“Wait, we're doing what now?” Alistair asked, staring at the Warden-Commander as he was told the Warden's plan.
“Seeing what's happening in Hoofington,” the commander replied, leaning against one of the many trees in their camp. “Whether it's a monster or just a misunderstanding. The princess will send a ride for us tomorrow.”
Alistair nodded his head slowly, showing his understanding. “Okay...” he murmured. “And why exactly is this our problem? I mean, do we really want to get involved in their own affairs?”
There was a slight hesitation in the commander as he sighed and looked his friend in the eyes. “I wouldn't volunteer for this if it wasn't important,” he said firmly. “Don't.... just don't ask me why, but I need to see this monster for myself, if it even exists. I'm asking you to come with me, Anders is still deadweight, Shale wouldn't even fit in the chariot, and I have a much less likely chance of getting an ax to the back with you rather than Oghren.”
Though Alistair was still wary of getting entwined with problems that weren't his own, the king wasn't dull enough to not notice that there was something more complex than what the commander was telling him. But the look on the Warden's face showed that he probably didn't know everything himself either. “Alright, fine,” he replied. “We'll face this so called monster together.” His eyes trailed down to his friend's chest, seeing a spot of white bandage appearing near the collar. “You sure you can handle it though?”
Moving his right arm around as a test, the commander ignored the stiffness in his aching muscles, looked to his fellow Grey Warden and smiled, saying, “Of course. Wounds are practically gone. I'll be able to handle whatever beasty happens to get in our way.” Almost forgetting it, the commander was quick to add what else the king needed to know. “Also, when we've sorted out this monster business, you need to go back to Canterlot and tell Princess Celestia what happened.”
Alistair blinked forcibly at what the commander said. “Wait... why me?” he quickly asked, his voice holding a tinge of fear in it.
“She asked to speak to you,” the commander said with a shrug, still not wanting to know the full reason. However, it was clear that the sudden idea was horror to the Warden-King, making the commander sigh crossly and add, “Look, I don't know what's going on between you two, I really don't care. I don't care if you accidentally insulted her or if you took a saddle and tried to break her as your mount.” There was a noticeable cringe in Alistair's expression. “What you need to remember is that not only is she the ruler of this land, she's also one of the most powerful creatures in it, she can force you to see her. And I really don't need to mention that she has our only chance of returning to Ferelden.”
A grimace forced itself across the king's lips as he sullenly murmured, “I guess you're right.” He sounded as though he had just been strong-armed into submission.
“Good,” the Warden returned. There was a long pause as he slowly worked himself up to say the last thing that needed to be said. “Now, if you'd be so kind, you need to go see Twilight and tell her what we're doing. She's supposed to come with us to see this monster and I need you to collect my armor, be better if we wore ours just in case.”
Folding his arms, Alistair looked at the commander skeptically. “Why do I have to do it? It's your armor, and I'm not the one getting invitations to sleep in comfortable beds instead of the dirt.”
Another sigh left the commander as he began to stare at the ground dejectedly. “Just do it, alright? Listen to your commander for once.”
“Excuse me?” Alistair scoffed. “You might be the Commander of the Grey, but I'm the King of Ferelden. You have to listen to me.”
The Warden merely shrugged as he eyed his friend with a smirk. “It's never stopped you from following my orders before. Besides, you've said it yourself that you have no power here, while I'm still your commander, king or not.” He pointed off in the direction of the library. “So go see Twilight, that's an order.”
There was a momentary lapse in the Warden-King's expression, a look of defiance that quickly fizzled out as he realized that the commander was right. Giving a glare in response, Alistair turned toward the library and headed off, saying, “I'll remember this when we get back home. Lock you up in the dungeon for a week or two.”
Laughing slightly, the Warden shot back, “I broke us out last time, remember?”
The next day, after the two Grey Wardens were well rested, they donned their armor and prepared themselves for whatever was waiting for them.
Going to the library to find their third companion, the commander and Alistair were both surprised at what they saw waiting for them. A large golden chariot sat nearby, sparkling in the sunlight. It looked as though it had been carved from solid gold, from the wheels to the cushioned seat they were meant to sit on. At the very front of it, two pegasi guards were strapped down like beasts of burden, each waiting with a stoic stillness that made them look more like white-coated statues more than anything.
