming state. She was certain that she could even force herself to wake up, an idea that was easily out of the question as she wanted to observe her new found dream world as best as she could. Everything simply felt real to her, as though she were really standing in a nonsensical version of her home.

Spike was missing, as was to be expected. Though the mare figured, given enough thought, she could simply form a dream-Spike out of nothing, if she ever needed to.

Twilight's own scholarly mind was teeming with questions and curiosity at what she could learn from her own dream. Taking a nearby book with her levitating grasp, she was surprised to see that it was one she had read before back when she lived in Canterlot. Upon further inspection, the book itself was a perfect replica, with every page matching that of its real-world counterpart. Over and over again, Twilight pulled books from the shelves, astonished to realize that they were all books she had read before. They all matched word for word.

The more she read the books, the more a brilliant idea began to form. “I could study here!” she exclaimed. It was a genius plan. If she could gain such a vivid dream every night, she could use the time to study all of the works she had read previously. While her body was resting, her unconscious mind could re-read all the her old books, retaining the knowledge held within and not wasting so many hours with unproductive sleep.

Just as her idea came into fruition, a sudden echoing laugh caused the mare to drop her latest book. She turned around and was surprised as she saw a figure approaching her.

It was a very peculiar looking thing. It looked somewhat like a pony, about the size of a stallion, though completely featureless with no mane or tail to speak of. The figure's appearance was almost like the ponnequins that Rarity had in her boutique. Unlike the motionless statues meant for dresses, this figure was transparent, with a misty-white aura around it. Twilight would almost call it a ghost, if she believed in such things.

A simple crease at the end of its muzzle made for a mouth, with circular dips on the face where its eyes would normally be. “That is a rather brilliant idea,” the figure said, the crease moving slightly to signify a talking mouth. The figure's voice was masculine and deep, almost guttural the more the unicorn thought on it. Despite the tone however, Twilight didn't feel an ounce of fear. Even if they apparition was hostile, she knew full well that that no harm could come to someone in their dreams.

“Oh, uh... it's really not that great,” Twilight responded, feeling weird for having a conversation with the ghostly stallion.

“Nonsense,” the figure said firmly, “there's nothing wrong with showing pride.”

Twilight smiled, remembering the commander's words when he had praised her for her ability. The sudden thought on the human immediately brought a momentary frown on her face. “Um... what are you exactly?” she then asked, wanting to get the Warden out of her mind.

The transparent figure bowed his head as he said, “I am a figment of your unconscious mind. Created by you here for a reason I am unaware of. All I can tell now is the brilliance of the one who made me.”

Again, Twilight found herself smiling, nodding her head as though in agreement to the figment. “I suppose... it is alright to take pride in what you do. Even if that has to do with coming up with great ideas and plans. Though...” She trailed off, unsure of what to really say.

The figment tilted his head slightly, his eyes staying on her for several moments. “Ah yes... you are plagued with a few doubts,” he murmured. “It has to do with someone... a very special someone.”

Twilight blinked, her attention now focused on the figment. “I.. well, yeah, I guess,” she replied in an uncertain voice. “I guess I just don't know what to do.”

Another deep chuckle came from the figment, bringing a sudden chilly tingle to go down the mare's spine. “That must be why I am here then,” the figment said plainly. “To aid you with your doubts. I am sure that this certain someone just hasn't seen the ability and power within you.” The figment stood proudly before the mare. “I can help you. All you need is to just do as I say. Then, all of your troubles will gone. You'll see what grand power you have, the ability to accomplish anything.”

Staring in awe at the figment, all Twilight could do was be engrossed in everything he said. There was no way of knowing why, but the figment's words sounded so enticing, so unbelievably perfect that the young scholar found herself nodding her head eagerly before her decision even came to her. “I'll do whatever you say,” she replied, her eyes filled with wonderment at what the figment promised.

A crooked smile cracked across the ghostly figment's mouth, his eyes igniting like a flame. “Wonderful...”

The Illusion of Choice

There was an odd sense of deja vu felt by Alistair as he rested on his back, looking up at the shadowy ceiling placed above him. Such feelings of similarity only went so far however, as he felt the shifting form of Princess Celestia beside him, sleeping peacefully against him. Her alabaster body was cuddled against him snugly, a foreleg wrapped across his chest while her pleasant exhales tickled his neck.

Though the royal bed of the co-ruler of the land was even more relaxing than the simple guest bed he had previously used, as well as the added company being far better than he could hope for, sleep never came to the Ferelden king. All he could do was blankly stare upward, feeling the mild pain in his throbbing outer thigh, reddened from the sharp pinches and scratches he had given it, his way of telling himself that the events that had occurred hours ago were no dream.

There were obvious inner battles waging within the human's mind, having to do with his current situation as well as title and land. Despite his confusions to the soon to come future and what it all meant to the sleeping princess, there wasn't a single thought of regret for what had happened. It brought a smile to his face, even as he felt the equine stirring herself awake.

Eyes fluttering open, lips parting into a wondrous smile, Celestia looked at the king and gave a simple giggle. “Alistair,” she whispered softly, embracing him even tighter now that she was aware of her unconscious actions.

“Celestia,” the king managed to say. “I'm... not sure if I should say thanks or... what. It's just been... a new experience for me... in more ways than one, actually.”

Another giggle left the princess as her smile deepened. “I had realized that,” she murmured, bringing a flush of embarrassment to the human's face. “But,” she kissed him on the cheek, “you met expectations quite well.”

“Really?” Alistair questioned, smirking slightly. “How about that...” However, the smirk slowly drooped down to a frown as the inevitable began to cross his mind. “So... what now?”

Celestia shifted her sleeping posture slightly, to better look the king in the eyes, causing his gaze to be locked onto hers as she said, “You have my deepest thanks, Alistair. For everything you've done for me, as well as what your friends have done for my people. But no matter what's happened, we are still leaders of our lands, with responsibilities that transcend any personal feelings.”

“I understand,” Alistair replied. He knew that what happened wasn't something that was going to last, it was something he figured out not too long ago. It was that realization that made it all the easier for him to now lie in bed with the princess, to enjoy every fleeting moment of it.

A delighted sigh escaped the princess as the two kept themselves close to one another. “I will need to raise the sun soon,” she murmured, a hint of sadness in her voice, “to return to being the princess that I am.”

“Morning could always come a little late,” the king responded, giving a hearty smile.

Celestia matched the smile as a light huff of amusement left her. “Maybe,” she remarked, “but then the others will become worried and come searching for me.” Alistair gulped, feeling a sudden tinge of fear at such a horrifying prospect. “No... let's just stay like this for a few more minutes.”

So they stayed close together, basking in the silence as they enjoyed simply being next to the other, making sure to spend there last few moments together in peace. Sadly, it did not last as long as the king would have hoped, as a sudden gasp left the princess and her head shot upward with a start. “What is it?” Alistair asked.

The princess' expression turned to one of worry as her gaze looked away blankly. “I... I don't know,” she whispered, a tone of dread in her voice. “But... something's wrong.”

“Well, thank you again, Fluttershy,” Anders said with gratitude.

It was certainly a surprise for the mage when he awoke to the yellow-coated mare approaching him in his camp. Even more surprising was the sudden offer she had given him, asking him to join her in a simple breakfast at her cottage. Though the surprises continued to come as he sat himself at her outdoors table and was presented with one of the strangest breakfasts he had ever encountered.

They were like plump wagon wheels, made of a fluffy dough and were either glistening with a clear coating or covered in a flavored icing one might find on a cake. The taste was delicious, being far better than he had expected for simply being dough topped with icing. Milk also played a part in it, going great with the treat and being the only thing that made the human think of it as a breakfast.

“So, what do you call these things?” Anders asked, taking another sip of milk to wash down his latest bite.

“They're doughnuts,” Fluttershy replied softly, taking small pieces of one and tossing them on the ground. Immediately, the pieces of doughnut were snatched up by the audience of expectant critters next to them. Several squirrels, ferrets, birds and other small creatures were eagerly licking their lips at a chance to share in the breakfast of the pony and human. “Sugercube Corner had just made a fresh batch, I though you might want to try some.”

“Well, they are pretty good,” Anders said, staring at a rectangular one with hungry eyes. “When we're done though, I'd like to talk to you about something.” The sudden statement of importance caused the mare's attention to become focused on the human, even as he reached out to grab his latest pastry. “Well, you're really my first choice to tell... about what will happen when the Eluvian's finished and everyone's ready to leave.”

Ending with his rather cryptic explanation, Anders licked his lips just before opening his mouth wide, taking a massive bite out of the doughnut. Much to the mage's surprise however, this one in particular wasn't simply dough coated with frosting. The moment, his teeth broke through the delicious treat, a sudden miniature explosion of purple jelly came outward and coated the surprised human's face, covering his lips, cheeks and chin in the sticky substance.

Several of the more daring animals were quick in taking advantage of the opportunity. Within moments, the furry creatures were climbing up the human's body and licking the purple goo from his face. Anders nearly fell over from the sudden attack, attempting to politely shoo the ravenous critters away without causing them harm. It was made increasingly difficult as he found their wet tongues against his face to be quite ticklish. Even Fluttershy was a powerless spectator as she watched the animals overpower the mage, giggling softly to herself until a thought crossed her and she flew off into her cottage.

“H-hey, stop that, p-please,” Anders said, fighting back sudden fits of chuckling over the onslaught he was suffering. But the animals didn't listen, not prepared to stop until the human's face was licked clean.

Then, there was a sudden bright flash of white light, consuming the entirety of Anders' vision and making his eyes burn. The blinding flash toppled the mage, causing the animals to scatter as he struck the ground. After a few moments of lying still, feeling the burning sensation in his eyes dwindling, Anders sat up, wiping the animal slobber and scarce remains of jelly from his face. As he looked upward, he could see Fluttershy looking at him timidly, hovering in the air with a small camera in her forehooves.

“A-are you alright?” the pegasus mare asked with worry.

With a groan, the mage fully sat up, rubbing his eyes thoroughly before saying, “Yeah... I think so. Just, what in Andraste's name was that?”

Fluttershy held up what was in her hooves, looking at it like one would an everyday occurrence. “It's... a camera,” she replied. Within moments of her saying so, a small slip of paper extended out from a small slit at the base of the device. It glided down through the air until it landed beside the fallen mage, where he looked at it curiously. Examining it, the paper looked blank, then to his astonishment, a picture began to form. It was an unflattering depiction of the mage as he was assaulted by the furry animals, his comical face showing clearly while the critters completely overpowered him.

“Amazing,” Anders murmured, staring in awe at the picture. “So that small device can make life-like portraits? What wondrous magic must be put into it.”

Fluttershy looked at her unassuming camera for a moment before saying, “Well, actually, it's not-” Anders cut her off as he jumped onto his feet, a large smile plastered on his face.

“Let's take some more!” the mage said eagerly, causing the mare to giggle lightly at his excitement.

Abandoning their breakfast to any animal sneaky enough to snatch a doughnut unnoticed, Anders and Fluttershy began to take pictures of one another. Though the mage was eager to strike a pose, wanting to see how he would look with his own eyes, the yellow-coated pegasus showed a little aversion to it, needing a grand amount of encouragement from Anders to stay still. Several of the animals were even willing to be in the shots as well, resting in Fluttershy's grasp or climbing atop the tall human.

Angel Bunny was even kind enough to take the camera for a few shots, allowing Fluttershy and Anders to huddle together for a few pictures of them both. It brought on good laughs and fits of enjoyment from them.

“Okay, how about this?” Anders said, striking his latest pose as he flexed his arms, putting on his best expression of stoicism as he did so. Stifling a laugh, Fluttershy held up her camera and took the picture. By now, the mage had gotten used to the flash, no longer flinching as it occurred. “Oh, I know, you'll like this one.”

As though locked in the heat of battle, Anders' face twisted into a look of pure determination, his piercing gaze never faltering as he faced his opponent. Swinging his arms about as though he were about to cast a spell, the mage flung his hand forward, imagining the might ball of fire flying toward his target.

To Anders' surprise, his imagination seemed better than he would have thought, even as he could feel a sudden warmth in his palm, seeing a massive ball of flames being thrown forward. Gasping in shock, the pony and human gaped at the sight as the crackling shot of fire sailed through the air, smashing directly into Futtershy's chicken coop and setting it ablaze.

A frightened cry escaped the mare just before she rushed off toward the small home for her feathered friends, coming to their rescue. Anders stared at the scene with terror as he clutched at the sides of his head, shouting, “Andraste's blood! It's father's farm all over again!”

Quickly coming to his senses however, Anders bolted in the direction of the chicken coop, where the timid mare was desperately trying to get her chickens away from the inferno. The fire crackled and snapped, gluttonously chewing away at the wooden coop with no sign of stopping. Panic driven, the mage circled around the coop, having no better idea in how to stop the raging fire other than swinging his hands up and down toward it, a foolish and futile attempt to fan the flames away.

Then, without warning, a powerful gust of freezing wind blew from the mage's hands. The chilling air enveloped the coop entirely, turning it into a swirling mist of cold white. Fluttershy as well as the chickens who safely made it out of their dangerous home, motionlessly stared at the once burning coop as it was now looked as though it was caught in the dead of winter. A thick layer of frost coated the entirety of it while icicles hung from the edge of the roof.

Just as utterly dumbstruck as the others, Anders simply stood there, staring down at his own hands.

What should have been a simple walk turned into a tiring trek for the Warden-Commander as he slowly made his way through Ponyville.

It is said that one should sleep on any big decisions or matters of inner conflicts, but such a thing was made impossible for the Warden as he didn't manage to sleep a wink. Still however, his own drowsiness wasn't even noticed by him as he pushed onward, his head feeling as though it would burst open like a hatching egg from the many thoughts swarming within it. Morning was still early for the small town but the commander was unable to stop himself as he kept his gaze forward, barely paying attention to his surroundings as the rest of Ponyville woke from its nightly slumber.

Plaguing his mind were thoughts on a certain lavender-coated unicorn, the beautiful land in which he and his companions were currently stranded as well as the future, however bleak and uncertain it may be. Anders and his own words also crackled in his mind like a lightning storm, his finalizing question being the most dominating thing inside of his head. There was even a small, yet very vocal, part of his mind that was calling him crazy, shouting for him to turn around and go back to his camp. That part of his mind was also what he listened to the least.

After what felt like forever, filled with silent debates and grand inward disputes, the commander's slow stride halted completely as he stood before library home of Twilight Sparkle. Never before had it looked so imposing to him.

Just as he was about to step forward once again, there was a single moment of hesitation, a short second where the human again questioned himself on continuing. It was a point of no return, where in such a short little time, so much was going to change. Feeling a sudden pain in his chest however, like a tethered rope inside of him being pulled, he moved forward. The commander stepped into the library, leaving behind all of his uncertainties and fears.

The library itself was deserted, with neither Twilight or Spike to be seen. Eyes upward, the commander made his way to the upper floor, where his body suddenly tensed upon seeing the young scholar.

Twilight was sitting with her haunches firmly on the floor, her back turned to the commander. Books were repeatedly levitated off of near-empty shelves and opened up in front of her, hovering in her gaze for a minute or two before they were tossed aside. The Warden noticed a large pile of books nearby, no care taken into their well-being. Twilight didn't show the slightest reaction to the Warden-Commander's sudden appearance, simply continuing with what she was doing with no change, remaining deathly silent.

“Twilight,” the Warden murmured, clearing his throat as his hesitant voice cracked slightly. Still, the mare didn't respond to him, acting as though he wasn't even there. “Look, I know you probably hate me right now.” A saddened sigh escaped him as he rubbed his eyes. “I... hate me too. How I acted... I just... I just thought it would make things easier. Maybe even then I was just lying to myself.”

Even as the commander talked, his tone as sincere and genuine as it could be, Twilight seemed to register none of it. Not a sound came from her, not even sparing the time to look at him. “But none of that was fair to you... Perhaps I didn't realize it until later or I just didn't want to, I don't know,” the commander continued, feeling a chill pass over his shoulder blades. “Maybe it was just because I didn't realize there was a choice... but now I see it. We need to talk, Twilight. I need to know where we both stand concerning you and me. What I hear... what we say... it'll make me certain if my next life-altering choices are worth making or not.” Taking a deep breath, the commander look toward Twilight, wishing that she would simply turn around. “What... what I'm trying to say is, I-I think I might truly l-”

The commander stopped, his voice silencing itself as his ears heard something other than the thudding of books and turning of pages. It was quiet, barely audible, the Warden being lucky to have even heard it at all. The noise was like a muffled scream, sounding off just behind the human. Turning around, his eyes widened with shock at what he saw.

Spike was imprisoned against the wall, his small limbs held in place with shackles of a magical energy, keeping him bound tighter than any iron. A matching strip of magenta was placed over the dragon's mouth, keeping him silent save for a few near-mute cries. Tears welled up in his pleading eyes as he stared the human with fear, his body quivering against his bindings.

“Spike!” the commander shouted in alarm, immediately lifting a hand to aid the poor assistant. Just as he was about to touch the dragon however, his entire body froze in place.

Before he could react, grunts of pain left him as his limbs twisted and bent on their own, the bones cracking as his body began to float in the air. The commander was then thrown into the nearby wall, his back striking it with such a powerful force, he could feel the wooden surface cracking from the impact. His new position allowed him to look back into the room, to see Twilight slowly approaching him.

Struggling to move, the commander's sights moved toward the large pile of books that had so carelessly been tossed aside. They all began to glow, lifting up into the air. The books were then all thrown forward, becoming a raging river of literature as they were aimed directly for the restrained commander. With no means of defense, the commander braced himself.

The sudden, mighty impact, was too much for the weakened wall of the tree. With a mighty crash, the wall gave way and the Warden-Commander's body was flung outside, crashing into the upper balcony of the library. He continued to roll across the ground at an amazing speed, even as the books that had attempted to crush him were flung outside, scattered across the ground and into the nearby homes.

The Warden didn't stop rolling until his body crashed into the balcony railing, offering little resistance as it easily broke under his weight and causing him to tumble off of the edge. His hand reaching upwards quickly, the commander managed to wrap his arm around what was left of the railing. Cries of pain were uttered as it felt as though the muscles in his arm were tearing, too weak to lift himself up, forcing him to hang there above the ground.

Fighting against his own weakness however, the commander never stopped trying to pull himself up back onto the balcony. Those futile attempts quickly ended however, as he heard the unmistakable thud of hoofsteps approaching him. Looking up, the commander could see Twilight standing over the edge, looking down on him.

“Twilight!” the commander shouted desperately. “What are you doing?!” But the scholar didn't have to answer, not as their eyes met, his pounding heart freezing in place.

The unicorn's eyes were not her own, lacking anything that the commander could best describe as humanity. Even the flesh surrounding them was blackened, cast in a darkened shadow that showed clearly. Her eyes were completely empty, as though all of her kindness, her innocence, her very being had been ripped out of her. They were missing it all, being left with nothing but an abysmal gaze of pure malevolence and utter evil, a sight that the Grey Warden had seen several times before.

“No...” the commander breathed, his voice barely a whisper. It was the only thing he could do as he hung there, his body paralyzed by the sheer horror of what he was seeing. He was unable to tear his eyes away from her, even as Twilight's lips twisted into a malicious smirk. Standing to bring her forehooves upward, they rippled with a great magical power, just before she brought them down on the vulnerable human.

One-Sided Conflicts

The Warden-Commander's world was spinning, sent into a spiraling blur as he was struck from the top of the library. None of it registered to him however, not the blow that threw him from the balcony, not the unicorn who had done it, not even the cruel hold gravity had on him as he fell down the length of the mighty tree. It wasn't until his body impacted the ground below was he jarred back to reality, as large splinters of wood rained down around him.

Most of the balcony had been obliterated, leaving nothing but jagged pieces of wood to jut out of the side of the tree. All the commander could do was stare up at it blankly, his ears ringing as he heard frantic cries of panic from the nearby ponies, their frantic hooves galloping across the ground and growing steadily faint.

There was a loud thud of something hitting the ground just in front of the fallen human. Attempting to stand, his body fighting him all the way to keep him down, the commander looked onward to see Twilight before him. Her face was still the twisted mess that it had been, her dark eyes staring at him with a malevolent intent.

“Twilight, please!” the Warden shouted, begging to the unicorn. “You have to fight it! You can't... you can't let it take full control! I know you're stronger than that!” Twilight however only grinned at his attempts to reason with her, her horn sparking with a magical glow as the earth underneath them began to rumble.

A ring of magenta light encircled the unicorn's body, it moved and twitched upward like water. The magical light expanded and formed into writhing tendrils, as thick as vines and shimmering with a translucent glow. They lashed outward like whips, forcing the commander back as they snapped just inches away from him.

Continuously the tendrils were flying toward him, almost deafening the human as their loud cracks sounded without fail. The Warden barely managed to dodge them, stumbling back and forth with little grace as he moved. But his luck didn't last long, not as one of the magical vines struck his leg, cutting into it like a dull blade and causing him to trip.

The others were quick to take advantage of his slip up, lunging forward with an amazing speed before wrapping around his neck. They completely covered his neck, constricting like coiling snakes as they tightened. “Please, Twilight... stop this...” the commander managed to choke out, his fingers failing to pry the bindings away.

Unable to breathe, it didn't take long for him to begin to suffocate. Falling to his knees, the Warden could only form grotesque strangled noises as his life was draining from his body. His struggling lessened by the second as the world became a blur. All he could see was a lavender smudge before him as darkness began to settle over his mind.

Then there was a muffled cry, sounding off in the distance. Just as the Warden's conscious mind was failing, the increasing pressure wrapped around his throat suddenly ceased. A sharp gasp of breath came from him as he swallowed in the air as much as he was able, coughing uncontrollably as his hands rubbed his neck.

As the world around him slowly returned, the commander looked outward and was shocked to see Oghren standing between him and Twilight, ax gripped tightly in his hands. With another mighty yell, the dwarf swung his ax once again, aiming straight for the unicorn. Twilight glared at him for just a moment before jumping backward, easily dodging the attack and setting a distance between them.

“By the ancestors,” Oghren murmured, never letting the mare out of his gaze. “Reminds me of the scuffles I'd have with Branka. What did you do to get her tail in such a knot?”

Wobbly standing on his feet, the commander shouted, “I didn't do anything! She's being possessed!”

“Possessed, huh?” the dwarf responded, looking more closely at the unicorn. “Alright then, I guess that will make cutting her down all the easier.”

Raising his ax up, Oghren charged forward, ready to bring his blade down hard on the creature. “No!” the commander cried, lunging forward and grabbing the Grey Warden's ax by the top of the handle. “We can't fight her!”

Oghren simply looked at his commander as though he were crazy. “You hit yer head or something?” he yelled, trying to yank his weapon out of the commander's grasp. “What are we gonna do, just sit here twirling our blades until she kills us?!”

As the two Grey Wardens argued, Twilight's horn began to spark with another spell. Before both of the bipedal creatures could notice it, a powerful blast of magical energy was shot forward, striking them both. They were knocked to the ground, Oghren's ax falling from his grasp.

Not even giving the warriors time to recover, Twilight stomped her hooves down on the ground with a great force, causing the earth to shake and crack with each impact. The heavy vibrations continued, increasing more and more as they neared the two outsiders. As they attempted to stand from the unicorn's last attack, the ground underneath of them exploded outward, throwing them across the area like toys until they came crashing down into the dirt as pieces of rock rained down on them.

Twilight made her way toward the fallen Grey Warden's, who were weakly picking themselves up. Oghren's ax was still knocked aside, out of the dwarf's reach and being noticed by the unicorn. The large weapon glowed with a magenta aura as it was lifted into the air, swinging lightly as a test its ability.

The levitating ax floated toward Oghren, the sharpened blade glinting in the sunlight as it poised itself to strike. As it reared back, preparing to be brought down on the dwarf, Twilight grinned with a dark joy.

Just as the ax was swinging down on Oghren's head, a large ball of fire sailed right past the distracted mare. Twilight jumped back, the weapon falling to the ground as it was released by her magical hold. Oghren and the commander looked in the direction that the attack had came from, seeing a familiar robe wearing human approaching them, his hands ablaze.

“Anders...” the Warden-Commander murmured in disbelief, his eyes were trained on the mage's hands. “Your magic... how did you...?”

A smirk appeared on Anders' face as he eyed his own hands for a moment, the flames engulfing them weaving around his fingers. “I have no idea,” he answered with a note of unparalleled joy in his tone. “And I'm far too happy to care right now.” Throwing two more blasts of fire to keep the unicorn back, Anders knelt beside his weakened commander. “What's going on here?”

“A demon's possessed her,” the Warden said, dread filling his voice. Even Anders' looked horrified as he looked back toward the twisted pony. “We have to... to restrain her.”

“Alright,” Anders murmured, standing up as readied himself. “I'll see what I can do.”

Running forward, closing some of the distance between himself and the unicorn, Anders eyed Twilight and began to smile mockingly. “Isn't that adorable?” he said with a laugh. “A demon's found a taste for animals now.”

Twilight growled angrily as her horn began to spark once again, the mage barely had enough time to jump aside as a large bolt of magic shot toward him, creating a small crater as it struck the ground behind him. “Almost got me,” Anders teased. “I'm sure such a powerful demon like yourself could do better though.”

Again, Twilight's face was twisted with fury as two large fire balls formed from thin air and were thrown at the mage. Given their distance between one another however, Anders was able to easily step aside and dodge them both, chuckling as he did so. “Is that the best you've got?” he mocked. “I've seen better from far weaker abominations. Then again, they had actual people, not smelly dwarf-horses.” Anders turned around and began to shake his backside toward the the mare, sporting a large grin. “Why not switch up for a more experienced body? I've always wanted a demon inside me, and just think of this handsome face as incentive.”

Twilight's horn began to crackle once again, a piercing glare set on the mage as he continued his gestures and insults. There was a bright flash of magenta light and then the mare was gone. Within moments however, the flash occurred again, just a few feet behind the mage. Anders turned to see the unicorn charging toward him, a blind fury pushing her forward as her horn sparked with a coming spell.

But Anders wasn't easily caught off guard by it. His smirk expanding across his face, the mage's hands developed a misty white haze before he threw his arms forward, just as Twilight was upon him. A blinding flash of white and blue encompassed the gazes of the three Grey Wardens for several moments. But as their sights cleared, the commander and Oghren were shocked as he saw Twilight's body frozen in place, trapped inside of a small chunk of ice.

Anders simply stood there, chuckling weakly as he fell to one knee. “Phew, I'm glad that worked,” he said breathlessly, his breathing having become heavy. “First time... I've ever fully encased someone. Man, that really... took a lot out of me.”

Before congratulations could be made however, Anders' eyes widened as large cracks began to appear on the surface of the ice. The cracks deepened by the second until a bright light shined from within them. There was a loud rumbling within the ice and it shattered, throwing frozen fragments in all directions. One large piece in particular struck Anders in the chest, knocking him flat on the ground.

Too weakened by his last spell to get up in time, he was helpless as the infuriated Twilight stomped toward him, her horn once again crackling with magical power, matching the intense fury building inside of her. Charging forward himself, the commander saw no other option as he tackled into the unsuspecting mare, throwing them both to the ground as he wrapped his arms around her and held on tight.

“Twilight, you have to fight back!” the commander shouted. “Please, I know you're stronger than this, I know you would never let this thing take control.” Even with the commander's pleas however, Twilight still fought against him.

The lavender unicorn struggled against the Warden-Commander's hold, kicking her legs out with all of her might. The commander held her still though, using his superior height to keep her pinned down. But his attempts to restrain her were put to the test as Twilight's horn crackled with a new spell.

The commander cried out in agony as his body felt as though it were being hit by a thousand lightning strikes. It all came from Twilight, her body being consumed by a rippling static that electrocuted the one holding her. The pain was unbearable, feeling the power course through his entire body and out again, all in one never ending flow that showed no sign of stopping.

Despite the unimaginable torture that the mare was putting him through, the commander kept his grip locked firmly around her. Fighting the pain back, the commander's agonizing screams were silenced, his body trembling as his mouth occasionally gaped open, not a sound escaping it. There was no thought in his mind to ever let go, doing everything he could think of to saving the mare.

The unceasing pain lasted for so long, the Warden suddenly became shocked when it finally died. He looked Twilight in the eyes, whose own gaze was drifting around aimlessly before they landed on the commander. “Twilight,” he said urgently. “Please, I know you're in there, you have to keep fighting.”

Though she looked confused and frightened, Twilight's eyes never broke away from the commander's, tears developing and cascading down her cheeks. But the moment did not last as she once again began to struggle and writhe within the commander's grasp. He held onto her in an even tighter embrace as she fought on.

The commander began to prepare for another attack, expecting to feel the pain coursing through him once again at any moment. But instead, he became surprised as the sky above them lit up with a powerful explosion of light. Looking up at it, the commander stared wide-eyed as Princess Celestia appeared within the light, her wings fluttering as she landed on the ground beside them.

There was a clear look of horror and dread upon the princess' face. She was speechless as her widened gaze became glued to her student, growling furiously as she fought against the Warden who still held her. The Warden-Commander was about to ask her for help, but the words never left his throat as the princess' horn developed a golden aura.

Lowering her head down, the tip of Celestia's horn touched Twilight's forehead. There was a sudden spark of a golden light and the lavender mare gasped sharply, her eyes opening wide before they closed, her body going limp in the human's arms.

Twilight almost looked peaceful as she remained unmoving, only the subtle rise and fall of her breathing chest showing her current condition. The commander managed a sigh of relief as he looked up to the princess, not needing to say a word as his eyes said all the thanks he needed to.

It took some time, everyone managed to return to Canterlot castle. A small chamber was emptied of all things of importance to keep Twilight, her body resting on a small cushion while it was surrounded by a magical shield placed by the sun princess. Though she was certain that Twilight would remained unconscious for sometime, there wasn't a chance that was taken, for their sakes as well as hers.

The commander as well as the other Grey Wardens were all there, donning their armor and weapons before they left Ponyville. Luna was there as well, but the nightly princess was silent. All she could do was stand there and stare at Twilight, a grim look on her face.

“Is... is Twilight going to be okay?” Spike asked worriedly, looking up at the commander with need. Despite what had happened to him in the library, he wasn't the least bit frightened of his caretaker only able to now be concerned for her well-being. It was torturous for him to not understand what was going on.

A weary sigh escaped the Warden as he knelt down next to the dragon and nodded. “Yeah,” he said reassuringly. “She's going to be alright, Spike. Don't worry, we're going to help her.”

“What's happened to her,” Celestia said, turning her own gaze away from her student to look at each of the Grey Wardens for answers. It was already clear to her that they had some idea as to what was going on.

“We... think she's possessed by a demon,” Anders murmured having trouble believing it himself, much less saying it.

Alistair blinked forcibly as his gaze darted toward the commander. “That can't be,” he tried saying, his voice lacking in any definitive tone. “How... how could that be possible?”

“I-I don't know,” the commander said, shaking his head in frustration. “But I know what I saw. You weren't there, you didn't see how she looked, how she acted.”

“Then what must we do to stop this demon and save Twilight?” Celestia asked, almost begging for an answer as she addressed the Grey Wardens.

The three humans each looked down at the ground for a moment, their adverted gazes becoming darkened for a moment. Anders then sighed and looked the princess in the eyes as he said, “There are only two ways one could stop an abomination, which she now is. Be able to go into the Fade and destroy the demon, which is both dangerous and difficult. Or … we put her out of her misery now before she suffers under the demon's control again.” Anders barely had time to finish before he felt a pair of hands on him. Furious, the commander grabbed the mage by the collar of his robes and lifted him off of his feet, slamming his back against the nearest wall.

“Don't you dare say that!” he snapped, his burning gaze nearly sizzling the mage's skin. “That is not an option here!”

As the commander slowly calmed down, he set Anders back on the ground, earning a glare from the mage in response. “And what do you suggest we do?” he asked harshly. “Believe me, it's not like I'm anymore thrilled about it than anyone else, but that's our only option here! Do you even realize what it would take to try and take the demon on? I couldn't do something like that alone, not even with that sliver of lyrium you found with that ring!” He pointed toward the still unconscious Twilight. “We were lucky demons aren't too practiced when it comes to controlling ponies! We could have had a lot of bloodshed had it been at its full power! And that's exactly what will happen if we don't stop it now!"

The feeling of hopelessness quickly settled in between them all as a gruesome outcome seemed likely. Even though the commander was still nowhere toward accepting Anders' plan, there was no hiding his trembling hands as he clinched his fists tightly. All seemed lost until Celestia stepped forward. “Perhaps I can help,” she said, closing her eyes in concentration as her horn began to glow.

As they watched the princess work, the Grey Wardens were startled as Anders' entire body suddenly burst with a golden light, making him look like a living sun as he stood there.

Anders stumbled back for a moment, nearly knocked off his feet as he stared at his own hands, moving his fingers through the light like he was performing a spell. “Andraste's undergarments!” he cried out in amazement. “Blood magic be damned, this feels like real power!” His eyes were wide as he felt the magical energy soaking into his entire body, into every fiber of his being. It made him look more like a child given his favorite treat as he basked in the power he was being given.

“Focus, Anders!” the commander snapped, breaking the mage from his indulged enjoyment.

“Right... right...” Anders murmured as he shook his head to clear it. “This is just... a lot to suddenly take in.” He began taking several deep breaths, focusing himself as his hands developed a blue glow to go along with the gold. “Okay then... thanks to the princess, I think I'll be able to send the rest of you guys to the Fade.”

“Then all of us will go,” Alistair said with determination, moving to stand beside the Warden-Commander.

Oghren simply folded his arms and shook his head. “Not this time,” he said stubbornly. “I can't stand the place. I've been there twice already and that's three times too many in this dwarf's book.” He grabbed his ax and brandished it wildly. “I'll guard the fort on this end, just to be sure no other surprises happen while you're all out of it.”

“Fine,” the commander said, knowing they wouldn't change his mind anytime soon. “Alistair, Shale, that leaves the three of us to stop this.” Alistair gave a firm nod as he took a seat on the floor, crossing his legs as prepared himself for their trip. Though Shale looked somewhat reluctant in going to the spirit infested place, the construct said not a word as it approached its comrades and sat down beside the Ferelden king. The commander took a breath to center himself before sitting down as well, his gaze falling on Celestia as she continued to add her magic to Anders'. “We'll save Twilight, I promise that.” A light nod was given in response as the princess kept her focus strong.

Seeing his fellow Grey Wardens ready, Anders concentrated as he focused on sending them off. “Right...” he murmured, still uncertain as to what will happen. “Well, here goes... damn near everything I guess.”

Alistair, Shale and the commander soon felt the mage's magic upon them. The sensation only lasted for a brief moment however, as their eyes involuntarily shut and the conscious world soon left them, their minds being submerged into a sea of darkness.

Life Lessons

With everything having been said, and no true plan to carry out, everyone went their separate ways. Thanks to Princess Celestia's generosity, the Ferelden outsiders were able to stay within Canterlot castle for the remainder of their stay, for how ever long it would take to finish the Eluvian, now with Anders helping. The Warden-Commander returned to the old guest room he had used during their first stay in the castle, it looked meticulously cleaned and immensely tidy, much more so than he had expected, not a trace of his previous stay was visible.

Heaving a weary sigh, the commander slipped off the sheathe he had strapped to his back and placed the sword against the wall. In slow, unenthusiastic movements, he stripped himself of his armor, carelessly tossing the hunks of metal into a pile on the floor.

Wearing nothing but the somewhat baggy under-clothes that Rarity had made for him, the Warden fell back, sinking like a rock as he sat down at the edge of his bed. The comfortable piece of furniture bucked upward slightly at the sudden onset of weight, but it held together well enough. He simply sat there for some time, immersing himself in the silence and solitude around him, occasionally rubbing his eyes thoroughly as he mumbled unintelligibly to himself.

The consuming sense of bittersweet peace was eventually broken however, as the commander noticed a presence nearby, seeing Alistair standing in the doorway. The Ferelden king was as equally dressed as the commander, having stripped himself of his arms and armor. Wordlessly approaching his friend and comrade, there was a curious look about the royal Grey Warden as he eyed him.

“So, how are you feeling?” Alistair asked. The commander's own response was a raised eyebrow, looking at the king questioningly on the sudden inquiry. “Well, you seemed pretty upset before. Just wanted to make sure everything was alright.”

A huff left the commander as he broke away from Alistair's gaze and stared at the adjacent wall. “How should I feel?” he muttered crossly. “Now that we know that we're actually a danger to this world and its people... It's not something you can simply get over.”

Alistair simply shrugged, almost casually so. “Sure, it's bad and all, but it's not as though we had much of a choice in coming here,” he replied. “There's nothing we can do now except watch out for any more of our mistakes and fix them. To beat ourselves up about it doesn't seem worth it at this point.”

