Ponies and Grey Wardens: The Equestrian Age

by Icecane


The Illusion of Choice

There was an odd sense of deja vu felt by Alistair as he rested on his back, looking up at the shadowy ceiling placed above him. Such feelings of similarity only went so far however, as he felt the shifting form of Princess Celestia beside him, sleeping peacefully against him. Her alabaster body was cuddled against him snugly, a foreleg wrapped across his chest while her pleasant exhales tickled his neck.

Though the royal bed of the co-ruler of the land was even more relaxing than the simple guest bed he had previously used, as well as the added company being far better than he could hope for, sleep never came to the Ferelden king. All he could do was blankly stare upward, feeling the mild pain in his throbbing outer thigh, reddened from the sharp pinches and scratches he had given it, his way of telling himself that the events that had occurred hours ago were no dream.

There were obvious inner battles waging within the human's mind, having to do with his current situation as well as title and land. Despite his confusions to the soon to come future and what it all meant to the sleeping princess, there wasn't a single thought of regret for what had happened. It brought a smile to his face, even as he felt the equine stirring herself awake.

Eyes fluttering open, lips parting into a wondrous smile, Celestia looked at the king and gave a simple giggle. “Alistair,” she whispered softly, embracing him even tighter now that she was aware of her unconscious actions.

“Celestia,” the king managed to say. “I'm... not sure if I should say thanks or... what. It's just been... a new experience for me... in more ways than one, actually.”

Another giggle left the princess as her smile deepened. “I had realized that,” she murmured, bringing a flush of embarrassment to the human's face. “But,” she kissed him on the cheek, “you met expectations quite well.”

“Really?” Alistair questioned, smirking slightly. “How about that...” However, the smirk slowly drooped down to a frown as the inevitable began to cross his mind. “So... what now?”

Celestia shifted her sleeping posture slightly, to better look the king in the eyes, causing his gaze to be locked onto hers as she said, “You have my deepest thanks, Alistair. For everything you've done for me, as well as what your friends have done for my people. But no matter what's happened, we are still leaders of our lands, with responsibilities that transcend any personal feelings.”

“I understand,” Alistair replied. He knew that what happened wasn't something that was going to last, it was something he figured out not too long ago. It was that realization that made it all the easier for him to now lie in bed with the princess, to enjoy every fleeting moment of it.

A delighted sigh escaped the princess as the two kept themselves close to one another. “I will need to raise the sun soon,” she murmured, a hint of sadness in her voice, “to return to being the princess that I am.”

“Morning could always come a little late,” the king responded, giving a hearty smile.

Celestia matched the smile as a light huff of amusement left her. “Maybe,” she remarked, “but then the others will become worried and come searching for me.” Alistair gulped, feeling a sudden tinge of fear at such a horrifying prospect. “No... let's just stay like this for a few more minutes.”

So they stayed close together, basking in the silence as they enjoyed simply being next to the other, making sure to spend there last few moments together in peace. Sadly, it did not last as long as the king would have hoped, as a sudden gasp left the princess and her head shot upward with a start. “What is it?” Alistair asked.

The princess' expression turned to one of worry as her gaze looked away blankly. “I... I don't know,” she whispered, a tone of dread in her voice. “But... something's wrong.”


“Well, thank you again, Fluttershy,” Anders said with gratitude.

It was certainly a surprise for the mage when he awoke to the yellow-coated mare approaching him in his camp. Even more surprising was the sudden offer she had given him, asking him to join her in a simple breakfast at her cottage. Though the surprises continued to come as he sat himself at her outdoors table and was presented with one of the strangest breakfasts he had ever encountered.

They were like plump wagon wheels, made of a fluffy dough and were either glistening with a clear coating or covered in a flavored icing one might find on a cake. The taste was delicious, being far better than he had expected for simply being dough topped with icing. Milk also played a part in it, going great with the treat and being the only thing that made the human think of it as a breakfast.

“So, what do you call these things?” Anders asked, taking another sip of milk to wash down his latest bite.