Twilight was already inside the chariot when the Wardens arrived. Hearing their approach, the scholar's eyes slowly drifted toward them with no motion of alertness. Almost immediately, as her eyes fell on them, she averted her gaze to look forward, becoming just as still as the guards pulling the chariot.
“Celestia certainly knows how to travel,” Alistair said with a laugh. Looking down at the side of the chariot, he could almost see his reflection staring back at him through the golden surface. “Shall we get going then? I like to get my monster slaying done early.”
Twilight barely responded, giving little but a nod of her head. The two Grey Wardens took it as their cue to hop aboard. Taking the center seat as the commander sat down on his right, Alistair noticed the lack of an actual seating. Just a simple soft layer of cushion set down on the floor of the chariot, forcing them to sit cross-legged. They were again reminded of the difference in postures that their two species had.
Seeing that everyone was situated, the two guards unfurled their wings, took a short running start, and took off into the air. Just as the pegasi were flying in the air, so too were the three passengers on the chariot as it hovered just behind them.
Alistair's eyes were wide as his hands instinctively clamped down on the chariot's front, his head jerking from side to side as the ground became a distant memory. “By the Maker,” he breathed, “we're flying!”
“Fastest way to travel, Sir,” said one of the guards. “We'll be in Hoofington in no time.”
Excitedly, the Warden-King's gaze darted in all directions as he saw the scenery from an aerial view for the first time. A large portion of the ground was covered in dark greens from the Everfree forest, stretching on as far as the eye could see. “This is amazing,” he said with a childlike wonderment. He could feel the wind in his hair, see the vastness of the open sky ahead of him, grasp at the complete freedom that only being so far away from land could bring.
As the king became used to his gravity defying state, he became more relaxed as he rested against the back of the chariot and enjoyed the unique view he was given. It was what allowed him to take notice to his fellow passengers, how their own moods differed so greatly from his own. Twilight at his left and the commander at his right both looked as though they were trying to imitate Shale on any given day. Their gazes simply looked out in opposite directions as they said not a word, making little sound save for that of their own breathing.
It didn't take Alistair very long to feel a powerful tension in the air, almost thick enough to make him choke on it. The king could barely comprehend what was happening in front of him, only feeling awkward for now realizing he was stuck in the middle of it, literally.
“So...” Alistair muttered, attempting to start a conversation. “Do we have any idea of what kind of monster we're dealing with here? Not another golem eating bear I hope... heh...” Neither Twilight nor the commander responded, acting as though Alistair wasn't even there.
Realizing there would be little in the way of talking, Alistair kept silent as they continued to sail through the air, his curious mind wondering if he had missed something.
In only a few hours, the golden chariot began to descend. The three passengers looked down below them to see a skyward view of a small town. It was obvious enough to them all that the simple place was Hoofington, looking only half the size of Ponyville with very little in regards to structures that stood out.
There wasn't even a drop of sweat on the brows of the pegasi guards as they landed just on the outskirts of the town, not looking the least bit exhausted after their trip. However, there was a subtle sigh of relief as the two humans and mare jumped down onto the solid ground.
They all looked at their surroundings, each having never seen the area before. The structures in Hoofington were what stood out the most, made mostly of stone walls and wooden roofs, unlike the simple straw rooftops that Ponyville had. It reminded the humans of buildings in their own land, holding similarities in appearance. Similar to Ponyville however, there were no roads or walkways, leaving an open, grassy area for the ponies to trot across.
Another similarity to Ponyville was the vicinity it had to the Everfree forest. Hoofington was just above the northern border of the forest, looking just as dark and foreboding as it did anywhere else. They could only assume that it had its own fair share of stories of beasts to scare them into keeping their distance.
To the two Grey Wardens, the small town was vaguely reminiscent to the village they had been to just before they were sent to Equestria. One grand detail about it was what clued them in quickly to it, the town looked deserted.
“Where are all the ponies?” Alistair questioned, looking into the empty streets of the abandoned land. The houses looked just as dark and empty, with windows blocked by locked shutters and no light coming from any of them.
“Maybe there really is a monster,” Twilight murmured, worry showing clearly on her face.
The Warden-Commander turned to the two guards, each looking about the area for themselves, small signs of fear showing in their expressions. “Are you two here to help too?” he asked, guessing that their elevated views could be of use.
The guards both looked to one another uneasily for a moment before one of them said, “Uh... we usually just pull ponies from place to place. We don't know anything about fighting monsters...”