The commander's sudden spark of frustration over their situation fizzled out, leaving him to simply breathe another sigh. “Maybe you're right,” he murmured, sounding unconvinced.

It looked clear enough that there was still something bother him, but Alistair wasn't able to discern what. Then again, he knew full well how badly things had gone since the demon's attack, how much it changed everything. Crossing his arms, a questioning and confused stare fell down on the commander as the king said, “I also needed to talk to you about something.” There was a firm and serious tone in his voice, making the Warden match his friend's gaze. “What are we going to do about what that demon had said?”

“What about it?” the Warden-Commander asked, shrugging the pride demon's last words away like they were meaningless.

There was a brief moment where Alistair fell silent, simply waiting to see if his friend was serious with the question. “Well,” he stressed, “you seemed to make it a point not to tell any of the others about it. From what I heard, this isn't something to just forget.” Raising his hand up, he tapped the side of his head lightly. “And you felt it too, I'm sure. It was faint but... it felt like we were fighting a darkspawn...”

“It was probably just the weakened Fade messing with our heads,” the commander murmured, sounding calm despite the sudden unknowns, “Shale wouldn't notice and thing and it was Luna's first time there, no doubt she didn't voice any peculiar feelings. And that demon, whatever it was spouting, there isn't anything we can do about it now. I doubt the Eluvian sending us here had no effect on Ferelden. Might have even damaged the Veil that separates us from the Fade itself. Whatever the demon mentioned, it's probably a spirit causing trouble. I've told you about the Baroness, right?” Alistair nodded. “Well, there's nothing we can do while we're still here, there's no need to worry anyone about it now. When we get back home, I'll have Anders and the other mages look into it.”

“Well... alright,” Alistair accepted, sounding unconvinced but knowing there were no other options. Turning away to leave the room, Alistair turned back for just a moment to look back toward his friend, still looking downtrodden. “Just... just try not to beat yourself up about all of this.”

Leaving his fellow Grey Warden alone, Alistair walked down the hall in the direction of his own room. Since entering the Fade and defeating the pride demon, the king hadn't had a chance to rest. Finding the thought of his waiting bed comforting, it was all he needed to propel him forward in search for it.

Stuck daydreaming about his furniture, it came as a surprise to him as he came to a sudden halt. Nearly crashing into someone, the Warden-King nearly tripped over himself as he stopped sharply. Alistair's gaze then lowered slightly to see who he had nearly crashed into, Oghren's grinning face appearing in the center of his vision.

For several moments, both Grey Wardens just stood there. Neither one said a word as Alistair gazed down on the dwarf and Oghren stared at the king with great mirth. A nervous smile slowly twisted itself onto Alistair's mouth as a sudden feeling of unease and awkwardness washed over him. Before long however, Oghren's hairy mug was also split open, his teeth showing clearly as he began to chuckle.

The noise of merriment steadily grew louder, Oghren's eyes still locked onto Alistair. In only a moments notice, the joy in his voice increased, becoming a full on laughing fit as the dwarf clutched at his sides. Someone might have told the funniest, most filthy joke in existence and it still wouldn't gain such amusement as what he was displaying. The dwarven Warden nearly toppled onto the ground, his knees bending slightly as tears began to form in the corners of his eyes.

Quickly sidestepping the dwarf, Alistair bolted into his room and shut the door tight, still hearing Oghren's laughter ringing in his ears. It was then that there was also an overpowering onset of paranoia, as well as a deep down sense of dread of loose lips on a dwarven mouth.

The talk with Alistair having left a somewhat bitter taste in his mouth, the Warden-Commander left his room and headed for the banquet hall, thinking he could get a drink of something if he looked hard enough. He had nearly tripped over Oghrne on his way out, the dwarf looking as though he had been crying for some reason, his face matching the bright red of his hair as he wiped tears from his eyes.

Finding the large and familiar chamber, the commander was surprise when he realized he wasn't the only human there. Anders was already sitting at the elongated table, a bottle of alcohol in hand while several others were scattered around him on the table. Some of the bottles were empty and knocked over while others remained untouched. The rosy-red tint covering the mage's cheeks showed clearly how the empty bottles had been drained.

“Anders, what are you doing?” the Warden asked, approaching the thirsty mage.

“Wha'?” Anders murmured, turning his drooping, half-lidded gaze toward his commander. “Oh... it's you... Wellp, I'm just-just having a little drink. There's nothin' wrong with that... right?”

The commander looked at the mage flatly, seeing he was on the brink of slurring his words into a incomprehensible mess. “Aren't you supposed to be working on the Eluvian?” he asked sternly. “You know, our only way back home.”

Anders nodded his head sheepishly, his latest bottle sloshing back and forth as he nodded it as well, causing several drops to spill onto the table. “Yup-yup,” he replied. “Took a good, long look at the thing... Saw their progress and everything... Saw it mocking me. Yeah... I'm sure I can make it work nice an' special.... So I figured I earned myself a little treat. Drown my soul-crippling disappointment for a bit...”

A small look of disgust made it to the commander's face as Anders drained the last drop from his latest bottle and rolled it away, immediately grabbing the next one without much delay. Though he wanted to get the mage to stop, he couldn't bring himself to do it, realizing what the mage was going through after what the demon's attack caused. “Just don't drink too much,” he muttered, trying to give him some middle ground. “We need you at tip-top shape to get the Eluvian working.”

The half-drunk Anders barely nodded, his eyes widening for a moment as he sharply hiccuped. “You know what's messed up?” he asked after taking another swig. “Just how unexpected life can be at times...” Blankly staring at the wall on the other end of the banquet hall, Anders took brisk sips from his bottle in between talking and breathing. “I remember, when I was just a wee little baby-child... I was with my dad and mom. They were pretty happy people I guess... Not like super happy like how Alistair or Oghren get at times or nothin'... but pretty happy... We lived in this big ol' farm out in the middle of Maker knows where. And dad would always go on and on about how he was a farmer, how his dad was a farmer, how his dad was a farmer and how ever longer until I lost interest and tuned him out... But... he made certain to know that I'd be a farmer too... follow the 'family trade.' Now, I really didn't care for it or nothin', didn't seem like a lotta fun. But hey, what else was I gonna do? Then one day... suddenly,” Anders clamped his hands together, grinning slightly toward the commander, then slowly pulled them apart, making an explosive noise with his mouth, “boom... Whole barn goes up in flames. Then the next thing I know is... these templar bastards are dragging me away, dad's goin' on about how it's good riddance or something, and mom... mom just stands there and cries...” A weak chuckle escaped the mage, almost sounding like one of Oghren's for a moment. “Guess who didn't become a farmer...”

The mage then slouched forward, his chin resting against the table as his eyes went completely blank. He didn't move except for the tell-tale signs of breathing. For several moments, the commander could only assume that he had fallen asleep. It made him jump as the mage suddenly shot upward.

“But then,” Anders said forcefully, sounding as though there hadn't even been a break in what he was saying, “I'm stuck in that... that blasted tower.” A shuddering groan left him, clearly hating the basic idea of the place. It made him bring his current bottle back to his lips to take another sloppy drink. “Man... how I hated it there. Of course, I made sure to try and leave whenever I could... but you know how it is, templars all over the place... not a drop of fun amongst them... No, I figured I'd be trying to get away from them for the rest of my life... Of course, how was I supposed to know I'd end up running into the-the grand... powerful... mighty... strong... brave... Hero of Ferelden! Looked like any other pompous bastard you might run into in Denerim.” His gaze drifted toward the commander for a moment. “No offense... Then... Oh yes then... Before I can even think, I'm chugging down a cup full of blood and I'm joining the Grey Wardens!”

“I bet those templars didn't see that coming, huh?” the Warden replied, smirking slightly.

“You're damn right!” Anders shot back, laughing in triumph as he emptied the bottle in his hand and immediately grabbed another. “Course... then I figure it'll all be about killin' monsters, rescuing ungrateful fools when they needed it, dieing a horrible... gruesome death of some kind.... But, life just had to have another doozy waiting for us, huh?!” Waving his empty hand around the room he was in, he looked back at the commander as if to make a point. “We're thrown right smack dab in this eye-strainingly colorful world... Oh yeah, everything's coming up Anders now, I thought. Finding this grand place, filled with nothin' more than cheerful people and.... and... this really good booze!” Taking another drink, the mage's voice began to rise steadily as he continued talking, showing a hint of building frustration. “The kinda place that, you know, you'd wana settle down in, end the nonsense of harder life! Nope! Life just had to backhand us like a cheated whore when we were least expectin' it! Now... Ferelden awaits... darkspawn, demons, templars an' all!”

Anders fell quiet once again, a depressed sigh escaping him as he again rested his chin on the table. Eventually, the mage shrugged his shoulders and absentmindedly began running his finger around the rip of his bottle. “Eh,” he grunted, his mood dropping down considerably, “listen to me... goin' on about how much of a bitch that woman called life is...” Looking back to the commander, Anders' eyes glinted with understanding. “You know all about it yourself... It's not like you were expectin' for your family to be... butchered like cattle. It probably came as a surprise when you... a Grey Warden as fresh as a newborn... was given the weighty task of ending a Blight, a civil war, and not to mention the hundred other things you did during that time. And I'm sure it was unexpected when, that witchy lady you liked so much up leaves you high and dry... right after saving the entire sodding world no less...”

The commander thought on it for a moment, his gaze dropping to the floor as a frown creased his mouth. Realizing how parched he was however, he simply heaved a much needed sigh and grabbed one of the few untouched bottles for himself. “Well,” he said, lifting the bottle up, “here's to the unexpected that life brings, and to soul-crippling disappointments!” As the bottles held by the two Grey Wardens clinked together, the commander took his first drink of his, gulping down a third of the tasty beverage in one go while the inebriated mage nearly dropped his own. He brought the bottle to his lips and tipped it upside down, leaning back to get every last drop of it until he fell backward onto the floor.

A relived smile was all that Princess Celestia could make as she gazed into Twilight's room to see her student well, not ensnared by horrid creatures or corrupted by dark influences. Even knowing she had been rescued by the efforts of her sister and visiting heroes, such an event still left the princesses heart to be gripped with fear, unable to bear the thought of such a thing occurring again.

Twilight lied down on her stomach atop the bed she had been given, perhaps the simple room wasn't as grand as the tower she once called home, it was still a quaint room that held its charm. The scholar's face didn't show any peaceful rest or noticeable joy to it at all. Instead, her expression was one of sadness and depression, the likes of which Celestia had never seen from her before.

As dependable as ever, the infantile dragon Spike stood nearby, ready to make himself of use and tend to the mare's need, simply joyful that she was safe and sound. Maybe he was simply too small to notice it, but it seemed that Twilight's mood was lost to him, though it seemed possible that the assistant was simply too young to fully understand what was effecting her.

The overwhelming silence in the room was broken as the princess stepped inside, causing both the unicorn and dragon to turn their heads toward her. The soft smile she was known for spread across her lips, Celestia's regal gaze fell onto the dragon. “Spike,” she said sweetly, “would you be so kind as to retrieve a white and gold tome from Luna's chambers? I am in need of it and she can be so forgetful at times.”

“Oh, sure thing, princess,” Spike replied, straightening his posture as he saluted the royal equine respectfully. In moments he was already out of the room, fulfilling Celestia's request without delay.

With the dragon having gone, it left the two mares alone in the simple room. It didn't take very long for it to register to Twilight, quickly picking up on the princess' actions. Celestia merely allowed her typical smile to dwindle into a look of concern, her eyes never leaving the unicorn.

“How are you feeling?” the princess asked, her tone doing well to show how much she cared.

The lavender-coated mare nodded her head with little enthusiasm. “Yeah...” she replied, “I'm doing fine.” There was a moment of pause as Celestia continued to eye her student, clearly seeing she was anything but fine. The few moments of silence proved to be all the coercing the librarian needed as her own gaze landed on the far of wall. “I've heard about what's happening because of the others being here... and that they have to leave soon because of it.”

“Yes,” Celestia nodded, “it is unfortunate in all regards. But they realize it is for the best that they do not risk Equestria by staying here longer than they need to, especially not after what befell you.”

Twilight sighed sullenly as she continued to stare aimlessly at the wall. “Maybe we would be better off had they never came here in the first place,” she murmured flatly.

The alabaster lips of the sun princess sank into a frown as she looked at her student with with a new concern. “Twilight,” she said, “you do not truly mean that, do you?”

Not answering, Twilight's glistening eyes fell downward, ashamed of her own words. Celestia followed her student's gaze, seeing her hoof against the pendent that hung around her neck. The princess' sights remained locked on the peculiar trinket for some time, seeing more than magic placed into its creation. There was so much emotion in it as well, all compacted within the small ornament. It helped to lessen her concern even more, her smile reclaiming itself on her face as she looked back to the scholar.

“Should we say that their leaving and the reasons for it are cause for such thoughts?” Celestia asked. “Yes, they may have brought great trouble to our land, but have they not brought such wondrous things as well? Just because our time with them is brief, fleeting in all concepts, does that make it any less grand?”

“But...” Twilight whispered, her thoughts tentatively being spoken, “for them to come... only to have to leave so quickly...”

“Shouldn't that make our time with them all the more precious?” the princess remarked wisely. “Now, Twilight, there are several great lessons everyone must learn in life. How unexpected life truly is, and no matter how unexpected it is, the only certainty in it is the inevitable ending of things.” Celestia then sat down next to the bed, never letting the lavender unicorn out of her sight. “Just as everything has a beginning, there is also an end. But no matter how brief or how long the time between them is, every moment should be cherished, never blackened with what ill tiding might come.” A huff of amusement left her as she continued to smile cheerfully. “Now, can we truly say that we were better off never knowing these creatures?”

Twilight blinked, her eyes blank as she thought on the princess' words. “I... I guess not,” she replied, a weak smile appearing on her expression.

“Good,” Celestia said. “Now that we know how limited their time is with us, should we not enjoy every last moment we have left?”

The strength in Twilight's smile suddenly grew, broadening across her mouth as her shimmering eyes beamed toward the royal mare. “You're right,” she said with growing joy. With her spirits lifted, the unicorn approached her mentor and nuzzled against her affectionately. “Thank you, princess.”

Celestia could keep her soft smile as she returned the gesture. An immense amount of happiness welled up inside of her heart, simply from knowing of her own student's happiness. Perhaps the otherworldly creatures had unintentionally brought danger to her land and her people, but there was no moment of regret toward their appearance that crossed her mind. Not after everything else that they had brought.

Feelings Laid Bare

Anders awoke to a painful stiffness in his back. Groaning in both pain and exertion, the mage brought himself to a sitting position and forced his clamped eyelids open. Even with the dim light around him, the shine of it immediately made him regret opening his eyes as the pain stabbed into his head, causing him to swear under his breath as he rubbed his eyes thoroughly.

With a twist of his waist, loud, cracking pops erupted from his bones. It was strangely satisfying as he began to look at his surroundings, seeing the expansive corridors of one of the many grand hallways of Canterlot castle. The empty bottles that were nearby gave him a good indicator as to what happened, a small puddle of drool on the floor cementing it quickly. He wasn't sure what was worse, the fact he had drank so much, or the fact that no one deemed it necessary to keep him from sleeping on the stone floor.

As though only held back by his own ignorance, Anders suddenly felt the repercussions of his actions, nearly screaming out in agony as his skull felt three sizes too small. It was a constant, throbbing ache that made his eyes cross and his vision blur. Erratic breaths left him as he clutched at the sides of his head, body shuddering like land during an earthquake.

Rubbing his fingers against his temples, the mage did his best to muster enough focus to concentrate through the pain. Within moments, his fingers were consumed with a faded glow as he continued to rub them against his head. “There... Yeah... just like that,” he murmured to himself. “Just heal those bad consequences away...” After a moment, the glow around his hands ceased and the pain coursing through his senses ebbed away. “Heh, bet those dwarves wish they could do that.”

Standing fully upright, Anders looked around the area more. Looking out the massive windows that were placed in the walls, the pale-silver form of the moon could be seen steadily rising into the sky. It's height wasn't much at the moment, having the mage realize that it wasn't too late just yet.

A yawn emanating from his throat was quick to clue him in on how drowsy he was, figuring out that sleeping in the middle of a hard floor provided little in a comfortable rest. Stretching his stiffened joints once again, Anders picked a direction at random and headed down the hallway, trying to find out where exactly he was in order to make it back to his room.

The castle itself was noticeably different at night, the once bright hallways of white looking dreary and dark, it didn't give much direction for the mage to follow. Only turning into different paths of the branching halls with no rhyme or reason behind it, having no idea where he was going. The soft echoes of his own footsteps were the only sound he could hear, finding none of the castle staff out now or any paroling guards for that matter.

Just as it felt like Anders would be lost in the castle for the entire night, he heard the faint sound of a voice ahead of him. It was easily recognizable as the melodious tune of Princess Celestia. Though the mage couldn't make out what she was saying, it was a good enough thing to know that she had yet to retire and could offer a helping hoof in pointing the way back to the guest rooms.

Following the muffled sound of the princess' speaking voice, Anders entered a large chamber, the corners coated in shadows from the dull lighting. In the center, Celestia could be seen, sitting down with a pleasant smile on her face. Standing before her, there was a yellow-coated, pink-maned pegasus timidly speaking respectfully to her.

“Fluttershy!” Anders exclaimed, rushing toward the mare.

Fluttershy's own face lit up upon seeing the approaching human, following suit as she galloped forward. As they were about to crash into one another, the yellow pegasus jumped upward, her wings lifting her into the air and bringing her to the mage's height.

Extending his arms out, Anders caught the pony and wrapped his arms around her in a tight hug, feeling the same amount of pressure around his own body as the equine forelegs were locked around him. “I can't believe you're here,” he said happily. “I didn't think I'd get a chance to see you again.” They were soon snapped back to where they were as Celestia politely cleared her throat, making the two friends release one another and look away abashedly. “So, uh... what are you doing here, Fluttershy?”

The pegasus mare quickly redeveloped a cheerful smile as she looked to the mage and said, “Well, Ponyville's really hectic right now. Everypony's still scared over what happened and the others are trying to repair the damages. I came here to see what was going on.” In a split-second, her smile shrank into a frown. “How's Twilight? A lot of ponies said that something happened to her, and Princess Celestia said that-”

Anders knelt down to Fluttersy, lips spread in a large smile. “She's doing fine,” he said reassuringly. “Thanks to the others, what happened to her is over. Now, we're just staying here for a little longer before we have to go back home.”

“You have to leave so soon?” Fluttershy asked, not knowing the real reasons behind their plans.

As he nodded, the mage's own smile lessened as he sighed wearily. “Yeah, but... it's getting late,” he replied. “How about we both turn in for the night and I'll explain everything in the morning?”

“You are more than welcome to stay in the guest rooms, Fluttershy,” Celestia said, eying the two closely.

“Oh... okay,” the pegasus replied. “That'll be fine.”

“Great! Let's go get some sleep.” Anders said, standing fully upright as he turned toward the nearest exit. Just as he and Fluttershy were about to leave, the mage stopped in his tracks and turned back to Celestia. “Uh... heh, now that I think about it, I'm actually sorta lost...” Celestia huffed lightly in amusement before nodding her head toward the left, indicating what direction to go. “Ah, that's it. Thank ya kindly, princess.” With an abrupt bow, the mage then left with Fluttershy in tow, leaving Celestia to simply smile at the two as they left.

The trip to the guest rooms was a quiet one, Fluttershy continuously looked to Anders in an attempt to ask something and sate her curious thoughts, but one look at the human showed he wasn't about to begin any type of conversation just yet. He almost looked sad, making the mare worry that something was wrong. But still nothing was said, even as they made it to the corridor that connected the many guest rooms.

Barely even giving a breath of a good-night, Anders and Fluttershy were prepared to go their separate ways. With Anders aiming toward his own room and Fluttershy locating one for herself, they where both stopped suddenly as they heard something.

It was quiet, an extremely soft and abrupt gasp coming from one of the rooms. Despite how silent it was, given the stillness all around them, it might as well have been a clap. Anders barely even hesitated as he turned toward the source of the sound, seeing a door that was not fully shut, opened just a small crack. Though Fluttershy was at first wary of approaching the almost ominous looking door, seeing the mage approach with no trepidation was reason enough for her to do as the human did.

Together, the both pressed their gazes against the wooden door, doing their best not to push against it and cause it to creak open even more. Just as their sights were able to glimpse into the room, they both immediately lurched backward.

Pressing their backs against the far off wall, Anders and Fluttershy wore matching expressions as they looked at one another. Their eyes were wide and unblinking, their jaws almost disconnecting as their mouths gaped open, and their faces shined with a bright tint of red.

With nothing better to do, the Warden-Commander simply lied down on his bed, holding a book over his gaze as he quietly read from it. There was little else to do within the castle. Truthfully, the commander didn't care if there were really a million things to do within the royal home, wanting to be left alone for as long as possible as they spent their last few nights in the once peaceful land.

Complete and utter stillness surrounded the Warden, the only sound to be heard being that of his own thoughts as his eyes traveled from left to right across the pages, focusing on every word as they echoed in his mind. He might as well have been the only one in the entire world from the solitude placed around him. It was why it came as a shock to him as he suddenly felt something touching his free hand.

Setting the book down, the commander grabbed the invader that broke into his own little world. Holding it up in front of him, the sight of the object made his eyes widen, seeing a pendent depicting two gryphons in his grasp. His head immediately jerked to the side, seeing Twilight standing in the doorway, wearing a noticeable downtrodden expression.

“I... I thought I should give it back,” Twilight murmured, barely meeting the human's gaze. “I made it for you, you know.”

Sitting on the edge of his bed and wrapping the chain back around his own neck, the commander found a sudden feeling of completion, like a piece of himself had been returned. “Yeah...” he replied. “I just thought you needed it more.” He swallowed the expanding lump in his throat before looking directly at the mare. “Twilight, are you... are you alright? I mean, that demon had-”

“Yes, yes, I'm fine,” Twilight replied, smiling a little at the sudden concern, finally looking the commander in the eyes.

Silence quickly fell over them both as the lavender-coated mare stepped further into the room, eventually climbing atop the bed herself to sit beside the human. The silence seemed to thicken even more the closer they were, both of them simply sitting there without a word, only briefly glancing toward the other.

A shuddering sigh left the commander soon after, unable to bear it any longer. “Twilight,” he said, almost pleadingly, “I... I just...” He groaned sullenly as he buried his face in his hands. There was so much to be said, yet the Warden found himself unable to speak, at a complete loss for words.

“Look, Twilight,” the Warden forced himself to say, “I-I'm sorry, alright?”

Twilight looked at him with a mix of confusion and compounding sadness. “Sorry?” she asked. “For what?”

“How I treated you,” the commander murmured, his voice heavy with regret. “For what's happened to you and Equestria. For all that we've done.”

Twilight shook her head as she continued to stare at the commander. “None of that was your fault,” she said firmly. “If anyone should be sorry... it's me.” The sudden statement caused the commander to eye the unicorn with his own feeling of confusion as she began to look at herself distastefully. “When you disappeared before and I saw who was behind it... I was so scared... I thought I might never see you again, that you... that you might have...” Tears fell down her cheeks as she began to sniffle. “I was so relieved when you were safe. I couldn't even explain it... I was just so... so happy that I couldn't even stand it. Just being near you, I could feel it... it was something I've never felt around anypony else before...” Like a knife through the heart, the Warden-Commander felt a pang of guilt stab into him. “And I don't know why, but I just... acted on it...” At that moment, she shuddered, her attempts to repress her own sadness failing miserably as a sudden sob left her. “And then... you left.”

It was difficult, almost impossible, for the Warden to hear those words. All he could feel were his own insides twisting together in one big knot. “I ran because... because I was afraid,” he said. “I was afraid of what it meant, of what was happening between the two of us...”

Pausing only to wipe the tears off of the unicorn's lavender coat, the commander looked her straight in the eyes. “Twilight,” he said, his tone serious but still caring, “you're a wonderful person, intelligent, funny and so very talented. I realized that quickly just by being around you, but... I didn't want to see any further than that. Me and everyone else being here was a mistake, one that needed to be fixed. I saw it as an inevitability from the start... I-I couldn't hurt you like you that...” For a single moment, his gaze drifted toward the ring he wore on his finger. “I've felt that kind of pain before... You didn't deserve that. So I thought keeping away from you was the only way, even if you hated me for it. Then... I was surprise when Anders came to me, expressing his wishes to stay in your world. What he said... it made me realize that our situation wasn't as inevitable as I had thought... That maybe, some sacrifices could have been made, if it was for one's own happiness.”

Rubbing his eyes thoroughly, the Warden-Commander's face twisted into a fierce scowl. “But then...” he said through gritted teeth, his fists clenched tightly, “that demon attacked you... I saw what we were doing to Equestria, to you and your people... It was a hard slap to the face to know what once was a choice, was now something we had to do. So I had to stay away from you, to prevent any misery the inevitable would cause.”

The commander was then surprise as he felt Twilight nuzzling against him. “But... I didn't care about that,” she said. “All I wanted was to be with you, to enjoy every second I had. Even though you had to leave eventually, I never thought otherwise. You've even said it yourself... how you have to cherish every second you have, especially when you know it won't last... I didn't care that it would eventually hurt, I'd at least have the memories to look back to...” Tears began to stream down her face once again, almost as though to cut the commander down, forcing him to see the pain that he was already causing her. “But... if you still think it's best we not seeing each other until you leave, I'll... understand.” Her glistening, water-filled eyes looked up at him, meeting his own eyes perfectly. “But, will you please just tell me one thing? If... if it wasn't for that... that monster, would you have stayed here?”

Struck by the question, the Warden-Commander looked at Twilight almost dumbstruck. Though he opened his mouth as if to speak, no words came out. The lack of an answer was noticed quickly by the distraught unicorn, her eyes nearly flooding with moisture. But, her sadness came to a sudden, crashing halt as, without a word, the commander leaned forward and kissed her.

They remained like that for several moments, their lips locked together as the commander kissed he scholar passionately. Though Twilight was shocked by the sudden affection, she was quick to returning it, her heart fluttering in her chest. When they finally broke away, they didn't separate very far. Their faces mere hairs away from each other, the commander looked the mare in the eyes and whispered, “I just don't want to hurt you.”

“You never could,” Twilight replied with a loving smile, surprising the Warden as she suddenly broke the gap between them and brought her lips to his once again. It was with the same force as their first time together, but rather than want to pull away, the commander wanted nothing more than to stay that way.

Things didn't end there as the commander felt a sudden push against his chest, falling backward onto the bed as Twilight lied on top of him The position was strangely reminiscent, save for the joyful, almost sultry gaze held by the mare. It was a great surprise to the human, having never expected for her to take such initiative. By the look on her face however, it seemed as though she even surprised herself.

But it didn't stop them, not in the slightest. They both continued to kiss the other, things escalating more and more until their tongues began to intertwine. Twilight pressed herself against the commander as closely as she could, perhaps wasn't experienced with what they were doing, but she didn't care. All that she cared about now was the human that was with her. The commander himself made use of his hands, running his fingers through her soft mane while his other hand ran across the mare's lavender-coated body tenderly.

It seemed obvious enough what things were coming to. They both broke away once again, catching their breath as they looked into the eyes of the other. The commander was almost hesitant to continue, knowing how such things were a new experience for the mare. But, as he looked up at the unicorn, he could see it in her eyes. A readiness that showed her own want in all of it, to show her true feelings for him, in the greatest way two people could. They would make their time together worth remembering.

The Warden-Commander was certain that everyone he knew would probably call him crazy. It would most likely even be one of the more tame words they would have for him. But then again, he could remember when such people called him crazy simply for falling for Morrigan. Frankly, he didn't care. All he cared about was the creature with him now, feeling something he hadn't for a long time.

A Simply Perfect Day

Lazily opening his eyes, the Warden-Commander found himself gazing into Twilight's own closed ones. She wore a blissful smile as she remained asleep, her forelegs wrapped around the human's body, just as his own arms were around her. They were embraced together, locked together lovingly as they rested from the events of the previous night. As much as he wished to stay like that, he knew he wouldn't be able to. With slow, careful movements, the Warden managed to release himself from the mare's grasp, allowing for him to sit up in the bed and rub the drowsiness from his eyes.

The commander almost laughed, realizing that it was his third time waking up beside the scholar. This time however, it meant so much more to do so. It helped form a smile on his face as his gaze fell back down to Twilight, feeling an immense amount of joy as he did so. How much he cared for her was no longer in question, but even then, there was no avoiding the fact that what was between them wouldn't last. Cut apart by worlds, monsters and magic, it seemed as though their meeting was just another bittersweet game of life.

It nearly caused his smile to fade. But before any sense of sadness could overtake him, the Warden shook such thoughts away, not wishing to dwell on them any longer. It was the second time he has had to learn not to think on how it would all end. He wasn't going to waste what little time he had left worrying over it, not with Twilight's own feelings toward the subject having been known.

Leaving the mare to rest for as long as she needed, the Warden simply leaned over her and lightly kissed her on the cheek, taking care not to wake her as he climbed out of bed. A sudden chill immediately hit his bare flesh, no longer having the soft covers or warm body of Twilight to keep the cold away. It helped bring him to grab his clothes, having been discarded about the room in a great haste before, and throw them on.

Pausing only a moment to look back to the lavender-coated mare's sleeping form, the commander grabbed for the door leading out into the hallway. Again he paused, noticing that the door wasn't fully shut, opened a small crack. It made him breathe an involuntary sigh of relief, realizing the bullet that had been dodged. It would have been an awkward moment of explanation and racing hearts if someone had walked in on them. Chuckling lightly at the thought, the commander left his room, slowly shutting the door behind him.

Though the hallway looked deserted, there was no denying the fact that the commander was acting more cautious than normal. He wasn't certain just yet if the people he, or even Twilight, knew should be privy to what was going on between them now. It was at least something he would wait to ask the mare herself. But no one was nearby, either still asleep or going through their early routines.

Hunger was prevalent in the commander's thoughts as he trekked through the many halls of the castle, it helped him realize that he hadn't been eating much recently. Now however, he felt renewed, overly cheerful about everything. It was obvious enough as to why, but there was no ignoring how much he was brimming with happiness. Focusing on his own thoughts, it became a sudden surprise as he ran straight into something.

Stumbling back, rubbing his suddenly sore forehead, the commander looked forward to see Anders doing the same. “Sorry about that,” he murmured through a groan, slightly surprised to see the previously drunken mage up already.

Anders gave a very different reaction immediately upon his recovery. As though frozen in place, the mage's entire body stiffened like iron, his eyes wide with alarm. Gaining an eye of peculiarity from his commander, he was quick relax himself, unable to hide away the uneasy look on his face. “Oh, hey... heh-heh,” he said quickly, pointing repeatedly off in the opposite direction. “I-I was just- just... going to the Eluvian! Yeah...” with jerky movements, he sidestepped the Warden-Commander, “that's it... So, I'm going to go do that now... To the Eluvian... To fix it... Sending us back home and all that... See ya.” Backing away slowly, Anders immediately turned down the first hall that he could, breaking into a run when he was certain that the Warden couldn't see it.

The commander merely scratched his head in confusion as he turned back to his previous path, nearly crashing once again as he was about to trip over the small frame of Fluttershy. The pegasus mare sat there, looking up at him, her eyes blankly staring as a small flush of pink developed across her cheeks.

“Oh... Fluttershy?” the commander questioned. “When did you get here?”

Silent for several long moments, the feathered pony tilted her head forward, her pink mane falling over her face. With her obscured expression, she found her voice to speak. Even with it though, it made her no more understandable. “Oh... I-I got here last night...” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. “Um, I r-really need to get going... Anders thought I could help with this project he's doing... and I should get back to him...” Keeping her gaze down to the floor, Fluttershy walked past the commander and followed the same path Anders had.

Watching her go, the Warden held his chin in thought. As a toothy grin spread across his mug, a bemused chuckle escaped him as he murmured, “Reasons to stay, huh?” Realizing it wasn't his place to pry, he shrugged dismissively toward the subject and turned back to his previous task of self-indulgence.

With nothing else interrupting his journey, it didn't take the commander very long to make it to the banquet hall. Anders' previous night of alcoholic drowning had been cleaned, looking as though the grand dining table had never been touched. A few servants walked about, performing their duties, whatever they may be.

Not even needing to sit down, one of the hard-working mares was quick to approach the commander, asking if he needed anything. Wanting something to eat that didn't have more plants in it than a garden, the servant nodded with a smile and trotted off to find something.

Again reminded of the excellent service, the commander barely had to wait for a bowl of grey mush to be presented to him. Eying it curiously, he was told it was a breakfast called oatmeal. A spoon poked out from inside of the mess, allowing him to scoop up a small bit of it as he tasted it. There was a overpowering taste of cinnamon added to it that he immediately picked up on, making the meal oddly satisfying to eat.

With only a few passing servants nearby, the banquet hall remained moderately silently, only broken by the quiet sounds of the commander eating or the echoing thud of hooves striking the ground. It helped to clue the Warden in when one pair of hooves were approaching him, their generated sound growing steadily louder. He didn't even need to turn toward the approaching presence as he felt a soft cheek nuzzle against him.

“Good morning,” Twilight whispered taking the spot next to the human.

The commander smiled cheerfully as he looked at the unicorn, seeing her own face practically glowing with joy. “Morning,” he replied. “I figured you'd still be sleeping right now.”

“I couldn't,” the lavender mare said with a shake of her head, right before embracing the commander once again, “not without you.” The Warden chuckled somewhat uneasily as he wrapped an arm around her, keeping her close. Twilight took notice to it quickly, looking up at him with confusion. “What's the matter?”

“It-it's nothing,” the commander said with a reassuring smile. “I just... didn't really know how you wanted us to act... around each other. I mean, they're your people after all. I just didn't want to put you in any awkward or embarrassing position where-” The commander was soon silenced as the unicorn brought her face directly toward his own, her eyes lighting up with wonderment.

“I don't care what they know,” Twilight said demurely, pressing herself forward and locking her lips with the human's, her taste buds already taking in the leftover cinnamon of his breakfast.

The Warden was nearly knocked over by the force of the loving assault, surprised both by the sudden forwardness of it, as well as their current location. But such surprise didn't keep him from returning the sentiment with just as much enthusiasm, cupping her cheek in his hand and pressing against her as well.

However, his gaze did drift out to the chamber they were in, his sights falling on one of the servants who was halted in her duties as she eyed the two from afar. A clear look of surprise was worn on her face, as well looking noticeably flushed before she quickly adverted her gaze and half-trotted half-galloped away. It didn't stop the commander in the slightest, having spent too much time fearing his emotions himself, he wasn't going to waste anymore worrying about others.

Twilight's own actions also made him realize what they meant to one another. The scholar had crossed a mighty threshold, going through many new experiences all at once. It helped to explain the sudden affectionate turn the mare had taken. But the commander wasn't complaining, actually feeling proud to be the one to be with her on such a trip for her.

As they broke their kiss, Twilight continued to look at the Warden lovingly. Matching the expression, the commander said, “So, what do you want to do for the day?”

“Anything,” the unicorn replied, wrapping her forelegs around him in a tight hug, “so long as it's with you.” Holding her close as well, the commander developed a wide smile. That's exactly what he was thinking too.

“I suppose it's not really our business,” Anders murmured in reply, looking over the small shards of glass in his hand, feeling the ancient magic still flowing from them. “What happens behind closed doors and all that...” He huffed in annoyance to himself. “Bit hypocritical if you ask me... Tries to berate me then he's the one who goes native.” A sullen sigh then escapes him as he continued to stare down at the shards. “Ah well, as long as their happy, I just hope they both realize that this isn't going to last... We're leaving, that much is certain.”

Fluttershy, simply nodded her head, the bag wrapped around her body swayed slightly from the motion. Ser Pounce-a-lot's head poked out of the opening, looking around the small chamber they were in. A few shelves and tables had dusty old tomes stacked atop them, as well as a few glass vials filled with glowing liquids that neither of them dared to touch. The only noteworthy things in the room were the small table that had the mystical Eluvian shards, as well as the mirror that was stood up in the center of the room.

Anders had to give credit to the talking equines, they had certainly done an amazing job at creating a suitable likeness of an Eluvian. Perhaps not as decorated or as flashy as a real one, essentially being a rectangular mirror with a base to stand it upright. The mage was simply glad that the mirror was large enough to fit them all, half-expecting for it to be pony sized.

Still though, the unicorns hadn't made much headway in recreating the magical part of it. Leaving Anders to solve the conundrum himself. It made sense though, he wasn't about to try and make heads or tails of how magic in their world worked, he didn't expect them to understand his own.

“I just wish you didn't have to leave so quickly,” Fluttershy murmured, her gaze falling to the ground sadly. She had been told about what happened to Twilight, as well as why it meant that they had to leave. Perhaps she didn't fully grasp what she was told, the pegasus was at least able to understand that it meant they had to make it back to their own world as soon as they could.

