Sitting down at the small table just outside Fluttershy's cottage, Anders watched as Ser Pounce-a-lot happily played with the small ball of yarn that the pegasus mare had gotten for him. The white-furred feline pawed and jumped at the small sphere, chasing after it as it rolled too far from him. Angel also joined in the merriment, the rabbit playfully taking the yarn as Ser Pounce-a-lot tried to reclaim it.
The sight brought a smile to the mage's face as he found himself enjoying yet another day within the colorful land that he as his companions were stranded in. A perfect shade of blue coated the sky with just the right amount of clouds hanging within it to give enough detail to the blank, blue surface. There was a cool breeze that flowed by, causing a rustle in the nearby tree leaves and helping to carry birds as they flew around the cottage, singing their melodious tunes. It was just one more perfect day out of the many he had been seeing.
However, it didn't take long for his thoughts to linger on his fellow Grey Wardens. Memories of his past encounters with them soon ran through his head, causing a slight frown develop in his expression.
“Is something wrong, Anders?” Fluttershy asked, sitting at the other end of the table and eying the human worriedly.
It surprised him at first, having not expected for the mare to notice his lowering mood so quickly. Then again, the more he thought about it, Anders could see where she got the skill. When tending to so many animals, none of which able to vocalize their problems, it seemed obvious enough that she would be able to tell if something is wrong with but a glance.
A reassuring smile came from the mage as he replied, “No, I'm fine. It's just... I don't know, things seem to be getting a bit strange around here lately.” His mind again wandered toward when he had last seen his commander, having been told what had happened in Hoofington.
“I heard you're closer to being able to go home,” Fluttershy remarked softly. Though she had been spared the more gory details about recent events, the timid pony wasn't completely out of the loop.
Anders gave a simple nod as he grimaced momentarily. Just the thought of what had happened, knowing that a templar was the cause of so much strife. It seemed like just another strike against them to the mage, again having to realize their impact on the world and his own life. The mage found some solace knowing that templars didn't exist in a peaceful land like Equestria though, he could only wish that it was like that in Ferelden.
Pushing his own personal thoughts away though, Anders gave a shrug as he returned to watching Angel and Ser Pounce-a-lot play. “I'm mostly concerned for the others,” he murmured. “Alistair's been acting like he's about to have a panic attack, hopefully his trip up at the castle loosens him up a bit. Our valiant Warden-Commander's been a tense mess for a while, seems like something's bothering him but he doesn't let any of us in on it. And Oghren... well, he's never liked a place unless you had a constant supply of drink and eye candy. Half the time I expect him to get stir crazy and light the town on fire to curb his baser instincts.” The mage rubbed his eyes as he heaved a much needed sigh. “I guess they're all just getting homesick, we've been gone for a while and I'm sure their absences have been noticed a long time ago.”
Fluttershy's head then lowered, her own simple smile lessening into a noticeable frown. “Oh,” she murmured, “I guess... you're eager to go home too...”
It took a moment for the mage to realize that the mare seemed to think he wasn't enjoying her company. The notion brought on a laugh from him, causing the yellow-coated pegasus to look up at him strangely. “Not really,” he said after his fit of amusement was ended. “To be honest, I doubt anyone in Ferelden is looking for me. I'm not the Commander of the Grey or King of Ferelden. Nor do I have a wife and kid waiting for me.”
“What about friends?” Fluttershy asked, looking at him with what could only be discerned as pity.
An aloof shrug came from the mage as his eyes turned back toward his feline companion. “Can't say there are many of those either. Most of the others are more... comrades I suppose. Didn't make any friends back at the tower either. Not many mages want to hang out with the guy who constantly gets in trouble with the templars. I don't blame them though, wouldn't be the first time a mage was guilty by association.”