Deadpanning, the Warden sighed as he silently muttered, “Of course not.”
Alistair then turned to Twilight and the commander and said, “Well, if we're going to find out what's going on, then we better get to it. Let's look around and see if we can find any sort of clue about this monster or the missing guards.”
A huff left the commander as he crossed his arms. “Knowing our luck, the monster is most likely to find us first,” he responded.
“True,” Alistair said. “Which is why we need to be cautious. Just look for answers and if you find whatever it is that's out there, don't fight it alone.”
“Let's just get this over with,” the Warden said gruffly, moving ahead into the the town as the others watched. Alistair couldn't help but frown while Twilight's face showed only sadness.
It was hard to find any shred of a clue as to what they were looking for. Alistair searched and searched the town to the best of his ability, but there was no other sign of a disturbance other than the inactivity of the ponies living there.
With nothing to find outside and as it appeared that there wasn't a living soul around, the Warden-King approached the first home he found. With a polite stance, he lightly knocked on the door, hoping that someone was inside to hear. To his surprise, as soon as the first knock sounded, there was a muffled shriek coming from inside. It took a moment for him to realize it, but someone was certainly in the home.
“Is anyone there?” Alistair called, knocking on the door again. “I just want to find out what's going on. I'm here to help.” There was no answer. Though it seemed impossible, the house seemed to become even more quiet, as though still from a frightened tension.
Whoever was inside certainly wasn't coming out. Alistair thought on the reasons for not even answering him, unable to figure it out. Even if there had been a monster, he was sure they would be happy to have the prospect of help. It wasn't as though they could think he was a monster. It wasn't as though he looked like a monster and, as far as he knew, monsters couldn't talk.
Unlike Alistair and Twilight, the commander's first idea was to check the area outside of town, to look into the Everfree forest. He kept his wits sharp and a cautious hand on the hilt of his sheathed blade as he slowly made his way deeper in the forest. It only seemed reasonable that whatever it was they were looking for resided in the forest. Darting back and forth, his eyes searched for any out of place sign that would show where such a vicious creature had been.
Just like the last time he had been in the forest, everything was silent and still. There were no animals scurrying about or birdsong whistling through the trees. It all seemed too easy to immediately think that it was the cause of changelings however. There wasn't a single moment where he felt like he was being watched like before, he truly felt alone in the shadow forest. The only thing else he could feel was a headache he couldn't explain, a small pulse of pain in his skull that got on his nerves more than anything. But as he continued to search the forest, he gasped as he finally found something.
Deeper within the forest, the trees showed clear signs of misuse. Large cuts were made into the thick trunks, slicing in deep with little care for the tree's well being. They didn't appear to be like the claw marks of any creature he had ever seen. The cuts were far too clean and always came in sets of one, unless there were creatures that had singular claws that he didn't know of. Several trees had even been cut down, fragments of broken bark and wood lying about between the stump and the base of each fallen tree. It took several moments for the commander to realize that they were forming a path, leading straight into a small cave nestled in the side of a rocky cliff base.
The commander's steps slowed and he unsheathed his blade, holding it out defensively as he approached the mouth of the cave. Being no fool, he was aware that approaching the home of any kind of beast, monster or not, would be met with furious retribution if they were nearby.
Not letting his guard down in the slightest, the Warden peered into the cave and searched for any signs of movement. As he saw nothing leaping out after him, it was easier for him to begin looking around. The first peculiar thing he noticed was just outside at the cave entrance, the rocky earth was blackened and scorched, as though a fire had been there. It was odd, but the commander wasn't about to jump to any conclusions. His own world had dragons who could create their own fire, who was he to assume that Equestria didn't have others. But even as he tried to tell his own mind what he wanted to think, as he turned to look deeper in the cave, all he could do was look on in horror at the scene he saw.
At the far end of the small cave, nearly a dozen bodies were strewn about on the ground, as carelessly as one might discard clothing. They were all ponies, many of them wearing the golden armor of a royal guard.
The commander's stared at the horrific scene, feeling a sharp pain in his chest at the sight of such a senseless massacre of innocents. Several of the guards were brutally wounded, missing portions of their limbs or sliced open so deeply that he could see exposed bone and innards, leaving pools of dried blood to stain the cave floor. He could barely breathe as many of them were already decaying, the acrid stench in the cave making it hard for him to breathe. To add to his compounding vision of horror and disgust, the commander was shocked as he realized what had killed most of them.