“They're doughnuts,” Fluttershy replied softly, taking small pieces of one and tossing them on the ground. Immediately, the pieces of doughnut were snatched up by the audience of expectant critters next to them. Several squirrels, ferrets, birds and other small creatures were eagerly licking their lips at a chance to share in the breakfast of the pony and human. “Sugercube Corner had just made a fresh batch, I though you might want to try some.”

“Well, they are pretty good,” Anders said, staring at a rectangular one with hungry eyes. “When we're done though, I'd like to talk to you about something.” The sudden statement of importance caused the mare's attention to become focused on the human, even as he reached out to grab his latest pastry. “Well, you're really my first choice to tell... about what will happen when the Eluvian's finished and everyone's ready to leave.”

Ending with his rather cryptic explanation, Anders licked his lips just before opening his mouth wide, taking a massive bite out of the doughnut. Much to the mage's surprise however, this one in particular wasn't simply dough coated with frosting. The moment, his teeth broke through the delicious treat, a sudden miniature explosion of purple jelly came outward and coated the surprised human's face, covering his lips, cheeks and chin in the sticky substance.

Several of the more daring animals were quick in taking advantage of the opportunity. Within moments, the furry creatures were climbing up the human's body and licking the purple goo from his face. Anders nearly fell over from the sudden attack, attempting to politely shoo the ravenous critters away without causing them harm. It was made increasingly difficult as he found their wet tongues against his face to be quite ticklish. Even Fluttershy was a powerless spectator as she watched the animals overpower the mage, giggling softly to herself until a thought crossed her and she flew off into her cottage.

“H-hey, stop that, p-please,” Anders said, fighting back sudden fits of chuckling over the onslaught he was suffering. But the animals didn't listen, not prepared to stop until the human's face was licked clean.

Then, there was a sudden bright flash of white light, consuming the entirety of Anders' vision and making his eyes burn. The blinding flash toppled the mage, causing the animals to scatter as he struck the ground. After a few moments of lying still, feeling the burning sensation in his eyes dwindling, Anders sat up, wiping the animal slobber and scarce remains of jelly from his face. As he looked upward, he could see Fluttershy looking at him timidly, hovering in the air with a small camera in her forehooves.

“A-are you alright?” the pegasus mare asked with worry.

With a groan, the mage fully sat up, rubbing his eyes thoroughly before saying, “Yeah... I think so. Just, what in Andraste's name was that?”

Fluttershy held up what was in her hooves, looking at it like one would an everyday occurrence. “It's... a camera,” she replied. Within moments of her saying so, a small slip of paper extended out from a small slit at the base of the device. It glided down through the air until it landed beside the fallen mage, where he looked at it curiously. Examining it, the paper looked blank, then to his astonishment, a picture began to form. It was an unflattering depiction of the mage as he was assaulted by the furry animals, his comical face showing clearly while the critters completely overpowered him.

“Amazing,” Anders murmured, staring in awe at the picture. “So that small device can make life-like portraits? What wondrous magic must be put into it.”

Fluttershy looked at her unassuming camera for a moment before saying, “Well, actually, it's not-” Anders cut her off as he jumped onto his feet, a large smile plastered on his face.

“Let's take some more!” the mage said eagerly, causing the mare to giggle lightly at his excitement.

Abandoning their breakfast to any animal sneaky enough to snatch a doughnut unnoticed, Anders and Fluttershy began to take pictures of one another. Though the mage was eager to strike a pose, wanting to see how he would look with his own eyes, the yellow-coated pegasus showed a little aversion to it, needing a grand amount of encouragement from Anders to stay still. Several of the animals were even willing to be in the shots as well, resting in Fluttershy's grasp or climbing atop the tall human.

Angel Bunny was even kind enough to take the camera for a few shots, allowing Fluttershy and Anders to huddle together for a few pictures of them both. It brought on good laughs and fits of enjoyment from them.

“Okay, how about this?” Anders said, striking his latest pose as he flexed his arms, putting on his best expression of stoicism as he did so. Stifling a laugh, Fluttershy held up her camera and took the picture. By now, the mage had gotten used to the flash, no longer flinching as it occurred. “Oh, I know, you'll like this one.”