The more Anders thought about it, the more he realized he didn't have anyone close in terms of a friend. Though he was friendly with several of the Wardens who had joined the commander along with himself when Amaranthine was in trouble, fighting talking darkspawn wasn't the sort of bonding activity that cemented them as best buddies. Anders had seen how Alistair and the commander acted toward one another, having known their history as they fought together against the Blight. It wasn't the kind of thing he had ever seen for himself. Save for the few cats in his life, he had little knowledge in the ways of true friendship.
Again Anders shrugged as he thought more in on it, playing it off as a simple matter. “I know the Grey Wardens are like a family to one another and all,” he continued, “but kinship only goes so far, and I doubt any of them in particular would miss me.”
“Oh,” the pegasus mare muttered, looking back down at the table in sadness, “I'm sorry for that...”
Anders himself wasn't able to look at her without gaining a wide smile, at least she seemed to care, if a little too much. “Don't worry about it,” he said reassuringly. “It just makes things that much more special when you do come across those who you can really bond with.” He looked the mare in the eyes, his smile growing by the second. “So for that, thank you, Fluttershy. I never would have thought that it would take me being thrown into a whole new world to meet someone I could call a friend.”
Fluttershy developed her own cheery smile, nodding her head as she showed that the feelings were mutual. It didn't take long for their quiet moment to end however, as Angel tossed the ball of yarn toward them, hitting the mage in the head with it.
Grabbing the ball and glaring down at the rabbit, the mage was taken by surprise as Ser Pounce-a-lot jumped straight for him, his eyes locked on the toy in his master's grip. Anders yelped in surprise as the furry feline crashed into his face, knocking him to the ground.
Lying there, he stared up at the sky as Ser Pounce-a-lot pawed at his hand, trying to get him to relinquish his hold on the prize. Angel Bunny merely stood over the human, looking as though he was laughing. Added to it however, the mage's ears picked up a soft giggling. Turning his head slightly, he caught sight of Fluttershy gazing down on him, holding a hoof to her mouth in an attempt to suppress her own bubbling amusement.
Just the sight of her enjoying his incident brought the mage into his own chuckling fit. And as he laid there, his laughter melding with that of Fluttershy's, a crazy idea slowly made it to his thoughts. Though, as their enjoyment continued, second by second, that idea seemed a little less crazy.
Even though the castle was missing a good amount of its usual denizens,having gone to Hoofington, the halls were bustling with passing ponies like a busy city. Much to Alistair's dismay, he was caught in the middle of it. A number of guards and official looking ponies surrounded him ever since he had arrived. They continuously asked him questions on what had occurred in the small town. It took some time, but Alistair managed to convey to them what had occurred, of Corvick's attacks as well as their idea to use his lyrium ring to help re-create the Eluvian.
It was easy to see that the king's explanation gained furious responses from the many ponies. Things almost seemed as though they would turn on him as well, for allowing the mad templar to be loose in Equestria. Thankfully however, they were able to see reason and not cast blame on anyone but the crazed human.
Corvick hadn't regained consciousness since both humans had arrived in Canterlot. It made things all the easier as he put in the dungeon, with a guard posted just outside his cell to keep watch. Alistair made it clear tthat he he himself was appalled by the templar's actions, telling the distrustful guards that he would allow any punishment they saw fit, or to have him face justice in their own world when they returned.
After what seemed like hours, the large number of ponies began to shrink until the Warden-King was left alone. A sigh of relief left him as his moment of peace was gladly taken. With Corvick taken care of for now and the lyrium ring having been handed to unicorn with instructions on its use, it seemed that Alistair's business was done.
As he stood alone in the chamber he had been left in, showing little purpose save assaulting people with questions, he twiddled his fingers as he tried to figure out what to do next. He had actually expected to be thrown in front of Princess Celestia, to tell her of what happened in person, but it seemed that the ponies he had talked to managed to fulfill that purpose for him. There was no doubt in his mind that the information had been relayed to the white-coated ruler, making him think that seeing her personally may not happen. To Alistair's own logic, he figured it would be easy enough for him to simply slip away back to Ponyville, avoiding any such face to face chat with the royal equine. He would be lying if he said he wasn't mentally crossing his fingers for the possibility.