The guards were all unicorns, making the Warden remember that they were the most plentiful back at the castle. Their helms had been ripped from their heads, showing a wound that nothing in Equestria could make.
Every one of them looked the same, their eyes rolled back into their skulls, each wearing a marking on their foreheads. It was below the base of their horns, a dark symbol of a sunburst looking as though it had been burned into their flesh. Veins colored in an unnatural blue were shown visibly around it, looking all the more ghastly.
Staring at them, seeing the markings on their faces, made the Warden's thoughts race. Suddenly, his entire body shuddered, feeling a sharp pang of dread in his heart as he realized something. “Twilight,” he breathed, before bolting out of the cave, fear and desperation propelling him forward as he ran back to town in search of his companions.
Twilight slowly trotted through the town, her gaze looking this way and that for any sign of trouble. Other than the lack of ponies however, the young scholar couldn't see anything that marred an otherwise peaceful visit. Then again, even as she did her best to try and find clues to what was going on, her best was lessened greatly by her current halfhearted demeanor. Her saddened gaze and inverted smile of an expression were plain to see, if there was anyone around to see it.
Though the reasons for her current mood were obvious, the unicorn spent little to no time thinking on it. Using the current monster hunt as an excuse, she pushed away her thoughts on her current company, as well as past events having to do with them.
Perhaps if her spirits had been higher, her mood a beaming joy to match that of Pinkie Pie's, she would have been aware of the chilling sensation of eyes on her all the sooner. Perhaps if her senses were as sharpened as the warriors who were accompanying her, she would already have been aware of the approaching presence while it was still a distance away. But it wasn't until she heard the abrupt step right behind her that she took notice to it, her entire spine freezing as her heart pounded with fear. Twilight barely had a moment to turn around and jump back as she narrowly evaded the sharp swipe aimed for her, almost having her head cut off.
Eyes widened with terror, Twilight could see pieces of her mane falling down to the ground in front of her, telling her just how close of a call she had. Looking up at the menacing presence in front of her, the mare was gripped with stunned shock as her eyes laid upon a human standing before her.
The human's eyes were wild, his pupils only existing as small dots in an otherwise sea of white nothingness and red veins. His short, greying hair was matted and filthy, matching the filth that coated the cracked and dented armor he wore, bearing an insignia of a sword on the breastplate. Only small tatters of robes he once wore around his waist were still clinging to him. In his hands, a shield that was just as damaged as his armor, and a sword, the grey steel stained with dried blood.
“You-you're a human,” Twilight said, slowly backing away from the crazed creature. “You need to listen. I know your friends and can take you to them, they're all here in Equestria.”
The human didn't seem to listen, all he did was stare at the unicorn with an unbridled fury, his haggard breath being the only sound he created. “You will fall, demonic creature!” the human bellowed, gripping his sword even tighter as he charged at the mare.
Twilight gasped as she saw the sharp blade swinging down on her. With quick thinking, her horn sparked with a magical glow just before a bubble of a shield expanded around her. As the human brought his blade down on the pony, it struck the shield instead, only causing the surface of it to ripple on the impact.
Seeing his attack to have failed seemed to only send the human into more of a rage. Crying out furiously, he viciously hacked at the shield wildly. Though the shield was strong, every impact made it that much weaker, making it more difficult for Twilight to keep it strong.
Just as the human was preparing another barrage of attacks, Twilight used her levitation to lift him into the air and throw him into the side of a nearby building. The human struck it hard, grunting in pain as he dropped his arms and fell to the ground, collapsing onto his hands and knees.
Looking as though the fight was out of him, Twilight removed her shield and cautiously approached him, keeping her distance in case she needed to throw him again. But with movements as quick as lightning, the human grabbed his sword and plunged it into the ground.
A bright circle of blue and white flames erupted out of the ground around the human, expanding outward like a wave. Twilight was unable to get away in time as the flames washed over her, her mind already preparing for the unimaginable pain of her flesh burning. Surprise caught to her quickly as the pain never came, to her astonishment, she felt no different once the flames had died down.
Despite her momentary relief however, the human stood up, maddened face twisted into a savage look of triumph. Slowly, he approached her, blade still in hand. Twilight's own eyes narrowed with determination, ready to smash the human against the wall if she had to. But as she prepared to do just that, terror was felt by her as she realized she couldn't.
