//------------------------------// // What You Can't Copy // Story: Ponies and Grey Wardens: The Equestrian Age // by Icecane //------------------------------// 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...”