As though locked in the heat of battle, Anders' face twisted into a look of pure determination, his piercing gaze never faltering as he faced his opponent. Swinging his arms about as though he were about to cast a spell, the mage flung his hand forward, imagining the might ball of fire flying toward his target.

To Anders' surprise, his imagination seemed better than he would have thought, even as he could feel a sudden warmth in his palm, seeing a massive ball of flames being thrown forward. Gasping in shock, the pony and human gaped at the sight as the crackling shot of fire sailed through the air, smashing directly into Futtershy's chicken coop and setting it ablaze.

A frightened cry escaped the mare just before she rushed off toward the small home for her feathered friends, coming to their rescue. Anders stared at the scene with terror as he clutched at the sides of his head, shouting, “Andraste's blood! It's father's farm all over again!”

Quickly coming to his senses however, Anders bolted in the direction of the chicken coop, where the timid mare was desperately trying to get her chickens away from the inferno. The fire crackled and snapped, gluttonously chewing away at the wooden coop with no sign of stopping. Panic driven, the mage circled around the coop, having no better idea in how to stop the raging fire other than swinging his hands up and down toward it, a foolish and futile attempt to fan the flames away.

Then, without warning, a powerful gust of freezing wind blew from the mage's hands. The chilling air enveloped the coop entirely, turning it into a swirling mist of cold white. Fluttershy as well as the chickens who safely made it out of their dangerous home, motionlessly stared at the once burning coop as it was now looked as though it was caught in the dead of winter. A thick layer of frost coated the entirety of it while icicles hung from the edge of the roof.

Just as utterly dumbstruck as the others, Anders simply stood there, staring down at his own hands.


What should have been a simple walk turned into a tiring trek for the Warden-Commander as he slowly made his way through Ponyville.

It is said that one should sleep on any big decisions or matters of inner conflicts, but such a thing was made impossible for the Warden as he didn't manage to sleep a wink. Still however, his own drowsiness wasn't even noticed by him as he pushed onward, his head feeling as though it would burst open like a hatching egg from the many thoughts swarming within it. Morning was still early for the small town but the commander was unable to stop himself as he kept his gaze forward, barely paying attention to his surroundings as the rest of Ponyville woke from its nightly slumber.

Plaguing his mind were thoughts on a certain lavender-coated unicorn, the beautiful land in which he and his companions were currently stranded as well as the future, however bleak and uncertain it may be. Anders and his own words also crackled in his mind like a lightning storm, his finalizing question being the most dominating thing inside of his head. There was even a small, yet very vocal, part of his mind that was calling him crazy, shouting for him to turn around and go back to his camp. That part of his mind was also what he listened to the least.

After what felt like forever, filled with silent debates and grand inward disputes, the commander's slow stride halted completely as he stood before library home of Twilight Sparkle. Never before had it looked so imposing to him.

Just as he was about to step forward once again, there was a single moment of hesitation, a short second where the human again questioned himself on continuing. It was a point of no return, where in such a short little time, so much was going to change. Feeling a sudden pain in his chest however, like a tethered rope inside of him being pulled, he moved forward. The commander stepped into the library, leaving behind all of his uncertainties and fears.

The library itself was deserted, with neither Twilight or Spike to be seen. Eyes upward, the commander made his way to the upper floor, where his body suddenly tensed upon seeing the young scholar.

Twilight was sitting with her haunches firmly on the floor, her back turned to the commander. Books were repeatedly levitated off of near-empty shelves and opened up in front of her, hovering in her gaze for a minute or two before they were tossed aside. The Warden noticed a large pile of books nearby, no care taken into their well-being. Twilight didn't show the slightest reaction to the Warden-Commander's sudden appearance, simply continuing with what she was doing with no change, remaining deathly silent.

