//------------------------------// // The Witch of Everfree Forest // Story: Ponies and Grey Wardens: The Equestrian Age // by Icecane //------------------------------// 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.