“I know, I know, me neither,” Anders replied. “I'd give anything to be able to stay... But it's just something we have to do. I've seen demons possess animals for Andraste's sake... I'd never be able to live with myself if I helped cause something bad to happen to you, or anyone for that matter.”

Dejectedly, Fluttershy nodded, quietly murmuring, “I understand...”

Heaving his own saddened sigh, Anders knelt down before the mare, wrapping his arms around her in a comforting hug. “Come now,” he said reassuringly, “there's no point in getting sad about it. We both had fun in the time we've known each other, right? That's all that matters. Now, we need to get this Eluvian finished so that you and all of Equestria can be safe.”

Again simply nodding her head, Fluttershy looked the mage in the eyes. “Okay,” she replied, developing a meek smile.

“Great,” Anders said, standing back up. “Now... you should probably stand back a bit, this kind of magic can be a bit... unstable...” Casting a worried look for a moment, Fluttershy did as she was requested, giving the human a wide berth as he stood in front of the mirror, the Eluvian shards set between them both.

Rubbing his hands together briskly, Anders began taking several deep breaths. Attempting to relax himself proved difficult as he wasn't too eager to attempt what he was about to try. It made things harder as he questioned his own ability to succeed, despite always referring to himself as one of Ferelden's greatest. He was worried he was about to eat those words.

“Okay,” Anders said, mostly to himself. “Casting magic's simply enough... but to put it into an item,” he released a long exhale, “yeah... That's a bit more difficult.” As though to delay himself more and more, he again hesitated to take several more deep breaths. Realizing he was simply stalling himself, the mage shook his head feverishly and stared at the mirror defiantly. “Alright, alright, I can do this. Remember, fortune favors the bold!”

Concentrating as well as he could, the mage focused all of his magical prowess through his body. A glowing mist of white and blue enveloped his hands as the magic coursed around his appendages. His eyes set straight, he stared down the mirror as he forced the magic into the Eluvian shards as well as the surface of the mirror. Both items developed a similar glow, emanating the magical white and blue colors as Anders attempted to replicate the power and create his own Eluvian.

Fluttershy watched with rapt attention. From her point of view, it simply looked as though Anders was pointing at the mirror with all of his fingers at once. It was certainly a strange sight, but the clear strain on the humans face, as well as the mystical power emanating around his hands as well as the items he was focusing on, showed that something was indeed happening. Ser Pounce-a-lot also watched the spectacle, obvious having no idea what his master was doing, blissfully unaware of the entire situation.

“Come on... come on... work!” Anders said, speaking as though his demands would be heeded by the inanimate objects.

Then, the mage's arms fell as the glow around his hands diminished. Surprise was etched onto his face as he stared expectantly at the mirror, the surface looking as though it was turning into water. A smile began to form across hi lips, excitement building as he realized he was doing it, on his first try no less.

Before he could begin patting himself on the back however, a loud crackling sound consumed the small chamber and a mighty burst of magic shot out from the mirror. Anders was knocked off of his feet, thrown backward a good distance. Striking into one of the tables, he flipped over it immediately on impact, landing on the other side as the table was knocked away, the tomes lying atop it being thrown around in all directions.

Gasping in panic, Fluttershy ran to the mage's side as he groaned in misery. Sitting up slightly, Anders looked around dazedly, quietly murmuring, “Okay... maybe I should try a different approach...” before he collapsed back onto the floor.

Walking down the winding staircase at a steady pace, Alistair's gaze drifted about the cold, grey stone walls at his sides. They looked no better since the last time he saw them, knowing fully well why but still finding such a sight peculiar. It was a feeling that he shrugged away quickly, thinking that it had to be a good thing that such a place was rarely seen, meaning needs for it were just as rare.

At the bottom of the stairs, another stone hallway looking up, looking just as damp and dark as the last time he had seen it. Near the foot of the stairs, a royal guard stood at his set position. Not looking like any of the other guards one would see in the castle, this one in particular held a clear look of disdain and boredom about him. Despite his appearance however, the guard was quick in straightening up as he noticed the approaching human, developing the stoic stance that was akin to the armor-clad stallions.

“Do you mind leaving us for a few minutes?” Alistair asked politely, directing his best smile toward the guard.

The stallion looked as though he was about to protest. But as he stopped himself, it was clear that he was internally debating about the request. Coming to the conclusion that there would be no harm done, as well as realizing that the bipedal outsiders held great sway with the princesses, the guard gave a simple nod of his head and made his way up the tall staircase to the castle surface.

Looking at the door that the stallion was guarding, Alistair peered through the barred hole cut in at the top. Inside, Corvick could be seen, leaning against the wall as he looked off blankly. The only sound he made was unintelligible mumbling.

“Seems we'll be heading back home soon,” the Warden-King said, leaning his shoulder against the door as he developed an uninterested stare about the area. “Really, I think the only difficult thing we'll have left to do now is coming up with the reason for your punishment. Doubt the Knight-Commander will be too happy about it... or the Grand Cleric for that matter. Ah well, I'm the king after all... and I'm not going to let what you've done go unpunished.”

“He's coming for us...” a quiet, mewl of a voice managed to say.

“Huh? What was that?” Alistair questioned, looking back into the cell. He noticed Corvick's head was turned toward him, his dazed, unblinking eyes pointed in his direction.

“He... he's coming to find his children... His whispers... I hear them,” the crazed templar said aimlessly. “Drawn by the source of silence... Whispers... keep coming... never stopping. Can barely hear them... but they plead, beg for it... All the whispers want is what they were promised... Whispers again and again... he asks for them... searching, always searching...”

“Going on about the Maker again I see...” Alistair murmured, noticing how much more the old man had become unhinged.

But things only escalated. Frantic breaths escaped the templar as he began to run his fingers against he stone wall, as though he were trying to claw his way out. “Maker, why?” he shouted, his voice rising to shrill cries. “Why blackness? Why whispers? Only silence and darkness is what they are given!” His shouts then stopped, his eyes again going blank as he pressed his back against the wall and slid down to the floor. “Such promises... but nothing given back... then betrayal... so long... only the children to be seen... They wished to break the silence as well... but nothing... then freedom, but still not... He must come, to be freed... find the source of silence... find the beautiful one's voice again...”

Just watching the old templar go only filled Alistair with a sense of relief. Only fortune could be seen from it, fortune for having left the templars when he did. It almost sent a chill up his spine thinking about how such a state could have befallen him at some point. But still, such a thing was avoided, now there was no sense to dwell upon the what ifs.

Turning away from the door, Alistair made his way back up the winding stairway, having no wish to hear the insane ramblings of the fool any longer.

“Alright... time to try this once again,” Anders said, a small hint of hesitation in his voice. After what happened last time, it was easy enough to see where his trepidation would come. Thanks to the help of Fluttershy though, the mage was a little more prepared this time. With her quick thinking, the yellow-coated mare managed to grab two hard hats for them to wear. Safety first after all.

The top of the pegasus' mane was flattened down on top of her head as she wore the white piece of headgear. Anders' own wasn't the best of fits however, his own head being differently shaped and smaller compared to that of a pony. It caused the hardhat to move about on the top of his head and occasionally obscure his vision as it fell forward over his sight.

Ignoring it, the mage once again stood before the mirror, Fluttershy ducking behind an overturned table as a makeshift barrier of protection. She barely peeked over the edge as she watched Anders do his stuff. Like before, his hands began to glow with the same white and blue coloring, matching that of the shards as well as the mirror as he attempted to recreate the magical enchantment of the Eluvian.

Small beads of sweat formed on the anxious mage's brow, expecting for another magical explosion to throw him through a wall. His fears didn't stop him from trying his hardest however, his full concentration being put into the mirror as he focused all of his magical ability into success.

The seconds slowly began to pass by as Anders held his stance and did his best. His excitement began to grow as it appeared like the glass of the mirror was almost liquifying, rippling with a magical touch.

Then the magic stopped flowing. Anders dropped his arms and stared at the mirror, his body tensing as he prepared himself for the sudden reaction. But nothing happened. As his lips spread apart in a massive smile, his pounding heart thudded painfully in his chest.

Relaxing his body, the mage simply looked happy and dumbfounded as he eyed Fluttershy saying, “Heh, I think we've-” His words were cut off as a sudden burst of magic suddenly erupted from the mirror once again, throwing the mage through the air for a second time. Thudding against the wall, Anders was nearly knocked unconscious as he came to a halt on the floor.

“Oh, come on!” the mage painfully shouted at the object. “Why did there have to be a delay?!”

For the scholar Twilight and the Commander of the Grey, no one could say that their day together was eventful in any sense of the word. But, to them, it was one of the greatest days they had ever had since the strange creatures had been thrown into the magical land of Equestria.

They hardly left each others side, always together as though they were a long time couple. Their smiles looked to be permanently carved onto their faces as they beamed brightly with joy. Few really had a chance to see them in such light however. Though neither of them cared who knew or who didn't about their sudden closeness, that didn't mean they were ready to let their time together be spoiled by any other, knowing full well how three was a crowd.

Occasionally they talked about nothing like it was a grand subject, sharing laughs over stories as they had realized they were both adept at doing. When the hunger of midday hit them, they shared a large salad, eating the leafy greens and vegetables with great relish. Perhaps not the tastiest meal the Warden could ask for, but he didn't mind it at all. Then, when the sky began to darken and the sun began its descent from the sky, they returned to the commander's room to lie on his bed. Snuggling against the human, Twilight levitated a lovely story in front of them, allowing them to read to pleasantly read to one another. When the hour grew late, and their eyelids became too heavy to hold up, they fell into a warm sleep while remaining in each others embrace.

Perhaps they weren't making the best of their limited time together, but neither of them really cared. Just being near the other was enough for them. Whatever simple task they performed or accomplished was irrelevant as long as they were together. All that mattered was that they were happy, and they most certainly were. To them, it was a perfect day.

But as night fully blanketed the sky, Luna's moon hovering above all of Equestria, there was a dark disturbance far away near the edge of Everfree Forest. Emerging from deep within the foreboding blackness, a malevolent creature placed its hand against a nearby tree to brace itself. It was finally out, having followed the trail for some time, driven by only one thing in its otherwise empty mind.

Its serrated maw hung open, allowing the haggard exhales to escape it all the easier, growing heavier and heavier by the second. As its head tilted upward, the creature's blackened eyes locked onto the regal castle that was perched on the side of the far off mountain. The castle never leaving its sight, the creature's nostrils flared repeatedly, catching a familiar scent in the air. A shriek of a growl vibrated from its throat as the creature moved forward. Dragging its hand across the side of the tree, its sharp, blade-like claws sliced into the thick trunk of the plant with ease.

What's Worth Protecting

Fluttershy continued to watch Anders quizzically, his eyes darting back and forth on a nearby table, looking as though he was searching for something. “Where is it... Where is it...” he murmured to himself, moving aside stacks books and papers.

“What are you looking for?” Fluttershy asked, tilting her to the side in her confusion.

Anders didn't turn to look at her, his eyes still searching the immediate area, simply saying, “The only thing I can think of that might- Ah! Here it is!” Buried under a small pile of tomes was a small, palm-sized box with a glass lid. Picking it up, the mage's lips parted in a smile as he looked at the blue ring that was inside.

The strange piece of jewelry catching her eye quickly, the pegasus mare looked between it and the mage with curiosity. “What's that thing?” she asked.

“Lyrium,” Anders replied, opening up the box, his hand cautiously hovering over it but never touching it. “Not a lot... but maybe enough.” Setting the box back on the table, he looked around again before kneeling down. With a swift motion, he tore off a scrap of cloth from the hem of his robes.

Noticing his pony spectator's gaze still locked on him, Anders figured he'd clue her in as he wrapped the piece of tattered cloth around the ring. “This stuff, as it is now, like poison to mages,” he explained. Just touching it could kill me... or worse. Heh, ironically enough, I could use it to completely rip any magical connection from me too... Probably even let me stay here in this world... Too bad it also rips any sort of personality out you too, not the most viable of options.”

With the ring safely wrapped up, the mage carelessly tossed it up and down as he stood before the large mirror. Just holding the piece of jewelry in his hands, there was an unmistakable spark of magical energy as he got closer toward the Eluvian shards. The magic within both of the objects were reacting to one another, making the mage all the more certain that his plan might work.

“Alright...” Anders murmured, his voice still holding a hint of uncertainty despite his otherwise determined look, “hopefully this plan works...”

“What are you going to do?” the pegasus mare asked, already stepping behind the overturned table barrier as a precaution.

An exacerbated breath left the Grey Warden as he continuously looked between the Eluvian shards and the ring held in his grasp. “Well,” he explained, “since trying to 'copy' the magic that the Eluvian has into the mirror has proved to be an utter failure, the only other method I can think of is to try and transfer the magic from the shards themselves into the mirror.” His hand tightened around the ring. “With the lyrium as a catalyst, I might be able to do it. But...” he trailed off, swallowing the lump in his throat. “The attempt alone will destroy the shards entirely... So if it fails...”

“You'll have no other way back...” Fluttershy murmured, realizing where the mage was going.

Biting his lower lip, Anders shook his head. "Technically no,” he corrected. “The only other option would be to use blood magic. But even then, there's no telling what it would do. Ancient elves never used such methods with their spells. And then there's the fact that even attempting blood magic would require... sacrifices...”

“Sacrifices?” Fluttershy whimpered, a quiver in her voice at the concept alone.

“But it won't come to that!” Anders said loudly, mostly to himself. “This will work... I know it!” He turned toward the mare, worry in his eyes. “Just... just stand back, and be safe.” Fluttershy did as she was told, not leaving her place behind the table as she watched the mage get to work.

Much like his previous attempts, Anders steadied himself before the Eluvian shards and the mirror. His chest repeatedly began to rise and fall from his heavy breaths, nostrils flaring. Only a second lasted where he took a single glance at the lyrium ring before his hand clasped around it. Readying himself, steeling his nerves and concentrating every last thought he had into the task, the mage's hands ignited in a powerful blue and white glow.

The change in power was easily noticeable, Anders could feel the added benefit of the lyrium in his clutches immediately. His magic was becoming more potent, increasing every moment as his eyes remained trained on the Eluvian shards and the mirror.

Throwing his arms forward, Anders' could feel the building magic extend outward, the shards and mirror swirling with the same aura that encompassed his own hands. Focus never breaking, beads of sweat formed on his brow, his teeth grinding against each other as every muscle in his body tightened to painful lengths. But the mage never stopped, never blinked or let up in his magical assault. He knew the stakes of what he was trying, knowing full well what failure meant.

The magical shards of glass began to rattle on the table they were placed on. A bright light emanated from the surfaces, as though caught in the reflective surface of the glass. The strain of the magic could clearly be seen on the objects themselves. The blinding light from it became too much for Fluttershy to take, forced to duck down fully behind the table as the air within the small chamber felt heavier, almost crackling with magical energy.

Even in the light emanating from them, Anders could see cracks appearing across the shards. They deepened more and more until a sudden burst of magical light consumed the room. From within the abyss of light that engulfed them, Anders and Fluttershy could hear the sound of shattering class reverberating through the chamber.

Several moments past before the light finally faded, allowing for the mage and pony to see once again. On the table where the Eluvian shards once rested, there was nothing but a few particles of a white powder. Just seeing it almost caused the rest of Anders' strength leave him, his knees buckling as he knelt on the ground. Droplets of sweat splattered onto the floor as his mouth hung open, his haggard breath being the only sound in the room for some time.

Recovering enough to stand, Anders looked away from what remained of the shards and looked to the mirror itself. As his gaze fell on the object, his eyes grew wide as his mouth hung open in shock. No longer was the mirror holding a reflective surface. It looked as though a dark-violet abyss had been trapped behind a pane of glass, swirling with an endless nothingness that looked as though it could consume all that approached it. Crackles of magical energy resonated from the mirror, snapping out like lightning.

With slow, hesitant steps, the Grey Warden approached the mirror. Fluttershy's head poked out from behind the table, watching the mage go with nary a word to say otherwise. She was just as speechless as he mage as he closed the distance between himself and the object.

Just standing there, inches away from it, there was a swelling feeling of energy surging into the human's body. Added to it however, Anders felt as though his own power was being sucked away, taken into the abysmal maw that was behind the glass. It was an endless cycle and give and take, making the mage almost fearful as his hand reached out toward it.

It was cold. It was the first sensation his skin felt as his palm rested against the mirror. It was as though there wasn't even glass there any more. But as he ran his hand across the surface of the mirror, it rippled underneath of his touch, like a disturbed pond of water. As he did it, a smile twitched itself onto the mage's face, a winded chuckle escaping him.

“It... it worked!” Anders exclaimed. “Woohoo! It worked! I've made an Eluvian!” He jumped into the air as he cheered, his voice rising with triumph.

“You did it!” Fluttershy said herself, flying into the air around the human. Her lips parted into a large smile as she took a deep breath and then gave a miniscule, “Yay...”

Joy was still apparent on Anders face as he continued to jump ecstaticly. “Ha ha! I can't believe it worked! That's means we're done here!” His smile began to slowly deflate.” We can finally... go... back home...” Just as quickly as it had ignited, the spark of celebration fizzled out. Anders and Fluttershy looked at one another wordlessly, their gazes falling as the bittersweet accomplishment fully dawned on them.

Cuddling against each other, Twilight and Commander Cousland laid stretched out on the human's bed. The Warden absently stroked the mare's mane, running his fingers through it gingerly as their gazes looked at the nearby wall blankly. Already, a good portion of the day had gone by, being just as eventful as the last. But, as the day began to wind down, there was no escaping the sorrow that was creeping into their hearts.

“From what Anders says, the Eluvian will be ready soon,” the commander murmured, speaking what he knew they were both thinking. Simply letting those words out in the open seemed to release a compounding feeling of tension amongst them, a saddened sigh escaping them at nearly the same time.

Twilight nodded dishearteningly. “Yeah... I know,” she murmured, her voice barely rising above a whisper. It was filled with a pain that the Warden had been expecting, and also dreading.

Thinking up an attempt to lighten the mood, a smirk made its way onto the commander's face. Chuckling lightly, he tightened his hold on the mare, bringing her closer. “You know,” he said amusingly, “I really feel I should thank those changeling creatures who abducted me before.” As he spoke, he could feel the mare shifting slightly. Another chuckle left him as he could easily sense her apprehension. “Come now. Had it not been for them, I might not have been put in the position for you to... assault me.”

A huff left the mare as she turned her sights toward the human. “I don't remember hearing a complaint from you, even at the time,” she remarked, holding a wry smile underneath a coy gaze.

“You're right,” the commander said, leaning in close as he kissed her, their lips locked together for several moments.

As they broke away, Twilight's eyes narrowed fiercely as she held the human in a possessive grip. “Chrysalis is just lucky she got away when she did,” the lavender mare said, “especially after what she did to you.”

At that, the commander burst into laughter, his voice carrying through the small guest room. Twilight even smiled herself, the Warden's attempt to cheer her up having succeeded. As they remained there, lying together as lovingly as they could, the commander continued to let loose a hearty laugh.

The fit of enjoyment was suddenly caught in his throat however, the sound of knocking cutting it off in an instant. Upon hearing the new noise, the commander and Twilight both turned their gazes toward the only exit, seeing Alistair standing in the doorway.

The Warden-King looked at them both, wearing a morose expression. Taking a moment to clear his throat, the king heaved a sigh and murmured, “Hey, uh...Anders wants us now... thinks he has everything ready to go...”

The commander nodded and Alistair promptly turned away from the threshold, disappearing into the hall. As Twilight turned back to the human beside her, a clear look of need was written on her face, she wanted nothing more than for them to stay right where they were. But the unicorn's silent plea was unable to be heeded by the commander, as he left the mare's side and climbed out of bed.

With slow, lax movements, the Warden-Commander began to put on his armor, knowing what was coming, he knew he would be needing to wear it. Surprisingly, the suit of armor seemed to be much heavier than he remember, weighting him down immeasurably so. But the human did not stop, putting on each piece of armor one by one. It was obvious that it was not the weight from his gear he was feeling, but the weight in his own chest.

“I guess this really is our last day here,” the Warden murmured dejectedly, choking slightly on his own words.

Standing there, watching the human dress himself, Twilight felt as though she was going to cry. No tears were shed however, only the sadness weighed her down, gripping that beating organ in her chest as her ears fell limply against her head. “I... I don't want you to go...” she whimpered out, unable to fathom how she wasn't already a sobbing mess on the floor.

“Please... don't,” the commander begged, kneeling before the mare as he caressed her cheek with a tender touch. It was all that it took as the unicorn's eyes began to water, her lips quivering as she threw herself forward and wrapped her forelegs around the human.

The Warden did the same, holding her in his arms tightly, never wanting to let go but understanding that he had to. “Do you remember what I said in the forest?” he asked, pulling away from their embrace just enough to look the mare in the eyes. “How I would protect anything that I've found to be worth it? That's you, Twilight. You are worth protecting... Whether it be with my life or... any other means. In order to keep you safe, me and the others... we have to leave. And not just for you, for your land, your people, everyone you care about.”

“But I care about you,” Twilight cried out. Though she knew full well the truth that the human spoke, she still wanted to deny it all.

“I know... I know,” the commander whispered. “Just as I know how much I care for you. But... we both knew this would happen. The only thing we can do now is not focus on what's coming. All we can do is remember all of the good things we've had together. Please, Twilight... just remember.”

As Twilight nodded her head, the commander gave a soft smile as he wiped away what few tears had graced her face. Not another word was said as the human stood fully upright and they made their way out of the room.

Making it into the hallway, heading toward where they needed to be, the commander was stopped as he felt a hand placed on his shoulder. Turning his head in the direction, the Warden-Commander saw Alistair looking back at him. There was sympathy and understanding brimming in the king's eyes. It formed a small smile on the commander's face as he nodded toward the their destination and they made the arduous trek to where they were needed.

Everyone was standing in a grand chamber, immense in its size as well as beauty. Perfectly tiled floors that were as smooth as physically possible spanned out under their feet. Mighty pillars held up the roof above them, decorated with ornate designs with the different kinds of ponies made into it as well. The furthest wall was barely even a wall at all, with enormous windows that started at the floor and stretched up to the ceiling, allowing all who looked out of it to see the open sky where Luna's moon shined through beautifully.

Anders stood near Princess Celestia and Luna, caught up in a discussion with them that the others couldn't hear save for Fluttershy who stayed by the mage's side. Oghren leaned on his ax, gazing about the room absentmindedly as he awaited for the events to transpire. Shale did what it did best, standing stoically away from the others as it played the waiting game itself, while everything and everyone in the room remained in its sights. The little dragon Spike stood alone in the room as well, waiting for his caretaker to show herself.

As Twilight, Alistair and the commander entered the chamber, their eyes were immediately drawn to the most prominent object in the room. The Eluvian crackled and sparked with magical energy, making itself known to the young unicorn in an instant. Even the commander was unable to tear his gaze away from it easier, his mind swimming with a multitude of thoughts, many pertaining to when he saw a similar sight to before.

It looked just like the other one had, minus a few superfluous decorations. The Warden could almost see himself once again surrounded by water by all sides, with only a path forward leading to a small island, and a path backward leading to the exit, as well as the rotting corpse of an ancient beast. He could almost hear the frantic barking of his mabari as he ran ahead, jumping up and down eagerly at the sight of an old friend. Then a voice came to his mind, saying something despite the fact he wasn't listening, something about a book. The commander shook his head violently, realizing that his thumb was rubbing against his finger.

Seeing that everyone was finally with them, Anders gestured for everyone to gather closer. It was clear to anyone who bothered to look that the mage was holding little in his usual brand of enthusiasm, it being even more obvious to the Warden-Commander as to why.

“Alright then,” Anders said as he addressed everyone, “as you can all see,” he gestured over to the Eluvian, “our way back is looking finished. To that I say... yes and no.” Raised eyebrows were had from everyone as they said not a word, making the mage clear his throat as he prepared to give a better explanation. “While yes, the Eluvian is an Eluvian by any sense of the word... it's not powerful enough to actually work right now.”

“Not powerful enough?” Alistair questioned. “If it's not ready, then why did you call us here?”

“Because I can make it ready,” Anders replied. “All it needs is a huge source of magical energy. Though, seeing as I'm the only mage here, and our only piece of lyrium is a pebble, there's a problem. But, as you've all seen before,” he nodded toward the two equine rulers, “a little princess power does wonders. So they've agreed to offer their power in order for me to finish the Eluvian.” A subtle sight escaped the mage as his gaze drooped down for single moment. “So... let's get this done and we can... go back home.”

Staying silent, everyone nodded to one another as they stepped back, giving Anders and the princesses ample amounts of room. When everyone was a safe distance away, Celestia and Luna both took a seat next to the mage, closing their eyes. As the silence thickened, everyone watched as their horns were enveloped in a bright, magical aura. Celestia's horn glowed with a golden magnificence while Luna's own was a beautiful silvery-blue.

Just as the horns of the royal equines were fully light up, the same glowing colors washed over Anders. The mage shuddered from the sudden onset of power, his body shaking as it seeped into his very being. His breathing deepened as his eyes narrowed toward the Eluvian, most of the magical power culminating around his hands.

Raising his hands and holding them toward the mystical object, the air itself in the chamber seemed to shudder as Anders forced the magical power into the mirror. The Eluvian reacted to it instantly, the purple abyss within it thrashing and churning violently. A deep blue glow shined from the outer edges of the mirror, from the base that kept it standing to the tip top. It was difficult to look at it directly, forcing the spectators to advert their gazes as Anders continued feeding the Eluvian power.

The toll of the it all appeared clearly on the faces of Anders and the princesses. Sweat formed over their strained expressions while the mage looked as though he was ready to collapse. But none of them stopped. Celestia and Luna continued to give their power to charge the mage's spell as Anders never faltered in his own actions.

Then, with a sudden gasp of a cry, Anders fell to his knees and it all ended. The power swallowing the mage, princesses and the Eluvian faded, the powerful object looking just as it had previously.

“Drat...” Anders said breathlessly, looking up at the Eluvian. “We are... so close...”

Celestia and Luna both looked weak as well, as they attempted to make a simple motion of standing, their legs wobbled and both princesses collapsed. Falling onto the floor as the lied on their stomachs. Startled, Twilight, the commander and Alistair each ran to the sides of the rulers, checking to see if they were alright.

“We're fine... just fine,” Celestia urged quietly, winded herself as it looked like she had galloped across all of Equestria on hoof. “We just... overexerted ourselves a little...”

A short laugh came from Anders as he slowly rose to his feet, legs still shaking under the strain of his own weight. “You really... really gave it your all, huh?” he asked amusingly. “But thank you... You two can just... sit back and rest now though... We only need a bit more power now... and it'll work... I-I can do it myself. Just... just give me a minute or two to recharge... and I'll be ready for round two.”

Oghren smirked as he said, “I bet it was the first time this's happened to ya before too.”

“Sh-shut up,” Anders weakly retorted, chuckling lightly all the same however. Even Alistair and the Warden gave small chuckles of amusement, allowing a little bit of joy to come to them in a moment of sadness and dread.

But, their slowly uplifting mood was abruptly ended, coming to a shattering crash as a piercing wail of a noise consumed the chamber entirely. Crying out in pain, everyone clasped their hands and hooves over their ears, the sharp sound of screeching glass tearing into their brains like a whirlwind of knives.

As the horrible sound continued, everyone frantically searched for the source, their eyes becoming riveted to the massive windows at the far end of the room. Standing there, just outside of the glass barriers, a black silhouette looked at them all. Large cracks formed in the windows, starting just where the figure was standing. In moments, they expanded until they covered the entirety of the glass. Then, the horrible screeching noise ended, as the windows shattered, sending shards of glass in all directions.

They had barely any time to react as the silhouette was on them in an instant. It leaped toward them, claws poised to strike as it stabbed into the ground where they were once standing, the Grey Wardens and ponies being scattered. Within the light of the chamber, everyone's eyes widened as they looked upon the creature that was attacking them, horrified by the mangled sight they were seeing.

It stood like a human, bipedal as far as they could see. Hunched over like an animal, it was difficult to tell of its actual height, still looking as though it beat them by a few feet. Sickly pale-gray flesh wrapped around its boney frame, as though it was nothing but skin pulled tautly around bone. Its spindly arms dangled from its jagged shoulders, much of the forearm and hands being consumed by a dull-azure coloring.

Protruding from each of its fingers, large claws extended out by a few inches, looking more like blades pierced through the fingertips than actual claws, they too were as blue as the creature's arms. There was nothing to see for legs. From the waist down, all that could be seen was a shroud of swirling, black smoke. It was as if it wore the darkness itself, covering its legs and feet entirely. All over its body, hideous growths were formed, from the chest where the flesh seemed to have hardened, looking like black stone spikes, to its face where the flesh was twisted outward in gnarled protrusions that resembled a multitude of horns in the guise of hair.

The creature's face was the most horrific. It didn't have any kind of lips or teeth. Instead, all it had in place for its gnashing maw were thick, serrated spikes forming along the jaw and upper skull. Two eyes that were nothing but black orbs held them all in its gaze, filled with nothing but a furious rage and pure malice. Just looking upon the creature filled them all with thoughts of pain and misery, the likes of which none of them had ever felt before.

“What... what is that thing?!” Alistair shouted.

The commander was nowhere close to answer, unable to look away from the monstrous creature. None of them had seen anything like it, yet there was strange familiarity about it that was implacable. There was no time for them to dwell on it, or even answer the king's question, as the creature lunged at the commander and king, its sharp claws ready to tear into them. Both Grey Wardens jumped back to dodge the creature, grabbing their weapons and readying themselves.

As the creature attacked the others, Anders ran toward Fluttershy, her body shivering in fear as her wide eyes stared at the scene unblinkingly. “Fluttershy!” he shouted to her, breaking the pegasus away from her fright. “You have to run! Get the princesses out of here, they're too weak to help now!”

The mare only looked at the human with horror. “Y-you can't fight it!” she cried out, shaking her head repeatedly.

“It's too dangerous!” Anders stressed ignoring the pegasus' pleas. “Here!” Tearing off the bag he wore, he handed it to the pony. “Take Ser Pounce-a-lot! Get him and the others to safety, please!”

Fear still showing clearly on her face, Fluttershy complied with the human and wrapped the bag securely around herself, flying directly toward the still weakened princesses. They were barely standing, attempting to move but finding themselves too weak to. Fluttershy wasn't going to give up easily though, pushing against their backsides as strong as she could. Even Spike joined her to help, pushing against the back of their legs.

“No... we have to... help them,” Luna said, trying to force herself around to aide the others against the monster. But neither princess could, the last of their strength was used in the simple action of walking, only being guided forward by the pegasus pushing against them. Soon enough however, they were at the far side of the chamber, hidden in the shadows and far enough away from the monster to be in safety.

Despite its gangly stature, the creature was immensely strong, learned by the commander as he raised his sword up to block a swipe made by it. As the creature's claws struck against his blade, he felt his knees cry out in pain as they nearly buckled on him. Retaliating, as the commander held the creature off, Alistair charged forward, sword in hands as he swung it upward, slashing across the creature's back.

A powerful shriek of a roar erupted from the monster as the blade cut into it. But to the Warden-King's shock, the wound looked as though it did nothing. It turned toward him, rage burning in its blackened eyes as it swung at him. Raising his shield in time, Alistair felt his feet leave the ground as the creature's claws struck his shield, tearing into the thick metal with ease and toss the king through the air.

As it was distracted, the commander attacked the monster himself, plunging his sword through its back that it had left exposed for him. Another shriek of pain was forced out of it was it turned to face the commander. Before it could even try to attack though, Shale charged it at full speed. The commander was able to pull himself free and get out of the way before the golem's massive fists were smashed into the creature with a shuddering force.

What should have obliterated any monster, from a darkspawn to a bandit in over his head, the horrific creature looked un-phased. Shale's expression twisted into pure ferocity as the construct continued to pound against it, each blow stronger than the last. But just like the first time, the creature seemed unharmed by the shattering strength of the golem. It almost looked as though it was smiling when it raised its arm up and slashed at the living statue.

Shale staggered backward, lifting its hand up to its chest. Across its rocky exterior, deep grooves were shown clearly, made by the monster's claws. Even the golem looked shocked at the scene, having never been injured in such a way. The simple surprise left it open for another attack, the creature striking the golem once again, throwing the construct to the ground.

With a mighty scream of a battle cry, Oghren brandished his ax wildly as he charged headlong at the creature. With his short stature compared to the monster, it was easy enough for him to duck under its swipes, finding an easy target as he landed a crippling blow against the creature. A cry of triumph escaped the dwarf as he lodged his ax into the creature's side, seeing it sink into the flesh. But the sound of victory died in his throat as the creature didn't even flinch from the attack, swinging its arm out and swatting the dwarf away like an insect.

The dwarven ax clattered to the ground as the creature easily brushed it away, looking no more injured than it had when the conflict started. The Grey Wardens could only stare at the monster in shock, having never encountered such resilience before. All they could do was question if it was even possible to kill such a thing.

Only one of them held no such despair, Anders' hands sparking with magic as he threw two balls of fire at the creature. It staggered back as it was struck by the flames, momentarily appearing as though it had actually been hurt. But with the mage's current condition, the spell was weak, having no effect on the monster as it faced its attacker directly and charged forward.

As it came for him, Anders threw a number of spells at the creature, fire, ice and lightning, all striking the creature perfectly. But none of the spells made any headway against the monster, it simply charged straight into the attacks, showing no sign of injury whatsoever. Anders' own eyes widened with fear as it was upon him. He stepped backward, attempting to get away from the creature, but he tripped, falling to the ground and making it all the easier as creature attacked The entirety of the mage's vision was fixated on the monster's claws, the sharpened appendages swinging down on him. Then, he became surprised as he saw something else, a flash of yellow flying into the monster, striking it away.

Once again, the creature staggered, its head jerking toward the attacker. Fluttershy hovered in place, her eyes narrowed fiercely as she protected the fallen Anders. A growl rattled within the monster's throat as it lunged forward, swiping furiously at the pony. The peagsus did her best to dodge it, flying away just in time to cause the attacks to miss, even swinging her hooves forward to strike the creature across the face. But as the monster's rage increased, so to did its speed, and it soon became too much for the mare as she was cut from the air.

With a heavy thud, the pegasus struck the ground. Anders trembled as he stared wide-eyed at her, seeing the four bleeding gashes that ran across her side, where the creature's claws had cut her. All the mare could do was twitch in pain as the rest of her body shook, completely helpless. As it looked as the creature was ready to finish the pony off, Anders threw himself over her, shielding her with his own body as he was too weak to do anything else. The sentiment was lost on the monster however as it raise its arm upward, ready to end the human then and there.

It was denied its bloodshed though, as a powerful bolt of magic struck the creature in the back. Its flesh seemed to burn as it bent its head back and roared in pain. Swinging around, its black eyes focused on Twilight, the unicorn standing in defiance to it.

As the mare became the only thing in the monster's sights, it charged directly at her, claws poised to strike as its eyes burned with a dark flame. Within that moment, the defiant stance of the scholar was shattered, her eyes growing wide with horror as she froze in place.

“Twilight, run!” the commander shouted desperately, seeing the monster quickly clearing the space between itself and the mare.

Despite the commander's warning, Twilight didn't move an inch as the creature neared her. There was so much she could do in fact. She could teleport away, assault the monster with more bolts of magic, create a protective barrier around herself. She could try to levitate the creature and throw it across the room, create a hole in the ground under it to attempt trapping it in a pit. She could just do what the Warden said and simply run away from the monster. All that and more was possible, but Twilight did none of those things.

All of her knowledge, all of the spells she had spent years learning, they all amounted to nothing in that very moment. Her mind was a blank, filled with nothing but crippling fear as the horrific monster that was charging at become the only thing her eyes focused on. Just staring into its soulless, black eyes, seeing the monstrous visage the likes of which no one in Equestria had ever seen, tore into her senses. It was the same fear, the same darkness that she felt when ensnared by the monster in her dream. She could feel it, swallowing her up completely, nothing but the black nothingness consuming her.

Sheer horror was etched into everyone's faces as they could do nothing but watch, watch as the creature swung at the unicorn, its claws tearing into flesh.

The splatter of warm blood on her face broke Twilight from her fear-induced trance. But the horror did not end for her, not as she saw the monstrous creature before her, and the Warden-Commander standing between them.

With only a split-second to act, the commander had managed to catch the creature's clawed hand as it attack, his sword placed between its fingers as he forced its arm down to the ground and kept it pinned. But the creature's other hand, with nothing to stop it, found its mark, piercing through the human's chest.