Panic surged through her entire body as she tried desperately to perform a spell. Nothing happened as she found herself unable to think properly. Her thoughts raced at an unintelligible rate inside her head. The unicorn could barely think straight, let alone concentrate enough to use a spell. All that came from her were dim sparks of feeble magical power, not even the simplest of levitation spells could be grasped by her as her vision became encompassed by the human looming over her.
Tossing his sword aside, the human instead grabbed Twilight by the neck. The lavender-coated mare tried to run, kicking out desperately to get away, but the human's physical strength far outmatched her own, managing to hold her in place with little effort. Her eyes were as wide as they could be as she felt his grip tightening and his lips becoming crooked into a hideous grin.
“I will cleanse you of your sinful curse,” he said, holding up his other hand to dangle over her face. Wrapped around his finger, Twilight could see a ring made of a glowing, crystalline rock that held shifting shades of blue. A sunburst symbol was formed into the ring itself. Even in her current state, the unicorn could feel a powerful magical energy pulsing from it, made even more clear as it was brought closer to her.
Still fighting back, Twilight struggled in vain as the human's hand was brought closer to her. She could feel her skin burn just from the close proximity of the ring. Her frantic thrashing soon stopped as her body seized up, frozen with a crippling fear that she had never felt before.
Two cries then filled the air, one of anger and the other of pain. It barely registered to Twilight as the human holding her down was no longer there, or when another human quickly took his place. It took several moments for her to recognize the black-haired human looking at her with a worry, to hear his voice frantically calling her name.
“Twilight...? Twilight? Are you alright?” the commander said hastily, his hand running across her forehead for any sign of any mark. Not seeing anything, the Warden carefully left the unicorn's side, his gaze burning as he glared down at the human lying on the ground a few feet away.
Slowly standing up, the crazed human clutched at his side, droplets of blood pouring from between his fingers. A large portion of the lower half of his breastplate had been shattered, leaving behind a stinging wound were the commander's blade had connected, having such a force that easily threw him off of the unicorn. It wasn't fatally deep, his armor had helped to that, but blood still poured out of it like small rivers.
“Corvick!” the Warden bellowed, stomping toward the human as he attempted to stand. “You murderous templar bastard!” With a swift kick, his armor-clad boot struck the templar square in the face, throwing him back to the ground and allowing the commander to pin him down.
Sitting on top of the Knight-Captain, the commander forced his head against the ground with one hand while he brought his other fist down on him. Again and again the Warden punched Corvick as hard as he could, not stopping even as he heard the cracking break of his nose, or seeing his grey hair turning crimson.
The Warden-Commander was far too furious to notice, the templar's hand reaching out, grasping his discarded sword and swinging it up to smash into the commander's side. Though the blade wasn't able to pierce his armor, the blow twisted the Warden's face in pain as he felt the impact of it shudder through his wounded chest.
Corvick managed to throw the Grey Warden off of him with ease, wiping the blood off of his face without a care as he grasped at his sword and shield, spitting out globs of blood onto the ground. Recovering from the strike, the commander grabbed his own blade, holding it out threateningly.
“I will cut down every last demon, every abomination here without fail!” Corvick shouted in madness. “This land will be purged of the corrupting nature of magic! Those who use it, and those who dare fall prey to its influence will all fall to the Maker's might!”
“Listen to yourself, you fool!” the commander retorted angrily. “We're not in Thedas, the Maker holds no power over here! There are no demons or abominations, just innocent creatures you've been slaughtering!”
“Lies!” the captain cried out, holding his sword up as he charged forward. The commander blocked the sudden swing with ease, holding his sword upward as the loud clang of metal against metal sounded off. To his surprise however, he felt his knees tremble under the force of the attack, far more than he had expected.
Corvick swung again, with a greater speed this time that the Warden barely managed to block. Countering, the commander's sword swung outward and smashed against the templar's shield, being stopped on the spot as it made contact.
Again and again they made their attacks, fighting off one another while the air was filled with their blocked assaults. Despite his wounds, Corvick continued to fight, his strength never faltering. It was a great surprise to the commander, to see the old templar fighting on. It made no sense to him, the old man was outmatched by any means he could think of. The commander was his better in every way, in both ability, strength and youth. Yet, Corvick's swings were powerful, far stronger than a man of his age and skill should form. More surprises came as the Knight-Captain's shield swung upward without warning, striking into the commander's wounded shoulder. A gasp of pain left him as he fell backward, losing his grip on his sword as he collapsed onto the ground.