Just as he was about to prepare his escape however, the doors to his small waiting chamber opened. The pounding heart in his chest lurched for a moment as he expected to see the sun princess step through. Instead, much to Alistair's surprise, the azure pony Luna stepped into the chamber.
The nightly princess' gaze immediately fell on the king, making him squirm on the spot uneasily. However, he did take notice to the fact that her expression didn't seem to be as abrasive as it usually appeared, a detail he was hoping was a positive note.
“Greetings, Alistair,” Luna said, her tone much more pleasant than the Grey Warden was expecting.
“Uh... hello, Princess Luna,” Alistair returned, unable to discern why she would have come.
There was a long pause between them as Luna kept her eyes focused on the human. They held no real intent to them, as far as Alistair was able to deduce, but seemed to gauge his current demeanor and reaction. As it seemed they would do nothing but look at each other in silence, the princess gestured toward the exit and said, “Would you walk with me?” Though she was making a request, Alistair knew he had little in the way of choice. Nodding to show his acceptance, he approached the princess and together, they slowly walked down the grand halls of the castle.
Though the castle hallways were filled with passing ponies when Alistair had first arrived, things seemed to have quiet down as their current location looked utterly deserted. There wasn't a single soul besides the two royal figures to be seen, giving them complete privacy as they made their way forward.
“Look, princess,” Alistair said, figuring out what she was most likely wanting to talk about. “I really am sorry for what happened in Hoofington. What Corvick did was irredeemable and I will make sure he faces justice when we return home, that is if you aren't planning something for him already.” It seemed like a long shot to assume that the peaceful land had much along the lines of punishment.
Again there was a silence as Luna said nothing right away. It appeared as though she was thinking what to say, something that made the king eye her curiously. “It is alright,” she finally said, her voice much more calm than one would expect. “I understand that this was through no fault of your own. And I do feel it would be appropriate if your fellow human was dealt with fairly in your own world, seeing as he belongs there.”
The princess' answer surprised the king, having expected Luna to go berserk over what had happened. “I promise he will get what he deserves,” he said determinedly.
As they continued to walk down the many hallways, each as empty as the last, their slow trek created another long silence between them both. This time, it appeared as though the princess of the night was questioning herself on something she wanted to say. Eventually however, she did manage to speak. “Alistair,” she murmured, “may I ask you something?”
“Of course,” the Warden-King answered, his curious mind wondering where this was going.
“What do you think of my sister and I?” Luna asked.
Alistair stared at the princess with a look of confusion, unable to tell the purpose of such a question. Not wanting to go back on his word however, he gave it a bit of thought before carefully saying, “Well... you're alright.” Luna continued to eye him with an expectant gaze, making the king realize he had more elaboration to do. “I mean, I have nothing against you or anything, heh. You have been a bit... moody around us, but I can understand you are just being careful. And after what Corvick has done, I can see why you might want to look at new creatures suspiciously. But I can always respect that you don't let being a princess keep you from acting the way you think you should.”
Again, Alistair silenced himself as he thought on his next response, digging into his own thoughts to bring out his answer. “As for Celestia,” he said, a small sigh escaping him as he frowned, “I just really feel sorry for her.”
“How so?” Luna asked, holding an inquiring gaze toward the human.
“Don't get me wrong,” Alistair explained, “she's wonderful. One of the kindest creatures I've ever met and a grand ruler to top it all off, but... I can tell there's so much more to it than that. Believe it or not, I'm the royal bastard who took the throne.” He paused for a moment, eying Luna for a reaction to his claim before continuing. “I grew up knowing I would never reach any kind of grand status, I never even wanted it. Then suddenly, I'm shoved into the throne because the rest of the royal blood is gone. When your land still has scars from a long war with its neighbors, and a Blight bearing down on you, you can imagine what it must have looked like for this nobody to appear out of nowhere and claim that he was of royal birth. Luckily, when I helped to end the Blight, it made people look up to me a bit more as a leader.” Another sigh left him as he began to rub his eyes. “Then, the real trouble began.”