“Twilight,” the Warden murmured, clearing his throat as his hesitant voice cracked slightly. Still, the mare didn't respond to him, acting as though he wasn't even there. “Look, I know you probably hate me right now.” A saddened sigh escaped him as he rubbed his eyes. “I... hate me too. How I acted... I just... I just thought it would make things easier. Maybe even then I was just lying to myself.”

Even as the commander talked, his tone as sincere and genuine as it could be, Twilight seemed to register none of it. Not a sound came from her, not even sparing the time to look at him. “But none of that was fair to you... Perhaps I didn't realize it until later or I just didn't want to, I don't know,” the commander continued, feeling a chill pass over his shoulder blades. “Maybe it was just because I didn't realize there was a choice... but now I see it. We need to talk, Twilight. I need to know where we both stand concerning you and me. What I hear... what we say... it'll make me certain if my next life-altering choices are worth making or not.” Taking a deep breath, the commander look toward Twilight, wishing that she would simply turn around. “What... what I'm trying to say is, I-I think I might truly l-”

The commander stopped, his voice silencing itself as his ears heard something other than the thudding of books and turning of pages. It was quiet, barely audible, the Warden being lucky to have even heard it at all. The noise was like a muffled scream, sounding off just behind the human. Turning around, his eyes widened with shock at what he saw.

Spike was imprisoned against the wall, his small limbs held in place with shackles of a magical energy, keeping him bound tighter than any iron. A matching strip of magenta was placed over the dragon's mouth, keeping him silent save for a few near-mute cries. Tears welled up in his pleading eyes as he stared the human with fear, his body quivering against his bindings.

“Spike!” the commander shouted in alarm, immediately lifting a hand to aid the poor assistant. Just as he was about to touch the dragon however, his entire body froze in place.

Before he could react, grunts of pain left him as his limbs twisted and bent on their own, the bones cracking as his body began to float in the air. The commander was then thrown into the nearby wall, his back striking it with such a powerful force, he could feel the wooden surface cracking from the impact. His new position allowed him to look back into the room, to see Twilight slowly approaching him.

Struggling to move, the commander's sights moved toward the large pile of books that had so carelessly been tossed aside. They all began to glow, lifting up into the air. The books were then all thrown forward, becoming a raging river of literature as they were aimed directly for the restrained commander. With no means of defense, the commander braced himself.

The sudden, mighty impact, was too much for the weakened wall of the tree. With a mighty crash, the wall gave way and the Warden-Commander's body was flung outside, crashing into the upper balcony of the library. He continued to roll across the ground at an amazing speed, even as the books that had attempted to crush him were flung outside, scattered across the ground and into the nearby homes.

The Warden didn't stop rolling until his body crashed into the balcony railing, offering little resistance as it easily broke under his weight and causing him to tumble off of the edge. His hand reaching upwards quickly, the commander managed to wrap his arm around what was left of the railing. Cries of pain were uttered as it felt as though the muscles in his arm were tearing, too weak to lift himself up, forcing him to hang there above the ground.

Fighting against his own weakness however, the commander never stopped trying to pull himself up back onto the balcony. Those futile attempts quickly ended however, as he heard the unmistakable thud of hoofsteps approaching him. Looking up, the commander could see Twilight standing over the edge, looking down on him.

“Twilight!” the commander shouted desperately. “What are you doing?!” But the scholar didn't have to answer, not as their eyes met, his pounding heart freezing in place.

The unicorn's eyes were not her own, lacking anything that the commander could best describe as humanity. Even the flesh surrounding them was blackened, cast in a darkened shadow that showed clearly. Her eyes were completely empty, as though all of her kindness, her innocence, her very being had been ripped out of her. They were missing it all, being left with nothing but an abysmal gaze of pure malevolence and utter evil, a sight that the Grey Warden had seen several times before.

“No...” the commander breathed, his voice barely a whisper. It was the only thing he could do as he hung there, his body paralyzed by the sheer horror of what he was seeing. He was unable to tear his eyes away from her, even as Twilight's lips twisted into a malicious smirk. Standing to bring her forehooves upward, they rippled with a great magical power, just before she brought them down on the vulnerable human.