Twilight could barely breathe, seeing the tips of the claws jutting out of the commander's back, coated in blood. Already, a pool of liquid crimson life formed in front of her, dripping continuously. The commander's legs shook, straining under his own weight as his strength drained from him. Recovering from their own paralyzing shock, the others gripped their weapons tightly and began to move forward, ready to attack.

“Stay back!” the Warden bellowed, his voice strangled and weak. Even after he said those words, blood gushed from his mouth, painting his chin with a scarlet tint.

Everyone froze on the spot. Even with the commander's condition, his voice brought to its weakest point, his word alone steadied their hands easier than anything else could. So they stayed there, only able to become spectators to the horrific sight, helpless.

His other hand tightening around the hilt of his blade, the Warden-Commander lifted it up and sent it through the creature's chest. A wail of pain and agony exploded from the monster's jagged maw as it became impaled on the massive sword, the commander not stopping until the guard was pushing against its flesh. But now, with its other hand freed, it was only fair game as its other set of claws swung forward, stabbing into the human's chest just as the others did.

“Anders!” the commander shouted, the name rattling in his throat as the strength to simply speak was leaving him. The blazing fire of life in his eyes flickered and dimmed by the second. But those eyes never faltered as his glaring sight was locked onto that of the creature's as he held it in place, his fury emanating from him clearly for what it dared to try and do.

Nothing else needed to be said, not a single word of explanation or otherwise. Anders looked toward his commander and followed where he was positioned, standing right in front of the Eluvian. The mage's eyes widened with the realization of what his commander was planning, having no time to dispute it or react in any other way.

But there was still the matter of the mage's weakened state, he could barely stand, let alone summon any scrap of magic. Frantically looking around, his eyes fell on a large shard of glass, thrown across the chamber from the creature's arrival. With a trembling hand, he grabbed onto the sharp shard and sliced it across his palm.

The glass shard shattered as it slipped from Anders' grasp. Blood seeped from the cut in his hand, already running down his forearm. But then, the bleeding stopped. Every drop of his blood, even that which already stained his clothing, began to trail back up his arm, pooling in his palm as his hand became consumed by a crimson aura.

Even with the dire situation, with no time to truly think on his actions, Anders put his full concentration on the task at hand. It was intoxicating, the sheer power that flowed into his body, his muscles flexing to the point he thought they would snap like rope. It flowed through every vein in his body, pulsing with immeasurable strength, ultimate power. But he wasn't going to lose himself, he wasn't going to allow it to consume him. He was in control, not his blood.

Eyes locked onto the Eluvian, Anders threw his arms forward, feel a grip on his own heart as he poured his own life into the spell. The surface of the mirror began to shimmer, the purple abyss within it thrashing wildly, as thought it had a mind of its own. A dull shade of red mixed into it, constricting around the nothingness within as it melded together.

With a mighty cry of power, the Warden-Commander relied on the last of his waning strength, the muscles in his arms tightening as he lifted the creature off of the ground. The monster thrashed and writhed as it was picked up, but with its claws still sunk into his chest, it was completely at the Warden's mercy as he began to charge forward.

Every step felt like it was a mile, every second felt like hours. None of that mattered to him, not as the commander put the last of his strength, the last of his power, the last of his life into pushing forward. All eyes were riveted to him as he and the horrific creature neared the Eluvian, the surface rippling as their bodies struck into it. As though breaking the surface of water, both the commander and the monster were engulfed, disappearing completely through the Eluvian.

Gasping, Anders choked on his sudden breath, collapsing onto the ground as the flow of magic was cut off from him. His body writhed on the floor for several moments, lasting until he finally caught his breath and managed to stand once again, shaking as though he was freezing.

“No!” Twilight cried out, finding the ability to move once again. She desperately galloped forward, the Eluvian the only thing caught in her gaze. But as she pressed herself against it, nothing happened. All that she was met with was solid glass, even as the mare frantically pounded her hooves against it, trying to break through it.

No one else could say or do anything, frozen in place as the chamber fell into silence. The only sounds that came were the cries of the unicorn as she stopped her attack on the mirror and ran to Anders, nearly knocking him over as she jumped at him.

“You have to open it again!” Twilight shouted, her shimmering eyes wide as they quietly begged the human. “W-we have to go after him! We have to- we have to save him!”

Anders looked down at the mare wordlessly, unable to find the ability to speak as she pleaded with him. But as her pleas and cries of desperation slowly lessened, his jaw quivered as he tried to force himself to say something. “I-I-I can't,” he managed to say. “It'll take take too long to get the Eluvian to work again. W-we don't even know where he is. There was no time to set any sort of destination, he could be back in Ferelden, or sent to another world entirely. E-even then, with that... that thing with him, there's no chance...” The mage's eyes widened as he gasped, the realization striking into him just as it did to everyone else. “He... he's gone...”

Family Reunion

Everyone was silent, barely a sound was uttered or made as everyone fell into complete silence. They had moved to a small room, filled with little save for a few tables and sitting cushions. None of them could stand to stay in the chamber housing the Eluvian any longer, just looking at it caused more pain than it was worth.

They had gone into the simple chamber as a means of discussion. Of course, after what had happened, words needed to be spoken. After what had happened, they needed to discuss what had attacked them. Despite their reasons however, they entered the chamber with not a word on their lips, none of them able to find their voices. Though there was much to say, no one could bear the thought of bringing it up.

Celestia and Luna were lying atop a few cushions on the floor. It was clear how taxing their aid with the Eluvian had been for them. Much of their power had yet to return to them, their sunken gazes looking as though they hadn't slept for days, their once flowing manes and tails hanging limply against them. Only time would return them to their older selves, but it wouldn't be see easy for them to recover from what they had failed to do.

The others, the bipedal creatures visiting from another land, all made their areas their own. Sitting down on a short stool, Alistair's wide eyes stared blankly at the floor, his face buried in his hands. Oghren leaned against the wall, unblinkingly looking over his ax as he turned it around in his hands. In the corner of the room where the shadows seemed to mostly congregate, Shale stood forlorn, running a rocky hand across the deep cuts in its chest.

Near the far side of the room, Anders stood over a table covered in cushions, Fluttershy lying atop. Dabbed in blood, his hand glowed with a light green aura as he gingerly ran it across the mare's wounded side. The pegasus was strong, shutting her eyes as she allowed the mage to work his magic on her, only ever showing signs of pain by an occasional flinch of cringe. The lyrium ring was clutched tightly in Anders' other hand, stinging the bandaged cut as the small amount of power within the magical stone helped him to heal the injured pony.

A relieved sigh and a weak smile made its way onto the mage's face as he saw the deep cuts in Fluttershy's side shrink. Before his very eyes, his magic worked its wonders and the light flow of blood stopped, the raw flesh losing its flaring red color. “There,” he breathed, the magic in his hand stopping as he took the nearby bandages and dressed what was left of the injury. “It wasn't too bad, Fluttershy. You'll be weak and a little sore for a long while though. And don't try to fly, a few feathers had been cut and you'll reopen the wound trying.”

The yellow-coated mare smiled lightly as she looked at the work that Anders had done, a fading joy in her expression as she nuzzled against the mage, murmuring, “Thank you.”

“I've never been given any reason to thank the Maker for anything in my life,” Anders said, wrapping his arms around the pegasus, holding her in a simple hug as to not disturb her injury. “But... I can't thank him enough now. I'm just glad you're alright.”

Breaking away from the hug, Fluttershy still held her soft smile, but it lessened slightly as her eyes trailed downward to the mage's bandaged hand. “And you...?” she replied. “Are you alright?”

Knowing what she was asking, Anders gave an involuntary glance to his own hand, still feeling the sting of the cut across his palm. “Yeah... yeah, I'll be fine,” he replied, his tone giving little reassurance. “It was a one time thing, something I wouldn't do unless desperate. But... I guess I can see why the more power-hungry mages are drawn to it. I only wish I had done it to save a life, not to....” He trailed off, realizing where he was going and unable to continue.

Alistair could only continue staring at the floor, lightly shaking his head back and forth. “No... no, no no, no...” he began to murmur. “This isn't... This isn't how things were supposed to happen.” Even as the horrific scene played back in his mind, the Warden-King could barely grasp what had occurred. How he had lost a dear friend, a brother-in-arms, someone who was like family to him.

“That... thing, we couldn't even seem to hurt it. I guess he figured there was only one way to stop it. It's just hard to imagine a world without him...” Anders muttered, his own life having been changed so much by knowing the Warden-Commander.

“Even I have to say I am surprised,” Shale said, the golem's words hollowed with a tone that almost sounded like sadness. “What it... he did was certainly commendable. Even for a creature of flesh... he had a strength to rival any golem.”

“Aye,” Oghren said firmly, setting his ax aside as he folded his arms. “He was the finest warrior this dwarf has ever seen.” A hearty chuckle escaped him. “I remember... when that sodding Blight was on us, the fool goes and takes it on himself with nothing but more fools to follow. No matter what it was, the guy never hesitated to run headlong into danger. Nothing was too much for him, even the Archdemon...”

Oghren held up a hefty bottle of alcohol. The dwarf had sniffed it out in a matter of minutes, a treat from Celestia to be taken in celebration before they were finally about to return home. Given the circumstances however, celebrating was the last thing on their minds. “To our favorite commander!” he toasted. “A great sodding guy, and a paragon among humans!” Popping the cork off of the bottle, the dwarf brought it up to his mouth. But he hesitated, the rim of the bottle just about to touch his lips. After a long while of a pause, he heaved a sigh and the dwarf set the bottle aside, no longer having a taste for it.

Not all were present in the room with the others. While they went off to feel their sorrow together, Twilight had separated herself. The young scholar took a slow, painful walk to the guest rooms, finding the commander's just as it had been left. Just being there made her feel all the worse, as every ounce of sadness began pour out of her.

Twilight collapsed onto the bed, her sobs muffled by the pillow as she cried. Standing silently by her side, her faithful assistant Spike stood at the ready. Though the dragon was not fully aware of what the mare was going through, he at least knew that his caretaker was hurting. It brought on stings of pain into his own heart, unable to comfort her in such a time of grief. All he could do was stand there, determined to help her in anyway if it chose to reveal itself.

“It's my fault,” Twilight whimpered out, her sobbing halting for just a moment as her quaking voice spoke. “It's all my fault.”

Of course, the pain of losing the one she cared for was tremendous for the unicorn, tearing into her deeper than any weapon ever could. Though she knew she had to be prepared for the commander to leave her, this was nowhere near what she could have ever braced herself for. Heightening all of the crippling misery was the consuming thoughts of her own blame in all of it. No matter how much her distraught mind looked at it, all she could think on was how the Warden would still be alive had it not been for her. Had she been stronger, had she not allowed herself to need being rescued, then none of it would have happened.

Her body trembled constantly as her tears soaked into the pillow she pressed herself against. All she wanted now was to be with him again, if only for a single moment. The yearning pain in her heart making it all the more unbearable as it fully sank into her that the human was gone forever.

Spike continued his silent vigil over his caretaker. As he stood there however, a gasp escaped him as he wheeled around, feeling a third presence. Twilight's crying stopped as well, the mare's ears twitching as she heard a sharp shrieking noise of grinding rock, like knives running across stone.

There was only darkness, a black corridor that was consumed by an abyss. Nothing could be seen in all directions, as though the world and everything in it was gone. Then, in the furthest reaches of the black nothingness, a dim, flickering light shined through. Compared to the darkness, the simple light was like the sun itself. Only the urge to move forward could be felt, the light growing more and more. Getting so close to the beautiful light, you could almost reach out and grab it. To feel your fingers wrap around ti and hold it close, even as the abyss dissipated and was swallowed by the light itself.

A sharp intake of breath awoke him, his eyes forcibly opening as his lungs filled themselves. Pain was the only thing that could be felt. Every muscle felt as though it had been torn pieces, every joint might as well have been stone, and his sensitive eyes ached as they looked up at the flickering light of the lantern that was hung on the wall right above him.

Reaching out to grab it, the strength in his arm was yanked away from him, causing the limb to fall to the side and strike the hard surface of a small table. A wet, cool sensation graced his fingertips as the dipped into a bowl set atop of the table. With weak, slow movements, his hand gripped the bowl shakily as he brought it closer to him, his parched mouth opening as it was tipped over his face.

Though he barely got any of the water, most of it running down the sides of his face, what little he did catch in his mouth was drank eagerly, as though he had been lost in a scorching desert. Still though, the water did nothing to wash away the taste of blood in his dry mouth. Fulfilling its use, the bowl slipped from his grasp, falling away to be put out of mind. However, there was no missed reaction as the faint sound of an amused huff made it to his ears.

“My, my, you are awake far sooner than I had anticipated,” a woman said, her familiar voice echoing in his ears. It caused his eyes to widen to their fullest, pained groans escaping him as he forced his resisting body to move.

With a great deal of effort, he managed to look in the direction that the voice had come from. As he looked upon who had spoken to him, the breath was stolen from his lungs as his eyes fell on the slender form of a woman, hair as black as a raven's feathers, holding an indifferent expression of examination and boredom.

Immediately upon seeing her face, a name formed in his fluttering thoughts. “M... Morrigan...?” the Warden-Commander croaked out, his voice scratchy and near-impossible to form.

Approaching him, the witch held something in her hands. Seeing her coming closer, the commander pathetically thrashed in place, his expression almost looking threatening had he not been in his current condition. “N-no,” he managed to say, “y-you can't... can't be real. Another... trick... St-stay... back...”

A simple frown formed on the woman's lips as continued to close the distance between herself and him. Leaning over him, she held up a small bowl, filled with a thick purple liquid. “You're still not fully well yet,” she murmured, her tone dully emotionless. “Here, drink this, it will make you better.” It was hardly a request, being more a command as she pressed the bowl to the commander's lips. Too weak to resist, there was nothing he could do except to drink the strange concoction.

Almost immediately, as the purple fluid flowed down his throat, the effects of it hit him. A gagging, stunted cry of pain came from him as his entire body seized up. Every muscle in his body tensed suddenly, becoming stiffer than steel for several moments. Then, just as quickly, his body became numb, the pit of his chest burning with a blazing heat. As soon as that subsided, his entire body seemed to relax all at once, feeling soothed and comfortable, if still partially weak.

“It's the same medicine I gave you the last time you and your fool of a friend showed up injured on my doorstep,” Morrigan remarked, watching the Warden squirm from the concoction. “Though, I suppose you were only half-conscious that time.”

Sitting up, the commander finally realized that he had been lying on a bed, the mattress being filled with straw while the covers looked to be made from animal furs. Confusion wracked his disoriented senses as he rubbed his head and looked around. It looked as though they were in a small shack, being only one room with four walls. It was strangely similar in appearance to the old hut that the witch once called home in the Korcari Wilds.

A fire pit was set up at the far off corner, a broiling cauldron hanging above it while steam began to rise. Something told him that it wasn't filled with dinner. Furniture and decoration was sparse, with only a few tables and chairs set up, and a couple animal-skin rugs placed on the floor. Morrigan herself looked different than the last time the Warden had seen her as well. Her hair was much longer, her bangs dangling even further down her face while she allowed the rest of it to hang freely, nearly reaching her shoulders. Gone were her usual revealing black robes, instead wearing a mix of black fabric and animal furs stitched together. Despite the obvious appearance of function over fashion, it still looked nice.

It took sometime for the commander to take in his surroundings however, his thoughts still a rattling mess inside of his head. He wasn't even able to form questions as he rubbed his eyes in an attempt to settle his confusion and his senses.

Walking to the cauldron, Morrigan began to stir the contents of the pot as she spoke, creating even more confusing questions rather than filling in with answers. “I must give you credit,” she murmured, eyes falling down into the bubbling liquid of the cauldron. “It's strange, as I've found myself thinking of you more and more as of late... Then, out of nowhere, I find you here now, a distance away from my home, lying in a pool of your own blood no less. You were certainly lucky as well. Had I had not found you when I did, your corpse would have surely made a wandering predator very happy.” A small exhale of a sight escaped her as she shook her head disapprovingly. “It's also very curious how you managed to get in the state you were in. Where you just tripping over your own sword? Seems like the activity I'd expect from Alistair. Thankfully, mother's magic has proved useful, especially when it came to pulling you from the brink of oblivion.”

Gasping with surprise and realization, the Warden-Commander looked himself over for the first time. All of his armor was missing, noticing that it was lying in a pile next to his sword by the wall. The shirt he wore under it was stained terribly with blood, with no hope of saving the fabric as a wearable piece of attire. There was also the noticeable tears in it, the front of the shirt being torn to near-tatters. Lifting up the article of clothing, exposing his bare chest as it was covered in bandages.

Ripping the bandages from his body, the Warden's hands frantically ran across his exposed chest. All he could do was stare at the sight in trembling shock. There wasn't a single wound on him, all that remained were a number of scars, the flesh around them looking raw and angry, but the injury itself having vanished entirely. It was a sudden jolt of realization as it fully dawned on the human that he was still among the living.

“But still...” Morrigan continued, having hardly noticed the Warden's surprise to being alive, “I never would have thought you would be able to figure it out, especially when looking at the company you keep. I never could have expected for you to use the ring that I gave you with an Eluvian to find me.” The commander's eyes fell on that very ring, the loop of polished wood still wrapped around his finger. “The only trace of me I left in your world when I left... I don't know why you're here, or what you did to yourself in your attempt to find me, but nothing has changed.”

Though Morrigan continued to talk, the commander was no longer listening to her. Nothing she said afterward even came close to passing through his attention as he stared off in shock at what he saw, his eyes falling upon the third presence that was within the small shack.

A child, a boy looking to be about three years of age, with shaggy, jet-black hair. He sat on the floor, looking as though he had not noticed the commander or Morrigan in the slightest, blissfully unaware of what was going on in his surroundings. Like what most children did, the little boy was playing. In one hand, he had wood carving of a valiant knight, his body donned in armor while a mighty sword was held in his hands. In the other hand, he had a viscous dragon, wings spread out in the middle of take off while its fang-lined maw was opened wide in a sky-shattering roar. The two wood carvings were locked in fierce combat, and though the commander wasn't sure why, it looked as though the dragon was winning.

Stumbling upward, the commander got to his feet, his weakened limbs strained as he moved. Slowly, he approached the child, who looked as though he didn't even see the older man coming. All the Warden could do was gape at him fixedly, a trembling hand reaching out. It was almost too much for the commander, seeing the child, being overwhelmed by an onset of new found sensations of pride, instinct and affection.

Part of the Warden questioned if the boy was even real, almost not believing his own eyes. All he wanted to do was see him, wrap his arms around him comfortingly for just a moment. He was only a few feet away, his arm reaching out to tap his shoulder and gain his attention. Just as he was about to do so, to have all the evidence he needed to know that the boy was real, not just a figment of his own senseless mind, another hand snatched him by the wrist.

Surprised, the commander turned to see Morrigan looking back at him, a defiant glint in her eyes. “He does not know we are here,” she said in a matter-of-fact tone. “I've placed an illusion on this place, he still thinks I am out collecting supplies. He can not see you, just as you can not meet him.”

“What?” the commander said, nearly shouting the question. Just staring at the witch, he could only question how she could dare deny him something that was his very right.

“I know how you have a way with... befriending those around you,” Morrigan murmured, her tone sounding sullen for a brief moment. “Just as I've told you the last time we had this talk, you can not see him. I thought you had understood that.”

The commander looked back to the child, having no idea of what was being discussed just a few feet away from him. “But... I just...” the Warden tried saying, unable to find the words for what was coursing through him at that very moment. What made it hurt all the more was his understanding of it all.

Morrigan herself even looked sad, her hand reaching up to his cheek. “You act as though I am intentionally trying to do you harm,” she said, looking hurt herself. “I've told you all of this before. My plan is set and it can not be ruined by trivial things such as what you might want, or even what I...” The witch paused, her eyes falling down as she took the Warden's hand in hers. “I am sorry, this just can't be.” The apology was genuine, surprising the commander even more. He knew it was rare for the witch to show much emotion, even around him, it helped him to remember what he saw in her.

His hand tightening around hers, the Warden looked around the small shack before his gaze fell onto the woman before him. “Just... please tell me, Morrigan, what's been happening? Where are we?” he asked, wanting answers from her.

Taking the lead, Morrigan pulled the commander closer toward the front door, speaking as they walked slowly. “As I've told you,” she replied, “we had to leave our old world for another. I needed to find a place away from the threats of the world, away from the misguided ideals of man, away from the Fade and its preying demons, away from Flemeth. Though... I will admit I was surprised to realize that our people do not escape the Fade so easily. It follows you, even to other worlds such as this one. Thankfully, with Flemeths' grimoire, I've learned a great deal. Now, the Fade is no longer a problem, I've even retained much of my old power, even if it is stunted.” She took a deep breath, releasing a pleasant sigh, one of absolute freedom. “Not even Flemeth could find us here now, not unless she finds you and that ring. Of course, I know you can handle yourself around her.”

“And this world?” the commander asked, curious as to what Morrigan's own otherworldly travels had brought.

Not answering right away, the witch and Warden exited the shack. The outside was a small piece of flatland nestled on a mountainside. Though a thick mist obscured almost all of the outward scenery, the commander could see he makings of the forest not too far below the side of the mountain, looking like the perfect spot to gather food and other essentials, especially to an expert like Morrigan. It actually felt good to be in the cold night air as well, the commander's nostrils flaring as he took it all in. Despite his condition, he felt blissfully at peace.

“This world is certainly peaceful,” the witch said almost as though she were reading his thoughts.. “Little to no threat ever befalls it, nothing that could ever bring us harm. It's the perfect place to prepare him, away from the evil of our own world. I've seen little of the actual inhabitants. I took a chance with you and the people in our world, I'd much rather not ruin my place here by stirring things up with the local creature's.” She looked him in the eye for a moment. “You'd probably get along with them quite well. They're a bit like you when we first met. Too... friendly, and trusting for that matter. And they seem just as touchy as the people in our world, which seems rather impossible to think of, especially given that they lack the proper parts to... It's just hard to explain.” She shook her head in dismay, making the commander chuckle lightly. Taking notice, she nudged him slightly in frustration but continued to look outward. “But, even though I don't care for such superfluous details, this land is certainly a pleasant sight to see at certain times.”

Raising her arms forward, Morrigan's hands glowed with a dull gray aura. Swinging both limbs outward, the thick mist that surrounded them seemed to twist and move. Much to the commander's surprise, the veil of fog seemed to part like a curtain. It opened and moved, allowing for them to see the expansive land in which the witch now lived.

It was truly a breathtaking sight, the land looking beautiful underneath the starry sky. From their height, they could see for miles, the green fields and forests stretching out seemingly endlessly. And even though the darkness of the night hid it well, the commander could almost make out the faint outlines of structures far below them, what must have been a village of the inhabitants that Morrigan spoke of.

As the Warden's eyes scanned even more of the land, something else caught his eye. Looking out, just across from the other side of the very mountain they were on, he could see another structure. His vision straining to see it clearly, what looked like another village came into view and a sharp gasp erupted from his throat, his eyes falling upon the familiar pristine white walls of a castle built on the edge of a cliff.

Gaping at the sight, stumbling backward from the horror of it, his hand slammed against the side of the shack. The commander would have collapsed had it not been for his hand bracing himself against he simple structure, his eyes unable to be torn away from the royal home.

“No.... no, no, no, no, no!” the Warden shouted, as though saying it would make the sight vanish before his eyes. Morrigan just looked at him in confusion, unaware of what was raging inside of his mind. “This... this can't be... No, it's.... That... that monster is still here... I-I have to warn them... I have to protect her!”

The commander then ran back into the shack, grabbing his sword resting against the wall before bolting outside once again. Without sparing another word, he kept charging forward as fast as his aching legs would allow, his gaze locked onto Canterlot castle. There wasn't even a single moment where he looked back, nothing else on his mind but making it to the castle, silently praying that he wasn't too late.

The Return

Faster and faster the Warden ran, eyes set straight ahead. Lungs burning from the cold nighttime air he rapidly breathed in, every quickened step shot jolts of pain through his overworked legs. With nothing but his bloodied clothes and the sword that was slung over his back. Even the precarious heights of the mountain were ignored by him as he ran across the steep slopes and perilous falls.

Nothing else mattered to him now, not even overwhelming facts that had swarmed him before. All he could think of was making it to the castle. He had to get there as soon as possible, speed never lessening as a haunting fear gripped his heart, propelling him forward.

Only once did he slow, halting for but a moment as a crippling agony struck him, his heart momentarily growing still. His hand rubbed against his chest, practically feeling the fresh scars dotting it. The healed wounds felt as though they were on fire, as though the sharp claws of the creature he fought were still piercing through his chest. A shiver wracked his body, his skin feeling as cold as stone.

Raising his hand to his mouth, a hacking cough erupted from the commander. Looking into his palm, shock fell over him as he saw a stain of blood reflecting back at him. Shaking his head, the Warden ignored it, gaze turning back to the castle as he broke into run once again.

Twilight's eyes were wide, a gasp her last breath, jaw dropped in sheer horror fueled shock. The lavender mare's body trembled from the grip of fear that ensnared her, her vision dominated by a single visage as she stared into the doorway of the room.

There, standing before the threshold, blackened eyes locked onto her, was the horrific monster from before. Its claws raked across the stone wall, the pointed tips sparking as the grating sound filled the room. As Twilight stared at it, her eyes fell onto its chest, where there was a slanted hole. It took only a moment for her to realize what it was, the wound left by the commander's blade.

Twilight was paralyzed once again, feeling the same crippling fear as before. As the creature neared her however, claws poised and ready to strike, every ounce of fear crackling inside of her fizzled out. The unicorn's eyes narrowed as her body trembled, not from fear, but a broiling anger. Standing up, the mare's horn sparked with a magical aura, emanating a bright light as her gaze upon the creature intensified.

The creature didn't even notice the sudden change in the pony, or it at least didn't care. It continued moving forward, slinking downward as it readied itself to leap at her. Then, it lunged at her. But just as its feet left the ground, it stopped completely. Body consumed by a magenta aura, the monstrous creature was thrown backward, smashing into the wall of the bedroom.

Deep cracks broke across the side of the wall, a large indention of the creature's body left on the wall. It didn't even have the chance to move as the flaring aura placed around it never ceased. Again, Twilight used her magic to drag the creature off of the wall, just enough so she could slam it back into it again with even more force than last time.

The entire room seemed to shake as more cracks split across the walls and ceiling. But the furious unicorn was not done there. Fueled by a furious anger over what had happened, what the monster had done to her, Twilight's magical grip on it only strengthened as continued to slam it back into the wall, the sheer force of it intensifying every time.

Much of the castle was unaware of the events that were befalling it. So much of it was oblivious to the events that had happened at that were happening. One such place was the castle dungeon, cut off from the rest of the royal home, it was only a den of noise as the maddened cries of the only occupant echoed through the otherwise forgotten prison.

Corvick's head reared back, screaming in a mixture of agony and madness as he pounded his fists against the wall. The only audience present was the single guard posted to watch him, face twisted in his own misery as he covered his ears with his hooves. Even that could now drown out the piercing wails of the templar though.

“Coming! He's coming!” Corvick screamed, eyes as wide with panic as sweat coated his grizzled face. “Whispers grow louder, need to come out! More and more, he's coming! To find the source of silence! Find what has been lost! Please! Make the whispers stop!”

Fed up with it, the guard turned toward the wooden cell door and peered through the small window made into the top of it. “Will you shut up?!” he snapped irritably. “By Celestia, are all of your kind this obnoxiously loud?!”

Then, Corvick fell silent. But the guard was given no time to enjoy the sudden peace of the still dungeon as a bright light flooded in from the cell. The door was suddenly blown off of the wall, taking much of the stone with it in a massive explosion.

Stepping out of the rubble, through the cloud of dust and debris, Corvick curious examined his surrounds. The templar no longer looked like the unstable human who had been thrown into the cell. He looked normal, much more sane than he had previously. But, the human's eyes had changed. No longer looking natural, they pulsed with a dull, lifeless gray.

Buried in the rubble and crushed under the weight of the door in the explosion, the guard thrashed and squirmed in an attempt to free himself. His armor was dented painfully around his body, blood running over his face and nearly covering all of his coat. Corvick took notice to the creature, eying it curiously for a moment before he grabbed the guard by the neck and pushed him against the wall.

A clear look of horror and fear was plastered on the stallion's face as he quivered in the human's grip. Corvick merely continued to look at the pony strangely, like one might when seeing something for the first time. Eyes locking onto the scarlet coating that covered the pony, the templar ran his hand through it, covering his fingers and palm.

Bringing his blood covered hand closer to his gaze, Corvick's nostrils twitched as he sniffed the crimson substance. Like an animal, his tongue lashed out, licking up a portion of it experimentally. “No...” Corvick murmured, his gruff voice sounding hollow. “You're not the source... Not even one of those Grey Knights...” The blood that remained on his hand shimmered brightly before it began to fade into his skin. As the very last drop vanished, the entire limb burst to life as it was engulfed in a crimson aura. “No matter, I shall reclaim what has been taken from me... Then... the song shall be heard once more!”

Placing his glowing hand on the stallion's neck, the guard's entire body convulsed violently. Pained cries erupted from his throat, stunted just as they escaped his lips. The templar's face twisted into a sadistic smile as the horrific sound of bone cracking filled the dungeon. Blood seeped out of the guard's mouth, his screams turning into a gurgled mess.

Alistair, Anders, Oghren and Shale all came running through the halls, ears filled with the mighty crashes of stone crumbling. Almost the entire castle seemed to shake, as though hit by a massive explosion. And though it was against the judgment of the two humans, the princesses Celestia and Luna also followed after them, barely recovered from their previous exploits. Even Fluttershy went with them, weakly galloping through the hallway, taking care not to injure herself further but still unable to hide away.

More and more, the sounds of shattering stone and crumbling walls grew louder as they went further down the halls. To their surprise, the source of it all seemed to be coming from the chamber that still housed the Eluvian. Making them all the more worried over what was going on. Rushing into the chamber, everyone was stopped as they stared off in shock at the scene before them.

A large portion of the eastern wall had been demolished, but the destruction didn't end there. The hole left here continued for several feet, opening up to more and more rooms as similar openings were gaping wide. Gasps escaped everyone as they saw a dark figure emerging from the rubble, the viscous monster they had encountered before.

“Im-impossible,” Alistair breathed, wide-eyed at what he saw. “Th-that thing can't be here!”

The monster only looked at the newcomers, a shrieking hiss directed at them as it stood up and was ready to charge. But the creature didn't have the chance to attack, body once again consumed by magic as it was hurled backward, smashing into one of the pillars that stretched up to the ceiling.

Emerging from the rubble herself, Twilight's burning glare never left the creature. The pillar cracked and completely crumbled as the creature fell away from it, becoming buried in the chunks of rock that fell across the chamber. Everyone had to move out of the way as pieces of stone nearly fell on top of them. No movement came from the pile, staying still as the others wordlessly approached it.

Before any of them could react, pieces of stone were tossed everywhere as the creature shot out of the debris. Immediately, it lunged toward Alistair, claws raised upward to strike. With no shield to defend himself, the Warden-King had to rely on only his sword as he gripped it tightly, ready to defend himself.

Alistair jumped back just in time to dodge the creature's fire swipe, its second hand already swinging out toward him. With quick reflexes however, the king blocked the blow with his sword. But the creature's power was too much. Unable to keep sure footing, Alistair was knocked into the air, only to come crashing down shortly after, his sword skidding across the ground away from him.

Not giving the others a chance to react, the creature lunged at the vulnerable king once again. Alistair was helpless, only able to stare at the monstrosity as it neared him. He was completely unaware of the mighty cry of strength behind or, it barely registering to him as a blade came swinging between him and the creature, cutting into its chest with ease.

The creature staggered backward, partly out of the forceful push against it as well as the surprise that was unexpected even to it before it collapsed back into the rubble surrounding it. Alistair still remained wide-eyed, his shock showing clearly as he gazed on the creature's chest, seeing a large and familiar sword sticking out of it, right alongside the open wound made by it previously. Shaking, the Warden-King turned his head, seeing what should have been a ghost standing beside him.

“You... you can't...” Alistair muttered unintelligibly, gaping at the site. Mutual expressions were had be everyone else as they too stared at the sight.

His fierce, battle-ready gaze softening, the commander grinned as he held out his hand to the downed king. “You didn't think something as simple as death would stop me?” he said breathlessly, sweat dripping from his brow as he breathed heavily.

A joyous smile widening across his face, Alistair grabbed the Warden's hand tightly and allowed himself to be hoisted back onto his feet. “I guess it wouldn't be the first time,” the king returned.

The Warden-Commander was then under attack once again, the air being smashed from his lungs as a lavender colored mass charged into him. The human barely had time to breathe as Twilight wrapped her forelegs around him, squeezing him with a bone crushing force as she buried her tear-stained face into his chest.

As it felt like the human would be broken in half, Twilight lessened her hold on him, only to look up into his eyes. “I... I thought you were dead...” the scholar whimpered out.

Getting choked up a little himself, the Warden gave a gladdened smile as he stroked her cheek lightly, murmuring, “Yeah... I thought so too.” But the wondrous moment came to a screeching halt, brought on by the very shrieking roar that they all knew far too well.

Climbing up from the rubble once again, the creature's face was almost rippling with its white-hot fury. With one swing of its gangly limb, the sword that the commander pierced through its chest was struck away, landing close to the human and allowing for him to retrieve it. As he picked it up, he could feel the monster's blackened gaze on him, feeling it burning with recognition, he knew it remembered him,

The Grey Wardens each grabbed their weapons and brandished them carefully, ready for the oncoming fight. Twilight stood strong herself, determined to not allow any trace of fear to cross her. And the creature itself, dark gaze looking between them all, clacked its claws together, sights setting on the commander directly. The creature then charged at them.

Weapons and magic at the ready, the owners prepared to strike, they stood their ground as the horrific creature cleared the space between them. Its jagged maw open wide in an angered snarl, claws as sharp as ever, it saw no threat in what it was attacking. Just as it was nearing the group, it looked ready to lunge at them. But then, it stopped abruptly.

Everyone was surprised as the creature suddenly stopped moving, its raged demeanor having dissipated. There wasn't a chance for them to think on the action, or even take advantage of the sudden change, the entrance to the chamber exploding outward. Rubble and pieces of stone rained down across the chamber, putting even more of the room in ruins. They all were shocked as they saw a figure striding into the chamber, a malicious smirk on Corvick's face.

The templar's hands were covered in a scarlet color, a small glow surrounding them. Dragging the bloodied bodies of two guards, he carelessly tossed the lifeless corpses aside as he entered the chamber. He never looked at the others, his gaze only set forward and onto the creature that they were fighting. The creature itself even looked surprised by the templar's appearance.

The commander's grip on his sword slowly tightened, ready to swing it if he needed to as Corvick approached them. But, to the templar, it was as though they weren't even there. It wasn't until he was passing them did his gaze drift toward them for but a moment, quickly swinging his arm out in their direction.

Instantly, everyone was struck across the chamber, as though hit by a powerful and unseen force. It cleared the way easily for Corvick as he strode toward the creature, who remained completely still. “At last...” he whispered, his voice heavy with anticipation. “What is mine shall be returned...”

All anyone could do was look on in horror as the creature's arm shot forward, grabbing Corvick by the neck. The human didn't even resist, showing no reaction whatsoever save for a sadistic smirk. There was no reaction at all, not even as the monstrous creature's claws sank into his chest. While his blood flowed down his body, the templar's hands grabbed onto the creature's arms and both figures were enveloped in a dark-red glow, engulfing the entire room in a powerful blast of magical energy.

It blinded them all, forcing everyone to cover their eyes as they tried to stand. But as the light began to fade, the commander collapsed onto his knees, his eyes bulging out of his skull as he clutched at the sides of his head and began to scream in agony.

Twilight was at his side in moments, trying to see what was wrong but unable to stop it. Alistair, Anders and Oghren all felt it as well, their faces cringing as they raised their hands to their head, suddenly being struck with a powerful headache. It continued for several moments, only lessening as the bright red glow that surrounded Corvick and the monster was gone. As everyone looked on the very spot where the two had disappeared, they quickly saw that the templar had completely vanish, and the creature had changed.

Standing fully upright, the creature's eyes slowly opened. Its dark, empty eyes were gone, replaced by a dull, lifeless gray. The shadowy shroud that covered its legs had changed. Now, it wore the remains of tattered robes of dark-red and black cloth, the ancient fabric appearing as if it was melded with its very flesh. Its jagged shoulders were now covered, swallowed by ornamentation of darkened bone that wrapped around its collar and chest and the plumage of what must have been a large, black-feathered bird. Where it once had jagged spikes for a mouth, only cracked lips remained, the flesh twitching into a malevolent smirk.

The Silenced Song

The creature, appearing like more of a man than ever before, looked over itself with a curious gaze. It was as though it had never seen itself before, or at least for a long time. Eventually, its eyes were drawn to its surroundings, looking about the chamber with an expression of confusion.