Corvick stood over the fallen Warden, swinging his blade down one last time. There was the loud echo of metal clanging against metal as Corvick's sword was stopped, blocked by another sword grasped in Alistair's hand.
“About time you show up,” the commander muttered, picking himself up and holding his sword steady.
The Warden-King scoffed as he eyed his friend, saying, “I would have figured that my Commander of the Grey could handle himself.”
Breaking away from Corvick, both Grey Wardens stepped back, their blades at the ready for further conflict. The templar's head jerked between the both, his wild eyes never blinking as they darted to them. But Alistair saw no need for further combat, his gaze narrowing as he looked at the templar.
“Stop this now, Corvick!” Alistair demanded. “As your king, I command you to drop your sword and surrender!”
The Knight-Captain stared at Alistair for the longest time, staring at him as though he were looking at a demon giving him orders. As his eyes fell to the bloodied blade in his hand, he softly murmured, “The king... fallen under the sway of mages, now their puppet...” There was a moment where he almost appeared confused, looking around the area as though he wasn't aware of what was happening. “But... maybe... could be wrong... maybe I am... No! No, you are right! I shall not give in to the corruption! Not like the others!” Brandishing his sword, he aimed it toward Alistair as he continued to rant. “I am the hand of the Maker! It is through me that his will is done! This world will be cleansed of magic, to be freed of its evil!”
Again Corvick attacked, lunging at Alistair with an anger burning brightly inside of him. It was all the king could do to stave off the attack, now feeling the powerful fury that was inside of the mad templar. The commander joined in the fight without a moment of hesitation, swinging his massive blade at Corvick as the templar managed to deflect the blow with his own weapon.
Even against two opponents, the aged templar managed to fend them off, using his sword and shield to their fullest as he blocked their attacks and swung his own. Even as the commander could feel his strength waning, his previous injuries sapping him of his energy far quicker than he wanted, he could see Corvick still had power in him to spare.
Realizing that with whatever was keeping the templar going, they would soon fall to their own exhaustion. With nothing else to think of, the Warden-Commander disengaged from the fighting and stepped back. As Alistair fought Corvick alone, the Warden gripped his sword tightly with both hands. Steadying his mind and preparing his muscles, he raised his sword up high and charged forward.
The Knight-Captain saw the attack coming easily, already preparing to bring his blade up to block it. As the commander brought his sword down, using the last vestiges of his strength in the swing, there was only a moment of resistance as the blade struck Corvick's sword and shattered it in two under the might of his own superior weapon.
As Corvick became stunned at the loss of his sword, it was easy for Alistair as he swung his own blade outward, slashing his arm and forcing him to drop his shield from the pain. With nothing left to use in his defense, the templar was easy to defeat as Alistair continued his attack, swinging his large shield forward and smashing it across his face. The tremendous force threw the templar off of his feet and onto the ground in a powerful thud. His body laid there, unmoving save for the blood that dripped from his wounds.
The weight of his sword seemingly tripling in moments, the Warden-Commander sheathed the long blade as he could no longer hold it. Both Alistair and the commander panted heavily as they recovered, their aching muscles screaming at them for their overuse.
“What... what happened to him?” the Warden asked, aiming the question to the only other templar in the area. All he could think about was the crazed look in his eyes, like he wasn't even human any more.
Alistair merely looked down at the unconscious Corvick for a moment, looking away quickly as he shrugged his shoulders. “I don't know...” he murmured. “Lyrium withdrawal would be my best guess. They give you less and less as you get older, preparing you for when you finally retire as a templar. Would explain his strength too, I suppose, body tries to make up for it with adrenaline. Saw it happen to one guy... my first year under templar training, completely lost it. Took half a dozen people to restrain him. Really makes me glad I got out before they started feeding me that poison.”
With a shake of his head, the commander turned to Twilight who had watched the ordeal, making sure to kick the downed templar for good measure before he approached her. “Are you alright?” he asked, looking concerned until her eyes slowly focused on him.
“I... I don't know,” she murmured, looking around in her disorientation. “M-my magic... I can't use....”