Luna was attentive as Alistair explained it to her, his own experiences during his rule. “Never before had I felt so useless,” he said. “So many people looking up to me, having such grand expectations for my ability. It was such a crushing blow to realize that I was still the same man I was before. Being king changed nothing, and yet I was looked upon as infallible. No matter what I did, I always second guessed myself, questioned if my decisions were what were best for everyone. I had to behave like I was expected to, fearing that I could shatter the hope that the people had for me as their ruler, become something that I just wasn't. I can see the same thing when I look at Celestia.”
Remembering what had happened on the day that the Grey Wardens had managed to find one another again, Alistair could recall the sight of the princess during their royal banquet, after she had abruptly left the table and he went after her. “I've seen the way that your people look at the two of you,” the king continued. “Their reverence to you knowing no bounds. I can see how it effects Celestia, how she stunts her own emotions as to not disappoint those around her. She's a ruler first and a person second, giving simple smiles when she could be extraordinarily happy, or a frown when she really feels crippling sadness. With everyone looking at you in such a way, it must be torture for her to put aside her own needs and feelings for the good of everyone else.”
A weak smile made it to his face as he said, “I feel lucky with my own situation, having made wonderful friends and companions before I was given my power. They've helped me get through the more troubling aspects of being king. But I think Celestia feels much more alone. I've seen how close she is to Twilight, her own student, yet she still looks at the princess with the same higher standard.” His eyes locked onto Luna's for a moment. “I'm sure you even look up to her too, your older sibling who could do no wrong. It makes me think that no one really knows what she's like, as the pony she is, not the princess her title says she should be. With so much weight she has to carry from day to day, it must be hard on her.”
There was a subtle sniffling sound that came from the dark princess, a soft smile expanding on her lips as her eyes glistened. It look as though she was about to cry. But no tears fell, instead, her smile only grew. “It's been so long,” she whispered silently, “so long since anyone has ever been able to understand...” Before Alistair could even register the princess' actions, he was taken by surprise as she leaned forward and lovingly kissed him on the cheek. “Thank you.”
Then suddenly, her entire body was encompassed in a bright light. Luna grew noticeably taller, her azure body shifted to a pure white, and her twinkling, star studded mane became a flowing mixture of vibrant colors.
Alistair stumbled backward, falling down as his backside struck the floor. “C-Celestia?!” he blurted out, gaping at the princess now standing before him.
An amused expression developed on the sun princess' face as she looked down on the human. “I was able to tell you were trying to avoid me,” Celestia explained. “So a change in form was necessary for us to talk. Though I've realized my inability to impersonate my sister well, it seemed to have worked nonetheless.”
All Alistair could do was stare at the equine ruler with shock, his mouth opening and closing like a fish's as words failed him. Eventually however, his ability at speech returned to him, making him no more intelligible. “L-look, about-about what happened that night,” he stammered out in his horror, “I-I-I swear it was-”
Celestia raised a hoof in the air, indicating a need for silence. The blabbering king's mouth clamped shut tightly, as quickly as one of her own loyal subjects. “Oh, Alistair,” she said through a melodious giggle, “I always knew what had happened was a simple accident, and I understand completely.”
“R-really?” the king questioned, slowly picking himself up off of the floor.
“Of course,” Celestia replied reassuringly. “I was never upset at you for what happened.” With an ever growing smile, she brought her head closer toward the king's, her lips almost tickling his ears as her voice lowered to a soft whisper. “Only a little disappointed that things had such an abrupt ending.”
With that, the smiling princess turned around and left, having other matters in the castle that required her attention. It left Alistair to simply stand there, wide-eyed as his face burned with a blindingly bright shade of red. A certain spot on his cheek burning even more intensely.