“What is this place...?” he questioned, his hollow voice clearly masculine. “So very... strange... Power... so very faint...”

Everyone looked between themselves perplexed at what was before them. The four Grey Wardens kept their gazes on one another for the longest time, not needing to spare a word, knowing that they were all sensing the same thing. Despite it however, Alistair took a chance, questioningly saying, “C-Corvick?”

At that instant, the creature set his sights upon Alistair, making the Warden-King recoil a step. Just feeling those lifeless, gray eyes on him made him flinch involuntarily. For several moments, a thick silence befell the room, the creature motionlessly staring at the royal Grey Warden. Its still movements were broken as it pointed a clawed finger at him.

“You...” the creature murmured, addressing Alistair as if he were barely even there. “Yes... smells as they do. Those insolent Grey Knights from before... so long ago...” His empty eyes traveled across the commander, Anders and Oghren as well. “All of you belong to them...”

“Grey Knights?” Anders questioned, raising a brow in confusion.

Again, the creature looked about the room, appearing as though lost in its own thoughts. “How long...?” he asked, speaking as though an answer would fall from the heavens. “The lyrium shined so brightly... So loud... the cries of the slaves as they were sacrificed... All that rivaled it were his whispers... offering such power... But... the light was not there... only darkness... It was all that we took...”

“What is this thing goin' on about?” Oghren asked gruffly, scratching his hairy chin.

Anders shrugged his shoulders as he shook his head, just as dumbfounded, muttering, “It's barking mad.”

Grip tightening around his sword, the Warden-Commander readied himself as he prepared to charge the creature. If it was going to give him the opportunity, he was going to take it. Just as he prepared to begin the assault however, what the creature said next halted any movement from him.

“Then you called to us, Dumat!” the creature cried out, eyes wide. “Your voice... singing to us all... So beautiful... we followed it... Deeper and deeper it flowed... from the earth itself... As we found you, gazing upon your majesty... it changed... Your song became demands!”

A gasp of shock was elicited from Alistair, his gaze locking onto the rambling creature. “Dumat...” he whispered, barely able to say the name.

Twilight turned to look at the king, uncertainty on her face.“Who's Dumat?” she asked. Though the unicorn wasn't sure what exactly was going on, she could not ignore the power emanating from the creature standing before the, keeping her from any thought of brash action.

“The Archdemon of the first Blight,” Alistair answered. Though it looked impossible, the king's shock grew even more as he realized something. “Grey Knights... It... it must mean the first Grey Wardens... It wasn't until the end of the Blight that they were referred to as Wardens, accepting the task of watching for the return of the darkspawn...”

Looking somewhat skeptical, Anders looked at his king questioningly, asking, “So this thing is a darkspawn?”

“I don't think it's just any darkspawn,” the Warden-Commander replied, unable to break his gaze from the beastly creature.

But the darkspawn didn't even notice them speak, stilling gazing absently away, his current location never crossing his thoughts. “But then...” he whispered, his expression darkening into a fierce scowl as his eyes narrowed, “those fools... those worms... those knights! They dared to defile you, such insolent creatures they were! They dared to defy us, their true masters! They dared to go against the Magisters of Tevinter, we who bested the Maker himself!”

Alistair and Anders both gasped, gaping at the creature with a new found light. The commander merely stood there, staring at the darkspawn as it all sunk in. “A... A Magister...” the Warden-King murmured, stunned utterly as a quiver of terror crawled up his spine. “He... they... defiled the home of the Maker... They brought the first Blight... became the first darkspawn...” At that, even the ponies gained looks of horror, having been told all about the old tale, knowing full well what it meant.

Anders shook his head, his shock-stricken expression never lessening. “No... no, no, no, that's nonsense,” he said defiantly. “It's just a story... nothing more...”

“Saying that won't make it true,” the Warden-Commander replied, turning his gaze toward the mage.

“But it is!” Anders snapped. “The tale of the first darkspawn is just a legend forced into fact. It's a means to give explanation to the existence of darkspawn where there isn't any other. Just... just a scary story told by the Chantry to warn on the dangers of magic... to make people fear it even more than they already do...”

“Yet we have a Magister right next to us,” Alistair shot back in retort.

It only caused the mage's fiery gaze to be directed toward the king. “This... thing isn't a Magister because it claims to be!” he barked angrily. “It's just as easily a demon of some kind, it's not as though they aren't known for their deception!”

Again, the squabble between the Grey Wardens didn't even register to the Magister. Still lost in his own thoughts, he continued ranting on, unhindered by outside sources. “Then... Dumat,” he went on, “you were felled... There was only silence then. The song ended. Your beckoning call dieing with you... And then those contemptuous knights came for us, led by the Masked Betrayer! The others fell... one by one... Even I... trapped through that wretched mirror... bound between what was real and the Fade itself... But I could still hear them... the others, still singing for us to come...”

The Magister's gaze fell to his own hands, fidgeting the dark-blue claws back and forth. “The spirits there, abandoned by their Maker just as we were... came for me... drawn to my power... just as we were to you,” the darkspawn continued. “I allowed them to feed from my strength... For just a brief moment, they felt the beautiful call of the masters as well... Their song was just as glorious as Dumat's... But they could not hear it for long... only I... hearing their dulcet call... guiding toward them. All I could do was listen... even as they too were silenced one after the other... But you were different, Urthemiel! Your song was most beautiful... as magnificent as you were... I could still hear it... calling... Then once again... it stopped. But it was not silenced like the others... Your song was muffled... quieted... but not gone...”

“Urthemiel...” Alistair murmured, brow furrowing as he thought on the name. “He was... the Old God leading the last Blight.” He blinked with surprise as he turned to face the commander. “The Archdemon you slayed.”

Surprise was shown on the Warden's face as well, about to reply to his king. He was however stopped as the Magister before them turned to him, his empty, grey eyes looking directly at him. “You!” he bellowed loudly, pointing a clawed finger at the commander. “You were the one who did it! The source of it all! I can feel a portion of the beautiful one's power resonating with you! Where?! What have you done with his voice?!”

Everyone looked at the darkspawn like one would a madman, clearly only hearing insane ramblings at this point. But the Warden-Commander held a very different expression. Shock and horror were written all over his face, clearly taken aback by what the monstrous creature had said.

“Even this place is silent!” the darkspawn shouted, his anger growing by the second. A dull light emanated from his hands and they became consumed by a blue glow. “I, Atherias, shall tear the veil itself asunder if I must! I will hear the song again! So shall those who seek it in the Fade!” With one swift motion, Atherias swung his arm downward. And though it should have been impossible, his clawed hand sliced into the very air itself.

All anyone could do was stare at the sight blankly. It was like a tear in a piece of fabric, hovering in the air itself. They could feel a power seeping out form it, just as it felt when the Grey Wardens had entered the Fade. Within that very power, a corruptive and dark influence could also be found.

From the tear, a blackened smoke flowed out. It snaked through the air, splitting into two separate paths. Ignoring the ponies and Grey Wardens completely, the trails of black slithered past them and moved toward the motionless corpses of the two royal guards. The dark strands of smoke disappeared within the bodies, the corpses swallowing it up entirely.

The bodies of the two guards became to move, lifting into the air as their legs dangled limply. Their golden shimmered and rippled, as though melting from their bodies. What was once a beautiful color began to look tarnished as the armor wrapped around their entire bodies, darkening into a bronze colorization. It even wrapped around their horns, while a long piece of cloth draped from the sides, covering most of their legs.

When it was done, the two guards stood there, their bodies completely encased in the corrupted armor. The faces within their helms were just shadows as only a pair of blood-red eyes looked out toward them. Materializing through the remaining dark haze, a razor sharp sword and thick, circular shield appeared. The armaments simply floated in midair, not held by anything but the magical grip of the two ponies, finalizing their change into the quadrupedal revenants now before them.

Without warning the two possessed guard corpses charged at the group, their levitated blades swinging at them with a powerful force. Anders and Twilight jumped back, leaving their more physical companions to take the brunt of the attack. Alistair and the commander were nearly knocked off of their feet as they brought up their swords to block the attack of one of the revenants, feeling their muscles strain from the impact. The second one was stopped by Shale and Oghren, unable to break through the golem's rocky exterior

Anders was quick to retaliate, his hands igniting with fire as he threw several balls of flame at the undead creatures. With their large shields however, it was easy for the bursts of fire to be deflected, the metal barriers being placed directly in their path. Even with their attention on stopping the mage's attack, the revenants were able to fight the others as well, their floating weaponry swinging at them with an amazing speed.

Stepping back, the commander looked from the undead ponies toward the one who brought them there. Atherias' hands again began to spark with a magical aura as the ground around them began to shake and crack open. It made firm footing almost impossible as everyone continued to fend off the onslaught left by the revenants.

Even in the heat of battle, the commander's steeled senses were rattled as a painful strike was felt in his chest. His vision became hazy as he nearly stumbled and collapsed onto the ground. Every muscle in his body screamed in a chorus of agony, feeling himself growing weaker and weaker. Holding his hand to his mouth, he coughed into his palm, looking down at it to see the color red showing clearly even in his blurred world.

Twilight took notice to his condition, galloping to his side in seconds. The commander was quick to conceal his hand however, wiping away the blood on his leg. It did little to lower his rapid breathing, or lessen the sweat the dripped from his strained expression.

“We... we have to stop him now,” the Warden said, eyes locking on the Magister. Not waiting for a response from the scholar however, he charged forward, sword held tightly in his hand.

Atherias was quick to see the human coming. The corrupted Magister's hands were raised up as he threw massive bursts of fire and ice at him. Without the large plates of his armor weighing him down, the lighter Grey Warden was able to dodge the magical attacks easily enough. But with his condition, he could only do so much before his body began to slow. Just as he neared the creature, one of Atherias' icy blasts struck him in the chest..

With only his clothes as a protective covering, the blow was much worse than usual. Already, he could feel the muscles tightening as though turning to stone, making it harder to move as the throbbing, burning sensation enveloped him. But the commander didn't stop, clearing what little separated him from the Magister and swinging his sword at him.

The sharp blade made contact, slicing across Atherias' chest. The wound was clear enough, cutting into the tattered robes that were melded with his flesh, even producing a small amount of dark-red blood from the wound. But only a small grunt of pain came from the Magister, barely effected by the blow. Unable to anticipate it, the weakening Warden was easy prey as the corrupted mage grabbed him by the throat, effortlessly lifting him up into the air.

Barely able to breathe, the commander tried desperately to dig his fingers into the Magister's arm, unable to free himself. The flesh of his neck burned from the magic that still flowed from his clawed fingers. Atherias swung the commander outward and slammed his body against one of the nearby pillars, the stone column cracking beneath him.

Atherias looked the commander in the eyes as he pressed him against the stone surface. Even as the Warden struggled against the tightening grip on him, he was unable to peel his sights away from the two lifeless gray orbs. “I will hear Urthemiel's voice once more!” the Magister cried, his other clawed hand moving closer toward the Grey Warden. “I shall tear the secrets from your flesh if I must!”

Poised and ready to strike, the claws were sent straight for the human. The commander couldn't even prepare himself for the oncoming pain, the strangling hold on him being too much. Even as the claws neared him, ready to cut him open like an animal, the world around him became a hazy mess.

It was what made it a surprise to him as the hold on his neck was released, his body falling to the ground. He wasn't even aware of the large, black blast of magical energy, striking the darkspawn from behind as he roared in agony.

The chamber itself seemed to spin as the Warden-Commander thrashed about on the floor, too weak to stand immediately. As his dazed vision looked through the blurry world that encompassed him, he could swear he saw Twilight standing in the distance, her horn still sparking with magic. Something was strange about her though, her different features just barely being caught by him. The Warden noticed her once lavender coat was a darker shade of violet, her mane a deep, jet black. Just as his focus was placed on the mare, his pained body forced him to blink, the momentary collapse of darkness causing her to vanish entirely.

Still lying on the ground, staring off to where he saw the altered scholar, the commander didn't even notice the infuriated Magister screaming out in anger as his clawed hand crackled with a yellow aura. His senses weren't fully settled until he felt a magical grip on his leg, the limb being coated in a magenta glow. With a forceful tug, he was dragged across the floor, just narrowly dodging Atherias' attack.

As the twisted mage swung his hand down toward the Warden, the magical power building was released. From his palm a mighty bolt of lightning was fired, striking the ground right where the commander was. The entire chamber trembled as an explosive force rocked it, a sizable crater being left on the spot.

The revenants were proving to be more than formidable foes. As the others fought against them, their blades swung out at increasing speeds. Without the inhibiting effects of arms, it was easy for the swords and shields of the undead quadrupeds to block and slash at the Grey Warden opponents.

One such swipe of a blade made contact with Oghren, smashing into his thick armor and cutting into the metal. The small dwarf was staggered, falling backward several paces. He looked down at the wound, not deep enough to cause injury, but still jarring to see the plated protection failing. The red hairs covering his face bristled as the fiery dwarf charged at the revenant, swinging his ax down on the circular shield it had. The impact was like a clap of thunder, echoing across the chamber and overpowering the other sounds of battle around them. Satisfaction showed clearly on the Grey Warden's face as he saw the sizable dent in the shield, serving to make him attack with even more ferocity.

Even with his honed reflexes and considerable talent as a swordsman, Alistair had trouble with the undead creatures as well. The revenant's blade kept on striking, swinging from angles impossible by any physical means. Just as he dodged or blocked a blow, there was another one to quickly follow it. With nothing but his sword to defend himself with, it proved all the more difficult.

The other revenant, seeing the king lasting against its counterpart, locked its pulsing red eyes on him. Just as the Alistair jumped backward to dodge another swing by his opponent, he felt his entire body seize up, as though the hand of a giant had suddenly grabbed him. To his horror, he could see one of the revenants eying him, its horn glowing even more as he saw a blackened aura wrapping around his body.

Lurching forward, the Warden-King was pulled straight toward the possessed corpse. The revenant's blade aligned itself with the human's body, ready to impale him upon the weapon. Alistair couldn't move, unable to do a thing to prevent the oncoming attack. All he did was stare wide-eyed at the sharp blade, seeing it coming closer and closer.

Mere moments before the king was run through, Shale charged into the distracted revenant. With the golem's mighty fists, it swatted the blade away and struck the undead pony across the face with tremendous force. Stunned by the sudden attack, the revenant failed to notice the king that it was still pulling toward it. Without its sword to attack him, Alistair gripped his own tightly and swung it into the creature's shield.

It was the perfect opening, one that Anders took advantage of. The mage's hands crackling with fire, he focused his magic into a powerful blast of flame and sent it straight for the undead pony. It struck home without a hitch, the walking corpse igniting like dry brush, completely consumed by the flames. Ungodly cries erupted from the revenant as it thrashed about, its stolen body being burned to a cinder. It took only a few moments for the corpse to slow, collapsing onto the floor in a smoky, charred heap.

The other revenant showed no reaction to its companion's demise, only attacking more and more in its need to destroy the opponents set before it. Red eyes focusing on Anders, seeing the mage's armor-less body as an easy target, it lunged at him, its blade raised up to swung down on the human. But in an instant, the revenant stopped in its tracks.

Its empty red eyes widened with what only could have been surprised. The blade in its levitated grasp stood still in mid air, only shaking with a shuddering quake as the revenant appeared to be straining to move it. What was most clear about it however, while it was still caught in the blackened aura that was used to hold it up, there was also a glow of golden light wrapping around it. What was even more clear for the others to see was that the revenant was unable to move, its legs rooted to the ground as they too were enveloped in a glow, this one being of a brilliant azure.

The Grey Wardens looked off to the far side of the chamber, where Fluttershy, Spike and the princesses were safely hiding. But Celestia and Luna were no longer simply protecting themselves as the battle raged on. Both royal equines stood tall, their horns glowing with magical power. There was noticeable strain in their faces, still weak from all that had happened, but they were doing the best that they could.

The help of the princesses was not wasted as the others charged at the trapped revenant, still fighting against the hold that the two rulers had it in. As Anders prepared another spell, the undead stallion saw it clearly, lifting the mage up with its magic and throwing him aside. With only its shield to use, the revenant brought it up, blocking an attack made by Alistair. Shale however charged into the creature, its mighty hands grabbing onto the rounded shield and crushing it between its palms.

Now utterly vulnerable, the revenant could do nothing to stop it as Oghren swung his large ax and sliced across the creature's neck. As a greyish-black liquid oozed out from the deep trench of a wound made into its neck, the revenant's body shook and trembled for several moments before it collapsed onto the ground, just as lifeless as its counterpart.

The loss of the two possessed guards wasn't noticed by Atherias, still fighting against the commander and Twilight. The Magister's hands never lost their magical glow, power continuously emanating from his fingers as the chamber was turned into a battle-scared wasteland.

As her horn sparked with its own magical power, Twilight's gaze fell onto the ground surrounding the corrupted mage. It trembled and shook until, without warning, thick magical tendrils shot up and wrapped around him. They coiled tightly and kept his arms held down, leaving him open to attack.

Alistair ran to the commander's side as he held up his sword and charged at the darkspawn. As Atherias tore one of his arms free, ready to send a flurry of magical attacks at the coming humans, a large blast of ice struck into his freed limb. Anders' eyes were set on him, his own hands still crackling and ready to cast spells. There was nothing stopping the two Grey Wardens as Alistair and the commander swung their swords forward, stabbing into the twisted monster.

Only a sharp growl of pain came from the Magister, only causing his anger to grow even more as he swung his arm outward. A massive explosion of magic occurred, throwing both Grey Wardens through the air and destroying the tendrils that were wrapped around him. Alistair and the commander came to a skidding stop as the crashed to the ground, feeling as though an ogre had struck them.

“You shall not forestall me in claiming what I seek!” Atherias shouted as the entirety of his arms burst into flames. An intense heat could be felt from them, even with the distance between the Magister and the others. “Face the true power of Gods!” As the twisted mage threw his arms toward them, a massive torrent of flame, greater than any dragon could form, raced toward them like river of fire.

With her quick thinking, Twilight's horn glowed once again, using her magic on the stone flooring around them. A large wall of rock suddenly rose out of the ground, as thick as the walls making up the castle, and just as strong. Everyone ducked behind it, just in time as the flames washed over them.

Even behind the barrier, they could barely take the searing heat of the blaze. The air itself seemed to cook them alive as all they could see around them was the bright red and orange light produced by raging fire.

“How can we beat this guy if we can't even hurt him?” Alistair said over the roar of the inferno surrounding them.

An annoyed huff left the dwarf as he held his ax close. “Can't say I've ever had to fight something you can't kill with a few strikes of a good blade,” he murmured.

“I might have an idea,” Anders murmured, holding an expression of deep thought. “But.. it's a pretty stupid plan.”

“Those are really the only ones that ever work for us,” the commander replied. “What is it?”

The mage looked to them as he said, “Do you guys remember what happened to Avernus before we came here?”

“Yeah...” Alistair nodded. “He died when the Eluvian...” The king's eyes widened as his plan dawned on him. “You're right, that is a stupid plan, Anders.”

Figuring it out himself, the Warden-Commander eyed the king and said, “It's our only plan.”

“But...” Alistair tried saying, sighing in a mix of agitation and acceptance. “Alright... but, how are we going to be able to do it? It's not as though he'll give us the chance, what with all of the powerful magic.”

“Magister or not, he's a magic user, isn't he?” the commander said. “From our world, that means our rules.” His gaze fell on Anders, and as though reading his mind, the mage was shocked at what he realized.

“That... that might work,” Anders murmured. Reaching into his pocket, he retrieved a small object which he promptly handed to Alistair. “Make good use of it.”

“Alright then,” the commander said, looking to everyone else. “Oghren, Shale, you two need to get him toward the Eluvian. Anders, try to keep him occupied. The rest of us will finish it.” As everyone nodded their heads in understanding, the fiery inferno finally died down, allowing them to act on their plan.

Most of the stone floor of the chamber was charred black, heat still rising from the surface. None of them payed it any mind however as Oghren and Shale charged at the Magister. Anders, quick with spells, continuously threw blasts of fire, ice and lightning at the twisted creature.

Atherias easily dealt with the spells cast by the mage, but he was caught off guard as the large statue slammed into him, coupled with a powerful swing of an ax. The Magister was knocked backward, staggered by the sheer force of it. Again and again, the golem and dwarf attacked the powerful darkspawn, never letting up as he was pushed closer toward the Eluvian that stood behind him.

With one final blow of shale, Atherias' back slammed into the magical mirror. Oghren and Shale then stepped back, narrowly avoiding the retaliation of the furious creature. Then, it was the turn of Alistair, Twilight and the commander.

Even with Anders continuing his own attack from afar, still throwing his most powerful spells at the Magister, Atherias' attention was not so easily severed this time. Focusing on the charging attackers, his arms sparked and crackled as magic-fueled lightning engulfed them. As he directed the bolts of lightning toward the coming opponents, Twilight's horn glowed as well. A barrier of magic encircled the three of them, protecting them even from the magic of the Magister. It allowed them to get close to him.

Just as Alistair was just a few feet away, he tackled into darkspawn. As their bodies slammed against the Eluvian at full force, the Warden-King raised his hand upward, a sparkling loop of blue wrapped around his finger. Grabbing onto Atherias, Alistair pressed his palm, along with the lyrium ring he wore, against his forehead.

A powerful surge of magic shot through the chamber, nearly deafening everyone within. The ground split open as it felt like an earthquake was striking them, prepared to topple the whole room. As a bright flash shined out from the spot, Atherias' agonizing screams carried over everything else. As Alistair continued to force the Magister back, the Warden-Commander made the final strike, thrusting his blade forward and piercing through the ancient mage for the final time.

As the light faded and the sounds died, the commander, Alistair and Twilight took a step back.

Atherias just stood there, the sunburst brand on his forehead still fresh, the flesh sizzling. But the new mark wasn't what was most noticeable about him now. All that kept the Magister standing was the long blade pierced through his chest, just as it was pierced through the Eluvian behind him.

Though it didn't seem possible, his gray eyes looked even more lifeless as he looked blankly ahead, mouth quivering as he tried to speak. “N-nothing... I hear nothing...” he murmured, voice barely above a whisper. “Where... the voice... the song... Can't hear a thing... Everything... so silent... Urthemiel... have we been forsaken...?”

A loud, cracking sound echoed through the chamber. It could be clearly seen, the deep lines running across the surface of the Eluvian. Through the cracks, a blinding light shined through. There was a powerful magic in it. Simply standing there, they could feel the power burning them. It was made even worse for the one pressed against it. All across the Magister's body, similar cracks ran across him, emanating their own light.

All Atherias did was stand there, still joined to the Eluvian by way of the commander's sword. Even as his body was torn apart from the inside by magic, the Magister made no action to stop it, not that he could.

The bright light grew and grew, the unstable power of the Eluvian building by the second. The commander could see it easily, the mirror looking even worse than the one back home in Ferelden. With no time to think, the Warden turned to Alistair, giving the king a hard shove forward. Startled, Alistair stumbled back several feet and crashed to the ground.

All that he saw, all anyone saw, was the power of the Eluvian exploding outward in a powerful burst of white light. The last thing they saw was Twilight wrapping her forelegs around the commander protectively, just before they were lost in the light that flooded the chamber.

When the blinding light finally subsided, everyone gasped as they looked at what was left. Only a portion of the Eluvian's base remained, cracked and broken beyond repair. The mirror itself was completely gone, not even fragments of it remaining, nor of the terrible Magister who was against it. Even the tear that Atherias had created was gone, no longer allowing the malevolent spirits to escape.

What was worse however, was that it was not the only thing missing. Just as the Eluvian was no more, there was no sign of Twilight or the commander anywhere.

Fond Farewells

With a mighty crash, the Warden-Commander struck his back against a solid surface. Twilight was held against his chest, her hooves locked around him with an iron strength. Books rained down on them, thudding against the floor repeatedly. One of them landed atop the human's head, eliciting a pained groan from him. Oddly enough, it felt rather nostalgic.

When the storm of literature finally subsided, as the world around them was no longer spinning, after everything was silent, they slowly opened their eyes to see their new surroundings.

Twilight's eyes widened as she broke away from the human's body, just as her jaw dropped. The place was so easily recognizable, as she had been there many times before. From the white marble to the violet wood, the towering shelves and the immense size, it was all familiar. Though what was most abundant about the chamber was what made the unicorn most certain as to where they were, the many books and tomes that dotted the walls. It took her only a moment to know that they were in the royal library.

“We... we're still in Equestria...” Twilight breathed, barely able to form a voice through her surprise. When they had been consumed by the blinding white light, the chamber filled with their friends and companions being taken from them, the mare had expected to be thrust into the same journey that their bipedal visitors had gone on. Now, she could only question why. “How... how are we still here?”

Unlike the unicorn, the Warden did not rise where he landed. Barely able to move, he remained with his back pressed against the bookcase they had crashed into. As a weak chuckle escaped him, Twilight's gaze quickly turned to him. “I've... I've learned a few... new tricks... a-as of late...” he said through heavy breaths, his knuckles aching as his hand still clutched tightly around the pendent he wore around his neck.

The commander's amusement was stunted however, cut off too quickly as his body convulsed terribly. A single, hacking cough erupted from him, spewing out a near-mouthful of blood. Again, Twilight was forced to stare in shock at what she saw, nearly tripping over herself as she ran to the human's side. Even as his body trembled, wracked by inner pain that none could imagine, his strength flickering like a candle's flame in a ruthless gale, nothing could prevent the twitching smile on the battered warrior's face as he saw Twilight still with him.

“I-I guess... I pushed myself... a-a little t-t-too hard...” he said, his voice weak and growing quieter by the second. “Too much for... a dead man... any.... anyway...”

Tears formed quickly and fell just as fast across Twilight's face, her lips quivering as she watched the human dying in front of her. “Just... just don't move,” she said quickly, turning toward the exit. “We're still in the castle! I can find Anders! He'll be able to help!”

“No,” the commander said, using much of his limited strength to say that one word as suddenly as he could. “Please... Twilight... don't go. I... I can't leave you... without saying goodbye... not this time...”

A shuddering sob escaped the mare as she remained where she was, looking at the Warden as his life slowly left him. “N-no...” she whispered, nuzzling her tear-stained face against him, “please... I-I can't... I can't lose you again.”

Still smiling, the commander brought a shaking hand to the scholar's cheek, comfortingly whispering, “Shh... It's alright.” Another weak chuckle escaped him. “There's... not much that I-I can say... that I've done right... But... I'm just glad that you're... that you're safe...”

Though she was still crying, even Twilight managed a small smile as she remained close to the Grey Warden. “I think I've saved you a few times too,” she replied.

“Y-yeah... I guess you did,” the commander murmured, his lips parting just a little bit more. “You know... after so long, after so many mistakes and loses... I never would have thought... my life would turn out like this...” His hand reached a little further, running his fingers through her mane. “Never would have thought... that... I'd find love again. That... it'd be an entire world away...”

“And I found it too,” Twilight said, leaning down to kiss the commander's cheek. “But... but you can't die... Please, not like this.”

It was then, as the two silently remained together, an amused huff fell into the room. Both the commander and Twilight were surprised, feeling another presence within the room. It was made even more obvious as they heard a voice, the voice of a woman. “Oh, such melodrama. I'd probably feel nauseous had I not once tasted it myself.”

Twilight turned, and she and the commander had surprise etched onto their faces as they saw a somewhat familiar mare standing near the doorway. Her violet coat and black mane were her most obvious traits, as well as the expression of cold indifference she held as she approached them.

But the surprises did not simply end there. The young scholar's jaw nearly dislocated itself, her eyes nearly popping out from her skull as the mare's body began to shift unnaturally as she walked. Her hooves extended outward as she stood up on her back legs, her coat fading to a fleshy color as a set of robes appeared over her body, and her short muzzle shrank into a flat, human face. When it was all done, the lavender-coated unicorn found herself staring at a human woman, still approaching them without a change in her demeanor whatsoever.

Eyes narrowing, horn beginning to spark with magical power, Twilight took a combative stance as she stood between the strange, shape shifting creature and the Warden. “I'm warning you, stay back!” she demanded.

The mare was just about to attack the creature, but she stopped, the commander's voice breaking into her protective readiness. “Twilight... don't...” he said, his voice sounding even weaker than it was before.

Looking back to the injured Warden with confusion and hesitation, Twilight stepped aside as the woman knelt down before him. “Well, I hope you've learned something about gallivanting off like a fool,” the woman said, her tone outlandishly condescending. “Maybe next time, you'll think twice before running off after you've just been brought back from the edge of death. There's only so much the body can handle. And I do grow tired of having to come to your aide. I can hardly fathom how you've managed without me.”

Twilight's confused and curious eyes drifted between the two humans. The air of familiarity between them was easy enough for her to see, the gears in her head slowly turning. She even felt the woman's gaze drifting toward her occasionally. The commander himself didn't notice however, only making what sounded like a stuttering gasp, both of the females realizing it was meant to be a chuckle.

“But, Morrigan... you saving my life... seems to be the only way we bond...” the Warden responded, eyes never looking away. Twilight gasped at the name though, recognizing it immediately and looking upon the woman in a new light. There was a new feeling jabbing into her chest as she stared at the black-haired woman. Like a sickening feeling of contempt toward her, her thoughts tracing back to what the woman did to him.

Such thoughts were swept away from the unicorn's mind as the witch's hands glowed with a light green aura. Placing them on his chest, a sudden gasp and pained groan came from the Warden-Commander before his body once again relaxed into its weakened state.

Morrigan's face softened noticeably as she worked her magic into the commander's body, her soft hands pressing against him with a tender touch. A sigh escaped her as she looked him in the eyes, the contact lasting only a moment before she drifted down to where her hands were. “I suppose... you did do us all a favor by disposing of that... creature,” she said. “Even if it was your doing for it being here. Especially after what it seemed to be after... Well, let no one say you wouldn't make a protective father...”

An awkward silence quickly built up in the room, Twilight not saying a word, while the commander could barely form one. “Surprises seem to come more and more though,” Morrigan murmured. “Especially toward how you got here and... what you've been doing.” She glanced toward Twilight for a moment, making the scholar squirm slightly in place.

The commander turned his own gaze toward said mare, his lips twitching into another smile. “She... she's...” he tried saying. But the Warden didn't get the chance to finish. His voice died as all of his strength finally left him, unable to even keep his eyes open. It was only a matter of seconds before his body went limp, his mind being overtaken by darkness as the world around him disappeared.

Through the darkness, a voice could be heard. It was unintelligible, echoing across a vast distance, as though the speaker was at the far end of a long hall. But the Warden followed that very voice, sounding so familiar, filled with care and worry. Groaning with discomfort, the darkness collapsed around him as the commander's eyes opened, seeing several faces looking over him.

“Hey, he's awake!” Alistair exclaimed, joyously jumping into the air.

“It's about time,” Oghren chimed in, arms folded as he held a cheery smile. “You don't look half bad for a dead man either”

The commander merely groaned again, rubbing his throbbing head while the rest of his body ached. It was a blessing to him however, no longer feeling the cold grip of death on him. It was even more comforting as he felt a pair of hooves wrap around him, Twilight's lavender face buried into his side in a warm embrace.

A laugh escaped Anders as he patted the Warden on the shoulder. “Those Chantry fools should start worshiping you,” he said heartily. “Only guy I've ever met who's immortal.”

“Too bad Gods can feel pain apparently,” the commander murmured, stretching his stiffened back as he looked around the small room he was in, lacking in any form of furniture or decoration save for the bed he was in.

“Just be glad we were able to find you,” Alistair responded. “I figured the two of you would have been sent away, or vaporized like we did that Magister.”

A huff escaped Anders as his smile quickly drooped to a frown. “We don't know if it was an actual Magister,” he said in mild indignation. “My money's still on it being a spirit.”

Alistair merely rolled his eyes as he looked back to the commander, ignoring the mage. “Anyway,” he started, “I'm just happy to see that you're alright. I mean, you dieing the first time was bad enough, we didn't need to lose you again. Though, I do wonder... How did you survive something like that?”

At that question, the commander's eyes widened as, in his moment of peaceful thought, the answer struck him. “It was... Morrigan...” he murmured, sounding stunned by it himself.

“What?” the Warden-King questioned, raising an eyebrow questioningly toward his friend.

The king was suddenly surprised, as the commander grabbed him by his collar, shaking him rapidly. “She... they were here, in Equestria!” he said hysterically. “I couldn't believe it, but there they were!”

“What are you talking about?” asked a confused Alistair, only being shook by the distraught commander once again.

“They were... hiding away... in the mountains...” the commander murmured. Then, his eyes widened as once again, a sudden realization dawned on him. “The shack... she must still be there. They must still be there!”

Not another word could be uttered as the commander sprang to his feet and ran off, already out of the door by the time anyone realized what had happened. Alistair looked to Twilight for answers, but the mare looked confused as well, if only slightly so. Turning to his fellows who were also in the room, he signaled for them to stay put before taking off after the Warden.

No longer hindered by a dying body, the Warden's speed toppled that he had when he made the trip before, running across the precarious mountainside, the journey from the castle to Morrigan's humble shack burned into his mind. Even though his end had nearly come not too long ago, he had an invigoration that he had not felt in a long while. He wasn't sure if it was from what the witch had done to him or not, at that moment though, he didn't pay it any mind.

Lagging behind a long ways, Alistair and Twilight were on his tail. Though the scholar wouldn't normally be able to match the physical prowess of two warriors, there was a determination brewing in her heart that propelled her forward at speeds she had never attained before. Never letting the speeding Warden out of their sights, the two continued to try and break the large gap set between them.

Their quick pace only slowed once, surprised as their eyes laid on the small shack that was nestled on the small piece of flatland. It barely looked habitable from where they could see. Despite its meager appearance however, the last they saw of the Warden-Commander was him disappearing inside without a moment of hesitation.

Entering the shack, the Warden's beaming face, excited eyes and overjoyed smile looked into the single-room abode to see the lovely witch there. But, his expression shrank, dread and confusion draping over him like a heavy cape as he looked into an empty room.

Everything was gone, from the fire pit and the cauldron hanging above it, to the bed where he had been healed. Even inhabitants were gone, no trace of Morrigan or the young child anywhere. Disbelief showed clearly on the commander's face, sadness weighing down heavily. As he looked at the emptiness around him, he felt as though a small part of he had already known what would happen, even if he would never admit to it.

Only two things were left within the shack, the pile of abandoned armor that the commander had left behind in his haste, and a small box lying next to it. Picking the box up, the he noticed a piece of paper placed upon it. Unfolding it, revealing what was written inside, he realized that it was a letter. Though it had no name as to the writer or intended recipient, he already knew who it was for, as well as who it was from.

Now that the troubles you've caused are gone, it would seem that our time together has come to an end once again. Despite what you may want, to visit, say goodbyes, or something else, such things are impossible between us. Though this place was peaceful enough to suit my needs, we have overstayed our welcome long enough. As I've told you before, do not follow me.

You may have many questions, many of which I am certain I am unable to answer. But know this, what I do is for reasons that I can not explain. You've told me you understood that once before. Now, I trust that you won't attempt to defy me. From what I've seen however, I may not be what interests you any longer. So, if seeking me is for your only other reason to do so, I must tell you that things have not changed. Just as before, you can not see him. He is out of your reach, as am I.

And yes, I am able to see what there is to see, where your eye now wanders. What few words spared between us have been interesting. To that, I will say that I approve. I am in no way resentful for what you have done, nor should you hold any regret. It is clear to me as it should be to anyone that you care for this creature, just as she seems to care for you. It reminds me of before, the same care you showed me. You once said that love is no weakness, and all I've seen is that you've become stronger.

I would say that we would never meet again. But, this being our second encounter since then, it would seem fate is determined to prove me a liar. So instead, I leave you with a gift, a symbol of what we once had and a show of thanks for helping to protect him, as you've protected her.

A weary sigh escaped the commander as he finished reading the letter. It was just like before, her need to leave, even if it seemed like she didn't want to. This time however, such goodbyes were given to him in the form of paper. Perhaps it was to make it easier on him, maybe it was to make it easier on herself, he didn't really know.

Looking away from the paper, the Warden noticed the lavender-coated mare standing beside him. Though Twilight hadn't read the letter, she was smart enough to know what it meant. Frowning sadly herself, the unicorn's eyes showed sympathy as she looked into the human's. “I'm sorry,” she said, thinking on what he must be going through.

Still eying the mare, seeing her trying to console him, it brought a smile to his face. Kneeling down before her, the Warden-Commander wrapped his arms around her, holding her close in a comforting hug. “Don't be,” he responded, feeling the wonderful warmth of their embrace, “because I'm not.”

After a few moments, the commander eventually broke away from the mare, his gaze falling on the box that he still had. It was pure white, with a simple lid placed over it, slightly larger than his entire hand. Seeing that it as well, Alistair strode into the shack, wanting to see what was inside for himself.