Eyeing the mare himself, Alistair replied reassuringly, “Don't worry. Corvick's a templar. He can disorient mages with this fancy technique of his. Make it near impossible for them to shoot magic with a fogged up head.” He scratched his chin in thought. “Shouldn't last so long though... might be due to our different worlds, dunno.” Looking back down at Corvick, the king's eyes became drawn to the glowing ring he wore. Slipping it off of the templar's finger, the king examined it, disbelief evident on his face. “This can't... this can't be what I think it is.”
Catching his friend's shock, the Warden allowed Twilight to recover in peace and stood by his side as he too examined the ring, seeing the crystalline rock pulse with magical power. “That's lyrium stone,” he murmured in astonishment.
Alistair's eyes were glued to the sunburst symbol on the surface of the ring. Though he held it in his hand, he still couldn't believe that it existed. “Why... why would he have such a thing?”
Folding his arms, the Warden couldn't help but direct an expression of contempt at the unconscious Corvick. “Anders said he wore a Tranquil brand to use on mages when he saw fit,” he replied.
“No...” Alistair breathed. “The Knight-Commander wouldn't allow something like this. The Rite of Tranquility is only used after he and the First Enchanter have deemed it necessary.”
“And yet here this is,” the commander said crossly, pointing at the brand. “Should I also show you the bodies of the ponies Corvick killed when using that thing on them?” The more the commander looked at the ring, the more he slowly gained a crazy notion. “Though maybe... we can use this.”
“Use it?” the Warden-King questioned.
The commander nodded. “Yeah,” he said. “The princess said that they're having trouble handling the magic from our world. With a little lyrium to help them, they might be able to recreate the Eluvian.” He reached out to grab the ring from Alistair's hand. “They just have to avoid direct contact with-” The moment his fingers touched the stone, the Warden-Commander recoiled back. Gasping in pain, he nearly fell to his knees as his hands shot up to clutch at his head, feeling a momentary sense of agony course through his skull.
“Whoa, are you alright?” Alistair said, moving to the Warden's side.
Wide-eyed and breathing heavily, the commander gave his head a quick nod as he said, “Y-yeah... yeah, just a little headache is all.” His eyes drifted toward the brand still in Alistair's grasp, looking at it with a new sense of caution.
A weary sigh escaped from the king as he looked around at the still deserted town, he was certain after the commotion they had just caused, it would be a while for the ponies to leave their homes. “Maker's breath,” he murmured sullenly. “We've really brought a lot of mess to this world. I don't know how I'm going to explain it to Celestia.” He then swallowed a lump in his throat, formed by the compounding fears of what was inevitably coming.
With the “monster” having been dealt with, there was still a great deal to be done. After the commander explained what he had found in Corvick's cave, the two Grey Wardens were able to locate their chariot and bring the two pegasi guards up to speed.
One of the guards quickly took off on his own, heading straight for Canterlot to deliver the news of what had happened. They would need a large number of helping hooves to deal with the situation caused by Corvick's actions. Alistair was prepared to wait for the coming guards, to help watch over the unconscious templar until he was dealt with. It was something that the king wasn't particularly fond of, but he knew that the princesses had every right to know of what happened, as well as their own hand in the whole mess.
Twilight was able to fully recover from what the templar had done to her, allowing for the commander and herself to leave with the remaining pegasus, who was all too happy to get out of Hoofington. Though their speed was much slower with a single guard pulling them through the skies, both the commander and Twilight were happy to be heading to Ponyville, wanting a chance to rest after their ordeal.
Sadly however, that did not make the trip back any more relaxing. Twilight and the commander both took up their exact same spots in the chariot, though things were considerably more silent and still now that Alistair was no longer a safe buffer between them, leaving only an empty space. Even the guard occasionally looked back toward them, sensing a growing tension himself.
There were only a few times when Twilight dared to allow her gaze to drift, to tentatively shift toward the commander. The action only last for a split-second, the mare almost becoming fearful of the idea of being caught stealing glances. But as she looked at the Warden, she noticed how distant he had become. Silently he sat there, holding an expression of deep thought as his gaze looked outward aimlessly, focusing on nohting at all. The last attempt the mare made to look at the Warden lasted longer than the previous ones, her gaze lingered as her eyes focused on his hand. To her surprise, she saw the Warden absentmindedly toying with the pendant he was still wearing, holding it between his fingers.