//------------------------------//
// Beware the Shy Ones 
// Story: Ponies and Grey Wardens: The Equestrian Age 
// by Icecane 
//------------------------------//

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.