Opening the box, surprise showed clearly on the commander's face as he held up the object that was inside. It was a hand mirror, beautifully crafted with a golden frame. On the back, a beautiful setting was decorated with depictions of deer and fluttering birds. It was well preserved, looking exactly the way it had when the Warden had first laid hands on it. But one detail was different, something that he noticed straightaway and was what shocked him most of all.

The flawless glass surface of the mirror was no more. Instead, all that was there was a an endless abyss of swirling purple. It looked as though the commander could reach right through it, disappearing within the portable void. Alistair and Twilight both developed their own expressions of stunned silence, figuring out what it all meant.

With the chamber that once housed the Eluvian having been decimated, everyone gathered to the banquet hall. The table was moved to the far end of the wall, giving ample room for everyone to stand together as they saw one another for the final time.

Anders was beyond stunned at the small mirror that the commander had brought. The magic placed into it was unlike anything he had ever seen, beyond anything learned at the tower or anywhere else he had been. Though it was small, the mage was certain that it would be a suitable means to return them home.

Now, all that was need to be done was say final goodbyes to those who they had touched on their journey to the strange land. Standing together, Alistair uneasily rubbed the back of his neck as Celestia held a fond smile toward him.

“I, uh... I really should thank you,” the Warden-King said. “You've been so kind to my friends... to me. And after all the trouble we have caused...”

“It's perfectly fine,” Celestia said, holding no trace of ill will for all that had occurred during the stay of the otherworldly guests. “What has happened was not your fault. My heart goes out to those who were lost, just as I am grateful that such evil has been stopped.”

“Sorry about your castle too...” Alistair reminded her, thinking on the chamber they had left in ruins.

A melodious giggle escaped the ruler as her smile seemed to widen. “It wouldn't be the first time repairs have had to be made,” she responded, still holding a look of amusement at the notion. Then, to the Grey Warden's surprise, the equine princess rested her head on his shoulder and nuzzled against him affectionately. “Your company will surely be missed.”

Wrapping an arm around her neck to return the gesture, Alistair chuckle lightly as he nodded and said, “Yeah, the feeling's most certainly mutual.” Breaking away from one another, both royal figures held joyful smiles. As it was his last time to see it, the king looked about the chamber, taking in the beautiful scenery around him. “After all I've seen here... it will certainly be a change to return home. But, I'll take everything I've learned to heart. Hopefully, I will be able to make Ferelden a much more prosperous land, using your own as an example.”

Celestia nodded happily, simply saying, “That's all I can hope for. Farewell, King Alistair.”

A chuckle escaped his grinning face as Alistair bowed slightly in respect. “So long... Princess Celestia,” he returned. With that being said, the Warden-King left the princess' side to stand beside Shale and Oghren, waiting for everyone to finish what they needed to say as they lacked such need for it themselves.

Eying Alistair, a smirk twitched onto the corner of Oghren's mouth as he offhandedly murmured, “So, you and the princess establish any... trade agreements?”

“Excuse me?” Alistair asked, looking at the dwarf questioningly.

“You know,” Oghren continued, holding a coy demeanor about him, “write a treaty with the blunted pen and white ink?”

Again, Alistair looked at the drunkard as though he had just gone mad. “I... don't known... what you're...”

“You... invade her territory?” the dwarven Warden stressed, slightly gyrating his hips for added emphasis.

Alistair's face showed his reaction well. Expression blanking entirely except for his hanging jaw and unblinking eyes. It lasted only a second however, his face developing a reddened tint as he looked away abashedly. “I- J-just... no! Sh-shut up...” he responded, sounding none too convincing. All it made Oghren do was laugh hysterically, his own face turning red to match the color of his facial hair.

Like Alistair, Anders was busy speaking his own goodbyes, on his knees before Fluttershy as she looked at him sadly.

“I'm really going to miss you,” the mage said to the yellow pegasus. A soft meow sounded nearby, their eyes falling on the white-furred cat as he stuck his head out of Anders' bag. “Heh... I'm sure Ser Pounce-a-lot will miss you too.”

Fluttershy nodded as she nuzzled lovingly against the cat, who purred happily in response. Then, the mare turned to the human and did the same, with an added amount of affection. “I've... I've really enjoyed you being here...” she said quietly.

“I have too,” Anders replied. “I wish... I wish things didn't have to turn out like this, but it has to. You've been a wonderful friend, more than I would have ever thought possible.” With a small huff of amusement, the mage developed a reassuring smile and looked the mare in the eyes. “No worries though. I'm one of the best mages that the Grey Wardens have. Though I've never been given much reason to push myself, except for learning a few spells I can use to entertain myself, you've given me enough reason to try and see what I'm capable of. If there's a way for me to stay, I won't hesitate to find it.”

Wrapping her forelegs around him, Fluttershy held the mage close in a warm hug, saying, “Goodbye, Anders.”

“Goodbye to you too,” Anders returned, breaking away from their hold as he smiled and winked at her, “for now, anyway.” Standing up, the mage turned to approach the others, waiting for everything to be finished.

Just like the others, the Warden had his own farewells to make. As he knelt down, Twilight looked up at him with moisture forming in her eyes. “I still don't want you to go,” she said.

The commander nodded solemnly, replying, “I know... but, I have to. I hope you understand that.” There was a trace of cruel irony to it all, something that was not lost to him. Never before had he thought the tables would be turned in such a way.

“I do,” Twilight said, “that still doesn't make it any better.” A melancholy sigh escaped her as her gaze fell to the ground. They remained silent for a few moments, unsure of what to say. Then, the scholar developed a weak smile and murmured, “Do you remember when you first came here?”

A small chuckle came from the commander. “Yeah,” he nodded, “where I didn't even think you were real at first...” Reaching out, he lightly poked the mare's nose, causing her to smile as she did the same to him.

Both of them laughed together, once again remembering all of the wonderful time they had spent together. As they finished, the commander wrapped his arms around her, Twilight doing the same with her forelegs, and they hugged one another. They held each other tightly for some time before they broke away.

The commander's face became serious at that moment, looking at the mare as he had something important that needed to be said. “Twilight,” he said, “even after I leave, I want you to try and find whatever happiness you can. Don't let your life halt just because I've left.” Though the unicorn looked as though she was going to say something, to speak against such a notion, he stopped her. “No matter what, I'll try my hardest to find a way to return here, where I'm not endangering you or anyone else. But... I'll be content with whatever might happen. So if I return, I can come back as an old friend,” he leaned in close to her, kissing her deeply and not caring who could see, “or maybe something more.”

“I'll always cherish our time together,” Twilight whispered, hugging the human as tightly as she could.

Simply smiling, the Warden nodded as he said, “As will I. And don't worry, no matter what happens after this, no matter what I do...” raising his hand up for he to see, he showed Twilight the pendent she had made, still wrapped around his neck, “I'll always have a little piece of Equestria with me.”

They hugged one last time, each feeling the need to stay like that forever, never wanting to let go. But it was inevitable that they did. Begrudgingly parting, the commander stood up, never letting his smile lower into anything less.

Turning to his patient friends to join them, his small trek toward them was stopped as Celestia walked into his path. “Oh, Princess,” he said, his tone holding the utmost respect. “I... I guess I never gave proper thanks for all that you have done for us.”

A cheerful smile came from the princess as she said, “I think I should be the one thanking you.” The remark earned a confused expression from the human, bringing the royal mare to explain, her voice hushed so only he heard it. “As Twilight's teacher, it brings me great joy to see her learn new lessons and excel at them, whether it be about magic... or life itself. But, there are many lessons that I can not help her with. For that, I thank you for all that you've done,” her smile deepened as she knowingly winked at him, “in that regard...”

The Warden-Commander chuckled weakly as an uneasy smile was brought to his lips, his cheeks changing in color to a mild red. Turning away from the princess, the human nearly ran to his fellows as they all stood together. “You know,” Anders said to the commander, somewhat crossly, “your old girlfriend could have at least told us how she managed to live here.”

A light shrug was the Warden's response as he smirked at the mage. “I figured you'd want to figure it out for yourself, prove how talented you are.” To that, Anders merely scoffed subtly before turning his attention to the task at hand.

After seeing that everyone was ready to begin, Anders held up the golden mirror, clutching the lyrium ring tightly in his other hand. “At least those templars have been good for something,” the spiteful mage said under his breath. “Okay... Everyone, stay close, I'm not very sure how well this will work for us.”

Taking a deep breath, Anders' gaze focused on the mirror as the hand holding it ignited in a blue aura. The magic rippled around his hand and moved up the handle of the mirror, going further and further until it covered it entirely. Even the non-magical ones around the mage could feel the power emanating from the small object, feeling it building up until its impending release.

As the magic began to reach its peak, everyone took one more look toward their equine hosts. Celestia, Twilight and Fluttershy all held wonderful smiles as they waved their hooves goodbye. Alistair, the commander, and Oghren did the same, having free hands to do it, unlike Anders.

But then, surface of the golden mirror changed, the purple abyss that was once inside was replaced by a white light. Brighter than the sun itself, everyone had to look away and close their eyes, still feeling its rays piercing through their eyelids. The light grew and expanded outward, until everything in its path was consumed utterly.

Just as the light began to fade, the sound of cracking glass reverberated through the hall. As the three ponies looked, they saw no one there. Their otherworldly guests had vanished, disappearing just as the white light had. But, a small trace of them remained. The golden mirror, having been spared journey that the others undertook, had fallen to the ground, its glass surface cracked and beyond repair. It once again showed the reflection of what was before it, if only a distorted perception of it.

It felt as if they had been thrown, the next thing the Grey Wardens realizing was the sudden feeling of weightlessness before their bodies struck the ground painfully.

Groans of agony left the Grey Wardens as they writhed on the ground in agony, feeling as though a few bones might have been broken. Their eyes burned and were blinded, unable to see where they were. After some time however, sight returned to them.

Picking themselves up, everyone looked out to their surroundings, seeing a dock standing just above the surface of a large lake. They realized they were at Lake Calenhad.

Nearby, the Spoiled Princess Inn stood proudly, the place where Oghren had met his wife. Far off in the distance, sitting on a small island, the imposing structure that was the tower of the Ferelden Circle of Magi stood tall. On the small and rickety dock itself, the templar ferryman stood in shock, gaping at the sight of the Grey Wardens and looking as though he might have wet himself.

There was no doubt in their mind that they were home, a bittersweet reality if there ever was one. Taking in the familiar sights, sounds and scents around them, they realized how different everything was to the colorful land that they had encountered.

Suddenly, everyone turned their gazes to Alistair, who was doubled over in a coughing fit. “By the Maker,” he cried, unable to stop himself from hacking madly, “Ferelden really does smell like wet dog!”

Bonus Chapter: What's Worth Telling

Despite its appearances, a small, dark stone chamber befitting more a cell in a dungeon than anything else, a sense of peace fell into the room as a young dwarf sat idle. Completely relaxed in his stone chair, elbows lying on the arm rest as his fingers interlocked, he remained silent while he allowed his final words to soak in. It was all shattered in an instant however, a deceptively delicate looking fist smashing down on the table in front of him, causing the dwarf to jump with surprise. The powerful jolt tipped over the glass of wine he had been drinking, a meager gift to help loosen his lips and coax his memory.

“What is this nonsense?!” barked the one who had slaughtered the silent air around them. Her pretty face was marred by her infuriated expression while her short, black hair nearly bristled like a feral beast.

“Have I said something to offend you, Cassandra?” the dwarf asked coyly, his eyes unable to look away from the dents left on the wooden surface of the table. There was a great portion of his mind already imagining what it would be like if such power was directed to his face.

The question only provoked the ire of the woman more as her fingers dug into the side of the table, leaning closer toward the dwarf as she looked likely to spit fire at any moment. “You know damn well what you've said, Varric!” the Seeker snapped. “Another world, talking horses and a Magister?! Do you think I'm a fool? To accept this... this fairy tale?”

Adjusting his miniature trench coat, Varric did his best to get comfortable once again as he looked the human woman in the eyes and said, “Seeing as how you failed to interrupt me, as you've often made a habit of doing, I'd say you were more than a little enraptured by my words.” He paused for a moment, seeing Cassandra's eyes narrowing even more. It felt as though two small knives were already stabbing into his soul. “Need I remind you that you were the one who asked me if I knew the tale? The tale of when King Alistair and the Hero of Ferelden disappeared without a trace.”

Scoffing indignantly as she crossed her arms, the Seeker continued to glare daggers at the dwarf. “I wanted facts, something concrete,” she said, “not some fantasy made for the entertainment of a small girl.”

“I swear,” Varric responded, raising his hand solemnly, “on my honor as a dwarf, this is straight from the horse's mouth.” At that, the dwarf grinned a little, amused by his own bad joke. “While yes, I'll admit, even I was skeptical when rumors about what happened began to spread across the land like wildfire. But, as storytelling is my passion, I made sure to know everything I could, even if it meant learning it from the source.”

Though still looking skeptical and unconvinced, Cassandra raised an eyebrow in a questioning manner. She said nothing, simply standing there expectantly and allowing for the dwarf to continue. “My time with Hawke didn't just give me insight into his own adventures,” Varric said. “It also gave me quite a bit of discussion with Blondie as well. Of course, I could barely even get the guy to address the rumors, much less talk about them. But... after a few drinks, well, he starts telling all sorts of secrets.”

“An inebriated mage is hardly a credible source,” Cassandra retorted, her mood not improving in the slightest.

However, the remark only caused the dwarf to smirk as he said, “And what about the king himself?” The black-haired warrior woman showed noticeable surprise at that, amusing the dwarf even more. “Though, he was just as tight-lipped as Blondie was. Had to rescue the guy from a sodding prison just to get the few scraps he gave me. I even managed to get in touch with Oghren, you don't even want to know what I had to do to get him to talk...” Clearing his throat, as well as his mind of several unsavory thoughts, the dwarf looked back to the woman and locked eyes with her. “I've even tried talking to Commander Cousland himself. Sadly, he seemed to have made himself busy as of late, making it impossible to gain an audience with him.” He gave the Seeker a knowing look. “Right before he up and disappeared once again...”

Cassandra looked away from the talkative dwarf for a moment, appearing distant as she developed a stance of deep thought. After several moments however, she shook her head in disbelief, or perhaps confusion. “But... that's just... that's insane,” she murmured.

“Makes a little more sense now, doesn't it?” Varric remarked. “Though a rare few know the full story, the bit about the colorful talking animals, the main premise of the tale is something to marvel at. Just think, Ferelden's king and greatest hero visiting a world that not only has magic, but lives in a constant state of peace alongside it. Now, tell me how wondrous and inspirational that must sound to mages now fighting for their freedom. Something to strive for no doubt. Believe me, it wasn't just Hawke's influence that incited this war.”

The Seeker continued to look somewhat confused, as though unable to discern fact from fiction in the dwarf's words. “But still...” she murmured. “To think... a world like that... has to be impossible.”

Watching her, Varric held a look of understanding. It was the same when he had first heard the more detailed story. “If you have trouble comprehending it,” he said easily, propping his elbows back on the arm rests as he interlocked his fingers once again, “perhaps... you'd like to hear the rest, when the tables were been turned. And we learn how some emotions can transcend all boundaries... worlds even...”

“What are you saying?” Cassandra asked, looking the dwarf in the eyes.

It caused the storyteller's lips to twist into a smirk as he nodded and said, “It's one of my favorite philosophies. For any tale worth telling, its end is only the beginning of what's to come.”

Ancient Magics

The dirt path had been well trodden. Impressions in the moist soil stayed from the travelers that had used the way for their own reasons. It was an oddity for the people of the land, the routes being all but abandoned after the tragedies that befell the area. Walls of trees blocked the way from both sides. It forced travelers to move in a singular direction, forward.

Now, the path once again served a traveler as he made his way toward his destination. He stayed silent, eyes set forward in stoic determination.

The horse he rode trotted forward as it was directed. It was a slow ride, but nearly half the day was spent in a fast gallop and the animal's stamina was beginning to dwindle. He saw no reason to deny the creature a resting, slow pace to finish the last lengths of his trip.

Everything was eerily silent, the forest surrounding him held its breath as he passed. Even when knowing his target was still a distance away, the unnatural unease that was left behind in the wake of such heinous acts stretched far. It pained the traveler to wade through it all, his mind buzzing noisily with regret for his own part in what occurred in the once peaceful land.

Soon, the seemingly endless sea of trees broke to reveal a large clearing. Signs of civilization were made clear as the traveler neared them. Small cottages lined the road in an organized manner, leading the way to the center of the small village. Not a soul could be seen, the area was deserted.

The sound of shutters closing broke the silence as the traveler went by. As if they could innately sense an outsider's presence, the occupants of the humble homes peered out their windows to catch a glimpse of their newest visitor. Immediately recognizing his black armor and facial features, the people shut themselves back inside, a glimmer of hope being left behind.

It didn't surprise him. Hope was something that shadowed him for some time. It left him with the need to meet the expectations his reputation gave to people. Never before had he felt so undeserving of it.

A quaint tavern stood out amongst the simple structures of homes. The traveler could see smoke rising from the chimney, the windows alight with an orange glow. A sigh of relief escaped him as he slid off the saddle he had been stationed on for so long, deciding he could lead the horse the last few feet, happy to stretch his legs.

With its rider gone, the horse began to shift back and forth in place. Grunts of unease and the beginning stages of panic were forced out through the horse's thick breathing.

The traveler caught the distress the beast was feeling, immediately standing at its side. “Easy girl,” he whispered, gingerly running his hand across the horse's neck in an attempt to calm it. The traveler knew what was causing it, he could feel it too. There was a unbearable feeling of despair emanating through the very streets of the village, sucking away any positive emotion that dared to make itself known. The air itself was tainted with the stench of blood.

“Commander Cousland!” a voice called out, followed quickly by the rushing of feet across the ground. The titled commander turned to see an armor-clad elf approaching him. A large iron shield was strapped to his arm, a painted depiction of a gryphon on the surface, the symbol of the Grey Wardens.

The commander acknowledged his fellow Warden. Standing before him, the elf bowed his head momentarily in respect.

“I'm glad to see you've made it, Commander,” said the Warden.

“Is the captain nearby?” the commander asked, looking about the area for any signs of the other Wardens he had been expecting.

The elf shook his head. “No, sir, the captain took the others to scout the perimeter in the targeted area.”

Commander Cousland grimaced as he rubbed his eyes. “That fool will probably see fit to burn it down if he gets the faintest idea it'll help.” Pausing for a moment, the commander's eyes drifted toward the welcoming door of the tavern. “Have they arrived as well?”

“Yes, they have been waiting for your arrival.”

Nodding in approval, the commander looked back to the elf. “Could you take my horse? I must speak to the others before we set off and she is in need of water and a rest.”

“Of course, sir,” the Warden replied, accepting the reins as they were handed to him and leading the horse away. The commander then headed for the tavern. It was just as silent as the rest of the town, the only noise he could hear was the sound of his own footfalls on the creaking steps leading inside.

The interior was as cozy as any tavern should be. A large fireplace stood off to the right side, cushioned chairs were placed before it, offering a seat to take in the warm embrace. The flame inside crackled with an intense warmth that could be felt from all corners of the building, sadly it was the most lively thing in the village. Simple tables with matching chairs were strewn about, giving patrons their rest and enjoyment with friends. At the left side of the tavern was the bar, the large counter nearly stretched from wall to wall. Several shelves clung onto the wall behind it, holding multiple bottles of the more tasteful brews. Large barrels stood atop the counter for the cheaper, more often bought, ales.

The owner stood behind the counter, running a cleaning rag through the inside of a glass mug that already looked sparkling. His sullen gaze looked up as he heard the door creak open. His mood immediately brightened as he saw who it was. “Ah, Warden-Commander, you're here,” he said, his excitement peaking.

Before the commander could get a word in, the owner reached down into his counter and retrieved an aqua blue bottle with a silvery liquid sloshing inside. Though the commander wasn't an expert on alcohol by any means, he could tell from a simple glance how pricey the bottle must have been. It wasn't something such a small village could ever afford to acquire.

As the commander tried piecing together the sight, the tavern owner extended the bottle toward him. “Compliments of the arl,” he said, bringing the explanation to light, “he's relieved to know that you are taking care of our problem personally.”

The commander didn't move for the bottle right away, thinking on whether or not he really should. But, he soon figured that it would look as an insult if he didn't accept it. Reaching out for the bottle, the commander's hand soon retracted as another quickly grabbed the bottle and held it up with joy.

“Oh, this is a wonderful brand,” the man the hand was attached to said, examining the bottle with great interest. The robes he wore and staff slung over his back made it clear he was a mage. His dark blonde hair was tied back in a ponytail, having the minimalist size one could have to make one. Stuck on his face was a smirk filled with a devious and sarcastic intent.

The mage popped the cork off of the bottle of alcohol, sniffing the contents before taking a prolonged taste. After his drink, he let out a satisfied sigh before offering the bottle to the commander.

“You keep it,” he said, watching as the mage took another sip. “Be sure to watch your drink, Anders. You're a Warden, you should conduct yourself as one.”

“Oh come on,” Anders pouted, “it's a rare age when I can actually get something to wet my lips. What with Oghren always sucking down every last drop of any supplies we get.” A soft, muffled meow could be heard from near the mage. Anders looked down to see a white cat poking its head out of the bag he had at his side. “Isn't that right, Ser Pounce-a-lot?” he said with a high pitched voice a mother might have when addressing their infant child. “That mean dwarf takes all the good stuff, doesn't he?”

A sigh escaped the commander after that, knowing that it wasn't as much of an exaggeration as he wanted it to be. “Regardless, we are going after a dangerous target. That's why I had you come here, I'll need you at your best.”

Anders looked at his commander oddly for a moment, a stare of confusion crossing him. “It's just a blood mage isn't it? I know they're a dangerous lot and all, so I get why you had us come down here. But why are you here? It all seems a little excessive for a single maleficarum.” Preparing his response, the commander was cut off as a third voice made itself known.

“Even I have to agree with the blathering dress-wearer.” Both the commander and Anders looked to the far corner of the tavern. Standing there, eying them both with a gaze of permanent disinterest, was a living statue.

The golem Shale was a sight for anyone to behold. With a body of rock and lyrium infused life, there were brightly colored crystal fragments jutting out of it's shoulders, back and forearms. It's eyes and mouth also held a bright glow, added by the radiant rune that was etched into it's forehead. There was also a large cloth wrapped around the golem's waist, ending with a loincloth that depicted the gryphon symbol of the Grey Wardens. Though unable to take part in the ritual to actually become a Warden, the commander considered the animated statue to be a good friend and invaluable ally.

“It is odd that it would seek out this perpetrator personally,” Shale continued, talking in it's usual hollow echo of a voice in a bleak monotone. “Though, knowing of the intended target, perhaps it feels a responsibility for the whole affair? Like some of the blood is on it's hands? Metaphorical blood of course, since it wasn't it's intention for so many innocents to be slaughtered by it's poor choice of trust.”

Anders blinked forcibly at the what he had heard, quickly turning a questioning gaze toward his commander. The commander himself didn't answer to the questions, knowing that the golem had the answer already. Instead, he could only turn away shamefully, again feeling the painful strike of his own sins in all of this.

“What... what does Shale mean by that?” Anders asked, approaching the commander, looking him in the eyes.

The Warden in question only met the mage's gaze for split second, turning away from him to look down at the floor. “Anders I... The blood mage is- was a Grey Warden who-” Before he could finish, his hesitant voice was overpowered by the sound of horses whinnying just outside of the tavern, added by the sudden stop of a rhythmic gallop. Curiosity propelling them forward, both Anders and Commander Cousland followed the noise out of the tavern and into the streets. Shale followed close behind, disinterested in the noise, but having nothing better to do.

Both Wardens were surprised to see three horse riding visitors to the village. The surprise grew even more as they recognized the man at the lead.

“Alistair?” the commander murmured, seeing his old friend for the first time in a long while. Anders recognized him as well, it being the second time he had met the King of Ferelden.

“Ah,” the king said, his face bursting with a unbridled joy upon seeing his friend, “I was hoping I wasn't too late to see you off.” Dismounting his horse, Alistair approached the commander with a warm smile. “It's been far too long, old friend. Seeing as you never see it customary to visit. You're off having grand adventures, while I'm stuck wanting to bash my head against the throne with all of this 'kingly business' I must attend to day in and day out.” The king heaved a sigh, sounding more like the whine of a child. “Tell me again why I took this job? I've yet to see the benefit.”

“Hmph,” the Warden-Commander grunted, crossing his arms as he eyed his friend. “Well let's see now... The land almost in complete panic and anarchy, a Blight bearing down on us, a usurper drunk with power trying to take the position for himself.” With a coy expression of deep thought, he paused for a moment. “Oh, and your sister-in-law was going to execute us if you hadn't.”

Alistair frowned. “Oh yeah... I sometimes forget about that.” His frown quickly faded as he chuckled lightly. “Then again, who would I be if I didn't complain every now and then?”

The commander suppressed his own chuckle. Seeing Alistair again after so long made him pause to examine what the time apart had done to the king. He looked like the same old Alistair, though the commander did notice the slight sunken gaze in his eyes, like he hadn't been sleeping well as of late. There was also his attire, wearing a magnificent suit of silver and gold armor, added with a fine cloak he wore underneath the shoulder guards that draped behind him, all befitting royalty. Another detail didn't escape the commander's gaze as he noticed the small bit of hair that was growing on the tip of his chin, reaching up and connecting on both sides across his upper lip, it looked more like fuzz than anything.

“Armor's a bit ostentatious, don't you think?” the Warden-Commander remarked.

“I don't know,” Alistair replied, giving it a once over himself, “I think it's nice. Much better than the scrap we used to wear, actually fits my size perfectly too. Maybe you're just jealous? What with your own ragged set, surprised no one loses you in the dark with that black color.”

“What, this?” the commander asked, tapping his chest plate. “It's the same kind of armor commanders of the Wardens have used for centuries. It's like a symbol of authority. Plus... it matches my hair.” The commander smirked as he ran a hand through his black hair.”

“Right...” the king murmured, “I'll be sure to tell you if I find a bag that matches your eyes as well.”

They both shared a good laugh, feeling the nostalgic tug of their old days of adventuring together. Their laughter was suddenly halted however as one of the men who arrived with the king stepped forward. The commander could see that he was a templar, the sword insignia on his chest plate and robes at his waist giving it away easily. The man's grizzled facial scruff and short, greying hair also showed his age.

“I think the amusements can wait until after this maleficarum is dead,” he said, holding little respect in his voice despite being in the company of nobility. The Warden-Commander couldn't help but sneer subtly, already telling he wasn't going to like the man. It didn't help that the templars found it necessary to make themselves a thorn in his side ever since he brought Anders into the Wardens.

“And who is this?” the commander murmured, crossing his arms and quickly developing a combative tone.

The templar first answered with a glare. “Knight-Captain Corvick, I'm here to deal with this murderous mage.”

“Sorry, don't need you,” the commander replied with a shake of his head.

“That's not your call,” Corvick shot back. “I'm under the orders of the Knight-Commander.” An accusatory finger was lifted to point at the Warden. “We know of this blood mage and your own part in this,” his eyes shifted toward Anders, “and we know of your stance on protecting unlawful mages.”

“Anders has proven himself as a hero and a mage,” the commander retorted, his burning gaze matching that of the templar. “And this is the business of the Grey Wardens, I will not have one of you jailers here to undermine us.”

The Knight-Captain scoffed. “As I said, you have no say in the matter, Commander. Our authority circumvents your own while King Alistair is apart of this.”

“Wait...” Commander Cousland blinked, turning toward the king. “Alistair, why are you here?”

“Well, I couldn't have you going after this guy without me,” he answered in a matter-of-fact tone.

“Hold on a second,” the commander protested. “Now, Alistair, be reasonable here. There is no way I'll allow you to endanger your life. You're the King of Ferelden for Maker's sake.

Alistair's expression deadpanned for a moment. “Oh? I don't remember hearing any objections when we fought side by side against an army of Darkspawn, or when I was defending against blows from that Archdemon. I'm pretty sure I was technically the king at that point.”

The Warden-Commander looked as though he had just been struck by the ex-Warden. “Ok, that's completely different, Alistair. If something were to happen-”

“Nothing will happen,” Alistair reassured him. “And nothing you say will change my mind on this matter. It's just as much my fault this has happened. I allowed for it to happen, just as you did.” The king placed a hand on the commander's plated shoulder. “Now, we can put and end to this together.”

“Alright then, we can do this together,” Commander Cousland said, submitting to his king with a smile.

“Aw, isn't that cute, the King and Commander are softies for one another. Ha!” Alistair became surprised as he immediately recognized the gravely voice, while the commander pinched the bridge of his nose. They both turned to see a dwarf watching them. A long, braided mustache of red hair dangled from his lips while a large ax was tied to his back. Behind him stood several more Wardens, fresh from their joining who stood idle as they awaited to be issued their next orders.

“Oghren?” Alistair murmured as he approached the Warden. “You're here too?”

The dwarf gave a firm nod. “Yeah, 'course I'd be here. Surprised to see you here though, King Royal Bastard. Can't say I'm happy bout it though. Last time we met, you let us to save everyone from a sodding miniature Blight.”

“Oghren,” the commander said sternly, realizing that time was quickly ticking away, “what have you to report?”

“Didn't find anything out of the usual,” the dwarf shrugged. “Doesn't look like anyone's left the area though, he should still be there.”

Commander Cousland held his chin in thought for several moments, thinking on how to add Alistair's arrival to his plan. “Alright,” he called, addressing them all, “we're moving out. The longer we wait here, the greater the risk that he might get away. We are to head north, into the forest, until we reach our destination.” The commander then led the way into the forest, King Alistair at his side while the others followed.

As they made their way through the winding trees and uneven ground, Anders quickened his pace to be by his commander's side. “I want to know what's going on,” he said, his gaze focused on him. “Who exactly are we going after, and what is your business in all of this?”

“It's nothing, Anders,” the commander said dismissively.

“My ass it's nothing,” the mage snapped, knowing when he's being lied to.

“Look, all you need to know is that I made a decision that eventually led to this, all without me knowing that this would happen!” The commander's voice was clear in making the mage know that the topic wasn't going to be discussed further, leaving him to stay silent as they continued to trudge through the forest.

After nearly an hour of walking, they came across a small clearing. At the far end of the clearing, the entrance of a cave could be seen, looking as inviting as a monster's den. Their steps began to slow to tentative movements.

Standing at the mouth of the cave, Commander Cousland turned to his fellow Wardens. “We can only send in a few of us,” he said, pointing to his chosen few. “Alistair, Shale, Anders, Corvick and I will be the ones to go in. Oghren, I want you and the others to guard the area outside. Make sure no one comes in or out.”

“Gotcha,” the dwarf said with an affirming nod. Staying silent, Commander Cousland was the first to enter the cave, the others close behind him. As they disappeared within the stoney cavern, Oghren's booming voice could be heard outside. “Alright you sodding milk-sippers, the commander's given us a job to do! Now, I don't care what it is, be it blood mages or a squirrel with a death wish, we smash anything that gets near this entrance! Even if it's the commander and king themselves, we'll try and smash them twice as hard! Just so they know how prepared we were!”

The inside of the cave was the same as any of the other countless ones the Wardens had explored in their time, in terms of physical appearance anyway. It was a very unnerving place all the same. The silence was deafening while they were surrounded by the terrible scent of decaying flesh, making it difficult to breathe.

Alistair and Corvick each withdrew their shields and swords, preparing themselves for whatever was coming their way. The commander unsheathed the sword strapped to his back as well. His weapon was nearly as tall as he was, with an elongated handle while the blade itself was a beautiful, glassy blue in color. He gripped it tightly in his hands as they stepped lightly through the cave tunnels, finding comfort in knowing it was in his grasp.

Venturing deep within the cave, the group found themselves entering a large cavern, the walls barely visible in the darkness. The thick silence was quickly broken as they heard the sound of dripping water echoing through the chamber. As their full attention was placed into the cavern, they were shocked as they saw a large structure sitting in the center.

As they approached it cautiously, the commander's eyes widened as he realized what it was. It was a mirror, several feet taller and wider than a normal person. Set in a arched frame, their were two, large stone statues of men holding swords and wearing strange battle-skirts. A small set of stairs were carved into the base of it as well, allowing one to reach the mirror.

“What kind of demonic shrine is this?” Knight-Captain Corvick spat, looking at the strange structure with disgust.

“This isn't a shrine,” Commander Cousland said, his hand shaking as he ran it across the surface of the mirror, “it's a an Eluvian.”

“I've heard of these,” Anders murmured. “They're elven made, but were used by ancient Tevinter as a means of communication. Though allegedly, they had many more uses.”

“Like a portal,” the commander muttered without thinking. As he felt all gazes quickly turn to him questioningly, he was quick to add to his statement. “So I've heard.”

While the others were busy examining the Eluvian, Alistair's gaze wandered more around the cavern they were in. As he looked out into the darkness around him, the king's eyes fell on an object that he could barely make out, resembling a small pedestal.

Before he could approach the object, the king was stopped as he felt a droplet of water splatter onto his forehead. Wiping it with his finger, he was taken aback as he looked at it and discovered the water was a crimson red in color. His gaze instinctively looking up to the source, the king nearly collapsed onto his back as he felt his heart skip a beat. “By the Maker,” he gasped.

The others quickly followed his gaze, Anders held up his hand as a magical fire ignited in his palm, giving more light for them to see. Just like Alistair's reaction, the others looked on in horror as they saw the mass of corpses hanging from the ceiling of the cave.

There were dozens of them, some wearing the tattered rags of a peasant or villager, others donning armor of templars and mercenaries. Several of the bodies looked to be entirely decomposed while some looked as fresh as a few days ago. They all had thick chains pierced through them, keeping them suspended above the room. The watery dripping continued as, to their horror, they looked down and saw that the floor was painted in red, the bodies being bled dry.

“This... this is inhuman,” Anders breathed, unable to tear his eyes away from the sight.

Alistair was finally able to look away and keep his eyes locked onto the strange pedestal he had seen before. With the light provided by their mage, the king was able to see it much more clearly. Approaching it, his face began to tremble as he inwardly begged that what he was seeing wasn't what he thought it was.

The pedestal was nearly three feet tall with a basin resting on the top. Inside, a viscous, black liquid could be seen sitting inside. Just standing next to it, Alistair could feel an evil taint within it. Even Shale could sense it, as it began to notice the basin along with the other Wardens.

“Maker's breath,” Alistair murmured, his eyes looking into the reflective surface of the black goo. “Is this...? No, it can't be...”

“Archdemon blood.” Everyone but Shale jumped on the spot as they heard the voice echo through the cavern. Their gazes immediately shot toward the source, seeing a bald, elderly man standing on a ledge overlooking them. The robes he wore and the staff in his hand gave a clear idea as to what he was. “It took quite a long time to scavenge the wreckage at Ostagar to find it.”

“Avernus!” Commander Cousland cried, his voice risen in a furious anger.

Though the commander was quick in recognize the old Warden, Alistair was shocked to see that it was still him, seeing how much he had changed since they had last seen each other. Avernus' face was horrendously boney, as though his skin was pulled tautly around his skull to the point that any more tension would make it snap like rope. Black blotches dotted his skin, looking sickly and making the flesh look dead. His eyes were the most horrific to see, looking blank and void of any life, it was as though they were confronting a corpse.

Avernus' gaze drifted toward the commander who had shouted at him, his demeanor looking slow and uncaring. “Ah, Cousland, it has been a while.”

Before the Warden-Commander could say anything in response, Corvick stepped forward, raising his sword to point at the mage. “Blood mage, for crimes against the Maker and his children, I hereby order you to give up and submit to your execution!”

The mage looked down on him, his eyes narrowing as he noticed the armor he wore. “A templar... You're just another short-sighted fool, just like all the others.” He is gaze then shot back to the commander. “And you as well? Have you come here to put a stop to me and my work? I thought you could see the big picture in what I do, did you not partake in what my research has provided?”

The commander glared Avernus, his anger rising as he felt Ander's speechless expression on him. “That wasn't our agreement, Avernus. You were to stop with the senseless killing. This... madness ends now.”

Seeing the unbreakable resolve of the visitors, Avernus heaved a sigh as he shook his head. “No, Cousland, I'm afraid it isn't. You see, I've learned of a glorious power, trapped within the ancient Eluvians. It was imprisoned long before the time of any of us, using the oldest forms of blood magic. I had first thought it would be some time before I was ready, even with the powerful blood of an Archdemon. But thanks to you, the tainted blood of Grey Wardens will be the perfect catalyst to free this power.”

Before they could react, Avernus held out his arms and his hands pulsated with a dark red aura. Immediately, the commander and his companions felt a tight squeeze lock onto their ankles. They looked down to see the blood at their feet swirling underneath them, reaching up their feet to seize them in an iron grip.

