//------------------------------// // First Impressions // Story: Ponies and Grey Wardens: The Equestrian Age // by Icecane //------------------------------// 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.