Anders tried preforming a spell, to defend himself against the mage's attack, but nothing happened. To his terror, he found himself unable to move. The same was for everyone else. The clattering of metal arms echoed through the cavern as their bodies became frozen like statues, only able to twitch and quiver in their futile attempts at movement. It only grew worse for them as they felt their muscles tightening, clenching around their bodies in a suffocating hold. Cracks of joints being popped and bones beginning to crack sounded off. Then, the screams began.

The pain was excruciating for them all. All they feel was their own agony throughout their bodies. It felt as though every drop of blood in their veins had morphed into a knife and were stabbing them from the inside.

As their pain continued, the tainted blood of the Old God in the basin began to ripple. Within a few moments, the blood glowed with a dark aura as it was lifted from the basin and trailed through the air. Floating toward the Eluvian, the Archdemon blood slowed as it came across the screaming victims. A deep red glow flowed from out of their bodies as the blood was magically forced out of them. The trails of blood mixed with that of the Archdemon's, forming into a single mass that was brought to the Eluvian.

Pressed against the glassy surface, the blood encompassed the entirety of the mirror. An immense torrent of black smoke erupted from it. Even as they writhed in their unbearable pain, the wardens could see the dark silhouette of a nightmarish creature standing within the blackened mirror.

Avernus' excitement was palpable as he saw the ritual coming into fruition. It would only be a few more moments and everything would be done, he would seize the almighty power that was imprisoned within. From his intense concentration on his goal, it came as an unforeseeable surprise as he heard a heavy thud behind him. The mage turned to see an agitated golem standing there, it's glowing eyes set directly on him.

“It's a good thing such blood related spells don't work on those who don't have such a messy liquid,” Shale said, raising it's arm up and ready to strike.

Avernus attempted to defend himself, but it was too late. Shale's punch landed right on the spot, smashing into the mages face with a bone shattering force. With the strength placed into the blow, Avernus was sent flying. His flailing body flew through the air at an amazing speed, crashing into the Eluvian that was still under the effects of the ritual.

All that was uttered from the old mage was a soul quaking scream of unimaginable torment, his body looking as though it were disintegrating in front of them, burning away in a dark fire. As his body was turned to nothing, an ear-splitting sound of cracking glass reverberated across the cavern. A blinding light emitted from the ancient artifact, engulfing everyone within the cavern. None of them were able to see the finished result of it as their conscious minds were then submerged into an abysmal darkness.

“Come on, Spike, are you finished yet?” asked the lavender unicorn Twilight Sparkle. “We were scheduled to finish cleaning an hour ago.”

The dragon in question sighed dejectedly as he climbed a small ladder up to the topmost shelf in the library, placing the book he had in his clawed grasp into its rightful place. “There,” he said, sliding down the ladder to reach ground level, “we're all done.” The purple scaled assistant looked on with pride at his work, gazing upon the Ponyville library and its flawless state, as well as remembering the piles of books that once dotted the room.

“Thank goodness,” Twilight breathed in relief, “I was worried we would never get this place cleaned.”

“Yeah,” Spike murmured, rolling his eyes, “we.” With slow, careful steps, the dragon made sure to double check every detail in the library. He was certain that if it wasn't perfect, he would certainly hear about it from Twilight. “Maybe if you didn't make it into such a mess, you wouldn't have to worry about getting it cleaned.”

“Be reasonable, Spike,” the scholar responded, “I can't waste time in neatness when I'm having a breakthrough in my research and studies.”

The dragon simply rolled his eyes once again as he finished making his rounds. “Well, at least it's all clean now. I don't want to have to put a book away for at least a few hundred-” Spike was interrupted as he felt the ground shaking under his feet. Twilight felt it as well, the entire tree trembling from a massive force.

A tremendous earthquake rattled the library like an infant's toy, bringing fear into the occupants that their home might collapse on top of them. Spike yelped as several books fell from their shelves and nearly landed on him. The frightened dragon was quick to dive underneath a table and curl himself into a ball, whispering to himself that everything would be fine.

Twilight began dodging falling books and other objects like raindrops. It took her several minutes to find a long enough pause for her to create a small forcefield spell around herself, causing the books to simply strike the transparent barrier and topple onto the floor. Under the protection of her spell, the unicorn flattened herself on the floor and covered her eyes as the earthquake continued to turn the library into its plaything.

Thankfully the earths shuddering spasms ended quickly, causing a sigh of relief to escape both the scholar and assistant as they picked themselves up. Spike's eyes widened as he witnessed the damage that was caused. Nearly everything that wasn't bolted to the floor had fallen from their rightful places. All he could see was the wasted hours he had spent previously cleaning the library. “Oh come on!”

Tea Time Troubles

There was only darkness. It was all that could be seen, the inky blackness that never ended. It was such a stark contrast to the blinding light that had been experienced in what felt like moments earlier. But that light had ended so suddenly, with no warning or precedent, then the darkness came to replace it just as quickly.

If there was anything that the golem Shale could admit to fearing, besides those flying pests of course, was that very darkness. The black nothingness that stretched on and on, with no sign of ever stopping, consuming all until there was only itself to be seen.

Now Shale felt to be in that very darkness. The very darkness it had experienced all those years ago, what had brought it to lose its true self. It was there before it now, as ever expanding as it always was, looking so eerily familiar that if the golem had skin, it would certainly be crawling.

As all else seemed to become lost to it, Shale's mind flared to an focused concentration as it could have sworn it had heard something, a noise that reverberated through the black void. Moments passed where the statue questioned if it wasn't simply its own imagination that had conjured the idea, but it sounded off again. The noise was slightly more clear this time, almost sounding like a voice.

Again and again, as time slowly ticked by, the voice became much clearer. It soon turned into several voices, coming to the point where words could be understood.

“Where was it found?” The voice speaking sounded oddly gravely and rough, as though the speaker was gargling stones in his throat.

“Outside, just standing there in the open.” The second voice was nearly the exact same as the first, though having a slightly deeper pitch.

“Was there anything else? Did you not search?” the first voice said, sounding both angry and irritated.

“No, nothing, just this strange thing,” the deeper voice said, whimpering slightly.

A third voice then appeared, much like the previous two, though its pitch was higher. “But, we still have this treasure. And such pretty gems it has, too bad attached to such ugly rock-thing.”

An annoyed growl sounded, followed quickly by the voice of the first. “Fine! At least these precious jewels are plentiful still. I've never seen gems with such beauty. Hurry now, get them out of this thing now!”

Suddenly, Shale felt a heavy thud strike its chest, sending a vibrating shock wave to tremble across its body and rattle into its stone head. Again, the strike occurred, accompanied by a grunt of exertion. Then, as a third strike came, the golem opened its eyes to see the darkness vanish instantly, forcing the living statue to gaze up at a cavernous wall and to see several creatures standing over it.

It took only a moment for Shale to realize it was on its back, looking up at what had to be the ceiling of a crudely dug cave. Though the surrounding are wasn't what the golem's attention was focused on. It was the strange creatures standing over it that brought on a moment of examination.

They were three, odd looking beasts. Looking at them, Shale found a sliver of comparison to a mabari hound it used to travel with. Though their eyes looked dulled to the point of stupidity, with elongated under bites and dusty vests that they wore along with diamond-studded collars. Most noticeable was their forelimbs, looking long and gangly, giving them an almost fully upright posture as they sat idle. One of the three appeared to be the leader, wearing a red vest that was colored differently than the other two, as well as the added ornamentation of an amber jewel on his collar.

Another standing beside him was larger in size and looking dimmer in intelligence, though Shale had its doubts that the gap was very wide. His coat was a lifeless stone grey, looking covered in dust and dirt. In his hand was the most primitive looking spear that the golem had ever seen, comprising of a pointed, triangular rock fastened to a long stick.

The hound looked down at Shale, meeting its gaze for a few moments. “This rock-thing is creepy, I think it's staring at me,” the big hound whimpered.

He whined again as the leader smacked him upside the head, snarling a little as he eyed the beast. “Quit with the sniveling, you stupid mutt, and keep trying.”

Doing as he was told, the larger hound raised the spear up and brought it down onto Shale's shoulder. The strike held the same vibrating thud as all the others before it, it did little in actually damaging the golem's hardened exterior however. Again, the spear was raised up to be brought back down on the stone surface. This time however, the weapon broke, the spear-head splitting into several pieces while the stick snapped in half.

“Worthless tool,” the leader growled. His gaze turned away to look deeper into the cave system. “Bring me the sharp, curved tool! I want those precious gems!” The leader was then handed a rusty pickaxe, the wooden handle was battered and looked as though something had been chewing on it.

The hound leader raised the pickaxe high up and over his head, preparing to bring it down on the golem with full force. Shale realized that its quite observation of the strange creatures had run its course, not wanting to see what the digging tool would do to its stone body..

As the leader brought the pickaxe down, his swing was halted on the spot as the golem's massive arm shot upward and grabbed onto the hound's throat. Startled helps escaped the two other hounds while the leader whimpered as his body shook like a leaf. The creature's eyes widened in pure terror as Shale stared at him, its eyes narrowing to form a deathly glare.

Commander Cousland held his head in his hand as he look down aimlessly at the table he was sitting at.

Twilight had led him to the table to sit down and relax. It had been somewhat difficult as he realized that the pony didn't have any chairs, instead he had to sit atop a cushion placed on the floor while the table itself was nearly dwarven sized compared to him. Though it was somewhat uncomfortable, having to haunch his back slightly over the table, he knew there wasn't a better option.

Several minutes ticked by with the Warden simply sitting in silence, alone except for the thoughts that buzzed through his head about what he had just seen and experienced. Much had occurred that he needed to dwell on, but the the pounding in his head proved to be more powerful and kept his own inner monologues at bay.

Eventually, Twilight returned to the table, a metal tray levitating in the air beside her. It was set down gracefully, displaying a quaint tea set resting on top of it. The commander didn't know what it was and could only stare at it while the unicorn took her place at the other end of the table.

The kettle glowed in a magical aura as it was lifted into the air and into the air, tipping it over a small cup to allow the liquid to pour into it. After both cups were filled, the kettle was set aside and Twilight levitated one of the cups toward the commander.

Having no idea what kind of substance it was, he was somewhat hesitant to drinking it. Twilight noticed it as well, and after a reassuring sip from her own, the Warden picked up the cup and took a small sip from the steaming liquid. It tasted strange to him, like an ale that was far too weak to be considered one, but it warmed his body well and he felt his tensed body slowly relax to it.

As the human and pony drank their tea, Twilight spent the time to explain to him what Equestria was. Though she didn't get into any kind of grand detail on anything, she made sure to cover anything that he would most likely need to know.

Now, all the commander could do was stare down at the wooden surface of the table dejectedly, barely able to believe what he was being told. “Flying ponies... creating weather... moving the sun and moon... By the Maker, I'm not even close to my own home, am I?”

“I'm afraid to say that it seems to be the only explanation,” Twilight said, her tone being one of pity. “I've certainly never seen a creature like you before, neither has anypony else apparently since you're not listed in any record I've ever seen. I'm also certain that an entire civilization of you wouldn't go unnoticed for so long.”

“I still can't believe it...” Commander Cousland muttered. As he thought on it more though, it did make a small amount of sense. He had become aware that there were in fact other worlds or realms beyond that of their own and the Fade. It was a fact made to him when standing before an Eluvian some time ago, that such artifacts could be used to traverse into them. Now with his mind cleared, he could recall what had happened before he awoke within the strange library.

“So, do you remember what brought you here?” Twilight asked, curious as to how the human had managed such a feat.

The commander nodded his head slowly, his mind already replaying the events. “Me and my men, we were going after this blood mage.” He stopped as he noticed Twilight eying him strangely. “Mage is what we call people who can use magic.” When the unicorn nodded in understanding, he continued. “We found him and realized he was using an Eluvian, an ancient artifact that can be used as a portal for communication as well as physical travel, to summon some kind of creature. We were almost killed to make the spell work, but it was disrupted. Then... all I remember was this blinding light and then... nothing else.”

“That must have been what sent you here,” Twilight murmured. The young scholar was still reluctant to accept that the creature sitting next to her was from another world of existence, but the evidence pointed toward that conclusion. Though, as she thought on it, she used to think that time travel was impossible as well, so she couldn't be too much of a skeptic.

They both remained silent for some time, allowing the knowledge of what had been said to sink into them. Commander Cousland began to eye his teacup, noticing the handle at the side of it, which allowed him to grip it as he drank. It seemed peculiar to him, since the creatures using them were without fingers and he noticed Twilight used her magic. He then put it out of his mind, thinking it was something that wasn't worth the time.

“So,” Twilight said, breaking the silence that fell between them, “what happened to your friends.”

The commander didn't answer right away, catching the fact that she referred to them as his friends. It seemed odd to him, as he didn't initially refer to them like that toward her. “I don't know,” he said simply. “For all I know, they're still in Ferelden and only I was sent away. Maybe they're scattered to other worlds that are out there, maybe they're dead. There's no way for me to know for sure.”

Twilight frowned as the full weight of the situation fell on her, seeing a creature so far from their rightful place with no clear way of returning, to be lost in a land that was so foreign. As her eyes trailed away from the tea set on the table, the scholar caught sight of the nearby window. Outside, she could see that the bright skies had turned dark, Luna's moon having risen high up into the sky. It occurred to her just how long the day had been, time almost flying by as she discovered the strange creature.

“Well,” Twilight said, stifling a yawn as her body began to tell her how late it had become, “perhaps it would be the best if we turn in for the night. I'm sure after a rejuvenating rest, it will be much easier to think on how we can continue with your arrival.” The commander simply stared at the unicorn for a few moments, as though he wasn't understanding what she was implying. “Of course, you're welcome to rest here, I bet even humans need sleep.”

“Yeah...” he replied hesitantly, “but you really trust me, a strange creature who appeared out of thin air, to stay here?”

Twilight smiled at that, noticing how civilized he was. “Of course, I can't very well throw you out in the cold night air. Especially when everypony else might react differently to your arrival.” She trotted passed him and headed for the basement door. “Follow me, I'll show you where you can stay.”

Pausing only to question the pony's nearly unreal hospitality, the Warden did as he was told and followed her. As Twilight opened the door, her ears perked fully upright as she just remembered something, causing her to quickly shut it.

“Before we go,” she said, smiling somewhat uneasily toward the commander, “I need to tell you that there's someone else who lives here.”

“Another pony?” the commander replied. “Is it one of those earth ponies or pegasus...suses...,” he strained slightly at the word, “you've mentioned?”

“It's pegasi,” Twilight corrected, “and no, he's not. He's my assistant, you two have atually met before and... you kind of attacked him.”

“I did?” he questioned, having no memory of such a thing.

The scholar noticed the human's confusion to the statement. “I suppose you must have been out of sorts a bit... but nevertheless, I just wanted to tell you now so there aren't any more surprises like that.”

As the Warden nodded, Twilight reopened the door and trotted down the stairs. Following the unicorn, the commander looked about the basement to see the many more books that lined the walls. As they both reached the bottom, the Warden noticed the small, purple-scaled creature who was placing a book on one of the shelves.

“Oh, Spike,” Twilight said with an impressed tone, looking about the clean floor, “you've cleaned up everything.”

“Yeah,” the infant assistant said, making sure the books were in the right order, “but I can't do anything about the damage to the floor so-” Spike stopped as he turned around and saw the human beside his caretaker. “What's he doing here?”

“What's he supposed to be?” the commander asked, eying the dragon.

“Spike,” Twilight said, addressing the dragon, “he's going to be staying here, remember? That's why I sent you down here to wait for us to be done talking. And, Commander,” she turned toward the human, “this is Spike, he's a baby dragon.”

“A little small for a dragon,” the Warden remarked, “and he can talk too?”

“Hey,” Spike snapped, “I'm not small! I'm just the right height for my age, Twilight says so.”

The commander raised his hands up defensively as he saw how heated the dragon had become. “Sorry, I mean no insult by it. The dragons I usually see are much larger, even for newborns.”

“Oh, you have dragons where you're from?” Twilight asked, ignoring her assistant.

“Uh... yeah,” he answered, having trouble looking away from the strange looking dragon. “They look a lot different than he does though, a lot meaner as well.”

Turning toward his caretaker, Spike approached Twilight and leaned close to whisper to her. “He's not mad about the whole book thing, is he?”

“The what thing?” the commander asked, hearing them despite the added secrecy.

“Oh he doesn't mean anything by it,” Twilight quickly said, nudging Spike closer toward the stairs. “Now he has to be getting ready for bed right about now. Don't you, Spike?”

“Alright, alright,” Spike said reluctantly. The Warden and scholar watched as he slowly trudged up the stairs to disappear into the library.

“Anyway,” Twilight said, turning toward the small room that was connected to the one they were in, “I have what you can sleep on through here.” With her horn glowing in a magenta aura, Twilight approached the doorway and slowly backed away from it. Following her was a bed, floating vertically through the doorway before it was within the room and she placed it on the ground. “You can sleep on this. It used to be upstairs, but I had to bring it down here for space. It's only been used a few times by my friends too, so it's almost like new.”

The commander approached the bed, running a hand across the blanket. “Wow,” he remarked, feeling the soft mattress, “this looks comfortable.” The bed also looked to be about the same size as one from his own world, leaving him just enough room to sleep on.

Happy to have helped the human, Twilight trotted toward the stairs to allow him to rest. Looking back, she stopped at the base of the stairs as she noticed him removing his armor. He had his back to her as one by one, each piece of metal was stripped away and placed in a neat pile. With an observant gaze, the scholar stared at the human as his natural body began to be displayed. Even with the light fabrics he wore underneath, she was able to gain much detail about his body, seeing his strong, muscular frame.

After every piece of armor was removed, the Warden turned to see Twilight standing there. “Is something wrong?” he asked, causing the unicorn to subtly jump as he became aware he had noticed her.

“Oh uh... no. I actually wanted to make sure you had everything you needed,” she said, silently scolding her inner scholar for nearly creating an overly awkward situation.

“No, I'm fine,” the Warden replied with a smile,” but... thank you, Twilight Sparkle.”

The unicorn couldn't help but giggle lightly, only used to hearing her full name from the princess and the Canterlot Castle staff. “Just Twilight will be fine, Commander,” she said, turning to go up the stairs.

The commander nodded as she went up the stairs. “You can call me Warden,” he returned, “everyone else does.”

Twilight stopped ascending the stairs to look down to him, smiling herself as she too nodded. “Well then, good night, Warden.” The young scholar then continued up the stairs as the commander turned toward the bed.

Upon entering the library, the unicorn was met with a disgruntled dragon, eying her flatly as he crossed his arms. “Do you think it's a good idea to have him sleeping here?”

“Why not?” Twilight asked. “It's not as though he has anywhere else to go. Besides, he doesn't seem dangerous, just... confused and I trust him.” Not only that, but the young scholar was brimming with excitement over learning more about where the human comes from, especially since they apparently have magic there as well. A yawn escaped the lavender mare, again reminding her of how late it was. “Just go to bed, Spike. Maybe you can learn to trust him in the morning.”

Though still unsure about the human, Spike couldn't deny how tired he was. So without another word, the little dragon climbed into his basket bed and slowly drifted to sleep. Twilight did the same, resting her head against her pillow and becoming completely relaxed, her mind curious as to what the next day would bring.

Waking up in a small, closet-sized room filled with brooms, mops and buckets, the King of Ferelden quickly realized that he was in a strange place.

Alistair was alarmed of course, seeing the strange walls around him, the entire place looking like a castle of some kind. His curious mind quickly broke down however as he noticed the strange, four-legged beasts that patrolled the hallways. They looked vicious to him, wearing heavy, golden armor, and having pointed horns atop their heads. He could only imagine what it would be like to be run through with one of them.

Now he chose to run, not wanting to engage the beasts directly, or be caught and possibly taken to whatever master that was controlling them. All he could think to do was escape the castle and figure out where he was. The plan proved difficult to complete as he had no idea where he should be going. It made him realize what bad leadership material he was, as well as make him wish his old friend was there with him, the one who always seemed to know where to go. The king was at least glad he was competent enough to evade the patrolling beasts, not being seen in the slightest. That luck quickly changed however, as he turned a corner and crashed into someone.

“So much for my stealth skills,” Alistair murmured in his dazed state. As he regained his senses, his eyes widened as he looked at what he had just ran into.

It was one of the beasts. Though this one was noticeably different from the others. It was somewhat taller, though slimmer in the legs and body, with little armor except for a plate wrapping around the neck and small caps on the hooves. The creature also had a much longer horn, looking as though it could easily pierce the strongest of armor. Alistair also saw what looked like wings at the creature's sides, colored in a dark azure that matched its body.

As the creature picked itself up, it looked at Alistair with the same amount of shock and surprise as the king showed toward it. Their stare down of startled realization lasted several moments, with both of them as still as statues.

Not making any sudden move, Alistair slowly inched his hands toward his sword and shield. Before he could even wrap his fingers around them however, the creature noticed his action. In only a few seconds, he found himself covered in a dark blue aura and then thrown against the nearby wall, the back of his head striking it with a heavy thud.

As the blue glow disappeared form his body, the last thing Alistair saw was the floor rushing toward him. The impact was never felt by him however, his world being submerged in darkness long before it could happen.

A "Normal" Day in Ponyville

Alistair shifted comfortably atop the cushioned padding that made up his bed. Though there was little separating him from the cold, hard ground, he still found the sleeping arrangement to his liking, reminiscent to his time as an adventurer. The royal Warden smiled broadly as he stayed lying there for sometime, partially shaded by the trees that hung over him. The simple camp was set up just on the edge of the forest that was near Ponyville, not wanting to venture too far away from the town and paying heed to the warnings that the forest itself was a dangerous place.

While Alistair basked in his own slothfulness, he was confused as what felt like an arm wrapped itself over his chest. Opening his eyes, the king became fully awake as he noticed that the so called arm was an alabaster white and ended, not with a hand, but a hoof.

Connected to that very limb, the brightly white form of a princess lied next to him, cuddling against the warm body of the Grey Warden. It was that realization that made Alistair aware of one soul shuddering fact, he was stark naked.

Feeling her companion stirring, Celestia opened her shimmering eyes, gazing upon the now awake Alistair with a look of pure satisfaction. “Mmm, good morning, sweetie,” she cooed in that melodious, almost motherly tone of hers

“Wh-what?!” Alistair blurted out, his eyes growing wide as his thoughts were filled with many different answers to his short question. Every scenario that ran through his mind became a desperate gambit to point away from the obvious truth, it becoming painfully clear by the second. “N-no! We didn't-! W-we couldn't-!” There was nothing he could say, the pleased gaze of the royal mare breaking down any form of coherence he had.

Before the king could say or do anything else, a thunderous crash sounded just a few feet away. In the direction of the forest, loud sounds of snapping wood filled the air. Not moments after the sounds came, several trees next to the simple camp were suddenly uprooted, tossed away like a child's toy to be left forlorn in broken piles. There, standing in the path of destruction, was Princess Luna, looking at the display of man and mare with an expression that was twisted with a white-hot rage only a God could fathom.

“You!” Luna bellowed, her mighty tone shattering through the ears of the two who she was bearing down upon. “What hast thou done?!”

It was clear to Alistair what the nightly princess was meaning. All the king could do was hold a terrified stare that shifted between the still pleasured Celestia and furious Luna. “N-no, this isn't... this isn't what it looks like!” he tried saying, the moronic claim being the only thing he could think to say.

The azure princess said nothing, not another word was spared for the doomed king. Instead, a fiery cry of anger erupted from the mare, sending frightened birds of the forest scattering for miles and causing the earth itself to tremble in intimidation. Alistair then felt his body stiffen, as though held tightly in the grip of a giant hand. He realized all too late that his body was glowing with a silvery aura, matching the one engulfing Luna's horn.

Alistair felt the painful impact of bark against his bare back as he was thrown across the clearing and into a mighty tree. Just as the king was attempting to get up and run, Luna was already upon him. The princess screamed loudly in fury as she bent her head down to thrust her horn forward, impaling it through the human's chest.

The forest became a chorus of screams as the horrific events were carried out. Alistair's own screams of pain echoed horrifically as he was gored by the princess. Celestia's frightened screams of terror added to those of Alistair's as she witnessed the horrific actions of her sister. Luna's intense screams of vehemence and savagery carried own as she pushed her horn deeper into her victim, feeling splatters of blood dripping down her face with every forceful push she gave to the fleshy target.

Alistair's head jerked upward with a cry of panic following it. All around him, the lush, green forested area was no more, replaced by a rural town and a table with which he was sitting at.

His breathing heavy, the king looked around as his sudden alertness slowly dwindled down. He was outside, at the front of a small eatery business where he remembered stopping at. Memories of his approach and seating came back to him, becoming relaxed as he awaited his service, then nothing. It soon became apparent to him that he had fallen asleep, the drowsiness that was already weighing hiim down making itself known.

Several other tables surrounded his own, each having one or two ponies who were currently staring at the human, looks of confusion and surprise being the only expressions he could see. The only pony who began moving once again was a stallion dressed as a waiter.

“Uh... sir,” the waiter said, making a slow approach. “Is there... something you would like to order?”

Alistair said nothing for several moments, barely registering the stallion's question. It was too hard for him to think clearly, what with the terrors his own mind could create. Taking a deep breath to center himself, Alistair looked at the stallion and said, “Coffee... I want some coffee, in the biggest mug you have. A bucket even, if you have it.” Dropping a handful of bits onto the table, the waiter took the right amount and walked off.

As minutes began to tick by, the other pony patrons began to revert back to their quite lunches, only ever passing the occasional glance toward the king when they figured he wouldn't notice. Several times Alistair did notice, though he didn't care, all of his attention was focused on getting his drink.

When his coffee finally came, Alistair immediately took a massive gulp from it, ignoring the burning it brought to his throat and enjoying the caffeinated liquid as best as he could. Sitting silently, drinking his coffee without a word, the king kept his gaze within his mug and simply counted the seconds between his sips.

It became a surprise to him as he noticed that he was being watched, not a shifting glance like the ponies before, but a stare of intent. The feeling of being watched made him realize it, turning to an itch on the back of his neck that irritated like a rash. Looking up, Alistair saw who was watching him. It was a unicorn, a mare with an aquamarine coat and a string instrument on her flank that he couldn't place a name for.

After several odd moments of the human and pony looking at one another, the mare decided to approach the table, trotting over with an excited skip in her step.

“Hi,” the unicorn said as she sat herself at the table, her eyes never leaving Alistair for a moment.

“Uh... hi,” Alistair replied, shifting in his seat as he was becoming increasingly uneasy.

The mare continued to stare at the king, a cheerful smile plastered onto her face. Only every so often her eyes would drift down toward the able itself, where Alistair's hands were resting. “So... you're called a human?” she asked, her tone sounding more like a discovery than a question.

Alistair couldn't help but frown, gaining the same feelings toward the mare that he had toward Leliana when he first met her. “Yeah... I am,” he eventually answered, scooting himself back from the table slightly.

“Wow,” she breathed, with a fascination matching that of a child who was meeting a famous hero. Her eyes continued to look down at his hands at an increasing rate, making his fingers twitch nervously as a result. The unicorn began to bite her lip and look uneasy herself as she too shifted in place. “Um... can I... can I touch your hands?”

“Excuse me?” Alistair asked in surprise, bringing his hands to his chest as if they were precious gifts.

Becoming increasingly nervous, the mare leaned forward on the table, looking as though she were about to pounce on the human. “Please, just let me touch them. To feel them. I want to know what your hairless skin feels like.” As she came even closer toward the king, Alistair jumped to his feet, taking his mug with him.

“I... I really need to get going. I-I'm actually very busy. No time at all for, uh... that,” Alistair said, slowly backing away from the unicorn. Without sparing a word of goodbye, he turned on his heel and quickly walked away, his footsteps nearly digging a rut into the ground with his speed. Throughout his departure, the Warden-King was left wondering if it was too much to ask for a normal day within the magical land of talking animals.

“Fire!” Anders commanded, throwing his hand forward in the direction of his target. Despite the passion and intensity in his voice, nothing happened. The secluded land just outside of Ponyville had proven a perfect spot for the mage to try and use his abilities, with a large tree sitting as the perfect target. But what he hoped to be a chance to regain what he had lost turned into another failure.

Growling in frustration, Anders waved his arms about the air in a showy fashion before thrusting them both forward, screaming, “Flames!” Again, not a single spark made itself known. “Come on,” he pleaded, continuously thrusting his hands forward. “Heat! Ice! Cold air! Uh... lightning?”

Again and again he tried to cast a spell, doing every motion and thought he usually did whenever he used his abilities. His attempts were met with nothing but failure, making the Grey Warden all the more agitated with each compounding fact that he was no more a mage than Oghren was a gentleman.

“Gah, stupid magic!” he snapped angrily. “I've faced demons and darkspawn alike, defeating them all with a twirl of the wrist. But I can't handle a little relocation?!”

Turning away from his tree, Anders eyed his feline companion who was lying on the ground just a few feet away, rolling about on his bag like a pillow while meowing softly. “Are you any less of a cat, Ser Pounce-a-lot?” he asked, causing the cat to eye him quizzically. “Didn't think so.”

While still pouting over his loss of magical ability, Anders remained quiet, kicking at the dirt childishly. His frustrated silence made his attention easily notice it when the sound of approaching hoofsteps reached his his ear. Doing his best to ignore it, thinking they would go away, the mage kept his attention the tree, imagining it bursting into flames or becoming a block of ice.

But the hoofsteps didn't go away, instead becoming louder as their creators were just a few feet away from him. A voice then piped up, sounding young and curious. “See, there's one of those creature's now,” the voice said, trying to speak in a hushed whisper, but failing as Anders could hear every word.

“Wow, Scootaloo,” a second voice murmured, “you're right. Just look at him. Ah think he looks likes a weird minotaur.”

“Are you sure it's a he?” a third voice questioned, sounding higher pitched than the last two and cracking subtly on several words. “I mean, it looks like it's wearing a dress.”

At that, Anders already annoyed state peaked with anger. With a fierce scowl on his face, the mage turned toward the source of the three voices and said, “It's not a dre-!” He stopped mid-sentence as he laid eyes on the three creatures before him.

They were children, or foals from what Anders could remember with horse terminology. Each holding different colors in their manes and coat, and each one being a different kind of pony. A pegasus, a unicorn, and an earth pony.

The three fillies took a step back as he noticed them, despite the fact that they weren't even hiding. But Ander's gaze never left them, his eyes widening to the size of plates as his mouth hung agape. “By the Maker...” he murmured, the corners of his mouth twitching into a gleeful smile. “You three are so adorable!”

The mage nearly squealed like a young girl as he stepped closer toward the three young ones. They didn't look too afraid of him, simply giving each other strange glances while the human knelt down before them.

“My Goodness,” Anders laughed, “you three have got to be some of the cutest little things I've ever seen. Please tell me, what are your names?”

The unease that the fillies were feeling slowly evaporated as their curious young minds began to take control of them. The center one, with a yellow coat and red mane, stepped forward. “Ah'm Apple Bloom,” she replied, before extended a hoof toward her two friends. “That's Scootaloo, and that's Sweetie Belle.”

As soon as Apple Bloom was done with her introductions, she was taken by surprise as Anders giggled happily and picked the young pony up, holding her with his hands underneath her forelegs, causing her back legs to dangle freely.

“Aw, you're so precious,” Anders cooed, like a mare with a puppy. “That voice of yours, that accent is just so darn cute! Oh, and that bow on your head, I can hardly stand it!”

“Uh... Mister,” Apple Bloom murmured, “you think you could put me down now?” Anders nodded his head excitedly, doing just that as he bent down to place the filly back on the ground.

Stilling looking between the three fillies, Anders gasped suddenly as he darted back to where he was and picked up his cat. Returning to the group of children, Anders sat down in front of them and held his white feline out to them. “This is Ser Pounce-a-lot,” he said happily. “Isn't he wonderful? You see, he's adorable and you're all adorable. You should be friends!”

Each of the fillies eyed the cat with deadpanned expressions, not saying a word until the orange pegasus Scootaloo looked up at Anders and said, “But that's a cat.”

“But you could have adventures together,” Anders said, frowning in disappointment. “Adventures in cuteness, ha! That would be a show to see.”

“But that's a cat,” Scootaloo repeated, with no more enthusiasm as the last one.

His frown deepening, Anders looked down at his feline companion sadly, holding him close. “Don't listen to them, Ser Pounce-a-lot,” he whispered soothingly. “You're more than a cat. You're a Grey Warden of felines, a with darkspawn fleeing at your ferociousness, while still remaining the loveable creature you are!”

As the mage continued to talk to his pet, Sweetie Belle leaned closer to Apple Bloom and whisper, “Do you think they're all this... weird?”

Though not running in fear or panicking at the sight of the golem, most ponies in Ponyville gave a wide berth to Shale as it trekked through the streets. Shale didn't mind it, already used to such gazes even in Ferelden. It knew that a massive structure of rock and power stomping toward them would be a sight to see, not that it cared what they thought of it anyway.

Shale simply walked through the town with a wandering gaze, seeing if it could find anything worth a fraction of its attention. No such thing had been found yet, and the construct was beginning to question if the town was just as useless as anywhere else in the strange world.

Then, just as the golem was about to abandon any idea of amusing itself, a flashing glint caught its eye. Following the reflective beam of light, Shale approached a large building, built like a circular tower with wooden statues of horses prancing around the mid-section. A sign hung on just beside the door, written in a graceful font, said Carousel Boutique.

Looking through one of the many massive windows the building had, Shale could see what had caught its attention. Inside, there was a white-coated unicorn sewing a frill into a dress. It was a large assortment of different fabrics, with different shades of colors that Shale didn't even know existed. But the most important feature on it to the golem were the many jewels that were placed on the dress itself, each sparkling in the light with a brilliant magnificence.

Feeling a compelling need the likes of which it had never felt before, Shale stepped into the boutique, creating a jingling chime as the door struck a bell. The noise caught the unicorn's attention, causing her to witness the large construct entering her store.

“Oh,” the mare breathed, evidently surprised by the visitor. “You're the, uh... golem that appeared with the others. Shale, is it?” A single nod was given by the construct as affirmation. “Yes... well, my name is Rarity. This,” she twirled her foreleg about the room, “is my boutique. I make many fabulous dresses her that are worn at many lavish events.”

Shale barely heard a word coming from the unicorn, simply eying the many sparkling gems that clung to the dress she was currently working on. Rarity noticed the attentive gaze as well, eying the jewels that were already lodged into the golem's body.

“You like gemstones?” Rarity then asked, gauging the quiet construct's reaction.

Shale nodded its head in reply. “Yes,” it said, circling the dress to see every stone that was attached to it. “The ones in this world are... so much different than the ones I am used to. They are so much more sparkling and... beautiful.” Without saying a word, Shale reached out and plucked one of the gems from the dress. Ignoring the reaction Rarity held to the sudden rudeness, the golem took the gem and pressed it against its forearm. When nothing happened, it applied more force to the action, garnering no change. “It seems that I can't add the jewels from your word onto my form... a pity.”

Rarity watched the display with a curious mind, not fully understanding the action of trying to insert the actual gem into the rocky body. “Well,” the fashionista said, “if you are looking for jewels to wear, then you've come to the right place.” Trotting across the room, she opened a drawer in a nearby table and rummaged through it. “I keep many accessories here just in case I need them for a dress idea. I have many pieces of jewelry that I am sure a nice... creature such as yourself will enjoy.”

Returning to the golem, Rarity levitated a bracelet toward the construct. In moments, the piece of jewelry was wrapped around Shale's wrist. It was a metal plate with a sparkling saphire placed in the center and a silver chain keeping it attached. The construct eyed the accessory with hesitation, feeling strange to wear the gems rather than have them inserted into itself. But, after moments of dangling the accessory in the light, Shale began to find great enjoyment in wearing it.

Rarity caught on to Shale's reaction as well, beaming a smile of approval. “Yes, that does look wonderful on you,” she said. “Now, I must insist that I also help you with... your attire.” At the statement, the living statue looked down, noticing its own form without a strip of cloth.

“I am a walking rock,” Shale replied indignantly. “I do not require such a trifling thing as clothing.”

Rarity merely smiled, ignoring the sudden abrasiveness toward the subject. “Of course, darling,” she replied. “While I won't be one to advocate the need for clothing unless the situation absolutely calls for it, such a creature as yourself would look wonderful with a little something here and something there. It would go great with that bracelet and match your eyes perfectly. And your impressive stature... I have such ingenious ideas. You simply must allow me to try putting something on you.”

Shale looked down at the mare's sudden eagerness and excitement, judging whether or not it should hit her. But looking back at the wonderful bracelet it was now wearing, the idea didn't seem too horrible, especially if it involved more gems. Heaving a relenting sigh, Shale nodded. “Very well, it may try what ever it is that it has in mind.”

“Wonderful!” Rarity cried happily, her brewing excitement peaking. Her horn then began to glow as large amounts of fabric, scissors and thread began to fly through the air and around the construct.

Nearly an hour passed with Shale standing perfectly still while Rarity worked her magic, both in a figurative and literal sense. The fabric kept coming and the snipping of the cloth continued on and on, only being replaced by the sound of a threaded needle passing through on occasion.

Eventually though, Rarity stepped a good distance away from Shale and held a hoof to her chin in thought, examining her work with a discerning eye. An elated gasped escaped the mare as she said, “Oh yes, you look wonderful. Now wait here, I have the perfect headpiece for you in the other room, then we'll be finished.” Rarity then trotted off, leaving Shale alone.

With the unicorn now having left, the construct's mind was becoming curious. Looking about the room, Shale eventually spotted what it was looking for, seeing a large mirror that was big enough to show its entire bulky body.

Looking through it, seeing its reflection through the glassy surface, Shale's mouth dropped in the greatest display of utter shock that the walking statue could form. Its entire body was draped in a light blue dress, matching the color of its eyes perfectly with girly frill placed nearly everywhere. It covered down past its knees and almost covered its feet, with a white trim that reminded shale of the color of pigeons.

Within minutes, Rarity returned to the main room, a feathered hat being carried by the magic of her horn. “Here it is,” she called, ready to place it on the construct's head. “I know you'll simply adore your new dr-” She stopped as she returned to the very spot where she had left Shale. Shale was gone, and all that was left was the tattered remains of the blue dress she had just made, ripped to pieces by the frantic fingers of a stone hand.

Even the silver bracelet had been removed, knocked away from its wrist and being left in the heap of rags unnoticed.

Oghren became very happy very quickly when he found out that Ponyville had a tavern. The place was set up near the outskirts of the town, becoming a hard place to find, most likely to keep away any young ones. But when it came to alcohol, the dwarf's nose was better than that of a mabari hound, making tracking it down an easy feat for him.

Now Oghren sat down at one of the many tables dotting the inside of the tavern. The bar counter at the front of the establishment was packed with ponies, each drinking greedily from their mugs and getting refills immediately after they were empty, leaving a table the only place where he could sit for his drink.

But he was not the only one at the table, sitting just across from him, a stallion eyed the dwarf intently. He was a pegasus, with a snow-white coat and dusty-black mane. The stallion kept a challenging glare on Oghren while the miniature Warden matched the gaze to the letter.

“You think you've got the guts, son?” Oghren spat in aggressive manner, treating the stallion like he would any upstart Warden at the keep who thought they could match him.

The pegasus laughed. “What? A tiny creature like you thinks he can come in here and beat us in drinking our own Equestrian brew? That's a funny joke you've got there.”

“A joke, huh?” Oghren huffed. “Well, let's just see what kind of sodding swill you serve here. Be it watered down grease, or fine wine, I'll drink you under the table so badly, they'll think it was built on top of ya.” A large grin parted the dwarf's lips. “And when I win, you'll be owing me a favor.”

Too proud to back down, the stallion slammed a hoof on the table and extended it toward the newcomer. “You're on,” he said. Oghren took the hoof and shook it. As their match began, they called for a round of drinks, each determined to beat the other.

The drinking contest between dwarf and pony lasted for some time. They lost track of the exact hours as the large mugs they were drinking from broke into the double digits. Every mug was given to them with a cube of salt, nearly twice the size of a normal sugar cube. After the mug was emptied, the drink inside guzzled down to the last drop, they were forced to eat the block of salt in its entirety, each of them grimacing in agony as the dehydrating mineral made their faces twitch horrendously.

Several of the other patrons of the tavern began to watch the show. They watched with interest as the strange outsider drank like a beast, seemingly having no sense of the word sober. But even as Oghren and his stallion competitor swallowed mug after mug, two serving mares continued to bring them more, who the dwarf referred to as 'dirty wenches,' much to their ire.

Sadly, like most of Oghren's challengers, the pegasus was in over his head. His body swayed back and forth on his seat, as though he was on the deck of a ship. Trying to gulp down his latest mug, the stallion made it halfway before he let out a hacking cough, spraying flecks of the alcoholic liquid all over his face. Unable to go on, the stallion's head fell onto the table, knocking over all of the empty mugs that they had set to the sides and spilling over his latest one.

Oghren, undettered by his victory, continued to drink, finishing off several more mugs, including the near empty one that the stallion had failed to finish.

Slamming his final mug down on the table, the insatiable dwarf guffawed loudly, rising over the cheers of the patrons who had been cheering him on. But their own praise was ignored by him as he stumbled onto his feet and walked over toward the unconscious stallion.

Slapping him on the cheeks several times, Oghren succeeded in waking him. Stilling in a drunken haze, the pegasus looked about in confusion, his wandering gaze landing on the dwarf and staying there as the realization to his loss settled in. The dwarven Grey Warden nearly split his cheeks open as his grin stretched to monumental proportions. With a laugh, Oghren patted the stallion on the head and hiccuped, “Now, it'sh chime fer my favor.”

Commander Cousland sat idle as he lifted the small teacup to his lips and sipped silently. With him, Twilight and Spike both sat with him at the table within the library, each taking their own sips from their own cups. It was a wonderful experience for the Warden-Commander, to simply bask in the peacefulness found in the quite sounds.

A pleasant sigh of contentedness escaped him, while a smile worked its way onto his face. “Goodness,” he murmured, “I never would have thought simply drinking some tea could be such a stress reliever. Back in Ferelden, I would typically train whenever I was feeling too tense.” He took another sip from his cup, savoring the taste before setting the cup back down. “This is a delightful alternative.”

“Is it really so bad where you're from?” Twilight asked, having never really looked at the human as one who could be too wound up.

The commander nodded. “Oh yes,” he replied. “Being the Commander of the Grey can be very stressful at times. Especially when you're also the Arl of your land. Having to deal with all of the Wardens in Ferelden, including local land disputes, roaming bandits, and the occasional assassination attempt.”

Twilight and Spike both looked at the Warden in shock, while the commander himself returned to sipping his tea, as though his last detail was a simple issue. The mare and dragon didn't have time to question the human further when a loud crash sounded within the library.

The front door was suddenly thrown open, Oghren bursting through it while riding on top of a bucking pegasus. With his hands holding onto the stallion's black mane tightly, the dwarf hollered out triumphantly as he continued to use the pony as his mount.

The pegasus continued to buck and jump about wildly, his wings flapping down rapidly and giving his jumps extra height and distance. As chaos began to ensue within the library, Oghren and the stallion crashed into one of the bookcases. Their bodies thudded onto the wooden floor with an audible thump, while books rained down on top of them. Neither of them reacted to the falling books, both out cold and barely moving.

Spike frowned angrily as he saw all of the work he would now have to do. Twilight looked aghast at the scene, having never seen such a sight before. The commander merely shook his head, while heaving a sigh and saying, “I also have to deal with things like that... on a daily basis.”

Undeserved Consequences

It was like waking from a sleep as Alistair, Shale and the Warden-Commander opened their eyes to see that the world had changed. They were no longer safely within the pristine white walls of Canterlot castle. Standing over the edge of a cliff, the jagged piece of earth looked out over an expansive nothingness.

Only large portions of land floated around in the distance, impossible to reach by any means. The portion of land that they were on continued to a massive landmass with towering walls and other pieces of ruins. Much of the scenery was almost recognizable. Pieces of Ponyville houses were placed in nonsensical places, street lights were bent and crooked in twisted angles. Several forms of the library could also be seen, all in different sizes of having different portions of it missing. Books flew out of many of them, their covers flapping like bird wings as they sailed through the air.

“This is... strange,” Alistair murmured, looking about the scenery. He stared at his own hands for a moment, slowly waving them through the air. “Does anyone else feel... I don't know, like they could fade away at any moment?”

The commander looked at himself as well, part of him feeling as though his mind was only partially there, like someone fighting to stay asleep as their dream collapses around their waking form. “The Fade here, it feels weak for some reason,” he murmured, having never experienced such a feeling during his few trips to the odd place.

“This place feels empty too,” Alistair responded, feeling an unnatural shiver up his back. “Before, it always sort of felt like you were being watched by some invisible force. Like the spirits of this place always knew where you were. But this... I don't feel a thing...”

“I do not like it here,” Shale said directly, looking around its surroundings with a suspicious glare. “I am a golem, my kind are not meant to be here. Not a place meant for flesh-creatures and its sleeping habits.”

Alistair rubbed his chin in thought as a light smirk came to his lips. “Really?” the king asked. “Well it's no wonder. You are part dwarf aren't you? Or maybe... a dwarf's corpse anyway... Maybe it's those old dwarven instincts kicking in.”

The golem's gaze lowered down to the Grey Warden in what was easily a sign of anger. “If it keeps talking, I'll kick ituntil itis a corpse,” the construct growled, making the king take a safe step backward.

“Will you two knock it off?” the commander snapped, glaring at them both like a scolding parent. “Remember why we're here!” Alistair sighed and slowly nodded his head, understanding quickly. “Let's find this demon and take care of it quickly, we shouldn't dwell here for long.”

Taking a few steps forward, they were immediately stopped as a large, dark blue haze suddenly appeared out of nowhere. They all jumped back, readying their weapons for whatever tricks that the creatures of the Fade had for them. In a matter of seconds, the haze become to twist and move, taking shape in front of them.

Not about to wait for whatever creature that was about to be set upon them, the commander gripped his heavy sword tightly, raising it above his head before charging toward it. His eyes were trained on the blurred form that was forming before them, ready to stop it the moment he could strike it down. The weight of his blade shifting, the commander swung his weapon straight downward, seeing the haze finally take its full form, seeing the face of Princess Luna staring back at him.

A startled gasp left him, the muscles in his arms straining painfully as he stopped himself mid-swing. The large sword clanged as it fell to the ground, its owner falling after it as he toppled backward, looking up at the princess wide-eyed. Luna looked at him as well, surprised by the sudden action against her.

“Luna?” Alistair questioned, rushing over toward them. “How... What are you doing here?”

Standing stoically, the princess eyed the king with determination in her gaze, saying, “I have come to offer what help I can to release Twilight from his evil ensnarement.”

Gaining an expression of scrutiny, the Warden-King began to circle the nightly princess like a shark, his eyes moving up and down her form. “I don't know...” he murmured. “You could be a demon in disguise. “They're pretty good at that sort of thing. I remember when one tricked me into thinking it was my sister...”

“Actually,” the commander responded, grabbing his discarded blade and picking himself up, “it was an awful ruse, you're just easily fooled.”

The king shot a glare toward the Warden, muttering, “Well... shut up,” before turning back toward the azure equine. Still unconvinced, he lifted a finger and began to poke her, starting with her face before moving down her neck and her sides. “So... are you a demon? How can we be sure without attacking you I wonder...”

With each second of Alistair's incessant prodding, Luna's face twisted more and more into a furious state. “I AM NO DEMON!” she finally shouted, stamping a hoof on the ground with a thunderous force. The rocky ground underneath of her even cracked from the sharp impact, causing the king to stumble backward in a sudden surge of fear.

“Okay, okay,” Alistair said, raising his arms up defensively, though knowing such an action would do little to protect himself from the mare. “You're not a demon, I got it.” After several deep breaths, he calmed himself and was able to look back to the princess without worrying for his own safety. “So, how did you get here? Was Anders a little behind with sending you after us?”

Luna huffed disdainfully for a moment, as though the answer should have been obvious to them. “I am the ruler of the night,” she replied in a matter-of-fact tone. “The world of dreaming ponies is my dominion, where I can watch over them in case I am needed.” Her expression softened to one of uncertainty as she began to look around. “But this place... I've never encountered anything like it before. Even my usual power feels lesser here.”

“Wow,” Alistair said with curiosity. “So you can enter dreams? I suppose that's one notch against your sister, huh? Oh, what if a pony is daydreaming? Does Celestia take charge of that?” A flattened expression was given as a response as Luna stared at the wondering king, making him chuckle uneasily. “Uh... okay, maybe we should just get going...”

Without further delay, the commander lead the pack as they walked forward through the mismatched terrain. There was little in the way of exploration needed as the land they were on was mostly a straight line, giving them a linear path. Even still, they eyed every direction around them, preparing for whatever might appear out of nothing to attack them.

As Shale and Alistair trudged on behind them, the commander was accompanied by Luna as she walked beside him, as though helping to take the lead even with little knowledge of her location. “Are you sure you want to be apart of this?” the commander asked, eying her questioningly. “You have no experience in dealing with creatures like this, and I'd rather not endanger one of Equestria's leaders.”

Another light huff escaped the princess, her steeled gaze set forward as she said, “I am no helpless foal. If I can be of help, then I will do all that I can. This is for the sake of Twilight Sparkle.” Her eyes narrowed into a fierce glare, burning with a great intensity. “I will not allow for this evil to corrupt her any longer, she will be freed.”

It then struck the Warden as he realized that Luna held a great deal of personal motivation to seeing this through. Though he was certain that a demon possession was much different, he could see how painful it must be for her to see such a thing befall another. The princess could now only hope that her fate will not become Twilight's. The commander gave a firm nod toward, not about to question her help any longer, realizing she knew what was at stake.

The winding path continued onward, never branching off or leading them into hazardous terrain. The entirety of the landmass they were on appeared to be simply done, with the typical jagged spikes protruding out of the ground to act as barriers or empty ledges that led nowhere except for a fall into the empty abyss below, while pieces of Equestrian architecture floated around them in shattered fragments. Offhandedly, Luna mentioned how it all appeared to be the work of one called Discord, bringing a questioning stare from Alistair while the commander simply looked at the scenery in a new light.

Eventually, the small pathway and seemingly abandoned landscape was brought to an end. As their trail brought the group into a large, open plane. It looked as though they had stepped into a chamber within the castle, the pristine white walls towering high above them, missing much of the ceiling save for chunks of it floating in the nothingness above them. The ground itself was littered with deep cracks, making the terrain uneven. Everyone stopped suddenly as they looked out to the far end of the chamber, seeing a lavender-coated unicorn standing there.

“Twilight!” the commander shouted, rushing over to her quickly. Alistair looked toward Luna with a worrying expression before the others wordlessly went after the Warden.

The scholar looked to the approaching commander with a mixed expression of confusion and fear. “Where.... where am I, what's going on?” she said in a growing panic, sounding as though she barely knew that the Grey Warden was even there.

Falling to his knees before her, the commander put his hands on her shoulders and tried to shake her lightly, attempting to get her full attention. “Twilight,” he called to her, like one would to someone far away. “You have to listen, you're in the Fade. A demon has you now, I swear we're going to stop it and free you.”

As the commander was busy trying to break through to the mare, he was unable to notice her shadow writhing in place behind her, its black surface convulsing as twisting into something more. Even the others were not prepared for it, only noticing it when it was too late to shout a word of warning, as the commander felt a powerful blow connect to his chest.

The strike threw him back several feet, his body crashing to the ground next to his companions. As he slowly stood back up onto his feet, his eyes remained riveted to where Twilight once was, just where the eyes of the others were frozen. The unicorn was no longer there, he form having vanished completely, in her place, a blackened mass of darkness moved about on its own. Both Alistair and the commander grunted in pain, nearly doubling over as they cringed horribly, feeling a sharp strike in the back of their minds, an old and familiar sensation that they hadn't felt since coming to the strange land. Luna's own expression was one of horror, having never seen such a thing before in all of her years, unable to tear her gaze away as the writhing darkness formed into a hulking monstrosity.

It was a massive creature, standing several feet taller than any of them, with a chest as wide as a golem's entire body and arms as thick as tree trunks with flesh colored in a dark, blackened crimson. Twisted, fleshy horns jutted out from its forearms, reaching high up to match the height of the similar horns that come out from its head. Serrated, gnashing jaws opened to show the razor sharp teeth filling its maw, set just below a number of small, beady eyes that adorned the rest of its face. The rest of its body was covered in small, jagged spikes that looked as sharp as a blade. Besides Luna, everyone else knew exactly what they now faced, a demon of pride, as powerful and intelligent as they came. The demon roared like a beast as it fully appeared before them, rippling the air around it with the horrid sound.

Shaking away the strange sensation they had been struck with, the commander and Alistair grabbed their weapons and held them firmly in their grasp. Luna and Shale adopted similar stances, ready for whatever fight was coming. Rather than attack them outright however, they were somewhat surprised as the demon laughed. It was a deep, hollowing noise that barely showed any sentiment of amusement.

“Such valiant heroes,” the pride demon said, its mouth not moving in the slightest as it spoke clearly. The voice was deep and guttural, every word coming out like a growl. “To come to such a perilous place with nothing but your strength and bravery. It's wonderful to see you mortals falling prey to your own pride so easily.”

“You will be purged from this place, demon!” Alistair shouted, pointing his blade directly at the monster.

Again the demon laughed, clearly seeing no threat within them. “Perhaps this form isn't as reliable as I had hoped,” it said. “But I have no intention on leaving. I will stay in the real world, and I will hear the song I have been promised!” The commander blinked in surprise, confusion hitting him hard. But he wasn't able to voice a question on any meaning as the pride demon lunged forward, its large hands glowing with power.

They all jumped away, narrowly dodging the blow of the demon as its fist shattered the ground where they were standing, a pillar of flame erupting from the spot a moment later. The sweltering heat could be felt even as they backed away from it, making it difficult to see clearly until the flames died down. It was too late however, as the brutish monster was already upon Alistair, its multiple eyes set directly on him.

With his shield up, Alistair jumped forward, ramming it against the demon while he slashed his sword at it. He made contact, cutting the demon across the leg and causing it to stumble back slightly. However, the king's attack did not completely stop the demon, its fist already swinging down on him. He brought up his shield just in time, catching the blow as it knocked him over onto the ground.

The demon stomped toward the fallen king, raising its foot up to smash the him beneath it. A roar of pain echoed across the terrain instead however, as Alistair saw the gleaming metal of the commander's sword pierce through the demon's chest, the commander standing just behind the creature.

The commander had both feet planted firmly as the forced the rest of the blade through the demon's back, not stopping until the hilt was pressing against the opened wound. But the attack was far from fatal. Brought into a rage, the pride demon swung its body around, its arm swinging with it. Being carried off of his feet, the commander was struck by the thick limb and thrown back, his sword coming with him.

As the Warden stood and readied himself to deliver another blow, the infuriated demon threw its hand toward him, a bright flash of a bluish-white shooting out toward him. Pain suddenly gripped him as his legs were consumed by ice, immobilizing him. Even with his armor, the chill of the ice dug through it and ensnared his flesh. He could already feel his skin numbing, slowly dieing from the cold as blood stopped flowing through them. Pointing his sword downward, the commander hurriedly stabbed it into the ice, chipping away at it with every plunge.

Shale was quick to charge into the fray as well, slamming its fists against the demon with a force that would obliterate a normal foe. But the demon was far from being defeated so easily, dwarfing the mighty golem, the pride demon delivered its own blow, its fist striking the golem with an unnatural strength. Shale was resilient however, taking the blow well and countering with another series of punches, denting the demon's thick hide like armor.

The pride demon tried to strike the construct again, but Shale was quick to dodge it, jumping a short distance backward to ready another charging blow. As the living statue was about to make contact, the monstrous creature clamped its hands together and swung the combined force against the unsuspecting Shale. It was knocked to the ground with ease, looking up at the demon as its fist clenched once again. With am earth-shattering roar of fury, the demon brought its fist down hard on the construct, striking it with such a force that the ground around them cracked open like a gaping maw, burying the statue in shattered rock.

The demon prepared to continued pounding on the golem, ready to shatter the stone creature into rubble. But a sudden bolt of magic struck its shoulder, causing it to grunt in pain as its head darted toward the azure princess. Luna had been watching the spectacle, having never seen such vicious conflict before, but she swallowed her trepidation and stared at the imposing monster with defiance.

Again Luna used her magic to fire several more bolts of energy toward it. Each shot found its mark, striking it again and again. But besides the initial surprise attack, the spell appeared to have no real effect on the demon, causing it to laugh at her. Not deterred in the slightest however, Luna's horn glowed for a moment as she eyed the chunks of rock that were strewn around the creature. They all developed the same aura as they rattled across the ground, moving toward the demon and forming into a single cluster.

With a grand speed, the rocks shot upward from under the demon, forming together into a rocky vine that wrapped around, its leg and arm, keeping them restrained. The pride demon growled angrily as it pulled back, attempting to free itself from the trap. Alistair saw the display himself and took advantage of it, rushing between the demon's limbs as he thrust his blade forward, stabbing into the demon's chest.

The pride demon's fury was only building, its burning gaze now set on the king. Alistair attempted to jump back, but he was no where near fast enough as the demon's spare hand shot forward at an inhuman speed, catching the Warden-King by the neck. The bulky hand wasn't even large enough to fully wrap around his throat, leaving only a few finger's to grip against Alistair's airways.

Struggled breathing and grunts of exertion left the king as his fingers tried to dig into the demon's grip, trying vainly to free himself. Luna gasped as she saw the human within the monster's clutches, galloping at full speed as she charged toward it. As the princess neared them, the demon yanked its restrained arm outward, shattering the stone tendril that had restrained it. Sights now setting on the oncoming equine, the pride demon's hand ignited as a crackling flame was formed. With a simple swing of its arm, the ball of flame was thrown forward at an amazing speed, being sent straight for the princess.

Luna stopped in her tracks, seeing the fiery inferno coming straight for her. Summoning her magic, a large barrier was quickly formed around her, shimmering with a blue light. It was just in time, as soon as the protective bubble was around her, the flames struck. Though none of the fire came close to touching the nightly princess, she was ill prepared for the powerful magic that the pride demon held.

Just the sheer strength of the flames was enough as it impacted the barrier with a quaking force. Luna wasn't expecting it as the force of the attack was too much, knocking the princess to the ground as her barrier faded and the flames died out.

Seeing the princess fall only made Alistair fight even harder, trying to pry himself out of the demon's grasp. The monster noticed it as well, laughing maliciously as he brought the human toward its face. “Such weak creatures,” it growled. “It must be a difficult with such limitations, powerless compared to those who understand the beauty of magic.”

Unable to break himself free, but not willing to give up, Alistair's eyes looked down toward his sword, still lodged in the demon's chest. Looking the demon defiantly in the eyes, the king gave a weak smirk as he said, “Well, you learn make do.” Quickly reaching down to pull his blade free from the demonic sheath, Alistair swung his arm in an upward arc with all of his strength.

The demon's roar echoed out across the Fade as Alistair fell to the ground, hearing the sudden thud of the hideous arm that held him as it fell just after he did.. For a few moments, the fingers began to spasm and twitch before becoming immobile. The Warden-King was quick to get onto his feet as the pride demon's deathly gaze was set on him. To the left the commander was charging forward, having freed himself from the icy prison and had his large sword clutched in both hands.

Alistair held his own sword tightly as well, ready to strike another blow to the demon simultaneously with his friend. Having lost its arm however, the demon's anger now held no bounds. With one forceful swipe, its arm struck the king with a bone-shattering force, throwing off of his feet with ease and sending him toward the charging commander. Their bodies struck one another, knocking the commander down and causing both Grey Wardens to crash to the ground in heaps. Their bodies shook as they tried to pick themselves up, their actions slowed immensely from the attack.

Stepping toward the Grey Wardens, ready to finish them off, the pride demon's small eyes remained focused on them. Its full attention on them was only broken when it heard a small approach from behind. The pride demon turned to see Luna back on her hooves, her gaze fixated on it. The monster gazed at her for several moments, its mouth twitching into what passed for a smirk by its kind. Following the sickening expression was a deep chuckle, one that almost made the equine ruler shudder from the sound.

“I sense such inadequacy in you,” the pride demon mused, never letting the princess out of its sights. “Such weakness... You feel so inferior, so insignificant, so useless, don't you?”

Luna could only stare wide-eyed at the beast her advance on it having stopped completely. Slowly, she shook her head, a weak act of defiance toward the demon. “No, that's not true!” she shouted.

“Is it?” the demon continued, its lumbering stride slowly bring it toward the princess. “I can sense it easily. You think of yourself as a lesser creature, worthless in comparison to another. It's so tangible on you, I can practically see it. But I've also seen how your thoughts are so true. You truly are a weak, pathetic, worthless runt! Just like these other fools!” A mocking laughter escaped the demon. “It will be easy when I can be free again to destroy the real world, just as easily as I've ensnared this weak creature I have now...”

Luna's eyes narrowed into a fierce glare, her forehooves smashed down on the ground in front of her as she faced the demon head on. “No!” she snapped, her horn igniting in a bright, silvery glow. “I will not be fooled into thinking less of myself! I know what it's like to be consumed by such doubt, by a darkness that envelopes anything that it is allowed. I see such a darkness within you. Twilight saved me from that fate long ago. Now, I will stop at nothing to keep anyone from suffering as I have!” The entirety of her horn became enveloped by the aura of silver as she charged at the demon. “You shall not take Twilight!”

Gaining speed, the silvery light becoming brighter around her, Luna never stopped as her galloping legs moved faster and faster. The magic built as the silver glow expanded, covering over her entire body as she ran. Before long, her legs were no longer propelling her forward as her wings began to flap, keeping her lifted just above the ground as the distance between herself and the demon shrunk. The pride demon's remaining arm sparked with an intense blaze, with a swing of the limb, a barrier of fire was erected around it, but even that did not slow the princess down.

Completely engulfed in the magical light, it swirled around Luna's body until she was just a silver cone speeding toward the demon like a spear. Even with the fire surrounding it, even with its strength of power, it was made powerless as Luna made contact with him, her entire body piercing through its chest like a magical arrow.

The Fade around them seemed to freeze in place, the commander and Alistair were stunned into submission as they gaped at what they saw, even the pride demon looked surprised through its monstrous visage as its body fell backward, the earth beneath them trembling as it struck the ground.

The intense light soon faded and Princess Luna was left standing near the defeated demon, her chest heaving as her breathing was heavy. Both Grey Wardens managed to fight back their own injuries and stand, approaching the princess with shock still evident on their faces.

“Just... whoa,” Alistair murmured, looking down at the demon before eying the princess with a weak smile. “Remind me to never make you angry.”

Even Luna expressed a smile at the remark, before she stumbled forward on her trembling legs. The two humans were already at her side, coming to her aid quickly. “No, no, I'm fine,” the princess said quickly. Even as she said it though, they were alarmed as they noticed the azure mare's body beginning to fade. “I'm just... very weak right now.... Too weak to remain here it would seem. I will return to the others, to tell them it's over.” Before the others could say a thing, the princess was already gone, her form in the Fade disappearing entirely.

With the fight over, Alistair moved toward the small crevice that had been formed in the ground, reaching down to help dig the buried golem out. While the king was busy, the Warden-Commander's attention was set on the fallen pride demon. Its body was still moving, only subtle twitches in its form, but it was clear that the monstrous creature wasn't fully finished off, not immediately in any case.

Grabbing his sword, the commander jumped onto the demon's chest and looked down on it, pressing his metal-clad boot against its throat. It was made even more obvious to the demon's longevity as a low growl emanated from its mouth, its eyes focused on the commander looming over it.

“How did you get here?!” the commander demanded. “How did you cross into this land?!”

The pride demon struggled to move, but it was obvious that it wasn't going anywhere. “I sought my freedom,” it growled, its guttural voice weakening by the second. “To see the real world as promised... to hear the song that his gift allowed us to hear... We were promised to be freed... But his own freedom destroyed him.... mind and body... separated... But the last beautiful voice that became demands... was quieted... muffled... not like the others....” The demon's lips quivered into a twisted smile as the commander sensed its gaze reaching into his very soul. “You... have such... familiarity to the song... you know of its fate...

Sneering in disgust, the Warden-commander's grip on his blade tightened as he raised it up and then brought it down on the demon, stabbing it into the monstrosity's neck. For a few moments, the demon's body writhed and convulsed on the ground, but soon enough, it was still. Barely a second passed before the demonic corpse began to ripple and the flesh disintegrated. Within seconds, the demon's body was completely faded away, leaving nothing behind.

Almost immediately, both Alistair and the commander felt the familiar pang of warning disappear from their senses. It was strange, yet none of them could vocally question it. There was little time to even do so, with their duty completed, the world around them began to blur. The rocky ground underneath of them began to crumble, the abysmal nothingness around them rippled and twisted until it became black.

The commander's senses were numbed to the point of unconsciousness, where his eyes were forcibly shut for a single moment, and when he opened them he found himself staring up at the white ceiling of the castle.

It was all that the commander needed as he lurched forward, taking in a deep breath of air like he had just been submerged in water. Nearby, the sounds of Alistair and Shale waking could also be heard and Celestia stood close to Luna, the nightly princess still looking drained by what had happened. The Warden didn't pay attention to any of them however, his widened eyes looking ahead as another began to stir from her trance.

The shield around Twilight disappeared as she began to shift back and forth. Everyone else in the room suddenly fell silent as their eyes fell on where she was lying. The commander was the only one to rush to her side, abandoning the notion that she might still have any trace of the influence controlling her.

Slowly, the unicorn's eyes fluttered open. She looked confused at first, her mind not immediately registering the worried human that she was seeing. But after several moments, the mare's lip began to quiver as her eyes welled up with tears. Before a word could be said, Twilight lunged forward, her forelegs wrapping around the commander tightly as she buried her face in his neck, his skin quickly becoming drenched as she quietly sobbed.

“I-It was so dark!” Twilight cried, her body trembling uncontrollably. “I-I was so scared!”

“Shh, shh, it's alright,” the commander said soothingly, doing his best to calm her. “Everything's okay, it's all over now.” Even though he meant every word, it didn't stop the Warden from holding onto her tightly, fearful that if he even dared to let go, she might be taken away again.

Soon enough, the events that transpired proved to be too much for the young scholar. When her tears seemed to have finally run out, she fell into a deep sleep. Though the two princesses were worried at what rest might bring, they were quickly reassured that what had happened wouldn't be repeated. So a room was quickly found to put the unicorn to rest, allowing her to comfortably sleep her weariness away.

The room itself was small, only half the size of one of the guest rooms. It was void of any decorations or furniture besides the bed and a few end tables that supported beautiful potted plants. Twilight's peaceful form lied atop the bed, her appearance showing no sign of the horrible things that had happened not too long ago.

Celestia at her student with worry, still feeling the grip of pain in her heart for what had happened. Regret was clearly etched onto her face, making her feel as though she could have done more to prevent what had happened. It hurt her even more to realize how helpless she had been in protecting the young mare.

But that inner heartache slowly ebbed away, and a soft smile appeared on her face as her eyes fell on the one other person in the room. Sitting beside the bed, a comforting hand resting near Twilight's forehoof, a worried Commander of the Grey remained still. He hadn't left her side since his return from the Fade, filled with worry that rivaled even that of the princess'. Looking between them both, it made Celestia's smile deepen even more.

There were still things that needed to be discussed however. So with a heavy heart, the princess lightly tapped the human on the shoulder. The commander's head shot upward, startled as he had forgotten that the royal equine was in the room. No words needed to be said as he understood her intentions completely, allowing the princess to quietly leave the room.

Standing up to follow her, the commander stopped for a moment as his gaze once again fell on the resting Twilight. Heaving a sigh, he pulled the pendent he wore from his neck and took great care as he wrapped it around the unicorn's own neck. It had indeed helped to clear the commander's mind when he needed it to, just as she had said it would. He could only hope that it could offer some semblance of help to her now.

Finally tearing himself away from the bed, the commander turned away and quietly left the room.

The adjacent chamber was were the others were silently waiting. No one said a word, using the missing sun princess and commander as an excuse. In reality, none of them wanted to be the first to speak up about what had happened. Luna herself was waiting patiently to hear whatever needed to be said, lying on the floor to rest. The others, the outsiders to the world of Equestria, only stood silently.

Anders leaned against the nearby wall, gazing at his hand as he created a flame around it. The fire crackled and burn between his fingers, never harming him and offering a small bit of extra light to the room. His gaze remained transfixed in the dancing blaze, feeling his old power coursing through him once again.

Alistair stood by with his arms folded, his fingers tapping against his arm as the silence in the chamber proved to be more than a little unnerving. It didn't help that he could feel a pair of eyes on him as well. From across the room, he could see Oghren sitting down, watching him intently. The slovenly dwarf's attention was focused solely on the Warden-King, never letting him out of his sights, barely even blinking. It made Alistair shift uncomfortably in place, small beads of sweat forming on his nape and brow.

The sound of hoofsteps nearly made everyone jump as the silence was finally shattered. All eyes were directed toward the nearby doorway as Celestia appeared, followed shortly by the commander. In no time at all however, the room once again fell into silence, without a word being said.

As it seemed that they were about to spend the rest of their days in the small chamber, Alistair sighed wearily and murmured, “So... maybe we should start talking about what happened?” The princesses at least had a right to an explanation, even if they barely understood what had happened themselves.

“Was it really a demon you guys faced?” Anders asked, eying the king and commander questioningly.

The Warden-Commander nodded sullenly, his gaze firmly locked onto the floor. “A pride demon,” he responded vocally, causing the mage to frown.

“Andraste's blood...” Anders muttered, rubbing his eyes as he shook his head. “How... how could this have happened...”

“It's seems obvious enough,” the Warden said. “You regaining your powers, this demon showing up. The Fade has come here.”

Shock was shown clearly on everyone's face as the answer was given, made so obvious yet so difficult to accept quickly. “No,” Alistair replied, his tone filled with uncertainty. “That... that can't be possible.”

A weak shrug came from Anders as he held his chin in his hand. “Not too long ago, we would have said it was impossible for animals to talk or even build their own civilizations.” The king opened his mouth as if to retort, but he was quick to shut it.

Grunting in frustration, the commander pinched the bridge of his nose and glared downward. “Just... how though?” he asked aloud. “How has this happened?”

Silence once again fell in the room, no one saying anything as no answers could be said. Eventually however, Anders' mouth drooped into a heavy frown as his eyes widened with an idea. “It... it has to be us,” he said. Causing everyone in the room to suddenly look at him. “The Fade, it's connected to all of us, save for dwarfs. We thought that us coming here severed our connection to it, but...”

“Our being here is allowing it to come here as well...” Alistair finished, his own eyes becoming wide with the realization. His gaze then fell on Luna. “You can enter dreams here. The demons must be able to as well. That's how the pride demon found Twilight... drawn to her magic. From what I've gathered, she's one of the most magically gifted around, besides you, right?”

“Yes, she is gifted,” Celestia replied, looking at the Warden-King with confusion. “But she is still so young and inexperienced. Why would such a creature attack her?”

“That's precisely why,” Anders murmured. “Demons look for weakness in those they seek to posses. They're drawn more to those who would make easy targets than anything. That's why it must have left you alone and went after her.”

“And you couldn't have warned us about that?!” the commander shouted angrily. Stepping toward Anders as he looked at the mage furiously. “Why didn't you say this could happen?! Maybe we could have been prepared before Twilight was attacked!”

Glaring back at the commander in his defense, the mage retorted, “Look, it's not like I knew this could have happened! There isn't some convenient tome somewhere that explains what happens when you cross into worlds filled with talking ponies! I had no more idea of this happening than you did! Do you think I would want this?”

Unable to take his piling anger, the commander punched the nearby wall in frustration. “We're a curse on this land, a blight!” he shouted. “Just being here... we're endangering everyone...”

“Maybe,” Alistair said, looking away blankly in deep thought, “but we can fix this.” As the others looked at him curiously, he explained. “You remember, in the Fade, you felt it too. It was like the Fade itself was weak... barely even there. It took it this long to actually effect us. If we leave, then we should be able to stop anymore demons from coming through.”

“Then we need to leave as soon as we can,” the commander murmured, his eyes falling on Anders, “all of us.” The mage's gaze fell downward, visibly showing the sudden strike against his heart. “Anders... with your magic back, maybe you can...”

“Yeah,” the mage said in a saddened tone, “I'll try to remake the Eluvian myself... I'm not too experienced with elven artifacts, but it shouldn't take me but a couple days to figure it out.”

“Then all we have to do is worry about more demons getting through until then,” Alistair said, not liking the idea of going through it all again.

“Canterlot is home to nearly every magically talented unicorn in Equestria,” Celestia replied. “If somepony else is changed like Twilight had been, we will surely know.”

The humans all nodded their heads, though it didn't do anything to replace the sadness that showed on the faces of Anders and the Warden-Commander. There was one other who also felt such misery.

No one noticed the added presence looking within the room, hiding within the doorway. A lavender-coated mare watched what transpired silently, having awoken from her rest shortly after being abandoned. She listened to what was discussed with a heavy heart, her vision becoming blurred from the moisture forming in her eyes.